The Sun.
London, England, 1829-12-30 00:00:00

BOROUGH.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)

On Saturday, at Queenborough, died Thomas
Young Greer, the Chamberlain, and for some time
past, alternate years, the Mayor of that borough.
The sensation caused amongst the inhabitants by
the unexpected news of this person's death was
such, as it is to be hoped no functionary's life or
conduct can ever again occasion in any part of this
country. The demonstration of feeling amongst
. .

he fishermen and others, who are little accustomed

to disguise their sentiments, were perfectly ungovern-
able. A large party of them ran to the town flag-
staff, and endeavoured to hoist a flag, but the hal-
liards gave way; they succeeded, however, in getting
up colours. An attempt was made to get possession
of the keys of the belfry of the church, with the
intention of ringing a peal, but they were prevented.
Boys and children ran about the streets with what-
ever they could get to wave as colours. At night
the poor people did as much as their poverty would
enable them to do to make up an illumination; 11114
at the public-houses the general feeling was exhi-
bited without restraint. On Sunday, however, the
ebullition subsided, under the influence of the seve-
ral pastors, and the whole of the people became
calm, and returned to their former excellent order.
During Monday the same quietness continued.
These extraordinary manifestations did nor excite
the slightest surprise in that part of the country, or
indeed in any persons acquainted with the past and
present condition of that wretched borough. In
explanation, it may be requisite to state, that he was
considered to be the prime mover of all the mea-
sures which tended to depopulate the borough : and
it was constantly a subject of complaint and outcry
that his conduct as a Magistrate was in conformity
with those measures,:and that to the poor burgesses
he was inexorable. Witnesses, who attended to.
give evidence on the trial at Maidstone, with re-
spect to the rights of the burgesses, as put in issue
on the trial of Skey, the fisherman, were prepared
to prove that at theti me when the whole town was
in a state of starvation, from being shut from their
means of livelihood, their fisheries, the Mayor
threatened further additions to their sufferings._
During the winter, when several burgesses had li-
terally perished for want, and the great body were
saved from starvation by public subscriptions, his
course was still pursued with astonishing resolution,
and his threats of "further punishment," as he
called it, were unabated. This winter brought with
it a renewal of the former sufferings, and it was
stated throughout the town (how truly we cannot
pretend to say) that but three days before his death,
he had declared he would starve the burgesses nine
years longer. An opinion prevailed that he was
desirous of provoking the people to violence, in
order that he might the more effectually cut then.
down; and this belief, perhaps, contributed to the
maintenance of peace, under circumstances of exas-
peration, which rendered its preservation a matter of
astonishment. The poor fishermen were, by their
brethren of other places, often reproached for then
pusillanimity, and they were told that in other places
such tyranny would not for one day escape (what
they considered) its just consequences.
The history and character of the deceased were
equally remarkable. Ile was formerly a common
s silor in the preventive service, where lie was dis-
tiuguished for his intrepidity. He afterwards mar-
ried advantageously, and took a public-house in the
borough. He then became a patriot, and asserted
the rights of the fishermen against th• select body of
self-elected jurats. At an election which occurred
he became instrumental in returning two members
in opposition to them. He soon, by determined per-
severance, made the places of the select body too
hot for them, and the majority resigned. lie was
then appointed a just, and a majority of his friend.
got upon the bench. He ever after kept in a majo-
eity, who were directly dependent upon him, or in-
terested in supporting them. As soon as he was
firmly in power, and irrespoesible to the pecple, his
conduct underwent an immediate change. -. His
vessels were employed by the Board of Ordnance,
and at the ensuing elections ministerial members
were returned, lie enforced a code of lasyS for the

i ..
geverntreet of the UV: 14'.4raiA? I- 1.:-(14,ti:.. ( Lit: bad
ever been attemwed by 14" ii• pied-e.,eer4. some
Option may be formed Of hit. &ie.:n-1,460n. I.y AT,
instance of his conduct ne a Ma, icrete. !it, had,
whilst Mayor, sentenced a man to be publicly floc god
for deserting his wife; the person appointed w uxe-i
cute the sentence did not appear to t' e Mayor to be
efficient, and without hes:teflon lie tc,,!( *IT his coat,
seized the cat-o'-nine-tails, and executed his own
sentence with as little mitigation as if he had been a
Chinese executioner. The sentence itself was
popular, and he obtained applause. His con-
duct, however, with relation to the fisheries, was
such as to cause resistance, and at the last elec-
tion an independent member was returned, to the
exclusion of an Ordnance member. Subse-
quently, the select body passed a by-law that none
should work at the fisheries withnut their permiii-
sioo. Colourable permission w.te even to a few
only of those who voted against the Board of Ord-
nence interest : the great majority were exelusled
remorselessly from their means of liveLhood. The
tendency of these measures was obvious. By re-
ducing the number of burgesses more complete com-
mand was obtained over those who remained ; by
changing the situation of the select body from that
laid down by the Cl aster, as trastees end ndinitais-
tredve officers for the benefit of the tome' tt.; !het of
proprietors; ani by reducing the number of frala
proprietors, and in fact by divefiting the red:l4
number of the character of joint-propeietees to te4tt
of mere hired labourers, the return of funds in.() the
hands of the select body became pi optirtienably
larger. This was the by-law brcheq through by one
of the fishermen, w ho, when prosecu eel by the se-
lect body, obtained a tiiumphant verdict eg,inst
them. The select body, having the command ttf the
corporate funds, still persevered, and refused ether
to stock the ground with brood oysters, or to tit`eit
the burghers to participate in the produce, unftree
they signed a paper, which world virtually yirl,l tip
to the select body the proprietary right* to the
fisheries. The resistance of the people, as the
public are aware, brought famine into sbe teem
during the two last winters. At the beginning of
last week, intelligence was brought to London' that
310 persons wet e in the borough in the most
wretched and desperate eondition,

