The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-28 00:00:00

flak; He would only state on the present oteados,
that when the motion was brought on in the House,
his life was in danger from a severe attack of para-
lysis, or his vote would not have been ventingagainst this most pernicious tax. But to'-speak
to the subject before them, he thought that in
the resolutions the only effectual method for obtaining
its repeal had been omitted—namely, instructions to
their Members to stop the supplif:s. He did not
think sufficient energy had yet been shored by the
people. There had not yet been enough meetings held.
Now, it was necessary for them, in order to make
the Government yield, to be very strong, for every-
thing was carried on by the strength of public
opinion. They should form a committee that very
night, and convene a meeting, and invite all the me-
tropolitan Members, and ask them positively what
course they intended to pursue. With regard to what
had been said of his colleague, Mr. Duncombe, he
was sorry to find that calumny or ill-nature could in
one hour do away with the impression n hickhis
zealous conduct had formed during years. He would
answer for his attendance at the meeting to refute
these charges. For hinivelf, he trusted that his health
was better, and he should be able to corrinoP his
daties, hut if a lair meeting was convened in Fins-
bury, aud it was their opinion that he ought to re-
sign, he would do so, although he was not conscious
of having ever acted against the people e wishes, and
had always endeavoured to meet their views.
An amendment on the previous motion was put and
carried, that Mr. Walley's name should be inserted
as the mover, and Mr. Duncombe as the seconder of
the petition.
Mr. BELL, M.P., shortly addressed the meeting,
assuring them of his co-operation in their views, and,
After a vote of thanks to the Chairman, the meeting
separated at 10 o'clock.

REPEAL OF THE PAPER DUTY.
(From the Morning Advertiser.)
A deputation of gentlemen, anxious for the repeal
of the duty on paper, are to meet the Chancellor of
the Exchequer to- morrow, for the purpose of stating
the grounds on which they apply for the remission of
the tax.
Tne names of the gentlemen who are to have this
interview with the Right lion. Baronet are a suffi-
cient guarantee for the ability with which they will
execute the task which has been confided to them.
Their statements will be clear, correct, and forcible.
They will be such as Sir Charles Wood will not be
able to controvert. They will be unanswerable.
Of course, the answer which the Right Hon.
Gentleman will give to the deputation, will be sim-
ply an intimation that he will give his best contd•
deration to the arguments and representations which
they have submitted to him. That is the stereotyped
phraseology of Downing-street to all deputations, no
matter what may be the errand on which they have
come. But though Sir Charles Wood will not com-
mit himself to morrow, by any specific pledge as to
what he means to do, we repeat the expression of our
belief, that his intention is to reduce the tax on paper
to one-third its present amount.
The cue, therefore, of the deputation to•morrow,
must be to direct all their arguments in favour of a
total remission of the tax. It is melancholy to think,
that where the tax is so obnoxious, and so glaringly
injurious in its operation, the Right Honourable Gen-
tleman should be so anxious to retain a portion of it.
The paper duty is a tax on intellect—an impost on
mind. It operates as a check on the exercise of
humanity. It lays an embargo on benevolent exer-
tion. Remove the tax, abolish the paper duties, and
the world will be gratified and benefited, by displays
of intellect in quarters where intellect is not known
to exist. There are philanthropists whose bosoms
swell with schemes for the well-being of man, but
the tax on paper forbids their being brought before
the public. l'here are men whose thoughts have been
for years occupied with plans for the moral and reli-
gious advancement of mankind, but the duty on paper
has interposed to prevent that full exposition of their
views which is indispensable to their being unfolded
with success. The indirect injury of which the
paper-tax is productive is incredibly great. Remove
that tax, repeal that impost, and publications, having
for their object the moral and religious improvement
of men, will start into existence in all directions.
If, instead of the paper-tax bringing in an annual
revenue of 600,0001. or 700,0001., it yielded a yearly
sum varying from 6,000,0001. to 7,000,000/., the
conduct of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in being
so desirous of retaining one-third of the tax, would
be intelligible. He could in that case urge, that
however obnoxious the impost might be felt by him-
self as well as others to be, yet that to lose so large
an amount of revenue as would follow the remission
of the tax, was a serious matter. Necessity, he
might tell us, knows no law. The plea would avail.
It has reconciled the country to many an odious tax.
That plea, and it alone, induced the people of these
realms to acquiesce in the window duties for a period
of half a century.
But Sir Charles Wood can urge no such plea in
this case. If the paper duty only yield from 600,000/.
to 700,0001., and he can afford to dispense with from
400,0001. to 500,0001., surely he could nut be very
seriouply embarrassed were he to give up the remain-
ing 200,0001. or 300,0001. We cannot see any ex•
traordimay sacrifice in that. If the country can
survive the reduction of two thirds, it will not be
brought to a state of bankruptcy by giving up the
remaining third. Sir Charles Wood may make his
mind at rest on that head. We will go still farther;
he may rely on it, that on the day on which he an-
nounces his determination to remit the piper duties
entirely, there will be no fall in the funds, not even to
the extent of an eighth, which fraction, it may be
mentioned, for the sake of those unacquainted with
the phraseology of the Stock Exchange, means half-a-
crown in the 100/.
It' the Chancellor of the Exchequer persists in his
understood resolution of retaining one-third of the
paper duty, he will not only do a very unpopular
thing, but he will soon find that he will be compelled
to concede the entire remission. Public opinion will
be too strong for him. The country will not tolerate
the retention of a third of a tax which is so odious
and so injurious. It will insist on the complete repeal;
and the Right lion. Gentleman will soon discover his
utter inability to resist the demand.
If, therefore, Sir Charles Wood possess the smallest
discernment—if he have the gift, in the slightest
degree, of foreseeing what is wrapped up in the womb
of the future, he will not persist in his intention to
retain a third of the tax. The entire repeal would at
present be regarded as a boon. It is one, too, which
he may very gracefully bestow. A year or two
hence he will not be able to withhold the entire re-
mission ; and then, when he is compelled to agree to
it, it will lose all the grace with which it might be
bestowed this session.
But we expect great things from the deputation of
to-morrow. That deputation will consist of men who
know what they are about. They will take care to
put the matter on its right footing. Had they
Charles
Wood, prepared for the peculiar notions of Sir
Wood, they might not have thought of adopting a
course of argument and statement which would
cut from under his feet all pretext for per-
petuating a portion of the tax. But being
prepared for his crotchets, they will not be
taken aback. They will not fail to demonstrate the
impolicy and ungraciousness of seeking to preserve
any portion of the impost. Nor can we doubt that
their efforts will be crowned with success. Sir
Charles Wood, though obstinate and self-willed, is
not inaccessible to reason. He has yielded in other
cases, even after he had doggedly refused to do so.
As the Times has not been, in this case, instructed to
announce his plans, he will be less difficult tohroef.
A little gentle compulsion, coming on
persuasive statements and arguments,
b fie
cp
farther.i, t ensured,through
The
hh es
entire remission of the paper-tax.su
But we will not pursue the
at the Chancellor of
deputation to-morrow have beehn
the columns of this journal,do,f,w
e matter with
and they will adapt
leave th
the Exchequer intendsi_ to
we
themselves accordingly We
bands. They will not dis-
appointßight Hon. Gen-
perfect colifidesori
have wrought the
us. e they bid the
morning, they will
tleman good morn
that noshing short of an en-
tirew,g sa action to the country, or
repeal .
credit to hi s
conviction
bring any in. his
.mind, i
m..elf or his colleagues in the
Cabinet.

