The Express. — London, England, 1847-02-23 00:00:00

there is a prospect &bee MI beg the reductirn in the duty will be aanee *lli male up by the increased imports. (Ham) Iblibeyel Obi= aireumatancee into consideration, and after esthmthelleideg with the Board of Customs, I believe I abet be =bard to assume that the pro bable looms Am the customs next year will be '20,000,000/. (Cheers.) It, as I hope, the trade of the country shoed go on, even without any ma terial improvement, it may be higher, but I believe I ant fully je.e.itied in assuming it at that. I have said, that up to the present tires, since the beginning of the quarter, both the eu.toms and excise have increased. The increase in the customs duties during the six weiles from the sth of Jan., has been no less than 215,0001, I come now to the excise. The produce of these duties to the sth of January in the present year was 13,988,0001. Nothing can be more remarkable than the extraordinary increase in the excise du ties during the lot 3 or 4 years, especially the duties paid on article.i which enter largely into consumption as malt and hops. I do not know whether we may expect this increase to continue; but the revenue arising from the el ides duties may be regarded u a far more certain income, in many respects, than the customs. On many articles the exact charge is known before it is received, sad we are enabled, thereeire, to a certain extent, to state exactly what the in come is. From this source, after consulting with the chair man of the excise board, I put down 13,705,003 i. as the income fir the next year; but in this case else there is an increase since the beginning of the quarter of not less than 106,0001. ' • and it is not a little rfmark able, that even in Ireland the excise duties have in creased, and not to an inconsiderable amount, during the last year. The stamps produced, ferthe year ending Jan. 4, ' 7,505,0001. I assume that it will be the same for the next year, or 7,500,0001. The land and assessed taxes produced ut the same period 4,272,0001. I know no reason why they , should not be the atone in the next year; but say 4,270,0001. The property tax produced 5,390,0001. There has been a surplus in this, arising from some extraordinary payments, and in consequence there is an increase in this stem of 159,0001. since. the 18th of January, beyond the correspond ing period of last year. I will assume the revenue from this source to be 5,300,0001. for the next year. The Pe st ofilee revenue I will take at the same amount as last rear, viz., 840,0001., which is 5,0001. leader what the late Chan cellor of the Exchequer calculated it Rt. Crown lands, I assume, will produce the same amount,l2o,eue/. The ratios, miscellaneous items of revenue produced lip to the sth of January, 427,0001. The calculation of the right hon. gen tleman (Mr. Goulbuni) was 300,000/, but subsequent to that calculation being mode, there were paid in the surplus fees I of this house, which will perhaps not be so large in amount this year, but I think we may safely calculate on 30,00,21. from this source. I therefore take the miscellaneous revenue 41 330,0001. This will make the ordinary revenue for the financial year 1847-1819, 52,065 000/. I now come to the expenditure. The Interest of the debt funded and un'onded is 28,015,0001; the estimate of the charger. -et the consolidated fund, excluding Ireland, are 2,522,0001., to which must lot added the charge ex plained by the right honourable gentleman last year, of 175,000/. for the expens, of the Irish constabulary which previously had been paid by the Irish government, making in all 2,700,0001., the amount of the national debt and consolidated fund charges being altogether 30,745,0001. The estirn des for the various service., except the miscella neous, are already on the table of the house; I will only refer to them, therefore. shortly. The army vote is 6,275,0741., the militia 16.5,0001., the commissariat 410,0001., the charge for the whole army 6,840,0711. Though there is an increase in the army vote, there would be a decrease but for the charge for deferred estimates for the War-office, for one-third of the year, amounting to 192,000/.; but for this there would ho a decrease of 3.3,0001. in the army vote. For the navy the,vote is 7,061,87.11., being an increase over the vote of last year of 77,0001. The estimate of the two last years has been below the expenditure. I shall have, at a later period of the evening, to state a vote to cover the ex- I cess of expmditore for the year ending April last, and I am afraid, from the arrangements which were made early in I the year, that there will probably he an excess of expendi tore in the present year; but a considerable portion of this increase is owing to the necessity of bringing up the esti mate to the expenditure. We have also had to increase the marine force to the amount of 1,600 men, but my noble II friend will more particularly explain this part of the vote when introducing the naval estimates. The ordnance vote I is 2,679.1271. This is an increase over last year's vote of 13.5,558!., but of that increase 67,2991 is due to certain services, explained last year, for the par- I pose of bringing the ordnance into proper order. The remainder of the increase is partly owing to an increase 1 of the artillery to the extent of 1,200 men, and partly to the i necessity of a change in our mode of maritime warfare— I adding thereto the use of steam, and the putting into a better condition many of our porta. (Hear, hear.) The sum to be t taken for the miscellaneous votes is 3,700,000/. From that I I have omitted any charge on account of Irish distress, and in comparing it with the miscellaneous estimates of last rear, I i must therefore omit for those estimates the sum of 132,0001., 5 which was included in them on account of Ireland by the i right hon. gentleman opposite. In comparing these the I miscellaneous estimates of last year, with tho.e of this year, 1 there is an increase of about 397,0001. Of that 171,0001, is owing to half a-year's expenditure for certain purposes I connected with the poor-law prosecutions, and the maintenance of prisoners. Of the remainder a con sideyable portion is due to the necessity of provi- I ding for the maintenance of convicts at home, instead I of sending them to the colonies. A considerable portion is I due al-o to increased printing and stationery for the two I hinges of parliament, and some portion to an unexpected in crease in the expense of the new houses of parliament, and I to other matters which I think had better be deferred until the miscellaneous estimates are brought forward. (Hear, hear.) The whole amount of these several estimates is 20,831,0771., making the whole ordivary expenditure I 51,576,0001. Sir, in the statement there made to the I house, I have purposely omitted all sums required fur the relief of distress in Ireland, whether by grant or loin, or in I whatever shape the expenditure is to be provided for, with the exception of the ordinary establishment of the Board of Works, and the payment of such officers as would otherwise I be employed, although for the time being employed in the ; operation of measures for relieving that distress. I t now becomes I my duty to state what I think the dlem Inds upon the E xtherier will be for effecting that object. I must Brit beg of the corn- ' mittee to observe, that what is material for the present pur pose is not what may be ultimately charged, and that I am i now about to speak of what sum will be required for the pre- I sent season—(hear, hear)—because the system which was commenced about this time last year, and continued since, is this—that ail the money required for public relief is, in the I first instance, advanced by the treasury. Whatever property it I may ultimately be thrown upon, the landlords of Ireland, as I regards this burden, have hitherto paid nothing. (Hear, hear.) They have no doubt paid the poor-rate, which I I find amounted :for the year 1846 to about 390,0001.; they have paid their subscriptions to the relief fund and commit tees; and I believe that a large body of them have employed, to a great extent, the poor and destitute of their respective localities. (Hear.) But confining myself to the sums for the relief works, and the i modes which have hitherto prevailed of administering relief, I say that whenever and in whatever way the repayment of them may take place, the whole is advanced front this court- ' try—l should not say front this country—but from the pub- ' lie treasury, and that system I believe it to be indispeembly ' necessary to continue for the present season. It is not easy to state precisely what the amount of expenditure may be, depending as it does upon a number of circumstances over which we have no control, and which we cannot quite fore see. It is easy enough to state what the expenditure has been in various ways up to the present time. As I said a few nights ago, in answer to my noble friend opposite, the expenditure on account of works in Ireland fur four weeks in November has been 380,000/. ; for five weeks in Decem ber, to the 2nd of January, 742,0001. ; and Lei four weeks in Janitary, 776,0001. To the present time the number of persons relieved by these works has increased with frightful rapidity. At the end of September the number of persons employed was 3,000 ; at the end of October 150,000; at the end of November 