The Sun. — London, England, 1846-05-30 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 29. The &Piazza. took the Chair at Four o'clock. GREAT LEINSTER AND MUNSTER RAILWAY. This Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be com mitted. WAKEFIELD, PONTEFRACT, AND GOOLE RAIL WAY (METHLEY, ASKERN, AND OAKENSHAW BRANCHES.) . . On the motion for the third reading of this Bill, Mr. M. MILNES opposed it, because the great majority of his constituents had expressed their disapprobation of the Bill owing to the promoters having sought to take away ten acres from the race-course at Pontefract. Mr. BERNAL said that the Company proposed to take away four acres of the waste part of the course, and to indem nify the inhabitants by giving them ten acres of superior land. A discussion was about to ensue, when Lord G. SOMER SET moved the adjournment of the third reading until Mon day week. The motion was agreed to. STAINES AND RICHMOND RAILWAY. Colonel THOMAS WOOD moved that this Bill be re committed to the Committee on Group 20. Mr. SOTHERON, the Chairman of the Committee, said that when this Bill was before the Committee the solicitor to the Woods and Forests came before them with two cluuses ; the first gave the assent of the Crown to the Bill, and the second contained conditions which it wag impossible for the parties to fulfil without exceeding their esti mates and deviating from their levels. The Committee therefore threw out the Bill. On the 4th of May the parties came before the Committee and stated that the Commissioners of Woods and Forests were ready to accede to conditions which the promoters could adopt without infringing their e stimate or al tering their levels, and they, therefore, wished th e case re-opened. The Committee, however, refused to accede to their request, but stated that they would make a special report e t n o h e s t aved to the e. In this case thousands of pounds migh t have f promoters of this Bill if the Commissioners_ Forests could have made up their minds before Woods and the 20th of March or the 29th of April, instead of the 9th of May. Would such a course be a just thing to either the promoters or the opponents of the Bill ? Supposing they allowed justice to those parties who opposed the Bill, . and who, having overcome all objections , t he p romoters would beinjured, and supposing that they allowed justice to the parties promoting the Bill, what was the condition of those opposing the Bill ? By re-committing this Bill, they would do great injustice. He wished the House to consider whether it was right to allow parties to make such an application to the House ? He wished to ascertain what was the intention of the House with reference to this subject ? After a few words from Lord Ga.a..Nvite.E SOMERSET, Mr. BARCLAY, and Mr. ESTCOURT, which did not reach the gallery, Mr. WAKLEY said, that if in this case the House should decide against, the re-committal of this Bill, he must say that it would be the most unjust decision it had ever come to— ( Hear, hear)—and that:was saying a great deal.—( Hear, hear. and laughter.) Would the House for one moment attend to him whilst he stated the facts of the case ? What was the case ? That parties promoting the formation of a railroad from Richmond to Staines, ten miles, went before the Com mittee of their House, and after being before that Com mittee a few days, or a certain length of time, the Committee gave in their report. And what was t he report ? That the consent of the Commissioners of the Woods and Forests was tendered, and that the surveyor of the promoters of the Bill in his examination stated that he was prepared to make a line in conformity with the recommenda tion, when it became evident that the promoters could not form such a line, as it must be contrary to the plans laid down and deposited in the Board of Trade. The Committee there upon closed their proceedings on the Bill without hearing the whole of the evidence in favour of it. It would appear that this matter hat ben considered; but he must say that it had not rightly been decided upon by the Woods and Forests. To this he had no objection, but it be came a material question %%hen the public convenience was concerned. (Cries of " Order, order.") There might be an outcry, but still he must assert, that if this were a question of 40, 50, or 70 miles of railway, there might be a matter for consideration; but he must assert that the case of the promoters had not been properly heard, and when the question was whether ten miles of railway should be made, at an expense of 150,0001 , or whether a Bill should be ob . aineil without any reference to public convenience, he thought that the necessities of 150,000 people had nut been sufficiently attended to. Mr. BERNAL. thought that great negligenco had been exhibited on the part of the Commissioners of the Woods and Forests. Ur. WOOD (Brecon), hoped the House would give the motion a favourable consideration, as the promoters had been treated with much injustice. C,lonel WOOD considered as the promoters of the line had expended a large sum of money in prepcdring, their case for Parliament, that they ought to refer the rule again to the Com mittee, in order that the disputed question might be settled. Mr. TANCRED said this was the second session the Bill hail been before the House. It was thrown out last session by the Committee of Selection oe account of some informality. He submitted that from the first moment of its pro jection it was quite obvious that the Woods and Forests would not consent to the, passing of the line through the property of the Crown. When they came before the Hou e this year they were in the same position with respect to the Woods and Forests, as they still refused their consent. The Committee to whom the Bill was referred found it impossible to proceed with it under such circumstances, and they there fore negatived the preamble. After detailing the proceedings of the Committee, he concluded by expressing his opinion that, in cases in which the consent of the Wo.Als and Forests was necessary to the construction of a railway, that the fact of suet, consent having been obtained should be shown before the Committee of Selection. Sir G. GREY must say that if the promoters of the Bill were not able to produce the assent of the Commissioners of the Woods and Forests before the Committee ,in censequence of the delay of the Government, it would be a great hard ship to prevent their Bill from proceeding through the House. If, on the other hand, the non-production of that assent was caused by a want of due diligence on the part of the promoters, he could not see any reason why the decision of the Committee should be reversed. Now, what he wanted to know was, whether the delay rested with Government; and he should not like to give his vote on this occasion without some explana tion on this subject from a member of the Government. Mr. HODGSON said that the reason the Committee re jected the Bail was because they had deemed the estimate in sufficient. Colonel WOOD said the Hon. Member was mistaken as to the facts. The fact was, that, in the prosecution of the works, the Woods and Forests required that the railway should be made not only under the park, but under the river. Sir R. H. INGLIS said, that previously to giving any vote on this subject, he thought the House ought to be in possession of the whole of the correspondence which bad passed between the Commissioners of the Woods and Forests and the pro moters of the Bill. They would then be enabled clearly to understand the position in which they were placed. He would beg leave to move, therefore, that the present discus sion be postponed till this day week. The amendment having been put, Mr. C. P. VILLIERS said that he would believe that his Honourable and Learned Friend the Member for the University of Oxford was very anxious to have further information on the matter before the House, but he was just as sure that the parties more immediately interested would rather have a decision at the present moment. He begged to say, before they came to a division, that the Select Committee had, as yet, pronounced no decision on the Bill. The Hon. Chairman of the Committee had made no complaint against any person or office. He had stated the case very tempe rately and fairly, and, as the case would be establishing no precedent, he trusted that the House would consent to the motion. Lord LINCOLN said that, judging from the circumstances he had heard since he came into the House, he felt inclined to support the amendment of his Hon. and Learned Friend the Member for Oxford. He (Lord Lincoln) was connected with the Hoard of Woods and Forests in the last year, and he recol lected that precisely the same line was laid before them, and the Board then intimated their determination to resist it to the utmost. They had commissioned an eminent engineer to re port as to the effect the line would have upon the Crown pro perty, and he had reported that the line was very objectionable, but that no other could be carried through the same country. The line was dropped last year, and was now brought forward in precisely the same shape. He should not be disposed to vote against the BilL He was astonished to hear the charge brought against his Hon. Friend at the head of the Woods and Forests. Mr. WAKLEY rose to explain. Colonel WOOD hoped that the House would accede to the proposal of the Hon. Member. The debate was then adjourned till Monday week. NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN CONNECTING RAILWAY. On the motion that this Bill be read a second time 111;.iiaLEYmo;ed,asanamendment, that it be read a second time that day six months. In doing so the Hon. Mem ber presented a petition against further proceeding with the sehente, signed by 12,000 of the scripholders. The original num ber of shareholders was 16,000, so that here were three-fourths of the whole wh o o bj ec t e d t o th e Bill go i ng on . An application had been made to th e manag i ng comm itt ee , t o ca ll a p u blic meetin g of the scripholders, and take its sense, in accordance with the sessional resolution that bad been agreed to,but th cwoernrem4trtteaezteyfpursoedeeetdoinacwt with i r h n that reasonable request, and e expense on the shareholders. e Bill, thus entailing additional The fact was, the shareholders had been completely deceived th regard to the line which was pro posedto connect the important w manu!acturing town of Watfoidzanet one end, with the la rge an d popu l ous town of Dorking, other.—(A laugh.) Th e w h o l e a ff a i r was a monstrous c eption, from which the scriphold ers p raye d now t o bere u lie c ved . . Mr. T. WOOD said he knew nothing of the parties, though he considered th e sch eme would r be of great use in connecting in a circular manner round Lon don. It left the London and Birmingham Railway at Watford, and passing along the valley of the Colne it crossed the Great Western Railway, and went on its ter thus affecting a c ircular communicatio n minus at Dorking , round London.—(A laugh.) He believed, notwithstanding the laughter of the lion. Member for Finsbury, that a line of goods .. and troops, this kind would be very useful to transmit and would be also of considerable benefit to the public. Captain FIT Z3IAURICE stated that he had three petitions from the landowners on the line against the Bill, and praying that it might not be allowed to pass. Alderman HUMPHERY said that he had a petition of some consequence to present against the Bill. It was from the South Western line, stating that the proposed railway would cross their route, to the risk of mischief to the pas sengers and detriment to the line. After a few words from the CHANCELLOR of the EX CHEQUER, which did not reach the gallery, Mr. T. S. DUNCOMBE said, that in his belief the only persons in favour of the line were those on the committee, who had got the 10 per cent. deposit of the unfortunate shareholders. They had called on the committee to assemble a public meetine to take the sense of the shareholders as to the propriety of going on, but the committee declined doing PO, and wished to go on till the third reading. The majority of ;he seripholders were against the scheme. The SPEAKER, having put the question that the Bill be read a. second time, . . The motion was negatived without a division. RAILWAYS. The Edinburgh and Northern Railway (Newport Railway and St. Andrews's Branch) was a third time, ai were also the Arbroath and Forfar Railway and the Lancashire and North Yorkshire Railway. STIRLING AND fUNFERMLINE RAILWAY. This Bill was read a third time and passed. LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY EX IEN- SION. Mr. SPOON ER presented a petition ilgair , A this B•ll EAST LONDON RAILWAY. * Sir E. COLEBROOKE presented a p e titi on pray i ng that the I-louse ixo uld re-consider the report of the Committee, as the Bill had been described by a misnomer. Lord G. SOMERSET thought that the re-consideration taight be allowed, a; it was evident that the mistake was merely a clerical error. A considerable number of other petitions were then_.pre seated, amongst wh:ch was one from Sir C. Douglas, and from several parties complaining of the break of gauge. BUSINESS OF THE SESSION. Sir R. PEEL—In pursuance of the notice which I have given, I beg leave to move that the House, at its rising, do ad journ to Friday next, the sth of June ; and I think it is right to give notice what is the busines which I, on the part of the Government, intend to bring forward. The House will meet on Friday, the sth of June. I propose that we shall then proceed with the Supply ; on the Monday after I propose to move the second reading of the Irish Bill for the prevention of assassination. I would move it first on Friday, only I understand that some of the Irish Members are absent.