The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-26 00:00:00

inottblZtrition

SUN OFFICE Three o'Clock.

On the question of the Income-tax being last night
brought before the House of Commons, Mr. WALLACE
brought forward, but did not press his motion, to the
effect that money being now plentiful in the market, it
would be more expedient to contract a fresh loan than to
levy an Income-tax. Now we can discover nothing
whatever to applaud this remedy of the Honourable
Member for GreenoclT. To go on borrowing money,
whenever funds are wanted to support extravagance, is
as short-sighted policy in-a nation as it would be in the
case of an individual. When a merchant or a country
gentleman, living at the rate of ten thousand a year,
finds that he has overdrawn his account at his banker's,
that his coiKTs are empty, and that his steward has
no money in hands to defray outstanding bills, what
does lie do ? If he be a prudent, sensible man
he at once sets about the retrieving his fortune
by curtailing his expenses. He puts down his carriage;
disposes of his surplus plate ; discharges such domestics
as are kept merely for show ; keeps a more economical
table ;..:,!tbaudons expensive personal habits ; and in a
shorl'Ainiels rewarded by finding his affairs once more
in a flourishing condition. Should he, on the contrary,
be a foolish, short-sighted man, he has recourse to
money-jobbers, to whom he promises cent. per cent. for
bad bills ; he rack-rents his tenants ; reduces the wages
of his clerks and domestics ; and every day sees him
plunge deeper into the gulf of irretrievable ruin. Now
a wise Government adopts precisely the same policy as
a prudent country gentleman. When it, by a course
of unwarrantable extravagance, sees that it has
exhausted its ordinary resources in times of profound
peace, instead of rack-renting the tenants by fresh taxes,
and depending upon loans, it at once sets about curtail-
ing its expenses, and seeing in what way its affairs can
be more economically managed. This was well shown
by Mr. HUME last night in his real business-like speech
upon the Income-tax. In the present distressed state
of the country he contended that the public establish-
ments ought to be reduced before it was proposed to
impose an Income-tax. He objected to a tax upon the
QUEEN'S income, or to any diminution of the 60,000/.
a-year for her MAIESTY'S maintenance, exclusive of the
Civil List ; but he argued that much of the immense
sums squandered among the Lords and Ladies
of the Bed-chamber, and to keep up the feudal
offices of the Lord Steward and Lord Chamberlain,
might be saved to the country. Upon these points
we entirely agree with the Hon. Member for
Montrose. We further contend, that if Sir R. PEEL was
unable to devise any other substitute for making up the
deficit in the revenue than an Income-tax, he was bound
in justice to the country, whatever might be the incon-
tiisncy of the measure, to adopt and give a fair trial to
Lord JOHN RUSSELL'S Budget. To saddle the country
with an obnoxious tax, with a view to spite the Whigs,
ems indeed a policy as miserable as it was unjust.

