The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-24 00:00:00

knnt fln

LONDON, THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 1851.

The Protectionists, encouraged by the near
chance of attaining office through the weakness of the
present Ministry, and the universal disgust excited by
" the precious Budget," have anticipated the period of
their usual symposia. There are always persons ready
and willing to gorge themselves to repletion, and to
imbibe bumpers pottle deep for the "good of their
country." And in truth our Protectionist friends have
at all times exhibited the utmost promptitude in dis-
playing such acts of patriotism. The " ruined agri-
culturists" never hesitated at the outlay of a few
sovereigns when certain of obtaining a good
dinner, followed by goo I wine, di,pensed with
no niggard hands. It would be a bad cause, or
at least one of very little interest, that could not in-
duce some hnndreds to assemble together in its name.
Why, then, should we feel astonished if the Music
Hall at Edinburgh should be crowded, when the
worthy bucolics might be enabled there to see the
lions of monopoly trotted out for their especial delec-
tation,—why should we be surprised if the gaping
rustics shhuld desire for " the nonce " to rub their
skirts with real live Peers and Members of Parliament,
to partake in the post-prandial enjoyments of legisla-
tors, hereditary and elected, more especially when
we consider the exertions made to beat up for fitting
recruits to take part in "the grand demonstration ?"
Well, the banquet has taken place. Five or six
hundred persons have had an excellent dinner. Tney
have seen three or four noblemen with seats in the
House of Lords, perhaps an equal numb-r having
titles by courtesy, and eight or ten representatives of

Protectionist constituencies. They have heard very
eloquent speeches from Sheriff ALISON and Professor
AYTOUN, and some not quite so brilliant from other
speakers, in one of which an Honourable M.P., if not
directly, at least by implication, termed a Noble
Member of the House of Commons, "an aris-
tocratic buffoon." 'They have drank with enthusiasm
the ;toast of the " tenant farmers," nine-tenths of
the assembly belonging to the class to whose welfare
and prosperity the bumper was devoted, while the
parties whose pecuniary advantage they were really
endeavouring to promote—the " Landocracy"—were
passed over rub rilentio. But, for all that, we beg to
assure them that the bread-tax is not, nor will it be,
restored, nay, rare than that, at this moment the
recognised leaders of the party in either House would
not venture to impose an import duty on corn, even if

they had sufficient strength inside the walls of Parlia-
ment to carry such a proposition. The poor man's loaf
can never again be taxed for the benefit of the privi-
leged few. The advantages of the " large loaf" are
too well known and too fully appreciated in the
bumble households of hard-worked artiz ins and

operatives throughout the length and breadth of the
land, to be easily surrendered. The parties who have
benefited by the change, who have been enabled to
satisfy the cravings of their hungry children with a
sufficiency of plain and wholesome untaxed food, wi:l
not be cajoled into consenting to the revival of the

burden they have shal‘en off, by the assurance that a
ss. fixed duty would " only increase the price of the
loaf by one halfpenny, and that would not be much
ccmplained of—if (•,h, this if, it possesses miracu-
lous qualities)—they got ti eir beer Id. per pot
cheaper!" Even were the vague expectation to be
realised, and the revenue derived from the new duty
were suffiei,nt to enable the CHANCELLOtt of the
ExcinQuitt to strike off the malt-tax (snd it should
be recollected that it w yuli require an importation of
no less than twenty millions of quarters of corn an-
nually •to produce such a result), there are
few who would not reject the exchange with
disdain —who would not prefer that the
,hildren's hunger should be satisfied rather than the
fathers thirst; that there should be a sufficiency of
toad for all, rather than too much drink for one. We
lo not by any means undervalue the obtaining a
cheap and good glass of beer for the working man.
raken in moderation, it is a wholesome beverage, cal-
culated to improve his health and strength ; but we
must also add that it is by no means of equal import-
ance in the domestic economy, to " the staff of life"
a cheap and good loaf—the article of primary ne-
cessity in the cottages and garrets of the labouring
population of the country.
The Noble Chairman said that, " if when the price
of wheat fell
to 333. per quarter, the interest on the
national debt were to be reduced to some eighteen
amaitllitohnast, hehe could understand
beca it, and was
himself." he not perceive thatmtheeaevFilrteoe and
iacclhe rhe
and the magnitude of which we recognise as fully as
he can do, is not produced by free trade, but by our
infamous monetary code? that it.would not be reme-
died by a e corn-law, which would serve one
class only at the expense of the rest of
the community, but by the repeal of the Acts of 1819
And 1844, and the establishment of a judicious system
of currency that would afford a circulating medium—
the very life-blood of industry—adequate to the
wants and exigencies of the country. This would
lfford real protection to British industry of all de-
scriptions, without exception or drawback. Sheriff
ALlsoN, too, showed that he clearly understood the
true condition of the question, when he pointed out
that the effect of the boast of the organ of the
bullionists 'of making one sovereign at the
present day do the work which two could
previously have performed, or, in other words,
that a sovereign now possesses double the purchasing
power that formerly belonged to it, was practically to
double the weight of our public burdens—to make
fifty millions of taxation as heavy as a hundred mil-
lions,
But, ;whey the Nub'
• Lord and the eminent

