The Sun.
London, England, 1829-06-15 00:00:00

is extravagant and otherwise injudicious ; and
that the Corporation of London is bound to
make these approaches, and has the means of
doing so, or might have had the means, but for
the want of economy in its other disbursements
and arrangements. This is the case which the
opponents of the measure are attempting to
establish before the Committee ; and having
been permitted to offer evidence in support of it,
they are of course let into a field of investiga-
tion which may be as extensive, and their in-
quiries into which may be as minute, as they
think fit. A party whose chief hope lay in the
probability of wearing out their opponents, would
be very fortunate in having such a case ; and if
we are rightly informed, a considerable portion of
Saturday was consumed in the examination of a
very respectable tradesman, who being an amateur
engineer, had sent in his own plan for the ap-
proaches ; and in extracting from him the two very
important pieces of information, that in his opinion
the plan that has been adopted is not as good as
his own, and that the intended approaches cannot
possibly have been adopted for the sake of giving
additional facilities of access to the residence of
Alderman Wood, since the worthy Alderman
has the good taste to live in the fashionable
neighbourhood of Grosvenor-square. That the
Duke of Wellington, and all his Majesty's Mi-
nisters who are Members of the House of Lords,
enjoy, and appear likely to enjoy for some time
to come, the daily recreation of listening from
eleven o'clock in the morning to half-past three
in the afternoon to details of this lively and edify-
ing nature, is a fact which may help our readers
to appreciate the delights of Office. We should,
however, be inclined to think that a more sum-
mary mode of disposing of the objections might
have been found. Granted that the tax upon
coals is an oppressive one. Are not all taxes
oppressive ? What more equal or unobjection-
able tax can be imposed upon the inhabitants of
London and its vicinity ? Can the approaches
to the bridge be made without money ?
Granted that the plan is not the very best possible.
Is it likely that a Committee of the House of
Lords, with all the assistance that disappointed en-
gineers, professional or amateur, whose plans have
been rejected, can afford it, should hit upon a better?
Granted that the Corporation has funds, or
might, but for its extravagance in other matters,
have had funds sufficient for the purpose, with-
out applying to Parliament, what is that to the
question, since the Corporation is exonerated
by the original Bridge Act from any outlay on
account of this undertaking beyond a certain
sum, which sum is already expended ? Granted
that the expence of building the bridge has been
greater than was contemplated, in consequence
of deviations from the original plan—did not the
Act sanction these alterations, upon the condi.
tion that the Loris of the Treasury should
concur in them, and did not the latter concur in
every alteration that has been made ? There is
one other topic to which we must advert before
we conclude, and we would wish to do so with
all possible delicacy. It is taken for granted by
the opponents of the Bill that the cessation of the
duty of Iod. per chaldron upon coals would have
the effect of reducing the price to the consumer in
London to that extent. We tlissent from this opi-
nion. In most articles a reduction of duty is fol-
lowed necessarily by a reduction of price, but it is
so in consequence solely of the principle of compe-
tition operating regularly and powerfully upon all
the producers and all the dealers. Has this prin-
ciple an unobstructed operation among the great
coal owners, the first sellers of this article ? We
think it neither has nor can be expected to have.
The number of proprietors of this description is
comparatively small, and the facility of a combina-
tion, tacit or express, among them to understock
rather than overstock the market is proportionally
great. We know that in fact an express combi-
nation for this purpose existed long in the coal
district from which the metropolis is principally
supplied. But this is a case in which a tacit
combination will be perhaps quite as effectual as
an avowed one, and is besides sure always to
exist ; for nothing can be more evident than the
peculiarities in this particular branch of produc-
tion, which ensure the existence of combination.
Here all the producers have a common interest ;
they have nothing to apprehend from interlopers ;
they know one and all that the effect of unrestrained
competition in an article which exists in inexhaus-
tible abundance would be to reduce the price to the
point at which it would merely remunerate the capi-
talist for bringing it to the surface of the earth, and
that a coal estate, whenever this point is reached,
will cease to be much more valuable than any
other. Knowing then that an express combina-
tion has existed, the effect of which has been
to prevent any reduction of duty from being
beneficial to the consumer, and perceiving, as
every body must perceive, the great facility and
the great temptation to a combination in some
form or other among the proprietors of coal
mines, to keep up the price, the public may very
rationally doubt whether the reduction of 10d.
per chaldron of duty would be any advantage to
them, nor are the doubts which would in any
circumstances be so natural upon this question
likely to be removed when certain great pro-
prietors of coal mines are seen to be the only
persons in either House of Parliament who mani-
fest any anxiety for the reduction.—Morniug-
Post.

An appeal on the settlement of a young te-
mple, the illegitimate daughter of a Scotch Baronet,
whirl tiem the peculiarity of the circumstances attendant
on its promotion attracted many of the higher classes to
that to them terra incognita, eterkenwell,green, was ex-
pected to come before the Court on Thursday last ; but,
much to the disappointment of the fashionable visiters,
owing to an amicable arrangement being entered into be-
tween the litigant parishes, the anecdotes, scandalous and
other wise, which it was expected would have transpired,
remained tuirli;,,,elpscd. The circumstances that gave rise
to the proceedings are liiese:—About two months since a
young female, 16 years of ap, waz., discovered wander-
ing about the streets of one of the eastern parishes gl the
ri.'etropolis, in a miserable state of destitution. She WO
squalid .0 her appearance, and reduced by famine nearly
to a skeleton. `0,2 persons by whom she was discovered
brought her to the policeroXce of the district, and having
mentioned to the Magistrate the condition in which they
had t'oull4 her, she, by his direction', was reaporred to the
parochial workhouse, While there, the officers, naturally
desirous of not being bardaned with her support, inquired
of her who were her parents, anti where she had been
born ? In reply, she said she was tire illegitimate daogh-
ter of Sir C-- B—, by the widow of a Captain in
the army, and that her mother was dead. She had no
;person, she said, to complain of the illiberality of her fa-
ther, I.;v:t had of the misconduct of her mother. Her
farherhad o,otra ,t;tize to time remitted her money for her
support to tire ,4419,11 ,t
,0 aver 1,000/., but instead of
appropriating it to the purposes,:o; which it was intended,
she expended it in a course of prohiga...l ,;.,n.l dissipation,
which lid to her untimely death. She was born, the
lAlieved, at Chelsea, and it was owing in the ignorance of
her 4i.1,-er.--who was at present, she understood, in
France—of nee Condition, that she was reduced *to so
much distress. 94 thip information the parisla'offitera
passed her to the last-mentioned as her proper:pate
of settleinant. Against this proceeding the appeal was
lodged, the hearing Of which was expeced to
ha ~roxtsltd
so much interest;