The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-05 00:00:00

Liverpool Cotton Market. —TI 14 ray,

Market opens with a fair demand. Sales probably
7,000 bales.

Repeal of the Malt Tax.—This Day.

A public meeting of the farmers of England and
others desirous of promoting the repeal of the malt
tax was held to-day at the Freemason's Tavern,
Great Queen's-street. Lord Berners presided.
The CHAIRMAN said it was a source of great
gratification for him, who had been an advocate
for the last 30 years to see so large and influential
an assemblage. The great object they had in view
had, UD to the present time, been delayed in con-
sequence of disunion and want of funds, but he re-
joiced on the present occasion to see the farmers
of England were now united and determined
to press a reluctant Government to the considera-
tion of a question which was not a political one, but
one mixed up with the social condition of the labour-
ing class. (Hear, hear.) He felt the time had come
when the most vigourous attempt should be made
to carry into effect the object they had in view, be-
cause the greatest good would be done to all classes.
The national beverage of England would be
cheapened, and who would say that was
not a boon to the honest hard-working
artisan. (Hear, hear.) The tax on malt was a
a most unjust and oppressive one, and he hoped the
time had come when it would be swept away, or
such an alteration made in it that would prove
a sensible relief to those so greatly interested in
the matter. (Hear, hear.) He trusted that when
the gentlemen he saw before him went home they
would press the consideration of the question on all
their friends—that they would press their represen-
tatives in Parliament to the consideration of
that which was just and right. (Hear, hear.
They sought no exclusive immunity or
privilge, but they demanded that which was theirs
by right and justice. (Cheers.) He would call on
a gentleman who had done great service to their
cause to move the first resolution.

Mr. PUNNETT, of Kent, the chairman of the Cen-
tral Malt Tax Association, then came forward. He
said his opinions had so often been before them that
he regretted he could not on the present occa-
sion say anything new. They were met there
to tell the Government the malt tax was wrong
from begining to end, that they had always
considered it so, and that they did not intend to
put up with it any longer. (Hear.) Their
determination was to rouse public opinion to this
unjust tax. We say the time has come for our
cause to be considered, and we don't intend to
wait any longer. We intend to go in deputation
to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Wednes-
day and urge the matter in the strongest
manner, and he felt that such arguments would be
placed before the right hon. gentlaman that would
be unanswerable. He thought they stood a better
chance with the new Parliament than the old
became it was composed of men who he felt
would not slide into the same groove that their
predecessors had done. We intended to go to
the Ministerial side of the house, and say to them,
apply the acknowledged axioms of free trade to our
case, and we have no fear for the result. (Hear,
hear.) We shall go to that portion of the house
known as the great country party, and ask them to
consult the interests of those who had sent them to
Parliament. (Hear, hear.) We also mean to tell
them that they have not shown that united front
sufficient to command respect and attention,
although he knew ther' were gentleman
amongst them who had rendered them
very great service ; and none more than the
gentleman who now occupied a seat near him—
Sir F. Kelly. (Cheers.) He believed if they now
stuck close to the object they had in view they
would ultimately succeed. He did not say this year
or the next but ultimately success would be certain.
He concluded by moving the first resolution, which
was to the effect—that the excise duty on malt was a
great injustice to the growers of barley, a grievous
burden on the national beverage of England, and
a tax at variance with the free trade policy of the
country.

Mr. REED, M.P., said he had the greatest plea-
sure in seconding the resolution, because he felt a
repeal of the malt tax would result in great and
good results to a large body of the community. If
the tax was repealed, malt, which was now selling
at Bs. a bushel could be sold for 4s. 6d., and surely
that would lead to a cheapening of a beverage
which was the honest drink of Englishmen. Again,
if the malt tax was repealed, adulteration of that
article would be next to impossible, because
the cheapest article they could get to effect
the object would be malt. (Hear, hear.) Mr.
Gladstone had taken one leaf out of Mr. Disraeli's
budget of 1852 in reducing the tea duties. Let him
now now take another, and repeal the malt tax by
at least one half. (Rear, hear.) The result would
show that he had acted with wisdom.

Sir FITZROY KELLY, who was most cordially re-
ceived, supported the resolution, which was carried
unanimously.

Various other gentlemen addressed the meeting
in support of other resolutions in conformity with
the first.

The proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks
to Lord Berners for his conduct in the chair.

THE IRREPRESSIBLE " FINNIGANS. " - The
Chicago Tribune declares that the American
people thus far have enjoyed the Fenian movement
as an excellent farce, and have laughed immoderately
at it, and that is the only reason the whole thing has
not been suppressed by the Government. The Irish
Republic, with the O'Mahony for. President,
O'Roberts for Vice-President, O'Killian for Trea-
surer, Sweeney for Lieut.-General, and Michael
Scanlan and other Mikies for Senators, has been
regarded as a light Irish comedy for the amusement
of the public, in which those gentlemen were play-
ing their mimic parts, and the whole thing was as
funny and laughable as any of the side-splitting
performances of Barney Williams and his accom-
plished wife. The only thing about the affair that
is to be much deprecated is, the pilfering of the
pockets of poor Irish girls and labouring men of
their hard earnings, to maintain in idleness and
style a parcel of confidence men, who have so im-
posed on the credulity of their ignorant countrymen
as to make them believe that they were really going
to liberate Ireland in a short time ! It is all wrong,
says the Tribune, indeed it is wicked to thus impose
on the generous feeling of the Irish for their kin-
dred across the tt big water." How infinitely better
and more useful it would be to employ the three or
four millions of dollars said to be collected by the
leaders from their dupes, in aiding emigration from
Ireland. This money, judiciously used, would
bring over several hundred thousand of the " op-
pressed" Celts to a free land, flowing with milk and
whisky punch, where there is plenty of work at
high wages, abundance of white bread and nutritious
meat, free schools, cheap lands, and a chance to
become citizens, voters, and office-holders in a short
time. Ireland is a poor, cramped-up, foggy, boggy
country at best ; and even if freed from the rule of
Great Britain, the Celts would be vastly better off
in the great, grand, glorious Republic.

A PRESENT TO 1\ RS. GENERAL LEE.—A lot of
handsome furniture, twenty-one pieces in all, arrived in
Richmond lately for Mrs. Geu. R. E. Lee. This, says a
Richmond paper, is a gift to that distinguished Virginian
lady from the ladies of Baltimore, and is to be considered
as an evidence of their high appreciation of the character
of her distinguished husband.