The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-17 00:00:00

sons occupy who signed the papers ? I suppose
they were rather in humble stations.
Mr. Selfe-_No. In the first place almost every
clergyman in the parish had a number of papers to
be filled up. District visitors, Roman Catholic
priests, and dissenting ministers, were all employed
in a similar manner.
Was any invitation given to the people to come
for relief ?

j Mr. Selfe—No. We were asked if we could not
devise some plan by which the destitution might be
met. We did not consider it our primary duty to
give away large sums of money.
The Chairman—That is foreign to the duty which
the magistrates have to discharge ?
Mr. Selfe—lt is. It is no portion of our legiti-
mate duty. I may mention this peculiar circum-
stance, that during the whole of that distress there
never was a time when the amount of crime was
less. The conduct of the poor persons was beyond
all praise.
Mr. Knox, the police magistrate of Worship-
street, was next examined--He stated that the sum
forwarded to his court was £2,000, and that the
machinery employed for its distribution consisted
of four warrant officers and a general clerk. The
usual amount received was about £4OO. He had
followed the steps of his predecessor, and found it
impossible to carry on the distribution without the
assistance of the clergy and other influential per-
sons. He made a personal visit to the distressed
districts, where he found great destitution and dis-
tress many persons being without a vestige of
clothing, food, fire, or bedding. The relief given
consisted of bread, coals, and ls. 6d. in money. He
had no reason to complain of the conduct of the
parochial or relieving officers. Not one-half the
poor made an application to the officers for relief.
He did not think it the duty of the officers to look
for cases of distress.
The committee then adjourned:

INCOME AND PROPERTY TAX.
The select committee appointed on the motion of
Mr. Hubbard, to inquire into the present mode of
assessing and collecting the income and property
tax, and whether any improved mode of levying
the same can be adopted, met yesterday. The com-
mittee consists of Mr. Hubbard (chairman), Mr.
Baxter, Mr. Bentinck, Mr. Cardwell, Mr. Cave, Mr.
Crawford, Mr. Sotheron-Estcourt, Sir W. Heath-
cote, the Chancellor of the 'Exchequer, Mr. Lowe,
Sir S. Northcote, Sir F. Heygate, Mr. Ricardo,
Mr. Turner, and Mr. Pollard. Urquhart.
Mr. Pressly, Chairman of the Inland Department
of the Board of Revenue, was examined. He said
he had given evidence before a committee of the
house on the property and income tax in 1851. At,
that time he was one of the commissioners of in-
come and property tax, and of course he was still
more acquainted with the working of the act from
his subsequent experience in office. The witness,
after giving a succinct history of the working of
the act of Sir R. Peel in 1842, and subsequent acts
down to the present time, went on to say, in answer
to the chairman, that the commissioners, except
three special commissioners, were unpaid. The
parish collectors were paid by a per centage of 11d.
in the pound. The per centage did not increase in
proportion to the increase of the income tax. He
believed it was impossible to pay them by salary,
though he admitted the collectors in poor and widely
extended districts might have double the trouble of
those in rich and compact neighbourhoods, but it
would certainly be better to pay them by salary if
the districts could be so arranged as to afford them
constant occupation, and the commissioners had had
that subject under consideration, with a view of
submitting it to the Government. At present the
collectors were appointed by the parishes. He
did not think that a desirable mode of appoint-
ment ; and if a change were made in that respect,
he would recommend that the collectors should be
appointed by the Government itself, and also the
assessors. In the assessment of lands and houses,
he thought the assessors could make no mistake,
although they were guided by the returns of indi-
viduals. In many instances of assessment under
schedule A they were not based upon previous
assessments.

In reply to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, wit-
ness said he had every reason to be satisfied with
the administration of the law of the income tax, as
administered by the local commissioners. As re-
garded the qualifications of individuals in his own
department they were very much improved of late
years—they were a better class of men, better
educated, and better paid, and the system of pro-
motion was now entirely free from political influ-
ence.

Mr. Timm, also of the Inland Revenue Depart-
ment, gave some further details of the working of
the Property and Income Tax Act.
The committee then adjourned.

