The Express. — London, England, 1850-03-09 00:00:00

oilman ,tkb..sbuseats, Theemiag the army, navy, A animated te II 627 0001. fee the m► rJtst tr ap it incensed semeseeively millinn talt• last vear , whoa h amounted to 20,000 • 8004. W s IS.: owe an Menem of nearly 10,000,0010 i. Tine were. ing ether hi" mode up the difference, which appeared by the ret.laties of hie hon. friend. The net ropiness ef armv, nave, mistance. in the your 1847 amenmitaff • i ih. ye. r 1848 to 18,602,0001., sad is 17,615,0001. This skewed on the avenge of *" the three yews es lawmen Wt it was not •..1. to deny. What dad the right heasephie V gen:leen in lie &skid tut thorn limas inertia beer= ions ear a redaction Withal the lest two years, beg he eat w o deny that there was a rapid Merman tram the year rot until It amounted to 6,000,0001. The denial 01 the eight lion cenleman was a perfect quibble, and he did not wive, toe suck as important statement. bee l ooo t w o 1 4 , wie in tne expenditure of the country was owing to the iineese in the army and navy. His bon. ma d had been moat esedid and lair in even. ibis' that kit ha laid before the Mere. 8n far from the tint rewind= being contrary to fait, ant solar from the hone twirl wasted is rejecting it se being incorrect, be "ad eel. on the home to give their rapport to it tress.* the allegations contained in it were „ ffrec ., and beams' the statements made was li anerdann: with the returns which had teen made ei:xially. (Hear, beer ) It was his wish to have the wood port of that resolution anointed. It stated that no f w i ini dancer, or senesery rem of the civil government, er indiernoable disbursement's for the enviers of our de. "k i wi, abroad, warranted the continuance of the increase deliptaditolll. As regarded the Heald resolution, win there tae nos. gentleman that could at all den] that the taxes were to heavy that all climes of the com• ~,At o wove desirous of being relieved from them Ik e w prices had reduced the incomes on the fi n el overybody—(cheep from the protectionists); sr IMP it r ght that they 51.0n1.1 still maintain the.. espial site eetanliohments, and a heavy amount of taxation, while the to ens of maintaining them were rrdserd ? He now 'scold ask them what confidence could be placed la any pujg from the Treasury beach ? Was it not admitted that but for :tic refusal of this house to rive satisiey It. ezpendi tare wool I go on increasing? Until the increase in the income tax was refused they had nit a shilling of re. ducthta in the exiiehiliture ; then the utimat. S were withdrawn end new and axended ones made out, and they were acte .11! forced by the vote of this house, to t.ko credit to themselves for baring done it willingly. (Cheers.) It they were desirous to take off the pressure of twain, they should vote for the resolution. Ltd he maid set, anxious as be was to maintain public faith, vote for a re due' ion of taxation, if they wen, not prepared to 1•110111 the etproditore, and thus enable them to do so. (Hear.) It win with that__ view that the proposition wee made. 110 mod" ank, was net lb*" expend Pure !spud the wank of the nation, and whether • lower and less expensive establishment would en seer all the porpows which they required either for defence ( I • r weority, and whether they were not perfectly safe in thcm•elves to the following reeponti.in which woe at lag one. Leeapitalating many of the statistical state masa a:reedy offered by Mr. Cobden, Mr. Hume argued (1;0 the enormous extent of our military establish rams wo a great impediment In the way of 'wormy, the c .cro.ti•nt had shown no 'mon for maintaining (Le s cc their peewee footing. He would Tll3lUf• 10 0.133. that if konoorstle gentlemen were do. ot 01.-b a redaction they won d agree to • resole ti:n L.) .! le her Majesty's iovernment to know what yea tte '.earet of the country as this matter, and he was woa:dda so if they wished to carry out th« desires • c•eri•u-nte. He hoped they would p ledge . the „ r un. n: to bring back the expenditure free rs present ttat in which it existed in • time of perfect i cadet a government in which they bad retry r.• te plate conk wow. (Hear, has.) He w , r•.' tray before they rejected this p inure,, if •, re lam tax etion, to be jest, sad to take off ear nai•ure to enable them t maks the redaction; en: la to the eounwy • desire to do their best to j:s t r Her. 05. (" flew," and cheers.) 1:0.e.R1E5 esi4 Vat the honorable gentleman who • •:..t ,„own had venting to affirm that no penes c Wart :a LI desire to effect the reduction of the we,ciel not gee his vets in support of the n.otion c: t• he t • for the Wen Riding of Yorkeitire. Now, . .r. s) assns of thew who were sin-only desi r 'ea Ltt• the taxed" bat he thought it right to i. , •c lee cold sitk equal eirrerity object t .4 of tie hmoarable gentleman. (Cheers.) 7 - 1: a ,U.l no: at all be inconsistent with hie sine,- : :In ::'e : tilt:M. He did not think that it was the went law eammittee to say where they Allselene, and he thought that if boa. 'Mt /I inn is Omit iatenti:ns, they would have w,i e u :kr ar•poitioas which were ohnox•ons to thus s, n.ade ymmittw. (Hear, hear, I Hs thoubt .I , e ROM woe allerad was bat a Serra blind, `are II) ether e get than that ot tater- which they preteoded to have in view. g ary o•her fact than the statement •• t. The hon. m•m'xr said, that no foreign - etessary east of his civil government, sr Maio. pet•et.e f.:l the Ferries of our dependsnedes rial. the contituanes of this l:.creme of our Ha total not went to the spirit in which . 7 rd. lie e - mid not declare that the state of • $92.1 us to warrant a strong military estauli.h. the weenie was the feet. Toe third props . " ha the taw required to essaa the present : • ..tc; Co the eiperatioca of agriculture and mane. . ziminish the fusde for the employamat of ..r '7 Jul s of productive indunry, thereby tend• mr1.1.7c pauperism gad crime, gad %doing Is tce local V.: W• . ..eidear• of the people." To that he entirely .t erzat occasion woe there for affirming that 7 r •• Me pretest oceesien I Then might bie other ca..• iiiraVe squat at might be founded no the .. me! that hoe. reclines ea the other side • • ia..r a... of this before any great Lag hof time, •:. acre :3ses magrleulcure sad mane( Icturee were t it. of szriqes oresideration. (Hear, hear.) I .: ;Cr =•.:. part of these reso'utioes, the maraca • f thous, •-• a tte That to' diminish these evi's, it I. eaperiest Mr take reetpt t 3 redeye the &naafi expe.•diture, spct tl, to as sweat ant sseeeding the t7.:a • c.: I:, lest fifteen yews, Las bias proved to -.• 1.• the maintenance of the security, honour, a. . .• :he nat . an." Tnat he dented; he would ant :.rcpcv•icn. It had been proved not to he pl. t.:. • 3010:, Wags ls which recuctiossmight be mode, t.. tt s•-,ecti to set resolutious of the pressed kind. Mr. L. GIBSON said he thoeld vote for this pro ; .: on the ground that he was most ••• . • ire the policy which the hon. member for • r•opounded ia 1843, via. the removal ore these :• z.et i curled produetien, whieh limited the field for . ..t - of Mbour, ethics prevented the progress ana f particular fabrics and manufactures, and did rx to the general interests of the public than t • • • y do good by an amount of us. It was 17 •••••• . oct Mat he was anxious to scrutinies public ex. : be might be enabled, with; due regard to the ; . to• d.:...r, to repeal these taxes. He had put the :-. • • : Kale, and arae armaments is the other, and kt _masa what is the present course to be taken in r welfare of the population. On the one bard rapport taxes which might limit the B.ld of ::yraor.t. increase pauperism, indicate Crime, prevent ; ?au.. of knowledge ? Was he'to do ell these things or '. Lae ir.re &Saralee armament,, to protest them against ”tte :214 - miry con'ingent evil which was said to be . itithem? or, on Member bend, was he to wrigh • J of these foreign drier., and wet be to consider •• :ter. ircald ant be more rational to remove these taxes, t:.