The Sun.
London, England, 1833-05-01 00:00:00

CIiTIFICATES.-:-51A1/ 21,

J. Townsend, cressing-case-manuf:cturer, Castle-street, Hol-
born—R. Hardy, victualler, Barbican—J. Brockman, wine-mer.
chant, Leamington Priors, Warwieksbire—R. Walkington,
upholsterer, High Holborn—T. North, carpenter, Wootton,
Bedfordshire—J. Peachey, ironmonger, Regent-street.
PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED.

W. Clements and C. Wright, 11frlingford Mills, Norfolk—J.
and W. Daniel, joiners, Leeds—A. Clare and J. R. Dickinson,
attorneys, Frederick's-place, ( Id Jewry—R. Rose and R. Iles,
km., aolnirion.parriers, Fairford, Glonce,tershire—F. Greasley,
Ind 'l'. Parrott, screw-manufacturers, Birmingham—J. and T.
Hyde, cotton-deniers, Manchester—J. Wylie and Co., wine-
merchants, Newca,stle,tnider-Lyme, Staffordshire—J, Relfe and
J. Unwin, kooksellers, Coriihill—J. and R. B. Neweom, tea-
t Oms, High street, Borough—R. Grayson and T. Splatne, coal_
merchants, Liverpool—J. and J. Pearson, flour-dealers, Week,
yvells-steet,
e9_lt, Ceshire—J. Myatt, sen., and S. Patiall manufacturers
nity-square_v6i. Pa elate—J, Exley and CO.; e'orn-tLctors, Tri_i
.J. Jeffbl, VPVibisl:rce.ur:t t ernr se, r °SI laent it i9e' 1 48— , -I' IT
Lieresley and e
al t in —d
NWN, :
Rhodes, maltsters. Little G
and Co., brlck.malcers, settil, yot:hZ'rorkshire—B. Townsley
Pinny, potatoe-merchants, iverpool-1.-
14.. Douglas
io and ,I.
Sindrey, auctioneers, Cokmal..street—J. Willettan,VT: NO,.
hlacksmiths, Bradford, Yorkshire—C. Campbell and c O '-'
~ mer-
chants, Willow,

LONDON,
WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY I, 1833.

The result of the debate last night was, as
every one expected, in favour of Lord
A LTHORP'S amendment ; but the majority in
his favour was increased by two considerations,
which many had not calculated upon. It was
thought far from necessary that Ministers should
resign if the House of Commons should think
that a property tax was more just and politic
than the taxes at present most complained of.
Lord ALTHORP, however, last night said, that
although he granted Ministers were bound to
be guided by the House, no individual Minister
could he expected to carry into effect a measure
of which he radically disapproved, and that
therefore he should retire from his situatio❑
if the House rejected hisamendment. Some really
wish the present Ministry to remain undisturbed
in their places, and we are of the number, on
account of the many beneficial measures they
have entered upon, which, we should fear, would

not meet with such good treatment from one
party which might come into power, as we expect
from the Whigs. Among these questions are
the East India Charter, Borough Reform, and
Slavery (we hope). The majority was doubt-
less swelled also by many, who, in the dim
prospect thus opened to them of a possible total
change of Administration and a dissolution of
Parliament, saw an early abasement of all their
Parliamentary glories in the justice which would
be dealt out to them by their disappoin:ed con-
stituents. These circumstances being consi-
dered, in conjunction with the aversion of many
to a property tax, it need not be matter
of surprise that on Sir JOHN KEY'S motion
for reducing the house and window taxes, the
numbers were, Ayes, 157 ; Noes, 355: and on
Lord ALTHORP'S amendment, Ayes, 285,
Noes, 131. By the first vote the repeal of the
house and window tax was positively negatived,
and by the last it was in effect resolved, that
the vote of Friday night should not be carried
into effect. Indeed, to say that it should be
carried into effect, without at the same time
reducing some of the taxes that press upon the
owners of other than landed property, is a thing
which none but a country gentleman could for
a moment have imagined, not a thing_fit to he
done, but even to be proposed. Proposed, however,
it was; some Member, Sir W. INGILBY it is
slid, having during the exclusion of reporters
from the gallery, moved for leave to bring in a
Bill founded upon the resolution of Friday last
The division against this modest proposal was
238 to 76, giving a majority against the repeal
of the malt duty exactly equal to that in its favour
on Friday. This was not, however, the most
impudent thing of the evening, for all who voted
for the motion (lid it in the perfect conviction
that they should perhaps have credit with their
oonstituents, without the risk of being involved
in a property tax. The test of their sincerity
will be their being in favour of a property tax,
and to that test we would recommend their con-
stituents to look. What we allude to as being even
more distinguished for brass than this motion
are the candid avowals of some of the country
gentlemen, that they cared not a rush for any
soul living but themselves. Mr. HEATHCOTE,
the Member for Lincolnshire, was one of the
candid persons who made this admission.
With reference to Sir JOHN KEY'S motion he
said :

