The Express.
London, England, 1858-06-17 00:00:00

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

A SPECIAL EDITION of the " EXPRESS,"
containing the results of the day's Races, is pub-
lished every evening daring the Sporting Season, at
au o'clock.

ALTnoron far from being satisfied that Mr.
DtsitAltu and his colleagues hare allayed all the
ire which the display of English sentiments of in-
dependence at the commencement of the present
year excited in the mind of the French Ensue*,
we am not of those who suspect that potentate to
entertain any intention of immediate or proximate
war. As far as we can discern or acquire inform*.
tion, the numbers of the French army have not been
swelled beyond the amount rendered inevitable by a
recent war. Neither do we find that the completion
of Cherbourg, the expenses of the marine department,
or even the late decree for drilling and disciplining
more sailors on board their ships of war, evince
more than the legitimate and natural anxiety of the
French ruler to h►es an efficient fleet as well as
army, both at the present day being quite as useful
and necessary fur purposes of negotiation as foe
those of actual war.

On the lit of January, 1848, that is, after a year of
tranquillity and during the reign of a most peaceful
King, the French army numbered 407,000 soldiers
under arms, with a reserve of 70,000 men. ._ . _

On the Ist of January, 1863, the army was about
560,000, with a mauve of 40,000.

Previous to the war, 80,000 conscripts were levied
every year, and remained for four years under the
colours. Daring the war 140,000 was the contingent.
At present 100.000 are raised. The desire of the
French War-o®ee is to keep as few, and employ as
many, of the officers, whose number was of course
increased daring the war, as possible. Yet the
French army at present is not much above the
amount of that of LOCIS PIIILIPPE in 1847. It
costs more, no doubt, but the pay and other advan-
tages of the soldier have been much increased, and
the Imperial Guard swelled to the dimensions of an
army.

The French war budget in the last yearned' Loma
Pm Li Fp es reign amounted to twelve millions ster-
ling. It grew to thirteen millions before LOME
NAPOLEON became NAPOLEON the THIRD. It is now
but fourteen millions, the addition demanded this
spring being of seven millions of francs, or not
900,0001.

The budget or expenses of the Marine in 1848 was
about five millions sterling. It is not set down far
1868 at more than five millions and a half, with a
supplement of 200,0001. this spring. In this the
public works at Cherbourg are not included, nor, we
believe, the repairs, of about 300,0004 a year, des-
tined gradually to furnish all the French men-of-war
with screw propellers. This transformation de la
Mt., which is actively pursued, makes, no doubt, •
great portion of that activity in the French dock-
yards, whisk alarms those of our countrymen who
have had access to them.

Dissatisfied with the administration and discipline
of the French navy, the EMPEROR has this year
established a Council of the Admiralty on • new
principle, containing civilians, admiralo, and cap-
tains. The aim seemed to be to unite all kinds of
nautical experience. Moreover an entirely new
code of law has been drawn up and promulgated
for the marine. Great pains have no doubt also been
taken to render the marine conscription effective, and
unquestionably these lisp that contain the names of
every Frenchman that is on the seas, and conse-
quently amenable to service, are formidable in their
number and their amount. But a landsman caught
and taken from the plough at one and twenty,
and kept per force for a year or two on board
a man-of-war, in few cases turns out a sailor.
He in general costs more than be is worth, for
he must have his bread and his vegetables seat,
and could no more live on salt beef and biscuit,
like our tars, than he could climb to tie moon. The
great object of the EMPEROR Kean to be to
collect all the men that he can, in summer,
in order to have them on board his ships.
But summer is the time for the French fisheries—
when the vessels go to the coast of Scotland for her-
rings, to the English coast for mackerel, or to New-
foundland for cod. Everyman taken from these ser-
vices for ever so sheet a time extinguishes a sailor
instead of making one, and causes far more loss to
industry and to the revenue than it adds force to
the French navy, This was • subject of continued
quarrel between the EMPEROR and M. Dupos, who
at one time refused to man a Baltic fleet, the only
way of doing so being to atop the fisheries. The
present Marine Minister is far lees considerate to
trade.