RETRENCHMENT IN A PitiLGTICIri.

SHAPE.

(From the Scotsman.)
Intus babes, quod poseis.—Orin.

Among other evils, arising from the immense
magnitude of our taxation, there is this, that it
reconciles us to many individual cases of n:as:o
and extravagance, which might be remedied, and
multiplies the obstacles to retrenchment, both on
the great scale and on the mall. When a

practical saving is pointed out, if it is largq, the
public may be zealous for it, but the Govertotl!t
is, averse to such a sweeping change ; and if it Is'
small, it is impossible to get six individuals to
interest themselves in the matter, becatie no
one sees how it is to produce any sensible relief
to himself or others. Besides, much molestation
teaches persons to economise their feelings as
well as their time and labour. When we hire

the conviction ever present in our minds, that
such an overgrown revenue system as ours must
abound in abuses, prudence dictates that we
ought not to discompose ourselves excessively
about some single grievance that is incidentally
brought forth from the masr, and obtruded on
our notice. In short, between the immobility
of Government, and the apathy of the publit, a►
hundred economical reforms, which are perfedly
practicable, remain unaccomplished. It lra,s
often occurred to us that the benefits of rctrei.:)•-,
ment might he rendered more tangiae, by
placing specific savings against specific taxes,
and shewing the public the task and the reward,
the bane and the antidote, in juxta-position. We
shall endeavour to render this intelligible by a
few examples.
Every body knows that there is an officer
called Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, who has
30,0001. per annum for enacting the part of a
state pageant in Dublin. When the sister king-
dom had an independent Legislature, there was
at least a pretext for having such a functionary,
but now there is none ; for as his Lordship de-
cides in no matter of importance till he has re-
ceived instructions from London, it would evi-
dently save both time and trouble to make the
parties interested correspond directly with the
Treasury. The office, in truth, was spared at
the time of the -Union, to soothe the vanity of
the Irish, by keeping up the phantom of a sepa-
rate Government after the substance was gone.
Let us then suppose the Lieutenancy abolished,
the question is—what shall we do with the
money saved ? Throw it into the Sinking Fund ?
No certainly ; for who cares a pinch of snuff
about adding 30,000/. to a fund which may
bring relief to our grandchildren, but will bring
none to us. We would give it a different des-

tination ; we would select from the list of our
taxes some one of corresponding amount, and
repeal it. For example, if we take the tax on
Almanacks, which yielded last year 30,7181. :
by abolishing this useless office we may en-
able every poor man in the kingdom, to get
an article which neither poor nor rich ought to
want, but which at present is beyond the reach
of thousands to whom it would be useful. The
duty on Almanacks is ls. 3d. each, the conse-
quence of which is, that one of the very smallest
size costs 2s. 6d. Repeal the tax, and we think
we might give a guarantee, that the Society for
the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, would pub-
lish one of these most necessary manuals at
fourpence or sixpence. Now, we ask, whether
it is better that bine-tenths of the people of
Britain should want Almanacks, which answer
a thousand questions as to Times and Tides, or
that Ireland should be deprived of a State
pageant, who has not even the merit of answer-
ing a single question, till be communicates with
his masters in London !

Our countryman, Lord Melville, by no means
a bad man, enjoys the sinecure of Keeper of
the Privy Seal, for which he draws 3,0001. per
Annum. As he has another office with a large
salary, we see no hardship in depriving him of
this; and in casting our eye over the table of
the Custom duties for an equivalent, we find that
by this means every good housewife might have
A Scigo_ pudding (a favourite with Dr.-Redgill)
At half the present price! We admit that Sago
puddings are not indispensable to the hapriness
of " the general gender," but neither i• Lord
Melville's sinecure ; arid if the question were
whether sago puddings should fall vim half, or
his Lordship draw a salary which he does not
work for, and ought not to need, we would ccr-
;mini), on the " Greatest happiness" principle,
leclare for the pudding ! We give this as an
example how the value of small savings may be
exhibited in a tangible shape.
In the Finance Book for last year, we find

[14,8001. put clown as nitereht paid by us, tin
a Russian loan in Holland. Since the Non hen,
Autocrat is at this moment tiqueezing !alga
sums out of Turkey and Persia, we thildi
cannot make * better use of the money than by
:lischarging his just debts, or at least i4;411.; the
burden of interest upon himself. If this. is an
twitial charge, as we suspect it is, u.s alt) awn
rr QUId enable Ministers tv remit nearly one half