The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-01-19 00:00:00

THE
_STATESMAN:

PROPERTY TAX. that their Lordships could not interfere with the
„Es_
Commissioners of the district. As his petitions
A numerous and very respectable Meeting of the were sent back to the Commissioners they were very
Inhabitants of the Pariah of Lambeth, took place angry at his enormity in petitioning, and he believed
yesterday at the Horns Tavern, Kennington, for they clapped him up ten or twenty pounds for it.—
the purpose of considering the propriety of yeti- [A laugh,]-lle should draw up a Resolution, re-
tioniag Parliament against the apprehended attempt specting the conduct of the Commissioners and their
to renew, in some shape, the Property Tax. Mr. Clerk, which he would submit to the Meeting.
Brooks, one of the Churchwardens, took the Chair, Mr. KIRBY said, that the speeches which had been
and opened the business of the Meeting. made, however eloquent, contained but a faint out-
Mr. DAVIS rose to propose a series of Resolutions, line of the enormities of the tax. Any tax was per-
and, in a succinct manner, stated the objections to the nicious to which a man was inevitbaly subjected, in-
cvirtinuance of the Property Tax in any shape, and stead of being proportioned to the station which the
the arbitrary manner in which, from necessity, the individual chose to assume in society. He was sur-
a,sessmerits were imposed. Ile mentioned a case in prised that there were any persons who would un-
which the owners of a ship had been obliged to PsY dertake the office of Commissioners, since they were
e sum as the Property Tax on the profits of it, -obliged to play blindmait's buff with their neigh-
though, from law expences arising out of it, they boor's property—[a laugh]—as every man who had
were losers on it to a great amount. The Meeting been subjected to the pleasant operation called a stir.
would, he trusted, be of opinion, that now the war charge, would know. He hoped the people, by their
had terminated it was the duty of the Government to I spirited exertions, would give a death-blow to all
take the burthens of the State from the shoulders of ; tax-collectors who had been raised into notoriety on
the poor, and to lay it on those who made a show of the stilts of oppression, and had assumed a degree of
property ; taxing the luxuries of the rich instead of : consequence, due only to independence, and appal
wringing from the iudustrions a large proportion of ' the Ministers.from any attempt to renew the Pro-
their hard-earned incomes. Mr. U. then handed his perty Tax, under any modification.—[Applause.]
Resolutions to the Chair. I Mr. HATCH said, that the ingenious speeches which
:Mr. Come srs said, that he should not enter into . they had heard had been addressed to their passions,
any description of the misery which had beet' occa. and not to their reason. The tax had oven imposed
ii teed ley the tax which they had met to consider, but under the presser/. of necessity, and they ought not
aSouid found his objections to It on the ground that to hare treated it harshly.—[llisses.] —He lamented
it Was inennsistent with the 'iherty of the country.— the neces,ity is hid' had ,given rise to the tax, but he
i:.ov highly unconstitutional was the manner of di,. , could not see that was unconstitutional, more than
!seine of the property of the subject under this tax, any other tax. It had been imposed by the Le-
inisat be seen by attending to the precautions with gisleture, in which every man was actually or air-
wilidt our ancestors had fenced round our liberties . tually represented. The Commissioners also were
aid estates in other cases. If they entered Westmiu- chosen from the commuuity at large, and were
ster-Hall they might•see four Judges, surrounded by amenable to the laws, and to their own consciences.
ioartted Counsel, whose duty it was to watch lest As there was a necessity for money to pay the arrears
nnv illegal act should be committed against an Eng- due to the soldiers and sailors who had defended us,
lisiiman : bu sects, hail not been deemed sufficient, the continuance of the Property 'fax, nr the impn- . • • .so.oh St
and no man epriectl of the smallest portion of sition of some mole oppressive tax would be neces- ,
: The above history was related to Ile 11......,:i... -. .1 ; .
his property but by a Jury of 12 of his countrymen. sary,_[jeses..,].
