The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-10 00:00:00

TESTIMONIAL TO SIR JOHN AND
LADY PIRiE.
•A private meeting of merchants, bankers; and
others, took place at the London Tavern last week, in
consequence of a very anxious desire expressed at the
conclusion of the late Mayoralty, to consider the pro-
priety of testifying their approval of the public con-
duct and private worth of the late Lord Mayor and
Lady Mayoress, Sir John and Lady Pirie.
, Mr. COTTON, the Governor of the Bank of Eng-
land, was unanimously called to the Chair, upon the
motion of Mr. John Masterman, M.P., seconded .by
Mr. Hughes Hughes.
The CHAIRMAN said it gave him sincere pleasure to
attend n meeting convened for the purpose of bearing
testimony to the merits of Sir John and Lady Pirie.
Of the value of the public services rendered by Sir
John Pirie during his Mayoralty, there was but one
opinion, for every one acknowledged how ardent a
friend he was to the cause of charity, and how ad-
mirably he performed the duties of the office from
which he had so lately retired. It was quite unne-
cessary to use more words in speaking of a most
worthy man, who had been long known in the mer-
cantile community of London as a person of the
highest claims to public esteem for the exercise of pub-
lic and private virtues.—(Cheers.) He had beard
many commercial', men allude to the subject upon
which the meeting had assembled, and he felt con-
vinced that a subscription would be rapidly advanced
fur the purpose of presenting to Sir John and Lady
Pirie a suitable teStimonial.—(Cheers.)
It was suggested by some gentlemen that, for the
purpose Of accomplishing the object in the most effec •
tual manner, it would advisable to call a public
meeting, and submit to them resolutions for their
adoption. To this propoSition the Chairman, and others
of the meeting, entertained some objection, upon the
the ground that the immediate appointment of a Com-
mittee, treasurers, and secretaries, would answer all
the ptirposes, without any of the parade of a public
meeting, at which, after all, nothing could be uttered
except language in praise of those whose excellent
qualities were the theme of public approbation.
Mr. JOSEPH SIMES said he would most willingly
join in furthering the object of the meeting, but he
was sure that the less flourish there was ahout it the
more congenial it would be toSirJohn and LadyPirie.
It was ultimately agreed :that operations should
commence without having recourse to a public meet-
ing. A Committee was then appointed, with power
to add to their number ; Mr. Anderton and Mr. Har-
rison, meMbers of the Corporation of London, were
chosen honorary secretaries, and a resolution was
paased that the subscriptions should be received at
Messrs. Masterman's bank,. the maximum limit
of which subscriptions to be (for a single person) 51.,
with no Minimum limit. The subscriptions at once
commenced:.
Yesterday the Committee assembled at the London
Tavern, Mr. Benjamin Green in the chair.
Mr. ANDEIRTON stated, that although there had
been as yet no public notice given of the testimonial
to Sir John and Lady Pirie,. he had received a great
number of letters from some of the most eminent
merchants and bankers in the City, requesting to have
their names added to, the list .of the Committee, and
inclosing- contributions for the. intended object. He
felt great pleasure in stating .that the contributions
were as numerous from one political party as from
the other, so that it was quite evident the conduct of
Sir John Pirie 'was as warmly admired by Whigs as
by Tories. In fact, a man more free from the errors
of party spirit never existed—a sentiment in which
all the members of the Corporation agreed. Amongst
the contributors from the west-end of the town was
Lord Dudley Stuart, who had sent a most warm
letter to the Committee, expressive of the pleasure it
would give his Lordship to be one of those who
should present a testimonial to Sir John and Lady
Pirie, and requesting that the Committee would re-
ceive him amongst their number.
The General Committee, consisting of 60 members,
was then formed, and a Sub-Committee, consisting
of ten, to have the management and superintendence
of the subscriptions and expenses, was appointed.
The bankers appointed to receive subscriptions
were Messrs. Masterman and Co., Glynn and Co., and
Grote and Prescott.
The Committee, after some other arrangements,
resolved that the testimonial to be presented to Sir
John and Lady Pink should be approved of by the
majority of the General Committee, and afterwards by
a majority of the subscribers at a general meeting.
The Committee then separated.
The list of subscriptions will appear in a few days
in the newspapers.

