The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-27 00:00:00

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SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Clock

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT,

HOUSE OF COMMONS—(THIS DAY.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at twelve o'clock.
The Reading Market and Weston-Super-Mare Water-
works Bills were considered and agreed to.
Mr. W. EVANS presented a petition against Church
Rates.
Mr. FITZGERALD presented a petition from Ennis
against the Advertisement Duty.
Mr. BAIRD presented a petition in favour of the
Public House (Scotland) Bill.
On the motion of BENNET, the evidence taken
before the Huddersfield Election Committee was ordered
to be printed.
ATTORNEYS' CERTIFICATE DUTY BILL.
On the order of the day for the second reading of this
bill being read,
Lord R. GROSVENOR said that since this bill had
been introduced, the Chancellor of the Exchequer had
declared his intention to deal with the tax ; and on Sa-
turday last be (Lord R. Grosvenor) had accompanied a
deputation of professional gentlemen to the Chancellor
of the Exchequer to lay before him the reason why they
were dissatisfied with the measure of reduction proposed.
They hoped that before the time that the resolution of
the right bon. gentleman came before the house, the rea-
sons laid before him would induce him to yield to their
wishes or else to state that it was the intention of the
Government to propose this partial_ reduction previous to
a further reduction, and finally a total abolition of the
tax. If neither of those alternatives should be adopted,
it would be his duty to propose an amendment
to the resolution of the right hon. gentleman pledging
the house to the abolition of the duty. He should, there-
fore, postpone the second reading until Wednesday, the
Ist of June.
Mr. BASS said he had always opposed the motion of
the noble lord, not because he saw any peculiar fitness
in a tax on attorneys' certificates, but because other
trades and professions being taxed in a similar manner,
he saw no reason why attorneys should be the first to be
relieved. The Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
it appeared, proposed to reduce the tax upon attorneys,
but he also proposed to imposetTon seven other branches
of trade very important restrictions. He was informed that
the certificate duty to be imposed upon Barclay and Co.
would amount to 2,8501., while the whole amount which
was to be raised from brewers and malsters would
amount to no less a sum than 100,000/. He understood
that so great were the difficulties anticipated in the prac-
tical operation that the right hon. gentleman had under-
taken to reconsider this part of his proposition, and as in
fact it amounted in plain English to an additional malt
tax of 100,0001., he thought it very desirable that the
subject should be well and duly considered in all its
bearings. He had no objection to such a capitation tax,
if it were made general, but if it were confined to a few
branches of trade only, it was nothing less than confis-
cation and communism.
Captain SCOBELL said that he had also similar
representations to make with respect to the tea and
tobacco dealers, but as he understood the Chancellor of
the Exchequer had undertaken to reconsider this por-
tion of his scheme, he should postpone his remarks for
the present.
The second reading of the bill was then postponed
until Wednesday, the Ist of June.
AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS BILL.
The report on this bill was brought up and agreed to.
Mr. FITZROY brought up several new clauses hav-
ing reference to costs and the removal of indictments by
writs of certiorari, which were agreed to.

JUDGES' EXCLUSION BILL.
The report on this bill was agreed to.
ABSCONDING DEBTORS' BILL.
The second reading of this bill was postponed until
Wednesday next.