The Sun.
London, England, 1829-09-25 00:00:00

drunken women. They obstruct passengers--
insult modest females—di'turb the peace of the
neighbourhood with the most outrageous noises,
and materially assist the pickpockets in their
work of depreciation. As to the " guardians of
the night" in general, they seem to be in the
pay of the brigands and their female accomplices
who " expect their evening prey." Our Corres-
pondent proceeds to say that " the reversal of
the ameliorating influence of women in society,
which the streets and public places of London
exhibit, is undoubtedly to be ascribed to their
inordinate passion for gin and dress—a passion
every day increasing among our females of the
lower ranks, and even infecting many of the
middle classes—for the sake of indulging which
they scruple not to sacrifice every feeling and
principle of their proper nature and duties."—
There can be no doubt that the propensity for
ardent spirits is alarmingly on the increase among
both males and females in the working classes o'f.
London, and hence a copious accession of crime
and disgusting immorality. Ever since Govern-
ment lowered the duty on gin, that destructive
beverage—that "liquid fire" which consumes both
life and character and natural affection and
the sense of decency—has been committing its
physical and moral ravages to a degree that at
length threatens a very general demoralization of
the mass of the people. It is among gin-drinkers
that thieves principally recruit their forces, and
from the same source comes a great deal of that
female depravity that swarms all our streets, in-
fests our pinks and promenades, and fills cur
theatres with the odious exhibition of obtrusive
unblushing vice. Another cause for the increased
consumption of gin besides its cheapness, is the
brewers' monopoly, which, by preventing compe-
tition in the manufacture of porter, has put the
publicans under the necessity of selling whatever
unwholesome adulterated stuff they choose to
supply them with. The consequence is, that
London porter has got in general into bad
odour—much less of it is consumed than for-
merly, considering the increase of population,
and thus the avaricious and grasping spirit
which governs the monopoly re-acts upon itself.
They have deteriorated the article to increase
their profits, and by thAt means they are con-
siderably diminishing the trade. If Hogarth
were again to return upon earth, his inimitably
dramatic pencil would find no dearth of material
in the streets of London at the present clay for
the composition of another picture of the melan-
choly and grotesque depravity of " Gin-alley."
Great expectations are formed by some " public
instructors" of the new police—we await the ex-
periment. Already have there been several in-
stances of persons engaged for that service being
themselves brought Uup to police-offices for
drunkenness and other delinquencies. It is not
in our power to say what the new police can do,
but we can take upon us to state what they cannot
do—they cannot, be they ever so sober and ex-
emplary themselves, put a stop to gin-drinking,
the source of so much misery, immorality, and
crime. For this habit the Legislature and Go-
vernment are in a great measure responsible.
The revenue is, no doubt, improved by the hn-
mense consumption of gin, but how dear is the
price at which revenue is obtained when it costs
the country no less than the sacrifice of the morals
of the people !—Mo7ning Herald.

Our readers will find in another column an
account, from Parliamentary documents, of the

total quantity of malt made in England and

Wales from 1787 to 1828, inclusive.— The do-
cument is an extremely curious one in more than
one respect ; and some comments have been
made upon it in the last number of the Edin-
burgh Review, which it will not be uninteresting
to present to our readers. The great, and the
most important, fact proved by the document in
question is, that the consumption of malt has
been stationary in England, during a period of
no less than 50 years--or rather that .it has in
some measure declined ; for in 1787 there were,
in numbers, 3,400,000 quarters of malt made,
and in 1828, only 3,137,000 ! The most
agreeable solution of this startling fact would be,
that the people having been duly instructed in
Malthusian doctrines, had permitted the popula-
tion to decrease ; and that, although the quantity
of malt made in England and Wales was less in
1828 than in 1787, those who were accustomed
to use malt liquor, had enjoyed an equal quantity
of it during the latter, as during the former pe-
riod. This solution, however, will, unfortu-
nately, not serve us ; for the population, which
in 1801 amounted, according to the returns, to
9,100,000, had increased in 1821 to 12,100,000,
and must, according to the same ratio of in-
crease, have amounted in 1827 to 13,300,000.
A very great decrease, therefore, in the quantity
of malt liquor consumed by each person must
have taken place since 1787, and the table to
which we have referred, and which will be found
in another column, will in part explain the mys-
tery. It appears from it that in 1787 the rate
of duty was only 10s. 6d. per quarter, and that
in 1828 it was double that amount ; and it may
hence be inferred that the decline in the consump-
tion of malt liquor has arisen more from over-
taxation, or some other cause intimately con-
nected and equally oppressive with it, than from
any distaste on the part of the public for
such beverage. This, indeed, is the general
result in all such cases ; for two and two in po-
litical arithmetic do not make four, but, on the
contrary, are more like to cause a decrease than
an increase in the amount of revenue. It may
be objected, however, in the present instance,
that the duty amounted from 1804 to 1817 to
345. per quarter ; and, consequently, that the
decrease in the quantity of malt made cannot
possibly be owing to the tax imposed upon it.—
It ought to be recollected, however, that during

the period in que.'ition, the country was carrying
on an extensive war—the trade was brisk and

profitable—that the difficulty was to find work-
men, not to find work—that the labourer re-
ceived hi; hire in full—and that the currency
was at least 25 or 30 per cent. under its present
standard. No such facilities for paying the
malt tax exist now, and it may, therefore, we
think, be very fairly inferred that its enormous
amount ha; something to do with the diminished
consumption of malt liquors. A cause, how-
ever, of even still greater magnitude is to be
found in the oppressive and unjustifiable manner
in which this, and all the other taxes relating
to malt, and the liquors made from it, are col-
lected. The grievances sustained in this respect
by the manufacturers of malt ar detailed in the
periodical to which we have alluded, in a man-
ner whiz!! must convince every one that the in-
genuity of Icgislaton can be taxed no further,
to oppress those who are concerned in it. And
here indeed is the grand secret of the diminished
consumption of malt liquors ; for whatever in-
creases the labour, diminishes the facilities, or
adds to the risks of the manufacturer, neces-
sarily forms part of the price of the article manu-
factured, and tends, in proportion to the addi-
Lion, to diminish the quantity consumed. That