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 nega-
tived by the Committee, may not be without some use-
fulness hereafter, as a document illustrative of a most
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 hat.
been made to me, I inclose this draft report for your
Lordships' acceptance.—l have, &c ,
(Signed) MONTE GLE.
Lord Dlonteagle to the Lords of the
Committee for Trade.

The following are extracts from Lord Monteagle's
"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, are
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
most immediate attention.

In conclusion, we recapitulate some of these recom.
mendations

1. The improvement of the law of real property, the
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 several years'
purchase.
2. An extension of the measure of 1835, by relieving
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 rates,
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 of
these officers is now estimated at 184,204. The fact
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 explained 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 in
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 of
lunatics in public asylums throughout the empire ought
not to be undertaken by the public.
8. More hesitation should undoubtedly be felt in
respect to any part of the expediture for the maintenance
and relief of the poor; but to a certain extent, the 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, taken,
that if the public assume the responsibility of the charge,
the Government should hare authority to ensure the
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 scientific acquire-
ments of the eminent men consulted by the Govern-
ment, it is highly interesting that this question should
be disposed of in a manner to leave no reasonable doubt
on the decision which may ultimately be pronounced.
These measures appear to the committee in 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
land in England do not bear so high a proportion in
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 blrne 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.

MANIFESTO OF THE FRENCH
FREE-TRADE ASSOGIATION.
The following is the manifesto of the association,
which has just been issued :—" At the moment of unit-
ing for the defence of a great cause, the undersigned
feel the necessity of expounding the faith, of proclaim-
ing the aim, the limits, the means, and the spirit of their
association. Exchange is a natural right, as is property.
Each citizen who has formed or acquired a property
ought to have it in his option either to apply it imme-
diately to his own use, or to cede it to any on the sur-
face of the globe, who consents to give him in exchange
the object of his desires. To deprive him of that op-
tion, when not made subservient to uses contrary to
public order and morals, and solely to satisfy the con-
venience of another citizen, would be to authorise a
robbery, and to wound the laws of justice. It is also a
violation of order ; for what order can exist in the
midst of a society where each branch of industry seeks
for success in the oppression of all others, aided in that
by the arm of the law ? It is a misconception of the
wishes of Providence which presides over human desti-
nies, and which are manifest in the infinite variety of
climate, of seasons, of natural forces and faculties, gifts
which the Almighty divided unequally among men, so
as to unite them by interchange in the bonds of uni-
versal fraternity. It is a drawback to public prosperity,
for he that has it not in his option to exchange freely,
is deprived also of changing his work, and finds him-
self constrained to give a false direction to his energies,
to his faculties, to his capital, agents which nature had
placed at his disposal. Lastly, it is compromising the
peace of nations, for it is rending asunder the bonds
which unite them, and which would make wars out of
the question, as being so onerous. The aim of the
association is, therefore,- free exchange. The under-
signed do not question the right of establishing on
goods that pass the frontier duties destined for the ex-
penses of the commonwealth, provided the wants of the
treasury are alone consulted in the establishment of
them. But as soon as the duties lose their fiscal cha-
racter, and aim at the exclusion of foreign produce to
the detriment of the treasury itself so as to cause an
artificial rise in a similar branch of national produce,
thus sacrificing the community to a class ; from that
moment protection or rather spoliation manifests itself,
and that is the principle which the association wishes
to eradicate from the public mind, and to efface entirely
is
from our laws, independent of all reciprocity and of
aimssyst at systems
elsewhere.thperetovatailling
destruction
o f
not to say that it desires it to be accomplished in a day.
Even from evil to good, and from a false position to a
thTeh protective the
ctiv Association
system,
natural state of things, prudence may command precau-
tions. The means of execution belong to the powers
of the state ; the mission of the association is to propa-
gate the principle, and render it popular. As regards
the means to be resorted to, legal and constitutional
means will be alone resorted to. Lastly, the associa-
tion is void of all political or party spirit • it is subser-
vient to no particular class or branch of industry, to no
particular portion of the land. It embraces the cause of
eternal justice, of peace, union, free communication, fra-
ternity between all men, the cause ofgeneral welfare, which
everywhere, and under every aspect, is united to that of
the public consumer." Here follow the signatures.

CARDIFF.—On Sunday this town was visited with a
most terrific thunder-storm. About nine o'clock it com-
menced, and continued with unabated fury, until. about half-
past ten o'clock. The lightning was of a peculiar forked
character. A small cottage wr s struck at Canton, a hamlet
about a mile distant, and the chimney destroyed ; a man and
woman, who were sitting near the fireplace at the time,
were prostrated to the earth, and remained insensible for a
length-of iiine._ They are, however, happily recovering.
Mr. B. Abercromby had an interview with Earl Grey
yesterday at the Colonial-office.