The Sun.
London, England, 1833-04-25 00:00:00

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LONDON,
THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 25, 1633.

The Currency debate was closed last night
at a late hour, and was rather singularly followed
by a motion for simple inquiry into the distress
of the country. It will be seen in another
column, that on the first division, which was on
Mr. ATTWOOD's motion, there were 139 in its
favour. It is fair to suppose that a part, and a
large part, of this number supported the motion,
from a desire to inquire into the distresses of
the country, and with no intention of sanctioning
that gentleman's views upon the subject of the
currency. On Lord ALTHORP'S amendment
being put, Mr. ATTWOOD moved the addition
of words to it, by which, having regard to the
principle it contained, a Committee was to be
appointed to inquire into the distress of the
industrious classes. This was, apparently, quite
a fair and unobjectionable proposal ; but coining
from Mr. ATTWooD immediately after this de-
bate, and appearing as a kind of corrective to
Lord ALTHoRp's amendment, it would, in all
probability, have given rise to an opinion that
the Currency doctors, or quacks, had triumphed.
It was urged by Sir ROBERT PEEL, that it was
equivalent to a motion on the state of the nation,
and could be entertained by no authority subor-
dinate to that of the House. Mr. HUME and
others had no objection to a Committee,of In-
quiry, but could not agree to that proposed,
unless the Hon. Member would state the object
he had in view. In fact, the House seemed to
have a salutary distrust of any proposition Mr.
AITWOOD might make, and accordingly, in
spite of the taking nature of his amendment, the
number of his supporters, on a division, was
slightly reduced. A third and final division
took place on Lord ALTHORp's resolution,
which put the plain question—aye or no—should
the standard of value be lowered ? We are happy
to say, that forty-nine individuals only were found
to support the affirmative of that question
In the division immediately previous, the num•
bets had been 139 for Mr. ATTWOOD, for Mi-
nisters 331. Now the numbers were for Mr.
ATTWOOD, 49 ; for Ministers, 304 ; the in-
crease of the last number showing that some of
Mr. ATTwoOD'S supporteis had changed sides
although others had merely left the House
Such is the result of a debate from which the
opponents of Ministers hoped so much. No
one will believe that the Members who voted with
the Government are all adverse to inquiry into
the distress of the people ; many who are adverse
to it declare that it is useless, because the reme.
dies are as notorious as the distress ; so that the
only result of Mr. ATTWOOD'S motion will be to
let every labourer in the country, every man with a
fixed income, know who it is wish, under the
name of lowering the standard of value, to filch
—it hardly deserves the name of robbery, that
must be reserved for a more open attack—from
them a- part of those necessaries and comforts
which they are at present able to purchase.
The minority will be immortalized as" the forty-
nine" who were found so late as the year 1833
to advocate, in the House of Commons, a
scheme of robbery which they hardly deigned to
veil under the milder term of depreciation.

The last number of the Edinburgh Review
contains an article against the imposition of a
property or of an income tax, of the most
Conservative description, and which we have
been both surprised and grieved to see ap-
proved of by some of our contemporaries, from
whom we had expected better things. Let us
see whether, without entering very much at
large into this important question, we cannot
convict the reviewer out of his own mouth. He
begins by admitting, in direct terms, the sound-
nesstheprinciple laid down by Dr. S:MTH,
subjects of every state ought to contri-
butethat theof
towards the support of Government, ci as
nearly as possible in proportion to their respec-
tive abilities ; that is, in proportion to the re-
venue which they respectively enjoy under
the protection of the State." But then,
says the reviewer, there are great difficulties in
the way of applying this principle ; and he forth-
with involves himself in a labyrinth of hack-