—( Hear, hear.) On Friday, the 12th of June, I propose to bring forward the question of the sugar duties; and, on Thursday, the 11th of June, I will move that the orders of the day have a precedence over notices of motion, but that arrangement will not take place until Thursday, JunelB, so that there will be ample notice. Mr. J. O'CONNELL begged to inform th e Right Hon. Baronet, that so long at the Irish Coercion Bill was th b e ef day before the House the Irish Nlembers would oppose orders of having precedence, and they would also move an amendment upon every order. before Ir. T t h . e DUN Co House t B E was said, u o t d h e a r t s t o w h d e n t h t a h t e t C h o e r n c Bill ust was ' Bill B co il e l re an io d o thßeill.PooNr-olaww, Removal or lAi a ll w were ßill before as p t o li s e tpo lr o i e s d h indefinitely. They were going to Bill. There aLer week en the Irish Coercion another Bill, and that was the enrolment of the militia. He had called attention to this Bill long before Easter, and now it was Whitsuntide. Now they had not seen this Bill, which ought to have been laid on the table before they separated for the Whitsuntide holidays. He feared that would be deferred until the end of the session, when few Members were present, and when it was possible it might pass without that attention being bestowed upon it which it deserved. After a few words from Colonel WOOD, Sir R. PEEL said he had felt certainly that the Govern ment might have been in a position to have brought forward the Poor-law Removal Bill before this period of the session, but he wa sure the House would make allowance for the peculiar position in which her Majesty's Government were placed by the great quantity of business which they had to discharge. They were really now devoting sixteen or eighteen hours a day in the dis charge of their public duties. In the present state of public business he saw no reason why they should not take the Bill on Friday next.—( Hear, hear.) But any one must feel that the Government were bound to proceed with the Irish Coercion Bill at the earliest possible moment. Sir JAMES GRAHAM said, if the preliminary discussion of which the Honourable Member for Maldon had given notice with respect to the Poor law Removal Bill, should be affirmed by the House, it would be necessary to commit the Bill pro forma, for the purpose of remodelling it in accordance with that notice. It was most desirable that the House should come to a determination with reference to that notice, in order that the Bill might be taken on Friday, if possible. Mr. HUME expressed his regret that the more important measures before the House should be delayed by discussing a mea sure of minor interest. He wished to impress on the Right Hon. Baronet the necessity of postponing the Irish Coercion Bill until all the other important measures before then House had been discussed and passed.—( Hear, hear.) The way to save time was to make good use of the time they had. If he persevered in proceeding with the !Coercion Bill he would stop every measure which would be useful to the country. In saying this he did not simply state his own opinion, but the opinion of these on his side of the House — and those whom he met out of doors were of the same opinion. Mr. G. BANKES said, that his Right Hon. Friend at the head of the Government might recollect that it was understood that the general preamble of the Poor-law Bill should be dis cussed on going into Committee.—(Hear.) He thought, there fore, that it should not be taken for granted that they were to be strictly limited to the discussion on the amendment which had been suggested.—( Hear, hear.) It would be in the recollection of the House that several weeks ago he proposed a Select Committee with reference to this Bill, for anticipating this very difficulty; but at the present moment they certainly could not do otherwise than follow what the Right Hon. Baronet was pleased to propose ; but it must be under stood at the same time that they were at libert7 to discuss the general principle.—( Hear, hear.) 431 r. CHRISTIE gave notice that ha should move, on the 16th of June, for a Select Committee to inquire into the laws with respect to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Mr. WODEHOUSE moved for a return of the r itio of the total amount levied during the. year 1843 for poor rates in the counties of EriLtland, and also the total amount of real pro • party as bearing proportion to the amount of the poor-rates so levied ; the counties to be classed as under-mentioned :- Ist class, the manufacturing counirles ; 2nd class, the mineral counties ; 3rd class, the agricultural counties ; 4th class, the metropolitan counties. THE OREGON TERRITORY. Mr. H1.131E said, that it was reported that a formal notice had been sent to this country by the President of the United States to the British Government, terminating the Oregon Convention of 1637. Now he wished to ask the Right Hon. Baronet, the First Lord of the Treasury, if the report were correct ? Sir R. PEEL replied, that the American President had cer tainly given formal notice of the termination of the existing Convention, which is to take place at the end of this year ; and in giving that notice, he adopted the terms agreed upon by both Houses of the American Legislature, in the hope that it might lead to an arni,:able adjustment of the question.—(Wear, hear,) _ . THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY MORNING, MAY so, 1846. MR. WARNER'S INVENTION. In answer to a question from Lord LNGESTRE, Sir R. PEEL consented to lay upon the table of the House papers connected with the invention of Mr. Warner. The Right Hon. Baronet laid them on the table at once, and ordered them t be printed. RETIREMENT OF NAVAL OFFICERS. The RIGHT HONOURABLE BARONET said, in answer to a question from Sir Charles Napier, that he under stood that unless a certain number of officers applied to be in cluded in the regulation, the Admiralty would have the power to deal with it accordingly. He did think it would be desira ble, when the House should go into a Committee of Supply, to take up the navy estimates first, and he would have no objec tion to such a course. COURTS OF LAW. Captain POLHILL moved for a return of the number of the writs of summons issued out at, the high courts of law, namely, the Queen's Bench, the Common Pleas, and the Ex chequer, of pleas between the 10th day of November, 1843, and the 10th day of May, 1846 ; and also, the numbers issued out of the same courts in the parallel six months of the five preceding years; also, the Bills filed in the Courts of Equity during the same periods of time, distinguishing each year. Agreed to. Lord G. BE NTINCK said he would wish to a ask a question of the Right Honourable Baronet, which at first, might seem to impugn the truth of a statement made by a Noble Lord in another place—he meant Lord Dalhousie • but, however, he had since had such representations made to him as had entirely re moved the possibility of such an imputation. He now referred to the policy of this country as it affected the interests of the Canadas. The Noble Earl was understood to say that the Canadians viewed with a perfect feeling of satisfaction the ge neral policy of her Majesty's Ministers ; and, so far from en tertaining any feeling of apprehension and alarm, he stated that all they asked was, that the nominal duty of ls., which was proposed to be retained on Canadian and other wheat, should be reduced to one penny. This was the statement which was im puted to the Earl of Dalhousie; and he (Lord George Ben tinck) must say that he had heard the statem en t with his own ears. Now, the question he wished to ask was, Whether or not the Canadians had determined by a vote of their Legis lative Assembly to address her Majesty against the measures of her Ministry ? The first paragraph of that address was in form something like this :—" That the House viewed with the most serious apprehension and alarm, and as detrimental to the future peace and prosperity of the Colonies, the adoption of the proposed principle of commercial intercourse now under the consideration of the Imperial Parliament." That such an address had been unanimously voted he had the best reason for knowing, inasmuch—( The Noble Lord was here called to order.) Well, then, the question he had to a k of her Majesty's Ministers was whether or no, when that state ment was made by a Cabinet Minister of the Crown, he was not in possession of the information to which he ( Lord George Bentinck) had now referred ? He wished to know whether that Minister was not in possession of the address when he knew that it would be unanimously voted by the Legislative Assembly of Canada, expressive of sentiments like those which had been embodied in the paragraph he had read to the House. Sir ROBERT PEEL said that he would with pleasure lay all the information he was in possession of before the Noble Lord. He had yesterday made an appointment with the Sec retary for the Colonies fcr one o'clock this day, and when his Right Hon. Friend attended he showed to him (Sir R. Peel) a letter from Lori Cathcart, containing the address of the Cana dian House of Assembly, which he was bound to acknowledge expressed the apprehensions of the Assembly as to the conse quences that might follow the adoption of the commercial measures of the Government. He understood his Right Hon. Friend then to say that that communication bad only reached him in the course of the morning. He (Sir R. Peel) did not know that such a communication had arrived until two o'clock this day. If even he had thought it possible that Lord Dalhousie should have had earlier information than he bad, he had yet the assurance that the Noble Lord was aware of the receipt of this communication at the period at which he spoke last evening. When dispatches came, it was impossible that all members of the Government should receive the information simultaneously ; some time must elapse before all the members of the Government were aware of the contents. In answer to a question put by Mr. CHRISTIE, Sir J. GRAHAM said that the report would be laid upon the table after the recess. POOR-LAW REMOVAL. Mr. h R. l' rat -4 Nl gi SO ve Lord J. RUSSELL wished to know when his Hon. Friend N n not sta i t c e e d i n h i a s m i n o t r e e n t s i p n e n e i fi t n e c p h l a a r e a e c t n e i r, upon the tss o , f ) z s i a e t h beh e ind him (Mr. E. Denison) would make the motion Notice-book sevei l a • making his motion mnoorettespesecrich would have the effect of He intended to propose that, in caseand more accurately defined. to be supplied with relief, the relief shall be pauper requiring the union, and not in the parish of such union administered in amount of the exi.ense consequent upon t s ; shouldand that the de frayed by a fund levied on each parish, and that e be s shall be borne in proportion to the expenses ineurrer in such parish during the last five or seven years ; and that the debts same, snail not already incurred, w i t h i nterest d ue upon the ' be affected by such Acts. RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT AND THE PORTE. Dr. BOWRING inquired whether any treaty had been signed beteen the Russian Government .. the ising the duties paid by foreign nations, under e Porte, equal capitulation, and removing the disadvantages underthe existing which Bri tish subjects have laboured. Sir R. PEEL replied that he expected shortly i n terview with th e Russian Minister. to hav e an ADDRESS FROM CANADA. Lord G I3ENTINCK asked if a copy of the address from G. of Canada, in reference to theproposed the Legislature terations laid on the table in the tariff had een the addres . Sir R. PEEL — Lord have