The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-08 00:00:00

WIND( W DUTY.

The following petition was presented by General Sir
De Lacy Evans, on Friday, Feb. 19 :
" The Petition of the Members of the Westminster
Reform Society,

" Shovveth,—That your petitioners are householders
in the City of Westminster, who, for many years, used
their most strenuous exertions to obtain a Reform in
the Commons House of Parliament, expecting thereby
that, among other grievances which a Reformed Parlia-
ment would redress, those of excessive and unequal taxa-
tion would have been the first they would have removed.
Your petitioners deeply regret that, in the eighth
year of a Reformed Parliament, they should have to
pray your Honourable House to repeal a tax so griev-
ous, mischievous, and unjust, as the window tax.
" Your petitioners submit, for the consideration of
your Honourable House, that the window-tlx is unjust
from its inequality, being, in many cases, 14 per cent.
upon the property of the trader and manufacturer, and
per cent. upon the property of the rich ; that it is
mischievous, inasmuch as it diminishes the profit de-
rived from trade, and greatly discourages industry by
rendering the employment of capital less productive ;
that it is calculated to increase absenteeism, by induc-
ing those persons who possess fixed incomes to remove
to countries where commodious residences and the other
necessaries of life are obtained at less cost, and where
they ire free from so odious an impost as the win-
dow-tax.

" Your petitioners conceive that it is not among the
least of the evils produced by this tAx that, in large and
densely populated towns, the inhabitao.ts should, from
the oppressiveness of this tax, have presented to them
inducements to deprive their dwellings of that light and
ventilation which is absolutely necessary to the health
and moral condition of the people, and the absence of
which is known to produce the most fatal contagious
diseases.

" Your petitioners are induced the more earnestly to
call the attention of your Honourable House to this
subject from the late increase of this tax so grievously
pressing upon tha industrious and trading portion of the
community.

" Your petitioners aver that while the suffrage de-
pends tax by upon the payment of the window
time, the late increase will operate most materially to
limit the elective franchise; first, by disfranchising all
who arc unable to pay the larger amount of tax in time
to x etain their qualification ; and, secondly, by disfran-
chising those who appeal, and whose votes aro lost be-
fore their appeal is heard.
" Your petitioners, therefore, pray your Honourable
House to grant a total repeal of the window-tax,
and your petitioners will ever pray.
" Signed on behalf of the Westminster Reform
ORRIS, Chairman.
Society, ,A.,-,..otiitur-zr, "JOHN M
" Stannard's Hotel, Charles-street, Covent-garden."
There is one point which deserves patticular atten-
tion, viz., t,le inducement to exclude light and ventila-
us
tion for the purpose of evading so heavy a tax,
th
offering a
premium upon pestilence, and somewhat in-
consistent with the concern lately manifested by the
Parliament for the introduction of sanatory measures.
Much that was said in defence of the Drainage Bill
by the Alarquis of Normanby, may be urged with equal
propriety against the window-tax.
The price of hay in the Pas de Calais was never
known to be much higher than it is at the present time—
fetching, in the towns and neighbourhoods. of Boulogne
and Calais, quite 4/. per ton ; and strawis equally dear.
Oats. also, are worth better than 16r. the
rasiere (c r öi
bushels), which, taking their generally inferior quality into
consideration, is a price little unde'r that of the midland
English markets. No wonder French farmers arc doing
well, inasmuch as three rents only arc required to te made
by them, whereas little short of five will Itectp the Eng isb
farmer in his place.

In Harbour—Queen, Victory, Excellent, Ro)al George,
Indus, Tweed, Rapid, Sylvia, Alban, Echo, Fanny and
Emer2l4 tenders.
Paom .TIONS AND APPOINTMENTS. - Lieutenants—J.
Oxenham, to c,mmand Cockatrice ; F. W. Austen, to
Bonetta •J. Evans (b) to Polyphemus. Mate—Stephen
F. Dool Is, to Ext ei lcnt. —Midshipman—W. G. Douglas,
to Queen. Second Mater—R. S. Rundle, to San Josef;
in charge of 1-'4lmonth buey.boat, to Polyphemus.

(From the Ilanipshire Telegraph.)
Po nTsmorrll, Matzen 6.—The Boadicea, transport,
Li ut. Ward, Ageut, arrived yesterday, in forty five days
from the Island of Ascension ; she brings bowie nine in-
valids, together with Mr. Kittle, surgeon, Mr. Caldwell,
assistant-surgeon, and Mr. Hancorn, of the Termagant,
all invalldcd ; as vtell also as Mrs. Tinklar, the widow of
tl.e late Commandant of the Island with her family.
We havo a report by this ship that our squadron has de.
:troy ed the factory or fortress of the Gallinas, belonging
to the Spaniards, and has taken 800 slaves found therein,
to Sierra Leone.
The Wolverine, 16, Capt. Tucker, Cygnet, 10, Lieut.
Wilson, and Dolphin, 3, Lieut. Littlehales, were at Cape
Coast Castle, about the 12th December, and subsequently
sailed on diffe:e%t cruizer.

