The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-06 00:00:00

period, which made people keep back their com-
modities, and which has probably increased the
quantity of goods taken out of bond this quarter.
In fact, of the increase, no less a sum than
270,3941. arises from the Sugar duties, which
explains at once the effect of the agitation con-
cerning the Sugar duties in swelling the
revenue this quarter. In the Customs
department, also, the screw has been em-
ployed. An examination has lately been
made of all the goods in bond, and wherever any
deficiency has been found, the duty on that de-
ficiency has been called for. We believe that
by this means the Customs revenue has been
unduly swelled, and that we have no right to
assume its increase in the present quarter as an
index to its permanent improvement.

We have stated above the whole increase of
the Quarter's revenue, but from this we must de-
duct the decrease. The Excise, usually considered
the best test of the people's prosperity, has fallen
off in the quarter almost as much as the
Customs have increased. The apparent de-
crease of the Excise is no less than 277,0961.
which does not show the whole decrease. About
the beginning of the quarter now ended, an im-
proved system of collecting the Excise duties
was adopted, the principal feature of which is to
make all the collectors and all the hankers pay
in Excise dues- at a much earlier period than
formerly. Whereas the bankers and collectors
were then allowed to keep the money in their
hands three weeks or a month, they are now
obliged to remit it to the Bank of England in a
week or ten days. The consequence of the alte-
ration is, that the Ethise revenue for this quar-
ter consists really of two weeks more revenue
than the corresponding quarter of last year,
Now, we cannot estimate that at much less than
one-sixth of the Excise revenue for the quarter,
or 600,000/. ; and to ascertain the total decrease
of the Excise for the quarter, we must add this
sum to 277,0961., which makes a total actual de-
ficiency in the Excise on the quarter of some-
where about 877,000/. The effects of the poverty
of the people, and of their resolution to avoid
the use of intoxicating liquors, begin to tell
forcibly against the revenue.
Deducting the decrease in the quarter, as
shown by the returns, from the increase, the ap-
parent increase is 338,5491.; but when we take
from that the two weeks' more Excise revenue
which has been crowded into this quarter, we
shall conclude that there is a real decrease of
about a quarter of a million sterling. With such
an evidence of the state of the country, we are
not surprised at the rest of the Ministers visiting
the Duke of BUCKINGHAM at Stowe, in order to
coax or to frighten him into an abandonment, or
a great modification, of the Corn-laws.
We shall not, however, obtain an accurate
view of the actual decline of the revenue, and of
the actual deprivations of the people, unless we
take into consideration the probable increase of
their numbers. During the last ten years the
increase of the population has been at the rate of
14 per cent., and the revenue ought to augment
in the same proportion if no deterioration took
place in their condition. Now, as the increased
rate of taxation, levied in 1840, only came into
operation for a part of the financial year ending
with January, 1841, while it has been in opera-
tion for the entire year now ended, it follows
that, man for man, the people have yielded less
to the revenue, though it shows a larger sum in
1841 than in 1840. Either the population has not
increased during the last year, or their comforts
have been materially diminished. Both effects,
as they generally go together, may have taken
place ; and for the sufferings and misery of the
people, as well as the decline of the national
greatness, of which the Revenue Tables are the
proof, the monopolists are answerable.

The Morning Chronicle does the Americans an
injustice by representing their obstinacy, in re-
sisting our claim to examine their vessels, as
incompatible with their professed' asite to put
an end to the Slave-trade. The truth is, that
England has frequently asserted her maritime
superiority in such a rude manner, that most na-
tions, and particularly the Americans, suppose
it is a duty to check her. Unfortunately for us,
our naval officers are brought up in such an
arbitrary school as respects the rights of our
own seamen and mercantile marine, that they
have been extremely apt to forget all the cour-
tesies clue to the mercantile marine of other
nations. In them arbitrary habits are engen-
dered and maintained by the mode employed to
procure men for the fleet, and those habits
make them treat foreign merchant vessels in an
arbitrary manner. During the war, when Ame-
rican merchant vessels were partly manned by
British seamen, they subjected every American
vessel they met with to a most rigid scrutiny ;
and their conduct at that period excited against
them in the American sea-ports a feeling of in-
dignation, which it will require more than one
generation to efface. It is the recollection of that
conduct which now makes the Americans perti-
naciously, and justly, refuse to concede to us the
right of visiting ships bearing their flag.
We see by the American papers, and by the
recently published correspondence, that the
American shipmasters and shipowners still coin-
plain of the rude and unjust proceedings of our
officers. Whether the complaints in the present
instances be well founded or not, they are so con-
firmed by former practices that they will be uni-
versally believed in the United States, and will
make it impossible for their popular Government
to concede to us the privilege of visiting American
vessels duringpeace, The Americans may very pro-
perly object to our right of search, and may still
have a great inclination to suppress the Slave-
trade; but of the two evils we have no doubt the
Americans would prefer the eternal existence of
the Slave-trade to allowing their ships to be
overhauled by our men-of-war.
If they sanction the examination for the mere
purpose of ascertaining that a vessel bearing the
American flag is a bona fide American vessel,
they sanction a rigid examination of the vessel
herself. The papers may be simulated; how is
that to be proved ? By examining the crew ;by
ascertaining that the cargo of the vessel corre-
sponds to the manifest ; by tracing her route in her
log-book; in short by subjecting her to a complete
search. If that be not done, papers will be at
once produced to correspond to the flag, and
merely to prove that they do correspond
will be of no use whatever. The Americans are
well aware of the insults and injuries they would
subject themselves to by admitting our claim to
visit their ships; and the Morning Chronicle
does them a grievous injustice when it represents
their resistance to that claim as grounded on an
eagerness " for the gains of unrighteousness."
It may be true that their resistance to our de-
mands may screen every pirate on the seas
who chooses to hoist an American flag, and
if so it will be the consequence of our own for-
mer proceedings, which have made it impossible
for the Americans to admit our claims,. By
committing injustice on our own people we have
bred up officers in arbitrary habits, which have
made them arbitrary to other nations, and, in
their consequences, now debar England from
following out her humane wishes to suppress the
Slave•trade for ever.

