The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-18 00:00:00

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LUN DON, TVESDAY, JUNE is, 1544.

In the House of Lords, the Earl of RADNOR
called' the attention. of Members to the system now
adopt6d at the post-office of opening letters, and
movf34 for a return of the letters that had been ope.:.ed
since the commencement. of the present year.
The Duke of Vici.rallo-ro-s resisted the motion, on
the ground,that the law of Queen ANNE in that re-
spect 3vz.-5 still is force. The Secretary of State had
Eland siccordance ,Aith the law of the country.
After a few remark,. from Lord CAMPBELL depre-
cittine the exerc;se of
power which might be sane-
tionA by the Act referred to, the motion was nega-
tived; rincl the IlOuse adjourned.

After the presentation of petitions, the SPEAHIR,
.infozrzed the Home that he had received a letter from
the agents on the peiition against the return for the
Kiimarnoek Burghs, to the effect that it not their
intenon.to proceed uith the petition.
In answer to a: question from Mr. HAwEs, relative
to the encroachments on Greenwich Park, the Earl of
LlNt-,:4N said there was-no foundation for the repoi t
about building in the Park.

•
Six R. PEELmoved the order of the; day for going
into committee op the Sugar Duties Bill, and ex-
plained at much_ length the plans of the Government
with regard to. importation of colonial and
foreign sugar. After perusing his speech :carefully,
we cannot see that he threw much additional light
on the subject, for all the distinction that he drew
beteeen .sugar raised by free labour au l by slave
labor is mere moonshine. Sugar raised by slaves
will4:11e-imported into this country in one wa, or
another. There is -no possibility of preventing it,
and 0: keep up the fares is only to deceive the West
India proprietots. If the Government are really
seriout in discouraging ,ery, they should forbid
the importation of cotton, corn, wool) sugar, molasses

rum, cocoa-nuts, hides, tallow, horns, tobacco,
snuff, cigars, and almost every imaginable
foreign commodity that is used by the in-
habitants of the United Kingdom. The mills of
Lancashire and Yorkshire arc kept going solely by
slave labour. One-half
.of the consumption of the
country imported from foreign States is the produce
of slavery, and it therefore is utterly absurd to make
a distinction between free-labour and slave-labour
sugar. The only point of interest in Sir ROBERT
PEEL'S speech was that the Government would not
yield to the amendment of Mr. MILES, and that
they would abide by their original proposition. He
accordingly announced that, when the motion was
made for reducing the duty on West India sugar to
205., he should move that it be 245. the cwt.
The speech of Sir ROBERT PEEL was remarkable
for its candour. He admitted that the Government
had been defeated on several imp'rtant questions
during the present session; that, consequently, little
or nothing had been done ; that Parliament might
be prorogued, and business, as at the close of the
preceding session, remain nearly as when they met;
that many of his usual supporters had not lent him
their support, but whatever might be the consequencQ
the Government were determined to persevere in
their course by a gradual, safe, and circumspect re-"
laxation of those duties on articles which come
into competition with the domestice produce of the
country. This free trade speech did not seem to
please the Tories, and the Right Hon. Gentleman
sat down amidst cheers rather from his foes than his
friends.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL adverted briefly to the dif-
ferent topics of Sir ROBERT PEEL'S speech, and said
the main drift of it was to make Members on the
other side, the usual supporters of Government, undo
what they had done on Friday, and thereby destroy
their independence as Members of Parliament.
Mr. P. MILES regretted that Sir ROBERT PEEL was
determined to oppose the motion carried by a ma-
jority of 20 on Friday ;. he regretted also that he was
compelled to oppose the Government, but he could
not shrink from his duty, and must persist in his
amendment.

Sir ROBERT PEEL immediately rose, and moved
that the blank be filled up with 245.
An interesting debate ensued, in which Mr. KEM-
BLE, Mr. DISRAELI, Mr. 14.4.13011 CHERE, Lord STAN-
LEY, and many other Members joined, and for which,
owing to want of space, we must refer to the Parlia-
mentary report. The House divided ; the numbers
were, for Mr. MlLEs's motion, 233 ; against it, 255 ;
majority for Ministers, 22.
The other orders of the day were then disposed
of, and the house adjourned at a Quarter to One
o'clock.

