The Sun.
London, England, 1830-04-16 00:00:00

OBSERVATION S.

The expenditure for the maintenance of the Poor in that
period does not appear to have increased in so great a pro-
portion, being only four times in the space of 40 years;
consequently doubling itself only every 20 years. For law,
removals, expenses of officers, &c. the increase was nearly
eleven times in that period ; doubling the first amount
about every twelve years.
The most rapid increase of expenditure was, in the
"money expended for other purposes," under the heads of
"church rate, highway rate, county rate, &c." being no
less in 1815, than one-fourth part of the whole money
raised (although the amount of sums returned under those
heads are far short of the truth, for the reasons explained
in the remarks on the answers to the second and sixth ques-
tions, page 8), doubling itself more than tour times since
the year 1776 ; it must, however, be observed that the
great and general increase has taken place only since the
year 1785 ; but there not being any similar abstract of re-
turns from that year to 1803, a space of eighteen years, it
would he difficult to state in what precise year it com-
menced ; but the increased expenditure between 1803 and
1815 appears in each column to he nearly equal, with the
exception of the " money for other purposes," which is
greater than the others by one-fourth.
The increase of Paupers relieved between 1803 and 1815
was nearly one-third ; and that of the population of Eng-
land and Wales, from 1776 to 1815, was gradual, front
about seven and a half to ten millions ; being likewise an
increase of one-third.

It is necessary to observe that the foregoing abstract
does not include the number of persons relieved, not being
parishioners, an account of whom was taken for the year
1803, amounting to 194,000. This class of Poor must
have contributed very largely to the increase of the expen-
diture since that period, from the natural operation of the
war ; in assisting the wives and families of the military
and navy, to proceed to their different homes; particularly
from the metropoliii awl different sea-port towns ; includ-
ing a great proportion of the natives of Ireland.
Front the abstract as printed in 1804, it appears that
from the returns made to the Tax-office for the year ending
April, 1804, that the rental:of real property in England
and Wales, amounted to 38,000,000/. ; and the summary
of real property as assessed to the property-tax in the year
1815, amounted to nearly 52,000,0001. being an increase
of nearly oneAialf in that period.
The actual rate in the pound upon the property liable
to assessment, averaged, in the year 1804, 2s. 10d., or
nearly one-seventh part ; and the actual rate in the pound
during the years 1813, 1814, and 1815, as shown by
this abstract, averaged 3s. I id: being between a sixth and
seventh part of the pound, or an increase of rather more
than lid per cent.
It may also be worthy of observation, that although the
average rate in the pound which the amount of real pro-
perty in England paid to the levy of the poor rates, Was
3e. 2d. (vide page 573) ; yet the rate in the pound varied
in the different counties from Is. 7d. to 6s. 11 id. as per
the summaries of Northumberland and Sussex, (page 388
and page 470.) To point out more clearly the great dis-
proportion of the rates of the different counties, as at pre-
sent levied, it is only necessary to observe, that three
counties, via. Cumberland, Northumberland, and West-
morland, were rated under 2s.

Cambridge
Chester
Cornwall
Derby •
Durham
Gloster

18 Counties under Ss.
Huntingdon
Lancaster
Lincoln
Middlesex
Monmouth
Rutland

Salop
Somerset
Staftbrd
Worcester
York E Riding
'
N. Riding

Again, 12 Cow'
Devon
Dorset
Hereford
Hertford
And that 9 Count
Bedford
Berks
Bucks

mties, from 3s. and
Leicester
Norfolk
Northampton
Nottingham

under 45., viz.
Surrey
Warwick
Wilts
York, W. Riding
eding 45., viz.—
Southampton
Su trolk
Sussex.

,ies were rated exee,
Essex
Kent
Oxford

Yesterday morning the Princess VICTORIA,
accompanied by her attendants, visited the Panorama, in
Leicester. square, of Sydney and Calcutta.
SHOOTING A GAMEKEEPER.—At the Glou-
cester Assizes, on Thursday, Wat. RANDALL, labourer,
stood charged with having, on the 20th of Neirember, at
the parish of Standish, fired a pistol loaded with slugs,
and pieces of lead, at JOSEPH Warr's, with intent to
murder, disable, or inflict some grievous injury upon him.
The prosecutor, in this case, was at first reluctant to pro-
secute, and actually submitted to he committed to prison,
rather than be bound over to prosecute. He was after-
wards, however, liberated on finding sureties for his ap-
pearance at the Assises.—After a long but interesting
trial, Mr. Baron BOLLAND having summed up, the Jury
consulted for about five minutes, and then found the pri-
soner guilty of firing the pistol, with intent to intimidate
the pro4ecutor, and thus effected his escape, but not with
intent to murder or disable. His Lordship having ex-
plained to them, they returned a verdict of Not Guilty.
A LAUGHING COLONEL.— An old Colonel,
who used to he invited with us to dine at LUNA'S house,
had such a propensity to laughter, that, after having once
yielded to its influence, be could net restrain himself so
long as any thing remained to excite it. I used to make
him burst into a horse-laugh whenever I chose, only by
winking at him ridiculously. Upon one occasion, when a
great number of persons were assembled at table, a fancy
came across me to try whether a grin and an odd remark
would have the same effect upon him in company. It
answered marvellously well. He could not restrain a
burst of laughter, which rather startled the rest of the
party,—'o whom, however, I managed to convey a hint,
and they immediately entered into the spirit of the joke.—
Each, in his turn, told some extraordinary anecdote, or
amnaedwe,sotmilleaotdidastreihniasrkla,ugattawerhibeeheate
than some one made a
qCtioaleoneallairimmtg.o—u t
The consequence was, that hedid not swallow one mouth-
ful. during dinner; for, no sooner did lie attempt. to intro-
duce a bit of food into his odd mouth, which even then
risible propensity, sad the meat was suffered to return to
laughable hdaittlerotedhsebrvyaati:nurwrleirctiaggraTn, excited the poor man's
his plate untested. Me afterwards complained that, in
addition to his having lost his dinner, his sides were quite
sore with the exertiosi...-Hardy's.Trovels in Mexico.

There were now no more thoughts of peace,
and the Hamiltons, with their western friends
and allies, rushed in fury up the lanes which lead
from the Cowgate, where the Bishop's Palace
was situated, intending to take possession of the
High-street; but the Douglases had been before
hand with them, and already occupied the prin-
cipal street, with the advantage of attacking
their enemies as they issued in disorder from the
narrow closes or lanes. Such of Angus's fol-
lowers also as had not lances, were furnished
with them by the favour of the citizens
of Edinburgh, who handed them over their
windows. These long weapons gave the
Douglases great advantage over their enemies,
and rendered it easy to bear them down, as they
struggled breathless and disordered out of the
heads of the lanes. Nor was this Angus's only
piece of fortune : Home of Wedderburn, also a
great adherent of the Douglases, ar►ived while
the battle was yet raging, and, bursting his way
through the. Netherbow gate at the head of his
formidable borderers, appeared in the street in a
decisive moment. The Hamiltons were driven
out of the city, leaving upwards of seventy men
dead, one of whom was_ Sir Patrick Hamilton,
the advocate for peace. The Earl of Arran and-
his natural son were so far endangered, that,
meeting a collier's horse, they were fain to throw
off' its burden, and, both mounting the same
miserable animal, they escaped through a ford in
the loch which then defended the northern side
of the city.—Dr. Larchier's Cabiaet Cifclo-
pcedia, Vol. IV.