The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-14 00:00:00

Jack," at this rate he will soon be' dabbed " Retro-
grade John."
The Times and Lord John are wise in their ge-
neration, however. The latter will not extend the
franchise " this year." And the Times declares the
repeal even of the advertisement duty not seasonable.
" 'The present is not the time for it." Why the pre-
sent is so very unfavourable to such relief, perhaps
the Ministerial subs who represent the Times on the
Treasury bench will tell us. There is a surplus, and
Ministers on the strength of it are lavishing their
thousands. There is the First Lord of the Admi-
miralty, who wants 100,0001. for head money, to
reward the slaughter of the Dyaks. The Times party
will vote that 100,000/. with glee ; but they could
not spare it from weighing upon books, journals, and
knowledge.
The Times pleads that it is better to pay off the
National Debt. We remember the time NN hen there
were five miliioes annually raised to be devoted to
paying cff the National Debt. Of these five millions
sterling, so voted and raised annually, how many
were spent in the actual reduction of the debt ?
Not one. Fearing that this humbug will be exposed,
the Times has other arguments in store, to stave off
what it dreads above all things, the diminution of the
taxes on newspapers. If you must reduce taxes, it
says, diminish the duty on soap and candles, malt, or
tea. Right well does the Times know, when indulging
in such recommendation, that the Chancellor of the
Exchequer will not touch a tax that brings in four or
five millions. Whereas the tax on advertisements,

which scarcely exceeds the late Queen Dowager's
pension, would make no sensible subtraction from the
credit side of the Exchequer, whilst it would be a
great relief to the industrious and the struggling.
The advertisement duty, says the Times, " cer-
tainly presses with some, inequality." 'We should
think so. " But, after all," continues our cotempo-
rary, " few domestic servants advertises more than a
dozen times in their lives." And it might have added
" thousands upon thousands never advertise at all."
How much oftener they would advertise if they had
an untaxed opportunity, does not enter into our co-
temporary's calculation. He is too intent upon con-
sidering how he may make these poor servants con-
tribute most to the paying off that national debt
hich their masters have contracted.

The advertisement duty stands in a quite different
category from the other taxes on knowledge. For a
great portion of knowledge, in the eyes of such
philosophers as the Times, is a luxury that the poor
can do without. An advertisement for the needy man
is, on the contrary, at times, a necessity great as
his loaf, being often his loaf provider ; therefore this
is not to be compared with a tax on soap, or on books,
or on malt. The advertisement duty is a tax on the
first necessity of life, on the finding of employment.
After the bread.tax, we know of none that so impe-
ratively calls on the Legislature to rescind it as the
advertisement duty. The task, too, is easy, for the
sum is insignificant. And there is really but one
serious obstacle in the way of its repeal, and that is,
the interest of the Times newspaper, which Lord John
Russell durst not offend.

'We limit our remarks at present chiefly to this
duty, because we perceive that Mr. Swart is about
to bring it forward singly, and that it stands on the
order- book for to-night. In considering the paper
duties, the arguments of the deputation which yester-

day waited on the Minister afford ample materials.
We allude to them for the present merely in order to
give another amusing instance of Times ratiocination.
" Excluding Bibles and Prayer-books, which pay no
paper duty, there are few cottage libraries," it says,
" which weigh 10 lbs. and that have consequently
paid ls. 33. to the Exchequer." We concede the
fact, and we ask the cause of it? The reply
is obvious—because books for general sale among
cottagers cannot be produced at cottagers'
prices, in consequence of these very taxes upon

knowledge. " Bibles and Prayer• books," the Tiines
admits, " are to be found in great numbers in these
cottage libraries." Why ? The Times itself tells
us, because " they pay no paper duty:" Bibles and
Prayer-books, being relieved from such .duty, can be
produced at amazingly low prices : it inconsequently
within the means of most cottagers to procure them :
and the Times tells us that they do procure them. If
they had the opportunity of procuring works of utility
and information at an equally low rate, wby should
they not procure such works also ?
But the Times is right in one line of argument,
which is, that taxes on knowledge do not weigh on
the pockets of the poor so much as the tax on malt,
tea, or spirits—because, in fact, the people can do '
without intellectual food, whilst they will not dispense
with the excitement that is obtained through the
stomach. Gin will be drank, whether it be dear or
cheap Whilst books will not be read if dear, and
will only be attainable if cheap. But whoever looks

at the question in a moral or a Christian point of
view, will not commit the blasphemy of likening the
tax on spirits to the tax on books, and coolly telling
the Legislature and the public that they are all one,
and that they weigh equally upon the poor. So cold-
blooded—indeed, so Satanic a comparison, merely
betrays a total absence of moral sense.

