The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-10 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL DEBT.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—I should hope that it would not be necessary
for we to SAV that nothing I ever wrote or thought could
imply that i felt Mr. Phipps could mean any personal
disrespect in criticising "The Budget for the Million;"
on the contrary, my complaint, it; indeed, my letter to.
you could be considered in that light, was, that Mr.
Phipps did not exercise his critical towers on the most,
if not the only important proposition in the budget, viz.,
that it was discreditably dishonest not to pay off the .Na%
tional Debt.

In this etening's paper Mr. Phipps proposes to meet
this complaint, and " offers to my candid consideration
the following objections to my argument, which he be-
lieves may be thus shortly stated. The Debt was in-
curred merely to protect property against invasion from
a foreign foe, therefore property ought to pay it off."
Now, assuredly, I used no such argument, either in
letter or in spirit. My proposition was, that the debt
(of course meaning that contracted for the last war) was
contracted to prevent foreign invasion ; tbat property
alone was benefited by the prevention of invasion, and,
therefore, it is discreditably dishonest in property not to
pay the debt.
It did not appear to be necessary to say that labour,
whether of the head or the arm, is property, and that
such pn•perty is just as much benefited by the preven-
tion of disorder, whether arising from foreigninvasion
or domestic anarchy, as he who possesses property, in
the ordinary acceptation of the term; indeed,_ more so,
for the latter may save something from the wreck, • Ite
whereas the former loses employment, by which alone
he can procure the daily bread for himself and family.
But surely it is as clear as the sun at noon day, that it
is only the generation of the industricus classes which
lived at the time the debt was contracted which could
receive any benefit from the protection in their indus-
trious pursuits; and as the debt must be paid, either
the principal or the interest, who but the owners of pro-
perty are to pay it?
Can any person who reflects really think it possible
that the ill-paid seenpstress must be obliged to make her
scanty meal still more scanty in consequence of the tax
imposed upon her tea and sugar to pay the interest of a
debt contracted by the nation for the protection of her
grandmother?
Mr. Phipps says—" That during the last twenty-four
years that have elapsed since the war, a very large part
of the property he would propose to mulct has been pur-
chased with the hard earnins of the commercial, profes-
sional, and labouring classes.'

No' doubt of the fact, and this is one of the
curses which a wise Providence inflicts on those nations
which inflict injustice on the people. The Reform Bill
undoubtedly swept away the property, and blighted the
prospects of many who were interested in schedules A
and B. The Negro Emancipation Bill (notwithstanding
the grant of twenty millions) inflicted a blow on the
owners of West India property from which they never
can recover. The abolition of the corn-laws will, Ido
not doubt, entail serious loss upon many a landlord and
many a leaseholder.

Li all these cases property which was purchased
with the hard earnings of the commercial, professional,
and labouring classes was very much depreciated. But
the answer to the complaints of hardship was caveat
emptor. . _

brie purchased property in rotten boroughs, in the
expectation that the oligarchy would be always sufr
ficiently powerful to protect such an abomination.
Another purchased property in the West Indies, in the
belief that the oligarchy would be always sufficiently
powerful to protect the atrocious principle that man has
a light to have property in his tellow-creature; while
a third funded or improved his property, entertaining
no doubt that the oligarchy would be always able to
compel the industrious classes to purchase their daily
bread at a higher rate than they could obtain for it else-
where.

In all these cases "the hard earnings of the commer-
cial, professional, and labouring classes were mulcted;"
yet what sane man would seriously propose to make the
people pay 80s. per quarter for their corn—or to recon-
struct the principle of slavery—or restore to Gatton and
Old Sarum the right of sending Members to enact such
laws?

I venture, therefore, to think that Mr. Phipps's argu-
ment, " that the hard earnings of the commercial, pro-
fessional, and labouring classes weuld be mulcted" by my
proposal to pay cff the National Debt does not prove that
the proposition that it is dishonest not to pay off the
National Debt is a "misuse of terms."

