The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-11-23 00:00:00

,the most important members of the bo.iy pAtie.
they could not see at that time, they are mole to fr,i
at present, the misery they were bringing upon the,„,
selves, by being tire chief promoters of that peruicion,
system of warfare and taxation, of which they are 044
the first and most deplorable victims.

A morning paper of skis day and yesterday h,,
made some able statements upon the situation off*
pay Officers, and on the cruelty and impolicy of allot.
ing others to purchase first commissions instead of via
half-pay list being resorted to. With these statetora..
we (ally agree, but we should have wished that mil
corrupt practices were traced to their particular cease.,
Had the writer of the articles in questimt gone into tin
real truth of the subject, Le would at once hare /real
it to the want of a perfect state of representation is
the Sen.ite. He would have said directly and usetors.
cally, this is another abase that calls aloud for a par.
liamentary Reform. He would have said, this ha
smallfibre of Parliamentary corruption. The ffilister
cannot manage the Boroughmeogers, unleash I"
them one way or another; if a Boeoughwronger
be saddled on the country, Lis sons. his relations,*
his friends, all look up to the scat of power. The
automata voters of the Borough expect some new
aeration for their honest suffrages. The Cutes',
Excise, and Dock-yards are watched, for tie
Borougbmongers have hundreds on the list, aid
Ministers must obtain their countenance. The near ft.
lations get Commissions in the Army, either leis
placed its the way of preferment, or on half pay;
while the ViTIMAN LIEUTIMANT, after many year,
active service covered with wounds, is, from nests!
patronage and employ, not unfreqnestly with afa
wily, either starving in a garret or pining away
gaol. From what appeared a short time since te.
:petting these soldiers of misfortune, we were led le
apprehend some measure of severity was iseditmd
against them ; bat we at the a ime time eoesidersi
there was some small portion of delicacy remaisieg u
Head-Quarters to prevent its infliction upon guy
deserving, though unfortunate, half pay officers, nee
it was a fact notoriously known, they payed their irks
as honooribly al a portion of those on fall peg;
Tea, mad of sow of these on DOUBLE PAT!!!
For the sake of argument we suppose a Litigant el
Infantry, who has served is Spain. Portage!, Fraser,
Waterloo or America. His regiment is is part te'axi
and himself placed on half pay, with a wife sad three
or four children, which is by no means improbable, as
Subalterns are as likely to have children as Oeseral•
officers. This poor fellow after all big *gigue, his
battles and victories, has a bonne or,lodging to plotile;
has clothing and food for his family to obtain; Well
out of four shilliogs and six-pence a day. The mined
cold and hunger drive him beyond Ws means ; M he
no trade. no profession bat that of a soldier. lie
states his case and offers his services is asy
way. whereby he may add to Lis pittance; and sith
every inclination to do his duty, he finds his ipe•
ranee of business and difference of manners reek
him a burthen rather than an assistant ; and lii
employer delicately recommend* hint to turn biog•
tension to something else. He is once more driers
to the baltpay, which is in part mortgaged; tie
few creditors are clamorous. his sources of p$
went are dried up, and be at once become+ the
inmate of a prison. Suck is the case in a variety
of instances, which could be averted by placing
thou in narrow circumstances un full pay, sad
allowing the sons or connections of Hots*
withdstarmy in someple of ampler resources,
ec
mtohatinia
lletbspimilank
some taggrer:stO industry
for which they are mach better adapted.
gations due to deserving officers call upon
~ thessir
wander-in-Chief to put a stop to the further of
Commissions, which bas been, at all times, a dirte
to our military institutions ; and it is only by its re-
molirnedaitl.lialtiitilhbossein
tbhreavdta
Bally remunerated. _
yolofrebrast;lwe,hocanvebentusr:lD theptir.

The decline of House-Kents in the capital it me of
the consequences necesarily accompanying an hareem
of taxes. The first of these are the Poor Kota. Mg
snit the tax on window lights become' oppressive, "a
lessen the value of houses materially. A builder trio
every means to contract the burthen of a &sumac'
window tax, by leaving the beauty and mares:keg of
architecture out of the question, sod solwitting the
building to the reprobation of taste and arcititeetnr.l
order. The house when finished, has to tos 114
deal of the King's attd Parish Surveyors, Who ligii
its taxation from the qualities of its compssidall t Is
that the more pains and expense a man takes to be°•
tiff and render his house convenient fur every testis
purpose, the wore certain he is to bare sit ion"ss is
all his taxes. This has been severely felt is sber ;
and many industrious men have been reollere'l "able
to succeed in business from enormons rents aid oFfer
sire taxation. it is therefore to he expected that sfor"
they reduction in House Kent trill take place, Slid 3
change adopted in the ilystem of taxing houses. A'
t ,e 1 resent mode of supporting tie poor calls loudly for.
e Ares*, " it is a consumtnation devoutly to he wished,
t,sat some member of Parliament would call forth the
stoked exertions of a commivee honestly chosen frus;
the utast enlightened poi tion of the Legislature,
red
form a New lode of Poor Liws, or an bolnlvelseet
in the present, to which there are so many rational ob.
krtions. pat ticularly to that pa. t of the system 0161*
in; to the settlements of paupers, which teas'
much litigation a+rd unnecess4ry expense.