The Sun.
London, England, 1836-03-05 00:00:00

—for the benefit of this institution.—( Cheer!.) I shall con-
cluie, gentlemen, by proposing to you " The Covent-garden
Theatrical Fund."
" The health of the Chairman" was proposed by Lord A.
HILL.
The Earl of LICHFIELD returned' thanks, and proposed
" The health of his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex."
" The Treasurer of the Fund, Mr. Fawcett," was next pro-
posed.

Mr. BARTLEY. —My Lord and Gentlemen—ln the absence
of Mr. Fawcett, I am requested to state his grateful acknow-
ledgments for the honour you have conferred on him.—
( Cheers.) Since we last assembled in this Hall, we have
had the misfortune to lose this " fellow of infinite jest, of most
excellent fancy, whose songs and flashes of merriment were
wont to set these tables on a roar"—alas ! poor Mathews ! To
him I.)!. Johnson's eulogy on Garrick may justly be extended
His death eclipsed the gaiety of nations, and diminished
the public stock of harmless pleasure."—( Cheers.) It will
not be irrelevant to caN to mind, that when the Great
Magi-
cian of the North found it necessary to withdraw the mask
that had so long concealed his features from the admiring
world, he chose the moment when he was selected to pre-
side at a dinner for the establishment of a theatrical
fund in Edinburgh to make his public declaration that
he ( Sir Walter Scott) was the author of Waverley.
His words are upon record, and as they are equally ap-
plicable on this occasion, I shall take the liberty to
press some extracts into our service by way ,of conclusion.—
( Hear, hear.) He observed " That the performers are, in a
particular manner, entitled to the support and regard, when in
old age or distress, of those who had partaker, of the amuse-
ment of those places which they render an ornament to society.
Their art was of a peculiarly delicate and precarious nature--
they bad to serve a long apprenticeship. It is very long be-
fore even first-rate geniuses can acquire the mechanical know.
ledge of the stage business—they must languish long in obscu-
rity before they can avail themselves of their natural talents ;
and after that, they have but a short space of time,during which
they are fortunate if they can provide the means of comfort in
the decline of life ; that comes late, and lasts but a short time,
after which they are dependant. Their limbs fail, their teeth
are loosened, their voice is lost, and they are left, after giving
happiness to others, in a most disconsolate state.—( Hear, and
cheers.) He had hitherto," he said, "been speaking of what, in
theatrical language, were called stars ; but they were some-
times falling ones. But there was another class of sufferers,
naturally and necessarily connected with the theatre, without
whom it was impossible to go on. The sailors (said he) have a
saying ' Every man cannot be a boatswain.`' If there must be
a great actor to act Hamlet, there must also be people to
act Laertes, the King, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstiern, other-
wise a drama cannot go oil. Even if Garrick himself were to
rise from the dead, he could not act Hamlet alone ; there must
be generals, colonels, commanding officers, subalterns ; but
what are the private soldiers to do? WherZ3 there are many
labourers, wages must be low—and no man in such a situation
can 'decently support a wife and family, and save something
from his income for old age. What is this man to do in latter
life ? Are you to cast him off like an old binge, or a piece of
useless machinery which has done its work ? His wants are
not of his own making, but arise from the natural sources of
old age and sickness."—( Hear, and cheering.) It is pleasing
to find the arguments used to-day by our Noble Chairman so
warmly seconded from such a source.

The Vice-Presidents, the Duchess of St. Albans, the Dukes
of Portland and Devonshire, the Stewards, and other toasts,
were subsequently proposed.
Mr. BARTLEY announced that the amount of subscriptions
collected that evening was 950/.

REPEAL OF THE NEWSPAPER

STAMP DUTY.