• fee tla . relief to industry which would accrue from ". - f•TZ, • Having done that, with a desire x. - Lc Iota", the course which was best for th t general ¢. revs of the community, he had come to contitler how 11 -.1 laid:.' redoes the warlike armament, and might •.a..plus to the repeal of thou taxes which were l••• '1•11 industry, and inereeing pauperism and cat. Toe President of the Hoard of Trade did not fairly r. r r i.s• cis hon. friend ; he said he would not follow advise of the hoe. gentleman, and abandon t. • A...as.' of the country ; h_ would not leave its.l entirely unpmtected, Inmost a navy and an army, tudy Lad asked them to disarm entirely ; they h id asked : re to 'guider whether there was that probability of s" danger wkieit could lucent fur and reaninable :Whim in their defective armament. He thought hie :—. friend Lad brought four ad his motion in a proper ra t 17 fixing upon a macular time, when our r.• xd expenditure was at a lea amount than it was at 1r 't.'. 4.1 calling upon the executive government to ex- I M lea why the Men em s i nce a particular time should ean a permanent addition to our national expendi. woe not sufficient for government to account to sec t lnsciary inereues from temporary Caul.* ; what they t tee: were wax, What Cu the r.a • o n we were to hive a piir. :cam e of the expenditure of England nearly six :llmitus 'o'er what it was in 1&36? It was fur the govern- Cl' , so that the pro.eetioe in 1836 was inadequate. If r e tit'''lonfo in 036, it was In them to show ;. "ont c i rcumstances had a ri en t a sisal 1835 which '". E 4.4 L. t.ret c reat - d expenditure. He denied the a ll ega ti on e of 153 S was B:titian'. and read a variet of I ,.t ' • I oar" that the quality of stone is the arsen y als !Es were as lag., if nut larger, than at the dose 1 1 1. 17n. of the savviest Dime in the a . trunlenl 7 , •;' ."? E'S wen hoe friends proposition was that the defences of fsediqoate f..r the sifety of the country, and th't c 55 reseen be the subsequent increase of " 4t.L1.4.• L' The government mutt excuse him f or what wool have been th e i r p os i t i on at t h e Z.llt they had followed the policy they Orli. v.. : 1 "2 , 1,. 1 h., cm us e to that hoe, in 1819 2,000.000‘. a defici a enc y certainly not of their creating, „ .4 „, rf circumstances over which they had no mot with the ordinary expenditare exceeding the : • :try propoted to increase that expenditure. fib the, pursued that pnlley they w now. wise s'.l a 4 surplus of 2,000,0001., live ould to deal " Y. .:tortey of more than 2,000,0001. C ou ld th e y. tt , reform party for aerutinising the Menem of its then amount On the contain, he be. _ • thtt 'Le goverr.ment had been materially strengthened a a much more enviable position by their having t whig government of former times, for by :*.r.g • iyatni of retrenchment they found themselves o 'me... tutted of a deficit. (Hear.) With regard to onght it wm to an tEe p oli cy of maintainingopen the p res e n t inolemari sad" on pt up, and that before the speaker left the :,, • eat tit. limper occasion for submitting such • question I-rut:tat to, de y a s the reducti on of our military forego. , l it !:•• fame manner as the war whicliedea in 1816, 1 "rOs Maui quint establishment of what ih n e noble lor d 6;7 "died an armed peace, so every little sailitery "Act Lad left a permanent addition behind it. As , the muse probassdi lay ea the *gonernment to show the lesemity of Ms ineremed ezpasditan, Ids hon. Mend was potently Justified la asking new for some rational ground far , imm u re ws • permanent Marge the addidosal gum of 8, whin was mainly caned by our naval sad mili tary It was tree that our colonial policy had bees china a times Ur tocrocolog our nay. No doubt we had addmilegebeelenissleourempin, but that was anis answer to his hen illionto pop adios, namely, that It woo yes woodio don osissios, instead of being a source of strongli. abouid be • as,.. of weaknola to us by demise epos ate isiovious sad war army. (Hear.) He did sane Mow Vida was the t amount of the Medltens , man len, hot in 1840 we had thirty-on ships there sod 8,000 lam. Smelt a display a that necessarily exalted • belief that we had an intention to Invade some country, or at lean to interfere Ia the interest affairs of some 'venter. When the people saw so large a fleet, sad all this army of armaments, It mut be evident to them that it was not for the purpose of protecting trade. bat for some political object; so that, instead of its being any guarantee for peace, it amounted to a constant ssancouvering and a parade of cur arms is various quarters of the world, calculated to provoke hostility, excite jeal.,usy. all, nate and estrange, rather than promote, intimate and friendly relations. We fancied that the Chinese war, which bad caused the increase of our fleet in those sear, had opened fresh markets for this country. But what was (the Get ? Why that our exports to Chia and Hong Kong were penally declin ing every year, and would, he believed, soou go back' to what they were before the interference. Thus would we have *son ourselves in this position by our Chinese policy —that we would have to maintain a large fleet in those seas without any corresponding advantage to this country. He regretted to my that that hems readily listened to a pro ridden from the government [evolving a war with China, but if added to redoes the tea daft's the newer was that it was impossible—the state of the revenue would not admit of it. (Hoer, hear.) And yet he ventured to assert that no intelligent man in the trade would say that he would est prefer • reduction of the tea duties to keeping up a large naval force in the China seas. Oa the contrary, that he would Infinitely prefer • larger consumption of tea, at reduced prime, by which his trade would be extended, than trust to the 'Olney and chance of extending it by the power of the cannon and the swor I. As for any unforeseen danger of collision with a foreign power, he thought such a thing quite onto( the question. When they considered the power of the press, the spread of commercial lawmars amongst na tions, the interests that must counteract any feelirgs of hcs , tility or jealousy that might arise between those nations where no v.ry extensive trade existed, he tin tight it was impossible to suppose that any active hostility could take pine without long and ample preparation, and a vast deal of public notoriety and consideration. (Hear.) It was not probable that trifling events, such as the Spanish miirriarre, could now bring great anions into a state of hoed bty. He believed:that his hon. friend wag correct in his figures. They bad nothing to guide theta but parliamentary deco. ments—aothing but those means of information which were open to every other honourable member. And looking at the returns for 1047, 1848, and 1849, he found it there steed that the whole naval, military, and ordnance expenditure for the year ending 6th of January, 1850, was 17, 84 . 5 , 0001 . Now, seeing that it was only something more than 11,000,0001. in 183.5, he could not understand by what process of reasoning it was contrived to make out that those wee not an humus in our expenditure for then establishments almost amounting to 6.600,0001 Why were we to spend more by six millions in 1849 than we were spending in 1535? In odium the boos to affirm the principle of the reduction of the public expenditure to what it had bora in 1835, there was no pretence whatever for ray ing that his hon. friend (Mr. Cobden) was willing to leave the events/ defencelres. What pround was there for saying that the country would be left defenceless, when the boa. gentleman was prepared to allow in large a vita as 19,000,000/. sterling oer annum for naval and military ter- Tien That sem was more than doubs the amount of the whole government, including both the naval and military expenses, of the United States of America. Hem the larger sum was to be allowed solely for the expenses of the army and navy of this smeary. The proposer or supporters of the motion now before the house were not, therefore, to be ceargel with any indifference for the security or defence or England, or say disregard for the hearers of the public creditor. They claimed, as the ground for submitting the motion to the house, an earnest deers fer the best interests of the country, and so to frame our establishment* that they might correspond with the wants and wishes of the community at large. Now, as regarded the navy, he hoped that evening to near sme minutes explain what wee the meaning of the policy of reducirs the number of , men while Mere was no reducion In the num ber of efficers. It was an undoubted fact, that some of our ships were insufficiently manned, while there was a much greater number of officers than were re quired for the service. There were about 150 ad mirals, while there was work only for about a doses! —no one propoen that they should he diminished, although it was denied there was no work for mom than shot a dozen. If ve public perceived that year after year a larger number of officers than were necessary were supported by the government, although there was not • member even of the Home of Commons who could get up in his plate and ny that such a number was necessary, he thought it behoved tee house to consider the question as • most serious and important on.