The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-16 00:00:00

uN,

LONDON,

commerce cannot be really freed from the restrictions
still remaining, unless the entire system of taxation be
placed on a sounder basis, and direct charges substi-
tuted for indirect imposts. How can we reduce the
duties on tea, tobacco, wines, sugars, Etc.—how can
we abolish the malt-tax and hop-tax, unless we re-
quire the owners of accumulated and realized property
to contribute more largely to the liquidation of the
public liabilities, and the maintenance of the national
establishments ? Every true Free-trader must also be
a t fiscal reformer—the advocate of direct rather
than indirect taxation, and where there is an
extensive choice, none should prematurely pledge
themselves in favour of candidates whose views and
feelings on these points are not completely in unison
with their own. Of course the nation should be
just, and there ought to be no addition to the income-
tax, that did not recognise the distinction between
schedules A, C, and D, between the possessors of
landed estates, or snug sums in the Three per Cents.,
and those who earned their daily bread by physical
or intellectual labour—who by incessant toil obtained
fluctuating and precarious profits, from which a
large per tentage would have to be deducted for
future exigencies.
The would-be Members should also be closely
catechised as to their views on financial snd mone-
tary reform. They should be desirous of maintain-
ing the efficiency of our national establishments, but
without waste or prodigality. They should be
generous without extravagance to the public em-
ployees, remunerating every man fairly for his ser-
vices, but opposing strenuously every sinecure and
job, so as to cut down the public expenditure to the
lowest scale consistent with our position as one of the
leading nations of the earth. In monetary matters,
by no means the least important of the problems re-
quiring speedy solution, they should be prepared to
give that which may be regarded as indeed the very
life-blood of industry, a circulating medium adequate
to the wants and exigency of the country.

But perhaps, next to free trade, the question 01
Parliamentary reform will excite the greatest in.
terest in the forthcoming contests. Vague decla•
rations will no longer serve to hoodwink the electors
The miserable abortion brought forward as a new
Reform Bill has opened the eyes of the people on
this important subject. We may struggle to obtain
good measures, but until we purify the source
of legislation itself, until we render the House of
Commons practically what it is in theory, a real re-
presentation of the community, and a fair exponent of
its wants and wishes, we cannot hope for permanent
peace. We must, therefore, have not only a large
extension of the suffrage and a more equitable dis-
tribution of electoral power, but we must have
full protection afforded to the voter against every
undue influence, whether of bribery or intimidation,
by means of " the ballot" and a shortening of the
duration of Parliament, so as to cause the representa-
tive to respect the wishes of those to whom he must ac-
count for his legislative conduct at no very distant day.
We should also speak of the abolition of the property
qualification, but that the Bill introduced by the
Right Hon. Gentleman the Member for Devonport
will, we trust, dispose of that topic before the appeal
to the country.
There are other matters that should also be borne
is mind. The Marriages Affinity Bill is a question
of civil and religious liberty, affecting most largely
the peace and happiness of many estimable fa-
milies, through an undue desire to con-
trol the consciences of others in the most
sacred relationship of life. There are many
other points that will readily suggest themselves, but
to which our space will not allow us to refer. We
repeat, however, that no man should bind himself
until he has perfectly satisfied himself of the general
correctness of the views of the candidate for his
suffrage—that he should not act lightly in the dis-
charge of the most important trust that can be con-
filed to the hand: of a freeman.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris journals of yesterday
The Council of State has had communicated to it
the amendments adopted by the Committee on the
New Copper Coinage Bill, but which are said to bear
only on details of a secondary character. The amount,
which had been fixed at 7,560,000 f, will merely un-

dergo a reduction of 260,000 f.
The Moniteur contains the revenue return 3 for the
quarter, which give an increase over the correspond-
ing period of last year of 6,155,000 f. The increase
for the month of March over the same period is, as
the Moniteur lately announced, nearly five millions,
the exact sum being 4,991,0001. The greatest item
of increase, speaking of the past month, is on registry
dues, it being 1,767,0001. Stamp duties show an in-
crease of 635,000+. Duties paid on divers imported
articles show an increase of 1,154,000 f., and on French
colonial sugars 947,0001. Duties on potable liquors
give an increase of 414,000 f. There is a falling off
in the duties on home-made sugars of 1,338,000 F.

