The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-11 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JULY 11, 1853,

this respect, it differs from a charge assessed accord-
ing to the capitalised value of property, real or per-
sonal, but levied at fixed and certain periods--
and at equal rates. That would be fairly pro-
vided for the current receipts, without trenching
on the corpus of the fund. Not so, however, the
Succession Duty, which would fall at an unex-
pected period, and which might be one, three, five,
or even ten per cent. on the value of the pro-
perty, and which in eases where it could be easily
realised would be liquidated by a transfer of a
portion of the capital, or the sale of a slice of the
land ; or more probably where real estate was
concerned, and the successor did not choose to
part with any portion of the soil—by an applica-
tion to a money-lender, and the mortgage of a
considerable portion of his inheritance. Which
species of impost, then, we ask, is the more equi-
table, the one which presses with equal weight on
all, which comes at fixed periods, and the amount
whereof, and the time when it will be called for,
can be calculated with the most perfect certainty ;
or the other, which on each occasion falls three,
five, ten; or possibly twenty times as heavy on
one person as on another, and which may possi-
bly be called for four or five times oftener in the
case of the most heavily charged successions ?
And thus forty or fifty times the amount of money
be levied from one property as from another of
equal value. That this is no extreme case, or far-
fetched supposition, may be easily ascertained
by taking the cases of adjoining estates. The one
which has descended from parent to child in
unbroken succession will devolve only once in a
generation, or, on an average, in 30 years, the
period assumed by Mr. GLADSTONE as the basis of
his calculation ; the other, which has gone to
three or four brothers or more distant relatives,
or possibly to an uncle or great uncle, and thence
through his children and grandchildren succes-
sively, may easily have passed half-a-dozen times
within the same period—the heavier duty being
levied on each event. This is totally opposed to
the just and equitable rule " that every man
should be taxed according to his means and the
position he holds in the country ;" and we cannot
conceive how those who have objected to a gra-
duated Property Tax, on the ground that it
practically amounted to neither more nor less
than confiscation, can sanction, or even tolerate,
an impost so diametrically opposed to the prin-
ciple for which they contend, and the inequality
whereof greatly exceeds any ever contemplated
under a graduated Property or Income Tax.

But if the landowners will strongly object to
the impost when its operation is brought home to
their own thresholds, there will be even a stronger
objection on the part of those who so long and so

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all proprietors of unsettled personalty were liable
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—to the gross partiality still exhibited towards
the favoured class. They will insist that the
principle so broadly laid down by the Chancellor
of the Exchequer shall be fully and fairly carried
out. The Right Hon. Gentleman declared that the
inequality which so long prevailed was "an anomaly,
unjust in its nature, galling to the public feeling, and
becoming more galling from year to year." He
clearly proved that it was essential that real
estate, whether settled or unsettled, and also
settled personalty, should, for fiscal purposes, be
placed on the same foundation as unsettled per-
sonalty—that the duty on these various kinds of
property should be equalised; emphatically adding,
that " the only question was whether that equa-
lity was to be established by exempting from the
tax the property that then paid it, or by subject-
ing to the tax property that was then exempted?"
The latter course was that which he deemed it
most expedient to pursue. But, alas ! his practice
fell far short of his professions—he deliberately
abstained from doing that which he had previously
declared to be essential. In the first place, he
refrained from subjecting real estate or settled
personalty to the Probate or Administration Duties,
thus continuing their unjustifiable exemption as to
nearly a moiety—and that the most vexatious

moiety—of theburden ; and again, by establishing
an unnecessary and invidious distinction between
rateable and non-rateable property, charging the
former at only about one-half of the latter. Thus

the previous inequality caused by the Probate
Duties was further increased, until unsettled per-
sonalty paid four times as much on a succession to
persons in the same degree of consanguinity to the
deceased as real estate, while the Financial Mi-
nister was taking great credit for having equalised
the duties.

