The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-12 00:00:00

PROPOSED TONNAGE RATE.

It was originally suggested to the Committee of 1834,
and has egain in various ways been urged upon the at-
tention of this Committee, that, supposing it should be
deemed advisable to continue any special tax to provide
for the annual expense of the lighthouse, buoy, and
beacon establishments, it would, nevertheless, be proper
to abolish altogether the present light, buoy, beacon,
and other dues, and to impose a tax in the shape of a
small tonnage rate—it is considered that Is. per ton per
annum would be amply sufficient—to be annually levied
on all the registered tonnage of the United Kingdom,
and on all colonial and foreign vessels entering its ports.
And it appears from the evidence, that a decided pre-
ference is given by almost all the witnesses to that mode
of providing for the maintenance of these establishments.
It has also been suggested to your Committee, that it
is of great importance to have an adequate sum col.
lected towards a fund for the support of merchant sea-
men; and that if the light dues were taken off, a ton-
nage duty of one shilling per ton, once a year, would
be willingly paid by shipowners to provide means for
forming a merchant seamen's fund, which your Commit-
tee have stated in another part of this report to be a
most desirable object.
Your Committee, after mature consideration of all

the circumstances relative to, and connected with the
present state of the several establishments for managing
the lights, &c., in the three kingdoms, are of opinion
" that all public and general lighthouses, and floating
lights, buoys, and beacons in the United Kingdom,
should be placed under the management of one board, re-
sident in London; and that that central board in London
should be the Trinity Board of Deptford Strond,"
And at the same time, with a view of carrying out

the recommendations of the Committee of 1834, your
Committee recommend " that in future one-third of the
members of the Trinity House of Deptford Stroud be
nominated by the Crown."
Taking the total of British tonnage registered, and
the foreign tonnage entering our ports, in the year 1844,
at 4,781,128 tons, and charging ls. per ton, the sum of
239,0561. would be produced (at the least).
If these plans were adopted, the tonnage rate could be
modified according to the time of employment of the
ships ; and your Committee would certainly recommend
the plan of tonnage duty in preference to the existing
system.
If the mode of assessment by a tonnage duty on vessels
be adopted, it may deserve to be considered whether the
tonnage of the Royal Navy, of the vessels employed by
the customs, preventive service, and excise, should not
also be included, with the view of lessening, as much as
possible, the charge on the commercial shipping. By a
return, it appears that in the years 1813, 1814, and 18.15,
years of war, the average tonnage of ships of war was
304,583 ; and in the three years 1842,1843, and 1844,
the average was 165,655.
CENTRAL BOARD OF MANAGEMENT.

Your Committee have had under their serious consi-
deration the system of managing the lighthouses, buoys,
and beacons of this empire by separate boards in Eng-
land, Scotland, and Ireland, each constituted in a diffe-
rent manner, and charging different rates of dues, and
acting under different rules, authorised, some by patents
only, and others confirmed by Acts of the Legislature.
The constitution of these boards is either by self-elec-
tion' or by ex-officio appointment ; and although there
has been some degree of control given to the Trinity
lb.use over the Scotch and Irish boards, as to the
placing of lights, buoys, and beacons, yet the admiui-
stratio'n of each may be said to be independent, and not
subj, et to any superintendence or control in their gene-
ral management, except in so far as the Queen in Coun-
cil has power over all.
The magnitude of the department of lights, and its
importance to this commercial and naval country, make
it an object of great interest.
PENSIONS AND CHARITABLE PURPOSES.

As the Trinity Board has continued, contrary to the
recommendatiors of previous Select Committees of this
(rouse, to apply, out of the light dues, large sums yearly
to pensions and other charitable purposes, it is requisite
that your Committee should notice, somewhat in detail,
the state of that question, as it is one of importance,
both in principle and in the amount of funds dealt with.
tour Committee, after mature deliberation, are of
opinion that all pensions and charitable allowances now
paid by the Trinity Corporation out of the surplus light
dues (except retiring pensions to servants belonging to
the establishment) shall cease with the lives of the indi-
viduals now on the pension list ; and that the sums
requisite to pay such pensions bo provided for by rex-
liament.

