The Express.
London, England, 1868-02-20 00:00:00

MR. GLADSTONE ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTS

In the course of tho discussion which followed
the reading of the paper, by Major-General BALFut n, ob
" The Comparative Merits of French and Eat st
Budgets," before the Statistical Society, on Tuesday even.
Mg, Mr. W. E. GLAIATONE, who presided, said he
believed that the French have a very great administrative
genius, and that not merely as account takers but as alai.
nistretors they are very decidedly superior to ourselves,
and he did not doubt that we have a great deal to Ica;
from them. The question that had attracted great notice
that night—the valuation of stock—well ono of great it.
portanoe, and one upon wticb in all likelihood at the nia.
meat he was speaking the House of Commons wasenga-ed,
His friend, Mr. Seely, a gentleman of great intenietce.
who had distinguished himself by very great csre and
ability exercised in the examination of these dry act emit.
tractive questions, was then upon the subject of nary se.
counts, and with reference especially to tlii.. crania al
stock taking. He (Mr. Gladstone) thought it w,cs quite
obvious that there was a very meat gap in cor system
which ought undoubtedly to be filled. For maniple, a sort
of counterpart to the question of stock taking was to be
found in an accurate statement of all liabilities inenrold.
even although they have not yet grown to a state of et:
penditure. He could conceive it quite possible that that
feature which General Balfour had mentioned, Witt
reference to the balance in the bands of public so
countanta—that these should all be conuiden .1 ai
one part, and eliectually made part of one balaneceitbi na
tion—was a good system, and would be on improvement
upon our own. There were other defects in .uir system of
a more glaring and palpable kind, because that was baapl)
a question of the form of keeping accounts. Hahn,: q.
freely upon the defects which he knew to etist, or u'aii
he believed might exist, in our system of accounts, be
very greatcomfort iu thinking that these defects w. i e likely
to be remedied, and that there will be a gradual ~:prove
mation to a system as good as we can desire. Bit I • tek
our system with all its faults, and ventured for
the purpose of establishing a practical connect.,:.
the duties and comforts of the represent, ie.. of the
people and the expenditure of the public un,cy, ear. sy,•,:e
, was the best that ever existed on tho face rut
' political purposes, it is as near perfection as it 1., be.
The receipt and expenditure of this country
far as the head offices ore concerned—within o
margin of error, a moderate margin of error—it 7.1. n.. i.ti
• general result—are known every SatunLy at :out
o'clock to the finance minister. He did not belie, e then
was another country in the world that could soy as ucch.
It had been his fate on the 4th of April to protieie to the
House of Commons all the financial arrangetui ate for Co.
year, beginning on the Ist of April, and to present toll err
at the same time the receipt and expenditete o: tin
country up to the 31st of March. In a scientific 1.41t0t
view ho should be juetly told that that woo a em,;.
matter, that you did not take cognizonee
time, that what you wanted was precision a.
perfect clearness, and an absolute correctness ci
classification. That might be, but that was net
the first consideration fur the representatives of the
people. The first consideration for them was that
should keep up their control over the executive go,:,
mcnt : and for that control there were two things a;
lutely vital, and, if secured, absolutely sufficient. te.•
was that the account of receipt and expenditure should I
rendered with the utmost possible speed after the close
the financial year ; and the seller thut the arrangel..,
for the next financial year ehail la preccuted to par.;.
as a whole. He was quite sure that everyone rkle. u..
practically conversant with onredoirswould know that u
those two things were done, it was the fault of the r, 'en
natives of the people, and therefore the fault of O._ • •.;.h,
themselves, if the people themselves and the natio
were not the judges and the masters of the public c'.l an.
diture.

