The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-05 00:00:00

GOLD.

Mr. SPOONER wished to ask the Chancellor of the
Exchcquer, if it be true that the late Government en-
tered into an agreement with the house of RAhschild
relative to the assaying and smelting of gold; and if so,
if he has any objection to lay the agreement, and any
correspondence relating to sneh agreement, on the table
of the House?

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
there was an agreement with Sir Antony Rothschild,
but not with the house of Rothschild; and he should
have no objection to produce a copy of the contract.
There WAS no correspondence.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT.
Mr. HUM E said the income-tax expired to-day, and
ho should be glad to know what was intended to be
done with regard to it? The Income-tax Committee
was now sitting.—(llear, hear.) . --
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said ho
proposed:to make his financial statement on the 19th inst.,
and the subject to which the lion. Member referred
would of course be embraced in the statement.—(Hear.)
THE NAVY.

Captain SCOBELL wished to ask a question of the
Hon. Secretary of the Admiralty, with the view of
correcting a mistake which he had fallen into in re-
ference to the navy. The other night the Hon. Gentle-
man gave the House a statement of the naval forces
of England, France, and Russia; when he placoditho total
f3rce of France at 257 vessels, and that of England
at 236; and while the largo steamers of Franco
were placed at 61, those of England wore given at 57.
Now, he apprehended there must be some mistake in
this, and he therefore wished to have the figures cor-
rected.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. A. STAFFORD said there was no mistake in the
figures; but it should bo remembered that the 236
vessels which England had at her disposal were
only those in service or fit for service. We
could not, of course, tell if 257 vessels which France
had were useless, but the figures represented all they
had,
Mr. COBDEN wanted to know if the Hon. Member
both good and bad.—(Hear, hoar.)
could give the House the amounts which this country
expended on its navy?
Mr. A. STAFFORD was not prepared to do so.
MINISTERIAL EXPLANATIONS.
On the motion that the Speaker do leave the chair for
going into Committee of Supply.
Ml' B. OSBORNE said it was incumbent upon
some independent Member of the House to draw the
and as no other
Chancellor of the Exchequer out.—(Hear, and a laugh.)
The position
of
" affairs was very anomalous indeed,
Without any desire for 5.
-
why he supposed he must.—(Cries t (Cries of " Hear, hear.")
Member would undertake the task
f factions opposition, .
the anomalous state yet he thought
calling attention towish to
remind the House ofthe subject. He did no
thisthings in the House justifiedt his
made in another place
Governmente i
they intende give
but before they broke up for the
holidays he thought i't declaration which had been
of thetoncumbent upon some Mem-
berthe policy
for the Prime Minister to be in exceedingly
some outline of
future.—(Hear, hear.) It wasto
many of his explanations could not rightlybehethler
pursue 1
iotise,fboroca
inconvenientuthsee
in this Househ;adbuwt
raicttcoottrdtion
which Lord
gAtueitria,etter
now,
I)
ia,titi:uloxnudleodrf understood
Maimsbury
that the Earl ooafonodadDeorohbooyenestothfo uotgxhheti
intthaetion)eat way
pursue,
tgoi
rose caurefratohiec
principles ?—(llc3ar.) Well,
surely the best course for a P
if ho wished to cehtain the confidence of his own to
was to give a fr ank and candid avowal of his pro
country,
to the Douse of Commons ; and he, therefore,calledpriticiples
upon the Bight Honourable Gentleman
the
Chancellor of the Exchequer to give some outline
of his future policy.—(Heur, hear.) Some time
Prime Ailinistthat Zarae tis:
they were told. that :the Parliament would be dissolved
agold
so soon as the pressing public business could be disposed°ve
of. But what was meant by pressing public businesses?
—(Heer, hear.) An India Committee had been moved
for, a Militia Bill had been brought in, and to-ei ht
they had had a slight instance of the over-e3al whichi
one member of the Government could betray
in the cause of reform. (Hear, hear.) What
were they the n to understand by the indefinite
term " pressing public business?" According to the
Noble Lord fit the head of the Government it
meant anything or nothing; and it appeared to him
that the course which the Noble Lord wanted to
follow rather resembled the cunning of the cock-pit than
the boll defence of the tilt-.yard—(A laugh)—or looked
' more like th© trickery of Newmurket people than the
chivalry of Ctillotlen,a Field.—(lloar, and a laugh.)
When a Govornment had pocketed supplies under false
he thought . the time had come when they
oughtp r ete n
toe 1
1,
ave some explanation on those great subjects
which agitated the public mind. What did they intend
to do with the Maynooth Grant? Ile denied that
any
ono could understand what the Earl of Derby meant
the other night when he replied to a question on the
subject. Already
a of the Govern-
ment were committing
themselves agginet the Maynooth
many of the supporter
grant.
_;__ The conduct of the GoTerument in rospoo to