The Express.
London, England, 1849-02-28 00:00:00

IRISH WASTE LAND IMPROVEMENT

SOCIETY.

Yesterday, at 1 o'clock, the lalf-yearly meeting of
this society took place at the Ring's Head, Poultry. J.
Heathcoat, Esq., M.P., ia the chair.
The SECRETARY read the general report, with which
was incorporated that of Col. Rubinson, the managing
director. It stated that the directors regretted the dircou
raging circumstances under which they appeared before the
proprietors. At a special general meetingheld in July, 1547, a
resolution was passed to enable the directors to carry out the
affairs c( the company, and at the close of the hot year, a
treaty with the government for a loan was brought to a con-
elusion by an adesnee from the Treasury of 1,5001., to be
paid to the society by instalments. It appeared upon the
occasion of the last pall that there remained due from the
defaulters, 1,6101., minus 701. which was paid into the Bank
yesterday. The result of the estimated payments and re-
ceipts for the half year ending 31st Dec., 1848, showed that
the balance o'ctsh in hard amounted to 981. 16s. 9d., and
the balance of assets to 14,5501. 15s. 10d.
The report of Co'onel Robinson stated that the directors
had adopted every means in their power to carry out the ob-
jects of the society, but that the distressful condition of the
country had prev.'r.ted their aidzavoure from being attended
with rehab!' results.
Mr. MORRIS said he had received various letters from
shareboVers in Ireland, which would afford a better oppor-
tunity of judging of the state of the society's property than
could he derived from people who resided in London. These
letters concurred in the opinion that the exist riment of the
Irish Wen, Land Improvement Society had proved an utter
and hopeless filar —that it would be useless to embark any
further sums in the undertaking, and that the sooner steps
were taken for winding up the concern the better.
The CHAIRMAN said he quite concurred in what had
boon stated by Mr. Morris. The directors had no desire to
set ags'os* the feelie r and wishes of the proprietary, bat
the question was whether a hasty and precipitate decision

would not be otherwise than conducive to the interests of I
the society.
After some further discussion, which showed that the
directors and shareholders agreed In one opinion, that
inasmuch se the society had been in existence 13 years, and
no dividend had ever yet been declared, it was expedient
to consider the propriety of putting an end to the concern.
A resolution passed in July, 1847, was read to prove that ro
reckless expenditure had been sanctioned by the directors,
but that every economy had been exercised in carrying out
the objects of the society.
The general report was then received, and a resolution
passed, to the effect " that a committee, consisting of three
members, be associated with the directors, and authorised to
take the moat expedient measures for winding up the affair,
of the society."
The members to form the committee were duly appointed,
and the meeting separated.