historian discern the true nature of the disease, why
do they not propose suitable remedies ? - why do they
not direct the exertions of their party towards the
attainment of a measure that would afford im-
mediate relief, and which might be car-
ried, if the public attention were properly directed
thereto? But, in place of pursuing this rational
course, they go with the stream and join in
the cry that cannot lead to any practical result.
Each may exclaim, Video meliora, proboque, deteriora
sequor. We would not speak, save in terms of the
utmost respect, of the talented author of " Free Trade
and a Fettered Currency." There is no person more
competent than he is to explain the true nature of
the " currency question," and to bring conviction to
his auditors. If he devote himself to the task, we
venture to assert that he will produce a greater effect,
and attract a more numerous, far more intelligent
audience than be can do by any Protectionist ha-
rangues, however graceful the diction or astute the
arguments advanced.

We need scarcely remind the taxpaying commu-
nity that the question of the income-tax is the first
t.) be decided on the re-assembling of Parliament after
the Easter recess. On the conduct of the chosen
representatives of the people during the early part of
next week, it will depend whether the gross and un-
paralleled injustice of placing in the same class, and
assessing at the same rate, incomes derived from real
estate, from dividends, from' the public funds,
or from safe investments in chartered com-
panies, and the precarious profits of trade, or the
hard-earned wages of physical or intellectual
toil, is or is not to be continued for three years longer
The inequality and unfairness of this system has been
so frequently and so ably exposed, that it would ap-
pear to be almost a work of supererogation to add to
the numerous and convincing arguments that have
already been put forward. It seems to be like an
attempt to

" Gild refined gold,
To paint the lily, or to throw a perfume on the violet;'
but it is, happily, rendered necessary by the
blundering stupidity and unreasoning obstinacy of
the man who, unfortunately for the nation, is placed
at the head of the Exchequer, and enabled, by the
culpable apathy and carelessness of the people, to
carry out his financial hobbies. Sir CHARLES WOOD
will only condescend to inform us that he has
" arrived at a conclusion," or that " a tax produces so
many thousands per annum, which he is certainly not
prepared to relinquish," and thinks that those stereo-
typed answers should be considered satisfactory by
the sufferers. It is not, however, because an unjust
and impolitic system has been patiently submitted to
for a few years, under peculiar circumstances, that the
aggrieved parties will consent to its being perpe-
tuated, or to the greater portion of the burden being
placed on the shoulders least able to sustain it.

`rho constitutional theory is, that every man
shall contribute , to the liquidation of the
national liabilities and the maintenance
of the national establishments secundum statum et
facultates, according to his means and the position
which be occupies in the country. Is this principle
recognized when one man pays only one-thousandth
part of the actual value of his available capital, while
another is compelled, perhaps, to hand over every
shilling in his possession to the tax-collector, and not
improbably to become a burrower, in order to satisfy
the claim ? Is it just that the person with 4,9001 in
the Three per Cents., leading an idle,life, and making
his certain income of 1471. per annum, paid to the
very hour, go farther by living at the other side of
the Channel, and enjoying the untaxed luxuries at-
tainable on the continent, should be exonerated from
the tax, while the struggling clerk, who has to sup-
port a large family in the most expensive locality on
his salary of 1501. per annum, must, in addition to
paying 200 per cent. duty on his tea, 800 per cent.
on his tobacco, and also contributing heavily in pro-
portion to the value on his coffee, sugar, beer, wine,
spirits, and others of these unwonted luxuries to a
man in his position, hand to the tax-gatherer
the sum of 41. 7s. 61 per annum, and this although
he may not have the means of supporting his family
fur a siegle week in the event of sickness or being out
of employment, and could not leave sufficient to de-
fray his funeral expenses in the event of death de-
priving his afflicted wife and helpless children of their
only provider ? It is indeed a monstrous anomaly,
that the man who, in justice and equity, should be
taxed most heavily, is permitted to escape scot free, to
snap his fingers in the face of the tax-gatherer, while
the man who on every principle of sound policy
should be encouraged and sustained in his arduoes
course, is most heavily assailed in every part of his
career. From the hour of his rising in the morning
until retiring at night, at every meal he partakes of,
at any relaxation he may venture to indulge
in, the hand of the tax-collector is percepti-
ble appropriating a considerable portion of his
earnings. The moment be can accumulate
and lay by anything he becomes a proper subject
for taxation. Let him contribute to the national ex-
penditure in proportion to the value of his savings,
and let there be no exemptions of any kind, for
every exemption directly and almost necessarily
leads to fraud. Ii a man possess but 1001.

