The Sun.
London, England, 1833-05-13 00:00:00

great national experiment should fall upon the
planter. The Government meets the difficul=
ties of these circumstances in a remarkably
skilful manner. The continuance of sugar cul-
tivation for twelve years is insured by the restric-
tions upon the negro during that period. At
the end of that time the price which the master
shall himself have set on the negro will have
been paid to the master, and he will be left with
that sum in his pocket, as the capital from
which the wages of the negroes, who by that time,
it is to be hoped, will be ready to work volunta-
rily for wages, will be paid. Should this de-
sirable result arrive, it is more than probable
that the value of the rest of the proprietor's
property will be greatly augmented, not only in
respect of its security, but because labour per-
formed for hire is universally admitted to be
performed more effectually and cheaply than
that performed by purchased slaves. L► the
mean time, the Government remove a large
portion of the risk from the proprietor by the
loan of 15,000,0001. at 4 per cent. This sum
appears to he the value of the net returns to the

West India proprietors estimated at 10 years'
purchase. This loan will be lent on the se-
curity of West India property only, and will not
involve the borrower in the obligation of a per-
sonal loan ; so that if the plan were to fail, and
the consequences were to be disasfrous to West
India property, the pledge might he abandoned
and the loan retained without liability of re-
payment. It is necessary to observe here,
that some little doubt arises on the sth

clause of the plan, as it does not appear
what is to become of the half-yearly payments
after the loan shall have been paid off. We
understand it is intended that the loans will be
made, not to the island communities, but to in-
dividuals, and the respective sums advanced to
them will in effect be separate loans. If, there-
fore, a West India proprietor value his slaves at
a larger sum than the amount of his loan, that
loan will be paid off by the taxes collected from
his slaves previously to the expiration of the
twelve years, and the subsequent taxes will be
paid over to the proprietor by the Government.
It must be admitted that difficulties of no in-

considerable magnitude will occur in carrying
into effect the details of this measure, difficulties

which will be much aggravated by the violence
of the extremes of each party, but it is probable
that if the plan is calmly and fairly considered
by the public, they will be satisfied that nothing
further could be done in the way of relief to thee
planter or benefit to the slave without subjecting
the parent country to a very heavy outlay."—
Times.

The Standard of Saturday observes—
We cannot but think that the work is already well
begun at Westminster. The single defeat of the Ministe-
rial candidate is something, but the example is invaluable.
It:has been proved to Ministers that none of their number
can dare to face any constituency in the kingdom. The
Secretary for Ireland has been hawked about amongst all
orders of officials, from Mr. S. Rice and Mr. C. Fer-
gusson, down to Mr. Abercrombie and Mr.Kennerly ; but
all, after feeling the pulses of their several constituencies,
have declined it, and now we hear it is proposed to confer
the dangerous office upon some INer, and to have his
under-secretary, whose appointment would not drive him
to an election, as the Ministerial organ in the House of
Commons upon all Irish affairs. At present, Ireland, the
object of so much care, and such ostentatious interest, at
the beginning of the session, has no official guardian of
any kind in that assembly, not even a Crown lawyer.
What is of not less importance, the Westminster election
has, we know, demonstrated to the First Person in the
realm the foundation and extent of the popularity of his
servants."

So the work is already well begun at West-
minster, is it ? But if the Westminster election
has, as our contemporary says he knows it has,
demonstrated to the First Person in the realm

the foundation and extent of the popularity of
his servants, that First Person must be
under a strange delusion indeed, if he thinks

that those who are dissatisfied with the Whigs,
because they do not proceed with sufficient ra-
pidity in the way of reform and retrenchment,
would be less dissatisfied with the Tories! We
have already observed that a general election, in
the present temper of the people, would lead, in
the counties, to the return of many Conserva-
tives ; but it would also lead to the return of
many fierce democrats, and the collision
might lead to tremendous consequences. If
the Whigs were out of place, and the Conserva-
tives in power, the latter might attempt to co-
erce the country ; what the result might be we
know npt ; that it would be calamitous to the
nation, we believe ; but we are much mistaken if

they would not have cause for regretting that
they had ever made the attempt. We have al-
ways been of opinion that Ministers were not
sufficiently aware of the intensity of hatred borne
to the house and window tax, and we could
have wished that they had at once abandoned
them. It is not merely the money which the
people grudge ; the surcharges and other annoy-
ances keep them constantly in hot water.

"It has been asked (says the Caledonian Mercury),
why have ti e assessed taxes of late years become so un-
popular both here and elsewhere ? The answer is, first,
by reason of their most unequal distribution ; and, se-
condly, on account of the shameful manner in which they
have latterly been racked. This last is particularly appli-
cable to Scotland, where, by order of the Barons of Ex-
chequer, surveyors are compelled to make repeated charges
and surcharges, awl where the taxes in question are
screwed up by every possible means, not a hole or cranny
for giving admission to the light of Heaven being omitted,
except through ignorance of its existence. Much of the
present ferment is traceable to this cause alone."

We cannot, therefore, help thinking that it
would have been wiser on the part of Ministers
to have repealed these taxes, and to have trusted
to future retrenchments, possible increase of the
revenue, and even some substitute, if these
should not be sufficient. We have stated frankly
our views with regard to the house and window
taxes, and tl►e conduct of Ministers respecting
them. But if Ministers have not made sufficient
allowance for the hatred of the people towards
these taxes, the people on the other hand have
displayed a spirit which leads reflecting persons
to feel not a little uneasy for the suture. In
fact, the expectations entertained by many people
that all the evils of the country ought to be
remedied at once, is most irrational, and reminds
us of the impatience of children. We have
been pillaged by boroughmongers for upwards
of a century; all essential reforms were with-
held ; and now, because an honest Ministry
cannot at once free the country from evils
which have been so long accumulating, the
language used towards them is as virulent and
abusive as if they were the authors of all the
evils. The following extract from the Leeds
Mercury of Saturday last very happily exposes
the absurd complaints to which we have been

"Cimplaints (says cur contemporary) have been made,
both in and out of Parliament, that Ministers and the
House of Commons are reluctant to inquire into the sta-e
of the country, and into the public expenditure. Our
thfficulty, however, would be, to find out, not the interest
or the institution which is at present made the subject of
but that which is not undergoing investigation.
In tact, whatever else the reformtd Parliament will do
fur. the nation, it will give inquii y without a tint. At
s moment there are sitting or perambulating, a corn-
mission to inquire into the poor laws—..a commission to
iL
iuireinto the condition of the poor in Ireland--a com-