The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-09 00:00:00

1. , or, -1-4.1, -n-
-4 1), ' A 11,4444;k5 .---"-----1:11i.t.
1

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 1845.

The Lords met at Five o'clock.
The Arrestment of Wages Bill passed through Com-

rnittee.

The Gaming aril Wager Bill was read a third time
and passed.
The Documentary Evidence Bill was read a second
time, and tbeir Lordships adjourned.
The Commons met at twelve o'clock. Immediately
after assembling the House resolved itsrAf into Com-
mittee on the Commons Inclosure Bill.
Clauses up to 70 were agreed to, and the House
resumed.
After the transution of private business,
Lord PALMERSTON rose to bring forward the motion
of which he had given novice relative to the right of
search.,

Tbis motion gave rise to a lengthened debate, in the
course of which the House was addressed by Sir It.
Peel, ?Mr. Sheil, Sir R,. H. Inglis, Sir C. Napier, Mr.
Hope, and Captain Peellell.
Sir R. PEEL intimated his refusal to produce the
Pipers referred to, and the House divided, when there

appeared—For the amendment, 51 ; against it, 94; ma-
jority against the amendment, 43.
The report of the Irish Colleges Bill was brought up
by Mr. WYSE.
The Field Gardens Bill was then read a third time,
and the House adjourned at Two o'clock.

Sir ROBERT PEEL has shown a wiser discretion in
postponing till next session certain Bills which have
not been maturely considered, or which would excite
such opposition that the session must be prolonged to
an usually late period, and after a great deal of hostile
discussion would come out of Committee with greater
defects than contained in their original draft. These
discussions in Committee, with amendment after amend-
ment proposed, some rejected and some adopted, seldom
improve a Bill not founded on right principles. It goes
forth to the public but as patchwork at the best, and in
another year requires some important additions, or a
total reconstruction. The Bills thrown overboard are
only those brought forward by the Government, and we
are glad to find that those stilt left to be discussed
will furnish ample employment to the Legisla-
ture without the fancy Bills introduced by private
Members. Most of these will go to the wall without
any injury, the destruction of some will be regarded
by many as a blessing, and we particularly allude to of e
under the keeping of Lord ASHLEY, entitled " A Bill
fur the better regulation of the Care and Treatment of
Lunatics in England." A reform in this department is
much Ranted, but the Noble Lord, with all his

umanity, is not just the person fitted for the task. his
Bill abounds with defects, the cost of the machinery is
enormously expensive, and after all it does not attain
the main objects—the security of the subject against
wrongful imprisonment, and the proper treatment of a
human being when afflicted by one of the severest
visitations of PROVIDENCE. In matters of this kind
we would allow the mad doctors very little
influence. The liberty of no man or woman should be
placed at their mercy. They may be consulted and
cross-examined before a jury, but their warrant should
never be considered sufficient for immuring a fellow-
creature in a madhouse Some of these gentlemen have
openly declared that they consider all mankind mad on

one subject or another, and it is well known that juries
have repeatedly returned verdicts in direct contradiction
to their recorded opinions. Confinement, and solitary
confinement too, is bad enough in any case, but confine-
ment without a just cause is insufferable. For these
reason 3, it must be a matter of great regret to all parsons
of humane feelings to learn that an important Bill, intro
duced by Lord BROUGHAM, the " Administration of
Criminal Justice Bill," has been doomed to destruc-
tion, and that before any enactment be made
fLr abating long, and often unjust imprisonment before
trial, we are to have the tedious formalities of a
Commission, which may sit for years, and, after all, not

throw any new light on a question about which, in fact,
every man has made up his mind. Taking the proper-

lion of acquittals to be one- third of the commitments,
and knowing that many of the persons acquitted
by the grand or petty juries have been confined
like cunvicts in a gaol for eight months, we arc inclined
to think that the injustice, the cruelty, and the ruinous
effects of the system are such, that the Legislature incurs
a fearful responsibility in delaying a remedy for even
twelve months. No atonement, no recompense, no
consolation, indeed, can be afforded to a man who
has been made the innocent victim of a stern law,
sternly and not I:infrequently partially administered; but,
at all events, let not absolute cruelty be added to injus-
tice by delaying the proofs of innocence for a period that
would expiate by imprisonment serious crimes. No ex-
pense, no trouble, no difficulties should be allowed for a
moment to obstruct the redress of such a crying

evil. Subscriptions are annually raised for
religious and charitable, and, not infrequently,
vain objects, to the amount of half a
million sterling ; the country paid 60,0001. in a fatal
experiment for the benefit of the Africans, and it paid
willingly twenty millions to set our colonial slaves
free, yet paltry objections an I obstructions are thrown
in the way of a humane and feasible plan for
shortening the imprisonment of our innocent fellow-
subjects in England. But we allude not only
to the innocent, but to those imprisoned for trivial
offences, and were a proper system adopted the change
would not entail one penny of additional expense. We
quote the words of Lord DENMAN as a proof:—

-
" If a man, convicted of stealing a faggot worth one penny, in
a parish where he was perfectly well known, was taken before a
magistrate, and pleaded guilty, expressing his sorrow for what he
had done, the result was, that he might be sent 80 or 100 miles, if
in the county of York, to the assize town, to take his trial; the whole
county being summoned to hear the statement he had made before
th e magistrate, while, perhaps, in the absolute mockery of justice, he
might be acquitted after all, when he bad been detained In prison
for six months, and the whole county put to enormous expense.
Even the quarter.sessions might impose the same penalty on him.
There ought to be a simpler process for cases of this description,
and many minor matters might be suggested, by which a great deal
of trouble and expense would be saved."

