The Press. — London, England, 1857-03-07 00:00:00

TERNS OF SUBSCRIPTION (STAMPED) Per Annum .. }lan' Yearly.. Quarterly .. Zbe Vireos: .. .C 1 6 0 .. 0 13 u ... 0 6 6 PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. Subscribers are requested to send their orders through News ♦gents; if direct to the Othee, acootnpanied by a remittance. advertisements also must have a reference or remittance. Money Orders to be made payable to Mr. ALFRED PM, 110, Strand, London. TO CORRESPONDENTS. J. A. G. on the " Programme of a New Party," next week. It is impossible to acknowledge the mass of letters we receive. Their insertion is often delayed owing to a press of matter, and when omitted, it is frequently (ruin reasons quite inde pendent of the merits of the communication. We cannot. undertake to return communications of which we do not avail ourselves. Communications should always be legibly written, rind on one aide of the paper only. If long it increases the difficulty of finding space fur them. Whatever is intended for insertion must be authenticated by the name and address of the writer, not necessarily for publica tion, but as a guarantee of his good faith. Advertisements sent from the country must be accompanied by a remittance or a reference fur payment In town. Irtit 2)-;)rtgiii• LONDON, SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 1857. POSTSCRIPT. A Cabinet Connell was bell yesterday afternoon at the official residence of Lord Palmerston in Downing. street. News from Trebizond has been received at Con stantinople, to the effect that General Abd-ul-Nadir with 3,000 Russians has arrived at Tabriz, whence he will march to Teheran, and thence into Far sistan. Strong bodies of Turkish troops are being assembled on the frontiers of Persia, on the side of Azerbijaun and Khuzistan. Despatches are said to have been received by 'the French Government from its Minister at Turin, giving hopes of a favourable change in the relations between the Austrian and Piedmontese Governments. Orders were received at Plymouth on Thursday to prepare with the utmost despatch, the Sanspareil, Himalaya, and another vessel, for the conveyance of reinforcements, ammunition, Soc., to the China station. LONDONDERRY ELECTION.—First day's poll : Clarke (Conservative), 2,234 ; Greer, 1,401. Majority, 833. LAST NIGHT'S DEBATE. HOUSE OF LORDS. Their lordships held only a brief sitting, during which no business of importance was transacted. HOUSE OF COMMONS. rEKsia. Mr. LATARD having inquired when the new treaty with Persia would be laid on the table, Mr. V. SMITH observed that documents of this nature were not promulgated, according to diplomatic practice, until after the ratifications had been ex changed. Mr. GLADSTONE insisted that some estimate of the anticipated cost of the war with Persia should be presented to the house before the dissolution, in order that an opportunity might be afforded to discuss the question. This view was supported by Mr. LAYARD and Mr. WHITESIDE, but the subject afterwards dropped. THE ELECTIONS. Replying to Sir F. Kelly, Sir G. GREY stated that the Corrupt Practices at lections Act would be in force during the expected general election. THE " RESOLUTE." Mr. R. EVELYN called attention to the dismantling of the Arctic ship Resolute by order of the Admi ralty, and complained of the slight which was thereby put upon the gift of the American nation. Sir C. Woon explained that the Resolute had been merely treated in the manner beat calculated for her preservation, FINANCIAL AFFAIttli. Onitho motion for going into committee of ways owl meastell THE PRESS. Mr. DISRAELI stated the view which himself and the friends with whom he acted had taken respecting the Government scheme of finance. Their objec tion to the income tax was founded upon no pre judice against direct taxation, but upon a wish to maintain the compact of 1833, which they were convinced might be carried out, almost or altogether, by a prudent reduction of ex• penditure. They had, therefore, designed to suggest a reduction of that impost to sd. With regard to the tea duties, they had themselves originally proposed the reduction of the rate, and believed that the re laxation which had been carried out by a succeeding Administration had produced all the anticipated benefits. In that case also they had intended to insist on the full performance of the arrangement made in 1853. Recent circumstances, however, had altered the position of affairs. The Prime Minister had announced his intention to appeal to the coun try. The expiring House of Commons had, there fore, lost all power of binding the future Legislature ; and under this condition of impotence he thought they ought not to levy any new taxes. He suggested, therefore, that votes of credit should be granted, and temporary measures passed to carry on public busi ness, but without affecting any permanent arrange ment, and especially without imposing any new taxes. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER showed rea sons, founded upon considerations of public conve nience, for making the proposed change in the income tax, and the Customs' duties on tea and sugar, without delay. Mr. ROEBUCK argued in favour of reducing the tax on tea, rather than that upon property. Mr. T. BARING exhorted the house not to denude the Exchequer of necessary revenue. Sir H. Wrixouonny objected to vote taxes before the house had decided upon the year's expenditure. The house then went into committee of ways and means. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved a resolution reducing the tea duty from 13. 9d. to Is. sd. in the pound. In supporting this motion, he entered into some detailed explanations respecting the change effected in the rates of various taxes since the termination of the war. Originally he had suggested a Is. 7d. rate of tea duty. The loss result ing from the further reduction now proposed, he computed at half a million. lie denied that his financial scheme deserved to be characterised as a retrogression from the principle of free trade. Mr. GLADSTONE associated free trade with the reduction of burdens upon articles of general con sumption, and this principle had, in his opinion, been violated by the Government. He proceeded to argue that the expenditure should be decided upon before they granted ways and means; that an expiring house should not levy new taxes upon the people ; and that it was ungenerous to relieve the wealthy classes from income tax while imposing heavier duties on the tea and sugar, which contributed to the comfort of the humbler sections of the community. In place of the Government proposal, Mr. Gladstone intimated his intention of moving that the tea duty should fall to Is. 3d. in April, and to Is. at the close of the ensuing financial year. This, he remarked, was in fact to maintain the existing arrangement, which had originated with Mr. Disraeli, and obtained the assent of all parties in the house. If a deficiency should be apprehended in the revenue, which he feared must be the result from the plans laid down by the Finance Minister, he looked to a reduction of expenditure as the sure means of restor ing a safe equilibrium. Good faith and the interests of commerce alike required the fulfilment of the ori ginal compact, both in the case of tea and of sugar. