The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-06-14 00:00:00

THE GOLD COINAGE

The great interest which the proclamation respecting the
light sovereigns has excited is illustrated by the number of
letters which have been received on the subject from parties
connected with various branches of trade, all of whom are
complaining of the inconvenience to which they are sub-
jected. Some seem to be at a loss how to dispose of their
sovereigns at all ; so completely have they been used to con-
sider them merely as coin, that they do not seem to have
thought of the Mint, or of the bullion-merchant. Others
complain of the difficultie3 they have met at the Custom-
house, from the receivers exercising a vigilance which had
not been known heretofore. The chief misfortune is, that
the hardship falls to the greatest degree on those who are
engaged in retail business, and consequently on many who
are not in the most opulent circumstances and have nume-
rous difficulties to contend with. Formerly the loss fell
upon the bankers, but since the proclamation these have re-
fused to take such sovereigns as have not the full weight,
and consequently the tradespeople are left with them on
their hands. The average loss on the light sovereins seems
to be, if we compare different accounts, about 6d. in the
pound.
The sort of alarm which has arisen from persons not
knowing how to dispose of their sovereigns, or from their
fearing a loss in the shape of the bullion-broker's profit, or
the delay they would be subjected to if they took them to
the Mint to be coined, will be now in a measure dispelled by a
notice issued to-day from the Bank of England, and which
is as follows :

-
" Bank of England, June 9, 1812.
" At the request of the right hon. the Lords Commis-
sioners of Her Majesty's Treasury, and for the relief of those
who have in their possession the gold coin of this kingdom
below the legal current. rate.
Notice
given,isshcleirgeoblydeoin in amounts of not less than £5O
that from and after this day any
will be kitytaof such
in at the Bank of England at £3 17s. WY. per
ounce, from the hours of nine o'clock in the morning till
three o'clock in the afternoon, until further notice!'

By this it will be seen that those who take sovereigns to
the requisite amount to the Bank of England will incur no
further loss than the difference between the nominal and
bullion value of their coin. It is to be feared, however, that
some of the small tradesmen and others of the humbler
classes, who rarely have the amount of £5O by them, will
still be subjected to some inconvenience, either in the shape
of a delay at the Mint, or the profit of the bullion broker.—
Times.

EXTRAORDINARY VETERINARY OPERATION Therare
and very difficult operation of extracting a stone
fromthe
bladder of a horse was performed by Professor Dick on an
aged pony, on Wednesday last, at the Veterinary College
here, in the presence of a great many of the most distinguished
medical gentlemen of the city. This is the first time that
i
this operation has been performed n Scotland on this animal'
the disease being, as we believe, vary rare. The stone was
of a very large size, and weighed eight.ouncofes
it h after its ex-
traction, although a considerable portion ad been
broken off during several attempts at its removal, which was
rendered difficult from the depth of the wound, the rough-
ness of the surface of the stone, and the presence of a large
tumour which was found to occupy the passage through
which it had to be extracted. Several pairs of extracting
forceps having failed to accomplish this, it was ultimately
effected safely by Dr. Mercer passing his hand into the cavity
of the bladder; and the depth and size of the wound may be
conceived, when it is understood that the whole of his hand
and arm nearly to the elbow had to be introduced before the
stone could be properly laid hold of. The animal bore the
operation well, and on being untied walked into its loose box
without apparently having suffered much pain.—Edinburgh
Courant.

COLONIAL INTELLIGENCE.