Be what can the French Elution want with so
powerful a navy ? ask some of our alarmists. He has
non, or few colonies to protect, and neither enemies
nor interests on the other side of the globe. The
answer to this is, that there are certain questions
and negotiations, in which none but maritime Powers
can take part. And to be a first-rate maritime
Power, as well as a military one, is indispensable to a
country which looks to have • voice mud take part
and share in any great political catastrophe.

There are at penmen t in existence two vast and
moat powerful 'lupins, both of which display mani-
fest signs of caducity, and of which the Govern-
ments threaten to dimply* and disappear in utter
incapacity to deal with or manage their wide re-
gions and numerous populations, fur the flat time
Sued in full cmtect with foreign civilisation. That
civilisation acta as a most powerful diaeolvent upon
their more superannuated system of society and poll-

tics ; and it is the opinion of many persons that
neither the Turkish nor the Chinese Empire will
preserve their integrity, their power, or their alp
istence many years. In England we put more trust
in the prolongation of old and sick States.
The French do not. And we feel quite confident
that the great care and capenditure bestowed by the
EMPEROR upon his navy, and by Russia also upon
herr, proceeds from no desire or determination of
their rulers to invade England or to war with it, but
from an anxious wish to be prepared to take as
much advantage as other countries of what they
look upon as inevitable catastrophes.

Lord PALMERSTON we think to be mistaken and
unwarranted in considering these views and precau-
tions of France as indicating premeditated hostility
to Turkey, The Emperor NAPOLEON is, we dare say,
anxious to give this Suurax fair play, sad the Emperor
of CHINA likewise. But he sees the inability of one
and of the other to defend their provinces, or to
organise either • military or financial system,
capable of self-subsistence. And he believes that
botkempires must ultimatelyshare the fate of Poland.
France declares that in that cue she cannot choose
but interfere ; and, in order to be entitled and enabled
to do so, she seeks to have in the Mediterranean as
large a naval force as she can command. Is this so
very ambitious, so extraordinarily unwarranted ?
Is it not rather what we should expect, take account
of, and meet, not with covert hostility, newspaper,
threats, and diplomatic rivalry, but openly, fairly,
firmly, and yet with all due conciliation ?
We may depend upon it that the naval armaments
' or counter armaments of France are nothing more
than the natural responses to the jealousy we have
shown of her in the Mediterranean, and to the
system of exclusion which we pursue. We insist
on the integrity of the Ottoman empire, and whoever
breathes • doubt of that we treat as an enemy. We
close Suez, and sacrifice the Principalities, lest there
should arise even an apparent flaw in that integrity.
We should do more wisely, and act more to the pur-
pose, by guiding and instructing Turkey in the way
of conciliating and governing her refractory sub-
jects, and drawing from them that force of wealth
and military support, without which the Strurair
cannot hold his ground. But during all the time
which has elapsed since the war, we have not
counselled Turkey, or prevailed on her to adopt one
wise or efficient step. Instead of regenerating and
reviving, that Government is perishing under our
hands, and fulfilling every prognostic of France,
whilst we are quarrelling with France for entertain.
ing thew prognostics.
Let Lord DERBY settle the great Levant and
Mediterranean questions with France, and we will
be bound to say that then we shall hear no more of
French armaments, or fleets, or rivalry with us upon
the ocean.