Last night, at eight o'clock, a general meeting of the Lon-
don dealers in Newspapers was held at the Crown and Anchor
Tavern, Strand, to take into consideration whether any and
what measures should be adopted with reference to the pro-
posed alteration in the stamps on newspapers.
The meeting consisted of about one hundred and fifty
newspaper dealers, who comprised in themselves a great por-
tion of the wealth and respectability of the trade.
Mr. WOODWARD having been unanimously called to the
Chair, addressed the meeting, observing, that as they had done
him the honour to elect him as their Chairman, it fell to his
province to explain the object for which they were assembled.
A circular had been sent round to the different dealers in
newspapers in London, referring to the proposed alteration
in the stamps off'newspapers, and calling the present meeting,
for the purpose of considering whether any and what mea-
sures ought to be adopted by the trade with regard to that
question. As Chairman of the meeting, he deemed it
right at the outset to state that those who were assembled on
this occasion were dealers in stamped newspapers, who had
nothing whatever to do with those papers that were published
without a stamp, to the injury of the fair dealer, and in open
defiance of the law.—(Hear, hear.) To such persons as dealt
in stamped newspapers the proposed abolition of the duty had
occasioned very great anxiety, and considerable excitement
prevailed in the trade with reference to that subject. The •
question was one which might be considered both politically
and practically. As regarded, however, its political tendency,
the meeting, he considered, had nothing whatever to do with
it, and therefore, if any gentleman present should feel inclined
to enter upon that part of the subject, he should feel it his
duty, as their Chairman, to stop him at once, because the poli-
tical bearings of the question were foreign to the objects'of the
meeting.—( Hear, hear.) They were merely collected toge-
ther to consider the question practically, leaving the policy of
a reduction in the stamp-duty to others. But, at the same
time, as men possessing some experience, they could not but
feel that those who called the tax upon newspapers a " tax
upon knowledge," viewed the subject in a false and superficial
light, because a great portion of the duty was to secure the
privilege of forwarding newspapers, not only to all parts of
the kingdom free of postage, but also to his Majesty's colo-
nies beyond the seas.--(Hear, hear.) The public, therefore,
had no right to consider that the whole amount of the news-
paper tax was a tax limiting their means of information, and
excluding them from that knowledge which they were anxious
to possess. If the whole of the tax were repealed to-morrow,
how, he would ask, could the Government afford to send un-
stamped newspapers to all parts of his Majesty's dominions
free of postage, as at present ? He was aware that a plan had
been suggested for the transmission of newspapers, under
cover of a stamped envelope, to enable them to pass free
through the Post-office. But those who were practically en-
gaged in the newspaper trade, and bad therefore the best
means of possessing a knowledge upon the subject, were well
aware that the proposed arrangements could not be reduced to
practice. The plan of stamped envelopes would be attended
with the greatest inconvenience. The envelopes must be of
various sizes, and supposing that fifty newspapers were en-
closed under one cover, and that four out of the number were
to be stopped, the transmission of the remainder would neces-
sarily be delayed, and thus one of the first objects which ought
to be kept in view would be defeated. Besides, all who were
practically engaged in forwarding newspapers abroad and to
the country must be aware that if directions were to be written
on each stamped envelope, the number of persons to be em-
ployed would be so great that it would be utterly impossible to
carry on the trade. Again, if the stamp duty on newspapers were
totally repealed, and a small stamp placed upon the covers,
it would then become necessary for the postmasters to open
each packet to see how many papers it contained, and thus
another source of delay would arise ; and, if newspapers were
not allowed to be sent free, as at present, it would then become
necessary to create a new and most expensive machinery for
the purpose of circulating newspapers throughout the kingdom.
On the whole, the expense of the proposed plan would be
found in the end to be greater to the consumer than if a tax
sere to be laid on the newspapers themselves, and not to
speak of the insuperable objections which existed, and which
he had endeavoured to point out, with regard to their trans-
mission, the plan would be unproductive to the Government as
a source of revenue. Having stated his objections to the pto-
posed arrangement, and he believed he spoke the sense of the
meeting also—( Hear, hear)—he contended, and was in a
situation to prove, that if the duty was taken off the news-
paper§ they would not be forwarded free of postage ; and,
therefore, if any starpp were necessary, that stamp must be
affixed to the newspapers themselves.—( Hear.) By adopting
that plan there would be no loss to the Treasury, and the cir-
culation of newspapers through every part of the King's
dominions would remain, as it ought to be, free and un-
shackled.—( Hear, hear.) The only objection raised against
that plan was, that some persons would be obliged to pay a
tax for newspapers which they did not want after they had
read them. He met a gentleman that morning who was a
great advocate for the repeal of the newspaper duty. They
had some conversation upon the subjech and the gentleman
said to him, " It's all very well to keel) up the tax, but it's
hard that we who live in London should be obliged to pay such
a duty when we don't want the papers after we have read
them." He asked the gentleman what he did with his papers
after he had read them ? "Oh ! that's true," he replied, " I
send them to my friends in the country ; I really never thought
of that."--( Hear, hear, and laughter.) Under all the circum.
stances, it was his firm conviction that the postage of news-
papers should be included in the stamp duty, and that the in-
terests of the public and those of the revenue would be best
secured by the adoption of that plan. Before he concluded, lie
deemed it right to apprise the meeting that a reporter was
present. For his own part, he had not the slightest objection
that their proceedings on this occasion should be made public,
for they had nothing to fear and nothing to conceal • and, inas-
much as the course they had adopted must soon be generally
known, he did not think that the meeting could, have any hesi-
tation in allowing their proceedings to be published.—( Hear,
hear.) A series of resolutions had been prepared, and he
hoped they were so framed as to meet with the approbatiOn of
the meeting. His friend, Mr. Farrell, would read them in the
first instance, after which they would be put seriatim, and if
any gentleman present had any observation to make upon them,
or any amendments to offer, he should be most happy to hear
them.— ( Applause.)
The Resolutions were then read as follows, after which
they were put seriatim to the meeting, and carried unani-
mously
n 1. That this meeting has witnessed with considerable
anxiety the excitement which has prevailed in fat our of a total
abolition of the stamp duty on newspapers.
2. That while this meeting will not presume to object to
my reduction in the stamp duty, it is of opinion that the
whole amount cannot fairly be entitled a tax upon knowledge,
because, in consideration of a sum paid for the stamp, a news-
paper is forwarded free of postage to all parts of Great Bri-
tain, and to his Majesty's colonies and possessions beyond
the seas.
" 3. That, if the stamp duty were totally repealed, it would
he necessary either to create a new and expensive machinery
for circulating newspapers throughout the kingdom, or to
charge a postage fur their transmission through thebPost-office.
" 4. That, in tl'e ()pinion of this meeting, the expenses of