The Express.
London, England, 1853-06-08 00:00:00

THE FINANCIAL PROJECT OF MR.

TO Till EDITOR OP ‘lll PIPIIIIBB.
Sin,—ln considering this scheme, es to the pro-
bability of its success or failure, it must be allowed that
muoh may be urged in its behalf, for the state of the money
market at the period of its first promulgation was favour-
able to such an experiment. Although latterly there has
existed what is technically termed "a tightness" of money,
there has been nothing in it of a character materially to re
move the idea of the possibility of a reduction of interest
in the Three per Cent. Stocks ; for, notwithstanding this
" tightness," we find that 2} per cent. interest seems to
have been, and still continues to be, about the average
value of money. This is
_proved by the quotations of
Long Annuities and the Five per Cent. Stocks, which
' are chiefly purchased by public companies for investment
of capital, the one being at 6 and the other at 126. So that
upon this principle, the state of the money market cannot
be considered the cause of its failure.

Political circumstances may probably be urged as having
conduced to the defeat of this measure, and among these
the probable rupture between Russia and Turkey. But as
it seems well understood that France, notwithstanding the
generally dubious character of her alliances, may on this
question be relied upon to keep hand in band with Eng-
land, there is no fear of any territorial disorganisation.
On previous occasions the mere circumstance of an addi-
tional ship being added to the force in the Black Sea would
have produced a serious fall in the funds; but at the pre-
sent moment, spite of the retirement of the Russian Envoy,
and even the rejection of the imperial ultimatum, our con-
sol market exhibits no very material alteration.
Pohttala matters may Chereltaa ant. he mooldevail Ulu
cause, neither can it be attributed to our financial re-
ceipts, for the public exchequer displays a surplus with an
increasing revenue. Nor is it to be attributed to any indi-
vidual feeling against the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for
at the first notice of the propositions there was a very warm
appearance in favour of the acceptance of the scheme ; so
much so, that wagers were even made regarding one of the
offers—the Two-and-a-Half per Cent. Stocks, that the 'U-
pdated 30 millions would be subscribed for on the first
day. To what then can the failure be ascribed? It is
=ids, that self- interest is the governing principle, and
tonne offered not being equivalent, even the mast
favemide, the Two-sad-a-Half per Cent. stock, did not
present sisisM ladneement for holders to accept it.
The mall amount of stock exchanged is not, therefore,
a matter of wonder ; on the contrary, it is surprising that,
as far as regards the holders of Console, so much as
1,000,0001. should have been thus take.; sad it be
fairly supposed that many of those who hove eeeo the
terms have done so, under an erroneous bapresslea that It
was compulsory to take the new stock, or to be paid off at
par. If this cause of failure be admitted, bow is it that the
Chancellor of the Exchequer should have brought forward
propositions so likely, from their inequality, to be rejected ?
That the propositions are wrong is now evident, and it
would seem as if the interests of our funded property were
left at the mercy of chance, arising out of the casual calcu-
lations of the Treasury. Should such be the wee, it is
surely time that a reform in that establishment should be
one of the earliest objects for the coadderatioa of parlia-
ment. R. B.

TO THB roma or THE aim's.
8114—The great importance of correct statistical
Intennatiea respecting agricultural prawn is braolaing

more and more apparent as time 1

for masa

of it, every now-and then public anxiety is excited—the
money market deranged thereby—and trade more or lose
injured by the derangement, while marketable public
securities of all kinds are subjected to the same influence.
Under these citewnstaaces, some means ought to be dr
Tiled sad carried out, in order that the public should have
the knowledge requisite to suable it to form a tolerably
correct idea of the extent of ground actually under cultiva.
Lion for the different classes of food, the state in which the
crops and animals are, and the quantity and quality pro-
duced, and this valuable information should be made known
as early as possible. To accomplish this desirable object I
beg to suggest the followiog plan—viz.:
That some return should be annexed to or delivered with
the poor law assessment paper, mewed tax or income tax
returns, requiring each person cultivating land or feeding
animals for food, to state quarterly the extent of land appro-
priated to each clue of produce, tho state of the crops; also
the quantity and state of the animals fed for food.
That all importers of agricultural produce should quar-
terly, in the same way, make • return of all classes of pro-
duce Imported, and from where; also all held at the date of
the return.

That all expotten should in the same manner make a
quarterly return of all kinds of agricultural produce ex-
ported, and state where it is sent to.
That any refusal or omission to make the return required
should be punishable by a small flne.
That them individual returns should be collected by the
tax-gatheren, and be ►y them made up into a general re-
turn for the pariah.

That the Parish returns should be forwarded to the »-
stems» of deaths, de., tax surveyors, or inland revenue
officers, to be embodied into county returns.

That the county returns should be forwuded to London,
and from them a general return for England, Ireland,
Scotland and Wales, made up and published in the Gazette,
or other official paper, within a given time after the quarter
day. . . . . .

This plan, or some better one, might be put into practice,
and the benefit of the information would, I fancy, more
than compensate for the labour and cost of obtaining it.
I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
A CONSTANT READER.

DEATH 01, A WEALTHY PAUPER.—An inmate of
St. Pancras Workhouse, named William Mayne, has just
died in the infirmary of that workhouse. The deceased,
who was 63 years of age, was admitted in May last, on an
overseer's order, he being at the time in an apparently
wretched state of destitution. Since his death, however,
there has been found concealed in his clothes two drafts of
601. each, a 101. note, and two M. notes. It hu been as-
certained that deceased formerly held a responsible situa-
tion in the Census-offlce, Craig's.court. The master of the
workhouse has seat • communication to some relatives of
deceased, who reside in Ireland, to afford them an oppor-
tunity of claiming the body sad establishing their right to
th• Pietat7.