not got s. he had it with and would Lord G. BENTINCK said . him, Baronet. (Considerab merriment hand it to the Right Hon. Baron Ste pp in , down and giv was excitement from the Noble Lord pp' , copy of the document in ing the Right Hon. Baronet a quest TH ion.) E PRICE OF POTATOES IN YORKSHIRE. Mr. LAWSON rose to move that a return be made of the highest price of potatoes per bushel in the various market towns in Yorkshire fcr the seven months previius to May 23, 1846 ; also, a similar return of the highest prices in London, Southwark, and Westminster. He said he was fully aware that this motion was not palatable to every Hon. Member, still, as he hail been deprived of the opportunity of making i' on the previous evening, when it was down for pr posal, he was deter,nined to avail himself of the present onortunity to bring it forward.. He should then proceed to oTer to the House that explanation, or rather vindication, of a statement he had made in that House. When on a former occasion he had stated to the House that a person in Yorkshire had sent up potatoes to London, and that the cargo was alerwards re turned to Yorkshire for want of sale, that assertion had been received with incredulity, or he might say derision. Since the time he had m-..de the assertion, he had had an opportunity of making an investigation such as was necessary to confirm hie statement, and he did not rise then for the purpose of altering anysingle word he had said, but he rose in order to confirm every single one of them, and he would say, confidently that he was prepared with all dates and other things necessary to bring under their consideration. He felt the kindness of the House in allowing him to enter upon any explanation, and he should therefore confine himself strictly to such observations as would vindicate himself in their eyes. The Noble Lord, the Member for Lynn, having heard on a former occasion that he was going to offer some observations with reference to the price of potatoes in Yorkshire, had, with the kindness which always distingished him, handed to him a letter from a person residing there ; which letter referred to the subject. The Noble Lord did not know the writer of the letter, but on his (Mr. Lawson) seeing it, he at once de clared that he was acquainted with the author of it. He was called upon for the name of the individual, but he was not then able to say who he was. He would now state that his name was Mr. Robert Schofield, of Sands Hall, near Howden, who was a large grower of potatoes. Many animadversions were offered upon that statement, and he had written again to Yorkshire, for the purpose of procuring information on the subject, as he was not then in a condition to give a satisfac tory explanation. On Saturday last, he (Mr. Lawson) wrote to the Alderman that he would offer a vindi.. cation of the statement which he disputed.—( Hear. hear.) He would now, therefore, say that the gentleman who sent the potatoes to London was a Mr. Meggott of Howden. It appeared this cargo was brought into port on the 17th of March, and that it was transhipped on the 14th of April, and that it reached Hull on the 21th. The potatoes were not sold there, but were transferred to Leeds, where they were sold at the rate of 50s. per ton. He did not pretend to ' know much of the potato trade, and, with all deference to the Hon. Member, and at the same time to the Hon. Alderman, he must assert, that the reports were not borne out by the facts. It appeared that the whole of the cargo was 170 tons. It appeared also, that two cwt. were sold at the rate of 275. a ton. Forty-three tons were sold at the rate of 50s, a ton. The cargo was not disposed of at Hull, but, according to the report of Captain Shaw, it was carried to Leeds, where 43 tone were disposed of at the rate of 503. per ton. He need not repeat that he had no experience, but it appeared to him that it was an unwarrantable stretch of the personal power of the Ministry. The Hon. Alderman bad stated that no potatoes had been of fered in London to any but cow-keepers at as low a price as that which he (Mr. Lawson) had stated. This statement, it appeared, was without foundation or fact. There was in the city of London a monopoly in potatoes which ought to be looked into by that House. He could not trespass further on the House, but if any of his statements were impugned, he would reserve to himself the right of making a further explanation. Alderman HUMPHREY said the Hon. Member had deli vered himself of something which he conceived to be like that which was produced by the mountain in labour. Now he did impugn his statements, and he would trouble the House by read ing to them what it was he said on the last occasion. After reading an extract from the speech in question, the Hon. Gentleman proceeded to say, that a gentleman, whose name, he believed, was Miggott, or Maggott—( Laughter)— who combined in his own person the business of linendraper, a painter, glazier, mercer, and, he believed, also the business of a hatter—(Laughter)—and other things, had read an ac count of the" Peel Panic," and that potatoes were going to be extremely scarce. Not knowing, however, much about the potato market, he went to a small farmer—whe'her he was a friend of the Hon. Member (Mr. Lawson) he did not knc w—but, at any rate, he went to him and purchased 50 tons of potatoes at 88s. He requested the farmer to have the potatoes all picked, and to have the best samples selected in order that they might be forthwith sent to London, in anticipation that when they were sent to London he should have been enabled to sell them for the purpose of seed. But being, however, an unfortunate tradesman, he did not know how to ship the potatoes, and a Mr. Saltmarsh, shipped them for him in a brig called the " Vigilant." They were put in the forecastle, and made five rooms of potatoes. When they arrived in London, a quantity of a similar description, brought by the same brig, were sold at 953. per ton. The vessel was deta;ned some weeks, during which time, a person named Liddel, sold about four tons at from 85s. to 90s. per tor,. As the remainder could not, however, be sold, he was persuaded to take them to Leeds, where, he presumed, he sold them to the poor at a cheaper rate. He lost 2001. by the transaction; and Mr Scholefield and others stated the case to the Noble Lord, saying, " Here is a case in point of potatoes being plentiful, and yet they cannot be sold even in London," and on that assertion and on these facts, a cry was raised that the statement that there was a scarcity of potatoes was uutrue. He would state the quantity of potatoes which came into London, to show the falling off that had taken place in the supply of the present year. In 1840, there were 7,3' 1 0,000 sacks brought up the river ; in 1,222,000 ; in 1545, 1,505.000; while in the present year the number was only 969,000 sacks. He had been told by Mr. Little, that those potatoes which the Hcn. Gentleman opposite had alluded to could have all been sold for 41. per ton, but this gentleman, who had embarked for the first time, and had fairly being taken in, refused to sell them for less than 5/. per ton.—( Hear. ) It would appear that there was a sort of sweating in the vessels in which the potatoes were recently brought up to London ; and this very week no less than 5000 tons of potatoes were found to be unfit for human food, and they were thrown into the river Thames.—( Hear, hear.) Gentlemen's po tatoes, he said, were produced on a highly cultivated soil ai,d they were, therefore, not liable to the blight which befel the Yorkshire potatoes. He had now only to say what he had before said, that the assertions of that Hon. Gentleman must have been made for a party purpose—to deceive the House and the public, and induce them to believe that potatoes were plentiful that they could be bought at reasonable prices and that there need be no fear whatever of want of potatoes in London. The reason why the working classes of the met rop ilia had been able to support themselves was, that they were well employed and liberally paid, and they were enabled to resort to other sort of food. When they recollected that 40,000/. worth of potatoes had been lost this year, they must sec that there must have been a great falling off, and he had no doubt that the Hon. Gentleman who shipped the potatoes in question would not trust to potatoes again—(Laughter)—and he would find that it would be as well to have two strings to his bow, and confine himself to his own proper trade.—( Hear, hear.) Mr. LAWSON rose for the purpose of making an explana tion, but resumed his seat amidst cries of " Grder, order." Mr. HUDSON said he was not going to interfere in the debate upon potatoes, but he felt himself called upon to make one observation on what had fallen from the worthy Alderman opposite in reference to the quantity of potatoes that had been brought to London, as compared with those which hEd been im ported into the metropolis in former years. There could be no doubt that the recent increase in the quantity of potatoes imported into London was to be attributed to increased railway accommodation.—( Hear.) It had come to his knowledge that many large potato districts availed themselves of the advan tages offered by railways of sending off their potatoes to other large towns.—( Hear, hear. ) THE BUDGET. The Howe then resolved itself into a Committee of Su i sply, when The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER rose and said —I am anxious Mr. Greene to avail myself of this opportunity, previously to the separation of the house, of bringing before them that ar nual statement of the finances of the country, which is expected from the individual who holds the situation which I have the honour to hold. lam sure that the state ment which I have to make to the House, will have but little attraction, except from the subject with which it has to deal. I shall not be able to embellish it with any thing novel, since the House have had already before them, during previous dis cussions, the details of those parts of the subject, which are the most interesting to the community. The House has already been informed by my Right Hon. Friend, the First Lord of the Treasury, of the reductions, which it was his intention to make in the different duties of customs, which are at present made. Those reductions have been embodied in the Act which has already passed this house, and which now only awaits the sanction of the other branch of the Legis lature, in order to be carried to a full operation. It will also be unnecessary fur me to enter into details as to the precise expenditure of the country, because the house has be fore them estimates now upon the table, to the full extent which the Government have thought it necessary to submit to the House. Nothing, therefore, remains to me but to bring into one general view the statements which are before them in detail as to the revenue and expenditure of the country, and to show to the House from the results how successful have been those measures which the Government in former sessions have recommended to the adoption of Parliament, and to which Par liament had given their sanction ; and upon the continued ad herence and progressive adoption of them I believe the finan cial prosperity of the country will be found mairly to depend. ( Hear, hear.) I cannot help, Sir, taking this opportunity of dispelling some of those apprehensions which have been ex pressed by the Gentlemen on this side of the House, as to the effects which the great commercial changes that have since take place might produce upon the revenue of the country. These apprehensions have been generally circulated out of the House by those who profess that opinion ; and it is not I think, unimportant, that those who have honestly indulged such opinions should be undeceived—all those who have circu lated them with a different view should receive contra fiction. I shall, therefore, proceed plainly to lay before the House, in the usual order, first, what has been the result of the receipts, and revenue, and expenditure, during the past year, and then to' found upon that calculation what may be the anticipations which may be entertained as to the receipts and expenditures of the year into which we have already entered. The first point to which I wish to draw the attention of the House, is the calculations that have been made by my Right Hon. Friend, when he addressed the House upon the subject in the last ses sion of Parliament, and the results which have followed from the scheme he then laid down. The House will bear in mind that my Right Honourable Friend then stated that certain reductions would be made in the customs and excise reve nues, uureavnedlei would tatth beabout e result would e 9 that