The Sun.
London, England, 1831-02-15 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 15, 1831.

`uncl of France amounts to 8 1 ,000,000 f. , or 3,200,000/.
being about a third of the interest of the debt. In the
French budget of the Interior, we have charges for the
support of the clergy, for the administration of the pro-
vince., for roads and bridges, and other items, which
would have amounted formerly to 8.000,000 f. a year,
none of which are paid out of the British Treasury.
In the Misistry of Justice we find an expense of
48,000,000 f., or nearly 2,000,0001. sterling, a very small
portion of which figures in the general expenditure of
Great Britain. Nothing can be more strikingly con-
trasted than the pay of our Judges and that of the
Judges in France. The provincial Judges in France
live upon 1,200 f., or 50/. a year ; and even the Paris
Judges have salaries only of 6,000 f., or 2401. The
Counsellors, or Judges of the Royal Courts. enjoy
salaries of 2,500 f. a year. We need not mention the
difference between this allowance and that of the
English Judges. The difference is as striking between
the numbers of the former and that of the latter.

It is pleasing to see the amount of money devoted
this year to internal improvements in France. Prince
Polignac had intended to apply the savings resulting
from a proposed reduction of the Five per Cents. to Four,
to internal improvements. The funds have since fallen
to such an extent, as to render any hope of such a reduc-
tion very distant, but M. Lafitte proposes to apply nearly
2,000,0001. sterling to the making and repair of roads,
—a most necessary object, for the roads of France are
now in a disgraceful state for a civilized country. The
manner in which the French Government intend to pro-
vide ways and means for the extraordinary expenditure of
219,773,7001. (or nearly 9,000,0001.), is by treasury
bonds, and the sale of wood on the Government domains.
We looked with some interest to observe whether the
new Government of France had (rude any change in the
provisions for the church, and are happy to find that no
spoliation of the inferior clergy is proposed in the Minis-
ter's speech, whatever may be done by members of the
Chamber. The Cardinals and Prelates are, however, de-
prived of the allowances formerly granted them above the
stipulated salary of Bishops.—Times.
The duty on transfers of stock has been abandoned, as
we stated yesterday it would be. " The Governor of the
Bank of England (said Lord Althorp) told him there
would be no difficulty whatever in the collection—none in
making the distinction between the two species of sale.
And when it was said that the Bank could not have given
the extensive accommodation it (lid in 1825, under a duty,
be had simply to declare, in reply, that every accommo-
dation might have, in like manner, been given if the tax
were in operation. Neither did he admit that anything
which he had heard the other night in the least tended to
convince him that in laying on this (hay, he would be
committing a breach of the public faith.—(Hear, hear.)
If he had suspected that such would be the case—if he
had the least idea of it—he would be the last man in the
world to advance the proposition.—(Cheers. ) But
he thought then as he thought still, that the tax
might have been imposed without any breach of public
faith.—(Hear, hear.) However, after• the opposition the
measure had met with in that House, he certainly would
not persevere. The opposition he met with was such,
that he should have at least great difficulty in persevering,
and therefore he thought it right to take the first oppor-
tunity to relieve the public from suspense.—(Hear.)—
His Lordship had, in fact, no alternative, after the oppo-
sition he encountered ; and he has therefore acted wisely
in at once abandoning it. The consequence of this aban-
donment is the retaining of two of the taxes proposed to be
reduced or repealed—those on tobacco and glass. °• With
respect to tobacco (he said) misconception prevailed as to
the motive of the Government in proposing the reduction.
It was not as a relief to the poor, but to diminish
smuggling, and add to the consumption. The reduction
upon raw tobacco to Is. 6d. per lb. would have annihi-
lated smuggling on the coast of Ireland, where it prevailed
to a great extent, because the profit would he so very
trifling as to render the risk too great for the smuggler."
We had imagined that the reduced duty would still
afford a sufficient temptation to the smuggler ;
but this was only conjecture. The tax on the
transfer of land is to be abandoned, as well as that
on stock. As it was to be expected, various objections
were started last night to several of the commutations.
With respect to the duty on raw cotton, it was said, that
it would exclude the low priced cotton of the East Indies.

