with the Directors. Every British subject to have the right of going to, and settling at either of the Presidencies without license; but the right of going to, trading with, or settling in the interior, to be subject to such regulations as the local Government may make. The Directors object to several of these conditions, particularly to the loss of the China Trade, by the profits of which, alone, they have been enabled for many years to pay the dividends on their stock, and make up the deficit in the territorial revenues. By the revenue accounts which have been made up to the 5th April, it appears that there has been a decrease on the quarter, as compared with the corresponding quarter of last year, of L.92,420. There is an increase, however, on the whole year of L.230,389. The principal increase is on the Customs, L.432,047; Excise, L.21,088; and Taxes, L.16,443. The decrease is confined to the Stamps, L.188,790, and Post-office, L.79,806. The price of stocks on the 19th of April was as follows:-consols for account, 87 India stock has been gradually rising, and is now 224. Bank stock has risen suddenly from 192 to 198. Money is plentiful. Exchequer bills are 4,950 prem. SCOTLAND. The affairs of the city of Edinburgh have, for many years, been so extravagantly conducted under the close burgh system, that they have become greatly embarrassed. The revenue, which is the largest of any of the Scotch burghs, in the year ending 1st October, 1832, amounted to L.48,063, and there were arrears and balances then outstanding to the amount of L.29,183. The payments for the same period were L.51,507, but the excess of expenditure may be considered as stock. The debts are put down by the city accountant at L.296,546, being an increase of L.4,195 within the year. Several of the debts are, however, kept out of view; and their real amount is believed to approach half a million. In these circumstances a Parliamentary Commission has been applied for, for the management of the affairs of the city. IRELAND. The Lord-Lieutenant has not allowed the Irish Coercion Act to become a dead letter. It had no sooner arrived in Dublin than the county of Kilkenny, as well as the city, was proclaimed, although it has been admitted that the city has all along been perfectly tranquil. The Volunteers and Trades' Union of Dublin having met after the passing of the Act, were immediately prohibited from again assembling. The outrages against life and property, as far as we can judge from the Irish papers, proceed as usual. A few drunken vagrants have been apprehended for being found in the streets of Kilkenny after sunset. They have, of course, been liberated, with an admonition to obey more punctually the new code of despotism. THE CONTINENT. Beniot and Bergeron, who were tried for shooting at the King of France, have been acquitted, as well as the persons who landed with the Duchess de Berri from the Carlo Alberto last spring, and Enfantin and Chevalier, the chiefs of the St. Simonians. General Sebastiani has joined the French Ministry; but does not take an active part, on account of his health. M. Lionne, the responsible editor of the Paris paper, The Tribune, has been convicted of libelling the Chamber of Deputies, by calling it "prostituted." He was tried before the Chamber itself, which, in this instance, performed at once the incongruous duties of accuser, judge, and jury. The majority for the conviction was 256 to 50; and the highest punishment the law allows,-three years' imprisonment, and a fine of 10,000 francs, about L.400,-was awarded by a majority of 204 to 103. There is something vindictive in such proceedings, which prove that constitutional liberty is yet unknown in France. The French have yet to reap the fruits of the Revolution of 1830. A severe struggle has taken place between the Carlist and liberal parties in Spain for the ascendency. The Queen's party has, however, obtained the victory; but in the vacillating state of politics in that country it is difficult to say how long the triumph may last. Meantime, Don Carlos and his family have quitted Spain, and the Cortes have been summoned to swear allegiance to the King's daughter, as his successor to the throne, and to confirm the abolition of the Salic Law. Great events for Spain may arise out of the convocation of the Cortes, who may not be disposed to break up without doing more business than the King intends. The struggle in Portugal seems as far as ever from a termination. On the 4th of March a skirmish took place, in which Don Pedro's forces had the advantage, with a loss to the Miguelites of 1,500 men. Ther has been a serious quarrel between Don edro and Admiral Sartorius, arising from the latter not being furnished with money to pay his men. Don Pedro sent Sir John Doyle to arrest him, and Captain Crosby to take the command of the squadron. Sartorius immediately arrested both, but soon after liberated them. Pedro has again begun to recruit in London, and Don Miguel has obtained a small loan in the city. No progress has been Don made in the settlement of the Dutch question. On the