The Express.
London, England, 1849-02-22 00:00:00

• ~ . .

iky sad Yawn U• is asst Vas* that say Isol
dependeat Ong ell withheld- his
hoes eider -et limas wig
A. 4 I
'there be fldtk° fit mrelleesio' as, the " farmers'.
Maids* aim hewed la beam and eoalisteney to vote
kr both. The scanty manitesecies will do well to
welds the tens of 'their members ea this ocomiet.
The peeleollimist landlords told the finals% at their
late isestilt ta Bond-street, to wait *magi till they
Amid hers from the minister's badge what he it-
bib to de. If- this advios were net a mere saber-
Arse aed erasion, the "farmers' friends" will, now
that the minister postpone; his budget till after
Umter—till after great part of the piwy for the year
les been voted, and all passibility of Apodag useful
sad neosinary retrenohniests precluded tin is aom-
palling him to let the country know what it has to ex-
pect from him.
The army estimate, which was issued yesterday,
by showing how government intend to daily with and
baffle the national wish for effective retrenchment,
proves the argent necessity there is for adopting such
a decided course of action. Before proceeding
to comment upon this estimate, we must correct
an error which has crept into our yesterday's
statement of the amount of retrenchment con-
templated by government in the naval department.
By overlooking the sum of 183,1951. for establishments
for the packet service of the Post-office in 1848,
for which provision is this year to be made in the
!sparse, estimate, we gave government credit for
intending to reduce the expenditure of the navy
proper by 481,6241., whereas the reduction actually
contemplated is only 366,3101. The total of the
votes for naval expenditure asked by government in
1848.9 was 7,726,6101. Bat 208,0001. of this demand
was subsequently abated. Items in the naval esti-
mate of last year, to the amount of 891,5601, have
this year been transferred to other estimates. The
sum voted fur naval expenditure !midyear, with which
the total of this y_ear's estimate male be compared,
was 6,627,0501. The total of the estimate for 1849-50
is 6,260,7401. The reduction contemplated in this de-
partment, therefore, is only 366,3101.
IN; total of the estimate for army services in
1819-60 is 6,142,2111 ; the 'ethane for 1848.9 was
6,520,8361, ; the decrease is 378,6241. The manner
in which this reduction of charge in proposed to be
effected mast be taken into account before its worth
can be duly appreciated.
The number of military of all ranks in the pay of
the United Kingdom voted in 1848-9 was 113,847 ;
the number asked in 1849-50 is 103,254 : there is,
therefore, a redaction of 10,593 men in this part of
the Queen's army. But the number of the Queen's
troops of all ranks in the pay of the East India Com-
pany was 24,922 in 1848.9, and this year it is to be
28,267. Thereduction proposed to be made in the num-
bers of the royal army is, therefore, only 71248. There
are 3,345 soldiers of the ostensible reduction of 10,593
to be kept embodied, for whom the tax-payers of Great
Britain will not have to pay in 184940, but who may
be brought back from India next year and replaced
on the home and eolonial military establishment. This
is not the worst feature of this joggling arrangement
The decrease in point of numbers is confined to the
non-commissioned officers, trumpeters, drummers, and
rank and Pie; the number of officers instead of being
diminished, is increased. The member of officers on
active service in the United Kingdom and colonies in
1848-9 was 4,771; in 1849.50 it is to be 4,658, a de-
crease of 115. The number of officers of the Queen's
army in the pay of the East India Company in 1848-9
was 91 in Great Britain, and 1,133 in India, in all
1,224. The numberpropoied tobe keptinthe company's
pay is 1849-60 is 103 in Great Britain and 1,277 in
India—in all 1,380. The increase is 156. It is
actually
.contemplated while discharging 7,248 non-
commissioned officers and privates of the Queen's
army, to add 41 to the number of officers. These 41
officers may next year, if parliament is in a yielding
mood, be replaced on the home and colonial establish-
ment; and even in the event of parliament refusing
to unction such an arrangement, they will be perma-
nently added to the half-pay list In plain English.
ministers, while affecting to reduce the military force,
are adding more officers to our already over-officered
army. At the same time that they diminish the
number of fighting men, they propose to increase the
number of aristocratical pensioners in the army.
