The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-02-14 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL GALLERY.

Mr. Otway asked the First Lord of the Treasury
whether it was the case that Mr. Ford, one of the Royal
Commissioners appointed to determine ,the site of the
National Gallery, had resigned his appointment, and, if
sot whether it was the intention of her Majesty's Govern-
ment to recommend any other .gentleman for the vacant
office. •

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said it was true Mr.
Ford had resigned his office, and that there was no inten,
tion on the part of the government to fill it upw

SUPPLY.

On the motion that the Speaker leave the Chair,
Mr. Lkyard called attention to our relations with
r.ersia, aud-gave as his reason for the notice ho had given
the extraordinary character of the proceedings of he
Government, that of commencing and concluding war
Without consulting the house, and.also that he disa,pororel
of our Central Asian policy. He asked the noble lord
seriously if a debate on Persian affairs would l'nterfere
with the negoeiations for peace, because, if so, he 1111/St
content himself with protesting against the course that
had bean pursued by the Government with reference to
Persia.

_
Lord Palmerston said. it was impossible to say what
would be the result of a thing that had not happened.
At. present he thought if the- Government were in
negotiation a debate might have a very injurious effcct.
It was the desire of the Government to conclude a peace
that should be durable and advantageous to both countries.
Mr. Bailie asked the Government to lay on the table of
the house the ultimatum sent to Persia before declaring
war. This G-Ivernmeht said it was in consequence of the
Persians attacking Herat, whilst ti-e Persians repudiated
that it was the- case.

Lerd Palmerston said it would be impossible for him to
comply with the request, because it would be detrimental to
the negotiations of peace.
Mr. Roebuck said, the boasted supervision of this house
appeared• to be at an erld by the course adopted by the
Government. The house knew nothing, and know that
they ought not to know any anything. If they put a
question on a subject before -any mischief happened, they
were told by the. GoVernment that they were to 6 soon.
When the thing was going on, that they were meddling at
a wrong time, and when it was oVer, that they were too
late. When, he asked were they to put a question ?
Lord John Russell thought the course that had bean
adopted by the G3vernment with reference to the Persian
war, very unusual. Under the circumstances, hmtever, he
thought it was, hot desirable to dincuse the question, now
that negotiations for peace were pending, and the Govern-
ment were. acting right, in withholding the papers. The
result of the negotiations must soon be known. They hid
the been discussed at Constantinople, sod principles wore
well known to the respective governments.
Mr. Gladstone admitted the turtle of the remarks of Lord
J. llusselli and the, desire of Mr..Layard•not to etabarrass
the government, but there were questions connected with
the subject anterior to the war, that of the government
going to war with a foreign power--(bear, hear)—without
the,knowleclge and consent of parliament, that might be
discussed without injuring the-negotiations for peace. The
house could not be precluded yy anything said ordone that
night from entering into the cause of the 'war, but it was
desirable to abstain from discussing' questions ageeting
the negotiations for peace.
Mr. Disraeli said that whilst the house could not with-
hold. its forbearance relative to these negotiations, yet the
house ought to view with jealousy the course pursued,
because they might find that the war with Persia might
continue dining these negotiations, and -the government
make it a reason for preventing their conduct from being
canvassed by the house. He asked for the productson of
the papers with reference to the Two Sicilies.
After some remarks from Mr. M. Gibson, -

The subject dropped, and the house went into c?mmittee.

THE. BUDGET.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer commenced
his statement -by remarking that he had acceded
to the request of the house out of.the usual course,
ana.h6 'begged to .remind them that this was the
earliest day on which it could be done, and.
no committee .of ways and means had = sat.