the o i fthis m amount s u of the 19,500,000/, would be received from the customs, and some thing over 12,000,0001. from the excise ; the stamps about 7,000,000/., and the taxes about 4,200,000/. the post office 700,000/., the Crown lands, 15 0 ,000/., arid the property tax 5,200,0001. I beg to say that lam now speaking in round numbers, but the sum total makes, as I already stated, 49,762,000/. Now in looking at the calculations made by my Right Hon. Friend, it will be found that while ho had esti mated the sum total of the revenue as only 49,000,000/., it will be found that it has in fact exceeded 51,000,0001., and that in this sum was included a sum for the excise of over 13,000,000/., for the stamp duties, 7,600,000/., arid for the other items sums proportionably increased ; all of which I think exhibit a great increase in the commercial transaetions of this country. I must state that the property-tax has been somewhat diminished owing to the repay ments which it had been necessary to make ; and, there fore, the deductions in that item can be easily accounted for. I am reminded of the Post-office. This department produced in the year preceding the last 700,000/., but in the last year 795,00J1., an indication that stamps the period as one ot great commercial prosperity. The general receipts amounted to 162,000"01. ; and here it must be recollected that, independently of the ordinary resources of the country, a sum of 750,0001. had been received from China. The total resources of the country in past years, which amounted to 49,766,000/., has increased to no less a sum than 52,009,000/. Right Hon. Friendeealh,ntadvwein within I c amplyht a h r i : vs e t uhr verified. the House will agree that the a n ti c ip a ti ons o f my sleys tei the da l et a ae s r. t s u e rT s e s hd i o e n t have sou mk e been ewph theic h the debt li t fo h u e in we laid before Parliament was 30,749,0001., an d this we find reduced to 30,600,000'. in, • consequence of a certain amount being charged upon the consolidated fund. The estimate for the service f and the misc e ll an - o the army and navy, and ordnance, ous estimates, amount to the sum stated by my Right Hon. Friend,within 40,000/. of The total result may therefore be stated thus : a total . rev n the expenditure has amounted to 40.4 u :9, ofoo 5 0 2 , ,009,000/., while surplus of 2,530,0'60/. There was this, b leaving a nett year to side of revenue, an amount of unclaimed diviLandddsed,tvhe varying in every year, amounted this year to 2,350,000!. N ow teh. it will be in the recollection of the Hiiuse that when re Right H on . Friend made his statement in the course of the last y year, he was exceedingly anxious not to create a sanguine expecta tion in the country as to the measures lie was about to propose; t rore s tated to the House a very moderate surplus. Th e revenue t i irere showed a very considerable improvement uenn t h e esti mate, and I think that the statement which we hav e t o l ay be fore you will be acknowl ed g ed to be ot the most satisf ac t ory character.the inherent elasticity It proves of th e re sources of this co untry ; and when certain weights, which are at present impose d , tip A o n our commerce , shall be removed, th en I am sure the result will be even more satisfactory. Your cora . coerce will be increased, and the ha-ipiness and p rosper i ty of people will be greatly ext en d e d . the great body of the for the present year in accordan ce The estimates are taken with the principles which I a dopted last rear. I have, there fore, now to state to the House ) calculations with thereference to year, 'resent with and the revenue o f to the expenditure this additional advantage, that I am able more confidently to e of the experience of the nticipate the future, in eonseluenc past. In making the estimate of the revenue, the first point to which attention is directed are the customs revenue of the country. This branch of the revenue produced last year, as already stated, 19,768,000/. But, in consequence of the measures which have been passed this session through Parlia- , ment, a reduction of these duties has taken place to the amount of 1,041,000!. But no Hon. Gentleman, who con siders either what is past, or dealing with the ordinary prin ciples of finance, will consider that the revenue of the succeed ing years is to be calculated by deducting from the revenue of the past year the amount of duty now proposed to be sub tracted. A large deduction must be made on account of in creased consumption in those articles from which the duty is entirely removed. Allowance must be also made for the increased consumption in those articles which remain subject in some degree to taxation. In consequence of the total abolition of the duties upon a great variety of other articles, in the deduction which should be made upon account of the abolition of duties during the present year, I must be guided in some degree by the experience of the past. I find that upon reference to the reduction previously made, that if I take the loss of revenue in the customs at two-fifths of the amount of the duty repealed, I should exceed that which has been found to be lost in a period in which we had been for some time past receiving a less amount of duty. I should not trust to deducting from the customs revenue a greater sum than 400,000 e on account of the reduction in duty ; thus we therefore leave the customs revenue, instead of 19,700,000/., only 19,300,0001. I take it at a greater amount than that, and I will state to the House my grounds for so doing. I find upon reference to the most experienced, and the most continued observers of the course of things, that there is every antici pation of the continuance during the year to come of the pros perity in trade which we enjoyed last year. I receive from every outport the most satisfactory statement with reference to the prospects of the revenue for the ensuing year. I have been called upon by different persons in the outports, and in the City of London, not to confine my augmentation of duty to 200,000 e I am always anxious to be on the safe side.—( Hear, hear.) I therefore limit the sum to 1,950,0001. Has the revenue fallen off on account of the reduction which has been made ? I find in many of the returns from different ports of the country. that such has been to a very limited ex tent, during the last six weeks, being from the commencement of the financial year. And this has been during a period when there was considerable uncertainty as to the measures of the Government, and the consequent uncertainty and speculation that prevailed. In many of these out-ports, so far from a re duction of the revenue-duty, I find that, during these six weeks, in many there has been an increase, in others an equality of revenue, while in those in which there has been any deficiency it has been accompanied by the statement that the re venue is gradually increasing, and is likely to continue so.—(Hear, hear.) I take the last six weeks as a justification of my argument as to the amount that may be ex pected, because I wish to show that the duty repealed is not to be taken as an indication of the exact amount that may be found deficient. I find, in referring to Liverpool, Leith, New castle, Port Glasgow, and Dublin—ports confined to no par ticular portion of the United Kingdom, there has been no falling off in revenue in the last six weeks as compared with the six weeks of the preceding year, and that we have every expectation, when Parliament has done with the measures now before it, the revenue will spring up beyond what it has been even before the alterations were made.—(Hear, hear.) On these ground I consider there cannot be any large reduction of duty, and that I may fairly estimate it during the coming year at 19,500,000!. The next important branch of the revenue is the excise. Upon that bianch of the revenue there was a large abolition of the revenue last year. In consequence of this re duction of duty, the excise had fallen off 100,0001. as com pared with what it was before the glass and auction duties were repealed. On this head, with respect to the future, he had the most sanguine expectations, founded upon the experience that the revenue in this department had exceeded the calculation which was made when the statement was made to the House. The experience we have had gives us full assurance of what we may fairly calculate the future revenue to be. I will take the revenue for the ensuing year, and I will add 13,400,0001., being a sum of 100,000/. more than in the year 1845. With respect to the stamp duties, on which there has been received 7,660,0001, during the last year; for the present year I will take the sum of 7,400,0001. As much of the augmentation of duty arose from that sudden increase of railway speculation, which has been so much the subject of discussion in this House, and as I cannot anticipate that the same extent of railway speculation will prevail during the en suing year, after the experience we have had—( Hear, hear) — I propose to deduct from the stamp duty a sum such as can be fairly attributed to the agency of that speculation. And I will therefore make a reduction of 260,0001. With respect to the assessed taxes, and the land tax, I will take the same amount, 4,200,0001. With regard to the property-tax, I think it has very nearly produced, in the course of the last year 5,100,0001. The assessments under the new Act of last year have all been completed, and I make this statement without any particular data which could enable me to make out an accurate return upon the present occasion. There is, how ever, no reason to apprehend that the amount wid be short of what was produced last year, arguing from the increasing prosperity of the country. With respect to the post-office, in which there has been during the last year a very large increase of revenue, I think that that increase of revenue should be confined to that particular year. There has, however, for some time past been a gradually pro gressing increase of the revenue in that deprrtment. I do not take the same amount of increase for the year upon which we have now entered as there has been for the year which has just closed; and for this reason—not that I antici pate otherwise than that the revenue, having additional facili ties to increase, will continue to do so—but there is an im provement which I contemplate in the administration of the post-office, which improvement, by throwing an additional expense, in the first instance, on the public revenue, but which, nevertheless, in my opinion, will contribute to the efficiency and general character of the department, I am anxious to leave a margin for the conduct of this operation ; but still I am inclined to take only the augmentation of the re venue, and I therefore content myself with taking a total sum of 850,0001., being 60,000/. above the sum which was received in the course of last year. With respect to the crown lands, I have to observe that the amount apportioned for promoting the principles of the Zoological Society, and for which he was about to submit a motion to the House, was 120,0001. This was exclusive of the sums apportioned for that purpose during the past year. It had been calculated that the amount required for the year ending on the sth of April, 1847, would be 50,900,0001., exclusive of the money to be derived from the treaty with China, the full amount of which would be at least 700,03(1. But including 500,000/. of that amount, the whole amount is stated at 51,6571. The whole of the expenditure during the last year was estimated at 49,400,0001. It is impossible to ascertain what the expense will be in future rears, but I may safely estimate the superfluous expense at 2;200,0)0/. Great efforts have been made during the past year to reduce the expenditure of the several offices of Government, but it was found that the expenditure of the useful establishments could not be reduced. Our attention has been especially turned to our steam navy, and it is believed that a great advantage will be obtained by the introduction of guns of heavy calibre into our steam force. I will not go seriatim through these additions to the House, but I do think, notwithstanding these charge s , th e ex p ense o f the consolidated debt will amount to more than 28,200,000/. At exclusive of the sum of 2 pe ,o, i.' surplus. The total amount of these 0 s sen e 0 oo t t it w ol i .s which calculat edcharges, a appeared p ew aa which ei 2 ed B a ,O h 1s a may be called the permanent charges of a country, is thirty millions six hundred and seventy-five thousand pounds. The army expenditure of last year was six million seven hundred and forty-five thousand pounds, being a considerable increase over the estimates. I pro pose then for the present year an estimate of six millions six hundred and ninety-seven thousand pounds, being an increase on the estimate of the former year of 145,0001., arising, as I have stated before, from an addition which it has been neces sary to make in the general force of the army, and the con templated calling out of the militia.