Under the 'Property Tax Act, however, the absolute Mr Ito Iter.e observed, in answer to the last speaker,
disposal of every man's property was put into the that the greatest part of the inhabitants of the king-
hands of a sot of uncontrouled Commissioners. Se. dom were no more represented in the Legislature
veral of these officers were, he believed, respectable than the inhabitants of Otalleite—[applause.]—
men, but even a Howard could not have administered Where, out of the 45,000 inhabitants of the parish
such nil I,iliee we 11. the temptation of unlimited power of Lambeth, could they find a thirtieth part ss'm had
was such that it ntsde a mail a tyrant in trite of him- ally representatives in Parliament ?—[applause]—A
self. It also happened, that solve a Board of these gentleman who had property would choose a bailiff
Commissioners were for the must pelt well disposed, to take care of it whom he might discharge in the
there was thrust in ameng them some Government event of misbehaviour, but the people of England,
Commissioners who obtained an influence over their such of teem as were allowed to choose one, had him
minds, and who watched over the assessments as the fastened on I hem for seven long years, in which time
surgeon of a regiment swivelled over the punishments' he got on good terms with the Ministers, and was
at the halberds, to judge how much a etati could bear pensioned off as a reward for his treachery—[ap-
without actual dissolution.—[.applause.l —How had olause]. The state of the representation was the
it some to pass that the dse eltdants of Hampden nod : root of all 'heir •evils, and though the) could not
of `sitltiev had o &generated as to hear, eithotst ap. look for indemnity for the past, they should require
peal, such a siolati in of those tirincip!es, the infraee iedemnity for the future. As for the Property Tax he
turn of whir h their a nrestoi s had bledeouvort ?—r, Aps had himself suffered under it. Ile was kept waiting
pinase.]—Why hail feegiand been so lavish of blood five or six hours in a room like a cell, with a stone
rued tonsure to ensinee. Ile foresseers, while she had eons, before he could obtain a hearing. The as-
hram thus untiiii.Col of her own sons? They had rogance of the clerk was intolerable, and it was a
made efforts to prevent the renewal of the Cave disgrace to Commissioners that they suffered their
Trade, but they had never thought of the White underling to behave in such a manner to the pa.
Skye, of Eitel oil. Before the Commissioners of • rishioners. IVhen he stated something in reply, the
the pro:imoy fax the 0 (tit o; a reputable man which clerk said to him c'You saucy scoundrel I'll kick
would seed as. tine to the halter, was too sullisient, ' you net of the room." Ile (Mr. R.) having replied,
tie •auSe the toininissionei,-. k wee that under the pros- that if they were in the street he would kick him
ears. of neces-itv a stan would rather perjure himself (the clerk), he was actual[) turned out of the room
than pay the tax. Ties was c s,,iiicieet sommeet on like a tsief [[aught.r]. The day after ht found the
the hardships of this burden. What had became or, co!lector at his dote with a broker. Wien he corn-
the Gentlemen who composed the Bible ''etciety and planed to the Chairman of the Commissioners, he
the society for the Suppresiett of Vice, that they ' replied, " i, is se.ry tree, Mi. ti..iiey, but your
had not stepped forward to reprobate the consc- i tongue is too lone." [4 lough.] He was thus obliged
quences of this demoralizing tax, which went to de- • to pay au excessive assessment, been e he could not
stray the very foundation of morals. It was said keep his tongue within his teeth [applause].
that the tax was administered without partiality. It Mr. Iscrrs said, that the over:lrina of the tax was
hart been observed by Dean swift that in ws were cob- undoubtedly oppiessive, but when it was imposed
webs welch caught the small flies while the great' there was no other mode of rasing the supply.
ones broke through them. Now the Property Tax , The Resolutions were agreed to, as well as the
• Law never brought up the blue-bottles. [Laughter . Petition founded upon them.
and applause.] Before l'es Commissioners the slate- I Mr. MILLER proposed a Resolution, expressing
scent of a great man was believed, the oath of a the indignation of the Meeting at the conduct of tes
• pour man is as not trusted. The consequence of this Commissioners of the Property Tax in Lambeth
tax in the case of a general election might be easily; parish, more particularly of that of their clerk, bet
imagined. Even in the discharge of parish business lit was withdrawn, as it was conceived that such a
he knew that many persons, who would have wished Resolution did not come within the object of the
to have attended the Vestry Meetings, were deterred, Meeting,
by the apprehension that the heads of the perish, $ The Members of the county were desired to present
who were generally the Commissioners of the Pro- the Petition to the House of Commons.
Newnee Jas. 7.—On the night of the 27th of
perty Tax, would give them intelligible hints that Thanks were given to the Chairman, after which
Dec. the sexton of Newry, after hating carefully
they were nor to :mend ngain if they spoke any thing the Meeting broke up.
regulated seme matters Ni
the church, and closed the
unpleasant. [Applause.] Though he could continue _ .__. __
te,
to speak much louger without exhausting the subject, FIRE IN7' S PAUL'S CHURCH- door, was ill the act of locking the grave yard hate,
he When the church bell unexpectedly tolled. Aims,-
he should couclude, as theme neut. many others to he I YU; I'lli.;it PARTICULARS. nislied at this, he returned instantly with another
heard, catuestly prayine that the flame of liberty 1 The fire was discovered by the foot passengers. in St. Paul's .
