The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-14 00:00:00

LOCAL TAXATION.

The Select Committee on Local Taxation resumed their
sittings yesterday morning, the Right Hon. Mr. Goschen,
the President of the Poor-law Board, in the chair.
The first witness called was Mr. William Middleton, the
Chairman of the Board of Guardians, of Leeds, who gave
evidence as to the principles of rating in that locality.
Speaking generally, he said, if the landlord paid the rates
in Leeds he would increase the rent, whereas if the
tenant paid them he would expect a reduction from his
landlord. Houses were the same as any other marketable
commodity. A man of business would not pay more for
a house than he thought it worth. If he thought that the
rent and rates together exceeded the value of the house
according to his estimation, he would not take the house.
Mr. Avery, who has been twice Mayor of Birmingham,
was then examined, and described the rating of Birming-
ham, but was of quite a different opinion to the last wit-
ness, and thought that it would be far better that the
rates should comtinue to be collected by different
local bodies. He stated that a very considerable sum was
received from the rating of railways.
Mr. Dudley Baxter, a gentleman well acquainted with
the subject generally, and with the condition of property
at the East End of London, stated that at the time of the
distress at the East End it did not in the least
degree affect the rents of the houses, becaUse
there happened to be at the time a great
demand for them. He was of opinion that the rates fell
partly upon the landlord and partly upon the tenant, and
that so fax as the ground landlord was concerned, he had
received a great advantage by the granting of his land for
building leases, because in consequence of doing so he had
escaped all the subsequent local taxation.
After hearing some further evidence from Mr. Baxter
the committee adjourned at four o'clock.

M. FLOURENS AND THE FRENCHTOLICE.—It is
stated by some French journals that in awaiting the per-
mission of Parliament to alter the provisions of the Alien
Bill, Lord Lyons has been commissioned to inform the
Court of the Tuileries that the English Government will
have no objection to the supervision of the refugees by
the French police. M. Pieta., it is added, has availed
himself of this permission to send over a certain number
of his most skilful agents, charged with the special mis-
sion of discovering if Flourens has really left England, or
if his pretended departure is not a ruse invented by his
friends to baffle attempts at investigation.
SPANISH CARICATURES.—PoIiticaI excitement is
producing at Madrid a plentiful crop of caricatures. One
represents Prim dancing on a slack rope upon the points
of swords, which he wears as stilts, while the Republi-
cans and partisans of the various candidates for the
throne look on, in expectation of a fall. It is called
" Equilibrios del Interinidad." Another consists merely
of a sheet divided into thirty squares, each square con-
taining a comic portrait of some of the claimants of the
throne. In the host of others, the " Auction " and the
duel are worthy of notice. The former represents Prim
knocking down the crown to the highest bidder ; the latter
depicts him as engaged in a mortal combat with a friar,
while a bishop acts as second for each of the opponents.
THE TOAD AND THE CARP.—In the seance of the
11th of April M. Duchemin brought before the academy
of Sciences of Paris the following curious fact in natural
history :—ln the park of the Clulteau de Montigny (Eure)
belonging to M. Deroche, there is a large piece of water,
through which a gentle curt ent of beautifully clear
water flows, In this lake numerous carp are
reared, which thrive well, except during the first days of
spring, when each year an extraordinary mortality oc-
curs amongst them. In eaeh animal one morbid
symptom is always observable in the dead animals as
they float on the surface of the water. In every case the
animal is blind ; a kind of film covers the eyes and even
a part of the head. An examination of the body brings
to light no internal disease, beyond a slight fatty degene-
ration of the tissues. The viscera appear healthy, and
contain no intestinal worms, The cause of this
strange malady has not hitherto received any
notice ; but from M. Duchemin's researches, in con-
junction with M. Deroche, it seems that the toad
(Bufo ccyamita) is an enemy, if not of all fishes, at least of
the carp in spring, It attacks it, exhausts it, conquers,
and kills it. To determine the point, they examined
all the carp in the pond, and found squatting on the head
of each of those that were diseased an enormous toad, the
fore-paws of which were placed on the two eyes of the
unfortunate fish. Thus, this ugly Batrachian, which
presents so stupid an aspect, has yet sufficient intelligence
to assume the offensive, and to overcome a large fish. If
it has not agility and energy, it has cunning and persever-
ance. It yipuld appear to kill by exhaustion, but it
remains to be ascertained whether the acrid secretion of
is skin assists in the eone,uest.—Fature,

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