-. He appesied to agricultural gentlemen on the opnnite bercues to tun their attention to the question in a proper spirit. They might not approve of his anti-military views but really they were ant " anti-military," for he had not the slightest wish to disparage any of the cams in her Majesty's service—he beli. veil they had all the virtues mod insanities of other men, and in all he now sail, he was merely contending f. .r • printtiple, and advocat Mg what he thought a sound principle. In that spirit he appealed to hon. gentlemen connected with the agricultural interests, and asked them not to tun their backs up on a motion of such importance as that under their consieera tion. To some airs of impatience from the protect i.r iat members the hon. member replied with tie taunt, that if some " clap tr p motion " had been proposed, de clinng that the abolition or protection had readerc.l economy necessary, their votes wcy..ld have billowed as a matter of course. (Cl aes ) Mr. HENLEY characterised the motion as insiecere and impractical. He believed that economy was no• the object of its proposer., but the manufacture of a stock subject for agitation. He had himself proposed, last year, a motion for tee reduction of salaries, and meant to renew it in the pre sent evasion. Lord J RUSSELL laid : With regard to the question be fore the house, I must say I Retested very attentively to the several ape , chat which have been mad.. I thilik the hon. member for the West Riding made a moat juiicious speech is support of a meet injudicious motion. It stated that the public expenditure had been increased to the extent of 6,000,0001. since 163 i. Any one reading it would imagine that the segmentation was successive. Now, that was not fair, for there was no reference whatever made to the decrease of taxation. Last year the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated that reduction of 140,000 bad been made then, which added to a reduction of 700,0001. dam made, decreased the expenditure to the extent of upwards of 2,100,0001. I don't think it - quite fair 'o speak of nothing but augmentation of the public expen diture, when those large reductions were made. But, then, the right honourable gentleness, the member for Manchester, says the government are blued to show how the incense of 6,000,0001. had arisen, I (seriously should have thought that my right hon. friend, the president of the beard of trade, showed how the Increase of 6,000,0001. had arisen, partly in civil establishments, partly in taking charges on the consolidated hind which were not taken before, partly in the increase of military establishments. Either the eight hon. gentleman did not listen to the remarks of my right hon. friend, or he re quires more information on the subject. Now, with respest to the amount increased on the military establishments, the hon. member for Oxfordshire (Mr. Henley) says very truly that it was upwards of 4,009,0001. There is, however, • great reduction to be made on that sum, because there have been excesses of eetissates of former years amounting to 642,0001. Them were proportions is aid which were also planed on the votes of expenditure in the last year amounting to 421,00).1. and there is an Item for the P. et-office packet envies, which amounts to an increase over 1835 of no lam than 737,0001. I bee the attention of the house to this particular item. (Hear, hear.) The right htn. gentleman, the member for Manchester, says that this has all arisen out of increased establishments. Why, • portien of this 737,0001. need formerly to be defrayed out of the revenue of the Post-office. That course was frequently objected to. The hon. member for Montrose has often esid the whole ex pense of the country ought to come before the view of the House of Common', and that, if you have a sum taken out of us before it reaches the exchequer, that sum ought to be placed la some estimate or other, and be regularly voted by the house. In poilt of principle that is very tree, and different governments have been endeavouring to comply with that request . But we have no sooner done that, than up gets the right hon. member for Manchester and says—" Here is an enor mous increase!" ("Hear, hear," and laughter.) In point of feet, the expense to the country is the same in bath cases, although the mode of voting it ia now more regular than it was lormerly.:But withlreepect to the other part of the motion, the icere,se in the public service, allow me to say a law words. No doubt there hes been a considerable increase since 1835 ; but the object of that expense, whether wise or unwise, is not the argument on the preen' occasion. The object of that expense was to facilitate oar communi cation between this country and foreign countries, so that it is a misrepresentation to say that you hays Increased your • 'military istabli•hseents by even 4,000,0001., when a great part of that 4,000,0001. was expended for purposes of coin linos and 00111 W Inkstioa with other ammo. (Hear.) These various reduce ' • whole of the raal Some . the _ amosat 11811111111 ke — mishke e. -.Mistime .4 la 1849 as compared wlr 1835, te 2,856,0001. (Cheerio.) Well, sow, with regard to the army, which is the gelation before as se night—the army has had iscreased duties to perform Ghee 1836. I will sot now eater into the glandes of whe ther or not it is wise to defend our colonies against for ; bat it is gaits certain that the army has bees celled 6 to perform duties of that kind ; and, like every defy have to poem/I—whether before an enemy in the or the display of Rood concha at home—they have performed that duty abroad and at home with all the morn and propriety which have always distinguished thus. (lend clean.) Well, but with these increased deities the whole amount in which there ban lemma be yosd 1836 for the votes for the army does not much exceed 100,0001. It is 111,0001.; and that, con sidering the increase of our empire, and the aitaatiooll to which they have been sent, is so extravagant or extraordinary image. (Hear, beer.) I will mention one of the sums in whisk en increase km bees made, and which it has bees said is always made hr the based% tithe 'rinses*. One seem of 1111 of lets yeses bee bon paying the pendent at the Whir. The make teMasety was untied is the payment. at the end of the year, slide pension he that peer. Aa arrangement was introduced by Lard Obetilham, by width 6 per out. was taken 'Chia pemeism, emi be was paid half-yearly. He Is ace paid mom fiteleneffy ; and am as a matter of right, bat ne amsllm Itheine to the soldier, the whole of that dointlic• fgfse Ma has been taken of, amounting to me Me limn WOOL a year. (Hear, bur.) Car. Ml* lbw bail been a very groat bier's's Ice the WI En suf. That sun wall require the atalirsYtaof the house when we was to consider ' the may malmatim (Bear, boar.) Bat there is this to be eseadarod that whatever additional mesas of tempest we may gain by a steam navy, yet that wa mug to this imenatay must likewise obtain a great advs.