The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-05 00:00:00

purpose, he would adopt it as readily as a truth). He
would tell the miscreant that he lied, He would quietly
pronounce the entire of that paragraph as gross a false-
hood as ever yet an English brute asserted with respect
to an Irishman. That man might complain of the harsh-
ness of his language, but how dared he print such a
slander against any man ? His entire public life was
before the world, and if the Examiner could prove its
assertion, the opportunity was open to it to do so, but if
it could not—and he defied 'it to do so—then he was
justified in pronouncing the charge a gross and lying
calumny. He would then leave the scoundrel where he
found him, and proceed to consider the different resolu-
tions which he had mentioned at the last day of meeting.
It was not a small island that he was contending for. There
were twenty-three independent States in Europe, and of
these no less than ;eighteen were inferior to Ireland in
revenue and population. He did not want that Ireland
should have the entire expense of governing herself, be-
cause, by her connexion with England, she would have
but a portion of those expenses to be accountable for.
But it was not alone in population and revenue that Ire-
land was superior to those eighteen States, but her rela-
tive position made her the best suited of any country in
the world for being the entrepot between the eastern and
western hemispheres. After some further business had
been disposed of, INIr. O'Connell announced the rent for
the week to be 4931. ss. 6d.—(Cheers.)
,Thkineeting then stdjourned..

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.
GLOBE.—We have frequently had occasion to
expose the impolicy of high duties on articles of
general consumption. The bounty they offer to the
smuggler; the temptation to embark in illicit trans-
actions which they present to the trader; the injury
they inflict on the fair dealer; and the loss which
they occasion to the revenue ; have been often alluded
to, as combining to form an array of evidence against
a course which is no less subversive of morality than
it is mischievous to the commercial, trading, and
fiscal interests of the country. In an article on
this subject which appeared is our columns a few
days since, we alluded to the great expense at
which the several descriptions of force for the pre-
vention and detection of smuggling are kept up ;
and remarked that this large item of expense would
be greatly diminished were the duties on such articles
materially decreased. It is not, therefore, from the
fact, that in the case of tobacco, and some other articles,
the quantity smuggled into the country amounts to
nearly a moiety of the entire quantity consumed, that
the extent of loss to the revenue is to be calculated. A
considerable proportion of the expense at which the de-
tective and preventive force is kept up, must be added
to this positive loss. When these two items are added
together, and the discouragement which such restric-

tie duties inflict on commerce are also taken into the
account, who can suppress surprise that a system so
fraught with folly should have found advocates ? A
Parliamentary paper, issued on Saturday last, sup-
plies evidence on this branch of the subject which
will enforce the necessity of revising the Import Du-
ties, with a view to their diminution. The folly of
persisting in the " save-at-the-spigot-and-letting-
out-at-the-bung " policy, which has been adhered to
with insane and cruel pertinacity, could scarcely be
more forcibly demonstrated than by such returns as
that before us. Towards the close of the last Ses-
sion, the House of Commons, on the motion of Mr.
Hume, ordered " a return of the 'sei,eral establish,
menti maintained for the preventibn` of smuggling in
the-United Kingdom, in each of the yeah 1842-and
1843 ;;the expenses of prosecutions by the Customs
and Excise; the produce of seizures; the rewards
paid to officers, &c.

MONEY MARKET and CITY NEWS.

CITY, TUESDAY EVENING.

TIMES.--The statistics of 'port wine confirm the
opinion that was expressed by the trade at the time of
the negotiations with Portugal, that the unsettled state
of the duty was most injurious to the traffic, and that a
speedy settlement was of more consequence than the rate
to be imposed. The circular of Messrs. Shaw and Max-
well gives the number of pipes (100 gallons) of port im-
ported in 1842 and 1843, which is 12,889 for the former,
and 25,177 for the latter, showing an increase of 12,288
pipes. The same circular states that there is a large
stock of port in Oporto, and in bond in this country,
but that the great proportion is inferior and offered at
low prices, while really fine old wine, fit for bottling and
keeping, realises a high price, on account of the difficulty
of procuring it in any quantity.
The premium on gold at Paris is 11 per mills,
which, at the English Mint price of 3/. 17s. 10i(1. per
ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange of /5
421 ; and the exchange at Paris on London at short
being 25 55, it follows that gold is 0.49 per cent.
dearer in London than in Paris.
By advices from Hamburgh the price of gold is 484
per mark, which, at the English Mint price of 3/. 17s. 1 Oilf.
per ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange of 13 94 ;
and the exchange at Hamburgh on London at short
being 13 10, it follows that gold is 0.11 per cent. dearer
in London than in Hamburgh.
The course of exchange at New York on London is
1101 per cent., and the par of exchange between Eng-
land and America being 109 23-40 per cent., it follows
that the exchange is 0.43 per cent. in favour of England.
But the quoted exchange at New York being for bills
at 60 days' sight, the interest must be added to the
above difference.

