The Express.
London, England, 1860-02-22 00:00:00

MANCHESTER.

A public meth ig of the citizens of Manchester
was held yesterday in the Town-hall, to afford opportunity
for the of cla'nions on the budget and the commer-
cial treaty with Frames, Than Willa 011111117061 and Witten-
attandaace.
The Karon (Mr. Mankk% on taking the "Mir, said it was
a came for rejoicing that tba budget wee a assure so bold
end comprebecaler. No gses'it there were flews in it, but he
observed a disposition an this *Mel the WNW Chancellor of
the Exchequer to listen to an a aggertiess et • practical cha-
racter; and it was desirable to the hands of the
government by a declaration of . beet this important
city. (Cheers.)
kr. J. Horwooo (tats Ky.) ',loved the first resolution,
as follows That the services oh' Richard Cabana, JINN
M.P., to pronatt the came of free trade, is We reams
micosedul endeavours to negotiate ais saty of oonsieree with
France, deserve the verseirt szeress'ose of gratitude from
the meeting. This meeting also feels bound to thank MM.
Chevalier and the roused- sad rastatkers of the Societe
d'Boosoode Polliiqne de France for theft' beg and sedum.
services in the cause of free tied., and to congratulate them
end the French nation upon the prospect of a lasting and
closer friendship being in future maintained between the two
nations." He aid it must be most gratifying to the inha-
bitants of this city, which was especially identified with the
policy of free trade, to have an occasion for celebrating new
triumphs in that direction under the enactors of its old towas-
man, Mr. Cobden—(cheers)—and M. Chevalier. (Cheers.)
He believed it would be found in this case, as with the free
trade measures of Sir R. Peel, that a great reduction of
customs duties was acoompanied by a great extension of our
trade; that France and Great Britain would be placed on •
fooling of hes commercial intemoures, and that the trade of
Manchester would he largely Increased.
Sir if, ARMITAOII wooded the 11110111d00. which wee car-
ried unanimously.
Mr. Aid. WATILIXII moved the sectosd resolution :—" That
the cordial support of this isseedag is hereby given to the
free trade measures of the budget, the repeal of the excise
duties en paper, and the commercial treaty with France, and
this meeting pledges Itself to use its best efforts to obtain for
them the sanction of parliament, subject to such 'iterations
in the details as further diacuseion may prove to be desirable.
It also tenders its sincere thanks to the Right Hon. the
Chancellor of the Exchequer for his efforts to revise the
taxation of the country, and to extend the blaming, of free
trade."

Mr. J. Pasha& supported the motion, as did also Dr.
WAITS, hl a Ore& of some length; and OD its LOU* put to
the meeting. wee unanimously adopted.
Mr. B. W. WATIIN moved the adoption of a petition is
aosordanoe with the foregoing immolations Be said this was
• question which ought not to be dragged through the dirt
of faction, or made in any way whatever • mere question of
ogles. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. T. B. POUTED seconded the resolution, which was
unanimously adopted.
The meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to the gen-
tlemen engaged in the repeal of the paper dotes, and also to
the Mayor for presiding.

EDINBURGH.—At a special meeting of the Mer-
chant Company of Edinburgh, called by requisition, "to
take into consideration the important subject of the Budget,"
held on Monday, Mr. Robert Chambers presiding, the
following motion was carried sees. eon.. "That this company,
considering free trade seematial to the prosperity of the coun-
try, cannot but regard with approbation the budget of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, insomuch as it is blinded on
fres trade principle., and carries them out to a greeter extent
than has been hitherto done, and is thus an important step
in the right direction—therefore resolves to petition parlia-
ment in its favour, with ouch modifications in its details ea
may be called for to render the measure more aoceptable to
the whole °natty."

THE BUDGET.

Mr. Gladstone had addressed the following letter
to "The Committee of Importer@ and others, Mincing-
lane" : _ _

" Downing-street, Feb. 21.
" Gentlemen,—l hero the honour to acknowledge your
letter of the 17th.