there is no reason why he should not pay on that
amount. His industry alone should be free, so that
he should have every assistance to put by and accu-
mulate capital. Once more, then, and while there is
yet time, we call on all who feel themselves ag-
grieved by, the present most inequitable system
to inake,an exertion proportioned to the importance cf
the subject. Let them bestir themselves actively and
energetically, while there is yet time. But if,
through their own carelessness and apathy,
the favourable opportunity is thrown away,
and the galling chains rivetted for a further
term of three years, let them not indulge in unmanly
complaints and lamentations, but consider that they
themselves are chiefly to blame, and determine by
their future conduct, more especially at 'the hustings
during the next general election, to remove the
reproach to which they are justly liable, and to show
their determination to secure for themselves a just

and flnitable measure, in the Parliamentary session
of 1854.

ROYAL OSBORNE SAUCE.

We have t4-•ted and reli.hed many piquant sauces,
but the " Royal Osborne" beats them all. What
its component ingredients may be we do not
stop to inquire, seeing that when once enjoyed it
needs no further recommendation. Indeed, we have
always found it a most difficult problem to solve
" Why you like a thing?" the fact being that you
fancy the reli,h for its own sake, without scanning
too minutely the why and the wherefore, thus agree-
ing with the poet—
" Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise."

And in this spirit we say of the Royal Osborne Con
diment—

" Jutt try the sauce—it seems so very plain—
But taste it once, and you must taste again !"
Such is its peculiar quality, that a connoisseur in these
matters coolly said, " This same sauce gives a relish
to everything; but a beef-steak is good for nothing
without it !" After this, we recommend our friend
Soyer to look to his laurels, or the grand spread
at the Exhibition may prove an illusion ! The
Royal Osborne Sauce "is just the thing for the
Symposium !"

DEATH OF SIR CLAUDIUS STEPHEN HUNTER, BART.
—This venerable baronet died on Sunday last at Mortimer-
hill. Berks, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. A vacant
seat is thus caused in the Court of Aldermen, of which Sir
Claudius was the father. He was elected alderman of the
ward of Bridge Without in 1804, a period of nearly half a
century since.
CHICHESTER.—DEATH OF HARRY COWER, ESQ.—
The decease of this benevolent and highly respectaed gentle-
man took place at his residence in Little London on Tuesday
moning, at the advanced age of ninety years. His long life
had been almost entirely spent in this city, which he,9-
tered at a very early age, as an apprentice to a draper; and
by almos' unparalleled exertion, rewarded, perhaps, with
more than the usual success by which it is accompanied, he
amassed a large fortune, and has been for many years senior
partner and head of the principal banking establishment in
this city.