PRICE OF SUGAR.
EFFECTS OF MONOPOLY.
LONDON, Nc. 10, 1842.
The following average prices of .Brown or Musco-
does British Sugars, exclusive of duty, were pub-
lished in the Gazette of last night :
West India 355. od. per cwt.
East India 35 ot
Mauritius 26 11f
The average price of the three kinds, computed
jointly, exclusive of duty, is 355. per cwt.
The actual weights of sugar sold on account of the
importers, in the week ending the 6th inst., accori-
ing to the returns made upon oath by the sugar bro-
kers, in compliance with the Act of Parliament, and
on which weights the above prices are computed, con.
sisted of 18,333 cwt. West India, 12,514 cwt. East
India, and 131 cwt. of Mauritius.
About 100 cwt. of very dark unsound sugars have
been sold in the same week ; these having been classed
in the returns as Mauritius, unfairly depresses the
average of that kind of sugar, as well as the total ave-

rage Trice.
White sugars equal to double refined manufactured
in London from foreign raw sugars may be purchased
free of all charges in putting them on board a British
ship, for 265. 6d. per. cwt. ; these white sugars are con-
sequently Bs. 6d. per cwt. cheaper than West India
Muscovadoes, which are about equal in quality to
foreign Muscovadoes from which the said white sugars
were made. The total sales of British sugars for the

above quoted week in Mincing-lane, were 30,973 cwt.;
assuming that the sales at the outports, added toge-
ther, were to the same extent as the weight sold in the
London market, the consumers, bought 61,946 cwt. of
sugar at 355. per cwt., amounting in round numbers
108,205/. They might have bought 61,946 cwt. of
foreign sugar, equally good, at 18s. 6d. per cwt.,
amounting to 57,300/., exhibiting a difference against
British sugars, of 51,205/., that is to say, the nation
by purchasing foreign, instead of the protected British
sugars, would have saved that amount, which being
added to 274,224/., the fruits of protection for the five
previous weeks (see The Sun, Dec. 3), gives 325,4291.
the precise value of the sugar monopoly to the sugar
producers, and the cost thereof to the public for six
consecutive weeks.
Last week we said we would, as all other expedients
to suppress the traffic in slaves, had signally failed of
attaining that desirable object, address a few remarks
for the consideration of that great and influential
party in this country who have the cause so much at
heart. To suppose that sugar will be raised in the
West India colonies under the existing bad manage-
ment, so cheaply that it can compete in price with
slave-labour sugar, is to indulge in a fallacy; it is,
therefore, necessary to advise the Anti-Slavery So-
ciety of the fact, that there is raised by free labour
east of the Cape of Good Hope an abundance of sugar,
which in price would drive slave-labour sugar from
the market ; and that the Anti-Slavery Society has
no reason to doubt the truism of its own prediction,
namely, that free is cheaper than slave labour.
The remedy for the cure of slavery, and ex-
tinction of the slave trade, is to be found in free
competition ; the markets of Great Britain offer
a fair field for the , trial ; first, because the
producers of free •labour Augars in the East,
have full confidence in the integrity of the parties to
whom their property may be consigned ; they are
sure there will be no plunder of the article, or trickery
in the price of it. Secondly, they are assured that
the power of capital in this country is such, that there
exists no probability of their sugars not finding cus-
tomers prepared to advance mosey on the sugars pur-
chased by them. In order to secure, however, bona
fide, a free competition, the duty on all Muscovadoes
must be alike, and that amount imposed solely for the
sake of revenue. The experience of a twelvemonth
would teach the Anti-slavery Society that real com-
petition ought to be encouraged, that the slave-owners
will be unable to contend in price against their free-
labour rivals ; and that the culture of the sugar cane
in the slave countries would be ultimately abandoned,
and that the liberation of the slaves on that kind of
property would follow as a matter of course.
The great difficulty in admitting to home use all
sugars at one uniform rate of duty, would be how to
treat West India sugars. East India and Mauritius
sugars need no protection, but the other does, or it
cannot be produced; in other words, those colonies
cannot be maintained without it. Suppose, therefore,
that a bounty of a few shillings per cwt. was conferred
on sugar certificated as the growth of the West Indies,
this would defeat the chance of East India or Mau-
ritius sugars participating in the benefit which dif-
ferential duties in favour of British sugar would con-
fer; besides, by allowing a bounty of so much per
cwt. on imported %Vest India sugar, the nation would
arrive exactly at the cost of maintaining those
cdlonies—a knowledge which, by the present hocus
pocus system, it can never. attain. _

The Rev. M. Oliver, who for the last forty years
has so ably and efficiently discharged the duties of
curate of Whaplode, Lincolnshire, has been presented
to the living of Lambley, near Nottingham. This
venerable member of the. Established Church is now
in his 90th year, and purposes, we understand, enter-
ing upon the duties of his new office on the Ist of
, January next. Returned value, 476/.—Nottinghant

paper.
'The registration of electors of Trinity College,
Dublin, closed on Wednesday, and makes the qualified
' constituency for life 1,727.