The National Register.
London, England, 1816-04-01 00:00:00

APRIL 1.

POLITICAL DISQUISITION.

STATE OF THE COUNTRY AND THE POOR RATES

WHILE there are certain topics of so conflicting and
beating a nature, that they cannot be agitated without
kindling the flame of discordant opinion, there are others,
the broaching of which seems at once to operate like the
spreading of oil upon the surface of the stormy sea. They
possess this effect by chiefly addressing themselves to sen-
timents and feelings in which no one would be thought
deficient; and about which there cannot be any disagree-
ment. We ere afraid that sufficient attention is not paid
to the true and full meaning of the ri:aais of the times.
The exhibition foot our country at this moment presents,
is a most extraordinary one ; there never was an example
under any fashion of political institution at any former
period, of so much public opposition, cmharrasament, and
distress, existing without hazard, either in reality or be-
lief to the Elam-work of the Government; without
leading to an apprehension of a convulsion, without
exciting any deadly symptoms of hatred, or distracting
people from their regular duties, or dividing them
from their natural and social connexions. Yet, there
is no want of earnestness, and there is unfortunately a great
deal of iniffering. There is much positive assertion and
touch bitter debating; the measures of the Rulers of
the Country are angrily criticised by its men of rank,
property, and talent—great popular meetings are convok-
ed, and there it is told to the lower classes by their su-
periors, that the few who are in authority are squander-
ing tin national means and oppressing its ability; the
whole land is in a ferment, and the power of Govern-
uunit is opposed to the distrest feelings and excited
ofiniona of the people. Nevertheless, every man is con-
vinced that he is secure in the duration of public order,
and every -num knows that a public danger would be
instantly met by a promptunion of the public mind and
strength. •
The country is at present in a state of exultation at the
abandonment of the Income Tax, but we fear thatsome
evils may arise, which in the ardour of petitioning were
not foreseen. The fall of the Property Tax may place
the rich and the poor on the same level. The additional
pressure which the failure of Lhe Tax may cause upon
poor-rato, may be of no ordinary nature. If the pro-
fession of a man be such as to require a house for •
the pursuits of his business, in extent equal to that
occupied by a man worth 5,0001. a year, he will be
necesauily compelled to pay a ratio of taxation, ad-
equate to that paid by the man of fortune, or de-
cline following his business. This will be a certain
concomitant, and whether the tradesman's profits from
his precarious nulling be sufficient to defray the amount
dins assessments, or not, he will be forced to bear this
unequal burthen: these operations may erowd our poor
houses, increase our poor-rates, and perhaps infuse in-
digence throughout this kingdom. We may state that
tlse annual amount of poor-rates is 6,000,0001.; the prin-
cipal part of this suns is paid by persons whose means of
livelihood are very precarious, and who are in continual
dread of becoming applicant's, sooner or later, fiir the
charitable means to which they now contribute. We
rhould be very erroneous in our calculations, if we
were to say, that in the majority of counties, towns, vil-
lage., and hamlets in this kingdom, the inhabitants more,
tirtually than nominally termed poor, pay a quantum of
pant-rates, in the aggregate, equal to the whole amount
paid by money-men, (many of 10,0001. a year forming •
part) to the Property-tax, Land-tax, and Asssessed-taxes.
The contradictory views which have been imbibed,
with respect to the Property-tax, bow unfortunately,
by some strange infatuation, passed current with the
poor, though they aro the only individuals who are
orpressed by burdens of near affinity to taxation.—
The Property_tax at five per cent., which was intended
by the Chancellor of the Exchequer; would have pro.
amtea 7,000,0001. only 1,000,0001. more than the poor-
rates at present produce. The former would have been
Mostly furnished by the rich—the latter (6,000,00('1.
and probably more) must partly be furnished by the poor.
These rates, great as they are, fall infinitely short of ef-
facting what they ought, the claimants to eluuty being
Lath great and increasing.
Cannot means then be devised for the abolition of the
poor-rates, or for their modification, so -that they may be
timportienably Lorne by almost every class of peopfe.
The attention of Parliament should be directed to this,
and to the means of ameliorating the depressed condition
of the poor of the Land

THE NATIONAL *MOVIE

ABUSES IN THE LONDON FISII-211ARKET.