The Indu*, 7S, Captsin Sir James Stirling, and Tweed,
20, Commaneer Dougla7, went out of harbour to-day.
The Monarch, at Sheerness, may be daily expected at
Spithead.
The Mercury soiled yesterday for Devonport, with men
for the ships at that port. The Emerald proceeds there
also, with Lieut. Giffin of the Excellent, who is ordered
to inspect the gun-carriages of the ships at Plymouth.
The new steam-vessel Vixen has passed by from
Milford Hay en, fur Wovlcsieh, to be there fitted for com-
mission.

On Wednesday the Adder revenue cutter, Morgan,
Commander, carried into Cowes a smuggling vessel, with
four men; all her contraband cargo was thrown overboard
during a long chase to the Southward of the Isle of Wight.
The men are lodged in the borough gaol at Newport. On
Tuesday, the St ig revenue cruizer, Captain Goddcn,
brought into Cowes a noted smuggling vessel, New Eagle,
of Jersey, with one man and eighty casks of contraband
spirits, seized near the Needle Rocks.
It is sad that four additional Lieut.- Colonels and twelve
Captains are to be given to the Marine Corps, with an B.C.
cession of subalterns; consequently 4 Captains, 16 First
Lieutenants, and 28 Second Lieutenant!, will be promoted,
and 40 additional aspirants will be required.
Several young Gentlemen are now in these towns
studying, l reparatory to passing fo:• Commissions in the
Royal Marines.

Mr. John APLennon, Boatswain in the ordinary at
Plymouth, has been superannuated, on a pension of 434
per annum.

raomorioNs AND APPOINTMENTS.
PrtomoTteNs.—Commander—Thornas Matthew Charles
Symonds to the rank of Captain.
Lieutenant—G. G. Otway (of the Medea)i father's
having
served hi; two years' tea time, to entitle him to
( Sir Robert Otway) hauling down vacancy at hs
to the rank of Commander.
Sheerness,
Mates—Henry Broadhead, Arthurßodd, of the Princess Charlotte,
a JndeAri
.n jn,gha wmoo,dly.
,Ro.f
the Revenge (the two latter on thete
vacancy of Lieutenant
S epford), John F. Warre,tcthe rank of Lieutenant.
in h
Wemyss, of the Vanguard,
from the Queen to the Slnne•;:i7,
M. D. , to the Asia con-
14_1fa.ster—W. H. Belliston,
APP..INTMENTs.--Sccond
Surgeons—Andrew,
~,, k„,eShnie, NI.D., to the Layton convict
vict ship ; Alex. Dunn,o..--- m. D., to the Waverley convict
W. Sparks,
sslhiiir; Tanhdoml:lll ponovan, M.D., to the Rajah con•
borne on th
vict ship. John Matthews, to the Polyphemus
gh e
GCuencrikeart r ice
,and;
Excellent'e
of the
Victory. .
ng officers belong to the Wilbefforce steam
The folio; t
,MasAtecrti;nuC y rasr\gVeaokne ;
of the steamers destined for the Niger Ex
' . sae), or e
Gunner;Mas ter's_ Assistant—
‘ v
‘tvoi
cbkes,A
tcoti
nt
Pe-
A"-; i „William Allen, Commander ; Jas. N. Strange,
L•it:untenits;erNl;Tin.Ml,o'orrsitser,PAritcefihnegtt
ham,
J. R. H. Thompson, Assistant- Surgeon ; John Shirlipg,
Acting Assistant-Surgeon; H. C. Toby, Mate; H. F. N.
Rolfe, Mae; Wm. Johnston, Ist Engineer; Joseph
Graystock, 2d ditto; George G 'ttd* J. H. R
am o, 3d ditto; R.
Webb, Clerk.
Pt.rmourit Tnt, , rtsDAY, MARCH 4. —The Comet steamer
arrived on Friday, with the Vixen new steamer, from
Pembroke, and sailed on Sunday for Woolwich. The
Volcano steamer sailed for Woolwich on Friday, to be re-
paired. The 163 went out of harbour to the Sound on
Friday. The Pluto steamer sailed on Sunday for the
ccast of Africa. The Star packet sailed on Sunday for
Falmouth. The Wilbefforce, iron steamer, arrived on
M f
ondaY, from Liverpool, and Failed the same day .h
for
Woolwich. The Swale light
er arrived on Monday, w.t
cid stores, from Falmouth. The Netley tender sailed on
Monday for Bristol, for volunteers.
onia, San Josef, Snipe,
Sylph, Carron steamer,
Rt2tn:ining in Hamoaze—C len
Adventurer, No. 7, Rochester
lighter, and Swale lighter.
In the Sound—lmpregnable, Belleisle, and Iris, The
Iris, 26, having had .
d her defects made good, went out of
Id on the 26th ult.
harbour into the Sow

ORE... The iron ore trade is at present
IRON —RE.-7-
_.
Mcssrs kenncdy and Co. are working a very
svl':duabie vei❑ ; but on account of such an over-
/I'7El l'obidisrater, they arc not able to procure the quantity
th,..y other‘sise would, but expect soon to be able to do so,
as they have now two eminent engineers from Marcliester
employed in fitting up an ensine..-Kendallkfacury.