The Express.
London, England, 1851-03-07 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, THURSDAY ETISINO.
The Assembly met yesterday, in its bureaux, to
examine the budget of 1832. The debate bore, in
the greater part of the bureaux, on the general state
of the financial situation. The accumulation of the
floating debt, which has been increased about 71 mil-
lions in the course of the lust year, was the subject of
general apprehension. Several members, and in
particular MM. Barthelemy St. Hilaire, Vitet, and
Quentin Bauchart, were of opinion that the com-
mittee of the budget, in order to anticipate the dan-
gers of the political crisis of 18.52, ought to recom-
mend the contraction of a loan as speedily as pos-
sible. In many bureaux the question of public works
was treated with much detail. M. Goutu and other

members insisted that, in order to give the financial
situation its real character, there should henceforth
no distinction be drawn between ordinary and extra-
ordinary expenses. Several members demanded the
diminution of extraordinary works, and recommended
Ithat the state should relieve itself by transferring its
engagements in this department to private industry.
M.M. Leon Faucher, Randot, and others, spoke in this
sense. Various suggestions were made as to the
means of improving the receipts. The restoration of
the tax on salt was generally recommended. Useful
reforms were indicated in the door and window tax.
It was generally felt that no reduction of importance
could be made in the expenditure at a period so un-
settled. M. Baze thought that until the crisis of
1852 was over, the less the system of taxation or
expenditure was meddled with the better. Even the
re-imposition of the salt tax, desirable as it was,
ought to be postponed. The members of the Moun-
tain entered very little into the discussion.
Some, like M. Bard, would systematically refuse
all subsidies to a government which had violated the
constitution by the electoral law of May 31. Others,
like M. Savatier Laroche, demanded radical reme-1
dies, such as the suppression of the dotation of
the clergy, and the diminution of the army. M.
Rigal, entering into more details, attacked the
law of licenses, highway duty, the personal tax,
and others. M. Ilennequin proposed a tax on capital
and income, and the suppression of a host of function-
aries employed in collecting.
M. llniet-Desvaux said that the extraordinary ex-
penses ought not to be paid out of the ordinary
resources. In order to execute extraordinary works,
recourse ought to be had to a loan, or to the floating
debt. The savings-banks formed n hazardous resource,
from the run made on them at a crisis. At present the
deposits amounted to 134 millions: they increased every
month seven millions, and would soon amount to
2110 millions. No buyers would be found for the
forests of the state in the event of political compli-
cations. The committee on the budget was not com-
petent to propose reductions on the army and navy,
which were submitted to other committees, on the
public force, inquiry into the marine, &e. Re did
not think that the budget of expenses could be ma-
terially reduced, or that any important increase was
to be expected on the receipts. He thought that one
effective mode of relieving the treasury would be to
impose 12 millions of new taxes. Ten millions might
be realised by a tax on papering, and two millions

on mirrors.
N. de Montalembert said that it had been pro- I
posed to establish a tri-coloured ticket, on which
ouch taxpayer should be able to sec what he paid to
the state, the department, and the commune. Such
a contrivance would be a real step of progress. He
was also desirous that there should be presented in a
summary of the budget a moral view of how much
revolutions cost, that the people might be warned
against the pecuniary burthens to which they ex-
posed themselves by favouring such movements. He
wished that the expenditure of the state should kee
in view the amelioration of the pinched classes. He
preferred a restoration of the salt-tax to the increase
of the land-tax. He praised the resolutions of the
councils-general prescribing a reduction in the sale
of forests. The forests were increasing in value, and
the state should reserve to itself the benefit of this
increase, instead of incurring a loss, as it almost
always did, by the sale.
M. Fonld defended the forest sales, on the ground
that 5 per cent. of the forest lands cost the state
more in keeping than they produced. I. 1848, the
public works had absorbed 148 millions, in 1847,
• 175 millions. The embarrassments resulting from
the revolution had restricted these expenses. 304
millions remained to execute ; 70 millions in 52, and
so on for each vear during ten years past, up to the
public works ordered in 1842. He was no friend to
new taxes, because they took ten years to acclima-
tise, and created irritation, while the old ones were

borne from habit with less complaint. Still he was
not a systematic foe to reforni; only he wished them
to feel their way prtidently,towards improvement.
The other elections effected to-day in the bureaux
, ore : 9th, Berryer and Bixio ; 11th, N'itet and Cunin
Oridaine; 13a., Lepelleticr d'Aunay and Mortimer
I Ternaux ; 16th, Creton and I)elbccquc.
Only three of the bureaux, the Ist, 7th, and 10th,
bad effected their elections yesterday. The commis-
sioners appointed are, in the first bureau. MM.
Oermoniere and Wolowski; in the 7th, MM. La-
yenee and Montalembert ; and in the 10th, MM.
NWT and Hennessy.
You will observe that the motion of M. Emile de
Girardin for abrogating the Assembly's claim to
I usurp the functions of the judicial power in enacting
pains and penalties, and for repealing bills of pains
and penalties already passed, amounts to a repetition
of M. Creton's proposition, which is included in it.
Therefore, the Assembly will not have to wait for
six months in order to pronounce a fresh verdict
upon M. Creton's proposition, which may be brought
forward in the shape of an amendment to Girardin s.
The recall of the Duke of Sotomayor, of which I
apprised you some time back, is now certain. The
reason which has been assigned, namely, the umbrage
of thevernment at the honours with which he
received go Narvaez, appears to be correct.
To-day, at 12 o'clock, took place in the church of
the Invilides, the funeral of the Marshal Dods de la
Bruncrie. The church was hung with black; a
catafalque was placed under the dome. The great
door of the court of honour was also hung with bleak,
and adorned with the escutcheon of the marshal.
Detachments of all arms assisted at the service,
and accompanied the body to the cemetery of Pere la
Chaise. The hearse, adorned with tri-coloured flags
ut each corner, was drawn by six horses along the
Boulevards. At the commencement of the ceremony
and during the absolution the cannon of the Inva-
lides tired repeated salvos. A great number of high
civil and military officers attended the funeral; but
the governor of the Invalides, Jerome Bonaparte,
who has just returned from Chartres, sent to the
marshal's widow to express his regret that he was
confined to his bed by illness, and would be thus
prevented from paying the last honours to her de-
ceased husband.
Generals Excelmans and Oudinot are spoken of as
likely to be promoted to the rank of marshal, vacated
by the death of M. node de la Bruncric.
The Constitutional explains to-day, at much length,
the motives which have determined the government
in the suspension of the mayor of Grenoble. It seems
that this municipal magistrate has applied the funds
of the commune to the establishment of an
alimentary association in the view of supplying the
inhabitants with meat and other provisions at a
cheap rate. In doing this he is held to have ex-
ceeded his attributions, which do not allow that the
funds of any portion of the citizens should be applied
to their detriment. The consequence of the mayor's
project would be to ruin the butchers and bakers of
Grenoble.
An attempt has been made by 21 of the prisoners
lately confined to the dungeon at Belleisle to escape
by excavation ; but they were detected by the sen-
tinel on duty, and conducted to a stronger place of
confinement, Fort Fouquet.
'rhe 3foniteur announces that the royal commission
fur the London Exhibition had reduced the space
originally allowed to French exhibitors, and enlarged
the passages through the reduced space.
To-day there was a decline in the funds, for which
no reason in particular can be assigned. The Fives
closed at 96.70, with a fall of 20 centimes on yester-
day. The Threes fell 30 centimes, closing at 57.60.

ITALY.