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to allow any reductions; partiality will be displayed, or if not actually displayed people will say so, and there would be a consequent discontent. If any reductions are made, some unreasonable selfish men will think they have claims to abatement, when in point of fact they have not the slightest, and the result will be pretty general dissatisfaction.
It may be questioned whether it is not politic to reduce all the rents—taking 25 to 50 per cent from the whole of them—and offering the unsold land on the same terms in order to encourage settlers. But we doubt whether this would answer immediately; for some years a shortcoming would result, and if we must pay the civil establishment, taxes would be levied on articles of consumption. The land rates will not deter merchants from building, if the place offers other advantages; many of them do all their business in Canton, and a house at Macao or Hongkong is a mere luxury to them, not an essential. If driven from Canton, they must settle down in Hongkong like a hive of bees; £50 more or less of rent will not have the slightest influence. It is much the same with the Chinese; our suicidal law ordinances, our petty monopolies of articles of traffic, the corruption of the police, and the arbitrary disposition of the government, were the means of driving many decent people away, and deterred others from settling. They had no confidence in the government, nor will they feel secure from oppression until some of our old officials are removed. Sir John Davis is gone; but his evil advisers are still here, their presence has a worse effect, as regards the Chinese, than the land rents.
As a financial scheme reduction would be a dangerous experiment at present; five years ago the colony was in a better position, and we are inclined to think that with a liberal, just Executive, and sound commercial policy, it would then have succeeded. The people were harassed by local ordinances, and their trade crippled by the introduction of antiquated fiscal laws—monopolies, poll-taxes and a variety of other injudicious measures. The colony has somewhat improved no doubt, and would improve still more were the retail farms knocked on the head, but a reduction in ground rent will certainly take a heavy slice out of the revenue for years.
We read comparisons between the rate of land in Hongkong and the "choicest and most exclusive sites in Mayfair." That the price is high for a new colony is unquestionable, but it is a mere trifle to what land sells for in large cities at home; it is not a third of the cost of good building allotments in Sydney N. S. Wales—a town of some sixty years' growth.
If our ground rent, and consequently house-rent is high, we are favoured in other ways. Our wines, our malt, our tea, coffee, sugar, tobacco and a number of articles of daily consumption are all untaxed. We have but one assess tax—a heavy one however—in England people have the pleasure of paying half a dozen. Ships pay neither port charges, light money, nor any of the imposts which are levied elsewhere. For the support of the government, commerce is not burdened in any one way (always excepting the retail monopolies), and take it all in all, if a local revenue must be raised, there is no fairer way than by putting it on the building ground. It thus falls upon everybody,—heaviest upon those who must keep up a genteel appearance on a limited income, and upon others who require expensive premises upon which they conduct a small business—but these are the people who grumble least. Englishmen in China have got into an expensive way of living; if they paid the government two or three shillings for every cork drawn at their sideboard, many of them would be less free with their wine—such will be the inevitable result of a serious reduction in the land rent. If people wish to live altogether free of taxation, they must seek the wilds of some barbarous country and associate with savages. Taxation is the price paid for civilization and no money is invested to greater advantage.
Overland China Mail.
HONGKONG, THURSDAY, 29TH NOVEMBER, 1849.
BIRTH. At Spring Gardens, Victoria, on the 30th ultimo, Mrs T. W. L. MACKEAN of a Son.
BIRTH.—At Victoria, on the 6th inst., Mrs WILLIAM MORRISON, of a Son, still born.
MARRIAGE.—At St John's Church, Victoria, Hongkong, on Wednesday, 14th November, by the Reverend Vincent Stanton, Colonial Chaplain, Major WILLIAM HILL, Madras Fusileers, to SIBELLA, eldest daughter of Lieut. Colonel Phillpotts, Commanding Royal Engineer in China.
DEATH.—At Chusan, on board H. M. Brig Arab, on the 28th ultimo, Assistant Surgeon RICHARD BUTLER.
DEATH.—At Victoria, on the morning of the 1st inst., the Wife of Mr J. A BROOKS—his Infant Son having died two days previously.
DEATH.—At Victoria, of dysentery, on the 20th instant, Mr DALLIN, late Chief Officer of the Schooner Hellas.
PASSENGERS per BRAGANZA, to sail to-morrow the 30th instant. For Southampton, Messrs A. Price, W. Potter, G. E. Bruce. For Madras, Mrs Dent and 2 Native servants.
H. M. SHIPS Cleopatra, 26, and Reynard, 11, the latter fitted with an auxiliary screw propeller, arrived here on the 15th instant from England, via Rio de Janeiro, Singapore, and Labuan. The Reynard will proceed to Amoy to succeed the Pilot, which has sailed for Loo-choo, and thence to Shanghae and Ningpo. The Columbine sailed this morning for Singapore and England, and the Medea is said to be under orders for home.
LAND SALE.
THE following is the result of the Land Sale which took place on the 27th inst. :-
Numbers Sold at Advance £ s d Names Upret price £ s d 1. A. Scott 12 4 8 2 Shaik Adam 1 8 7 1 8 7 3 Abdool Currim 1 7 3 1 7 3 4 A. J. Burley 13 2 13 2 7 Mahomed 5 2 5 2 15 18 10 15 18 10 NE 1 13 A 9 5 2 16 7 2 2 5 10 2 7 0 5 1 4 4 A. J. Burley 18 5 8 6 8 C. Markwick 9* One occupied by Squatters houses, mostly Indian Policemen. With a good house, occupied by the Mahomedan Priest.
All the Lots sold, except the first, were more or less built upon by Squatters, but only a few of them had erections of any value. The unfortunate occupier of Lot 6, was the Mahomedan priest attached to the Mosque, who bid as high as he could to retain his home, and excited competition by his eagerness, which sufficiently accounts for the great advance on that Lot. We presume the purchaser was not aware of the circumstance, as he has since considerately determined, for the poor man's sake, to forfeit his deposit and allow the Lot to be resold, when it will probably be knocked down at the upset price, unless competed for in a friendly way.