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 and November, 1859, were allowed to be deferied, 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.
Oat of 6,300 hop planters 773 only availed themselves of
the privilege of postponing the payment of the first moiety
of the duty, their ptomissory 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 exported last year
was only 545,3831 b., whereas the quantity exported in the
previods year was 4,177,2511 b.
In the present year some relaxation, also, has been
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
cont.

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 IN THE YEARS ENDED MARCH 31, 1859
AND 1860.

instruments 41'1'4,
............ 81:234627:384725
1,397,966
Years ended.
Deeds and otherrs Mar. 31, 1859. Mar. 31, 1860.
Z X
8,n2,749
Bills of exchange
notes . 475,185 521,330
... —.... ....... ... 6 ....
and promissory
Bankers" uot'es 6,669 5,360
Composition for bankers' bills and
notes ..... . ........ 61,104 67,459
Receipts and driei;is .......... 443,574 411,435
antedatlametteenrstaorfy Probates of wills
ad-
ministration and
in-
ventories
Legacy and succest ion tax 2,211,822 2,130,020
Fire insurances ........ .
Marine insurances
Patent medicines
Cards and dice
Probate Court stamps
Licences and certificates.........,, 218,500 220,458
Gold and silver plate duty 67,721 74,153
Newspapers 151,190 147,249
cery Fund (Ireland)
Law, Equity, Exchequer, and Clian-
-36,236 34,657
Admiralty stamps .............
Divorce and: matrimonial causes
stamps 2,221 2,557

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 :

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
executers, 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. 6d. upon agreements did not here-
tofore extend to matters below the value of £2O ; but the
duty has now been reduced to 6d., and agreements are made
liable to it if the value be £5 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 agyeement
for a lease for any term not exceeding seven years and that
payable for the lease itself bave been transposed. Instru•