The Sun.
London, England, 1835-10-22 00:00:00

CORN AVERAGES.

GENERAL AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITISH CORN, tlif
For the Week ended Oct. 16, 1835, made up :trom the Returns of .0'
Inspectors in the different Cities and Towns in England and IN
Imperial Quarter. id. •
Wheat
Barley
IMPERIAL AGGREGATE AVERAGES OF THE SIX WZ"S
PRECEDING.
Wheat 37s. 7d. 1 Oats
Barley 27s. lid. I Rye -°s3o;. 2d. I Peaseßeans
DIMIS Mr FOREIGN CORN.
Wheat 49s, Bd. 1 Oats . ... Its. 9d. I Beans lBs. ad,'
Barley 2ls. 4d. 1 Rye ... ..... 24s 1 3d. Pease Iss. u"

On Monday afternoon, betNeen four and five o'clocic
a well-dressed young man, apparety a foreigner, went int°
the Bath Hotel, Piccadilly, and ordere3 dinner of runliri'
steaks and oyster sauce to be got ready fo? him. He ha'
a carpet-bag with him, and his a:ppearance ond demeanour
were that of a person who had just arrived in town 11
coach. The stranger told the waiter he shouldstop there
anger
that night, and desired a room to be got ready for binl'
The room was prepared, and in the mean time the strangl.
dispatched his dinner, and afterwards retired up stairs,
to lie down for a short time. Soon after this he returuea
the coffee-room, said he had pressing business in Birrnier
ham, which he had just recollected, and he must set off fl
that town by the first coach. He then paid his bill his
went out, refusing the assistance of the porter to carry ie
luggage. On Tuesday morning a gentleman staying
hotel discovered that a jewel-case, containing jewels aid
luables, said to be worth between 2001. and 3001., hat"
stolen. Suspicion immediately fell upon the Birmingn°„—%
traveller, as the bed-room prepared for him was contigne;
to the room from which the property had been stolen•
formation of, the loss and the particulars were forwarcle
to the C division of police, who are now engaged in traujeg
the property.
THE MOVING BOG.—Regarding the late Ines'ef:
ment of the bog of Sloggan, in Ireland, we have seen a ge";
tleman who was at that place last week. He informs
that great pieces of the bog still continue to swell up 111%
run down a self-found:ch,:nnel into the river Maine, which Is
about a mile distant from a.,e bog, and still it aPPearna
"
level and full as if nothing of the kind had happened. 'a
informant states that the quantity of moss which has sprefa
itself over the adjacent lands is inconceivable ; pieces ° fr
full rood in size swelling up out of the bog and moving _°„
in a manner that seemed to the oeasantry to be quite:l"j,
pernatural. The news of thephelomenon spread raPTI
over the country, and great multitudt's from Antrim, 13;
mena, and Belfast continued daily to v:sit the spot. s,
innkeepers of Randalstown, which is ah•eut 2A- miles 1.
tant, have erected tents in the vicinity o! the, bog.
public highway is still filled up by the mo.lB
After the subsiding of the first movements on the and
Pao.
24th ult., about 500 men were employed to clea2r
sage for the mail, but were obliged to desist, ti .0111 large
pieces of the moss rolling in upon them so as to en, that.
2
their lives. The first overflow on the 22d was so large
and slud a
great fears were entertained for the safety of Randalsto'lgto
bridge, all who witnessed it believing that it would be le.
ried away. The force with which it poured out naaY,b,
conceived, when it is stated that it burst quite across 'l.,
river, which is of considerable breadth, and left a great Pe_f
tion of moss on the opposite bank. Great numbers u_
01117,
salmon, eels, and other fish, continue to be thrown
for several miles down the river. To the tenantry
were sufferers, the loss has been immense, and about fift
acres of excellent land have been utterly ruined. The 0°
now runs by the Ballymena road.—Grcenock Advertiser.
_O,
BLACKCOCKS AND GROUSE.—Among Spots
a controversy has long been waged, as to the causes whic„f
regulate the increase of blackcocks and the decrease.
grouse. That moor game is decreasing nobody doubts, bl!..
that the black game attack and drive the grouse from tb?lel.
feeding grounds, is a fallacy. In repeated instances the
black and moorcock have been seen snorting in. the 10°50
friendly intimacy ; and should we pint, we do think,,aat,
inch thick, to this complexion we must come at last
real
moor-burning, extended and rapidly extemiing, is the gr to
and leading bane of the grouse. Many farn:ers wally
the opinion, that what is good for the sheep is equallYAgnced'
for the game ; that a rotation of heath should betnr.e;:,-00e
by burning, and that the plant, when permitted to and
a shrub, has the double effect of harbouring vermin, But
preventing the pouts from reaching their natural food. vto.
this doctrine, plausible as it may appear, finds little fav°4,
in the eyes of gamekeepers. One of their number, a reela'as,
ably shrewd person, treated the subject in the most sar.e..ro
tic style imaginable. " Why, a farmer asks leave to burn
a little heather ; but in place of a little he burns a grbaa
deal, and then tells you that nobody can be more sorrY t
_a•
he is that the flame spread so far, and could not be stolieile
Draining, too, prepares the land for a capital bum biro ri to
patches of crop creeping up the hills tempts the
the
eat warm food, and fills them with tape-worm after
turn to the moors. Blackcocks are also fond of corn ;there
they rem
they stand it better, and, strange as it may aPPear' rain
is less difference between grain and gall, than between ghavo
and heather." That these remarks are correct, we
asing
no doubt whatever ; the quantity of heather is deer: win-
everywhere ; grouse, during the burly-gurly blasts
ter, are suffering more and more from the want of
woods
and rarely, if ever, like the blackcocks, retire to the ow
but then the great question is, whether it is better
woGrts,
stilt the welfare of the sheep or grouse ; or,
give a preference to over-sporting to lands so well
an
tho
and cleaned, that they afford the laird more rentla world:
tenant a higher measure of remuneration. As the world:
wags we cannot get everything we want, and, least
ineempatibilities.—Duinfries Courier. in other
rd

