The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-23 00:00:00

THE SUN,

cious, any more than it can be questioned one instant
longer whether it was a course satisfactory to the popula-
tion. Henceforth Mr. O'FEEUALL stands altogether ac-
quitted from the monstrous charges laid to his account.
The vouchers for his integrity and his humanity, for
the wisdom of his policy and the benevolence of his
Government are—the whole body of the inhabitants
of Malta and its dependencies. The fact of his
cordial and even enthusiastic welcome on the occasion
of his return to his palace of Valetta can be no less
consolatory to himself, under the pain of so many
recent aspersions, than it must be peculiarly satisfac-
tory to those members of the Cabinet who have
supported him in the midst of these obloquies and
vituperations. Whatever has transpired in regard
to his administration of the Maltese Government, so
far from conducing to his degradation in the eyes of
his fellow-countrymen, as was no doubt earnestly
desired by his calumniators, has only tended in a very
striking manner to enhance his high and honourable
reputation.

*.* As an interesting evidence of the feeling of the
Maltese towards his Excellency their Governor, we tram
scribe the following graceful verses—penned by some
anonymous sonneteer in celebration of his return to the
seat of Government:—
aITORNANDO ALLA UDE DEL SIJO GOVERN()
S. E. it Molto Onorabile
RICHARD MORE O'FERRALL
i Ma!teal in testimonianza di loro compiacimento.
S NETTO.
Quale amanto pastor torra al suo gregge
Tal torni, o desist°, a questi lidi . .
Volgi ii solito sguardo e poi decidi
Se it cor ti balza, o se tranquillo regge.
Vedi ii popolo tutto, cui protegge
Il tuo prudente oprar, come in to fidi!
E se in taluni scorgi the si annidi
Basso ponsier, son pochi e non dan leggo.
l'erO siccome it sol Ince per tutti
Cosi coi mati allegri i pcchi tristi
Del tuo paterno amor godranno i frutti.
sia lontan oho tutti gli avrem visti
Plaudir insieme al fertunato giorno
In cui facesti in mezzo a not ritorne.

The Ode preyiouily alluded to was the effusion of Dr.
G. A. Vassallo, and the Latin Sapphic of the Rev. J.
Zlnamit.

The long and loudly proclaimed " Aggregate
Meeting of Irish Nationalists" has just come off, at
the Music Hall, Lower Abbey-street; and the old
fable of the mountain and the mouse never appeared
more appropriately illustrated than on that occasion.
There was an entire absence of the wealth, and rank,
and station of the country—not one nobleman, not
one dignitary of any church, not one representative
of the Irish people, not one merchant of eminence,
graced this much-trumpeted national convention. It
would appear to have been chiefly composed of young
barristers and attorneys, a few corporators, and a
small sprinkling of doctors. The chair was occupied
by Dr. GRATTAN, on the motion of Dr. CAROLAN.
The gentlemen of the Bar were contented with the
second post of honour, the secretaries being► selected
from that body, in the persons of Dlesars. STRITCIT,
FITZGERALD, and LEYNE.
One of the secretaries announced that the requisi-
tion calling the meeting was signed by " eighty
dignitaries of the Catholic Church, by 22 of the
regular clergy and 110 curates, by 120 magistrates,
landed proprietors, corporators, and poor-law guar-
dians, by 200 members of the learned professions, 700
landholders and farmers, and by 900 merchants,
traders, and artizans." Never, however, was such an
array of dignity and wealth and talent so feebly
represented. The speech-lovers and sight-seers of
the metropolis must have been sadly disappointed—
not one Bishop, not one Lord, even a Lord Mayor,
to be seen. Are we to look upon this failure as a
healthy sign of the country ? Is it that the thinking
and influential portion of the Irish community
are utterly sick of the stage trick of agi-
tation, and are about to turn their: attention
to the. redresss of the real grievances of
the country ? We trust it is so ; for in
this meeting we see little else than the repetition of
that wild declamation which led to the fatal results of
last year. There was no practical plan adopted for
the amelioration of the country ; no practical remedy
pointed out for any of her many and great grievances.
The whole affair eventuated in a few speeches and the
formation of a new society, the object and rules of
which will be found in the following resolutions :
"Itcsolved,—That an association to be called The
Irish Alliance,' shall be now formed, to take the must
prompt and effective measures for the protection of the
lives and interests of the Irish people, and the attainment
of their national rights, and that these be the funda-
mental rules."