285,000; at the end of December 440,000; and at the end of January 671,000. (Sensation.) The ex • of the permanent staff of the Board of Works for January, including the pay to commissariat officers with. drawn from other establishments, was 27.6001. The expen diture for the purchase of grain up t o t :e present time has been 295,0001.; but of this the or part, indeed utterly the whole, will of coarse be repaid to the government when the sales take place from our depots to the relief committees. The issues from the Exchequer under the Labour-rate Act to the 20th of February amount to 2,400,0001. Out of that sum there was issued to the Board of Works and to paymasters of civil forces nearly 2,000,000/.. and in aid et the - relief committee since August to the present time there has been issued 80,0001. This being so, I don't think that I should be safe in saying that the ex penditure per month will fall very far short of 1,000,000!. (Sensation.) For the month of January there has been advanced 800,0001., and that does not include the whole cap cditure. I have no doubt that this will vary materially between this and the next harvest. The Treasury will re quire a certain diminution in consequence of the labour which the seed time affords; on the other hand, the 'Emmet months are notoriously those in which destitution prevails to the greatest extent in Ireland. The number of persons, therefore, requiring to be employed in June, July, and August, will infinitely exceed the number employed at an earlier period of the year and it was in reference to this fact that trey right hon. friend stated that upwards d 2,005,000 of persons in Ireland were in a stale of dell tution for about three months of the year. Again, I as pect that we shall be able to effect no inconsiderable by the different modes we propose of administering I think that the assistance given through the medium of what are called soup kitchens, and the relief committee. be much cheaper than that afforded through public Muth (Hear, hear.) On the other hand, looking to the enemas' in the amount of destitution, and the difficulty of obtaining food from domestic sources, I think it possible that the number of persons requiring food may be increased. I expect, however, that a considerable number of persons will be taken off the relief works and employed by the landlords of Ireland under the bill, which I sincerely hope may paw, teethe improvement of their estates. I believe that that bill will work well in Ireland, and from all the accounts we have received on the subject I am sanguine enough to think it will effect much good. This estimate is framed upon data to include the relief of distress up to the gathering in of the next harvest. But even if we entertained the meet san _ . finding both employment and to suppose that all calls cease, or that for some harvest, advances must not be - up such a gigantic opens , in the country. Taking, e probable demand as is pos. a, I cannot estimate it at less sensation)—which, with t' , o ' make the total sues re peated or lent, for the period of about a year, gume expectations of then an ding food for the people, it is impossible I upon the public purse can then c short period at least alter the harvest made for the purpose of winding ni Men as is now Ileum carried on in 4 !' therefore, as fair a new of the pro sible under the circumstances, 1 cm than 8,000,0001.—(moch semiotic • 2.000,0001, already advanced, will spired to be expended or advanced, *Wit distnr is Inland, for the s s dit THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 23, 1847. from the Uncertainty of the amount required, and portly from the necessity of dealing next year with that large source of revenge, the income-tax. Cucumatancce may be such—the prosperity of the agricultural, commercial, and manufacturing interests may increase in such a manner, that it may not he necessary nest year to take more decided mea sures; but if such should be necessary nest year, I nay most distinctly I shall be prepared to propose an increase of the burdens of the country : for it would be unjustifiable to allow such a state of things to cantinue fur more than one year. And if a necessity shall arise when next year conies, I shall not shrink from proposing those measures which I may thiuk most expedient or bringing the revenue of the country in a more proper proportion to the expenditure than lam now enabled to exhibit. (Hear.) I think, from the statement which I have made, it must be evident to every member of the committee that this year I can ill /mare any revenue—(hear, hear)—and this statement most be my an swer to those hon. members opposite who have pressed me at various times to reduce the du ies on tea, tobacco, paper, copper, and some other commodities, which reduce a considerable amount of revenue. It u impossible this year to spare any of the ampules of those burdens. (Hear.) I take this opportunity of answering, as I promised, a question put to me as to whether it was my intention to propose an annual duty in lieu of the existing auger duties. Ido not thiok so much importance attaches now to that question as formerly belonged to it, because ebere are two votes of this house (one of which will be proposed to-night), without which it is impusaible that the expenditure for the ordinary service of the country can be provided; but hon. members will bear in mind that now we have a duty winch we must renew meet year, and therefore we have the frt.) advantage of an anneal regulation, sad hence h is not my intention to propose any other duty in lievof that already voted thivsession. Before lat down, I wish Amply to say (though it is idle to talk of perusal regret in son a matter) that no prreou can regret more* sincerely than I do this interruption to: that course of fiaanefed and commereal policy which has foe some time prevailed, and for the hat four yeses with unexampled success. (liter, hear.) It s true that I may have opposed the imposition of an income. tax to meet a deficiency of 2,600,0001., but when it has bean , tofiow, S by the beneficial results which the rfuht hon. hart. opposite Mir It. Peel) has effieted, though I do not mean now to say that I approve of all the details, no person can more fully convict. than I do in the general scope and policy of those measures which hove relieved our trade from all unnecessavy restrictions. which have fos tered the industry of the people, sad which have provided most material additions to their comfort. (Hear, hear.) Just before I entered the house this evening a paper woe put into my hands, a peetion of the cuntette of which I feel confident it will be satisfactory to the committee to hear, ns it tends to f dispel some portion of the gloom which my statement to- I night may have cast over the minds of some honourable members. It is a statement of the quantities of a certain I number of articles taken into consumption during the last four years. They are articles which enter among the great body of the people, and I think, front the guard!, its I .am about to read, the document chow, how materially their comfort and happinese must have been increased by the increased quantities they have been enalled by the removal of restriction, to consume. The first article I take is that of c offee, and I find that of it there were entered Cr home consumption in 1843, 30.000,000 lbs.; in 1841, 31,391,000 lbs. ; in 1845, 34,318,000 lbs ; and in 1846, 36,781,000 lbs. (Hear, hear.) I next take the article of butter, and I find that of it there were entered for home consumption in 1843, 148,000 cwt. ' • in 1844, 181,000 cwt. r in 1845, 210,000 cwt. ; and in 1846, 253,000 cwt. The ne-ct article is cheese, and of this, in 1843, there was entered for home consumption 166,000 ewt. ; in 1814, 212,000 ewt. ; in 1845, 258,000 cwt. ; and in 1846, 327,000 cwt., and yet I have not beard that the farmer of Chothire have been ruined (‘. Hear, hear, " and a laugh.) Currants is the next article to which I will allude. I find that of currants there were entered for home consumption in 1843, 2;4,000 cwt. • in ' 1844, 285,0 0 0 cwt. ; 1845, 309,000 evrt.; and in 1846, 359 ,000 cwt. In sugar the return is as follows : In 1843, 4,071,000 cwt. •in 1844 4,139,090 cwt. ; 184.5, 4,880,000 cwt. ; and in 186, 5,231 , 000 cwt. were entered for home tronevimptimi. (Hear, hear.) Now on all these article, the duties have been reduced, and I have reserved the gr. at snide of tea, for the reduction of duty on which so much interest has been excited ; but it Ls only fair to state thataltheugh the duty on tea has not been reduced, yet by various circumstances I well known to the commercial world, the prices of that I:mann:l34 have been much reduced. 