The second Report of the Commissioner, of In-
land Revenue shows the ebb and flow of some of the
largest streams that feed the great reservoir of the
public Exchequer. The Inland Revenue cannot,
indeed, bout any single source to compare, in
breadth and volume, with the Customs—that Amason
which yearly rolls down one-third of the whole
riches of the State ; but the Ere'se duties, the Pro-
perty and Income and Assessed taxes, and Stamps
together, nearly supply the remaining two-thirds,
and enable the CRANCILLOR of the Excninrrn to
redress the balance of Receipt and Expenditure.
The present return concurs with that of the Commis-
sioners of Customs, which we lately noticed, to
illustrate a general advance in the material prosperity
of the Belted Kingdom. Any pinch felt by the great
mass of the people liaison represented in the yield of
the Excise duties. Thus, for instance, the depression
which set in at the beginning of last winter told to
the extent of 106,226/. on the receipts from spirit
duty alone in the six months ending 3lat March,lB.sB.
Bat the Excise duties last year were on the whole
very productive, and only the remission of the war
tax on malt and the diminished cultivation of hops
consequent on low prices prevented their yielding
more than they had done for the last tea years.
The gross receipt from Excise duties in the lest
financial year was 18,495,8881. ; that of the former
year was 19,738,4601.; the decrease under malt and'
hope amounts to 1,434,990/.

The duties on spirits, which contribute above
nine millions a year to the public revenue, show
a large increase, no less than 148,3821. In
the fain of the strenuous endeavours of a
sincere and active portion of the community to
abate the use of spirits among us, it is important to
notice that this augmentation is entirely due to in-
creased consumption, the comparison between the
last two years' revenue from this source being free
from any disturbing element. The exportation of
British spirits has fallen off, and for a curious reason.
Two years ago our distillers were very busy making
an article for France, the failure of the grape com-
pelling the makers of French brandy to have re-
course to spirit derived from grain. Last August,
however, a law was promulgated in France sanc-
tioning the use of grain in distilleries, and
imposing a duty on spirits imported. The spirits
made here for France found their way back under
the name of Cognac and Eau-de-Vie; and as far as
the English consumer is concerned, the only diffe-
rence will now be that we shall buy it direct of the
makers, our countrymen, without requiring the illu-
sory formalities of exportation, import duties, and
Bordeaux brands. It iseatisfactory to find that illicit
distillation is going ant in Scotland and Ireland, as
wall u in England. The maltsters, however, still give
a made.' of trouble with their compressed"couches,"
and sometimes by more daring means of fraud.
Some persons named ALLEN, at Worthing and other
places in Sussex, have been made to pay smartly
during the year for illegal practices. They used
concealed malthouses„ underneath the premises
which the revenue officers entered. These were
found out, and the amount recovered from
their owners in penalties and seizures was 18,3831.
The habit of battling with fraud and evasion has
developed, we fear, an excessive sensibility in the
Commissioners, sometimes causing them to see crimi-
nality where it is not. It appears from their account
that just before the last budget night some profane
distiller in Ireland Lad the audacity to speculate on
Mr. Dtsuru'is intentions as regards the Irish spirit
duties, and hurried out on the Saturday before the
financial statement 6,700 gallons under the low
duty. The person to whom he sent it had sot
entered his premises as a dealer, and the Excise
seized the whole. It was a very fair bit, and no
one will grudge the Commissioners the chuckle
with which they tell the story. But when they
denounce as schemers and charge with evasion of
the revenoe all who take reasonable and lawful pre-
cautions to avoid an unnecessary visitation of the
tax-gatherer by anticipating probable changes in the
laws, they stretch the line a little too fez.
As many kinds of fraud on the Excise directly
injure the soesumer, the revenue officer, in the
absence of a public functionary directly appointed
for the purpose, tends every fear to become a com-
missioner for the detection and punishment of adol-
terations. A large part of the present Report is
taken up with the record of examinations of articles
of consumption purchased in the way of retail trade.
A great outcry was raised a few years ago about the

