The Press. — London, England, 1853-06-18 00:00:00

148 been offered office for the first time in his life, and had paid no serious attention to the proposal —it would he really as nothing to the subject in dispute. Why is he a member of a Govern ment which contains the Lord CLARF.NDON whom he was [ready to impeach, and the Lord .JOHN RussELl. whose Eeelesiastical Titles Bill he trampled in the mire? This is the ques tion to which an answer is due, not from him, but from Lord JOHN Ressim., if the latter con übtnin leare to explain himself. VOTE OF CENSI7RE ON OOVERNOP BLACKALL THE politics of Dominica appear just now to be as torrid as its climate. The House of Assembly some weeks since voted "No Confidence " in Governor iILACKM.I., on a division of 11 to CI; and it is worthy of remark that the Speaker of the Assembly voted against the Governor. The debate on the resolution appears to have raged with tropical fury. Governor litActutt is more familiar to our readers as Major litAreAu.," recently M.V. for Longford, who entered the House of Commons under the especial auspices of the priests of that county, whose code of politics he endorsed with his approbation, and, after four years' obedience to the whims of Nlr. HAYTER, ex changed the functions of lush agitator for those of a Colonial ruler. The vote of censure was couched in the following emphatic form : " The committee, having taken into consideration sundry sets of the administration of his Excellency the Lieut.- iovemor, are of opinion that the confidence of the House should be withdrawn from Ids Excellency the Lieut.- t inventor, and that the removal of his Exeellency from this tiovernment would Is. of advantage to the peace and welfare of the island, and they recommend the appointment of a select eommittee, by ballot, of three intbmberia, to pre. pare an humble address to the Sovereign, embodying the grounds of such withdrawal of confidence, and praying fur the removtd of his Excellency from .this tiovernment." The grounds on which the foregoing censure was passed upon this priest-appointed Governor were summed up thus by Mr. 8E1.1.0T : " The appointment by Major Maria of his private secretary, an utter stranger to the island, to the tretutury ship, over the heads of competent natives and old residents —the appointment of a stranger youth, yet in his teens, to the responsible post of third revenue otticer—the dissoln• that of the late House because it interfered in the matter —the prevention of the Marsha to take Isis seat in the House, although returned by the constituency—the Gover nor's protwedings in the disposal of alleged Crown lands at. Prince Rupert's—his final settlement of the three•ehains question—bin veto on the reeent resolution of the Board sad House for obtaining a loan to meet a temporary exi• gency—and, tly, he issuin of the new ootumission. - Want of las space t compels g us to be thus brief on a subject which has been hitherto overlooked by our contemporaries, but of which, probably, the bearings are sudiciently obvious. THE TAX ON SUCCESSIONS. To THE EDITOR 01.• " THE PRESS. Sir, —Amongst the many unjust provisions of the Suet-est:ion Duties Bill now before the House of Commons, I will instance one so obviously opposed to comntou fairness that. I can only imagine the Chancellor of the Exchequer has presumed on the inability of his victims to do a common sum. It is to be observed that the duty is to be levied on the capital sum inherited, and not on the income, which latter is only important. as a means of ascer taining the value of the capital. It is provided that, in case a succession should devolve, charged with any sum of money, that in as certaining the income an allowance shall be made for the sums paid by way of interest. If, then, a man inherits an estate worth at the hammer 20,000 f., but burdened with charges te the extent of 10.000/., with interest at 4 per cent., it is pretty clear to all plain men that he will receive but 10.011111. Now, he is entitled to deduct from the 'insane of the estate 4001. a year, representing, according to the tables appended to the bill, the following sums : If he is 1 year old If the Mean—soy IS If tat the verge of the grave—say 113 '23/. 1 New, should the successor think tit, or lte directed by the testator, to sell the estate, he will find that he has paid duty, not on what he will actually receive, namely. 10,000/., but on the sums of 11,4:12/., 14,840., or 19,7411., according to his age; and the Exchequer will, in the case of the aged man, be still further aggrandised by the certainty that a fresh succession must presently ensue.