The Sun.
London, England, 1826-07-10 00:00:00

THE TEA. DUTY.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.) '
The Times asserts that tea-duties to the amount. of
700,000/. have been paid into the Exchequer this quarter,
which were not paid into the Exchequer in the. corres-
ponding quarter, 1825.
The sum received on account of tea duties in the quar-
ter ending July 5, 1825, was 880,0004 out of which
500,000/. was not paid into the Exchequer, being retain-
ed in the hands of the Receiver-General to repay the
wine duties.

The sum received for tea duties in the quarter ending

the sth July, 1826, and paid into the Exchequer, haS
been 780,000/. There has, therefore, been a falling off
in the tea duty from the fall in the prices.
But, to make a fair comparison between the quarters,
we must give the quarter ending sth of July, 1825, credit
for the 500,000/. detained in the hands of the Receiver-
General for the purpose of repaying the wine duties; but,
on the other hand, to institute the comparison between
the quarters, we must deduct a sum received in the quar-
ter ending the sth of July, 1825, being the residue of port
duties (transferred to Customs) which were received in
that quarter, and for which there is, of course, no corre-
sponding rece►pt in the quarter ending the sth of July,
1826. This sum amounts to 470,0001. The comparison
would, therefore, correctly stand thus :
Excise Exchequer payments for the quarter ending
the hth of July, 1825 - £3,915,950
Add the portion of tea duties detained in the Re-
ceiver-General's hands -

600,000

£4,414,950

Deduct residue of port duties received in that
quarter -

470,304

£3,954,656

Excise Exchequer payments for the quarter ending
the sth of July; 1826 - - 3,870,09

Decrease

£75,665

In making the calculation more roughly, the 'detained
tea duties and the residue of port Anties. in the quarter
ending the sth of ,1u1y,1825, have been regarded as ba,
lancing each other; and the actual payments into the Ex-
chequer, taken as the fair sums, to compare thus :
For Tinter ending sth of July, 182:i - - 0,915,950
For ditto ditto 182 - 9,870,091

Decrease £45,859

In no view of the subject, therefore, has the Times any
grounds for its allegation respecting the Excise Exchequer
payments.--Tines.

COURT OF ALDERMEN.

On Thursday the, LordMayorheld a Court of Alderrnel

at Guildhall, for the purpose of swearing Sir Peter Laurie
into the office of Alderman for the Ward of Aldersgate,
the Sheriffs elect sealing bond, and other business. The
Lord Mayor, eighteen Aldermen, Recorder, Sheriffs, and
City Officers, were present.
His Lordship reported to the Court,that ata Wardmote
recently held before him in the ward of Alderagate, for
the Election of an Alderman, in the room of R. A. Cox,
Esq. deceased, Sir Peter Laurie was unanimously elected.
Sir Peter Laurie was then introduced by Mr. Deputy
Fisher and Mr, Deputy Lorkin, the Members of the Com-
mon Council, and several inhabitants of the ward, and was
thereupon'sworn into office, and took his seat.
Charlet;Farebrother Esq. and Henry Winchester, Esq.
the Sheriffs elect,' attending, entered into the usual bond to
take upon themselves that office on the gBth of Septem-
ber next.

Mr. Alderman Ansley was elected Collector and Re
ceiver of the Orphans' Dues on wines brought into thepori
of London, in the room of the late Mr. Alderman Cox.

The Court adjourned the consideration of the Petitions
of the inhabitants of Portsoken Ward against Messrs. Saul's
application for the freedoni, and Messrs. Saul's petition to be
admitted to the freedom

Mr. Egerton Smith, of Liverpool, has proposed a new
species of life-preserver for persons going to sea. It con-1
sists of a collar of cork, two inches thick, and 19 inches in
diameter, with a hole in the middle, large enough to let the
head pass through. The collar Heti upon the shoulders,
somewhat like a tippet, and is fastened to the body by
strings passing from back to front under the arms. Its
weight is two pounds and three quarters. " This
collar," he says, " supported me without any exertion on
my part, and with my arms entirely out of the water. A
young gentleman also hung upon me in the water, and the
collar sustained us both, without motion on our parts,
either of the hands or feet; and I have not a doubt that
a collar of similar thickness, and of two feet diameter,
would keep afloat three persons. I found I could swim as
quickly, and I thought even quicker, with this simple ap-
paratus than without it; nOr Is this at all improbable, as
themeight of the body being neutralized by the buoyancy
of the cork, the whole exertion of the arms bi applied to
propelling the swimmer forwards.
advantage of this collar, that It is also a very great
it enables, the wearer to lie
on his back in the water, and thus shift-his position,
which, if he were subject to long immersion, would be
of great consequenmn, _

About 11 o'clock on SaturdaY night a fire broke out in
the house of Mr. Johnston, a tailor and draper, No. 00,
Haymarket, which in a very short time destroyed the
whole of the house, the valuable stock and furniture, as
well as considerably &rouging the back premises of two or
three of the adjoining houses. it has not been asqertainoa
by what means the fire,originatzd, The fire was got under
before three o'clock,