The post-office shows an increase of 287,000 f. It
will be recollected that the month of February gave
an increase of upwards of a million and a half over the
corresponding month of the previous year ; so that
should the next following months continue to be vi-
sited with the same prosperity, the promise of a ba-
lanced budget held out by the Minister of Finance
may be expected to be justified.
The Nouvelliste of Marseilles states that the Go-
vernment has just commuted the penalty on M.
Mio-r, ex-representative, who had been condemned
to transportation to Cayenne, and now detained at
Fort Lamalgue. He is to be sent to Africa.
By a decision of the PRINCE PRESIDENT, the
penalty of 5,000 f. pronounced on the 25th of July,
1851, by the tribunal of Draguignan on Mme.
BAUNNE, for a contravention of the laws on the press,
has been reduced to I,OOOE A similar reduction has
been made in the case of M. REPAS, a printer at
Digne, who had been sentenced to a fine of the same
r amount.

The health of Marshal GERARD is said to be such
as to cause serious alarm to his family. For the last
week, the marshal, who is in his 79th year, has suf-
fered from great weakness in consequence of an ob-
stinate dysentery.
There is no truth (says the Public) in the report
which has been in circulation that the Duke
D A UMALE had sold Chantilly to the Queen Dowager
of SPAIN.

The Debats has the following article on affairs in
Switzerland :
"Itis on Sunday next, the 18th inst., that the vote
on the revocation of the Grand Council, and of all the
authorities of the canton of Berne, will take place. The
Radical party, the principal element of which is the
lower classes, has provoked this kind of appeal to the
country; and it is with the law in their hands, and
without any revolution properly so called, that it hopes
to overthrow the present Grand Council, composed of
liberal men, and of men in general animated with a
desire of doing well. It is a life and death struggle
between the party which has nothing to lose and the one
which possesses fortune and intelligence. Should the
Radical party triumph and become once installed in all
public employments, God knows to what atrocious ex-
travagances they will carry the application of the
Socialist and Communist system. Unfortunately
can no one in the midst of an agitation which is
carried to the greatest extremes, foresee the result of
the vote of the 18th. Our letters from Berne
state that the activity of the Radicals was greater than
that of the Conservative Liberals, mad that besides, dis-
tress, which is this year severely felt in the country,
may assist the Radicals, for, as every one has a vote, it
is to be feared that the poor will vote for the revocation.
If, however, the Conservative party is to fall, there is
reason to suppose that it will not do so readily, and that
serious collisions may be the result of the victory of the
thoilvre
Radicals, and lead to a federal intervention."
A number of pickpockets were arrested on Easter
Sunday for carrying on their vocation during the
celebration of divine service in different churches.
In ni
otr
thael church of St. Koch alone five of this class of
a considerable sum in gold and silver, together with
es
tGuwruenar e captured. They had in their possession
different articles of jewellery.
General LAWCESTINE inspected on Tuesday in the
t.Grand Carr of the Champs Elysees 300 of the Na..onne new
the te uniform.rrac e
of the El returning
go
they
e 33adwbattalion
the
r lt E
siinD tEhseTi r
pee, and a spontaneous shout of acclamation
was raised. Similar inspections of all the battalions
will take
place
101 f. 30c. for previous to the grand review of the
whole body by the PRESIDENT.
The public
The securities have recovered from their de-
pression..:oue-and-a-Half per Cents. closed at
Cents. closed at the end of the month; the Three per
721. 25e.;
Orleans Railway Shares,
1,1971. 50c. ; Ronen' 785 f. ;
Havre, 310 f.; Great
Northern, 6251.;
, BoArdvig
Basle, 2721. 50-,n0n610 , Strasburg ; Paris an E
5961. 25c.; Tours andeNaux'
and
,Strasburg,
Vierz3n, 5851.;,
6331. 75C. antes, 36W.; Paris and Lyons,
' BUSINESS DONE IN FO
FEIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
Central of France (Orleans
LONDON STOcg.
and Erquelines, 14—Dutch ICIIANGE, Arum 15.
I:alentilVh,ie4rz)o6n2,Lni.22Nem—bCouhragr,le4r%oi
—Namur and Liege, 7/,___ thern of France, 24IA—Or-
leans and Bordeaux, 13'3344)
and Rouen, 3034—Paris 'and
' Havre, nys—Sambra and fklausirb"sg, 2$ _—Rouen and
gia and Lyons, 11 X,—Paris
11—Western of France, 7%. , 4Ht—Tours and Nantes,

succeeded the temporary dictatorial costiveness, and scattered
FRAGRANCE Or STYLR.—"
conftuion over France.' do Englishman" in the Times,
dierrbces of decrees