The National Register.
London, England, 1816-03-11 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER,

that uo pleige had been given by Min,ste.a for the disci:Wino.
anee of the iuroperty tax at the eiosc of the war.
Sir W. Curtis said, he hoped to be ath'.e to convince bl
ow thy Friend or las error. As a Men.ber Pailioneat, h.
declared it to be hi, decided belief that this tax was sat St• t
intended an a war measure; nod that, whenever the war shotud
cease, tins• was to cease also. words "and Ito tollol..
were in the Acts; aad he was sorry that wortliy and good num,
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, had let fall that the word
"and no longer" had been untittcd in the last Act—a declara•
tioa unworthy of him.
Mr. Alderman Heygate opposed the tax; and declared,
that neither he, nor an .•f those who bud voted %val. hint Lit
Address of Cunirttul•ition on the pears would have ihne so,
had they tint entertaincd a confident hope that this tax woule
he abolished.

Sir W.Ciirtis and Sir J. Shaw promised to support the Petition
with all their power; and the fatter pledged himself to divide
the House ma every oppor, unit! ag.iiu•t the tax.—Adjourned.

MIDDLESEX MEETING.

On Tuesday the Freeholders of Mi.ltliesex met, at Hackney,
In petition Parliament against the rtnenal of the Property-
tax ; Air. slicrit. Bell in the chair.

Mr. Bentley said, that, unless an effectual appeal was made
to the Home of Commoes, we 5110111(1 be subjected, in a time of
peace, to no less it sum than ettelentl.. per day. (War.) When
i.e considered the exertions made by the United Kinedont to
the late prolonged diffieulties in which we hail b:eei ei,gnged,
he did not thick it was to be endured, that the nation should,
with all its external ditiieellies removed, be subjected to the
payment of such enormous and unjust impositiolv. '1 he coun-
try had been deceived by Ministers, whu, in the speech made
by them for the Prince Regent, had annomiced the country to
he in a state of prosperity, when the Met was WIWI wise. Brit
the truth was. they had taken their vices of the state of the
country from peelers and parNene. Let them take a View of
Spitaltields and its impoverished thousands of inhabitants. Lei
them go to Guildhall, list %viten Emperors and Kings are feast-
ing, bat te. view the crowded assembly of bankrupts and their
creditors. Let HUM go and see the wretched list of mendi
cants recei‘ Me their pittance from the parish. Let them go
11110 the streets of the inettopitlis and see them crowded with
famishilig and nnempeived individuals. Let them go into the
country too, and see the miteminted farms, the unoccupied
lands, and the firmer not able to pay hi rent. This was not
an exaggerated statement, nor too highly coloured ;t picot. e
aml it emitted as if the Governmeet were th-t ermined to adopt
the system of ship discipline, being del entent' to kelt the
eountry at the pumps moil there was even 110 chance of
escaping the wreck. He trusted that (tie present meeting
would unite. woe every whet part of the community, in r( sist-
log the adoption of the Income Tax, and thereby prevent the
eonstemences Clint most ines itably followeelle concluded by
expressing his fervent wish, that the people would never cease
their coestitillional esertieus, until Government were com-
pelled to reduce every unnecessary pensiou and entice, and
thereby preclude the necessity of any tresh taxes whale.% er.—
Mr. Bentley then read a string of Resolutions, which were
agreed to he put seriatim.
Sir J. Gibbon rose; but having expressed himself in oppo-
sition to the former speaker, was not permitted to proceed.
Mr. J. Borden was of opinion, that toe Property Tax was
inimical to every principle of the Constittitioe. The Govern-
ment, he said, could not exist, if the income Tax, in time of
peace, were to remain established. Fire and water were non
11101.1.' opposite in their yu.uitirs than the nature ()Isom a tax,
compared with the good old Conetitution of the colliery.
inquisitorial principle upon which it was fininded was in die et
contradiction to every principle of the Como it (Ilion. He con-
tended, that it was the duty of the Government, instead of
violating its pledge, or saddling the imuntry with such an odi-
ous lax, in tianiss the pi:icemen who were receiving salaries,
for which they did nothing.
The Rev. Mr. Draper spoke warmly against the tax.
51r. Williams thought the tax an equal one, and the Resolu-
tion both intemperate and imprudent. He was, however,
compelled to retire by strong marks of disapprobation.
Mr. Redhead endeavoured to obtain a hearing, but in vein.
Mr. slellish admitted that it was not the fist time he had
been placed in the unpleasant situation of (Wheelie, with his
constituent-. a Hisses, and nr, dr!) it was easy, Ii said, for
Gentlemen to make loud assertions, but it was not so easy to
support them ; and as he conceived the Resolutions were not
framed as they eltould be, he would recommend the Free-
holders nut to sign the Petition. (Hisses.)
Air. Byte; said, the tax in imestion was demanded only in
time of necessity. A year :dine- it was abandoned, the Tyrant
having been put down—the Tynnit once more returned, it was
asked as a 110011 1111* one year mare. This was granted. Hence
was re-tored, lied again the Minister has the audacity to pro-
pose the tax. He should, however, say, that if be had but one
ote, and there were two questions to be supported, he would
sooner vote for the hatalli tax in question, than for a standing
army. The latter was a system that must lead to the subver-
siou of liberty in the country.
After some few observations from Mr. Bentley in explana-
tion, the Resolutions were put, end carried by a spew of hands,
only Sir John Gibbon and two others being against them.
A Pitilion was the,' ;Wit-C(1 to, when a 1110ti011 Was nettle
that the Members for the County should net (only present, but
support the Petition.
'1 hanks were voted to the Sheriffs and Mr. P.yng.

Wednesday week scone ill-disposed persons threw Mr.Metcalf,
inspedor of LIreNSCN at Skipton, over one or the bridges in
that town into the water; but providentially he was rescued
without material injury.
It is said, that the women attached to the English army in
France have received orders to embark and return to this
country. Seventeen hundred, besides the proportionate num-
ber of children, ate said to have pas: ed through Calais within
live mantlis.

The tliaitit of KOTZEIWE, announce(' in some late foreign
journals is contradicted in the Brussels papers. He is slated
to be in (Arellent health.

The Paris papers mention the death of Barthelemy, the
celebrated engineer and mechanist, who, in visiting the Garden
of Plants, appraaelted too near the living a ' Is. .‘bout
days ago, 11. fm•.lieiriny went to see the ~ttipentions e!.•;)ha sit
in that menagerie, aud, as many persons do. ()tiered son.e.lting
for him to car ; the elephant, thinking lie wished only to tease
struck him ,11 severe a Mow with his trunk that he tore.•.)
his aiill upon the palisade which sun...mots the lodge. lie
taken to the house of the Marchioness of itoehegattile, a.
Nanterre; and, through the wound not being attended to in
time, all the subsequent elertioos made to save bite ptuved in-
efiectual.