The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-02 00:00:00

British capital and labour even in the market. of the
British colonies. We are absolutely at this time ex-
porting rags to countries in which no paper-tax exists,
in order that these rags may be made into paper to be
sold in the markets of our colonial dependencies. And
this, it must be recollected, not only advances the
price of paper here, by advancing the price of rags,
but it lowers the remuneration for labour in the paper
mills, by reducing the demand for the article, and of
eisosequenes for those who make it.
What a boon the repeal of the paper duty would
be to the canoe of literature Mr. CHARLES KNIGHT
has ably shown in his admirable pamphlets "The
Struggles of a Book against excessive Taxation," and
" The Cate of the Authors in opposition to the Paper
Duty." We are not unmindful that upon what ought
to be a high authority with parliament, this condo- '
teen has been denied. It was said last session "why
this tax upon paper amounts to less than 3d. upon
volume of the value of 121." " If," replies Mr.
KNIGHT, " if 12e. volumes only paid this tax, there
might be something in the argument : the state might
hold the imposition to be contemptible, and might
abolish it for its minuteness; bur, locking at its opts-
ration on cheep literature, the fact is that phial
is the most excessive tax ecer imposed upon a
manufacture in the worst days of fiscal igno-
recce. In the case of such publications as
Household Wordy,' or ' Charabers's Journal,'
the positive duty averages 10 per cent. upon the raw
material as compared with the perfected product, and
is more than 20 yr:r cent. upon the material itself."
In the case of the catalogu , of the Exhibition of
1831, Mr. KNIGHT calculates that the paper duty will
amount to no less than 17 per cent. upon the whole-
sale price of the work produced.
But this argument, that the duty on the paper is
not felt in the price of a book, is best refuted ti) fac's.
In the case of the "Penny Cycloprelia," Mr. KNIGHT
has shown that re-issues of that usetul publication
have been entirely prevent d by the burden of the
paper duty. Mr. ROBERT CHAMBERS has shown
more. At a public dinner at Edinburgh on the 4,h
of last December he made the following conclusive
statement :
the " Miscellany of Tracts" published by my firm wee
closed as non-remunerative, with a stesdy sale of 00,04)0;
while it was calculated that this work, up to the end of lost
year, had paid 6,2201. of duty. N had not this money
been to by the goverment, we might have been advised
to continue the work. Hue was a business stopped which
distributed 18,0001. a year in the employment of labour,
and the profits of retail trade : here was en organ of intelli-
gence and morality closed by the government, as eft ctually
as if they had set the police to work to break the presses. To
illustrate this matter farther, we have since set sgoing
• similar work, but at I id. • sheet, and on a some-
what ambitious principle as to the grade of sub-
jects and style of treatment. Driven from the
penny field by the stamr. duty, 1r • try that of
three halfpence. But of this series of sheets the sale
is under one half of the former. The hither price appears to
be the chief cause why the sale i.. thus restricted. The
work, we trust, does a great deal of good ; as pure and
well-meant literature must do PO. As the profit, however,
is but small, this work may perhaps have to be given up
also.