SUICIDE DT A PRISONER AT
THE H
aitctrioN.—On Monday last an inquest was
town coroner at the House of Correction, over the body of
Wm. Doherty, aged 31 years, Mr. Jackson stated that the de-
cease t was sentenced last quarter sessions to three months'
House
imprisonment. He was a nailmaker by trade. He was an
bald before ee°t.
Irishman, and in good health when committed. A fortnight
since deceased made an incision in his neck. Witness bad
spoken to him the day previous to his death when the de-
ceased said that he had done it for the purpose of giving
himself ease. and not with any intention of destroying him-
self. Mr. Thompson, surgeon to the House of Correction,
stated that he attende 1 the deceased, that the wound was
about two inches and a half long an I two inches deep in one
part, and on the left side of the throat close to the windpipe.
It had not touched any vital part. He had no doubt de-
ceased had died from the effects of the wound.—Verdict,
" Died from the effects of the wound inflicted by the de.
ceased yillen is au uai91144 raincl."—Nottivhan Xercurg.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris journals of yesterday.
It would appear from the following article, pub,
lisped in the Constitutionnel, that the Bonapartists
are preparing a revolutionary movement against the
Constitution, for the purpose of securing by illegal
means a prolongation of the powers of the PRESIDENT.
We regret this exceedingly, because we are convinced
that all such illegal attempts will conduct those en-
gaged in them, not to the Tuileries, but to Vin-
cennes. The Constitutionnel says :
" In calm and ordinary times, under an old and regu-
lar Government, we should not see without repugnance
the Constitution interfered with out of the forms pre-
scribed. Under a regime like ours, the result of an
audacious revolution, and imposed on the country by
conspira.ors who boast of it; under a Constitution
made in a moment of crisis, in a city in a state
of siege, we cannot hesitate to think and to say
that the country itself, or the constituted bodies in
its name, and under its control, have a right
to touch it at any time, and that it is its duty to do it as
soon as possible. These are elementary truths, and the
simple notions of good sense, and to announce them is
to demonstrate them. In order to ascertain the wish of
France, an appeal to be made to the municipal council,
these natural Organs of the population, has been recently
spoken of. We should find two serious inconveniences
in such a measure: it would be to take the municipal
councils out of their legal attributions, and to give to
the opinion of the country a useless intermediate agent
which would necessarily weaken its authority. There
is only one idea which can make the Legislative As-
sembly give way, and that is the direct idea
of France herself expressed with calmness and
with full authenticity. All means which will
leaf to the expression of the free and sincere wish
of France merit consideration. It has been proposed
by different departments to open a register in every
commune, with one or two very simple questions in-
scribed therein, to which all citizens should be invited
to sign a yes or a no. Such an inquiry, organized by de-
partmental or cantonal committees, might open a new era
by substituting the nation, in the place of ambitious men,
cinspiratore, or secret societies. We cannot to ) much en-
courage this ides; but, above all things, let not a moment
be lust. Questions however simple may be distorted
every moment. For one month or two they will pro-
bably remain free of any financial, manufacturing, agri-
cultural, or commercial complication, and might be
studied and solved on their own merits. Let us, while
there is yet time, demand a Government in accord-
ance with the good sense, the reason, and the experience
of the country, fearing, as has already so many times
happened, that we may be obliged to receive one from
the hands of necessity."
The Ordre has the following on the accession of
" the Man of Ghent" to the ranks of the Legitima-
tiets

is afflicting to us to see the eloquent and impla-
cable organ of the Conservative party, who, contrary to
the feeling of the whole Liberal opposition, carried a
vote of stigma against the pilgrims to Belgrave-square,
and launched against the whole party the sentence of
fatal incapacity—it is, we say, afflicting to us to see the
last Prime Minister of the July monarchy treat this
same monarchy as an incomplete regime—a troncon de
.Royaute, &c.—M. Guzot is converted. The author of
the History of Civilisation in Europe,' the member of
' the Aide Toi Society, the Minister of the 11th and 29th
October—the chief of the coalition of 1839, M. Guizat
is a I,gitimatist. Such an ardent and proud nature can
never do things by halves. A weaker or more timid
fi,firit would have buried in solitude this painfal renun-
ciation of ruined convictions. M. Gu-zot takes posses-
sion of a journal to proclaim it to all Europe. First we
had manifestoes; now we have war, not only against the
Ropublicau party and the ancient dynastic opposition,
but war against this great fraction of the Conservative
party which, while sustaining under the leadership of
11. Guizut himself, the monarchy of July, little thought
it was only defending an expedient, and not principles,
and principles to which it still adheres."
Tiw bourse was badly al t-nded anl Govern-
ment securities were tiravy. The Five per Cents. opened
at 921 30c., and closed at 921. 20c. The Three per
Cents. closed at 57f. 10c.Orleaus Railroad Shares, 830'.;
R nen, 632 f. 50c.; Havre, 260 f.; Great Northern, 4731.
75c.;Aviguon, 202 r. 50c.; Basle, 145 f. ; Bordeaux, 4021.
50...; Paris and Strasburg, 370 a; Tours and Nantes,
271&f. 75c

bi.l6l:‘ ESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, APRIL 23.
Boulogne and Alniens, 10—Luxembourg, 314—Maria
Antonia, B—Northera of France, 15—Sambre and Meuse, 4
—Tours and Nantes, 6