The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-24 00:00:00

THE COLONIAL PRODUCE MARKET•

_ In the colonial produce-markets during the week there
has been in some cases an improved demand at advanced
quotations. The public sales of sugar have been upon a
rather diminished scale, and, as the trade evincuctions on
ed a more
general inclination to increase their stocks, the a
while to-day
Tuesday went off at an advance of 6d er cwt, y
rather hic,her rates were again establisphed. The decline of
last week is therefore fully recovered, the quotations for
most descriptions being now as high as at the commence-
cargoes of foreign have realised
swuhpiplleiefsull rates
ment of the year. floating
extreme prices, the sales being chiefly confined to Havau_
plan-
tationnhaal iv .e
aClsosoolir. etse
been oc
f"Cptealyni duo continues
so
arfirnative firm, and
apne drg
rcwowiwtt hthhi7h small supplies
r the sales
held in March next the Dutch Trading Company have ad-
vertised 443,000 bags, against 393,000 bags at the cones-
f7o2io
bales Monday
in
tnheex t
October consist
series. o f 3,250T baleshe lar Ceylon,
e ynil :tin,
p„ding period of 1856. The quarterly sales of cinnamon
vice brought to public sale rather tended to cause
ion wand buyergs quan-
tities
adgeac li an rscet; 1.
but the principal port' fyi
Gr
enAuction from former terms. Sal
ipdoetrreed hasagai
nominal,n
had eesePl IlirgehqS But ie t, and quotations may still be considered
the middling qualities offering at much lower rates without
quantity finding buyers. Business to some extent
disposed of at 18s to 18s 6d, In
arrival at 38a. A largenitrate of soda has been
18s 3d. The tea-market has beena rutwucoh
of has been done for
cargoesin
influenced
c eadt
blyB'thtoe
telegr:tphic message to-day. Several thousand chests of
Lands at from is id to is ld per
lb, clo sing sellers at is 1d l
and Ka ism' teas were for a small quantity. Atoning
much inquired for during the week,
but hob lets decline
teas hal ye been selling unless at extreme rates. Scented
taken freely •
a t a considerable advance.

In England, personal distinction is the only pass
port to. the society of the great. Whether this clis-
,nietioto arise from fortune, family, or talent, is
im
material ; but certain it is, to enter into high society,
a man .must either have blood, a million, or a genius.

OPPOSITION TO THE INCOME TAX.

STROUD.

A public meeting was held here on Thureday.night
"for the purpose of considering the propriety of petition-
ing Parliament for the rep .al of the income tax." It
was stated in Vie' Sum a few weeks ago that a pledge
had been agreed to- by 500 of the electors of the borough
not to vote for any candidate fur its representation in
Parliament who wou'jd not support a total and imme•
diate repeal of the inco,.uie tar. Since that period a great
deal of excitement has seen kept up in the borough by
the agitation of the questlon, and the borough has been
plentifully placarded. At Length it was determined to
hold the present meeting, and long before the hour ap-
pointed She large room in which it was held, and which
is capable of holding 1,500 persons, was crowded to the
doors. Mr. foreman, M.P., and Mr. Scrope, were on
the platform.
The following resolution was agreed to :
" That the present form of income tax on trades and
professions is inquisitorial and despotic, demoralising and
degrading, presses with unequal severity on industry, and
is totally unfit for a free country ; and that the meeting
strongly urges the Government to make provision for its
immediate amendment, and for its total repeal in 1860."

-------- ---
After the resolution had been carried, the two mem-
bers for the borough addressed the meeting.
Mr. Sefton said he had el ways advocated the income
tax, and had supported its increase during the war, but
now that peace was restored the question assumed a
different aspect, and he did not wonder at the impatience
' which had been manifested throughout the country at
the prospect of the continuance of the war tax under
these altered circumstances. lie had, however, no
reason to believe that it would be continued to that ex-
tent, and was not aware that the Government had com-
mitted themselves to a continuance of the war portion
of the tax after the sth of April next. He hoped it
would not, and be was of opiaion that it ought not, to
be continued. But when they talked about a total abo-
lition of the income tax he could only say that was one
of the pleasing delusions which some people would in-
dulge in, but which he could not make up his mind to
be possible.
Mr. HORSMAN said he assented to the general senti-
ments expressed in the resolutions which had been
passed, but in passing these resolutions they must re-
member that if they repealed the tax they must find a
substitute. He felt it his duty, therefore, to tell them
what were his opinions on financial legislation. It was
all very well to say that the income tax was an abomi-
nable tax and one that must be got rid of, but before
they got rid of it let them look back to its history.
They might have a large number of members so pledged
to a total and immediate abolition, and one of the rem-
nant of the Protectionist party taking advantage of it
might rise and propose the repeal of the tax as founded
upon a false principle of direct taxation. The result
might be that the Protectionist members of the House
of Commons, voting for the repeal of the tax in Con.
lormity with their principles, and the pledged members
voting also for it in conformity with their pledges, the
tax would be abolished ; and, following up the principle,
a tax upon the importation of corn would be re-imposed,
and all the advantages which we have gained from free
trade would be lost. (Cries of " No, no !" and a voice
"No danger !") if they followed out this principle
there might be danger in other cases if net in this.
He maintained also that pledging their representatives to
a repeal of the income tax pledged them also to a repeal
of the property tax Parliament was pledged to con-
tinue the tax until 1860, and our financial arrangements
had all been based upon that assumption ; it w ould be
the greatest breach of Parliamentary faith it that pledge
were to be broken. He had no d iubt that constitu-
encies might get men who would pledge themselves.
They might get plenty of what he had heard calmed the
" Redpatbe' and " Agars" pledged to do their work in
Parliament; but no men going to the House of Com-
mons, losing their own self-respect, would respect the
interest or sustain the character of their constituents.
(Cheers.) He objected to constituencies pledging them-
eeives as much as be objected to representatives pledging
themselves. No one could tell what would be the state
of their financial information in 1860. He only learnt
the resolution of the electors of S roud through the
medium of an Irish paper, where he read the de-
claration under a title iu large characters of
" Notice to quit." He found on reading it that
it was a ‘• Notice to quit " from the electors of
Stroud ; the was the first intimation he had bad
of their intentions. Now, they might depend on it that
in political matters public meetings and open discus-
sions were the great safeguards to truth, and thato ) i-
cealment and mystery were the parents of injustice,
anything like secrssy tending to lead to mistakes. With
regard to the continuance of the war 9d. he was no more
in the secret than his colleague Mr. Scrope, but he would
say that the character of the Chancellor of the
Ex-
cuequer for high honour was such thathe did not believe
he would take advantage of such a pettifogging device
as was imagined by some people to prolong the imposi-
tion for another year. He bad no hesitation in stating
his conviction that the spirit of the ast of Parliament
would be adhered to, and that the war tax would expire
a year after the war was ended.