The Sun.
London, England, 1853-06-07 00:00:00

ROYAL SURREY ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.

THIS EVENING, Gigantic Panorama of the BAY and FORTS
of CHUSAN. Splendid Menagerie, including Six Elephants, Four
Lions, Two Tigers,Two Giraffes, Camels, Leopards, Llamas, &c. Grand
Military Band, Conducted by Mr. Godfrey.—Vocal and Instrumen-
tal Concert ; Two Songs by Miss Cecily Nott ; Solo Clarionet,
Mons. Wuille, and Cornet A Piston, Mr. Phillips; Brilliant Dis-
play of Fireworks ; Feast of Lanterns ; Attack on the British Fleet;
Explosion of Chinese Fireships ; Grand Tableaux. Doors open from
9in the morning. Feeding the Animals at 5. Concert 6. Fire-
works half-past 9. Admisson Is.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
THE. DAY —Morning 11 min. after 2 Evening 31 min.aft. 2
To_lloßsow—Morning 47 min. after 2 Evening 4 min.aft. 3

DAILY WEATHER TABLE.

TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 1853.

State of the wind and weather at each of the following
places at nine o'clock yesterday morning. The stations
are arranged in order of latitude.
SOUTHAMPTON - W., gentle breeze—overcast.
FOLKESTONE-E., gentle breeze—overcast.
TUNBRIDGE-E., gentle breeze—cloudless.
GREENwion—Calm —partially cloudy.
STROOD-S.E., calm—cloudless.
SWINDON-N.W., light breeze—partially cloudy.
CAMBRIDGE-S., calm—cloudless.
HOLYHEAD-S.W., gentle breeze—fine.

'I he returns from the following places indicate the state
of the weather on Saturday morning at nine o'clock
GREENWICH—N., gentle breeze—overcast.
HOLYHEAD—E., gentle breeze—fine.
WirITEY—N., gentle breeze—overcast.
DARLINGTON—N., strong breeze—cloudy.
SHAT.--N.W., gentle breeze—partially cloudy.

THE WEATHER.—Sus OFFICR, JUNE 7.

THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
67—highest since noon yesterday.
53—lowest this morning and during the night.
69 this day at noon.

BARO3f ETEE, 30'08.
WIND, N.N.W. -Fine, sunshiny weather.

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ibt
•

LONDON, TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 1853.

The Income Tax Bill has finally passed through
the House of Commons without alteration or im-
provement, with all its glaring imperfections and
inequalities. The Chancellor of the Exchequer
remained obdurate to the last, and steadily re-
fused to assent to any change, however urgently
required by justice or expediency. The Right
Hon. Gentleman was perfectly conscious of his
strength. He found that on this occasion he could
afford to despise the voice of public, opinion, and
he did so, without the slightest feeling of com-
punction or sympathy for the sufferers under the
iniquitous measure to which he lent the sanction
of his name. Well, be it so. The Fiscal and
Financial Reformers now know what they have to
look for ward to—they have seen the scandalous
tergiversation of many of their most trusted cham-
pions—they have seen others in whom they had
no reason to have reposed confidence faithful to the
last, and, when all (save honour) was lost, entering
their earnest protests against the atrocious enact-
ment. These matters will not be forgotten ; they
will sink deeply into the minds of the betrayed
and outraged people, and may possibly be pro-
ductive of very unexpected results when another
appeal shall be made to the country, and the be-
trayers have to meet the betrayed on the hustings,
and to solicit a renewal of the confidence so grossly
and so unwarrantably violated.
Were it not for the grave and melancholy im-
portance of the subject, it would be an amusing
task to rip up and expose the frivolous pretexts
by which the dereliction of duty, evidenced in the
unexplained absence, or the direct and unblush-
ing abandonment of principle was attempted—
We shall not say to be vindicated, for that was im-
possible, but to be reduced in amount. One had
confidence in the men, and was ready to endorse
any propositions,•howe'ver unreasonable—to vote
black white ha
of the Joint-Sek order to retain the services
Administration, lest any Mem-
ber of the Cabinetshould be disgusted at a servile
exhibited gusted
and
submission not being
an insuperable obstagcleex should place
" the therra way of the continu-
ance in office of
mired some other portion
or ts." Another ad-
proposition about to be brought thefor
exceed-
purchase :t some
ingly, that he was willing to purchwaasred,' So
at any r rice, however exorbitant. Whilelt thes
success
Tory clique, who saw that Mr. OLADSTON old
playing their game, and giving advantages asto
" the owners of accumulated and realised pro-
perty," which could not be anticipated from Mr.
DISRAELI, quietly absented themselves from the
discussions and divisions, ready to take advantage
when a suitable opportunity should arise, of the
disgust and indignation excited in the public
mind, at the outrageous injustice perpetrated at
the instance of the Coalition Ministry under the
Legilative sanction. Through the Ilegligel2o) and

