The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-23 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN TIMES.--LIVERPOOL, AIONDAY

back to the estimated expenditure of that -very
memorable year, when claptrap broke loose and
jobbery made a fresh start, But why stop at
the estimated extravagance of 1853, when he
can show no how we can calculate on a surplus
income of 4,000,0001. without adding a fresh tax
to those already in existence? When alluding to
revenue, Mr. DISRAELI does not say one word about
the remission of the 2,000,000/. malt tax, and while
he talks of reductions in the expenditure, he does
not venture to tell us in what direction the
pruning hook ought to be used, If the army and
navy were to be cut down to the numbers' and
pay of 1852, when the lavish expenditure really
commenced, and on Mr. DISRAELI'S recommen-
dation, would Mr. DISRAELI support the Govern-
ment ? Certainly not. Mr. GLADSTONE tells us
that in 1842 the income was 46,965,000/ , and
that in 1853 it had risen to 54,430,000/., notwith-
standing that 22,000,000/. of taxes had been re-
mitted between those two dates, and yet he labours
for some hours to convince_ us that the proposed
remission of duties contained in the PALMERSTON
Budget will leave us with a deficiency of
6,454,000/. in 1860-61, " and very nearly what
"is now called the war ninepence." This, 7,'•
do not hesitate to say, is playing with the good
temper of Parliament, and trifling with the better
understanding of the poople.

pay money-wages for all -descriptions of labour,
nor have we a Colony under the British flag, with
the exception of Australasia, where the people
can afford to pay for European skill and time in
what the Englishman has been taught to call

" money."
If we send our unemployed'to the Colonies, to
better their condition, we must send legal tender
with them. We must despatch them to the gold
fields in search of nuggets, wherewith they can
buy bread, or] into our American forests, as
hewers of wood and drawers of water, to a people
struggling on, no one knows how, against every
difficulty and sacrifice which follows in the wake
of an unaccountable neglect of the fundamental
principles and bases of national prosperity and
progress. The evils of which the working man
complains cannot be confined to Great Britain.
They pervade nearly the whole of the British
dominions, and if we are to build up a home for
displaced and suffering industry, let us begin in
the heart of that country from which it dates its
birth. We do not mean by this to encourage

waste land bubbles, and the poor Man's traps,
now so dexteriously baited to catch the unweary.
The country lacks the foresight of PITT, and the
unbiased and honest inspiration of a more modern
statesman, BENTINCK. Those men were patriots,
who treated the mention of " over-population "
as blaspemv, and the slang of " over-production "
as a sound resembling that which Comes from the
throat of disease, to warn us that death is at
hand. No well regulated community can be
overtaken by dangers which Divine law has pro-
vided against, and man's reason abhors as
impious in theory and impossible in practice.
There can be no " over-production " while there
is a human being on the face of this planet who
lacks food and raiment, and can produce any
known commodity to exchange with us for what

The revenue of the present year is to amount
to 71,885,0001, or 17,455,0001. more than it
was in 1853, or 24,920,0001. more than in 1842,
when the financial, industrial, and commercial
condition of the country rendered a sweeping re-
duction of its fiscal burdens imperatively neces-
sary. Now, what do the Opposition mean to do
to relieve the public of the enormous increase in
taxation ? Mr. DISRAELI does seem to have dis-
covered that there are such things as first prin-
ciples in finance. He has discovered that con-
sumption and production are the great functions
of capital and industry ; but, true to his party
and long cherished fallacies, he says, " the con-
" suming power, on which our financial system
" very properly rests, may increase, though we
" must remember that it is at the present mo-
" ment a consuming power at high, prices, and

