The Express.
London, England, 1864-04-08 00:00:00

THE CASE OF MIL BEWICK.

Mr. 11. BERKELEY gave notice that on the 29th inst.
be should call the attention of the house to the unfortunate
ease of Mr. Bewick.
DAUNTS ROCK.
Mr. MICUIRK gave notice that on Monday neat he
should ask the Presi&st of the Board of Trade whether it
was intended to have D►unt's Rock blown up, or to place a
light ship on it immediately.
THE BrDGET.
In committee of ways and means,
The Ciuncunoit of the P.ICHSQUIE brought
forward his financial statement. He urged that
by a comparison of the revenue of the country
for one year with another there war afforded • test
of the growth of the prosperity of the people.
After deducting the miscellaneous receipts and the
China indemnity, the revenue of 1862-3 stood at
67,850,0001., and that of 1863-4 was 67,173,0001.,
being a decrease of 677,0001. ; but when it was re-
membered that the reduction of taxation last year
amounted to more tban three millions, the
actual increase of the revenue had exceeded
that sum in the last twelve months. Going
back to the year 1860-61, shim that year
no new taxes having been imposed, he showed that
there was a gross receipt of revenue of 70,283,0001.,
and the receipt of 1863-64 was less by something
over a million. But since 1862 there had been re-
ductions in the income tax and the tea duties, Ico.,
showing altogether a diminution of taxes of more
than 6,000,0001. The real diminution of taxes in
the three last years bad been 6,638,0001. The
revenue had decreased by only 1,760,0001., so that,
takiug reduction of taxation into consideration, it
had actually increased by more than 5,000,0001.,
or at the rate of about 1,400,0001. a year.
Since the year 1859 the revenue bad grown
at the rate of 1,200,0001. ; and since 1853
it had grown full a million a year on an average,
so that it might be taken that the revenue increased
on the whole at the rata of over a million per
annum. Referring to the liquidati3n of debt over
the last year, he stated that a million of Exchequer
Bonds had been paid off, and other liquidations of
the capital of the debt had been effected, which
amounted to above three millions. The sum paid
for terminable annuities in liquidation of debt was
1,400,000/. The account of the debt showed that
4,146,000/, had been applied to the liquidation of
debt. Perpetual annuities had been con-
verted into terminable annuities to the extent
of above 400,0001. Turning to the consideration
of the national debt, he stated that the actual
capital was 791,574,0001. In 1853-4 the lowest
point that the debt reached was 769,082,0001. The
Russian war increased it to a large extent, but
since that it had decreased by above 16,000,0001.
The decrease in the debt since 1856 was above
69,000,0001., and the charge for interest had now
decreased by about 6,000,0001. a year. He then
entered into a consideration of the general trade
of the country, showing that in 1861 the imports
were 217,481,000/. ; in 1862 they were 225,216,0001. ;
in 1863 they were 248,980,0001. The exports in
1860 were 125,000,0001. ; in 1861, 124,000,0001. ;
in 1863 they stood at 146,000,0001. Including
foreign and colonial ex ..rts, the total exports in
last year were 195,000, ~ while the exports and
imports together for bat year were 444,950,0001.
This movement of our trade represented nearly a
million and a half of money for every working day
of the year, and the great increase bad taken place
since that period wheu the removal of tramme►s on
trade bad been the policy of parliament. These
facts nut only showed the vigorous prosperity of the
country, but were a pledge that England was to be
the champion of peace against all the world.
While referring these great improvements to the
change iu the commercial policy of the country, he
del nut deny that other elements had been
at work towards the attainment of that end, but it
was a remarkable fact that at those times when the
legislature acted in the direction towards the libe-
ration of commerce the greatest results bad fol-
lowed. Such was thecae°, in the three last years
when changes of this kind were made ; and in 1853,
when a similar policy was pursued, the exports as
compared with those of 1852, a yearof unexampled
prosperity, increased by a large amount, reaching
the sum rat 98,000,0001. A similar event occurred
in 1860, a year of a bad harvest and general depres-
sion, as compared with 1859, one of great pros-
perity, when the exports increased by 900,0001.,
while a like result followed in 1862 and 1863.
Touching on the question of the paper duty, he
admitted that there had been a great increase iu
the import of paper, but there were no means of
ascertaining that there had been a proportionate
decrease in the product of the British manufacture.
But there had at least been an immense increase in
the demani for the materials for paper-making,
while there had been a considerable increase iu the
export of British-made paper ; the price had been
mimed beyond the amount indicated by the duty ;
the diminution in the number of paper makers,
which was steadily going on until the repeal of the