The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-24 00:00:00

lAE.kk 13, WEDNESDAY EVENING; DECEMBER .24, 1856.

PUBLICATIONS.

THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION.

Last night a public meetTeg Was held, at the London
Mechanics' Institution, Southampton-buildings, tor-the
purpose of considering the propriety of supporting the
project of Dr King and Lieutenant Bedford Pim fur a
new laud and sea expedition in the neighbourhood of
the Great Fish River in search of further traces of the
missing expedition. Mr. Doulten, - a member of the
Metropolitan Board of Works, occupied the chair, and,
b% ving introduced Dr. King, that gentleman gave some
'uit'aer explanation of the manner in which they pro-
osed to carry out the search, which, he said, mut end
successfully. Lieutenant Pun next addressed the meet-
ing in a speech which was loudly applauded, observing
that they had no desire any one should hold up his hand
in favour of the project unless convinced of the necessity
of a further search, on the grounds of humanity, consis-
tency, and a desire to preserve Our, national honour and
maritime supremacy from this smallest stain. He de-
scribed that part of the plan referring to himself, enlarg
ing upon the use of dogs for sledging purposes ; and
pointing out the proposed route Of ship and sledges, Le
said difficulties, no doubt, would have to be encountered,
but long 'experience in the polar regicins had consider-
ably lessened the dangers, which could, many of them,
be avoided by common foresight. He himself was of
opinion that it would be only necessary to approach the
Equitnaux with a little circumspection to extract from
them the thrilling story of our countrymen's sufferings,
and to induce them to tell at what village the Sur- '
vivors would be found. There could be no doubt the
natives in the vicinity of the magnetic pole knew,
every partidular about the missing ships. • Lieutenant
Pim then detailed' his personal experience iof the
E -quimaux, shoeing that they were not of a war-
tilts disposition, And adducilit the fate of Lieutenant
Barnard, who viai killed, tii:galther with 57 men, women
and children of the Esquice4ex, py an,inroad of the Kon-
chin Indians, as a proud of the 'unsuspicious character of
the natives with whom he wouliziltaN'to deal. He spike
in very grateful terms of the American officers at Ports-
mouth, who had brought the old Resolute to this country.
They were, every one of them, real good +snows, and. he
was sorry Capt. Hartstein could not be present that
evening, but the banquet at Portsmouth prevented him.
He could not too strongly condemn the large, cumber.
some expeditions hitherto sent out, citing the abandon.
moot of the £vs vessels, and the return of the Reso-
lute. Two more ships welts floating about in the ice—
and if we were not quickly in the field, he should not be
surprised to hear of the4French bringing one to England
and perhaps the Danes the other. He did not hesitate
to say that such an event would be a very great blow to
our maritime greatness, and make us the laughing-stock
of Europe. For his part he could not bear the idea of
leaving his forlorn countrymen in the lurch, and he loved
his country too much to see her losing her proud name,
and the confidence of those whom she might hereafter
have to send on en terpris's of danger.
The resolutions approving the project were carried
unanimously.

IA 0,41 E-TAX AfEETIaI.M.

LYNN.

(From, the Yorwich lifeicury,)

A public meeting convened by the Mayon, pursuant to a
requisition numerously signed. was held in the Town-ball,
on Thursday evening, to consider the propriety of petition-
ing Parliament for the remission of the income-tax, in
April, 1857.

The MAYOR presided, and after the Town-cierk.had read
the.notico convening the meeting, in opening the proceed-
ings observed that in consequence of the requisition so
numerously and so respectably signed, which was presented
to him a few days since, he had considered .it his duty to
call the town together to consider the subject of the repeal
of the increased incosna tax. Upon that subject probably
there would be little, if any, diversity of opinion. As ro
garded the war itself, for which the tax was ,imposed_ on
the country, there perhaps was some difference of opinion.
They all could, he was sure, feel gratified at the extremely
cheerful manner in which the pecuniary burdens of the

country were generally borne; but the war having happily

celsed, it became perhaps desirable to. ascertain whether
the burdens of the country might not be lightened, and be
thought the step which the promoters of that meeting had

.... _ -
taken was perfectly correct. 'Undoubtedly there were ob-
ligations which it was quite right thoy should be prepared
to discharge; but he thought ft would very likely be found
that when the financial state of the country was laid be-
fore parliament, the government would be found to be. in,a

Poilitipu which -wonlii,fairly justify the country is asking
for a reduction of this tax.

