The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-13 00:00:00

SUMMARY OF NEWS

AND
43 tit/Ift Opt:11On.

" Who runs may read."

POREIGN.
We announce with great satisfaction the extinction of the
fire which destroyed the greater part of the city of Hamburgh.
In the course of Wednesday afternoon the cheering intelligence
was received by the Insurance.offices, by means of a Hull
steamer, which left Cuxhaven late on Sunday evening, that
the fire had been mastered, and in the course of the afternoon
several surveyors were sent to make a survey of the property
destroyed.
From a recent statistical account of the industry and com-
merce of France. it appears that there are 84,954 looms in the
country, producing `annually a quantity of silk, equal in value
to 2.50 m;llions of francs. These looms employ 170,000 work-
men, and work up 140 millions of francs' worth of silk. The
hand-labour amounts to 70,923,9t,5f., or about 411 f. each
workman. The manufactories at Lyons alone, in ordinary
times, employ 40 to 50,000 looms, 90,000 workmen, and nearly
100 millions of silk. The home consumption of French silk
amounts to 75 millions, and the exports, on an average, to
about 140 millions.
The Bank of Belgium has just reduced the rate of interest on
advances upon Belgian Stock to 4 per cent.
A letter from Constantinople, April 21, in the Augsbnrgh
Gazette, states that the British Ambassador has just dismissed
51. de Pisani, the head dragoman of the Embassy. The cause
of this is said to be as follows :—After a conference with the
Reis Effendi, on the question of the Lebanon, M. de Pisani
had stated to the Ambassador that the Porte was willing to ap-
point a member of the family Schachali to be Emir of the Le-
banon. The Ambassador having demanded the accomplish-
ment of this promise, the Reis Effendi replied, that he had sub-
jected the promise to certain eventualities. M. de Pisani was
thus compromised and was dismissed.
The Augsburg Gazette gives the following from Palermo,
April 23 :—" The Government has just announced officially
to the Chamber of Commerce and to ship-owners that certain
difficulties have arisen between Holland and the Cabinet of the
Two Sicilies, which may lead to hostilities, and that they are
therefore to be on their guard, in their operations, against the
possibility of such an event."—We have heard nothing of this
notice from any other source.
A letter from Cairo, in the Augsburg Gazette, states that
the Pacha of Egypt, with a view of putting down the slave-
trade, has laid a heavy tax upon the sale of slaves in his do-
minions, this being the only way in which he can attack the
traffic, as it is tolerated by the Mahometan religion, and vindi-
cated by the Ulemas.
PARLIAMENTARY.
The Lords engaged last night in rather an amusing dis-
cussion about hops, woods, mines, and morality. The Earl of
Winchilsea having presented a petition from Kent against the
reduction of the duty on hops, Earl Fitzwilliam took the oppor-
tunity of reminding their Lordships in relation to a previous
discussion about mines, that the morality of hop gardens was
not excessive, which of course the Kentish Earl vindicated.
The Earl of Winchilsea also said that the cultivation of hops
was of great importance, as giving value to wood lands, on
which hop poles are grown. The retort made by Earl Fitz-
william was, that the hop duty, then, was required to pay for
growing wood, not that hops might be cultivated. The Noble
Earl added, which is, we believe, very true, that the owners of
wood lands would be more injured by the timber duties than
by the reduction of the hop duties.
The Marquis of Lansdowne, in moving for some returns, ex-
pressed a strong and decided opinion against the proposition to
tax the foreigners who have invested their property in the
English Funds. The Noble Lord described it as a flagrant
breach of faith, or repudiatory on a small scale.
The Earl of Ripon, being in the Ministry, pronounced a
different opinion. Lords Monteagle, Brougham, and Mel-
bourne, took similar views to the Marquis of Lansdowne; so
that it was established, in the minds of their Lordships, that
Sir R. Peel's proposition is a breach of faith. The returns
were ordered.

Lord Brougham's WI to bestow indemnity on those who
might criminate themselves by evidence relative to bribery at
elections, went through a Committee. Their Lordships sat
till seven o'clock.
The Commons did not meet in sufficient numbers to form a
House, and was accordingly adjourned.
MONEY—TnADE—COMMERCE.
The annual meeting of the National Loan Fund Society took
place onWednesday, at the London Tavern, when it appeared from
the Report that the policies issued by this Society had been
augmented from 1,230 in the year 1840, to 1,890 at the present
period. The income of the Society is about 25,0001. per ann.
At a Court of Common Council, on Wednesday, the Report
of the Royal Exchange Committee stated that the Bank of
England had consented to advance 40,0001. for the new Royal
Exchange. A further sum of 25,000/. for the great City im-
provements about Farringdon-street, in addition to the above
sum, was also recommended by the Court to, be applied for
from the Government.
Contracts have been entered into with Government by
several of the Dundee houses, to furnish 27,000 bolts of canvass
for the use of the navy.
NAVAL AND wzrziTATLY.

Prince Albert, who was gazetted a short time since as
Colonel-in-Chief of the Scotch Fusilier Guards, in room of
the late Earl of Ludlow, reviewed that body of troops in the
parade of the Wellington Barracks, Birdcage-walk, yesterday.