Star.
London, England, 1818-04-29 00:00:00

v.

STAR.

r*iN*4IXESDAY, APRIL 29, 1818.
•• THE FUNDS
. PRICE Or STOVES TIM DAY AT TWELVE O'CLOCK
Reduced.7BH—Consoh79f,for Acc.
4 per Cent. 979--Navy Anns.lo69
India Bonds 96 98 pr.—Exch. Bills 18 21 pr.

It will give our Military Readers and the Public
at large much pleasure, to observe, .from the pro-1
cecdiags in the House of Commons last night, that
the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER has agreed to
withdraw the harsh regulation which was proposed,
with respect to the Pensions of Officers Widows.
The iaLemsts of humanity and justice called alike for
this discreet concession. It may be that some Offi-
cers Widows (we sincerely wish the number were
greater than it is) derive aid from other sources than
their Pensions from the public treasury ; but any
auxiliary aid of this kind can be matter of no con-
cern to a generous country, whose only care ought
to be, to discharge adequately its own obligations
for the skill and gallantry which have been devoted,
at the hazard, and too often at the expense of life
itself, to its service.

The Paris Papers of Sunday arrived this morning.
Another day's proceedings on the prosecution df M.
rum's, for a libel ; and another day's debate on the
everlasting Budget made up the sum of their con-
teats. In the course of the latter, the Minister of the
Interior closed an animated refutation of the calumny
which has been so industriously circulated against
the French Ministers, of having persecuted as ene-
mies of the Throne all those who are its best friends,
by a similitude in which the whole force Of his
argument will be found . happily enough con-
centrated.—" It is not our fault," said he, " if like
the Trojan sentinel, we have drawn upon Trojans
concealed under the garb of Greeks."
The budget of the Minister of Police, whose inch.
'.dual conduct was the main object of attack, was in
the end adopted without a division.
• French 5 per Cents. Saturday, 68fr. 10c.

A good deal of interest appears to have been ex.
cited in the public mind, by the claim for an equali
ration of the Duties on Coal, whiclr.was recently the
subject of a meeting of the principal merchants and
manufacturers of the City. It is most unquestionably
a subject of the greatest importance to:the health, com-
fort, and the industry of this vast metropolis. For-
merly it might have been good policy to foster the
establishment of manufactories in the neighbourhood
of the coal mines, by exempting them from the duty on
this article ; but now the same policy demands at
least a fair and equal protection to the manufacto-
ries established in and near the metropolis, and con-
suming coal very largely in furnaces, kilns, and
steam-engines. The comforts of the numerous poor
too, in the metropolis, demand a very serious consi-
deration. It is well known to the humane individuals
who in the late season of scarcity inspected the dwel-
lings of the wretched artisans, how greatly their suf-
ferings must have been augmented by a scarcity of
fuel. These evils cannot be remedied by a partial
measure, and therefore to mere palliatives Govern-
ment has wisely refused to listen ; but the justice of
equalizing the tax is so obvious, that if properly repre-
sented by those who labour under the present incon-
veniences, it can hardly be doubted, but the Legisla-
ture will adopt so obvious and rational a principle.
—The effect of the duty is the same as that of a law
which should compel four millions of people in one
part of the kingdom to pay twice as much money
for Poor-rates, as three millions of people paid in
another part, a proportion which would stiike every
oNe not only as unjust, but absurd. The grievance,
too, is ircalculably, increased by the considetation,
that the di!,tricts loaded with the tax, are precisely
tlluse which axe necessarily burthened with those in-
cidental charges fiom which the other districts are
exempt ; so that where- nature has been bountiful,
taxation is light, and where she has imposed una-
voidable expense taxation augments the inequality.
—lt will be understood that we speak only of the
national imp( sts, the regulation of which is the pro-
per object of national policy. With respect to the
local charges of the Port of London, these stand on
a distinct ground, and are not within the scope of our
present reasoning. In like manner the adoption of
the general principle of equalization does not pre-
clude the propriety of certain special exemptions for
distinct and clearly defined causes, such for instance
as the existing exemptions of coals used in the steam-
engines of the Cornish Mines. Indeed, we are no
friends to abstract and inflexible rules of any kind in
, practical politics. Where local and particular cir.
cumstances fairly create an exception, let them be
allowed their due weight; but let the great-outlines
of our system be traced by the hand of justice, and
let the prevailing principle in the imposition of Taxes,
be a tendency toward equalization.

On Sunday the-Prince of Hesat-Homaouau went
on board the Royal Sovereign yacht, at Deptford,
which is to convey him and his Princess to Germany.
He appeared highly delighted with the fittings-up
and preparations. Yesterday his Serene HigEness
dined with her MAJEbllt, as did the Dul of CLA-
RA:Iick. aid Susaux.

• • •
• .
. THE EVEA ,‘
•
,••
A • LONDON
•

i
1
I
i
;11
11
I
r
;
I ,t,
1
4
i i
I
Ii
1
It )
, .
1
i'.
I.
. i
. t i
i I
1
[ i
4
, -
t 4) 1
,
1 1 r
i
I° I
i
. t
I
1 11
f
'
I,