The Sun.
London, England, 1830-02-23 00:00:00

EAST INDIA TRADE.

Mr. W. DUNDAS presented a petition from the Cor-
poration of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh, praying
for a removal of the restrictions on the trade between this
country and the East Indies.
MALT TAX.

Sir E. KNATCIIBULL presented four petitions from
places in the county of Kent, praying for a repeal of the
Malt Tax ; and also several other petitions from the same
county, complaining of distress, and praying for relief.
Colonel SIB f HORPE presented a petition from Horn-
castle, which he read at length. It set forth in strong
language the distress under which the country was labour-
ing, and prayed the Honourable House to retrace its steps.
After a few observations from Sir W. INGILBY, the
petition w:;s ordered to lie upon the table.
Mr. WELLS presented a petition from tha inhabitants
of Toubridge Wells, praying for a repeal of the Malt Tax.
The llon. Member said the petition had his most hearty
support.
Mr. O'CONNELL presented a petition from the city of
Waterford, complaining of the conduct of the Mayor in a
late election, and also a petition from Drogheda, set-
ting forth the evils that daily resulted from the operations
of the Sub-letting Act, and praying for a repeal. The
Hon. Member then moved for certain Returns connected
with the Coal Trade of Dublin.

Sir JOHN OWEN presented a petition from Narbeth,
complaining of general distress.
REDUCTION OF TAXES.

Mr. ROBINSON gave notice that on Friday, the 19th
of March, he should submit a resolution to the House to
the effect—That it was expedient to relieve the labouring
classes, by a repeal of the Duties on Sugar, Candles,
Soap, Malt, and Beer, and every other article practicable
of reduction, and that it was advisable that an equitable
Property Tax should be resorted to.
CLARENCE BRIDGE.

Mr. CIIARLES PALLMER brought up a Bill for
erecting a Bridge across the River Thames, from Church-
street, Lambeth, to the Horse Ferry-road, Westminster.
Mr. HUME moved for returns relating to the
collection of the assessed taxes. The Hon. Member said
that he had received information from all parts of the
country, that there was more difficulty in collecting these
taxes than all the others put together, which fact, when the
returns were presented he should be able to prove, and
also that the public revenue would be much benefited by
a repeal of them.
Mr. HUME then moved for a return of the salaries
and expenses of the Receivers-General of Assessed Taxes
in Ireland.—Ordered.
Mr. HUME said, that be (lid strongly object to the
Naval Estimates being all voted in one sum. He wished
to have the expenditure of the Marines under a different
head, which was necessary to enable him to ascertain the
pay of the officers and men of that corps, so as to form a
correct estimate of the expenditure of last year.
Mr. HUME then moved for a return, which he hoped
the Chancellor of the Exchequer would not object to. It
was fOr the amount of the rental of each parish within the
bills of mortality.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER had no
objections to the returns, but would rather have a little
time to consider of it.
Mr. HUME would not press his motion.
Mr. WESTERN presented a petition from a place in
Essex, praying for a repeal of the Malt Tax.
Mr. R. COLBORNE was of opinion that the tax on
malt and beer was not of that injury to the country,
as was generally supposed. It did not increase the
price on a pot of porter more than one halfpenny.
He would, however, take this opportunity of calling the
attention of his Right Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, to the licensing system.—(Hear, hear.)—
If he would take up that important subject, it would
be of more advantage than reducing the duty on beer.
It would also in his (Mr. Colborne's) opinion be of con-
siderable advantage to the labouring classes if the duty on
spirits were raised 2s. or 3s. a gallon. He threw out
these hints as worthy the consideration of his Right lion.
Friend.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said it
was his intention on an early day to move for a Committee
to inquire into the present state of the Licensing System,
particularly as related to the licensing of houses for the
sa!e of beer.—(Hear, bear.)
Mr. W3l. SMITH said that the reduction of duty on
British spirits had been attended with very bad results.
Ile had no hesitation in declaring that it had not at all
benefited any part of the community. The introduction
of Irish and Scotch spirits, at a reduced duty, into Eng-
land, had been the means of causing that abominable
beverage to be taken by the lower classes instead of beer.
That one Act had done more harm than any Act had done
good since the time of the union of the countries.
Mr. HUME said that when this subject came proporly
forward for discussion he should be chic to show thet
she same outcry had been made fifty years ago against
the general consumption of spirits, in concequence of
the duty upon it being so low. The notion of benefit
arising from a high duty upon spirits, was quite erroto ous.
The duty that had been removed from spirits in Scotland
had completely put an end to the practice of smug-
gling. The smugglers throughout the West !Ugl—
ier ds, who had been so numerous, had now
returned to their sober and industrious habits. It was ex-
tremely hard that those who chose and could indulge in
the use of wine, and who had been so anxious to have the
duty taken off it, should grudge the use of spirits t t the
pool cc class olsooirty. Tile lowering of the wine duty had led
to an increased comutoption, and greatly to the advantage

