The Sun.
London, England, 1829-12-16 00:00:00

severe sufferings in consequence of the mortgage,
and that the mortgagees were in a situation of
comparative ease, comfort, and affluence, would
these circumstances furnish any additional reason
why he should generously sacrifice the fair and
equitable interests of the former to the spurious
pretensions or unfounded complaints of the lat-
ter ?.--Morning Post.
We are glad to perceive, from the provincial
papers, that the country has been at length fairly
roused to a sense of the enormous, oppressive,
partial, and most impolitic, taxes which are
levied on malt and beer, and that public meet-
ings are on the eve of being held in different
counties, for the purpose of petitioning Parlia-
ment for their repeal, or at least partial modi-
fication of them. The Worcester Journal
says—" Petitions to the House of Commons
are at this time preparing in several towns and
villages in this and the neighbouring counties,
praying the repeal of the Malt and Beer Duties,
the imposition of a well-regulated Tax upon
Property, and also a Tax upon Absentees." A
meeting is also to be held in the county of Lin-
coln, notwithstanding the refusal of the High
Sheriff to call it, and we see by advertisements and.
requisitions, that the counties adjoining the metro-
polis are determined not to be behind in thegood
work. This is as it should be; and if the countg wil
only lift up its voice unanimously, the result
cannot be doubted—a result to be so greatly
desired by every class in the community, that it
is a matter of utter astonishment to us that any
one should have ever thought either of propos-
ing, or of procuring the consent of the Legisla-
ture to the taxes of which we complain. They
are, of all taxes, the most injurious and oppres-
sive—injurious to the land-owner and farmer,
and hop-grower, by diminishing the consump-
tion of barley and hops, and lowering, in con-
sequence, the value of land—injurious to the
brewer and the victualler, by lessening the con-
sumption of malt liquor, and diminishing the
amount of profit which each might fairly make
in their business—and, finally, not only most
injurious to the public, by depriving it of the
most healthful and invigorating beverage, but
most oppressive also to the middling and lower
classes, who are obliged, as we shelved on a
former occasion, to pay a high price for
whatever malt liquor they may consume, in
order that the rich may drink it at a lower rate !
Such are the undeniable evils of the tax, and we
trust that that part of the public which has not
hitherto bestirred itself in the cause, will not be
slow in making a proper application of them.—
With regard to the imposition of other taxes in
lieu of the malt and beer duties, the public, we
think, need not be afraid that the Government
will not readily discover some new source to
supply the deficiency,—at least, we never yet
knew a Chancellor of the Exchequer who was at
a loss on that head ; and the public may, in
consequence, we think, very safely entrust him
with the reimbursement of the Exchequer. In
the mean time, however, we may observe, that it
appears a most gross anomaly in fiscal legislation,
that a great number of persons should draw their
incomes from the country, and yet contrive, by
living out of it, to evade that remuneration for
the protection of their property which is exacted
from all others. To be sure there is a certain
knot—a very stnall one, however—of political
economists, who tell us that it is a matter of no
consequence whether a man resides at Brussels,
or Paris, or St. Petersburgh, in so far as the
consumption of our national produce is concern-
ed ; for that the money which lie gives to the
French farmer for his flour, and the Brussels
lace-maker for his lace, will be returned to the
London exporter in lieu of other commodities ;
but while we admit the general truth of the doc-
trine from which this inference is drawn, we must
protest against its application in this way, and.
express our preference in this instance of the
common proverb, " that a bird in the hand is
worth two in the bush." Only a second-rate be-
nefit, at most, flows in this way to the country
from the expenditure of its subjects abroad—the
first, and by far the largest, portion, goes into
the pocket of the foreigner; and the Govern.
ment would therefore do well, we think, to try
what effect a tax might have in recalling the ab-
sentees, instead of permitting the country to be
defrauded by them, and only benefitted in,_the
second-hand way alluded to. If the British
Government security be still the best, there is no
great fear of their withdrawing their property
from its care.—Morning Advertiser.

COMMISSIOA OF LUNACY.

(Continued from our Paper of yesterday.)

Mr. Henry Hulbert, examined by Mr. WRIGHT—
I am a tea-broker; I have known Mr. Davies for
six or seven years. I was at a tea-sale on the sth
of June; he was there. I called on him next day
respecting a contract I had made:for him. He seemed
much excited. He said he had been grossly insulted
the day before, by a tea-broker, nearly connected
with our house. On another day of the sale he
stated to me, that he was grossly insulted by an-
other tea-dealer. He named Mr. Delufosse. From
what I observed on the days I speak of, I thought
he was not of his mind, and not fit to conduct his
business.

Cross-examined by Mr. BROUGHAM—I generally
saw Mr. Davies some days previous to the tea-side,
for about 20 minutes. I had not that intimacy with
him that he should consult me in his private affairs.
The tea-sale is n crowded room. Sometimes about
100 persons present. There is a great deal of
noise, confusion, and many jibes are going on. I
cannot say Mr. Davies was not insulted on that day ;
but I did not see or hear of it. But I should think
it unlikely.
R. Gibbs, examined by Sir C. WETIIERELL—I
am a tea-broker. I have known Mr. Davies about
six years. I hare done business for him during that
time. First a little, and then a great deal. 1 have
the largest share of his business. I considered him
to be a man of much skill in his business. This
extends to the whole of the time, up to the 18th of
April last. He came to me on that day, but his
manner was much changed. frequently repeated
oaths. Said he had a call. Said "By God,"
" God Almighty," and words to that effect. Ile
said he was beset by villains, who would take away
his life, if the laws of theicountry did not prevent
them. He spoke of puppies of stock-brokers and vil-
lains who were conspiring against him, who passed
his door, puppies smoking cigars; and he decribed
their dress. lie said he felt himself inspired, and
was a new creature—that it was the work of God;
he threw out his hands, and said he could feel it at
the tips of his fingers. He did not use the words
" new creature" or " inspired." Those are my
inference, but he said that lie had a call. I never
heard him use such words before. I have been in
the habit of taking tea with him eight or ten times
in the year. I saw him on such occasions about ten
times at least in the last year. His purchase at the
June sales amounted to about 15,0001. This would
be payable about three months from that date. I
went to Crouch-hill to see him on the 4th of Au-
gust. He told me that he had seen a vision the
night before, \Odell had given him great pleasure,
arid he had not vet lost sight of it. It was a vision
from Heaven, which told him that his troubles were
over, arid that henceforward he should enjoy riches
land happiness. He then proposed that there should
`be a consultation of six eminent lawyers and six