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

et& AtiZ.

LONDON
MONDAY MORNING, JUNE 6, 1842.

• The Sugar Duties, having received the assent of tl:e
House of Commons, will become the law of the land.
Tne Lor'ds dare not alter a Money Bill ; and whatever
iniquities it may perpetrate, they must give it they
sanction.. That-circumstance reveals a very disEonettr-
able feature in the Lords' character. They are held to
be responsible for our laws, and over money laiis they
have no voice. In general, men of sense and spirit will not
wk.ie the responsibility of measures they are not allowed to
gukie, so it has come about that the two maxims, "'the
King can do no wrong";- and " the Ministers are re-
sponsible for the acts of the Government," intended
to secure impunity- for Royalty, have denuded it
of its pow4ir. Our Kings could latterly obtain
no Ministers who did not insist on guiding the
measures for n4.1(1 they might answer- With
their heads, and tilt:, the responsible Ministers
have become, in fact the Sovereigns of the country. :In
relation to the Commons, the Loh ls take a different vie v,-,
and humbly affix their sanction to ail the Money Bills
sent up by that House, which they must not alter, what.
ever enormities they may ordain.
The Sugar Duties Bill, when it goes up to -the Lords,
go up it will, is a case in point. It will ordain. that
on all sugar, not being refined, a prohibitory duty. of
31; 3s. per cwt. shall be levied. We say, emphatically,
prohibitory, for, with one single exception, iu the year
1840,—when that duty was, we believe, paid on a very
small quantity,—on no sugar has that duty ever been
paid. The plain end palpable design of such
a laW is to prohibit the importation, into- England, and
of course the consumption of sugar. . Our wise House
of Commons has wished to keep down the consumption
of .that article, and in consequence to stifle all the trade
which would arise from purchasing and importing sugar,
and all the enjoyment which might arise from its use.
To this moat mischievous object the boasting and proud
British Peers ere obliged, by the power of the House-4
Commons, to lend the sanction of their exalted charac-
ters. Under the name of a tax they are compelled to
give their sanction to one of the most injurious prohi-
bitory laws that was ever enat-ted.
But there is an exception to this prohibition. If
the sugar be the growth of any British plantation
in America, or within the limits t;f the East

India Company's charter, then the duty shall be
245. per cwt. The House of Commons relaxes die izo-
hibition, therefore, in favour of the growers of sugar in
out-colonies, but levies on their produce, a duty—which
the'consumer of sugar pays,-of 245. per cwt. for the use
. )t the State. The House will pennit`the importation and
consumption of- sugar on the payment of 245. per cwt.
provided that sugar be grown in some of the dominions
or dependencies. of the British Crown.
Sir R. GLA.DSTONE, and the other pre-
tA oiled friendworhumanity, have defended the continit-.
am :e of the prohibition because it was a check to slavery
and the slave trade,. but It was enacted, while -ottiNown-
c4)l,vies, whence sugar may be imported on the payment
of .245,., were slave holders and were carrying on the
slave trade. The spirit and intention of 4he law, t,here-
lore, whatever by a change of circumstances may be its
supposed pretkent operation, were not to discourage sla-
vety, but to put an end to all trade in sugar between
England and countries not under the dominion of Eng-
land.

It js• usual to estimate the effects of the law, and we
have ogrrselves heretofore gone on that principle, by
taking th,e difference betweeta the price of foreign sugar
in bond, and the price or sugar groanin
•. the British dominions. nuiltiplying that difference
• by the whole yttantity actual!) • consumed, and then stattry
• that the qui', tient i 3 the sutu • lost to the public.
'ThuS, a.ssuntint, the annual consumption to be
71,600,000 ewts., the price of B ritish sugar in bond to be
255.; and the price of foreign st !gar to be 455., the loss to
'• the public will be 4,000,0001. year. The stun varies
every year with the price of 5 tzgar, and the, quantity con-
, sinuecr; but that is a rough esi inutto of the annual loss to
the people by the diseritnint ;ling ,or differential duty.
But 'wh..ttever we see that th, is: is a prohibitory law hi-
tended, too, to be prohibitory, Ave are immediately made
...sensible that ,this annual loss, g meat though it.be, is only
a small portion ,Ot the loss actua fly caused by the laW.
To what extent the consume tion of sugar- would oi
'were there no such barbarous p Tohibiterylaw, im-
possible to say. Strtr is, in trs th, the chief component.
~.nu/ritious part of all farinaceous food ; it is the basis of
all spiritous liquors, for the coi tiersion of barley into
,In, .
att is its conversion in to a ;gar ; and its anti-
' :acidifying and antiseptic p Dwelt make it an admir-
able preservative, so that a small portion of it Will
'weft it large portion of otl ler un4 tt9' into wholesome

