The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-23 00:00:00

- ought to repeal it—(Hear, hear)—because by maintain,
i i.g it they would be guilty of the grossest injustice.
i Now, in order to show the absurdity of saying
that a
daty was levi,d-upon news and observations upon news,
. he would refer to some unstamped publications, and then
leave the H ,use to gay mphe her th,,y did nut contain
matter of this description. The Racing Times and the
Racing Telegraph both contained accouuts of the beting
other turf news; the Legal Observer gave the
I and or the races in ttff.rent parts of the country, wiih
proceed-
ings in the courts of law; and the Builder also con-
tained news of another description. Now, he believed
alt these publications were in strictness liable to be
brought under the stamp duties; but the Board of I
In-
land Revenue had drawn a fiae distinction between class
news and general news—that is, it you divide a news-
paper, which must be stamped, into half a d 'en),
each
msy be published without a stamp. He bell.-ved this
distinction was a pure invention of the Board of Inland
Revenue, and was not to be found in the Act of Pirtle-
ment, which spoke of "news, in:elligence, and vccur-
reeces;" and certainly the papers to which be had re-
curred did detail ~occurrences." But the Legislature
by this duty did not alone affect the publication of facts,
but also of observations upon those facts, attacks
on the Ministry, and so forth. He would, however,
ask the House wile, her the extracts from unstamped
papers, to which he would now refer, did not contain
comments on public events? [ rhe Right Honourable
Gentleman then read from the Home,
conducted by
Richard Osstler, some comments upon a lato speech of
Mr. Bright', in the House of Commons; from the Legal
Observer, part of an article in support of the rep( al of
me attorneys' certificate duty, and from the Lamp (a
penny publication), portions of articles upon the late
change of Ministry, and upon " the coming elections."]These were certainly observations on public occurrences,
and were liable to the stamp duty; but the Government
durst not enforce the law against those publications, for
if they did they would have to deal . with a legion of
the m, and would be involved in the same trouble that
they were in 1836, This
Was, he thought, one of the
.trengest possiele reasons that could be adduced why the
House should give its assent to his resolutioni, and why
such a law should ba repealed. ,
The newspaper pro
prietory were not entitled to he considered as a body
having a vested interest in the maintenance of this tax,
nor did he believe that
many of that body would urge
such a plea against the repeal of this duty. If, however,
they did, he contended that Parliament were. neverthe-
less justified in dealing with these taxes upon broad
public grounds. Tae Right Flom. Gentleman concluded
by moving the first resolution of Which he bad given
notice.

manly with reference to the effect:
revenue
eifs tohofentipyhoeliwceyiothuwnhtircvh
d
ttoi,g,lineastt.heirsTthihteteeoginteflreyd consideration which can influence cue
re-
ference to the effect of hi; resolutions, if carried, upon
htaThhateev ertrehl eavecseotnmpuren referred'etehnnadtts limus :Pn)hmlantctvto'henentateure to ft
make;
t taking i na gny
theobserve. three
o
o
ga in it
ui
t important.oethe
hbat wyv taken items
n think thattwhich
te
their
question of the effect of the duty uponthat aidtveiartaisegmneenattainins
e
one which should be gravely considered. Ido not want
o
at
whichthis
consideration. her
moment
Majesty's
It yG
not Government
v convinced'e) rr
more
papers,s pnervationseakispeaking,
e Were o
sfhtoh ueti.e
htßightrotr,
dgHe
aml
rv, ,h•ftia thattatiFidastnathtaledm p
asaptori
sua fc;etdi ingeniouscet
;flaw:
slhyty.:
ut
state of things. But again this sutject, I freely
should enter into the consi•ieration of any person re-
sponsible, not only for the finances, but also for thegood
government of the country. I distinguish both these
motions—the second and third—very much from the
first motion on which we are now called to give a deci.
