The Express.
London, England, 1862-06-28 00:00:00

PRI NCTATA.

Tins Zvatnoto. TOO MUCH OP A GOOD THING.—LOUIS XI.
Meson Charles Kean, J. F. Cathcart. Shore. Xrerett. Dartnud.
Totter, and Meadows • Nn. Charles Kase and Misses
Chapratn.—Aad THILICI MALMO.

ST. JAIWISITIL

THIS Immo. 17/iDlii LAST VICTORY.
Ileum George Vining. Behoove, Dswer; leases Hubert and
Adman—Ana PRINGH AIIABILL

NITTA NNIA.

Ten Enuring AliltitiairliWiFillT.—Entertalaziouts by
hi Ms Smithson and J. 0. Fordo —OUR LOT IN LIM.
Mesdames B. Lane sal Camden:l.—And TIIZ IDOLATOX&-
-Comessoce ea 66.

HIGH WAVER AT LOIDO9 BRIDGIL
Ten DAT —Womb*. Ht. Afternoon, M. Om.
704101a0W—Ilornin4. /Marmot., Oh. Um.

LONDON, SATURDAY, JUNE 28.

THIS' was issued yesterday, as a return to an
order of the House of Commons, upon the motion
of Mr. Amara Mitts, a curious correspondence
between the SECRETARY of STATE for INDIA and
the Indian Government respecting the financial
amounts published by authority of the latter. The
interests which the Indian Government has to
nourish, guard, and harmonize are so various and
complicated, and for the most part also so
strange, that without the clue which a sound
balance-sheet affords it is next to impossible
to follow their changes at a distance. But
Indian accounts have for the past few years
been a complete puzzle ; not a skein which
you can see at once is tangled, and which you
may avoid for your ease or take up at
your peril, but something much more ensnaring ;
statements of surpassing clearness, propounded with
an air of confidence in the Council of India at Cal-
cutta, but sure to be soon followed by statements
even more powerful and convincing, directlycontra.
dieting them, and leaving far less favourable
results. This contrariety is the principal theme of
the papers issued yesterday. Sir CHARLES WooD
has given the financial department at Calcutta a
terrible castigation, and this time Sir Citomos is
right. In 1859-60 the charges in India were under-
estimated by 3,761,0001. ; and Although the re-
ceipts were more by 1,900,0001. than had been
estimated, the actual was greater than the esti-
mated deficit by 1,850,0001. Towards. the end of
February, 1861, a tabular statement was published
in the Calcutta Gazette, by order of the Govern-
ment of India, which differed from the actual
accounts transmitted by the same department
of the Indian Government, on the 20th of March
following, by upwards of 4,000,0001. The expla-
nation sent from Calcutta is that the state-
ment was published to allay the " ground-
" less anxiety existing among commercial men
" owing to the want of authentic information as
" to the true financial position of the Govern-
" ment,"which seems a strange reason for publish-
ing wild and adventurous statements as official
facts. Sir CHARLES is warranted in observing
that " statements so erroneous tend to shake oon •
" fidence in the accuracy of Indian accounts."
But a singular thing in connexion with this
matter is, that Mr. LAING, in his budget speech
made before the Indian Council on the 27th of
April,lB6l, adopted the erroneous figures first pub-
lished in the Calcutta Gazette, end which it is now
explained were merely an estimate, a month after
he had approved and signed the despatch which
conveyed to England the actual and correct accounts.
These, however, are slight mistakes in comparison
with the errors sent home in the accounts which
accompanied Mr. LAmu's last budget. In the
" General Abstract Statement of the Revenues
" and Charges of India for the year 1860-61,
" and as estimated for the years 1861-62 and
" 1862-63," the deficit for 1860-61, excluding rail-
ways, is 1,844,7151. : but owing to a miscalcula-
tion made at Calcutta, it appears in the accounts
as 2,935,4701., which is the deficit including rail-
ways. This error would naturally appear in the
balance to the prejudice of the Indian Government
to the extent of about a million; but the gentle-
man who is responsible for the account has struck
off home charges to the extent of a millionwithout
authority for so doing, and thus the two errors
balance each other. Proceeding to the estimates
of 1861-62, Sir CHARLDI WooD says that Mr.
LAING has omitted from the reguhir estimate two
items, one the result of a previous error in esti-
mating home charges, and another the
loss by exchange or railway transactions,
amounting together to 790,630/., which would
convert his estimated surplus of 142,0211.
into a deficit of 648,6091. The Budget
estimate of the current year is analysed in a
similar manner, and Mr. Limo's mode of making
out a surplus is again questioned. Mr. LAING is
charged with omitting a charge of 458,3331.
for loss by exchange, and of including in the in-
come of the year 1862-3 the repayment of
529,4461. advanced in India on account of the
Imperial Government, although those advances
formed no part of the annual charge of the year
in which they were made. The result is, accord-
ing to Sir CHARLES WOOD, that instead of a
surplus of 1,482,6931., as estimated by Mr.
LAING, there would have been a surplus of
only 440,9141., if no change in revenue or expen-
diture had been made. But, acting ou Mr. LAnco's
erroneous estimate of the finances, the Indian
Government have, within the last two years, sur-
rendered by remissions of taxation 725,0001.,
while they have proposed to increase expenditure
to the extent of 526,4531. If the proposed
changes were made, the result of the year 1862-3
would be a deficit of 810,5391., whereas if no
change had taken place either in revenue or ex-
penditure, the result would have been a surplus of
440,9141. It is pointed out that " these errors
" have arisen from the misuse of materials
" about which no doubt existed." Sir Crum .=
WOOD adds that, as it is neither desirable nor