The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-13 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 13, 1845.

Sir R. EL INGLIS, has permanently demolished, we fear, its
every shadow of such a title. In testing the amountof be-
nefit which a poor couple, for example, would derive from
such fiscal reductions as that proposed on the duty on
raw cotton, Mr. BULLER was etfiinently effective and
amusing, without exceeding the fair limits of an argu-
ment raised, undoubtedly, on an extreme case. The
result of his calculation was to show, that while the man
might gain, say lid. on the cost of a complete fustian
suit, and the woman another lid. on the cost of two
cotton gowns, per annum, they would be paying, on a
moderate computation of their yearly consumption of
sugar, threepence per month to the West India pro-
prietor under the operation of the Premier's un-
fortunate scale of altered sugar duties. In
fine, he established a strong case to show that
the apprehensions suggested by the terms of his
motion were well warranted ; that there had been no
sufficient previous inquiry into the present con-
dition of our taxation, so as either to afford a
guarantee against the continuance of the income-
tax beyond this assumed period of three years, or to
render its operation less oppressive and inquisito-
rial than it now is. If the Hon. Member for Liskeard
was warranted in his view of the case, namely—that,
whilst the Premier proposed to remit a specific amount
of certain duties, his other proposition was ♦irtually
to continue the income-tax for ever—we are compelled to
admit that they who ought to represent the interests of
their countrymen at large are making themselves panics
to a most scandalous and improvident bargain. If they V 1 ho
vote with the Minister in his majorities on the income-tax
really consider that it is a tax which is to be a permanent
one, or which is to- endure even for the term of three
years doubled, they are dishonest trustees. They know
that the parties by v‘hom they have been deputed to act
have never anticipated any such protraction of this war
impost. They know that the public would have in-
structed them to kick the proposition out of the House
on the first evening of its introduction had it been ac-
companied by any such condition fairly stated ; and we
must reluctantly confess that our own fears are strongly
aroused by the tone assumed on both sides of the House
throughout the whole current of the debate. It
was a statesmanlike objection which Mr. BULLER
took to the danger of adopting, in time of peace,
the extreme limit to which the principle
of direct taxation can be pushed in time of war—thus
proclaiming to the world the extent to which the extra-
ordinary resources of our taxation had been drawn upon
before the occurrence of that extraordinary exigency for
which they should have been sacredly reserved. But
we are more alarmed by the tacit assent which the
hypothesis of intended permanency, or, at any rate, of
protracted duration to the income- tax, received in sue-
cessionfrom the speeches of the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, Lord Howietc, Sir R. 'moms, Mr. Hums, and
Sir R. PEEL himself. We have not forgotten the
answer which the Premier gave on a former occasion to
Mr. WAIKLEY'S very reasonable question, " Whether, at
the expiration of the three years the income-tax would be
further continued?" "It would be time enough," quoth
Sir ROBERT, "to answer that question when the
three years had expired." Now we deny this
off-hand assertion. The House has already had
abundant experience of this sort of tactics in the Pre-
mier's plans of fiscal operations. Whether it be a pro-
position connected with the Currency question, or the
Bank Charter, or the income-tax, his smartness is
shown in never allowing those who are opposed to him
any opportunities of maturely considering the measures
he has propounded, or of preparing their objections, or
of organising their resistance to it. This has been
made the subject of repeated and well-grounded com•
plaint during the present session, as it was towards the
conclusion of the last. For the Chancellor of the Ex•
chequer, therefore, to have complained on Monday night
that Mr. BULLER was coming forward " at the eleventh
hour" with his objections to the income-tax, was a reproof
which came with singular bad grace on such a question
from any member of her MAJESTY'S Government. We
think that Sir R. PEEL is amenable to a charge of bad
faith for his mole of unfairly pressing on the decision—
we mean the vote of his Ministerial majority—on the
continuance of this odious tax ; as well as to the impu
tation of extreme rashness and impolicy, in resorting at
all to the principle of an income-tax (our exception is
not to a property-tax), at so advanced a period of peace,
for supplementing a deficient revenue. After the inti-
mations elicited on Monday night as to the possible
perpetuity of this tnx, and the cold discouragement
with which Sir R. 11. liicus's equ'table proposition
in favour of small incomes was received, we can uo
longer give to the Government proposal the benefit of
any doubts we might have formerly entertained upon it.
It is vicious in principle, cruelly and clumsily unequal in
apportionment, light upon the rich, heavy upon the poor,
inquisitorial in its Lay, irritating in its management,
wasteful in its anticipation of resources, and odious in all
its associations and precedents.

