The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-01 00:00:00

as they are agriculturists, or were returned by

,urists.

What then can a Ministry do in this case ? If it
opposes public 'opinion too much on this score it must
resign, as has happened in one or two cases. All cry
out, where are we to get labour from to collect the
fruits of our soil, when once the trade ceases altogether?
The British Mining Companies are all large slave pro-
prietors.
On the other hand, it is a dubious point whether Bra-
zil would be actually a loser, if it were to give up alto-
gether that forced production of sugar at least, which it
would appear the circumstances of the climate permit to
be performed only by negroes.
Brazil is not a country, it is a continent, and this con-
tinent, which is almost equal in extent to all Europe,
was peopled in 1835 by only 4,500,000 people, blacks
and Indians included, a population which at this mo-
ment will scarcely amount to 5,000,000.
Brazil wants above all a well regulated commerce, and
more particularly a better use of its inland navigation.
Let us mention hero merely that proud river Amazons,
with its innumerable mighty tributaries, entirely Reg-
lected.
The foundation of such a traffic by improvements in
such of the rivers as may require them would call into
activity a large population now almost unavailable, for
even the Indians would bring to market such produce as
rosewood and many valuable drugs, which abound in the
forests. The only condition for realising such results
would be a well-regulated and secure state of the interior.
Though the Province of Rio Grande, which abounds
in tallow, hides, and hemp, all so necessary to British
commerce, does as yet continue in a partial state of re-
bellion ; nevertheless the general state of insecurity over
the rest of the empire has been much exaggerated.
The chief defect under which Brazil appears to labour
seems to be of a political nature, that is, a want of a
proper system of administration for so thin and dis-
persed a population. Indeed, Brazil appears to be cut
out to form the Roman Catholic empire of America.
But this is a deviation from our present purpose, which,
however, might become extremely interesting to Ger-
many should the marriages now under consideration be-
tween certain German reigning families and the Imperial
House of Braganza be brought about.
Brazil, to right itself, should be able to raise a loan of
six or seven millions, and in this the assistance of Eng-
land might be of great advantage. Brazil, from its im-
mense extent, is also exposed to aggression from without,
and to separation from within ; and in this respect it
would appear that it could not find a better protection
and guarantee than in England. It would appear, also,
that all Brazil can offer to the British nation, is to put it
on the footing of the most favoured nation. England,
in exchange, might possibly stipulate that Brazil should
t agree to fix a period after which slavery shall altogether
I cease within its limits, though these were for a genera-
, tion. It appears rather problematic how Brazil should
maintain its integrity, or protect itself effectively against
• foreign aggression, for any long period, without the
alliance of England.
Should these points have all been settled, and peace
and quietness prevail throughout the Empire, then that
country may offer a favourable field for German enter-
PI

'rise and emigration, but not before, for the prospect of
one or more Brazilian Princesses being married to scions
of German houses, and thus, under the above by no means
unattainable conditions, an impulse be given to German
emigration to Brazil has almost vanished, if it be true
that these Princesses are about to be betrothed to two
Italian Princes.—Al/gemeine Zeitung.

GREAT NORTH OF ENGLAND RAILWAY.
Traffic returns for the week ending March 26, 1842:
Passengers
Merchandise 344 12 10

£1,067 0 4
W. O'BRIEN, Secretary.

Darlington, March 30.

DR, REID'S LECTURES ON
CHEMISTRY.