sion—the duty on paper. The duty on paper is so
large- in amount that every one must hesitate before
voting for the surrender of that source of revenu-;
and I must warn Honourable Gentlemen not to be
carried away by the lively description given by the
Right Honourable Gentleman as to the injurious effect
of the excise law upon that particular article, and
they are not to consider that it is the sole instance in
which its injurious effects are discovered.—(Hear,
hear.) If we are to relieve the industry of the country
by the repeal of the excise duty, it becomes a sub-
ject reqairing the most impartial and deepest investiga-
tion before we decide which duty is the one most re-
quiring to be repealed.—(Hear, hear.) The possibility
of obtaining mil, f in this as well as in other instances
depends entirely upon the state of the public finances;
and when in the course of a week I shall feel it my
duty to place before the House the exact state of the
finances, lem sure the House will agree—however in-
teresting discussion or debate may be—that there would
be great inconveitience in coming now to a prem-itute
decision on any subject of this kind.—(Hear, hear.) I
would remind the House of the conduct of the House
of late years with regard to the public finances. Every
one knows that for a considerable period there has been
a determination upon the part of the House of Com-
mons not to add to the revenue of the country by im-
posing new taxes.—(Hear, hear.) If there had been
any opinion more freely expressed, or more energetically
maintained than another, it certainly has been that ex-
pressed by the majority of this "House, who oppose,
directly or indirectly. any increase of revenue by in-
creased taxation.—(Hear, heer.) They have made war
upon the Customs duties, which materially assisted our
finances; and now there is a very great objection to
the Excise.—(Hear, hear.) Very well; you are taking
away every source of your indirect taxation, and I
think any gentleman who considers the question should
agree with me that when you were so precipitately
cutting off the sources of your indirect taxation, you
ought to have considered whether more relief to the in-
dustry of the country would not be given if you had
either modified or repealed the Excise duties—the
source of your internal taxation—than to have reduced
the Customs duties, the sourcep particularly the
theextßeringahlt
Hnn.taxa-
tion.—(Hear, hear.) R2member this, that Honourable
sanctioned Gen Gentlemantae
this
w h opposite,o has
principle, brought
but,f o ao rud
thetb
contrary,
i smotion,
sup-
ported the policy that reduced the Customs duties.—
(Hear, hear.) We have now a great war made against
the Excise; you have attacked successfully one great
source of our indirect taxation, and you are now attack-
ingtaxation?—(Elear, hear.) We haves Committee sitting
upstairs which is actually making
h
war upon the prince,
~a another o
Butther
wshoautr source
ourof our
position indirect
iu t a
regarda tati n. —t
0(
directElea
r
pal source of your direct taxation.—(Hear, hear.)
Whatever may be the opinions of the gentlemeu who
form that Committee, it is notorious, both from the ex-
pressed opinions of the Honourable Gentleman who
moved and carried the appointment of that Committee,
and of the most important members upon it, that what-
ever may be their views respecting direct taxation, they
disapprove of the principles on which direct taxation at
present is levied in this country.—(Elear.) They may tell
you that they are favourable to direct taxation, but it
enlvtlesrt bynte
objectionad tiar
state—we
twawexhai tci
which
haven with exemptions, t
hreeydua
cl
leeeoapge,,nre:ta t a
it.snoduTrfchr
eieseoi
ffs
our
.
prese
direct taxation by the repeal of many of the Customs
duties—you are now attacking another source of indi-
rect
stair:attach:en likertiy the
establishedpe sent .
sub-
jects of controversy, and are even at this moment under
aareffencttiiinlgourthe discussion and investigation of a Parliamentary
rEexcetitsaexadt
taxation can beywmabt;principles upon which direct
Committee.—(Hear, hear). Now, I ask the House
duties, while
calmly to consider, is that a satisfactory state of the
finances of the country?—(Hear, hear.) Is it not wise
to pause before you diminish the revenue which you
derive from your indirect taxation, until the House and
the country have arrived at a knowledge of the proper
principles upon which our direct taxation is to be eeteb-
can anything be more unwise, can anything be mote
rash, than to diminish the sources of your indirect tax-
ation,lished 2w—h(:lleaatr,thheears.) Can anything be more injurious,
same
time
you are challenging the
princi.de upon which many sources of your direct tax-
ation is now established?—(l.l ar.) I put that view
with great confidence for the o msideration of the House.
