The Express.
London, England, 1853-03-19 00:00:00

PAROCHIAL ASSESSMENTS.

Sir R. INGLIS asked what is the intention of govern-
ment with respect to parochial assessments, bills for sus-
' pending the law to a-se.a stick in trade, having been annu-
_ally introduced the last 10 or 20 years. Did government
intend to grapple with this question and settle it, or to
introduce another suspending act?
Lord J. RUSSELL was understood to reply that it was
the intention of government to bring in a suspending bill,
as before.

THE INCOME TAX.
Sir R. INGLIS asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer
whether in reviewing the income tax he would take into
consideration the expediency, not of exempting a certain
class of incomes, but exempting a certain amotust of income,
so that if a person bad an income, say of 1551. a year, he
would be taxed on the M. above the 1501., and not on the
aggregate sum. He asked the question rather with the
hope that it would be taken into consideration than with
the expectation of receiving a specific answer noir.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER s said upon
the occasion when the income tax was about to dru,so it was
the duty of the government to take into their fullalt con.
aideration every particular which would make the opet ution
of the tax more or less burdensome to the community. Ile
therefore had not the slightest hesitation in giving t be
pledge which the hon. gentleman wished hint to give, that
the matter should be carefully considered. At the same
time he did not give any pledge with regard to the decision
to which the government would arrive.
SELF-ACTING BRAKES ON RAILWAYS.
Mr, W. MILES asked tke President of the Board of
Trade ,rhether the inspector of railways appointed by go.
remittent bad made any report of a mode of preventing
accidents by means of self-acting brakes. These self-ad-
justing brakes had been invented and patented by Capuin
Roberts. They had been tried on the Brighton Railway,
and tho engineer bad reported in their favour. They were