1 find, however, that I of tea there were entered for home coseuraption in 1843, 40,304,000 lbs., in 1844, 41,369.00011., in 1815, I 44,183,000 lbs., and in 1846, 40,728,000 lbs. (Ike, hear.) i All of these are articles which are largely consumed by the I great body of the people, and it certainly must be satisfactory 1 to the committee to obs erve the enormous extent to which i the consumption of each has increased. This increase can not be aceountxl for by the consumption of the higher and wealthier classes, hut it must have been caused by that of I the mass of the people down to tee working man. (Hear.) It gives me great satisfaction to be able to read these extracts, as showing the results which have ffowed from the policy of the right honourable baronet opposite (Sir B. Peel), I and as proving that the continuance in the same course . tends most to the prosperity of the country and the well being of the people, with 'whose prosperity and well being all classes are inseparably connected. (Cheers.) I I have now concluded the statement which it has been my duty to make on this occasion ; I hope I base made that ' statement clear. (Cheers.) If not I must request any hon. member who desires to put any question to me to do so I at once, as I fear it will not be ismy power to remain in the I house. (Hear, hear.) The vote which I have to put into ' the hands of the chairman has nothing to do with the state- I ment I have made. It is a mere vote of coarse, and I con. I elude with now moving its adoption. (The risht hon. baronet, who seemed much exhausted and to be suffering from pain, resumed his seat amidst general cheering.) The CHAIRMAN then put the resolution, which was a vos of 8,000,0001., out of the consolidated fund, in aid of the pub lic service for the current year. Mr. HUME said the right hon. gentleman had made his statement particularly clean, and a most melancholy state ment it was. His details of the decrease of employment in this country, and of the increase of destitution in Ireland, must present unpleasant forebodings to those who had the management of the country's finances. He (Mr. Hume - ) complained not of the sacrifice of eight or ten millions ; but after this large sum was expended, the country would be apparently in a worse condition than at present; for net one remedial measure had been proposed, to avert the evil,. and to enable Ireland to regenerate itself. It was to be regretted that the right hon. gentleman had not proposed such &ether reforms as would further increase the commerce of the coun try. The recent reduction in the sugar duty had shows that this might safely be done ; then, why not remove from the statute-book all remaining restrictions, and allow commerce to put forth that elasticity by which alone the exhaling bur dens could be alienated ? As to the duty on tea., the loss that would result from its reduction would he trisSag, com pared with the great advantage that would cries from the extension of our exports to China. Out of 600,000,000 of yards of common calicoes, 180,000,000 went to China alone, and this quantity might be doubled if we took more of their produce, while the revenue might be at the sense time in creased. The duty on copper ore, which producedenly 40,0001. or 50,0001., cost probably throe times that amount, by losing, us the markets of the whale world. The reduction of the. duty would not affect the peoducen of ore ih this country and it was extremely bed policy to allow France and th e United States to obtain the market from us, by smelting. foe themselves, owing to our duty of 50 or fid per cent. or-the ore. In like manner, the duties on 150 or 200 other articles ought tobe swept away, in order to gleeful, scope tosiom mere& The expenditure for Ireland being an extraordinary one, government ought to have applied, the surplus ordinary revenue in carrying out those great, commercial reforms which were now exciting the attention of the commercial world. Instead ottbis, it was proposed, by limiting the hours of labour in factories, still further to enpple the productive power of the country, and to; lessen the meanest meeting the extraordinary expenditure now required. A recent state ment from the manufacturing disisiets, showed a decrease of the number of hands in full work, an ISM**, of those working only half-time, and a very marked increase of those entirely idle. Last year, the surplus revenue was estimated at 78,0001. ' • It was actually v,soo,oooa—a most striking proof of the advantage of removing the shackles ffom commerce, and an encouragement to proceed in that course. Unless this was done, the country would ' be ruined ; for the expenditure was incressan,g, em ployment was becoming less abundant, and pauper ism 'ma rapidly extending in Scotland and lingland. The financial operations of the government would also pro duce a scrims effect on the money market; this would increase the expenses. et the manulisetivers, an d , tender them leas able to compete with foreigners in neutral porta. As to ; the income-tax, he was an advocate for , its extension to Ireland ; let evesy tax paid in lingland and Scotland be ex tended to Ireland, and let the Irish have fair play— (langhter)—both in regard to civil rights and everything else. Should the next harvest prove unfavourable, with the expenditure increased in every item, and no provir.ion made for raising Ireland up to the level of Engiand and Scotland, the necessary consequence would be that England and Soot land must come down to the level of Ireland. They ought not to proceed further without en amurance from govern ment that measures would be adopted for regenerating Ire land. It was said that Irish property could not bear this ; but it was quite certain that, without it, Irish property would be lost. The time was come when all the sources of expenditure ought to undergo a critical examination ; end let the country gentlemen bear in mind, that if the present course was persevered in, on them would fall the burden of a tan per cleat. interne-tax, for nothing lees would RTC. Mr. W. WILLIAMS said the statement of the right hoc. gentleman would be the most unsatisfactory and unpalatable to the country that any Chancellor of the Exchequer had made since the termination of the last war. In every de partment of the *spew iitare there was an increase, especially in the army, the navy, and the ordnance. Surely "one grounds should have been shown for this increase, especially as compared with last year. He entirely disapproved of the way in which the right hon. gentleman proposed to make up the eight millions; it ought not to have fallen upon the per manent and ordinary sources of revenue; and its repayment aught to have been provided for within a very limited period. In 1840, when we were engaged in a war with Chins, and a dispute with France—when we had an immensely large Beet la the Mediterranean, when the siege of Acre took place; and when a large amount of the Canada expenditure was unpaid, the expenditure for the army, navy, and ordnance was 2,093,00 W. less than in the present year. ( Hear, hear.) He objected to the manner in which the right hon. gentle man proposed to raise the eight millions. II we were to borrow money in t'me of peace, we ought to begin on a new principle—the Chancellor of the Exchequer should get 1001. in money for 1001. of stock, whereas in the present state of the money market the proposed loan of 8,000,000!. would in fact be 8,800,0001. ( Hear, hear.) By this system of bor rowing money,upearils of 6,000,000!. might have been saved in the country from 1775 down to 1817. Mr. ROEBUCK wished, at the earliest moment, to enter his solemn protest against the proposition of ti..o govern ment. Ti e was willing to admit that the statemm. t of the Chanceller of the Exchequer could not have Iva' more frank, lucid, and complete—(hear, hear)—and he (len Roe buck) was not actuated by any spirit of hostility to lie Jo yernmeng i n else :ennuis which he was about to make, be. t he thought it hie de•ty at once to state his objections to the course proposed; and he must, in the first place say, that a suspicion was created in his mind, in consequence of the altered course of promee'ing on the part of the government. Tucy had paned a bill iriarch gave them the lower over all the money to be approprieed by parliament; iu addition to which, a bill had beeu pan. 'd, called an indemnity bill, but which, in reality, would r s oiler valid every presentment that might be mode in Irelans 1; and when all this had been done, the Chancellor of the E. schequer asked for a loan of eight millions sterling. Now, ;the noble lord at the head of the government had stated that ise hoped he should encoun ter no opposition to the prine2ple of his Irish poor law bill—that principle being, he (Mr. Roebuck) under stood, teat property in Ireland !Moult be taxed for the poor of Ireland. (Hear, hear.) It appem - ed, however, that 70 Irish proprietors had signed a paper in opposition to the principle of the bill : the Irish clergy ej ere alarmed at the conduct of the Irish party, the membe. - s of which he be lievel had banded themselves together to o oposeen efficient poorlaw for Ireland—(Year, hoer)--and heat circumstance threw a shade of suspicion over hie mini wh en he regarded the measures he had before referred to for the relief of Irish digress. He hoped English gentlemen in that house would MAC • stand, and not permit a loan of eight on Miens to be made for any purpose until they were su.'e of the mutiny of a poor-law for Ireland. (Cheer s.) The Chancellor of the Exchequer had glided over a great part of the difficulty: he had not edentate, d upon the evil for the whole ear, and no ens mole 1 carry his propmele through, if they would make the tales of the year meet she exigencies of the year—(hear, hear) ;—a.ed he would here'aek why taxatimo should not be luidon the s hole property of Treland. (Hear, hear.) Why ware Irish Cen tletnen allowed to come to this-country and etre' for ihe or six months, geirig to any amount of expense taw/ please 1 . end not pay that class of taxes , which an Englishman wa oeliged to, even if he was a poor artisan. (Hear, hear.) Where was the justice of this at a time when his (Mr. Roebuck's) pooreountrymen were th, msclves metering so much misery. Why should he seal his professional erethren ea.