The Express.
London, England, 1864-03-15 00:00:00

TO ooissaroxparns.

Atlvertlaarants latZdaT far " The lqwww" Loudon Wadi,
Paper, most b. at tho oaks, 10, Booveria•atrost. by Two
o'clock on the day of publication.

V °VENT-GARDEN.

Tins IM MO, 113;aTreThi'i Open SHE STOOPS TO
CONQUER. Mews. .H. Weiss, H. Cowl, 0. Perron, and
W. Harrison . Misses 1.. Pyne and A Hiles.—Condostor, Mr. A
Mellon —And FAN CH HITE.

9AYYABLXf_

THIS Cognise', LITTLILAIIY.-11VNICUM MULLER. Mr.
Sothern —OFR AMERICAN COUSIN, Mews. Sotbern, Buck-
stone and Chlppend•te : Mesdames Angel. Snowdon, and
Harrls—And AN UNLUCKY MORTAL. Wm Harris.

IT.INcEB3'S.

Tare Emma. itillUßN7 Mears. Vining, Nelson.
Fisher. Mesdames Marston and Kate SayWe.—THE COMEDY
OF ERROR-A. Mews. Wining, Nelson, and the hirothers Webb.
—And JACK% ARRIVAL FROM CANTON.

THIS Evspara, THE Liat—i—elllLD. Mr. Wlddlocann sad
Mies P. Leelereq —BKL Dinromo. a Lore Story. Mews.
planter, Brougham, Emery, Charles. and Jordan ; Waal
Kate Terry, harems, and Haworth", and Mn. Lee.

BPJTANNLL

THIS EWAN°. EVIL HANDS AND HONEST HEARTS.
Mews. Reynolds. Cranford. Blgwood : Mrs. Lane.—Dancing
by Mate. Stephan—And BARRINGTON. THE PICK lOCK
Miss S. Mlles and the Company.—Commence at half.past 6.

HIGH WATIA AT LONDON BILIDOI.
THIS DAY Morning. ob. 53m.. . 71L 17m.
T041040W Monling, 7b. 47m .. ah.

- -
LONDON, TUESDAY, M. 4 RCS 15.

Tins evening the Honourable Member for
Dudley is to ask the House of Commons to assent
to the introduction of a Bill to reduce the duty on
Fire Insurances. The subject has often been
brought before the House, which last year passed
a resolution declaring the duty excessive and per
and one which ought to be repealed at
the earliest opportunity. Mr. GLADSTONE on that
occasion resisted, and, it may be said, resented the
motion as an invasion of his appropriate province,
and he intends to meet Mr. SttEritt,AN's Bill this
evening with a motion which condemns not
only the proposal to reduce the duty on Fire
Insurances, but the whole class of proposals to
which it belongs. He will ask the House to affirm
the principle for which he contended in his speech
last July—that no motion for the repeal or reduc-
tion of particular taxes should be entertained
before the production of the Budget. Of course
there is a great deal to be said in favour of Mr.
GLaDsroNt's proposition. In the abstract, we
might be inclined to agree with the CHANCELIAM
that the proper course to be pursued by private
members who have undertaken to represent in the
House the grievances which the community suffer
from oppressive taxes, is to rise after one of
Mr. GLAIn,TONE'S elaborate financial statements,
and match their eloquence and influence against
that of the Chancellor, who has just squared the
accounts of an Empire, and left an admiring and
helpless House no duty to perform but that of
answering yes or no to his proposals. Practically,
however, we all know that the merits or defects of
a particular tax have no chance of being delibe-
rately considered under such circumstances. The
introduction of the Budget is the one great
periodical crisis of the session. As soon as the
Minister's financial statement has been made the
Opposition examine it to find whether it offers
them any strategic advantage, any means of inflict-
ing a telling blow on the Government. If opposi-
tion to the Budget happens to serve the temporary
purpose of a powerful party out of office, there is
a chance that a bad tax may be reformed by the
action of the House without the concurrence of
the Government, otherwise the Budget will remain
without substantial amendment. Of course every
Chancellor of the Exchequer believes that the
means by which he proposes to raise the revenue
of the year is the best that can be adopted under
the circumstances. But if motions like that of
Mr. SHERIDAN had been precluded either by the
rules or the temper of the House, the parliamentary
discussions which led to the repeal of the Corn
Laws could not have taken place. The House of
Commons will do wisely to guard the rights of
individual members to bring before it particular
branches of taxation which for any reason may be
obnoxious to the subject, and to do so in the form
and at the time most likely to secure a full con-
sideration of their character and effects.

The tax on Fire Insurances is both bad in prin-
ciple and excessive in amount. It is really, as
has often been said, a tax upon prudence in a sense
which can be predicated of no other impost. Many
taxes, as the Income Tax for instance, are paid
out of the produce of prudence, but this tax strikes
prudence itself in the very act. It is this con-
sideration, even more than the exorbitant rate of
the duty, which has arrayed against the tax the
Chambers of Commerce and so many other mer-
cantile associations which have petitioned Parlia-
ment on the subject. In a memorial which was
forwarded to the CIi•NCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
last week, and which was signed by sixty of the
greatest banking and mercantile firms of the
City of London, while the opinion was expressed
that "the object of the Government should
" be to encourage every prudential act that may
" tend to promote the welfare of the people," it
was affirmed that "in consequence of the excessive
" duty a large proportion of the insurable pro-
" pert), of the country is unprotected from loss
" by fire."

It would be wise to get rid altogether of a tax
which by its very nature discourages prudential
acts. But of this there is at present no hope.
The duty on Fire Insurances yields • revenue of
1,600,0001. per annum, and at the rate at which
the nation is living that small sum is more than
can be spared. Accordingly it is proposed only
to ask Parliament to reduce the existing rates.
The duty at present levied on Fire Insurances is
3s. per cent. per annum. In many instances this
amounts to 200 per cent. on the premium. A
tradesman or householder insures his stock or
furniture for 2,0001. : the annual premium is'
305., and the duty upon the premium 31. ; a
monstrous proportion. There can be no doubt asl
to the praeticol effect of rates so oppressive. In
the City Memorial before mentioned the charge
is declared to operate to prevent insurances in
many cases altogether, while in other instances
insurances are effected only on the minimum in-
stead of on the maximum value of the property.
Were moderate rates to be substituted for those
at present charged, there can be no doubt that an
increase in the gross amount of insurances would