dangers that lurk in the coffee cup. Whatever
grounds there may have been for the original cla-
mour, the present state of thing" leaves little to
complain of. The revenue officers last year
bought in England 2,689 parcels of coffee
as pure, and found that 2,515 were genuine,
the adulteration reaching only 2.8 per cent.
Tobacco has always been a favourite subject
of fraud. It is adulterated not only :with sugar,
molasses, liquorice, and other sweets, but with tar,
alum, oil, and lampblack. Indeed, with some manu-
facturers, a substratum of the original weed is con-
sidered unnecessary; in Ireland the officers seized
as tobacco many parcels of chicory and rhubarb
leaves which had received a dressing of tar and mo-
lasses. Snuff, again, is largely adulterated with
alkaline salts, torrefied oatmeal, and wood dust.
One sample seized in Ireland was nothing but car-
bonate of lime coloured with peroxide of iron. It
is a remarkable fact that, although the price of all
descriptions of unmanufactured tobacco wu in
1857 double that for which they sold in 1852, com-
mon shag, which forms not las than seven-eighths
of the whole of the cut tobacco consumed in the
United Kingdom, is now sold at • lower price than
when leaf tobacco was at its lowest value. The Com-
missioners account for this reduction by the admixture
of a large proportion of tobaccos of inferior qualities
with those from North America, those kinds being
not only cheaper in the market, but also capable of
taking up and holding a much larger quantity of
water Lthan the better sorts. Before leaving the
department of Excise, we beg to call attention to the
deliberately expressed opinion of the Commissioners
of Inland Revenue on the important subject of beer
and spirit licenses, and their connexion with legis-
lation and public morals. They may
Whenever it may appear right to your lordships to submit
to Parliament a measure for amending the system of beer
and spirit Hoene's, we trust that no attempt may be made to
restrict the number of licensed houses, either by any
arbitrary rule, or by confuting on the magistrates large
discretionary powers. We are not left to conjecture to fore-
tell the results of all such attempts to enforce temperance in
the lower classes. Glasgow end Edinburgh, since the paw-
ing of the act of 1853, have furnished abundant evidence
that it is not by such means se these that the habits eta
population out be changed, and that the restrictions in face
have increased the evils which they were intended to remedy,
by Miming into existence innumerable unlicensed spirit
shops, with all their attendant train of demorsliming influences.
In Edinburgh the number of prosecutions by this depart-
ment for the sale of spirits without Wane has increased
from 8 in 1853 to 21 in 1867, and in Glasgow in the same
period from 2 to 22. To these must be added • very large
number which have recently been instituted by the police
authorities independently of um, principally against the
heves of so-called club houses and temperance hotels.

The miscellaneous collection of duties raised by
Stamps is not a pleasant one to examine. To supply
our exchequer, we tax alike the cards and dice
of the squanderer, and the insurance policies of the
provident; for a consideration of three-halfpence we
permit the quack to display the Royal arms on
his nostrum, pernicious if not happily only worth-
less. The sums derived from these most discreditable
sources are paltry. Patent medicines yield but
43,0001., and cards and dice 13,6001. to the public
revenue, and might be eliminated from the list with
advantage. The gross receipts from Stamps in the
past year were 768,4331., being an increase of
49,1231. In this sum the fees from the new Courts
of Probate and Divorce figure for the first time.
Under the head of Newspaper Stamps a
decrease is shown, the impressed stamp having
ceased to be the most eligible medium for the
payment of postage. The Legacy and Suomi.
rion Duties produced last year 3,135,3361., an in-
crease of 13,0001., instead of 160,0001., as had been
estimated. The Commissioners remark upon this
anomaly, but are unable to explain it in a satisfao-
tory manner. The Land and Assessed Taxes yielded
3,155,7161. last year, being 36,6461.m0re than the
year before.

