A REMARKABLE OCCURRENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2156, 27 November 1885, Page 2

A REMARKABLE OCCURRENCE.

On the British Legation, a correspondent at Madrid gives the following details of a remarkable occurrence which has caused considerable comment in the Spanish capital:—At the beginning; of September or towards the end of August payment was demanded at the British Legation of six months house tax, and this was either refused or the collector was referred to the Spanish Foreign Office,'which was at once communicated with, payment of taxes not being usually required from the representatives ,< of foreign powers—certainly not where they occupy houses the property of their respective Governments. Such buildings and lands attached thereto are considered as extra territorial, or foreign territory, and even where the law—as I believe it does iu Spain—allowed suoh,taxes to be levied-, payment is not unusually made by foreign Ministers, reciprocity and the comity of civilised nations governing the point, Despite the representation or representations made verbally, or by note or both, to the 'Spanish Minister of Foreign affairs by the English representative, payment of the house tax was again demanded from .the British Legation, and, although imformed that the matter was one which must be dealt with between the English and Spanish Governments through the usual diplomatic medium, an official of the Ministry of N Finance subsequently entered the. Legation with the object of making a seizure of the British Minister's furniture and chatties to satisfy the amount claimed, some £3O, At first it was reported that he was promptly kicked out, but it has since transpired that the official was only summarily turned out of the doors of the Legation building.