I man, and examined the interior of the building.—
it;.holi,r,,,
ne of
•:;,..efoltit,i
ikinvoirk.
Aellr.vilotilrecintliy,errner. a coensittioeriveba7. time,e
Might burn so fierce that the cegittes of despotism .
i The bell had ceased to toll--solemn silence ensued—
As James Elliot, a youth about seventeen,
might not quench it. Ido r !wing towed, the (lames burst out with such fury, as. to was' a silence only occasionally broken by the cautious
travelling over Dihdon Moor, near Rothbury,
Mr. JONES supported the Ussolations, and ex-; preset) ans
ism,- (mill aliarsn.iste. the
bellsantsilyup tairs, but.nwhoitulit
in footsteps of the sexton and his friend. No ringer
pressed a hope that the Petitioe would be couched in .
•lir:." f'i'rie)g!'t .sirs. IYlt:t-T,ll:,);itlilligtionf iahfant inhear arrnerZ, and a the county of Northumberland, on Monday se'n- . appeared, and the bell rope was perfectly quiescent.
too,ielate terms. It sins to rite coedit of the CAB- I servant maid, gui tirst oil: of the house, as they had arisen from night, he fell into a coal-pit, about thirty fathoms in : Notwithstanding this (he two men had sentient re-
missionrr, that morn of oppression ;pt.:efeise,,ler,, of oppression:list:gig:l4lnd) Were
unitil,i.re
eu to
Nl..isr. Bconzeit.r.re'ds,
scwihot.
,tzawth ,tad depth, the mouth of the pit being without railing to
ie f ise' solution to search every part of the church to which
under such a Tax had not be.,ti brought forward.— such o,her bele r!;11arel as was near at hand. Air. 'tinier in- prevent such accidents, though within a short dis- . they had access. Their search was fruitless, amid the
Indeed, he thought there was ground for an eulogium i treated her to go tip stairs. hut the feeliugs of the mother were lance of the turnpike road. He was diacovered the' sexton began to Oink that some spirit of night bed
itli)foanniitoiich anlitycedfeiliarytheas.,;idfeitty
is
sf
shit;
ir,iot)sher.tiv,gechilorueldn,
itioavar!lirnei.t following day by his own father; who, hearing a struck the beil with invis.ble hand. 44 Onstupuit
on them. [Cries of no!] lie thought that slum of t
sound at the bottom of the pit, spoke down the s' teleruntyue empty et 'vox faucibut basil." The two
the Counrissioners of
te hi' venerated, as they had I turned and rushed kilo the flames in search of them, had she
not fainted "MIN ; as soon as she recovered, she left Mr. But- shaft,• when the young man was heard to say, 44 I friends withdrew amazed and appalled.
come forward to express their abhorrence of the tax ti .
~. , ,
in ,is a- strife ,if nakedness, hut wasprevailed on or
belong to Rothbury, and both my leg.; are broke." ! Neet day the town resounded with narratives of
welt's which they were nbliesel to act. I ratherer'
forced° in
l 1;,..5e whoattentle- ce her, to go another friend's
1 house in Cheapside ; the servant and infant remained at Mr. Mr. Scott, veterinary surgeon, of Alityrick, was this wonderful event. Some persons alleged that the
The Resolutions hevitse been mead,
w Butler's. So rdpsd were the flames on this ussfortunate occasion. travelling the road at the time, and took an active late sexton, M 'Quillen, havieg carried his rittgiog pro-
words. as he had sufeeSed under the operation of the eiges's children, succeeded in getting out by the door; the rest P
nog situation : having prepared ropes, etc. a matt was tics in the spirit what he had learner[ in the fiesh.
