Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-02-05 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIT)MS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1859

Ministry had entered into no engagement with any
Power which could ha raper it ; but that on all
Powers - alike hail teen impressed the fact that
England had no direct concern in the matter
beyond that of a great maritime and commercial
State.

such the hopes, of "a prominent represen-
tative of one of our great manufacturing consti-
tuencies, who is in the confidence of the Govern-
ment. And certainly they are such as to show
that the prospects of a real Reform are by no
means uncertain or unsatisfactory ; while there are
assurances, at the same time, of the country being
spared the infliction of any mischievous excite-

ment on the important question at issue.

REPEAL OF THE PAPER DUTY

This is one of the acts of justice to
.the people,
and
_policy to itself, that we expect from Parlia-

ment during its present Session. Her Majesty's

Speech enumerated several important subjects of
" legal and social improvement," on which Bills
will be introduced without delay ; but not one of
them is of greater importance than this. We do
not know that even " the state of the laws which
regulate the representation of the people in
Parliament" is really more worthy of immediate
consideration than this because it has to do with
the propagation of right views among the people
on that, as on all other political questions,—such
views as it is most necessary to have prevalent
among .all classes of the community; in order that
they may fully understand and appreciate the
true constitutional principles on which those
questions must -be dealt with. The " legal and
social improvement "

is it affects the masses,
cannot fail to be promoted by cheapening, and
thereby, rendering more accessible ,to them, the

meanA'of instruction, whether as respects the laws
under which they live, or the 'interests of society,
with which they are concerned. As a matter of

finance, there may not be much to excite new
hopes of its immediate accomplishment ; but there
is•nothing to discourage the old ones. Surely, if
the estimates for • the ensuing year have really
been framed ." with. all due. regard to economy,"
there ought' not to be any longer delay in the
remission of an item of taxation, the maintenance
of which has already been declared by the House
of Commons to ibe "impolitic," as bearing
oppressively upon literature, being an obstruction
to education, an impediment to commerce, and a
hindrance to production.

The Paper Duty has been shown to be all this
over and over again; but -never, perhaps, so
forcibly as in the speeches delivered at the annual
meeting of the " Association- for Repealing the
Taxes on Knowledge," held in London the other
evening. The Paper Duty, it was shown, is the
last remnant of three separate means that were
had recourse to for crippling the Press, at a time
when, through the "exercise` of its enlightening
influences on the body politic of this country, the
Ministry, having sinister and selfish objects in
view, got alarmed for the consequences,—namely,
the newspaper stamp, the duty on advertisements,
and this duty on paper. As the Chairman of the
meeting reminded them, the history of it is this,—
" It originated in the days of Queen ANNE, for
the distinct object of restraining the Press. The
Tory Ministry of Queen ANNE'S days ' were
annoyed,' to use the words of- an eminent writer,
with the vivacity of the Press,' and not liking to
alarm the public by the adoption of a censorship,
or of any measure bringing, as it were, directly in
question the freedom of the Press, they invented
that sagacious mode of crippling the Press,'
namelyAhat of heavily taxing it, and they-put on
the three taxes together." Now, were there no
other reason than this, it were surely sufficient to
render it a great public- duty, in these more
enlightened and less corrupt times, to remove all
traces of so iniquitous a proceeding. One-third of
'the crippling process has already gone,—the stamp
duty and the advertisement duty, after severe and
protracted struggles, were wholly removed. And
the remaining third, the paper duty, stands con-
demned by a vote of the House of Commons ;
which condemnation, we trust, will be executed as
a sentence of repeal, ere the Session just com-
menced has run very far in its course.

It is not the Newspaper Press alone, however,
that the Paper Duty " cripples." It obstructs, it
" cripples" the education of the people. As
another speaker at the meeting we have alluded to
truly and forcibly said,—" Most of them knew that
the Irish Commissioners of Education had issued
a series of lesson-books. The Paper Duty on these
was twelve and a-half per cent. When it was paid,
the, paper maker required a profit for paying it,
as well as on 'the paper ; and the publisher and
the bookseller also demanded a profit on the tax,
and between them they doubled the tax, so that
he was quite justified in saying that of every one
hundred of the school-books that were printed the
Government got twenty-five. The man who gave
a sovereign for religious tracts might make up his
mind that he gave only 13s 4d for them, and that
the Government filched the 6s Bd, a lawyer's fee.
They had ground, therefore, for alleging that this
tai was an obstruction to education." It were,
surely, a great inconsistency, therefore, to be
voting half a million of money annually for pro-
moting education, and at the same time levying a
tax of more than a million annually to its virtual
obstruction.