- taye by • Mum navy, and that it is absolutely sessonsi is ham a steam navy sufficient to suable u to nape with our semiales. (Cheers.) That steam navy would not be set on foot without an increase of expenditure. It was impossible to sat it on foot without some expense at the eamumement and afterwards, and I do not think this house has at all to regret that we now have a etas* navy which Is very efficient, and which is kept up for the purpose of the defence of the country. (Rear, hear) With respect to the ordnance, likewiae, no doubt we have made a considerable Increase. We stated at &slime the mesons for that 111110. We stated that the artillery and mignon, being a form which required Wenn and apprenticeship of a impr time than the service of the cavalry and infantry, it was desirable not to let that forte fall too low as you mid sot in the space of a few months increase it. I believe that to be a sound reason. It was concurred In in this house; and Ido not bear that there are any persons of any authority worth listening to who object to that increase. (Hear, hear.) ' Now, eft, with regard to our evil expenditure, there are many branches of civil expenditure ; but, before I go to that, I will state the proposal of the bon. member for the West Riding as he stated it to the house. He proposed that 6,800.0001; should be reduced from the military estimates, and that 600,0001. should be reduced from the naval sati net's. Whether that proposal was the result of unfit' eon federation on his part, I leave him to determine. But there was one thing which the hoe. gentleman lost sight of. He says, " I will give you 10,000,0001. fee your military service, awl no one can complain that in giving you that sum I wish to comp you." But those estimates are divided into estimates for effective and nn-effective forces, and, with re. gard to the whole nearly of the inn-effective, you ere bound by law and good faith not to diminish this sum, and it is in. posaible that parliament can touch the sum voted on this head. (Hear, bear.) This sum amounts at present to 3,784,0001. The sum voted for the effective service amounts to 10,618,0001. ; and upon these sums the hon. member (or the West Riding pr posts a reduction of no lees than 6,800,0001. (" Hear, hear," and sheen.) Now, I sh. uld like to know what the honourable member for War wickshire means tO do in that !M. ftt Hear, hear, " and laughter.) It appears the honourable gentleman is bound by the general peolution, union he has a plan of his own, to reduce the naval and military forces of this country; bat, if this be done, I cannot see how an affective torn tor the defence of the country will be kept up. I should like to hear the particulars. Dees the hon. gentleman mean to propose a reduction of 30,000 or 40,000 men in the army or of 10,000 or 20,000 in the navy T—for, without some such reduction as that be made, he cannot reduce the expenditure by 6,800,0001. Well, then, it will be said that the civil envies will afford the means of making that redaction in the naval and military novices of the county But I must again ask whether or not it is advisable, without looking rat those several items, to say you will go bash to the items of 1835 / With regard to many of these subjects. public opinion has been such that the govern ment going with that opinion has proposed a very large im ams of expense. There has bees a great increase on the subject of education, I believe not less than 180,0001. or 200,0001. Now do hoc. gentlemen who talk about tepee diture propose tri cut off that increase T There has been another very considerable sum amounting to Lot less than 670,0001 —that is not all of it an increase—for the constabu lary in Irelend, and other expenses of a similar nature. There is another portion which has increased—civil expellee', which no person hardly in this house wishes to diminish. But if they do wish to diminish them, on the occasion of the miscellaneous estimates being brought on every one of those votes which are not upon the consolid..ted fund will come under the revision of the boos:, and that will be the time when the bone urahie gentleman can make his proposed reduction. There results therefore but a small portion of the nix =Wrens, upon which reductions can fairly be wade ; and I put it to the hone, whether they would agree to; a general resolution which would seem to redge the hem to a reduclon of six mil lions, while perhaps refusing many necessary services, and sot agreeing to the veers which we find It necessary to pro pose, and they actually found that two mal.ion was the utmost to which they could reduce the ex; end titre. But then the honeurable member for the West Riding (or Yorkshire, has a convenient proviso Sri h respect to this nevi .n. There seems on the face of it somewhat of imorudence in saying, whatever may 'be the state,: of the country, or whatever tie danger that may arise in three months, or a year, or two }est., you will he beforehand what will be the exalt expenditure of the military service of the country. But then the hon. gentleman says, " Oh, of come, if there are any circuit stuns which reader military prtharatiJes no ',wry, ynn c .n rescind it." But oth a is the case, I cannot see the use ot the r e sole los upon it. It the house is to exercise its discretion toter the resolution is passed, why not lie .p it in the first instance t (Cheers.) Why . should we not say, "here is se obvious reason for incresaing our expenditure, we are not bound by any resolution on the subject, and es it Is ebsslutely te quired for the safety of the state, we proceed at once to vote it. Why, if it was not that the hon. gentlemen cannot be accused of anything of that kind, one might throw that the accusation against gentlemen who are ambitious far office is true, that they always have some means by which they can es cape from the eonsequencra of their own propositions; because in that cue, suppose the hon. gentleman was Chancellor of the ilichrquer, he might come and say, "the circum stances of the country are such that the intimates will not bear reduction, and I ask the house for exactly the rams estimates which had been 'eked for before." But I b .lieve, I in fact, without accusing the hon. gentleman of anything ci the kind, that he hss rather committed himself by some speeches he made in the country—(hear, hear) —in w Aida he said " the expenditure has increased ten milieus since ' 1835 ; it Is a very pre fl gate expenditure, a. d it is all done for the promotion ot the sons of the arist ocracy and we art bound to reduce that expenditure." He friehurned himself, and he frightened the country very mucB with these declara tions. We are to consider, in every me, the injury that may be done to commerce by the interruption of amicable relation' an interruption which in any eme I sincerely regret. I know how mischievous it Is, but which must arise, in de. mends which the government of this country thiuk it neces sary to make when redress has been asked for and refused. We have had no "comment in this country, we have had no political man is this country, ever since the revolution, who did not think—and that most pacific of minister', Sir Robert Walpole, as much or melee than any ra.n—that if I English subjects were injured, it was right to ask, by force of arms, far a redress of those injuries. It would he quite a new policy in this country if a minister were to take any other course. air, with regard to this motion, then, I hope the house will not interpose a resolution of this kind in the way of going into. committee of supply. The hon. gentlemen the member for the West Riding, who has brought forward this motion, and who is fond of political predictions, predic tions which have not been always successful (" hear, ham" and a laugh)—on this subject of ex penditure, in a speech he made in the country, said, " The government will not adopt reductions; they will refuse to adopt economy; some apparent diminution will be made, but you will ate that the diminution will be (l lowed by • subsequent increase." In another part of the same 'peach he said, "You will see that the government in the course of time will go battle