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1/11DDLESEX GENERAL SESSIONS.
(THIS DAY.)

THE SUN, LONDON*, TIITIRSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1835

TAXES ON KNOWLEDGE.

duty must have greatly inCreased.* But suppose he had
acted in this manner ; that he had given notice of opposing
the next vote against the Stamp ; and that the friends of
the repeal had seen grounds for apprehending they would be
defeated.—Whet thdy ta id. Hilt 1.8 leave the tiiieStion
as it theii would fide stolid; örie vote Of the House of
COriinionS iii its favour. Would it not have been time
eriadgh fcii, aftef gaining One victory; id soy they would
OM their stice@st ild farthtir ? Rtirel?,i; nd Thifkili at all
acquainted with the history of any one of the great questions
which public opinion has carried against Governments and
Parliaments, can for a moment doubt the incalculable ad-
Vantage Which this would have gained to the repeal. As
to Ole argoraetilt thqt c;a;;;;n7.77.! rul4 114" been
hhaken by. a defeat, this is, in many cases, a sound reason
for abstaining from a vote ; but if constantly used, it be-
comes one of the most fatal motives action which can
swtt piiiillO RAM it IS had 10? the Midiflore; idt it Wakes
theni absolute and heedless I it is destructive to the coun-
try ; for it places the fate of every question, not upon its
oWli but upon ralsd and arbitrary issue. Since
the Bession closed; art indieatien has been given or a nature
not to be mistaken i and !'tom hence we inspect that the
fate if the tat hi question Is at length decreed, not, in_
deed, by the determination of the Government or the Par-
liament, but by the nature of the thing. Attempts were
made during the summer to print unstamped daily papers,
but these failed, as is said, from the want of due prcpara,.
tions. The Government than put the laW in force against
sonic of the other papers, which-had long been published
without a stamp I and great complaints were made both in
Parliament and out of doors, of this proceeding.. We
confess We cannot join in these complaints ; because, as
long as the law exists which subjects papers to a stamp,
those who print with the stamp have an undeniable right to
all the protection which the Government can give them
against those who carry on a contraband trade, and sell
papers without paying the legal duty. But although no
blame can be imputed to the Government fur attempting
to act as they are by the law bound to act, every one must
see that the attempt will fail. The contraband dealer will
defeat the Government, exactly as. the smuggler of spirits,
and many other articles of general consumption; has always
done) when OW articles were taxed beyond what {lig
could bear. No sooner had a seizure been made of one
printing press in London, than other presses were set to
work elsewhere ; and immediately unstamped papers, of
course without any printer's name, were found every where
hi London, which had been printed in some of the great
manufacturing towns, and sent for sale to the metropolis.
Can the Government think of continuing this contest ? It
is impossible—for the contest is hopeless. The people are
determined to read newspapers and they will have them
without the duty of two or three hundred per cent. which
the Legislature has imposed. The duty on spirits was re-
duced, not because the revenue could be spared, or because
any man wanted to make gin cheaper, but because the
smuggler beat the Ofternment and undersold the fair
dealer. The duty on political and all other knowledge Will
be repealed (reducing it is out of the question), because
the unstamped newsmonger is boating the Government, and
underselling the dealer in stamped papers ; and because the
people will no more go on without reading than Without
drinking. Every man lamented the necessity of lowering
the spirit tak---eVery man must agree in the necessity of
tepealing the tax on knowledge.
It is impossible to close an article upon the press without
observing upon the almost counter-revolution which Prance
has lately undergone in this branch of her policy,,-of all
others the most important to a free state. We should ill
discharge our duty as faithful journalists of Politics, as well as
Letters, were we to hesitate in expressing the deep feeling
of indignation which fills our minds upon a survey of the
late transactions. There was a foul, and, If you will, a
diabolical plot, to assassinate the King ; and there were
newspapers existing at the same time. This, this positively,
and nothing more, is the connexion between this plot and
the press—the pretext, the flimsy pretext, for chaining the
press with chains of iron, abolishing trial by jury, extinguish-
ing all journals published by poor men, and, in fact, placing
th discussion of all subjects, except perhaps mathematics
and antiquities, upon a more slippery and intolerable footing
than they were, in the time of an open, avowed, and candid
tyrant. Cherishing the highest respect for the able and
enlightened Prince who now rules the French nation, and
for his virtuous and accomplished Minister, we fervently
hope that they will retrace their steps ere it be too
late, and give back to France the freedom which they
have, under the influence of a temporary panic, been
enabled, by the tame acquiescence of the unreformed Cham-
bers, to suspend. The progress which Republican principles
have made in England during the last twelve months has
been remarked by all accurate observers of the signs of the
times—and not a foreigner who hears our conversations
now, and had left us for a year or two, is insensible of the
change. We verily believe that an Englishman resorting
to France next year will be struck still more with the like
progress, shOuld the new laws be continued in force. We have
spoken out as regards our own rulers, when they are plainly.
misled. We cannot suppress the truth as to those of our
neighbours. t

