The Sun.
London, England, 1825-02-03 00:00:00

ASSESSED TAXES.

[FROM A COI( R ESPONOENT.3 •
.We believe that there is bu tone opinionthr9ngh-
o.ut.the country on the universal benefit and sa-
.tisfaction that would follow the total repeal of
•these obnoxious imposts. Agreeing, as Ave'4otin
the general line of policy adopted by his Ma-
jesty's Ministers, and giving them every 'credit
for what has already been effected,'-still it. must
he confessed, that this measure is alone wanting
to complete that popularity which.theY' 11#if.e. so
justly acquired. . When, in, the last .SeSsion
Parliament, the CHANCELLOR of the
resolved to reduce the duties on silk, 4c,...be
urged that the prevention of that demoraiiiing
practice -smuggling, and consequent diMination
of expense in keeping up the Preventive Service,
were things devoutly to be wished by the. coun-
.try. In this we readilyagret.!: we will acknOw-
ledge also that the practice. was not confined:to
professed smugglers alone. Many, of our lair
countrywomen, on their return to. England after
a short trip to France, have. exhibited a degree
of coTutemw whiCh could:hardly-be attributed
to the salubrity of the cliMate. No'w, anxious as
we are that such evils should be prevented—de-
sirons also that the forms •of our countrywomen
shOuld not exceed their 'natural and graceful
limits—still we •have not the gallantry to .avoid
asking-, are theSe evils to be compared with_ the
evils of .the Assessed '['axes ? or has the repeal of
the Silk Duties afforded half so much relief as
the abolislnnet4 of the inhabited gouse. and
Window Duties •,would. have done ? We think
not, and the Ppblio are evidently of the same
opinion.

The evils of the Assessed Taxes. may,. be
classed as follow :

1. They materially increase the expences of persons laving
large establishinent?t, and consequently induce many, ' who
would otherwise remain in England', to reside abroad, where
they can live cheaper.
2. They occasion frequent disputes and litigation among the
people; and encourage a principle utterly repugnant to the
minds of Englishmen—the right of search.
3. They are partitularly burthensome to those who obtain a
livelihood by letting.,out lodgings.
4. They injure the-health of the poorer daises, by compelling
them to forego the necessary portion of light and ventilation.
Now, if these statements be true, and, we
think no one will have the hardihood to deny
them, does it not follow as a matter of course
that the repeal of the Taxes in question would
afford benefits as great as the evils which they at
present inflict ? And, after all, what is the
amount of them ? Little more, or hardly so
much, we believe, as four millions—a sum which

the application of the five millions annually, ap'
propriated, to the Sinking Fund would, for the
present, more than supply; and as there is every
reason to suppose that peace will long continue,
and that the national Revenue will progressively
increase, the State might shortly dispense with'the
amount altogether. We are aware that the Sinking
Fund has long been considered as sacred to that
purpose for which it was originally intended—the
reduction of the National Debt : we say con-
sidered, because every body knows that the in
tention has not been strictly adhered to; and
surely it could not be encroached upon with
more propriety than for the purpose of removing
the only serious burthen of which the Public
have now to complain. Other reductions have
been partial iu their operations. The lessening
of the Duty on Leather has not furnishect,us
with cheaper shoes—the reduction of the duties
on silk has not afforded general relief ; but the
total repeal of the Assessed Taxes would benefit
every class of the community, and even increase
the gratitude which is now so universally felt for
the exertions of our present Ministers. Let' us;
therefore, hope that the present Session of Par-
liament will not pass away till the imposts we
have been speaking of are totally abolished.—
Such an object accomplished, well might our
rulers claim the lasting thanks and admiration of
a !Garai people—with justice might they exclaim
with the Roman Poet, " nomen erit indelebile
ncestrum"—Our name will be immortal.

A duel was fought yesterday morning, on
Action Common, between lluGn BLENSENSOP,
Esq. and a Gentleman of the name of FORDYCE.
The dispute which occasioned the meeting arose
from a simple disputed bet of a rump and dozen,
respecting a leap in following the Farley-kill
hounds. The first fire missed, and in the second
Mr. BLENKENSOP was wounded in the side, but
not dangerously, and he was able to return
home to his residence, in Seymour-street, where
surgeon H u oil Es attended him.

A curious circumstance is related of a lady
from France, whose baggage had been taken to
a certain Castor.' House. Nothing of a contra-
band nature was found in it, but sononteleitahrtili:
g ehetrPlaavar-tC
oi,trgooncecuorfretdhethoatifiecxecrsitewd
isiouspsitcoioodn
the time, it. was suggested that she should real-4
to an adjoining room, when a female begged her
to take otT her bonnet. Extraordinary as it may
appear, several small watches were ingeniously
twisted in her hair! She appears on this occa-
sion, however, not to have been altogether on the
watch, as she hail wound up the watches before
concealing them. Had her motions been better
regulated, and she had not' have wound them
at all, they would not have sounded in the
Officer's ears, and thus been stopped at the me-
ment. They were laid in a horizontal position on
the table, face to face with the Lady, whose main-
ospbrle;nggedoftsopisruitbmai:tpetaorecc ol
n tton of the articles,
and was heard to say, this war alt.from tick, add
nfiost:ab. roken,and she was
her hand
outside c
i stoppedlise. till she adjusted her head
dress, or