contrary, the king of Holland is making extensive military preparations. The discontents in Germany are on the increase. The decrees of the diet at Frankfort have been resisted by the Representative Chambers of Baden, Bavaria, Cassel, and Wirtemberg, and an attempt is now making to suspend the meetings of these bodies for five years, and to authorize the petty sovereigns to rule and tax their subjects at pleasure. If this scheme succeeds, there will, of course, be an end to every vestige of liberty. Great indignation, of course, prevails, in Germany, at this attempt. On the 3d April, a riot took place at Frankfort, in which about twenty persons were killed and wounded. insurgents were principally students, and they succeeded at first in their attack on the Guard House: but a body of 500 troops having come up, the insurgents were dispersed. The territory of Frankfort has since been surrounded by troops. The The rumours which have been of late so confidently asserted of a treaty of peace having been concluded between the Sultan and Ibrahim Pacha, turn out to be unfounded. The Viceroy of Egypt has rejected the proposals for pacification made by Great Britain and France, and has sent orders to Ibrahim to march on Constantinople. The Egyptian army under Ibrahim's command amounts to 82,000 men, and the Turks have no means of resisting it. The Russian fleet still remains in the Bosphorus ; and the Russians have a considerable body in the neighbourhood, with which they will defend Constantinople. The downfall of the Sultan seems inevitable; and the only doubt is, whether his dominions will fall into the hands of Egypt or Russia. The conduct of both the British and French Governments in this matter is most blameable. It has long been foreseen that a crisis was approaching in Turkey; yet there is neither a French nor British naval or military force of any power in the Mediterranean; and hence, the representations of Britain and France are equally disregarded by the Viceroy of Egypt and the Emperor of Russia. THE COLONIES. The accounts from Jamaica and Trini dad represent these colonies to be in a most disorganized state. The attempts of Lord Mulgrave to put down the Colonial Unions in Jamaica have excited the utmost discontent, and he has found it necessary to dismiss several of the commanding officers of the militia regiments. In the East Indies, serious disturbances have been occasioned by some indiscreet persons circulating religious tracts among the native troops, with the view of converting them to Christianity. These disturbances were not put down without great difficulty. The tracts were collected together and burnt on the parade-ground, in presence of the troops, in order to convince the soldiers that the attempt to interfere with their religious opinions was not countenanced by Government. UNITED STATES. It gives us much pleasure to learn that the South Carolina Convention for organizing resistance to the Tariff has repealed its nullification decrees, and resigned its functions. The Union, or Government party, in the State, have also formally postponed the reassembling of their Convention. This unnatural dispute has at length, therefore, been satisfactorily adjusted. This result has been obtained by the carrying of the Tariff Bill, proposed by Mr. Clay, and approved of by Mr. Calhoun, the leader of the South Carolina party in the House of Representatives, on the 26th February, by a majority of 118 to 85. The Coalition of the Southern and Western States was found irresistible. South Carolina has obtained the main point she aimed at, for the Bill must be regarded as the abandonment of the protective system. STATE OF COMMERCE, MANUFACTURES AND AGRICULTURE. It is gratifying to observe the diffusion of sound commercial principles among nations which have hitherto maintained the doctrine that nothing ought to be imported which could possibly be manufactured at home. The French and Americans have been for many years the great supporters of the protective system: but it has received its death-blow in America by the decision of Congress on the Tariff Question; and, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Bowring, the eyes of the French are beginning to open to the evils of the system. The attempts which our Government are making to extend our commercial relations with France, are cordially seconded by the more enlightened portion of the French merchants and manufacturers. The absurd attempts of the French Government to encourage the production of beet-root sugar, and the manufactures of earthenware and hardware, have been at tended with ruinous consequences to France. The quantity of wine exported from Bourdeaux, which, previous to the Revolution, amounted to 100,000 tuns, has diminished to 50,000. Nothing can exceed the absurdity of some of the regulations now existing in this country for the purpose of giving our colonies a monopoly of the home trade. It appears that the price of crown deals at Memel being 40s. 10d. per load of 50 cubic feet, and the cost of the same quantity of crown timber in the bulk, 28s. 2d., we