. .
..4y to e.,i.tu oe -v4avitMeturg 15
useful an article of food as-j wheat its'elf;;`\-nild
when we remember that- the illcteasii: Of populatiOn is
only impeded by. the want of *food,' thviniginatfoit'
lost in attempting to form an idea of the vast extent to
which sugar might have been imported and consumed in
England, had there been no such prohibition. We have
no means of calculating the sum of prosperity which this
prohibitory tax has destroyed, nor is there any statisti(
process by which it can be arrived at. We leave it ti •
the imagination of the reader, merely observing that it is
one of those short-sighted laws, the offspring of cupidity
and ignorance, which were enacted when the grovelling
and malignant principle of what in politics is known
as the mercantile system, dictated the actions of law-
makers.

Taking this enlarged view, we will not dwell on the
loss to our manufacturers on the profit of the articles
with which the increased quantity of sugar must
have been purchased, nor the loss of . employment
and wages to our artizanS, who would have prepared the
means of buying it, nor should we have adverted to
those losses were it not that, in a limited degree, they
take place under the present system, and make the
4,000,0001. we annually pay more than is requisite for
the sugar actually consumed, represent only a portion of
the mischief really caused by the differential duty.
We enter not into the question of slavery, because the
law was not made with any consideration of that subject,
and had no influence on that question daring the many
years that it existed before slavery was abolished in our
own colonies. It was working mischief before as well
as since that period. The favour shown to our colonies
was expressly intended to promote the cultivation of
sugar by slaves, though from a singular change of cir
cumstances and views, it is now upheld as a means of
checking slavery, and encouraging the cultivation of
free labour sugar by the party which opposed with all
its might the emancipation of slaves.

It will be well, however, to remember that Sir
PEEL, who on Friday induced the House of Commons to
renew this prohibitory law, professes himself an advo-
cate for the abolition of prohibition. He has proclaimed
himself also a convert to the principle that every
man, and every nation, ought to buy in the
cheapest market ; he is to make up to us the income
tax, he says, by numerous reductions of small
amount ; he has put an end to the prohibition of
cattle, of which he knows there are none to come
in; and he renews, or enacts, a law, which nearly doubles
the price of sugar, and keeps out of our market the tens
of thousands of cwts. which are lying in bond, and
.might enter into consumption to-morrow if he pleased.
Must we not conclude, therefore, that his free trade pro-
fessions, by which he has caught some foolish Liberals,
are mere humbug, and that he really cares nothing about
free trade, or about the people whom this new law, next
in atrocity to the Corn-law, will contribute to starve?
The Lords have, on sundry occasions, professed them-
selves the enemies of prohibition, but we find them, by.
their subserviency to the lipuso of Commons on a que.-
lion of a tax, enacting a most mischievous prohibition,
and lending tHkunselves to commit a grievous injury on
the people of England.

It was generally admitted in the House of Lords on
Thursday that the majority of the working population
of this country are in a very distressed condition.
Even the Duke of IVELIINGTOIS contended that the
prevalence of distress was such as to justify a Royal
begging-box appeal to the charity of the nation:
Words cannot describe the extent of the people's mi-
sery and despair in most. of our large manufitcturing
towns. We have repeatedly described the state of
things in Spitalfields and Paisley. The following
Memorial, addressed to the members of the Govern-
ment by the inhabitants of Stockport in public meet-
ing assembled, conveys, we are assured, but a very
faint idea of the wretchedness which prevails in that
once-flourishing borough :
We, your memorialists, in public meeting assembled,
would hereby approach the members of her Majesty's
Government, and humbly, but truly, represent the truly
deplorable and distressed condition of the people of this
once flourishing but now fastly declining borough of
Stockport, and pray your gracious consideration of the
same, and that it may please you to order and devise
some plan of immediate and permanent relief.
The beginning of your memorialists' distress may be
dated as far back as October, 1836 ; it has been in-
creasing ever since the above date, but has marched
with fearful rapidity and severity on your memorialists
during the last eighteen months.
Some idea of the appalling distress existing in this
borough may be gathered from the following statement
of facts, which we, your memorialists, submit to your
serious and deliberate consideration.

