The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-28 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS
FROM TILE EVENING PAPERS OF SATURDAY.
GLOBE.—Sir Robert Peel, in the course of the
speech by which he introduced his "grand financial
scheme" to the House of Commons—which has by it s
bold disregard of equity in its application filled th e
country with disgust, and will speedily rouse it to
opposition—introduced one sentence which, whether
it be regarded as an apology for himself, or a re-
taliation upon his masters, the landowners, will
not fail to be pondered deeply, as it . deserves
to be, by the country :—" As to real estate,"
said Sir R. Peel, " I suspect you are not aware,
that when a similar tax was imposed on personal estate,
a bill was introduced to tax real estate: also ; but
Mr. Pitt, in the plenitude of his power, could not
carry it, and no Minister has been bold enough to at-
tempt it since." That real estate should be exempt
from the ad valorem duty (upon its passing into
other hands, whether by bequest or descent), to
which personal estate is subjected, is so mani-
festly unjust, that the cause of its exemption is
sought in vain within the boundaries of rea-
son, and must be resolved into the arbitrary claims
on articles of prime necessity, whose consumption
of a power which has acquired pre-eminence by the
same means through which it now coerces the Mi-
nister. The very same selfishness which determinedly
resists the importation of foreign corn at it moderate
fixed duty, also resists the imposition of a tax equiva-
lent to the probate and legacy duty upon real estate.
The same spirit pervades the whole process of legisla-
tion. The interests of the country are sacrificed to
the cupidity of the landowners, who exercise a tyran-
nous rule over the Government, and compel its course in
the business of providing means for carrying on the
business of the country. The selfishness prevails over
the self-evident claims of right, and turns aside the
straightforward course of justice. Their power holds
the Minister in abject subjection to their will, and
forces him to abandon the suggestions of his better
nature. No Minister has been bold enough to oppose
himself to a power so vast in its resources and
so rigorous in its exactions. " Even Mr. Pitt,"
said Sir Robert Peel, "in the plenitude of his
power," feared to .be just in his distribution of the
national burdens; and was compelled to abandon a
measure for subjecting real estate to the same fiscal im-
positions under which personal estate was then placed
for the first time. Mr. Pitt introduced a Bill for the
purpose • but " even he," said Sir Robert Peel, " was
compelled to abandon his design." The Duke of Rich-
mond significantly reminded Sir R. Peel of what he
might expect, if he ventured to infringe upon the pri-
vileged order. " They had placed him," said his
Grace, speaking in the name of the landed interest—
" Theyha.d placed him where he is ; and they could as
readily displace him from his position as they elevated
him to it." The eyes of the unequally taxed classes
of the community—burdened beyond measure for the
imaginary benefit of one order—has been partially
opened to the general effects of this monstrous system,
by the way in which it operates in the exemption of
the aristocracy from taxation upon the transmission of
their landed possessions, while every other description
of property, whether of a testate or intestate, is sub-
jected to an ad valorem duty.
STANDARD.—The Opposition have threatened
to employ the recess in creating an agitation against
the financial plan of the Ministers. They have every
advantage in their enterprise, except a good cause.
All taxes are unpopular, and will be unpopular to the
end of time, and therefore the numbers who look for
distinction or profit in ministering to the angry pas-
sions of the ignorant may be fairly counted as already
enlisted in the projected agitation. Besides this, the
faction—it is a name of their own choosing—the Op-
position faction have the Anti-Corn-Law League, ready
to their hands, wanting employment; as Sir R. Peel,
by the modification of the Corn-laws, has deprived
tne members and agents of that conspiracy of their
late employment. Nor will the Leaguers less effec-
tually serve their own purpose by raising a cry against
the financial plan than by agitating for a repeal of
the Corn-laws • for as surely as Sir It. Peel shall fail
of carrying his measures, so surely will the Corn-
laws be repealed before another year shall pass.
There is so little of doubt or mystery in the pro-
gress of events, that the slowest thinkers, if they
will only think honestly, must see it at a glance.
In the event of failure the present Ministers will
resign ; they have distinctly said so, and resign they
must, or adopt in substance Mr. Baring's budget of
last year—a hypothesis too unjust and insulting to bo
entertained for a moment, but a hypothesis which
would really place the landed interest in the same
position of danger in which that interest would be
placed by the return of the Whig-Radicals to power.
IVe assume then that the late Ministers would re-
turn in triumph upon the defeat of Sir Robert Peel.
They would want money, however, and this money
they would not dare to raise in any other way than
by the rejected scheme of a fixed duty, and a fixed
duty would not be endured by the country, and ought
not to be endured, for a single month of high prices.
COURIER.—Although the unscrupulous and un-
becoming conduct of the Opposition may throw tem-
porary obstacles in the path of the Minister, and
prevent him completing his bold, straightforward, and
comprehensive scheme of policy, as early as he other-
wise would have done, robbing the country meantime
of the benefits and advantages that would have ac-
crued therefrom to trade and commerce--although
by skilful manoeuvring the fears .of the numerous
petty interests to be affected by the new tariff
may be excited, and the parties themselves roused
into manifestations of hostility to the contem-
plated tariff revision—although all the boot and shoe
makers may be induced to oppose it to the last, and the
glovemakers be up in arms against it—although the
large coalowners of the north may burst forth into a
rage at the bare mention of raising the duty on ex-
ported coal, and the corlicutters may menacingly
announce their determination to cut their trade
altogether should the proposed reduction be car-
ried—although, we repeat, all these things may
be brought about during the recess by a skilful
and unceasing use of the means and appliances
which faction possesses--still we presume to think
Sir Robert Peel will not be frightened from his pre-
determined course ; nor will all this feeble and fac-
tious blustering weaken either his power in the
House of Commons or his popularity in the country.
That a sweeping measure of tariff reform was long
needed, none better know, as none have more fre-
quently deplored, the want, than those very persons
who are labouring with might and main to awaken
the selfishness of class interest against it, and thereby
retard its progress, though they cannot hope to pre-
vent its passing.

