The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-20 00:00:00

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THE AUCTION DUTIES.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sin,— A letter appeared in your Journal of the 7th
instant, dated Dundee, February 28, and signed "An
Auctieneer."
Before I state something respecting the charges of
auctioneers, I would briefly state that I am neither
auctioneer nor appraiser ; the purport of his letter is to
raise the duty on appraisements from 109. to Si., which
he imagines will throw more business into the hands of
auctioneers, and considerably reduce the number of
appraisers.
With regard to the charges of auctioneers in other
parts of the kingdom I cannot say, but I know that in
ours they are most exorbitant. This part of the country
is chiefly agricultural, the principal part of the sales are
farming stock, which pay no auction duty. I bought a
cow last year at a farmer's sale, and I paid the auctioneer
about eight shillings for his charge ; his charge was one
halfpenny on the shilling, up to forty shillings, and 6d.
per pound on the remainder, and this same auctioneer
has since then advanced his charge to 51. per cent.
on the different lots, which on the sale of a farmer's
stock of the average ratio, say 5001, the auctioneer will
realise 25/., independent of what he charges per day to
his employer. These fees and encroachments of
auctioneers have been very much grumbled at, but
when one buys goods at a sale, we don't know how to act
to get clear from paying it ; we know it is an imposi-
tion, but they say it is according to the conditions of
sale, and for quietness' sake we pay it.
With regard to appraisers, which your correspondent
wishes to advance the duty upon, I don't know how• an
agricultural community could do without thew; they are
the only protection that a farmer has from the exorbitant
charges of a country auctioneer. They are generally in-
telligent farmers, persons of good judgment. In the
greatest parts of our Riding, it is customary when a
farmer is leaving a farm, that a great part of the manage-
ment has to be settled between the off-going and the
in coming tenant ; each of the parties choose an ap-
praiser, who meet and value together the different items
which are laid before them ; their usual charges are
from 10s. to 20s. per day ; whereas, if an auctioneer
was employed, he would charge a per tentage, which
would amount perhaps to 54 or 101., or sometimes con-
siderably more. I sincerely trust that no advance will
take place upon the duty charged upon the appraiser's
licences, as it would throw an additional burden upon
the farmer.

I for one am very sorry that Sir Robert Peel has
given notice of reducing the duty on auctions, which
I should not be, if the am-mnt was saved to the country;
but the greater part of it will go into the pockets of the
auctioneers by some additional charge or another, im-
posed upon the purchasers at their sales; it will be like
the duty repealed c.n leather and ale, not one penny bene-
fit to the consumer.

I will thank you, Sir, to give this letter an early in-
sertion in your widely disseminated and very influential
journal.--I remain, Sir, yours respectfully,
AN OLD SUBSCRIBER,

But neither Auctioneer or Appraiser.
North Riding of Yorkshire,
March 10, 1845.

SHELL PRACTICE ON BOARD
THE EXCELLENT, AT THE SWIFTSURE.
The trial was to decide the value and practical results of the
different fuses invented by Colonel Dansey, Royal Artillery,
Captain Norton, Mr. Marsh, and the long-used fuse called
" Wilton's fuse." Captain Sir T. Hastings, Colonel Dansey
and Captain Stevens, Royal Marine Artillery, were ordered
to report thereon.

A number of persons assembled on board the Excellent
to witness the firing on the different days—amongst whom
were the Lieut. Governor Sir Hercules Fakenham, Lord D.
Halliburton, M.P., Sir James Cockburn, Admiral Dacres,
Captain Richards, C 8., Captain G. B. Martin, R.N., Capt.
Wilson, ILA., &c. Colonel Dansey, Captain Norton, and
Mr. Marsh, the inventors of the fuses to be tried, were also
on board.

