The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-17 00:00:00

043-Likittlltt Ant

LONDON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 17. 1850.

Even with the assistance of those preliminary
biographers who contribute, through the medium of
the public journals, the material.; far future memoirs
and histories, the multitude has been enabled already
to recognise a new evidence of professional injustice
as evinced towards the enterprising and lamented
Waal:max. At twelve years of age that distin-
guished officer entered the maritime service cf
England as a midshipman, and at forty-nine, after a
career illustrated by the most eminent services to his
country, to the promotion of commerce, and to the
general cause of civilization, be died in the subordi-
nate rank of lieutenant ! In this simple fact
there is indicated a homily. In the • bare
statement there is audible a severe condem-
nation of the authorities at the Admiralty.
In the record of an oversight so glaring and in-
tolerable there is perceptible a severe satire upon the
entire system of naval mismanagement. The circum-
stance is, unhappily, one signally qualified to " point
a moral," though, at the same time, it is altogether of
too mournful a character to "adorn a tale." Glancing
back over those 37 years of laborious exertion, ap-
preciating the toil, the ability, the perseverance, the
courage, and the unceasing energy expended upon the
magnificent labours of this great national and inter-
national benefactor, bearing in recollection the splen-
dour, the utility, and the permanent importance of his
most memorable achievements—our heart aches at the

deplorable inadequacy of the compensation yielded to a
man thus remarkable for the exhibition of the most ex-
alted self-sacrifice; our mind is bewildered by the sense
of such supreme ingratitude ; our cheek blushes at the
remembraice of so much paltry and parsimonious
economy of promotion. That a man like this, after
acquiring by his matchless enterpriE3 an European
and world-wide reputation, should, at the end of thirty-
seven years of public service, die a simple lieutenant,
would have been a matter wholly incomprehensible to
us, but that we were already too intimately fami
liarised with the unjust and execrable system of
advancement in the maritime profession of Great
Britain—a system as anomalous as it is disgraceful,

and as short-sighted as it is ruinous.
Again and again we have had occasion to reprobate
the perpetuation of this crying wrong to the sailors
of England. Again and again we shall continue our
expressions of indignation at its evil influence on the
national fortunes, and at its infliction of a grievous
stigma on the national character. But never assuredly
before have we had—nay, we are almost bold to aver
that never in future possibly shall we have—cause to
refer to this blot on the marine escutcheon of Eng-
land with an illustrative case so miserably conspi-

cuous for its meanness as that of the treatment of
Lieutenant WAGHORN, a British subject, glorious
among the ranks of the renowned fur the benefac-
tions lavished by him upon the three great continents
of the Eastern hemisphere, on Asia, on Africa, and on
Europe.
While hundreds and hundreds of men of the most
insignificant capacity have been striding up the
scale of promotion, he, the true servant of the
Crown and of the country, foremost among the prin-
cipal " workers" of the age, has been passed over as
undeserving of any advancement. Here then—men
of England, citizens of that great maritime empire
whose annals are adorned by the names of a Cooa
and a NELSON, the noblest of its navigators the son
of a collier, the most heroic of its sea captains the
son of a poor clergyman—here is the latest, and as-
suredly one of the most lamentable tokens of the ob-
stacles thrown in the path of untitled genius and
unpatronised ambition ! Shall it continue thus for
ever? Are we to
.watch the perpetual patronage of
the younger sons of the aristocracy, and the perpetual
disparagement and depreciation of the eldest
born of the people, the offspring of the ge-
niuF, the vigour and the enterprize of the land ? A
popular novelist is at present delineating, in the pages
of an eminent periodical, the difficult progress of
those adventurous members of the community who
would clamber up the steep and perilous Ladder of
Gold. It would have been a theme worthy of the
pen of MARRTATT to' have recounted the toils,
the dangers, and the interminable obstructions
placed in the way of those maritime ad-
venturers who, without interest, family, or
patronage of any description, venture upon an
effort to ascend the broad but crowded Ladder of
Promotion. In the struggle there for elevation the
pampered children of nobility, whose rise has been
facilitated by the silken assistance of nepotism, find
an endless opportunity of retarding the advance of
their less fortunate competitors—trampling on the
hands that dare to grasp at the rungs upon which
they themselves are standing securely. So it has
been from the commencement—so it will
be until the popular voice dooms this
most atrocious and detestable system. Already
that voice speaks, and speaks trumpet-tongued,
through the übiquitous organs of journalism.
B_-
fore long it will resound audibly enough within, as
well as without, the walls of Parliament.
Another fortnight will bring us towards the com-
mencement of a new session, the re-assembling of the
Imperial Legislature being definitively fixed for the
close of this present January. Let not the represen-
tatives-'of the people of England—the people who love
the glorious profession from which their national
greatness has mainly emanated—connive any longer
at a policy detrimental not only to the true
interests of the maritime service, but also, and
in a particular manner, to the fair fame of Bri-
tannia. Let not the ensuing session, like so many of
its predecessors, be barren of all practical endeavours
to ameliorate the condition of the sailors of Albion.
Let the Commons bear in mind the sympathy with
which the hearts of all loyal and patriotic Englishmen
beat to the measure of those noble verses of our Naval