WEST INDIES.
In the Jamaica papers received by the Dee royal mail
steamer, the protection which Sir Robert Peel extended in
his financial review to our sugar-producing colonies is alluded
to as an incentive for the population, both planters and la-
bourers, to renew their endeavours to raise the character of
the island, which it is stated had drooped under the injustice
which it was supposed would, by the admission of slave-
grown produce, have been dealt out against all our West
possessions by the whig administration. The West India
interest are, naturally enough,
strong supporters of the po-
licy of the new administration in this respect, and it is not,
therefore, to be wondered at that a great portion of the lead-
ing columns of the various papers are devoted to panegyrics
on the plan laid down by the government to regulate the su-
gar duties. One of the topics arising out of this discussion
is the wasteful expenditure of the funds raised by loan to en-
courage the project of general emigration : and, in the
midst of this, the improvements of the age at home appear
to be regarded with a watchful eye. Had these funds, which
according to all accounts have been most extravagantly used,
been directed to the forming of good roads, the opening of a
canal, or the construction of a railroad, the impoverished
Jamaica proprietors, it is stated, might have found some re-
lief from their heavy encumbrances. A railroad or
canal, successfully opetied, with improved machinery
for the manufacture of sugar and rum, would, it is
contended, do wonders towards restoring the condition
and credit of the island. It appears that the Assembly are
not disinclined to appropriate votes for the encouragement
of local improvements, but the great fault appears to lie in
the want of practical skill to carry them out, in the absence
of which theoretical attempts are made ending in the total
expenditure of the money without any real benefit to the
community. To obviate this continued disbursement of the
public funds to the prejudice of sound and wholesome pro-
jects when they are brought forward, is the sole desire of
the Jamaica editors, who predict from the mighty and en-
ergetic strides which the present Ministry is making to re-
vive confidence at home and abroad, a new era in Colonial
prosperity, which they say is sure to bring with it, in the
course of time, if not immediately, those much desired fa-
cilities for the profitable and less expensive production of the
West India estates. A preliminary report as to the practi-
cability of draining the great lagoons between Kingston and
Spanish Town was before the public, the suggestions in
which go to show that it can, with some expense, be accom-
plished, and that the channel of general drainage is adapted
for the line of a navigable canal upon which lighters and
drogghers may ply with advantage and profit. Addresses
continued to pour in upon Sir C. Metcalfe, the colonial go-
vernor, regretting his speedy departure from the govern-
, rnent, as, in the opinion of the majority, it is under his
hands that Jamaica has been saved from much of the discord
and the distress she would, considering the tendency of
events, have otherwise experienced. In his answer to the
address of the St. George's Agricultural Society, he says,
" I sympathise in the feelings you express arising from
the want of certain and continuous labour. It is ma-
nifest that in many parts of the island this disheartening
evil weighs heavily °Tillie agricultural proprietor, and the
more so because the only perceptible remedy may be slow
in coming, and cannot be thoroughly realised with the requi-
site speed. European immigration has been tried, and as a
general or immediate relief has proved a failure. The mode
has not been discovered, without sacrifices on the part of
their employment which few can afford to encounter, of re-
conciling the Europeans generally to a residence in those
parts of the island best suited to their constitutions. They
become dissatisfied and Hock to the towns in the lowlands,
where many die. I hope the day may come when they may
be located in numerous villages in proper positions in the
interior, where I am sure they would add much to their own
comfort and happiness, and to the welfare and prosperity of
Jamaica ; but it is difficult to anticipate whence the means
will be derived for a plan which will necessarily, in the first
instance, be expensive." This is the deliberate and re-
quested opinion of an experienced witness of the result
of European emigration, who appears to be most de-
cidedly averse to an attraction of labour from the
mother country; but while this is the case he urges
the continuance of endeavours to create a free emigration
from the shores of Africa, Bahama, and America. " There
is," he says, " abundance of space in Jamaica for any
number of new labourers that can be obtained, without the
slightest injury to those who at present compose the labour-
ing class in the island, and it is the general want of a constant
supply which causes the sluggish progress in the development
of its natural resources." These papers bring no important
intelligence from Carthagena, but some vague accounts are
published of the assassination of Cannona, and the outbreak
of another insurrection at Santa Martha. The government
troops had, according to the same authority, triumphed, and
an order had been issued for their immediate banishment.
The other West India papers are quite destitute of news,
and beyond the mere mention of minor local events, are quite
taken up with the particulars of the new tariff, which are
discussed with much earnestness, as proving the capabilities
of the leader of the ministry for the post he now occupies.
The interests in the several islands appear to be perfectly
aware that some reduction of the duties on foreign sugars
would be proposed, as has really been the case, by the oppo-
sition party, but feeling the strength of the government they
seemed to have no apprehension for the result.

GROWTH OF SUGAR IN INDIA

(From the Bombay Times, April 6.)

The capabilitieS of India, the fertility of the soil, the
cheapness of food and labour, and the certainty that the best
cotton, sugar, &c. can be produced there, has long been ad-
mitted. Many other articles of extensive consumption in
Great Britain and foreign Europe have long been shipped
from India; and we are continually adding new staples to
our imports from thence, such as tea from Assam, linseed,
tallow, &c.
Of all East India produce, the article which most decidedly
takes the lead in British and European markets, classed with
the same article the produce of other countries, is indigo ;
and is this to be attributed to mere chance? No; for we
find (with a very few exceptions,) that it is only the indigo
from factories under European management which may be
classed asfine, whilst the quality of that under native mark
is generally "Very inferior, and almost always falsely packed ;
the best being placed at the top of the box, whilst the bulk is
inferior and rubbishy.
In the growth of sugar and cotton, there arc only solitary
instances as yet of Europeans being concerned.
Hitherto the principal consumers of sugar in India have
been the Hindoos themselves ; it is impossible to say what is
the consumption of 130 millions of people; a!! eating more
or less, according to their means, from the raw cane of the
poor, to the refined sweetmeats of the rich. The quantity of
sugar daily eaten by a Hindoo would sicken an Englishman,
and rating the exports of Bengal to 60,000 tons, I should say
it was a small amnt
ou in comparison with the consumption
of Indian grown sugar in India.
But the high rates ruling in England have been such as to
cause very high prices to rule in Calcutta, and, during the
time when the bulk of the crop was coming upon the Cal-
cutta market, in June to September, 1840, Company's ru-
pees 11 to 15 permaund were the prices current for fine white
Benares, which cost the native grower not more than 6 to 7
rupees per maund to lay down at Calcutta.
These high rates induced a decrease of native consump-
tion ; for a greater portion of the year's crop was shipped to
Calcutta than was ever known before. When prices rapidly
fell in England, there was no corresponding effect in Cal-
cutta, though prices.did not give way, in consequence of less
eagerness to purchase for export to Great Britain ; but it af-
forded the Bombay merchants an opportunity of buying, the
native inland bazaars were better supplied ; and even those
who were large holders in Calcutta clearly saw that the great
accumulation of shipping (requiring sugar for return cargoes),
with English crews, officers, and commanders, would take
more injury in being exposed to the heat of a tropical sun
than their sugar would, stowed away in their godowns or
warehouses ; and, even in the face of discouraging advices
from Great Britain, the prices which had fallen, in May,
1841, to as low as Company's rupees 11. 8 per maund, ad-
vanced to 13 rupees, whilst freight declined from £6 10s. to
£2 per ton of 20 cwt. There are perhaps nowhere to be
found cleverer salesmen or buyers than amongst the native
dealers of Calcutta ; and though the grower could afford to
sell fine white 13enares sugars at Calcutta at from six rupees
to seven rupees per maund, it is not likely be would do so as
long as he could by any means obtain eleven to fifteen rupees
for it. Merely because such rates have been ruling in Cal-
cutta, it would be an unfair inference to suppose it cannot be
produced for less. Indeed, the following statement of the
cost of growing sugar at Gazepore will entirely do away with
any such idea :