There have existed in Stockport numerous sick
and burial societies for a long period ; there were
few individuals of the working classes but what
belonged to some one or other of these societies ;
there were also funeral societies, for assisting to inter
children, and many were the numbers that belonged to
these societies ; but since the depression of trade and
consequent want of employment, many who were once
members are now unable to maintain their membership
(although the periodical payments of the members were
very small) ; so that numbers who have been overtaken
by sickness, and some who have died, have been cut off
from the benefits themselves or their friends would have
been entitled to ; and it is no unusual thing for those to
be buried out of the poor's-rates, or by subscription from
benevolent individuals, who would, if trade had re-
mained good, have had the solace of considering that the
expenses of their funeral would be borne by funds partly
created and supported by the means they enjoyed when
work was plentiful, and they were in health to follow the
same.

That the amount required for the relief of the poor in
1836 and 1837 was 2,6282 ; in 1841 and 1842, 7,120 i.
That since 1836 more than half the master spinners
have failed ; twenty-nine farms, including forty partners,
are in this list ; the machinery of seventeen large mills
has been sold by auction, and that of four mills by pri-
vate contract ; eight firms have effected a composition
with their creditors.

That there are now standing untenanted not less than
3,000 dwelling-houses, besides mills, warehouses, and
public. houses.
That in one township alone, viz., Heaton Norris, there
are 3,500 houses, out of which there are untenanted
about 700 ; thero are also nearly 800 compounded for,
and 1,000 excused from paying rates on the ground of
their being too poor, so that the burden of paying the
rates falls on no more than 1,000 persons, many of these
persons being in as bad, and in some instances a worse
condition than the paupers themselves.
That in February last, there was collected within a few
weeks, by some generous and humane individuals, the
sum of .5,000/. for the relief of the suffering poor.
That in The week ending 19th February, 1841, the
number.of families relieved was 3,473 ; the number of
individuals, 14,424 ; the average income per head being
9d. 9-10ths..

That owing to the loss of wages consequent upon the
stopping of mills. the reduction in the rate of wages by
lost time, by reduced number of hands, and the other
causes, the total loss to the inhabitants of the borough is
5,483/. per week.

The cottage and messuage property has depreciated in
value, in some instances, as much as 130 per cent., and
the average may be fairly taken at 75 per cent.
That there are now walking the streets, for want of
employment, no less than 5,000 persons, who are suffer-
ing the extreme of human misery and privations of the
most alarming nature.; therefore we, your memorialists,
respectfully call your attention to these facts, and trust
that steps will be immediately taken to relieve the un-
paralleled distress existing in this borough, and your
memorialista will, as in duty bound, pray, &c.

