The Express.
London, England, 1849-05-10 00:00:00

financial system bemuse still more glaringly ap-
parent. It was CASTLEII4OH, or VANIKITTAIT, or
some such sage, who resisted the " ignorant
impatience of tasation " of his day by the
ingenious argument that money raised by taxing
the people was spent among the people—that the
sums drawn up by the state from the general fund
were reodistributa in fort:algal" showers among all
classes. This is pretty and poetical, bid unluckily not
true. The fortilimeg showers may bedew the blab
places of society, bet they rarely, if ever, reach the
valleys. When the state takes money, it takes libe-
rally from the poor, and after a more measured sad
guarded fashion from the rich; but when it spends
money, it lavishes the outlay among the wealthy and
their clependen's, forgetting the poor altogether. The
comparative expenditure of the country on civil and
military offlor re, diplomatists, lawyers, and such like,
and on bricklayers, will ills-crate our meaning.
The pretext that the existing systern of finance is
not unequal and unjust will not bold water. The
pretext that any system of finance must of necessity
be unequal and unjust is equally worthless. At all
events it is premature to assume so much before the
experiment has been tried. The nation has too deep
an interest in having its financial grievances
to be frightened by " the lien in the path" which
serves the inmates of Downing-street and Whitehall
as an excuse for sitting drowsily with folded hands
in official apartments ostensibly devoted to public
basi_ _ _

Retrenchment in these branches of public exceedi-
tMwhich are demonstrably sheer loss for the
whatever they may be for the aristovace-
7isilitary, naval, and diplomatic services
—would of itself, by lessening the' burden of
taxation, go far to make its inequality and injustice
lees oppressively felt; and a gradual, but not too
slow, transition from indirect to direct taxation
would go still further. The arguments against direct
taxation all resolve themselves into the allegatlonthat
it is unpleasant. It I. to be feared that a pleasant
tax is as little likely to be discovered as the Oiler's-
pher's stone. And it may be doubted whether a
pleasant tax, if it could be invented, might not be as
injurious as certain pleasant and seductive liquors,
which are more gratifying to the pa ate than benefi-
sial to the esestitation. An indirect tax may be pal
'without its fall amount becoming apparent ; the tax- I
payer is therefore less sensible of its pressure-1
in other words, it is less unpleasant than a direct tax.
Bat, preeisely on this account it is less likely to stir
up the public to resist wantonly profess expenditure,
and therefore more iejurions. Again, direct taxation
furnishes a clue to the real amount of a mates rea-
lty, and way thus, it is alleged, injure his credit.
• argument rests upon a confusion of legitimate
with illegitimate credit. Legitimate credit is enjoyed
by the man who can procure advances, because others
bars such confidence in his judgment, @Wallin's., pro-
bity, and energy, as to feel confident that though he
may not have ties means to repay the msnow, he will
when the time arrives at whichundertakes to
pay them. Illegitimate credit is enjoyed by the
man who persuades others that his means are greater
than they really are The indications given of the
real amount of a man's property by direct taxation
may ?es'roy illegitimate, but cannot affect legitimate
credit. Here, again, the effects of direct taxation
may be unpleasant to certain parties, but they are un-
deniably beneficial to the public at large. To the
alleged difficulty of introducing a system of direct
taxation, we only reply that the task of reforming
our finances is admitted to be no easy one, bat that
the necessity of undertaking it must over-rule all such
objections.
The real ground upm which those who oppose Mr.
DRUMMOND'S motion will attempt to justify their
votes, is one of which we shall hear sotbing in pir-
liament ; it will be reserved for confidential whis-
pers It is that they have no confidence in his judg-
ment or ability. Why, then, was it left to him to
make the motion ? This excuse cannot be received,
unless those who offer it take the business, without
logs of time, into their own hands.

