The Express.
London, England, 1868-04-24 00:00:00

e
4

IMPERIAL I'ABLUAWT.

BOUSE OF LORDS.—THURSDAY, An= 23.
Earl RUSSELL moved the third reodieg of the Com- i
pulseey Church Rates Abolition Bill. He detailed at some
length the various provisions of the bill, and stated that
it had received the general meant of the Commons.
The Doke of BUCKINGHAM thought that if the go-
vernment called upon the House to reject the bill there
would be found ample ground to condemn it. Under the
eironmetanoes, however, they should not feel justified in
this, but they would ask the house to place the measure
in the hands of a select oommittee.
The Bishop of LONDON would not oppose the sewed
reading of the bill. Indeed he regretted that the ques-
tion had not been set at rest by some such measure eight
years ago, when there was a good opportunity for such •
settlement. The bill, however, required amendment, and
he thought the wisest course was to refer it to a select
committee. There was a very anxious feeling among the
clergy of the established church as to the measures which
might be introduced in the future, and which might affect
the very existence of the establishment, and though
clergymen had hitherto refrained from mixiug themselves
up with party politics, still, if they thought the establish-
ment was in danger, there might be great difficulty
in persuading them to use their pulpits end
their influence solely for the sacred purpose which
belonged to them. It was essential that matters affecting
the church establishment should be dealt with very care-
fully and calmly.
The Archbishop of CANTERBURY thought it would
be idle for anyone to oppose the second reading, seeing
that the government were not prepared to oppose it, but
he could not assent to the principle of the measure.
The Earl of DERBY objected to the bill, whist' he con-
tended was no compromise at all, as bed been alleged, but
was an absolute and entire surrender on the part of the
church. The only reason for agreeing to the mond read-
ing, and that an insufficient one, was that the bill had
met with the general approval of the House of Commons.
The object, not of those who 7propmed the bill, but of
those who were behind the scenes, warn the abrogation of
all church establishments, leaving nothing but the volun-
tary principle behind, and placing the church of England
on a level with all other recta and denominations in the
country.
The Earl of CARNARYON supported the bill, thinking
that a safeguard wee found in the provision that those
who did not pay the rate were precluded from inter-
ference.
The Archbishop of YORK should vote for the second
reading, but thought the bill should be consithred by a
select committee.
The debate was continued by Lord Colchester, Earl
Grey, the Bishop of Oxford. the Lord Chancellor, the
Earl of Hardwicke, and the Marquis of Both ; after which
the bill was read a second time.
The Inclosure Bill and the Medical Practitioners
(Clauses) Bill were read a third time and passed.
The house adjourned at a quarter to 9 o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS--THrEsnar, Arm 23.
Lord STANLEY, replying to a question from lir.
Akroyd, stated that a treaty of peace ham recently been
issued between Spain and Prussia on the part of the Ger- I
man Confederation. but as he had not yet obtained a oopy
of the treaty he was not enabled to state what the provi-
sions are, but as goon as he does receive a copy he will
take steps to make them public.
THE BUDGET.
The house having resolved itself into committee of ways
and means,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER proceeded
to make the annual financial statement. He said the
elasticity of the revenue during the year that had just
passed had not equalled that of recent years, but eon-
tickling the bad harvest and the recent commercial crisis,
he might on the whole, congratulate the house on the
financial condition of the country. The estimated
revenue for the year made on the 4th April, 1867, was
69,130,000/., and the supplemental estimate made in No-
vember was 840,0004, making • total of 69,970,033'. The
actual receipts were 69,663,000/., being 307,00 W. below the
amount estimated. He then compared the receipts of
1868 with three of the previous year. In 1866-7 the total
receipts were 69,434,000/.; in 1847-8, they were 69,663,0001.,
showing au increase in 1867-8 of 129,0001. Bat in 1867
there were some extraordinary receipts, 230.0001. for China
indemnity, and 500,000/. for New Zealand Bonds, and
taking thew into account mid deducting the loss by the re-
duction in the duty on marine insurances, the real ineresse
in the revenue last year was about 808,000/., which, under
all the circumstances, he considered was a satisfactory in-
crease. The receipts were from—
Excise . . 20,162,000
Statops 9,541,000
Taxes • ••• ••• :1.518,000
Cronerty and tacome-tax... ... 6,177,000
Poat-office ... 4,630,000
Crown lands 345,000
The total expenditure was 71,236,242/. as against an esti-
mated expenditure of 71,267,000 x., and as the expenditure
of 1865-7 was 64780,0001., there was en increase of expen-
diture in 1867.8 over 1866.7 of 4.453,000/., of which
2,000,000/. was attributable to the Abyminien expedition.
It would be remembered that in November last
they estimated that there would be a defi-
ciency of 960,0001., and to meet that deficiency
an additional income tax of one penny in the pound for
the year or twopence for the half year, was imposed, and
they estimated that that would• give them a surplus of
200,0001. That estimate had not been realised, and the
deficiency had been met out of the balances in the exche-
quer. He now came to the expenditure of 1868-9, which,
exclusive of the charge for the Abyssinian expedition, he
estimated as follows:
Interest of the debt
tither charges on the Consoli-
dated Fund
Artily

1:26,700,000

1,865,000
15,436,000
11,177,000
9,173,040
4,964,000
1,00,0C°

Civil Berrie. ...
Revezne departmeat
Poet-office packet service

170,428.000
The greater part of the apparent increase in the estimates
was duo to a different mode of taking account., an ant
having been paroled requiring that extraordinary receipts
which were applied to the expenditure of the department'
should all be paid into the exchequer, and the result was
an apparent greater expenditure. The real fact was that
there was an increase of only 10,0001. in the navy and
‘210,0001. in the army. In the civil tarries, estimates there
was also an increase of over 400,0001., but that was mainly
attributable to the inereased vote for education. The
receipts for the year, assuming the tea duty to be con-
tinued, and taking the income-tax at 4d., he estimated as
follows:
Customs
Eloise • •
Stamp*
Taxes
I'!:;;`!9..ty and income-tax, in-
cluding the matte .
Poet-office. . .
Crown lands
Miscellaneous

. £'22,800,000
90,:115,000
.. 9,656,000

3,A0,000

. 0,900,000
.. 41.50.000
. .1.1"0.000
3,130.000

Total £71,330,000
Taere was, therefore, a mph, on the you of 022,0001,
the whole of which, and something over, was due to the
arrears of the iaeome•ts:. But tilde was, irrespective of
the Abyssinian expedition. They had estimated that
2,000,000/. would be enfacient to place the army on the
shores of Abyssinia, and they bad no reason to suppose

that that estimate had been exceeded. It was also esti-
mated that Vibe expedition hated till the end of April the
expenditure would be from 3,600,000/. to 4,600,0004 ; but
since then they had learned that the supplies to be obtained
from the oonntry itself were lets thanked bean anticipated,
and it was now estimated that the amount required from
the commencement of 1868 would be 600,000/. per
month dazing the time that the expedition lasted, and so
thus anticipated, that it would last till the sad of May,
that would would make Os months, which, at that rate,
would be 3,000,0001. altogether, which was the sum to be
provided for. If this expenditure was of anything hut a
temporary nature he should have felt it his duty to have
proposed a tax on articles of consumption, but under the
circumstances he prorated to meet it by an increase in
the income tax. My an addition of 2d. in the pound
they would obtain 2,900,000/., but as they would only
be able to collect 1,800,000/. of that within the Yew be
proposed to tales power to raise 1,000,0001. * the issue
of exabsquer hoods to be repaid out of the proceeds of
the additional tax now imposed, which would be ittalissted
after the expiration of the 'year. This would leave a