The Sun.
London, England, 1826-03-20 00:00:00

[MORNING HERALD.]

The Ordnance Department are about sendbig
out a military officer of rank to Canada, to super-
intend the construction of a canal between Mon-
treat and Kingston, avoiding the river St. Law-
rence, the object being to facilitate the commu-
nication between those two to#ns.

Mr. Arbuthnot is, this evening, to move for
leave to bring in a Bill for the further Improve-
ment of Charing-cross and its Neighbourhood.
The plan is ,for the pulling down of the
houses to Castle-court, in the Strand, thence
to Chandos-street, including, of course, the houses
at the lower end of St. Martin's-lane, by the Gol-
den Cross, &c. The King's stables are to be con-
verted into barracks, and a house and premises
are to be provided for the Golden Cross Esta-
blishment in the neighbourhood. The house at
the end of St. Martin's-lane, now Mr. Purse's
(silversmith's shop,) high as it is, overlooking
even Northumberland House, will be levelled
with the earth :—its site is remarkable, for on it
stood the first and original banking-house of
Coutts, and father of the late Mr. Coutts, who
was his own clerk, regularly serving behind the
counter.—(lbid.)

[THE REPRESENTATIVE.]
We beg to cull the attention of our readers to
an illnsteration which Mr. Secretary Canning
gave, in his place on Friday night, of the happy
effects resulting from Mr. llutne's interference in,
the affairs of the nation. It will, we doubt' not,
be remembered that some time ago the honour-
able and calculating Member made a prodigious
stir about the fees usually paid to our Foreign
Consuls ; and iyhich, in fact, constituted the
source from which their emoluments were prin-
cipally derived. This appeared to every body ex-
cept Mr. Flume a very suitable mode of remune.
rating these functionaries ; it afforded to each of
them a reward proportioned to the services re-
quired of him : they were paid by the merchants
and traders for whom these services'were per-
formed. Now it seemed to most people extreme-
ly proper that the remuneration of the Consuls
should be measured by the extent of their la-
bours, and should come out of the pockets of those
who employed them. The Honourable Member
for Montrose discovered that on this point
all the world was mistaken : harangued for
three hours , and a quarter upon the impolicy of
Consular fees ; and prevailed upon Parliament,
in a moment of most unaccountable oscitancy, to
consent to their abolition, and to substitute in
lieu of them payments out of the English
Treasury, amounting to the sum of 61,0001. per
annum. Uere we have a very pretty specimen
of what our beloved countrymen may expect
from Mr. I-fume's blundering attempts to regulate
what he does not understand. Ile mars every
thing which he attempts to mend. The real effect
of his interference in this business has been to
lake 61,000/. per annum out of the pockets of
the people of this country for the relief of fo-
reigners. While the Merchants at the different
foreign ports paid the Consuls by fees for the
work done on their account, the amount so paid,
went to enhance the price of the goods sold in
the foreign market. The Consular charges
thus fell—not on the inhabitants of this
country—not ultimately on the merchants
themselves—but upon the foreign purchaser
of the goods on which they were levied.—,
To Mr. Hume belongs the merit of having
overturned what we still consider an equitable
and convenient arrangement : he is entitled to
the praise of having saddled our Exchequer with
the payment of 61,000/. for the sole advantage
of the inhabitants of foreign countries. We trust
that his trumpeters at the approaching election
will not forget this essential service, when they
enumerate his claims to the gratitude of the public.