—(Hear.) The Right Hon. Gentleman has referred

Mr. EWAR.T, in seconding the
materialshould
°a connected with the
pracical education of
the people. h
Ht. objected to these
taxes, in the first place, because deemed Abe siamp-
' duty to be a tax upon the rawmotion, said that he
did so because this was a queen
course of mabkind, He believed ah talt
while the advertisement-duty p",
up its:
otbecitiingtenri.;
advan-
tage of modern times was, that
peopletie
in igments upon public affairs by deliberating upon the
materials furnished them by the prase ; the
tgorruma te
formed their
Nor he
dee of society and
;haonudghntottbhyat,thiiei
ajtation of Reedier astambliestan
tell!:
ed est
eto u
rsi et
yc uorte
proth e
ppeeretcye, t silt;
yd
good
every_ means for this elow and delibcr give the People
ate formation of
their judgment. On what ground was the House asked
to continue these taxes? ,Some people
institutions of
the country; but , the tact was they were
con-
sider that they were a part of the
modern inno-
vitions. Trio piper duty dated from the
wars of Marl-
borough; the stamp duty was one of recent • •
by
orlein; and
the advertisement, duty was first imposed
The paper-duty had proved must adverse Mr.
Pitt.
to the in-
terests of the country. 'Mr. Cambers had
a Committee of the Route of cowl:l2°llBsta d bef ire
drat it had
rendered necessary the discontinuance of
publication, and Mr. littight had that
his
aneioUnts!era!d to
declareoctia
raatz!.amo
long as it continued it would be impossible
to publish such a work as the Penny c
It had also the effect of preventing the employmentYel°Pa'6l'
The circulation of daily newspapers'-
of the highest class of talent upon newspapers,
The The advertisement duty, as he had already Iralc
considered to be a tax upon the highway of
,In said, .lie
tercourse—it was this tax which prevented Laenelea;
newspapers arising. Tb
was in NeW York (which did not contain morepit,hBauwohniele-
fourth the population of London) 130,000 co
in London it was only 60 000. He believed that the
stamp duty was most adverse to the circulation of sound
knowledge. In America every poor man had a daily
newspaper upon his breakfast table, and he should like
to see the same the case in England. But we were told
that if the stamp duty was taken off we should cease to
have respectable newspapers. The reduction of the duty
from 4d. to 1d.,, in 1834, had, hoWever, been folio wed
by a great increase in the, respectability of newspapers;
and why, therefore, should the repeal of the duty have
an injurious effect? It was then said that if the stamp
duty were taken off the newspapers would become local.
Ho believed that would be an advantage. The press
in America was decidely local, and yet one of the wit-
nesses before the Committee of the House of Commons
said that they were there found to be worth all the
schools put together. He believed, indeed, that we
should never improve the education of the people until
we attacked them on their practice' interests, and ap-
pealed to them through the newspaper press. So far
was he from thinking that an unetamped press would
promote the spread of republican doctrines, that he be-
lieved that if we gave pe .pie under a monarchy every
possible advantage which they could obtain under a re-
public, they would be more and more attached to our
conettutiomal monarchy. He thought it was especially
the duty of a wise Chancellor of the Exchf=qu,r to re-
m vs the advertisement duty, for, while it only yielded
,inl the. lrac,
nm,inctk. y,,,.
rweapse
aal t aoxf of
whichthe s acmy e
Ln au trudr eAatst
htapt
150,0001, to the revs nue, it pressed upon every interest
thle
WAS full 'wed by so great an improvement in the quality,
tied so great a reduction in the price of those publica-
tions. For all these reasons he cordially supported the
motion of his Right Hon. Friend; .
believing that if,
undereour limited monarchy, we removed abuses such as
those to which he had
.referred, we should not give rise
to discontent, but should increase the
the
well as. the securi,y of pople. In the words of
Milton, " That it is not the liberty which we should
hope—that no grievance should ever arise in the com-
monwealth; that let no man in thisworldexpect;
heard,
d
when complaints are freely ar, deeply considerc.,
and speedily reforned, then is the utmost point of civil
liberty attained. which a wise man e4ll Lick for."