DUTY ON FOREIGN BOOKS.
TO THE EDITOR OF T 12.8 SUN.
sin,The duty levied on foreign books is said to
produce about 8,0001. a year. To raise this trifling
amount every one of our volumes of Greek and Latin
Classics is made to contribute from three to four
shillings, being a tax of no less than 30, and, in some
instances, more than 70 per cent. on the net value of
the books, and acting very nearly like a prohibition.
We beg leave to give you this single instance in
favour of free trade in books.
Your obedient servants,
DIDOT and CO.
21, King William street, Strand, Feb. 13, 1850.

POOL, NEEDLEWOMEN.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING CHRONICLE.

Sir,—Will you permit me to offer a very simple
suggestion with respect to the poor needlewomen,
namely, that there should be a registration, gratis of
their names and addresses, to which persons wishing
to employ them might have easy access.
I myself, in common with every other mistress of a
family to whom I have ever spoken on the subject,
have often experienced the greatest difficulty in dis-
covering a needlewoman when I had occasion for one.
Their means, of course, do not allow them to ad-
vertise ; and as they necessarily live in by-streets
and obscure lodgings, it seems no easy matter to find
them out. _

Valuable u your time must be, you have already
devoted so much to the cause of these poor creatures,
that I venture to hope you will excuse my troubling
you, and I remain, Sir, your obedient servant,
February 10. J. P. S.

DIAMOND DUST.
(From Eliza Cook's Journal.)

COQUETTE.—A young lady of more beauty than sense
—more accomplishments tban learning—more charms ti
person than graces of mind—more admirers than friends
—more fools thafl wise men for attendants.
Avarice and vanity are the principal elemetts of all

Neither act nor speak ill, though free from witnesses.
Learn to stand more in awe of thyself than of others.
When the fox preaches, beware of your geese.
Were perfection itself on a throne, courtiers would
still find means to flatter it.

The secret of making ourselves amiable is to love.
True feelings and real sorrows open our eyes to the
full detection of those that are the spurious product of
ennui or affectation, and enable us t. seo distinctly into
the hypocrisy of others' hearts, by putting them to the
test of a comparison with our own.

THE SCREW PROPELLER.-011 Monday last a
question of considerable interest, in respect to steam
navigation, was argued before the Judicial Committee,
at the Privy Council-office, Whitehall, Lords Brougham,
Campbell, and Langdale, Dr. Lushington, and Mr. Pem-
berton Leigh being present. An application was made
by Sir Frederick Thesiger, on behalf of the patentees
of the screw propeller, for an extension of their patent,
which expires in May next. The evidence went to
prove that no less than 30,0001. had been expended in
building the Archimedes and in defraying other weighty
charges to establish the screw-propulsion principle; and
it further appeared, that although no less than 32 ships
of war and 100 mercantile steam vessels had been con-
structed already upon this system, not more than two
or three had paid for the patent licence. Those evasions
had been occasioned by the conflicting claims of five
different patentees; but, as these have now united in
one association, it is expected aat all who have adopted
the use of the screw propeller will have to pay for their
licences. As the Admiralty aro interested, either di-.
rectly or collaterally, in this question to the amount of
about 25,0001., Sir John Jervis, the Attorney-General,
assisted by Mr. Crowder, Q.C., opposed the application
for an extension of Mr. Frank Pettit Smith's patent;
but, after examining Captains Chappell and Crispin,
R.N., and Messrs. Brunel and Galloway, engineers, their
Lordships decided on granting an s xtension of fire years
to Mr. Smith's patent upon certain conditions; and there
is now therefore a fair prospect of that gentleman and
bin supporters recovering a portion, if not the whole, of
the licensing moneys to which they are unquestionably
entitled.

SCOTCH AND ENGLISH ENTERPRISE IN DUBLIN.—
How comes it that strangers can flourish here? At the
head, or very near the hued, of every trade, you find an
Englishman or Scotchman. Is this because they work
better?—and, if not, what is the reason? Can wo not
compete with them—Re, the natives, with native advan-
tages? M‘Glashan, the most prosperous publisher,
Scotchman; Poison, the most prosperous confectioner,
ditto; Gunn and Cameron, the most prosperous adver-
tisement publishers, ditto; Mr. Pigot, the music pub-
lisher, an Englishman; Mr. Butler, Medical Hall, ditto;
Mr. Andrews, Dame-street, ditto. Englishmen and
Scotchmen can prosper in Dublin, if we cannot. We
ought to ask ourselves, what have we done, or left un-
done, that produces this result? lam convinced that
want of a good business education and training—want of
being drilled into habits of punctuality—are the great
impedimenta. Look to tbio.--Dublin IVatim.