nied arguments, which being, by his own ac-1
knowledgment, in direct contradiction to prin-
ciple, are, as might be expected, in direct
contradiction to common sense, and one
another. He takes the question of a pro-
perty tax and an income tax separately,
and satisfactorily convinces every one that taxes
are very disagreeable things, and that no class
likes them. First, with respect to landholders,
he says that they are mostly small proprietors,
having "5, 10, 50, or 100 acres of land,"
whom it would be enormously unjust to tax,
whilst bankers, merchants, and traders are
let off. No doubt, but we suppose that
the injustice is equally " enormous," if the
man with the acres is suffered to escape
taxation, whilst the man with the funds
is taxed. Yet as far as our direct taxes
are concerned, that is precisely the case at pre-
sent. The land may be left by will to any one
the owner pleases, without paying any tax what-
ever ; the banker or trader leaves his property
among his connections, and they have every one
of them to pay a legacy duty. Now, here is
" an enormous injustice" deliberately committed,
whilst the remedy suggested for it, proposes no-
thing but an equality of burden. The advocates
of a property tax only have in view the taxation
of property ; and to say that it cannot be taxed
this way or that way, is merely saying that we
ought to find a way. Landowners have found
no difficulty in taxing houseowners, as witness
the house and window tax ; they have found
no difficulty in taxing personal property of
every kind, as witness the legacy duty ; but
directly any general scheme is proposed which
will embrace land, there is an immediate outcry
about " difficulties" and all their organs, Whig
and Tory, are prepared to prove that what
were mole-hills when traders were concerned,
are mountains when the question relates to the
owners of real property. The reviewer ap-
pears to feel the injustice ;of some of
the taxes, for he shirks them off in a few
sentences, but what sentences ! He says, " It
is contended, that because a receipt stamp for
201. costs ls., a receipt stamp for 1,0001. ought
to cost 21. 10s." No doubt it is contended, and
what has the Reviewer to say against it ?
why that " By far the greater portion of the
largest incomes is expended in paying com-
paratively small accounts." He might as well
have said that the moon was made of green
cheese. The legacy duties he thinks badly
arranged ; those payable on small sums ought,
he says, to be reduced, and those payable on
large sums to be increased. This is directly in
the teeth of whole page. of argument against a
graduated property tax ; but it is curious to see
a man gravely discussing how a burden ought to
be divided between A and B when the question
is whether D ought not to bear a portion of it.
We shall return to this article on a future day,
only begging to impress the fact upon our
readers, that the principle of a property tax
being admitted to be good, " difficulties " in its
application ought only to be considered in order
to be overcome.

The French papers state that extensive pre-
parations are going forward at Toulon, and
that an English fleet is expected to join
the French fleet which is fitting out there.
We do not know what reason there may
be for expecting the arrival of an English
fleet at Toulon ; but we hear from a source on
which entire reliance can be placed, that the
difficulties which stood in the way of
an arrangement between the British and
French Governments on the subject of
Russia have been removed, and that it has
been resolved by Prince TALLEYRAND and
Lord PALNIERSTON, to take such precautionary
measures as have become necessary. That
Russia is aiming at more than Great Britain
and France can with safety to themselves allow
is certain, and the extensive naval preparations
which the EMPEROR is making at Cronstadt,
are of themselves sufficient to warrant the inter-
ference of the British and French Governments.
An official person, who is lately arrived from
Russia, states that there are at this moment
seventy-five ships of war at Cronstadt, of which
sixteen are ships of the line. This may be an
exaggerated statement, but it will be prudent to
keep a vigilant eye upon the naval preparations
of Russia.

Dutch Papers of the 24th instant have been
received, but their contents are not important.
The KING is endeavouring to make himself very
gracious in the eyes of the people, and begins,
no doubt, to feel the consequences of his double-
faced policy, in the altered circumstances of his
finances, as well as the growing coldness of the
mercantile interest. In order to compensate for
the capture of Antwerp Citadel, the Dutch
semi-official journal, the Handelsblad, publishes,
as from authority, the following statement of the
loss sustained by the French in the siege
Killed, 1,010 ; wounded, 2,013, of whom
600 suffered amputation ; missing, 319 ; in all
3,342. The Moniteur of 7th January made
the number of the wounded, 550." The world
is not likely to place much faith in this Dutch
version of the affair, nor do we see what pur-
pose it can be intended to serve, unless as a
salve to the wounded vanity of the Dutch
_

nation.
The St. Petersburgh journals of the 9th April,
contain a long official article on the present state
of the kingdom of Poland, for which we have
not room to• day.
AMSTERDAM, APRIL 23.
Actual Debt, 2% per cent
Amort Syndic, 4% per cent ...... ........
Ditto, ditto, 3% per cent.
Voluntary Loan, 1831, 6 per cent lOl% to 102
Ditto, 1833, 5 per Cent.
Ditto, P 33, 5 per Cent.
Exchange on London
Ditto, two months ll 65

Merchant Tailors' School has, we under-
stand, been closed, in cons,quenee of the prevailing
influenza being among the scholars.
A splendid dinner was yesterday given to
Captain POLHILL, by the principal members of Drury-lane
Theatre, and several gentlein n, supporters of the drama,
(Lard Wit. LEN)tox in the Chair), at Gnuld'a London
Hotel, Albemarle-street, on the gallant Captain's retire-
ment from the Lesseeship of the Theatre. A handsome
subscription has also bees entered into to present Captain
PoLulu. with a piece of plate.