I hope Mr. Phipps will live to change his opinion
that " the ' Budget for the Million' is a proposal for a
violent and sudden change in the relative position and
fortunes of every Englishman, by which the advantages
honestly gained by economy and industry would be
transferred for the future to those who have been less
provident."
The " Budget for the Million" contains no proposition
for any transfer, either "to the less or to the more pru-
dent," and Mr. Phipps will seek in vain for any such
principle in its pages—it only proposes to relieve the
industrious classes from a burthen which has been molt
unjustly imposed upon them, for which they never have
received, and cannot possibly receive, any equivalent;
and this injustice has been perpetrated for the mean
purpose of saving the pockets of a ruling oligarchy.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
RIGBY WASON.
Reform Club, Feb. 9. 1849.

COURT CIRCULAR.
WINDSOR, FRIDAY.
The Queen walked this morning in ,the gronndS
around' the Castle.

The Royal Family took their usual airings.
Prince Albert went out hunting this morning, at-
tended by Sir Edward Bowater, Lord Alfred Paget, Mr.
G. E. Anson, and Colonel Wylde.
Lord and Lady Ashley took their departure from the
Castle to-day.
tier Mjesty's private band was in attendance yes-
terday evening, i:i the Castle, and performed the follow-
ing pieces:—
Overture, " Le Pre au% Clercs"
Grand Concerto, Violin, M. Sainton Sainton.
Movement from Lessons Handel.
Sinfonia (No. 5) Beethoven.

Mr. Pendarves, M.P., had an interview with Sir
George Grey yesterday, at the Home-office.
The Chairman of the Customs had an interview with
the Right Hon. H. Labouchere yesterday, at the office
of the Board of Trade.

Jenny Lind is going to be married to a Mr. Harris,
the son of a London banker. This information may be
fully relied upon.—Leeds Mercury.
MADEMOISELLE JENNY LIND.—The popularity. of
this distinguished vocalist increases on every successive
visit to the provinces. On Thursday evening she sang
at the Town•hall, Birmingham, in Mendelssohn's ora-
torio of Elijah, and was most enthusiastically received.
The Hall was crowded to exec se, and although' the prices
of tickets were high, hundreds were unable to obtain ad-
mission. The Mesdames Williams and Messrs. Machin
and Lockey acquitted themselves with great effect. The
receipts could nut fall far short of 1,2001,, if they did not
exceed that sum. Mr. Benedict was the conductor, and
Mr. Simpson presided at the organ.
SEIZURE OF AN ILLICIT STILL AND SPIRITS.---'
Yesterday Mr. D. Colquhoun, supervisor, and Messrs. E.
Thomas, Vanstone, Sargent, and Mack, officers of Excise,
of Stepney district, with police-constable 111 H, went to a
house in IValinsley-street, Bethnal-green, where they found
a large copper still, set in brickwork, charged with molasses
wash, and running off spirits, about 150 gallons of molasses
wash fermentinff, a tub of molasses, and a great number
of tubs, cans, &c., used in the trade of illicit distillation;
about six gallons of spirits of wine 52 7 per cent. over proof;
and four gallons of feints 46 1 per cent. under proof, which
were seized. The spirit was of first•rate quality. No per'
son was on the premises when the officers entered, conse-
quently no prisoners were taken. From the appearance
of the place there could be no doubt that the contraband
trade had been carried on for a long time, and to a con-
siderable extent. The seizure was conveyed to Broad-street
warehouses.
In the Cape of Good Hope papers to the 21st of
December there is little worthy of notice. A practical agri-
culturist in the neighbourhood of Malmesbury having
experienced great inconvenience in the harvest sea-
son from a deficiency of labour to secure his
corn crops, had successfully constructed a machine
for cutting them, which not only enabled him to work with
a less number of hands, but also a diminished expense. De-
sirous of giving his neighbours the benefit of his invention,
he had submitted it to the inspection of all who sought to
profit by its usefulness. The question of public education
was being mooted in the colony.