The receipts from Property and Income Tax last
year were 11,767,3061., against 16,384,4941. in the
year before. The fall of the rate of duty intro-
duced into the assessment' of the 6th of April, 1857,
materially affected the receipts during the latter half
of the last financial year. The useannents are re-
turned so late to the Commissioners that no account
caa be given of the operation of the tax in the years
1867-1868. Those last received, being for the year
ending sth of April, 1857, speak well for the profits
of trade in the principal manufacturing districts.
London returned, under Schedule D, a profit of
13,084,0001., being an increase of 162,0001. ; Liver-
pool confessed to having made 4,780,0001. ; and
Manchester 3,336,0001., by trade and manufactures.
Leeds made more by 110,0001., Wakefield by
19,0001., and Salford by 20,0001., than in the pre-
vices year. The increase under Schedule A is
equally striking. In the City of London it is
29,0001. ; in St. Pancras, 199,0001.; in Marylebone,
245,0001. ; in Manchester, 99,0001. ; and in the
Irish and Scotch returns the same facts are reported.
Thus in every department of the revenue we find
the signs and fruit' of an energetic and prosperous
activity. After all, the old country is not one to
flee from. It is worth living in, worth hoping and
striving for, and worth, if need were, defending.

The sudden death of the Lotd Justice Clerk
puts within the reach of the Lord Advocate the
second place in the Supreme Court of Scotland.
Fortune in this ease falls on the deserving. Mr.
Inglis has long been facile princeps at the Scotch
bar ; nor is it often that the rules of political usage
and courtesy lead to a promotion so thoroughly in
harmony with the general feeling of the profession
and the real interest, of the public. Should the
Lord Advocate elect to take the vacant appointment,
it will not be easy to supply his place in the Home
of Commons, where he was rapidly rising into de-
served appreciation. The withdrawal of a lawyer so
clear-headed, ro learned, so honest, and so sound,
will be a loss to Lord Derby's administration.

(From Um (ir* Oirookr al yoMerday.)

A from flso Poor-kw District Anditcwa, consist-
ing of r. Arnold, Mr. Baran, Mr. Corbett, Mr. Maytoott,
and Mr. Pattaroon, had an interview with the Right Hon. T.
Botheron-flattotut yesterday, at the office of A• Poor-law
Board._

Mr. Jame Cooper had en Interview with Sir E. Bulwer
Lytton yesterday, at the Colonial-Am
A deputation, consisting of Mr. 3. P. Brown Masthead,
M.P., Mr. William Brown, II.P„ Mr. James Aspinall Tur-
ner, M.P., Mr. George Hadtttnr.. Mr. Robert Needham
Philip, M.P., Mr.M. Ba a. Weethend Led
Co.), Mr. Peter Mewls Mears. Arran and Nephews),
Mr. Chad. Brown (Mears. /401111, Son, and Co.), Mr. Philip
Oillibrand (Ida... Bieensinnea sad Co.), Mr. Thos. Jones
(Mears Fish:hie, Sonoma Co.),Mr.Sunual Ogden (Mesas.
Samuel Ogden sad Co.), Mr. Allarman Heywood, Mr. Conn-
ellke sad Mr. Cownellice Brittain, had an inter-
view with the Lards of she Treasury yesterday, in retell= to
the Meetheare! Peet dim

The Jedledsl Committee of the Privy Council sat mew-
day. ARnaC from the blatuitiev, "-Lang, Freeload, sad
Co., v. Irvin. d Copart beard, was ooncluded.
An appeal Ur Cops of Good Hope, "Smith v. Cm-
row," irse eotasisced.
Despatches Imre saat yesterday from the Colonial-office to
eh* Governors of the West ladle Islands.

THE LATE 1114.11. WILLTAMR, M.P.—Tbe Cornish
lelegraph User that the Isis Mr. Willkuna, M was one
of tear sees, who uses of Inspectable but humble origin.
Early to Hls sad with a small capital he embarked to snub.
leg sad wisdom sod, by the ensues of a rare *spotty sad
an undaunted grawrersase during halt a oentury, mused a
colossal fortnes—popsduly sitinasted at s million 'ruling.
In bureaus he will be secandad by his son, Mr. John
Michael Wiflissny end rumour has for some non been busy
wb the asses of that gateman and of Mr. John BR
Au
csabyn, of the Mount, u probable andidales far the seat
now v