The Express.
London, England, 1852-07-31 00:00:00

meat of its finances, from the exceedse might of BA
fiscal system, and the depreciation rif M -etrrency.
And so in the annually increasing deficit
.4 France'
Europe has, perhaps, its best guarantee spinet
application of imperial principirsalit practices t•
fureign as well as to its domaiN •
Oriental countries are no exceptions to BIM rule of
Occidental national life. There, too, a flourishing
and increasing revenue, and an income in excess of
expenditure, are evidence" at ones of the state's
strength and of the people's prosperity. There also
deficiency is • cause of national weaknees,and heavy
taxation the source of popular unhappiness. There too
are taxes which indicate, as clearly as does our own
Excise, the true state of the populaUoo, which act as
a thermometer of general progress or decline.
By the last Charter Act, the government of India
was deprived of the profits of the China monopoly,
which so frequently rectified and adjusted the balances
of its territorial revenues and disbursements—at the
east, however, of the people of England, from whose
high-priced tea those profits were Zerived. For the
first three financial years of the existing tenure of its
power, the finances of India flourished, notwith-
standing this loss. The " reason why " is plain
enough. Under Lord Wu. BENTIBCICB adminis-
tration, India was preserved in profound peace.
It was in the autumn of 1838 that Lord ACCKLAND
commenced in Affghanistan that series of wars
which his successorshave, with a few months' in-
tervals, down to this hour, continued; and in the fol-
lowing tablswill be seen at a gleam their financial
consequersess :
Years. Indian Deficit. Indian Surplus.
1838-9 £381,000
1839-40
1840.1 1,754,000
1841-2 1,771,000
18624
1843-4 1,40,000
1844-8 683,000
1843-8 1,495,378
1846-7 971,202
1847-8 1,911,791
1848-9 1,473,113
1849-50
1850-1 631,173

211611,4857 £3.54,287
Out of thirteen yews. tkere sax been one only
distinguished by a 'Purples; sad in it the surplus
wu one of an accidental character. For, in 1849-a0
the opium monopoly, owing to the fineness of
the season and the extent of the crop, increased
the receipts by upwards of 700,0001., a snm nearly
double the amount of the surplus. In 1830-1,
however, this source of income declined by more than
20,000!. beyond the deficit of 631,1721.; en occurrence
which, we may remind the Friend of Indio, was an-
ticipated in this journal, in replying to its observa-
tions on one of our former examinations of the
finances of India. And when we recollect how large
a proportion of the revenue of India is derived from
opium—about 4,000,000!. sterling—and how it
depends on seasons and on the preservation of peace,
and of our existing trading relations with China, the
less permanent reliance that is placed on it as
an item of revenue the sounder will be the finances of
India.

The net revenue on which occurs the deficit of
631,173!., in what may almost be called the first
year of peace, amounts to 19,900,6021.: the
expenditure to 20,337,6761. And were it not
that, in 1860-1, for the first time, the annexed
province of Sattarah furnishes a credit of
about 200,0001., the deficit would have been
proportiouably greater. The causes of this con-
tinued deficit even in peace are two-fold—first,
enormous military expenditure ; and, secondly, fall-
ing off of revenue. Of the total net expenditure
in 1830 1 of 20,337,8751., no less than 10,000,0001.
comes under the heeds of military and marine
charges. Though in 1850-1 we were at peace, there
was no real diminution of them. "Wu charges"
had, of course, decreased. But the great out-
lay then, and still going on in bare
and other military buildings, deprived ese
revenue of relief from the cessation of war.
now that in 1831-2 the government of India is NZ,
involved in another and expensive war in Burma
(coating probably quite as much as the Kaffir waroi
1110,0001. a month), in next year's accounts the mili-
fiery expenditure will be proportionally increased—
mod with it the deficit also.
One Alit d this enormous military expenditure is
that the 1111,111111111110 t 01 India has very httle money
to smiled ea idea le far sern important to the people
of Lila den essezetioas se absorptions of states or
the peishmeM of Burmese insolence—via., public
weaU la the amounts before us the expenditure
in 1830-1 soder this head is, in round numbers :
L 77,000
Welt
•

Bombay 38,000

Total Public Worts E 774.000
Yet, listening to debates at the India House or to
explanations in Parliament, it might be supposed
that as many millions, se we can only count up
hundreds of thousands, wimp being applied in this
say to the development et Indian resources.
Of the amines of mom% the greatest—the land
mream—edmias etatiesdp. Even in the North-
Wialean mimeo the system prevailing is so
it Lea ad increase. Whilst in Ma-
ass and amelay it positively declines. Cultivation is
ad, therein's, extending, or capital augmenting. A
beer teat of the condition of the people is, however,
the salt revenue. In India at is the popular con-
diment. Every individual um it so largely as he can.
Nimes, cows, sad sheep have all a regular allowance
shalt. It • government monopoly, and for the prim
mid the consumption thereinent is altogether
asepensible. Now in alone, in 1843-4,
die monopoly yielded 1 ,0001. iia 1860-1, it
L:::F1,000,000L, heing_a lose of 800,0001. But
dllml "vl4 a.k.rtt was.l irwe"dßenga 1844.
.1,880,0001., 1.01111.000/. last year ; thus show-
ehed
a he the milt revenue is
Ibrir sell W,llOl ea a poll tax likLialit
is these facts that the
• Ws it is also &dining. At all emits,
it Ns by the people is fallinS
With an immising expenditure— with a con
es rather a dielnik, annual deliolary, the
Mend stationary—the( silt revenue emlabileg—
and Ike opium revenue mark= and mmettiinp—
the Imams el India are, it mad be 6=Z
in an elmndisg, at all events in a very
Nets Mead &ay go as has tad to Armee, lid
ultimate esmernmess of esseder Meg Sir
Rotas Pm. warned Pettianisat in 1811 k sa
this
emery. It is, therefore, for ear owl
to look to the withhest in time. Ilappay. however,
lads limb of but two things to be ode basalt es
abort bar inensm. Them, it is shown by die imp
improvement of the Cedar emesopent an de
libation el bomb duties. end alai. thro&s:Pon
Cl the ports generally me—ampiste of
loam; 11116--.P16011.