Ten ploughings, at four annas each
Watering once, at one rupee per beegalls .
Three ploughings, at five annas each
Fifteen bundles of cane for seed, at five bundles per

one rupee
Cutting, cleaning, and sowing the above
Watering for two months, three times..
Hoeing nine times, at three annas each time
Manuring
Tyeing the canes, in August
Cutting the cane for manufacturing, including carry-
-0 12
5 8

Rent of land .
Expressing the cane, and reducing it to ghoor (or
boiled juice)

Expense of manufacturing the ghoor into sugar—
Thirty maunds of fire-wood, at 25 rupees per 100
maunds
Servants employed
Sward grass, used for the purpose of elaying
Earthen pans..
Hire for boiler

Produce :-
7/ maunds fine white Benares, at say 5 rupee
3 ditto grey ditto ditto 3 ditto J••• • 48 8
3 ditto molasses.
41 ditto dirt, &c.
But, to be well within bounds, we will supose fine white
Benares sugar to cost the grower seven rupees, laid down at
Calcutta, which, with freight at £4, and insurances 205.,
would stand in 255. 6d. per cwt., landed in bond in England
but which, at the rates ruling at Calcutta,o from 11 to 15
rupees (average 13 rupees), costs 41s. Gd. bonded in England,
with the same freight and insurance. The high prices which
began to rule in Calcutta in 1840, had the effect of immedi-
ately bringing a vastly increased quantity of land under
sugar cultivation ; but the result of that increased cultivation
will only appear in the Calcutta market in 1842, and here in
the fall of this year, as the cuttings take one year in coming
to maturity ; and, as the prices which have been ruling there
since May, 1840, up to the date of the latest advices received,
have been such as to yield a profit to the native grower of
from 25 to 100 per cent., the probability is, that the culture
of the sugar-cane is still rapidly increasing ; for it will con-
tinue to increase so long as the grower can make even a small
profit by it. The culture of the sugar-cane, and the manu-
facture of it in the native way, by which the finest white
Benares sugar is now produced, requires very little capital.
The poorest farmer, with the smallest portion of land, may
grow and manufacture it, and secure to himself the profit of
his labour ; whereas, in the production of silk and indigo,
much capital is required, the profits being absorbed by the
capitalist, whilst the many employed are oppressed.

There is wheat in the ear at Tallinrgton and in some few
other situations around Stamford. The appearance of the
country is beautiful almost beyond precedent, and the pro-
mise of early and plentiful crops of both grass and grain
never was better.—Stamford Mercury •
THE SIX CLERKS' OFFICE.—It appears now, and is gene-
rally believed among the legal profession, that a bill will be
immediately brought into the House of Lords, by the Lord
Chancellor, to abolish the Six Clerks Office, and to appoint
a board of taxing officers, record keepers, and other officers'
whereby a considerable expense to the suitors will be saved.
AN EQUIVOCAL WAILRANTY.—" Verbal warranties are
not i to be depended upon, by reason of their being liable to
misrepresentation. For example, In a case of fraud brought
some years back before the magistrates of Bow-street, it
appeared that a person in the character of a Quaker was asked
by a purchaser if his horse could draw ? ' Thou wouldst
bless thine eyes,' said he, if thou couldst see him draw.'
On this implied warranty the bargain was effected ; but, on
its being found the horse would not draw, the Quaker was
remonstrated with, and made this answer—' I told thee,
friend, it would delight thine eyes to see my horse draw ; I
am sure it would delight mine, for I never could make him
draw an ounce in his life.' "Ti—e Horse and the Hound, by
Nimrod.