To those who take a deep interest is the only true and
permanent source of our national prosperity—namely,
the extension and resources of our commerce—the
" Returns of Trade" which have just been presented to
both Houses of Parliament, by command of her MAJESTY,
will be appreciated in all their importance. These re-
turns arefor " the ports of Canton, Amoy, and Shang-
hai, for the year 1844." The originals were trans-
mitted by J. F. DAVIS, Esq., her MAJESTY'S Plenipoten-
tiary in China, in a dispatch, dated Victoria, Hong-
Kong, February 7, 1845, which is No. 1 in this collection.
Mr. Davis, in calling attention to the exceedingly able
pc per (Inclosure No. 1 in his dispatch) from Mr.
Consul MACGREGOR, remarks, " These returns exhibit
a great increase, particularly in cotton goods,
notwithstanding the resort of British shipping to
the new ports of China; and I am happy to find that the
pre%ious feeling of on the part of the people has
completely died away, the fifth instalment of the in-
demnity being paid without the slightest popular de-
monstration."

Besides Mr. F. MACGREGOR'S Inclosure No. 1, above
referred to, we have other five inclosures, numbered
from two to six inclusive, all bearing the signature of the
same gentleman. They are all 'of great importance.
No. 2 is a " Return of the number and tonnage of
merchant vessels which arrived at, and departed from,
Canton in the year ending December 31, 1844, dis
anguishing the countries to which they belonged."
From hence it appears that the arrivals were 308 vessels;
aggregate of their tonnage 142,699. Of these, 228 were
British vessels ; 57 American ; 11 Dutch ; French,
Belgian, Danish, and Swedish (2 each) ; Bremen 1
The tonnage of the British bottoms was 111,850 ;
of the American, 23,273 ; of the Dutch, 3,878 ;
of the Belgian, 1,151 ; and of the French,
751 ; and of othe r flags, from 290 to 590 tons
respectively. Under head of " Vesse:s Departed," the
total number is 296 ; aggregate tonnage, 140,182. Of
these the number of British was—(vessels) 228, ton-
nage, 112,142 ; of foreign, 28,040 ; there were Ame-
rican; 49 vessels ; tons, 21,600 ; Dutch, 9 vessels ; ton-
nage, 3,013 ; French, 2 ; tonnage, 632 ; Belgian, 2 ;
tonnage, 1,151; Swedish, 2 vessels; tonnage, 581 ; Da-
nish, Hamburgh, Bremen, Russia, 1 vessel each ; ton-
nage from 219 to 320 ; British, 228 vessels ; tonnage,
112,142. The next inclosure (No. 3.), is an extended
detail of No. 2. Inclosure No. 4, is " A return of the
quantities and value of merchandise imported into the
Fort of Canton" in 206 British vessels (of 104,322 tens),
and 96 Hong-Kong (of 5,774) during same int' real.
This is a most gratifying statement, seeing that under
the three heads of British manufactures and staple ar-
ticles, manufactures of cotton, and miscellaneous articles,
raw and manufactured, the estimated value in Spanish
dollars is no less than 7,860,676 Spanish dollars, which,
at the exchange value assumed for this coin by Mr
MACGREGOR (p. 12) of 4s. 4d. per dollar, is 1,702.3131. 2s
in a single year for the single port of Canton. Produc-
tions of India and other countries add to this amount
10,064,684 Spanish dollars. The grand total for Canton
is, therefore, 17,925,360 dols., or 3,883,8231. sterling
Inclosure No. 5, a similar account of quantities and
value of merchandise exported from Canton in 164
British vessels of 83,679 tons to various countries. This
return is arranged under two heads, "Raw Produce"
(whereof was exported to British India, Great Britain,
and British colonial possessions, to the value of Spanish
dollars 16,398.950), and " Manufactured Articles" to tEe
value of 526,410 dols. Total exports, 17,925,360 dols., or
3,893 828/. Inclosure No. 6 is a statement of tonnage
dues, import and export duties paid by British vessels in
the port of Canton for six weeks to Dec. 31,1844. Adding
the last six months of 1843 to the first six months of 1844,
the total registered tonnage for one year was 125,192 ;
total tonnage dues, 18,4931. ; import and export duties,
516,410/. ; grand total, 534;9031. Mr. Davis, in his
dispatch to the Earl of ABERDEEN, No. 2, incluses " Re-
turns of the foreign trade of ad other nations with
Canton." Alluding to these important anti curious do-
cumentl, Mr. DAVIS writes," The manner in which these
returns liavebeen drawn up by that gentleman has given
general satisfaction on their being published." The ge-

neral statistics of the American trade with Canton for
1844 may be thus stated :—lmports in forty-nine Ame-
rican vessels (20,292 tons) 2,445,870 dolls. Of this
sum, to the value of 46,056 dols., were articles imported
from Singapore ; 85,567 dols. from Manilla, Bali, and
Batavia ; 8,622 dols. from the South Sea Islands, and
from Boston, Mexico, and Lima, in treasure, 1,125,700
dols.; in all 1,265,945 Spanish dollars. The remaining
amount of 4,179,925 dols., or 255,6551., were the value
of imports from all parts of the United States, chiefly
New York. The total of American exports during the