" I must beg you not to nostrile the present communioa-
tion as the newer of the government to your representa-
tion. It is intended only to narrow any apparent ground
of diffarenae between us, and to suggest the course of pro-
ceeding most convenient with • view to the progress of
public btprineet.
" Your letter refers to that portion only of the financial
proposals of the government which is intended to meet, by
compensating charges upon trade and exchange in one form
sr other, a share of the lose anticipated from the approaching
remission. of duty.
" You commenymore or lees adversely upon the Penny
Registration Due, upon the charges for removals and opera-
tions in warehouse, upon the sumo prop teed for dock war-
rants and for contract notes ; and besides, you observe that
any tax meant for revenue sh,uld be imposed not upon
traders as a class, bat upon the community.
" I distinguish carefully between your particular and your
more genera! objection. And with reepect to the latter, I
respectfully ask you to consider whether the financial scheme
of the government, viewed for one moment as a whole, is
really open to the charge of relieving the community at the
expense of traders sea dam; and whether, on the contrary,
the head and fr rat of the 'Wicks upon it be not this, that it
too greatly relieves trade, and therefore relieves traders also
in a primary and 'pedal sense, and this by mesas of • tax to
be imposed on the community.
" It is with reluctance her Majesty's government ream.
mend to parliament any new charges upon trade in any form.
But the case la a very Ample one. They found that in order
to give the requisite breadth to their she e, and secure soma
of its maim ends, it wee neosesary to give a relief from present
taxes, amounting to nearly four millions for the year 1860-1,
and to nearly five millions If we include the residue to take
effect le 1861-2. They found that they might obtain this
great relief, and aloe' with it largely reduce establishments
and carnage, and effect collaterally great administrative re-
forms, at a charge of something over three millions to the len-
nue of the coming year. They did not otmective that they
could ask for more than about 2,100.0001. from that revenue,
with the present high scale of expenditure, even /or the great
purposes which they have had in view. It is therefore no
wanton infliction welch they suggest ' . but they are desirous
to arrange, with your assistance and that of others who
are well-informed, • betieficial commutation. They rely with
confidence on your willingness to venture something fur the
public good. They wish carefully to consider with you how
to keep the pmealary demand within bounds, and, above all,
how to prevent crewing new obstructions to the comes of
trade when their main object is wherever possible to destroy
old ones.

now pass to your comments upon details. Most or all
of the resolutions on which you comment may require to be
modified, but you will agree with me that definitive mod B-
ead= had better be reserved until it tun express the final in-
tention/ of the government.
" Nor will you be surprised or offended when I tall you
that, as the minister most directly responsible, I am reluctant
to ask my colleagues to give the 'object their final cossidnu-
Non, until I am smelt able to pay a lees divided attention to
the details thou will be possible until the House of Commons
shall have desk with the larger sod more vital questions in-
volved in the scheme for remission of duties.
" I may, however, give you certain limited assurances, on
which you may rely, apses from anything, that the name-
eerily technical language of the resolutions may appear to
sufgest.
With respect to the penny registration due, its buds is
this. We have, I trait, arrived at a stags in ow legislation
when the whole proms of customs duties will mot to be
felt beyond • very, narrow hat of sr ides, and when the
largest share, pawkily four-fifths or more, of the entire ha-
port and export trade if the country, thus absolutely relieved,
will continue to receive Important services from customs to-
tablialunonta that (including superannuation') wet the
country above • million a year. The re Standout doe is in-
tended, without affecting the operations of trade as duties do,
to maks a moderate ocionibutioo from trade Itself towards
this heavy charge. The requisite classification is of nsolosity
but inadequately expressed in the resolution. I am satisfied
that it will not be difiloult, sod that the measure Is in prin-
ciple generally admitted sod approved.
" Tea warehousing charges aim at the same and ; and
likewise et establiebieg a greater equality between certain
dosses of places, with regard to warehousing advanuim
than now Wets. I admit that many of doss are too high.
I farther admit that it may be open to osnalisration wheibor,
is reaped to sow" of shwa at least, owl sopecially la regard
to reasons* a dibrant him of preasidins soy bo preamble.
• most ken Liverpool has urged
that all i=coir be=l:llanais *mkt be required to take
oat ma anensi Isom; and Ike ipsweranisot are &Anon to
Attain
ed the opsitsisaliv•inion of the essmarclal world upon this sip
grat
" With rarest to Awl wistasts sad to onatraot notes I
rear to wlsat I have already oil vespoling the proper tine
Istisemilhe mind= atimpowessil. I beg, holm%

rto ware you that the former are not intended to be lisbla to
thane frequent repetition. of the charge imposed which bas
bees apprehended; and in regard to the latter, that it is not,
and serer hes been, the intention of government to mak for a
tai, even of if. upon bills of parcels, or upon anything that
sesestisily beloup to that clams, insamtich as the tranaactions
to which they relate are already regulated, and, when they
mused 405., taxed by law.
" Should the faithful application of this pledge be found
to diminish the estimated finite of the stamp, it will, never-.
thew, be redacted.
giving your obliging consideration to this letter,
you may perhaps be enabled to draw into more specific forms
any saggestlons it may be agreeable to you to make. I shall
Its most ready to commenioste with you, both in writing and
I weaselly, at the proper time; and it is for the general' con.
coalesce, rather than that of the goverment, if I venture to
recommend that by mutual communication the classes beet
informed sad most direbeltzl concerned should se far se possible
re us present toan of London and other places their
milady', wishes and opinions.
"As this letter appertain. wholly to matters of Fennel in.
Wrest, I make no apology for sending) it at ones for publi-
cation; and I have the honour to remain, gentlemen,
" With much respect, your vemfaithtal servant,
" W. E. GLADSTONE."