pay the Prussians 12s. 8d. for converting or manufacturing a load of timber into 3-inch deal or planks, when a pair of English sawyers would do the work for 4s. 6d. For Brack timber, the Prussians charge 16s. 1d. per load, their price for deals of similar quality being 27s. 4d.; so that their charge for sawing this description of timber into planks is a trifle less, but still twice as much as English sawyers charge. At Quebec, the price of yellow pine timber is 15s. per cubic load, and the price of a load of yellow deals 33s. 4d., leaving the Canadians 18s. 4d. for doing what Englishmen charge 4s. 6d. for. The reason why Canadians charge more than Prussians is, that the extra duty on timber here gives a bounty on sawing in Canada of 100 per cent. whilst the Prussians have only 40 per cent. Baltic pine timber, as every one knows, is of a greatly superior quality to American; yet are we compelled to use it, to encourage the Settlers in Canada, although that country will not, in all probability, continue long to be a part of the British dominions. The difference of duty between Canadian and Baltic timber is so great, that vessels have actually sailed this spring from Great Britain to the Baltic to transport Baltic timber to Canada, and having landed their cargo and again shipped it, to enter it, on their return to Britain, as Canadian timber. Neither does Canada derive the benefit it is imagined by the protection held out to her. A great proportion of the timber entered as Canadian, is in reality the produce of the United States, carried from thence to Canada, and then shipped to this country. The same thing is true of the wheat and flour imported from Canada at a low rate of duty. The The accounts from the manufacturing districts are less favourable than at the date of our former report. The hand-loom weavers are everywhere in an extreme state of suffering. It appears from evidence taken on oath at Kilsyth, a small town not far from Glasgow, that after the necessary deductions for rent, &c. a handloom weaver cannot earn above 2s. 10d. a-week, a sum quite inadequate for the support of a man. The price of iron con tinues to rise. At a meeting of Iron Mas- terms. The postponement of the settlement of the question of the Corn Laws is attended with the most pernicious consequences to the agriculturist. All speculation in grain has long since ceased. The prices of all kinds of grain, except wheat, continue to decline. Wheat is nearly stationary. The malting season being nearly over, the demand for barley is very limited. The aggregate average price of barley, for the six weeks ending 14th February, was 27s. 8d., and for the six weeks ending 12th April it is 26s. 7d. Except at Liverpool, there is very little grain in the hands of corn merchants; but the stack yards are more than usually full for the season. The weather has along the whole east coast of Scotland, and over great part of England, been cold and wet; and much less than the average quantity of spring wheat and beans has been sown. On the west coast, on the other hand, the weather has been dry, and sowing has been accomìplished under favourable circumstances. The price of fat sheep has rather fallen, but other stock has continued steady. The rents of grass parks have fallen from 10 to 30 per cent. under last year's rents throughout the south-eastern part of Scotland. Much attention has of late been paid to the raising and introducing into cultivation new species and varieties of agricultural plants. Among the most valuable is a new species of oats raised a few years ago from a single stem by Mr. P. Shireff, Mungo's Wells, East Lothian, an intelligent agricultu rist, to which he has given the name of the Hopetoun oat. It has more straw than either the Angus or the potatoe oat, and is very productive and yields much meal. It has been tried all over Scotland during the last two crops, and the reports of its quality are uniformly favourable. The culture of crimson clover (Trifolium Incamatum) which is extensively and beneficially cultivated in France and Italy, has been successfully tried in this country; and there is great reason to believe that the Italian variety of the rye grass is much superior to that at present cultivated. TAIT'S EDINBURGH MAGAZINE. POPULAR INDIFFERENCE AND POPULAR FRENZY. If ever the people of England revolt, it will be for twopence-halfpenny. With what criminal apathy they saw the passing of the Irish Coercion Bill, and they are almost in rebellion against the Assessed Taxes! It is lamentable to observe the popular indifference or carelessness as to questions involving the principles of good government, while such heat and violence are expended upon any particular consequence of bad government. This phenomenon is indicative of the very lowest intelligence. It is as if we were to set about correcting the error of a watch by pushing the hands backwards and forwards, instead of procuring a better regulation of the works. The scholar of Hierocles examined the top of his leaky wine cask, and could find no crack; yet the liquor escaped, and the case