apathy of some, the deliberate withdrawal of others,
and the shameless abandonment of principle,
by more, this unjust and impolitic measure has
received its third reading, and been passed by the
House of Commons.

It is a melancholy task to direct particular
attention to the proceedings. First, there was
a protest by the Hon. and Gallant Colonel the
Member for Oxfordshire, at a supposed injustice
perpetrated on a humble, but large, body of
men, which was easily shown to be altogether
founded on a misapprehension, and to have no
foundation whatever in fact. There are such
things as " fighting a cross" in politics as well
as in pugilism, and the bringing forward unjustifi-
able complaints has sometimes the effect of pre-
venting other matters with a better foundation
from being submitted for consideration.
The Hon. Gentleman the Member for Montrose
then stated his reasons for abandoning the at-
tempt even to improve in any degree, however
trivial, the measure, which he permitted to
pass without alteration or amendment of any
kind. The Hon. Gentleman professed his con-
tinued attachment to the cause of Fiscal Reform,
his belief that " no tax on incomes could be a just
one, and that a tax upon properly only was the
proper mode of raising the necessary revenue."
But he was so deeply enamoured of the tax on
successions that he could not criticise any propo-
sition made to the Financial Minister who brought
it forward, and, therefore, he gave his unquali-
fied adhesion to the Bill, the monstrous injustice
of which he had so frequently and so powerfully
denounced. The third reading was subsequently
carried by a majority of 134, there being only
found 55 Members to record their votes against
it. Some clauses brought forward by Sir FITZ-
ROY KELLY, for the purpose of giving relief
to the earners of small industrial incomes,
were, although just and equitable in themselves,
negatived by almost equally decisive majorities,
and the Bill finally passed the Commons, and vir-
tually became the law of the land almost by
acclamation.

Such proceedings require no comment. We
may, however, remark, that although the tax has
been granted for seven years, it is still open to
the consideration and revision of Parliament at
any time. And we trust and believe that an
agitation will be commenced—an oppOsition or-
ganised that will enforce a reconsideration of the
subject before two years of the ten have elapsed.
If justice cannot be obtained from the present
House of Commons, it may from the new Parlia-
ment, the Members whereof will have to give
expression on the hustings to their views of Fiscal
Reform.