The committee must be satisfied there had
been no reluctance on his part' to lay.
before :the house the annual financial state-
ment. (Hear, hear) In. . ordinary times it was
necessary' that' the 'army and navy estimates.
sltotol haVe precedenee, but on unusual cases, such
as this, a eentrary course -should be adopted.. It;
was the course of Government -to state the I'l-
- expenditure for the year, and how it should
be met, and, there were certain expenses that might
be postponed from one year to another, and-others
that required, snore 'Or lesi, on which a reasneable,
discretion might be had. That time hal nOW"
arrived when they had returned to a' rastficted
expenditure, and it was but necessary the
lieu's° should wish to know the. state- of,
the- finances of the Country. Aler alluding
to-the remarks of Sir J. Ramsden, in.moving the
address relative to the Chancellor of the Ex-
cheqtrer's.position with his budget, said it was a
far more agreeable task for him to perform this
year than in corresponding years, when he had to
ask for the imposition of•additional taxes and !Tina
with which to meet the expenditure of the country
•Fle called the attention of the committee'try the.
expenditure and revenue, from sthApril,'lBs6,,and.
ending sth April, 1857, not merely for the purpose
of comparison and information, but to remove Anis-
aPprehension relative to 'the taxation .and expendi-
ture of that year. In the statement he made last
Saseien, after Easter, he estimated the revenue of
the current year at £71,740,000, and estimated
receipt was. somewhat above it, £71,885,000. -The
article that had proved less than the estimate was
in the customs. He estimated it at £23,850,000,
and-the probable result would be,..£23,600,000, the
deficiencies being on the short stoelc of sugar and
on teas. The expehditure, including the loan to
Sardinia Orono million, was estiniated'at £82,113,000,
giving a deficiency of £10,373,000, includinfect mar-
gin of £'2,000,000. Dednating that from the defi-
'ciency on the estimated 'expenditure included in the
votes of'the house, left a deficiency of 8,370,0001. To
cover that deficiency the Government was. em-
powered to effect certain, loans, and 1.499,0001. was
raised, being part of a loan for five millions effected
after Easter last, and there had been an issue of
one million of Exchequer bill's; making a' total of
7,499,000 i. borrowedlmoney • The, house had also.
given the Government power to 'borrow four
lions, but they had only borrowed one million,
,and
intended to • surrender the remainder of the
exercise Of' those . powers. (Hear, hear.) The
total receipts from revenue, loans, and :ex-
chequer bills, had been 79,084,000/., and. the,ao4lal
expenditure, 'including the 'payment of, a. loan
to Sardinia would, probably amount to 78 millions,-
leaving a balance •of 1,384,0001. (Hear, •hear.)
It had been said that they were now • keeping
up war taxes in a time of peace, but it was not so;
and although the country was not actually at.
war, they had to meet extraordinary charges
consequent on the war, and in addition to those
extraordinary payments there 'had . been. one
million paid of the second instalMent to Sar-
dinia, and there had been paid for the redemp ion of
an hereditary pension to the extent of £9.1,000. In
addition to these extraordinary payments, the war
tax on malt had been reduced to the extent of
£220,000, and there had been . paid for last
year's drawback £BOO,OOO, making the loss on
that article of upwards of a million, so that it
was not right. to -say that, no , reduction - ofi. tax-
ation had taken place since the conclusion of peace.
To show the elasticity of the resources of this coun-
try on. the removal of the pressure of war, he
quoted the amount of-British' exports. • In- 1856
they exceeded all that of previous years, having
reached 116 millions, being an iricrease of twenty
millions, or 20 'per cent. on the exports of -1855,
and of £1,695,730, or 17 per cent. over thOse of
1853, the year immediately preceding the war. T'oe
British and Irish exports were in 1853 of the value

of £98,330,000, which in 1855 fell to £95,688,000
whilst they rose last year to £115,890,000, In,
manufactures, he found that in, textile arrieles..,the
exports in 1853 were of .the value of £52 900,000
in 1855 they were £51,123,000 ; whilst in 1856 they
rose.to £59,915,000. In metal fabrics of all kinds'
the exports in 1853 were £19,563,000, and in 1855
they fell to £17,892,000, whilst they rose in 1856 to
£23,509,000. Theimports of raw cotton in 1853 were
746,709,000 lbs.; in 1855; '767,806,000 lbs..; and in.
1856, 877,814,000 lbs, showing that they had
doubled since 1849 ; and if they compared it with
the Efirst year of peace after 1815, they found