At the same time, your Committee, whilst they ex-
press their decided opinion (that no more money ought
to be distributed from the surplus dues in charity by the
Trinity Board), de strongly recommend that a com-
prehensive measure be brought forward by Government,
to form a fund for the relief and support of all destitute
and aged masters, mates, and seamen of the merchant
service, their widows and children, upon a scale adequate
to their wants, and your Committee hare to state with
much satisfaction, that the shipowners examined by the
Committee,
distributed w hilst
i n eha
objecting tori
t 3, declared themselves
eny part of the light
dues being
willing to contribute to such charitable fund as would
hold out to all British merchant seamen liberal induce-
ment to remain in the service of their country, by en-
titling them to receive relief from that fund under sick-
ness and accident, and also support in old age for them-
selves and families.
rCONOITY IN THE MAINTENANCE OF THE LIGHTS.
Your Committee has already expressed an opinion
that the public general lights are inefficient in brilliancy,
but it is difficult to ascertain correctly how far the seve-
ral expenses fur the buildings, fittings, stores, attendants,
wages, 840,, are regulated with duo ec.momy or not.
Several witnesses have complained of the lavish expense
in maintaining the lighthouses, and of the large esta-
bliiltmetits kept up to manage them ; but, whether any
change be made in the mode of supplying the funds to
maintain the lighthouses, or whether the present mode
shall 'continue, your Committee must express a strong

opinion that every possible reduction of the expenses
ought to be male, consistent with the eflicitucy of the
light, and the comforts of the attendants.
In 1834, of all the public .-enetai coast lights, the sum
of 5081. -was the average charge for each light in the
year. By the above statement for 1344, taking an aver-
age of alt the publicgeneral coast lights, the sum, of 459/.
is the.charge per light ; and thus for the whole of the 121
public- general lights, the sum of 55,539/. would suffice,
in future, to maintain them. If the 29 floating lights
be taken at 1,2001. a year, the sum of 34,300/.
would be required to maintain them ; and these
two classes of lights (in number 150) would con-
sequently require 90,339/. to maintain them the n hole
year. The charge for the managing establishment,
if the whole of the lights be Milted under one, woultl be
small when compared with the gross amount of
356,905/ paid in 1843. Ard your Committee are of
opinion that the relief to the shipping, the benefit to the
coasting trade, and the advanteg, to the naval service,
by taking off the light dues altogether from the commer-
cial shipping, and paying the e.‘pen,e nnl unaiur.enauce
item the Treasury, wound be great; and i 8 roost desir-
abl. to . be effected.

The attention of your Committee ba3 been called to
the erection of fixed lighthous,,s where floating lights are
no :v. maintained, and to the subtttution of ir.n for stone
and brick houses ; and there is reason to believe that a
considerable reducti,n of expense in the light dcpart-
mem may be effected by the adoptkn, it: part, of these
improvements.

COWES, ISLE OF 11.1611 T.
(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)

DEC. 10.—The 110.5a1 Family are expc'eted to leave
on Saturday.

Prit.ce Albert visited Northwood House, the seat of
G. H. Ward, Esq., -on Tuesday, with Sir Edward Bo-
water. The house has cost above 20,000/. lately for
embellishments by foreign artists. The grounds are
beautifully laid out, no expert: e being spared about them.
Mr. W. is considered to have the finest collection of
evergreens in England, wit' the grounds are the most
beautifully situated. His Royal liighnes; spent nearly
two hours in going over the house and grounds. The
"Court Circular" tells us that the Queen and Prince
Albert walked in the Plantations of Osborne House on
Monday ; that on Tut slay the Queen and Prince took
their usual early walk in the pleasure grounds of Os-
borne House. On Wednesday the Queen and Prince
Albert promenaded in the plantations of, &c. If this
acedunt of the doings of her Majesty is to convey to her
subjects what:is really taking place at Osborne, it is non-
sense. Why, her Majesty and the Prince are out in all
weathers. Let any one conceive to himself a country
squire and his lady, after a Loudon season, once more
back into the country, to their own pet place—their
" turtle dovery," if you like—that they are having some
alterations made in the shrubberies and grounds—that
they are superintending them—that the squire, or the
Prince, has a spade in his hand (not made for show but
use, the same as the gardeners and labour: Ts use), and is
digging a hole in the pleasure grounds to plant a shrub
in—that his lady, or the Queen, plants the shrub, and
holds it while he treads it in. This may daily be seen
at Osborne by all persons having business at the house,
and no more notice is taken of the parties or of the
children., who are playing near them, than of a squire
and his lady. A piece of ground is being laid out and
planted, to screen the view of the stables Irons the house
and grounds. One gentleman sent 100 curious ever-
greens, and quantities have been sent from Windsor, &e.;
and we know instances that, where the land Las not
been dug deep enough, and a certain person cannot send
the spade so far into the gravelly soil as it ought to go,;
we know he can make the pickaxe turn it up. The work
being completed, the lady takes his arm, and with 02147
Child on each side, away they trudge together across-. the
park to admire the views, or observe the progress of
some improvements, like an old English squire and his
lady.