THE BOARD OF ADMIRALTY.
The select committee of the House of Commons
appointed to inquire into the constitution of the
Board of Admiralty, and other matters relating
thereto, met for the examination of witnesses. Mr.
Henley presided. The other members of the com-
mittee are Lord Clarence Paget, Sir James Elphin-
stone, Sir F. Baring, Mr. Beaumont, Mr. Bentinck,
Mr. Corry, Mr. Bruce, Mr. Clay, Mr. Deedes, Ad-
miral Duncombe, Sir J. Graham, Mr. Finlay, Sir
John Pakington, Sir Michael Seymour, Mr. Whit-
bread, Sir H. Willoughby, and Sir J. Paxton.
The Duke of Somerset was the only witness
examined yesterday. In the course of his evidence,
and in reply to a question by Admiral Duncombe,
w,hether the progression of the duties of the Admi-
ralty, as worked by the board, had worked so well
that he saw no reason to alter it, his grace said his
experience of the office led him to think that
some alteration in the distribution of the duties
might be made with advantage; he thought some
members of the board had too much to do, and that
others had less than they could perform. The re-
distribution of some of the duties might be advan-
tageous ; but at the same time all changes of that
kind require a good deal of consideration.
In reply to a question by Sir James Elphinstone,
his grace said he did not think that the manage-
ment of the Admiralty in France N% as better than in
England, and it was a singular fact that while the
establishment of a Minister of Marine, and a similar
system to that in France, was very often advocated
here, the English system is just as much praised in
France, although no change has taken place in
either country. All such measures as the con-
struction of new iron ships, or the conversion of
sailing vessels into steamers, are discussed at the
board, but there is no report of their proceedings
unless they should result in an order, when the
minute of the order is the report. The mode in
which vessels are converted depends on the orders of
the comptroller. The committee adjourned at half-
past three o'clock.

CITY COMMISSION OF SEWERS.

Yesterday, at a meeting of the City Court of
Sewers, held at Guildhall, Deputy Christie in the
chair, Dr. Letheby, the medical officer, reported on
the state of 191 houses that had been inspected
during the week, and he submitted a list of 134
places for sanitary improvement. He likewise
reported that the officers had seized 1,7781 b. of meat
as unfit for human food. About two-thirds of this
were seized in Newgate-market, by Messrs. Fisher
and Newman, and the remainder in Leadenhall-
market, by Mr. Davidson ; 8801 b. were diseased,
511 b putrid, and 8471 b. from animals that had died
from natural causes; it consisted of 26 sheep, 2
calves, 6 quarters of beef, and 26 other joints. All
of it had been destroyed as unfit for human food.
The mortality returns for, the week were greatly
below the average for the season. Last week the
number of deaths was but 46, whereas the average
for the corresponding week of the last five years
was 58. Only 18 of the deaths were among children,
and 13 among old persons. There were 6 deaths
from consumption, 2 from pneumonia, and 11 from
bronchitis. Among the zymotic class of diseases
there were the returns of but 6 deaths—namely,
3 from whooping-cough, 2 from measles, and 1
from croup. There were no deaths from fever,
scarlet fever, small-pox, or diarrhoea. 73 births
were registered in the week—namely, the birth of
45 boys and•2B girls. The quantity of diseased meat
seized was the lowest in any one week for some
months past, and the change is attributed first of all
to the exposure in the newspapers of the nefarious
practice of offering such meat for sale, and then to
the recent conviction, to which that exposure mainly
led, of persons who had lent themselves to it. A.
report from the General Purposes Committee, re-
commending the payment by the commissioners of
£l2O among the surviving relatives of the four un-
fortunate men who lost their lives in the Fleet-lane
sewer on the 14th of February, was brought up
and agreed to. The committee stated that the
matters connected with the fatal accident in ques-
tion were still under inquiry by them. In the
meantime, having ascertained from the report of
their engineer that there is on the premises of
Messrs. Tyler, in Warwick-lane, a large shaft or
opening leading down to an old sewer, which has
an indirect communication with the sewers running
towards the Fleet, they considered it necessary that
all such irregular communications with the public
sewers should be destroyed, and they recommended
the Court to direct the engineer to have the shaft
in question closed up accordingly. The Court made
the necessary order. On the motion of Mr. De
Jersey it was referred to the General Purposes
Committee to consider and report upon the duties
of Dr. Letheby in connection with the Commission,
which are said to have been materially increased
since his appointment in 1855. The Court then
adjourned.