The Express.
London, England, 1852-12-25 00:00:00

TAXES ON KNOWLEDGE.

The following address was agreed to at a meeting
of elation favourable to tho repeal of the tate, on know-
ledge, held yesterday sub* atidkell C4ffwe house Francis
Boasoek. Rao.. in •

•LOLVOISE TO 1141 MORT 505. LORD TORN RUSSELL.
" My Lord,—We. the undersigned electors of the City
of Loudon, respectfully claim your lordship's good of
upon • mitject which appears to WI to be of vital importance
and on which we have reason to believe that your lirdship's
views, u an earnest friend to popular education, sre in
harmers, with our own. We allude to throe nisei which
' are justly stigmatised as the taxes en knowledge,namely,
the duty on paper, the advertisement duty, and he stamp
,1 duty oa newspaper,. In connexion with this subtject which
we
refer with much pleasure to some expressions o
your lordship has lately given utterance at Perth—vin.,
The way in which the power of democracy ought to be
dealt with is. by listening to every complaint, by cotaider-
lug every grievarce, and by giving a legitimate and legal
organ to that power and influence which otherwise may be
mischievous, irregular, and injurious.' To direct and en-
lighten the path of that progress which is inevitable, is •
duty worthy of a modern stateeman. We appeal to your
lordship, in accordance with these sound and statesmanlike
views, to remove obstructions which prevent legialators from
listening to every complaint' and considering every
grievance,' by stifling their expressing; and which, by
this repression, tend to make the progysio of,deenopeey
' mischievous, irregular, and injuriousY-Tn-trobi"oseemy
for the purposes of public education while these justly termed
taus on knowledge are still levied, is surely very
inconsistent. In regard to the paper duty, the amount of
the tie thrived from it being nearly • million, we can
only venture to commend its removal to the earnest
attention of the government when the budget shall be
under consideration; but, is we need nut remind your
lordship, the other *bunions taus to which we hay
refined, namely, the advertisement seri stamp duties,
are obviously not maintained for the purposes of
revenue, and thereto(' Imperatively demand im-
mediate abropti m. The advertisement duty has
been repeatedly shown to be destructive of
I awe revenue thou it produces, and the incon-
siderable slim of 250,000/., the whole amount involved by
the repeal of the compulsory stamp, is clearly not the oh-
jest for which it was imposed or is maintained. We de-
sire on this point to call your lordship's attentims to the
extreme uncertainty and vagueness in the administration of
the law, which necessitates the stamping of Certain classes
of periodical publicatioss; and to the extreme unfairness
to which this uncertainty continually gives rise. In roa-
dsides, tberelere, we earnestly request that your lordship
wdg Wes 1111111111P111 for the immediate repeal of the stamp
and adoerdsososse duties, for the abolition of the system of
demanding security for offences neither committed nor
contemplated, and for making such financial arrangements
as will enable parliament to repeal the duty on paper at no
distant period."

OPENING OF THE MUSEUM OF ORNAMENTAL
ART.—The very beautiful and costly Museum of Ancient
and Modern Ara Manufsemrse and Vernon Gallery, at
Marlborough.bouse, Pall-mall, will be open (free) daily,
from ten till four, from Monday neat, the 27th inst., to
Jan. 6. The splendid collection of ornamental and decora-
tive art, and forty-Eve pieties of rare and magnificent pores
lain and portraits in enamel, lent by the Queen and
Prince Albert, also • specimen of I'alisy ware, are in the
uprairs rooms.
APOTHECARIES' HALL—Names of gentlemen who
rtheir examination in the science and practice of MS.
011 . and received ontiSsates to practise, on Thursday,
Dee. 23, 1862:—John Davison, Wolsiogham ; William
Henry Felker, Oxford; Thomas Wild, Wintshoitotn, Lan-
cashire; Peter Pinyon, Ashburnham, Sussex ; John Wick-
ham Berms, Bath ; James Sherwood Dodd ; John Augus-
tus Sommens. Liverpool; Henry Bullock, Reading; Jrcibis
Lick Balky, Cambridge ; George Terry, N rthainoton.
MURDER IN BOOTLAND.--At the High Court of
Juiriseritikaltreegh. as Thuroday, George Christie, an
old , keksseing tis Aberdeen, was convicted of the
of a widow Emma Ras sad her grandchild, • boy
shoat live ipiarard appe, OM Rile Oh et Octoher last. The
•14 waamdßvad in a small Mange along with her grand-
e , about • mile hem Aberdeen. She kept • few cows
and said milk. It was that she had • little
moray, and as to as the went, the sole motive
ika Ma murder on the part a the SINRISed OM !o posse.
lama, of the property. The manier amen to have been
seamdtted in • very atioeleaut mamma; DO fewer than
alas liimee—any of Wild' warm salisiest to have
sawed deeds—fission been Masted on the woman,
.eibiletbis skull oldie child was split epee down to the now.
The eeismer was seen in the home en the night of the
murder, sad was afterwards apprehended with several
articles, including • purse with • small sum of money, and
• gold ring, belonging to the deceased. Blood was also
found as his person. Hie guilt was quite clear, and the
jury had no hesitation la convicting him. His execution is
appointed to take place at Aberdeen on the 19th of
J an_ncrj.
'ROYAL COLLEOE OF PHYSICIANS.—At the guar-
terly meetleg of the GRIM& Majors, held on Wednesday,
14.0 the 23nd lam, the rolkorfai gentleman having endergone
the thstatcsry eausingisse tee diploma, were admitted
megshere M the :—De. Masai Dash, 9, lianotta:-.
; Dr.
seraisMs.at.Tyas ; Mei . mere
Mauritius, wee
admitted as sites lisaadrat.

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