Another portion of the account rendered by
the Deputation from the Short Time Committee
has been published. In this Mr. GLADSTONE is
described as saying, on October 29th,
It was impossible-to direct the attention of Govern.
ment to subjects of gravei4portance than those which
the Deputation had brout. Wore Lord Wharncliffe
and himself. " You may," said he, " rest assured that I
will devote my best attention to them, in conjunction
with the Cabinet, and with an earnest desire to discover
and adopt those measures which may be best calculated
to put a stop to the evils you have described."
Two long and dreary months have'passed since
that interview, and nothing whatever has the
fair speiking Mr. GLADSTONE done to remedy
the evils described by the Deputation, than
which " the Government could not have its at-
tention directed to a subject of graver import-
ance." Mr. GLADSTONE pronounces a severe con-
demnation on himself; he promised two months
go, in conjunction with the Cabinet, modest

youth ! to devote his best attention to the evils
which the Deputation brought before him, but
which neither he nor the Cabinet has done any-
thing whatever, during these two months, to
lessen or relieve.

The reports of this Deputation appear first of
all in a Tory paper, they are drawn up altoge-
ther in a Tory spirit, and are obviously written,
published, and commented on by the Tories,
with a view to exalt the present Ministers, and
decry the Anti-Corn-law party. The Manchester
Guardian entertains a similar opinion :

Looking at the general spirit of the report (says that
Journal) made by these Yorkshire deputies, their praise
of Sir Robert's heart, their flattery of his " do-nothing"
policy, and their tame echo of the measures urged by
Oastler and Stephens, we cannot help suspecting that
the pompous display of the important conference, in the
Tory journals, has been done mainly for the purpose of
persuading the aristocracy, that, after all the agitation
of the working classes, they have no objections to starve
a little longer, if Sir Robert Peel and his colleagues
should determine that their doing so will be for the bene-
fit of the nation.

But we showed yesterday, and have now
shown, that the length of time which has
elapsed since these representations were made
to the Ministers, together with their admission
of the importance of the subject, and the great-
ness of the evils, convicts them of the grossest
negligence or the grossest duplicity. If they
meant to assist the Short Time Committee, why
have they not done it ? if they did not, why use
such delusive phrases? They may choose be-
tween negligence or duplicity, but of one or
other they must stand convicted . Poison, like
bread, when cast on the waters, is found after
many days; and that which the Tories cast out
now returns to their own hands. The " engineer
is hoist with his own petard," and we are delighted
to see him sprawling in the air. Lord Asu-
LEY'S protegees have blown up Lord ASHLEY'S
patrons.

We invite the attention of the public generally,
and of her MAJESTY'S Government in particular,
to a communication headed " War with China,"
which will be found in another part of The
Sun. The plan of operations suggested by
Mr. WISE'S Correspondent in China, may at first
excite alarm by their extensiveness; but some
acquaintance with the history of the Celestial Em-
pire, since it became known to Europeans, im-
presses us with the conviction that it is by no means
impracticable. The only thing which we
could not readily accomplish is the
preventing other nations from profiting
by our military achievements, and perhaps
the interests of humanity would be best con-
sulted by our being content with a fair share of
the Chinese trade. With regard to the goodun-
derstanding likely to spring up between the
English and the native Chinese, intimated
by Mr. WISE'S Correspondent, a remark-
able instance of it was supplied by
the intelligence brought by the last
overland mail from the island of Hong-
Kong. This island, though only a few weeks
in the possession of Captain ELLIOT, was
crowded with Chinese peasantry, some hun-
dreds of whom were quietly employed
as day labourers in marking out the site
of a new town. Nor were these labourers
confined to one or two trades ; masons, car-
penters, joiners, and workers in brass, iron,
and other metals, all tendered their services
to masters so willing to treat them well,
and to pay them fair wages—objects the most
highly prized by a Chinaman. We repeat, the
suggestions of Mr. WISE'S Correspondent de-
serve the attention of Ministers and the country.