The CIIAN '
lei LLIBOR of the EXCHEQ UER said—
In the few.observai to makeions that I have this
motion, I can assure the Right He Getl-mat' int
t
that
at
neither I nor my colleagues are
all i . t ma
nflaenced by those
sinister feelings which he has ascribed to some of the
men who have been the orig' mato, s or controllers of
frankly these duties. I can say, -
for in) self and my col-
leagues that we have no
f.a r or apprehension r sp-cting
tee influence of the press; and in a country
like this—
in a Country long established in
tical liberty, iu a country eminently religious—l cannot
admit for a moment' that experience drawn from -the
I will Instances of other lands, where '
not say the enjoy-
ment, but,the experience of an unrestricted - press, has
resulted in circumstances which we all deplore—should
bit br.tught forward as any
warningth to a country like our
own. But I must censider
much less interesting, much less ease. I fear, in a view
ss philosophical, much less
adapted to charm the House
than that which has been
pursu,d by the Right 11. c.
Gentleman the Member for
M ancheeter. It its only in a financial point of view that
-loan afford to view it at present. Now we have before
us three propositions, .each.
of • which, if carried,
affects the finances of this
country. and which it car-
ried all together material!
Bight Hum Gentleman firsty affect our tinences. The
calls upon tiles House, if
not immediately, to express an opinion that the duty on-
, piper should be stet-dished
such an opinion as mud it
near repealed, yet to express
fin nee the course of the Mi-
nister responsible fur the
do not wish to contest the ances of the country. I
the Right Hon. Gentleman hasaccuracy of the view which
the effect of the excise dut taken with respect to
facture of that article ; I hyavall paper upon the manu-
ready to vindicate the beneficiala influence of excise never been particularly
du-
ties ; but when the Right Hon.
,Gentleman calls our at-
tention to the iujurieus etee
cts of an Excise duty on the
manufacture of this particular
injurious effect of the
article, I am bound to
say that I am not aware that the
excise duties is limited to that
rticular. article, or
on
even that if wwithe compartheir e the effect
er f these regulations
eff et
up
it would not be possible for me to upon other articles,
which their influence le mcre
injurious. I do
adduce instances in
not now wish to enter into
dis-
cussion upon this question, but line of
and dilated upon the injurious if I had risen,
Excise upon any other article of roeui: _ effeet of the
example—l dare say I
should have matiduacture—soap for
would have carried away the House we
equal success, out a case that
although the plea might not have beenith
that which has been put forth by the Rills ably urged as
tleman with regard to the manufacture gohft Hon. Gen-
then we must consider whether in thia
these Paper. But
taxes are not necessary evils, And .we country
must
consider the
ability which we have to relieve the industry of the
-country, which is the wisest direction he which we can
move; so as to redress any wrong or to effe,,et
any good.
I am not wishing to give an opinion in favour of
the re-
lief of soap from the excise. I only mention it
stenci in preference to that on piper. And I think anin-
k
Right Hon. Gentleman will admit that the effecter
the
I excise duty are not less injurious upon this me; tt ta'
of
an
ie acture
than upon that which is immediately before t
atten-
tion of the House. Well, Sir, I
am
therefore
obliged
to consider the question as regards the duty oil paper
purely in a financial point of view., I :shell be extremely
glad, in this instance or in any other instance, to relieve '
industry or to advance the progress of the human
1 and the educatioa of the people, but it is my race
to Consider whelier with regard to ihe first duty .
tenance of the revenue of this count main'
Y . I can
propositions of .this consent • to any . . is kind. 1
cannot say that I shout i feel justified in assenting to the.
proposition of the Right Hon. Gentleman. It is ca ,
rcely
fair upon me to press me at this moment upon this •
point.
I hope that tomorrow week 1 shall place before-the
House what I believe to be the real state of the e
(lanced
1 of the country; and when the Right Hon. Gentleman
and his friends are in full peseessima-of the facts which
I shall place before them,when they have listened to
the views of 'her Majesty's Ministers—it will then be
perfectly open to them, if they think themselves • •
eusti-
fied in disputing the policy ,which we reconameed,eto
advance their own views as counter propositions,
and
fairly to challenge the attension of the House to them.
At present I can only say that I do not feel
,justified in
assenting to a -vote which ',mule be equivalent to a de-
claration nn the part of this House that the tax on paper-
should' be totally repealed. With regard to the ether
two, potrits•Which the Right,llenoureble Gentleirtan has
placed .before the 'llOuse, 'Timely, the duties on adve
lieenieties 'and' . • • , ' - temps I hive n le • r—
ota newepaper 8 I . .._ 9 "nar
... . . ..