they want.
Ideas of the kind do not date from the mind,
or intelligence of a nation. They are the abor-
tions of class teaching. Bank parlour men are
the authors of the home-and-country-annihilating
doctrine. These gentry see no danger in a man's
sowing two acres of wheat instead of one. This is
not " over-production," and rho evil would be ap-
prehended from it if all the farmers in the three
kingdoms did the same thing. No. There can be
no " over-production," except in trade ! The
man who makes two chairs, two hats, two pairs
of shoes, or two yards of cloth, instead of one, is
over-producing, and illustrating the evils of the
Pagan doctrine of " over-population " •But
there must be something better in store for this
great Empire than that premature decrepitude
which attends so glaring and hasty a departure
from true economic principles. The dangers of
forced revulsions in our social system
do not fortunately fall upon us all at
once. Prisons full of crime, workhouses over-
flowing with sorrow, a few destitute creatures
are sent to warn us that more are coming—the
numbers increase slowly ; thousands of unem-
ployed follow to give the lie to the heathen philo-
sophy, and give us timely notice of the perils of
fallacy ; and it would be well for society if the
Chancellor of the Exchequer's secret committee
on Banking were to acknovaedge the notice
which the condition and numbers of the unem-
ployed now furnish. They must know what the
country wants, and they have the power in their
hands of silencing the cry of " over population"
and " over production" for ever ; and if they
allow us the use of 20,000,0001. of Exchequer
Bills, in the form of legal tender, in trade, Mr.
ERNEST JONES would find it a difficult matter to
collect an audience of half a dozen unemployed
men at the end of the following week.

therefore we must not rest too much on that."
To these facts Mr. DISRAELI might have added,
that the " consuming power at high prices" was
never so weak or ill prepared to bear the burdens
heaped upon all the articles of consumption ; but,
now that he has ventured on the question of
consumption, we should like to hear him say a
few words on the subject of " production." If
the former cannot be made to bear taxation, how
can we expect the latter to prosper under the
operation of usury, panics, and bankruptcy ? If
the consuming power of the people cannot be
relied upon, what hope is there that we shall
find our productive powers in a healthy state ?
Mr. DISRAELI has broken new ground here. He
would not rely on Customs' receipts for revenue,
and yet would let go the Sugar and Tea duties
But all the " consuming power" cannot bear
must be thrown upon the power of production as
the only element on which indirect taxation can
rest, and to do this, so as to enable the country
to exist in peace, to say nothing of prosperity,
with the comparatively small revenue of 1842,
the Bank Charter Act of 1844 must be abolished,
the Act of 1819 laid aside, and Mr. GLADSTONE'S
Uusnry views exploded, and consumption and
production left to follow the natural im-
impulses of trade and the world's commerce, as
the House of Commons will find, before an
income of 71,885,0001. can be raised, from " a
" consuming power at high prices."

THE increase and movements of the unem-
ployed are beginning to create great public.
'uneasiness. By -some,-the want of employment
is looked on as a perfectly national phase of our
social system, and by others, as one of the neces-
sary concomittants of natural prosperity and a
high state of civilisation. Between these moon-
struck economists and politicians, it is, more or
leSs, dangerous to interpose, or offer one word
in favour of those principles which admit of no
such social revulsions or political dangers. ' The
thousands of people out of work in this wealthy
country were not born paupers, or brought up as
vagrants. They are the offspring, of well-to-do
parents. As masters of various branches of
handicraft " they would be invaluable members
"of society in a new country." But to what are
we to attribute their fall from industrial comfort
—the loss of their heir-loom—prosperity, and
necessity of their expatriation, to restore them to
their inheritance—constant employment ? The
cant of " over population," iNhich disappeared with
the last proclamation of war, must not be tole-
rated whilst we are surrounded by despotism and
hostile systems of government, sustained by a
continent bristling with 13-ayonets,- thirsting -for
the blood of Free and Constitutional Britons.