44 T. e Hon. Baronet had enlarged upon the grievance*
which the inhabitants of towns suffered from the imposition
of these taxes ; but he (Mr. Watheote) could not lose sight
of this fact, that there were 106,000 farm-houses through-
out the country exempted from the duty. How could it
be expected, then, that the agricultural interest would
consent to abolish a tax to which they con7ributed little
or nothing, and impose one in its stead which would
prove extremely onerous to them?—(Laughter.)"
It is for the House to laugh at the naivete
of this confession ; but it is for those whose
weak submiSsion it insults, to insist that the
men who fix their own prices for the food
getting from others,
taxes.
aihixeoeyus impedel.d at
ea
st
th ep
acyo uannt r ye
equal
a l
proportion of the
By way of clenching his argument, ant)
leaving no doubt with respect to the injustice
that is done to the middling classes of the tovms

by the higher classes who own land, Nit..
HEATHCOTE thus proceeds :
" He would endeavour to explain to the House how far
the county of Lincoln, which he had the honour to repre-
sent. was affected by the house and window tax. Ile
found by the last assessment, that the value of real property
in that county was 2,061,8301., while the amount of duty
paid for houses and windows amounted to no more than
25,0001. If be deducted from that sum the amount paid
by the different boroughs in the county, the tax levied on
the agricultural districts would he reduced to 17,0001.,
and if the house and window duties paid by the higher
classes were also deducted, the amount imposed on the
general inhabitants of the country districts would be
decreased to a very trifling sum.—(Hear, and laughter.)"
All this means in plain English, that the
landowners, who are the law-makers, have taken
care to exempt themselves and tenants (who
thereby pay larger rents), from a tax which falls
Kith monstrous inequality on the owners of and
livers in town hou'es. Who will venture to say,
after this, that it is demagogues and agitators
who set the people against the aristocracy ? It
is not agitators who have put one in opposition
to the other : it is not the press which has
exempted land from the share of taxes it ought
to pay ; it is the landowners themselves that
have said—" You shall pay, and we will not."
All that the press can do, is to point out the
injustice that is done the people, and it may be
at length that the systematic plan of fiscal rob-
bery under which they have so long suffered,
will be overturned.
The arguments advanced against a property
tax, founded upon the unpopularity of the pro-
perty and income tax, in conjunction with many
other war taxes, and the fallacy of the idea that
it would be unjust to have a property tax with-
out an income tax, we must revert to on a future
occasion.

We have only space to•day to refer our rea'lers
to the resolutions upon the Corn Laws, laid by
Earl FITZWILLIAM before the House of Lords
last night. They are well worthy of careful
consideration.

