The Sun.
London, England, 1839-07-06 00:00:00

there were 91,000 at an expense of 3,900,0001. In
1799 there were 114,000, at an expense of 4,170,0001.
In 1800, there were 53,000 men. In 1810, 35,000
men ; in 1820, 20,090 ; and in 1839, on the the Ist of
January, 16,347 ; and on the 15th June, there were
but 10,000 ; a number less than was ever known hp-
fore in Ireland.----( Hear, hear, hear.) It hats
been that state of -Ireland which has enabled the
Government to afford the expenditure for Canada. If
we had required 35,000 men for Ireland, as we did in
1810, you could not have increased the Canadian es-
tablishment to its present amount of 12,000. Sir, I
have endeavoured to show the comparison between the
estimated amount of income and expenditure of last year
with the actual amount. Now I shall proceed by anti.
cipation to state the income and expenditure of the next
year. I have already shown to the House that on the
estimates there is an increase of 919,000/. The esti-
mate of Customs, returned to me by the parties, and
which I have the most perfect reason to trust to as
being correct, testing it with the anticipations of previous
years, is 21,500,0001. The income of the Excise, taken
upon the average of the last three years, which, as I told
the Committee would bring me within a few thousands
of the actual receipts of last year, will be 13,845,000/.
The income on stamps I take at 7,054,000/. Taxes,
3,694,000/. ; Post•office, 1,583,000/. ; Miscellaneous,
250,000/. ; to which is to be added, Crown Lands,
200,0001.—making a total of income of 48,128,0001.
Now, Sir, I wish to say a word on the subject of the
Crown Land Revenue, because the House has a right
to expect an explanation upon this subject, if any
Hon. Gentleman participates in the misapprehensions
and mistakes made in respect to it out of the walls of
this House. It has been suggested that the Government
bring, under the colour of Crown Land Revenue, not
revenue or income, but principal arising out of the sale
of Crown Lands. Why, Sir, if we did any such thing
without stating that to the House and explaining it,
we sho'uld be guilty of a fraud upon the public.
It is no such thing---the whole amount of the Crown
Land Revenue that is brought to the public credit is
that which arises out of the income of the Crown Lands,
and as some Hon. Gentlemen may say, why does it now
appear when it has not previously appeared? I will observe
it did not previously appear, because it was mortgaged
tor a very considerable debt for public improvements ;
and on the paying off of that debt, it becomes a matter
of revenue, and is now brought into the account. If
there is any Hon. Member not satisfied with this state-
ment, I wish he would renew the subject, and show me
in what way he misapprehends or misconceives it, be-
cause after this misapprehension has been cleared up
here, there has been a suggestion made that the public
accounts were mystified, for the purpose of lead-
ing them astray. Now I come to the expendi-
ture for the next year. The interest on the debt and
Exchequer Bills amount to 29,000,000/. The charges
on the Consolidated Fund I take at the same
amount as I did last year, 2,400,000/. The
Army at 6.563,000/. ; the Navy 5,197,000/. ; the
Ordnance. 1,782,000/. ; the Miscellaneous 2,652,000/.,
making a total expenditure of 47,988,000/., or showing
a surplus on that account, which I am sorry to say
is but very small, of 140,000/. That makes provision
for all that is included in the 900,000/. of increased
estimates, but it does not make any provision for
the 1,000,000/. comprehending the unprovided estimates
for Canada—not covered either by the ordinary vote,
or covered by the vote of 900,000/. Uundoubtedly
this is not a state of things which can be considered as
satisfactory ; and if I considered that those extra ex-
penses in Canada were of a permanent character, it
would be my duty to come down to this House and
propose an increase of the permanent income of the
country, by the introduction of taxes, so as to
meet that expense. But in the first place, the
House will recollect that this 1,000,000/. does
not apply itself wholly to the services of the
present year, but that, about 500,000/., is arrears
for services unprovided for in the two antecedent
years. The House will also have the goodness to
recollect that the whole of this extra expenditure
is not an expenditure which we can contemplate
as part of the permanent charge on this country.
God forbid that Canada should continue in its present
state, and God grant that we may see the time when

these expenses will be reduced. If these expenses have
been increased by reason of occurrences of a temporary
nature. I do not think that I am called upon, or that it
would be prudent or likely that I should ask the House
to incur the responsibility of voting a permanent tax,
and therefore, I intend to propose—which I shall do when
I lay on the table of the House any account of this ex-
penditure it may call for—l propose to provide for
that by a vote of Exchequer Bills, or a vote of credit,

