The Express.
London, England, 1868-11-06 00:00:00

" 4 FREE BREAKFAST TABLE."

Ix his remarks before the Edinburgh Chamber of
Commerce yesterday, Mr. BRIGHT gave utterance
to a happy thought which is, perhaps, destined
to make its way in the world. " I once advised
" the Financial Association of Liverpool,"
he said, "to hoist a flag with the motto,
" of ' A free breakfast table !' that, as the bread
" was no longer taxed, some effort should be
" made to untax the tea, and the coffee, and the
" sugar." Mr. BRIORT now repeats this sug-
gestion, which even Mr. GArnoicrn HARDY will
hardly be able to call revolutionary. These
three articles of universal consumption
bring together, as Mr. BLIGHT admits, an
" enormous sum " to the revenue ; considerably
more than double the amount of the malt-tax.
The Conservative party (and even Conservative
statesmen out of office) have demanded the
repeal of the malt-tax, and many Liberals
have cheerfully supported the principle of
their demand, but with one reservation,
in the form of a simple question—What
Chancellor of the Exchequer will consent to let
five or six millions of revenue go without a corre-
sponding reduction in expenditure P Mr. DISRAELI
or Mr. WARD Hu= has been no more prepared
to repeal the Malt-duty than Mr. ClLanwroNz.
Only there is this difference between them: Mr.
GLADSTONE reduced the expenditure; Mr. Thaws=
and Mr. WARD HuNT have increased it, and so
made the repeal of the malt duty more problema-
tical and snore distant than it might have been
when they came into office. Few statesmen would
have the courage to propose to abolish the malt
duty, while the breakfast table of the poor remained
taxed to much more than double the amount of
that impost, although, financially speaking, the loss
of five or six millions would be a safe and harm-
less operation compared with the loss of fourteen or
fifteen millions of revenue. But Mr. BRIGHT is
one of those who mean what they say, and
las proposal is to reduce the expenditure by some
ten millions, and then to sot the poor man's break-
I fast table free. Opinions may differ as to the
immediate practicability of so sweeping a retrench-
ment, but one thing at least is certain—it is only
through retrenchment that the way lies to cheaper
tea, cheaper coffee, cheaper sugar, or cheaper
malt.

The Due and Duchess of Argyll and the Mar-
quis of Lorne, on having Trentham, went to Liverary
Cootie, their seat in A:0101UL%

The Dake and //inhere of floanrghe have
arrived at the Clarendon Hotel from There 064:o.
_ _

The Duke and Duchess of Northunr-boriend loft
town yesterday for Albury Park, Surrey. The Earl Percy
has gone to Oxford for • few days.
Hie Excellency the Prussian ambassador and
the Countess Bermuda,.lf and family are expected to arrive
at the Prussian Embassy, on Cerlion-howes-tertam, in •
few days_

The Marquis and Marchioness of Anglesey and
Lord Alerawler Paget have arrived at Themes Hotel,
Bertteley-square, tram their seat, Dipaadiaeart, Stafford-

The Marquis of Heating@ is in a very precarious
state of health. Hie lordship was in town early in the
week, but left on Tuesday for Folkestone, on his way to
the Continent. It is arranged that the marquis and mar.
ehionese will go to Egypt for the winter.

LTATIT OF LADY MACDONALD.—The douth of
Lady Margaret Sophia Macdonald, the wife of Sir Arehi-
bald K. Macdonald, Bart, is announced. Her ladyship,
who was 36 years of age, was Lady Margaret Sophia Coke,
daughter of the first Earl of Leicester.

;PRESS, FRIDAY EVE:

:
U 1 8
110111g„ItAelits
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ire seven rosaglies 11011111111. •
"The Times remarks that it is very astiollika *0
le h.forined on the authority of Kr. Beverge foluises
Unmetf that the diffieuities Mirrposing to prevents settle-
meet of the metiers is dispute Mcrae Meshed ink
Ameba are being semessfully temoved. Ilistaffar eta
nor the American governmsect ota disk* a
vatic Siena% oa this *erasion. •PM Motorise are good
'marsh for war, but they sr* as little weasels& to the
claque/cc as to the osmosis& wawa two Miss lad all
their several intsresb boast spwlibpsses. Mr. John oa is,
lb. TN*" MP*, alla.laalagaritor of a new school of
diplomacy. Be is esseditedin to.. to the Secretary of
State for Foreign Affairs. Bet is iset he is moors:Med to
tbi whole Zsglish people. By Mil meat A 'obi** of
dispute which stone time threatened the Moja the m-
ere Anglo-Berm nos has, in his bailie, Moms &VIM a
bond of union.
Referring to Mr. Johnson's declaration, the &sr kw
good meson to felicitate its readers en the practical re-
cognition by two great Powers of the principle of arbitra-
tion es a mesas of settling intimation,' quarrel. Every
new reforms of this kind—sad arperisilly one of es
much magnitude—is a greet step towards giving Shot
to the wise doctrines which Mr. Cobden advocated with
murtsseed eersestnes sad logical power.

THS LOIS

O 7 !LANDOW.

Disclaim the main of t►e gentlemen proposed re.
epedivaly by the Comervatim Club and the Liberal
Aesoriatins, for the Lord Reotorehip of this university, the
Daily Nnr• says that against Lord Stanley no am can
have a single woad to say, excepting that he has no 'pedal
dais to the suffrages of an academie constituency; whereas
Mr. Lowe is a distinguished scholar, a brilliant speaker,
and a clear, trenchant, and forcible writer, and, in public,
questions, has made that of education his owe The
rectcrial Aloe has hitherto been given as a reward for
distinguished work in the past, and although some of the
more bigoted may place party feeling above wend
Slues, it may be expected that the mass of the students
will adhere to their old policy, will choose the best man,
and *ill carry Mr. Lowe as the first Lord Rector to their
splendid mow college on