The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-12 00:00:00

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SUN OFFICE, Three o' Clock.

, •
The cry which the country has raised against the im-
position of an inquisitorial income tax in time of peace,
is beginning to alarm the Cabbiet, and accordingly we
now hear of nothing but the wars in which England is
engaged in Affghanistan and
.China. This dishonest
Tory trick was well exposed by the Right Hon. Member
for Edinburgh, Mr. MACAULAY, in the debate last
night upon the proposed iniquitous impost. The
Right Hon. Gentleman demonstrated that a refer-
ence to hostilities in Affgbanistan was an after-
thought—that Ministers could have had no idea of a
war on that side of the Indus when the resolution to tax
income was adopted by the Cabinet. This called up
Lord STANLEY, who, disappointed in replying to the
eloquence of Mr. SHIEL on Friday night, was of cause
eager for a fitting opportunity to deliver an oration
which was liable to grow stale. With a pertness verg-
ing upon impiety, he ridiculed the wisdom of the Divine
aphorism, " sufficient for the day is the evil thereof,"
quoted by Mr. WAsoN ; and lnodestly claimed for him-
self and his colleagues the pre: cience which foresaw, and
therefore prepared against, coating catastrophes. There
was no war in Affshanistan when the Tories resolved
upon an income tax, but, wit'a that prophetic force of
vision which penetrates the mysteries of futurity, they
discovered at a glance what was to happen.
" Stanley, the sage, whose comprehensive view,
The past, the present, and the futere knew"—
saw that an incoms tax was the only State remedy, and
therefore he adopted it without uttering a syllable about
the anticipated reverses in Caubul. Were the occasion
less serious, we might be amused with the cool im-
pudence of this speech. This Parliamentary defuice of
second-sight legislation is rich in absurdity. But neither
the war in China, nor the reverses in Caubul, have had
anything to do with the question of the income tax, and
the attempt to mix them up with it is as inpudent as
it is .dishonest. The war with China was as clearly
foreseen by the Tories in 1833, as the reverses in AFT-
ghanistan were by the Ministers when they resolved
upon an income tax ; and yet,what was the opinion then
expressed by Sir R. PEEL of such an impost ? We are
indebted to Mr. WALL Acs for last night bringing it to the
recollection of the Right Hon. Baronet and his friends.
Sir ROBERT then praised the Government for not adopt-
ing an income tax, and, although a war in Syria was ex-
pected to embroil us in hostilities with France, he con-
tended that nothing . but extreme necessity could
justify Parliament in subjecting the people of this
country, in a time of peace, to the lnqUisitorial
process which must be resorted to, in order to render
that impost producti, and that it would be the 'excess
of folly to have recourse to it for raising two'or three
per cent. Now this excess of folly, denounced in 1833,
is the Conservative excess of wisdom in 1842. The
fruit of the Premier's meditation is but a returning " of
the dog to his vomit,': and of the " sow that was washed,
to her wallowing in the mire." •

. From a notice given in the House of Commons last
night, we gather that it is the intention of the agricul-
turists to take " horned cattle " under their special
protection. We are not surprised at this, for " like
clings to like," and there is certainly much of a con-
genial nature between the protectors and the protected.
Both live by the soil ; both are equally dull, .sluggish,
and impervious
..to- every argument short of a sledge-
hammer ; and both can bleat and bellow on occasion
with equal vigour and effect. In one respect, however, the
ox has manifeStly the advantage over the agriculturist, for
the former is a ruminating animal, whereas'the latter never
ruminates at all, being wholly destitute of the logical or
thinking faculty, and acting solely. from the blind force of
instinct. But why do the agriculturists restrict the range
of their sympathies to " horned cattle ?" Have " Co-
lonial Asses" no claim on their kindly consideration ? We
should have imagined that the long-eared fraternity,
even though of foreign growth, would have been the
primary objects of their solicitude ; for—putting fellow-
feeling out of the question—there can be no doubt that
if asses could be imported from our Colonies,
duty free, or next to it, the agriculturists would
gain a vast accession of numerical strength. Con-
ceive, too, with what added emphasis a BUCKINGHAM
`Would plead the cause ofhis party, when backed by the
support of a herd of kindred thistle-eaters from -the
Cape ! -,By the timely assistance of these Colonial allies,
he might possibly succeed in 'terrifying Sir ROBERT
PEEL into a capitulation on his own terms-; for if .the
bray of a single ass once put a lion to flight, it is evident
that the bray of thousands must have a thousand-fold effect
on a Tory Premier, who is anything but a lion in hiS
nature !

