The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-09 00:00:00

4 '
~'

LONDON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9. 1845.

Notwithstanding the very numerous, respectable,
and crowded meetings held throughout the country
within the last ten days, in favour of free trade and a
repeal of the corn-laws, the parties most interested, or
rather, who consider themselves most interested, have
made no stir whatever. We have heard of no county
taeetings, no great assemblages of the " tenants' friends,''
and, with perhaps two exceptions, no symptoms what-
ever of a conviction on the part of the landlords that
their monopoly is in danger. The Duke of BUCKING-
HAM and the Duke of RICHMOND are alike silent,
and confidently reckon, perhaps, that the party which
made Sir ROBERT PEEL Prime Minister, can, with
the same facility, unmake him and set up another
idol of their own. They know that the agricultural in-
terest in the Commons, as well as the Lords, predomi-
nates to a very great extent, and reckoning on the firm-
ness of the " protection" Members, and the destruction
of any Minister who should dare to oppose their will,
thy probably wait quietly the assembling of
Parliament. That they are determined to resist
hardly a doubt exists. The organs of the monopo-
lists are more furious than ever against the League ;
they hold out for the present Corn-law Bill with the
most imperturbable obstinacy, and consider the sliding-
scale as the only security for any corn-law
whatever. At two agricultural meetings held at the
end of last week, one on Friday, and the other
on Saturday, we find similar sentiments expressed, and
loudly cheered by the company. On the former day the
Leicestershire Agricultural Society held its annual
cattle show, and in the evening several of the nobility,
Members of the House of Commons, and the leading
agriculturists of the county, dined together, when
speeches were made showing that the landlords are pre-
pared.rto:resist to the last. Sir H. HALFORD, one of the
IStril\s for the county, said, "If protection were so
far 'wn as to throw the poor land of this country
out :ottetiltivation, it would be the moot disastrous
1'411,440:had ever occurred to us as a
na-
`r4 was received with loud cheers, and
'7.llfilllurr!'.‘,6lll; was speedily responded to by the other

Member for the Southern Division—Mr. PACRE. He
alladed to what had appeared in a London journal
within a few days, and described it as a " complete and
wicked falsehood, and a malicious invention of the
enemy to paralyse the country." " But," he added,
" whatever may occur, I certainly shall be one of the
foremost to oppose what had been very properly desig-
nated as one of the most disastrous innovations which
could occur to this country." He sat down amidst
loud applause. At a meeting of the East
Surrey Agricultural Association, held at Croydon
on Saturday, Mr. ANTROBUS adverted to the same
report, but he did not believe it, and it was
his opinion that Ministers had no such intention; but he
could say that " the county Members would be deter-
mined to oppose the Government if any extreme mea-
sure were proposed ; and he had no doubt that those
Members of the House of Commons who were more
especially interested in, and pledged to, the support
of agriculture, would be found strong enough
to prevent the carrying of such a measure
if it should be proposed." We believe these
brief remarks express the sentiments of nearly all
the county Members, and if they are not terrified by
threats of resignation or a disruption of the Cabinet, and
advent of the total repealers, headed by RUSSELL and
11LeAuLax and COBDEN, they will adhere obstinately to
their purpose. Threats of this kind, however, are of
As avail against the voice cf the community.
They have allowed the impulse to become too
strong for them or any Ministry to resist successfully.
Like the religious bigots, who opposed the just claims of
the Dissenters and Catholics, and the patrons of rot-
ten boroughs, who would hear of no reform, they
have blindly remained obstinate to the voice of reason
and justice till general indignation has been roused
against their selfish policy, and a storm is ready to
break, which will sweep away every vestige of a mea-
sure which disgraced the first year of peace. Had they
yielded in time, the corn-laws might have existed for
many years in a modified shape; for numbers, and
among the rest the entire Whig party, would have
submitted patiently to a moderate fixed duty, while the
proposition now would be disdainfully rejected by every
corn-law reformer. " Out of evil cometh good,"
and never was the proverb better illustrated than
by the certain prospect at the present !moment
of a total repeal of this mischievous tax. The
agriculturists may scold and frown, but Sir ROBERT
PEEL is accustomed to such treatment from his friends,
and hitherto he has borne it patiently, when expediency
or necessity compelled him to resist their dictates.