* to deduct the income tax from the reward of their .arbour, when no each tax was impeeed on any profession in Ireland ? (Hear, hear.) Why, he would ask, did net the noble lord at the h nd of the government propose a property and income tax for Ireland ? (Hear, hem.) Before the pro- I posed loan received the sanction of the home, he would bring &newel that question, and he hoped Englishmen would mod hot that they would coon have to meet their constituents. ffb should moose the simnie and honest measure of malaise , property, whether in Ireland or England, subject to the • same liabilities, and mekine every man according to his utilities, contribute to the taxation of the country. The present calamity had been called au impede' calamity—let them then provide an imperial remedy, and tax with fair ueas and equality the impiniel kingdom. (Hear, hoar.) Ile would take the poor-rate in Ireland as some guide for levying a property tax, and in answer to the objection that such a tax would not be paid, he would say then seize the property and sell it—there could be no difficulty insetting it, ' for land sold at a higher rate in Ireland than io England. • It wax but an act of common justice to their own fellow countrymen to impose this tax. en Isishmen. They were now giving daily employment to 600.000 persees in that country, and the great difficulty was to disband this great • body of people. (Hear.) They had been withdrawn from their ordinary occupation—that of cultivating the soil—and employed upon other works, and the difficult problem they • had to deal with wee how to get them back to their usual labours. Now, one great advantage of the income LAM would he that they would thereby give a direct interest to the owners of Irish property to withdraw the people from Isbouring upon the works, and to employ them in the cultivation of the land. The government had the greatest problem to solve that men ever brought upon themselves. The people of Ireland bad been forced on to a higher description of food than they were accustomed to, one more costly and Vero able to feed a number of persointat a given expense. But they had not 8,000,000 of people to feed, owl 6,000,0001. worth of food had been imported from Ire land, for which a 7usd pro quo . was given. There had been instances of similar calamities in other countries. India had bees visited in the same way. But the East India Company, which was &government of great power and guided by great intelligence, came to the wise resolution not to interfere for the future in these dispensations, farther than to remove an obstructions in the way of procuring food. He believed that in Ireland, main India, the consequence of interference had been to increase the misery. (Hear, hoar.) They bad the whole population thrown upon the government, owing to their benevolent intentions. They had 3,000,000 of people to feed, and were spending 1,000,0(101. a month. ( Hear.) They were told that this was to coil iu August. Ile did not think that woe likely to be the case. They had promised seed to the people, and consequently tile people eat the seed which they would otherwise keep. In stead of 50,000/., he was of opinion that 1.000,0001. would not answer for seed. They had demoralised the people by destroying whatever foresight they had. The government had converted themselves into corn chandlers; they fancied they could govern a kingdom as they did a farm, and never was there a more dresdful mistake. (Hear, hear.) He hart seen letters from all parts of Ireland, in which it was stated that the people would not sabeerese because it was expected that government would do everything. (Hear, hear.) He warned the government to beware how they proceeded before the whole mischief was done. They might make their loan of 8,000,000 e, and calculate that August would put an end to this state of things, but never would people fwd themselves more surely disappeinted. when August came. 'They would then And Memse.ves with an empty exchequer, parSament not sitting, theaame state of misery existing, the same deafen ing cry of "•give, give," more loudly repeated, and their be nevolence merely ending in making the large mass of pre sent misery still greater. (Hear, hear.) Therefore, beware in time;, stop thu state of things while you are able, ard s in justice to the people at England, impose ea those in Ireland who are able to bear it their quota of the = and do not drag the people of England, who ask for nothing but protection, down to-the miserable condition to which we see our fellow-countrymen in Ireland. reduced. (Cheers.) Lord J. RUSSELI. said he nee teteddress the house, not for the purpose of adding anything to the financial statement of hie right hon friend who had stated bionic sea so clearly, as to render any explanation on his part unnecessary, but in order to enter at once into discussion with the hen. and learned gentlemanwho had just sat down, because, though he admitted the hon. and learned gentleman was conscien tiously persuaded his views were foe the benefit of the country, he thought the hon. and learned gentle man was so deceived himself, and would, if he ware listened to by the house, so completely de ceive parliament, that there' would be great danger the following his counsel. (Rear, hear.) The hen. and learned gentleman said that the income tax ought to be im mdiately applied to Ireland—that this oalarnity was an imperial calamity, and ought to be met by imperial means. Yet, though it was an Imperial calamity, it ought to be recollected that it pressed mom severely in Ireland; that those prorrietors in Ireland who had taken shame of the destitute people in their neighbourhood and on their own estates had done that at a considerable saorifice, having re ceived perhaps only a small portion of their rents—(bear, hear, and cheers)—and expended the whole of their used income. (Hear, hear.) He should say, therefore, that whilst such was the condition of Ireland, and admitting, as he did admit, that while it was wise in the right hon. gentleman opposite (See It. Peel) not to impose an income tax on Ireland in the first instance, if it was only to be a tem porary burden, it would be only just to extend that tax to 'inland if it were to continue to any length of time. (*ear, hear.) *eking that admission, yet he did not think it would be wise, or just, or considerate to impose that tax on .Ireland at the present time. (Hear, bear, hear.) He could ' not, therefor*, agree in the first proposition of the hon. and learned gentleman. But the hon. and learned gentleman went on to show that the present calamity was nothing but the ordinary state of Ireland, and referred to a report of a committee of inquiry iota the state of Mellow. He (Lord J. Russell) had that repose brought under his notice in Octo ber, and although it tweezed from it that some of the ani mus and small shopkeepers in the towns lived, in ordinary years, oa a miserable pittance of food for a portion of the year, yet it would be rash to conclude from that that the present state of Ireland was at all similar to what It was in ordinary years. (Hear, hear, hear.) Let him :suppose that three-fourtbe of the wheat crop, and a portion of the oat crop failed in England, would it not be mid that an extraordinary want of food had befallen the country ? (Hear, hear.) Now the potato crop, which was the general food of the people of Ireland, having failed, was it not an extraordinary calamity, and the more ao for this very reason, that so large a portion of the people were on the border of starvation in ordinary years? (Hear, hear.) Let them look to the condition of the people of this country when some staple manufacture failed, or when there was a scarcity of Provision. A poor family were accustomed to their tea and sugar, they perhaps sent two children to school, and they were able with their small income to provide for these expenses. A year of calamity mine, and they reduced their food to what was barely necessary for their sustenance. They cut off every other sort of expenditure. If that was not all f talent, they came to the parochial board—to the board of guerdians—and stated the distress of the family. The man was put upon the roads to break stones, and the family received enough for their sustenance. That was a melancholy rate of things and a state of great distress, but it was a state of distress which was to be borne, and it was borne. (Hear, hear.) And it was remarlarbio that in that tract which had Teen often quoted for other purposes Mr. Burke's " Thoughts on Scarcity," in which he lays ' down the wise doctrine of non-interference, it is said iu this year of crest scarcity" (and it was a year of great scarcity), " I have not heard of one person who has been starved to death in this country." (Hear, hear.) Was not that a veer different state of things from what prevailed in Ireland ? (Hear, hear.) And when they heard of the number of deatha which were every day °catering, was it net clear that unless some means were adopted to preserve the people the number of deaths, instead of being what they had heard, wou'd be multiplied ten and • hundred fold? (Hear, hear.) Now, seeing that the calamity week) extraordinary, and