—( Hear, hear.) . With respect to the estimate for the navy, I propose an estimate for the present year of 7,621,000/. The estimate of the former year being 6,943,0001., being an increase of five or six hundred thousand pounds in a branch of the legislature on which I have ednoothteee, already stated rests the security of the country. The estimate for the ordnance last year was 2,142,0001., and I propose for this one an estimate of 2,543,000/., making an increase in that branch of the service of 400,0001., arising in a great measure from a necessary augmentation in the corps of the artillery, the services of whom were no less distinguished in peace than in war. This high expense on the face of the estimates will be found extremely low on consideration. The other portion of the expense is for the repair of certain barracks which have been for some time, more or less, neglected, and which it has at length been judged expedient to replace in repair, and for the improvement of various fortifications; thus adding to the comfort of the troops by improving their barracks, and by furnishing them with better articles than those to which they have been hitherto accustomed. The estimates for miscellaneous expenses last year was 1,32,000/. ; this estimate this year is 3,235,000/. But I have thought it right to set, at the present moment, 200,0001. down under this head, conceiving that I shall hereafter have to sub mit to the House an account of these sums expended in the re lief of the suffering population—it is necessary to have a margin of this kind, under present circumstances. The ac count, of course, is a matter of estimate, but, as I have said, I have thought it right to put that sum in the estimates, in order to make them up to a period, before ;the arrival of which I think they will be requiredto meet the general expenses under that head. The effect, therefore, cf the total expenditure of the year will amount to 20,198,000/. But those additional charges mentioned in the speech of my Right Honour able Friend at the commencement of the session— I mean by the alteration in the ordnance tender for medical attendance, and for salaries of schoolmasters in the different poor-law unions, for the maintenance of prisoners, and by the expense of prosecutions in criminal case, all contri bute to this increase of the miscellaneous estimates. They are all comprised in the statement I have made. The total amount of the service of the year, therefore, amounts to 20,198,0001., which when, with the other charges, are deducted from the ex pected revenue of the year 51,630,000/., makes a total amount of expenditure of 50,663,000/ e which leaves a surplus at the end of the year of 776,0001. It was with a similar surplus in the commencement of last year that we entered upon the period which is past. It is with a similar surplus that we enter upon the present year ; but I enter upon it now as I did then, with increased confidence that the estimate I have made as to the expenditure of the country, commerce will be rather diminished than increased, and that the House, at a future period, will have the satisfaction of finding that the result is even more prosperous than I have now stated. Unless it can be shown to me that there is some great error in the calculations which I have made, I think I may say we have the satisfaction of knowing that the result is mainly owing to the course which Parliament has of late years adopted, in abolishing prohibitory duties, and in relaxing protective duties, giving to the industry of the country increased energy, and securing for the people at once a means of employment, and an easy means of procuring the necessaries and comforts of life. But, Sir, when I attribute the prosperity of the year which has passed, and anticipate the prosperity of the year which is to come, I may be told that, is ascribing it to the causes I have just named, I am at fault. I may be told that one year the financial system may be attended with fortuitous circumstances and accidental advantages, and that the circum stances of a single rear do not apply always to the future, I ad mit the force of this observation. I admit that you haveno right to urge the advantages I have stated as of one year as a rea son for applying a particular system to the future; but I ask the House not to esnfine their observations, merely to what has occurred in the present year, or to what resulted to el: mw mas eCarr}'inneet the commenced, year da k IbBe their e o, i fr soonle viewsafter ifit co ru House e h t the period to e g r a i u o d a l i w o o n h n g g e n series w t_h t e h ffi e present i () i f presented sinysternthneas beenlast in ye o a p r e , rati b on u . t continued that the progress s t a s n e: i s system result first o f feonms pears,id Government , d r tu i h n re g i n w gmeasures came ha t whichh a i s n the b t o e a the measures introduced by the House. It will be recollected what was the state of the country at the period when the present Government entered office —not that I wish to enter into a comparison between any particular administrations. And now, in the next place, I propo se t o ca ll the attention of the II ' t the situ.tion of the cou n t ry at the period ouse o . e period when we entered into. Government. some years a considerable deficiency There had b een for . in the revenue —that deli& ' • d that period to a very I,ney had increase at by increased large amount ; indeed attempts had been made taxation, andbut t deficiency, ' properlymade, to overcome chat it was found that the t the augmentation of the duty on customs and excise• augmenting had not the effect of m aterially the revenues. The first duty of the Government, therefore, under these circumstances was to get rid of that deficiency, and to prevent its recurrenc e for the future ; and it was necessary at that time —it was indispensably necessary for the good of the country, that a great additional burden should be imposed for the purpose of relieving from that incubus-that amount of debt which was sure, if permitted to continue, to break down the financial prosperity of this country.-( Hear, hear.) Feel ing, then, as we feel now, that the great cause of national prosperity was the relief of the country from those particular burdens which pressed more particularly upon the poorer classes of the community-which affected the industry-which checked employment-which prevented the extension of ma nufactures-impressed deeply with those sentiments, we com bined with the large imposition of taxes a very large reduction of the existing burdens, by taking off from the customs all the prohibitory duties, and to reduce all protective duties to a more moderate range. And we relied then upon what had actually occurred as to the stimulus which those measures would give to the industry of the country in the production of a happy future. Sir, in the year 1842, it was proposed to reduce the duty upon 583 articles, with some few exceptions i • in 1843, pursuing the same system of further reduc tion in the duties, upon 7 articles was proposed ; in 1844, upon 4 articles of customs ; in 1345, upon 21 articles of customs, the duties were reduced upon 444 articles, and some duties were repealed; in 1846, the duties in the customs were again re duced upon 112 articles-that is by the Bills which have now gone to the other House of Parliament, and an entire repeal is made upon 54 articles, making, with the proposed reduction of duties up to the present time, a reduction of duties upon 727 articles, and a repeal of the duty upon 503 articles, upon which taxes had to be previously paid. Those articles, being for the most part those which concern the food, the clothing, and toe comforts of the people, as well as those articles which are used in the manufactures of this country, and which imposed a re striction upon the employment of the people, by imposing a restriction upon the trade which that employment would give. Now, Sir, let us then take a review of what has been the result of those operations. We have, as I have shown, had four years experience, upon which we have acted in the same course, gra dually, cautiously, but progressively, diminishing those particu lir duties which pressed severely upcn the industry or the comforts of the people. And let us see what has been the result ? How are we to test its effect upon the condition of the country ? What shall we take as the index of the general pros perity of the country, deduced from the operation of the mea sures of relief upon the people for whom that relief was pro posed. It appears to me, Sir, that there are some tests which, on this subject, may be very well applied. I think, in the first place, we must know what is the financial prosperity of the country-ascertaining what is the available sum that the country has at its disposal at any particular period, dealing with the country as with individuals-that individual is wealthy who has balance at his banker's sufficient to meet the ordinary demands upon him-that individual is poor who has not the means to meet the demands. In the like manner, the first test that I will apply is-what have been the balances of the exchequer of this country? On the Ist of January, 1842, the balance of the exchequer of this country was 3,650,000/.; on the Ist of January, 1846, the balance of the exchequer was 8,450,0001., and if you deduct from that bal ance what was in the exchequer on the Ist of January, 1842, it shows an increase in the balance of the Exchequer, of the available means that the Government has at its disposal, of 4,798,000/, Sir, then, as regards that particular test of national prosperity, I think the House will admit it to be complete. The next point to which I shall ad vert is, what has been the state of the debt of the country, during the period to which I have adverted. If we find the country accumulating annually an amount of debt, however small, we can hardly look upon that as an indication of national prosperity. An increase of the debt of the country may be overcome by other advantages, but it is plain, that if notwith standing that state of things the debt of the country is reduced -I say that we must regard with the greatest favour, that sys tem of finance which has led to that conclusion. The debt of this country consists of two great parts, the funded and the unfunded-and they must necessarily be taken together, because, by transferring one portion of those debts to the other, a decrease is made in the one, whilst a corresponding increase is made in the other. On the Ist of January, 1842, the capital of the funded debt was 77,253,0001.-all these accounts are on the paper before the House. The Exchequer-bills outstanding were 19,673,000/. The total debt, therefore, of the funded and unfunded debt amounted to 792,000,000/. What was the state, on the lst of January, 1846, of the funded debt ? In 1842 it was 772,000,000/., and on the Ist of January, 1846 it was 776,603,000/. The funded debt that was 19,678,000/. on the Ist of January, 1842, was 18,400,0001., on the Ist January, 1846, making a total of 785,115,0001 on the Ist January, 1846, as contrasted with the 792,000,000/. on the Ist January, 1842-( Hear, hear) -showing a reduction during those last years in the funded debt of 7,000,000/.-(Cheers.) This statement, therefore, shows clearly a reduction upon the unfunded debt of 7,000,0001. ; but there is another item to which I would wish to call attention, and it is an item under the head of what is called deficiency, and it is an item which renders it necessary for the Governmet to borrow a certain sum to make up the Exchequer, and to meet the demands upon it. In respect to this item, it would not be fair to compare any one quarter of the year 1842 with any quarter of the year 1846, because many circumstances have occurred which would render it impossible that such a comparison would present a fair contrast.-( Hear, hear.) I have, there fore, taken the average of the deficiencies for the whole of the four quartens of the year 184/, and compared them with the whole of the four quarters of 1846, and I find that in the year 1842 the SUM total of the deficiencies for the four quarters of that year amounted to 6,163,000/.; while those of 1846 amounted to 2,029,000/. ; thus making a decrease in this item for this year of 4,133,000/., as compared with the year 1842, which I think is about equal to the decrease I have already named of 7,000,000/. in the unfunded debt; and here I may observe that this economy of the public funds is consistent with an assertion made by :11r. Huskisson, in this House, to the effect that economy was not to be effected by reducing the capital of the debt, bet reducing the amount of the general charge upon the country.