The Express.
London, England, 1852-12-07 00:00:00

RETURNS ORDERED.

On the motion of Mr. EltriLt•mr, an address for copy of
• special commission issued by the Dutch and Belgian go-
vernments relative to the cause and treatment of the fatal
disease of pleura-pneumonia in cattle, with an abstract of
the experiments made by Dr. Wllllll7ll, of llaselt, and
communicated to the Belgian government; and, also copy
of a report of each commission; and
On the motion of Mr. Cmereu au, a return of the env unt
of hones duty charged on the occupants of chambers in
the several inns of court and inns of chancery, distinguish-
ing the sumo charged in respect of each inn respectively.

THE NEWSPAP EH STAMP LAW.
The ATTOHNEY-OENERAL said at that late period
of the evening he would occupy the time of the house but
to make a very few observations. It would to rt collected
that the Act 6 & 7 Will. IV., relating to newarespers, gars
a definition in the schedule of what should he a newspaper
liable to the stamp duty, and among other things it declared
that any " paper containing any matter of public new, or
intellwence, or any public oceurreuce, printed and pub-
lished in any pan of the United Kingdom, or containing
any comment ur remarks thereonairinted within the United
Kingdom, soy such piper hi Mg published at lesser inter-
vals than 26 days, should be held to be a newspaper." The
house would be swam that there was a publication
celled the " Household Narrative of Current Even!,;
published by Messrs. Bradbury Coll Evell6, and of which
Mr. C. Dick. us was the author. That publication being
published at intersuls of less than 2ii days, will a news-
paper within the of the act, sod was liable to
thu stem duty, and an information was issued against
Messrs. Bradbury to recover the pi Deities for trading the
*Wisp in tile pro.:icotionot that war k, tlic object Iraq to
try the question a lether ouch publications were liable to
the starn•i duty or ant. lit the argument which teak place
before the judge., th. lues.iim turned upon whether the
two defkitions to which Ile referred were distinct and
separate, or whether the last definition was a qualification
of the: first—whether the third definition, which declared
that any paper roman iog nay public news, inteltigeore, or
occurrence printed in the United Kiugdom at intervals of
less than twentysis days, was a qualification of the
first, or was is substantive definition in itself.
Three of the judges held that it was a qualification of the
first, and that nu publication was a newspaper within the
meaning of the act unless it was published at intervals of
less than 26 days. One of the judges, Mr. Baron Parke,
being of a different opinion. The argument in the Court
of Exchequer took place before the present government ac-
ceded to office, and when he became Attorney-General he
fonnd that the law officers of the day, his praileresser,
were of 00111i011 that the i:oeision of the Court of Esehe-
gum. so pronounced was not satisfactory, and the• it was
desirable to take the opinion of a higher court—
the Court of Appeal. tr!t it his duty when the matter
cane into his hands, to follow entirely in the course which
hail been adupti el by his predecessors, whatever might bo
his opinion on the question. Therefore the appeal t., the
Court of the Each, tier Chanther was den rnine,l wpm.
Great anxiety was„ 'manifested as the premed-
usda went on, and ips,tions were lout lo him by lion.
gentlemen on the other side, and from time to time he
imp' tined in answer to them. the rounso of the proceed-
Lao. But his right hoes. friend the Chancellor of the
Exchequer thousht it would be right to adhere to

the oldnion expresar I by the mijority of the
judges ut the Court of Esel •qu.r, and was
desirous that a measure shuu.d be introduced
to sup: oft that It was units r these eir umetauces
that be ..s'eed 1-ave now to introduce • bill to repeal thst
portion of the schedule to which he had called attention,
sad upon which the douht rested, and give a substantive
definition.", a newspaper, which would exclude from the
egomania of the stamp duty the publication in question and
Other publications of a like a 'tore, containing news. but
sot published at iatervals of lea than 26 days. Ile hoped
boa. gcutlrm.a would not think it necessary to avail them.
selves of tie opportunity of the intreduction of this bill
foe entering into ally diseassiou of that very wide question
taxes on knowledge," as they termed it, which could
only have the elf et of impetli,g • measuie tae biae( of
which was to put a stop to litigation; but that they would
muscat as rapidly as possible to allow tie bill to pass into •
law. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Id. tit DSOS had no wish to enter into the g. 1
questiuo. but wished to offer a remark upon the is. int of
firm. The honourable snit learned gentleman was
about to introduce a bill fur dec:aring what •
newspaper was, arid the effect of the law was to
exclude Ines the stau.p duty certain monthly publications,
but a. be (Mr. understood him. he cones teed that
another elfeet of his proposed lair might be to emend the
stamp to oth. r publications which were not now liable to it
—awl in that rase it would be necessary fur the limoe to
resolve dude Usti, committee of the whole house to eousider
the sump duty on newspairsrs, as • preliminary atCp to the
introduction Oi the bill. Front whar the Attornej•Orneral
had ilia lowed out of what the proposed defied
Lion was to 11.., it would ser:n that no publiee-
lion was in future to be conods red a newspaper
which was pubbab• el at longer interval s than 21i Jays, but
it would follow that all politic...6.ms containing news or
corniaents on news, and publish..l.tt leas interval-, would
e OA newspapeti and li tble to the stamp. At
pri *tit petrels beyond the price a alapcnce, sod containing
Clop. than two sheets, ware allowed to publish comments
upon news, though such eublications took place oftener
than onee is 20 days, without being liable to the stamp
duty. Woali sot those be mule liable to duty under this
bill' (Hear.) He thought gnat injustice had been
done to the Immible proprietors of small monthly ruble
cations in the country, many of whom had been put
doaii altogether by the proceedings of the stamp otlice ;
but ob. n they proceeded against a nun of popularity like
Mr. Inekens, they become frighten, 0 at the resu.t of the
litieatiou they had entered into, and then it was that
they brought in a bet to declare what the law was.
What conpensatien was at proposed to give to
the* • who bail been ruined be the stoppage of
pih:ic,..on. which were row to be ilechred le,: a?
,tt, hear.) lie believt.l, when the bill came to be coll-
oid, red, lie should be prepared to show that the new defl-
main ass as unsound as the old one. feanwhili. he
would ask the Speaker's opinion on the point ef order he
had i anted.
The si'MAK Eli stated 'hat, If the bill wi at t 3 impose a I
stamp duty on any medication not now liable, it oattht to
proceed from • resoltrins proposed in • ref:tinkle, of the
whole how, ; but whether it wou:d have tied tlfect or rout
be could nut say.
Mr. M. ill BSON suezested that it would he more safe
fur the Attorsey-tlenersl at once to take that course, which
be wan quite meek* would have to resort to.
The AT [OMNI:I-GENERAL was of opinion that the
bill would not bring any newspapers within the stamp duty
which were not already Ile preferred, thendore, to
lake his chance and introduee the bill as it was.
The resolution was then agreed to and the bill ordered to
be brought in.
. . _ .