The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-12-05 00:00:00

THE WINE TRADE

So it appears at length that the Portuguese Tariff ques-
tion is " settled"—that is, that all hope of a settlement
on a new and more satisfactory basis than now exists is
given up, and authoritatively denounced by the English

government

- The wine merchants in London memorialized the
Board of Trade, on the disadvantages they laboured under
from the existing uncertainty ; and the official reply, to-
gether with the subsequent correspondence, which we

subjoin, will explain the determination which has been
come to:—

" Office of Committee of Privy Council for
Trade, Whitehall, 24th Nov., 1843.

" Gentlemen,—With reference to the memorial from
the wine trade of the 3d instant, I am directed by the
Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade to
acquaint you, for the information of the memorialists,
that the negotiations with Portugal, which were interrupted
in April last, have, strictly speaking, not been revived.
That since the arrival of the Duke of Palmella in this
country, his excellency has tendered to her Majesty's go-
vernment statements intended to show that the British
propositions had been previously to the interruption or
breaking off of the communications in April last, accepted
in their substance by the Portuguese government. That
her Majesty's government are clearly of opinion, upon an
examination of these statements, that the Duke of Pal-
mella is in error in that supposition, and that this convic-
tion has been officially communicated to the Duke of
Palmella.

" I am, Gentlemen,
" Your obedient Servant,
(Signed)) " JOHN GEORGE SHAW LEFEVRE
" Messrs. Sandeman, Forster and Co.,
20, St. Swithin's-lane."

" St. Swithin's-lane, November 28, 1813.
" My Lord,—We crave v,,,,5• LordAhin'e rpforenre to
-...ut :at we t,,,u the honour of transmitting on the Ist
inst., since which date we bare received a communication
from the Board of Trade, stating that the Dpke of Pal-
mella was in error in supposing that the statements sub-
mitted by him showed that the British propositions had
been virtually accented by the Portuguese government.

We presume we may infer from this communication that
her Majesty's government have given up all intention of
carrying out the treaty with Portugal, in which case a
public announcement by her Majesty's government to
that effect would be of the greatest benefit to the
trade between the two countries, by satisfying the public
mind that no reduction of duties on either side is to he
looked for, and thus putting an end to the uncertainty
which has so long paralysed that trade. We, therefore,
respectfully beg the favour of your Lordship to make such
an announcement through any channel most convenient;
an answer to this effect to the present application would,
no doubt, perfectly answer the purpose intended.
" We trust that the cruel position in which we have
been so long placed, and the conviction that nothing short
of what we have taken the liberty to request from your
Lordship can restore the trade to its usual channel, and
tend to repair the injury we have suffered, will plead our
excuse for being so urgent upon this point.
" We have the honour to be my Lord, your Lordship's
most obedient and very humble servants,
" SANDEMAN, FORSTER, AND CO., and
" QUARLES HARRIS AND SON.
" To the Right Hon. the Earl of Aberdeen, &c."

" Foreign-office, November 29, 1843.
" Gentlemen,—l am directed by the Earl of Aberdeen
to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday's
date, in which you refer to a recent communication made
to you by the Board of Trade, relative to the discussions
which have lately taken place between her Majesty's go-
vernment and the Duke of Palmella, on the subject of the
_ _

mutual regulation of duties between Great Britain and
Portagal, and you express your conviction that if her
Majesty's government have given up all hope of coming
to an understanding on these points with Portugal, a public
announcement to that effect would be highly beneficial to
the trade between the two countries.
" I am accordingly directed to state to you that in con-
sequence of the communications which have recently
passed on these matters between the Board of Trade and
this office, Lord Aberdeen sees no hope of coming to an
understanding with the Portuguese government, and that
hie Lordship, therefore, considers the discussions on the
snblect of a mutual reduction of duties to be finally ter-
minated.

" I am, Gentlemen, your most obedient humble
Servant, " H. U. ADDINGTON.
" To Messrs. Sandeman, Forster, and Co.,
20, St. Swithin's-lane."

TRH ABORIGINAL AMERICAN INDIANS AND THE
MAYOR OF MANCHESTER.—On Wednesday morning the
Indians attended in the Treasurer's-room, Town-hall, to
wait on the Mayor, who received them with great cordi-
ality, and presented each of the chiefs with a bronze
medal of Dr. Dalton, which they immediately suspended
round their necks by a bright red riband. The Mayor,
after a few words of welcome, and shaking hands with all
the party, said he had pleasure in presenting the two
chiefs with these medals, representing one of our great
men of science. This was conveyed to the Indians in the
nearest approximation which their limited information
and language afford ; and we believe it was explained to
them, that " the great peace-chief of Manchester gave
them, as a mark of friendship, the medals representing
one of our greatest medicines, or mystery-men, whose re-
semblance would be recognised by any of the pale-faces
who might come among their distant wigwams years
hence." They appeared much pleased, especially with
the information that Dr. Dalton was a great mystery
man, as they have a high veneration for whatever is
greatly wise and intelligent, and mystery is with them a
synonyrne for science. The Indians were then conducted
into the large room of the Toun•hall, which seemed by
its large dimensions to surprise them ; hut their attention
was at once attracted to Signor Aglio's fresco of the land-
ing of Sebastian Cabot on the shores of America; wherein
that voyager is represented as commencing a traffic for
territory with the Indians, some bales of cloth being un-
rolled to tempt the red men. The indignation of the
party was strongly excited, not at the foreign intruders,
hut at the chief of the Indians, who, they said, sold their
hunting grounds, and cheated them out of their territory.
They ridiculed the representation by the aritst of the In-
dians as almost naked ; and several other improprieties
they detected with keen glances. Subsequently the In-
dians entered the council-room during the deliberations
of the council, and took a seat at the lower end. After
looking awhile at t: e council of the pale-faces, and doubt-
less wondering how they could deliberate without a coun-
cil fire in the centre, and without the calumet, which
forms so important a part of their own grave councils,
I both amongst themselves and with the Americans, they

retired with the same quiet, self-respectful gravity, which
they preserve under all the circumstances of the many
strange scenes they witness.—Mancheder Guardian.