Pursuant to Act 56 Geo. 111., chap. 120,- a return has }
been made to the House of Commons of the number of
persons committed to the different gaols throughout.
Ireland for trial in the year 1841. No data can be sup-
plied for forming correct opinions as to efficacious opera-
tion'eof the laws in any country equal in value to such
returns, when drawn up in the lucid manner of the one
now before us. We have first a return of the gross
number committed ; next of the number against
whom • indictments were found ; next of the
number found guilty and the number acquitted by a
Jury .; and last of the number, not prosecuted, and also,
how many remain for trial. Now it may be taken as an
axiom, that the social condition of every country is
advanced, and the administration of justice rendered
more • perfect, in proportion as the number of
cenvictions for crimes approaches nearer to the num-
ber of personi acccused and committed to prison for
the supposed guilt of such offences. Wher; many are
imprisoned, and only few found guilty, one of two great
evils must exist—namely, either the law cannot reach
all the guilty, or innocence is no protection against im-
puted crime and false imprisonment. Now one Or other
of these evils is frightfully prevalent in Ireland. This
is demonstrable from the return before us. Let us begin
'with the ultra-Protestant and loyal North, of whose Jury
system Mr. O'CoNNELL recently made such an exposure
in,the House of Commons. Within the last yeir there
were 599 individuals committed for various crimes to
the county gaol of Antrim, of whom 62 were acquitted
by the verdict of a Jury, against 41 no bill was found,
'nail 'l6 were not prosecuted. Here we have 119
.p9Vons, or more than one-fifth. of the annual .num-
ber of committals, legally innocent of any crime, and
therefore unjustly imprisoned. Of 47 committals to
the gaol of Carrickfergus only 25 were convicted by the
Jury.,2o being declared innocent. Out of 450 indivi •
dualtcommitted to the gaol of Armagh only 224, or less
than one half,- were found guilty. The committals to
the gaol of Lifford, in the county of Donegal, were 245,
of which only 81 were convicted, all the rest being
legally innocent ! There were committed to the gaol of
Dowupatrick, in the county of Down, 540 individuals,
of whom 287 only were convieted. In the Smith things
are still worse. The number of committals to the county
gaol of Galway for the last year was 1,040 ; of this
number 178 were acquitted by the verdict of a Jury, no
bills were found against 425, and 268 were not prose-
cuted, and consequently, after a considerable period of
confinement, were discharged without trial ! Even in
the Liberator's county of Kerry we find that out of 110
committals, only 33 were found guilty by a Jury. Nor
is the. Capital an exception to the rest of the country.
The principal gaols of the city of Dublin are Newgate
and Kilmainham. To the former the number of com-
mittals was 380, convictions 191 ; to the latter, com-
mittals 113, convictions 56—being less than one half.
We do not notice this return with any view to put
abroad an impression that crime is increasing in Ireland.
On the contrary, we are gratified to find that offences of
an atrocious character, and which indicate a barbarotts
• state of society, are decreasing as rapidly as education
is spreading throughout that country. Still we have
quoted sufficiently from it to show that the administra-
tion of justice is very imperfect, and that, from whatever
cause arising, the (nil dues not the less loudly call for the
exercise of a wise and impartial vigilance on the part of
the Goveennika. Centuries ago Sir JonN --AVIS wrote
that no people loved justice better than the Irish, and as
the Lord Mayor of. Dublin asserts that they are un-
changed in that respect, they cannot . but recognise in-
justice in a system which admits of the committal to
prism every year of more innocent persons then con-
victed criminals.