to the expendom of 1836; they will reduce the estimates:o the scale of 1835, but they will not do so when we bring forward the motion for it, be cause if so we should be ministers in their) piece, and they will not therefore consent to do our bidding." Now these two predictions seem so exceedingly oppo site they are so contradictory in themselves, that it would appear as if one of them must be right, but I an assure the house I do not think either of them is right. (A laugh.) We shall not, in the first rlace refuse to mike, reductices• We have been making reductions since 18.18. I have already stated to the house that, in our military esti mates alone, in these two years we propose to effect a re duetin of upwards of two millions. With regard to offices, in the course of last week alone there were two offices that fell vacant that will not be filled on. There is another office which I propose next week to reduce in point of salary; and whenever an occasion happens, if we find that an office can be reduced, or that the salary is exorbi tant, we shall take advantage of the opportunity to reduce it. And with regard to the two predictions ' that we mean to go beck to the estimates of 1835, I must say, without at all— Mr. COBDEN—WiII the noble lor.l tell me where I made that p.ediatioa. Lord J. RUSSELL—Why, I read it In a newspaper. I did net bring it with me, but for the hon. gentleman's satisfaction I will have the newspaper looked for, and bring it down to the house for Lim to read. I assure the hon. gentleman that I pay the greatest attention to his speeches ; but I was going on to say that the estimates for 1835 might be the proper estimates fur that year. We do not think, for the various reasons that are given for the Lorene. of the naval and ordnance 'Mantes, sad for the reasons that I have stated with respect to the Jarrow of the civil estimates, that it would be possible to go beck to the estimates of 1835 without an undue reduction of our military and nevi force aid the refusal of many votes for the promotion 01 education and for other useful purposes, a course which it would be highly inexpedient to adopt. We shall, therefore, not propose to go beck to the estimates of 1835, but we shall be ready, whenever we can with due regard to the (Maguey of the service, to make reductions. But we will not, for the sake of popularity, or fur any other purpose, pretend to make reductions which we think would be injurioas to the best interests of the country. (Hear.) There is en obligation resting upon us, to bring forward no extravagant and excessive estimates, but, :.t the gams time, not to reduce them blow the point which we think neces sary to maintain the honour, the dignity, and the safety of the empire. (Cheers.) Colonel SI IiTLIORP rose amidst loud cries of " Divide," and owing to the impatience of the house he was very im perfectly heard. He was understood to say, with reference to the motion of the hon. member for Writ Yorkshire and the estimates proposed, that he thought there was six of one and half a dozen of the other, end he did not see how he weld vote for either. lie would advise the noble lord at the head of the government to beware how he lost his tail; if he did so, be would probably take care not to be caught in the trap again. (Laughter.) He had great curiosity to know how the right boo. baronet the member for Tamworth Naomi to vote. (Laughter.) The whole system was one of THE EXPRESS, SATURDAY EVMMG, MARCH 9, 1850. eorraptiaa, sad he would tutu kis bock upos it ; he would vote ea neither dd.. (Hors the boo. sad gallant instober took up his kat, sad walltod out of tha house amidst sours of Isukter.) The bowie thou divided— Fee the soden is, ping into cossaittee 272 For the anteadesitat B9-183 Oa Ike dells beide re-opened vre found the house in swa nkier. sad Mr. Fox MAULS proposing the first vote, the number of men. He telmstmet that he should not have asked the house go into oemilMfase ea that late hour had he intended to els man than tit them the vote for the member of be osssmratuai be the army for the miming year. With sewed Ss ell other motions connected with the army estimales. he should reserve all explanation as to them tor a fatties ostemetemity. He, however, underetood that though he this year presented a reduced estimate as to the camber of met as Impend with former years, it was the intention of his hoc. irked the member fox Montrose (Mr. Hume) to move for a still further reduction, and to take the sense of thetionuaittes upon the question. (Hear.) Last year when he (Mr. F. Mauls) proposed a vote of 103,000 men, his hoe. friend moved to reduce it to 100,000, and now he proposed a vote below that amount, viz., 99,128 men, his hon. (rived still moved a further redaction. Wick reference to that number, another statement made by the hon. member for the West Riding, followed by that of the right hon. member for Manchester, and that of his hon. friend (Mr. Home), he desired to draw attention to the fact, that, so far from the military force, when once accumulated to a very considerable strength , being always maintained, the strength proposed for this year showed a very considerable diminu tion as compared with that of 1848 9, that reduction being no less than 14,719 men. (Hoy.) But then it had been said, " though you reduce the number of men, you do not reduce the number of offieen." In this reapect, too, if hon. gen tlemen would turn their attention to the estimates of the pre sent year. they would and with a reduction of 4,000 men the government propooed to reduce the number of officers by 128. (Hear, hear.) Touching briefly on this subject at so late an hour, he would draw attention to the fact, that, so far from the effiNtril of the army bevies bee, more than proportionably increased from 1836 down to the present date, as cod. pared with the increase is the number of men, as had been alleged, wherewein 1885 the proportion of offieen to the men was as 1 in 17 ; at present it was only 1 in 20, and in every increase which had been matte since 1835 until now, the proportion which the officers bore to the men, was, 1 officer to 162 men. (Hear, hear.) The (oily other point he should notice war, as to what the hon, member tor the West Riding had said in reference to keeping up the officers while they reduced the men. (Hear, hear.) lia was not an advocate for maintaining an undue properties of officers, but still less was he an advocate for reducing the proportion of officers so low as to be basely sufficient to command the men at the time. (Hear, hear.) He was convinced that the most economical way of maintaining a military force was to maintain it in that state of efficiency with regard to officers, that if an exigency arose it might be increased in the shy rtest pcsaibls time and at the least poseitile expense. (Hear, hear.) Now, with reference to the number of men proposed fur the ensuing year, if hoe. gentlemen would look t' the estimates, they would find a reduction, as compared with lest year's estimate. of 4,126 in all. This was effected by the reduction of 128 officers, 308 nu-commissioned officare, and 3,690 privates; and ' the mode in which that reduction h 4 bean effected was by reducing the 2nd battalions, which were raised in 1845 (as the means of foaming the army at that time), and bringing back the double battalion regiments to their for mer position of *aisle battalion regiments. The reason for electing the alteration in this way was simply this— that that mode of increasing the army wee not found, on the whole, to be tt at which gave the great est amount of e fficieet y. These 2nd battalions, in many instances, were far from being complete; they were not provided with those complete establiehmente which the Ist battalion hod; and in the messes and ail those minor arrangements, there was a luck of that c.mfori which vs. necessary. Therefore, having determined upon reduc ing the amount of the military force, it seemed to the government much better to ernes to the old elate of things, before the increase of 1845 and leen was made, end to maintain in its integrity the depot system et 1823. (Hear, hear.) With