tax. He had made a statement to the Commission. ! took to She roof of mite house, and got away unhurt; am
I whom oas au elderly woman, who sins entiing iss a unrse on let down the pit, who made Elliot secure in the rope, ers, in which he had shown that he had lost proper- i
1 one of Mrs. Iliggs's lodgers, who, we he made his escape by Pe! Others conceived that this prodigy Was the herald of
ty in his business, instead of gany
making profits, I gettin from one roof to anodier. We have only ;:ccomited for . when he uses drawn to the top by a horse, after haw- Joanna Soothcntt's accoucheonent, or the harbinger
I two ogot of Mrs. Itiggs's six children, the eldest of whom, a sen, ing been immersed in water and filth at the bottom of
real though the Commissioners had thought it would
of her death: 'The day passed over in conjecture—
was only nine years of age. we wish tt e could have stated that the pit for nineteen hours. One of his legs was se- night came—once more the sexton and his friends
be proper to accept it, the Clerk to the Commis- • they had all been saved • hot the eldest son abovementioned, and
t• ' • . • • h in flames ' • verely shattered and broken, and the other dislo- examined the church, locked the door and withdrew,
yet his sister about seven years old, per's. ed the es ; nor
sioners, a very important person, who haul not
was
it
_ll
i the power of any one to prevent it ; they lodged. sated. Mr. Scott immediately replaced the bones in • when lo ! flit! bell tolled mail, most awfelly terrific
been mentioned, had thought fit to command his it appears, in a roam above their brothers, to which iliose
1 escaped by the roof thirst not venture.— , necessary directions for his conveyance to Rothbury, with tales of ghosts gliding among- g; ices, and with
he had offered to swear to it. His property was, the servants
1 how, umewr gildren of Mrs. Biggs est-aped, no one can tell where •
it was found necessary to amputate one of his strange histories of midnight light- tormerly seen
therefore seized, and the distress was put in'. on I but they happily did escape, though one of them was not ~.
bruised
:legs. The young man was muchinternally. moving ;'.rough tin church, a hieli had been saeceed-
a Saturday, when it was known it must have been i ditsci 7 mil it o'clock in the moroing, in st. Martia's-te-
ti nsd,eredwhL it was taken to Mr. Butler's. where it remained I
t As the late Mr. WINDU 4111 was canvassing ed by murder told rebellion'. The mestere, however,
most inconvenient to a man in busittess. He had con-
1 with its starer. Ti, add to the misfortune to Mr. and Mes: Him, .
suited Serjearit Best, to know how lie should recover ; the former of whom is on a journey on business. not a sixpence •• Norwich (in company. with a Baronet), a butcher, vitnished, when a cord was discotered hanging dowe
of their tuck • tr. dr was insured, and we hear they were only whose fingers were stained with marks of his pros from the belfry window. '4orse wag had annexed
the sum thus seized. The Serjeant told him that he I
b eginn iisig theionioritd, not having been long in business. To the
garden ci elle.: -vs to the
fession, shook hands with him, hot perceiving it, this cord to the t, irsue of the bell, told having re-
asleislit bring an action in the Court of Exchequer, ! credit of the inhabitants of the neighbourtherd,.e ought to be
!I
ac!aiurrncibm,ghadaniu-al himself be pulling it, and thus
bids, even if he was successful, would cost him ; mentioned that the ladies were all the day sending In articles made an apology, and added, " These jobs make moved one end of it into a
of (tress for (he children; acid in the evening a meeting was hale bloody hands."
4/901. so that the best way was for him to rest antis-
at the instigation of Messrs. Pearsall, thou r. iisto. Kinder,
Late on Friday night, or early on Saturday morn- ' I • the superstitious. The cord in the dsy
' i inhabit:arta, when it
fied, unless hechose to petition the Lords of the Tre!. i Dunn,
. ,t,slnydeiptuonir:reitnt, ;oixrwoafrdthae
bpirib.merri
ii;tios, tnr the benofir oe tog, the shop of Mr. James Covington, watch-maker, ;time had !seen tasttclose ;,long t;-. ssio eh-wen, with FUry. He accordingly presented the petition, but their r_
Mr. and Mrs. Biggs!iart Lind s, who have sios saved a farthing in Leigh-street, Brunswick-square, was broke open i which it corresponded its coloer, and had thus
Lordships were very busy [a laugh], se that after) of their property, either in stock, furniture,' or wearing ap-
waiting eight or nine mouths he received au auseers patch. and robbed of a number of watches, chains, seals, &c. escaped observation.

EXTRAORDINARY GENIUS.

About the year 1785, Dr. Hornsby, of Oxford,
gave out a mathematical question its a Magazine, of
such magnitude, that he thought it could not be ea-
sily answered. It did not fall to the lot of any of
the mathematical schools, nor to any man of known
science therein, to answer it, nor did the Doctor
think it an easy task. To his great surprise, how-
ever, the question was answered (the answer was
dsted Weston Turvel). On seeing it answered, ha
made enquiries, and foecd that there were Weston
Turvels in several counties ie England, but could
not learn where the answer to his question oligioitted.