:tiOn • in sayeng-thai I-thisek -they are shbjects that de-
serve
the very grave consideration of a Chancellor of
itio Ezobequr, Bgt, again, 1 uiStMnfider then] pd.

to my having two yr:nrs ago supported a motion Lite the
present.—(Hear, hear.) If the House will do me the
honour to refer to the few observations which I made on
that occasion, I am sure it will do me the justice to say
that those observations vindica'el the vote I wive on
that oeeasion.—(Elear, hear.) Ido not like to refer to
oersonal considerations, or to introduce them into this
debate, but as my vote on that occasion has been re-
ferred to, I beg the House will do me the favour to re-
fer to the circumstance] under which I gave that v rte.—
(Hear, hear.) The House was informej from the Throne

that a great pro-Native interest in the c_mntry was sut-
fering—an interest which I and others represented in
sufferingld
h
e
of
tbt
that
stsfidu ac. fa;
ftt
that
remissionevpa.ars particular
c,esu,ii,l,rf)a.n)r taxation
oi
interest;
rese
rt;palsbtthoughtthereuaw.tsuhaleiddtr
h,
,iinwit:ssywhtmeoaruchu
e
ld
neither apply any portion of that surplus to the relief of
that interest—or, on the other hand, to the diminution
of the public debt. which, by a consequent diminution of
general taxatioe, would be a source of general relief.—
(Hear, hear.) But, on the contrary, would apply the
surplus to purposes I did not approve of, awl in a
manner which I thought was unjust and impolitic—
(Hear, hear) —and all I meant in the vote which I give
on the motion of the Right Honourable Gentleman and
in the discussion that took place was this—that if there
was to be a remission of taxation which would neither
relieve the particular interest announced from the
Tnrone to be suffering norfrelieve the general interest by
diminishing the general taxation of the country by re-
ducing the debt, then I preferred the motion of the
Right Honourable G etleosan to the policy of the Go-
vernment.—(bear, hear.) I have infinitely preferred to
promote the general interests of the country by the re-
mission of the duty on paper, or by the repeal of the
duty on advertisements, or by the abolition of the news-
paper stamps, than to endeavour to do so by the mewls
Which were then recommended by her Majesty's Go-
vernment.—(Hear, hear.) Ido not see that a position
mare fair could be taken by any Member of this House
—(Hear, bear)—and from the recollection of which I
confess I experience no regret.—(Hear, hear.) I can-
not enter into the inn resting details with which the
Right Honourable Gentleman has again favoured us as
he did two years ago. I am not here to dispute his
facts, or to chulle ige his conclusions; hut I cannot
permit myself, in the present state of affairs, to view
the matter, in connexion with the social condition of
the country, which the Right Honourable Gentleman
has dwelt upon, or the political consequences that he
foresees; I take a more intere-ted view of the subject,
and a more limited and narrow•minded one—one
confined merely to the effect of the motion of the Right
Hon. Gentleman upon the present state of our revenue.
—(Hear, hear.) The Right Hon. Gentleman has brought
forward a motion which would reduce the revenue by a
sum now approaching to nearly I,soo,oool.—(Hear.
hear)—because all the items to which he has referred
are on the increade.—(Hear, hear.) Ido not of course
pretend to give the accurate figure, but I wish to ob •
serve that tho Minister of Finance may look to an in-
crease of the revenue received under the thres beads to
which the Right lion. Gewleman's motion has reference.
—(Hear, hear.) The lt,ght Hon. Gentleman has asked
the House to-assent to a motion of very great import-

ante; in a week it will be my duty to piece before the
Ruse the exact stare of the finances of the country; and
I think I sm not asking too much when I call upon the
EL:use to permit me, to place before them the first finan-
cial statement which I shall have the honour to submit

for their consideration, and which I shall submit to them-
in a few days, without the burden and incumbra,nce ot
the House assenting to a vote such es that whioh the
Right flOti.-Gentleman has brought forward.—(Hear.)
