The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-04-26 00:00:00

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HOUSE OF LORDS.-FRIDAY

The Earl of RIPON moved the third reading of the Spirit
Duties (Ireland) Bill.

Lord MONTEAGLE said that there ought to be a more
equal imposition of duty on spirits distilled i❑ Ireland and
Scotland. Spirits exported from Scotland were entitled to
a drawback of eightpence, whereas no such drawback was al-
lowed to the Irish distiller.

The Earl of WicKLow feared that the increased duty would
tend to illicit distillation, and thus counterbalance the bene-
ficial results of the exertions of the apostle of temperance in
Ireland.

After a short discussion, the Duke of WELLINGTON post-
poned the third reading until Monday, to give time to con-
sider the facts stated by Lord Monteagle.
The Corn Importation Bill was read a third time and
passed.
The Merchant and Factor Improvement Bill was read a
third time and passed.
The other bills on the table were forwarded a stage, after
which their lordships adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—FRIDAY.
Sir R. PEEL moved the second reading of the Income Tax
Bill.
Mr. C. BULLER moved that it be read a second time that
day six months. Now that he had read the bill, he must say
that all the fears he had seriously entertained were very much
increased. He perceived that it went to create whole hosts
of commissioners armed with the most extraordinary powers,
foreign to the feelings and habits of Englishmen. The com-
mercial tariff, which was assumed to be the consideration for
the income tax, was supported by the most contradictory ar-
guments, for sometimes it was said that it would reduce the
expense of living, while at other times this result was wholly
denied. He was aware that the principle of direct taxation
had been advocated by many hon. members on his side of
the house, but he could not acquiesce in that opinion, for he
thought that the principle of direct taxation was both unjust
and unequal—it was, in fact, a resource of barbarous times.
As to the assertion that the income tax would press only on
the richer classes of society, it was fultile. Even the char-
tists understood that any lessening of the funds out of which
the labourers were paid must necessarily be felt by the la-
bourers. _ _ . . _

Mr. EWART expressed himself friendly to the principle of
direct taxation, though opposed to the imposition of an in-
come tax. He approved of the tariff generally, but objected
to the proposed duty on coals as detrimental to our steam
commercial shipping.
Sir J. WALSH contended that the same charge of inequa-
lity which was levelled against the income tax applied with
equal force to every kind of taxation. The trading and com-
mercial classes would be largely benefited by the new tariff,
and it was therefore only reasonable that they should con-
tribute their proportion to supply those deficiencies occasi-
oned by wars for the protection of their interests.
Sir W. CLAY said that, after making every allowance for
the reductions in the commercial tariff, he did not think
there was anything in it to compensate for the imposition of
an income tax, which was uncalled for.
Mr. WAxtgy said there was a very general opinion in
favour of a property tax, but it was thought that it should
be levied upon a graduated scale, by which means the greater
portion of the burden would be borne by the wealthier classes.
Instead of doing this, however, the right hon. baronet by his
income tax threw the chief burden upon the industrious por•
tion of the community. It was said out of doors that Sir R.
Peel bad made a gigantic effort to place the finances of the
country in a proper position ; but when they came hereafter
to pay the income tax, they would soon find out the justice
of a sliding scale and insist upon its adoption.
Mr. DISRAELI supported the second reading, and ex-
pressed his opinion that the first duty of the house ought to
have been to have instituted an inquiry into the causes which
led to the disasters of our army in India, and to the defi-
ciency in the financial affairs of that country.

Mr. CHRISTIE supported the amendment of Mr. Buller,
and condemned in the strongest manner the resorting to a
tax so odious, unequal, and unjust as that on income, with
its disgusting inquisition. The hon. member then argued
upon the injustice of assessing income derived from trades
and professions in the same ratio as income derived from
land, and instanced cases in which the ta; would apply with
peculiar hardship and oppression.
Mr. SMYTHE supported the second reading. The country
was called upon to make strenuous exertions to redeem the
reverses of its army in India; and, at such a time, no slight
objections should be permitted to interfere with the struggle
which it was necessary to make. He was content to give
his vote for the tax, as a vote of confidence in Sir R. Peel,
though be admitted a great proportion of the evils attributed
to the measure.