--1 remain, sir, your obedient servant, A Lutt %TEE. CHOBHAM AM) THE PEACE SOCIETY. TO THE ninon OF " THE EitEss." Sir, —Nothing more thoroughly proves the Btulical principles of the present Government than this silence of the Peace Society, this apathy of the Economists. at a juncture like the present. The po sition Sir W. Molesw•orth and the Irish members THE PRESS. hold in the Ministry seems to satisfy the democrats, and convinces me that there are places in reserve for some of these placid gentlemen in the pot-pourri of the actual Administration. In the meantime they remain passive spectators of a fancy camp, ornamental tournaments, and dra matic engagements, however expensive these amuse ments may become to the nation. Had this Chobham camp been projected by the late Ministry, great would have been the clamour in and out of Parliament of the economists and pacifi eators. These men, who cavil at the award of small pensions to the worn-out soldier of long service—who would reduce or abolish the pecuniary rewards of the few remaining old soldiers of long-past and victorious battles—who would disclaim the noble defenders of their own spinning-jennies and cotton looms, hear without a dissent of the 35,000/. this spectacle is to cost the nation, a sum which will be doubled before the " piece " is ended, and the half price returns added to the amount. It is true that Sir De Lacy Evans is appointed to command a brigade at Chobham, and it may be pos sible that the Peace Society tolerate all these pro ceedings for the sake of employing his advocacy of their principles amongst the heroes of Chobham, who may by his advice and the inconveniences of camp life be converted to the doctrines of Bright, Cobden, and Co., and renounce all ball practice except that of the London season, and all service but that of the dinner-table. I am, sir, your obedient servant, C. THE STATUE OF CA:EUR DE LION. TO ME EDITOR OF "THE PRESS." Sir,—l observe that the Jermlds, and other prac titioners in the light departments of "sting-and snarl " literature, are carping at the selection of Maro chetti's statue as a fitting memorial of the Great Ex hibion. The sculptor's title invites detraction, as a matter of course, and offers a point for Radical inu entities, at the same time that his foreign origin suggests an appeal to the jealousies of British sculp tor; of "flabby Graces," and the native designers of " babies with a bowel complaint." These objections are capped and consummated by a third—that the subject is a Norman king, who, because he was a Norman and king, as well as a hard hitter, is repre sented as less worthy of commemoration than " Tom Cribb." The generosity and chivalry of the lion hearted monarch are regarded, I em aware, as un marketable in these days ; but it strikes me, sir, as somewhat singular, that not one of his literary dis paragers have recognised him in the capacity of a fellow-humorist. It may be shown, that of Richard's bon mots the worst which has descended to us would have made the reputation of a metropolitan littera teur. His bequest of his vices among the different: orders of monks was the obvious original of the famous will of Chatterton ; and another of his jokes, which I will recal to your recollection, is in the best style of Sydney Smith, and better than the best of Jerrold's. When the Pope Celestine wrote to re monstrate with him for keeping "his son" the Bishop of Beauvais in prison, Richard returned for answer the bishop's coat of mail, with the text from the Vulgate—" Sec whether this be thy sou's coat or no." I will not mention other instances of his waggery, for these will vindicate his claim to something supe rior to hone and sinew. And, after all, this contro versy is beside the considerations that Marochetti's statue exhibited the most vigorous treatment of an English subject at a festival where Englishmen freely competed, and that the figure of an English monarch, which is a work of rare genius, may properly remind us of a temple which -his hereditary successor inau gurated.—l remain, sir, your obedient servant, Extuanee. GORTHE'S CHARLOTIT." TO THE EDITOR OF " THE enrss." Sir.—ln the Pficss of June 4 it is stated that Kestner, the Hanovetian Charge d'Affaires at Rome. has discovered" the original correspondence of tioi;the with the lady who was the type of Werther's " Charlotte." I have the pleasure of being personally acquainted with M. Kestner, and it was from himself I learnt that this lady was M. Kestner's own mother. and that these papers came to him by inheritance. He showed me her portrait in his apartment at Rome at the time he mentioned this fact, and told me that. when " Werther" was published, the lady and her husband were greatly distressed and annoyed at what they considered a breach of contidenee on Csoahe's part. From this arose an estrangement between t;aaghe anal his former friends, who became, however, reconciled to him from the deep regret he evinced at having unintentionally offended them. The portrait of the real Charlotte is that of a handsome woman, with a high forehead. tine features, and a very frank expression of countenance. Thinking you might be glad to correct this mistake, I send you this statement, and am your obedient servant, F. SATURDAY, trottOings ins',parliament. RUSSIA AND TURKEY. Inquiring as to the truth of the statement in the Moniteur respecting the simultaneous orders said to have been given to the English and French admirals, by their respective Governments , to act in concert in support of Turkey against Russia, the Marquis of CLANRICARDE expressed his cordial satisfaction at the announcement : " Whether such instructions might or might not been given at an earlier period, might or might not he matter for inquiry at a future time; but he was sure that, if the advisers of the Queen acted in concert with the French Government and the British navy acted in con cert with the French forces, it would be almost impossible for any war to disturb the peace of Europe. (Hear, hear.) He had read the announcement with great satisfaction, net because he wished to see any hostile demonstration, but because he looked upon it as a guard and security for die preservation of peace. (Hear, hear.)