The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-20 00:00:00

taken off at an earlier period.
After some conversation on the subject of the sugar
duties, the House resolved itself into a Committee of
Ways and Means, and
Mr. ROEBUCK moved the amendment of which he had
previously given notice, for extending the income-tax
to Ireland. The exigency that required the imp3sition
of the tax was common to the whole kingdom, and their
united wants should be met by their united means.
He therefore asked the Government to tax, not the
professions, not the trades, not even the offices in Ire-
land, but to tax the realised capital in that country
The Bon. Gentleman then taunted the agriculturalists
with their support of Sir B. PEEL, the manufacturers
with having been bribed into supporting the Budget,
and the Irish Members with having run away from
their posts. He thought it would be just to remove
the stamp duty, which fell on the retail, tradesman,
and substitute for it a property-tax, which
would fall upon the rich landholder.
Mr. SHEIL opposed the motion, as unjust to Ireland.
He defended his absent friends from the attacks which
had been made upon them, and concluded by urging
upon Parliament the necessity of giving good govern-
ment to Ireland, even in an eponomical point of view. If
they were to adapt their institutions to Ireland, instead
of attempting to adapt Ireland to their institutions, they
would make money by it, for they would secure peace,
which would throw open a vast field of enterprise in
Ireland, and in the prosperity of Ireland they would for
all their munificence be usuriously repaid.
Sir JOHN TynnEm. supported the motion.
Mr. WILLIAMS had heard nothing from the Hon.
Member for Dungarvon to show that this tax ought not
to be imposed on the landlords of Ireland.
Mr. Ross, Lord BERNARD, and Mr. BELLEW, defended
the Irish landlords from the attacks which had been
made upon them by the Honourable Member for Bath.
A smart and somewhat angry discussion ensued, in the
course of which the words " foul calumnies" were used
by Mr. NEWDIGATE, who, on being called to order, apo-
logised to the House. At length

—Sir R. PEEL rose, and admitted that, although strict
justice might require the extension of the tax to Ireland,
yet, as there was no machinery for its collection in that
country, the creation of the machinery would be so ex-
pensive, that the Government would not be justified, in
an economical point of view, .in proposing its creation ;
therefore, he considered that it would be better to
accept from Ireland an equivalent for the property-tax,
and, comparing the benefit which would accrue to Eng-
land from the removal of the impert duties with that
which would accrue to Ireland, the latter country would
not be justly dealt with if the property-tax were im-
posed on her.
The discussion was continued for some time after the
Right Hon. Gentleman had sat down, Mr. Sergeant
MURPHY, Mr. WALLACE, Colonel SIBTtIORP, Lord
PALMERSTON, and several other Hon. Members taking
part in it, after which the Committee divided, when
their appeared for the amendment 33, against it 275.
The Committee then divided on the original resolu-
tion, when there appeared for it 228, against it 30.
The other orders cf the -day were then disposed of,
and the House adjourned at One o'clock.

The clever speech in which Mr. Rossucs. last
night brought forward his, unsuccessful amendment
on Sir ROBERT PEEL'S proposition for renewing the
income-tax, sth VicrostA—namely, " And that the
provisions of the said Act, as far as regards the tax
on property, be extended to Ireland "—provoked a
somewhat smart debate. Nor is this any matter for
wonder. The warmest and most consistent friends
to the great principle of " justice to Ireland" might
well imagine themselves not precluded from advo-
cating, with equal earnestness, "justice to England."
When a people conceive that they are unnecessarily
subjected to an odious and inquisitorial impost, they
are very apt to become at least didactic on the enor-
mity of grinding taxation, in general. But when they
find themselves selected, exclusively, to bear the whole
of the detestable burden, and their brethren and
compatriots of one great integer of the national union
or confederacy, to which they belong, altogether
exempted from it, that people are sure to perceive
the practical hardship they suffer through so invidious
and unequitable a distinction. Their protest and
remonstrances against the unfairness complained of
become animated and indignant in proportion to the
distinctness with which they can detect it. Those
remonstrances and that protest have found a caustic
and sharp-witted exponent in Mr. ROEBUCK. In the
very first course he ran at Sir Ronssr, he fairly un-
horsed his adversary. He pushed the Premier home
with the undeniable discrepancy between his own
avowed plea of Friday night last, in apology
for the heavy tax he had to propose the con-
tinuance of, on property and income, " that
it was in order to meet and satisfy the com-
mon exigencies of the country," with the fact of his
having excepted Ireland from its operation. If the
exigencies to be provided for by the stringent and
extraordinary course the Minister has taken be com-
mon, in relation to all the components of the United
Kingdom, why was Ireland to be thus invidiously
released from her liability to her proportionable con-
tribution ? If those exigencies do not affect Ireland,
why was it not shown that they could affect the
condition and interests of England, Scotland,
and \Vales, only ? " From Tamworth Tower to
Leddlesdale" is not one• twentieth part of the distance
of Sir ROBERT PEEL'S 'reply from these interroga-
tories. The Right Hon. Baronet faced about to
make a showy feint at th 3 granite outworks of Mr.
JOSEPH Hums. He hovered about that Hon. Mem-
ber's speech with all kinds of unwonted courtesies,
salutes, and compliments, at the expense of a speech
which was delivered on Friday by an Hon. and Gal-
lant Conservative follower of the Right Hon. Baro-
net, which speech the latter unkindly characterised as
" very foolish," and in a moment of unpremeditated
candour, admitted that " he had heard it with dismay."
Characteristic soothing, this, to be sure, for the
Irish Tory agricultural interest. A'leaf; if you will,
out of the same primer, "Discouragement to the
Landed Proprietary made easy," from which, if we