LONDON,

stituent body, we see a most unfair and
unjust distribution ; for, while England and Wales
with a population of 16,000,000 has 500 Members,
or one to every 32,000 persons ; and Scotland, with
a population of 2,500,000, has 53 Members, or one
to every 48,000 persons, Ireland, with a population
of 8,500,000, has but 105 Members, or one to every
81,000 persons. Thus, if Ireland were represented
equally with England, according to the census of
1841, she would have 265 Members, or about 150
per cent. more than her present number ; if Eng-
land were represented equally with Ireland, she
would have but about 200 Members, or about 60 per
cent. less: than she now has ; if Ireland were re-
presented equally with Scotland, she would have 177
Members, or about 70 per cent. more than her pre-
sent number. It appears, then, clear to demonstra-
tion that if population is to be taken as the
standard of representation, that Ireland suffers
under a grievous injustice with regard to an
unfair representation as compared with England
and Scotland, and that she has a perfect right,
as an integral portion of the British empire, to be
placed on an equal footing as regards representation
with the more favoured portions of the empire.
Another object of the new association will be the
" resources and manufactures of the country." These
are, according to Mr. DUFFY, the chief objects sought
to be attained by the Irish Alliance, and certainly ques-
tions of greater importance or deeper interest could not
engage the attention and anxiety of Irishmen, and
we have little doubt, if the attainment of these objects
be sought by legal and constitutional means, they
will command the co-operation of the great majority
of the people of the British empire.

We have repeatedly directed the public attention
to the unjust, unequal, and oppressive assessment of
the unredeemed land-tax throughout the entire king-
dom. No fiscal impost could be of a fairer or more
equitable description than the land-tax if levied ac-
cording to the original intention of its framers. As
we have already shown, it was a direct tax upon
every description of accumulated and realised pro-
perty ; for, although termed a " land-tax," personal
estate was by no means exempted from its operation.
Indeed, it was expressly subjected to a
charge of four shillings in the pound upon
the amount, or twenty shillings for every
one hundred pounds of the capitalized value of
such property, but by subsequent statute, it was pro-
vided that the entire amount should be raised from
real estate at a rate not exceeding four shillings in the
pound on the annual value. The 38th George 111.,
c. 5, under which the tax has ever since been col•
lected, expressly declares that the sum to be collected
shall be charged with as much equality and indif-
ference as ,possible by an equal pound rate, and
indeed the tenor of the Act shows that a perfect
equality of assessment was contemplated by the
Legislature. It is, however, but too no-
torious how completely that equitable inten-
tion has been subverted ; the extraordinary
changes that have taken place within the last century
and a half are altogether lost sight of. We find that
the town and port of Rye, in Sussex, is required to
contribute more than double the amount levied upon
the town and port of Liverpool, the former paying
4731. 18s., while the latter, which may now be re-
garded as the commercial metropolis of England, only
pays 1881. 13s. 10d. In fact, the amount of contribu-
tion was calculated according to the valuation of the
several districts at the time when the 4th William
and Mary, c. 1 (the first statute containing explicit
directions on the subject), was enacted, and it has
never since been varied or altered in any manner. It
' is true that Commissioners have been appointed who
are empowered to hear appeals from any person who
may consider himself aggrieved by the assessment
made upon him individually, but these Commissioners
are bound by the assessment made by the 4th William
and Mary, as to the proportions to be levied upon
the several divisions, and recent cases have shown us
that they will not entertain any of the great
grievances that are so loudly complained of, they
will only make some trifling alteration in the assess-
ment on Particular premises wherever they have been
overvalued with respect to other holdings in the im-
mediate vicinity, and their decisions will be simply
announced without the reasons on which they are
founded being in any degree explained.
For any other purpose it is utterly useless
to appeal to their " High Mightinesses," who
regard any application for such reasons with a similar
degree of indignation to that with which the
poor-law functionaries received OLIVER TWIST'S
humble request for " more." It is manifest that any
real relief can only be obtained from Parliament.
The injured parties must go to the fountain head, and
they will have an able and accomplished advocate to
support their claims. For, as we have recently
shown, Earl STANHOrE and the Protectionists are
determined that Mr. DISRAELI shall not back out of
his speech at Aylesbury, in which he so fully ex-
plained the impropriety and unfairness of the present
system.