The shells thrown were 5i and 8-inch from guns, the dis-
tance being 1,480 yards, the same as at the shell practice in
November last, but the Swiftsure is now a better target, hay-
ing heeled over considerably more, and exposing more of her
weather deck to the broadside of the Excellent

MONDAY.—The practice commenced in the morning at
half-past ten o'clock. Thirty shells were fired fitted with
the fuses of Colonel Dansey, Mr. Marsh, and Wilton's fuse.
The firing was tolerable, and a number of shells struck the
target, we believe as many as 13 or 14, but not more than
three or four burst on board ; some few exploded in the mud,
but the majority did not burst. After the firing ceased the
nine shells were picked up on board and live from the mud,
which had not burst.

TUESDAY.—The firing was continued at half-past ten, and
the direction was better than those fired on Monday. The
shells were of the same diameter, and were fitted with fuses
by Colonel Dansey, Mr. Marsh, and a few of the old fuse
(Wilton's), and fired from the same guns. The explosion
or bursting of these shells was very uncertain. We believe
about 20 struck the Swiftsure, but not more than three or
four burst on board. One burst in flight short of the target,
most of the others passed over the ship, and very few were
heard to burst on striking the mud. After the tiring ceased
11 shells were picked up that had not burst.
In the afternoon ten shells, prepared by Captain Norton,
were fired with a much more satisfactory result. Of these
ten shells, six hit the Swiftsure, and exploded at the instant
on board ; two passed over and burst in the mud ; one was
doubtful as to bursting, and only one failed to burst, which
fell short of the Swiftsure into the water.

WEDNESDAY.—THIRD DAY'S PRACTICE; SETTING FIRE TO
THE SWIFTSURE.—There was some very splendid firing this
day. About 60 shells were fired. The practice commenced
with some shells prepared with Norton's fuses. Of the first
fifteen fired few missed the ship, and nearly all exploded,
though three burst in flight short of the Swiftsure • five con-
secutively-fired shells all went into the ship between the
break of the poop and the fore-hatchway, and burst on the
moment of striking. The 20th shell (one of Wilton's) en-
tered the poop and exploded on the main-deck, and in five
minutes after smoke was seen to issue, and flames soon broke
out on the starboard quarter and stern. Sir Thomas Hastings
immediately proceeded with the boats of the Excellent, with
their fire buckets and one engine, to the ship. The ordinary
engines were soon on the spot, and after some time the fire
was extinguished. The firing then re-commenced, and con-
tinued till three o'clock. The shells performed altogether
better than they did on Tuesday, but many this day did not
burst. The setting on fire of the Swiftsure is a convincing
proof of the destructive qualities of the shells. A ship, with
her stores and fittings, would have been destroyed ten times
over by the firing; but she has no fitting, her decks and 'top
sides are half rotten and saturated with moisture, therefore
it is astonishing that she took fire.
The respective shells were all marked with the initialfrof
the inventor's name, therefore those picked up whole showed
at once by whom the failing shells had been fitted. We be-
lieve the practice will be continued to-day.

