The Press.
London, England, 1853-06-25 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

Lord J. Russzu. argued in defence of the original
clause that timber, saving in exceptionable instances,
was as regular a source of income, and as such a
marketable and therefore taxable article, as much as
any other produce of the land :
" Suppose a man with 2,010 acres, of which 1,000 was
arable and pasture land, from which he derived a certain
income every year, and the other 1,000 acres of under-
wood, from which he derived also a certain income, he
could not understand why the income arising from the
latter should be exempted (ruin the tax, and the income
arising from the former subject to it. 11 the successor
came into possession of the property he would have income
from the one source as well as the other ; if he sold the
estate he would receive value for the part containing the
timber as well as from the rest. That was a simple case ;
and in that case he owned he could not see the justice of
excluding timber altogether from the tax."
The debate, after lasting many hours, was closed
by a division, on which there appeared :
For Sir J. Trollope's amendment.... 153
Against...
Majority against the Government —3

After this defeat of the Government the discussion
was resumed on various propositions regarding the
final shape in which the clause should be left.

Mr. COBDEN at this time took occasion to make a
speech upon the original question :

" He could not for the life of him ascertain what myste-
rious cause was operating to remove timber out of that
category in which every other description of property, real
and personal, was to be found. He wanted to caution the
Chancellor of the Exchequer from attempting to conciliate
his opponents by any kind of compromise, and he thought
the course pursued by hon. gentlemen opposite showed
that nothing was to be gained by that kind of policy. He
went further than to say that copse wood and forest wood
ought to he taxed, for he saw no reason why ornamental
timber should not be taxed. No arguments applied to the
exemption of ornamental timber which did not apply to
other objects of luxury. (Hear.) Why was ornamental
timber kept, but for the purpose of luxury and enjoyment?
Did not the possession of a park add as much to the dig-
nity and importance of the owner as the possession of a
mansion ? And, if honourable gentlemen advocated the
remission in the case of ornamental timber, why not in the
case of pictures and the plateau on their sideboards ?
(Chem.) He would lay down this proposition, that any-
thing which could be brought into the Encumbered Es-
tates Court and sold want fairly liable to taxation under this
bill. He might be told that ornamental timber was not an
article of merchandise. Why was it kept and not cut for
sale, but because the proprietor preferred to enjoy the or-
nament and luxury rather than convert it to purposes of
utility by selling it? It argued great wealth for any one
to be able to keep so large an amount for luxury and en-
joyment. ("(ni, We," and " Hear, hear, hear.") Having
agreed that everything else should be taxed, was it desir-
able to make a stand on this article of timber? They
were fewer in number who possessed parks and timber
than any other class, and they would be isolating them-
selves more in making a stand against taxing timber than
if they claimed exemption for their equipages, their plate,
or their diamonds. t" Hear, hear," and " Uh.")"

A division w•as afterwards taken on a motion for
reporting pmgress and negatived ; but, after the de-
bate had lingered on until past one o'clock, the Go-
vernment consented to postpone the clause, and, on
Mr. Meow:Ellis motion, the Chairman reported pro-
gress, and the House, resuming, passed ou to other
orders of the day.

EPISCOPAL AND CAPITULAR PROPERTIES.
The Marquis of BLANDFORD prefaced his motion
for leave to bring in a bill for the better management
of the episcopal and eapitular revenues on Tuesday
evening, by an examination of the constitutional
rights appertaining to the House of Commons to
deal with such matters. After recapitulating the
acts of the Legislature in relation to the Establish-
ment from a very early period, he came to the con -
elusion that neither would the Church he wronged, nor
the supre►nacy of the Crown invaded, if the Commons
took upon them to organise some better system of
management for ecclesiastical properties. Passing on
to the question of the day, he entered into some ela-
borate computations showing, on one hand, how much
provision for spiritual and educational purposes was
required through the growth of population, the di-
vision of parishes, the erection of new churches, tie.;
and, on the other, what prospect of supply towards
this want could be held out in the more thrifty ad-
ministration of the vast properties now held by the
bishops, cathedral chapters, and other ecclesiastical
corporations, but which were fairly applicable to the
necessities of the Church. As a general result hecal-
eulated that. the immediate wants could be provided
for by a revenue of 451,0001. per annum; and, after
meeting all the demands that ought to exist upon the
properties in question, he found cause to expect a
present surplus of 350,0001., with the prospect of
rapid augmentation. In fact, he believed that under
a judicious syste►n there would not only be enough
to meet the immediate wants of the Church, but, as
the population expanded, further calls might be made
upon and met by the resources of the Establishment.
The noble marquis thus explained the details of his
proposed bill :