LETTER OF M. MICHEL CHEVALIER ON THE
EXPORTATION OF ENGLISH COAL.

The following letter has been addressed by M.
Michel Chevalier to a friend in this country :

"Paris, 73, Rue de l'Univeraite, Feb. 18, 1860.
"My dear Friend,—Nothing is spoken of here but the ob.
*dons raised against that article of the treaty which regards
the exportation of coals; and I take the liberty of writing
you a few words on the subject. It Is a mbjeet with which
I am perfectly fantilar—and by thla I mean that I am not
only familiar with the subject itself, but that I am also Sc.
quaintad with everything that has emarred in reference to
this portion of the treaty between the two goversteents.

"The assertion put forward is to the effect that we should
be prevented from carrying on a maritime war if deprived of
English coal; or, in other terms, that we obtain the sans
of carrying on a maritime war by being allowed to lay In •
stock of English ooal.

" This is a gross mistake respecting fact. France has
fewer coal mines than England, but is net wholly aesthete
of them; the greater part of her mine* are at a distance
from the coast; but by means of our tamale and our rail-
yam now almost completed, the Mateo., may be get over
without too great expense. I have made asloulationsr from
which it remits that the Frenellt coal meld in our mari-
time arsenals (Beast, Cherbourg, Lorient, Rochfort)
would not be more than 10,. the lea (1,000 hilo-
gramma) above the English coal; and that sometime, the
difference In price would not be more than 6e. In time of war
the inareesed expense might, perhaps, ainevat to ten mil-
Nona of fresco in the year. Even doubling diet sum, would
such an increese of expense render • maritime war an hopes-
eibility P In time of peace the Atlantic Beet, with the
immense forges of Brest, icc„ &c.,ealy costs dye millions for
coal.

"In the Mediterranean the cue ie still 'drawer. There
the English noel is se dear es the coal of Alain (Gard), of
Basegeir (Gard), end of Graiameaso (Herani). Lastly,
England has an interest in the two contracting parties being
allowed freely to export their coal; for our coals In the
south (Maim, Beeregist, Graiwiesme. end eves sometimes
Rive de Ole) might be found extremely convenient for its
Mediterranean fleets.

"And, also, we can obtain the Belgian coal extremely
abundant and extremely go..d.
" Thee the pretext invented by the English protectionists
is absurd; it Is directly contradicted by the faota ; they are,
in reality, punning but one end—that of sowing distrust and
irritation between two great nations.
"This course of the tortes is in fact provoking on the part
of England an unfriet dly act towards us. The rejection of
the article of the treaty would be an unfriendly act, and it
would be taken for such in Prawn. The cry would be
raised of ' Perfidious Albion:' Oar great manufacturers
would exclaim that they have been duped about the rednc-
tin of the export duties on English coal.
" The moral and political effect expected from the treaty—
the drawing closer together of two great =hoer, would not
be attained.

" And this would be the case even were the article to be
struck out from the treaty, with the content of the French
governmest.—Ever yours, " MICHEL CHEVALIER."

AMENDIDINTS UPON 77113 BUDGET.

IN COMMITTEE ON CUSTOMS ACTS:

Mu. PIILLER.—As an amendment to the 6th reso-
lution, to leave out "millboards, paper," as denominated in
the tariff, and "pasteboard," and add at the end of the re-
solution " That the duty of customs chargeable upon mill-
boards, papa'', u denominated in the tariff, and pasteboard,
shall mass and determine in respect of all such millboards,
paper, and pasteboard as shall be imported from any country
when the export of rags and other raw materials used in
the manufacture of those articles shall be permitted free of
duty, or subjoin to a duty not exceeding 20 per cent. on the
value thereof; and that in respect of such millboards, paper,
and pasteboard imported from all other countries a ditty of
Id. per pound shall in future be levied instead of the present
rate." . . . .

....,.
SIR JOSEPH PAXTON.—That it 111 inexpedient to reduce
the duties on silk manufactures without making provision In
the treaty with France for the simultatems admission of
English manufacturtd silts and ribbons into France on equal
terms.