that the immediate resources of Ireland were not sufficient to meet it in a single year, they had telvit the resource which had been applied in England ; making a list of those persons who required relief, giving them money to purchase food, sad, at the same time, imposing the performance of task work, in order to ascertain that the patties were really des titute, and as &return for the wages given. That was the course nsually taken in England, and in that way millions had been annually spent in this country ever 'Moe the I oor law had been in raistPlice. in the ease of Ireland, seeing that no -law existed which was adequate to the emergency, and thit if one were enacted, there were not resources to pro vid e for the calamity, they ademmed large swim from the imperial exchequer to enable the people to ward off, in some degree, the famine which was hanging over them. The plan proposed might be defective ; but he owned that he could not reconcile it to himself, as a minister of this I country, to lay down the principle that no effort should be made—(cheers)—that the legislature should abandon the people to the calamity, and have them dependent on the ordinary operations of trade, in the hope that they would ob 'sin a subentence by such meanie (Hear, hear, hear.) H e did certainly think that the feeling aad opinion of the house would have been against the government if th e y ha l e taken that course—that Niehaus unwise economy, would not have been supported by the votes and approbation of partisans... (Hear.) While he said this, he also gave the hon. and learned gentleman (Mr. Roebuck) full credit for believing, that Oat was the course which ought to be pur sued, end which would produce the best results as regarded Ireland. Now, as respected the poeition of the people of that country, there wan, no doubt, a very formidable tranai. tion to be paased through. Probably there was soma truth in the hon. and learned gentleman's statement, that people who had been employed on public works, had been with drawn from field labour; but ho thought the nine- sentations on that subject were very mutt crag gender!. (Hear, hear.) Now, the great question was whether Ireland could be safely conducted through the great change which mast come; whether those who were now mere cattier tenants could be turned into labourer..; whether the lantords and farmers together could employ as much capital on the land as would make the work oflabourers necessary and useful, and thereby raise a sufticent quantity of food from the soil? (Hear.) He believed that if there had been coefficient time to effect thin object ; if, instead of wait ing to gain experience from the lamentable potato failure, all had agreed that the potato culture was injunous, and, having come to one salad on the subject, had endeavoured to change the face of the country in seven or eight years, sock an effort would have been attended with success. He hoped that the object might still be accomplished ; but, at the same time, it would not be, he feared, without very great distress in the present year, and for souse years to come. (Hear, hear.) The process was one which evidently involved very great changes and sacrifices. It would be necessary to carry through that and the other house of parliament a more ex tended poor-law for Ireland; and he still entertained the opinion which he had expensed the other night, that to the nnaciple of that law there would be no objection on e, ho part of Irish members or proprietors in that house, , th ough there might: be a difference of opinion as to the det ails, the mode of rating, and the district is which I the rate should apply. As regarded the question of finance, th e t emourable member for Coventry had complained of • very Treat increase of expenditure. lie (Lord J. Russell) would not say anything with respect to the miscellaneous ntimat es, which consisted of such various items that it was not pose ihle then to enter into them. He did not believe that the increase in the army, navy, and ordnance at all ex ceeded se , eat was necessary for the defence of the country ; on the con trary, he thought that if their means were more ample, it would be wise to propose a larger expeu diture for St 'me of the military and naval Manche, of the public serve. 'e, Monier to bring them into that state of effi ciency in wh.'eh it was desirable that they should be found ir. case of ch tors. (Hear, hear.) There was no very great increase in teen estimates as compared with last year. The eommitteo wood recollect that,* order to attain greeter uniformity end .regebnity the accounts, the estimates in the last year, whh respect to several breaches both of the military ante the naval service, were takes for only three questa.* of the year. The estimate for the army last y ear was 6,035,000 J. ; this year it was 6,840,0001. ; the dofereed votes of the quarter amounted to 192,1722., leaving, al , th a real increaser, 12,8284 The ord naner estimate of last year was 8.543,00 fee. this 'eerie wan 2,679,0001., and the defected vote being 67,2991., the veal' increase under that he ad was 68,7011. The increase kr the ordnance estimate was for the purpose of mronenticg the number of men in that :Terportent branch of the actelee. Hon. members were awam that a considerable pined was required to make men efficient in that depot. meat, and it was in order' to give the necessary pea baton that the government proposed tkis increase. For the navy, there was an increase of 77,428/1, allowing en addition of 1,500 men to the marines. ft had been intended to rid 3,000, but it was found that not morathan 1,509 could be added in the present year. Although he admitted that the increase was considerable, as compared with the years to which the how. gentleman had alluded, 1834 and 1835, yet he did not think it was at all too much for the defence of a great empire like their own. The novenae of commerce rendered it necessary that they should have a large fleet; and the seaseity which their trade and commerce derived from tee knowledge that Oro naval and militeey ser vile' were efficient, woo one great reason why they were now se nourishing and prosperous. (Cheers.) Lord G. BRNTINCK said his right hon. friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer had stated as a reason fee not adding to the income-tea that such • course would produce a eirgaetion of trade. He (Lord G. Hentincke thought that one reason. why the government would not meet the men- Om of renewing the income-tax was that the present to ent w supposed be in the last year of rtr ii rxistence— as (Laughter) and that the government were not willing to go to an election with the di advantage of having proposed what some years ago they so loudly con demned. (Hear, hear) He was not surprised that the hon. na mbar for Coventry had expressed disappointment at the increase of the navel and militaryservices of the coantry. Remembering the high-flown promises in which his noble friend the member for the West Riding of Yorkshire in. dulged on a late occasion, when he rose from his own natural Woods and espies*, and assured the people of Shedleld that the first result of free trade in corn would he that his Mead Mr. Ward would be able to maintain the nosy of Englend without applying to hie friend Mr. Parker for taxes—(laughter)—one necessary nansequence being that the sword of the soldier would drop from hie hand, and the red artillery quench its murderous Bashes— (Renewed laughtee)—remembering this, he thought the honoarable member for Coventry had great reason to be disappointed at the result of free trade. He (Lord G. Bannock) was mach surprised to hear that the government would prefer spending 10,000,000(. sterling, of which England should pay 5,000,0001., to speed , ine the same money in profitable employment. (Hear.) Hs right hon. friend had observed that capital had of late taken the direction, not of Mieeiseeppi loam, bat of enterprise at home. That was, he thought, a good argument for encouraging railway enterpese in Ireland. His right boo. friend congratulated himself on an Menem in tbe consump tion of butter; hut he forgot to state that there hod been an increase, from 1843 to 1845, from 148,000 cwt. to 240,000 cwt., showing that a gradual increase had, in fact, arises from the improved circumstances of the people. In like warmer the consumption of cheese had increase I before as well as after the period specified, so that there was no real ground of congratu!ation as regarded free trade. His right hors. friend had further told them of an increase in the consumption of tea ; but, if he had looked at the case of hops, malt, anal British spirits, be would have found a corresponding one. In the case of hops the increase from 1843 to 184.3 was from 27,000,0001b5. to V,000,0001ba; in that of malt, from 1843 to 1844 it was from 35,000,000 to 41,000,000 bushels. What had free trade to do with this ? He believed it was railway enterprise which bad effected the change, by luereasing the means of those who depended upon it. Ho could not join in the congratulation offered oa aoeount of the increase in the consumption of slave grown mew (hear, hear) or the increased revenue derived from the silk manufaetures. (Hear, hear.) if nowing the present condition of the Seital field weavers, and how their wages bad been reduced, he could not rejoice in any increase derived from that source. Three days ago he hind