The Express.
London, England, 1850-04-06 00:00:00

BRITISH GUIANA.

The contents of the packet summary of the
Colonist are so important that we transfer them to
oar columns in full :

Our combined court has been sitting in an extraordirary
minion, for the purpose of passing an ordinance to sanction
the proposed loan of 250,0001., and provide means for its re-
payment. In ►ddi•ion to the circumstances that three out of
the six financial representatives have been ab.ent throughout,
that one of the five c lonial members of the Court of Policy
has rarely attended. and that the time of service of another
(the Hoe. W. B. Ferguson) is said to be expired, and his
legal right to take part in the proceedings of the court is
questioned, there is much other matter deserving of grave
consideration in the proceedings which have taken place.
It having been suddenly resolved by the court, contrary to
fm mer determination, to accept the offer of the government
of a portion of the inadequate parliamentary loan of 500,0001
for the relief of the West ladies, the question of the security
to be given for its repayment naturally arose. The most
obvious mode of providing it would appear to be
to enact some tax yielding an annual ►mount equal to the
interest and sinking fund for its redemptidt, an a special
guarantee in case of the general revenue of the colony falling
short or being withheld. But owing to the existence of
two previous special guarantees or mortgages of particular
nes being in existence, the majority of the court deemed
it judicious and expedient to bring all the pledged liabilities
of the colooy into one connected view, and make one coin.
prebensive and general provision for them.
To carry out these views two plans wire proposed—one by
the lion. Mr. Bruce Ferguson, the other by Mr. C.o.'. We
c..rnmented upon these at some length on Monday. hut, as
the subject is an important one, and as it has turned out as
we anticipa•ed it would, th it Mr. Ferguson was not fully
understood, it will do no harm to notice it agaic, even at the
rink of a partial re petition.
Mr. Ferguson group. our liabilities as follows
List till P 551
Less allowances for stipendiary magis-
trates and pensions lapsed

£ 33,750
2nd—The amount actually raised
ucder the immigreion loam
ordiaacce, £17.),000.
Anna •l iuterest
Binkirg fund 8,600

16,300
3rd—Contemp:ated loan cf £250,000

Ant ual intrrest
Sinking fund

16,250

65,300
Or, at the Exchange, $ ISO
There is a farther liability u respects the loan for meeting
bridus, but as the tolls produce more than *south tautest
it, Mr. Fixfiuson deems i: may be left out of the calculation.
The existing seturitirs f.a. Nos. 1 and 2 are said to be an
import duty of 24 per cant. ad valorem, a produce tax, a duty
of 60 cents. per gallon on rum consumed in the coloay, Sid
certain license dwiei.

Mr. Forguiun pr,posed that the securities should be t►us
arranged, sad estimated th. m u follows :
Ist—The 2 i per cent. ad valorem on imports * 135.000
2nd—A rum duty of GO cams, per gallon 160.000
3rd—Ezisting duties on imported wines and spirits 100,000
4th—The liquor licenses

8190,000
Living an annual surplus above li►biities of 71,760 dots.

The difference between the 319.240 dole., annual
liebili-
tiee now set down, and the 416,000 dole. stated in the report
of his speech to the court, arises from his omitting to provide
for the unitised balance of the immigration loan, which he
reckons at £330,0u0, a. dooming it imp-uible ever to borrow
any further portion of it. Should such however be found
practicable, he thinks the 71,760 dole. a sufficient margin of
even to meet what shall be obtained.

Mr. Crosl, on the otht r hand, deemed it a more judi, ions
owns to take the whole of our liabilities, positive and con•
,ingent, and he thereby made a total of 485,000 dollars
annually, for which peewit,' should be provided.
He proposed, firstly, that the general revenues of the
colony should be pledged to meet such amount as should he
annually required, leaving it to the legislature for the time
b.ing'to decide as to how the money should be ratted ; and
secondly, incase of failure, on the part of the legislature, to
provide such general revenue, then that there should be
pledged : Dollar.
ls• .The -

it- -- rum duties estimated at 140.000
2nd—Duties on imported wines and spirits 124 ,000
3rd—Other import duties leviable according to the
sum required, pro ►ata on the present scale
of duties, applicable solely to these specified
purposes, and no other, and not to exceed

Stio,ooo
Thu. it will be seen that Mr. Croat proposer a large ex
con in the security to be provided for our national debt,
which, as he provides for the fullest extent of existing
we do not see the utility of, unless he wishes to pre-
pare for a further loan.
The two plans may be thus summed up.
Mr. Ferguson proposed to fix, for the next 20 to 40 years,
certain taxes which he deems it judicious to levy, and to
deprive future Combined Courts of the power of altering
them until the liabilities shall be extinguished. lie virtu-
ally annuls the Immigration Loan Ordinance by withdraw-
ing the security for the awaited balance, and trusts to the
home government for letting us have more money on more
favourable terms than by that ordinance—and as he deem•,
that however deserving of assistance from the colonial ct.est
the Georgetown funds may be, yet that the Isle and con-
sumption of spirituous liquors should toe exclusively con-
trolled by the general government, he is therefore desirous of
appropriating beyond recall the revenue arising therefrom
to the colonial treasury. Mr. Croat, on the other hand, pro-
' poised to leave the whole taxation of the colony to be freely
dealt with each year by the legislature, but in cue of a
" stoppage of supplies," for such only could occasion a failure
, of general revenue, then that certain taxes should come into
operation, the produce of which should be strictly and solely
applicable to the debts now ascertained, not to be leviable at
the caprice of the governor for the time being, but according
to a fixed rule now to be laid down.

Mr. Croal wished to retain the power already granted to
the colony, of borrowing the balance of the immigration
loan, instead of trusting to the merciful consideration of
Downing-street, to appreciate our wants and enlarge their
pittance of the 230,0001. loan. By this plan he left the
legislature free to deal with the civil list, when 121,54 shall
arrive, as well as to decide upon the claims of the
town council to • portion of the licenses, as also
to abolish or change any tax that should be found
desirable. Without recalling any thing we may
have said relative to other portions of the subject, we may
freely express our opinion that Mr. Croat's plan was the more
pendent and statesmanlike ; however, the assembled fraction
of an " extraordinary " legislature thought differently, and
five gentlemen have coolly determined that the next genera-
tion of the inhabi•ants of 13t WA Guiana shall be taxed to the
amount of 30,000 dots. in the way those five Median-like
sages now think best.
As we ex,eot that the home government will refuse to
confirm these " extraordinary" ordinances, we no only
egress our regret that so much valuable tints should be
wasted, and that the hopes of the people as to the eptedy
application of the lean to immigration purposes are bevel to
be disappointed.
There have been two plantations sold within the last few
days; one, Pln. Zeeburg, West Coast, Dernerary ; and the
other, Plo. Meer. irg, in the island ot Wakensam. Tt
former was hought by Alexander M'Laren, Esq. for 14,000
dole. ; the latter by John Lane, Esq., attorney for Meuse.
Bailey, Bristol, wortgagees of the estate for upwards of
20,0001., for 3,000 dole. 0 I other plantations ere adver-
tised for speedy sale.
We regret to learn that the Megan Logic on Plantation
Trieeland has been burnt, whether occasioned by acei lent or
malice has not yet been ascertained.
It has been officially reported to the Court of Policy, that
another ovation of the railway, boo Beteryerwastlog to