es to
he inciut-
omission-.
L„i in the
rceeited

sage; " To-morrow, and to-morrow, and
which he speaks with an air of irritated impatience ; but we
do not at all like his manner of appealing to the Physi-
cian, " Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased?" as if
he *ere entreating him to use his utmost skill to accom-
plish d cum—this is Al tithe wag meant by the
Poet to be #riditen hi at tone aljiprdalehid clefigidn di the
inefficacy Of physic; w rich Macbeth tidi ld cc itifi4 td the
dogs," knowing what would be the answer the
K6iitire diet with a great deal of applause, and
deserved it. Mrs. West rtiade a better Lady Macbeth
than we expected, but in her sleep-walking she displayed. a
little too much action and vehemence. She had tat dig-
nity of carriage for the banquet, but in the scene where she
through the partts,. creditably, though
4-1-.4 the daggers, she was very successful. Wallack
..•••__
wwena:s
ttirday: given out repetition on Sa-
cno'aasrgillelayc.diffacabnet(l

{aekre
I:s. Ronti, Esq., and a full fetch of Magistrates.)
any Aftt'e Leming- some appeal tnts, none of which p?sseistd
s t 1:-phlie interest, the Cnrt proceeded to el.!. ("Over the
,"1 applications for music licences fry` tin ensuing year.
complainedthat 44W.; Clerk of the Peace, Mr.
oti ces
ea, had not inserted., the list of applicants, some
oti which had been ttnt in within the last three 'or four
aYs. There was nothing in the Act which made it neces-
sary to send in the notice a week previous to the sessions.
se Mr• Iterrex sr;id the regulation, that notices should be
erndetrilithat avrek
previous to the sessions, had been made in
tee Magistrates should be apprised, before hand,
wilat
aPptications were likely to be made.
decide
CLAnKsoN—They thought every case should be
i'„'eal as it arose upon its own merits.
ti ur• Allen, the Clerk of the Peace, read the order of
'er Court, dated Oct. 28, 1830. which required that a
net's notice should be given.
Air, 13. BEAUMONT was of opinion that the Maois-
but es should be apprized beforehand of the applications,
it
th„, Ras a hardship upon the applicants that the order to
4,,! effect had not been made public.
i1t,12 answer to a question from Sir C. Forbes,
ojiday last, which he has sell% Allen said six notices liao. *beenosent to him since
FORBES would ne'L included in the list.
to en
C.
, k n into considerut3-0 su.gest that these. six should be
tarough• n, after the last had been gone
he
14trr. strictly "
4d/. ILL/ AM thought the Act of Parliament should
~credto.
that the ;13's ex said that the object of the week's notice was,
piyie Atagistrates should know who the parties were ap-
bad g', as it sometimes happened that objectionable persons
,get into possession of a house previously licensed.
SCOTT itiotion of Sir C. FORBES was seconded by Sir J.
LILLIE, but was negatived on a show of hands.
10: answer to a question from Sir J. S. LILLIE,
h?. Allen said one application which was not in the list
Seen heard at the last Sessions.
pre S. LILLIE—Then we are acting unjustly in the
,!tlit ease.
le Ir. BOTCH There is another matter to which the at-
oanht).4 of the Magistrates should be directed—that parties
ora't"!'strg the applications for music licenses should give
SirC. the Magistrates and the applicants.
to `-'• FORBES would move that the Court do refuse
beteutertain any opposition of which due notice bad not
given to the'parties objected to.
kr. 13. BEAUMONT seconded the motion.
g2l- tLr• TIDD PRATT suggested, before they made any rule
eoliti'itaiettint, to ascertain what was the practice in other
Sir
act to P. LAURIE thought it would be a very oppressive
trate shut out all opposition, and be trusted the Magis-
zs would not make any regulation on that point incon-
it ith their former proceedings.
hen'question 'vas then put, and the motion negatived.
tee"ee Court then proceeded to the list of applications for
of 'music licenses.
New r ''-ire 21 new applications, among which are the
thre atre 'rand Theatre ; the theatre in Norton Folgate ;. the
Theo in the Cial-road • the Royal Standard 1
tre in Shoredit ch ;ommerc and the Colosseum.

igazttgla Review, No. CXXV.)
JUST PUBLISHED.

Among the most important of the great qUestione which
it has been our duty tel. tiro% lipbh 4ie ititention of our
readers is thla which the Age of dilr taitation
inttrisOses to the diltfuSiO iniYinirVedie: if ai3 where

from tb
is .4atccif
province,
1,,e. The
dit
-d ;very
.
et Tem-
-11
ellque t°
edings ,
increase&
irtieulars

following
entail t?

.ate
ica Svitlr
r the de'
rental, to
it rose°.
conclnct
.crnembet
ye year.sl
t Marto.
Ifficers or
occasions
ion,judr