received a letter from these antes , Waste weavers, a part of which he would read to the house. The noble lord then read an extract stating that his lord ship's own predictions respecting the new law bad been pain fully realised, that one-half of the trade were out of employ ment, that hundreds had gone to the workhouse, and that great. Jumbles had died and were dying. The wages had, it was dated, hesavedneed from 10 to 30 per cent. This was standla a postneript—the letter referred especially to the dia tremeandand in which the parties expressed their sympathy. They esid, " We have read the speeches of your lor; we am mask delighted with the spirit they evince, and we NOMA' th ides that had you held the reins of government —(lead laeghber)--the people of Ireland would not have to the extent they have, because you would not hue segarled these new-fangled doctrines of political Geo =y." (Lead laughter) T he se were the expressions of a y of the working clams', and be Usat l l rr is eellmelt) fully approved of them. (Hear, and kallair.) And when he heard the Chancellor of the Ex- Anger my, that cut of the immense sum that had bees agent la Ireland, only 295,0001. had been expended in feeding the stoning people of that country, be must say that he Mt great regret at the smallness of that sum, and thought it was a scandal in the face of Europe that 25,000 should absolutely have perished of starvation in = whilst under the paternal government of the Xing of the French, whose ministers bad bought no less than two million quarter. of grain, not a man, woman, or child, in that country had died of starvation ! Was it possible, he would ask, that the Irish, who had perished by thousands, could abstain from contrasting their condition with the people of France ? (Hear, and laughter.) But he would not detain the home ; indeed there was only one more remark shill he had to make. The Chancellor of the Exchequer had told them that it was his expectation or in tention to pay 31 per cent. for the loan. It was surprising to him that the Chancellor of the Exchequer should have made this statement before the loan was contracted for. 34 percent. was not the interest which the funds bore at their present prices ; and when those who had money to lend, heard that 34 per cent. was expected to be paid, le thought it very likely that they would be determined to have 3 1 per sent ., whether it was offered or not. Mr. SHAW recurred to the speech of Mr. Roebuck. That hon. gentleman was assuredly the only member of that home who would have thought the present • good opportu nity to impose a tax on Irish property. He was wrong in saying that the public works drew people from their ordi nary occupations on the land. The cause of their deserting the tillage of the land was simply that the total failure of the potato crop rendered it absolutely necessary that they should work for mosey wages. The hon. member who lad the Irish representatives as being " handed tegether." There was nothing astonistsiog in At is. meeting, at such a moment as this, to consult fur the benefit of their country. But, be said, they were met to oppose the introduction of peer law. That was not the case. They might not think thin a favourable opportunity to propose a poor law, but they were not banded together to oppose it. Their resistance was limited to the principle of out-door relief, which they thought would be 1111110W1 to the property, and most derroraliaing to the people of Ireland. With regard to the proprietors, he believed the resident landlords subscribed to benevolent object. to the utmost of their ability. Mr. ROEBUCK said the opinions of the hon. member upon that point were no better than the opinions of any one else. The fact of his having been in Dublin did not show him better acquainted with the state of the Irish provinces then he (Hr. Roebuek) was, who resided in Leaden, He refer the (Mr. Roebuck) had had a deputation of Catholic dere, knocking at his door that very morning —ay, and upon fie( ' subject of the poor-law too! As for information, all the ben Irish journals were sent to him—and w hot did he find there' Why, that very large numbers of proprietor., resident ss well as non-resident, had never contributed • halfp eoey to the poor! It was a constant complaint that i t was not amongst the poor farmers and small shopkeeper', but amongst the gentry, that reluctance wai shown to coot e i. bute. There were people who should be made to jay ; and if he (Mr. Roebuck) could prevail upon his Ecgllao friends behind him to join him, he would swallow up every atom— ay, evert atom—of Iri.h property by taxation. (Hear, hear.) be sure English land (he wos proud to say it) was mortgaged deeply for the support of the English poor: and Irish land should be mortgaged too, or, if mortgaged already, should be sold. Mr. OOULBURN did not intend to prolong this discus. sion upon the Irish poor law, or the way in which Irish land lords diacharged their duties. His purpose was to addreas himself to the state of the revenue, as it had been explained by his right hon, friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. For himself he knew no situation more painful or dish. cult than that in which a Chancellor of th e Exchequer was placed, who came down to the house to pro. pose an increase on the burdens of the people; and in WM. mon with all who had addreseed the house, he must lair his tribute of approval to the way in which his right ban. friend had met the present d'lfieulty, and stated the case for which they had to provide. (Hear.) That the increase of revenue which had occurred last rear was the result of t''e measure' which the parliament bad sanctioned—measures which freed commerce from trammels, and cheapened the necessaries of life to the consumer—no man, in his opinion, could enter:sin the 'lightest doubt. The noble lord, indeed, said, that be. rouse the consumption of butter and cheese had increased in former years without any reduction of taxation, they had no right to argue that the greater consumption of other articles was, last year, the result of such reduced taxation. He (Mr. Cote:burn) admitted that with the general prosperity of the country there must be a greater consumption of the necessaries of life, whether taxes on those articles were re- ' duce I or not; but it was equally undeniable that by the • reduction of such taxation, coseumption was also greatly • increased; and that, with that increased consumption, there must be a great increase in the comforts of the people. The noble member for Lynn had attribut d the increase of revenue from articles of consumption, entirely to the capital expended by railway companies. lie (Mr. Goulbern) did not undervalue the benefit derivable from this source. but he would beg to remind the noble lord that railways were not the growth of last year. Before 1841 there had been enormous sums expended by some of the greatest railway companies, yet concurrently with that expenditure, amount ing to millions and millions, there had been a censiderably decreasing revenue. (Hear, hear.) The hon. member for Montrose, in the face of the great emergency which the country was called upon to meet, propos-it that still further reductions 'should be made in taxation; the hon. member did not consider that the tom( r reduction which had met with such favourable resuita hod beet, only made with the uta.oOt eau' inn, and at periods when thie ac tual circumstances and near prospects cf the slave permitted them. If the extreme views of the hon. gentleman had been adopted but a few years back, England, in this hoer of storm, would he far from occupying that inmparieively fa. vouratie position to meet it which had joa been described. (Hear, hear.) As to the mode of encountering the gnat difficulty before them—a difficulty let it be ever borae in mina, not occasioned by human agency, bat the result of a yin/mien from on high—he thought the plan of the right hon. gentleman the best that could, under the circuits stances, be sdopted ; the distinct understanding being that the loan advanced to Ireland should be repaid by those for whose benefit it was made. lieabove all cordially approved of the determination expressed by the right bon. g• ntleman t• uphold the balance of the Exchequer, and to take care that the income sbusld be equal to the expenditure of ths country. (Hoer.) Mr. V. 8:11f H thought that instead or a perma nent loan at 3 or ilk per cent., it would he far better to raise the account required by way of terminable annuities--a elan of lean, fade tel, leas pomtlar in the money-market, but far more advantageous, ultimately, fbe the country, even thound not raised upon terms as immediately favourable. Alderman THOMMIc had heard with great pleasure the Chancellor of the Exchequer dilate on the advantages of a surplus revenue. ft was a long time since he had heard that doctrirm Melte: , preached or practised, as we generally had had an cress of expenditure. He feared that the right hon gentleman would not have it to boast of long, seeing that nacordirrg to his present estimate there was a surplus of only 332,1180 f. on an expenditure of above fifty millions. Ile thought it would have been better if the right hon. gentleman had taken a larger margin the his loan, seeing, that after having takeutikree millions cut of the E ache qaer for Ireland, he might hawadifficulty in getting eash for his deficiency bills. Another