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER defended his proposition, replying to the arguments and criticising the computation of Mr. Gladstone. In reply to a challenge from Mr. Soooner, Sir G. C. Lewis after wards explained the circumstances out of which had arisen the allegation that he had given a quasi pro mise to maintain the reduction of the tea and sugar duties. Lord Jons RUSSELL approved of the Government proposal as now modified. It dealt with taxation on fair principles, dividing whatever remissions could be safely allowed in pretty equal proportions between direct and indirect imports, and relieving both the possessors of property and the general body of con sumers. Mr. RICARDO reiterated the charge that a formal compact had been made with the tea and sugar dealers, which it seemed the Government were about to violate. He complained of the injustice and embarrassment occasionediky classification. Mr. GREGSON added some remarks respecting the special circumstances of the tea and sugar trade. Mr. Por.r.tan-Uaquaanr having spoken, Mr. M. GinsoN maintained that the estimate could be easily reduced to a far greater extent than would suffice to aftbrd the full reduction of the tea duty. SATURDAY, Mr. MALINs objected to all sliding scales and jumping tariffs. Mr. Heyworth, Mr. Moffat, Mr. Horsfall, Mr. Laing, and Mr. Muntz having spoken, Mr. DISRAELI said that the question returned to this point—Shall taxation be increased or not ? In the last days of a moribund Parliament he thought that such a step ought not to be taken. Mr. GLADSTONE and Lord JOHN RUSSELL adverted to the future arrangements of the tea duty. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER remarked that nothing which had transpired would be held to limit his discretion as to the future dealings with the impost. After some further discussion the committee divided. For Mr. Gladstone's proposition 128. the Government 187. Majority 25. For The tariff of duties on tea end sugar, as proposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, were then sue sucessively put from the chair, and carried without further discussion. The House resumed and adjourned shortly before 12 o'cloc k. gatu anb Voila. DR. WYNNE, of Finsbury, and his footman, ap peared at the Central Criminal Court on Wednesday to answer the charge of feloniously cutting and wounding his lodger, Mr. Benham. The fracas, it will be remembered, occurred on the . 29th December last. Mr. Benham had called Dr. Wynne a swindler, and Dr. Wynne in return knocked Mr. Benham down, while Tinley, the footman, beat him over the head with the poker. The prisoners were fully ac quitted by the jury. THE CHILD, GEORGE SELBY, twelve years of age, who pleaded guilty to stealing a post letter, was sen tenced on Wednesday by Mr. Justice Erie to six months' imprisonment,with hard labour, and five years' confinement in a rerormatory. The boy, it will be re membered, had been improperly allowed by the Post office receiver to remove the letters from the letter box. Feeling money inside a particular letter, he secreted it, opened it, and spent a trifling portion of the money in sugar-plums. FORESTER, the tailor of Wokingham, who mur dered his infant son last November, has been ac• quitted on the plea of insanity. THE INQUIRY into the cause of the explosion last week at Stratford of fog signals, at the Eastern Counties railway station, whereby two men and a boy were killed, has resulted in the return of a verdict severely reprobating the railway company for negligence both in the manufacture of the fog signals and the management of the factory. SAWARD AND ANDERSON, the two suspected forgers whose preliminary examination some weeks since before the Lord Mayor created so much excitement, were tried on Thursday at the Old Bailey, before the Chief Baron and Mr. Baron Bramwell, on four in dictments for forgeries on Metroprditan Banks. Sir Frederic Thesiger conducted the prosecution, and after a lengthened trial the two prisoners, who declined making any defence, were at once found guilty by the jury. The Chief Baron on Friday sentenced them severally to transportation for life. A REMARKABLE CASE, involving the liberty of the press, occurred the other day at Glasgow. In a law suit now pending, the attorney of one of the parties thought it would improve the position of his client to ascertain the name of the gentleman who reported the case in the Glasgow Herald. The correctness of the report was unquestioned. The editor and staff of the paper were summoned, but declined to give the information, on the plea that if such in formation could be demanded all confidential arrange ments made with or by a public journal would be at at end. The sheriff ridiculed the idea of a news paper having any right to plead "confidential com munication," and after some debate ordered a warrant to be made out for the committal to prison of the editor and chief reporter of the Herald. The point was ultimately arranged by the gentleman who reported the case personally coming forward, but the question of confidence as a lawful plea remains unsettled. CRYSTAL PALACE.—.Monday, the 15th, Wednesday, the 17th, and Friday, the 19th, of June, have been fixed as the days for the three performances of the Grand Handel Festival at the Crystal Palace. These dates have received the approval of her Majesty and prince Albert, who have been pleased to intimate their intention of being present at tho interesting and important musical celebration. The oratorios 'whioh it is intended to perform on the above days are The Illesetah, Judai Macoabeus, and love! in Egypt. It is proposed to We a tuU choral rehearsal oil Saturday, the 18th. 230