BERANG
" Then, oh, protect the British Tar,
Be mindful of his merit; •
And when again we're plunged in war
He'll show his daring spirit."
How the maritime profession of these islands
can best be improved is not merely
by the obvious good of bettering the con-
dition of the gallant fellows who breathe the air of
the forecastle, but is likewise by the act of exciting a
wholesome emulation among all ranks proportionately
from the ship-boy to tbe boatswain, from the junior
"middy" to the Admiral of the Fleet—an emulation, we
mean, such as would secure to merit its reward. Such
an amelioration, among the officers; however, can
never possibly be obtained while the higher ranks in
the service remain so extravagantly, inconveniently,
and preposterously overcrowded. Nothing advan-
tageous can be effected so_ long as we con-
tinue to support no less than thirty full admirals,
or ten of each squadron ; forty-five vice-admirals,
or fifteen of each squadron ; and seventy-five rear
admirals, or twenty-five of each squadron. Of this
monstrously disproportioned number of flag-officers
there must be a large and speedy reduction
The necessity is altogether too imperative to be
any longer disregarded. Nevertheless, while main-
taining as we do that the higher ranks in the British
navy must be allowed to thin themselves gradually,
by the aid of the average mortality, we make no
unreasonable demands, no demands unreasonable
either in the way of magnitude or pre-
cipitation. Let the future promotions be hence-
firth as one to every three or four deaths,
until the aggregate be reduced from 150 to 90—the
latter, more rational number, being thus apportioned
among the different grades—fifteen full admirals, or
five of each squadron ; thirty vice-admirals, or ten of
each squadron ; and forty-five rear-admirals, or fifteen
of each squadron. By this arrangement the country
Iwould be enabled to reduce its superfluous expendi•
true, to enbauce the *Re cf its prowtion, And

generally to improve the condition of the most national
of our professions. Accompanying this reduction
with the preference of merit over favour, of ability
over interest, of brilliant services over emblazoned
pedigrees, the Admiralty might at length remove
from itself the stigma of attending more to the cause
of nepotism than to that of patriotism. Then,
indeed, we should be spared - the spectacle
of all our meritorious but unpatronized officers
struggling upon deck through the hawse holes,
while the swarm of aristocratic lubbers are creeping
in by the cabin windows. Until this beneficent
change shall have been effected the naval power of
England will continue to be maintained by a most
precarious tenure, the fame of England being con-
stantly jeopardized, and its right arm perpetually
threatened with paralysis.
" Our country's blind—corruption veils her eye',
Or paints her heroes in a strange disguise.
Her tars are brave, intrepid, and so forth;
But mourn the bar opposed tl friendless worth.
Yet may Britannia see the potent charm
Of naval glory fly her thundering arm,
When patriot feeling in their breast subsides
From cold reward—who then will rule the tides?"

Among the many fiscal errors committed when
the true principles of taxation were comparatively
unknown, under which the nation is still suffering,
and which loudly call for revision and amendment,
there is, perhaps, none more unjust in principle,
more unequal in operation, or more impolitic in
practice, than the advertisement duties, under which
any persons desiring to make their wants known to
the public through the medium of a notice in any
public journal, periodical, pamphlet, or literary work,
in Great Britain or Ireland, are compelled to pay a
fixed sum as a tax to the national Exchequer. It sig-
nifies nothing what may be the length of the adver-
tisement, the charge for its insertion, or the subject-
matter thereof, an equal duty is demanded and must
be provided for ; whether it be contained
within a single line, or extend to an
entire page, one shilling and sixpence must be
be paid by the publisher to the office of the Board of
Inland Revenue. Whether it be inserted at an almost
nominal charge, or many hundred pounds be paid for
the accommodation, the result is the same ; and no
distinction can be made, whether it relate to the sale
of a widespread domain of the value of some millions
of pounds sterling, to the bumble appeal of some
wretched sempstress or servant out of place for em-
ployment, or whether it simply relates the miseries and
wretchedness of some fitting object of charity. Uni-

fortuity of charge---thaticarini fallacy invented by
the rich and powerful to bring down their own con-
tributions to the national Exchequer to the level of
those which can be extorted from the humble and