DIIATEI OF THE BADEN PREMILF. —The Presi-
dent of the State Ministry at Carlaruhe, M. Ch. 31.0
who has just died, and been replaced by Dr. Jolly, 1.a.-
led, aooording ro the German papers, a very chequered
life. Originally in government employ, be became at
exile in 1836. Recalled to his country by the een•ditte
eau at Constance, he roes a few years pro ioua to Isis tc
the rank of a leader of the opposition. Suer, hoarier
while still keeping up big connexion with Ailaei yid
Itistein. Basset-mann, Wikker, and others, he shoe, d at
intention of coming to terms with the Roden Court, one
some suspicion arose against him. In consequent, of he
personal attacks against ileraocracy, be was called out bt
Karl Blind, then a member of the " Young Gernaty
paxty, whose tenets otherwise excluded the practice ol
single combat ; bet Slatby refused, and endeavoured tc
obtain the expulsion of his antagonist. In the overcall
of the revolution, M. Mathy arrested with his oe n Lad
his former friend and associate, Jeceph Fickler, thus ineia
ing a great blow on the democratic cause, sad Baring the
grand ducal government. Appointed a state councillor.
and afterwards an envoy of the central government at
Frankfort, he endeavoured to bring about the etecutioe
of Gustav Struve and Kari Blind, the captured huien
of the popular rising. In the subsequent revolutith
1849, he had himself to fly from the country. After the
restoration of Grand Duke Leopold by the Floridan arms
be obtained no re-appointment. the nltraconsereative part,
having then the upper band. In 1862 he was restored to
an official position, at first as President of the Board of
Trade, and then as Premier. His death has occashaed
a thorough re-organisation of the Baden ministry, the
Ministers of War and of Justice, General Ludwig and IL
Stahel. being replacedby new men.
CHARGE OF " RECEIVING " 7,000 STAMP:.--II
the Manchester Police-court, yesterday, John Boma,
provision dealer, Cross-street, was charged with receivng,
from errand boys and junior clerk' in venous Manchester
offices, a large number of stamp. in payment for bread and
cheese, he well knowing the said stamps to have bees
stolen. Inspector Shandley said he searched the prisoner)
premises,
and in a drawerd
he2lo found 4,800 penny
the stato
to !sIP,
810 twopeany stamps, an, receipt stami
number being 7,820, and the value 35L 191. 21. The majontj
of them were new stamps—that is to say, they badnot tees
stuck upon lettere, but a certain portion of them—
and
these the officer found done up a packet by themseli,
had the appearance of havinflbeen fixed upon letters a,d
taken off again, the edges be slightly jagged and the
" sticking stuff " lookiggit resh. In fact, the dual
Wind *eoriginated in a letter being so tam-
pered with. W°3lserter, St. Ann's-square, suspecting some
thing amiss in the posting of a letter containing 0",
halves of Si. notes—the letter not having been bead
el—had asked Inspector Shandley to make inquiries.
The result was that the errand-boy confessed be bad
kept back the letter for the sake of the penny stamp Rhea
ith
which he bought a bun at the prisoner's shop), and w
he found, on tearing the letter in two, that it was a money
letter, he became frightened at what be had done, and he
tasked the letter and the enclosed half poke between the
bra of a " grid " in Red Lionetreet, where, indeed, the
dim found them. The stipendiary magistrate Olt
Fowler) thought that a moot important case, and be re•
minded the prisoner for a week to embli Ir evts
Shandley to make the most searching inquiry
CONTAGIOUS DlSRAMlS.—Yeaterdayameeting
held at the homes of Mr. Xitford, M.P., Cavenditheeal",
of gentlemen who have formed an association. it cpr.
maxims with which are many distinguished members 0,
the church, the army, the navy, the medical prcfrgit:
and the local authorities of many large towns, 10r.t.;
purpose of obtaining the public easent and pi:Realm
sanction to means fey preventing the spread of daZi
ons contagious diseases. Mr. Milord, M.P., Ira,
to the chair, and among those propene were
Sir Lama &Roar, Gamma gle Hal
V . . Waring, 11.17M4
the Intpector-Geseral of the Royal biary,vio:
Mum= Kr.
_Smut Hartarienlieintress, Mr.
ter die MAN Mr. Derma, Dr. Til Fox, lir. A. Ur!
o=aisana Getarlle), Mr. James). Cham""
to the Priam of Wake ; Mr. end,don
and Mr. Berkeley Rill, the
hon. s.
Claisanne of emaversation it was stated by the flirt
mad eliborseria perment that the great dif6
hued la Ike public assent sad intered in apPil.,
Rag la Ike pspalation of the Toiled Sinercm.
Dimas. Let of 1806 was the general
ter
esr
it hal tos Ida. regarded ma rres
and as the is "
amliagatal •
smarm"
Mill A
7.1"
bees band thrh so misidisa Inca be even _At° thigh,
syskrat. Bales ware sad • report was r,"".
rut Na ambers' Me Itt= to members of the legs."'
mat and Mew Dallis no. Wises woe read from nukes
twerna to
o. Ike Magi= egessking of the sura:ll4ns
la lit asiallem la the Aid tetras of thr