I do not think that it is an unreasonable proposition.--
(I fear, hear.) I cannot think that the 11.itis,s will saw-
-thin, under the circumstances, the motion ot the Right
Hon. Gentleman—(Elsar)—and it is ,with this feeling—
limiting my consideration of this motion in the present
instaucis merely and strictly to its financial effect upon
the revenue ot the c nintry—offeriog on this OCOASin
no opinion on those wider questions to which, under the
circumstances in which he spelc,,, no doubt he was jus-
tified in calling the attention of the House—but dean.-
ing to place before the House of Commons, on next Fri
day, without any of the embarrassment which I Must
un-
I feel it
'experience from a vote like the present, a clear end
disguised Watement of our financial position, ,
my duty, Sir, to oppose the motion of the Right Hon.
Gentlemen--(Hear, hear.)
Mr. WAKLEY hop-1 that the subject would be t.ken
into Consideratioti by the Right Hon Gentleman after he
had made his financial statement, and scarcely thought
that under the circumstances the debate could pro-
longed with advantage to any one.—(Hear, rielz.) He
hoped the Right Honourable Gentleintn the Meinuer for
Manchester sv.iuld agree to the proposal of the H.gnt
Honourable Gentleman, and assent to the adjournment
of the debate until - that day fortnight, or some other
period after they had heard the financial- statetnene—
(Hear, hear.)_ He . brlgecl tomove that the debate
should be adjoerned.
Mr. COBDEN rose to second the motion of the lion.
Member for Finsbury, and must say that he had listened
with great attention and with much satisf iction to the
ap,sech of the Right Hon. Gentlemen, (ji
hear.
This was not merely to be clwidereu as a financial but
as an educational cpresiott.--(llear, hear.) He had sat
nn a Committee to inquire into the state of education in
the conntry,'And be f inad that alMeAt ;
-TlsUvrable diffi-
culties were pre'sented t,o 1410..ethlea.tieu ot the
seopie
hy themsolve-tietir; -liens.)—ltwaa .his ~Tits wish to
contribute to the removal of those difficulties by the
repeal of the taxes wall which they Proposed to deal,
because they were taw that sueeted the ethiestiou of

PKIDAY EVENING, APRIL 23, 1852.

the people._(gear, hear.) He was struck with a fact
which h al been mentioned on the subj-ot by a gentleman
who took great psins on the; ject—Mr. John Cassell
—who tradeniblished a great number of valuable works
for tho labouring classes. He had placed in his hand a
statement of thwe_publications with the amount of taxa-
tion imposed upon them by the legislation of that House,
and be told them that it weighed upon his efforts to
educate the working classes to the extent of 4,0001. a
year.—(Hear.) When the House pretended that it wished
to educate the people, and alleged that it had appointed
a Select Committee to consider how they could best
administer the public funds for the education of the
people, if they retained a law that would impose restric-
tions upon their self•edacation they would place them-
selves in the position of hypocrites before the world.—
(Hear, heir.) He could not convince himself that to re-
move the newspaper stamp would impair the revenue.
The newspaper stamp yielded 350,0001., and if they took
nil' the stamp, and dealt with newspapers like everything
else going through post, they might receive, if not the
entire, at least a large portion of that sum as postage.—
(Hear, hear.) Every stamp put upon a newspaper was
a stamp upon modern history, in which they we,re all
interested.—( Hear, hear.) The stamp on the newspaper
was the greatest obstacle to the progress of intelligence
in this country, because it kept the newspaper almost
entirely from the great mass of the people.—(Hoar,
hear.) It would ba of the greatest advantage to their
rural population to be enabled to inform themselves on
questions of labour, of wages, and of employment; also
with respect to the subject of emigration, the price of
land in the colonies, and in foreign countries, and the
cost of passage to Australia and to Canada.—(Hear,
hear.) Every person must admit that, if newspapers
containing such information should find their way to
greatest
advantage and small hamlets, it would be of the
advaetage by awakening curiosity on the part of the
population, and stimulating them to go where they
would get a better reward for their labour.—(Hear.)