MARY ANNE CROSBY, though restored to her
home, is not, there is reason to fear, to be allowed to
remain there in pew,. Several correspondents—one
of their communications will be found in another
column—notice suspicious irquiries that are Icing
made as to the amount of rent paid by the CROSSIES,
when it was last paid, whether their cottage is taken
by the year or half-year, and so forth. These inqui-
nes closely res.mble what were made by the laird of
Ellengowan's agent about the gipeies who occupied
the huts at Dernclengh, after the Laird bad been
elevated to the dignity of " a guetus peas :" possibly
their ulterior objects may also be akin.
The squirearchy and magistracy of the Ringwood
district will, if they arc wise, allow matters to remain
as they arc. They have had li'tle profit and leis
credit from their unmanly attempt to imprison the
poor woman and her infant ; they will be yet more
shamefully baffled if they se3k to assuage their
' bile by turning her and her helpless fam;ly
out of doors. Men may do what they like
with their own : the landlord may let his house
to any tenant, or no tenant, as he pleases ; no
Englishman will on that account cease to regard his
proprietary rights as cured. Bat therein not a man,
woman, or child in the country who, it MART ANNE
CROSBY and her family are "evicted" alter the Irish
fashion, but will know that, had she refrained
from lifting the game traps, or that, had she even
quietly served out her time among the felons, she and
hers would have been left in quiet possession of their
miserable shed. The whole country will know that
she and her family suffer hos for their own faults
than for the presumption of her honest neighbours
and the press in venturing to help her. And the
feelings aroused by such tyranny can make them-
selves felt in many ways. Means will be found, we
dfflibt not, to pay any arrears of rent that may be due
by the Caossys, in order that there may be no mis-
take as to the cause of their being turned out of doors
should matters come to that pass.
Meanwhile we have an advice for the good men
awl tree about Ringwood. In this world the weak
as. always held to be in the wrong. Get
power, and men will do you justice. Game prams,
eanowledge none as fellow-beings who do not maws
the elective franchise; they listen to complaints sad
remonsthencee from electors only. The eon of the
Berl of Noratiotrore sits in parliament for the
borough of Wilton by the grace of his maternal uncle
ldo Earl of PEMBROKE ; and the Earl of PEMBROKE'S
lialf brothe. sits in parliament for the electoral divi-
sion of S mth Wilts. Now, there is an amociation in
Birmingham which has practically demonstrated that
a 40s. freehold can be acquired for some twenty
pounds, and that even in a pecuniary point of view
mach an investment of the mcney is a tolerably gold
one. Judging by their representatives, there ought is
be liberal partiey of respectable strength in Salisbury
and Southampton ; and both of thew places are
favourably situated for the formation of afteeholdlaad
social, with South Wilts and South Hants for the
scene of its operations. The landlords will not be I
able to excite a prejudice against ruche society on thel
score of foreign interference; and it will find many
allies and coadjutors in the valleys of the Wily sad
Avon, so thickly studded with towns and villages.
An independent interest of registered electors mq
thus be formed, which cannot be despised biotelite
families who aspire to the representation of h
Wilts,South Hants, and Wilton, A sturdy band et
40e. freeholders will be respectfully listened to, whew
they protect against such acts of oppression as that at
which MARY ANNE CROSBY has been the victim, sad
call for the repeal of the antiquated demoralising law
in which they have their origin.

VICE-CHANCELLORSHIP OF THE COUNTY PALA-
TINE OF LANCASTER.—We nadentand that Lord
Campbill, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster,
has conferred the appointment of the vice chancel-
lorship of the County Palatine, which office is in his
rift* and vacant by the demise of Mr. Twigs, upon
kr; wood, QC., one of the members for the City of
Oxford.

Tin Maine ANGLING PRESERVATION SOCIETY
held its annual meeting yesterday, at the Freeman.'
Tavern; W. H. Whitbread, Esq., in the chair. The econ-
omy, Mr. Funs 1, read the report to the meeting, which was
very well attended by tho brothers of the angle. The
report sea a very "sanatory account of the stars of the
society's preserves, and held out a prospect of excellent sport,
provided the weather should prove propitious, which was set
the case during the last season. The 'tetanal of
accounts showed a balance of 611. 9s. 10;d. in the tressarer's
kends, to meet the future masa, whisk aro of a very
moderate and highly awful ehareelsr. The annivere.ry,
dinner will take place very shortly, the articular; of whin
will be duly anonneed, when it is to be hoped than will be
a good attaadimis.