The Express.
London, England, 1851-01-18 00:00:00

MEETING A r BATH.

A numerously attended influential and enthusiastic
gosling of the inbabiimis of Bah was held at the Guild-
hell in that city, on Tbissdsy evening, for tha purpose of
resolving upon a petition to parliament for a repeal of the
obsoasous and oppresses window dirks. Toe heavy
msevint ot of Bah to ..he window tax, and the fact of a very
large number of houses being occupied in apartments en•
elusively by the poor, which were originally intended at
tendons*" for the wen:bier chum., and which eonsequenili
from their Ste contribute largely to the window duties,
have brag canned the ohjectionable troput to be oppre•sively
felt and held in racicular odious is that city. It was not
sorpriqsg thets.ore to fled, u was theses* to this instance,
I a mowing called to pcitio• far its repeal, crowdini by men of
all parties nod shades of opinion, and of all duties in •ociety.
His worship the mayor (F. DOWDING, E q) presided,
gad upon the platform ware a largo another of sis aide:meg,
common councillors, mad onus iallsestin sits ms.

The MAYOR, in hie opening address, said-Mad the
meeting been env called to Complain against the ministers
of the day, or for • roma chimes, against taxs'inn, he
should nit have felt it accordant with his position as
chief assist:We of the Mu to have taken the chair on the
coembre; bat they were called together tor the special pur-
pose of joining in • petition to parliament fur the repeal of
the window tee. (Cheers) And he -soured them that no
one was more firmly convinced of the impolicy, inequality,
and injustice of that tea than hienseir. Ile eiati:ed se en
extraordinary Mc', 'bat notwithstaedieg houses bad 'freely
ineremed, the number chareinole to the ten bad actually de-
creased. Theo, notwithstanding the number of bilis., wee
now three militia.. and • half, honied of one mil-
ffot, the number of houses chargeable to the tax we,
reduce I irons being u.iwarde el 600,000 to bed iv 490,000.;
and the reason f a this we, that every one felt it wee his
interest to hers as for, windows as passible. It was • fact
worth attention, that Both paid more in the shape of win.lew
tan than any city in the kingdom, with one exception ; and
ie no city was ice intuition more deeply felt, from the pea
number of Demons who kept lodging bonnie, and who had to
pay the tam, whether their lodgings we,. let or sot. They
had, however, two representatives ht parliament, who, he
believed, in their h arta, ware opposed to this iniquitons
tax One of them (Lord Duncan) had been its most able
and eon ii iii nt oppose.st ; •id he (the mayor) sincerely
hoped that doesesiio emotion would net prevent his lord-
ship from being peeient in parliament when the question of
repeal came on Tae at: unseat w.s so mends nn one
side when the question was last discussed, that the minister
sell be entiLl not °Ohms the motion by argument, hut
merely beets... of • little deficiency in the revenue. The
parliament, hoariest, did not exactly Bee the matter in the
same way as the minister; and so small was the majority
spinet the repeal, ttat he (the mayor) b lieved that h-d
the other noble lord, Lord Ashley-(marks of disapproba-
tion)-bccked up his noble colleague as be ought, it would
have been a drawn battle. Be hoped, however, that this
meeting would be unanimous and firm in its explosions of
desire for repo.), and that tl,e present aeitati in would lead
to the a*.i.lition of the window tax-a tax hateful to the
people. ( Inuel cheers.)
W. HUNT, II q., tow. eouccillor, and (moiety m ism., in
ethic to propose the fin: tesiolution, fu:ly ee wed tie
',sequel., std ("presume ,here-ter of the tax, and te•
peculiar berdehip eei..h which it bore upon the poorer and
middle classes in Bete, an many instances the window tax
being equal to the rent of the hews it,elf. It was • tax
against human life, human health, and human hoppiaess,
arid he celled upon the meeting to pledge thenr.sclees that
evening not to relax in their off iris till it was swept entire!,
and for ever from our financial system. Mr. llunt con-
cluded, amidst loud ciieen, by moving " That the window
tax is wrong in principle, vexatious and unequal id its
np:ration' and an oppres•ive berthed, especially upon the
trailing and industn one elasiee."
-..-......