That would tend to diminish the rates which now press
upon the rural districts, by stimulating the agricultural
population to go to other quarters where they would
better their circumstance; but at present the agriclil-
tural mind, so 'ar as the p, &gantry was concerned, was
as much a boat k on those questions as in the times of
their Saxon forefather.—(Hear.) A great number of
the persons who were lost in the Amiz in had relatives
living in England; end he had been Informed that one
of the great difficulties of the philanthropists who had
formed themselves into an association for the relief of
the relatives of those who were lost, was to find out the
friends of the parties, and in some cases they wont to
parties who had not previously heard of the calamity by
which their friends had suffered.—(Hear,. hear.) The
reasen of that was, because the greater part of the people
were shut out from hesring the current events of the
day,—( Hear, hear.) He thought this was a question
that affected the education of the people, and he hoped
from what the Right Honourable Gentleman bad said,
that the Government with which he is connected would
deal with it in a satislacmry manner.—(Hear, hear.) If
they carried out the suggestion of his Right Honourable
Friend they could do nothing that would be more calcu-
lated to give them popularity; it would make them more
popular than anything else they could do in their situa-
tion.—(Hear, hear.) He was inclined to hope forsome-
thing on this question from the Governmeut.—(Hear.)
He must bear his testimony to the fact, that in the Com-
mittee lest year he was pleased with the conduct of the
Member for the University of Dublin, who is now a
member of the Government.—(Hear, hear.) For his
conduct on this qoestion they felt they were deeply in-
debted to hies, and if his spirit animated the Cabinet
with which he is connected, they might hope to see the
questiosa fairly dealt with by the present Government.—
(Hear, bear.) If they did what was necessary, they
would receive it from their hands with as cordial a re-
cognition of its value as from any other Government.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL wished to make a re-
mark in repay to an observation that had been made in
reference to hide as he conceived it was calculated to lead'
to a misunderstanding of his conduct respecting House-
hold Words.
Mr. M. GIBBON—The Household Narrative.
The ATTORNEY-GENEUAL—He thanked the
Right Hon. Gentleman for setting him right, end he
begged to inform him that the information against the
Household Narrative had been filed by his predecessor in
office. It was insisted that it was a newspaper and liable
to stamp duty, and the matter was discussed in the
Court of Exchequer. The judges differed upon the
question, there being three to one in favour of the
exemption of the publication in questton.—(Hear,
hear.) The late Attorney-General and Solicitor-
General had the subject submitted to them for consi-
deration, and it was also submitted to the leading
counsel of the department of the Stamps and Taxes,
and they were all of opinion that the judgment of Baron
Parke was a more correct judgment than the judgment
of the majority of the Court.—(Hear.) When he (the
Attorney-General) came into office the case was laid
before him and the Solicitor-General, with the opinions
of their predecessors, and they considered the course
that was to be pursued. Without entertaining a very
strong opinion one way or the other, they felt it
was essential that the law should not be left in
the uncertain or unsatisfactory state in which
it was, and that it was desirable to obtain
the judgment of a superior tribunal.—(Hear, hear.)
Under those circumstances they recommended that a
writ of error should be issued, and the opinion of the
Court of Error taken on the question.—(Hear, hear.)
On reflection, he could not feel that he had acted other-
wise than with a due regard to the interests of the public,
and with an earnest desire that this important question
should be settled.—( Hear, hear.) In answer to the re-
mark of the Right Hen. Gentleman, that no prosecutions
had been impaired with respect to certain other publt-
cations, he b, gged to say that he never before had heard
of most (if tie rn, and that he had never seen any of
them. —(Hear. he tr.)
Me. CO AT AN hoped that they should not be placed in
a worse position or. filet day fortnight than they were
et that moment, and thought it would be satisfactory if
they r, ceivid some further assurance from the Right
119 n. Gentlemen.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—If the
Hon..Geirletnati wishes mu to tell him what I intend to
say ou Feidsy we' IC, it is really not in my powertodo so.
Mr. IM GIBBON.—I was not in the House, but I un-
derstand that the Right Hon. Gentleman said the ad-
vertisement and stamp questions are under the considera-
tion of the Government, and under the circumstances,
and with that understanding, I cordially agree to the
adjournment —(Hear,)
Pbe CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—I em
sorry there should be any mizeinderstanding on the part
of the Right Hon. Gentleman with respect to anything
I said. 8%) long as I have the conduct of the House I
should be very much annoyed if any deception had
taken place.—(Hear, hear.) I should not wish the Right
Hon. Gentlemen, or any of his friends, to think that the
question is under the consideration of the Government
at all with reference to his motion, or more specifically
than it is the duty of the Government to consider the
taxation of the country on all its branches; in that way
the consideration of those taxes is not omitted —(Hear.)