lemon for doing this wa. that it wee clearly impoesiblo to tell what would he the exact amount required for Ireland. (Hear, hear.) On the whole he had nothing to complain of to the financial statement of the year, and he woo very much pleased to hear that no additional taxation was intended, Mr. MOFFATT complained of the withdrawal of the Anneal Duties Bills. Mr. F. T. BARING did not regret the withdrawal of the Annual Duties Bill. He had always held that exposing any particular trade to annual uncertainty was at beat but ques tionable constitutional policy. (Hear, hear.) He wan, therefore, far from regretting that the Chancellor of the Exchequer did not think it necessary to put any tax under this annual investigation and botheration. (A laugh.) Hs did not quite concur with the late Chancellor of the Exche quer in his congratulations on the prosperous state of oar tinaacen. It appeared to him that putting aside the Irish loan, the position in which we stood was not entirely com fortable. Without reckoning the Chinese money and other' incidents, the whole surplus on the year did not exceed 400,000!. The real principle of the present budget—the rest was merely figures, and they were remarkably well does —the real principle was, whether it was advisable to meet the probably increased expenditure by an increased income, or to provide for the temporary emergency by a loan. On the whole, he thought that his right hon. friend had acted wisely in the course he bad taken, although ha could not conceal from himself that next year it would most probably be necessary to review our finances, with • view of equalising our income and expenditure. Mr. MUNTZ had always contended that if it were neeeo lacy to raise money for the service of the state it should be done at once, and that posterity should not be taxed for the wants of the present generation. Mr. B. ESCOTT remarked that this being the last year of the present parliament, was the reason there was nothing in the budget beneficial to the people. The sooner the pre sent parliament was dissolved end its successor conveoed, the better for all the interests of the country. Mr. EWART complained that the budget took too little care for the future, and concurred with the last speaker is to the policy of abolishing the duties on provisions. Mr. G. BANKES observed that the difference between bin noble friend's t Lord G. Bentinck's) plan and that of the government wan, fie '.{the former proposed to advance the credit of the envern'eent, while the latter proposed to ad vance eight millions ol.money for the relief of Irish distress, without providing for a return. The ministry had that night acknowledged the merits ofhis noble friend's proposition for a vaneing 16,000,000!., by themselves proposing an advance of 10,000,0001. That *bowed at least tbst his noble friend" proposition was not so extravagant, while it would hare die' trihuted assistance in the present distressed state of Ireland more widely. (No, uo.) Mr. M. J. O'CONNELL denied that the noble lord's pro position was at all a substitute for that of the government. (Hear, hear.) Mr. FINCH considered the statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer as fair as could be expected under the present circumstances and in the present objectionable state of the currency. The resolution wee then agreed to, and (the house having resumed) was ordered to be reported this day. AGRICULTURAL TENANT RIGHT BILL. Mr. PUSEY moved the second reading of this bill, and stated his intention, in compliance with the wishes of • body of members interested in agricultare, to to the consideration of • select committee. Colonel SIBTHORP expressed his determination strenu ously to oppose the bill, which would uproot all that good feeling which ought to exist between landlord and tenant Mr. S. HERBERT said that though he was not pre pared to vote for the bill se it at present stood, still Its thought it might be so disused up stain as to elicit much valuable information, and to lay the foundation of a ler objectionable measure. Mr. MILES and Mr. FINCH both expressed similar opinions. Mr. NEWDEGATP. thought it undesirable that any absolute bar should be placed in the way of mutual agree ments between landlord and Unlit. Mr. B. ESCOTT feared that, if the bill was sent up stairs, the house would hear no more of it this session. Mr. HENLEY was certain that the bill required amend ment. Sir W. JOLLIFFE said if the bill was to extend to all parts of the country, in many places tenant rights would be very much curtailed. Mr. T'USEY said the tenant rights referred to were acts of husbandry, and would not be affected by the bill. The bat was then read a second time, and ordered to be referred to a select committee. BILL FOR REGISTERING BIRTHS, DEATHS, AND MARRIAGES IN SCOTLAND. . . _ The LORD ADVOCATE moved fur leave to introduce this bill. which be said was similar to the act in force in England. Mr. FORBES, without Wishing to oppose the introduc tion of the bill, regretted that it had not been brought forward when a greater number of Scotch members were present. The bill wa. then read a first time. MARRIAGES IN SCOTLAND. The LORD ADVOCATE, in moving for leave to bring in a bill to amend the law of Scotland affecting the constitu tion of marriages, said his boll would not affect the principle of the law of S co tland, but he wished to prevent the vague, indefinite, and, in some instance*, clandestine manner is , which marriages were now effected. Sir J. GRAHAM thought there should be some restraint upon clandestine marriages in Scotland between parties not living in the country, but merely poising over the border for the purpose of marriage. The LORD ADVOCATE thought it was a subject well worth consideration, although it would be attended with some difilcultics. The bill was then read a first time. The house adjourned at twenty-five minutes to ene o'clock WRECK OF A FRENCH STEAM FRIGATE.—A Icttr from the Tioe-admiral, Montagnies de la Rogue, &name . that hie ateaza-frigate Le Cararbe, was wrecked on the 16. ult., near the settlement of St. Louis.—Aventoi dee Debate not less than 10,000,0001. (Increased sensation.) Tho house will therefore not be surprised at my havirg resisted the proposition of my noble friend opposite for advancing 16,000,0001. (Hear, hear.) I don't believe if that money were voted, that it would be possible to advance one shil:ing of the 10,000,0001. which I estimate as naoewry for meeting the existing calamity—(hear, hear)—and which will be applicable to parts of the country which no portion of the 16,000,0001. would touch. With such a demand, then, upon our uational resource*, I mutt say, though I was unable to take part in the debate, that I was much gratified to find that a large majority of this house had come to the wine and prudent resolution of rejecting my noble friend's proposition. The announcement I have next to make must be obvious to every member of the committee—namely, that I must go in to the market to-morrow. (Hear, hem.) It is evident that no amount cf t tlation, that even doubling or trebling the in come-tax could ensure a remedy within the requisite time. It is, therefore, a matter, not of choice, but of secess:ty, that I shall have to go into the market tomorrow. The first question which presents itself is, whether I should borrow the whole 8,000,0001. or only a part. Of course, if I take the latter course, if I do not borrow the whole, it will be necewary considerably to reduce the balance in the exche quer, from which source, up to the present time, the ad vances have hive made. For many reasons, that is a course which lam exceedingly unwilling to pursue. (Hear, bear.) I think, Sir, that any person who looks to the state of what is called the money market in this esuntry, and observes that the exchanges have been adverse, though I am happy to say they are less so than they were, and still they are only on the turn, and that the Bank of England has been re cesid tated to increase its rate of interest, will admit, that, under such circumstances, it would be exceedingly injudicious on my part to put any further pressure upon the Bank of Eng land or the money market. (Hear, hear.) More than that; the committee must remember. that, by a bill of last session, this house is obliged to make advances for drainage improve- meats in England and Scotland, which will muse no inconsi derable diminution in the balance of the exchequer. But then instill another and much more weighty argument which I do not think it possible to get over—l mean the uncertainty which hangs over us as to what the pro lure of the next harvest may be. (Bear, bear.) No man can WI whether it will be a good or laid, while none can deny the immense importance of its being a good harvest. (Hear, hear.) Hitherto we have been living mainly upon the pro , duce of the harvest of other countries of the L year 1845 ; to some extent upon that of 1846. In the course of the last year there has been entered for home consumption in this country, of grain and flour of all kinds, no less a quantity than 5118,000 quarters. We have yet to ho .e for a considerable insportstim of Indian corn, the produce of the harvest of 1840. Up to next hermit then, we exist upon the produce of the harvests of 184.5 and 1848. I am confident that we shall, in the course of this session, have an abundant importation from America and other places ; but we must see