The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-07 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY, JULY 7, 1845.

THE QUARTER'S REVENUE.

The revenue returns for the year and quarter end-
ing Saturday, July 5, are altogether satisfactory. A
considerable falling off in the departments of Cus-
toms and Excise was expected, as the natural result
of reductions made by the new tariff and the modi-
fication or abolition of certain excise duties. The
duty on glass has been abolished, that on auctions
lessened, about four hundred different articles of
foreign productions or manufacture which formerly
paid duty are now admitted free, and a considerable
reduction has taken place in the customs duty on one
of the necessaries of life—sugar. These, according
to the calculation of Sir ROBERT PEEL, would make
a diminution in the revenue to the amount of about
3,000,0001., without taking into account the in-
creased consumption arising from the cheap-
ness of certain articles. This is a vast
sum, certainly, to venture at one cast—it was admit-
ted to be a bold experiment, but, judging from the
present returns, it has been tried with perfect suc-
cess. Omitting " Crown lands" and " miscellaneous,"
which are no tests whatever of the state of trade or
the condition of the people, in every department, both
for the year and quarter, there is an increase, with
the exception of the Customs and Excise, and in
these the decrease is only on the quarter. The total
amount of decrease is 519,5951., namely, 369,6871.
for the Customs, and 149,9081. for the Excise, and
reckoning the anticipated falling off at 3,000,0001.,
and taking the present quarter as a criterion of
the other three, the amount is less by nearly
1,000,0001. This is a hopeful beginning, and only
shows the vigour and elasticity of trade, and the
healthful state of the revenue when not marred and
shackled by monopoly and extravagant duties. In
the stamps there is an increase on the year of
328,820/., and not less than 132,043/. for the quarter.
The Property-tax shows an increase of 14,2914
on the year, and 157,5061. on the quarter. We are
glad to find that the Post-office, under the new
system, goes on gradually improving—the increase
on the year being 47,0001. There is a decrease in
the miscellaneous 0f408,5351. on the quarter, as com-
pared with the preceding, which is accounted for by
the diminished receipts of Sycee silver. The total
amount for the year, including " imprest and other
moneys," and "repayments of advances," is
51,067,856/.—at the same period in the previous
year it was 50,220,6781., making an increase of
847,1781. on the year. The nominal decrease on the
quarter is 739,8471., and leaving out of the account
the accidental variation in the miscellaneous returns
already adverted to, the total decrease on the quarter
is only 331,3121.

Na return to-day to an examination of those
clauses in Lord ASHLEY'S Bill for the Regulation of
the care and treatment of Lunatics in England
which we think most open to objection, on account
of the inadequate security they offer for the personal
liberty of any individaal who may happen to be the
object of fraudulent collusion or conspiracy, on the
part of one or more individuals interested in the con-
finement of his person, or the administration or pos-
session of his estate. It is in reference to the degree
in which it may open or close the door to such at-
tempts, that every measure of this kind must be
finally judged. In our last remarks on the present
Bill we endeavoured to show how perilous, in its
very principle, was the power of interposing in the
affairs of lunatics which the Legislature, certainly
under an insuperable necessity in the abstract, already
exercises, even in cases where no act has been com-
mitted by the parties whom it places, or rather au-
thorises to be placed, under a condition of grievous
restraint, practically prejudicial to the convenience,
safety, or decorum of society. Of course, in precise
proportion to the difficulty we have Awn to exist
in drawing the line between excessive eccentricity
and insanity, according to the capricious conditions
required by the conflicting finding of commissions
de lunatico inquirendo, to establish the fact of such
insanity; should be the jealousy of the public of
this jurisdiction, and of all powers wherewith the
Legislature may propose to arm it. But it should
further be recollected, that this is a domestic question,
which comes home to-day to the business and bosom
of every man's family, and may, to-morrow, become
the unexpected arbiter of the future destinies of any
one's nearest connexions, or even of his own. No
other considerations, we presume, need be urged, to
commend the careful discussion of Lord ASHLEY'S
Bill to all our readers.

New, we must premise that tl- e Bill is altogether
one of details, whereas the feeling of society at large
clearly demanded a remedial measure of principle.
We attach little value to clause 2, enacting that the
" Commissioners in Lunacy already appointed," and
"hereafter to be appointed under the sth and 6th Vic-
warty, c. 34, shall henceforth be called Masters in
Lunacy.' " At the best, this is a very ambiguous
designation. It irresistibly suggests strange inquiries
as to who, among our legislators and public characters
of the day, have most qualified themselves by absurdity
and folly to challenge the distinction of having earned
that sort of " Emeritris" professorship which should
exalt them, whether in Bedlam or Westminster, to
the rank of " Masters in Lunacy." If the Bill had
contemplated the reform of our vicious principle of
legislation for lunatics, it would first have made a
clear sweep of " Commissioners" heretofore appointed
under it. But if it have no loftier scope than the re-
casting of details, we can understand the value of
this clause to lead the next, which modestly ap-
points no less than six out of the eleven Lunacy
Commissioners it nominates (the six being
physicians or barristers-of-law of at least ten
years' standing) to salaries of 1,5001. a year each, their
appointments being during good behaviour therein.
For a staff of 9,0001. a year, even in these days of
patronage, it was necessary to make out something
like a case, so that two Masters, like two general
officers, were absolutely -necessary to be placed over
so influential a body of subordinates. On this scheme
of official pay, clause 5 engrafts another of " retiring
pensions" to "incapacitated Commissioners ;" and
there are ample provisions for the formalities of a
common seal, a permanent chairman, appointment of
clerks, forms of oaths, &c. Clause 13 is one of
sweeping terms, whereby the power of granting
licences for the keeping of private houses for the re-
ception of lunatics in the cities of London and West-
minster, the borough of Southwark, the counties of
Surrey, Middlesex, Essex, and Kent, "and also
within every other place, if any, within the distance
of seven miles from any part of said cities of London
or 'Westminster, or said borough of Southwark, all
which cities, county, borough, parishes, and places
aforesaid, shall be and are hereafter referred to be the
immediate jurisdiction of the Commissioners." This
seems to us a clause of powers altogether too exten-
sive to be confided to such a body, unless the latter
were associated with (and controllable by the ma-
jority of voices in such enlarged commission) the
lords and deputy-lieutenants of those counties, and
the chief officers of the municipalities and districts
enumerated. In the clause empowering Commis-
sioners to hold quarterly and special meetings for
granting licences, five are constituted a quorum ; and
neither in the number of this quorum, nor in the
latitude allowed to their discretion in the matter of
granting or witholding such licences, do we find any
adequate guarantees to the public against the mal-
administration, or even the corrupt abuse of such
very grave functions.
With regard, again, to clause 6, authorising
" justices of the peace in general or quarter sessions,
in all other parts of England, to license houses for the