After a few observations from Mr. W. 0. STANLEY and
Mr. SCOTT, the house divided, and the second reading was
carried by a majority of 155 to 76.
The Roasted Malt Bill, and the Excise Duties Compounds
Bill, were severally read a second time.
The remainder of the evening was occupied in committee
on the Railways Bill.

ARRIVAL OF TWO WEST INDIA MAIL
STEAMERS.

FALMOUTH, APRIL 20, HALF-PAST NINE, P.M.—The
Forth, West India steamer, is just arrived ; sailed from the
Harman,* 15th March ; was detained at Nassau ten days
for the mails, when the Tay arrived ; but, through some mis-
understanding about the mails being transhipped trom one
vessel to the other, both vessels left for England on the 2nd
of April, arrived at Bermuda on the otb, anti Fayal on the
14th. The Tay is expected early to-morrow. The Forth
left Fayal on the 14th, but has brought no Jamaica mail,
which, it is said, is on board the Tay. The Forth has brought
only four passengers : the Tay has about thirty on board,
and about 500,000 dollars.
SOUTHAMPTON, APRIL 21.—The Tay, Capt. Hayden,
arrived here at eleven o'clock to-night, having landed her
mails at Falmouth, but which will not reach London till
Saturday morning. The Tay left Havannah on the 27th of
March, Nassau on the 2.9tb, Bermuda (where she took in
300 tons of coals) on the sth instapt, and Fayal on the 14th.
During the latter part of her voyage, she had strong easterly
winds, yet she made the distance to Southarapto, by Fal-
mouth, 1380 geo. miles in seven days. There is no truth
whatever in the reported loss of any of the company's
steamers. The Dee was at the Havannah. The Clyde also
had arrived there, and the Actaeon also had safely reached
Barbadoes, on her return from Jamaica. The Tweed, from
having run short of fuel, on her passage from Chagres to
Jamaica, had been compelled to take refuge in Puerto Ca-
bello, from which place she was to sail on the 27th of Febru-
ary,in order to beat up to Jamaica. Ili; accident has
thrown this vessel more than a month out of her time, and
is one cause of the detention of the Jamaica mails, and the
consequent derangement of other parts of the service. This
derangement Lis been greatly aggravated and extended by
the quarrels between the Spanish authorities and the British
Consul at Havannah, which necessarily retards the trans-
mission of the mails to Europe. Instructions have, we
learn, gone out by the steamer, which will, we are given to
understand, soon after her arrival in the West Indies, restore
the whole service to its regular course.

The following is an extract of a letter from a passenger on
board the Forth, Lieutenant Fayrer, R.N.:—
" Steamer Forth, entering Falmouth Harbour,
20th April, 1842,
" I am most happy to inform you of my arrival thus far on
my passage home, after unprecedented detentions, caused by
the mal-arrangements of the directors, commanders, or mail
agents of the Royal Mail Steam Company. Our first long
detention was the non-arrival of the packet at Vera Cruz for
ten days after the time specified by the general advertise-
ments in the public papers : and, secondly, by twelve days'
detention at Nassau, 'Yew Providence, for the arrival of the
Windward Islands mails. On the arrival of the steamer Tay
with these mails, neither of the captains nor mail agents
would give up their mails or passengers; both persisted in
their right to go to England : they remained inflexible and
obstinate. The result was, that they both started, the Forth
with five passengers and the small mail of the Gulf of Mexico;
the 'fay with about thirty passengers and the Windward
Island mails. Both ships coaled at Bermuda nearly at the
same time, and the Tay came to Fayal as we left. I suppose
she may be about six hours astern of us. You may easily
conceive how, by some bad management, this company has
been, taking it in round numbers, put to nearly two thousand
pounds expense, money completely thrown away, as well as
taking one ship off her station where she was actually required
to establish some kind of regularity."

The actual performance of the West India mail steamers
have fallen far short of the expectations formed of them by
the projectors of the company. Of the two steamers just
arrived, one was due nn the Ist and the other on the 15th
instant. Yet, in the "Details of Service to be performed,"
published last year, they were expected to arrive with such
punctuality that the calculator of the tables remarked, at the
close of the last, " On re-examining this table, eight hours
in time might, without difficulty, be saved. This is an object
of some importance. as it would go to bring the mails to"the
General Postoffice, London, by 8 a.m., and in time for the
morning mails for the North I"