We have received Madrid journals of the 29th and
30th ult. According to some of them, the new tariff
Bill to be presented to the Cortes is prepared, and, on
the whole, is more liberal than was anticipated. The
prohibitive system is to be entirely abandoned, and rea-
sonable import duties are to be imposed chiefly for the
protection of native manufactures. The Finance Minis-
ter wished to include cotton in the measure, but the
Council of Ministers considered it of such importance as
to require a s2parate Bill. It was understood that
CASTRO OROSCO, the Government candidate, would be
appointed President of the Chamber of Deputies. On
the 29th, the Three per Cents. fell to 35 at sixty days,
6,600,000 done ; the Five per Cents., 24 at sixty days,
2,000,000 done. The other funds were not quoted.

The only intelligence of importance in the Paris
journals relates to the measures in progress for the ad-
judication of the Paris and Lyons and the Creil and St.
Quentin Railway lines. Two Companies have de-
posited thoir plans for the Paris and Lyons, viz., 1.
MM. Charles Laffitte, Ganneron, and Gen. Baudran ;
2. Due do Caumont Laforce, and General Lagrange.
For the Creil and St. Quentin there are five
competing Companies ; viz., 1. Cordier ; 2. De
Rothschild, Hottinguer, and Charles Laffitte ; 3.
General Colbert ; 4. S 6guin ; and 5. Duc de Vicence.
A very keen competition for the last is anticipated, and
in the other it is generally believed that a fusion of seve-
ral companies has been formed, of which the following
version appears in the Chemins de Fer, which that jour-
nal says is the only correct statement :
p. 100
Messageries
Receveurs-generaux
Union
Laffitte, Blount 42,364 10 59
Calon
Ganneron

,
Lapinsonniire
Griolet (Sud-Est)
Ardoin Verdeau

Hottinguer
Rothschild frires

400,000
On this amalgamation that ournal makes the following
remarks:—" We have indicated the amount per cent.
which each Company will have to divide amongst the
subscribers, leaving aside the houses of Hottinguer and
Rothschild, which, not having officially opened any sub-
scriptions, will only hare to divide with their regular
clients, if they think fit. We know that the Company
Griolet will follow the example of the Company Rosa-
mel for the northern line ; that is to say, reimburse im-
mediately after the adjudication, without making any
deduction from the deposits. It will even give a little
more than the quantity of shares indicated. Each sub-
scriber will obtain one for fourteen of the numbers under
one hundred, and seven per cent. for one hundred and
upwards. The competing Company for the Paris and
Lyons road is composed as follows :—Compagnie des
Meares de Postes ; Compagnie Francaise, and Com-
pagnie des Ingfinieurs. The Compagnie Friant (Cas-
tellux), not having been admitted to the fusion, with-
drew. The Pecan and Roulage companies bad previously
united with those of Griolet and the Messageries."
On Saturday we mentioned that a misunderstanding
had taken place between M. SALVANDY, the Minister of
Public Instruction, and M. QUINET, one of the pro-
fessors :of the University. The students of the Sor-
bonne, it appears, considered that the question could
not be settled without them, and they resolved, there-
fore, to make a demonstration. On Saturday, about one
o'clock, upwards of 2,000 of them assembled at the
Sorbonne, and went in procession to the quarter of the
Luxembourg, where M. QUINET resides. The proces-
sion was very orderly, though occasionally enlivened by
cries of " Vive Quinet," " A bas les Jesuites," Sec. On
the arrival of the procession at M. QUINET'S residence
that gentleman appeared, and received a deputation
sent to compliment him. He thanked the students for
their sympathy, but requested that they would quietly
disperse. Notice having been received by the authori-
ties of the intended procession, a large body of the
municipal guards were on the spot; and on the young
men crying out " A bas les Jesuites," they charged
along the streets, and several were run down. A few of
the ringleaders were arrested. Some of the journals
continue their remarks on the Oregon question,
but the virulence towards England is much
abated. Indeed, the Opposition writers cannot
forget that Brother Jonathan treated M. Tuinas and
his party in a very rude manner in reference to his im•
perious demands for the sum of one million sterling, in
compensation for injury done by NAPOLEON to American
merchants. The Constitutionnei says ,
" What will Mr. Polk do at last? The President has com-
prehended the imprudence he has committed, and thinks to
get out of the scrape by renewing the offers made to England
at anterior negotiations. it is quite certain, however, that
England will never accede to what she has already refused
three times; that she will not relinquish that part of the
Oregon on which are seated all the establishments of the
Iludson's Bay Company, and the only cultivable part of the
country. Mr. Polk may now say, with some appearance of
reason, that he has exhausted all means of conciliation. We
believe, therefore, that in- his Message he will be more re-
served in making declarations than he was last year, and will
propose the denunciation of the
.Convention of 1828, and
some of those measures which he recommended to Mr. Tyler.
We must expect, therefore, to see re-appear in the Congress a
Bill for the occupation of the Oregon, which will be passed
with an eagerness in proportion to the conviction of its being
rejected by the Senate. All will depend this year upon the
Senate. The Democrats have 32 votes in it, and the Whigs
only 24; but the two senators from South Carolina will on
this question vote with the Whigs. There may, therefore,
when it comes to the point, be a majority of six votes in
favour of an occupation—that is to say, for war. But should
Mr. Callieun decide upon taking his seat in the Senate, he
will declaim loudly against the policy of Mr. Polk, and may
cause many defections from the ranks of the Democratic
party. If the treaty of 1828 be denounced, all must be
brought to a conclusion within a year, or war must break
out. We, however, can scarcely believe that war will spring
from this question, because both countries must lose so much
by it. Whatever may be the end of this dispute, France
ought to remain perfectly neutral. We trust that our Go-
vernment will not repeat the fault committed on the ot-
casion of the Texas dispute, and compromise, without any
motive, our pacific relations with both England and the
United States."
The following account of the commercial relations be-
tween China and France during the year 1844, and the
first quarter of 1845, has just been published by the Mi-
nister of Finance. It has been drawn up from returns
made by the French mission to Canton :
" The commerce and navigation of France with China en-
gaged in 1844, according to information gathered at Canton,
six ships, whose movements are thus given. One of them
arrived at the end of 1843 and left in 1844;. four arrived and
departed in the course of 1844 ; the last arrived in 1844, btit
did not sail again till 1845. These six ships touched or
stopped at Manilla before coming to China, and three put in
to Hong-Kong, and two at Whampoa. The first WAS freighted
at Bourbon for Manilla and China with a cargo of cloves, and
small quantities of liqueurs and preserves, estimated together
at about 108,000 f. She took back to Bourbon a freight of
teas and China and Japan ware, estimated at about 75,600 f.
The venture was profitable. The second took into China a
oils, alimentary preserves, cloths,
murgliexer of
y, wine,
sce
whole being the produce of France.
ca
tbhrean d
It bad also some pepper taken in at Batavia, and other
goods. This vessel left China for Bordeaux, laden with
92,300 kilos of tea, besides cinnamon and curiosities. The
third was freighted by the Government for the Marquesas,
and brought to China only about 400 common shawls, origi-
nally destined for South America, and to which country
they were ultimately obliged to be sent. he took back with