An important case has recently been brought before
the Commissioners for St. Andrew's, llolborn, which
was argued by Mr. MILLER, the eminent Chancery
barrister, whose admirable pamphlet, containing the
fullest information on the subject, we had some time
since the pleasure of noticing. Mr. MATES, the ap-
pellant, had been assessed to pay 31. per annum
for land-tax in respect of a house belong-
ing to him in Kingsgate•street, Holborn,
in the parish of St. George, the annual value of
which was only 551, being something more than Is,
in the pound on the valuation. The premises formed
part of what had originally been " the Holborn
Division," which was charged under the statute with
the sum of 13,6281., which, if assessed, equally on the
present value, would only require a payment of about
one penny in the pound. The Commissioners,however,
for their own purposes, subdivided the district, and
as if anxious to follow the precedent afforded
by the Act, they charged. the poor localities at a
much higher rate than the more wealthy districts,
Marylebone and St. Pancras being charged at less
than half a farthing in the pound, while St. Andrew
and St. George•the-Martyr were assessed at
one shilling, and the Liberty of the Rolls at
about two shillings in the pound. Against this
partial and arbitrary distribution Mr. MATES very
properly protested. The able and convincing argu-
ments of his talented Counsel were indeed listened to,
but nothing more, for several of the Commissioners, who
had not heard a single word of his eloquent address,
voted with the majority for the rejection of the ap-
peal, and absolutely and contumaciously refused the
respectful application of the Learned Gentleman to
explain the grounds upon which their judgment was
given. That decision is unhappily conclusive
under the present law; but the gross and
palpable injustice has excited a feeling among
the injured parties that will not easily be
appeased. The case has been published for gratuitous
distribution, and we earnestly commend it to the
particular and attentive consideration of all who are
anxious that justice should be done. The subject is
one of no ordinary importance. It cannot, and it must
not be " blinked," or placed upon the shelf, by any
manoeuvres of interested parties. The whole question
in all its bearings must be brought before Parlia-
ment, and if there is a sufficient "pressure from
without," we cannot doubt but that the result will
be satisfactory to the public, and according to equity
and good conscience.

ASTLEY' S AMPHITHEATRE.
MR. BATTY'S BENEFI C.

This popular place of amusement continues its
career of triumphant success ; it gives us much plea-
sure to announce that Mr. Batty, the spirited pro-
prietor, has fixed the 3d of December for his benefit
to take place, on which occasion we anticipate a
regular bumper. He intends giving his friends and
patrons an entertainment of the west attractive nature.
All the resources of his splendid establishment will be
called into requisition.

Mr. Pine, who has been for nearly two years
Acting-Governor of Sierra Leone, during the absence
of Mr. Macdonald, the Governor, is appointed Lieu-
tenantvernor of Natal. .I.le was Queen's-Advo-
cate in August, 1641. In April, 1848 he assumed
the government, and his conduct in promoting emi-
gration, and the ability he has shown in the suppres •
sion of hostilities with the Sherbre chiefs, have alone
led to his promotion.
ALMEIRA GRAPES.—Very large importations of
grapes are taking place from the Southern States, as
well as other portions of Europe, at the present time.
A vessel just arrived from Almeira, has brought the
larr,e quantity of 1,171 barrels and 200 half barrels, the
produce of that place. Some very large importations
have taken place from 11414 p and ether places.