The Sun.
London, England, 1830-10-11 00:00:00

Treasury ; while tbat which furnished the largest
amount—Ow -Beer ceases this day. It
no doubt, the duty of those who conceive the chap
meter of the Government concerned in the deficiency
or excess of the revenue, and who :consider them-
selVes charged With its defence, to put the best face
upon the. matter; anti we are, accordingly, not
surprised to find an evening print, which arrogates to
itself the patronage of the Treasury, endeavouring to
smooth the matter over in the following manner :----
" The deficiency arising in the Excise may be easily ac.,
counted for, if we bear in mind the financial measures
adopted for the reduction of taxation,in the present,year,
and which have materially affected the receipts of the pre-
sent quarter, in the duties on beer, leather, and eider; for
though the duties on beer will not expire till the 10th
instant, brewers have been permitted to brew and store
beer flee of duty singe the Bth of April. _ .

" The 'avera'..te prodiuu which would have accrued froM
the beer duties in the current quarter, would amount to
about 700,000/ We cannot take the deficiency arising
from the holding back of duty at less than. half the 'duty ;
the net, deficiency, therefore, for which credit must be al.
li►wed; will be 350,000/.
" The duty on Leather ceased on the sth of 'July. As
the stock on hand was probably nearly sufficient to supply
the consumption from the 15th of March, when the inten-
tion of repealing the duty was made known, till the day of
the. repeal, -very little was manufactured in the mean time.
tinder this bead we may safely calculate that a further de-
ficiency of 55,0001. has taken place.
" The decrease thus arising front repeal of duties
amounts to 405,000/.

" If credit, therefore, be taken for a loss by repeal of
duties to the extent of 400,000/., it will be seen that there
is actual Increase, arising from increased consumption of
other excisable articles., to the amount of 87,000/. - This
increase principally arises from articles tending to shew
the increasing means of the people."
This is but a lame defence, or rather an apology
so palpably erroneous, thut no person of the slightest
reflection can place reliance on- it. The breweri
have certainly been permitted to brew and store beer
shice the Bib ..April; but independent of the
impossibility, of finding room to store such an extra
quantity as would account for n falling off of half the
nmuunt:eallected, it ought to be remembered that,
the 'pehlic has been consuming taxed beer, according
to its means, during the. last quarter, just as it did
during the -correspending quarter of 1829; and that
there could not in consequence have risetLA:4o-ciency
to the amount stated. The same obseAtition applies
to leather, cider, &c., while with regard to- the.
increase of some 10,0004, which our cotemporary
states "arises principally from articles tending to
show the increasing means of the • people," we
are really, at as much loss to know where to
fled these articles as we are astonished at the-
folly which could pretend, to discover, in a
few thousand pounds of increase, a proof of " the
increasing means of the, people." In the CustoMs
there is a falling off—in the Excise, notwithstand-
ing the occurrence of the elections, which usually
make a considerable addition to the Revenue in that
department, there is a tremendous decrease, and
such is also 'the case in the Miscellaneous and Stump
Department ; so that the only increase is in the
branehes'of the Taxes and the Post-office--an in-
crease utterly insignificant, and which says nothing
in proof " of the increasing means of the people."
The increase in the Post-office department may, in
fact, be fairly attributed to the elections, and to the
arcumstance.of Members of Parliament not having
the privilege of franking. In making these ob-
servations we are not actuated ,by a spirit of
hostility towards his Majesty's Government,
or a desire to cast unnecessary blame upon
it. If the people have not the means of con-
sumption, the revenue must fall off; and if they
have not, it is not in the power. of the 'Government
to give them to them in greater abundatice,-,except
by a reduction of taxes, and, a removal of those
shackles which cramp their indtistry and commerce.
The Governtrient has already done something in
this way; and our object, in unveiling the Sophistry-,
of our coternporary,- is to 'sliest, that they have not
yet done enough—that trade must be made more
free—that more pensions and sinecures must be
abolished, and every department of the executive
placed on the most economical footing of which its
sufficiency will admit. This, at least, would be
deemed the most advisable course by individuals in
the management of their private affairs; and we are
strongly inclined to suspect, that what would he
prudence in them, would also savour of -wisdom
where the public is eonceined.—Morn. Advertiser.