It has been asserted that Sir CHARLES WOOD'S
measure for the future Government of India is,
practically, neither more nor less than a continu-
ance Bill, which may be altered or amended, at
any time, as the exigencies of the case may re-
quire. That no pledge is given for any fixed or
determinate peri'od, and that, consequently, the
moment the necessary information has been ob-
tained—that the solution of the important pro-
blem—as to the form of Government best calcu-
lated to promote the welfare and happiness of
One liwudred and fifty millions of human beings ;
and also to advance the interests of the United
Kingdom—has been accomplished--when in fact
the matter is ripe for Permanent Legislation—it
will be competent either for the Government of
the day, or for any independent member to bring
forward propositions by means whereof the great
desideratum may be achieved. In support of these
views, the statements of Sir CHARLES WOOD in the
House of Commons, and also in his explanatory
letter to Mr. RUSSELL ELLICE and MAJOR OLIPHANT,
have been referred to. In the latter he says—" We
do not propose any fixed term for the duration
of this form of Government, as we think
it advisable that it should be open at any time to
the consideration and revision of Parliament."
From these premises, then, it is argued, that the
earnest request of the native population has been
:substantially granted, and that there is no just
ground of complaint as to the apparent perma-
nency of the measure.
We cannot concur in these conclusions. On
the contrary, we feel bound to record our earnest
dissent, and to emphatically warn all the friends
of India—all those desirous of opposing the most
monstrous job attempted for many years—against
being deceived or led astray by these plausible
fallacies. The matter must of course remain open
to the consideration and revision of Parliament
at any time. The East India Company is not
now in a position to make a bargain, or stipulate
for conditions. Nothing is better settled than
that there must be two parties to a contract, in
order that it should be binding. There should be some
valuable consideration proceeding from both sides.
Without that, it would be what in law is denominated
a nudum pactum, and, as such, absolutely and
entirely void ab initio. Now, the Company pos-
sesses no claim of any kind on the British nation ;
it has nothing to give up ; no privileges to sur-
render, which could be made the groundwork of a
valid and binding agreement. There is no doubt
that it formerly possessed such privileges ; that it
was entitled to a monopoly, and one of a very
profitable character, the value of which might be
estimated in some degree by any middle-aged
housekeeper who some thirty years since was
accustomed to pay from Bs. to 12s. per pound for
tea far inferior to that which can now be obtained
for from 4s. to 55., and yet we can remember the
harrowing predictions, the gloomy anticipations,
that were uttered as to the more than probable
results of the destructive and unconstitutional
project of throwing open the Chinese ports to
British merchants. The teas were to be
poisoned, and robberies and villanies of the
most atrocious description perpetrated daily,
if we consented to receive our teas
through any channels but those provided
by the Leviathan of Leadenhall-street. These
gloomy vaticinations were, however, disregarded.
The Government and the Parliament determined
that, to a certain extent at least, there should be
" Free-Trade " with China, and that every per-
sona restriction should be forthwith abolished,
and there has certainly been no reason to regret
the decision then arrived at.

But the goodwill of the parties was purchased
at a tolerably high figure. The Proprietors had
certainly no reason to complain of the liberality
of JOHN BULL. Not only was it agreed that, for
every one hundred pounds of capital stock em-
barked in the concern, they should receive an an-
nuity of £lO 10s. per annum, guaranteed not to
be redeemed or tampered with for forty years,
and then only to be redeemed on payment of
£2OO for every £lOO stock ; but, in addition, by
far the greater part of the entire Indian patronage
was handed over to the Directors, and therefore
practically to the Proprietors for twenty years,
which term will expire in 1854. It is impossible
to estimate the value of that patronage, or as to
the mode of its exercise in India. But we can
form some estimate as to its value in this country.
We know that there are about two hundred and
twenty infantry, and about 30 cavalry cadetships,
30 writerships, and 50 medical appointments an-
nually disposed of ; and, estimating an infantry
cadetship at 1,0001. (it was proved to have been
sold for 1,0501. in a certain trial, to which it is
unnecessary at present more particularly to refer),
the cavalry at 1,5001., writerships at 4,0001. (far
below their actual value), and the medical appoint-
ments at the same as the infantry cadetships-10001.
each—we shall find that the patronage thus deli-
vered was worth no less than 435,0001. per an-
num, which, for the twenty years, was, without
charging interest, worth 8,700,0001. sterling, or
2,700,0001. more than the entire capital stock of
the Company. And here we may remark that,
although the writerships and medical appoint-
mentss.t are, according to Sir CHARLES WOOD'S pro-
position,
still
remain
ion, to be thrown opento public competition,
the militaryto appointments
with
s
cathveairDyireantdor
infantry,
m consequence of th • • c who,
will have the pat eir diminished numbers,
30 parts, now
distributed
among
18 persons.
that, although the these matters to show
arrangements
entered into in
c
1833 (shortly after the ex
iteme
• t
the paging of the Reforms Bill coui nt co nse quen on
not hitherto