It is not often that we have occasion to praise the
sagacity and liberality that characterise the deci-
sions of our police magistrates, who, in far too many
cases, exhibit a spirit of forbearance towards the rich
and the respectable, which they cannot And it in
their nature to exhibit towards the poorer classes of
the community; but the judgment of Mr. PAYNTER,
in a case which came before him on Saturday last, at
the Wandsworth police-otfice, is an exception to the
rule usually observed by his brother magistrates, and
we feel, therefore, sincere satisfaction in bearing our
humble testimony to his rare forbearance, good
sense, and appropriate kindliness of feeling. The
case which called for this gentleman's decision is
as follows :—Some time last summer a pier was
erected near the Red House at the instance of the
the 'Westminster Steam-boat Company, to enable
their vessels to land and embark passengers. In con-
sequence of this accommodation Battersea-fields have
become a favourite resort on the Sunday for some
thousands of mechanics, their wives and children,
where they may obtain a mouthful of fresh air, and
get a glimpse of something that may remind
them of the country. To increase the amusement
of these toil-worn artisans, several persons have
speculated on the letting out of horses and
donkeys for penny rides; and one individual, in par-
ticular, has laid out a considerable sum of money in
the erection of a gigantic swing. It was to devise
some means of putting a stop to these " nuisances"
—as they were termed—that a police Inspector
waited upon the magistrate. Mr. PAYNTER having
heard the particulars of the case, inquired whether
the spot on which these amusements were indulged
in, was common-land or private property, and being
told that it was private, observed, that in that case
he had no power to interfere, adding—we quote his
own words—" and Ido not see why I should inter-
fere. In no other country are the working-classes
restricted in their Sunday amusements, and I
do not see, so long as these amusements
are harmless in their character, that they
should be restricted in this country. The gentry
throng Rotten-row on the Sabbath in carriages
and on horseback ; then why is the same privilege to
be denied to the humble mechanic ?" To these judi-
cious and liberal observations the Inspector made an-
swer, that he should not have dreamed of interfering,
but that some of the resident gentry made complaints,
on which Mr. PAYNTER very properly rejoined—
" Let the gentry, before they make these complaints,
set an example of abstinence in their own persons."
No doubt the " respectable" people who reside in the
immediate neighbourhood of Battersea-fields amuse
themselves on the Sabbath in their own peculiar fashion
—no doubt they take special care to indulge in
the luxury of a ride or a drive into the
parks or the country, or take the air on the river
in their own wherries or sailing-boats—no doubt, too,
they pursue these sabbatical amusements without
entertaining the slightest notion that they are guilty
of a "nuisance" in doing so; and yet, when the
humbler classes of their fellow-countrymen presume
to claim the same privilege, substituting merely the
swing for the carriage, and the donkey for the
horse, then, forsooth, they are not only setting at
naught the sacred institution of the Sabbath, but
are guilty, also, of a decided "nuisance," to
which it is the bounden duty of all the
respectable gentry of Battersea to put an end.
There is nothing annoying—nothing indecorous—say,
these exclusive and would-be genteel folks—in riding
out on Sundays on horseback or in a carriage ; the
annoyance and the indecorum consist in galloping
about on a donkey, or ascending a swing—heinous
vulgarities, which cannot but be exceedingly offen-
sive to the refined notions of all the "respectable "
individuals who may chance to reside in the imme-
diate vicinity of the profaned fields where they are.
perpetrated ! There is an infinite deal of cant and
narrow-mindedness in this assumption. If the
gentleman has his horse, or .his carriage, or
his pleasure-boat; why should not the mechanic
have his donkey and his swing ? If the former may
enjoy himself, as best suits his fancy, on the Sab-
bath, why should not the latter be allowed the same
privilege? GOD knows, wealth and gentility have
already quite power enough in this Mammon-wor-
shipping, respectability-ridden country, without arro-
gating to themselves the additional right to deprive
the poorer classes of the community of the few enjoy-
ments which inexorable circumstances have left them.
The judicious and tolerant decision of Mr. PAYN►TEE
will, we trust, not be without its effects in lowering
the pretensions of the respectable and would-be ex-
clusive members of society, who can see not the
slightest harm in any Sunday amusements which
they themselves may choose to indulge in, but de-
nounce every species of recreation as a " nuisance"
that is pursued by the poorer classes, who have but
one day in the week on which to enjoy themselves.
This upstart pharisaical assumption, on the part of
those who should know better, cannot too promptly
or too decidedly be put down by the force of public
opinion.