seemed to him inexplicable and hopeless. When recommended to examine the bottom, he flew into a violent passion, saying, "Fool! don't you see that the wine disappears not from the bottom of the cask, but from the top ?" John Bull rages against the leakage of his pocket: but he never will extend his inquiries to its primary causes. He fixes upon the particular point of loss; and abuses as a speculator, a dreamer, a visionary, any one who advises him to concern himself about a remote cause. He demands the cure of symptoms of a disease, and is careless of the cause. To talk to him of the organic mischief, is to tell him a dull unmeaning tale. Palliatives he honours with the name of practical. At this moment, when all London is in frenzy at unequal taxation, a motion for the institution of the Ballot, or Annual Parliaments, would not have any share of public support or attention; nay, would be resented as an intrusion, as an interference with more important objects; yet what can be more to the purpose, for the redress of injustice, in any and every shape, than realizing the representation, and strengthening the responsibility? The public, however, will not go to the root of the evil. It is more ready to resort to anarchy for deliverance from a particular grievance, than to apply itself to the completion VOL. III.-NO. XV. X "This we of a system of government which may identify law with the common interest, and harmonize it with the common feeling. Resistance of taxation is renouncement of government, and an expedient only pardonable in the last necessity, for intolerable grievances, from which there is no prospect of relief by any constitutional means in the power of the people; and in the case of such atrocious alternative as submission to obstinate wrong or defiance of law, the latter should be regarded and acted upon as a step necessarily leading to revolution. The authority of a government is not to be put off and on, like an old shoe, by the people. If it be so bad as to warrant deposition one hour, it must be too bad for re-imposition the next. Whenever a case for resistance seems to be made out, a case for organic change must be made out; and in this category the change should be effected without the resistance, if possible. But the mass of our people have no thought in their heads of any organic change. They would set aside the authority of the Government in a particular instance; compel it to abandon an offensive law; and be content to leave its material structure and foundations unaltered, if the example of anarchy would allow of such a condition. They moderately limit their views to a state of things in which they may say, will obey, and this we will not obey;" they are content to have a government over which every man may set the authority of his own pleasure. To strengthen the government by reformation, by bottoming it on sound principles, would be incompatible with this course of things. A legitimate action of popular feeling on the legislature, would exclude the opportunity and the pretence for the illegitimate. The imperfection of the representative system affords the scope for anarchial resolutions. The mass of the people prefer the veto on the worst laws, to the trust in men who may originate the best laws. We believe that if they could analyze their minds, they would find the defiance of government much nearer to their wishes than the improvement of government. This is a pernicious consequence of an insufficient change, handled as the Whigs have handled this change. Disappointment is bad enough; but the Whigs, not satisfied with the disappointment which was sure to attend the working of the new House, thought it necessary to superadd provocation. "This is not enough," murmured the people; "You shall have no more," answered the Ministers. "It bears no promised fruit," was the cry; "It is all in all," was the retort. And in truth the people have ceased to look for further constitutional improvement, and in place of it they show a proneness to expedients to which we give the best name when we call them revolutionary; for they may do worse than carry us from one form of government to another. The habit of them would be incompatible with any government whatever; an anarchy out of which order would not come until after the most frightful experience of the mischiefs of lawlessness that has ever yet been read in blood and desolation. The obvious policy of the Ministry was to have encouraged the people to rely on constitutional improvements; to have led them to think when things worked ill that they would work better with better arrangements of the machinery. They have done the opposite of this. They have disgraced the very name and banished the thought of constitutional reform from the popular mind; and in place of such remedy, RESISTANCE is now the familiar and ready expedient looked to in all cases of urgency and excitement. The question to which we are coming is not of government but of obedience, and it concurs with a growing struggle between property and rapine in various guises. Trimming between two prin |