•' The Earl of CLARENDON stated that the report alluded to as having been published in the MoniUur was correct. The noble earl continued:— " When the news reached this country of the dtb parture of Prince Mi'nschikoff front Constantinople, to lie followed in a few days by the whole of the Russian legation, and when the rupture of official relations between Russia and Turkey was accompanied by menacing circum stances, her Majesty's Government thought it was their duty to give to Lord Stratford de Redefine authority to send for the fleet, and to instruct Admiral Dundas to pro ceed to the neighbourhood of the Dardanelles. there to await the communications he might receive from her Majesty's Ambassador et Constantinople. My noble friend is likewise right in thinking that this step was taken in concert with the French Government, between whom and her Majesty's Government there has throughout existed, and I am happy to say there still continues to exist, the most cordial understanding upon this important (met' . lieers.) The ambassadora and admirals of t hi two countries are furnished with instructions precisely of a similar character. Both the Governments believe that their ambassadors will use the same discretion and modera tion in exercising the powers now entrusted to them at Constantinople. and they hope also that the necessity will not arise for their having recourse to that power, because the measure which her Majesty's Government has taken has been considered solely as a matter of precaution; and, so far from precluding, I verily believe it will tend to pro mote that pacific solution of the existing differences to which I need hardly assure your lordship , : the best en deavours of her Majesty's Government have been directed. (Hear, hPar.)" - The Earl of Dimly : Will the noble earl be kind enough to state to the house the date when the instrue• tions were issued to the admiral ? The Earl of CLARENDON : I cannot exactly state the date ; but it was the next day but one after we had received the information of the departure of Prince Menschikotf from Constantinople. In reply to similar interrogations in the House of Commons Lord Join; RUSSELL stated this date, " upon memory," as being the gnd of June. LEGACY DUTY. The committal of the Successions Duty Bill standing among the orders on the paper for Monday night, Sir J. PmastvroN moved that the bill be committed that day six months. Reviewing the position which the question had assumed in both houses, he urged that in that house the minister had introduced it in a speech which consisted of little more than a suc cession of apologies ; while elsewhere a narrow majority had been obtained for the principle by aid of the votes of men—the bishops—each of whom must be classed as a corporation sole, and who had ex pressed their approbation of a tax which neither themselves nor their order would ever be called upon to pay. The chief argument for creating a tax on successions lay in the alleged anomalies of the ex isting legacy duty. But he contended that it would be more consistent with justice, and more conducive to the satisfaction of the public, to abolish the whole series of imposts won inheritance : He necept the alternative, because he thought it would be far better to repeal the legacy duties than to pass this measure, and he believed the people of the country would rather submit to any means of making up the am o unt that would be lost by the repeal of the legacy duties than submit to the provisions of the bill they were nuw about to pass. )bar. )•, Attributing the suggestion to a party who sought to undermine every aristocratic institution in the country, and whom the Government seemed only too ready to assist in that endeavour, Sir J. Pakington entered upon a series of calculations showing the heavy in justice it would perpetrate towards the landed and other interests depending upon real property. Al ready, as he computed, the rateable property of the country paid seventen and a half millions to the general burdens of the country, equivalent to a tax of 12 per cent. on its gross returns. while personalty contributed at the utmost 3or 4 millions. Another objection to the tax was derived from its inherently accidental character. Mr. Pitt had refused a similar impost in 1805, because it was a tax upon misfortune. I.: fact, the amount which different properties would have to pay under it must depend entirely upon