The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-07 00:00:00

Hors.

Number of Number of Amount
Acres under lbs. Charged with of Duty.
Cultivation. Duty.
In the year 1858.... 47,601 .. 53,125,101 .. £464,842
1859.... 45,665 .. 68,496,958 .. 599,346
This is the fifth year in succession remarkable for the
large produce of hops.
The yearly average quality grown in 10 years ending
1854 was not quite 36,000,0001 b., while for the last five
years the average annual produce amounts to 61,000,0001 b.,
although upwards of 12,000 acres of ground have been
taken out of cultivation for hops since the year 1855. The
consequence of this large produce has been a depression in
price, and a considerable agitation for repeal of the duty.
With the sanction of the Treasury the payments due in
May cmd November, 1859, were allowed to be deferred, and
to be made, as in the preceding year, by four quarterly in-
stalments, or, if preferred, by two equal instalments, the
first payment being postponed till November, and the re-
mainder till February, on security being given by a joint
promissory note of the planter and one surety, such note
bearing interest at 4 per cent.
Out of 6,300 hop planters 773 only availed themselves of
the privilege of postponing the payment of the first moiety
of the duty, their promissory notes amounting to the sum
of £42,691. Of these 479 entered into further security, and
postponed the payment of the last moiety of their duty un-
til February.
The quantity of British grown hops expoi Led last year
was only 545,3831 b., whereas the quantity exported in the
previous year was 4,177,2511 b.
In the present year some relaxation, also, has beon
granted in the payment of the hop duty. The growers were
allowed to pay one-half of the moiety of the duty due on
the 16th May last, on their giving security for payment of
the other half on the 16th August, with interest at 5 per
cent.

Few, however, of the growers have availed themselves
of this privilege, as out of the sum of £299,673 (the amount
of the moiety due in May) £275,232 has been paid, leaving
only £24,441 outstanding, and for which security has been
given.

STAMPS,
GROSS RECEIPT Iv TAM' YEARS
60
F;AIRBS7DED MARCH 31, 1859
A

• Years ended.
Mar. 314859. Mar. 31,1860,
£ £
Gross receipt .......... 8,217,342 8,292,749
Deeds and other instruments...... 1,362,875 1,397,966
Bills of exchange and promissory
... . . ...
notes 475,185 521,330
• •
Bankers' notes • 6,669 5,360
Composition for bankers' bills and
notes ..... 61,104
.................... 67,459
Receipts and draughts 443,574 411,435
Probates of wills and letters of ad-
ministration and testamentary in-
ventories
Legacy and succession tax 2,211,892 2,130,020
Fire insurances
Marine insurances 287,071 325,708
Patent medicines 43,091 45,624
Cards and dice
Probate Court stamps 57,409 56,997
Licences and certificates 218,500 220,468
Gold and silver plate duty 67,721 74,153
Newspapers 151,190 147,249
Law, Equity, Exchequer, and Chan-
cery Fund (Ireland)
Admiralty stamps
Divorce and; matrimonial causes
stamps 2,221
The recent Stamp Act, besides alierations and extensions
of existing duties, contains several duties which are en-
tirely new. The alterations in existing duties are as fol-
low :

36,236 31,657
6,006 6,573

2,557

Personal property passing by will under a general power
of appointment is made liable to duty.
Money secured on heritable property in Scotland, or by
Scotch bonds, in favour of heirs and assignees, excluding
executors, is also made subject to the above -named duties.
We explained fully, in our last annual report, the pro-
priety of making Scotch mortgages liable to duty on the
death of the mortgagee, in the same way that English
mortgages are.

The stamp duty of 2s. Gd. upon agreements did not here-
tofore extend to matters below the value of £2O ; but the
duty has now been reduced to Gd., and agreements are made
liable to it if the value be or upwards ; but where the
value is under £2O the penalty for stamping an agreement
of this kind, after 14 days from its date, is 205., instead
of £lO.

The amount of duty heretofore payable for an agreement
for a lease for any term not exceeding seven years and that
payable for the lease itself have been transposed. Instru•