of the revenue. A heavy duty either upon spirits, or Any
article of that sort, was calculated only to demoralize and
greatly injure society. The Chancellor of the Eichequer
onght to have lowered the duty upon spirits, and also to
have lowered the malt duty when the duty on wine Was
reduced.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said his
object was to move for a Committee to consider the licens-
ing system with respect to beer, and if possible to give the
means of a freer sale of beer without at all endangering
those interests for which those restriction■ were originally
i:npos2d.
111 r. SMITH was sure that his Right Hon. Friend
would de more in this way to clear away the difficulties
generally regarding the Parochial Law than by auy other
single act it vas possible to reduce.
General GASCOIGNE concurred in the opinion, and
he hoped the Right Hon. Gentleman would not be inti-
midated by any opposition he met with from the Repre-
sentatives of Ireland and Seotland. He certainly was of
opinion that there ought to be a reduction of duty on beer,
and that the duty on spirits ought to be increased.

Mr. GORDON agreed in the propriety of reducing the
Beer Duty, but could not concur in the proposition for
raising the duty on spirits. He thought Gentlemen who
were the most willing to indulge in the use of wines, kc.,
were too apt to view with an unfair feeling those things that
contributed to the happiness, and therefore to the existence,
of the poorer classes of society. Even as to amusements,
there were those who railed against bull-baiting, cock-
fighting, and so on, who nevertheless were the first to
keep their hunters and hounds, and to indulge in
sports of another sort.—(Hear, hear.)—He could not
help thinking that while the higher classes indulged in
their luxuries they did not sufficiently consider the com-
fort of the poor ; their only resort very frequently was in
the way of comfort to take a dram,—(Much laughter,)—
and to that many undoubtedly had been driven by the pre-
vailing distrebs of the country.—(Continued laughter.)

Col. DAVIES considered the amusemenis of the two
classes of society very different indeed. Bull•-baiting and
cock-fighting were not only for the amusement of the
poorer classes, but for the purpose of aseembling to-
gethe a mass of the most notorious pickpockets,
as well as the greatest ♦agabonds that infest society.
if Newmarket and fox-bunting were to be attended by
the same characters, he would be the first that would rise
up with a view to put them down. He wee far from ad-
vocating any thing calculated to oppress die poor, but if
some Hon. Gent, would take the trouble of visiting the game:
of the artizan, and these seeing his wife and children in
a state of almost absolute starvation, while he was in a
public-house getting drunk, he thought such Members
might not be so very anxious for a low duty upon spirits.
He by no means wished to have such a duty imposed as
would in lobo exclude dram-drinking ; but certainly spirits
ought to bear a moderate duty.
Mr. BROWNLOW considered that the reduction of the
du'y on Irish spirits to one half of what it had been had
deubl,d the revenue of the Exchequer, and if the Right
Hun. Gentleman acted wisely upon this subject he would
continue to keep up only a moderate duty on spirits.
Mr. BRIGHT was also favourable to a reduction of
the duty. He considered that the reduction of
the Malt Duty would do a great deal, but he was
perfectly srtisfied that the reduction of the hop duty wonld
do infinitely more.
After some further conversation the petition was ordered
to be laic on the table.

The Marquis of CHANDOS presented a petition from
the West Indian Merchants and Planters, setting forth
the extreme distress wider which that portion of the
public laboured, and praying fur a reduction of the duty
on sugar and rum. He fully concurred in the prayer of
the petition. _ _

Mr. DOUGLAS seconded the motion, and cordially
concurred in the prayer of the petitioners.
(LINT SPEAKING.)

BRUSSELS AND GERMAN PAPERS.