'rite debate on the income tax has again closed with-
out a division, and will be resumed to-night, after the
House have beaten Sir ROBERT PEEL into a due sense
of the respect which he ought to pay to the constitu-
tional rights of the people in the sacred cause of petition-
ing ; and we earnestly trust that such an impression will
be made by the influential members cf every constituency
upon their representatives, as to lead those n.l are
worthy ofeonsiderati on lute their proTov • ra
the Tories, re ttaned to serve a sp,., 1.• • • L
Parliament, from ever again disregarding the inalienable

right of the people to petition when and how they
please.- In the debate on the income tax, our readers
will observe Mr. WALLACE taunted Sir ROBERT PEEL
with a,n entire change of opinion since he ad-
dres'sed the House in 1833, on the subject of
an income tax. The quotation from his speech,
clearly shows that the Right Hon. Gentleman
himself pointed out, so long ago as 1833, the odious nature
of this impost. The exemption of Ireland from the tax
is another point of high importance, and we entirely
concur in the- remark which Mr. WALLACE made in
the, late discussion, when he accused the Premier of
having cautiously and cunningly devised his measures
so as to place the various classes of society, as well
as the inhabitants of the different countries, in hos-
tile array against each other. The people of Scot-
land are especially indebted to Mr. WALLACE. for
the stand ha is to make on their behalf. But it is a
common cause, and we are sure the representatives of
the three kingdoms will so see it, and cordially unite in re-
jecting this measure, and stopping it at its present stage,
or so.mutilating it at a future time as to have a similar effect,.
We would earnestly, also, entreat our Irish friends to
look wcll to the interests of their country.' If they are
.wise, they will believe what Sir ROBERT PEEL, said in
1833, and utterly repudiate his apparent promise of
exempting Ireland from an income tax. He has already
said, that his only reason for now exempting Ireland, is
.the want of machinery for the application of the tax.
He knows well enough he has now got machinery, which
did not exist in 1833. The surveys which have been
made of Ireland. for the purposes of tithe commutation
and the atorking of the Poor-law, have been accompa-
nied with valuations which will easily enable him to
apply the income tax. We ohope the working
classes will see the deception which Sir ROBERT
PEEL has attempted to impose upon them. When
speaking against Lord ALTELOur's proposal, in
1833, he then saw 'clearly enough that a tax upon
income and property would directly injure the labouring
classes. But now that the proposal comes from himself,
he tells them that he is their friend, forsooth, and that
taking away the income of their employers will have no
effect upon them, in their unheard of distressed state in
1842. A word is enough to the wise. The working
classes' will see through the fallacy as quickly as we have
done, and view the attempt in the same light.

There is no news in the Paris Journals received this
morning. Nothing is talked of in the Chambers but
the budget, and the tierce attacks of the Opposition are
but what in England we would call hustings' speeches.

CUSTOMS DUTY.—An accolint of the gross and net
receipts' of each Custom-house, for the years 1840 and
1841, has just been laid before Parliament. The fol-
lowing five places stand highest on the list :—London
(in 1841, gross receipts), 11,757,262/. ; Liverpool,
4;140,5931.; Glasgow (including Greenock and Port
Glasgow), 1,050,4621. ; Bristol, 1,027,160/. ; and Dublin,
977,718/. The receipts at all these ports, tvith the ex
ception of Liverpool, have increased considerably as
compared with those of the previous year. The falling
ofrat Liverpool amounts to 467,0001.
JUSTICE OF THE LAW.—(From a Correspondent.)—
One law says that the property of a person dying in-
testate shall pay a larger legacy duty than if he or she
had made a will ; another law forbids a person below a
certain age from making a, Thus the property of
a minor of a certain age is regularly plundered. It is
mulcted because the individual did not do a certain act
which the law forbids. Just law ! Wise law-nutkers !