A Gentleman out of Baclsiogleirnshire dining with
(he Doctor and other friends, it o‘t..urresl to him that
there was a Weston Turvel its his neighhourhood,asid
he enquired of isim Vise knew of any person con vas Sant
with mathematics ! The Gentleman answered, (hat
he knew of no one that had a genius the
least tending to a knowledge either of mathe-
matics or astronomy. Dr. Hornsby, on his friend's
departure, gave him a copy of the question,
and begged him to make enquiry. The gentle.
man alluded to one day called at a watchmaker's
shop in Wendover, Buckinghamshire, to hare
something done to his watch, ha asked the malt, if
he knew any one who understood mathematics in
the neil;hbourhood ; to which he replied, that a
'shovels-boy, of the name of Anderson, at Weston.
green, was an uncommon genius. The gentleman
took his morning lounge that way; on entering the
Green, he saw the lad coming from the plough, and
asked him if his name. was Anderson ; the boy an-
swered 44 Yes."—" Do you read or understand as-
tronomy ?" To which the boy replied, " 1 do not
know ;" but having Dr. Hornsby's question in his
pocket, he presented it to the boy, asking him if he
could answer it; replied he, " I's have ;" and taking
a pencil from the gentleman, resolved the question.
The above history was related to Dr. Hornsby, and
the question presented as answered in the Magazine.
The Doctor, animated at the success, exclaimed with
surprise, " for Heaven's sake do not let the boy be
lost—he has a genius equal to Sir Isaac Newton.
What age is he?" " About sixteen." 64 My dear
King," said Dr. Hornsby, " do what you cars, and
let him come to Oxford ;" which was pot into execu-
tion in a masterly manner. A subscription was set
on foot, which succeeded ; and, patronised by some
great characters in the country, he was sent to
Christ Church School, where he most through an
education of the classics, &c. and was afterwards
entered at Wadham College, where, pursuing the
studies of his genius, which were highly satis-
factory to the University, he was considered as
a national prodigy. Soon after Mr. Pitt came into
administration, he much wanted to strenthen his
power ; and sent for the Hon. Mr. Grenville (now
Lord Grenville), as a man of ability at that time
leaving Oxford; who finding Mr. Pitt was destitute
of pt adding characters, and toat the clever meii of
that sort had deserted him, thought of Mr. Ander-
son, the youth alluded to, and solicited him to be-
come his secretary ; who being equal to all their
walls, was employed to form the budget yearly, and
was likewise appointed public auditor to the E..st
India Company under Mr. Dundas (afterwards Lord
Melville). In the above capacity he discharged his
duty with faithfulness, and to the wonder of all who
knew him, which were very few, as his employers,
knowing his value, took care to keep such merit to
themselves.—The late Mr. Burke, in conversation,
said to me, he was astonished how Mr. Pitt and the
men in power got through the public busines,, as
most of the clever men in that department had de-
serted them : to which I replied, that it was easily
accounted for—they having such aid as no statesman
ever had before. I then related the history of
Mr. Anderson, as stated above, which on enquiry
Mr. Ilurke found to be correct. About the y,ar
1795-6, he died of an inflammation of the braid ;
sod io he wondered at, from the influx of business,
ich none were able to execute but himself. A let-
ter was sent to Lord Melville, informing him of his
death, which was sudden,fhis illness not being'of more
than four-and-twenty hours duration ; in answer to
it, he says, " the loss of Mr. Anderson is to me a
distressing circumstance, yet more so in a public
capacity. I here enclose to Mrs. Anderson a note
of 1001. which I hope will be a relief in case of need 1
until I can see her;" and, to the credit of his Lord-
ship, he procured for her 2001. a-year for life. He
died without issue, and mils buried in Mary-la..
bonne church-yard, where a stone is erected to his
memory. It is much to be regretted that a genius,
a similar one to which a whole century has not pro. :
duced, should have been so little known.

OLD BAILEY

W EDNESDA Y, JAN. DK

T:!1 OF THOIII% !OTT.

Thoirrts No!!, the tivtorious • o hailer wav put to the bar,
on an iiidietinent eitargiag his with h nine felooieno.ly stolen
two coooterp•tn..s. tan pair of ,ti-eo, three hlaii!cef, siker
spoon, it:ni varilltll other titc iiroperty or .In'au
]9N..1 of tl.e particulars of the Priitoteeft (ran actiAto hate
alpeared before the public in the Police reports, tb 1.1, Ii refuters
it tiotoece,•ary to repeat (111140
Nott read a very long tleretic.•, and an ad.ire t to the Jury,
which employ.ll him nearly half :10 sour.
The .liity, beota ion, found him gui!tv.
Tiie ltecoanratt itiforine.lll.ia thvt he mv.ei ,on clever a fellow
to reautia io (Lis country.