The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-10 00:00:00

BURDENS ON LAND.

There was, on Wednesday, issued by order of the
House of Commons, a copy of a communication made by
Lord Monteagle to the Board of Trade, on the subject
of burdens on land. The following is the letter of Lord
Monteagle:—

Whitehall-yard, June 12, 1846.
My Lords,—lt has been suggested to me, that the
draft report which I prepared for the consideration of
the Committee on the Burdens on Land, though Pega"
tived by the Committee, may not be without some aie-
fulness hereafter, as a document illustrative of a moat

important subject of statistical inquiry; and on these
grounds I have been urged to present it to your Lord-
ships, that it may be preserved among other documents
in the statistical department of the Board of Trade..
Though this course may appear to connect too much
importance with a paper possessing and claiming no
authority beyond that of the single individual who has
framed it, yet, in conformity with the request that has
been made to me, I inclose this draft report for your
Lordships' acceptance.—l have, &c ,
(Signed) MONTE AGM.
Lord Mouteagle to the Lords of the

Committee for Trade.
The following are extracts from Lord Monteagle'3
" Report proposed for the adoption of the Committee of
the House of Lords on burdens and exceptions of real

property, but negatived":—
The practical inferences which may be drawn from
the evidence and from the preceding observations, all
very important. In some cases remedial measures,
founded on sound principles and on past experience, have)
been suggested for evils not admitting of much doubt or
controversy. In other cases various reforms have been
recommended which are entitled to the most serious and

Lost immediate attention.
In conclusion, we recapitulate some of these recom-

mendations :-
1. The improvement of the law of real property, th•
simplification of titles and of the forms of conveyance, .
the establishment of a general office for the registration
of deeds ; thus applying principles already adopted in
Scotland, Ireland, and almost throughout the continent
of Europe, whereby the security to landed property has
been increased, and its value augmented sevnal years'

purchase.
2. An extension of the measure of 1835, by reliving
the counties and boroughs from the portion of expense to
which they continue liable for criminal prosecutions.
This measure, however, should be accompanied by an
adoption, on the part of the State, of an effective control.
The establishment of an office of public prosecutor, and
the conduct of all prosecutions, is recommended in the
strongest manner by the example of Scotland and of
Ireland, as well as by the reason of the case.
3. The revision of the stamp duties, not with a view
to the reduction of revenue, but to a better appointment
of burdens; an adoption of an ad valorem scale of duty.
relieving small properties from the present unjust and
and disproportionate charge; and making an equitable
distribution of all duties on the sale and transmission of
property, real and personal, whether during life or after
decease, both on ordinary conveyances and in the shape
of probate or legacy duties, so as to remedy all existing
inequalities, and to repeal all undue and partial ex-
emptions.
4. The adoption of periodical and compulsory re-
valuations for the levy of all local rates, so as to avoid
the injustice and inequality of the present most ano-
malous system. This is consistent with the recom-
mendation of the Commissioners on local rates, and
with the evidence now taken.
5. The consolidation of the present numerous /*WS,
levied by multiplied and sometimes conflicting authorities.
There now exists in law, if not in practice, twenty.-
four rates, and fifty-four species of officers for their im-
position, levy, and administration. The number off
these officers is now estimated at 184,204. The face
that many of these officers perform gratuitous service,
does not necessarily vary the case ; it is far from being
universally true that gratuitous service is always the
cheapest.
6. It has been explain( d by Mr. Blake, that the ex-.
pense of erecting gaols, bridewells, shire-halls, and
similar buildings in Ireland, is provided for by the
public. Advances are made by the Treasury to meet
these heavy branches of expenditure; these advances are
made on the security of the county rate, and are repay-
able, without interest, by easy instalments. There ap-
pears every reason why this system should be extended
to Great Britain.
7. Where new establishments are introduced, as is
the last session, for the support of lunatics, and where
there are obvious reasons both of economy and of
humanity, for centralising the administration, and
where, above all, the resources of the state can be made
available without any risk of aggravating or increasing
the evil proposed to be remedied, the committee are not
prepared to justify the imposition of the whole cost upon
one description of property. The committee therefore_
submit, whether the charge for the maintenance
ht;
lunatics in public asylums throughout the empire ou hg
not to be undertaken by the public.
resBPeebtlotereenlyte
f
and relief of the poor; but to a certain extent, the thseheoxupldediutunrdeofu9brtethdelymbaine
maintenance
and spartits t ioofn
ob-
servations made on lunatic asylums may, with proper
safeguards, be made applicable to other branches of
medical relief.
9. A charge is periodically cast upon the militia rate;
this is not now levied, the militia being disembodied ;
but, considering the object of the militia to be general,
and not confined to interests of a particular class, the
committee are of opinion that this charge should be Pro*
vided for by Parliament, care being, however, to olf
that if the public assume the responsibility of the charg
th e.;
the Government should have authority to ensure
efficiency of the force.
10. It is most desirable that the practical experiments
for testing the chemical conclusions to which Professors
Graham, Thomson, and Dr. Lyon Playfair have arrived
should be repeated under proper superintendence, but
with the co-operation of persons of acknowledged skill
in agriculture. With impugning the scientifi:. acquire-
merits of the eminent men consulted by the Govern-
uld
mob
on
Govern-
ment,
hti
disposed
pi
decision
esi
ces
idshi
oiogfnhi
inyhai
inemthe
armne
nsatyei
rn
ugtlottihlmea
aat
vt
eet
lhyni sob
erqepuaresoos
ntni
These measures appear to the committee in or
unb
nl ec
es hd:o.
them-
selves to be defensible because they are just • but at the
same time, in making these suggestions, they are fully
aware that the burdens imposed by law directly upon
laud in England do not bear so high a proportion iii
England, to the whole taxation of the country, as is
' the case in many foreign States. So far as Prussia
and parts of Germany are concerned, this fact
may be deduced from the evidence of Mr. Banfield.
The same results may be found in respect of France,
the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and other foreign
States. This fact, however, ought not to vary the
views which may be taken either of justice or policy ;
neither should it be inferred that the proportion of land
taxes Lorne by foreign countries enters into the cost of
production, or raises the price of produce abroad, any
more than similar taxation has been shown to do at
home. The facts are, therefore, referred to as bearing
upon the principle of apportionment between one class
of the community and another, and not for the purpose
of suggesting that the cost of raising corn and other
agricultural produce is governed by one principle in
England, and by another principle on the Continent of
Europe.

The Royal Academy has sent a donation of 501. to-
wards the wild for the relief of the widow and family of the
late Mr. Hayden.
NOTlCE.—Messrs. Ferguson, of Holme Head Works
(trading under the firm of Joseph Ferguson),haring a second
time obtained an injunction i❑ the Vice-Chancellor's Court
against the use of their trade marks upon Silesias, and it
having been deposed to at the trial that other houses besides
the defendant had so used them, Messrs. Ferguson give this
public notice, in the hope that it will be a sufficient warning
to the parties in question, and obviate the necessity of fur-
ther proceedinip. liolvae Head Work., near Cube,' Jane
30,1846.