fer of property. He likewise proposed that
auctioneers, instead of taking out several licences, at an expense of
five pounds each, for selling different articles, should take out one
general licence only, at fifteen pounds each; and as the number of
auctioneers was 4000, this would produce a revenue of L60,000. Sir
Robert Peel next stated that he proposed to relieve the article of glass
from all duty, the loss of revenue arising from which would be L642,000.
This was the whole of the articles, he said, on which he proposed a
remission of taxation; and the total immediate loss which the revenue
would sustain by their repeal or abolition, would amount to L3,338,000,
which would nearly absorb the surplus of L3,409,000. He confessed that
this was a bold experiment; but, responsible as he was to parliament
for its success, he was not afraid to ran the risk of making it. He
then proposed to the committee to continue the income-tax for a further
limited period of three years; because he had a confident persuasion
that the reduction in the price of articles of great importance would
be, if not a complete, yet a great compensation for its burden. He would
not say that it might not be wiser to give a longer time than three
years for testing this experiment; but he thought that parliament ought
to have a control over the duration of such a tax. Sir Robert Peel
concluded by expressing a hope that the house would be prepared to
decide on the principle of his resolutions on the following Monday, the
17th, and after several members had made some brief remarks on isolated
parts of the plan, most of them expressive of satisfaction with it, he
moved that the chairman report progress; and gave notice that on
the following Monday he would move--"That it is the opinion of the
committee, that, towards raising the supply to her majesty, the
respective duties on property, professions, trades, and offices, and the
stamp duties in Ireland, granted by two several acts passed in the fifth
year of her present majesty, be continued and further granted to
her majesty for a time to be limited." This resolution was read in a
committee of ways and means on Monday, the 17th of February, after which
Lord John Russel addressed the committee, factiously opposing the scheme
of the premier, without offering any sound practical suggestion, or
propounding any principle. Several amendments were moved by various
members; but they were all negatived, and the bill pa