THE ARCHDUCHESS SOPHIA OF AUSTRIA.—AN IRISH
AUTHOIC—There is no fact better known in Ireland than
the circumstance that for more than a century the Imperial
house of Austria has counted amongst its favonrite
Irishmen, or the descendants of Irishmen, who have
devoted themselves to its service. Not long since the
illustrious, soldier, Field Marshal Nugent, a friend of the
Duke of 'Wellingto:L's, was a visitor at the Viceregal
Lodge. ; The Field Marshal Nugent was an Irishman, and,
like tl* great Generals BroWn and Brady, had risen from
a cadetship to the highest rank in the Austrian army.
But a few years since the life of the present Emperor,
Francis Joseph, was saved from the knife of an assassin
the devoted bravery of the young O'Donnell, an
Irishman by descent. We are gratified in being able to
state that proof has been recently afforded in the case of
a fellow citizen that the friendly feelings of the Imperial
family of- Austria remain as strong and unimpaired as
ever. In this ease the kindliness has been manifested not
for services by the sword but the pen. Mr. William
Bernard MaeCabe, well known in Dublin and in London
by his career as a journalist, published last year a volume
entitled Adelaide, Queen of Italy, and as that work dealt
with historical events which occurred in the tenth century,
showing the early connection of the German Empire. with
Lombardy, and as he conceived there was a resemblance
between the conduct of the Queen Adelaide and of the
Archduchess SOphia, the mother of the present Emperor,
he applied for and obtained permission to dedicate his
last work to the Archduchess. How highly his book was
-approved-at the-- court --of - Vienna -is - shown by the
following letter, which was received within the last few
days by Mr. MacCabe ;
" Sir,—lt affords me great pleasure to have to communi-
cate to you that I am charged by her Imperial Highness
the Archduchess Sophia of Austria, to address you, Sir,
the herewith annexed trifling object, consisting of a breast
pin, which you will please to accept as a small token of
acknowledgment for your very interesting literary work.
I seize this opportunity to express to you my own feelings
of high esteem ; and remain, Sir, your very devoted,

" Over production" is another species of
shallow-minded jargons,] which vanishes like
all the fantasies of ignorance and craft, when we
gaze upon assembled thousands of skilful pro-
ducers, seeking food, raiment, and shelter. Such
doctrines would have been better suited to less
menacing times, when numbers were more 'evenly
balanced; but in these days the preaching- of
" over-population " and " over-production -7-TS
the grossest political infidelity towards the State,
and the most dangerous heresy that could be
poured into the ear of commerce, trade, and
industry. The safety of the Crown, the mainte-
nance of our Constitution, the preservation of our
independence and lives, are all depending at this
moment on our powers of production, and the
number we can call on to bear arms. We have
no productive genius to give away, and no more
bone and sinew than the present state of Europe
shews us we ought to keep at home. The
Colonies want labour, it is true ; but this is not
the primary difficulty of new settlements. If they
had the means of paying for it, the working man
would carry his time and skill to the best
market, and the evil would disappear as it has in
the United States and Victoria. Canada cannot

- ":COUNT DE POISEN,
Grand Master of the Household to her
Imperial Highness.

c, TO William B. MacCabe, Esq."
The breast pin accompanying this letter is one of the
most magnificent specimens of foreign jewellery we have
eveiseen. It is a shamrock, of which the stem and leaves
are Composed of brilliants of the finest water, and the
dazzling richness of which is set off by a thin rim of jet
black enamel in imitation of the Irish oak. A more appro-
priate or more beautiful present for an Irishman to receive
could not possibly be devised ; and so truly georgeous is
this dazzling cluster of no less than twenty-eight diamonds,
that it may be well said it is one such as alone the mother
of an emperor could bestow. Our fellow citizen has just
reason to be proud of such a gift, for it is exactly in the
same form of an ornament—a shamrock of brilliants—
that the Archduchess Sophia exhibited her gratitude to
the gallant O'Donnell, when, at the risk of his own life,
he preserved that of her beloved son, the youthful Emperor
Francis Joseph—Sannders's News Letter.