No statement has been made by me to lead him to sup-
pose that it is under more particular consideration—
( Hear)—the proposition for adjournment did not come
from toffs side.—(Hear.) I proposed no terms. I merely
=fated that on to-morrow week I shall wake tee financial
statemenr.—(Hear.)
Mr. 11U hoped the Government would well con-
sider the question, and begged to inform the Rght lion.
Gentleman of a fact which, perhaps, he was not aware
of. A deputation, consisting of about fifty or sixty in-
dividuals connected with the paper trade, having waited
on Lord John Russell, when he was at the head of the
Government, his Lordship distinctly stated to them that
he rested his objections to their proposition entirelxt.on
financial grounds, and as such only he would view i
(Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Hume) would suggest that.
newspaper stamp be removed, and let newspapers theh
passinge
put in the same category as letters and parcels
to
prive
through the Post-effice, fur they did not want
the
Government
of
a penny o(postage.—(Hear, hear,)
of newspapers
It appeared -that while 91,000 000 copies
in
the 3811,
were altogether circulated in this country
the number circulated in the United States amounted
to 422,700.000.—(Hear). He begged tNwih tor
o ocerllacttentiontnt:
a paper that had been established n
instruction of the neighbouring population. He (Mr.
Hume) thought Norfolk was
as much benightedsany
' county in the kingdom. A weaver_ published the u
paper
to which he had adverted with a fair desire to benefit his
fellow men; but in stepped the tax-office and said he
should not publish it. He (Mr. Hume) considered thu'
in an educational, moral, and fiscal point of view, this tax
was injurious to the public, and he was extremely happy
that his Hon. Friend bad moved the adjournment of the
debate, because by that course time would be given to
the Gevernuient to consider the subject. For his part,
he scarcely knew Any earaes that could be taken by
which the agricultural community would be more belie-
fitted than by taking off toe paper-tax.—(Elear, hear.
Mr, yg) mo A L'T regrettKl that the Hon. Member fur
geechsster had adopted the su:gestien for adjourning
the debate. He thought it would have been better 'to
have gone to a division, as the result would probably
have
had Abe effect of strengthening the hands of they
G(Ors-seument in any wish they might have to put att-sand
to this injurious twee But as it was, he hoped the mo-
tion was for a bona fide adjournment of the debate to a
specifi• d day.
Mr. FIiEWEN (amid cries of .teQI"sti°
deference to a resetureon passed said, in
at a meeting ot a com-
mittee in Sussex, embedied eeth Vie view ot procuring
she abulitiou of the b trl duty, to the effect, that as the
new Government had just then come into office it
would
only be fair towards them that he should postpone his
motion in referencate that question, he had accordingly
postponed that motion, not wishing
tmeeeeasariyt,,em.
hatless the Government at the very moment they came
into power.
The debate was thin adjourned to Wednesday the
12th May.
The Exchequer-bills (17,742,800/ ) Bill, as amended,
was considered.
The Linen, &c., Manufactures (Ireland) Bill was read
a third time.
Toe Loan Societies Bill and the Stock-in-Trade Bi
severally passed through Genneittee.
The [louse edieereee a• a Quarter past Ei
-[A

:ht o'clock

DVERTISEMENTT-----A. Life Guardsman, one of
the Heroes of Waterloo, cured of Rheumatism by Holloway's
Ointment and l'ills.—Mr. Thotnai Brunton, landlord of the
Waterloo Tavern, Coatham, Yorkshire, was afflicted for many
months with rheumatism and rheumatic gout. His legs were
dreadfully painful, and disfigured with colours of every hue,
frightful to behold. For ten weeks he was wholly unable to
walk, the treatment he received from several medical men not
only failing to do him any good, but leaving him in factina
considerably worse condition. At this juncture Holloway's Pills
_
and Ointment were resorted to, and by their.sole means hePsta:
been restored to health
,and 4rengto. bz DrAri
and been_
Professor 'Helloway's ZstablillsEnefft;- 244. Strand,
London. .
a
ELECTION
.EXPENSES.— An
W- d tted in the
zn* two years
life of Lord Jeffrey that his election expenses
allioutfo4 to t4O zand MU 9( C°‘. tiogiaNd Poo"' s