these observations he would submit the vote of the smallest fer,e the guverament felt themselves justified in proposing for the service of the year 1850.51, consistently with these reliefs which the house had detain:tied should be given to thus regiments seining in the colosies—that force being 98,128 men. (Hear, hear.) The vote having been put by the chairman, Mr. HUME thought the right hon. gentleman had stated sufficient reasons why they should take a Curtner time for coustdering this vote, and for obtaining that ezplanatien which the right hon. gentleman had not tome to give to night—(a laugh(—why so large a force was wanted. It was his intention, when the vote came to be discussed, to submit a d. fi Atte motion in regard to it, viz., to re duce the number of men to 90,000, being half the surplus of the present tone, ever that of 1835, and he hoped, if they succeeded in that, to r.cluee by the recce half neat year. (Hear.) This was the vote upon which the whole of the other items of the military ezteendi• tore followed, and the house would not do their duty if they passed it without full consideration. The question that the chairman report progress having been put, Mr. F. MAI:LE regretted that his hon. friend had not stated his intention before they usut lulu uutatuittee, tpcetve ' when he pr , posed to go into committee, he and Mond his hon. friend did not intend is object to the vote of the number o' men. His bon. friend required en explanation why it was tlerwary to =simian the number of men proposed. He was quite ready to give thst explanation, provided his hon. friend woe Stiiiill2 at thrt late b-ur to stay and hear it. ('' Too late," front Mr. Hume ) If his hon. friend hsd said it wee too lets ten tolnutoe ago, he should not have troubled the eomm Pee with any observations. Mr. B. OSBORNE really thought the hon. member for Mos.rosa was making no unreasonable riquest. (Hear, hear.) They were by this vote called upon to vote 6,000,0001. of money, and his right hon friend treated it es a mere .Ito and raid, it is only 20 mintris past 12, let us vote it. This war cot a rtipecdul way of treating the people of this country. (lieu, hear, and • cry of " ult !" from the pro 'cell mist beaches.) He recognised in that interrupti xi the tones of an how friend, an ex cavalry offi er. it. would till that bon. gentleman that very conaiderablo reductions might be made, and must be n.ade, in that bradco of the service he had so lately belonged to. He should support the motion. Lad J. RUSSELL observed that if his right hon. friend had misunderstood the hoe. member for kl , ..ntruse that he did not object to this vote being taken to-night, there was no intention to press the matter. (Rear.) The house having resumed, REAL PROPERTY CONVEYANCE BILL. This bill was read a second time. TURNPIKE ROAD AND BRIDGE TRUSTS (IRE- LAND) BILL. On th• motion of Sir W. SOMERVILLE this bill paned through cammittze. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. In reply to lewd J. RUSSELL sail that the Irish Franchise Bill stood for Monday, but It would not be proceeded with at • late hour. The two first v.ites for the army would be pro ceeded with on Monday, and after they were disposed of the nary estimates would come on. The house thou adjourned at half-past 12 o'clock. CEYLON COMMITTEE.—The proceedings in this com mittee, on Thursday, we are given to understand, were of intense and startling interest. The circumstances under which the priest was hung, and the coarse, violent language used by Lord Torrington in ordering the execution, are said to have been proved to the letter of the allegations made. The signature appended to one of the proclamations, on which the first report of the committee tarns, is proved to be Captain Watson's. He may have signed the docu ment in ignorance, seeing that he ia by hie own admis sion unacquainted with the Cingalese language, but his the signature is ; and this readers it probable that so also are the signatures to the other three proclamations. 'be Court. His Royal Irgbners Prince Albert, attended by Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. C. B. Phipps and Colonel Bauvirie, left Buckingham Palace at eight o'clock yesterday morn4ig for the Vauxhall elation of the South Western Railway, traveU. d by a spatial train to (import, and aossetl in the Fairy royal steam yacht to Osborne Pier, arriving at Osborne shortly before twelve o'clock. His Royal Highness and suits re-embarked at Osborne Pia at a neuter before four o'clock, and returned to town by the RAM route, arriving at Buck ingham Palace about seven o'dlck last evening. The Queen and Prince Albert honoured the Haymarket Theatre with their presence yesterday evening. The royal suite c misted of the Count's@ of Mount Edgetumbe, Hen. Flora Macdonald, L,rd Dulfurin, 1/.‘rd Alfred Paget, and C howl Bou 000 ie . Ilia Royal Highness tho Duke of Cambridge honoured the Sacred Harmonic Society by mit nd,ntr thas performance of Haydn's oratorio The Creation," at Easter lied last evening. Despatches wer« rent off last evening from the Colonial Otfice, for the Governors of the North American Colonies. Slit JOHN FRANKLIN.-20,0001. REWARD. Mega het sight's Gazelle.] ADMIRALTY, Matto( 7. Twenty.thonrand pounds Reward will be given by hrr Majesty's government to any party or parties, a any country, who shall rend; r efficient assistance to the crews of the discovery ships, under the ocransand of Sir John Frank lin :-1. To any party or parties, who, in the judgment of the Board of Admiralty, shall diaciver and effectually relieve the crew of her Iltjcsty's chips Erebus and Terror, the sum of 20,0001. ; or. 2. To any party or partici who, in the judg ment of the Board of Admiralty, shall discover or effectually elieve say of the crews of her Majesty's 'hips Erebus and Terror, or shall convey suck intelligence as shall lead to the relief of such crews, or arty of them, the sum of 10,0001 ; or, 3. Ti any party or partite who, In the judgment of the Board of Admiralty, shall, by virtue of hie or their efforts, first sun. teed in ascertaining their fate, 10,0001. W. A. D. liaawrorr, Secretary of the Admiralty. Vie erpregqi. OUTGOING MAILS. The Mall for Lisboa, Spain, and Gibraltar will be made up on the 17th inst. The Wen India Will., excluding Bermuda, Havannab, Naar, Honduras, New Orleans, and Mexico, and including *see for Madeira, St. Juan.ds- Nicaragua, New Granada, Chill, and Pera,will be made up on the 17th inst. The mails for Gibraltar, Malta, Greene, the lonian Islands, Ccylca, India, and China, via Southampton, will Egypt up on the morning No rth March 20. The mails for British North America and the United States will be made up on the evening of the 22nd inst. The mails aid Manilla, to the Mediterranean, Egypt, Ce)lon, has, Hot,g-Kong, dm., will be made up on the evening of the 24th inst. The mails for Widths, the Brazils, and Bathes Ayres, will be made up on the evening et April 4. WOE WATTS AT untriox WOOL Tun Dav—Xsulair.loll. SS= Anersoma. I 1 b. 113. To-measow—Nonaw. If a. 0..... LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 9. To estimate correctly the importance of the motion made last night by Mr. COBDEN on going into corn mittee of supply, it must be viewed in connexion with the motion which be made under similar cir cumstances last session. The second motion is a further development of the plan of practical financial tactics of which the first was only the initiatory step. The complaint of excessive taxation is general Agriculturists, merchants, and manufacturers, capi talists and those who live by labour, head workers and hand workers, all concur in representing the con tributions they are called upon to make to the ex penditure of the state as excessive. Every man of course feels his own burden more sensitively than be does his neighbour's. Every man will have the t.ix which presses moat severely upon himself reduced or abolished first. Many point to others who are, or appear to be, less bur den ed than thereselver, and ask to have a portion of their own taxation transferred to the comparatively ex empt. Others waiving each invidious