her only seven or eight tons of goods, the nature of which is
not known. The fourth carried to China only a small quan-
tity of liqueurs and preserves. She was almost completely
loaded at Manilla, and took on board from China only a com-
plement of cinnamon. The fifth came to China on account
of two foreign houses, one Dutch and the other American,
with about 17,000 or 18,000 metres of Prussian cloths, which,
as we are told, were sold at Macao at from 6f. Bc. to I If.
55c. the metre, but we are ignorant of their quality. The
sixth, which was hired by the Government to carry out pro-
visions to the naval division in the China seas, had no other
French produce on board than a small quantity of wine and
coal, and 40,000 f. in sf. pieces. She sailed again from
China on December 29th for Manilla, without having taken
in any cargo, but will probably return for cinnamon, as she
has left her wine, taking with her her money and coal, be-
sides a few tons of Chinese goods, worth about 20,000 f. Se-
veral of the vessels coming from Manilla were laden for Hong-
Kong and Macao with rice and timber. During the first
Fuarter of 1845, the port of Canton has been visited by two
rench ships, which have taken with them 587,000 f. worth
of camphor, tea, silk, cinnamon, and squina, a Chinese plant,
from which sarsaparilla is extracted. Both these vessels,
after taking in their freights, proceeded to Manilla. All the
foregoing particulars were collected at Canton. We now give
a summary of those furnished by the returns of the Custom-
house relating to our direct commerce with China, the Philip-
pines, and the islands of Oceania, in 1844. The total amount
of the imports and exports was 3,116,000 f. (not including the
produce of the whale fisheries in the Pacific Ocean). The
amount of the exchanges is as follows c—Tea, 835,000 f. ;
cinnamon, 249,000 f. ; indigo, 267,000 f. ; tobacco, 150,000 f. ;
coffee, 159,000 f. ; mother of pearl, 112,000 f., &c. Our direct
imports amount to only 589,000 f. ; but it must be ob-
served that much of our merchandise is conveyed to China by
foreign ships. In cur direct exports to China and the Philip-
pines, cloths figured for 119,000 f, cottonades and various
other useful articles for 125,000 f., and wines for the sum of
81,000 f. All the other articles (such as perfumery, silks, mer-
cery, glass, and preserves), are of Paris manufacture. The
movement of our merchant navigation in the seas of China
and Oceania (not including the fisheries) was as follows
In 1844 there sailed from the ports of France for these desti-
nations six ships of an aggregate burthen of 1,683 tons, and
crews amounting to 94 men. The returns during the same
year comprised only three ships of together 1,083 tons and
59 sailors. All these sailed under the French flag. In these
seas the amount of tonnage engaged in trade in 1844 was
nearly 27,000, and the total value of the exchanges direct
from our ports or for our ports rose to 53 millions of francs.
These results warrant a hope that our relations will extend."
We are glad to learn that Lord CowLav is going on
favourably, and is recovering from the effects of his
severe accident.

