The Sun.
London, England, 1833-08-16 00:00:00

ANNUITY TAX.

Mr. Tait has addressed the following letter to the Editor
of an Edinburgh paper :
Sir,—l wish to be allowed, through the medium of your paper,
to explain the reasons which have induced me to submit to
imprisonment, rather than pay the annuity or minister's stipend.
My reasons are these :
The tax was imposed by the Act 1661, and preceding Acts,
to raise 19,000 marks, which were to be applied to the main.
tenance of only six of the twelve Edinburgh clergymen, whereas
a sum very much larger has been collected under the name of
annuity, and applied to the maintenance of all the Edinburgh
clergymen, and to other purposes.
That collection and application of the annuity was illegal up
to 1809 ; and was only then made legal (if legal it yet is) by a
clause surreptitiously and illegally inserted in an Act of Par.
liament, which had been intimated as one for simply extending
the royalty of the city. Unless an Act of Parliament fraudu.
lently obtained by the clergy can make the annuity, as now
collected and applied, legal, the collection and application are
still illegal.
Altogether, by the annuity, impost, seat.rents, shore-dues
at Leith, &c., about 21,0001. are collected, in the name of the
church establishment, while only about half that sum is ap.
plied to its legitimate purposes.

The sum levied upon the citizens of Edinburgh is not only
too large, but is unequally levied, and absurdly applied ;
55,000 souls in the extended royalty having 13 churches and 18
ministers, to whom about 9,0001. per annum is paid, while
70,000 souls in that part of Edinburgh which is called the
parish of St. Cuthbert, pay no part of the annuity tax, the
two clergymen of this parish, and those of the chapels of ease
belonging to it, being paid by the heritors, or from the seat rents.
The above inequality of the assessment is further aggravated
by the exemption of the members of the College of Justice;
also by the tax being laid ►,pon shops, &c., as well as dwelling.
houses, although the latter are the proper measures of the in.
comes of the inhabitants.
For these and other reasons detailed in a petition to 'Parlia-
ment, and a rep ►rt by the committee of inhabitants, the col.
lection of the annuity has beet► considered unjust and oppressive.
Payment has been refused by the inhabitants ; and when the
clergy proceeded to distrait] the goods of the recusants, their
proceedings were rendered ineffective by the impossi ility of
finding purchasers for the distrained goods. Finding their
seizures of the citizens' goods inoperative, the clergy are re.
sorting to the extremity of imprisonment Mr. Wilson, pocket-
, book ►raker, was the first seized on. He, as was publie'y an.
nounced, submitted immediately on being imprisoned to the
imposition of the clergy, on account of the state of his health.
I have been selected as the second victim; and as I have not
Mr. Wilson's reason for instant submission to what I conceive
injustice and oppression, I have permitted the clergy to im.
prison me, and send you this statement from my place of con-
finement, the gaol, Calton.hill.
In reference to St. Peter's name, our Saviour said "Upon
this rock I have built my church." It is now seen upon what
rock the Edinburgh clergy rest their establishment—the rock
on which stands the Calton gaol.
Let no man tell me that I ought to petition Parliament for
alteration of the law, instead of opposing this passive resist-
ance of the law. Petitioning has been tried once and again ;
and what has been the result ? Why, that the Lord A vocate
of Scotland, one of the representatives of our city, and a Mi-
nister of the Crown, has attempted to sanction the hideous
injustice of which we complained by a new Act of Parliament,
fixing down the odious annuity tax upon us more firmly than
ever, with no amelioration of the injustice except the doing
away with the exemption of the College of Justice!
I believe there is no hope of redress but from refusal of pay-
ment until the extremity of imprisonment is resorted to. On
that belief I have acted, and I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
WILLIAM TAIT.

OLD BAILEY, AuG. 15.

SENTENCES.

TERMINATION OF THE SPECIAL COMMISSION AND REC-
TIFICATION OF THE LATE " EXTRAORDINARY MISTAKE."
The trials of the prisoners named in the Special Commission
terminated yesterday.
The RECORDER, attended by Aldermen KELLY and WILSON,
and other civic authorities, came into the New Court at half.
past three, and the prisoners in confinement were ushered into
Court. Inquiry was made whether any of them intended to
protest against the sentence to be passed upon them.
Mr. WONTNER said he was not aware of such intention ; but
at all events, the first class which would be called upon would
not protest, as they were to be pronounced " discharged," al-
luding to those prisoners the bills of indictment against whom
had been ignored by the Grand Jury, owing to the absence of
witnesses upon whose evidence they were previously convicted.
The following persons were then called, and discharged by
proclamation, viz.—
John White Kell, James Harris, Charles Thomas, Bridgett
Shader, Charles Cranston, Eliza Simmons, Mary Daley, Han-
nah Gregory, William Sadler, Peggy Morgan, Henry Evans,
Robert Pulley, John Wright, Susannah Foster, James God-
son, and Henry Stevens.

ThP above pruners had been previously convicted, but the
Grand Jury had since ignored the re-preferred bills.

Catharine Murphy was also classed with them, as no bill had
been presented against her. Some of the prisoners above named
would, but for the mistake, have been transported fur life, or
imprisoned for a long term.

The RECORDER addressed them as follows :—Prisoners, you
are about to be discharged, but let me tell you that you stand
in great peril. Your several prosecutors, if they think proper,
.may at any time prefer another bill against you, but whether
they will take that step or not, I cannot say. You have been
mercifully delivered, and I hope it will operate upon you as a
solemn warning throughout the remainder of your lives. You
are now all discharged.
The following were ordered to be transported for life :
Edward Chamberlain, Ann Hill, Richard Wilson, John
William Muir, Charlotte Beazley, and William Tuck.
BTheitt onia
s,
t.named prisoner applied to the Court to order restitu.
tion of some property taken from him by the officers.
The RECORDER told the convict that prisoners in his situation
had forfeited all claim to property. The Sheriffs possessed it,
and it would be applied with due discretion.
Transported for 14 years.—Wm. Randall, Robert Barrel],
William Wirnpster, Joseph Shaw, Samuel Attwood, Mary
Thomas, and Thomas Barton.
For Seven years.--Andrew Anderson, Richard Darby, Mar.
garet Bennett, James Bisgrove, Joseph Young, Henry Adams,
James Warren, Edward Rainsford, Win. Haywood, Ann Harvey,
Abraham Lewis, Henry Sullivan, and Richard Meek.
The following were sentenced to terms of imprisonment, as
stated against their respective names :
Eighteen months in Newgate (without labour)— George
Hutchinson.

Three months in the House of Correction—John Jones and
John Thomas.

Two months ditto (without labour)—William Riddle and
William Lane.

Six weeks ditto--Thomas Loughlin.
One month ditto—Harriet Lawn, John Higgs, and Sarah
Morris.

The RECORDER then, after some emphatic remarks, passed
the awful sentence of death upon the following seven unfortu.
nate individuals, viz.—Wm. Bitton, John Williams, Win. Cook,
John Shaw, and Robert Goulie (on his own confession) for
housebreaking and committing
larcenies therein ; Daniel
Murphey and Wiliamßoyle, for committing a robbery upon
a person.—The—The Court then adjourned.