now in use on the Soul& Wc.teru Railway, and he under-
stood that the chairman of the locomotive department in-
tended to recommend that they be applied to all the car-
riages on that line.
Mr. CARDWELL replied that there had been no refe-
rence to the inspector of railway! an this par:iculas subject,
and consequently no report by him.
CONDUCT OF THE AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT
IN LOMBARDY.—RELEASE OF THE MADIAI.
,ci nini believed
autsteoo any intended to
Mr. BLACKE•L asked Lord J. Russell whether het
Majesty's government would have any objection, in the
interest of the government and house of Austria, and that
of the general peace of Europe, to use their friendly office,
with the court of Vienna, in the hope of procuring some
against Austrian subjects in Lombardy.
mitigation of the severe penal measures now
Lord J. RUSSELL said there were three subjects to
which the hon. gentleman hail called his attention. The
fiat was the capital punishments resorted to in Lombardy
eerned in the conspiracy and insurrection of that country.
in the case of persons who were b reenuedno:
had With
anyr e regard
representationt o that eb e e hadbeen
nnl,
,odt
eh
be made, by her Majesty's government. NI ith regard to
the second question, the expulsion of a great number of
persons belonging to one of the cantons of Switzerland from
Lombardy, that certainly secured a harsh measure,
one which was likely to cause considerable em.
barrassment in Switzerland, and very great die.
trees to the poor persons who were dri• en out,
but he knew not that that was a subject on which our go-
vernment could interfere. But with regard to the third
subject it was one iu which the Sardinian government had
communicated with her Maj,ty's government, and upon
which he ti us•ed there would be some measure talon by
the Austrian government, which would make the measure It
had taken more consistent with general law and justiJe.
The facts, as far as he knew them and which had been
stated by the Sardinian government, acre these: After the
insurrection in Lombardy, which took place in the year
1848, there were a number of persons belonging to Lom-
bardy whet were permitted by the Austrian government to
have letters which freed them from their subjection to Aus-
tria and de-naturalised them, and they were allowed to
settle in Piedmont, where they were naturalised, and
they became Piedniontese suNrcts. There was a decree in
1851 with regard to another class of fictions who were
stated to have left Lombardy, and whose property might
have been lawfully confiscated ; but the Austrian govern.
ment. by that decree, declared that their property should
not be confiscated, and that they should be put in as fa-
vourable a position as other persons, who had been allowed
to leave Lombardy, and who had been naturalised in Pied•
resent. When the attempt was made at Milan to overthrow
the Austrian garrison by means which excited general ab-
horrence—to kill the soldiers unawares who were in posses-
sion of fortified pests—it appeared that the persons to
whom lie alluded, who were settled in Piednion•, expressed
general indignation at the attempt thus made. The Au..
trian governor at Milan made a report, in which it was
stated that this was the act of a few individuals, but SUM
vibe; etgoblaneyfno;
afterwards there appeared a decree, signed by Marshal
Radetzky which placed under sequestration the property,
not merely of those who left Lombardy with the consent of
the Austrian gn•ernment but also those who left in 1851.
The Sardinian government n aurally, he thought, looked
on that decree as unjust. They said that to sequestrate the
property of those who were Sardinian subjects was contrary
to the treaty of peace with Sardinia They made strong
representations at Vienna on the subject, and asked her
Majesty's government to support those representations.
Her Majesty's government had acceded to that request.
(Cheers.) The Earl of Clarendon had written to the Au
-
trian minister and to her Majesty's Minister at Vienna to
express the sense which her Majesty's government could
not but entertain with regard to conduct for which het
, did not know that there was any precedent. lie must
say, however, that they had heard very lately that the
intention of the Austrian government was not to continuo
the seqtiestration, as it appeared at first, of the property of
all these persons without slay inquiry whether they had
any part in the insurrection at Milan or not, and that it
was their intention to take off that sequestration, tempter&
the property of those who might be believed to have acted
in some way to assist and support that insurrection. Of
• course, if th•: measure were thus modified, it would bear a
• totally different character ; and of course the Austrian
government would then proceed by process of law. Them-
fore he trusted that this, which appeared to be an act to
Sardinia of an unfriendly nature, and towards individuals
of an opprtssive character, would not be perse-
vered in, at least in the form in which it first
I appeared. While he was speaking he might allude to
a subject which had excited great interest in that house and
the country. The government had received information
thakehe Grand Duke of Tuscany had liberated the Medial
(loud cheers), and that they hail embarked at Leghorn and
left Tuscany.
ACCELERATION OF THE NORTHERN MAILS.
Mr. HEADLAhI asked whether it was the intention of
government to accelerate the delivery of letters in the
north of England by sransmitting the mails on the line of
the Great Northern Relieve),
Mr. WILSON was understood to reply that it was the
intention to accelerate the mails, but that what he stated
the other night had reference to the mails which went by
Newcastle to Edinburgh.
BURIAL GROUNDS.

Mr. WHALLEY "skeet whether any, and what, steps
have been taken on the part of the government to put in
operation the act of last session for closing burial grounds
in the metropolis ; and whether any measure) is in contem-
plation for correcting the evils of intramural interment
throughout the country. In the report of the Board of
Health it was stated that the cholera might be expected
again to become prevalent in the ensuing summer ; and that
these graveyards would in all probability be the principal
seats of the t.estilence.
Viscount I'ALMERSTON had to state that feeling
deeply impressed with the importance of carrying into effect
the previsions of the set passed last year, he had given in•
structions by which a member of the board of Health was
inspecting all tlw graveyards in the metropolis ; and as fait
as his reports were received he (the noble lord) had token
the steps necessary under the act fur obtaining orders is
council for abutting all such as were reported unfit for use.
(Hear, hear.) Judging from what had already taken plats
he should expect that within a short period all the grave-
yards in the metropolis would be found improper for the
purposes of interment. (Cheers.) At present there were
no powers in the hands of the government relating to the
country ; and it would be subject for consideration whether
in the course of the present session it would not be expe-
dient to ask the house to give them powers with respect to
the provinces, similar to those which they already possessed
in the metropolis. (Hear, hear.)