The Express.
London, England, 1848-06-01 00:00:00

grand falconers, groom of the stole, and so forth. These
°Sees might Ire necessary, but they could be better
performed by giving to some honest groom 801. or 1001.
a year for the purpose, than by men who pocketed some
thousands a year for this degrading and menial service. After
the host of minor extravagances, whose name was legion, he
came to the wholesale squandering on the army and navy,
which wu a sort of bettors slaughtering of that most unpro-
tected of all game, her Majesty's industrious British subjects.
Row many millions of our hard working population must
sweat and strug .le (some die in the struggle), to furnish 18
millions year after year, absorbed by this monstrous and
ever-expanding peace establishment. The 46 millions which
we itad;to par tor our past follies ought to serve as a caution
to WI to commit no more. Mr. Robertson concluded amid

considerable applause.
Mr. A. H. WYLIE seconded the motion. He contrasted
the items of expenditure of this country and that of the
United States ; and showed that we pay for our consulate in
China more than the States pay fur their embassies M all
parts of the world. Our colonies were nate for patronege ;
and he thought we would never see them prosperous till we
bestowed upon them self-government. When the industry
of this country was leas fettered we might have immigration
rather than emigration. He lisped that all party differences
would be sunk, and that in Liverpool would be formed a
great mercantile and trading party. When so united they
would effect more than all the laws that could be passed for
the preservation and security of the crown of this country.
The resolution was carried.
Mr. L. iiIITWOUTE moved the next resolution, calling
upon government to reduce its expenditure to its legitimate
income, and expressive of the opinion that if the deficit which
may arise be met by borrowing, it would embarrass financial
affairs, and by increasing the distrust add to the evils from
which the country already so deeply suffers. He showed
that working-men paid in taxation about 12 per cent upon
their income. We depended entirely upon our commerce, and
if, be the maintenance ef restrictions, we should lose that, we
would lose our potency altogether. lie thought that in our
estimates for the army and navy alone a reduction of eight
millions sterling might be maie. It was not the interest
of any nation to make war upon another. We could not go
on increasing our standing army without raising up at the
same time an army of unemployed operatives, who might
eventually kindle • civil war.
Mr. R. V. Yarns seconded the resolution. He thought it
iniquitous that the poor man should pay a greater per
centime upon his income than the rich man, which occurred
through indirect taxation. He saw by a government return
that the nation at large paid 73,0001. for the London and
36,0001. for the Dublin police. Why should not the inhabi• !
tarts of those towns support their police the same as Liverpool
did ? By the same return, he observed, that 45,0001. had
been optnt upo:ii:gilding of the House of Lords. He
thought it iniq that there should have been squandered
in such a manner a m which would have kept 2,000 fami-
lies now on the brink of starvation. When Mr. Macgregor
inquired as to a pension paid to the present Duke of Marl-
borough, Lord John Russell told him to look into Cax's book
of the house of Marlborough. He (Mr. Yates) had done so,
and he found in the course of his inquiry that
4.0001. a year had been paid for 120 years,
since the duke died, to his descendants; and he
found, calculating compound interest, that the amount came
to the enormous sum of 12 millions sterling (" Shame ").
This sum had been absolutely thrown away on the mei-
vors of a duke, who had been well paid during his life.
'f he Duke of (Lefton had 3,0001 a year tram the Poet-
office, 7,0001. from the Excise—his only title being that he
is descended Iron an illegitimate son of Cheeks the
See!nd.
The resolution was carried.
Mr. J. H. JEFFREY proposed:
That In the opinion of ,his meeting a large measure of financial re-
form, including the remission of the burdens on industry; and
that an equitable adjusted scheme of direct taxation, in
which property shall be made to pay its file proportion;
are imperatively demanded at the hands of government;
that the taxes raised from excise and customs are unjust
in principle, limit ow the subsistence of the people and the operations
of trade, and thereby materially retarding the progresaive prosperity
of the country.
Mr. Jeffrey addressed the meeting at considerable length.
contending that the customs and excise duties should be
!wept away, and the pr needs from an equalised probwe and
legacy duty (estimated to yield ten millions a year) should
he applied to the liquidation of the capital of the national
debt. The value of the property in the united
kingdom he I stimated at four tnousand millions sterling, and
on this he proposed (to raise the annual revenue of the coun-
try) to impute one per cent. Income and property, in regard
to taxation, should be equitably treated, so that industry
should not have to pay, as at present, twenty times the
amount of property.
Mr. F. BUELT seconded the resolution.
The motion was put and carried unanimously; and, after
a vote of thanks to the mayor, the meeting broke up.