that the produce of the pre ceding harvests will be exhausted. It may please God to give no a good harvest throughout the world, but unless He mercifully vouchsafes to grant such a blessing, it is impossible to foresee the consequences, especilly to England. In the present uncertainty, then, I think it would be most unwise and inexpedient not to keep in reserve the , pecuniary means of meeting the demand which may possibly arise. (Hear, bear.) During the pressure of last autumn, we were enabled, owing to the large balance is the exchequer, to make the necessary advances, and were such a necessity to arise again, I should never forgive myself if, portly by a loan of money, and partly by the full balance which we prime to leave in the exchequer, I was not pre pared to meet the extraordinary demand until parliament was brought together to make some further arrangement. I am mire that every mill sincerely prays that such necessity may not be imposed upon us; but that he will at the some time admit that in such uncertainty it would be unwise to be left without some provision. I believe, there fore, that the liner and more prudent course to adopt is at once to borrow the whole amount. (Hear, hear.) Gentle. men must remember, however, that in borrowing this money I do not make it a permanent addition to the country's debt, because a considerable portion of it will be repaid from Irish property. (Suppressed laughter.) For expenditure on public works one half of the amount mentioned would be a grant, but the other half would be charged upon the land of Ireland, and to be repay able in the course of ten years. The amount of these repayments will of course extinguish so much of the debt incurred, and I cannot but think the committee will be of opinion that the remainder, amounting to between 4,000,0001. and 5,000,0001., was not so large a sum when it is remembered the caused the outlay was the relief of their suffering fellow countrymen in Ireland. (Hear, hear.) The next question to which I have to direct the attention of the committee of course is, whether, borrowing so large a sum as I have stated, I ought to accompany that loan with increased taxation, in order to nay off and provide not only for the interest on the loan, hut also for the discharge each year of a portion of the debt incurred. I confess I wasexceeiingly unwilling to increase the debt even to the amount I have described without making an immediate provision for its extinction before long. I nay, I was unwilling to add this amount to the permanent debt; but, on the other hand, there were many reasons which in duced me to pause before I adopted the course I have just suggested. (Hear, hear.) In the first place, I think the present would be an unfortunate year, for many reasons, in which to attempt any alteration in the taxation of the coun try. (Hear, hear.) For several years past, the chances in taxation have produced, for I time, a degree of stagnation in the regular trade and commerce of the country. In the first quarter of last year this had been the ease, in conse quence of the alteration of the Corn Laws, and in the Customs Duties having been kept hanging over all classes of commerce; but, in the present year, when no further change was looked for, the commerce of the country has flowed on in its accustomed course, and as I said before, there has been an increase in the revenues of customs and excise over their amount for the name period last year. Further than this, I think that no inconsiderable weight is to be attached to the consideration I have already stated, namely,—the uncertainty, at present, of the amount for which I must have ultimately to provide. If, as I hope and trust will be the ease, the harvest this year turns out well--and that means of employment and subsistence are provided for the suffering population of Ireland, then the present demand may be all that it will be necessary for me to make ; but if on the other hand the harvest should again fail, the crops of potatoes again be useless, it will then be necessary for the country to come throned again, and to yield to a further demand upon the public resources of the nation in order to save the starving population of Ireland. (Hear, hear.) I hope and trust this will not be so; if such, howiver, be unhap pily the cue, it would be known before parlia ment meets again, and therefore I again repeat my opinion that it is better to postpone considerations of this kind until we have the whole subject fully before us, without any uncertainty . or doubt. (Hear, hear.) My third reason is that next session it will be necessary to deal with the question of the renewal of the income-tax. Next year that question, I repeat, must he dealt with, and if taxation is to be increased this year, the income-tax must be one of the resources to which the government would naturally look, and I think it would be unwise by dealing at all with that Bourse of revenue this year, to prejudge the course which next year parliamout— probably a new parliament—may think it right to takers that question. (Hear, bear.) For all them reasons I have thought, that if on the whole I could provide for the pay ment of the interest on the loan out of the ordinary revenues of the country, I aha'l take a wiser and more prudent swans than if I attempted in the present year to increase taxation. In the end I have deemed it best to leave the whole question open to be discussed next year. (Hear, hear.) I have stated that the ordinary revenue amounts to 62,065,00 W the ordinary expenditure amounts to 51,676,0001., leaving over a surplus of 489.0001. Assuming that I borrow 8,000,0001., we must next ask what will the smog interest on that loan amount to ? Of course it is °beiges that if I , effect the loan at 3 per cent., the interest wilt amount an- neatly to 240,0001., if I obtain it at 34 per ismL the interest will be 280,0001. per annum, and if at 4 _per ask it will reach the ism of 1211,0001. I entertain me ditOt bat that I shall be able to beam that sum of mosey at gl i per ems. The bitterest therefore apes it will mama Se die sem of 280,01M1L par seam. bet I as Add then la art the tray dismal OW will be eerie ses fa do dope et Wino, kr these Is sariltrit iseblfwa of dolt width igen ihe heft isseldes I lose hen aids to mass I *lei sempsiled la b. creese-4 Medi he die rate of interest en Madaripsse We. Them ese anady mow which tend to depreciate the value of that ameapass of isearity in the market, and if the rate at inbred en ell the make raised hes bees hawser* (and I de et dirk it bepehahis that it , :r Imam aria la die Oars of the wag), that eNiaemetteeadiee it right that a preseemed sesurity dad hied shield be kept so much ba el the ease eenuitiesiddi while bliss to compete la the asney watt; and, thereihre, basing made the eseddseiehich wen to me, I hamdetsemised, I will say ustvAllist at dotentlied, to raise the rate et inte rest ea b. The interest is present three hallpsmiep es =. Au experiment sou onee tried of raising the rats Wisteria one farthing per day, but that experiment so entirely failed, that I do not think it worth while again to attempt it ; and therefore I propose to raise the interest one halfpenny per day—that is to say, to twopence per day, the annual coot of which will be 142,0001.,—50 that I calculate the increased interest of the debt I shall have to pay will next year amount to 422,0001. This gum, thereferell make the total ordinary expenditure amount to 61,998, which, deducted from the sum to which I have already the ordinary revenue to amount, will leave me a surplus at 87,0001. But there is in this, as in ante lamer ysam, an extraordinary source of income arising from the balsaes of the China money which remained yet unpaid. Fran this source, it is matter not of maculation but of certainty, I shall receive 460,0001. in the course of next year. Bet I most also state, to this extraordinary source of revenue there is to be opposed an extraordinary source of expos diture not properly belonging to the present financial year, and this is a sum of 185,0001., which it will be necessary to vote this year in order to cover the excess of naval expen diture in the (Mamba year which ended on the 6th April last. Therefore, adding the extraordinary receipts to the ordinary receipts, and the extraordinary expenditure to' the ordinarrenpenditure, the totals will stand as follow : Total income, 62,516,0002. ; total expenditure, 62,183,0001. ; Ism , ing an actual surplus of 332.0031 Of this amount of expen diture, I wish to state that 815,0001. of it is for matters over which we have had no control. They are deferred votes, which I stated, on a former occasion, it was necessary to provide for this year, though it was not necessary to provide for them last year. Of these, there is a sum for various charges, which I mentioned at the end of the last session, to amount to 828,400/. ; a sum of 200,0001. for the R oyal Canal, for which full provision was not made, and the excess , naval expenditure, to which I have already alluded: nuking altogether a Bum of 816.0001., over which we bare 'had no control. (Hear, hear.) lam perfectly aware that, isf to the committee, this cannot be a very satisfactory statement of the state of the revenue and expenditure of the •eountry. I have, however, stated the reasons why I think it unadvisable, this session, to make any per =neat provision for a change : 'inadvisable, partly Ar