The resignation of Sir J. HOBHOUSE has
produced considerable excitement, and at least
as much diversity of opinion. It is manly and
honourable (so far as it goes) but we are old
enough to remember the days when people
used no such cold, cautious expressions in
speaking of the Hon. Baronet's conduct. Time
was when he could be praised without a paren-
thesis being thrust in by way of draw-back to
sth h approbation. But that time is passed and
gone. The stanch patriot, whose course, while
he was the people's advocate, was ever clear and
straight-forward, finds that course beset with thorns
and briars, the instant he takes up his position
on the Treasury Bench. The placeman is all
doubt and distrust and vacillation, where the
patriot was all energy and confidence. But Sir
JOHN is a placeman no longer ! Granted.
But what has become of the patriot ? His re-
signation too does him honour ► Granted.
But what becomes of his gratitude to the
people of Westminster ? Argue the question
as you please, ['put in every possible variety
of light you please, still you can draw from it
but this one conclusion—namely, that Sir JOHN
HOBLIOUSE has thrown his constituents over-
board. He has given up the cause to defend
which they returned him to Parliament. They
asked him to speak out boldly on the question
of the assessed taxes. He has replied by a cour-
teous equivocation. True, he has made the
amende honorable by his resignation ; but this
is not enough. lie should have been bold and
decided ; not deserted the ship at the very first
cry of " breakers ahead," but stuck to her so
long as there was a plank left to stick by. He
should have advocated the repeal of the
house and window tax—which, by the bye, was
his own question, the favourite child of his
own loins—through evil and through good re-
port, in all times and in all weathers, no matter
what was the opposition, or who were the Ministry
averse to it. Instead of which, at the very first
cock of the Ministerial gun, the shy, shrewd bird
is on the wing and away. A pop-gun has suf-
ficed to paralyze a Westminster patriot ! The
frown of a Whig Ministry has thrown the
gentle, timid creature into fits. Sir JOHN HOB-
HOUSE'S present position is of the order of the
" inexplicables•" It is not humiliating, it is not
satisfactory; it is a sort of odd cross between
the two. It is correct within certain narrow,
fixed limits ; it is manly on a small, contracted,
scale of manliness. Assuredly gratitude forms
no portion of its merits. Westminster had
stronger claims on Sir JOHN'S attention than
Government, yet he has chosen to put both on
the same level. He has evinced as much dread
of offending Ministers as his constituents. Yet
to the one he is under a deep, overwhelming load
of obligation ; while to the other, he has owed
nothing but an Irish Secretaryship. His task
then was clear. It should have been decided,
not vacillating. He should have stuck to his
constituents, and begged his " exeat" from the
Government. But Sir Jot-IN is a quick-witted
man. He is gif ed with a keen glance that pierces
far into the furtive. He has quitted the Govern-
ment, but he has quitted it in such a courteous,
reluctant spirit, tha' that Minister must be hard
hearted indeed who should bolt the door behind
him. In a word, he has cut and run, but the
" cut" is conditional, and the " run" is only
just round- the corner.

We need scarcely say, that in these few plain
remarks we are influenced by no hostili'y to Sir
JOHN HOBHOUSE. We accuse him of no
tergiversation—no apostacy—our sole cause of
complaint is, that he has shown a strange want
of vigour and decision. If we speak har:hly of
the ex-Irish Secretary, it is because we are haunted
by an acute recollection of the Westminster
Patriot. The past extorts from us a condem-
nation of the present. Sir JOHN HomiousE,the
man of the people, was all energy and straight-
forwardness. Sir JoHN HOBHOUSE, the Whig
placeman, has been all doubt, timidity, anal vacil-
lation. " The flaming patriot, who so lately
scorched us in the East, now sinks temperately
in the West, and is hardly felt as he descends."
These words, applied by JUNIUS to HORNE
TOOKE, apply with at least equal force to Sir
JOHN HOBHOUSE.

We have carefully perused the Hon. Baronet's
address to his constituents, but must confess we
can make little or nothing of it. " If," says he
—it is astonishing what virtue there is in an
if."—" I could give any vote at all, you had
most certainly a right to it." The plain Eng-
lish of this is, " I would gladly give my
vote in favour of the repeal of
.the house
for ever cut myself out of office. Now this,
and window tax, but by so doing, I should
Gentlemen, is a very unpleasant alternative, so
toav
oidit,l will take the mean path, that is to
say, willmake a show of consistency with you,
by resigning Westminster, and I will make the
same show with Government by resigning office.
Peradventure Ministers,who understand these sort
of delicate arrangements, will see fit in the fulness
of time to reinstate me; possibly you may do the
same thing ; but at any rate, whether you do or