The Sun.
London, England, 1849-04-17 00:00:00

PROSPECTIVE IRISH COMFORT.
Invitations have been issued for an iuterview of a
very peculiar and interesting descriteion. . To morrsw
Lord John Russell will be " at home" to th-e.whole body
of Irish. representatives, and will then and there put
them the very simple question, how they will like to be
taxed. It unfertunately happens that .he choice is but
limited, for there are two al;ernalives, and no more than
two—one, the tate in aid ; the other, Imperial taxation,
including, among less,r burdens, the income-tax and the
assessed taxes. My Lords and Gentlemen, it is for you
to decide. We shall he perfectly satisfied with which-
ever you choose When a question of this sort is put to
children, they commonly at swer that they would rather
have ne Hier ; but as we advance. through this vale of
tears we learn by sad experience that life does consist of
alternatives, and that we must often choose one of two
disagreeable courses. The hundred representatives of
Ireland may save themselves the trouble and disgrace of a
childish reply. Should they say" Neither," their refusal to
plead will only prejudice their cause. England, which
has buffered so much, and still suffers so much through
her costly sacrifices to atone for the accurnulsted sins of
Irish laudlordism, will not rest a day till Ireland main-
tains her own poor ; or at least does her utmost. If
Lord John cannot carry that point, another Minister
must be found who can and will carry it. There need
not be any hesitation as to which is the most bearable
evil. In the first place, income-tax and assessed taxes
amount together to a shilling in the pound on a middle
&ass income. Ask any professional man who makes
I,noo/. a year by his profession, and hen ill tell you that
the tax for his thirty-five windows, skylights, and air-
holes, for his one carriage, for his one horse, for his one
footboy, for his one dog, and his one seal, takes away all
the rest of the shilling left by the income-tax. On
the question of amount there can then be no rea-
sonable doubt. The question of permanence is equally
simple. We can just imagine the rate in aid shaken
off at the end of two years. Indeed, not only is its
period fixed, but it is actually contingent on a necessity
-which may or may not continue, and which is very likely
not to continue longer than two years. There is a great
probability that if the potato recovers its fecundity and
soundness, the twenty-two bankrupt unions will not res-
quire more than the proposed maximum rate of 7s. in
the pound ; and in that case there will be no levy on the
rest of Ireland. On the contrary, income tax and as-
sessed taxes, besides ,being of national character, are
things that cleave to a man and to his estate. They aro
a sort of leprosy upon a man and upon his beast, upon
his house and upon his land, upon his man-servant, and
everything that is his. Our younger reader, who has
just taken house or rooms, or lodgings, will for the first
time in his life receive a
disagreeable foolscap sheet co-
vered with inquisitorial inquiries in black and red ink,
with divers declarations to be filled up, and numer-
ous unintelligible directions. Let him take diligent
note of the day that foolscap sheet is first laid on
his table, for it will never depart from that
table, except to return before the twelvemonth is out. It
will pursue him through life. If he goes from one place
to another, he will find it in his new abode, an I will be
followed also with a duplicate sheet from that which be
has left. Every year he will have to sign at least sne
declaration for the assessed-taxes, and some three or
four for the income-tax. Every other year it will be in-
timated to him that he has not made a full and true re-
turn, and he will either have to submit to a further charge,
or go through the worry and expense of an appeal. This
will constantly occcur. As sure as Lady-day returns,
his enemies in black and red ink will knock at his door,
and infest his study-table. When he dies they will haunt
his heirs and executors, his successors in his house, and
his partners in his trade. Unless Irish gentlemen are
prepared to conjure back again the vermin St. Patrick
banished from the land, they will not tempt
their fate by asking for assessed or income-
'taxes. But besides the amount and the permanency
of these burdens, they are also far more vexatious than
a rate in aid. The inquisitorial character of the income-
tax has been so frequently discussed in these columns
that we will not repeat what even an Irishman must
know. We will speak only of the assessed taxes. There
is nothing in this country. so nearly amounting to I
per-
sonal slavery as these mposts. You cannot add a pan-
try to your house; you cannot open a loop-hole in your
cellar, or put a light over your hall-door; you cannot
ride a mile on old Dobbin the carrier's horse, you can-
not rescue a lost dog from starvation, and harbour him
for 24 hours, you cannot employ an occasional waiter
for one evening in the twelvemonth, you cannot write a
letter to your grandmother and seal it with yourgrande
father's seal, you cannot take an old pony from the pad-
dock and send a labourer on his back to summon the
doctor, you cannot send your carriage to be repaired and
sae an old " trap" once or twice in its stead, you cannot
employ a youth out of the village to help half a day
in your garden, you cannot exceed so
.many inches
of window, of wheel, or of pony ; in facto
you can hardly do anything without finding yours
selves liable to an overcharge, a summons, and
an appeal, and compelled either to put your name to
what is literally a false and insufficient declaration, or
pay duty for another dog, window, servant, horse, or
carriage, as the case may happen to be. Now we, En-
glishmen, can stand all this. We were born and bred
tax-payers. The iron has entered into our souls. We
begin life with a salutary presentiment of the tax-ge'
therer. We expect him, and ho comes. Death and the
tax-gatherer are common to us all. The Irishman has
not had this education for assessed taxes. He will fled
their tyranny absolutely insupportable. Nay, it was
avowed lately in Parliament that it would be imroisible
to collect them in Ireland. This we do not quite believe.
So long as there are soldiers and police, prisons and gal-
lows, iu Ireland, we entertain no doubt of our power to
collect any reasonable taxation. But there can be no
doubt assessed taxes are utterly abhorrent to the Irish-
man's disposition. We beg him, therefore, to weigh this
point with the consideration it deserves. Is he prepared
to pay assessed taxes toge ther with the income-tux for
ever, instead of a sixpenny rate on his land for two
years? We cannot think him so rash.—Times.