MEETING IN MARYLEBONE.
Yesterday, a meeting took place at the Marylebone
Court-house, to consider the ni cessity of securing a dimi•
notion of the taxation of the country by means of an exten-
sive refimm in the constitution of the present parliament.—
Mr. Michie, a member of the Marjleboue vestry, presided.
The CHAIRMAN, in opening the business, observed that
this was a peels:2ll..ll7y meeting of the people of Marylebone,
to show to the prime minister of England the error into
which he had fallen, in supposing that neither the middle nor
working clean of this country required reform. He would
say there, as he had said in the vestry, that a greater untruth
never emanated from the mouth of any prime minister.
(Hear, hear.) That meeting, convened only at a few hours'
notice, clearly indicated the interest which the middle and
trading clams felt in the subject, and he had no doubt but
they would have the aid of all intelligent and reasonab c-
mioded men of the working classes in this great movement.
Mr. STEVENS, a vestryman, proposed the first resolution.
That the present state of the representation of the people in the
Commons House of Parliament is partial In its nature, and in its
lonelier tends to elam leglaintlon, is no security against unequal and
oppressive taxation, and produces no comprehensive measures for the
benefit of the people.
Mr. Ilunuse, in seconding the resolution, showed at some
length the present imperfect representation of the people.
The time had now arrived for doing that which men of all
reasonable minds were prepared to do, namely, to have a
real Common. House of Parliament. The class of which
that meeting was composed were not violent men. (Hear.)
They were not met to upset the monarchy, or destroy the
constitution. They neither set their faces against the House
of Lords or the church, but they had met to rebut a state-
ment made in the House of Commons that the middling and
working classes in this country did not wish for reform and a
reduction of taxation (Hear.)
Mr. SYDENIIAM defended the declaration of Lord John
Russell, and expressed his want of confidence as much in
Mr. Hums and Mr. Cobden as in Mr. O'Connor, and de-
clared that he believed the whole party in kicking up the
row wire under the influence of a foreign power. (Laugnter.)
He moved as an amendment:
That any agitation for a reform of the Commons House of Parlia-
ment, or the Introduction of any other system than the present, is
utterly useless until the mid lle classes themselves take some steps for
ameliorating the condition of the working dames of this country.
There being no seconder to the ametidment it fell to the
ground.
Dr. GRAY said he was astonished to hear that Lord John
Russell should have declared that the middle classes did not
want reform. When out of office he came before the people
an humble suppliant and asked their aid, but no sooner did
he obtain power than he spurned them. The people of
England had had enough of him.
Mr. Wiesosi observed that the subject they had met
upon wee one of vast importance, and it was desirable that I
they should discuss it with moderation and temper. (Hear.)
He was not an advocate fdr great organic changes. Ile
loved the institutions of the country, but be believed they
were capable of being adapted to the wants and the intelli-
gence of the people in the time in which we live. The
House of Commons, which ought to be a curb upon the
government, were themselves parties to a wasteful expen-
diture, and that wee a good reason for saying that at present
the House of Commons did not fairly represent the people.
(Hear.) As he before Paid, he was a lover of our inst:tutions,
but he firmly believed that our institutions were in danger '
unless some temperate and rational reforms were speedily
carried out. Let them have a temperate and rational ex.
tension of the franchise.
Mr. J. Wituams, M.P., begged to tell them that since
he had had the honour cf a se it in the House of Commons
he was more ;,onvinced :han ever that that house as at pre-
sent constituted did not represent the people. Why was it
that Lord John Russell had made the ridiculous observation
that he had done ? It was because he associated with those
only who were considered as coming strictly
within the pale of the constitution. (Laughter.) 'Toe
aristocracy knew nothing whatever of the real wants of
the people. How could they, when instead of assecating
with working men, their whole society was maids of honour,
grand falconer., masters of the buckhounds, and all such
characters? (Hear, and laughter.) He (Mr. W.) had the
honour to be one of the working classes, and therefore it
was always his delight to associate himself and identify him-
self with the interests of the working classes. He preferred
such society to that of the aristxracy, for he had faund out
there was not much to learn amongst the latter. (Hear.)
He believed Lord John Russell to be a good hearted man,
and that he would not have made that declaration in the
House of Commons if he had been really aware of the
wants of the people, but the fact was that he had too many
sycophant, about him, fawning, and flattering, and misre-
presenting, in order to get into favour to obtain appoint-
manta. He could assure his friends that it was a dangerous
thing for a man to be in a high place, but it was a farce to
suppose that Lord J. Russel: did not know something of the
wants of the people, unless he was totally blind. The first
step was to let him know the real wants and wishes of the
people, and if he did not carry out the reforms required, let
the middle and working classes unite and do all in their
power to put some one else in his place. These were the
terms he called upon his Marylebone friends to adopt with
ragged to the present [novena:lit, but et the same time he
would advise them to indulge as little as possible in exciting
language. The hon. member resumed his seat amidst loud
applause.
The revolution was here put from the chair, and carried

with acclamation.
Mr. Soden proposed the next resolution. In his opinion 1
there never was a greater insult offered to the commonsense 1
and intelligence of the people of England than the late steer- ,
lion of the Prime Minister. If he was so ignorant of the
feelings of the people he was wholly unfit to occupy the
position he held. The people knew too well that there were
numbers of fellows putting their hands into the pockets of ,
the middle and working classes who had no right to do ff.
He viewed the party who had come forward in supp.rt of
this reform movement as conservatives. They were the real
conservatives, for the constitution was in danger, and it was
only these reforms that would save the country. (Cheers.)
Mr. Soden moved :
That the Prime 'blinkerr of her Majesty's government having stated
his opinion that the people require 111.1 extended measures of wildest
sad Gocol reform. it is hereby resolved that • public petting of the
pmfsitionen of Oa. Marylehniss he celled to ewer Ihsir wWon on
la 1,;,,X' owlet,' of petlhmsat 10: prow= ix ma. siai if XI!