The Sun.
London, England, 1816-02-09 00:00:00

con i or coAt%ioN: cwJNC:Ith• reti. 8.

esnteil more upon the impolicy of the ntNW°.
Minn on its grounds an I principles. The pro.
.ceedings in that Court, hOwever, were fteldenq
Coottary to prudence and sound sense. lie al!
hided to Gibbon's account of the decline and fall
of the Roman Empire, which was caused by the
progressive sebservience of the people to the
impoSSitiOln of the Government, till at length,
they had learnt to amuse themselves with their
chains, and their degradation wars completed by
assessments upon their property. Such was this
.way in which the people of this country scut"
be degraded, if they 0 did brit resist in time
the encroachments which were made liven-
them, under the plea of the necessities of the State,
and which would end in only allowing a map tv
say lie was completely independent, when he tray
completely reduced to beggary. The ttx; tresa?•
the least of it, was UnConStitotional ; it WWII
for the promotion of frauds and pct jlti tear ite
the people, who were obliged to disclose their
concerns before petty 'tyrants, and who cense-
quently deemed, evasion a duty to themselves and
their families. There ought always to be a alnd
terial difference between realised property end 00
derived from actual ' and professiOnal- imlustrf,
which was not the case as cite Act stood at pre`
sent, by the inquisitorial powers of which, tyke!
a man died, upon whose exertions a family de'
pended for support, that family was lost..
. Mr. DiXoN• :41111, whatever his individual or
nion might be respecting the tax in question, llt
tru,ted he had too much c gid,sense to Withstsal
a current so strong as that which now appeet
to. be running against it ; hut he would say,- titer
the,.subject bad been completelv.ntisrepreseato.
Ile had always thought that the first idea of the
luconse Tax ices as well founded as 'all tbi"g
,could,be, :Nothing was so fit:for taxation as Pr"'
perry ; but it-was a painful situation for ally mans
under any circumstances, to he in, when he `''Hs
obliged to expose to the world. the whole natarc
of hia-atfairs.. For himself, lie must say,- that lie
had nevertnet with any thing 4ike oppression frcflll
the Commissioners ; but be feared it was too toe,
that near to London, and erhaps even through the
whole of the kingdom, there' had been a univeroi
system of surcharges, beginning with A. and
nosyl,
ire-ugh,
ith corm•
211!rit01;fet:‘,1*tietel rri itetstillt:twett.hittie‘h;jleoceircseolte,funntt.heolt
rreyenti' 'sufficientl fPvie'
neces4
Ltd Ministers would 'flint Means to, rei4e
sary supplies for its exigencies, without 1'101!
recourse to a system so generally ohnoxiott' 7 s-
alad hopeil,that as far as the security of thenatieti
would
.41;140 it, they would set oft I,MV4•IIi;
tern of retrenchment ; but the people must 4"
expect too much ; for notbitig secureooal4l, tal6l
indeperitience of the country but our being i"t,
Meet whatever attempt any lute
enemy might make against us. He was ready to
join in A humble, though strong rrpteseomiens4
as to the impolicy of thecont:ntisoce of the 'rot,
alo!1.41. lie .would not agree to.its modification of five,
per
.cent, if he thought that, in this state, it W 8
lOteitif, become perpetual. Wear, hear !) •
Mr;O)tiFFITIIS and Mr. St-ant supported the,
IsLtion.

TNe REIIENIIIRANCEit reported to the Court, that he hat:,
,vaittd oo the Under Svcretary of Stitte.lo know, through
hi riti when the Prince Kigutit mould be itlenicd to recsivt tbtl
In•t Address vottd tiy,that Cotirt. The ipiiiver re-turned wits.,
t ;IA his !loyal highness would name a tame and place forte-
'eeiritig it on bis rett2lll to tuWII.
Mr.• WAtriimAs moved, that the formi of two Pal:ions.
to Parlinnient which he' pre:iettted Alleuld be read. Tite3e.
tirtyed that Pei!ls shook, he brought in ter repeal the A.t
fur the relief of jo,,,ivent nehtors, nod to ouppre,s Mock
.titctioni.—.lfier some cootersation the Petitiotts were'
adopted. - .