RI7MOI7RED Loss OF H.M.S. ST. VINCENT.—A let-
ter from Toulon, of the 23rd inst. (says an evenin,epaper of
last night) mentions a report of the less of the British ship-
oethenline, St. Vincent, off Tangier, bearing the fiagof Ad •
miral Napier. inquiries have been made at the Admiralty,
and we learn that there is no truth in the report.
THE BIRTHS AND DEATHS IN LONDON during the
week ending Saturday last, were t—Births, 1,490 ; deader,
1,191. The deaths are 22 above the average, but thew a
small decrease on the previous we, k. The rate of mortality
from diseases of the respiratory organs is the same as on the
avenge has prevailed in five previous winters ; for though,
as was observed last week, the deaths from bronchitis are
118, or 40 above the average, thou from pneumonia are 88,
or 15 below it. But zymotte diseases continue to show a greet
except; they were fatal to 100 persons more than died weekly
in the previous years, the prevailing epidemics being hoop-
Ing-oorgh, scarlatina, diarrhceo, and cholera. Hooping-
ceugh, which carries off the young as bronchitis the old,
caused 76 deaths, or 34 more than the average ; scarlatina
60, or 18 above the average. It is remarked that the caws
in which death followed from effusion consequent on scarla-
tina an considerably fewer, relatively, than when the
epidemic was at its height. The mortality from measles is
at present low; that from small-pox is aear the avenge.
Four persons died of intemperance, on one of whom an in-
quest was held; 6 died of delirium tremens, which is in
many cases the result of intemperance. A bey of 16 is err
tilled to have died of " starvation after an attack of small-
pox " (no inquest). A woman died in Lambeth at the ad-
vanced age of 100 years from ulceration of the throat, after
an eine= of two months. Of the 40 deaths from chtdera,
10 occurred at the Female Refuge fertile Destitute in Shore
ditch, and 16 at Warburton's Lunatic Asylum in Bethnel •
green. The barometer was highest on Sunday, having been
30.333, and lowest on Saturday, when it fell to 29 520. The
mean temperature of the wepkwu 4.5 deg. 4 mm.
AN,71.--401
REF°
FIN RM.
OREAT/tETING 174 MARYLEBONE.
A meeting, the pariehie ners of Marylebone was
held yesterday In the school-nom of the workhouse, New.
toad, for the purpose of devisinee and adopter* means for
effecting a financial re form. The room, uhf nis capable of
holding several hundreds, was denaely crowded.
Mr. HUME, M.P., on being tilled upon to take the
chair, said they were met that day for an object of the great-
est importance. (Hear, hear.) Indeed, no question was
more likely to occupy the minds of the people then one which
affected their pccketa ; and the question they had
now to consider arose out of the facts that
the present taxation of the country was excessive ;
the mode in which the money was collected war
unjust, and the manner in which it was applied improper
For these three remons every man, whether an elector or
not, was Interested in the question of financial reform.
(Hear, hear.) But it was the poor man who had the greatest
interest in It. The wealthy man could well efford to ley
aside out of his abundance enough to pay the taxes demanded
of him, but the poet man who earned by the sweat of his
bow a bare sufficiency for the support of himself and family,
could not pay taxes without privation and perhaps suffering.
(Hear, hear.) It was upon that ground that a general de-
mand was now being made—late he admitted—for a re-
duction of those taxes and national expenses which the
people had too long borne. The result of the previous
night'. debate was that a once reforming ministry
succeeded in &stewing Mr. Cobden% motion for diminishing
the expenditure of the country to the standard of 1835 by a
majority of 275 to 78, showing that, at present, out of 353
members there were but 80 reformers, Mr. Cobden and him-
self to be counted as tellers, completing the nimher. That
vote, under the present difficulties and distresses of the coun-
try, showed a great disregard to the feelings the wishes, and
the wants of the people. (Hear, hear.) It therefore be-
hoved the parishioaers of Marylebone to take their share in
advocating and demanding those reforms which were not
only reasonable and just, but which could be essay effected,
and ought to be effected. He had been a reformer for a good
many yeare. Ever since the war—that was to say, since 1317
to the present—he had invariably maintained that,
when we were at peace we ought to enjoy the blessings
of peace—(hear, bear)—that the war expenditure should be
reduced, the taxes lessened, and the means of living thereby
rendered more easy and cheap. The establishment of 1792
was a peace establishment, and was fixed by Mr. Pitt and
his colleagues. He held in his bud an abstract of the ac
counts of 1788, 1789, and 1790, from which it appeared that
the actual receipts of the revenue were 16,000,0001., which was '
declared by Mr. Pitt to be a proper peace establi.hmeut
And what did he do with that 16,000,0001. ? With
9,500,0001. he paid the interest of the national debt, and
5,500,0001. went for the civil service, the army, navy.
ordnance, and colonies, making 15,000,0001., being the total
expense of tee country of that day, and the other
1,000,0001. be applied to pay off the national debt.
If it had been applied since, we should now be relieved from
a vast portion of that debt. The reason he carried them
back to that period was important. War was
agminst the French, solely to prevent the spread of reform
opinions in England, and to stifle the demands of the
people, who bad then become very intelligent both in this
