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

am,

LONDON:
MONDAY MORNING, APRIL 4, 1842.

We insert from a Leeds paper the specimens,
which Mr. Alderman TOTTIE of that place fur-
nished to the meeting held there on Thursday, of
the sort of-inquiries made by the Commissioners
who acted under the old income 'tax law. If the
retail dealers and merchants of this kingdom,
after reading his statements, are prepared to
acquiesce in the income tax, we can only say,
that there is no degree of political slavery for
which they are not ready. From amongst them
the spirit of freedom must have fled, and its mere
forms, which our ancestors established, will not
long remain teeproa'chfully to remind the nation
of its former liberty.
Amongst the questions put by the Commis-
sioners are such as these=" What sums of money
have you employed .in your trade ?" " What
part was advanced by you or other persons ?"
Then fidlows a demand to know the traders, •
gains, losses, and deductions. In another case
the parties were asked, " What was the amount
of their stock ?" What excise duties they paid ?"
" What sums the partners drew out of the con-
cern ?" " What was the average prices at which
they bought and sold different articles ?"
It is impossible that any trade,. the soul:
of which is confidence, can long survive
such a scrutiny by the Government. Mr.
BURKE was wont to say of bank paper that
it was of value on 'Change, because it had no
value in' Westminster Hall, implying that to
legalize credit was to destroy it; so, by exposing
to public sunshine, those transactions which can-
t t, indeed, be too intimately known to all the
parties interested, the Government will make
the most goodly prospects of individual opulence
fade into nothingness. The evil eye of the Corn-
znissioners falling on a- tradesman's books will '
slowly, but surely, wither up hi; fortunes.

• Sir RonEnT-Pnim has avowed his intention to
adopt the regulations of the Act of 1806 with
some modification. 'Till we see those modifica-
tions we cannot judg•:. accurately of his scheme ;
but the Act of --18-',K; forbids a trader to deduct
from his profits any annual interest, or an-
nuity, or annual payinent, payable out of
such, profits. Then if - a man have bought the
good will of a business for a' sum of money, and
Lave, moreover, agreed to give the seller an an-
nuity of2oo/. a-year lift three, or any number of
years, he must Maude that annuity in his an-
nual profit, and pay the income tax oft it. For
a tittle it. way absorb all his gains, and he will
Lave to pay the tax out of his capital.
Again, as we read the regulations, the debts
owing to a man, unless the Commissioners con-
sider them to be "irrecoverable and desperate," .
'ill be included in his profits, and while he is
mourning ovcsa heavy outstanding, unpaid claims
which are ru►ning him, he will be taxed on them
as on a part of his year's profit§. We do not be.
lieve that such another scheme of fiscal injus-
tice and fiscal rapacity was ever devised, and for
the people now to submit to it, in order to keep
on the Cori-law, will be to place their -lives and
fortunes at the mercy of the most sordid, and, in
their corporate capacity, the least scrupulous
aristocracy that ever existed.

Many of our correspondents, and the corres-
pondents of other journals, have pointed out
various inequalities in the proposed tax ; but,
in the case of a physician,. who is
said to make a large income for only a very
short period, we _ have not seen any account
of its bearing in relation to the periods in which
different classes may be Considered fit for h,-
hour. A clerk in a public office, for example,
whose business is regular and easy, will be
able to work and receive an income for a
greater number of years than a stage-coachinau
or a captain of a vessel, who is exposed to nume-
rous accidents and to all weather. There are
some trades, like aose of the grinders at Shef.
field, at which no man can work more than ten
or fifteen <<L There are others which, from
the partic dar natu:T of the occupation, make
continual demands On the body, and require those
who practise them to be at considerable more
expense than a clerk
.in
.sustainint, the' body in
vigour. There are sotne.pg
papers, which require
men like those of
m
the printers of the ornin
men to be up a great part of the night, and which
make prodigious demands on the animal powers.
These men may all have an income nominally
equal, but it may require nearly twice as much
to support one rnun as another. Surely, it is as
unjust to tax all different professions and trades
at the same rate, without regard to the titre_
during which a man is likely to last, and without
regard to the expense to which he is put to enable
him to work, as to tax an annuity, which expires
in a few years, at the same rate as an estate
which is of perpetual and increasing value.
If it be said, that in the payment of different

BRIGHTOg.