FROM THE WESEIt, FEB.
(From a Stuttgard Journal.)
The public journals have for some time past amused their
readers with vat ious accounts of the supposed motives for
the journey of his Serene flighness the Duke of Bruns-
wick to Paris. We will not pretend to investigate these
accounts, but we believe that we may affirm, in reference
to them, that the execution of the measures which may be
eventually adopted by the German Diet against his High-
ness, is by no means so near as those journals appear to
suppose. For, if we are rightly informed, the Diet did not
resume its sittings till the commencement of this month.
Whoever, therefore, is not wholly uninformed of the mode
in which business is carried on in it, will easily imagine
that a period of several months will elapse before measures
can be carried into execution, with regard to which it is
highly probable that the report has not even been made,
much less a resolution adopted.

STOCKNOLII, JAN. 29.

On Sunday the King gave an audience to a deputation
of the citizens who came to claim his protection against
the inconsiderate zeal which would abolish all at once the
privileges granted by the Constitution to the citizens, by
introducing an unlimited liberty for all kinds of trade and
manufactures. M. Weser, Burgomaster of Stockholm,
who was at the head of the deputation, expressed to the
King in his speech the gratitude of the citizens fur the
wisdom and goodness with which his Majesty had hitherto
prevented this measure from being too much extended.—
This Magistrate also presented to the King a plan drawn up
by the citizens, for modifying the rights and prerogatives of
the manufacturing classes, as well as the mercantile com-
panies, without infringing the privileges of the citizens.
The King replied—" Gentlemen, as supreme protector of
the privileges of the four orders of the kingdom, I must
make a difference between that which bears the character
of a pure and simple interpretation of these privileges, and
what the necessities of the times may require. In en-
raging in an order to renounce the immunities which the
Sovereign granted it, at a time when the country laid the
first foundations of its commerce and its industry, it
would have been desirable that an equivalent for the sacri-
fices required from that order could have been laid on the
altar of the country. The step which you take gives me
an opportunity to remind you of what I said to your order
at the close of the Diet of 1815—" In the eyes of a citizen
kindthis
corfo
%gyn.:L:4e Tilni a
et
onnofibdoednye
em
with
the civic crown ought to be of more value than any other
y isypouutre
Ky oi
ngr
.cl a ilm willto
examine with the attention they deserve the observations
that you have made to me. The defender of the righte of
all, I shall not forget yours. You have the same rights as
the other Swedes to the justice and good-will of your King.

VIENVA, FRB. 8.
His Imperial Highness the Archduke, Viceroy of the
Kingdom of Lombardy and Venice, arrived at Venice oM
the 31st of January, and was received with an enthusiast-12
difficult to be described by the pnpulation of that city,
who were to enter the following day in the enjoyment of
tile advantages expected from the opening of the free port.
To commemorate this benefit, the merchants of Venice
delivered to the general committee for charitable purposes
the sum of 44,000 Austrian lire, to be distributed among
the poor of the city, where, as elsewhere, the winter has
been extremely severe.
VIENNA, E 613. 1.--Metalliques, 1031; Four per
Cents., 96 11-16; Bank Shares, 1282.

The Queen of the Irish Beggars was on Wed-
needs), put to the bar of the Police Court on the double
charge of begging, and of being drunk and dir-orderly op
the streets. This dame, whose name is Mrs. TAYLOR,
resides at the back of the Castle, and makes her begging
calls in a four-wheeled carriage of her own, drawn by
one or two beggar's brats. When her Maztisry gets a
glass too much, she is in the habit of assuming all the
state and consequence of royalty.—" Slaves draw Lay
carriage to the gin-shop."—" Fellow, fill me a half quar-
tern of the best tfollands ; I can't drink your abominable
low trash of whisky—l am daughter of the Duke of
Lenetrrza, the King of Ireland." " Ilurra for ould
land—another nogging for ould Ireland," &:•. In one of
these royal fits on Tuesday, after getting her gill, she
beat her lazy twits severely, which attracted the notice of
BARNEY M'PIKE, the patrols, who did her the honour
of drawing her carriage to the Police Office, from whence
she was on Wednesday sent to Bridewell for thirty day&
It came out in evidence that this lady's income, obtained
by mendicity, and spent in the manner already described,
amounted on the average to about 59. per
(lonian Mercury.