If the paper duty was removed Mr. KNIGHT con-
tends that authors would receive increare3 employ-
ment. He argues that it diminishes the fund
which would be applied in literary employment. A
publisher has a certain capital in his business ; if that
capital is not needed for one purpose, it is appropri-
ated to another; if it does not go to Ray Sir
CHARLES WOOD, it may go to pay Sir LYTTON
HICLWER. Perhaps of all departments of literature
this argument is most applicable to the daily press.
We can say for this paper, that every farthing of money
that is applicable goes for purposes of improvement
in one branch or another. It is our interest, as it is
our duty to the public, constantly to put forth new
ramification.. Up to the extent of their means, no'
opportunity is lost by the liberal and spirited pro-
prietary we represent, to ertablish new sources of
information, to secure additional literary talent, to be
useful to the public in new branches of intelligence,
and to secure communications from all quarters of the
world on topics of popular information and enlighten.
meat. The sum we annually pay in paper duty is so
much deducted from the amours: that would be ex-
pended in these different important ways. Sir
CHARLES WOOD annually pockets from 1111 a SUM we
should otherwise expend in literary talent, in the best
way in which it could possibly be made available for
public objects.
There is not a single class of society whom the
paper tax directly benefits. There is one clasp, how-
ever, and only one class, who indirectly profit by it.
This is the class of venders of foul sled corrupt-
ing
publications, by whom nothin4 is paid for author-
ship, and with whom the authors and publishers of
intellectual works can consequently have no chance in
the competition of mere price. It would seem as if
the paper duty were maintained by our aristocratic
government merely that they might throw a slur
upon the press, by pointing to publications which are
open to severe condemnation. Let it not be forgotten,
however, that these publications are not read by
choice, but from necessity. Experience proves that
if the working population could secure food for the
mind of good quality and at a price they could afford,
they would far prefer it to the noxious stimulants we
refer to. It is the aristocracy who, by perpetuating
the paper duty, perpetuate the corruptions of the
press. They perpetuate the evil, sad let them beware
that, sooner or later, it does not recoil upon them-
selves.

FRANCE.

PARIS, TUESDAY EVENING:

It seems that the ministers have upon reflection de-
termined to put the best countenance they can on the
two checks which they have just received, and to keep
their places. It was expected that yesterday an
ap,.eal would have been made by the government to
the chamber against the decision of the bureau, but
the attitude of the majority was evidently too strongly
in favour of msintaining the vote in favour of M. Yon
to be laced with any chance of success. Therefore
the mediated interpellations were withdrawn, and
the ministers silently succumbed to their fate.
It is reported that the director of the prison of
the Rue de Clichy has been suspended for eight days.
The Aseembly's sitting of yesterday, notwithstand-
ing that the agitation which prevailed seemed to
promise a much exciting subject of deba'e, was
wholly taken up with the discussion of the treaty of
navigation and commerce with Piedmont. The treaty
concluded Aug. 28, 1843, which regulates the com-
mercial relations of France with the Sardinian States,
has been in vigour only since May 1846, and is on
the point of expiring. The new treaty. reproduces,
with scarcely any alteration, the provisions of the
treaty of 1843, so far as the advantages granted
to Sardinia are concerned, and stipulates fresh con-
cessions in favour of France. The treaty of 1843
raised great opposition in the chambers as menacing
the agricultural interests of France. The main clauses
were, however, as follows :—The duty by head on
cattle we. converted into a duty by weight, the maxi-
mum of which should not exceed 40f. per head for
kine, and a proportional diminution was made fur
other horned cattle entering France by the land
frontier. The duth ■ on rice entering by the land
frontier were diminished by one third. A similar
diminution was stipulated in favour of white lead,
imported by land and sea. Lastly, two fifths of the
dwies on lemons and oranges under the two
Bags were taken off. Before the conditions on

the. part of Sardinia are mentioned, it Msy be
as well to trace the operation of the treaty,
particularly as regards the conversion of the
duty on cattle, which is the main provision, and was
most strongly opposed. The average importation of
cattle amounted, in the three years anterior to the
execution of the treaty, to 208,000 f. In the three
years after it became 290,000 f., presenting a diffe-
rence of only 82,000 f. But while France imported
for 290,000 f., she exported to the Sardinian Stater
for 190,000 f. There might have been some reason
for the native producers of silk to complain of want
of protection, as the importation of silks, raw and
milled, amounted to 43 millions of francs, while the
production of silk constitutes the main wealth of five
departments of France. But the outcry of the
farmers at an increased importation of cattle, amount-
ing to 82,000 t., was absurd.
The new treaty maintains the system created by the
treaty of 1843. It augments the number of custom-
houses opened to importation, and it extends the same
system to Sardinian cattle imported by the 3lediter.
mean coast. The treaty of 1843 had reduced to 4f.
the duty of 6f. per 100 kilogrammes levied at the
land frontier on the rices of Piedmont ; the new
treaty lowers it to 3f., which is extended to rice im-
ported by sea. As no rice is cultivated in France,
except by way of experiment, she suffers no damage
by the facilities given to this grain. One-third of