HEALTH oN THE ENGINE.—Dr. Duchesne has recently
published the results of an interesting enquiry into the

--- -
influence of their Occupations on the health of engineers
and stokers ; showing
What perils do environ
The man that meddles with cold iron,"
when that metal is developed into railway engines. As
regards the general health of these Nomads of commerce,
he concludes that their occupation produces rather a
favourable influence, marked by a high condition of health'
and an increase of corpulency. But he has found that
there are certain ailments to which railway engineers and
Stokers are peculiarly liable ; and which 'increase in
Proportion to the length of their service. Amongst these
he enumerates a notable deterioration of sight and hearing;
frequent rheumatic pains, principally on the right side of
the body; and the occurrence of a peculiar dull pain,
accompanied by great feebleness, and a remarkable
numbness. The principal seat of this pain is in the bones
and joints of the lower limbs, attacking indifferently
either side, and especially afflicting old workmen.
II
this latter ailment occur as frequently as Dr. Duchesne
seems to think, its recognition is of importance in this
country, be-webbed as it is with railways. No reliable
information has yet been afforded as to whether the
English railway engineer is equally liable to pay too dear
for his whistle, and the toughest stoker to suffer from his
occupation in the tender•—Lancet.

THZ SMOKING QUESTION.—The Lancet publishes replies
from phYsicians, surgeons, and others, to Mr. Solly'r
attack upon smoking. In answer to one remark from that
gentleman a correspondent says, "I believe the -present
Emperor of the French is an ardent admirer of the habit ;
and who will venture to assert that he lacks high intel-
lectual activity ' Hobbes and Locke were smokers ; so
were Byron, Moore,
,Shelly, Scott, and a host of others,
whose names along the stream of time triumphantly come
down to us; and they will bear comparison with those
personages to whom Mr. Solly has adverted. " Clericus
Anglicanus " says, that some of the bishops were " noted
smokers." The Gardiners' Chronicle concludes an exami"
nation of the law upon the subject with saying, that the
growth of tobacco in the United Kingdom, whether for
sale or not, is absolutely prohibited; but that, by way of
special favour, " Tobacco may be grown on not more than
half a pole of land situate in any physie garden belonging
to either of the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge, or
in any other private garden for physic or chirurgery only,
but in no other place." Our cotemporary doubts_ whether
any real hardship is inflicted by the act, considering how
worthless English grown tobacco is.

A CONTINENTAL STORY.—The cutler's shop in the Rue
Dauphine, where Verger bought the knife which he:after-
wards plunged into the heart of the Archbishop of t'aris,
has just been the scene of a dreadful tragedy. The other
day, a gentleman, well-dressed, and of good appearance,
entered the shop, and asked for a knife. One was shown
him, price seven francs. He appeared to like it, but,
expressing some doubts as to its sharpness, begged that it
might be sharpened before he took it away. A workman
was called, who at once began to pass the knife over the
strop. While thus engaged, the customer talked in the
freest manner to the master of the shop, and nothing
seemed to indicate that he was about to commit self-des-
truction. The moment the knife was handed to hie], he
tried it against his finger, said, " Yes, it cuts well now,"
and immediately plunged the knife into his breast, and
with such effect that the immediate loss of blood caused
him to sink senseless upon the floor. The horror that
this scene inspired cannot be described. For some few
moments the people in the shop seemed struck with para
lysis, but, recovering themselvest they hastened to lend
assistance to the wretched man, and to go in search of the
police. It was found, after the young man was carried to
the hospital, that he was a bachelor of sciences. that he
had borne a good character, and was of marked talent.
Unhappiness, caused by poverty, had driven him to attempt
his own destruction. It is not known whether medical
skill will be able to succeed in restoring him.