Arr. J. D. THENP moved the first resolution : in doing
so, ho observed, he certainly should not have appeared
amongst them if gentlemen could have been found to take
part in the proceedings ; but they had so much difficulty in
procuring speakers, that he had no alternative. He must,
therefore, claim their indulgence as to any remark which
he might make. They had lately had a conference as to a
constant water supply and drainage. However necessary
the latter might be for -the benefit of the town, he con.
ceived there would be no difference of opinion that the
question they were met' to discuss was a far more impor-
tant one, involving, as it did, the drainage of their pockets;
The middle class had been a goect rich cow for several
seasons; and he thought the time had arrived when they

must endeavour to rid themselves, partially, at any rate,
of a most grievous impost. He should not detain them
with any observations upon the principles, or history, or
operations, of the income-tax ; bnt he might state that the
resolution which he should submit for their adoption, con-
templated in the first place the reduction of the pment tax
from 16d. to 7d. in the pound, the original suni-7-or, in
other words, the remission forthwith of the warlta X. So
long as the necessity for it existed that tax Was cheerfully
Paid ; but as the war had ceased, and the national ex-
penses were diminished, it was felt to be an inteleiable
burden. The resolution also proposed the modification
or readjustment, by a graduated scale or otherwise, of
the whole system at an 'early period, and, if passible, the