Madrid journals of the 9th. inst. have been,re-
ceived. The Finance Minister, from all accounts, is
sadly puzzled to find v,ays and means to carry on the
Government. The treasury is empty, and no one
will lend money but at an enormous interest. The
Funds are more depressed than they have been at any
former period. On the Bth the Three per Cents. had
fallen to 26-; for cash and 26i at 60 days ; and the
Fives to 20 for cash and 20i at 60 days.

The following extract of a letter from Gibraltar,
which appears in the Tiempo, contains the latest in-
telligence from Morocco :
" Advices from Tangiers, of the 28th May, state that the
Spanish naval forces before that port consist of the Christina
frigate, the Venus corvette, the Mazanares, and Nervion,
brigs ; the Andaluz steamer and two packets, the Rayo and
Carthagena. Those forces were ordered to support the Spanish
Cabinet's claims, and to offer refuge to our countrymen,
should events force them to quit the territory of Morocco.
On the 28th the Emperor had returned no answer to the ulti-
matum which the Spanish Vice-Consul at Tangiers had con-
veyed to Earache, The English Consul takes an active part

in all the negotiations ; it is said that he is ordered by his
Government to avert, by all possible means, a rupture be-
tween Spain and Morocco, seeing that England is interested
in the empire retaining all its force and its whole territory.
With this view the English Consul would appear to be in-
structed to recommend moderation, and prevail en the Em-
peror to give Spain satisfaction for the vexations she com-
plains of. General Wilson, Governor of Gibraltar, has been
to Tangiers. The motive which may have induced him to
proceed thither is a mystery."

We learn from the Paris Moniteur of Saturday,
that dispatches had been received from General Mato-
RICIERE, dated the sth inst., being six days later than
the dispatch which announced the collision between
the French troops and the Moors on the frontiers of
Morocco. No further engagement had taken place,
and the intelligence was considered so favourable,
that the departure of the Prince DE JOINVILLE, had
been postponed for some days. In the meantime, it
is said an Aide-de-Camp of Marshal SOULT had been
dispatched to Morocco on a special mission, for the
purpose of settling the differences between the two
countries. This is certainly a much more rational
plan than to dispatch a fleet under the command
of an inexperienced youth, anxious to rival
his brother (the Duke D'AusIALE), and make
a sensation in France by an attack on Tan-
giers or Mogador. On Friday the discussion in the
Chamber of Deputies on railroads was continued,
and, virtually brought to a close by a division, in
which the Government had a large majority. M.
DE BORT moved, as an amendment to the Govern-
ment plan, that a sum of 47,000,000 francs be voted
for laying down the rails of the line between Orleans
and Bordeaux, and then leasing it for a term of
twelve years. The object of this motion was that
the State should execute all the works on railroads,
and then farm out the lines to companies. The
amendment was rejected by a majority of 40. On
this subject the Journal des Debats has the following
remarks :

"This result was foreseen, and we hope will put an end to
the question of short leases, and their advocates we hope will
return to more wholesome ideas. It may be conceived that
the system of execution and working by the State would
have many strong partisans ; and yet, strange to say, not a
Member olthe Chamber rose to support it when it was pro-
posed. If it offers great risk, it also presents incontestible
advantages. It seduces by its grandeur and by its simplicity
—it exposes the Treasury to great losses, but it assures it the
whole of the profits; and it is very singular that the authors
of the amendment, persuaded as they appear to be that these
profits would be very considerable, would consent so benevo-
lently to sacrifice a part of them to the farming companies.
Besides, the working of the lines of the State leaves to the
Government the free and permanent arrangement of the
tariffs. All these advantages disappear in the system of
short leases; the companies incur not the least risk, and are
assured of a considerable profit. Why, therefore, should
these privileges be renounced by the State and thrown into
the hands of the farming companies?
"The plan of the Government is founded on other bases,
and has a peculiar character ; it does not engage the finances
of the State, and does not encumber it with an uncertain
result ; it assures to the railroad system a more rapid deve-
lopment, and, favours that spirit of association which has
produced such grand effects in a neighbouring country.
"The Committee on the Bill has added fresh conditions, all
tending to its improvement. There will be as many third-
class carriages attached to every train as may be required ;
the Government will reserve to itself to regulate the maxi-
mum and the minimum of speed. If the company lower
their fares they cannot again raise them but after a delay of
three months for passengers and of twelve months for goods.
The advantages of the most perfect centralization are thus
obtained; and we think that this is much better than to
hare thrown the Government of a nation of 35,000,000 of
subjects into the embarrassment of an administration at
once gigantic and complicated."

