The Express.
London, England, 1848-03-08 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 8, 1848.

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MAIL

The mails Par Britisoph North Aeneas, Bermuda, sad the Unitas
States will en the months of the March.
The Westballade India Mails, excluding Bermu 10%da, Name, Havanna,
Itonthing, New Orleans, Vera Cruz, Tampico, and, Porto iUm, end
including Mom for Madam, Jafaid. Cartilages., manta mann.,
Charm, Panama, West Coast of death Amertai, and Wt. Juan.tle-
Nicaragua, will be nude up on the morning of the 17th March.
The overland mails for thbrattar, Malts, Orem% the lonian Islands,
rempt,Aden, Ceylon, India, Ilong.Kong, and China, Ma Southampton.
will he made up on the morning of the 20th March.
The malls for New South Wales, Von Onimen's Land, sad New
Zealand will be made up on the evezing of the Slat March.
The snails far the Weet Coast of Africa and Madeira will be Erie
up so the evening of the Slot Mardi.
The malls fur Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon, Madeira, Calle, and Oibraltar
will be made up on the morning of the 17th March.
The mails for the the River Plate, Monte Video, Peraam-
r2rja, madelra, and Bums Ayres, will be made up on the
of the 4th kW.
MAN, rig Xarestt.4.. iuta • •
a Medderrauvgn,
agypt, Aden, Ceylon, India, clang Kong, to., will be made up on the
evening of the 24th Anil'.

all, no one 'poke of granting the income tax for one
year only, except as a means of compelling ministers
to consider against next year the proposal to re-adjust
the rates of assessment, seeing that as they have
neglected to take that question into consideration un-
til the eleventh hour, there is little prospect of getting
them"to do it this year to any purpose. There was no
need 'thee for tile CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER'S
affectation of a hysterical panic when he adjured the
House of Commons " not to refuse the continuance of a
tax for three years by which alone the govemment could
hope to keep faith with the public creditor." Government
may have that tax for three years, or thrice three
years, upon condition of adopting an equitable mode
of assessment Even in its present form they are of-
fered a continuance of it for one year, upon condition
that they will next year bring it forward with a
reformed mode of assessment. But Mr. Hume, and
al; minters of the House of Commons who support
his motion, very properly say, "You shell not have
this tax for more than one year, unless you take the
trouble to make its pressure lees unequal." This firm
reply is the proper way to meet such jaunty and
unmeaning promises as that with woich the CHAN-
CELLOR OV THE EXCIIEQUER wound up his speech
" When the hurry of business was over he intended
to turn his attention to the subject of a general revi-
sion of taxation, for ho was just as anxious as
his honourable friend to reduce the public
expenditure as far as possible." Knowing how much
distress there is in the country, and how embarrassed
the public finances are, he ought to have turned his
attention to the; subject before the hurry of
obvious and
urgent a duty, the House of Commons ought to take
good security that he does not lapse into the same sin
of omission again, and to this end there is no means
so certain as paying him his allowance for one year
only, and telling him that ho may have more when
be has done his duty, but not till then.
The question now before the House of Commons is
perfectly clear ; the position of the gentlemen who
concur in Mr. HUMEN proposal perfectly unequivocal.
On the night of Friday last one hundred and forty-three
members (tellers included) supported Mr. HORSMAN'h
proposal to impose different rates upon three classes
of incomes—incomes from property, incomes from
trade in which property is embarked, and incomes
from personal exertion. Mr. MUNTZ avowedly voted
on that occasion against Mr. 110118 MAN'S motion, be-
cause he was opposed to an income tax under any
form or modification. He wished to keep the impost
as bad aad odious as possible, in order to disgust
people with it. There are other members, whose
names do not appear in the division lists of Friday
last, who arc knownto be equally hostile to an income
tax, though few who would avowedly act upon this
Macchiavelian policy. Now it is perfectly open to the
gentlemen why disapprove of an income tax in Ito,
and those who disapprove of it as at present levied,
to combine their forces and say, we Rill grant this
tax for one year longer, in order that its justice and
expediency may be re-discussed at the end of that,
period. And the offensive declaration of the CHAN-
CELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER, upon which we have
commented above—which is in effect a confession that
ministers have brought forward their budget at a
period of rarely equalled pressure, without duly con-
sidering how much taxation the country can bear,
and by whom the burden can best be borne—renders
it their imperative duty to adopt this course.
The talk about shaking the national credit,
and the allusions to " repudiation " in the
CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER'S speech, are
quite beside the question fallacious and full of
gratuitously unjust imputation. No one has ques-
tioned the necessity of making provision for the
claims of the national creditor. If the CHANCELLOR
OF TIIE EXCHEQUER thinks the income tax the only
means by which this can be accomplished, he can
insure a majority in favour of its re-imposition next
year, by rendering the mode of its assessment equi-
table. If he does not get it renewed for three years at
present, it will be because of his refusal to comply
with this most just request of the country at large.
The only course open to independent and practical
members of parliament on this question is so clear,
that further argument would be thrown away. It is
scarcely worth while either, to canvass the episodical
ornaments with which some speakers in support of
the unmodified tax graced the discussion. The
country will appreciate the respect for public opinion
and public rights evinced by Captain TOWNSEND,
who, after professing that he thought the income tax
a most iniquitous one, supported its continuance to
" prinielt the country for its stupidity " in allowing it
to be imposed. To the assertion of this gentleman
(in vindication of large and expensive armaments)
that " as long as we have colonies we must hold them
in a great measure by military occupation," the na-
tion's common sense and common **nee of justice will
at once reply that no colony which can only be kept '
by military occupation is worth keeping. Captain
TOWNSEND began by reminding the house that it was
his first speech; but the gross and unprovoked per-
sonality towards Mr. NIL'NTZ with which he closed
savoured as little of the bashfulness of the debutant
as of the fine feeling of the gentleman.
Sir ROBERT PEEL'S speech was a long one ; but,
ample as it was, his own portly person almost entirely
filled it. Such a subject is too great to come iu at
the tail of an article on other matters it will require a
whole one to itself. We may notice, hovrver, one
pretty suspicious piece of reserve on a very important
question. lie pointedly declared that the true policy
of this country consists "in the most complete,the most
absolute, abstinence from all interference whatever
in the internal affairs of the country in which each
a wonderful revolution has taken place." We confess
that the emphasis with which ministers and Sir
ROBERT have rung the changes on the word
"internal" has excited uneasy suspicions in us,
which, lest they should be thought hyper-critical,
we might have shrunk from giving utterance
to, but for the instructive comment of Lord
GEORGE BENTINCX. Lord GEORGE, too, is averse
to interference in the " internal " affairs of
France. But he is of opinion that "to maintain the
frontier of Prussia we may be dragged into a war."
We do not see any call upon this country to
maintain the frontier guaranteed to Prussia
by the treaties of 1815, after Prussia has concurred
actively in more than violating the frontier
of Cracow guaranteed by the same treaties. We pro-
test against the rulers of this country involving us in
a war simply because Prussia and France may be
foolish enough to set the example. This would be to
emulate the absurdities of Irish fairs, where men are
said to fight, simply because they cannot keep quiet
when other men are fighting. We hope the practical
and independent members we have already appealed
to will keep an eye upon this, for the turkey-cock-
like spirit of dignity which delights in big and expen-
sive armaments is already beginning to rustle its fea-
thers and jet down its wings in the House ot Commons.

