The Sun.
London, England, 1817-10-23 00:00:00

It is impossible tbat lie could Lave
thought of such a trying--=arid; therefore, he could
not have said it.
" Sir John was bitnself a Chancellor of the
Exchequer—Sir John laid on Taxes—and,- with
all respect we say, it, unnecessary Taxes, and
heavy Taxes. Sir John put the country to the
expence of more than 40,0001. a year, by
insti-
tuting Collectors of Excise, by appointing special
persons to do that duty for a salary, which had
been before done by the Collectors of the Cus-
toms; without any salary, upon that account—
and this during a most expensive war. Tile an-
nual amount of this expense contributes its share
to those complaints, which Sir John does not
take any very violent pains to soften, in the Re-
solution which has the honour of his sanctiun ;
especially when it is said, that the parochial as-
sessment of Volute would be laying the foundation
of a Property Tax in Ireland. We ,are satisfied
that this cannot be the real Opinion of so honour-
able and so upright a Minister.
" Indeed, if Sir John Newport be 'evidence:
and that beis, who can dispute, we feel it in-
cumbent upon us to cite his own measures against
the import of the Resolution which claims the
recommendation of his name, so improperly we
must think, the more we consider the matter.—
Sir John Newport never could mean that a Rent
Tax was to be dreadi:d as the foundation of an
Income Tax, because Sir John Newport himself
did state, distinctly, in Parliament, when he was
in Administration, that it was his intention to
propose a Rent Tax. Upon referring to our files,
we find, that on the 20th of February, 1807, Sir
John did inform the House of Commons, that he
proposed to lay a Tax upon Rent in the follow-
ing proportions :—he proposed, that instead of
a Tax of Gd. upon houses above the value of 51.
yearly rent, all houses, and the land held with
them, above the value of 41., and -under 71, rent,
should pay a duty of Is. Gd. provided they did not
pay the Hearth Tax—if they did, then they were
to be exempt. All houses and land above 101.,
and wider 401. to pay 3d. in the pound ; and
those from 401., and upwards, to pay the Window
Tax.'

" Now, really, when Sir John proposed to
exempt hones and lands, under a-year, from
the Window Tax, and to substitute a !tent Tax
in the place of it, he appears to us to have laid
the very ground-work of this Commutation,
which Mr.Vansiittart bas at present in contem-
plation—and we wonder much at finding him
proposing a resolution, which is full of suspicion
of that very design which he himself once con-
templated—and which, we prestune, lie would
have carried into effect, if he had not been dis-
placed from his official situation. We do not
remember any clamour at that sir ie against Sir
John's design of commuting the Window 'fax,
upon 110175e3 of a certain value, for a Rent Tax—
nor do we recollect that there was any . clamour
when he pro-posed that the Hearth Tax should be
increased considerably—and, instead 'of being
annual, that it should he made perpetual. IVa
find, upon a momentary reference just made to.
the Parliamentary Reports, that Sir John is stated
to have said, that four hearths, which then paid
10s. GEL should pay 12s.—five hearths, 17s. (id.—
six hearths, 4s. each—and so on to fifteen—from
fifteen to twenty, lOs. each—from twenty to
thirty, 16s. each—and above thirty, 11. each—and
that those duties should be perpetual.
" Now, we have no recollection of the Vestries
being summoned in the county of Waterford upon
this occasion—nor in any other county ; and we
are quite satisfied, that there were no Parish De-
puties convened trwether, to embarrass the Go-
vernment, and maltreat even the language of the
country, upon the proposal of a Rent Tax—the
increasing also of the Hearth 113 X, and the making
of that perpetual, which had been, ever since its
commencement, but an annual Tax."

Having given the above extract from a Writer
on one side of the question, ire conceive it to be
WIT duty to subjoin the Petition referred td on the
other:—