lowly—is the pretext under which this grievous in-
justice is perpetrated. It is the same principle on
which the lowest priced bohea is taxed at the same
rate as the most highly prized pekoe or souchong, by
which the miserable shirtmaker is compelled to pay
fir duty about 1,000 per cent. on the original
value of the article which she consumes, while the
luxurious millionnaire or highborn countess pays about
eighty per cent. only ; by which the cheapest and
commonest description of wine is assessed as highly as
the rarest Tokay or choicest Johannisberg.
In every case the poor and struggling man, who
earns his daily bread by his daily labour, is deeply
injured by this nnflie and most inequitable system.
Under any circumstances he must be contented with
articles of inferior quality—too happy if he can
obtain a sufficiency thereof for the wants of his
family; while the wealthier classes, who can afford to
indulge in high-priced luxuries, escape on compara-
tively easy terms. It reverses the constitutional
principle that every man should be taxed secundum
statum et facultates, according to his condition
and the stake he possesses in the country. It not
only diminishes the demand for the cheaper qualities,
which could be exchanged in almost any quantities
for the productions of this country, but it
affords an almost irresistible temptation to smug •
gling, and to the adulteration, and consequent dete-
rioration of any commodity, the first cost whereof
is small in proportion to the import duty. A great
advantage is thus given to the unconscientious and
dishonest tradesman, whilst those who act fairly to-
wards their customers are unable to meet the unequal
competition to which they are thus exposed, and the
consumer is compelled, in the majority of instances,
to be contented with an unwholesome and unpalatable
article.

One great object of the Legislature should be to
enable every person who is able and willing to work
to obtain remunerative occupation. If he can do so
he will be a useful member of the body politic, in-
creasing the national wealth, and contributing to the
national burdens,_hy the consumption of highly-taxed
articles. ;The beer or tea he drinks, the sugar or to-
bacco he uses, all contribute to the public revenue.
The capital contained in his thews and sinews is
turned to the most favourable account. It would,
however, appear as if our sapient Legislators thought
otherwise, and believed that it was for the public be-
nefit to compel a certain portion of the population to
remain idle and inactive in the union workhouses,
unprofitably consuming, in place of materially in-
creasing, the resources of the country. Were it
otherwise, would they sanction a tax on the mere
application for employment by those who are earning
nothing, but who are anxious to perform their duty
to society as good and independent citizens, owing
their subsistence to their own honest industry?
It is not our desire or purpose to place this import-
ant question on any narrow basis. We shall not I
refer to our own interests as publio journalists, al-
though we may be permitted to say, that there is but
little equity in imposing a fiscal burden on any parti-
cular class or body for the benefit of the entire
community. Although the tax is nominally
charged to the newspaper proprietor, who is rendered
responsible for its liquidation, it ultimately falls upon
the consumer. The publisher adds the duty to the
charge which he makes to the advertiser, who,
finding an additional expense in carrying on business,
charges an increased per-centage to his customer.
The demand for publicity is undoubtedly diminished
from the greater expense, which is almost prohibitory
to those by `whom it would be most required ; while
it forms but a trifling consideration in the larger and
more elaborate advertisements, which are but little
affected thereby. Neither shall we allude to the ad-
vantages supposed to be afforded to some of our con-
temporaries by the impost. All we ask for ourselves,
or can accord to others, is a clear stage and no favour.
We shall endeavour to supply good and fair value to
our customer?, and let others do the same. There
can be no monopoly where one is not unduly favoured
at the expense of the other ; but where
all are dealt with in the same manner, and are subject
to the same conditions and liabilities, there can be
no just ground of complaint. We take, therefore,
the broad ground of the public benefit, " the greatest
good to the greatest number." And, with respect to
the advertisement duties, the industrious classes,
without exception, are deeply interested in their com-
plete and speedy abolition. We object to them,
therefore, because, as we stated in the early part of
this article, and as we have shown, they are " unjust
in principle, unequal in operation, and impolitic in
practice," and, therefore, their immediate repeal
should be demanded from the Legislature.

Since the appearance of our own observations on
the pamphlet recently published by Mr. WARREN,
respecting the " Douglas Court-Martial," our atten-
tion has been directed to an excellent article on the
same subject in the United Service Gazette. Coming
as the remarks of that journal do from a distinguished
professional organ we gladly transfer them to our
columns in this evening's impression, satisfied that the
opinion of a military newspaper like the United Ser-
vice Gazette will be perused with universal curiosity.

CABINET COUNCIL.—The Ministers assembled in
Council this afternoon at one o'clock, at the Foreign-
office, for the first time since the holidays. It was
attended by the Marquis of Lansdowne, -Lord John
Russell, the Marquis of Clanricarde, the Eirl of
Minto, Lord Campbell, the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, Viscount PaLmerston, Earl Grey, Sir George
Grey, the Earl of Carlisle, the Right Hon. 11. La-
bouchere, and the Right Hon. Fox Maule. A series
of Councils will he held during the ensuing fortnight,
relative to important measures to be brought forward
by Ministers during the approaching session.

Dispatches for the Governors of the West India
Colonies were tien; off yesterday evening from the
Coloeial-office,