The Sun.
London, England, 1828-01-31 00:00:00

ports at present must do so with the chance,
that he shall not be able to effect sales at any
price. The most rapidly rising market may stop,
short of the point where importation begins.—.
But in a rising market, under the proposed sys-:
tem, importation would have been necessarily
large, because, along with the chances of a rise,
there was the certainty that even did the price
stop or retrograde, sales might yet be effected at
the expense of a small sacrifice. This may be
very easily illustrated. Suppose, for conveni-
ence sake, the point where duty was to cease un-
der the proposed law, and that where importation
begins under the existing law, to be the same,
namely, when wheat was 70s. per quarter—let
the price be 645. and the market looking up,
and let it be granted that foreign grain can be
sold with the ordinary profit of ten per cent. at
705., that is when it pays no-duty, or, in other
words, that it can be warehoused here for 645.
Under the proposed law, in such circumstances,
the only limit to the importation would be lack
of credit or of room. For, if the price should
only rise to 68s. the importer would be no loser,
and if it rose to 695. he would gain five per
cent. ; whereas, though it rose to 69e. 114 d.,
under the present law, every farthing of the capi-
tal of the importer would be as effectually
locked up as if it had never passed,64s. It ap-
pears, therefore, that while by the law as it at
present stands, the risk to the importer is great,
and the chances of successful speculation small,
by the law that was proposed, the risk to the
importer would have been exceedingly small,
the chances of success very great. Now, this
was not giving the monied interest the ad-
vantage of principle, but it was giving them
every advantage, and leaving the landed interest
none at all, although, according even to the
sturdiest of their opponents, they are entitled to
some. We shall now state in a very few words
what appears to us the principles on which any
permanent Corn Bill ought to proceed. Ist,
The landed proprietors of this country are not only
contributors to the general taxes of the kingdom
—there are some taxes which fall on them ex-
clusively. They dre entitled to be protected by
a duty equal in amount to the difference be-
tween the rate of general and particular taxa-
tion here and the rate payable in the corn
countries of Europe. This is mere justice ;
whether sound policy does not dictate something
more, we shall not at present inquire, because
the inquiry would naturally lead to the discussion
of other points of our commercial policy. 2d, The
amount of taxes paid by the landed interest is the
same, whether corn be high or low, and, there-
fore, they are as justly entitled to protection
when corn is 80s. a quarter, as when zt is 60s.
Corn never rises here or elsewhere but from one
cause. It is no advantage to the farmer to sell
at 80s. any more than at 605., so long as he has
but three quarters instead of four to carry to
market. To say that importation should be per-
fectly free when grain is at 80s., is saying in
other words, that the fewer goods the farmer has
to dispose of, the more ought his price to he
beaten down. These two principles naturally
and necessarily lead to the conclusion, that
instead of a varying duty, to be regulated by a
machinery of a most complicated character, as
was proposed in the last Bill, a permanent duty,
sufficient to protect the agriculturist,. ought to be
substituted. What the amount of such :a duty
ought to be, we have not stylicient data for cal-
culating, and that is a matter which requires, and
we trust will receive, ample discussion.—New
Times.

The question of the settlemei-it of the Bot►n-
dary Line between the United States and our
territories in Canada, is one of greater import-
ance, than the distance of the localities generally
permits people to imagine. On that interesting
subject we give this day an able article from a
correspondent, in our first page, together with
the first of a series of letters which appeared a
short time ago in the St. John City Gazette,
and produced much effect in our Canadian ter-

On Monday evening, about six o'clock, the
family of Mr. Siracio.x, at Hammersmith, were alarmed
by the sudden disappearance of the maid servant. Search
was made in vain, until about twelve o'clock, when the
unfortunate female was found in a pond, at the back of the
premises, quite dead.

Mr.
MIRWITZ has presented to the Univer-
sity of London a very valuable anciunt Hebrew manuscript
of the Pentateuch. It contains 220 columns, written
upon 47 skins. It was purchased about a year ago front
the heirs of a Mr. SAMUEL Cn..tx Ricco, a descendant of
a Jewish family, which flourished in Italy some centuries
ago, and gave birth to several learned men, whose works
arc still esteemed amongst the Jews. The form of the let-
ters is evidently in the African and Spanish style, and the
material on which it is written is African skin, peculiarly
prepared, being the substance denominated yevil in Rab-
binical Hebrew, and on which only, according to the
Talmud and Maimonides, was the law allowed to be
written in ancient times. This circumstance proves the
high antiquity of this manuscript, for almost all modern
copies are written on keluf, parchment. Mr. Iluawrrz
is of opinion that it was written in the 11th or 12th cen-
tury, if not earlier.
The Commissioners of Bankrupts have evinced
a determination, which is highly laudable, of compelling
the assignees of bankrupt estates to divide more frequently
the funds in hand among the creditors, or, in case of omis-
sion, to,enforce the law which directs the payment of in-
terest, at the rate of 20 per cent. per annum, on all sums
beyond 109/. retained by assignees. One of the Commis-
sioners stated at a recent examination, that he considered
the current balances at this moment in the hands of assig-
nees to be no less than between 4,000,0001. and 5,000,000/.
for the failure of the due appropriation of which hundreds
of families, probably, are pining in want and misery. A
case occurred lately, which proves how completely assignees
sometimes forget that the property is not theirs, but that
of the creditors. A tradesman who held in his hands
about 1,0001. of such trust money, was ordered to pay up
the arrears of interest, amounting to 2001., and also to di-
vide the principal among the rightful claimants on the estate,
but he coolly remarked that he really could nut spare it, as
it was all employed in his own business! ! The full penalty
in this case is, we understand, and very properly, to be en-
forced, and it is to be hoped that the example thus set will
be followed up.

CALCUTTA, SEPT. 11.—A circumstance is
noticed in the Government Gazette of Monday evening,
iv which the community have a deep interest. We allude
to the fact of letters having been delivered last week only,
dated in November, that came by the ship David Scotty
which vessel arrived here in May last ! ! They were sent
up from that ship, we understand, when passing Kedgeree
on her way to sea, en the voyage home again ! ! The
Postmaster, in order to prevent any blame being erroneously
imputed to department, took care to have marked on
the letters the date of their receipt at the office; but we
should hope that the officers
of Government will be in-
structed to snake a strict inquiry into this extraordinary ir-
regularity, which must be the result of some very gross
neglect in souse quarter ; and which may have been pro-
ductive of serious loss to seine, and of unnecessaryunnecessaryanxiety
shall be delivered to the Kedgeree llawk boats are positive
and clear. Why was the order not complied with by the
an
Comm. dei -of the D Scott? If it were complied
David
with, where and by whom were the packets delayed? The
to many. The orders of Government that all packets
comintinity haVe a right, we think, to have
these points
ascertained. They suffer quite enough by unavoidable de-
lays in the receipt of their letters, without having them
kept back through culpable neglect or callous indifference.
RUN'. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. SELL.
Prem. 26 0 Remittable Loans 6 per Cent. 25 0 Prem.
Diset. 0 3 Old 5 per Cent. Loan ...... 0 8 Diset.
At Par. 0 0 New 5 per Cent. L0an....,. 0 4 ditto'