that may sustain that amount. I shall not now go into
the arguments on that point, because I don't mean to
ask the opinion of the House upon that at present.
I cannot leave this part of the subject, without stating
that whilst there are some matters in the recital I have
made I admit that are not satisfactory, yet there are
considerations involved in them which the House will
do well to turn its attention to. This time twelve-
months the balance sheet was 1,428,0001. On the 10th
of October it was reduced to 795,000/. ; and on the
sth of April, 1839, it was reduced to 430.0001. Un-
doubtedly, therefore, there was every reason to think,
if there were not violent disturbances to interrupt the
industry of the country, that the cause of the present
good would go on progressively. If it bad not been for the
state of disburbanccs at the present moment, the finan-
cial system of the .country would be very different from
what it is at present.—(Hear, hear.) I should have
had nothing to explain, I should have had no appeal
to make to the credit of the country, for that appeal is
only made in consequence of the extraordinary circum-
stances that have created it. There are undoubtedly
circumstances connected with many of the great interests
of the country, which it behoves the House and the
public to deal with financially, and with great prudence,
for although there are indications of good which I hope
may come to maturity, there is no gentleman who con-
siders the circumstances of the last year and the pre-
ceding one, and the possible contingency of the harvest
before us, who cannot feel some doubt as to the
chance that exists of that harvest turning out well.
—(Hear, hear, hear.) Undoubtedly, on the one
hand it is satisfactory to find that the value of our
produce in manufactures has increased very consider-
ably during the last year as compared with the previous
one ; in fact, with the exception of 1836, which was a
year in which they singularly increased, there has not
been such an increase known for some time as in
the present ; the value of manufacturing pro-
duce has increased from 42,000,0001. to 50,000,0001.
this year, and there has been the same ratio of in-
crease during the first five months of the present year
as compared with the first five months of 1836.
But, at the same time, Sir, I cannot but feel that if',
for instance, the value of money becomes necessarily
increased, and the price of food becomes largely in-
cre,ised, the revenue not only may, but must be lessened
indeed.—( Hear, hear.) And until the lessening of the
amount of the revenue, and with the increased demand
for the article of food, derived from abroad, I need not
point out to gentlemen the diMculty to which thii coun-
try may be exposed.—( Hear, hear.) Sir, I hold in my
hand a return, to which I might possibly have referred
when the Right Hon. Gentleman asked me the ques-
tion with respect to the Corn bill. I showed him how

very little productive the Corn bill had been during the
past year ; but lie has a right to know the quantity
of foreign corn which has been introduced. The wheat
and flour imported from the month of August, 1838, to
the month of May, 1839, has amounted to 2,591,000
quarters, and the estimated value. as nearly as it could
be approached, is about 7,126,0001. ; and it is a most
curious coincidence, which I merely refer to, and if any
Hon. Gentleman feels any kind of apprehension upon a
point of such great interest to the country, I ask
him to have the goodness to compare this im-

portation on an occasion, not brought on by
any steady trade, not in consequence of any
steady demand, but upon an occasion of necessity,
to be paid for in money—if he will have the goodness to
compare the importation of wheat with the diminished
bullion in the Bank of England, as shown by the Bank
returns which are publicly stated, he will find a coinci-
dence which suggests many important considerations.—
(Hear, hear.) Sir, I allude to them as bearing on my
question of revenue and nothing more, because if the
effect of this pressure upon the Bank is to enhance the
value of money in the country—if its effect is to lower
prices—to diminish manufacturing power, and to cripple
the productive industry of the country, it will neces-
sarily and inevitably lead to a diminution of the revenue
deposits
while it seriously affects the best interests of the labouring
classes. In speaking of the state and condition of the work-
ingandstof t
11 e
in
the
people
of England than the way in which they have practically
labouring classes in the financial statement, it has
been usual to referthe practical
(t oatlr a t
hear.) I say, Sir, that nothing
i
good
ofoa the
sense
has more
Savings
shownßanks He
resisted the inducements heid out to them by ill-inten-
tinned and evil-minded persons to make a run upon the
Savings Banks. The Chartists, as they call them-
selves—or I should say some of them, for there are
many of them who would not join in so wicked a plan—
tried, with great and untiring zeal, to excite a disposi-
tion to make a run upon the Savings Banks, and in a
few instances their evil-intentioned attempts met with
success. Although some apprehension was felt at the
time, yet I relied with confidence upon the good and
right feeling of that class which constitutes the deposi-
tors in Savings Banks, and I was not disappointed.—
( Cheers.) The parties who had been induced to with-
draw their deposits had been the sufferers, for they
found out that it was much easier to withdraw
their money than to lodge it again.—(Hear, hear.)
The results which I am about to read will show the
House that the mass of the depositors in Savings Banks
knew their own interest too well to be led astray by
demagogues.—(Cheers.) I have got here a comparison
between the years 1837 and 1838. In the former year
the receipts, exclusive of interest, was 998,0001., the
drafts 810,0001.—in 1838 the receipts were 1,495,0001.,
the amount of drafts, 468,0001.—(L0ud cheers)—that
was including the whole year. I have another way of
Provirks the same gratifying result in the most satisfac-
tory manner, ai.-A tt grill prove the very slight effect
which popular excitement produpe4 nppn the public