BLACKHEATH GOLF CLUB.—The annual reunios
of the noblemen and gentlemen members of this. dir
tinguished club, which has now existed for ups ards of
a century and a halt; and established for the promo'
lion and practice in England of golf the
must ancient and popular of all the Scottish
games and pastimes—wgs held on Saturday, to contest
for the spring medal, &c. Prior to the commence'
went of the play the annual general nit eting of the mem'
bers was held t the clubhouse, for the purpose (amoralothers) of receiving the report of the committee o
management, and a statement of the finances of the club,
which had previously been examined by the auditors*
Sir R. Anstruther, Bart., having been voted to the chair,
explained the objects of the meeting, after which Mail
Jell Sharp, the indefatigable honorary secretary and
treasurer, read the several reports, which were de'
Glared to be highly satisfactory, and of course wer°
duly received, confirmed, and adopted. The
Major then stated, that he had very great
pleasure in informing the amateurs and players of the
noble and truly manly and athletic game of golf, 00
a club had been established in the far East at BonabeTt
and that they had done this club the honour of forward;
ing a medal to be contested for by the members, sal
that such competition would take place on the second
Saturday in October. The election of officers followed'
Field-Marshal of the club, George Lindsay, Esq
Captain of the club, Archibald Hastie, Esq., Ig.-T
committee:—The Right Hon. Fox Maule, M.P.,
Hale, E:.q., T. Ritchie, EN., Francis Grant, Esq., an:
C. Sutherland, Esq. Major Sharp here announced that
the contest for the gold medal—the principal prize for
the year—given by the club, would take place on tl
second Saturday in June. Attention was next directed
to an admirable likeness of Mr. Lindsay, the field'
marshal, in the elegant uniform of the club. The poi'
trait was painted by Mr. Francis Grant, and presentvi
by him to his brother members. The picture was in
handsome gold frame, bearing an appropriate inscrlr
tion. A vote of thanks was unanimously passed to 1.11.
chairman, secretary, and several other gentlemen 01,
vested with the direction of the club. The compliment
having been duly acknowledged by all parties to who.°
it was presented, the members, in their red coats, re'
paired to the heath, where a large concourse of speateci
tors, principally consisting of the resident gentry, 113
been attracted to witness the sport. The struggi"l„ for master was very protracted and severe, and the re:
cult of the match for some time extremely doubtful, but
at length the skill and untiring energy of the respected
captain, Mr. Archibald Basile, prevailed, and the medal,
amidst the
e friendseath
earndimbirnogthesor
players, was
inviting induced several of the members to continue the
congratulations
awarded to him.of
game, and a number of private matches were played
until half-past six o'clock, when they adjourned to the
Green Man Hotel Blackheath, to partake of the pleasure.
of the table.

BIRTES.
On the 11th inst., at Blackadder, Lady Houston reswat
of a son.
At Barrow- house, Somerset, on the 12th inst., the wife of
J. H. Blagrave, Esq., of a daughter.
On the 12th inst., at Spring-bank, Bradford, Yorkshire.
Mrs. Douglas, of a son.
At Bitterne-grove, near Southampton, on the 12th inst.'
the lady of A. Hoyes, Esq., of a daughter.
At Donnington, Beets, on the 13th inst., the lady of CAPt•
iiajnest'llietNl3.ihofinasts.o,n.
at New-road, Fitaropsquare, Mrs. r*
Davison, of a son.
On the 13th inst., at Godalming, Surrey, the wife of the
Rev. E. E. Rowsell, M.A., of a son.

MARRIED.
At Broomfield Church, Somerset, on the 13th inst • 1,11:
Rev. James S Blackwood, L.L.D., to the eight Hon. !A/
Alicia Lambert, granddaughter of the late and sister of the
present Earl of Cavan.
- -

On the 12th inst., at Caversham Church, Oxon, Willista
Henry Ashley, M D., of Boyne• terrace, Notting-hill, /Cell.
sington, to Raffle' te Mary, third daughter of T. Gill, 1:0414
Captain R.N , of the Lodge, Caversharn, Oxfordshire.