THE EXPERIMENTAL SQUADRON
(From the Plymouth Times.)
There are considerations to be entered upon in the
construction of such ships as the Queen besides mere
sailing qualities, which we think have been too much
insisted on at the expense of others, perhaps equally
important—for example, stowage, ease of motion, capa-
bility of keeping the sea in heavy weather, cost, &c.
Now the Caledonia and St. Vincent are admitted: to be
very superior ships in all these points of view ; they
steer easily, are readily handled, they mount 120 guns
on a measurement of only 2,600 tons, and their launch-
ing cost at the present time would not far exceed 75,000/.
The Queen, on the contrary, does not steer well; she
rolls much, and the motion is sharp and uneasy in bad
weather. She mounts only 110 guns, on a measure-
ment of 3,000 tons, and her launching cost is 90,0001.,
making a difference of 15,000/. We have been informed,
on very good authority, that this ship, the Queen, had
no less than six men in the sick list, from the fatigue
experienced at the wheel. Neither did there appear so
much difference in the inclination of the two class of
vessels as we might, from the great breadth of the
Queen, have expected. In, a strong wind the inclina-
tions of the ships were not very different ; the Caledonia
inclined eight degrees, the Queen six degrees.
In the course of these trials the Queen carried away
two topgallant masts, showing that every effort was
made to bring out her sailing vowers, but without effect;
and it is quite clear that, as a line-of-battle ship intended
for the efficient and solid services of the country, she is
far inferior to the others, that is, so far as experience
has hitherto gone. When we consider that the working
sails of the Queen expose an area of 29,384 P square feet,
whilst those of the St. Vincent or Caledonia have only
25,619 square feet, the superiority of the latter as
adapted for sailing is quite apparent.
We come now to examine the capabilities of the Al-
bion. It should be observed, that the Albion is, by
measurement, one of the largest ships in the navy—she
is no less than 3,100 tons. Her spread of canvass is
enormous—the area of her working sails—viz., courses,
topsails, topgallant sails, jib, and spanker, is upwards of
30,774 square feet, being more than that of the Caledo-
nia or St. Vincent by at least 5,000 square feet. The
foremast of the Albion would make a mainmast for the
St. Vincent. She has only two decks, and is very fine
under water. Now to expect anything like an equality
in sailing between such a ship as this and the St. Vin-
cent and Caledonia in moderate weather, encumbered, as
these ships are, with an additional tier of guns, and 500
tons more load displacement, would be very unreasonable;
ateordingly, the Albion, in the general weather in which
the ships were tried, evinced a superiority in point of
sailing. %VW, however, the weather being stormy, the
ships. were brought under reduced canvass, then the com-
parative sailing of the Caledonia and St. Vincent
became greatly improved; indeed so much so that
one morning off Cape St. Vincent, with a close-
reefed main-topsail, reefed foresail, and main-stay-
sail, the Caledonia gained not only upon the Albion, but
the whole fleet. It is hence doubtful if in severe wea-
ther the Caledonia would not prove the faster ship. Bet
whatever may be the merits of the Albion in respect of
appearance, or sailing, certain it is she has been found
to possess many very inconvenient and unsatisfactory
qualities—like the Queen, she steers laboriously, espe-
cially before the wind ;, and in a sea way rolls awfully.
It is all very fine for persons ill disposed to enter into
the solid merits of the case to say that. the Albion and
ships of her class are splendid ships—and noble ships—
must sail fast—and such like indefinite forms of expres-
sion. But the real question is, are such ships calculated
for the hard services of the British navy? We know, as
a fact, from , undoubted authority, that the celebrated
Dupin, during his visit to England, said at Portsmouth,
in the dockyard, " This form of vessel is certainly very
handsome, but such ships will never answer the purposes
of your country."
_That
an
Albion, the compara-
tively smooth waters of an inland sea, with her 6.nel.
bot-
tom and her enormous spread of sail,. would inssit
winds win the cup, as a great yacht,
especially under the command of CapistLenrylp.oockyer,
whose thorough knowledge of every particular relating
to the navigating and sailieg of a ship is certainly equal
to that of any one existing. Had Sir W. Symonds sifted
the whole Navy List he could not have found a better
officer for his purpose. With respect to the beauty and
grandeur of her appearance under sail, there is no deny-
ing that; but we put these questions to Admiral Bowles,
or any of the gentlemen who were present :—When the