Star.
London, England, 1815-06-08 00:00:00

Nospitat ih.the Misty of Northumberland, during' '
thr years 1811.18.13, and 1814. Also, an account
of the gross rental of the eStatesfani the net proceeds
arising fromehe woods, tmderwoads, &c. in the va.
rifts lands. • -
• Mr.-CItOKER did not object to the production of
the accounts, but denied that it would be possible to
judge from them, whether the money expended on
the estates of the Hospital weir, or were not, pro-
perly laid out. •It was admitted by all persons that
the property was very well managed, and that on
that accettnt it was necessary th it large sutras shoidd
be laid cut in improvements. The rental hid been
doubled since ele ye..ir 1803, iii constquence of the
amehoraiion of the estates, and it was not to she sup-
posed that more money than necessary was employed
in buildings or repairing, since wither the Super-
visor nor the Tenant would be profited by it.
Sir M. W. RIDLEY admitted that the manner in
which the estates were regulated was excellent, par-
ticularly that wait of them that consisted of wood.s—
The accounts, he had no dnuht, would redound
to the credit of those who had the management of
the lands.
Sir C. MONC l asked how the Supervisor was paid?
Mr. CItOKER answered that there were two Su-
pervisors, who were paid 3 per cent. upon the amount
collected.
. Mr. BARING redommended that theestatesshould
be sold, and the. produce placed in the funds,' by
which a peat saving would be made. '
Mr. LONG °NO:led to such a proceeding. Atone'
of the Directors of-'Greenwich Hospital, he Wished
the accounts to be'l4id before the House, not dooht.;
ing but that they would be satisfactory to allyartics.
- The question was then puta.and the several motions
were carried, as well as a return of the names of the
Agents and Supervisors, &c.
Mr. BENNET gave notice, that in the Committee
on the Militia Bill on Monday, he would move two
clauses-1. For prohibiting corporal punishment—
?. For limiting the power .of the Crown to dismks
officers without trial by a Court Martial.

STAMP DUTIC3.-11EWSVAPERS.
The House having resolved itself into a Committee
of Ways. and Means,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER'
rise to -propose the Schedule of Stamp Duties, of
which he had given not;ce. He observed, that the
subjects on which the .additional stamp duties were
to be imposed, were lew duties and newspapera.—
The first of those Subjects, the tax.ttion of law pro-
ceedings, was one on which tco much attention could
not be bestowed. lie had submitted the; present
schedule to several very expel ieocr d persons in the
profession of the law, and since the schedule had"
been before produced, there were many alterations'
m ide in it which would render it less objectionable.
One alteration was, that the increased duties were
not made progressive on the s:te of the instrument
stamped, but that a certain increase of duty on each
proceeding should take place. Au objection also
had been started against the schedule, which was,
that the increase of the duties would have an unequal
effect upon the proceedings. iii small courts. This
also had been remedied by a diminished scale of du-
ties applied to t!te small courts. Though (he taxes
on law proceedings were' on r etteral grounds objec-
tionable, yet when it was considered how small a
proportion of the expenses in a law-suit consided of
law duties, the objections would not ape:4l w gacft
as at first might be imagined. In a suit in which
the solicitor's bia was LW, the amount ut the of
Isw duties, together with the new, was 40s. In
another, in which the expense was *35, the stamp
duties were £3. There was not, therefore, the same
objection to ihose duties which at first sight seemed
so attach to them. As to the dutic, on Newspapers,
the first idea which he had was to lay an additional
tax of Id. on each paper, but as it was represented
that this tax would have the most disadvantageous
effect upon the circulation of the papers, he had if:sa-
ved the increase of the duty on advertisements in
proportion to their length, but thouy,li this seemed a
lair proposition it was strongly objected ter by the
editors of the newspapers, and an additional stamp-
duty of one halfpenny on each paper, and sixpence
on each advertisement, was preferred by the majority
of the persons occupied in this line. To protect the,
public from an increase of the price of the papers be-
yond the amount of the tax, art additional discount'
would be allowed to those who only increased the
price of their paper from sixpence-halfpenny to seven:.
piece,. which discount would not be allowed to thole
who incn•ased their price to a greater sum. Although
the proprietors of the London papers were not (qua*,
willing to coincide in the arrangement which he had
made, he was convinced that no eluty would bet more
cheerfully paid by the public than an increase of one
halfpenny rin the price of a neWipayer. The sale of
these publications depending alniost wholly on the
situation of pulilic affairs, and es at the present time:
and probably for stem years ter come, a laudable
curiosity would he d.reeted to the events which were
passing, and which exceeded in importance any which
for ages before had occurred, the 'additional price of
one halt-penny on the pualicattions-thyougb.whirjul"
public derived their information would not be grudged
by the purchaserc.

Sir NEWPORT thought the Tax on Newspa.
'pers injudicious, as tending to stop the sources duOugh
which the public derived us information as to their
own affairs. The curiosity of die publii was kept
r alive proportion of the pressure of public calami-
ties, from the wish to know when there was a proba-
bility that the pressure would cease. In the presents
situation of affairs the public curiosity ought to be
awake as to public events, and the introduction of a
-tax, the object of which was to preclude them from
,obtaining information, coulA not tail to sour their
minds more than any other T 44 which could be in-
troduced. Even at the present time, it the extent of
the circulation of information by Newspapers were
compared with other countries, America for-instance,
it WAS a mete 'twiny, The tax alsd would be very
MT from bring productive; because the addition
which would be made to the price of themes would
diminish the circulatios, and thus have a relection
the,reveoue. .The Chancellor of the Exchequer:l'6a
said that he had guarded the public against an in-
crease of price beyond the amount of the increased
duty, by the allowance of a .discouol thaw: wpm
only Uteri:4 sed the price cif their pawl
,otte haltpetry.
Now it would always*: it IRMA" of COCU.IOIOI4 lor
the proprietors, whether. thgy shouldtegfrive the dis-
count, or lay on tho rave* cif pee Mist The