By the arrival of the Peninsular and Oriental Com-
pany's steamer Pacha, we have accounts from Gibraltar
to the Ist, and Lisb )n to the:sth inst., and regret to state
that news had been received at the former place of the
death of ?Ir. HAY, British Consul at Tangiers. He had
been ill for only a few days. Itt Lisbon a law
had bean introduced into the Cortes for the re-
construction of the Council of State. The receipts
at the Custom-house for the month of February had
fallen off considerably. There is no news from the
other ports at which the steamer touched. The voyage
had been long and boisterous. From the time the
Pacha left Gibraltar till her arrival here, she experi-
enced nothing but the most tempestuous weather. On
the Bth and 9th she could not make more than three
miles an hour.

We have no accounts from Zurich later than the 6th
instant., but some details are given in the papers re-
specting the appointment of the Committee on the ques-
tion relative to the Jesuits, and the views taken by the
different Deputies, which are not without interest. The
Committee has been appointed, and consists of seven
members. Only thirteen out of the twenty-four Depu-
ties voted, viz., Zurich, Berne, Glarie, Soleure, Schaff
hausen, St. Gall, Argau, Thurgau, Grisons, Vaud, Tes-
sino, Neuchatel, Geneva. The demi-cantons of Bale and
Appenzell neutralised eech other. The rest of the can-
tons abstained from voting. All the Committee except
one were named at the first ballot. M. MousoN, of Zu-
rich, had 11 votes ; M. NEUHAUS, of Berne, 11 ; M.
MUNTZIGER, of &Sure, 9; M.KERN, of Thurgau, 8; M,
NEFF, of Saint Gall, 8 ; M. FRET, of Bale-Town, 7 ; 31.
DRUEY, of Vaud, 10. From this it will be seen that the
majority of the Committee belongs to the Radical party.
After the nomination of the Committee the question of
the free corps was opened. Fourteen Deputies detailed
their instructions. Lucerne, Uri, Schwytz, Unterwald,
Zug, and Fribourg, fully approve of the repressive mea-
sures proposed by the Vorort ; Saint Gall, Grisons, and
Appenz -11, do the same, with the exception of certain
provisions ; Berne, Soleure, and Mile Country will not
give any decisive opinion until after something has been
done against the Jesuits. Berne merely demanded that
the question should be referred to a Committee, without
entering into the merits of the question. The Deputy
for Lucerne made a long and violent speech in sureport
of its decision in favour cf the Jesuits and r:gainst the
free corps. The debate was adjourned ', Monday, the
10th instant, to hear the Deputies
Vaud, Valais, Tessino, Neu_
of Argau, Thurgovia,
rerttetel, Geneva, and Zurich.
Some of. the Swiss jw.enals state that the Provisional
Government of X dud has demanded of that of the Valais
explanation:. on the subject of its having callei out
three 'arsttalions. The Council of State of the Valais
replied, that this armament was rendered necessary
by the provocations of the Vulaisian refugees, who an-
nounced an attack, and by an erroneous account of con-
siderable armaments in the district of Aigle. It is added,
that these troops will march through Martigny, and
that they will be disbanded as soon as circumstances
will permit.

Madrid journals of the 4th have been received. They
contain no fresh intelligence.

The Three per Cents. closed: on that day on the
Madrid Bourse at 34 9-16 (60 days) ; the Five per
Cents., 25k (60 days); Coupons, 27k (GO days); and the
Debt without Interest at 1k (60 days), with premium.