TO TIM RIGHT HON. 'lllr, LORD MAYOR.
.MY Lone,

PERMIT me, through the medium of this Paper, to
call your attention to the present state of the Billings_
gate Market. lam well aware, that an abuse existing
within tho limits of your juris.iiezion, rcquia.s only to he
known, to be suppressed; but, notwithstanding the supe-
rior aethitv and vigilance which have been tlisplayed dur-
ing your Mayoralty, in dis,,ovcring and eradicating many
of the glaring abuses which have long di.tigured 'the
Metropolis, yct the augean stable is not yet fully cleansed,
its completion may indeed bo called an herculean task,
but Lndor vineji otnnia.

Whatever tends to encourage a monopoly of the ne-
cessaries of iife, becomes dangerous to the general Into
of society; it is in vain that en enlightened Legisla-
ture or our patriotic Institut-icing otter their premiums for
the greater quantity of uny article of general eonsusnp-
tion which may be brought to market, if those laudable
designs be defeated, by a graspng spirit of monopoly,
which deprives Cle community of tlictio advantages which
would be the concomitant result of the providential care
of the Government.

Your Lordship, I am convinced, is not ignorant of
the existence of a character in the Billingsgate Market,
which in the talinical phraseology of the place, is called
a BomanEn. It is against the existence of this charac-
ter that I now presume to address your Lordship. Of
what avail is a regular and ample supply of fish for the
London market, and which, were competition equal,
would be dealt out to the public at a comparatively cheap
rate, if the monopolizing Bomaree steps in, purchases the
whole stock which may be brought to market, and deals
it out to the retailers according to the particular quantity
of fish which he determines shall on that day appear at
market, and which is in close unison with the rapacity
of his own avaricious disposidon.—The supply of the
market is nut in proportion to the quantity which is
brought by the fishermen, fir hence u cheapness would
arise, inimical to the interests of the Ihimaree; on the
contrary he purchases the whole cargoes : if a glut pre-
sents itself; thereby presenting a cheap and nutritious
food to the poorer classes, this great advantage is imme-
diately lost to the community by the Bomarees, who
hoard the fish in their warehouses, and rather than an
article shall be sold at a cheap rate, will throw the sur-
plus stock• into the river. This is the cause of the quan-
tity of had fish, fir which Billingsgate is now prover-
bial ; the fish which appears on the stalls, is not the fish
of to-day nor of yesterday, as landed from the boats,
but it is brought from the stinking hoards of the Boma-
rees, who having glutted themselves with the profits aris-
ing from the first day's sale, empty their almost putrid
stock into the baskets of the hawkers. At the instiga-
tion of these %manes, the fishing-boats are often kept
at anchor in Long-reach, until their stock on hand is dis-
posed of, and they will bring up these boats singly to
market, rather then the public shall profit by a full and
abundant supply.
The limits to which I must prescribe myself, deter me
at present from entering more fully into this important
quesiion, but I trust the few hints which I have ad-
vanced will excite the attention of your Lordship, and
that some steps will, I hope, be in consequence taken to-
wards abolishing the practices of the Bomarees, whose
very existence is an anomaly in political economy, and
which calls for the immediate interference of that Power,
by which only its suppression can be effected.
I sl:bscribe myself,
Your Lordship's must obedient Servant,
March iB, 1816. R. H.

By Havannah Diaries (St the beginning of February, we
find that the horrible system of thu Slave Trade, continu-
ed lobe curried on between the Island of Cuba and thecoast
of Africa. Two vessels bad arrived, one laden with 390
slaves, and the other wish 1 14. It appears that this in-
human tratie was about to Le vigor msly pursued, as all
fast sailing vessels had been taken up fur that purpose.
Rear-Adpiiral Sir Pulti:ey Mulcelm is appointed to
sneceld Sir George Cockburn in the command at St.
Helena, the Cape of G.sil Hope, and the Mauritius.—
Sir Pultney arrived at Portsmouth on Thursday morning,
and hoisted his flag in the Newcastle, 50, Captain Mey-
nclL Ile will sail far the command in about ten days.

ft is said that the inquiries into the late smu ling
transactions will show that many thousand pounds ofregu-
hr duties have been ended, and that, they will involve
persons of no connuou stamp, sonic curi. us circumstances
may be dime:used.

iio %au or Actuert,Trar.—The F.Nowing annual
'1 11' nlr r 4. M

p