Nor is there, as on the same occasion was

shown, any absolute necessity, even in a financial

point of view, for the retention of such a tax.
Ministers may say they can't spare it at present
but they must make up their minds to do so,—if
not by reducing the estimates, by some other
arrangement. " I have been in Parliament," said
Mr. MILNER GIBSON, "upwards of twenty years,
and I never knew a case when a tax was attempted
to be repealed that Ministers could spare the
But a tax giving but a million, a sum
forming only one-sixty-fifth part of the public
revenue of this country, we need not be alarmed
about ; it does not afford so large a portion of the
whole revenue of the country that we are unable
to deal with it. But to tell me that moral consi-
derations, considerations of high • public policy
connected with public education, are to be disre-
garded because you would have to deal with a
sixty-fifth part of the public revenue, I say the
notion is wholly absurd ; we can deal with it, or
any other amount of public revenue in this
country, if we are so minded ; and I would say to
those who are alarmed about the public roveztue

money,

leave that to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and
tlya Parliament."

Let us hope that the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer is already prepared to provide, by some

more legitimate subject of,taxation, if need be, for
any deficiency that may arise from the Repeal of
the Paper Duty. He is himself pledged to its
repeal ; and he will seriously damage his reputa-
tion if. •he does not now, when he ha's the
opportunity, practically and signally redeem that
pledge.

LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

Mr. J. Stoyle as clown " A la Grimaldi," 'on Wednes-

day next

TILE GAME OF THE SE ASOX.—Third edition of the
amusing card, game of " St. George and the Dragon"
now ready. Solid by 111awdsley and Son, and all book,

MANCHESTER AND LIVERPOOL DISTRICT BANK. —A
dividend of 12s. 6d. per share for the half-year ending 31st
December last, and also. a bonus of 6s. 6d. per share, both
clear of income-tax, will be payable at the Head Bank
and branches. on and after the 9th instant.
The interesting historical work of art, whioh comme-
morates Miss Florence Nightingale in her mission of
mercy at Scutari, and contains the only authentic por-
trait of this amiable lady, continues to attract crowds of
visitors 'daily. We would also add that this picture
contains the portrait of the new Lord High Commis-
sioner of the lonian Isles, Colonel Sir Henry Storks,
K.C.B.

AlthoUgh it is the month of February, 1859, most
people admit we are living in hard times, hence it
should be the study of every one to ask themselves the
question, "How can I- save my money ?" We reply,
without hesitation, buy your steel' pens and other sta-

tionery, at E. T. Wholesale steel pen war

23, &kith John-street. John Gillett's, Thomas Lowe's,
G. W. Hughes, and other maker's pens at is per gross.
Good Pen Holders 2d per dozen.

LIVERPOOL UNITF.DGAS-LIGHTComPArtv.—The half-
yearly ordinary meeting of the proprietors of this com-
pany will be held on the 15th instant, at Newington. A
resolution will be suhinitted to the said meeting to con-
vert or consolidate the £25 shares, numbered 9,951 to
10,386, both inclusive, in the capital of the company into
a general capital stook, to be divided among the holders
of such shares, according to their respective' interests
therein, pursuant to the company's Act of Parliament.
CORONER'S INQUESTS.—Yesterday the Coroner held the,
following inquests:--On the body of Elizabeth Butt, 15
months' old. The child fell out of the arms of her sister, a
girl, aged nine, down •a flight of cellar-steps, and died in
consequenCe of theinjuries received. Verdict, "Acci-
dent:Al death."--On the body of Martha Moss, 54 years of
age, the wife of a shipwright„ who kept a coal-yard in
Bedford-street, Park. On Thtirsday,she was very drunk,
as she was in the habit of drinking very much. She fell
off a chair whilst in a state of drunkenness, and hurt her
head, and died from the effects of the injuries. Verdict,
" Died from the injury, brought on by excessive drinking."
Accippyrs.—Yesterday, a man, named John. Harrison,
belonging to the flat Star, lying in the Huskisson dock,
was taken to the .Northern Hospital, suffering from a
severe wound on the thigh, inflicted by a carpenter
throwing a chisel at him. It appears that the two men
had been larking together on the stage where they were
employed in repairing the vessel, and that it was
without malicious intent that the accident "odcw..red.
A woman, named Jane Graham, was also admitted into
the same institution, having had her leg severely
scalded by the fall of a boiling kettle. Patrick Sceif,
resident in Slater-street, received severe injuries on the
head, br the fall of some planks of timber, at the Nelson
dock. He was taken to, and properly cared for at the
Northern Hospital. ,