The Revue des Deux 31undes thus adverts to the
visit of the KING to the Queen of ENGLAND

" The journey of the King is now decided upon, although
it is adjourned till after Queen Victoria's accouchement. King
Louis Philippe, on landing in England, would, most un-
doubtedly, meet there with the cordial reception and warm
demonstrations which the enemy of Poland could not ex-
pect; the people would crowd ou his passage, and meetings
would take place in every part of the kingdom, to organise
for him a triumphal reception. But the exalted sense of
the Prince who presides over the destinies of France. has
induced him to reject such dangerous success, and such
fatal acclamations. He will not expose himself to being
selected as the devoted friend of England, and will not give
the enemies of his dynasty such a theme to turn to account.
The King will return, at the Isle of Wight chateau, the family
visit which has been paid to him at Eu ; he will arrive
thither, it is said, on board a steamer, without appariel and
eclat, and impart as scrupulously as Queen Victoria herself
did, quite a personal character to his visit."
THE BOURSE—SATURDAY, JUNE 15.

First Highest Lowest Last
• __

Price. Pi-ice. Price: Price.
ferencliriveperC3nte..•.•• 121 90 .. 121 SO .. 121 90 .. 121 90

Fonr-and-a-Half • • 113 .. 113 .. 113 .. 113
Three per Cents.— 82 GO .. 82 60 82 40 .. 82 50
Bank of France... • 3047 50..3047 50 .•3047 50 ..3047 5C
Laflltte Bank, I,ooof. Sharesll3o ..1130 ..1130 ..1130

Belgian Bank.
660 .. 660 .. 660 ..660
Belgian Fives, 1840 • .
Spanish Active •.•••• • • • • • • 301 • • 30.1 • • 30$ •• 801
Threes •••••• • • • • • • 30/ • • 30/ • • 30/ .. 30/
Passive 5/ .. 5/ .. 8 .. 54
Portuguese Five per Coats— 46* • • 46% .. 46% .. 461
Neapolitan •• •• ••• • - • • 09 40 .. 99 50 .. 99 40 • • 99 50
Roman
RAILWAY SHARES.
Versailles, R. 8... • • • • • • • • .. 373 .. 375 360 .. 365
L.E••• •• •• • • • • •• 245 .. 245 .. 243 75 .. 243 73
Rouen • 937 50 .. 940 .. 937 50 .. 940 "
Rouen to Havre •••••• • • • • .. 736 25 .. 736 25 .. 736 25 736 25
Orleans ......•............ 951 21 .. 951 25 .. 980 • • 950
Strasburg to Bale. .. ••• 235 • • 236 25 • • 233 75 .. 233 75
Avignon to Marseilles...... 737 50 737 50 .• 735 . 737 50

RAILWAY SHARES FOR 15TH JUNE.
St. Germain •• •• • • •• •• •• •• 875 .. 875 .. 870

• • 870

Versailles, R.B •• • • ..... •• • 365 365 • • 365 • • 365
L.B • 245 .. 245 .. 242 50 .. 242 50
Rouen •• •• •••••• • • • • 942 .50 .. 942 50 . 936 .. 935
Rouen to Havre ...... . • 737 50 •• 737 50 .. 730 • • 735
Orleans ...... ........ 952 50 .. 955 • • 930 • • 952 50
Strasburg to Bale 23.5 .. 235 .. 232 50 .. 232 50
Avignon to Marseilles— •• • • 737 50 737 50 • • 735 735

APPEARANCE OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS LAST
EVENING.—The House of Commons was crowded
at half-past four, by Members anxious to hear the
Ministerial statement. Sir Robert Peel, however,
did not enter the House until nearly five o'clock.
Among the strangers seated under the gallery was
Lord Morpeth. His Lordship entered the House at
four o'clock, and took his seat under the gallery. The
leaders of the Whig party, as they entered the House,
went up to his Lordship and shook him heartily by
the hand, and some of them engaged in earnest con-
versation with him. His Lordship, who appeared in
excellent health and spirits, seemed to enjoy the ani-
mated scene which the House presented.

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