Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-05-22
CORRESPONDENCE FROM ENGLAND. |

LONDON, APRIL "a, lS47.
II is much 10 be feared that, although Ireland has
to considerable degree experienced the worst Of
the direct effects of famine, another calamity ind.
rectly occasoned by insufficiency OF food, has vel
TO affct that unfortunate country in the shape OF
pestilence In fact disease, in the shape of typhus
fever, is now raging there to frghtful extent and
the newspapers every day depict the calamity in
more intense coors. Nor is the fearful malady
confined to Ireland. The thousands Of haIffamish-
ed people who have found their way to Liverpool
are filling that crowded mart of business with dis
ease and death. The hospitals are all full, and the
inhabitants burdened with the tax of supporting
them, and endangered by the proximity of conta-
glon. Truly, this has been trying winter, and is
yet trying spring, for the country. The wealth
OF England, however, seems capable Of bearing any
thing that it can be called upon to provide for nor
is The benevoence of the rich taxed beyond what it
appears to be disposed to- pay. II cannot however,
prevent suffering, and the extent of suffering during
the last six months never be fully known,
Tor 1t cannot be measured by that which meets
the eye In the street, or assails the ear by its
clamorous appeals at every corner and almost at
every step. How this is to I've remedied, with ra-
increasing population and with certainly not
increasing means of support or employment, is
question which must fill the mind of the statesman
and the philanthropist with anxiety and alarm
But with all this suffering we have had no
food RIOTS" in England, and comparatively little
In Ireland. Whether this is to be attributed to-
something peculiar in the temperament and mental
constitution Of the people, is a consequence Of
the ever-wachful police of the country, will not
undertake to determine. The fact undoubtedly is ;,
that riots and popular disturbances, occasioned by
the scarcity of food. have taken place in Belgium
and IN France, at Funthaus, near Vienna, at Naples
and Rome, and in Poland, and in various other parts
of continental Europe. We have lately had most
heartrending accounts of the distress in Madeira.
There must be some natural cause for this almost
universal failure of the cereal crops. What has
been usually called 81 bad harresf' has never be-
fore been SO general in its affecting effects. May,
not some change be taking place i'll the constitu-
ton, or it may be in what, in old-lashioned par
lance used to be called the elements of our globe
II our sun and its attendant planets retained, as
was formerly thought fired place in the universe,
and our earth, in its annual circuit round its central
orb, raversed the space this year that it did
In the year Of our Lord 1000, then we might not
perceive an adequate for any great variation
IN the annual phenomena, or in the annual products
OF It's soil, beyond the usual variations of hot or
cool, wet or dry. But when the discoveries of
modern astronomy teach us that our earth this year
has accompanied its central luminary and sister
planets through journey in infinite space of
many millions of miles, who can tell but that
great atmospheric changes may have taken place,
arising from the presence and action of new agents.
either In nature or Degree and peculiar to the part
of the universe through which we are now taking
our rapid course and that these agents nav
have produced an effect upon the products, or a
certain part thereof, of the earth's surface YOU
and your readers will, perhaps, think me visionary II
but cannot help imagining that the progress of ouri
system through space is very likely to induce
changes in its condition and productions.
Free trade, or approximations towards it, appears
to be the order of the day with Europe. There is
a proiet for new Tariff in France which allows
certain articles (three hundred in number) to be
imported free of duty. On second series of ar
tices there is to be reduction of duty. The gross
amount of duty brought into the treasury by the
articles now declared free was, in ls45, 9l55,OOO
sterling. This is certainly only step, and short
one, towards free trade, but still it is onward
Many of the articles declared free in France
are, like those first made free in England, things
that the people at large never before heard Of; but,
again, many of them, such as saltpetre dye-woods,
copper, hides, bamboo planks, lead ore, iron zinc,
and hemp, are such as enter into the domestic ma
nufactures OF France, and, of course, those manu-
lectures are protected or benefited to the extent
and amount of the duties RENTED.
The international laws of extradition, as estab- |
ished between Great Britain, France, and the Uni
led States, have lately been good deal commented |
upon; and Mr.. Egan barrister Of considerable |
says: The English authorities have
put construction on them which mars their uti-
lity; SO that, while applications by the English
Government to France and America for the de-
livery of fugitive criminals have in every instance,
proved successful on the other hand applications
by France and America TO England have in every
instance, proved unsuccessful" Oughtnot some
attempt be made to place this law and its adj
upon terms Of perfect reciprocity
APRIL 27.-The present state of the money mar
set is any thing but satisfactory. The bullion in
he Bank of England diminished g379, 1857 in the
week which ended 10th April and g537,2l2 in
hat which ended on the 18th. 1t is known that
arge shipments of bullion will be made by the
steamer OF the 18th of May The Caledonia, which
sailed on the 10Th instant took out g543, 700. The
bank is adopting the most stringent measures with
respect to advances on securities and in the dis
count Of Bills it is blamed for not having taken these
precautionary steps sooner The pressure in the
money market during the past week was greater
han has been felt at any time since 1925. There
S general strong sensation, but no discredi The
decrease OF securities held by the bank during the
past week was g2,922 ,00l, decrease of deposte
Of 43,22S, 1888, of circulation 423SI34 III
The accounts from the provinces show that where
money was comparatively abundant fortnight ago
great pressure is now felt. The entire diminution
Of bullion i'll the Bank of England since 10Th Au-
q % 4 n n % a r r r Il