SATURDAY,

"He proposed to transfer the entire management
of the episcopal and capitular property into the hands
of the ecclesiastical commissioners, to invest them

with the legal control over the property for the purpose
of management only, and that they should be the
lawful receivers of the rents and profits accruing from the
same, with the exception of sums derived from certain ex-
cepted sources. The bill also provided that a separate
account should be kept of the property of each individual
corporation, to which the members thereof should have at all
times access, and that a seal having a distinctive die should
be provided and used for each corporation. With regard
to the transfer of property, the bill did not interfere with
the act of enfranchisement of 1851 : it merely provided that
the powers given by the former act should be transferred
directly to the ecclesiastical commissioners. instead of
the plan of the rich sees paying over their surpluses to the
poorer ones, the bill also provided that the sum which was
necessary to make up the income of the bishop or chapter
should be, of course, a rent charge upon the property ; and,
in the event of that sum not being regularly paid within a
certain period of time, immediate powers of re-entry which
would be conferred might be exercised. With regard to
incomes, it provided that a half-yearly return should be
made to the commissioners of all sums derived from the

expected sources of income. With regard to some of the
chapters where there had been no fixed income, the bill
provided that such sums should be paid to them by the
commissioners as in their estimation they would be en.
titled to receive. The bill likewise provided for the pay.
meat of the necessary expenses of the cathedrals so long
as the major part of the canons were not in the receipt of
fixed incomes."

Lord JOHN RUSSELL, after complimenting the noble
lord on his industry and research, gladly consented
to have his bill brought in, reserving, of course, the
right to object hereafter to its details. He trusted,
however, that a measure of such importance would
not be hurried through the house at any time when
deliberate attention could not be bestowed upon it

Mr. HI ME approved of the measure, but thought
that the property of the Church should not be con-
fined to one sect only. Half the people had left the
Establishment, and half its funds should be devoted
to their education, and the remaining half would
be quite sufficient for the use of the Established
Church.

Mr. HEADLAX also supported the bill, though he
could not agree in the propriety of applying the stir.
plus funds of a diocese to another see while there
were parts of the diocese itself to which those funds
might be applied with great advantage, as in the case
of the diocese of Durham.

Sir B. HAM. congratulated the Church upon the
bill introduced by the noble marquis, which he was
happy to say went further than any which he had
himself ever submitted to the house.

Mr. A. PELLATT claimed for the nonconformists
much of the credit for what had been done in the
way of educating the people.

Leave was then given to bring in the bill.
JAMAICA.

Sir J. FAKING-I.os having inquired whether Govern-
ment had received any official communication from
the Governor of Jamaica respecting the conduct of
the Assembly, and whether it was intended to propose
any change in the constitution of the island,
Lord J. firssr.u. said that despatches had been received
from the Governor of Jamaica with relation to the political
and financial crisis which had occurred in that island.
Those despatches were under the consideration of Govern-
ment, and a plan had been proposed which it was hoped
might put an end to the embarrassments of the island of
Jamaica. If that plan was adopted it would, no doubt,
motet the financial powers of the House of Assembly. HIS
noble friend the Secretary for the Colonies would, in a
week or ten days, state to the other House of Parliament,
and he (Cool J. Russell) would probably state in that
house, the outline of the plan proposed by Government.
Till that plan was before the house he did not propose to
lay any official ravens on the table.