INTELLECTTJAL STATE OF FRANCE. —L' Union supplies
some figures which go to prove that the intellectual state of
provincial France is at a very law ebb, and that the laws
against the press are exercising a most pernicious influence
upon journalism. Since the coup d'etat, it appears that
fifty provincial journals have been discontinued. In many
instances, mere want of support was the chief cause of
failure. In others, the withdrawal of the judicial
advertisements produced that result. New journals, it is
true, have here and there arisen, but not in sufficient
number to replace the old. It is calculated that, at least,
one hundred more country papers would cease to appear if
the judicial advertisements were withdrawn from them.
What a testimony this is of the ignorance existing in
France, everywhere out of the grand centres of population.
Paris is all in all. Leave Paris, and you leave everything.
In the country, all is brutishness, ignorance, Stupidity.
Books are held in uo esteem, newspapers are scarcely cared
for, science is uncultivated, even the ordinary doinestic
progress noticed in Eiugland and Scotland is unknown in
provincial France. Frenchmen are quite right when they
talk of Paris as a city of art and literature—the home of
science and skill ; but when they call France, as they do at
least once a day, the foremost nation of the earth, Eng-
land and America may well afford to smile with pity.

TORY EXPECTATIONS.—The administration of Lord
Palmerston is tottering. It was never more than pro-
visional, and every day's experience shows it to be totally
unfit to conduct the public business in the new epoch
which the restoration of peace has inaugurated. With its
fall there must be a reconstruction of parties. Politicians
will have to choose a side, and the vessel of the state will
have to obey the guidance of either a liberal or conserva-
tive helm. The contingency is not distant ; whatever
hypocrites may feign or placemen whisper, it is near at
hand. A premier, tory by sentiment and liberal by con-
nection, was possible only when the public mind was
turned wholly from domestic to foreign politics. The first
fortnight of the present session has shown that his cabinet
is totally incompetent to conduct the business of legislation
imperatively demanded by public necessities. How can
a government pretend to conduct the affairs of the empire'
which, in a representative assembly of 658 members
cannot, on a question of political principle, command 40
votes ? Such a Government must be useless ; it can
accornplish'nothing ; it can exist only as a negation. A
crisis is at hand. which must materially influence our
political fortunes. _The conservatives must be prepared to
meet it with firm front and united mind. Indecision now
may be more fatal to them than at any previous period of
their existence as a party. It will show them not without
influence indeed, but without spirit to exert it, and will
stimulate the introduction of a new reform bill to sweep
away a political connection which has lost its use as a
controlling power in the state; able and willing to assume
the responsibilities of government when the necessity for
a change of systeni and of men has arisen.— The Press.

THE TEA DUTIES REVIEWED.—The history of the
changes in the tea duty is strikingly suggestive of the
evils to which any trade coming within the sphere of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer's operations is liable. In
1853, after two months of daily expectation, the duty was
reduced from 2s 2id to is 10d, and, according to the act
then passed, it was to be is 6d in 1854, is 3d in 1855, and
is in 1856. Ia consequence of the Russian war, it was
scarcely expected that the reduction of 1855 would take
effect, and accordingly no opposition was made to a bill
suspending; the operation of the Tea Duties Reduction
Act till one year after the conclusion of the war. The
bill had not become law for a fortnight, before a resolu-
tion of the House of Commons raised the duty from Is 6d
to is 9d. By the act following on this resolution, the
duty should be reduced on the 6th of April next to Is 3d
per lb. Government now propose it shall be Is 7d, to be
reduced year by year till 1860, when it is to be fixed at
ls. What makes the case of the tea trade still more
strong is that, in answer to direct enquiries, and in
incidental discussions on the Income Tax, government
have intimated more than -once within the last three
months that the reduction to is 3d should take ei7eet on the
6th of April next. On the faith of this, immense opera-
tions have taken Flace, both in the home market, and, it
is believed, in China. The prospect of the ultimate
reduction to is is certainly not very bright after the
experience of the last two years, especially looking to
the ominous circumstance that it is proposed to take
effect the same year as the extinction (?) of the Income