AN OLD PRINTER.--We have in our employ a
printer, 76 years of age, who commenced his apprenticeship
of seven years in the King's printing-office, London, in 1784
---c)4 years ago. He was a soldier under Sir John Moore, at
Corunna, in Spain, in 1809, where he received a ball in the
right arm. He was present at the burial of Sir John, and
remembers the minutest particulars of the scene. He was
also with the Duke of Wellington through bis whole cam-
paign, aid lost an ancle-bone by a grape shot in the battle of
Waterloo. This old man, after all his hard service, is still
one of the swiftest and best compositors we have ever known,
and, though lame from the wounds, is still able at "early
dawn and dewy eve," while younger men are wasting t:
golden hours its sensual pleasures or snoring them.sr"l:roli;
bed, to ramble o'er the fields and through the woods in
5'
Ue ts for
of wild flowers, with which he forms tempting
wiener
cl„f some
the belles of the village, or to gratify thee weaisne'' m
ketone Chronicle,
beast of the old
fsajdoiuerrittehaltittthlee gcihrill.drelnt
allspe loveaks lui•jerolllf—orßtia,h b
United States.
imprisonment
in the dock at
robed an-
aobbrcllia
prisonrnent at Liverpool,
named John Walker, on
r°.wa9On that day Walker had
MISTAKEN IDENTIFICATION.--.
on suspicion
whonamed
a had
obhene nli bDawkins,eratedwfuro from
ace., . Irofeshtearvdi an: ,
chester Borough Court,
Several'public-houses In Manchester,
been induced to enter _
round that he had been robbedof
by two men, and at night
publicant
the ls t of residing
Februaryi
appeared from the statement of Mr. Berwick,
971. Bs. It
re transported for the offence, and the pro-
that two men we Hawkins . .
when in prison, said be was
who robbed him in Manchater, but now
alnosotth;roat
pro-
secutor
ohneeretracted that statement. On being asked by Mr. Maude
how it was be could not swear to the prisoner if he had
identified him before, he said that when he first saw him he
thought he was the man who robbed him, but when he saw
another man (who was since transported) he found that he
having seenn
was
of the men
mistaken. Hawkins was then discharged.—Manwhs
Examiner.