I Esq. 4, one of the Vice-Presidents, was particularly men-
tioned. The lecture and evening meetings were alluded to
with great satisfaction; grid it appeared that an increase of
members, which, from the adi'antagee already experienced
from the institution by the surrounding neighbourhood,
might fairly be expected, was only required to secure the
full cilleieney of the society.
The Lady of Sir John Pechell, Bart., met with a
Ithidtra accident on Monday last, in consequence of a fall
froth 4 tifilschka, on the road to Richmond. She broke her
right arm.
How TO DISMI6S Aunigwoz,—A manager
of a small theatre, not far from the' banks of the Liffey,
perceiviag; shortly before the curtain drew up, that the
audience consisted of only thece persons, found himself
under the necessity of putting off ti performance to the
following day ; so, advancing to the front of the stage with
a theatrical air—" Ladies and Gentlemen," said Ni.".• O'Hig-
gins, for that was his name, " I perceive there is Mt; .:(I.Y
here—l am forced, therefore, with the greatest regret, to
send you all home ; it being understood that the entertain-
ments announced by the bill will not take place to-night ;
however, I have the honour, Gentlemen and Ladies, to
apprise you that the performances of this evening will take
place to-morrow.
Some weeks ago we gave an outline of a conversa-
tion held with an old shipmate of his Majesty, while on
board the Prince George. Colonel Wemyss having ob-
served the paragraph, took an opportunity of directing his
Majesty's attention to it ; when the , King stated that he
recollected the circumstance alluded to as well as Miller,
aid, as a mark of respect, graciously sent him five pounds.
Miller, who is on the borders of 80, and who has been rather
unwell for sometime, felt highly gratified. When he first
heard of %15 Majesty's attention, he exclaimed with peculiar
emphasis,
);,^ll, I was sure the King, God bless him,
would mind o'
mei",..—Fifeshire Journal.
TRANQUIL STArri' OF IRELAND.—The Magis-
trates of the County
of virate,ord are to meet at Dun-
garvan Quarter Sessions on the lo.h instant, to consider
the propriety of dispensing with the servie. of a stipendiary
Magistrate, in consequence of the tranquil crate of that
County.—Dublin Register.
Four gentlemen from Fermoy are summoned by Mr.
Walker, the Deputy Advocate General, to give evidence
at the General Court Martial on Captain Burslem, 94th
Regiment, which commenced in Limerick yesterday.
About ten o'clock on Thursday night, a boatman
fell from his boat into the river, and immediately disap-
peared under the hulk opposite Mr. Ridgway's house ; but
by the activity of one of the river-watch, named James
Brown, he wes immediately dragged up with his crook, and
thus saved from a watery grave.—Waterford Mail.
For the sake of employing some of the many hands
now out of employ at Eastbourne, two of the principal
farmers have undertaken to try how far dibbling of wheat
will answer on that soil, one of whom stated, in Hertford-
shire " I paid 6s. per acre, here I will offer Bs., the dibber
finding three children to drop the corn."—Brighton Gazette.
The ancient Corporation of Leeds, wishing to pass
off the stage rejoicing, have issued circulars to their friends
and retainers, signifying their intention of dining together,
' previous to their di,ssoluti?n," and soliciting the honour of
their company on that occasion. " N.B. Each gentleman
to pay his own expenses." Till; is a novelty in corporation
dinners—but, as the Irishman says, " Death only occurs
once in a man's life.
TOWER MENAGERIE._ The whole of i:2e dens,
fittings-up, &c. of this once-popular exhibition, which has
now for some time been uninhabited, were sold off this
day, by order of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests.
The column which has recently been erected at St.
Petersburgh, in memory of the Emperor Alexander, con-
sists of a solid block of granite, 85 feet in height, sur-
mounted by a bronze statue 20 feet high. The pedestal
on which it rests is 25 feet in diameter. The material for
this noble monument was brought from the coast of Fin-
land, in a vessel constructed expressly for the purpose, and
the immense block was raised up an inclined plane of timber
from the landing place, and lowered from its summit to its
intended position ; 15.000 troops were assembled to cele-
brate its completion.
Married at St. Martin's, R. Parrott, Esq., of St.
Martin's-place, to Miss Fowle, of Camberwell.
Says Dick, (that's the Parrot) "My wish who would mar it?
I'm not such a very old owl.
So as birds of a feather flock always together,
I'll just try as mate a young Fowle."
And here's luci to ye, Dick !—may many a chick
And bantam be your's, jolly cock !
May it never be said you are hen-peck'd when wed,
Or your broods a di*; ace to the stock.
Poultry Compter. ,A FRIEND TO FOWL PLAT.
On Friday, the 16th inst., the: trial of four females,
and Donald Marshall, the bellman of Iju: oon, charged by
the Procurator Fiscal of the county with wan: and riotous
nd driv-
mischief, by assembling in a tumultuous manner,
ing down the walls in course of erection by Mr. Esvi..7 at
Dunoon, in the month of August last, came on at Inverary •
