The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-06 00:00:00

PILIMILIATAENTII.2.3.

The Clerk of the Crown having amended the return for
Weymouth, Messrs. Bernal and Christie last night took the
oaths and their seats. •

The Southwark Improvement Bill (No. 2) was postponed
after a division. _ .

Several petitions were presented against parts of the tariff, and
one of then) was from liquorice growers about Pontefract, who
have obtained a vested right in a restriction on the importation
of foreign liquorice by an exacted duty.
Air. Williams gave notice of a motion to apply the sliding
scale to public incomes, and to subject real property to the le-
gacy duty.
Mr. Manners Sutton obtained leave to bring in a Bill to
.continue for a limited, term the General Turnpike Acts, and
provide for the better regulation of turnpike trusts-in England
and Wales.

Lord Eliot obtained leave to bring in a Bill to regulate
fisheries in Ireland, and Sir V. Blake obtained leave for a Bill
to regulate admission to the bar in Ireland.

On the motion of Lord-Ingestrie, a return was ordered of Sir
Samuel Bentham's plan for a floating breakwater, which was
invented in 1811, in order to enable the House to judge of a
Bill now in progress for establishing a floating breakwater on
Captain Taylor's principle.
The House went into Committee on the Corn-keeping-out-
Bill, and was occupied with it for the remainder of the even-
ing. No alterations of importance were made, the Committee
having rejected, by considerable majorities, amendments pro-
posed-by Lord Worsley, Mr. Childers, and others. The Bill
was reported, and the Report ordered to be received this day.
Pocr Colonel Sibthorp was most unkindly treated by his
friends. He moved that the duties should be paid on impor-
tation, not on taking the corn out of bond, and on calling for a
division, Colonel Sibthorp, says the Votes, " was appointed
one of the tellers for the Yeas, but there being no other Mem-
ber to be a second teller for the Yeas," the poor Colonel could
not even force on a division, and the " Chairman declared that
the Noes had it." Not one friend in the whole 658 Members
could give the worthy, not rieux, moustache even the tempo-
ran support of crying Aye with him. Poor Sibby !
the House adjourned at a Quarter past One o'Clock.
PUBIAC oPIMION.

The Post has an article on the subject of the disastrous pro-
ceedings in Cabool, wherein it observes :—" General Elphiu.
stone seems to have acted like a man far more anxious to get
away from a pressing danger than to confront it— a very good
sort of character, perhaps, for the ordinary occurrences of iiie,
but a very bad sort of character for a leader in perilous cir-
cumstances. When danger is at a distance, it i 3 wise policy
to keep it off if you can ; whon it presses, valour is the only
wisdom : turn upon it, fight with it, die in the struggle, if so
it please Providence to decide : but make the enemy respect
you, even if he conquer. As for General Elphinstone and
his army, he led them away from danger into death. instead
of making a manly strit,gg,e where it might have been made
with some effect, he took them where such a struggle could not
be made with even the remotest chance of success."

The Chronicle expresses itself in the following terms, on
the subject of the income tax :—" The income tax, properly
'so called, is to be enacted exclusively for those who are beyond
the sacred pale of agriculture. As to recipients of small in-
comes, earned by indu4ry, this injustice is a very f,:ut atrocity.
What and where are the profits of salaried -employes who are
paid from 1501. to 3001. per annum? The very word, as ap
plied to them, is an absurdity. It must, at least, be so, inthe
event of their having families dependent upon them kir sup-
port. A few pounds in a saving? bank'may, probably, re-
present all that the most careful can annually realise as profits.
By close economy, they may, perhaps, save enough to pay the
tax upon their incomes. What to the fartitik ii'a-per cenhge
on profits, to them is a confiscation of pitfits: Beyond that,
instead of portion of saved money, the- tax- as 'a: sin-
fence of actual privation. The three years' pretence is already
discarded. This income tax in not meats tto bo temporiry.
It will will evidently be co-existent with 'the ascendancy ef
Toryism. After three years Sir Robert Peel-two: prOmises'net
to take off the tax, but to be guided by the decision of Putt-
Inent as to its continuance; and he expresies his hope",that
Parliament will be disposed to prolong its duration. 01 eoutse
the present Parliament will be disposed to do so: We are
under a landowners' Legislwore. They will readily do the
Minister'e work. We may take for granted at once that the
burden is permanent."
The Herald says :—" It will not be the fault of the trading,
professional, and literary classes themselves if, to use this Pre-
tnier's language, • no alteration whatever be made in the in-
come tax.' Let them at once imitate the energy and activity
of those sections of the community who felt their interests en-
' dangered by the alterations in the tariff, and the wedge will be
inserted into that portion of the Ministerial proposition which
will, if it pass unmodified, act as a tax on the profits of actively-
employed and reproducing capital and of labour. Nothing ex-
travagant, nothing unreasonable is wanted; all that is sought is
that Sir Robert Peel's own equitable declaration that every
man ought to 1e taxed according to his means,' be made the
basis of the proposed levy on income."
The Times, after arguing on the impolicy of the advance
upon Affghanistan, goes onto say We have lost the credit
of success by the most complete and disastrous overthrow that
our arms ever suffered in India. The first are gone for ever ;
the last we have to regain as we can, by more bloodshed, know-
ing ourselves meantime to be engaged in an uncalled-for and
unprofitable quarrel—a quarrel which, as we began it without
excuse, so, at best, we shall have to end it by a mere empty
assertion of our power;—necessary, indeed, in this dreadful
conjuncture, but unaccompanied by any useful or safe acquisi-
tion of friends, or honour, or treasures, or territory—an occu-
pation perilous and unprofitable to maintain—suffering, with
no object but infliction—loss of men and money, with no re-
compense but a demons ration. Such is the course to which
we are pledged by the fatal policy of the Indian Government.
Such is the course which we must indeed pursue with prompti-
tude, and vigour, and unfaltering decision, but with a heavy
heart, and no thankful feelings towards those who have bound
us to it."
The Advertiser remarks, in an article on the state of affairs
in India :—" The effect of a sudden arrival in India of a strong
effective band, would be of incalculable benefit; for, although
India, otherwise than the immediate theatre of the war, may
be described as tranquil, still, never was there a moment when
the dread of danger from all sides equalled the present. The
drain of soldiers to China—and where events are still sus-
pended, awaiting a reinforcement of six regiments—is in itself
a reason why the greatest efforts should forthwith be made to
supply, through the most expeditious channels, the desideratum
of European troops in India."