The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-07-26 00:00:00

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Two important documents in connection with
the Treaty of Peace were published last week,
the one a manifesto from the Emperor of Austria
to his subjects, the other a reply from the Empe-
ror of the French to the addresses of congratula-
tion presented by the Senate, the Legislative
Body, and the Council of State, on his return
from Italy. The Emperor of Austria, in his
manifesto, states that he was obliged to make
peace because his "national and most ancient
allies" obstinately refined to support him; while
the Emperor Napoleon states that he found
himself in the presence of Europe in arms,
"ready to dispute his success or aggravate his
reverses," and that if he had commenced the
"long and sterile war of sieges," he must have
broken through the barriers raised by neutral
territories, have accepted the struggle on the
Rhine as well as on the Adige, and have availed
himself everywhere of the support of revolution.
The means of accomplishing these objects would,
he says, have been out of proportion to the
results to be expected, and he therefore stopped
short of his programme in consideration of the
"interests of France." A Conference is about
to take place at Zurich between the representa-
tives of France, Austria and Sardinia, to settle
the affairs of Italy; and it is understood that
the Great Powers will afterwards be invited to
join in a congress for the purpose of confirming
the arrangements which may be found necessary
to carry out the conditions of the Treaty of
Peace.

In the House of Lords on Monday Lord
Cranworth laid on the table five Bills prepared
by the Statute Law Commission, and said that
they were an instalment of a series with a view
to the consolidation of the statute law. On
Thursday the Lord Chancellor, in moving the
second reading of the Divorce Court Bill, said
that it was intended by this measure toconstitute
all the Puisne Judges members of the Court, to
empower the Court to sit in certain cases with
closed doors, and to require the Attorney-Gene-
ral to watch petitions for divorce in cases where
there may be reason to suspect collusion.
In the House of Commons on Monday the
Chancellor of the Exchequer made his financial
statement, from which it appeared that the esti-
mated deficiency of the year will be £4,867,000,
caused chiefly by the expenditure incurred in our
naval and military defences. As this deficiency
is likely to be temporary, Mr. Gladstone pro-
posed to meet it not by resorting to loans, nor
by augmenting indirect taxation, but by a
temporary addition of 4d. in the pound to the
income tax on all the incomes above £l6O a
year, to be leviable on the next half yearly
payment'', so that the supplementary duty may
be in hand to meet the payments coming due
before April next. He expected this addition
to the income tax to yield something more than
£4,000,000, and he proposed to supply the
remainder of the deficiency by striking off six
weeks from the six months' credit given to
maltsters. In submitting this Budget to the
House, Mr. Gladstone stated that it was not
a measure of prospective or permanent finance,
but one of temporary and provisional arrange-
ment, as the lapse of the income tax and the
falling in of the Long Annuities next year will
make it necessary for Parliament to enter upon
larger views of our financial system at the com-
mencement of the next session. On Tuesday,
the third reading of the Public Health Bill was
carried by 101 to 96, and the second reading
of the Municipal Corporations Bill was carried
by 130 to 44. Mr. C. Forster's motion in
favour of a winter session of Parliament was
negatived by 121 to 48; and Mr. Baines's
motion for a select committee to inquire into
the nature and extent of the Queen's printer's
patent for England and Wales, so far as relates
to the right of printing the Holy Scriptures, was
agreed to without a division. On Wednesday
the second reading of the Edinburgh Annuity
Tax Abolition Bill was carried by 162 to 108, on
the understanding that it will not be further ,
proceeded with, the Government having under-
taken to bring in a Bill upon the subject next
year. On Thursday, in Committee of Ways
and Means, the Chancellor of the Exchequer
moved his resolutions on the income tax and
malt credit Sir H. Willoughby moved two
amendments, the first to reduce the additional
tax on income from 4d. to 3d. in the pound, and
the second to reduce the tax on Long Annuities
to Id. for every pound of dividend. Both
amendments were negatived without a division.
Mr. Disraeli then moved an amendment for the
purpose of distributing the payment over the
year. This amendment was likewise negatived,
and the resolutions were agreed IC Sir W.
Somerville withdrew the Roman Catholic Relief
Act Amendment Bill, on the ground that there
was no chance of passing it in the present session.

Tim deficiency in the revenue is to be met by a
temporary increase in the income tax. We do
not know that any better provision could have
been made, seeing that the income tax is still
in existence. Had that objectionable and most
unpopular system of raising money died out, its
revival for the present exigencies of the State
must have metlwith strong opposition. As it is,
there is no renewal of an old grievance, with
which indeed, time,'as with everything elm, has
made us familiar, and has thus, to a certain
extent, smoothed down the unpalatable features
of the tax. There is simply the additional sum
to pay for the defence of the country, which,
lila every other god thing, costs money. The
cash is wanted and must be had quickly; and
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, under all the
circumstances, has taken the shortest and bed
method to obtain it. It is natural that oertain
, inequalities in the tax, as it is said to bear upon

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