PKOPF,IITY TAX.
Mr. NITAITHMAis Sillily that Court had already
more than once expressed their strong objectiou
tool sincere abhorrence to the Property Tax. If
they had done this at alt;eriod when the country
laboured under 011. the pressure of a most .expen-
sive•war, what would they- do now, when the
circumstances under which it was to be imposed
were so essentially different from what they we're
formerly, 'and 'when the trier!) of peace hod
brought that period, at which the Legislature
stood pledged in the most soletnii manner to its
prompt abolition % The noble stand made against
the Excise Laws. Was not yet forgotten. It was
01l that oeelisioli Lord Chatham maintained than
an Englishman's house, WaS Iris castle, and greatly
exerted himself to repel t he meditated attack upon it.
The castle, howerer,h,ol subseenentlysurrendered,
and for umny years no. person hail tutempted any
opposition.to the Excise Laws. Front this 'cif-
cutustance, the changer of submitting in 'the first
instance to any violation of the tights of the sub-
ject must be seen, and the cousideration thence
arising would, he irnited, ankintte that Court at
owe to make. a bold mid a determined stand
against that enjest and iniquitous impost with
.which. they. were now menac4. lie was sure it
was lint necessary to' say any thing to satisfy thet
Court lathe propriety of opposing the renewal of
the 'lncome Tax, as it was not in .his power to
tpty.titty thing new on the sohject ; . but, at the
lame time, he thPught they ought not' to keep
their opinions to themselves. The law was founded
in such gross injustice, that it was a duty, to ex-
pose it, tlow flagrant was the injost ice of its ope-
ration, when it pressed' with the same weight on
ca ,rt inconte •as oo:pertnameot, property t'The
tax was such. in its principle that' it could not pos-
sibly be equalized, -f-le should object to it as
much if it were proposed to reduce it to ot4 'per
cent. as he did when it was intended that five or
ten percent. should be paid. He was -satisfied
that it ,wIIS oat possible 'for the roost impartial
maw to' carry. this law into ettect veit hoot. the
.gressest violet iontlf the liberty of the subject; and
he held it to he impossible to tool :Men who would
gieefheirlimean(t.attentiontothedittiesimposed pit
theetoninissioners of the Property 'fax, it they had:
not some prospect of Witte lewerd before them.'
Thin Chancellor. of "the Exchequer. on proposing
the renewal of the Property `,T.ix last year,
had introdeeetlintit the Act, in or-ti..r to ttiAlze it
more palateblerit.elettseoatecting that the Sur-,
vcyor be lia,ble tti a penalty of fifty pounds,
tor every vexations , surcharge This, however,
had been made nttg;ttory by the coudoct ol the
CouttoissiOners, who, When art action had ikeett,
brought against the Surveyor, halt steppeti fir
ward antl'sereelied 'tiro by taking tite surcharge
unon,theinselves. Another 'most unjust prrseeed-
lug was this ; the penalty of .501.1 m a surcharge
w+ls,,Ceenvered iu a Snit inattitntrtl against a Stir-
veyOr,;the costs and !wholly were to be paid by
the parish. What could be more unjust than that
the,innocont should he .1)01)1311ml for the, fault of
the guilty ? ' on re.newing the tax too, the Chan-
of the Exellicipter had Suit! would take
the assesSMent Of the preeetliog year, but att sooti
as the Act had passed, tl.e army of Sor'veyois, Jo-
vot':tors and,Commi,,ioners,,, bad not
pour forth ;their surcharges anti asseSsineitts, and
they had continued to drag prrions haore flinty
almost ii to the present moment. Ile proceeded
r to suety the evils 'from the tax, by de-
scribing the line. of cotoleet pursued by persons iu
distress under its operatito.
Thelionti here interropied the slreakerk
byaatiog tint !N of,Austria to lie•in.
alof desrmts of.e..itnesting the proceedioAs
the Court. A patuse ensued, After :Wltitji
,thCir.
Irtiperialllighnewses were introdoced
Sliftw, areompanieti, IV.. Qiingreve,-:and
e4nobteted thiougli the Court (which rose on..their
entromt), to the seat on the tight hand of .the!
Lord ?flavor,
Mr. i\VAIVIMAN resataeit tax, itarever
modified, w,,ald he at bit nary and unjust, and ought
not to hehorne„ .kite w ntuch was,suid on the
dipreesion of the-agricultural interest:4'
miner! t liaA latterly the Property Tax .11.114 'pressed
upon those wio..bare this title. in an undue pro-
.portion It was, however,' to be remembered,
thar they had Ira! a long period of prusperi-
,ty, lort for this he, dial not wish them to be'
visited with • undue .oppression one day longer
than Was, ntixolutely. necessary'. `The City, :lie
would contend, felt the Property Tax-as severely
as theycould, and paid quite ins notch tt) it in pro-
portion to their means, out of an income more
heetuating than theirs was, and were subjected to
&Wile iitgitisiturial ivilVers than were exercised with
respect to them. TO stibmit to these.inquisitotial
powers, always unpleesentores sometimes ruin to
the Unfortnnete trader., 'Some were of opinion,
that if' the Proptrty Tax were continued, it would
be but right. that the agricultural interest should
be riiterupted • front its operation, while others,
nn the ciinfrary, thought, though 'traders and
otanufectut ens ought to be relieved from it,- it
Was very proper that lt.shoold still be imposed on
those who were possessed of landed or funded pro-
perty„ He, howeVer, tees agaimk
was-convinced it ,woold prove destructive to the It (vitiuld"seern a•selt:evident truth, that persona
,
Cmottieution ; and if once sub w
submitted to, ou HO NV 10 ld I
t tine most t arty names!' in who, t
more
be got rid of then the Ekcise: Laws- Ile, may be .concerned` turtst derive the most' Profit.;
-hoped those who hit as he did on this, subject. we cart shrew howesyr in one instance, that rut
...wnilltl lint keep their opinions to them h • • • teeth-
tlittt they would make such entiStitotiotenalv,cesttioettsl,c.
as P4''itglislimen and alindno9t:liCeoneatitseitl, tnoorthaitoillVaileoPy'.'lo'fic'kLeltiedgoarfr.SBhur"
Free Men, as could tint fail to within the last year, butt kept Arise' which the
make an impression on their llepresentetives public purchased in bis- own-bands; he Wanda
Parliameet 1 t; conelnded
by Moving a string of tually bare been a gainer:, of a toincelv fintlineil
resolutions against the 'tax, in which thesttbsott;ce for it is a fact, that the Capital Ptizes alone,
lioittf4t!e,sl.7o, eheiselit•lt:nsteonoboto.)11..itanntd
1,01
aull)4ttti:j.eutliietostia,taer(.l tnttearhilys warm &lint period', excek'llc.d LY
70,0001. the cost price Of all the' Tic'.
• and Shares,---chis is a case, eve believe, tinPHra"
feted lit the li4tor, of Lotteries, and serves ttajaaG
thanllCllAtiNDlV:ltt,gY:Cut°;ontvig,l hill.igilitttie(i't3tkoit();untt.l;t7itn the lion..es tr34l** (to,:
blizhsturistlecescitiled ptetetence shewti )),