Mr. Aldermen SUTCLIFFE. in 'winding the motion,
espremed his deliberate and decided concurrence in the ten
fitments of the previtrue speakers. He said, when he heard
the present =toting less to be called, baying had !mime=
C.,olllllllllill'l .01 s ilk Lord A.thley on the sithi:ef, he wrote
to ask him whs., if anything, he might venture to say on
the matter. The reply wee more in the character of a
friendly letter than anything else, but rill he thought it
bettor to read it entire. It was as talons: "My titer Mr.
Sutcliffe, Ton may safely more the citiz=s of Bath that the
B iard of Health have rept, seated to the treasury in a igloos
gaemorau.lum, epos maitary and poysithl ground., the
amemity of getting rid of the window tax. (Cheers.) Yon
! may alto add, if you will, that no one has b en more
earnest in this respect than myself, and that I have
upon several occasions urged the subject upon the
Ynu mey also add that a =unification
of the tee or some subs huts for it, is a Present
under the eland-talon of government." ("Oh, oh.") He
(Mr. Sistrifie) wished it to be underrool that by this he
was far from stating that all he wished was a modallestion of

the tas ; ear was he stating, but quite the emtrary, Out all
teed Ashley wished was a mouifiestina of the as He had
said aothiihr min: or km thou he felt himself able cunelewtly
to state. (Hear, hear.)
The mealaticia was Uses pat from the chair sad carried
assalmosely.
_ _ _

Mr. Altlerosaa HANCOCK armed the next reiriltrion :
net aay suit .ry measurer will hit to pr.vide suinciently
Ne the igeonatioa of life and health, while this objectionable.
Impost—the window tax—is allowed to eontione."
Mr. Tows C tuncdh r Bxonictwe seconded the motion
a KIMO, Eq., informed the meeting, es a amber of
the local board of heath, that during the lut summer they
found it war totally useless to prongs I in their sanitary
operations in consequence of t►e weal of light sad air in the
dwellings of t►e pot, and :hat at their grunion on the pre.
viow day they ha I agreed to • petiti in to parliament
preying tore repeal el the window t.x. (Cheerio.)
H. E 000DEID0fi, Esq., architect, read some statiodics
showing the Urge per gestapo of taxation opts the rental of
several houses in Bath.

Mr. YOUNG also stated several cases, amonpt which was
a how in Orange court, oceupi-el by It poor pen m., the
tent of which was 451. • year, and the window tax Ili. Ids. 4d.
The moieties we. then carried unanimou•lv.
Mr. T. FULLER (Town Councillor), to moving the
neat neolitties, said the letter read from Lord Avoiey did
not rain his !spirits. There was nothieg is it they could
rely upon. It was fresh in his recollection when Lord
Demon In that room laid before them the @abject of the
Mildew tax, s-ripp..d of all irs blandishments, and told
them, as he (Mr. Fidler) would tell them now, that it
nattered not whether there was a surplus nveoue or not,
theta: was naiad and ought have been on the statute
hook. (Cheers.) He recollected that upon that occasion
Lord Ashley. In refuters to a remark that had taken from
a previous speaker, that light was necessary to vegetation,
said distiagly—" I not only soy that light is necessary to
life; but also that life cannot go on without it." Aad his
lordship added—" I will tient under the banner of the noble
lied" (Lord Duncan). lied his scions squared with that
premise? (Load cries of "No.") They hod not; and,
thenfore, he (Mr. Faller) could place no reliance nom the
letter read. Mr. Fuller 'occluded by moving the adop.
don of • petition ti puliantent embodying the Lregotig
resolutions, and praying that the whitlow tax might be len.
• uedletely, solely, and tor ever resealed.
Mr. Tows Councillor SAUNDERS **courted the motion
in as atle speech, recommeading the people to look to their
own slain, and to nue ester omy upon the government.
Z. F. SLACK, Earl. (Tons Coauthor), eupported they'd-
tion, and the metung was !anther addressed by Mr. Futter,
Capt. Sausages, and Mr. 0 Co:.
The petition was adored unanimously midst tremendous
cheering, and a vote of thanks having been given to the
Mayor for psmiding, the mating broke up.

MEETING AT NEWBURY.
The agitation for the repeal of the wiodow tax. wb '•ch
acts isjarionaly to all classes of the community, but more
partimsluly hinders the progress of sanimay Improvement in
crowded towns and cities, has sow 001SiDasced is the county
of Berko, sad appears likely to be carried on with an earnest.
aim indicative of a de.ennination to impress upon their
representatives in paillam. tit the absolute neceuity See them
to support the propall'ion which will be made in the
merlon for the reenovtl of this tax upon light and air.
la the town of Reading petitions have 'Wady bees
signed by a large pecpartion of the lead* inhabitants,
including almost every member of the medical profusion,
and yesterday a large public meeting was held at
Newbury, convened by requisitioa to the Mayor, for the
"Ire of adopticg a petition to bepresented qpar.amerit for Its immediate and total rep.e An imam
feeling of indignation was 'vistaed at the matinsation of the
" war Mx" in the thirty-Afth year of pasau sad, j udgjoi
from the warmth of the I:previous of the digfcrent speelseces
'lt would seem that the setatice is to partake of the aye.
oloostle inane of theism Anti-cora Law Lesgue. This Mayor
vaulted by goasrol scolumatios so Inside ovx Laryp