The sugar duties were the principal subject of discussion
,211 Friday night In. the House of Commons, and the
Tory Ministry showed' their regard for the people by
proposing to continue the duties for one year, by which,
as we have over and over again proved in The Sun, the
consumers of sugar are annually deprived of between
3,000,0001. and 4,000,000/. sterling, to enrich the West
Indian planters. The proposition was made, too, by a
West Indian land-owner. Mr. GOULBURN actually
proposed to tax the people to keep up his own rent ;
and all the owners of West Indian property in the
'House, we believe, except Mr. BERNAL and Mr. P.
,
M. STEWART, voted with him to keep up tneir rents.
They wer not allowed, however, to pursue this course
"without being exposed. Mr. ROEBUCK moved that the
duty on foreign sugar'should be reduced to the duty on
colonial sugar, and told the House of Commons,
in plain terms, that it annually took from the
people between 2,000,0004 and 4,000,0004 which
went into the pockets of the West Indian
planters. Some of the money, indeed, is thrown away
by cultivating sugar at an unnecessary cost, in order to
catch a share of the bounty. The fallacy of the various
pretexts by which the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
and his party sought to rerpetrate this enormity, was
ably exposed by Mr. ROEBUCK. He showed that our
Quixotic attempts to put down the slave trade have in-
creased it, and added to the cruelties of the
middle ' passage. He proved, by the principles
of the Tories, as applied to the French Re-
volution, that our attempt to propagate a system of
morality was erroneous, and that, if WO might interfere
with other nations to put clown the slave trade, we ought
to interfere %vial them to make them abolish slavery.
War with the United States, therefore, will be the conse-
quence of following out the philanthropic anti propa-
ganda principles of the anti-slavery party. We Cannot
present a complete analysis of Mr. ROEBUCK'S
speech, but we recommend its perusal to our
readers as an able refutation of many of the
fallacies by which Members of the House of Commons
delude themselves, or seek to delude others. His argu-
ments, though we think them: irresistible looking to our
people, for whom alone, our legislature is called into
being, made no impression on the Ministers or their
followers, and his proposition was lost by 59 to 18.
Mr. LABOUCHERE subsequently moved to reduce the

~~~~

ttlirrilrrmr,sligor 0,1571
On chit,: iviestiOn the *OO of Vie !:ittitik Arguttem
.%;71tieft-tvere.atsed: list year on the 'snlyjeet et the
.stgar
iti ties we re repeated, with Sonle • perional hits.
Lord J. RUSi3ELL reproached Sir R. PEEL" with advo-
cating cheapnesi; and yet abstaining in all cases from
applying his principle where it would be of the least use.
Sir R. PEEL, TetOiillg on the •Noble Lord, took great
credit to himself for his proposition touchng
cattle, and riprOached the Whigs with never
having mentioned the subject during the ten years
they were in.. office. Mr. ROEBUCK, with more
intemperance of manner and language than is usual
with him, attacked:6)th parties for indulgingin mysti-
fidation, and reproached both with studying only party
interests. For saying let Jamaica andlet -the Antilles
sink in the sea, he was taken to task both- by
Mr. BERNAL and Sir ROBERT PEEL. The de-
bate was animated during the two last hours
that it continued, and at one o'clock the Committee
decided by 245 to' 164, that the duties as prOposed by
the Ministers should continue another year. So the
House has resolVed, in spite of the remark of Sir R.
PEEL that the cultivation of sugar is dreadfully de.truc-
tire of life, to give an annual bounty on its production in
our own colonies'of between 3,000,0001. and 4,000,00 C!.
a-year, at the eipeuse of the people of England.

Some weeks ago there appeared an article in The Sur,
in which we stated, on excellent authority, that tho
King of the FaExcitwas labouring under an incurable
disease. This article attracted considerable attention in
Paris, but the Journals,, from prudential considerations,
took no notice orit: Unhappily the KING'S disorder
has latterly so increased that it can no longer be kept
secret. The members of the Royal Family have become
so alarmed that they. are afraid to quit the Palace, lest
they might never again behold their Royal parent. For
the private character of the King of the FRENCH we
entertain the highest respect. In the relations of hus-
band, father, master, and friend—(for strange as it may
sound of a Sovereign, the King of the FRENCH has
friendships)-=Louis' PHILIPPE has few equals even in
private life. We are now assured on good authority,
that the visit of the young Princes to London is post-
poned, not from political causes, but in consequence of