-( Hear, hear.) On the Ist of January, 1842, the interest on the funded debt was 24,401,000 .; on terminable annuities, 4000,000/. ; the management of the debt at that time involved an expense of 160,000/., and the interest on exchequer-bills was 696,000/. The total charge on the debt, which was to be derived out of the taxes on the country, which was in fact the very first charge to be derived, was 29.598,0001. Now let us look at the year 1846. On the Ist of January, 1846, the interest on the funded debt was 23,600,000/. ; the interest on the termin able annuities was 3,967,0001. I insert this last item to show that the reduction on the funded debt has not been in crested by any addition to the terminable annuities, because we find, that in the year 1842, as in the year 1846, the ter minable annuities have remained at nearly the same amount. In the year 1846 the management of the debt, which in 1842 had been 160,0901., was reduced to 93,000/. The interest on exchequer-bills, which in 1842 had amounted to 896,0001., was in 1846 reduced to 426,000/. The total result, there fore, of all these charges on the debt was in 1842, 29,597,000/., while, on the Ist of January, 1846, it was 28,129,0001. , leaving a balance of relief to the public in the sole article of charges on the debt to the amount of one million and a half. We might have taken the advantage of a further relief, but we have preferred postponing these advantages to the year 1854, when relief to the extent of 625,000/. will be given in addition. This will give an amount of a million and a half in immediate relief, and a yearly saving of 625,01:0/, ; at no very distant time, making a total relief of two millions and more on the interest which is at present taken out of the pub lic taxes. What, then, is the result of the test we have ap plied? That we have now a balance in the exchequer of 5,000,0001.-that we have reduced the debt by 7,000,0001.- that we have reduced the amount of exchequer-bills by 4,000,0001., and you have effected a saving in the manage. ment of the public debt of a million and a half, and also a saving annually in the interest of the debt of 625,0001. I ask any man to show me how these advantages have been secured to the country, if not by that system of commercial and financial policy which it has been the good fortane of the Go vernment to adopt? With reference to the public debt, there is one observation which I wish to make. It may be said that you have reduced the public debt, but during that time you have had a large re mittance from China of 3,500,0001., which has constituted more than half the reduction of the national debt. The amount altogether received from China was 3,360,0001. But how has this sum been applied? In the first place, we have applied on behalf of the expenses of the Chinese war in the year 1842, 400,f001. ; in the year 1843, 800,000/. ; in the year 1844, 820,000/. ; opium compensation, 1,270,000/. ; making a total of 3,290,000/., leaving only a balance of 301. -( Laughter.) Now, Sir, I am sure the House will concur with me that this statement is satisfactory. How has this result been obtained ? Has it been obtained by starving the services of the country, and depriving us of the means of preserving peace at home and our honour abroad? We have thought it right to keep the services of the country on a more solid and firm footing. We have been able to save money and to effect the object without the imposition of any fresh taxes. I know it may be said you may easily get a reduction of the debt by imposing taxes, and in despotic governments the people are heavily taxed in order to pay off the public debts. We have, however, not done so. -(Hear.) When a reduction in any tax takes place, it is expected that an augmentation in consumption will take place, and you must therefore in considering the relief afforded to the people, take the amount which is consumed under the reduced duty compared with what it was before. Take for instance the consumption of sugar under the former duty to be 13,000,000 of lbs., then the amount of relief afforded is that which is con sumed beyond that amount, because when we find there is now consumed 50,000,000 tons a year, it gives every man relief in proportion to the extra consumption compared to the previous amount, besides the difference in the price of a pound of sugar. When we consider the relative pressure of taxation imposed and reduced, it will be shown that we must not take the amount of revenue last, but the amount that would have to have been imposed if these alterations in duties had not come into operation. In 1842, the taxes that were imposed were, 5,630,000/., principally property-tax, with some additions in customs and the stamp duty. In 1845, there were two small addi'ions made in cus toms and stamps, but these were inconsiderable. The total amount of reduction from the Ist of January, 1845, up till 1846, is 624,008/. But when I come to consider the reduction of the taxes during the same period, I find they are from 1842 as follows :-In 1842, the reduction made was 159,0001, ; in 1843, the reduction from customs was 171,000/. ; in the excise, 240,000/., making a total of 411,000/. In 1844, the reduction in the customs was 384,000/. ; in the excise, 25,0001.; in the stamps, &c., 192,0001., making a total of 414,000/. In 1845, the total relief afforded was, in customs, 364,000/. ; in excise, 1,1351., making in all 4,749,900/. And the relief that would be afforded by the measures now in course of progress through Parliament, would effect a reduction in taxation to the amount of 1,041,000/., making a total amount of 8,206,000/. If we net against this large reduction the amount of duty unpaid, which is 5,624,000/., it leaves a balance in favovr of the people of no less a sum than 3,582,000/. With all these large reductions, you have effected an important object in the reduction of debt, annual charge, and other circumstances, materially affecting our national prosperity in finance. To what shall I attribute this circumstance ? Some gentlemen will tell me that, for a series of years, we have had a succession of good harvests, and to these harvests alone are to be attributed the improvements which had taken place. God forbid that I should do anything to depreciate the value of the greatest blessing that God has sent us, or that I should show any want of gratitude, or want of a due sense of the blessings for which we should be grateful. I feel this as deeply as any one, and I know the importance of the happiness of the people, and the financial prosperity of the country; and I feel deeply sensible of the importance of a good harvest. We have had former periods in which during several consecutive years we have had harvests equal to the present one, but can we show that in of th suc cessive years, say four years, or even more, harvests, one year which has in its effect been 3s4eothese abundant is3s pros perous as the present. If we take the years " which abundance existed, 1836. They were years inharvest ot especially in the year 1834, for no r t s hin e g ith l e i that year was known for many years, Dither d rkebetif'oere or since. we shall find that If we look at these particular p nnual charge, or by its the revenue duties were increased materially; but the effect the debt or a . of that revenue on means corresponded with the effect relief to the people, by r which had been prodeeecroflate. In detailing these things to the House I will glance at the years 1821, 1822, 18 . '3, whi c h were years of unusua l plenty. Can you show me in any one of those periods similar results to those now produced, and which lam now proceeding to detail to the House. In these later years to which I have called your attention, we have adopted a system of commercial and financial policy, which had mate rially aided the efforts of the country to relieve itself of the difficulties, surgiended as it was by restrictive duties, and which comacomenced by a cautious reduction of duties years protection. Through a long series of - have adhered to this policy, and we can say, that we 3e hay s e at tained advantages, which under other circumstances, we should not for years have attained. It was, however, conducted by a have had the pleasure of stating to you this night. Ought we not, then, to go on in the course which we have commenced? In reducing the burdens on the people, and removing every thing which can affect their comfort;, and we will thus place on the strengeit founda'bn, not merely the financial, or the com mercial, but the general interests of this mighty country. Mr. BARING could not help observing that he considered the course taken by her Majesty's Government was a departure from the general course of proceeding in matters of this kind. They had — at the present moment to consider this practical question—What, after all that had been done, would be the finances of the country ? They had at the moment to look at their balance, and to consider whether the revenue would be sufficient to meet the annual expense, and with that view he proposed to submit the figures of the Right Hon. Gentle- , man, who had addressed the House with great clearness, to some examination. He was glad, however, to find that the Right Hon. Gentleman had been educated in opinions which he formerly opposed—( Hear, hear) —but he was surprised to find that, throughout his speech, but a small portion of his re marks, indeed, were devoted to what he considered the most important point of all —namely, the surplus. It seemed to him that he had the greatest pleasure in flying off from the financial matters of this year, and the advantages which the country would derive from a relaxed commercial policy. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he had addressed himself to the subject. Mr. BARING then went on to say—The balance than ap peared to be 776.0001. in favour of the Exchequer in China money, in least such was the fact, if the Right Hon. Gentle man had stated his account correctly. He should now be compelled to trouble the House with a few details, in order to show that the Hon. Gentleman had not stated his account correctly. He would suppose a familiar case, that of a man having a house for which he paid 4(101. a-year rent; if that was paid quarterly, one of the quarters coming due in January of the ensuing year of course credit would be taken in the preceding year, for only three-quavers having been paid. Now this was the case in respect to the accounts of the Right Hon, Gentleman, for he (Mr. Baring) found by the charge for the half-pay military allowance of 434,00 that credit had been taken for only three-quarters of this year, which would throw the four quarters into the next year. He also found in the army esti mates that the expenditure had been understated by 208,000'., and the ordinance service by 290,0001., making half a million upon those two items. Then the balance, including the China money, had been estimated at 776,000!. ; but if that sum were not taken into account, and if the sum of 860,0001. which had not been estimated, should even be left out, the actual balance would be but 70,0001. He was not giving this as a blame to the Government. He had no reason to suppose that, there would be an increase of those estimates, but he would say, that if the Government were anxious to perform their public duties in a proper manner, it would be matter of impossibility to effect great reductions in ' the taxes, or in the collection of the revenue. If they looked at the customs, for instance, they would find that the cost of collecting the customs was much the same under the present that it was under the old system, before they began these changes. The cost of labour in the customs, and the salaries to the officials there, were indeed the same, the reductiou. having been altogether effected in the superannuation. Hoe Gentlemen might recollect, that on a former time they were told, that if there were too many changes their expenditure was extravagant, but that the course pursued appeared necessary in order to keep up a perfect establishment. He believed that the present estimates were larger than any that had ever been submitted to that House for similar services since 1822. It might be unfair to charge Hon. Gentlemen opposite with re sults which have possibly arisen from the course of policy pur sued by his Noble Friend beside him, and with those who now joined with him in office. He perfectly concurred in the wisdom, in the expediency, and in the justice of relaxing, as far as they could, the present restrictive duties; but if they were to say that the commercial prosperity of the country during the last few years was occasioned by the Right Hon. Gentleman's tariff, then he (Mr. Baring) contended that they were perfectly mistaken if they alleged any such thing. He certainly did think that the Right Hon. Gentleman would have spoken much more mildly than he did with respect to the past year. He thought that the Right Hon. Gentleman should have been a little more explicit in his explanations as to the ilicome-tax.