POOR-LAW UNIONS.—The guardians of the poor
the Isle of 'Wight have advertised for tenders from per..
sons willing to supply 1,4001 b. of good beef, 12011). of
currants, 1201 b. of raisins, &c. &c., to furbish the in-
mates of the poor-house (569) a dinner on Christmas..
day. We hope the inmates of all the poor-houses ini-
England will be as well provided for.
NEW LIGHT AT TILE R.Y.S. HOLISE.—A splendid gtu
light, with four burners, has been exhibited during the
last week in front of the R.Y.S. House, It is a fine ob-
ject for vessels making for Cowes harbour and road-
stead, and it is so powerful that the various yachts will
have no difficulty in finding their buoys in the night-
time. It burns from sunset to sunrise, and can be dis-
tinctly seen from the mouth ofSouthampton waters, from
which it bears S. by W.

LIABILITY Or APPLICANT'S FOR
SHARES IN RAILWAY COM2ANIES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—In your City article of yesterday you say
" Pt omptly ought applicants for ';hares to perform their
duty, so as to prevent law suits—escape from liability
there is none." The Attorney-General and Mr. S. Pitt
Taylor say " We advise quiescence, and if any legal
proceeding be instituted, defend them." It I might be
allowed to offer advice, it would be that the instant par-
ties receive. letters of allotment they should, by adver-
tisement, call together all parties concerned in the com-
pany, and should demand of the Directors the
position in which they stand, as regards surveys, ex-
penses, &c„ and they should then determine whether
it be advisable or not to prosecute the scheme; and if it
be determined to dissolve the company, let the affairs at
once be placed under the charge of the Court of Chan-
cery, under the provisions of the Joint Stock Company
Act, 7th and Bth, Vie., c. 112, for the settlement cf the
affairs of the Joint Stock Companies. From such mo-
ment all suits must be stayed, and no further expenses
incurred—and each individual will have only to contri-
bute his fair and equitable propurtiun of expenses in-
curred. All bubble schemes will be exploded by allowing
only legal expenses—by bubble companies I mean
schemes which originated with attorneys, engineers, sur-
veyors. &c., solely for the purpose of getting an imagi-
nary line surveyed, and plans deposited, and having
enormous expenses paid out of deposits calculated on
being obtained only by means of extortion, by threaten-
ing law and equity suits those who have been silly
enough as to write for shares in the scheme. If tiro whole
body of applicants for shares go to the Court of Chan-
cery to dissolve the company, and engage attorneys of
the first eminence, I feel assured it will be found to be
the cheapest and best way of getting out of the clutches
of designing men. I cannot conclude better than in your
own emphatic words, "ESCAPE FROM LIABILITY THERE
IS NONE."

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
ROBERT WILLIAM DICKENSON.
Ilfracombe, Dec. 10th, 1845.

HARBOURS OF REFUGE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—The Government, thanks to your noticing the
subject, has at last turned its attention to the alarmingly
defenceless state of the Humber, and it is currently re-
ported that something will be done at the mouth of the
river to render it more difficult for the steamers, in case
of war, to get up to this town unseen. A fort on one of
the Sands is talked of. If this were done the Humber,
perhaps, might be improved as a harbour of refuge. At
present it is not a bad one, compared with many, but it
might be made better.—l am, Sir, your obedient servant,
A CONSTANT READER.

Hull, Dec. 9, 1845.