Let us offer an illustration as evidence of the
accuracy of our assertion, as proof that we have
rather understated the case. Suppose that a
tradesman and small landed proprietor died at
the same time, each leaving to his children pro-
perty of the estimated value of 10,000/.—the
one consisting of stock in trade, money at his
bankers, &c., and the other a compact and well-cir-
cumstanced farm. The children of the former
would, before they could draw a single pound
from the bankers, be obliged to pay 2001. Probate
Duty, if the father had left a will, or 3001. for
letters of administration, if he died intestate ;
and at the end of twelve months another 1001. by
way of Legacy Duty. The latter would have to
pay 501. in all, by four annual instalments of
121. 10s. each, the first not being payable until
twelve months—(the time when the 3001. or 4001.,
as the case might be, should be paid in full by
the tradesman's family)—and the remainder
spread over the four successive years. And this
is what Mr. GLADSTONE considers full and perfect
equality, with which he supposes Fiscal Reformers
will be contented as a permanent settlement of
the question. He is, however, greatly mistaken
on the subject. The agitation formerly offered to
the gross inequality will be resumed with greater
intensity when it is ascertained that the so-called
equalisation, the pseudo equitable arrangement, is
nothing but a gross mockery, and a glaring delu-
sion.

THE COURT.—We have reason to believe that her
Majesty and Prince Albert will leave town for Windsor
Castle, with the remaining youthful members of the
Royal Family remaining at Buckingham Palace, as soon
the Royal physicians pronounce it desirable, and will
probably subsequently proceed to Osborne until the pro..
rogation. The Court will shortly go into mourning for
his late Highness the reigning Grand Duke of Saxe-
Weimar, father of the Princess of Prussia, and uncle of
Prince Edward, and whose dangerous indisposition
caused the rather sudden departure of the Prince and
Princess and the young Princess Louisa for the con-
tinent.

THE PRINCE OF WALES.—His Royal Highness the
Prince of Wales, who, when he arrived at Windsor
Castle last week, was in a state of convalescence, is now
perfectly recovered, and rides out in the park twice
a day.

THE KING OF HANOVER.—Accounts have been re-
ceived from their Majesties, the King and Queen of
Hanover, mentioning their safe arrival in the Hano-
verian dominions. Their Majesties would have remained
longer in London, but for the breaking out of the measles
in our Royil family.
PROROGATION OF PARLIAMENT. —We believe the
Ministers intend, if possible, to get through the busi-
ness of the house, so that the prorogation of Parliament
may take place early in August ; but from the amount
of business before the house, it is difficult to come to any
precise calculations on the subject.
HEALTH OF LORD JOHN RUSSELL.—We are happy
to be able to state that Lord John Russell, who has
been indisposed for some days, is much better. On
Saturday evening the noble lord received a select circle
at his residence, Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park.
The Earl of Aberdeen and the Earl of Clarendon have
had several interviews with the noble lord during the
past week.

HARROW SCHOOL.—By her Majesty's gracious com-
mand, an extra week will be added to the ensuing Mid-
summer vacation, in honour of the birth of his Royal
Highness Prince Leopold.
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Saturdayn
DEPA
il
steam-ship Europa, Captain W. C. J. Lang, sailed from
the Mersey for Boston and Halifax, with the usual mails
for the United States and British North American pos-
sessions, 125 passengers, and a large cargo of general
merchandise on freight. Her mails were carried out in
charge of Lieutenant Reid, R.N., Admiralty_agent.
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND.—
GLOUCESTER, Saturday Night.—The arrangement for
the meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society, which
will be held next wnek at this city, are now in a for-
ward state. The actual business of the meeting in fact
hasanbd implementso ceceunp y toth
ebibe
pecommenced.xohsiiexhibited,
positions on
e w
next
t eol
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h oowf
Tuesday, tghreohuaanvgii
arrived,caunitdu r a
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several of the animals intended for competition
arrived, and were placed in their stalls. The exhibition
takes place on Llanthony Farm, in the occupation of
Mr. William Jones, situate close to Gloucester, on the
Bristol-road, and the grounds, which are quite level and
well drained, are admirably laid out.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.-(THIS DAY.)

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