—( Hear, hear.) The Right Hon. Gentleman tripped very dexterously into something abo ut the policy which the Government had pursued , and now and then he made a sly hit at the individual who was then addressing the House.— (Laughter.) He did not believe, although he was opposed to the income-tax, that the Government would be in a situa'ion to take it off at the er dof the three years.—( Hear, hear.) He would not follow the Right Hon. Gentleman in the course of arguments which he had brought before the House, but there was one point on which he could wish to have an explana, tion from the Right Hon. Gentleman. The Right Hon. Gen tleman had steed that he had increased his balance in the Exchequer, and he should wish to show in what way that had been done. The House was well aware that at the end of every quarter the surplus revenue was handed over to the Com missioners of the National Debt for the purpose of reducing the public debt. On looking at the accounts, he (Mr. Baring) found that in the years 1844 and 1845, they had a sum o f 1,6q1,0001. to be so applied. But he found that. the Right Hon. Gentleman had not handed over that sum for any such purpose; he had, it would appear, appropriated it to the pur poses of increasing his Exchequer balance, so that, prac tically, the money that was formerly handed over to the Commissioners appointed for the reduc tion of the National Debt was now handed over to the Chancellor of the Exchequer.—(Hear, hear. He would not say that it was not perfectly right 'for the Hon. Gentleman to apply the surplus for such purposes, but Le should have stated in his speech, that it was by those means that he had increased the balance in Exchequer. - The policy of ihe Government with regard to free trade had been introduced by the Right Hon. Gentleman in the course of his speech, but he (Mr. Baring) conceived that that had nothing to do with the budget, which was the proper subject of discussion that evening. —(Hear, hear.) He bel:eved, that if the statements had been made correctly, it would be found, that instead of their being a surplus in the revenue of the country during the past year, there was really a deficiency of 700,0001. He was afra - d that the IlightHun. Gentleman was tar too sanguine in his anticipations as to the results of the commercial policy of the Government. The CHANCELLOR otthe EXCHEQUER, in expLination, said that with regard to the first question of the Hon. Mem ber, as to the mode in which the accounts of the army and navy were made out, the present system had been found to be by far the best. With regard to the other question, viz., that about the handing over the surplus to the Chancellor of the Exchequer instead of to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the Na- tional Debt, it was certainly true that the surplus was applied for the purpose of increasing the balances of the exchequer. Hut the principle was not a new one. He believed it was the system pursued by the present Government's predecessors in office. The opinion of the Honourable Member as to the expenditure of the present year w no doubt true. (Hear, hear.) The reason why to t ha ly es surplus was handed over to the exchequer was 1 'ra obvious. When the balances of the exchequer m.i w ere ey government was obliged very often to borrow h money Bank. But by increasing their balance they themselves from them selves independent of the Bank, and relieved attend the borrowing of the many difficulties which woul purposeg. _( Hear.) money from that establishment foro,publicsmallt.roixi theth e ernment had acted right in Mr. HUME thought the s on in the taxation of the country, With reference to .the reduction to it. He would be glad to see endeavouring to make themselves independent of the bank. and a direct tax upon indirect taxation re imposed in its place. He believed that the income property or he attached great iminpoovrteadnc Id tend to the benefit of this country. man for changing his opinion altogether,e when he changed lamed no With regard to the expenditure and the from bad to good. . a perhaps that was revenue he thought tney were cf highly gratifying nature wlieeabsure in progr ess wou ld If he had any complaint to make, it would be that of keeping: t ; heir country. He ua necessary lare in e, o t a i d bl , i:h t o m p e r n e t se i r n v et ithe e peaceof pe a o c f e hb c w o yeo n inan s liiddrueerbr removal eo e o d ai vni t ac h tlro a eo taf the, el ; te s : t d r va i uen c tn t dy i u o eo n t .nh s eteeTntarh;afedot trade revenue vwceaointnrouhdef comforts th i s ; j e ,t , ;o :h ,ri t a t sh r l t ): r e i e c po e gtuh ‘ i v ea o nt increased i t e l od l n d . Now, s he understood, smuggling had not been diminished, and he had to complain that the Government, after reduc ing the duties on 600 article 3, had not reduced their cus tom. house establishment. The country complained of the cost which that establishment entailed. But the reason was, as soon as the post of a Commissioner of Customs became vacant, there was a general ruse to have it filled up, and this was a course of which the country had a right to com plain. The duty on the stalks of tobacco, which were largely used in this country for the purpose of making snuff, was 2,600 per cent. ; and he considered if they removed all these duties, they might reasonably reduce the custom-house de partment. Lord G. BEN TINCK said he could not object to the estimate for the army or navy, for when they recollected the expression of Mr. Calhoun, in the American Senate, he did not think any reasonable objection could be made against them. Bnt he considered the surplus of 773,0001. was rather a narrow one, when they considered that it was made in the face of all man of infinitely more ability than the humble in the great changes. He did not think the Chancellor had dividual who now addresses you. We are not in I stated his case in a sufficiently ample manner. He had not debted to finance only for the prosperity of the coun- told them what he expected woulu be the amount of duties try. Financial prosperity is a most desirable thing in received under the propesecl Corn rl P. The lion, Oeette. itself, and derives additional value when accompanied by man hag entered into a glowing statement of the result of the an increase of the comforts of the people, by an improvement policy which his party have pursued when placed in compari in their moral habits, an extension cf instruction amongst son with that of the gentleman who sat on the opposition them, and a greater attention to their moral and religious becnhes, but he did not consider that he had any great right to duties. How can we measure the comforts of the people congratulate himself. When the Right Hon. Gentleman said except by a well known test which I have often seen applied in that all this great prosperity was to be ascribed to their !inane this House. What were the savings of the people, and what cial measures, he (Lord G. Bentinek) thought that he amount of their small incomes could they afford to devote to assumed to himself a credit for an effect which in reality was pecuniary investment. If you take the four years preceding produced by the gift of Providence. When it was also stated the year 1842, and institute a comparison between them anti that the advantage caused by all reductions would go to the the four succeeding years, with reference to the amount of consumer, he must venture at once utterly to deny the fact. Th savings deposited in the savings'-banks, comparing the amount produce of the reduction was, it was well-known, swallowed drawn with the deposits, that will give an assurance of up by the producer and other parties who went between the the greater comforts on the part of the people. Take producer and consumers It was, however, only wasting the the difference between the total deposited during the four years time of the House to go into the whole question, and he before and after 1842. In the year 1842, they wouldfind that would refrain from troubling it any further, at the same time before that period the amount was 357,0J0/., and during the entering his protest against its being supposed that he consented four years which succeeded the total was 793,0001., or more to receive such a financial statement as had that night been than double the amount put in in the antecedent years. That made. was also when an additional restriction was imposed with regard Mr. C. WOOD considered that the financial arrangements to the amount of money to be deposited, and when the rate of of this country had not been very ably carried out, but he did interest was reduced below its usual standard. A large portion not think that the course taken by the Chancellor of the Ex of the whole amount returned was from the ordinary people chequer was at all likely to accomplish. what he (the Chan who invested their money for the first time at these banks. No cellor of the Exchequer) said he had in view, viz., the assimi less than a million of co n t r ibut or s h a v e deposited their money lation of the army and navy estimates. Under the present in these savings'-banks. There was another test of the comforts mode of management, that was an end which would never be of the people. Let us look a t t h e consum ption of the attained. He did not think that the financial statement which excise commodities. Let us take this in particular. There had been delivered was sufficiently explicit, and where it was was not the slightest reduction of any exeiseable article ; on so it did not promise to provide for the wants of the country. the contrary, malt, soap, sugar, beer, all on the increase, and He thought there ought to be an explanation of the points he so are all the other articles from the top of the list to the had referred to. With regard to the income from customs, he bottom. Taking the power of consumption by the people and admitted that the Chaneellor of the Exchequer was better able the power of accumulation, they would there find a test than any of them to give an estimate of what the future re ef their increased comforts. With respect to the moral habits ceipts of the country might be ; still it was competent in of the people, all classes in different parts of the country were them to express an opinion of the data on which he founded much improved, and the returns laid upon the table of that his calculation. The Right Hon. Gentleman deducted two- House showed a decrease in the state of crime to the amount of fifths of the actual reduction matte in the customs as the probable 7 per cent. I cannot refer to these statistical statements, but loss on this branch of the revenue next year, making the total I can say that the advantage is largely on the side of improve- revenue from customs 19,300,000/. Now, he thought a san meet. At any rate, it appeats that a good opportunity is guine cab ulation had been made in this respect, and that in opened for investigation by contrasting the state of the schoals stead of taking six weeks back, which was not a fair period for of these districts. From the return it appears that the num- a calculation, he ought to have gone back for a longer time. ber of persons educated i n this particular %lass of schools have He (Mr. C. 1Vood) admitted that some of the calculations of been in the proportion of five to two. This, it appears, is the last year were correct, especially these relating to the post surest evidence that can be adduced on the subject, and shows office and the excise, but it was not so on the estimate of cus the benefits of the moral advance which has been made in this toms. If the experience of the last year was applied to the country, and of the effects which are likely to result from it. next, he considered the income from customs should not be There have been times in this country when there was a great estimated at more than 18,800,000/. The calculation of the advantage calculated from the building of fifty churches ; and Right Hon. Gentleman was therefore overstated. The whole this was adduced of the great benefits enjoyed by the lower or- expenditure of the year was set down at 51,650,000/. ; whereas ders. But I am happy to say that the interests of religion are he considered it wou'd be at least 