APRIL 2.—ln opening the case before the Bench of
Brighton Magistrates, on*Friday, Mr. S. W. Bennett, a
solicitor at Brighton, more than once applied the term
"coward" to Captain Macleod, for kicking the bailiff
when, his back being turned, he was not in a situation
to defend himself. Captain Adams, another officer of
the Greys, delivered a letter this day, of which the fol-
lowing is a copy, to Mr. Bennett
" Brighton, April 2, 1842, One P.M.
Sir,—You applied to my conduct in a case of assault,
tried before the Bench of Magistrates yesterday the term
cowardly,' and declared that in committing the said as-
sault I had shown myself a coward. In this assertion
you persisted, in spite of a reprimand from the Magis•
tratesi thereby taking the responsibility of that language
upon yourself. I therefore demand a written retracta-

tion of the same, or that you will arrange with my
friend, Captain Adams, the means of giving me satisfac-
"l am Sir, you obedient servant,
" D. J. MACLEOD.

tion.

" To Bennett, Esq., Middle-street."

" Mr. Bennett immediately applied to Major Allen,
one of the Brighton Magistrates, for warrants against
Captain Macleod and his friend Captain Adams, and an
officer has been this moment (half-past four) despatched
to the barracks with a warrant for their apprehension."

trades and professions regard is had to these I MURDER AND SUICIDE:
circumstances, and those persons who are worn On Thursday a murder, followitetdedbyattheKsuinicoisdlevooofdthae
.supposed
village,
uas
milesc o
out the soonest are paid the best, that may be
frommm Bristol. The 6 name' of
admitted, and we should have nothing to object lihoepuplerp
etrator f the double crime is Samiiel Cook, and
to if the impost were perpetual. Then these that of his victim Edith Cook, his own sister, They
trades and professions would be regulated ac- were both unmarried, and lived for years together on the
best terms. Both were remarkable for their industrious
cordingly. But Sir ROBERT PEEL'S income tax
habits and inoffensive manners. , They were of penurious
is to be levied for only three years or five years habits, and in the box of the- female were found eight
and it will, in that time, take as much sovereigns and 501. in silver. The cottage in which they-
from the incomes of those who are able lived was about 150 yards from any othr dwelling. A
to work only ten years, as from those Coroner's inquest was held on the bodies, when the fol
lowing evidence was laid before the Jury :
who are able to work twenty. With an equal Abraham Fry, having been sworn, deposed .that he
income of 500/. a year each, the former will be was in the habit of serving the house of deceased with
able to gain in his life 5,000/., and the latter 1 milk. Went there as usual ab gut seven o'clock yester-
-10,000/., which may be assumed to be the mea-
day (Thursday) morning. As he was going up the Bar-
ton he saw the body of a woman lying down on the face
sure of the advantage or protection they receive about ten or twelve yards from the door of the house.
from the State, but while one gains only 5,0001., He was very much frightened ; but presently he saw
and the other 10,000/., each will have to pay the
cHornahthP,aulexgamoiriingedbyt.heanbdodcallaedndoufotatiildhict•ru;aosnthheart.
same sum to the State. The short period for of Edith Lok. They then ;a've an alarm, and the
which Sir R. PEEL proposes to levy the tax neighbours came. Ile observed marks of blood on the
obviously aggravates, as Colonel THOMPSON has dress. Witness went with another man, named Pedcock,
observed, all its inequalities. Nominally it is an
floor,intow
thei house,th ihis
t andh rthroat
thencut,
andsau a
go Samuelod d
eCookalof lying on
about theon
equal tax—actually it is the most unequal, as well
the room. He was gurgling in the throat, but at length
as the most inquisitorial, that ever was proposed. he spoke plain, and said, " I did it ; I cut her throat,
Several projects have been suggested to reduce and then my own." the Mr. Biggs, i
surgeon, was sent
r
its inequalities, but it is not possible to make itcame directly,e but
for
somed died
anys beforeabout
withi
an hour.
'a
poorly
otherwise than inquisitorial. In fact, the more Deceased nd
ad
be
bit of a cold. He was reserved in his manner.
numerous the exemptions, the greater necessity Hester Peacock, wife of Isaac Peacock, deposed that
there will be for inquiries. There is no means of . she heard the cry of murder, at half-past six o'clock on
making such a law equal, just, or palatable. The
the morning in question, and immediately ran over the
hedge into Cooks garden, which adjoined their own.
project to impose it on us must be resisted in tote. On going into the house she saw Cook as described by
We, trust, therefore, that the Members for the last witness. He knew
.witn?ss,. and tried to speak,
but could only make a horrid noise in his throat. Wit-
Manchester and Edinburgh, who have been 'less was much alarmed, and ran out, and found Edy
called on by their constittients, and the 31em- (deceased's sister) lying dead across the garden path,
hers for other places, who are thoroughly con- and appeared to have ben so some time ; the blood was
vinced that there is no other necessity for this congealed. alla
good
oothde furniturefire barn
theired
ae es and
tablTherees and
si
tax than that created by the Corn-laws, that it ing, as if it had beenp lighted some time, but there was