personal com parisons, ask tor , the removal or alleviation of taxes which are in reality class taxes, lea on that account than because they impede the exertions cf productive industry. To these multifarious and urgent appli cants government uniformly reply that they want so much money for the state expenses; that it must be raised by some means or other; and that it is im possible to persuade the general public to submit to Increased burdens for the relief of a few. These Fabian tactics have hitherto been successful; let U 9 now look at the gradual development of Mr. COBDEN'S system of counter-tactics and their results. He commenced by laying down the maxim, that to enable parliament to reduce taxation, it must begin by reducing expenditure. He went on to say that it was not sufficient to show in the abstract that expen diture could be reduced; a positive definite amount of actual expenditure for one year must be taken, in order to show what had once sufficed, and then the arguments of the friends of retrenchment must be directed to prove that the some amount of expendi ture was amply adequate under existing circum stances. For this purpose he selected the expenditure of 1835, and in his last year's motion undertook to point out the various retrenchments by which the average expenditure of current years might be brought back to that standard. The gain which has resulted from thus bringing ministers to close quarters was made msnifest in the course of last night's debate. The expenditure of 1848 was ten millions in excess of that of 1833. At the commencement of list session ministers flatly declared that any reduction of this excess was impos sible. But they soon found that the clear and prac tical point of view in which the question had been placed rendered this growed untenable. They asked and obtained leave to bring in reduced ectimates; and the consequence has been that government in 1649 cost the country less by upwards of three millions than in 1848. Nor has this downward tendency of expense been arrested nt this point. A further reduction of sate 700,0e01. on tl.e item of I armaments elem.:, is proluis,d tor the pres.:=nt year. Mr. COBDEN asked for a reelection of ten millions in the annual outlay, and he has already got one:pt at least four millions. le accordingly returns to the charge, and by a minute overhauling of the details of the national ac counts, undertakes to show that greater retrench ments may advantageously be made in the depart ments where they have been begun,_ and 'hat other departments may with great benefit be subjected to the same economising process. But he hes not stopped here. In the outset of his speech he adverted to the practice of bringing forward the estimates in detail, before any general explanation has been given of the whole amount that will be required for the expenditure of the year, and of the ablity of the nation at the time to bear such a burden. He ex posed the inaidious advantage taken by ministers of this inverted order of proceedings, to pan theireri mates under pretence of asking votes of confidence. And he intimated that in order to supply the want of a preliminary statement on the part of the govern ment of the aggregate of its requirements, and of the condition of national resources, he intends, year after year, to raise a discussion on these points on the first motion of the session for going into a committee of supply. This is an important advance in Mr. COBDEN'S plan for bringing the financial discussions of the House of Commons into a more tangible and business-like method. It secures the public against perseverance in the practice of stealing votes of detail till it is too late to talk of any general retrenchment. Tree speech of Mr. LABOLTIIERE, upon whom de volved the difficult task of meeting Nit COBDEN'S assault, was even more than the reductions to which we have alluded an illustration of the success ehich has attended the tactics of the honourable member for the West Riding. It was full of apologies and fair promises for the future ; it was a special pleading for delay, not a resolute opposiCon ; it was an attempt to cover a retreat, to dis guise a conviction that defence was impossible. Mr. LABOUCUERE was so much at a loss for argument that ho was reduced to cavil at Mr. COBDEN'S state ment, that since 1833 the annual expenchture had experienced successive additions, because for two years it has undergone successive reductions. He omitted to add that these reductions have been most ungraciously and reluctantly made; and s far from being able to deny that more might still be made, he was obliged to hold out vague hopes of further ret rer chment. Mr. LABOUCDEIIE explained rather than defended the successive additions which he confessed have been made to our annual ontlny. Ho showed how some of them have been owing to defen sive works, some to the creation of a steam navy, some to grants for education, and other purposes of public utility, formerly neg lected by government, and some to d4tress in Leland. This was evading, not meeting, Mr. ColitieN's argu ments The expense incurred for fortifications and the steam-navy was injudicious and profligately ex travagant. Under the head of education and other admittedly useful innovations, the recurring to com missioners has unnecessarily enhanced the cost at which these benefits have been attained, and climb nished the practical responsibility of government. And in addition to these considerations, it must be borne in mind that in the old inherited items of ex pendi.ure—the pensions and annuities on the consoli dated fund, the 'thrift of the judges and ambassa dors &c.,—there is ample room for retrenchment; while in the re-organisation as well as in the reduction of our armaments, large economies may be elected. We prefer dwelling at present upon these general considerations, to entering upon any of the details of economy which were touched upon in last night's debate. The retrenchments already effccted by ministers, and the deprecatory tone in which they attempt to stave off the evil day of further redactions, shows how much has been gained by the definite and systematic character of Mr. COBDEN'S struggle to pro mote economy. The great moral of last night's exhi bition in the House of Commons is the importance— ' the necessity of adhering to this plan of action. The advantage gained by the preliminary general dis cussion ought to be—and we have no doubt will be—followed up by a sturdy and pertinacious scrutiny, exposure, and resistance of every indefensi ble item of the estimates. And this labour, perse vered in year after year, cannot fail to bring our na tional system of finance to a more aatisfactory condition. _ _ Already considerable reductions have ben effected, and the possibility of much greater demonstrated. Last night Mr. COBDEN more than hinted at the ne cessary connexion with these refirtus of a diminution in the cost of collecting our taxes, and of an improved administration of the national domains. Closely allied to these improvements is that reform in the system of national•sccount keeping, for which the labours of Dr. BOWRING have laid a foundation. Upon this basis is to be reared the superstructure of a less ponderous system of taxation, characterised by a more equable and equitable pressure. The opening of the financial campaign is a good omen ; if the spirit with which last night's debate was conducted be com bined with perseverance, and directed to each minute detail of the estimates in SUMO. 