ELECTION COMMITTEE.
SATURDAY.
GREAT MARLOW.
The Committee met this morning at 11 o'clock.
James Gill was objected to by the petitioners, on the
ground of insufficient value of the qualification.
The vote was struck off.
The vote of William Sparkes, objected to by Counsel,
on behalf of the sitting Member, on similar grounds, was
also struck off.
This decision placed the petitioner in a majority of one.
The Committee then adjourned to eleven o'clock on
Monday next.

WIGAN.
The Committee met nt the usual hour. Mr. Hawes
in the Chair. The scrutiny was proceeded with on th•
part of the sitting Members.
George Rich was struck off the poll.
Mr. Standish was thus placed in a majority of on•
over Mr. Crosse.

LATE EXTRAORDINARY
SCENE at the ME WS BARRACKS.
The following are the authentic particulars relative to
this extraordinary occurrence :—lt appears that Thos.
Hutchins, who is the subject of this narrative, is a pri-
vate in the third battalion of the first regiment, or Gre-
nadier Foot Guards, stationed in the Mews Barracks,
Trafalgar-square, and was considered the finest man in
the regiment, and when uninfluenced by liquor, was
quiet, inoffensive person, but a little drink would some-
times excite him to a most extraordinary degree, and
cause him to quarrel with his comrades. On Wednes-
day night at about nine o'clock, after having indulged
rather freely, he retired with three others to one of the
barrack sleeping-rooms at the top of the building for the
night, where, however, he had not been many minutes
before he commenced quarrelling with a man named
Greene, whom he at length threatened with his ven-
geance, and, fearing the consequences, Greene made his
escape down stairs, and informed the sergeant that
Hutchins was drunk. The sergeant immediately re-
paired up stairs, and ordered him down to the orderly-
room, for the purpose of testing his sobriety. He, how-
ever, struck the sergeant under the ear with his bayonet
and slightly wounded him. Another man was also slightly
wounded in the face in endeavouring to rescue the ser-
geant, who, but for his interference, would, no doubt,
have been murdered. All, however, ran out of the room
with the exception of one man, who had got into bed, to
whom Hutchins said, " You have never injured or given
me any offence ; I shall not, therefore, hurt a hair of
your head." Hutchins, however, now commenced firing
at the door, imagining, no doubt, that some of them were
on the other side of it. Six bullets passed passed through
the door,which is about two inches thick, one of them lodg-
ing in another door at the end of the passage, which is
about twelve feet in length. He also fired through the
front window at the sentries in the yard, who, however,
furtunately escaped. Hearing several persons coming
up the stairs, he threw up the back window and flung
out his belt and pouch, and having exclaimed,
h"
you
into the f follow
lb° from
5o feet, when
t lle 'aos'tlh e military
a rush was instantly made, and he was found. ying. pol
hei
mmediate y
kin)e.acdp,r eca
ht etdohf ianbrioeultf
his back in a state of insensibility.
placed upon a stretcher, and conveye(l
where he was
hospital in Rochester-row, Westminster,
fthebtri but thent,
e
who discovered that his left arm was broken,
attended by Drs. Johnson and Be2la
ed could not then be discovered.
ex-
tent of injury sustain rn
The internal injuries are of so seriousr a nature as to pre-
elude all hope of his recover lil le flag-stone upon
which he fell was broken into several pieces, but not a
spot of blood was to be seen. Hutdius is in the 28th
year of his fuse.