is a great •infringement of liberty—is unequal no appearance of breakfast. There was a little blood
and unjust—will, in spite of a majority of mono-
finear, Samuelh Cootk'rs, bohdayi,r.andThaerleawrgaes qauraanatoitryeoansetohne
polists, delay and impede, if they cannot defeat Lort,abnlee,r
wiltshsoisnee
razor
zor in it, and another razor in
Sir R. PEEL'S tyrannical, demoralising, and Ma- Cook's right hand.
chiavellian scheme by all the means which the Isaac Peacock deposed that immediately on the alarm
privileges of Parliament allow. They will, yet described b
being given heeraonthienrtow?tonoekss'ses lhoulea,isaendd
hfoimunduhim asa
be supported, we helieVe, by the 'country, and
sitting yposture.th He had all his clothes on, and a pniginht-
we are sure they will be honoured by posterity cap on his head, and his shoes on, and laced as usual.
for making great sacrifices and great exertions He went out and found Edith in the garden ; but the
1"-otp a sense of duty. . people he left with Cook thought he wanted to speak to
witness, and he went and raised him again, and said,
"Oh, Sammy, Sammy, what did you do this for?" He tried
to answer, but could not. At last he said, " Oh, I cut her's
first and mine after." There was a largo pool of blood
on the floor near the table, but there was not much blood
on him. Witness did not consider they lived comfort-
ably together. Had seen them dining, one in one place
and one in another. She was very hot and hasty, and.
they were very sulky at times. She saw him on the
Monday, and he seemed then very poorly in health, and
took some medicine at that time. He was very careful
and saving, and he thought that his sister and he quar-
relled about money. Witness assisted to carry the body
of Edith into the house. The body was rather !impish,
but the hlocd was congealed on the throat, and she must
have been dead some time. He thought from the ap-
pearance of Cook that he had cut his own throat after
the woman had cried_ out murder, as her right hand was
raised near her throat, and there was hardly any blood
on him. He held the razor tight in his right hand, but
witness took it from him. He did not believe that Cook
had sufficient strength to carry Edith from the fire-placc
to where she lay in the garden. He might have dragged
her there. Did not observe any marks of blood in the
path from the door to where Edith lay, nor any appear-
ance of her having been dragged.
Samuel Fry deposed that he was alarmed by his
brother Abraham. Peacock went into the house first.
They raised Samuel Cook up, and asked him who did it,
and he said, "I did it ; I cut Edith's first and then my
own." Spoke to him a day or two before the occurrence,
and he appeared afflicted in his mind. The sister was
of a queerish temper.
Richard James Biggs, surgeon, deposed to his having
received a message to attend the deceased, and arrived at
the cottage at about a quarter past seven o'clock. In
passing through the garden observed the body of Edith
Cook among some cabbage stumps. She was quite dead
and nearly cold. Saw a wound in her throat of three
or four inches in length, which divided the right carotid
and right jugular vein, and the esophagus and trachea.
It was done by one cut, which appeared to be from left
to right.. She might have been dead an hour, or an hour
and a-half. There was complete coagulum on the
throat, and under the neck a small quantity of frothy
blood. Examined particularly the path from the body
to the door, and there appeared no blood on it ; there
was some on a bent cabbage stump that was near. On
entering the house saw Cook lying on the floor with his
throat cut • there was a large quantity of coagulum
lying over the cut, but not a great deal of haemorrhage
going on then. The cut divided the trachea and
esophagus, and two small arteries. Neither of the carotids
nor the jugular veins were divided. Witness put questions
to the deceased ; he could not speak to answer them, though
he tried. He appeared to know witness very well. Did
what he considered necessary, and went home to get a
tube to insert in the throat, but before I could return he
Ayes dead. Had no doubt but the female must have died
:a two or three minutes. Thought the cut was given in
the chair. There was a pool of blood near the chair,
and smaller clots towards the door, and some on the
door-post and panel. Thought she must have ran hastily
to where she was found. 'Thought it possible that a per-
son receiving such an injury might have gone from the
chair to where she was, and she might have put her hand
to her cap, and partially stopped the flow of blood. He
had attended Cook before ; there was nothing singular
in his behaviour, but he was very reserved, and of very
penurious habits. In answer to questions from the-Jury,
the witness said the blood on the door was about a foot
Ind a half from the ground, and appeared as if smeared,
tot sprinkled. There must have been something put to
staunch the blood, or it must have spurted out. The cap
Hrobahly did it. He never saw anything like aberration
tt- mind in Samuel Cook, but rather the contrary. Knew
he sister had been insane.
Several other witnesses were examined, but their evi-
lence only went to show that Samuel Cook had been in
s low and desponding state of mind for some time. The
Jury, after a long deliberation, not being able to agree on
a verdict, the inquest was adjourned till Tuesday next.