SUPPOfIED DEATH FROM VlOLENCE.—Wednesday
afternoon, Mr. William Payne, the City Coroner, held an
inquest at Guy's Hospital, on the body of Mr. John Clarke,
master mariner, who resided at Swansfieet, Yorkshire, and
who entered the above institution on the 26th ult. with a
compound dislocation of the right thumb, which was in a
state of mortification, from the effects of which he died on
Sunday last. The only account given of the accident was
by the deceased to some of his friends, but at the time he
was not aware that the injury was likely to terminate fa-
tally, it could not be received in evidence. The statement
of the deceased was, that on Friday, the 21st of November,
he was going along Park-street, Scutbwark, about nine
o'clock, when he was knocked down by some men. He was
found by two policemen, who thinking him drunk, threat-
ened to take him to the station-house, but, finding him se-
riously hurt, they took him to a house where lie found that
his thumb was broken, and that he had been robbed of his
pocket-handkerchief. There being no evidence before the
jury in reference to the accident, they returned a verdict,
" That the deceased died from exhaustion, arising from the
injury to the thumb, but how the injury was caused there
was no evidence."

GAME TRESFASS.—On Monday, Mr. Thomas
Cheesman, solicitor, of Gravesend, who is joint occupier with
his brother cf a farm at Luddesdown, the property of Wm.
Masters Smith, Esq., of Camer, appeared before the county
magistrates at Rochester, with two other parties (Mr. Walter
Cheesman and 3fr. H. Price) on a charge of trespassing on
the farm in search of hares. It appeared that on the 24th
of November the parties with others, two on horseback aid
two on foot, with four greyhounds, were observed by Mr.
thbeeelidefence committed
that
a •
Smith's keeper beating a piece of their own turnips in search
o inf
violationh T
ofh a
The offenceelausewa ins e
their ideatcoe,haamvi
de
they had always coursed with the knowledge of a former..
keeper without molestation, and that the whole of the Earl
of Darnley's tenantry in the neighbourhood were allowed to, • .
do so. The defendants were convicted in a penalty of is.
each, and 14s. 6d. each costs.
HER MAJESTY'S STAG HOUNDS.—Wednesday will% IL
by-day, the meet taking place at Gerrard's Cross-corm:non; ;,
notwithstanding dfiienl
dg, thefix
includingttn. e
the h ad
Earl not
of
Rosalynbeen publicly
and
officers from London, Windsor, and Hounslow, nurn-
uncearly. two hundred. Upon an untried deer being
isa:eairl:d several
al o t
turnedrecornu out on the Common it took away to the Pied Horse,
doubling back by the French Horn towards Fulmer, leaving
the village to the right, over the Common to College Wood
and Wexham Church, and thence over Mr. Henry Nash's
farm to the Slough station, crossing the railway on to Salt--
hill. The deer, after doubling round by Chalvey, and away-
for Chippenham and Dorney, and thence to Eaton Wick, was
taken close to the Bath-road, about half-a-mile below Salt-
bill, after a very excellent run of an hour and three quarters.
The country was in excellent hunting order. The meet to-
morrow will take place at the Black Dog, Bedfont.
STATE OF TRADE.—There was a considerrble im-
provement in the state of the market yesterday, and pur-
chases, both of yarn and goods, were made more freely than
last week. In prices, there was no absolute change to be
noticed, except that they were steadier and better defined.
than some weeks past. We arc sorry to state that a rather
extensive failure of a calico-printing house was announced.
The engagements are stated to be about 60,000/.—ltechda/a
Flannel Market, Monday, Dec. B.—The flannel market is
decidedly worse, and very little business has been transacted
at any price. Wool is a drug, and very difficult of sale. In.
fact there is no demand either for manufactured goods or the
raw material.—Manchester Guardian.

THE GRAND DUNE CONSTANTINE.—PLYTAcivni,
DEC. 9.—Last night the Russian line-of-battle ship 'lnger-
p
manland, Captain Melt, bearing the flag of Admiral Lutke,
and having on board the Grand Duke Constantin', of Russia,
winds. She was atleom
puther er
cbouncsktita,
the coin e t
through contrary
iaarschafsky, anied by
evotain Glassenap.
The wind at this time (3 PAL) Is tone from S.W. to
W,N.W., and continues veering towards the north. In all
probability the Russian ships Ay.,
morrow morning. Pl. -leave the Sound again to-