The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-31 00:00:00

PETITION TO THE QUEEN.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin has received the following letter
from Sir James Graham :

"Whitehall, 25th January, 1844.
"My Lord Mayor,—l have received her Majesty's commands
to notify to you, that the Queen will receive the address of
the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of Dublin, at
Buckingham Palace, on Friday, the 2d of February.
" It will be my duty to make known to your Lordship on
your arrival in London the precise hour which her Majesty
may please to appoint for receiving the address.—l have the
honour to be, my Lord Mayor, your faithful servant,
" J. G. GRAHAM.
" The Right Hon. the Lord Mayor of Dublin."
In consequence of the foregoing intimation, the Corpora-
tion held a meeting on Monday, at which it was proposed by
Alderman Roe, that the Lord Mayor should not wait upon
her Majesty, but that a letter should be written to the Home
Secretary requesting him to present the address. This view
was generally dissented from, and it was strongly put to the
ex-Lord Mayor that he should not refuse to present the
address in person. Alderman Roe, however, reilised to ac-
company his successor, and accordingly a deputation of the
members of the Town-council was formed, which is to pro-
ceed to London forthwith.

ARRIVAL OF THE PENINSULAR MAIL.-SOUTY•
kurros, JAN. 30.—The Little Liverpool arrived here at
three o'clock, P.m., having the Gibraltar and Peninsular
mails. Her dates are, Gibraltar, Jan. 20; Cadiz, 21 ; Lisbon,
24; and Vigo, 26. The Liverpool had seven passengers and

a full cargo of fruit.
GADDESBY MURDER.—After another private, but
brief, examination this morning, Mr. Messenger was once
more discharged. The opinion gains ground that Timson
(who is in gaol to take his trial for felony) " knows some-
thing."—Leicester Mercury.
LivzErooL.—The friends of civil and religious
liberty will hold a public meeting, on Wednesday next, in
the Music-hall, for the purpose of declaring their sentiments
on the course pursued by the Tory Government in certain of
the preliminary preparations for the State Trials now pend-
ing in Dublin.—Liverpool Albion.
Buckingham Palace is undergoing some extensive
alterations and improvements, particularly in the wing ap-
propriated for the use of the Royal nursery.
GENERAL DUFF GREEN AT HOME.—At Washing-
ton Duff Green is quite busy with the President and Cabinet.
He is organising measures and collecting capital for the
establishment of a daily newspaper in New York. It will be
a free trade Calhoun paper, and will also be an organ of the
Anti-Corn-law League of England.—New York Paper.
DEATH OF MAJOR MACKENZIE, FODDRRTY....4t is
with deep regret that we have to announce the death of
Major Mackenzie. The Major was an eminent agriculturist,
and may be said to 'have introduced the modern scientific
system of culture into Ross-shire, and the first who applied-
, lime to the soil. The Major had been ailing some mouths,
and died in his 75th year. He
,was universally respected for
his honesty and benevolence, and his death is greatly de.
plored.—Ross-aldre Advertiser.
TIIB NELSON STATUE FINISHED.—At length the
statue of the Hero of the Nile is visible from his exalted po-
sition in Trafalgar-square, apparently completed as it is " to
go down to posterity," as well as stand the criticism and in-
spection of the present age. It is, undoubtedly, much im-
proved from the alterations and " clippings" it has under-
gone, the coil of rope, on one side, being much diminished,
and the left hand tail of the coat being likewise lessened, so
as to remedy the curious effect produced by its previous
form. Rapid progress is now being made in the completion
of the square, which being nearly paved, looks very advan-
tageously. The displeasing and unsightly hoarding will,
consequently, be soon removed, as also the clever and curious
scaffolding, that at present surrounds the column, and pre-
scuts such a striking specimen of ingenuity.
Lady Oakeley died at Hastings on }Way last, in
her 42d year. Her Ladyship was. second daughter of the
late Lord Charles Murray Ayusley, son of the fourth Duke
of Athol, and married, the sth of JuneLl!*, the Rev. Sir

