The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-07 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF YESTERDAY.

GLOBE.—The Resolutions of which Lord John
Russell has given notice for to-morrow (Thursday),
on the bringing up of the Report of the Income Tax
Resolution, will, we predict, remain unanswered in
debate, though they may be negatived on division.
lies° resolutions, in fact, embody the common sense
of the question between Government and the country.
The truth is, that the same conviction which inspires
Lord John Russell's resolutions, lurks in the argu-
ments and admissions of the Premier himself on his
new measures. A correct sense of the real state of
things! is discernible in the one and the other. The
only difference is that one can, and the other cannot,
afford to bring his conclusions into practical conform-
ity with his premises. Sir Robert Peel is compelled
to extract a plea of justification for an income tax from
the same facts which enable Lord John Russell to
show such a tax unnecessary. In effect Sir Robert
himself has not affirmed the income tax to be ne-
cessary for the sole purpose of meeting the exist-
ing deficit. He has eked out the necessity for
the tax by giving up more of the revenue. He has
pursued, without the excuse of any doubt resting on
the result, the same policy which he has made
the subject of so much censure in his predecessors.
How repeatedly, have they been charged, as the head
and front- of their financial offending, with reducing
the rate of postage, in the face of a merely incipient
deficit ! We have now the timber duties struck down
in the face of ascertained and recurring deficiency. In
fact, the Premier felt the necessity of "doing the
Liberal" in one line or other; and finding himself
pracluded from doing it in lines which would have in-
creased the revenue, was obliged to do it in a line,
which would increase the deficit. So far, there-
fore, as that part of his commercial and financial
policy goes, he simply repeats what has been charged
on the Whigs aS the popular vice of their a,duainistra-
tioir;-and repeats It under ag-gravnted inopportune eir-
cumstances. He catches their knack of diminishing
revenue, just as they had begun learning to in-
cease it. The only difference therefore between Whig
and Tory finance hitherto, is that, whereas the Whigs
incurred a deficit before their eyes were well open,
and so soon as they were open, adopted commercial
measures to fill it up, the Tories adopt com-
mercial measures to render the deficit greater, and
then declare that they cannot make up the public
revenue without an income tax.
STANDARD.—The revenue returns more than
realise the satisfactory anticipations which we have
offered. The increase upon the year ending yesterday,
as compared with the year preceding, amounts to
687,9411.; the increase upon the quarter, as compared
with the April quarter of 1841, to 111,3121. The only
decrease upon the year appears under the heads of
Stamps and Excise, 123,589/. upon the former;
65,4271. upon the latter. For the diminution in the re-
turn of stamps it is not easy to suggest a reason.
The decline in the Excise is small, but it is important,
as an unequivocal proof of the distress of the humble
classes ; for it is a decrease upon decrease, where, if
the people were in a right condition, there ought to
be a progressive increase, proportioned at least to the
increase of population ; it is more important in refe-
rence to instruction when we compare it with the
great increase upon taxes—the most important increase
of the year—amounting to no less than 422,1881.
Now, if we were to take this increase alone as
the test of the condition of the whole people, we
must conclude that that condition is prosperous,
for otherwise than prosperous the condition of a
people, whose annual contribution, according to a
fixed scale, adjusted to their mode of life, augments
at the rate of nearly half a million annually, can-
not be. But here comes the decrease in the Excise,
to warn us that the assessed taxes are not a fait test
of the condition of the whole people ; for were they,
the Excise, affecting articles universally consumed,
must advance pari passu with them. We are thus
brought to the inference that the assessed taxes are
a test only of the condition of classes, and these
classes must be the higher classes and middle classes ;
while the Excise is, as far as it goes, the only
test of the condition of the less affluent. We
say as far as it goes, because as the higher and
middle classes, proved by the assessed taxes to be
prosperous to some extent, are, in common with the
lower classes, consumers of exciseable articles, and,
therefore, being prosperous, consume more than here-
tofore, -it is plain that the deficiency in the Excise
does not adequately represent the degree of de-
pression among the latter. To arrive at such an
adequate representation, we must add the pro-
bable increase of consumption by the iiiigher
and middle classes to the actual decrease; and
this will exhibit a very gloomy view of the state of
the poor. The true use of the instruction of the past
and present, however, respects . the future ; and the
view of the revenue for the last year, and for several
preceding years, plainly points to an income tax, in
one shape or other, as the only just and politic mea-
sure of taxation.

FREEMASONRY.—The antiquity of Freemasonry
must be very great, as the plates in-Lord Kingsborough's large
work, on the antiquities of Mexico and Peru, and Baron Hum-
boldt's
work, show that Masonry was practised by the Tsabeans
of that part of the wend. The Polynesian Islands possess Ma-
sonic remains. Through the whole of Turkey, Arabia, Egypt,
Tartary, China, and Japan, Masonic remains are found; in-
deed, travel where you may, Masonry has been before you. All
the ancient religions, down to Henry Bth, all forms of good
government were modelled on Masonic principlh ; all lan-
guiges—all the ancient sciences were on the same plan. _
eemasons Quarterly Review for April.
The discovery of fifteen or sixteen new veins of
marble in the Pyrenees is announced by the Emancipation of
Toulouse. They are all in one mountain, between the valley
of Campan and the small town of Sarrancolin, in the valley of
the Aure. According to the report of M. Nere Boubee, a
scientific geologist, these new marbles, which are all of different
species, are superior in quality and beauty to those of Campan
and Sarrancolin, which were used in the construction and
adornment of the palaces of Versailles and Trianon, and which
were considered to be the finest marbles of France, and even
comparable to those of Italy.
On the 22d ult. there was a sudden fall of snow at
Rome, although during the three preceding days the thermo-
meter had been up to 15 degrees above zero of Reaumur (nearly
66 of Fahrenheit). The hills of Albano and Tusculum re-
mained white for the whole day.
CANTERBURY UNION BANK.—On Monday and
Tuesday the examination of the partners in this bank took
place at Canterbury, and the information adduced, relative to
the consignment of all the personal property of Mr. Baldock,
one of the partners, was important. From the evidence of his
son it appeared that various heavy mortgages, consisting of
15,0001., to Messrs. Grote and Co. ; 10,000/. to Mr. Martelly ;
75,0001 to Nlr. 80l ton ; 8,000/. to Mr.Boddington ; and another
to Messrs. Prescott and Co. were not received upon hs joining the
firm in 1836, for his use, but exclusively for his father's; and
indemnities on the occasion were offered him on execution of
the deeds thereof. These facts were afterwards confirmed on
;he asseveration of Mr. H. Kingsford. The meeting on Tues-
day was concluded by allowing the accounts to pass, but strong
remonstrance was made against the unsatisfactory manner in
which the accounts and affairs had been managed.