A lamentable instance of clerical oppression has just
been expoeed by the correspondent of a Morning Contem-
perary. It appears that a number of Italians, resident
in London, had, towards the close of last year, formed the
laufhtble design of establishing a school for educat-
ing gratuitously the poorer classes of their coun-
trymen who flock to the metropolis, and by means
esfcnall subscriptions had succeeded in providing elemen-
tary education for about 200 pupils. Those who at-
tended were youths employed in the various manufac-
tures for which Italy has long been celebrated, such
As barometers, looking-glasses, casts of remark-
Ale persons ; and even the poor organ boys,
who gain a livelihood in the streets by their harmless
occupations, were desirous of obtaining instruction in
their own language, and in conformity with the
floetrines of the Catholic Church. The institutioro
however, has met with the disapprobation of the Boman
Catholic clergyman bei.onging to the Sardinian Chapel,
who has preached against it fur several Sundays, and
ids finally denounced all those who attend the school,
and threatened to i efuse them the Sacraments—even
that sacrament to which they all look forward for con-
solation at the hour of death. As we have reason to
,believe that the doctrines taught are agreeable not only
to sjeripture, but to the tenets of the Catholic Church,
sve OD. only come to the conclusion that there must be
:some see; et and, possibly, selfish motives on the part of
the prig :t for this wanton exercise of his spiritual autho-
rity. Is he afraid that the scholars may acquire
too much kn3wief'.ge, become as learned as him-
:self, and begin to discover that a great deal
of what he calls religion is little better than supersti-
tious observances, unwarranted by Scripture or moral
obligstions? No class of men are more jealoua of their
power than the priesthood. They have clung to domi-
/non in all uses and all countries, with the most wonder-
ful tenacity, and v,.l.en they cannot preserve it by the
dials of common sense or sound argument, they never
scruple, to have recourse to that authority which they
assert is granted to them by the Bible. They use spi •
ritual weapons, and excommunicate without mercy. In
Scot land, the snore bigoted and tyrannical of
fie ministers refuse the Sacrament to the dis-
obedient ; in England they refuse to bury the
dead according to the rites of the Church ; and in Ca-
eholie countries they withhold the last unction. It is
e-trtainly a stigma on the nineteenth century, so remark-
able fin. liberal improvements and great discoveries in
arts maul science, that the power of the Church is
nearly as great us it was in the dark ages ; and
that in place of benefiting mankind by the
rcread of - useful instruction, religious as well as
sne.ral, a great proportion of the clergy should
seem anxious only to act as a drag on the march of in- I
tellect. In the instance referred to, there may
be some defects in the system of education, or
smue doctrines taught in which the Catholic priest
Aloes not concur ; but these are not sufficient reasons for
cl,..stroying an institution which is conducted openly, and
well calculated to confer great blessings on his coun-
trymen. As the management of the School is entrusted
to persons of *Tat respectability, and its success is
sferiously endangered. a full statement of facts would be
fistful. The public will judge impartially between the
managers and the Reverend Doctor.

The French Journals received this morning contain
no news of importance, with the exception of what fol-
lows. We have given in our Foreign Summary all the
intelligence received fr:un the Levant.
The official part of the Moititeue of the 24th of April con-
tains a report of the Alinister of Public Instruction to the
King, followed by an Ordinance dated 21st April, directing
the iutroduction of a course of primary instruction in eight
towns, which ha not yet complied with the regulations on
that subject
A letter from Lugano, in the Canton of Picino, of the 19th
.of April, has the ;allowing particulars:—
%' For these two days we have been under arms, on account
of a report NOlieh has been :Tread. that the adherents of the
aristocratic party, aided by
pretended Austrian deserters, and
favoured by the Govetwents of Piedmont and Lombardy,
were going to -lake anothee attempt to .irect a counter revo-
lution."
Yesterday was the day appointed for this attempt. The mi-
litia and the carb.neers have bivouacked the whole night, but
nobody appeared. It is, however, possible, that the report
was nothing but a false alarm ; at all events, we are prepared
to snake a vigorous resistance to any attempt. The whole
population is very well disposed. The Toulonnais, of the 21st
Apri, announced that orders had been given to furnish
spareiishtl
few ships of the line, lately arrived from Smyrna, w
stores for three months. this is not correct. The orders re-
lited to the vessels at anchor in the Great Road, under the
command of Admiral Hugon. The journal adds, that these
vessels had orders to take in three months provisions, when a
snore secant telegraphic despatch caused both these orders to
~.belsgsposled. Our ships, therefore, will not soon leave theport.
ENiS rA
'•,-A.:Cabinet Council was held this afternoon at the
' reign-bffice, Downing-street, which was attended by
t liiijsters in town.
skikJ, . 114.;
`'insolvent Dabtors' Court yesterday Mr.
lt
,sfr-aioni;late lessee of Drury Lane Theatre, appeared to be
- - he:v(li The debts were 7,5581. and the insolvency was attri-
k: but sd to the large amount expended in the Theatre. After a
•I't. few questions the Court ordered his discharge.