The whole pannels were found guilty, fined in a mitigated
penalty, and failing payment, ordained to be imprisoned in
Inverary gaol for a period not exceeding forty days.—
Greenock Advertiser.
A SCOT'S TllRlFT.—Yesterday, in one of the
dissenting meeting-houses in town, a parsimonious wight
unwittinily put a half-crown in the plate as he passed.
After being in his seat about ten minutes he discovered his
mistake, and in a characteristic spirit went down stairs with
all haste, and, to the horror of the worthy elder, dived his
unhallowed hand into the plate, tossed over a mountain of
copper, and on discovering his beloved half-crown, he seized
it with a convulsive firasp, and replacing it with a bawbee,
walked up stairs again to his seat, with great joy and con-
solation.—Greenock Advertiser.
THE EFFECTS OF NATURAL CENERY.—Within
rtunities of con-
the last two or three days we have had opce
ctice and ex-
versing with various game-keepers, whose pre
our hap
perience are alike extensive, such as it never wa..l
lass
to enjoy before. As is the case of every other c‘,. of
men, their intelligence as a body depends much on
duality ; but if the whole conservators of our preserves and
moors were formed to-morrow morning into a solid phalanx,
It would be easy to select from the congress of wide pouches,
leathern belts, shooting gear, and appurtenance generally,
men who would do honour to any station. Mighty virtue
resides in being constantly abroad, and surveying, under
every varying aspect, a vast extent of champaign and al-
pine country, including all the wide extremes of grounds
carefully parked, mountain recesses all but inaccessible,
lonely moors, and melancholy morasses, fringed and bound-
ed by the far forest.—Dumfries Courier.
EXTRAORDINARY.--A very large porpoise, mea-
suring about seven feet, has been found near the Garrison
Point, on the beach at Sheerness. It appeared that it had
swallowed an eel, which had forced its tail through one of
" the blow holes," and thus produced suffocation. The eel
was tultett out alive.
In 1744 flame curious monuments were discovered
at Monkton Farley, in Wiltshire, after having been buried
for two centuries. It seems that a rabbit warren had been
formed over the site of the priory church ; on the ground
being levelled, the liveizient of the church appeared nearly
complete, and several graND-stones and skeletons were
discovered.
The cod and herring. fisheries ot .Boulogne have
this year been considerably increased. The ht:ring fishery
has been completely successful, but the vessels enipL.ved in
the cod fishery have not brought back quite so larg.:
quantity, in proportion to their riumber, as in former sea-
sons.—Gatignani's Messenger.
FATAL DUEL.—PARIS, OCT. 19.—The only sub-
ject of domestic interest to-day is a fatal duel, which took
place at seven o'clock this evening in the Bois de Boulogne.
The parties are understood to be connected with the well-
known establishment, No. 6, St. James's-square. One of
them was a Mr. B—, the other the Count De Ruyter,
or, according to other authorities, Mr. J. Rutter. The
parties fired three times without effect, when the seconds
interposed, but no attempt at reconciliation was listened
to, and the parties then took their ground at ten paces—
nearer, I believe, than they had been previously placed ;
when both again fired, and the Count fell to rise no more,
having received the ball of Mr. B-- near the heart. The
nature of the dispute I am not acquainted with, but one of
the parties is understood to have been recently subjected to
law proceedings in London.
CONSTANTINOPLE.—Another of the English work-
men in the employ of the Government, named George
Scott, died a few days ago of the plague, and his wife is lying
lit the hospital attacked by the same disorder. It is, how-
ever, expected she will recover. Their infant family was
for a short time left in the street, but Captain Kellie, head
of the steam-boat department, took care of the children,
and they arc so far in perfect health. We bear of extremely
little plague elsewhere, and the workmen must have taken it
by frequenting the house of a Maltese, from Alexandria,
part of whose family was carried off by the malady. They
were in the habit of meeting at this house to drink. The
surviving men, one and all, declare that they will stay here
no longer—and, if they go, I fancy the Turks will be glad
to get rid of them, as most of them are too fond of their li-
quor, and frequently become unmanageable. The fact is,
wine can be had at two-pence a bottle, whilst spirits are
proportionably cheap, and, as few of them possess the virtue
of abstinence, they are apt to indulge too freely in the use of
these beverages. What is worse, intemperance in this
country produces, in Englishmen at least, absolute mental
derangement. Scott was both drunk and mad a few hours
before his death ! Workmen who come out here should
be faithful members of a Temperance Society. They would
then succeed, and their pay is so handsome that, with ordi-
nary economy, each might save 1001. a-year, whereas, as it
is, several of them arc in debt. The American ship-
builders, Ivho are water drinkers, succeed admirably.