the rapid progress lately of the dropsy under which their
Royal father is suffering. A Paris Correspondetit, in a
communication to a Morning Contemporary, says--

In spite of an appearance of strength, his Majesty the king
of the French has for some time past been a great sufferer, and
his ailment has become .a source of uneasiness to his deeply-
attached and devoted consort and. his affectionate family. At
a-recent.consultation of, physicians the features of his Majesty's
disorder, as well as general health, were narrowly examined.
The conclusion arrived at by the distinguished members of the
faculty present was, that the disease was dropsy. I make this
statement on ample authority. His Majesty's life may not be
in any immediate danger, but the complaint has become painful
and serious.

The peace of Europe—aye of the world—hangs upon-
the life of the King of the FRENCH. Ho it is who really
maintains the peace of Europe. He it was who com-
pelled France to remain neutral during the war in Syria.
Whatever may be his political faults, and they are many
and serious, Europe stands indebted to him for the
pewee which it now enjoys. But shall we have peace
when the Royal: pence-preserver is gone ? That, in-
deed, i a serious question, to the solution of which the
attention of the statesmen of Europe cannot be too
quickly, or too seriously directed. For our part we
confess that we .aPprehend the worst. What abilities
the Duke of ORLEANS may possess we know not ; but
frdm all that we hive heard, ho is but indifferently qua-
lified to steer the vessel of the State in waters in which
any helmsman less able than his father would have
foundered. Besides, the war-feVer rages so madly, that
war with him will be a political necessity. He
will be compelled to fight or abdicate, unless
the French people come to their senses before
it pleases GOD to remove the present Sovereign.
With the question, as to whether another Revo-
lution will take place, or be attempted, upon the death of
Louts PnimPrz,*e have here nothing to do. Not that
we are indifferent to it, or have not reflected upon it
but it is too important to be introduced at the close of
so short an article as our limited space to-day permits us
to devote to this subject.

The Paris journali Are more than usually interesting.
They all express their joy at the happy escape of our
gracious SOVEREIG. The following remarks, from the
Courtier Francais, so generally hostile to this country,
are so moderate, and so creditable to the feelings of the
writer, that we hare pleasure in quoting them :

The English press has tried to render France responsible
for the various attempts made on the King's life. It is not
the fault, of those who represent the various opinions of Great
Britain. whether Whigs or Tories, that the French people
should not pass for a nation of cannibals, incessantly occupied
in destroying the work of her own hands. England has her
turn at present; Oxford's attempt, and the prudence of the
English Government in attributing the crime to insanity, are
well known. This political precaution has not preserved the
Queen from a new attempt. Queen Victoria, like Louis Phi-
lippe, escaped the danger, which threatened her. Shall we
now seek in some of the sores which gnaw the body
of English society, the cause of the deplorable event which the
English journals relate ? Shall we say that a moral evil has
struck this nation, as a mark of decrepitude ? Shall we render
her'responsible for the excesses of a few fanatics, whose wild
excitement is a solitary accident' rn all societies? We shall be
more generous and more just than our neighbours, and we shall
not exercise, with respect to them, the recrimination that
might be lawfully permitted. It is enough to have shown, by
the coincidence of the same facts having occurred amongst two
very different nations, that France was calumniated, and that
she 'could now be entitled, if she pleased, to hurl back the
calumny on those who so basely gave it currency."

We regret to find in the same Journal the following
remarks, which are by no means penned in so pacific a

spirit :

It was rumoured' yesterday in the Chamber that Lord
Cowley had officially demanded of M. Guiza if the French
Government intended effecting in our naval forces for 11343
the changes indicated by'the vote of the Chamber of Deputies.
The English Ambaskulor was to have insisted on the French
Cabinet disarming the ships of the line and frigates which
M. Lacrosse's amendment obliges the Ministry to keep up.
We do not know what answer M. Guizot has returned, and
what guarantees he .may have given of his obedience to the
injunctions of the English Cabinet, but the feelings of the
nation will be justly wounded when it is known that a fo-
reign Government deems itself authorised (thanks to the ha-