'goo, the result of the present session will contrast favourably with that of its predecessors through a long series of years. THERE never certainly was put together a more astounding string of untruth, than the Times has made a column of upon the ballot. The boast of English life was, that we were the most independently organised society on the face of the earth ; and for this very reason did we surplas every cation on the face of 'he earth in freedom, mo rality, wealth, courage, and science. The truth of English life is, that we are now a more dependently organised society than any yet broken loose from the tzanamels of feudalism. We once had independent yeomen, independent squires, independent tradespeople, a)e, and indepen dent farmers. Where now is the independence of any of these classes? And whither is fast going what remains? Each day makes the agriculturist more dependent on the owners of our circumscribed land. Each day makes the operative and the indus trious man more dependent on the capitalist. The progress of the English nation, as we fear of all nations, is to emerge from feudal dependence, reach a point of social freedom, and then descend gradually to a dependence on that narrowing class, which have the wealth, an d the privilege, and the ascendancy in society. We do not combat this inevitable law; but we would point out that its operation has excited, and is still exciting a serious insurrection of the lower dame against the higher in some countries. We should say, msintain the rights of pr.perty, but mitigate the political tyranny which it engenders and fosters. Let the people be beard, and be represented ; give vent to their voice, freedom to their will, constitu tional scope for their efforts and even for their dis content. In other words, extend the franchise, and admit the ballot. For our part, we cannot conceive a more dangerous or a more suicidal policy on the part of t"e higher classes than to make the most rietorous use of their ascendant position. For in truth there is no need of thus straining power. Wealth has a natural in fluence, birth claims respect, a landlord's word has and ought to have weight with his tenantry, and the wishes of the capitalist should have influence on the man that he employs. But to enforce the full power and exercise of this moral influence by setting a watch upon how it works and how it is ob served, is to nullify tie moral and wholesome influence altogether, and to make it fit as tyranny. The organisation of English life at present in, that the bread of millior s is at the merc y o f hundreds to give or to withhold. The power to elect the national representative is given to a few of the minions, to exercise freely at their peril; the system forms them to sacrifice their opinions, nay, their ultimate and cherished interests, to their daily bread. We ask, is that safe, or is it likely to endure? The Times asserts that the English are a forward and a positive people; and so political, that every one must have and declare an opinion. We beg to say the very contrary,—that the Erglish are a backward and a retiring people, as far as the expression of their opinions is concerned. The greeter number of people have no positive or general opinion upon poli ties. The great success of the Tunes, an organ with out any poeitire, or fixed, or consistent opinion, is a symptom of *hat tho British public ie. The tradesman, the farmer, and etch great class of English lif r, has El keen opinion of what wculd be Lot for his interest. But neither the tradesman nor the farmer speaks cut that opinion. Nay, go inwh higher, to the professional and easy classes, and eepini ,es w:11 he found to be entertained and expressed, more with the view to flitter what is prevalent or powerful, than indepondenly con. ceived or frankly expre seed. We may have been a tree-thoughted end a treesspeakirg nation. But we declare our biliL4 that we are fast ceasing to be so. There is now far more of dissimulation than sincerity in the relation between man and man. Ar d the pro green we are making in dependence has already made most prejudicial inroads on the national character. Far from engender:rig diseimulatlon acd deceit, we sincerely believe the bel:ot would communicate more frankness and confidence to the Englishman. It would givo him thepower et concealing his vote, and protecting his humble fortune from ony vengeful com:equence. But he would not be prore to use it. Nay, he would not need to use it; for the present masters of the operatives or of the farmer, as well as the threatener of exclusive trading, would at coca rep the inutility of the old system of intimi dation. The dependent classes would then be left to their own op:Ilion and their own will, and would seldom be driven to the necessity of concealing them. llorerver, their istluentiel employers, precluded from dictating and memming, wcald be driven to other and better means cf meeerving their influence. They would fell t eallghten, to ameliorate, to render the class beneath them able t 3 appreciate the efforts of a benevolent master; and their own character would be elevated by such efforts, es well as the character of those they employ. We cannot but think, therefore, all the arguments against the ballot, drawn either from the present state of English character, or from its probable re sults upon that character, as diametrically the oppo site of the truth. Each day does the great.r portion of the population of this country sink into a deeper shade of dependence. The law cannot interfere with this reculiar distritruCon of power and wraith, but it at least should prevent the growing fact of social inequality from beiug accompaLied by a proportionate growth of political servitude. Such a result may be considered by some as conservative, but we beg to consider it as in the hiAleet degree dargerons, tub versive, and revolutionary. The cases of other countries, of France ea. of Ame rica, do not apply to Eeglaeci. Secret voting may be a superfluity in countries where dependerce of elec. tors upon employers is rare or of trilling magni tude. But here, with us dependence is to univer sal a law, that secret or open votiLg is literally a ques tion of freedcm or of slavery ; the extens:cn of the franchise without it would he a deception ; and would, in fact, but inererse the power of the dcmivaat classes. But, for our part, we are Lot sorry to see particular portions and motions frr reform rejected. For we are confident that the more deaf the aristocratic partits of whig and tory remain to the just demands of the people, the more certainty will there be of all these &mends, as far as they are founded on right, junco, and mode ration, bring carried all at twee by one of those monster waves which swell periodically the popular tide. MUSIC. ST. JAMES'S-Ol'EltA COILIQUR. A little opera in one yet, called, " I:Erclare du Camcens," was produced at this thzat-e last ey:ning. The drama is the same with that which was hent:ht out lest week at the Olympic under the title of " The Poet's ellaae " the English piece being men ly a transiatitn of the original libretto by M. do St. Linage., gni, as usull with our play wrights, without any Arlan% ledgmrnt. The masks of this opera, u performed at Paris, is by Flotow ; het the piece was produced at Brunel, with other muds by Pd. Van die Dun, a young Dutch or Belisti composer of considerable talvnt : and in this manner it was pertained last evening. The musts has a gond deal of me-it, bat bears marks of taezp.rience. The style is too grandiera for the subject. There is an overture ponderous enough for a grand traoWie lyrique, and the en and ether vocal pieces are so long, Ishmael, and deficient in dramatic movement. that they stop the progress of the action and chill the warmth of its enfant. Tarn were, however, many Pleasing mel^dies, and the instrumenvati..n was skil ful and effective. But the consequence of this undramatic musks was, that the piece had Ins aninistion prnot.ated by a deliefant. than the Olympic vendee without any music at all. Made moiselle Charton acted the part of Graseila with n.sch grace s w ta a t s rd to be from the CJISIOTTIas man of goodly Fenno' sad f a ti nd ret t o n efu l iri i , n aii g n i ni. a y l ii L e e nois a :s n ee r oa r u i c a n, g powerful ban voice; but we must hear h - m to WON other part before we can term an opinion of his qualities. This piece was preceded by the fleet act of Beicldien's dellshtfel opera "Ls Dame Bluth," which went tf with so much spirit that it was quite provoking to have it cut off in the mird - le. This practice cf giving halves of operas is a bad one. Ifs r ine is not worth giving entire, it ought lot to ho given at all ; and if it Is worth giving entire it ought surer to be mutilated.