The Cape wine had its advocates. Lord Howick showed
that the wine was the most unprofitable of all the branches
of industry at the Cape. " Was it not much better (he
said) to check it at once, and to turn the capital employed
on it into more productive channels ?—(Hear, hear.)_
That capital had long ago reached the maximum of profit
which it could attain, except by the adulteration of other
wines. He did not think that any one could suppose it
was right to uphold a trade by poisoning his Majesty's
subjects. For one bottle of Cape wine, sold as such,
there were twenty disposed of in making up an in!erior
article under the name of other wines." The Canada
timber trade, too, was brought forward. There is not
one commodity which may. sot be obtained if we only
disregard price and quality, in some of our own pos-
sessions. But, as was stated by Mr. Spring Rice,
" It was also important to bear in mind that much
timber came from Canada, which, in fact, was not
American timber. It was largely shipped from the
Baltic, and having arrived at Canada, it acquired the
character and privileges of Canadian timber, and that was
a species of fraud which ought and would be put an end
by the duty in future to be imposed." We suppose the
shipping interest will contend that they ought not to be
deprived of the profit reaped from the double conveyance
from the Baltic to Canada, and from Canada to England.
The great strength of the Opposition, last night, lay in
the repetition of the declamation as to the breach of faith
with the public creditor. Though Lord Althorp, in the
most candid manner, announced, in the very com-
mencement of the discussion, the determination to aban-
don the tax on transfers, Mr. Goulburn and his friends
would not abate Ministers a single sentence of their long,
prosy arguments. Mr. Powlett Thomson observed, that
the country could not hope to be relieved by cornmuta•
tion of taxes, so long as the expenditure of the country
continued to be what it is. The country is eager, how-
ever, for a reduction of expenditure ; and let us hope
that further reductions may be made.—Morn. Chron.
It sometimes happens that a Minister out of office is
more enlightened than a patriot in place. Much drink-
ing of the cup of power, like copious draughts of the
cup of intemperance, has a sort of intoxicating effect on
most men's minds, which disturbs the clearness of their
perceptions. It is, therefore, we presume, that during
the long course of years in which Sir Robert Peel was
in office, he never could perceive the hardship and mi-
sery which the coal tax occasioned to the poorer classes
of society ; but, no sooner is the chalice of Ministerial en-
joyment removed from his lips, than he seems to look
on human affairs through a clearer atmosphere. He sees
distress, of the existence of which he had previously no
notion, and laments the sufferings of the poor with a
kindliness of sympathy for which the world (lid not
give him credit. Many a time have we endeavoured to
bring under his view, and that of the Administration of
which lie was so prominent a Member, the oppressive
consequences to the industrious poor of this very coal
tax, of which, at the moment of its removal by his
successor, lie has detected and exposed all the evils. He
now tells Parliament where petitions against that tax had
often been read and consigned to oblivion, while he was
Minister,parliasmvietlniotuta
the:icbiting a passing remark—he now
tells
knew of no one circumstance
which would produce greater benefit, whether physical
or moral, to the poorer classes, than whatever facilitated
their obtaining a sufficient supply of coals at a moderate
price. He was of opinion that the relative difference, in
regard to the amount of physical comforts enjoyed by the
poorer and wealthier classes in the country, was more felt
in the increased ability of the latter to purchase a suffi-
ciency of fuel than in any other circumstance. To subject
the poorer classes to such difficulties in obtaining so neces-
sary an article as fuel did seem contrary to all principles
of justice and good policy." Who could have sup-
posed, that heard these sentiments, and had not known
the previous career of the Right Honourable Gentle-
man, that he had been for many years in office without
once opening his lips before to denounce this oppressive
tax, of which he now exposes the injustice and bad policy
in the language of generous indignation. We have not
unfrequeutly spoken of the immorality of our present
system of taxation, and we have instanced the coal tax as
peculiarly immoral. Now what does Sir Robert Peel say
touching this view of the subject ? He says, " the difficulty
of procuring sufficient fuel affected the moral condition of
the poorer classes. At all seasons fuel was necessary more