Tho subject of respiration opened Dr. Reid's fourth
lecture at Exeter-hall on Wednesday night. The learned
lecturer remarked, that the supply of air to the
lungs was comparable to food, it was, in truth, aerial
food. The powers of inhalation varied in different per-
sons, according to their differential conformation in chest
or structure ; but the great change produced by the
action of respiration, consisted in the disappearance of
the pure oxygen, which was the chief component of
breath, and its replacement by carbonic acid gas ; so
that the oxygen, in the process, abated from its original
pure subsistence of 20 parts to 14, while the residue be-
came resolved into carbonic acid gas. No precise stand-
ard, however, was fixable, as to the exact influencelof the
air in this point of view. A sanguineous system, with
its vessels and vitality in full play, demanded more oxy-
gen than any other ; while as a minimum.
in the other respect, miners might be instanced, who
have the power of subsisting in an atmosphere in which
a lamp burns, but in which a candle is extinguished.
The healthiness of the millions in daily life finds its
foundation hourly sapped, and progressing perchance for
years in gradual ruin, solely from the noxiousness of the
air inbreathed. The discovery of this evil has been one
of the great master-pieces of modern chemistry : the
impure and febrile atmosphere has yielded salutary and
efficacious developments to Doctors Caius, Arnott, Sir
James Clark, and other eminent men •, while one of the'
profession had declared, so impressed was he with the
strange weight of the conviction, that the majority of
mankind spend half their lives in a vitiated and corrupt
atmosphere. From computations made as to the quan-
tity of carbon consumed by 150,000 people, it appeared
that 22 tons was about a correct estimate, which was
resolvable into 80 tons of carbonic acid gas : the
whole of London, computed at its present popu-
lation, he found to consume 220 tons: daily, pro-
ductive of about 800 tons of carbonic acid ; while
the whole world imbibed about 500,000 tons. Pure
air was powerful towards producibility of strength:
singular instances illustrative of this have appeared in
the manufacturing districts, in those buildings where
ventilation has been adopted : the men have struck and
refused to work at their old wages, stating it an impos-
sibility to support their appetites, edged and increased
by the circulation :of pure air, upon the same diet on
which they fed when living in an atmosphere impure.
Dr. Reid next proceeded to dilate more strictly upon
impurities in air, consisting of carbon as above, sulphur
in variform appearances, and a variety of matters me-
chanically suspended in its body. One of the corn-
monest of these was in the case of impure sand ; a spe-
cimen of which the lecturer exhibited, which had. been
carried on the deck of a ship about 800 miles distant
from the African coast. Soot was, in London, an uni-
versally impure pervader of the air ; frequently
he had counted, with the bare eye, no less
than 4,000 pieces upon a square foot, and mi-
scroscopic appliance would have multiplied them still
more ; at other times, so thickly had they cumulated,
that he had seen the whole surface of the ground co-
vered with a thin pellicle or black film, formed by their
congregated particles. A satisfactory experiment for
the discovery of impure air in a chamber was simply
performable thus :—a spoonful of lime should be injected.
into a beer bottle with water, and being placed in a
room where suspicion attached to the quality of the at-
mosphere, the presence of impurity would be tested by
the appearance on the surface of a white and copious in-
crustation ; this is the best practical test at present
known. The lecturer stated that he had frequently had
impure air of all kinds transmitted to him to Edinburgh
from London, and had detected the presence of this white
opake matter in different measures according to the
grossness or feculence of the specimen : that of va-
rious churches he had also tested, and a friend was
able almost to pronounce upon the identical church
from which the air was transmitted. according
to the proportion of its impurity. Dr. Reid closed
his lecture in opening up the subject of combus-
tion, lie expatiated upon the three several species of
this chemical power, viz., that of detonation, or combus-
tion in its most active form ; deflagration, being of a
more imperfect nature, the explosive particles not being
so closely affinitived ; ordinary combustion, as developed
by a burning candle, and finally,. slow combustion, such
as the gradual and disintegrative process apparent in the
burning of phosphorus. After illustrating the.qualitiea
of hydrogen gas, the first of combustibles, by a series of
appropriate and attractive experiments, Dr. Reid an-
nounced for the subject of his next lecture common in-
flammable matters in general, more especially common
fire, and invited any of his audience, so dispoSed, to
apply to him in future after lecture for the solution-of
any enigmatical points which might stand in the way of
r
I their clear comprehension.

THE COACH-MAKING TRADE.—DUTY UPON HIRED
CARRIAGES.—A meeting of members of the above trade
was held on Wednesday at the Freemason's Tavern,
Great Queen-street, to consider and adopt the best means
of obtaining an alteration of the duty upon carriages let to
hire. Mr. Hopkinson took the chair, and said that tfie
alteration it was intended to propose would. not affect
the present rate as to carriages hired for thb year, but
related merely to those engaged for periods less than
twelve months. The present rate was 4d. per day for
carriages with four wheels, and 3d. for those with two
throughout the year, whether in use during that time or
not ; and the scale they now proposed was 6d. per day
for the former, and 3d. per day for the latter, when in
use. It was a general complaint with the trade that
they were now compelled to pay a whole year's duty at
the rate he had mentioned for carriages used only for a
few months or even weeks. The resolutions moved,
seconded, and carried, were-lst. That the present duty
upon carriages let for hire for less than a year is oppres-
sive ; 2d, That the improvement sought would be effected
by a duty of 6d. per day (as often as used) for four-
wheeled carriages, and 3d. for those with two wheels, and
drawn by one horse, when let for less than twelve
months ; and 3d, that a deputation be appointed to wait
upon the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to urge the ne-
cessity of the alteration; and at the same time to obtain,
if possible, a remission of the duty upon carriages let
by English coach. makers, and used on the continent.
Thanks were voted to the chairman, and the meeting
separated.
NAVAL INTELLIGERCE.—WOOLWICH, MARCH 30.
—The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have or-
dered that a first-rate ship-of-war, of 120 guns, be built
in the Woolwich Dock-yard, and, in compliment to her
Majesty's illustrious consort, to be named the " Royal
Albert." This vessel will be built on a plan submitted
to their Lordships by Mr. Oliver Lang, master-ship-
wright of the yard, and will be constructed under his own
immediate superintendence on the slip from which' the
Trafalgar of 120 guns was launched on the 21st of June,
1841, in the presence.of her Majesty, Prince Albert, and
an immense concourse of spectators.
THE PREMIER.—Sir Robert Peel, sm. ee his
in Brighton last Thursday, has neither pa 4 nor, reefelYek
visits of any description. A large
been invited by Mr. Laurence sad ladseir
Jane yea', or
patty, hoirey_er,_ hfad
the purpose of meeting the Premier et - reslaeuce
Kemp-ton last sysiung..

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