The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-22 00:00:00

THE BOMBAY MAIL.

By extraordinary express; n anticipation of the
Overland Mail, we have received our correspondence
and letters from Bombay to the 23d ult.
The following is from the summary of the Bom-
bay Gazette of July 23 :

"The Indian public having recovered from its
brief fit of political excitement, has ceased to discuss
general principles of taxation; and in this exhausting
climate few persons have the courage to take an in-
terest in, or even to read, the apparently intermin-
able discussions on the clauses of the Income Tax
Bill, with which the Calcutta papers are filled. So
the bill progresses through committee, not so fast
as might be, for Mr. Wilson has been ill, and the
absence of Sir Jas. Outram and the necessity of one
of the judge legislators deserting the council to
attend to the sessions have caused several postpone•
ments.

" The rather awkward discovery has been made
that the assessment and levying of new direct
taxes in Oude, before the Income Tax Bill has
passed the Legislative Council, must be regarded
as illegal acts ; and the energetic officials who
were so highly praised for the skill and fairness
they had shown in introducing a scheme of taxation
so strange to Asiatic ideas, will require a bill of in-
demnity to relieve them of the pains and penalties
which are the legal reward of their zeal. The over-
sight is unpardonable ; it is worse than a crime—an
error. In the first place, it tends to make the tax
more odious than before to the people; in the se-
cond place—for the Supreme Government were con-
senting and applauding parties to the illegality—it
reveals the appalling fact that our rulers are igno-
rant of the first principles of the government they
administer. There are ugly rumours, too—happily
so far they are only rumours—that oppression and
corruption in the worst forms have been practised
by the native servants of Government in collecting
this illegal tax.
" But the Disarming Act—which raises the old
antagonism of white and black—is more fiercely
criticised than all the financial measures put to.
gether After long and lively debates—in which
there occurred some sharp passages of arms between
Sir Mordaunt Wells, Mr. Harrington, Sir B. Pea-
cock, and Mr. Wilson—the bill passed, but in a very
different shape from that in which it was originally
presented to the council. The Government carried
their point of not specially exempting Europeans :
but permission is given by the act to magistrates to
exempt whomsoever they please, be he native or
European. The independent Europeans are more
indignant than ever that such large powers should
be placed in the hands of civil servants who are in
many cases notoriously eager to insult them in
every possible way. But, as power is given to the
Governor-General and subordinate governors to ex-
empt whole districts, it is likely that the act will,
in most parts of the country, become a dead letter.
" Mr. Wilson has explained in the Legislative
Council, to quiet some disagreeable reports, that
India will have to bear no share of the expenses of
the Chinese war. All that has been done is to grant
permission to the Commissary General of the expe-
dition to draw not more than £50,000 a month for
eight months on account of the war, his drafts being
fowarded to London and placed to the credit of the
Indian Government.

COMMERCIAL.

BOMBAY, JULY 23.

Since the date of our last report we have received advices
from Europe to the 18th ult., by the mail steamer which
arrived here on the 10th inst., but no later news by tele-
graph has reached us. There has been an abundant fall
of rain on the island during the fortnight. Sowing operations
aro in fair progress in almost all parts of the presidency, but
the weather reports of the districts in the southern collecto-
ratesaro more favourable than those of the northern collec-
torates. The markets have generally continued inactive,
with a very moderate business doing. Imports have remained
quiet, with the exception of piece goods, for which a better
inquiry has been manifested, and a larger business done, but
prices are not always maintained. Of exports, seeds are the
only commodity in demand. The money market remains
unaltered.