MARYLEBONE VESTRY. —On Saturday, at the
weekly meeting of the vestry, Mr. Soden proposed a
resolution, of which he had given previous notice, to the
tfect that the vestry clerk write to the rector, Dr. Spry,
to appoint one or more clergymen to assist the Rev. Mr.
Wharton in performing the burial service at St. John's
Wood Cemetery, he remunerating such clergyman or
clergymen out of the fees received by him for such
.ittrials, and in the event of his refusal to do so, that the
estry complain to the Bishop of London respecting it.
lfe knew it was no pleasant thing fora man to bring him-
self into collision with •the church, nor would he (Mr.
.-4oden) do so, did he not believe that the rights of the
poor and of Christians were affected by this question.
ishe abusive power of the rector of that parish -enabled
him to receive from 500/. to 6001. a year for burial fees
.11one •in St. John's Wood Cemetery, without doing a
Jingle thing for it. The ierviee'iia'S performed by Mr.
Wharton, the minister of the chapel, and it was no un-
!ommon thing to see from twenty to twenty-five corpses
waiting fur interment at one time on a Sunday afternoon,
over which the ceremony was all read at once ; and no
matter what the weather, many were kept on the ground
from twenty to twenty-five minutes before the minister
was ready to read the funeral service over them. Several
other members having spoken for and against the mo-
tion, it was eventually carried with but one dis-entient.
Dimity LANE THEATRICAL FUND.—On Saturday
last, at the assembling of the master and committee, the
secretary reported that he had been honoured with the
following communication from the widow of the late Mr.
Davidge, who was the proprietor of the Surrey Theatre :
" 1, Davidge-terrace, Ken nington-r oad,
March 31, 1842.
"SIR—It having been represented to me that at the
last Covent-garden Theatrical Fund dinner the bequest
if my late husband to that excellent charity was not an-
tounced, I beg to say, that he has bequeathed to that
nstitution, and also to the Drury-lane Theatrical fund,
he respective sums of one hundred guineas ; but, in con-
sequence of a very large portion of his property having
been invested in mortgages and other securities not
redeemable until the. years 1844 and 1847, the executors
are not enabled by the conditions of the will to pay them
and other bequests ; but you will be pleased to convey to
the committee of your truly benevolent fund the assur-
ance that no unnecessary delay on my part shall take
place in carrying out the testator's kind intentions in
institutions in which he felt such sincere interest, and to
which feeling I most cordially join.—I am, Sir, yours
faithfully, "F. DAVIDGE.
To Wm. Bennett, Esq., Secretary to the Drury-
lane Theatrical Fund, 10, Little Russell-
street, Covent-Garden."
The master, secretary, and several members of the
Committee acknowledged the handsome bequest, and the
Manner in which it was communicated, in terms of gra-
titude, and directed a suitable reply to be forwarded to
Mrs. Davidge for her kindness.
The law relating to the canals of France was voted
by the Chamber of I eputies on Tuesday by a majority
of 146 votes against 116. It places at the disposal of
the Government a sum of from 50,000,000 to 60,000,000
francs, for the purpose of purchasing the shares, the pro-
. i.erty of the societies and individuals who provided
funds for the construction of canals in 1821 and 1822, on
condition of becoming joint proprietors of those canals.
SUDDEN DEATII.—(From a Correspondent.)—
Yesterday morning Mr. Brown, the proprietor of the
Flask Tavern, Piirilico, expired after a few minutes ill-
ness. His death was caused by the rupture of a blood
vessel. • lie was extensively known, and highly re-
spected by all who knew him.
The vibrations of an earthquake have, some little
time back:, been felt at Anapa, the Cossack towns of
NikolajeWssicaja and Witiasijewa, and on other places
on the shore of the Black Sea. They lasted three se-
conds. and were accompanied by subterranean rumbling,
•but caused no other damage than some slight fissures in
the walls of a few houses, and the falling of some chim-
neys at Anapa.
' Letters from Berlin of the 23d ult. mention that
disturbances had occurred at Schwerin, after the death
of the Grand Duke. The people, who were much at-
tached to him, imagining that he had not been properly
attended to during his illness, attacked the house of his
physician. whose life was saved only by the timely in-
terference of the authorities.