In the French Chamber of Deputies on Monday the
order of the day for passing the Pensions Bill was read,
when a ballot was called for, as on Saturday. On that
occasion there was a vast majority against the Bill, as
nearly all the Ministerial party had absented themselves,
but as the number present was not sufficient to make a
House, the vote fell to the ground. On Monday there
was a full attendance, and when the numbers were taken
there appeared for the Bill 188, and against it 201 ;
majority against the Bill, 13. The Bill was introduced
by the Government, but consi lerable alteration had
been made in Committee, and the Conservative party in
consequence, it was said, became indifferent on the
question, and some of them still kept away. It appears
the Cabinet did not attach much importance to tho
Bill ; but still, says the Journal des Debate, before
the ballot of Monday had taken place, " it would
be deeply to be regretted if it were to be lost through a
negligence that would be totally inexcusable." The
Na4ional seizes the opportunity of pointing out the
powerless state of the Ministry. " The amendmend,"
says that journal, "relating to the length of service of
law functionaries, and their time of contributing to the
pension fund, having been adopted by the Chamber
against the wish of the Government, the Conservatives

found nothing better than to cause the Bill to fall to the
ground, by abstaining from voting, and rendering the
ballot null. The Chamber is divided into two nearly
equal parts. The number of the Members pre-
sent scarcely exceeds 220, and 230 are ne-
cessary to render a ballot valid. It depends, there-
fore, on the minority, not to have good laws passed,
but to prevent the adoption of bad ones by the
Ministry. That would be, besides, the last and best
means of rendering apparent to all a truth which com-
mences to be pretty generally comprehended—that there
is no longer in reality amongst us any Government, any
regular authorities, and that we should be in a veritable
anarchy, if the good sense and love of order implanted
in the heart of the nation, did not hold the place of the
authority which is everywhere wanting." After this
Bill had been disposed of, M. REMUSAT brought forward
his motion for declaring certain public offices incompa-
tible with the functions of a Member of Parlia-
ment. M. GITIZOT opposed the motion, not only b-:-
cause the proposed measure was defective in itself,
but because it was contrary to the institutions and in-
terests of the country. lie had no objection, however,
to the discussion of the motion, for he had no doubt that
discussion would open the- eyes of Members and make
them reject it. M. DUPIN, who had previously voted
against a simitar proposition, supported the motion, and
gave as a reason for changing his opinion, the recent
dismissal of public functionaries on account of their
votes. It was then resolved, without a division, that
the proposition should be taken into consideration.
The Afoniteme contains a royal ordonnance on the re-
port of the Minister of Justice and Public 'Worship,
against the pastoral letter issued at Lyons en the 21st
November, 1844, by Cardinal DE BONALD, Archbishop
of Lyons. It is in these words :—" Our Council of State
having been heard, we have ordained and do ordain as
follows :—Art. 1. There is abus in the pastoral letter
issued at Lyons, on the 21st November, 1844, by the
Cardinal Archbishop of LYONS. The said pastoral letter
is and shall remain suppressed.—Art. 2. Our Keeper of
the Seals, Minister of Justice and Public Worship, is
charged with the execution of this present ordonnance,
which shall be inserted in the Bulletin des Lois. Given at
the Palace of the Tuileries, this 9th March, 1845." This
ordonnance is signed by the KING, and counter-signed
by the Minister of Justice and Public Worship.
The Armoricain of Brest announces the speedy de-
parture of Admiral DUPETIT THOUARS from Paris, on a
mission to the Mocambique Channel and the coasts of
Madagascar.
No business of consequence was done in the Funds on
Monday, but a great deal in railway shares, some of
which had suddenly declined, owing to a wish on the
part of some to realise profits Tho fall had taken place
chiefly in Orleans, Rouen, Havre, and Avignon. Orleans
at first rose t) 1,435 f., and fell to 1,360 E; Rouen rose to
1,250 f., and closed at 1,160 E; Havre, 1.002 f. 50c., and
closed at 965 E; Avignon, 1,210 E, and closed at I,loof.
The Three per Cents. closed at 85f.; the New Loan at
86f. 10c.; the Five per Cents. at 117 f. 70c.; Spanish
Actives, 39 ; Belgian Two and-a-Half per Cents. 62 75