Lrn4
He o 0 ii
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those obitradtient hie id Aped lostility, surely it is in
Editlanth—the inhabitants of which are all more or leZ.f,
devoted to literary pursuits, We %%Tito %.iitaezet inidng
generation which has hot *yet forgotten the Veiee et thelr
old anal Venerated teacher, the leartke4, heneit, indefatigable
Dr. Adam, than wlrdin th'ere never livel h More adniirahle
pattern of a Schoolmaster, nor a More infletibly virtuous
matt= a devoted friend of leatatlng, but not more of letters
than of their conealal liberty, and a man tiom-ea with
the rare renTage of standing up et alnst oppression in the
werSt times ever known fit this part of the island since the
tyranny of the tsi&table Lauderdale in the Ith century.
His voice %till rings in the ears thf hTh scholars, when he was
went to exclaim, ' A toe t)ion Paper is a tax upon ittiorei
ledge.' What weedd he have said had he !Ned to hear it
proved in Parliament by one of his old pupils, that in con-
ducting one of the most poplar works of the present day,
the ' Penny Cyclopalialthe Society of Useful Knowledge
pays as much in excise upon paper intO the Exchequer, as
it does to the most eminent and. fitientific men in Europe,
—the Aireys, the Babhars, the Brewsters, men fatuous as
discoverers, but wo' also devoting their taletitt and learning
to the instrakttion of all classes of their countrymen, Four
thousand pounds a year paid in duty upon one work
Four thousand panda a year tax—tributer----blirden—dis-
couragement--r- Aohibition—imposed npOn the diffusion of
knowledge among the people, through a single channel !
As the circulation of the " Penny Magazine. of the same
Society must be three or foiir times M great as that of the
Cyclopedia,' this book of the poor man must have to
bear the burden of perlrap sixteen thousand a year in like
manner. In after tics it will not be believed that in 1834
our policy coed have been barbarous to this extent% Stich
a system will then be nearly as incredible at It now seems
to us that thirty yea ago our laws should have encouraged
the murder and rapine, known by the gentle nattin of Slave
Trading, and to abolish Which crime, Wits but a few years
earlier pronounced by a great and Zealous Conservative, the
late Mr. Boswell, to "shut fhe gates of mercy oot mankind."
• But there is another tax on knowledge—directly and
chiefly on political—but indirectly and substantially on
every kind of knowledge, jest as objectionable, and the re-
peal of which we have shown to be as absolutely necessary.
We mean the Newspaper Stamp. Since we last discussed
this subject, some matters have happened which require to
be considered, and to which we shall now advert, In the
succinct manner above mentioned, without again going over
the general argument.
The public attention has ken roused to this meet im-
portant question, in spite of all the effertt Made by the
greater part of the London newspapett, to stifle discussion
upon it. That these journals a plainly combined againg
the repeal, no person can effect to doubt, any nmre than he
can justly blame them. They have much at stake, or they
think they have : a monopoly, thong}', never intended by the
authors of the tax, has trent% by its operation actilred to
them, and they are apprehensive of injury from its being
taken off. Our very clear opinion It, that they are wrong,
and that they would gain MI as much as they could lose
by the measure. Bat Otlr opinion is nothing ; they have a
perfect right to contemn it and abide by their own. There-
fore, we do not blame them for the course Which they are
pursuing, like any other dealer, in favour of their supposed
interests. But in one respect they differ from other dealers ;
they have the means of protecting themselves and injuring
the public--the consumers, by suppressing all, or nearly all
that is doing on the subject. When any other trade is at-