metropolis and in Edinburgh. The abominable measures
taken in Scotland to put down public feeling were well
known to them. He had had an opportunity of explaining
them before. (A voice—" The habeas corpus ") The
expenditure of the country was now about 59,000,0001.,
including the expense of collection. Last year we were not
able to raise that amount, and borrowed 2,600,000/.
to make up the deficiency. Now Mr. Cobden's cb
int was to bring back the expenditure to what
It was in 1834, 5,8, being in round numbers 44,000,0001.,
while the expenditure last year was 54,185,0001., and,
aiding to that the expenses of collection, 4,727,0001.
the total expenditure wa558912,6021., exclusive of 8,000,0001.
to Ireland. If the expenditure of 1835 sufficed ter all our
establishments and maintained es in perfect security, he
contended that we were now in a condition to return, and
ought to return, to that mandate, which would leave a sur-
plus of 10,000,0001. With that sum they could see their way
to the reduction or removal of the window tax, the malt
duties, and the tax upon paper, soap, and bricks, all
of which interfered with the industry and wants
of the community. It was important they should
not be misunderstood—there were spies present no
doubt, and be hoped they would carry home to their masters
what those who spoke did say. On a motien of his (Mr.
Hume's) in June, 1821, in the House of Commons, it was re-
solved that an address be presented to his Majesty to effect
a reduction in the army and all the military establishments
to what they were in 1797. What was their state then (in
1821) and now? We had then (1821) 81,000 men belonging
to the army, and yet the House of Commons, tories, whips,
end radicals—there were sot many radicals—all concurred in
voting that address to the crown. Now the very men who
voted with him (Mr. Hume) on that motion voted
against Mr. Cobden's motion last night. (Cries of
"Shame.") And yet we had then (1821) only
81,300 troops of the line, with a navy and ordnance
small in proportion, whereas this year we hod 113,000 sal-
dins, exclusive of pensioners and others andnotwithstanding
that thou men refused to agree toaresolution fee their reduc-
tion, al-hough they voted for a reduction when the establish
meat was only 81,000. He would not cast blame on this or
that ministry ; he blamed the House of Commons for this.
Hear.) The constitution of that house was such, that the
neat injury done to the people by taxation could be clearly
traced to it, and it was their duty to demand its reform. He
recommended every one to read Idr. Cobden's speech of the
previous night, wherein he showed how the expenditure had
been increased ence 1835, the causes which led to the addi-
tions that were made to the army and nave, ani the removal
of these causes since, notwitstandieg which the same esta-
blishments were maintained, contrary to the wishes of the
people or the requirements of the nation. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. W. WILLIAMS (late M P. for Coventry) moved the
first resolution. They were assembled, he said, that day to
endeavour by vigorous and peaceable means to ebtsin a re-
duction of the vast amount of our increased public. expen-
diture, and a more just equalisation of that taxation which
wee now mainly levied on the necessaries of life, and which
was most oppressively and severely felt by every branch of
our manufactures and trades, and still more so by every clan
of the labouring population. (Hear, hear.) To obtain this
change, which ought to have been one of the results of the
Reform Bill, it was now proposed that there should be a fur-
ther reform in parliament. In his opinion, that was the
only means by which their object could be attained. Others
might think differently ; but, after a long experience in the
House of Commons, he felt *envie& d that there was no hope,
whatever stir might be made out of doors, 18r a diminution
of our burdens, until a further reform was effected in that
home. (Hear, hear.) They were told that the Reform
Bill would obtain for the country good and cheap govern-
ment. But was it so? They had waited now some sixteen
years most patiently for the fulfilment of those promises
which were made by Lord Grey and Lord John Russell—
(hisses)—when they introduced the measure; but in vain
hod they done so, for esery suceneive year had only in-
creased their disappointment, and plunge-I the country
deeper in extravagant and wasteful expenditure. Let him
for a moment go back to the old borougbmongering palia-
ment, and contrast it with the reformed parliament. The
expenditure of 1830, under the Duke of Wellington's go-
vernment, was 76 millions lens than last year. The duke,
in his three years of premiership-1828-9, end '3o—reduced
the expenditure 4,300,0001. Lord Grey, in the three years
of 1832.3 and 4, reduced it 2,800,0001. Sir Robert Peel, in
183-5, reduced it 400,000!. So that the whole effect of the
Reform Bill of 1832 was the reduction of 3,200,0001. Lord
Melbourne increased the expenditure in 1836 by 2,000,0001. ;
and an increase had taken place ever since, one year ex-
cepted, till it reached upwards of 10,000,0001., being
full 8,000,0001. over that of the Duke of Welling-
ton and an unreformed parliament, and more than
10.500.0001. over Sir Robert Peel's estimates of 1835

. .
More than 4,500,0001. was taken from the pockets of
the peop'e and from the revenue, for collecting it. (Cries
of @borne ) The cost ef collection last year was nearly
500,000/. more than in 1835. When throe molts of the
reform bill were known, he asked wall thoro a man amourt