51,769,0001.; so that, including not only advanced by the building of fifty churches in the course the China money, the expenditure would be more of a series of years, but that it is promoted by the building of than the total income by 119,0605. ; and without fifty churches in every consecutive year ; and lam fur- that money, 800,0001. He would go to another point, and ther happy to say that this indication of the mo- that was to the policy of the Ministry for the present year. He ral and the religious advance of the people is not considered the greatest benefits would result from the aitera a transient and evanescent advance, but a permanent and deci- tions that were now proposed in the tariff, and in the adoption sive advance ; for there does not appear to be any instance of of free trade. They would facilitate trade and commerce, and this progress being actuated by capricious motives, but that the operate beneficially in giving employment t o th e peop l e. Tim persons who are chiefly affected by it, are those to whom just ber of all description, introduced into this country, had in such an advance is likely to be of the most service. And if I creased 500,0J0 loads, and this must have tended to increase have satisfied you that these results are in the main part the employment of the poor, They had latterly bad good har attributable to the policy which has been pursued, not hastily or vests, and it was this, added to other circumstances which rashly, but calmly and cautiously introduced, and working had occasioned so much prosperity. It would be found therefore great immediate, yet nevertheless, permanent bles- that the increased consumption of the last few years sings. If, I say, we can trace them to these causes, is it net applied principally to articles of food, and this increased the strongest encouragement we could have, to pursue a course consumption could only in his opinion be attri fraught with such benefits ; and here I cannot refrain from say- buted to increased prosperity in manufactures, which gave ing, that I review with satisfaction the part which it has been so much employment to large masses of the community. -- my lot to take in these several measures, the result of which I ( Hear, hear.) The Right Honourable Gentleman the Chancellor of the ExchNit'i'er had said they had a strong proof of the improved condition of the people in the increase which had taken place in the excise duties• This increase, too, could be traced to the prevailing prosperity of manufactures which he for one attributed to tho-e liberal commercial measures which the House had recently adopted, and he was glad to find that the Right I-lon. Gentleman had began to propose a reduction in the deferential duties on sugar, and other articles of home con^ sumption. Last year he ventured to remonstrate against some of these duties, and he was rejoiced to find they were new to be reduced, becatu.e he considered it would improve the corn" merce of the country, and at the same time place within the reach of the industrial classes articles of eonsumption, which had hitherto been beyond their means.—( H ea r, hear. ) He therefore, hailed the Right Hon. Gentlenian's declaration on this point, as the first step towards an improvement in this branch of the system, and he now looked forward with con fidence, and feeling of the liveliest satisfaction, to the day which he hoped, indeed he felt sure, was not far distant, when thes e duties would have to undergo a thorough revision at the hands of the Legislature.—(C seers.) Mr. CARDWELL said he felt great surprise at hearing th e Hon. Member opposite taking so gloomy a view of the future. A great pressure had been removed from the springs of ill; dusiry, and the result sho u ld b e a great st i mulus to trade a nd commerce. He begged to remind the Hon. Member that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had confined himself to the ex penses incurred within the year, and therefore the Gover 9- ment were only following tip the course which they were war ranted in doing by all precedent ; and, if they had adopted B ' l / other course, it would only have the effect of creating e° l " fusion. This was not a fair comparison. It was not fair t say that the customs' eluti es last year had only realis€l 200,0001. For 200,000/. he (Mr. Cardwell) would rea d 2,000,0001., and he would prove that this was correct. Tll,_ g e Hon. Member then r e ad re t urns t o p i eve t hi s asser ti o n. In Hon. and Learned Member had taken his returns from doe:: ments in which every allowanc e was ma d e f or a suppo falling off in consequence of reduction, and therefore he was he ` u r far, mistaken. But it was said th a t th e y mus t look to other' quarters the for H theiruse showed rev n u thate. s ßut ine e the tthe returns laid in be fore th. reductions customs and excise consequ e nt on t h e a l terat i on s of the tariffs i the revenue so far from decrea s i ng , h a d b een cons iderably n-- creased; and if they still m or e re l axe d t h e,spr i ngs o f co mnaerce he was of opinion that a continued sy s t em o f prosper ity would ; be induced, which wo u ld i n ti me com i ng add to the h app iness' and and comfort of the people. Mr. 'WILLIAMS had expected that the Right Hon. Gentle" man the Chancellor of the Exchequer would have made some considerable reductions in the expenditure o f the! several departments, hut he had not done so. they looked at the charges of the naval, the military, and ordnance services, they would find that al compared with the Amerioan, the people were taxed at the rate of sixteen to three millions, and so it was with everf other department. He found, for instance, that in the Ore. years following the elevation of the present Ministry to power: that there were no le ss th an 600 new p l aces crea ted a coat of 225,0001. He found that a sum of 149,5 04 : was required for 113 of these new places. There Iva ; one point on which he w as sure th a t h er Majest,Y. Government must make a mate r i a l re d uc ti on i n the exPer":i ture, if they would follow the ex am pl e w hi c h h a d been 1, ;1 0 , down by France and all other countries in the world. found, by a return made in 1842, that 6,760,000/. was, the previous par, expended in the shape of salaries to tn officers employed in the C us t oms , E xc i se , S tam ps, 13°st. office, &c. Now, if those s ums were annua ll y b rou ght befor e _ the House, to be voted fo r i n th e same manner as were tra: salaries of individuals employed in the army, navy, &C. t he ' a must necessarily be a great reduction in their salaries; t ie ! , tb e o of all other times, this was the m os t a pp ro p r i a t e t o make se reductions. At no time d ur i ng th e l as t thi r ty y ea rs was price of the article of food so low as at present. Mr. HUDSON said that at that late hour of the eveniel; buthe had n he must st desire heglea t v o es n t t r ns pss on say ythat t t h h e attention of t e liightHnn. Gentleman en H ti o e u n s wi e ; Hon. did Member,not thinkm ade thata mostth the stseriousat,: n h m ad i , ssi i o n n th in e ment that had been made was one of the most sati s f ac tei character, or that it should be regarded as a sp eec h a t whict i his statement. the country might feel grateful. He did expect that some" thing more would have been done for relieving the people frog's taxation—that a speculative Ministry sal as we had no ! would have redu ce d t h e d uty on tea, which an article of such large consumption. Th e surp oss revenue had been expended in the internal improvements of the country. 'The Right Ho n . G en tl eman (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had s p o k en w i t h muc h self congratulation on the prosperity o f th e l as t f our years, and attributed that prospe rtsJ , to himself and hi s co ll eagues , f orgett i ng t h at a b un d an t harvest ; had much to do i n th e p ro d uc ti on o f t h a t prosper i ty . He ell o be called Mr. Prosperity Ch ance ll or o f t h e E xc h equ er. NV' Ve he was a boy he was taught that 4‘ self-praise was no et?ro„ mendation." If the count r y h a d p rospere d during the last f.n tb years, why did they seek to di s t ur b th a t pros p e rity by tP adoption of the system of free-trade ? The House then resumed, and the report was ordered to L e received on Friday. The Highways and Coercion Bills were postponed until Monday, the 18th of June. The Poor-law Removal Bill was postponed to Friday ne/ t, The House then adjourned till Friday next. WAY S [ADTERTI SEMENT ] —THE FAM E OF H O LLO _ 4 ,, PILLS in the curs of head aches, dimness of sight, d era nged stotn" - 0 ., and disordered livers, likewise in restoring strength and vigour 1 1 .,7 d i c s of debilitated constitutions, is so great that even in the East es the different castes of natives are taking but li tt l e o ther Tne t '„. ct than these famous pills. One native agent i n th e PresidencL,,s, Bombay sold, lately, retail fifty-three doze n b oxes i n f ifteen o o t. l• g r The extraordinary cures performed by th ese pill s, w hen all pol means fail, is truly wonderful. Females will fi n d this a trno i l wa y'd rable medicine.--, ,, 01d by all druggi s t s, and at Professor Hollo Establishment 244, - trand, London. ' k II" - We are rejoiced to learn that L or d F r ederic n darence has greatly improved in health since his residence 1 e ~n 0. .. His Lordship generally takes an airing before breakfast in the e u rs ' 0 .. Lord" tiful gardens attached to the Pulteney Hotel. The party at th e Idislunent was awmentecl on Wednesday by Erroll, and a a n r d riv th al e o j c . .. n. cg t• ship's sister, Laity Mary Fox, the Hay.—Bath Herald. TO THE SPORTING WORLD.—SaIe of Bell's Lffe / 11 London during the past four weeks in May : 25,096 May 3 ...... ......... : ..... 25,061 May 10 . .., • • 27,997 • • • May 17 •• • ...... • ::... ... •• • 28,528 May 24 .....• - •: 141ulleati011 of twenty-six thousand Or eircs 1 1 b lie is Races,regu Clements,sl aeerlßy Making an average sale a hundred and seventy. ejPiuiu,is:: Life, islthe:osd, strand, nt i I rd i a t i ..,, 1 ,1 7 ,: c e05 1 : 1,: : Be ra ilways. For the most correct r eport , , all the Saturday particulars of the M ay 31. A sixpence co py to any part of the kingdom by return insure, at all times , a OF WAN a tIIA ruE VICARAGE , TAGE.---i t is expecte d t o the living . of Wantage, Berkshire, just rendered vacant by the d f c tt, of the Hon. Dr. Hobart, will be conferred upon the Rev. Mr. K n Y 'TO, the Dean and Canons. No arrangement, one of the minor canons of St. George's Chapel, Windsor• gift of -vicarage , which Is of the annual value of about 6001., is ill the tl fueirengFiyonssed-EPtos° .51111 r. be decided upon until after the induction of the ' 1 ar' ' °lll Dean. new Y however is exP e ;" • to. On the 26th of May, at BIRTHS lady. House, Dublin, the isull °l dc Captain Orsiolnt ,h e L 2 . 4t h Smith, f M a of adauglit A e . r l) . Mrs. .1 , .'• at Stranraer-place, Maida-vale„ iy of t " y,., Adjutant-General, of a son, still-born. ,feir, On the 24th of May, at Lau harne Carmarthenshire, the la" , W. Mason, Esq., of a son. g ' of A' On the 24th of May, at Codrington-place. Brighton, the latlY Elphinston, Esq., of Bombay, of twins, both girls. • Jr ellW 011 the 25111 of May, at Stanstead, Sussex, the wife ofMeJ e 01, Stone, of Alva Stirtingshir, of dughr. On the 26th g ot May, the e wife a of a te W. H. Maund, Esq., of 0 the o r Laverstoek, Wilts, of a dauelitcr. _ grt , On the 26th of May, at Upper Tooting, Mrs. J. If. tio °llll ' a son. On the 27th of May, at Tonbridge, Kent, thewife of B. B . r ciardi"e ' Esq., of a daughter. e of J• C. On the 27th of May, at the Circus, Greenwich, the wi f _.....----------.. Temp:er, Esq., of a son. MARRIED. r, V a ! On the 27th of May, at St. I'ancras New Church, J. 110° P e janie ° ' of Burten-crescent, to Mrs. James, widow of the late Capta in of Ilam-common. yeld' On the 28th of May, at All Saints' Church, Poplar, a'onersatild3' Esq., civil engineer, of Cambridge-terrace, Hyde-Par k ' ! eldest daughter of F. Garford, Esq., of the East India-roaul.. lsto On the 29th of May, at St. Sepulchre's Church, London, ton, of Luton, Bedfordshlre, to Emily, second daughter of "'" Esq,, Kent-load, London. DIED. On the 17th of May, at St. Tudye, the Rev. C . Itodg,°"' rector of that parish. 13Art., On the 23d of May, at Nettlecombe.court, Sir J. Trevely aged 86. g ged oii the 24th of May, at Pentonville, J. Parry , Esq , V, of v , On the 27th of May, at Bushey, Herts, Jane , the w Phihbs, Esq., aged 71. On the 27th of May, at Christchurch, W. Long , aged 83 heNo. „2, London: Printed and Published by hiCTRDO YOUNG, Strand, Printer, at The Sun ()Mee, N 0.112, Stra nd, in t of the Say, in v— the C6unty 91' Middlesex , Sates' 4'- 30, 1846.