The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-24 00:00:00

.11,0•••••

and against the injustice of the proposed infliction."
The Brighton Gum than : " Will the tradesmen of '
Brighton, suuggling to script together their 2001. or 3001.
a year to bring up their families decently, be pleased to pay
1151. or 151. annually to the government in order to gratify
the professional zeal of the Duke of Wellington end the
pecuniary greed of Mr. Pigou ? Will the annuitants, will
the landowners like this Will the farmers like their tax
t) be increased from yd. to sd. for the amusement of the
gentry, or in order to provide commiseions for their
sone ? We thought that the property tax, and still
more, the income tax, was so much reprobated that no
minister under the fear of losing his place, if not his head.
would have ventured to increase the tax in a time of
peace ; but the English are a patient, government-loving
people. They bore the first infliction ro cheerfully, so
unrepiningly, that Lord John is quite sure they will beer
the increase and repetition of the dose with equal placidity.
Sir Itoliert Peel sweetened it by some free trade : the whir
do not pretend to disguise it. They give it us for its own
sweet rake, and the merchant and shopkeeper who were
reconciled to it by a promise of cheap food, the tanner being
then taxed to enrich the other classes, wiz now have to
swallow it unalloyed end unadulterated with a simile benefit.
The fanners will have to pay the increase xith lower
prices than they have of late experienced. The merchants
and dealers will have to pay the increased charge out of
reduced incomes, and all classes will Lind the hand of the
government increase iu weight as their own strength decays.
Jeveral objections have been made to the inequality of
the tae, to the palpable injustice of taxinry income as
heavily as property; but the ministers have neither time
nor inclination to remove this injustice, to remedy the
inequality, and they reimpose the tax, increased in
amount, in all its hasty, naked, and original deformity. At
least they might have adapted it -omewhat to the circum-
stances of the different classes ; but that trembles not them.
They expect by it to gain the 3,500,0 W. they have wasted
or want to waste, and they leave no doubt whatever that the
people will quietly open their pockets to the fingers of the
tax•gathcrer. Next year, as the customs and excise duties
fall off still more than they have done in th e yncear ust
pawed, there will be a necessity for still further ireasjing
the property tax, which wry seems to be permanently ins-
posed on the country and likely to be inzreased front year to
year. If the public do not desire this, it is their duty to stop
the increase at once, to support Mr. Hume and 31r. Cobden
in reducing the army, navy, and ordnance estimates,
and in compelling the ministers to keep, like other
honest people, their expences within their income."—
" Lord John Russell (says the Surrey Gazette) wishes to im-
pose the property and income tax for five years longer, the
fleet two yea's of that period to be blessed with a levy of fire
instead of three per cent. The professional man, the mer-
chant, the large tradesman, the government annuitant, the
private gentleman of largo fortune, the clerk with limited
income, the duke with his daily thousands, and the small
trader with his insufficient earnings, are all to row in the
same boat—for each and all there is but one fate—to
pay into the public purse one shilling out of
every twenty which they may be fortunate enough
to earn or receive in the way of inc. .me. The humble
medical practitioner, toiling day and night to support his
family in the most moderate pmitiou. most Laud over, out
of his 1001. per annum, the sum of O.'. to the Exchequer.
The physician must pay a per centage up la his every fee,
the clergyman a like contribution upon hi= every sermon.
The five per cent. will literally ' come home to every man's
hearth.' Without touching the question as to how far ouch
a tax is justifiable in a time of peace, even admitting the
existence of a great einergency—withreat entering into any
comparison between the merits of dir, et and indirect taxation
—the principle of income tax as levied during the last six
years, and as it is proposed to be levied during the next
five, strikes us its wholly and entirely indefensible. We
allude to the equal levy made upon incomes derived from
personal exertion, whether of body or mind, of brain or sinew
—upon incomes derived from trade, and upon these arising
front realised property. We can cor.cove nothing more
un-
jusst, nor more unjustifiable. While the impost was merely
temporary, the great bulk of the middling classes, although
fully and bitterly appreciating the injustice, nevertheless
*wonted to it, on the ground that the difficulty of achieving
an equitable arrangement was perhaps beyond the value of
the good to he aecomeished by it in so limited a period as
that first nroposed. But now that the income tax assumes •
fixed and permanent form the case is materially changed,
and we can hardly conceive that the public will patiently
submit to its iron pressure without strong and energetic
attempts to free themselves."

Six MEN WERE DROWNED TN THE TYNE on
Tuesday. They were workmen employed preparing the
coffer dams and erecting gears for the high level bridge
across the river at Newcastle. The sufferers were Robert ?Mts.
Michael Jones, Shotton Charlton, Petc r M.Fane, a labourer
named King, and Thos. Humble. The latter had o,ly
been engaged at the works within half an hour of the
accident.