Tun appearance of a fourth and concluding volume
of the " istory of Prices," by Mr. TOOKE, is an
event which in every sense must be reearded as inte-
resting and important; and we should poorly dis-
charge our duty as vigilant journalists even amidst
excitements and occurrences which may possibly
render the middle of the nineteenth century as signal
an era in the histxy of our western civilisation as the
conclusion of the eighteenth, if we were to lose sight
of those silent advances of truth which are the
only safe precursors of all subsequent innovation
Within its peculiar province, and embracing the many
curious and vital questions which relate to that diffi-
cult branch of political economy devoted to the sub-
ject of interchange among a highly commercial
people, it has long since ceased to be a controverted
point, that the book of which we now happily behold
the completion occupies the most distinguished place.
It would be difficult in the whole range of the
sciences to instance any great work which has
attained the full height of its stature, and
the strength and fullness of a ripe ma-
turity, by a gradation so entirely consonant
with the calm and patient temper in which
philosophy overcomes its difficulties and establishes
its new ideas. One of Mr. TOOKeS surest holds upon
posterity is the remarkable display. of caution and
candour which has so peculiarly distinguished every
single step in the career of induction and discovery
which in the end has led him so far from his early
impressions, and from the point of view with which
he commenced.
The generation is fast passing away which wit-
nessed the fierce warfare excited by the alleged de-
preciation of the paper currency of the war, and
the new canons of monetary regulation promul-
gated by the famous bullion committee of lfilo. Now
and then in the libraries of the inquisitive you behold
a long row of dell and dusty volumes, which inform
you by their titles that they were the offspring of