MONEY and COMM h:RC IA L NE WS

CITY, QUARTZR TO THREE.
The prices of the English funds have been drooping to day,
and now are not quite so good. The depression can only be
accounted fur upon the supposition that this is a slight. reaction
consequent upon the late rise. Consols having been sold at
90j for money, are now marked 904 ; and 904 fix the Account.
New Three and a Half per ('rots., 100 1006 ; Three per Cents.
Reduced, 891 90; India Bonds, 16; and Exchequer Bills,
36 38 premium). .

The. Foreign Market has had literally nothing doing; the
nominal quotations for Colombian are 276 fur Money, and 27i
fur the Account ; Buenos Ayres, 24 ; Spruill Active
Five per Cent. Bonds, 25 2511; and the New Three per Cent.
Stock, 25*. The price of the Dutch Two-and-o -Half pet
Cents., is 524, and of the Five per Cents. 100 100*.
The depression in our own Stocks has caused Railway Shares
to be less in request than they were yesterday, but the rates
remain the same. Great Western, 93% ; south Western,
60*; Midland Counties, SO ; Birmingham and Derby, 54%;
Greenwich Privilege, 174 ; and Brighton, 364 361 per share.
Intelligence has been received at the North and South Ame-
rican Coffee-house, by means of Watson's telegraph, that Ge-
neral Carmona, and General Eran, the President of New
Granada, had met and arranged their disputes, and that peace
had been proclaimed. This information was brought by 'he
Diana, from Savatilla to Liverpool, off Cape Clear, out forty
day,, having sailed on the 20th February.
Ace(tunts to the 18th of February have been received from
Porto Rico. The prospect of the sugar crop appeared to be
good, and trade generally had improved.
PRICES OF SHARES THIS DAY AT ONE.
it A ILWAVE. Paid. Per Share.
Wrmingham and Derby
•Lotidon an, Brighten
London and South Western BEi 6oi to
Midland C .unties

South Eastern and Dover 50

LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKUP, APRIL 11, had some ap-
pearance of briskness, and Saturday's prices were fully sup-
ported. 300 American were taken for export, and the entire
sales amounted to 6,000 bales, namely, 2,000 Surat, 3d. to 40. :
150 13ahia, 61d. ;150 Maranham, 5(1. to bid. ;.70 Pernams, qd.
to 7d.; 60 Egyptian, 7d. to Bd.; 3,570 American, 4id. to 6d.
LivEnroon SHARE MARKET, APRIL 11.—The transac-
tions in Railway stock were rather few, but there was litt'e
'Variation in prices. Eastern Counties, ; the New Shares.
41.165. Bd.; Brighton, 37i; South Western, 60f, ; Paris and
Rouen, 14j ; Great Western Halvrs, 65k, Fifth,•,loi• London
and Birmingham New 32/. Shares, 30. The market dosed
firinly, especially for the two last named lines.
MANCHESTER STOCK EXCHANGE, APRIL 11.—We have
a good demand for Railway Stock, and prices continue very
cam. Manchester and Birmingham, 28 ; Manchester and
Leeds, 62 s 3; Edinburgh and Glasgow, 484 ; Alliance
Bank, 24a Manchester Assurance; 9%.

BANK of ENGLAND —(THIS DAY.)
ELECTION OF GOVERNOR AND DEPUTY-
GOVERNOR..

A special General Meeting of the Court of Proprietors was
held at the Bank of England this day, for the purpose of electing
a Governor and a Deputy-Governor for the ensuing year.
William Cotton, Esq., was proposed as Governor and James
Benjamin Heath, Esq., as Deputy-Governor. As there are
no other candidates, those gentlemen will at four o'clock be de-
clared duly elected.

ELECTION. COMMITTEES.
(THIS DAY.)
•
LONGFORD.
The Committee met at 11 o'clock, Lord Ashley in the Chair.
Sergeant WtANGHAM resumed his argument upon the
question of the registry, which he had net concluded yesterday
at the time when it was announced that the Speaker was at
prayers. The Learned Gentleman reviewed at length the va-
rious statutes relating to the registration of voters in Ireland,
and had not concluded his arguments when we went to press.
As Mr. A u STEN is to reply, it is probable that the Committee
will be all day engaged with the arguments of Counsel.