The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-01 00:00:00

of 473,608/., on the half-year of 550,6261., and
on the quarter of 309,0001. This comes partially
from the increase of the Spirit Duties, estimated
to produce 1,000,0001. sterling. There has
been a drawback of more than 200,0001. paid on
account of stocks of malt on hand at the termi-
nation of the enhanced duty.
In Stamps there is a. decrease on the year of
9,524/, but an increase on the half-year of
104,0311., and of 117,926/. on the quarter.
This is but a beggarly account for the legacy and
Euccession duties from which Mr. GLADSTONE
anticipated such large results. In Taxes there
is an increase on the year of 39,5271., a decrease
of Si. (!) on the half-year, and an increase of
3,000/. on the quarter. The accounts under this
head, however, generally depend on the stringency
of collection.

The Property Tax alone verifies the estimates.
The addition on the year is 2,275,1261., on the
half-year 869,3731., and on the quarter 752,3781.,
the total amount received during the year
(15,940,3311.) closAy approximating to the six-
' een millions, which it was deemed Uto-
pian to anticipate. If the assessment were
only rendered more equitable, this would
be the best tax that could be levied. As it is,

is the most demoralising in the black list.

The Post-office has an increase on the year of
59,0581., a decrease on the half-year of 9,0001.,
ind no change whatever on the quarter. Some
of our contemporaries have considered the in-
crease due to the postage on newspapers. We
have, however, not sufficient evidence to warrant

Le conclusion to the full extent ; but even were

it so, it would not make up for the stamp duty
relinquished by the Financial Minister during the
most serious operations of the war.
The remaining items are of comparatively
trivial importance. In Crown Lands there is an
increase of 8,3411. on the year, of 2,3411. on the
half year, and of 1,3411. on the quarter, while in
Miscellaneous there is an increase of 184,7141.,
but a decrease of 37,5671. on the half year, and
32,2141. on the quarter.

Such are the results of these witnesses to the

elasticity of our national resources.
As we have already stated, they are quite as
good as we had anticipated, bat nothing on
which either Mr. GLADSTONE, Sir G. C. LEWIS,
or the people can greatly pride themselves. They
prove that we still possess the sinews of war, and
that we may tura out very troublesome—ens-
i:oinors to any who choose to attack us. The
Scottish motto, " Nemo me impune lace,ssit," may

be profitably considered by some parties of Im-
v2rial dignity.

It is at once curious and instructive to note
how it actually came to pass that power in the
very moment, so to speak, of complete victory,
It the very climax, as it were, of certain posses-
;ion, slipped away in Spain from the grasp of
ESPARTERO, as it had done previously in France
from that of LAMARTINE. The spirit of patriotism
in each instance was altogether too credulous and
and self-sacrificing. Both the Spanish Dictator
~nd the Gallic Dictator proved, under the pros-
sure of a great emergency, too gentle and genial
in the midst of intrigues, demanding at the hands
ef an actual ruler the most rigorous promptitude
and the most stern and pitiless decision. It was
blunder of LAMARTINE to believe in, and asso-
ciate himself with, LEDRU ROLLIN ; as it has
more recently been the blunder of ESPARTERO to
do the like by O'DONNELL. The only difference
between the destroyers of the political authority
and prestige of ESPARTERO and LAMARTINE being, '
that while both LEDRU ROLLIN and O'DONNELL
were in extremes as adventurers in statecraft (the
one representing the exaggeration of democracy,
the other tha exaggeration of absolutism), the
latter crowned his policy with success, and the
form-er with complete, entire discomfiture. Each
infamous in the eyes of Europe—the one in
triumph, the other in defeat. Alike objects of
execration to every dispassionate observer through-
out Christendom. LEDRU ROLLIN for having
rendered altogether impracticable the beautiful
lay-dream of a Poet-Philanthropist, by intrigues
resulting in the bloodiest civil conflict of modern
times—that of June, 1848—a combat*during
which, literally and actually, the sacred emblem
of Peace, the Palm-branch borne through the
roaring streets of the French capital by the
anointed hands of DENIS AFFRE, the good
Archbishop of Paris, was bathed in the blood
of a martyred Patriot and Pacificator !
O'DONNELL, hardly less criminal than his
prototype ROLLIN, by reason of his having
dissipated the hopes of anything like Constitu-
tional Spanish Regeneration through the medium of
the late wanton butchery in the streets of Madrid,
`1 Carnage deliberately planned in cold blood., as
au excuse for a sudden and total change in the
actual system of the Monarchical Government.
Whereas,
however, LEDRU ROLLIN fell with the
guiltless victim
of his intrigues (guiltless at least
in all but the fatal toleration of the arch-con-
spirator),
triumphed by means of the
sacrifice of his confiding and so far culpable
colleague—a colleague
as blameless (o ther wise) and
as unfortunate even as
ALPuoivs
1,- DE LAMARTINE.
Nevertheless, out of the two lamentable catastro-
phes here alluded to, out of the downfall of the
Spanish Dictator of Three Years, as previously
out of the downfall of the Gall;
.c Dictator of
Three Months, and •as invariably out of f
every
great calamity recorded upon the chequered pacie
of history, annals darkened and illumined alter
!lately by so much Crime and so much Glory-.,
good is so far derived from evil that a dread
example is presented in each case as a perpetual
, warning to the future possessors of supreme
power, whether as soldiers or as statesmen. If
that Warning shall teach a salutary lesson here-
after in but one solitary instance, not in vain will
the baubles of supreme authority have slipped
from the grasp successively of ALPHONSE DE LA-
MARTINE and BALDOMERO ESPARTERO.