Star.
London, England, 1816-02-29 00:00:00

4 ,

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A measure, which was nevertheless pens •• unre-
lentingly.
Mr. FORBES Steed that there was not one to*
or ci•unty in. Scotland that was not preparing to pa-
eti.in -against the Piverty Tar, which in that coup
try, was universally execrated—(Hear, hear)—**lid
to eipiess their Rim reliance on the faith of Podia-
ns,•nt that the proposal for its renewal would be
abandoned.
Mr. PONSONBY regretted that the Chancellor.
the-Escbetiuer shod.' unforttinately happen to be
absent. btst hoped that some of his friends whild
repeat to him the declaratien made by the Honour-
able Member who had just sat down, that there was
not one town or county in Scotland that was not ore-
Firing to seild,la Petition against the Property Tax.
He. trusted that Bight Honourable Gentleman would
not have the: hid:tette, of refusing time to allow
those Petitioni to be presented to the House. But
even if .he did, be-would idvise the people' of Scot-
land to petition; and, to send forth their Petitions
that they might rejected, and ~that the nation
might understand the.charaster of an A Aministra-
tion, who wished to force an inquisitorial Tax against
the prayers of the people—(l/rue, hear).
Lord MILTON was informed that no longer than
last Monday a Meeting had been held at Leeds,and
a petition unanimously agreed to. The lank was
going w take place at Sheffield, and would the
Right Honourable Gentleman, in the lace oldie'
Pititioni and -the assemblies of the people, persist to
propose his me.ssure immediately, when he knew that
• the very first vote inks behalf, iu the Committee of
Ways and Means, would shut the doors of the House
against all Petitions 3•
. Mr. ..!ARTIN said a few Words, after which the
Petition w.is ordered to lie on the table.
Sir THOMAS ACLANI) presented a Petition
from the Owners and Occupiers of Dairy Farms, in
the Cum-Ay of Devon, complaining of their distresses,
and chiefly of the importation of foreign butter and
cheese. _ _

Mr. GORDON thought that the importation of
those articles was oue of the causes of the great dis-
tress experienced by farmers, and complained th it
the papers for which he had moved in the early part
al the Session, 'hewing the quantity of foreign but-
ter imported into the Country, had not been returned.
The Petition was brought up, and ()Weave' to he
oa the table.
Mr. JOHN SMITH presented a Petition from
the Town and County of Nottingham against the
Property Tax.
Mr. PHILLIPS wondered, That, after se many
petitions, the Chancellor of the Exchequer still main-
't .iced the same silence with respect to his intentions.
He contended that a connexion existed between the
Property 'fax and the Army Estimates, and that it
wouid be unavailing to vote against the Tax, without
previously voting against the Estimates.
Mr. Fit EEMANTLE—ThoughIe did not wish
to diminish the exertions of the country, he should
congratulate it on the subdued tone of the other side
of the House, or he should perhaps rather have said,
on its 6:knee—(Xcar, hear.)—He thought they now
had determined to surrender the Property Tax, and
not bring it on. He thought it was impossible the
Clrancel:or of the Exchequer should persist in it, far
in point of tact, he could not derive the revenue
from:; which he expected, and the impost would
fail of its effect. He could nut better illustrate his
meaning than by quoting the report made to a Col-
lector of Taxes at Coale, in a neighbouring is; fad.
The subject, however, was the Assessed Taxes, and
the report rather of a ludicrous nature. It was ad-
dressed to the Cillector, and ran thus: " Take no-
tice, that I have cut the throats of all my horses,
have shot all my dogs, have burnt all my carriages,
shut up all my windows, and dismissed all:my ser.
Tants, except my wile and myself." He believed
that it would be the same with the Property Tax as
with the Assessed 'F.sres, and that if persisted in, it
would not bring the revenue that was Anticipated.
Lord COMPTON, in reply to the ch,lleuge of an
Honourable Gentleman, should say that ix was in
favour of The Property 'Fax, because he believed that
it the Chancellor of the Exchequer were forced to,
abandon it, he would pr-pose much worse taxes—
(Hear, hear, and laughter,) —not through any disposi-
tion to oppress the ptopie, but because he could not
help it. There was no other tax that would produce
a 4 equal revenue. He knew this was unpopular lan-
page,,but when called upon to expresa his sentiments
he had not shrunk from the invitation. Neither did
be believe that his own Constituents were very adverse
fp the Tax, A Petition against it had lain two days
sat Northampton, which contained SOO freeholders,

and only 28 signatures had been procured.
Mr. PONSONBY congratulated the Noble Lord
on the courage which he had displayed on this occa-
;ion. He had put himself forward in the most manly
and dignified manlier for his friends, when not one of
them would say any thing for themselves. But he
was no very warm supporter of the Property Tax.
He rather preferred it, because he was afraid of the
taxes which the Chancellor of the Exchequer might
bring forth in its stead, and his preference would
certainly not stand against the voice of the country.
He supposed that his Constituents were not adverse
to it ; but would they send -a petition to that House
for that tax, instead of those contained in that box of
evils which the. Chancellor of-the Exchequer held in
his hand ready to set OPen—(hear.) He believed that
the Noble Lord would not be long without joining_the
call of the country, and declaring that the Right Hon.
Gentleman ought to desist from his proposed tax.
The Petition was then read, and ordered to lie on
the table.

BOAR° OF TAXIS.
Mr. BROUGHAM complained of an extraordi.
sf try return made bythe Commissioners of the Board
of Taxes to an order 'of that House. He Wg4 not
acquainted with any pf them, but lie thought it would
be agreed that-they had committed a great indiscre.
ton. 'the orders of that House were not to be tri
fled with, and whatever difference of opinion might
base prevailed. or however inconsidttrable the mstio-i
pity might have been at the time they had been ac•
ceded to and issued, those circumstances were not for
the consideration of those to whom they were addres.'
sod. The orderin question WAS for returns of the

number of persons assessed under the Income Tax.
To this the Commissioners of the Board of Taxes re-
plied. that the Income Tax had expired on the sth
_of April, 18W. Did the Coutroirkittoriv pretead to