bitual weakness of our Ministry) to limit the number of ves-
sels which we may keep up. A similar pretension has not
been brought forward' since the inauspicious periods of 1814
and 1815, when the victorious coalition put France to ransom.
At present we are rich in. men and in resources; we have a
well-disciplined fleet, a warlike army, and it is our own fault
if we are not powerful. If our Government humiliates itself
before the demands of England, it cannot be because the na-
tion is weak and worn-out ;. it is simply because it is wanting
in dignity, and because its energy is not responsive to that of
the country.

It is stated in a private letter, that the French Am-
baq_sfidor at the Court of London, Count ST. A ULAIRE,
will be sent for to Paris; to assist Ministers with his in-
fluence at the forthcoming elections.

The Commerce publialies an address to the King from the
Municipal Council of Saint Pierre, Martinique, praying him to
use his influence towards putting an end to the distress occa-
sioned to the colonists by the postponement of the sugar bill,
and adds, that a crisis in the French sugar colonies, can only
be avoided by the governors of them authorising, as they did
in 1839, the export of sugars to all countries, and under
every flag.
. . .

.
A Naples letter, in the Augsburg Gazette, states that
although no danger of a rupture with Holland exists, the Nea-
politan Government is raising from 1,600 to 2,000 sailors for
the navy.
A letter from Athens, in the Leipsic Gazelle, states
that Admiral Lasusse having entered the Piraeus, the captain
of an English man-of-war omitted to fire the customary salute.
The Admiral complained to the Ambassador, and the Captain
immediatelyreceived an order to salute the Admiral. The
salute was given, but the Admiral's vessel gave none in return.
The English Captain at once weighed anchor, and went off to the
port of Phalaros, It is probable, says the letter,that the salute
was not returned because the Admiral had remarked some
negligence in the manner of giving it.
Yesterday evening couriers were dispatched by the English
Legation to the Courts of London, St. Petersburgh, Vienna,
Berlin, and Madrid.
The preceeding evening there hid been a Diplomatic Coun-
cil at Lord Cowley's. M. Guizot was present at Gazette
de France.

•
The Journal du Havre of the Ist of June has the following
article :—•" Yesterday at high water, we had a rather curious
sight in this port ; it was' the arrival of a little squadron of
steam boats, which the Pope has cause to be built in England,
and which are to pass through France to the Mediterranean.
These vessels, three in number, the Archimedes, the Guasco,
and the Papin, entered the, port with white flags at the stern,
on which were the arms of ;he Holy See. Their crews wear
a uniform, much resembling that of oar sailors, and having
on their hats the inscription " Marina Romana." From
their appearance we should judge them to be about 8 tons
burthen, with engines of about 30-horse power ; their form is
narrow and long, resembling that of the schooner Bermudas
thev'are, however, built with more solidity than elegance.
The Archimedes is distinguished from the others by richer
ornaments, and more elegant workmanship. It has on the
taffrel a gilt escutcheon,, and the cut-water is likewise gilt.
The wheel made of mahogany, which is placed behind, and its
cabin, which is splendidly furnished, contains a pianoforte,
indicate that it is more particularly destined for excursions of
pleasure Or cruising. The two, on the contrary, from the man_ I
ner in which they are fitted up, appear to be calculated for
towing. They are all three designed for the navigation of the
Taber.;'—Culltut_
orrsderee.
no rmiiB; Tli['RSD IY, JUNE 2.

• iirst Highest Lowest Last
Price Price. Pric«. Prier.
e-ee..‘b b der Conti II9 p 5 ... .20 ... 119 83 ... 119 95
4 per Cents. ... 102 ... 1112 ... 10 '2 •• • 102
3 per Lents. Bl 1,5 . 82 5 ... 81 85 ... 8.1 5
Loali
ir.aff of r tauct
Ladltte Bank 1.01011. Shares 1050 —lO5O .10a0 ....11'.50
'• %OWL Shares 50ts5 ...5170 •. 306.5 ...507u
I.ogian Bank
Belgian 5 per Cents. .. ....
5 rer Lcuti.. 1840 105% ... 105% ... 10' % ... 11'5%
;wain sh Active , ,141 ... 24 ... 24 ... 24
Neapolitan lO7 70 ... 11.7 70 ... 107 7J ... 11)7 70
Roman .... 11,4% ... um% .. 164% ... 104%
RAILWAY SH A RV,.
530 ... $3O ... no „. 320
Versallles.L BELP.
100 ... 105 ... 100 ... WI 25
R0tten............••••••• ........... 552 50 ... 535 ' ... 532 50 ... 533
1 ftlean3 ..
SLiasbnirg to Bale

A letter from Nimes stateis, that M. Ararignan,
sen., the chief actor in the lati.tragical event in that place, was
removed at midnight, on tie ktd inst., to prison, his wounds
not having admitted of his being earlier taken from -his own
house. It appears that the condition of his sen and daughter
is very much ameliorated.