THE WINDOW DUTIES.—Last evening an ad-•
journed meeting of the delegates from the various metro-
politan parishes took place at the Court-house, Marylebone,
for the purpose of considering what further steps were
necessary to be taken for securing a repeal of the window
duties. Mr. George Daniell, of Marylebone, was called to
the chair. The meeting was very numerously attended, and,
on Lord Duncan. the Member for Bath, entering the room,
he was loudly cheered. Lord Duncan expressed himself
satisfied with the result of the debate in the House of Com-
mons, considering the great disadvantages under which the
' question had been brought forward. He recommended the
formation of an Anti-Window-tax League. Mr. Michie
moved a resolution to the effect "That the meeting, so far
from being discouraged with the result of the division last
night, on the motion of Lord Viscount Duncan, rejoiced to
find that there was no attempt on the part of her Majesty's
Government to answer the lucid end convincing statements
of the Noble Lord and the several Hon. Members who sup-
ported him, and the meeting was increasingly convinced that
a steady, systematic, and persevering opposition to the op-
pressive and unequal window-tax would insure its ultimate
repeal." Mr. Ewen, of St. James's-street, seconded the reso-
lution, which was carried amidst loud cheers. Several other
delegates addressed the meeting, and it was further resolved
to establish a permanent Association and Committee, com-
posed of delegates from the various parishes, to collect statis-
tics, with a view to their publication throughout the country,
and to form Associations in every city and town in the king-
dom. A vote of thanks having been awarded to the Chair-
man, the meeting separated at a late hour.
REPEAL OF TILE GLASS DUTlES.—lnconsequence
of the repeal of the duty on glass, the bottle manufacturers
have determined to reduce the price from 425. the gross of
12 dozen bottles, to 265. the gross. This will make bottles
cheap enough, and it will, no doubt, have some effect on the
price of the cheaper kinds of liquor sold in bottles, such as
ale, porter, cider, soda water, and so forth ; and it will no
doubt lead to a great increase in tke manufacture. Warring-
ton is the principal place in Lancashire in which this
branch of the glass trade is carried on, and there
the repeal will be very beneficially felt in the increase of
work and wages. Another Lancashire town which will also
benefit greatly by the repeal of these same duties, is St.
Helen's, the principal seat of the plate, the German sheet, and
the crown glass manufacture. Ihe plate glass of that neigh-
bourhood, which is, we believe, the finest in the world,
will become cheaper than at present, though perhaps less
so than is generally expected, owing to the expensive ma-
chinery and great amount of skilled labour required in po-
lishing it and preparing it for the market., but the German
plate and the crown glass will both of them be manufactured
with much less cost when the duty is removed. The former
kind of glass has for some time been rising in favour, and as
it will be made generally accessible by the repeal of the duty
to persons in moderate circumstances, it will be employed in
most respectable houses, instead of the crown glass now used.
It will certainly add much to the beauty of their appearance,
as well as to the pleasure of their inhabitants, as it transmits
perfectly correct images of all external objects, instead of the
twisted and distorted images transmitted through the com-
mon kinds of glass.—Liverpool Times.
GREAT WESTERN RAILWAT.—It had been an.
nounced that the improved second-class carriages, which
would have protected the public from the weather at this
inclement season of the year, were to have been used, in
lieu of the present disgraceful vehicles, for the first time,
throughout the line of this Company, on Monday, the 10th
instant. It is now, however, stated that they will not be
introduced by the Directors until the Ist of June next ; by
which time the warm weather will probably have set in, and
thus render this change of comparatively little consequence
to the
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the medical gentlemen who examined the body, it appears
that the deceased died of congestive apoplexy, and that
though symptoms of violence were observable on the body,
there was nothing discovered to warrant the conclusion that
the man was murdered. His hat and coat were found in the
neighbourhood, which removes the impression that robbery
had been perpetrated ; so that, in all probability, the whole
affair will resolve itself into a fight,while apoplexy may have
been induced by the excitement thereby produced.—Edin-
burgh Advertiser.
VAUXHALL GARDENS.—This far-famed place of
amusement, despite the numerous threats of its demolition,
is again, for its 115th season, to be re-opened at Whitsuntide
in its original splendour, together with all the adventitioue
aid of modern improvements. For a length of time past, a
variety of reports have obtained circulation that this
n e extinct, and onlysoln
Sometimes
moees remembered eansi basesreerdt
asserted
• • ds been parcelled out for building
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that its extensive grounds the Property" recollections'was
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on ; at others, that the line of a projected railway was to run
to of
go
through its centre, all of which reports were unfounded.
ANTI-MALTnusiANs.—There are at the present
time four individuals, whose residences are within fifty yards
of each other, at Bingham, who have been united in wedlock
thirteen times, and have consequently had thirteen wives—
an occurrence rarely to be met with iu a small market town,
with a population of only about 2,000 inhabitants.—Derby
Mercury!