NORFOLK.
REPRESENTATION OF YARMOUTH. The local
paper says : " Mr. GAdamid has again made his appearance
in our twin, fully determined again to contest the honour
of being its representative in parliament."

fftne
Tin: QUEEN'S GOLD MEDAL.—The gold medal
assigned by her Majesty to the Institute of British Arehi-
rear. for the purpose of giving it to the architect who liss
most distinguished himself in the several walks and styles
of his profession in this or in my other country, was given
on Monday last, to C. R. Coekerell, the professor of archi-
tecture in the Royal Academy. Nor are we inclined to
quarrel with the selection. /ow in this country, since
Jones and Wren, have done more for architecture in its
!argent sense, by maniple, by Nesmith, and by a general
though a recent sympathy with the so-called gothic archi-
tecture. Eight foreigners and eight Englishmen were
chosen by the council to select from. We could wish, how-
ever, that continental competitors hail been omitted to have
selected a foreigner had been union.snal, while the selection
of en Englishman by a jury of English architects seems a
petty triumph unworthy of that high spirit which should
guideus on all occasions. This is the first medal which her Ma-
jesty has given. Let her give others, and give them frequently,
not to architecture alone, but to all the learned arts. and abe
will do much to reward and create exertion. Her Majesty's
uncle, King George IV., was the only sovereign in Eng-
land who gave rewards of this descriktion : Caroline, queen
of George 11. promised a medal to Swift, which he never
got, and Charles 11. gave " The Medal " to Dryden IS a sub-
ject for a poem, and when the poem was finished gave him
othing more.

'Matt.
ROYAL SOCIETY OF MUSICIANS—This institution
held its 110th anniversary festival, in Freemasons' Hall, on
Tuesday evening. The Royal Society of Musicians is one of
the oldest and most valuable benevolent associations
in England. It derived its origin from an interest-
ing circumstance. Two eminent musicians happened
to see two fine boys destitute in the street, and
finding that they were the orphan children of a
brother musician, they were so deeply impressed with the
precarious situation of their profession, that they conceived
the idea of creating a fund for the purpose of rescuing their
unfortunate brethren, and their widows and families, from
the ills of poverty. The society was established in 1735. At I
the heed of the list of its original members stands the illus-
trious name of Handel, who during his life conferred
on it many benefits, and at his death bequeathed
to it a thousand pounds. It numbers amongst its
members every great English musician who has flourished
during the last century, and not a few of the foreign artiste
who base made England their residence. The bequests: of
some of its professional members have been singularly muni-
ficent. Among them there is one by Signora Storace of
1,0001., and another by Mr. Crosadill, the celebrated violon-
cellist, of the same amount. The donations of the royal
family during the whole existence of the society, have been
most liberal, and have never been more so than at the pre-
sent time. The nobility and gentry, too, have done their
part ; and the more wealthy portion of the nresent mem-
bers of the profession (among whom we are glad to observe
the names of some of the most distinguished foreigners now
resident in England) are generous in their contributions.
The society's funds are large, consisting partly of the
an
annual proceeds of funded property, dpo donations,
rtly of the
contributions of its members, subscriptions,
and the profit of its annual concert. With these
means, it maintains in a state of comfort eleven mem-
bers who are dependent on it for support, thirty-three
widows and sixteen children ; and there are nine boys and
girls who have been apprenticed to respectable trades or
callings, with each of whom 251. premium has been paid.
One feature in the management of this society is worthy of
particular notice, and of imitation by every establishment of
a similar kind. It is thus described by Dr. Burney :
No charitable institution can be more out of the reach of 'Muse,
erubea.alement, or partiality, regulated with more csre, integrity,
and economy, or have its income so immediately derived from the
talents and activity of ite own members, than this. There is no lucra-
tive employment belonging to the society, except a small salary to
the secretary and collector, so that the whole produce of benefits and
atitscrip ions is net, and clear of all deduction or drawback, for the
governors defray all the expenses of their various meetings out of
their own pockets.
The meeting of yesterday was more than usually large
The Dake of Cambridge, the president of the society,
prevented by indisposition from taking the chair, and his
place was supplied by Mr. Palmer, the member for Berk-
shire, a lover of music, and an old friend of the society, who
performed the duties of chairman very. much
of the evening
to the satis-
faction of the company. The promengs
were of the usual kind. The toasts were intermingled with
excellent musical performances, both vocal and instrumental.
An addition to the pre-arranged routine of toasts was made in
consequence of the pretence of Berlioz, whose health was pro-
posed by the chairman with excellent feeling as a distinguished
representative of the musicians of France; coplimeshort nt
which M. Berlioz acknowledged very gracefully inm a
addrss, deliveed in French. The statement of the affairs
of thee societyr was made, as usual, by Mr. Horsley, who
read the list of donations made that evening. Their sum
amounted to 4581. The principal pieces performed were,
Stafford Smith's four-part glee, " Return, blest days;'
Horsley's " Cold is Cadwallo's tongue -" Wilbye's madrigal,
" Flora gave me faired flowers ;" Carter's ballad, " Stand
to your guns," sung by the veteran Brahma with astonishing
fire emu vigour, one received with acclamations; and
Hatton's beautiful song, " Day and night." exquisitely sung
by Mias Dolby, and vehemently encored. The whole ar-
rangements of the meeting, conducted by Mr. Parry, the
honorary secretary, were excellent, and contributed to pro-
duce a most agreeable evening.

UNIVERSITY AND CLERICAL.
CAYERIDoII, FED. 23.—At a eonalitiOn holden this
tacestn, the tell woe °ante :—M.D.: W. Wet's,
Omnille sod elid:Wl—ro. M.A.: C. O. Barrington, Tnn. Coll.
—M.A.: I. Lowder, Queens' ColL, Ozkied.—M:A., ori truism%
J. Raging.
~ QUeeolt Coll, WWl. 8.A.: F. B. MASSON