Herbert bakeley, Bark., Archdeacon of Colchester, and Dean
of Barking.
NEW ZEALAND THEATRICALS.-011 the 31st of
July last the first stone of a theatre, called the " Victoria,"
was laid at Port Nicholson, by Mr. Alderman Lyon, who
made rather an eloquent speech on the occasion, remarking
that the spot on which the theatre was to stand was but a
desert three years ago. By a playbill which is in London,
headed " Royal Victoria Theatre, Manners-street, Te Aro,"
it appears that this theatre was opened for the second time
on the 16th of September. This is quick work, but probably
the theatre is constructed of light materials. The bill, how-
ever, states that it is lighted with gas.
DUTY ON TOBACCO.—A memorial has been ad.
dressed to Sir Robert 'Peel by the American Chamber of
Commerce at Liverpool, praying for a reduction of the duty
on tobacco, and stating the advantage which would accrue,
both to the revenue and to commerce, by such a measure.
Tables are given to show the increase of consumption during
the imposition of a low duty, and that to such a degree as to
render the source of revenue more productive. Thus, coffee
in 1801, at Is. 7d. per lb., yielded 77,651/. ; in 1821, at Is. per
lb., 379,650/. ; and in 1841, at 6d. per lb., 710,5241. Tobacco
in 1821, at 4s. per lb., yielded 3,164,6731., and in 1841, at as.
per lb., 3,314,215/. This difference of duty has not, however,
been sufficient to reduce materially the profits of the smug-
gler, who is still able to sell his tobacco at 2s. 9d. per lb.,
which is 3d. less than the duty alone. In 1798 Ireland con-
sumed 8,000,0001b5. of tobacco, and she now consumes
3,000,0001b5. lees, with more than double the population-
During the period of extensive consumption the duty was
Bd. per lb., whereas now it is 3s. In England and Scotland
was consumed, in proportion to the population, only half the
quantity of tobacco consumed in Ireland, the duty in this
island being Is. 7d. However, on account of smuggling, the
quantity of tobacco on which duty is paid does not give
even an approximation to the actual amount of consumption,
and the memorialists declare that in their belief the actual
consumption was 53,711,8561 be., instead of 22,094,7721ba., the
quantity on which the duty was levied. These statements
are followed by a prayer for the reduction of the duty on
tobacco to Is. per lb.
We understand that the Worcester and Birmiug-
ham Canal Company mean to make a very considerable re-
duction in their rate of tonnage, on and after Thursday
next, Feb. 1 ; and most of our readers are no doubt aware
that the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway Company have
also resolved on adopting a similar step at the same period.
These measures will, in some degree, enable the port of
Gloucester to keep pace with the increasing competition of
other places ; and the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal Com-
pany will do well to re-consider the advance which they
made in the rates of tonnage in the canal last year, a course
which, as we predicted at the time, has operated mast pre-
judicially to the interests of the port.—Gloucester Chronicle.
A VETERAN.—DiaI on Monday last, at Moor
Houses, near Masham, Mr. George Wharton, late of Laver-
ton, near Kirkby Malzeard, at the patriarchal age of 114.
Until within the last two or three years this old man re-
tained his mental and physical faculties in an extraordinazs
way, and ever showed a disposition to conceal his age &OVA
inquirers. The length of his pilgrimage, however, has, front
his narrative of circumstances which occurred in his youth.
been pretty well ascertained. He remembered, when a lad,
being present with his mother at the opening of one of the
first Wesleyan chapels in London, when he heard John Wes-
ley preach the opening sermon. At the last WhitsuntV,e
fair at Kirkby Malzeard he dined with the ancient order of
the Golden Fleece, when he appeared in excellent heal,th and
spirits.— Yorkshire Gazette.
DESPERATE REMEDY FOR A DESPERATE. DissASE.
—They tell a good story of Dr. Rand. He w,as called on
to visit a hypochondriac patient, who fa'Acied she bad -
swallowed a mouse. On entering the rooni the lady ex-
claimed, " Dear doctor! lam glad to 'see you—l am in
such distress—such pain! Oh, doctor, 1 have swallowed
a mouse 1" " Swallowed—nonsense," replied the doctor, in
his mild and i)leasant manner. "Oh, no, doctor," sin the
patient, "it is not nonsense—it is a mouse—a live mouse--
he ran down my throat when I was asleep, with my axedia
open, and I feel him now, creeping about my stone, and
trying to gnaw out. Oh, doctor, do prescribe something
quick, or 1 shall die." " Prescribe," said he, " yes, I will
prescribe something that will cure you in a minute." " What
is it doctor, what is it?—l'll take anything you order."
" Well, then, my dear madam, swallow a cat-e-if that don't
cure you, nothing will."
THE WEATHER.—Last evening there was asudden
fall of the barometer, which was followed by a severe storm
of wind and snow. Towards the mornirJg it blew a hufriah;
cane, and in the course of the day a fooddeal of snoow
fallen, but, as the temperature is above freezing. it 80n ais
appears. The sky is much ON er
severe weather.
man named Jeremiah
AN him DEFENcE.--A
• caqt with the appearance of
oD
landlord t niso of 19s. 6:1., and on being Ihip-street alice-t.ourt,
Saturday with robbing his
asked it he had anything to say in answer,to the charge, he
replied, with a penitentialcharged
.
shrug of the sh,Julders, " The divil
cword, your honour; and it's my opkiion a great dale WO
mu has been said as it is !"
Another slip of the embankment near the Folke-
stone viaduct has taken place, and a, single rail has been re-
sorted to for the present, for the up and down trains as far
As SaltiVQ9d.