" Buicf.wrow SCANDAL."—In reference to a paragraph
which appeared in our paper of yesterday, we have been
requested to publish the following letter from Mr. Cordy
Burrows, the Mayor of Brighton :—" Permit me to state
that, having convened a meeting of fifty of those gentle-
men in the town who, from their position are best able
to judge of the truth or falsehood of such reports, the
unanimous conclusion arrived at was that, after the most
searching inquiries by the members present, consisting
of county and borough magistrates, clergymen, medical
men, lawyers, teachers, and others, they were of opinion
that there is not the slightest shadow,whatever for such
report. :They believe it to have been the wicked inven-
tion of some one who wishes to injure the town, and that
the whole story is a heartless and groundless fabrication.
and I endorse this opinion as my own firm coviction."
THE HYACINTH POLKA, BY C. W. SMITH—LIVERPOOL:
JAMES SMITH, LORD-STREE r.—TO produce anything bear-
ing the name of polka which shall be beautiful in melody,
suitable as dance music, and at the same time fresh and
new in character is, it must be owned, no very easy task:
In this, liowever, a very talented and rising young
musician,i Mr. Charles W. Smith, of this town; has, . in
the present instance, very fully succeeded. The Hyacinth
Polka is one of the most inspiriting and brilliant, pieces of
ball-room music we have heard for some time. It is
qualified to give spirit and life to the most inanimate of
dancers ; to express its time.and 'measure to the least
practised ears, and to lend new animation to the dullest
or the wearied company. At the same time, it
has exquisite snatches of melody, and played over
merely as a piece of musical composition will be found
delightful by its hearers. The introduction is appropriate,
expressive, and beautiful. We have upon more than one
occasion spoken highly of the compositions of Mr. Smith ;
but we think, in the present instance, he has even more
successfully than before established his claims to be
ranked as a skilful and a gifted musician. •
Mr. StOyle as Simon Sly and Clown, with songs, on
Wednesday next.
ELECTION
.OF A BIRKENHEAD COMMISSIONER. —A

mandamus having been issued by the Court •of Queen's
Bench for the election of a Birkenhead Commissioner, in
the room of Mr. Thomas' S. Eddowes a niimber of rate-
payers assembled at 10 o'clock on Thursdayi msrning, in
the Town Hall, Birkenhead, for the purpose. Mr.
Waln, law clerk to the commissioners, was not present,
nor were the other officials who usually attend to the
township elections. Mr. Thomas •Evans • was appointed
returning officer, on the motion of Mr. Bailiff, seconded
by Mr. Storey. The only candidate was Mr. Gough, of
the Woodside Hotel, who was' proposed by Mr. Bailiff,
and seconded by Mr. Corrie At 11 o'clock, about thirty
votes having been recorded.-for Mr. Gough, an no nther
candidate appearing, the returning officer declared Mr.
Gough duly elected. It will be remembered, however,
that at the last meeting of the Commissioners, Mr. Waln
stated that he was advised by counsel that any election
under the present writ of mandamus would be void. It
seems, therefore, probable that sonic difficulty will still
be raised in the way of Mr. Gough's taking his seat at
the board.

ACCIDENT AT THE MENAGERIE.—A MAN TORN BY A
TIGER.—On Thursday night, a man named John Mangan,
a labourer, residing at 6, Brown was consider-
ably damaged by one of the tigers in Mander's Menagerie,
but the fault was all his own. It appears that between
seven and eight o'clock, the man, along with a friend,
entered the exhibition. They were both the worse of
drink, and Mangan commenced teasing one of the large
tigers. He was repeatedly cautioned to desist, but would
not. At last the coloured lion-tamer deemed it proper to
interfere, and pushed the man away from the cage, but
in a few seconds, whilst the tamer had his back turned,
the man again rushed at the cage, for the purpose of
irritating the tiger more than it already appeared to be.
He approached the cage in a very wreckless manner, and
the beast, watching an opportunity, put one of its paws
through the bars, caught Mangan by the arm, and
lacerated the limb considerably, tearing the clothes and
flesh off from nearly the top to the hand. He was at
once carried to a medical establishment, where the
wounds were dressed, and then he was sent home in a
cab. The entire blame is attributable to himself, no
matter what the result may be. The animals in this
exhibition are very quiet and well tamed, and will not
touch any one if not interfered with, but it is almost
natural to conclude, that if put into a passion, as in this
instance, that the person who acts so rashly, must take
the consequences.
THE WIRRAL WATERWORKS.—A meeting of the rate-
payers of Higher Bebington was held at the Royal Rock
Ferry Hotel, on Thursday evening, for the pnrpose of
promoting the object of the Wirral Water-works Com-
pany, for supplying the districts with water. The chair
was taken by the Rev. T. F. Redhead. During the con-
versation which followed, it was stated by Mr. Cunning-
ham, the engineer, that the cost of the entire works
would be about £35,000, and that the company would
supply half a million gallons of water per day, but the
wells would be capable of supplying two millions a day.
It was stated that shares to the amount of £15,000 or
£16,000 had already been subscribed, and paid for. Mr.
W. Webb objected to the proposed works, and uro•ed
that under the local Government Act the ratepayers of °any
township might supply themselves with water ; that the
whole of the capital for the proposed works would not be
subscribed for in the district, and therefore if--any
advantage was to be reaped the township ought to have
the benefit, which would be the case in the event of the
Local Government Act being adopted. Mr. Gill explained
that nuclei the Loeal Government Act the Government
would lend the money for the erection of works, but they
would require security for the payment of interest as
well as the repayment of the principal in a certain.