_ -Mr. Alderman HEYOATR observed, that as tile
Act now. stood, it was hostile to every principle
of fieetloth. It `itppetived that the question
viled itsaffinto two parts brat, the necessity of
raising money ; and w
secoedly, whether the co°.
Comalice of the Property-Tax was the pro Per
mode of raising it. As we were not yet infornto'
ed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer
would- be ti,e extent of, the Peace Estahlishate4,k
and the probable amount of money, necessarY'W
support it, he thought a proper opinion could 110
he formed -to the general resotirces which
would be requisite. The proposed Resoluticor
• touched on many things and MAIO'S not Caillee"
cut with the l'roperty T:ix, which, in his opinion"
Might as well tiavi, been mititted. He, howelirt.
thought that this tax coup!, under all drew's
stanccs, be well dispensed with. The
bait, Lt wng
good only if raised -front those who could hot,
afford it:; hut it was bad when drawn from i"
comes derived from labour and professions, In'
tram. -any -precarious incomes, neve which rho
CtinunissitmersTwere armed with at. power eiktirel
inconsistent with the liberty at the sirhjecf,
' 11F. PATTst.I spoke is favour of the motion.- •
Alderman t4)(4)1.4-Air:RE censured the 111i1141e,ri-
for geneval pt.,,nigacy in the exPentliture 6(101!
pithl:c rvventle.s.
After a rgly from Mi. WAITIIMAK, in which;
he repeated Many of' the opinions lie had alred(ll,.
offered, the-IkholutiOns were-put and cart
• •