total abolition of the tax in 1860. He for one was not pre-
pared to ask the Government to do an impossibility ; and
in that view of the case, he was strengthened by the opi-
Rion of one of their excellent county members. He strongly
urged the propriety of not asking for more than they could
justly demand. He (Mr. Thew) thought they could not
too strongly reprobate the method by which it had been
attempted to saddle them with another year's double tax ;
it was in his opinion a subterfuge unworthy the govern-
ment of a great country. The understanding at the time
of passing the acts by which the tax was incres.eed was
that they were to continue in force for one year after the
termination of the war, and no longer. But he trusted
they would that night show their unanimous determina-
tion not to submit any longer silently,.and without remon-
strance, to such an oppressive charge. Mr. Thew then read
the resolution he proposed for their adoption, which was
as follows :—That the present enormous charge of I id. in
the pound, levied on incomes, is most oppressive and un-
just. That a reduction of the tax to its original amount
of 7d. in the pound ought to take place from and after
the sth of April next. That the present system of levying
the income tax by taxing permanent and preeirious
incomes alike, is manifestly unjust, and leads to a
general and systematic evasion. That the despotic
and inquisitorial mode of assessment is repugnant to
the feelings of Englishmen, and has been submitted to from
time to time under the impression that the tax was only
for a temporary purpose. And that this meeting hereby
pledges itself to use every legitimate means to obtain a
more equitable adjustment of the tax, or the total repeal
of it upon trades and professions."
Mr. H. WELLS seconded the resolution. He claimed
their indulgence while he entered very briefly into the
question before them. He should simply go through the
resolution which had been read to them, remarking on the
various points therein brought forward. In the first place,
it was laid down that this tax was unequal, despotic, and
inquisitorial. Now, he felt that there was no one who paid
the tax but would feel the justice of the character so as.
cribed to it. This tax was not only unequal, despotic, and
inquisitorial, but it was unjust and uneven in its assess-
ment. The farmers were assessed at half their rents. Now,
could they imagine anything more positively absurd than
to assess a man upon half his rent? But the grossest in.
justice they bad to complain of was, that it taxed alike
the income of the professional man and that of the man
who derived his income from the Funds or from landed
property. When a professional man died, who had an
income of say 3001. a year, that income died with him,
But when a man died whose income was derived from the
Funds .or from landed property, his income remained
for those whom he left behind. It was a well-known
fact that injustice begat evasion, and it was certain that
there was an enormous amount of evasion under this tax.
They only need look into the public prints, and they would
find, day after day, notices from the Chancellor of the
Exchequer to the effect that he had received from A. B C.
or A. S. S. certain amounts which they bad forgotten to
return to the income tax, those being men whose moral
principles were such that they could neither forego the
temptation of withholding a certain amount of the tax,
nor persist in retaining it in their grasp. He (11r. Wells)
proceeded to remark on the manner iu which the Govern-
ment of this country had endeavoured to carry on the war
tax through another year. The treaty of peace was signed
on the 30th of March, 1856. The ratifications of the treaty
of peace were not exchanged until the 27th of April, owing
to the distance of some of the contracting parties. To all
intents and purposes the peace was concluded in March,
and previous to the sth April ; and they must also remem-
ber that the tax was to oontinne during tke war, and one
year after the termination of the war, and that that one
year was to be reckoned from the first sth of April that
occurred after the ratification of peace. Now, mark how
important a matter it was to them that the peace should
be concluded before the sth of April. He believed it
was a well-known fact that peace had already been
arranged in February, but the Government were not at
all in a harry to get the matter settled before the sth of
April. But, whether so or not, the treaty of peace ma
signed on the 30th of March, the ratifications wore ex-
changed on the 27th of April, which was fixe i for the cal-
culation of the year after the conclusion of the war. Now,
to all intents and purposes, if the tax continued up to 1867,
they would have it for one year after the war ; but the Go-
vernment availing themselves of the twenty-one days, cal-
culated from the sth of April, 1857, and therefore they
would have the advantage of paying the double income tax
for two years instead of one. He did not wish to use any
harsh terms, but he must say that looked very much like
a fraud ; at any rate it•was a peace of successful chicanery,
to say the least of it. It was but a poor return for that
patriotism which was shown during the war, that Govern-
ment should condescend to do an act which, to say the
least of it, was dishonest, and contemptible; and in the
words of the resolution, he asked them, were they not de-
termined to use every legitimate means to obtain a reduc-
tion and equitable adjustment of this tax, or the total
repeal of it on trades and professions?
Mr. WILSON said that before the resolution was
put, he should like to make one or two observations.
He agreed almost entirely with everything that the
mover and seconder had said as to the inequality of
the tax. He did not particularly feel the injustice of
it, and he looked upon it as permanent ; but if it could
be modified so as to meet the general views, he did
not 'think it would be so unpopular as it was. He
should like to propose some resolutions, which, if they
introduced the principle of graduation, or led the public
mind to think the subject was not absolutely unapproach-
able, would enable him to consider that he had done some
good. His own feeling was, that the resolution should go
for the reduction of the tax to the amount fixed by Mr.
Gladstone's act, passed iu 1853, and by which the tax for
1557 was to be sd. in the pound, and to cease altogether
in 1860. He should like to propose this resolution :2
" That it is the opinion of this meeting that from and after
April, 1857, the tax to be levied on property and income
shall be at the rate of ls. in the pound, subject to the fol-
lowing exemptions :—That the first 3001. in the incomes of
professional men shall be untaxed ; that the first 1501. in
' all incomes of men in trade, annuitants, or persons having
a life interest only in their property be untaxed, from
which it follows that incomes of not exceeding 1501. be
free." This shoe pinched most severely the man whose
income was from 1601. to 2001. a year, and as taxes were
levied for the most part for the protection of personal pro-
perty, it followed that property should pay rather more
than the poorer class. He thought what he had proposed
would be accepted as a great boon by the country. At
all events, if too principlJ of graduation was once in-
troduced, it would be so generally approved of that
another session would not pass without the tax being
' made equitable and just, which it was hot now. If it
was the will of the meeting, he would suggest to the