tacked by the legislature, or threatened by the efforts of
the consumer to lower the price, or improve the quality of
the article, the press is at hand to help the party which ap-
pears to be in the right, 'Here the press being one of the
parties—the trader,—the other party—the consumer—has
no such help. Thus, take the ekaetly parallel case of the
brewers and publicans, The licensing of public-houses,
though intended for an altogether different purpose, yet
eventually and accidentally had given the publicans in cer-
tain houses, or rather the brewers who owned these houses,
a monopoly. When that was abolished, millions were shown
to have been wasted in leasehold property on the faith of the
monopoly. All this was disregarded—meetings were held—
petitions were presented—discussions took place every
where—and in a few years the system and the consequential
monopoly fell before the force of truth and reason. In this
the newspapers aided exceedingly. But how would it have
been if these papers bad all been—or nearly all been, like
the public-houses, in the hands of the brewers ? Would
they have done their duty to the public—or to the public-
houses ? Would the reform in question have had fair play ?
Would it at this day have been carried ?
It is due to some of the London papers to state, that they
have taken a most disinterested part on the question of the
Stamp. These, too, are among the best conducted and the
most inflexibly honest. Their services to the cause of know-
ledge, and truth, and liberal opinion, have been invaluable.
But the rest have taken another course ; and they have
all endeavoured to suppress the agitation of the subject. So
much so, indeed, that he who only reads these journals
would never imagine how great and general an interest the
subject had excited. As an instance : there were three of
the greatest public meetings ever held in the metropolis—
two of them attended by all, or nearly all, the Metropolitan
Members ; and there was hardly any notice taken of their
proceedings in some of the daily papers. Nay, none of these
made any mention of two large meetings, one in South-
wark, and one at the Mechanics' Institution, farther than
to state in a few lines that meetings had been held on, the
subject. No one, to read such accounts, could ever have
conjectured that near two thousand respectable persons had
attended each of these meetings. This policy of the papers
certainly has had one effect—it has misled Ministers and
Members of Parliament, who necessarily take much of their
information from such sources. The suppressive process
has made the rulers of the State and lawgivers really be-
lieve that the public took little interest in the question ;
and accordingly the tax has been'continued for another year,
when a knowledge of the general eagerness for its repeal
would inevitably have sealed its doom last Session. That the
interest has been general and intense, the almost unanimous
voice of the provincial press demonstrates. Its policy coin-
cides more nearly with its duty, and it has spoken freely and
constantly out. The petitions presented to Parliament
afford another test. These (as appears from the late Ta-
bular Returns to both Houses), have been more numerous,
and signed by a greater number of persons, than the, peti-
tions upon any other, subjects whatever during the session—
two only excepted—the Corporation Bill, and the case of
the Dorchester labourers. Indeed, as one or two of the
Corporation petitions were signed by twenty or thirty thou-
sand names, it ie manifest that the far greater number of
petitions must have been presented to Parliament for the
repeal of the tax. That the Ministers should have taken,
and most properly taken, into their attentive consideration
the petitions in behalf of the Dorchester convicts, and
granted a considerable mitigation of the sentence, without
ever seriously attending to the Stamp petitions, seems very
hard to be believed ; yet is true.
__