" The Afoniteur publishes two royal ordonnances, dated the
td inst., for opening the ports of Stora and La Calle, in
Algeria, in addition to those already opened, and declaring
that they shall be free for the import and export of merchan-
dise between France and Algeria.
"A conference on the subject of the Swiss Customs duties is
about to be held shortly by delegates from the cantons of
Berne, Soleure, Argau, and Bale country. It will take into
consideration a plan for a Customs Union, so that the dues at
all the frontiers shall be uniform, and the commercial traffic
thus relieved from the embarrassments wish which it has
hitherto been attended. The negotiations are already far
advanced."

On Saturday the Three per Cents closed at 83f. ; the Five
per Cents., 117 f. 65c.; the Orleans Railroad Shares, 1,155 f. ;
Rouen, 950 f. ; Northerns, 705 f. ; Havre, 740 f.; Avignon,
860 f. ; Vierzon, 640 f.; Bordeaux, 602 f. 50c. ' • Boulogne,
500 f. ; Troyes and Montereau, 425 f. • Basle, 237 f. 50c. ; Fam-
doux, 450 f. ; Spanish Three per Cents, 371/ ; ditto, Pas-
sives, 6%.
The following are the quotations for other lines:-
Paris and Lyons Railroad (Laffitte), 9f. premium ; ditto
(Calon), sf; ditto (Ganneron), 41. 25c. ; ditto ( Lapinsoaniere),
4f. 25c. ; Sud Est, 3f. 50c. ; Messageries, 3f. 50c. ; Ardoin, If
50c. ; Receveurs-Genereaux, 3f. ; Paris aid Strasbourg (Gan-
neron), 2f.; ditto (Hingusrlot), 50c.; ditto (Bechet), par;
Tours and Nantes (Macenzie), 2f. 25c. ; Lyons and Avig-
non (Talabot), 5f.; Bordeaux and Cette (Mackenzie), par;
ditto (Espeleta), 3f. ; Lyons definitive Blares sold for 65.
premium ; Strasburg ditto, 20f. ; Tours and Nantes, 35f.
LYONS, Dh:C. 4.-Marseilles and Avignon, 335 f. ; Paris
and Orleans, I,llof. ; Paris and Rouen, 910 f. 75e. ; Orleans
and Vierzon, 623 f. 75c.; Northern, 663 f. 75c.
BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, DEL G.
Angle-Belgian lMauritias

Boulogne and Amiens.. 814 Namur and Liege —
Bordeaux &Mediterraa North Jamaica ...
Bordeaux and Toulouse Orleans and Vierzon
Do. & Cette (Espeleta) Orleans and Bordeaux l 0
Do. (Mackenzie's) .. 12,14 Over Yssel .. •••
Callao, Lima, and Pa- Paris &Lyons (Latte) 2%
eitie Ceast
Central of Spahr. — Ditto (Calon's).... 2
Ceylon .
Demerara

Dendre Valley .. Paris aid Rouen S7N
Dutch Rhenish ... ...... 711 Paris and Strasburg
Dieppe & Paris Junct. (Ganneron's)
Dijon and Mulhouse ... Do. (Compe ale L'Est) 2
Ea.st Indian .... l% De. (Aynaaril'a) 2%
Fanspaux & Hazebriuk Paris and St. Quentin —
Grt Northern of France

Constituted l3 Royal North •f Spain.
Do. Pepin le Halleur — Sambre and }reuse .... 41,4
Great Paris and Lyons 2 Strashurg and Basle ...
Great Western Bengal -- Tournay,Jurbise, Lan-
Great Western Canada den, and Hasselt
Jamaica 5. Mid. Junction Tours and Nantes

-- , _
Do. lN ortk Midland... (Maoltonzie's) 4%
Do. Extension
Jersey — Do. (O'Neill's) —
Louvain and Jemappe.. Trinidad
Lyons and Avignon.... Verona and Ancona —
Luxembourg 'Vest Flanders .. 31,4
Madrid and Valencia 1

THE RIVER PLATE.

LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY.

Accounts to the 27th of September inclusive hare
been received from Buenos Ayres per the Sara Johanna,
arrived in the Channel.

The contemplated blockade of the port had been in-
itituted on the 24th.

The term allowed for the departure of neutral vessels
had been extended to 30 days.

The British and French Ministers had addressed to
the Argentine Government a strong note, detailing the
grievances of which they complain.
It was rumoured that the forces under Urquiza had
gone over to the Monte Videan Government.
All the British vessels on the spot had been chartered
at 90s. per ton for salted hides and tallow, 71. to id. for
dry hides, and 70s. for bale goods.
The Calliope, from this port, had been refused ad-
mission by the blockading squadron.

Monte Videan advices to the 20th had been received.
A loan of 300,000 dollars to the Monte Videan Exe-
cutive was contemplated. .

Commercial intercourse with Corrientes and Paraguay
would, it was anticipated, be shortly resumed.
We aneex extracts from private mercantile accounts :
" Buenos Ayres, Sept. 23.
" With reference to what we communicated in our
last, in regard to a threatened blockade of this port, we
have now to informs you, that an official notification—a
copy of which we inclose—was made yesterday by the
British and French Charge d'Affaires to the forign Con-
suls, establishing a blockade of the ports of the province
of Buenos Ayres, to commence from to-morrow, 15 days
only being alllowed for vessels to leave the port.
" The Ministers have not been moved to the adoption
of this measure solely by the late decree of this Govern-
ment prohibiting intercourse with British and French
vessels of war, but from a general consideration of the
various grievances of which they have to complain, and
which have been embodied in a declaration sent to this
Government. The charges brought against the Govern-
ment in this document are of so serious a character, and,
we understand, are so minutely stated, that it will be
hereafter almost impossible for the Ministers to resume
any amicable relations with the Government of General
Roses. There is every prospect that a trade will now
be opened from Monte Video to Uorrientes and Para-
guay ; and, as individuals in Monte Video are desirous
of chartering foreign vessels for this trzde, it would
appear probable that all flags will be protected in the
navigation.

" September 27.
" Captain Hope, of the Firebrand, landed here yester-
day mornimg, and, we understand, communicated that an
extension of 15 days' time would be granted for vessels
to leave the port, which term will expire on the 24th of
October ; but no official notification has yet been made
of this extension."
We have received accounts from Monte Video to the
20th inst. A meeting of the merchants has been held at
the house of Mr. Ouseley to hear propositions for making
a loan to the Monte Videan Government of 300,Q00
dollars, Monte Videan currency, repayable from the
duties of the year 1848, with 30 to 40 per cent. premium ;
repayment being guaranteed by the British and French
Ministers. The terms were not, however, definitively
settled. A question was asked at the meeting as to the
opening of the navigation of the river Parana, to which
Mr. Ouseley replied, that possibly in a fortnight's time a
convoy of British, French, and Oriental vessels of war
might be given to merchant vessels, but that he would
make an official communication as soon as anything was
decided upon. There is consequently a sure prospect
that the navigation will shortly be opened and efficiently
protected, and nn extensive trade established from
Monte Video to Corrientes and Paraguay.
" September 26.
" There is a very general report to-day that the force
under General tirquiza has gone over to the Monte
Videan party. If true, it will not be long before we
hrve a satisfactory settlement of affairs. There is evi-
dently something wrong with Roses's troops in the
Banda Oriental. There is no popular excitement' in
this city, and no molestation has yet been offered to
foreigners."

BLOCKADE OF BUENOS AYRES.
OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION.
" Buenos Ayres, Sept. 22, 1245.
" Sir,—l have the honour to inform you, that in con-
sequence of a decision which the Ministers of England
and France in Monte Video have found necessary, a
blockade of the ports and coasts of the province of
Buenos Ayres has been declared, and that such blockade
will be enforced by the combined squadrons of England
and France forty-eight hours after the date of the pre-
sent notification.
"'" Fifteen days, however, will be allowed for the de-
parture of vessels from Buenos Ayres.—l have the
honour to be, Sir, your most obedient humble servant,
" FRANCIS LEESON BALL,
" Her Majesty's Charge d'Affaires.
" To —, Consul, &c."
• Since extended to thirty days.

LUNAR RAINBOW.—A beautiful specimen of this
rare phenomenon was observed on Wednesday night last a
little to the north-east of this town (Carmarthen), and at-
tracted hundreds of anxious spectators, who were delighted
at the strange appearance. Some wag spread a report that it
was an Atrial Railway, to the infinite amusement of the
laughter-loving crowd.—Welshman..