The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-10 00:00:00

_
COMMON SENSE.
Common sense is the best of all sense, and it is no
small recommendation of the principles of free trade
that they have been described by th& Secretary of the
Home Department as those of " common sense."
The principles of monopoly, and the practices of
monopoly, are, therefore, opposed to common sense.
Common sense means that which every body, in
their straightforward course of life, would act upon.
If there he one road hilly and c;rcuitous, another
straight and level, common sense would lead the tra-
veller to take the latter in preference to the former.
We universally prefer good articles to bad ones, cheap
articles to dear ones; common sense prompts us to
this. Hence it is, sophisticated as we please, that we
cannot resist the conclusion that free trade, which
means buying good instead of bad, cheap instead of
dear articles, is "common sense."

Common sense, again, may be considered as that
SS hich guides the every-day actions of the mass of the
people. " Where is the cheapest shop fur potatoes ?"
" Where do you get the hest flour, and most for
money ?" I always get best served with tea and
coffee at such a place." Peter so-and-so kills capital
meat, and sells it lower than any body in the row."
These are the expressions of common sense, and de-
velop its workings among the people at large.
Why should we depart from these in national
matters ? IVhy should we buy in the dearest market,
and sell in the cheapest? Is there any common
sense, or any other sort of sense, in placing a barrier
in the way of those who would bring us plenty
of the best food, and at a much lower price than
we at present give ? Is there any sense in saying
to the nations, " We will not sell you our cloth-
ing; we will not allow you to employ our people, be-
cause you can only pay us in food, though it be the
article of all others we want most ?"

We du occasionally hear of exclusive dealing, but
it is deprecated by all persons of good sense or good
principles. Monopolists' notions, however, are all
on the exclusive dealing principle. England says
to America, we could do well with your flour,
your hams, and your cheese; but we have a grudge
against you, and we will punish our own p. (pie
in order to punish you. Every monopolist nation
makes enemies instead of friends, and thus violates
the great principle of common sense. Exclusive deal-
ing on one side begets exclusive dealing on the other,
and hence arise feuds, and wars, end bloodshed.
Peace is common sense, and free trade leads to peace.
—The Struggle.

WELSH OYSTERS.
SWANSEA, DEC. 6.—Some months ago we di-
rected public attention to the systematic devastations
committed by persons coming from various parts of
the English coast to take oysters from the fisheries
at this district at improper seasons of the year.
We then expressed our hope that Members of Par-
liament, and others influentially connected with the
district, would exert themselves in endeavouring to
obtain some stringent legislative enactments to
put a stop to such depredatory practices.
After the more immediate business of the council
meeting, held on Friday, had been csncluded, our
respected representative—whom we are happy to see
once more among his constituents, on his return from
the Continent, now that he is for a season relieved of
his Parliamentary duties—called the Attention
of the meeting to the subject, which, like all
subjects connected with the local welfare of
the district, had occupied his attention during his stay
in town. Ile stated the results of conferences hold
with various members of the Board of Trade. It appears
that the intruders consist of persons who, excluded
from the French coast by the terms of tie articles en-
tered into between the two countries for the mutual
protection of their fisheries, periodically visit our
fisheries, and convey away large cargoes of the
brood of oysters, which they deposit on certain
parts of the English coast, until they grow to a size
sufficiently large to be redredged when the season
arrives. By this means our fisheries, originally pos-
sessed of considerable resources, have been greatly
deteriorated, and unless protected, they will unques-
tionably be destroyed. The evil does notarise
so much from the quantity taken, as the
destruction following the disturbance of the
brood ; the effect being analogous to that resulting
from taking a salmon in spawn, when the public are
deprived, not only of the one actually taken, but of
hundreds, if not thousands besides. When it is
considered that upwards of five hundred families
are dependent upon their exertions in the oyster
fisheries of this district, extending from tha
Worm's-head to Aberavon, it must be allowed that
the subject is one of considerable importance ; and
we are happy to learn, from Mr. Vivian's observa-
tions, that the Board of Trade contemplate bringing
forward measures to suppress such piratical practices.
—The Cambrian.