Why should this Government, of all others, support a '
tax opposed to the diffusion of knowledge ? There never
was any that owed so much of its strength to free discus-
sion. There are no friends any where of the existing
Ministry, except among those who are most anxious for the
spread of political information. A Ministry, too, more at-
tached to literary pursuits has not often existed. Many of
its members are.themselres honourably known to the world
as authors ; almost all of them are understood to be men of
reading habits ; several of them, including both the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer and the Leader of the House of
Commons, are active members of the Society for the Diffu-
sion of Knowledge. Well may the public, therefore, won-
der at the deaf ear which this liberal and literary Govern-
ment seems to have turned to its representations. It can
only be accounted for by supposing that the newspapers
have misled them ; and chiefly by suppressing all mention
of the subject, and of the anxiety felt upon it. It is pos-
sible that the active exertions of a few members of Parlia-
ment may have operated unfavourably. Let us hope that
the support of the people will, in the interval before the
next session, strengthen the hands of the Ministers, and
enable them to resist all importunities, as well as encourage
them to perform their duty.
There is indeed a quarter of which, on this occasion, we
have a right to complain, more than perhaps of the Minis-
ters—we mean the liberal members of the House of Com-
mons. What could possibly induce those who have uni-
formly supported all propositions in behalf of knowledge
and against the stamp, to withdraw a motion when they had
a majority in the House, and might have carried their reso-
lution ? This is, we confess, one of the most mortifying,
and, to our minds, most inexplicable things which have hap-
pened in Parliament during the late session. The reasons
which were assigned are, as it appears to us, unsatisfactory.
We would be understood to speak with all possible respect
and regard of men whose services are invaluable to the
people ; but it is no mark of esteem to suppress our opinion
upon an important subject. The carrying one vote against
the stamp, even if it had been followed by nothing farther,
would have been of infinite importance. We do not believe
that the present Chancellor of the Exchequer would have
imitated the worst parts of the old Pitt tactics, and tried to
rescind that vote another day. Lord Althorp was com-
pelled, and most reluctantly compelled, to do so on the
Malt Tax ; but that was a question of millions, and of an

Income Tax ;—this was at the utmost one of two hundred

* The excise on paper produces 800,0001., including all kinds of
paper—that is, for packing, papering rooms, &c. Taking off one
half of the duty for paper for printing, would be an immense relief
to literature—especially cheap literature—and would rather be.a
gain than a loss to the revenue ; whilst the increased publication of
newspapers would augment still farther this income.
F We had intended to offer some comments upon the conduct
which several real Representatives of the People in Parliament
have lately pursued in the contest with the London Press—Mem-
hers corning from various parts of the United Kingdom. If we
abstain at present, it is not from any disposition to undervalue
their services, but because we really consider that in the present
times every thing is to be avoided which has a tendency to widen
the breach between the press and the people's Representatives, and
to help those who, for obvious reasons, are ever trying to sow dis-
sensions among the friends of liberal principles.

I thousand pounds beyond the disposable surplus ; and even
so much never could have been lost, for the advertisement