The Sun.
London, England, 1833-04-06 00:00:00

much to be regretted that he is not able to gra-
tify it without refusing to accede to the very
general demand that has been made for reduction
of another kind. The CHANCELLOR grounds his
objection to a reduction of the assessed taxes on
information which has reached him, and which he
believes to have been founded on reason and truth,
but which we consider tole exceedingly falla-
cious. The collection of King's taxes has, it
seems, been more considerable than was ex-
pected ; and it is particularly mentioned, that in
the parish of Marylebone, the default, in a
collection amounting to about 150,0001., does
not exceed 12,000/., from which the CHAN.
CELLOR infers that the middle classes are not
so badly off as they are said to be. The credu-
lity of official men, with respect to informa-
tion of a nature which they are anxious to re-
ceive, has long been notorious. Lord A LTIIOR P
does not appear to be a whit less credulous than
his predecessors in office had been. If he had
given the matter a moment's consideration, he
would have recollected that, for some time
past, the collectors of the assessed taxes have
been more than usually rigorous in enforcing
early payment, and that many of the in _
habitants who were unable to pay without
great inconvenience, have borrowed money or
sold goods at a loss, in order to make up the
necessary amount. To infer, therefore, that the
middle classes are prosperous because the tax-
collector obtains his due, evinces great credulity
and great neglect of those means of obtaining
information which are within every Minister's
reach. If Lord ALTHORP had made inquiries
among the persons who have paid their taxes,
he would have heard of circumstances which
would have convinced him that he ought not to
judge of the condition of the middle classes by
the amount which comes into the collector's grasp.
Perhaps at no time during either peace or war
have the middle classes had more -difficulty to
maintain their rank in society than they have now
•
From what has transpired in those circles
which are supposed to be honoured with the
confidence or to know the opinions of Ministers,
there is little reason to expect that the amount
of remission of taxes will go beyond one million
sterling ; and if any portion of this sum, worthy
of notice, is to be applied to the reduction of the
assessed taxes, all idea of repealing the taxes
on knowledge—those taxes against which Mi-
nisters declaimed so loudly when out of office—
must be at an end. We are sorry to find
that Lord ALTHORP, after the declarations
which he has made on this subject, should
refuse to repeal this obnoxious impost. Great
Britain, the seat of learning and liberty, is the
only country in which more than a nominal tax
is imposed on newspapers. Great Britain, the
most commercial country in the world, is the
only country in which a tax is imposed on those
means of publicity, without which commerce
cannot be carried on. Why do not Ministers
make up their minds boldly to a remission of
two millions instead of one, which is said to be
the extent to which they are likely to go ? They
would thus be enabled to take off the whole of
the window tax, to reduce the duty on soap and
other articles consumed by the poor, and to re-
duce, if not repeal, the taxes on knowledge,
and the duty on advertisements. Lord AL-
THORP will ask how he dare speculate
on so large a remission of taxation. The
answer is clear. The abolition of the window
tax would of course be a loss to the revenue,
but this might not be the case with reduction
of duties, whether as regards articles of con-
sumption or newspapers, for in either case there
would be an increaseds, demand fully equal to
the amount taken off, and with advertisements a
considerable gain besides. With respect to the
house duty, all that is necessary is to modify it,
to relieve the middle classes, and make the rich
pay according to their means. There is nothing
in all this to astound a man of ordinary powers
of mind. Should the trial even fail, as regards the
amount to be derived from increased consump-
tion, Ministers have another resource. They
boast of having economised to the extent of two
millions and a half during the last year. Let
them retrench a million more.

We have in another column inserted a long
letter from a Canadian, on the subject of the
much-talked of Rideau Canal. This work has
not been popular in England, and its manager,
if we may so call Colonel By, has, in
consequence, come in for a share of the
odium attached to it ; or rather, imputations
against him have been listened to more readily
than they otherwise would have been. We be-
lieve the graver part of these imputations are
now known at head-quarters to have originated
in malice, and certainly it would be unjust to
that able officer not to give all the- credit due to
him for the completion of a work which was
acknowledgedly surrounded by innumerable dif-
ficulties, which nothing but the most undaunted
perseverance could overcome.

The Tories are in ecstacy with the expec-
tation of defeating Ministers on Mr. M. ATT-.
WOOD'S motion respecting the Currency, which
stands for the 19th inst. They expect to be
supported by a great number of the Radical
party. Ministers, however, appear to be equally
confident of success.

We understand that the agents of Den
IVIIGuEL in this country have succeeded in ob-
taining rather more than 100,0001. for him, by
way of loan. One of the securities offered for
the repayment is said io be the Military
Subsidy Duty, the existence of which must, we
imagine, be nominal, as, by the treaty of 1810,
that duty was abolished, and a duty of 15 per
cent. on British and Brazilian goods imposed
instead. No part of this duty goes to the
purpose for which it wa:i originally designed ;
and this duty ofls per cent. the Brazilians refuse
to pay.

New York papers to the 9th March, and
Philadelphia papers to the 6th March inclusive,
have reached us, but they contain little political
matter of interest. Mr. CLAY'S Land Bill has
passed the House of Representatives, but