ADDISCOMBE.—The half-yearly public examination
at the East India Company s Military Seminary was
held on the 9th inst., in the presence of the chairman
(John Shepherd, Esq.), the deputy chairman (Sir Henry
Willock, K.L.S.), several members of the Court of Direc-
tors, and a number of military and other visitors. The
class brought forward consisted of 32 gentlemen cadets.
From these, ten were selected for the Engineers, -via,
C. D. Nevvmarsh, F. C. Grindall, J. Crofton, W.
%V. H. Greathead, J. Jones, F. L Moberly, C. T.
Boddam, J. T. Walker, J. Bean, and J. T. Haig ;
fourteen to the Artillery, viz., E. W. E. Walker, W.
A. Mylne, F. Con) beare, C. Dempster, 1). J. Kin-
loch, F. H. Hebbert, T. H. Bosworth, C. 11. Cooke.
H. B. Sandford, J. A. 11. Mead, J. F. Raper, A.
H. Heath, J. Thompson, and W. D. Couchman ; eight
for the Infantry, viz., J. P. Bennet, C. J. Stewart, W.
E. Marshall, E. C. Oakes, F. 11. Hamner, F. C. Angelo,
C. Clark, A. Giffard. The distribution of prizes
was as follows, viz. :—First class : C. D. Newmarsh,
second fortification, French, first, good con-
duct ; F. I. Moberly, second mathematics, Latin
F. C. Grindall, first fortification, military drawing,
civil drawing, second Hindustani ; C. T. Boddam, mi-
litary surveying, first Hindustani, second good conducts
J. T. Walker, first mathematics. Second class—A.
Cowper, mathematics, fortification, third good conduct ;
A. Cadell, military surveying, Hindustani ; C. D. Innes,
civil drawing ; J. Hathorn, Latin ; P. 1). Horne, French.
Third class—G. Chapman, fourth good conduct.
BUT IN THE CHEAPEST AND SELL IN THE DEAREST
MARILET.—That we should " buy in the cheapest
market and sell in the dearest," is undoubtedly the
maxim of political economy. It is often reprobated,
but with what reason ? Why is an article
cheap, but because it is abundant ? Why
dear, but because it is scarce in proportion
to the want ? Those who inhabit the locality of the
two supposed markets, are alike inconvenienced ; these
from a superfluous supply, those from a deficient supply.
Acting on the above maxim, the merchant who buys
from the one assists in obviating the evil of superfluity,
and raising the price so as to repay the producer ; and
when he sells in the other, the act tends to lower the
price, and remove the evil of insufficiency. He benefits
both parties, and has his own advantage in recompense
of his. services. Let him spend a fortune in doing
the reverse of this. He will make the cheap market
cheaper, and the dear market dearer. Those will
have more who had too much, and those have less
who had too little. The man deserves to be beggared
for his pains. It is the punishment of Nature and
Providence upon his pernicious folly. And, eventu-
ally, Nature and Providence will beggar the nation
whose laborious children are compelled to buy their
food artificially dear, and, consequently, sell theirproducts
artificially cheap, by the class cupidity, or the wrong-
headedness of their legislators. Beggary for beneficence
is honourable. But the beggary whose blundering has
only beggared others, is neither moral nor Christian : it
is condemned for wickedness unless excused by imbeci-
lity.—The Struggle.
Immense quantities of cod-fish have been caught
off this town, about a mile or two out, during the pre-
sent week. They have been sold remarkably cheap, a
fine fish, upwards of 201bs. weight, fetching only from
ls. Gd. to 2s. Large numbers, weighing 161b5., have
been sold at ls. each.—Brighten Herald.
THE SMITHFIELD CLUB CATTLE SROW. The
whole of the splendid cattle and stock, together with the
implements and various other specimens connected with
the agriculture of England, intended for exhibition at the
ensuing anniversary of the Smithfield Cattle Club, have
how arrived at their destination, and this day (Tuesday)
the judges will perform the duty of making their inspection,
and awarding the various prizes given by the Club. The
number of cattle as well as stock is much greater than on
any previous occasion, and it is stated that there is scarcely
a county in England but is represented by a specimen of
some description or other, and the animals from Scotland
are considered as of a very superior quality. A casualty
has taken place which is much to be regretted, as it has
deprived the exhibition of one of the finest first-class spe-
cimens of cattle. It appears that a very splendid Dur-
ham ox, which arrived at the bazaar on Saturday, was
soon after, either from its extreme fatness, or some other
cause, found to be in such a condition that it was im-
possible it could survive, therefore it was deemed ad-
visable with the consent of the owner, whose name has
not transpired, that it should be at once killed, and this
decision was speedily carried into effect.

A tenant (or gentleman) farmer, living near Luton,
stated in the market-room last week, that he sowed six
acres of land with wheat, which was destroyed in tho
winter by game ; he broke up the ground and sowed it
with barley ; one-third of it was likewise devoured by
his landlord's stock without any advantage to himself:
this is only a part of the injury ho annually experiences.
The farmer cannot look on the poacher as an unwelcome
intruder on his land, when his operation tends to pro-
tect his growing crops from such destructive ravages, and
caused by those most solicitous to be considered their
friends.—Aylesbury News.

POACHING IN NORTHUMBERLAND.—On the night
of the 29th ult., the preserves of Felton-park and Swar-
land were visited by a large gang of poachers, who got
clear off with a heavy load of booty.—Gateshead Observer
SERIOUS AFFRAY' WITH POACHERS.—On Monday
a sanguinary conflict took place in the preserves of
Langley, near Lanchester, the property of tbe Earl of
Durham, between six of the watchers and five poachers,
the latter armed with bludgeons. Two of the watchers
were most dreadfully beaten, so much so that their lives
were considered in imminent danger. None of the
poachers were captured.—Gateshead Observer.