The same trick is attempted to be played in other
votes included in the army estimate. The charge for
the staff (exclusive of India) was 172,8864 last year ;
this year 173,3781. is asked; an increase of 4901.
On what principle is it proposed to increase the ex-
pense of the staff, while the effective force of the
army. is diminished? Under the head of " Non-
effec•ive services," we find last year a charge of
76,0001. for geneed:officers; this year 78,9081. is
asked ; an increase of 2,9091. And what is still
more remarkable, the number of general officers
provided for by the lesser sum was 172; the
number to be provided for by the greater is 150.
The number of non-efficient officers provided for
is to be reduced by 22 ; the cost of providing for
them is to be increased by 2,9081.
Whig retrenchment in the army consists in pinch-
ing the subordinate and working class, to escape the
necessity of touching the emoluments of all who
belong to the aristocracy, or have patrons in its ranks.
This is the reason why the number of clerks in the
Ordnance is being diminished, while the pldralists
and 'inoculate at the heads of departments are not
even placed on reduced allowances. This is the rea-
son why the annual contribution from the public,
moneys to the fund for the relief of the destitute is to
be withdrawn, while no step is taken so much as to
fix a term when the allowances received by noble
paupers from the proceeds of the Facie; and Post-
, office ere to terminate.
Let us now embrace the contemplated retrench-
ments in the expenditure of the year, which have
already been announced by ministers, in one view :
Navy £366,310
Army 378,624
Post-office packet service
Total decrease £853,992
This is all the retrenchment which ministers propose
in the navy and army, two of the three establish-
ments in which economy on a large scale
is most easily . practicable. The redaction
in the army charm is not of a permanent nature;
with a manageable parliament they may be raise
again next year to their former amount. The in-
crease in the number of officers, and the loan of
nearly 3,000 men ,to the Eut-India Company. above
their usual allowance, are obviously preparations for
reverting on the first opportunity to the high scale of
expenditure. And as for the navy, the excess of ex-
penditure beyond the grants for the year 1847.8 was
323.7871.; the expenditure for 1848-9 is understood
to be also in expose of the grants, though the amount
cannot yet be unstained : what guarantee have we,
then, that the expetditure of 1849-60 will not also be
in excess? and that the excess will not more than
absorb the nominal reduction of 366,3101.?
What relief from the harden of excessive taxation
can the nation look for if ministers are to be allowed
to trifle with retrenchment in this homoeopathic
fashion P What chance have the 'farmers of bring
relieved from the hop and malt taxes • the metropo-
litan shopkeepers of being relieved from the window
tax; the Liverpool merchants of being relieved from
the exorbitant duties on tea and other articles of
import ; the soap and paper manufacturers of escaping
the clutches of the excise; unless a large and real
reduction be made in the coat of our defensive
establishments P The motions of which Mr. HOME
and Mr. CoßDmc have given notice are imperdtively
called for; and all, of every class, throughout the
country, must see the necessity of lending these gen-
tlemen whatever support is in their power. There
is for the public out of doors only one way of doing
this effectively—petals% petition, petition.

Tag debate on Mr. Bethisa's motion, and its re-
sult, are mast important. A great victory has been
gained, less over ministers than ever the Colonial-
office—a body much more powerful for mischief. The
House of Commons has finally revolted, and thrown
off the servile deference it has been accuoomed to pay
to the dicta and insinuations of the Offioe. It has
declared that it will no longer take' the Office's word
that the colonies are well governed, that comp'aints
frost the colonies emanate in all cases front a
few ambitious or disaffected men, and that it
close corporation like the bureaucracy of the
Office alone can govern colonies; and has re-
solved to inquire for itself. Titus far the Pro-
tectionist party are pledged. Thus far the party
that Sir Rose= Pan, leads are pledged. And
in this determination ministers have reluctantly
acquiesced. The oombingion of the Stanleyitea, the
Peelites, and the independent liberals, for the pur-
pose of demanding a parliamentary inquiry into the
condition and management of Ceylon and Guiana,