We have Madrid Journals of the 27th ult.
On that day the Chambers were occupied with
the election of their Presidents, Vice-Presidents,
and Secretaries. In the Senate the four follow-
ing Members were appointed Secretaries :
Senors TORRES SALANOT, ONIS, MUGNIZO, and
CLIACON. In the Chamber of Deputies the fol-
lowing elections took place :—Senor AcuNA,
President, elected by #39 votes ; Vice-Presidents
—Senor ALCON, by 53 votes; Senor LrLLo, by 4S
votes; Senor SAGASTI, by 46 ; and Senor VIA-
DERA, by 44 ; Secretaries—Senors CABALLERO,
FERNANDEZ CANO, GALVEZ CANERO, and MA-
REDERO.

A Jury has authorised the prosecution of the
Correo Nacional and the Huracan, for libels
upon the Government. One of the articles to be
proscuted, recommends the abolition of the Con-
stitution and the Regency, so that it is both
libellous and treasonable. But the press is yet
in its infancy in Spain, and very imperfectly
comprehends its high mission.
On the Madrid Exchange, on the 27th ult.,
four bargains for 1,450,000 reals took place in
the Threes at 211 for sixty days, 14} for fifty-
seven days, and 231 for cash. In the Fives eleven
bargains for 6,100,000 reals at -321 for cash,
35i i for sixty days. Exchange upon London,
90 days, 37i ; Paris, ditto, 161ibs. 3s.

We are indebted to Galignani's Messenger of
Monday for the following news from Turkey :
A letter from Constantinople, of the Bth ult., in the
Augsburgh Gazette, states that the Sultan intends nomi-
nating Hussein Pacha to the post of Seraskier, or Com-
mander-in-Chief of the army, and llafiz Pacha to be
Minister of Finance. Zekeria Pacha is to be recalled
from the Pachalic of Diarbskir, and is to receive the
command of the army in Roumelia. The corps is to be
carried up to 50,000 men (regulars), with 15,000 Alba-
nians, 2,000 Spahis, and 3,000 Baschi Bosuk. It is to
be divided into an army of observation, and an army of
operation. The former, 30,000 strong, is to be concen-
trated on Adrianople, Philippopoli, Sophia, Varna, Silis-
tria, and Sehumla, and is to watch
over Bulgaria and
Servia. The latter is to be stationed at Salonica, and on
the frontiers of Greece. It is also stated that an army
of 50,000 men will be concentrated on the capital. The
two naval divisions now in the Bosphorus are to be com-
pleted to six sail of the line each, with smaller vessels,
and are to sail, one for the Gulph of Volo, the other for
Candia. The Capitan Pacha is to command one, and
Walker Pacha (Admiral Walker) the other. It was
said at Constantinople that one of these divisions was in
reality destined for Tunis. The new Armenian
Patriarch had been recognised by both parties of his
countrymen, and all difficulties among them were in fu-
ture to be arranged by 24 notable persons, selected from
the Armenians in general.

The Speech of the Spanish REGENT on opening
the Cortes is
,d.isent3 *10:- in Sall, the .Paris papers
of Monday. The Court .organs praise its mode-
ration ; but even their praise is not without a
leaven of jealousy, excited by the contrast
which it offers to the King of the FRENCH'S
fulminations against the domestic enemies of
his dynasty. " There reigns in the speech," says
the Journal des Debats, "a certain degree of
optitnism, to which we do not, however,
allude ill-naturedly, for we . cannot but sin-
cerely desire that the prospective of better
days for Spain, which the REGENT promises, may
be realised. The long and complicated amount of
reforms which the REGENT proposes to intro-
duce, shows, however, but. too clearly the inex-
tricable confusion in which every department of
the State is plunged. The Government which
may be able to introduce light and order into
this Chaos, whatever that Government may be,
must be the best that Spain can desire." There
can be no doubt of this. The difficulties which
the REGENT has to encounter are more than
Alpine in their magnitude, more insurmountable
than the highest pinnacle of the Jura ; and if he
surmount them, great indeed will be his glory,
and most legal his Government. We will not
trouble the Journal des Debats to remember
what share the French Government has had
in confusing and disordering Spain ; nor will we
ask our Contemporary what thanks are due to
the REGENT for his delicacy in not raising the
veil which shrouds the discreditable conduct of
the Court of the Thileries. But if a degree of
" optimism" reigns in the REGENT'S Speech,
" pessimism" is the characteristic of that of the
King of the FRENCH.
The Constitutionnel is cordial in its approba-
tion of the Speech. The following are the re-
marks of M. Tit mils' organ :
" The Regent's Speech appears to us to contain excel-
lent passages. It is moderate; it announces the reso-
lution to maintain the Constitution and Royalty against
the manoeuvres of the factious ofevery party, Republimns,
Christinos, or Carlists. It gives to the measure by which
the fueros were modified its true sense. It shows that the
Spanish Government is endeavouring to close all the
wounds of the country, and to organise society on new
and solid bases. Everything that can render .Spain pros-
perous and powerful becomes for France an augmenta-
tion of strength and credit, in the world. Shall we then