The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-03 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

ROUSE OF LORDS—(YESTERDAY.)
INDIA.
lard WHARNCLIFFE, pursuant to notice, pre-
Sheffield a petition from the corporati.on of cutlers at
uemeld on the subject of the internal improvement and
Public works in India. The petitioners were one of the
most ancient corporations in this country, and of all.
coaatries in the world to which the cutlery of England
Was
exPerted India It was;
taef.e,. was the largest consumer
ore, natural that the cutlers of Sheme
affecting India ;
4 he believed that the prayer of the petition which h. e
t 7 to present was in accordance with public opinion in
18
country, The petitioners first pointed out that
Was the imperative duty of the Government of India
t') promote the cultivation of the soil ; and they sug-
gested that there should be a more permanent fixing
otio the land tax. There had been a controversy as
a_ the extent to which this tax pressed upon the
acOple and obstructed their progress. The next
tineat uuto Which the petitioners directed attention was
the ancial proceedings of the Government. One of
great difficulties of the Indian Government was,
zaat they had to provide some millions of money ; and,
,:uane!?g other methods, they adopted the course ofds adoa
anfl g money by hypothecation upon the goods
When his noble friend (the Earl of le
to°4°llsgtellf
) was at the head of the government of India he
dis Ps to put an end to that practice, and sent. a
Patch to
recommending that it should be dig-
Zilatillied• An order was issued in 1850 which entirely
a/0:8"ed the practice, and it was too be hoped that it
111(1 not be revived under any circumstances. It was
0-1'144 adopted when the company was still a trading
filarPoration. Since the last act passed, the trade of India
ta,,inereased 240 per cent., and it was now to be hoped
the
°"raaany could fid means, through the ordi-
it.arY channels, of remitting their money without reslortes-
ifkl6a'U so objectionable a practice as placing themse v
07'e position of traders. The next point to which the
aFti"ers alhided was the most important—it was that
tolinlternal improvement. A good deal had been said on
t
mi: Company of the question. The Government and the East
aad '''')uiPany said that a great deal had been done
the more was in the course of achievement ; whilst on
tia other hand severe criticism said it was a scandal both
lad-the Indian government and the country that so little
8
aaateen effected. (Hear.) Neither of these state-
ea;• ' believed, conveyed the correct view, of the
bee; within the last ten years there had, no doubt,
tat 18i.: greater desire to promote internal improvements,
don all had not been done that ought to have been
greate The lower province of Bengal consisted of a
afreaansalluam- 1 tract through which
.two enormous
attainta °f the continent found their way, and it
3,00"Illed about 40,000,000 of souls. There were
Wae miles of embankment on the rivers, but it
a. c ,111 a most dilapidated state. Some years ago
lto rat mission was issued for the purpose of examining
o
h he embankments and informing the Government
l'Ablet far it was possible to repair and renew them.
snalr:Corssion was composed of a fourth-rate English
a4aee,r, a captain in the Indian service, and a
!raja' gentleman, and their sole report was that they
tba the work: in an efficient state, and they
a aught the best thing to be done was to leave them "in
bat tt,Es) nature.'.' (A. laugh.) There were some canals,
madueY were so choked as to be almost useless ; and
eas to the roads, there was the grand trunk road,
of th aabont. 20 years ago, from Calcutta up the Valley
try..! Ganges, 1,450 miles into the interior of the coun-
ttie rtlne expenditure, which had been authorised by
lao6a'„rnteent, upon this road, amounted to about.
%tie "ID& - It was the great military line of commum-
ha la
aadth but there were several wide and deep streams to
ere werean bres. Two brides,
• la
aearsa s)0 Mlles of Calcutta, y y , had beenidg washed away sogme
place ao'o, and not a single effort had been made to re-
iem. In the evidence before the committee of
laea,aacelse of Commons in 1841, upon the roads in
etiat-ainic was stated, by a gentleman of grdeatiex,petrhie-
Ntlej knowledge, that on
.one occasion
10011 during the
acia war, it was thought desirable to send ffi
seaa`a Calcutta to the scene of operations, to which the
t trunk road was a direct line. The officers
Itto travel in palanquins, and it was necessary
• fre relays of 7,200 bearers, who travelled at the rate
ba,,,O,ed lir miles an hour ; but notwithstanding all the
advantages of the trunk road, only 30 of the
ato;Cars arrived at their destination in time. In the
calciallee of Delhi there were two great irrigating canals,
taxa' aa athe East Jumna and the West Jumna. These
tar uad been taken in hand by the Government, and.
alatllllB had been expended on them. The canals in
°lll-171°11 h the Ganges extended, in length over
11111farundravdit miles. There was no doubt but that works
(lain-ls kind were of the greatest -value. It had been
ladr- -a-m' and not without force, that the Government of
lads" Could not engage in great works, while they
bill to bear the expenses incident to heavy wars ;
sttA,le (Lord Wharncliffe) was convinced, from the
qO-1401), he had given to the matter, that the Indian
a;rerninent had mistaken their interest in not having
since steadily, perseveringly, and in spite of all
public• si peal euusyt leidividotewdrrihthethe necessary sums for works of
ditiffiraceulhtadrabiseeentheinndeeceed, when the
COuthat ssary sums ;
tc,eldwhaes
done,now naoodlonthgeart thethe case. That these things
people of India were not
k_ating in enterprise the following fact would show.
i:r:iglish engineer had succeeded in building a sus-
taara'n bridge over one of the rivers, from resources en-
with Government. He had got the
theaLand the necessary people together for executing
matter 3 and, by dint of perseverance, had carried the
The to
a successful issue.
tba4aef, ELLENBOROUGH hoped the bridge of
a'tePte ,el4oole -earl had spoken would never be at-
ha•
ve to (ICP3aLise if they built it upon piers, it would
Y had live live- miles long instead of three. Besides, as
carne to to dig thirty 'feet through sand before() theyfee
lice solid foundation, and as the wateorfweeatsh3igh,
sot
than,the piers would have to be about
million
enonaVvas out of the question that a
toillsiounppwooseuldthbaet
ra.aaa for the work. It was futileto A
llahabad ; for
thoaalYs could be carried across
rivers were
Besides, the
aolllB,a the engineers had subdued. the land the waters
• " subdue the engineers. _
a?shifting a character.
from the streams they were
Why he had seen bridges in
ita-4 three.quarters of a mile
al elided to span. (Laughter.) He was once attempt-
ifig,,to am. by a bridge and found that it suddenly ended
(Laughter.) The rivers
Ive‘ae middle of the water.peculiarly
fine sand that a wattle
atll:e so filled with
divert them from their
would be sufficientad to
course.o4 The Mahome ans had built bridges, and fine
the they were too ; but then they were a long way'off
,The livers. (A laugh.)
t the Indian
Earindia
no fAe s EIVIARLE admitted that he was one
Lsißmists ; but he was glad to see the shualai-
Itt of roads and bridges at last taken up. Seneca
ha:d that a Roman never conquered. but he inhabited, and
awnever inhabited without making roads to the very
t 4 of hisp • ce. He (the noble earl) doubted the
icabilit roofvsmetting aside. 10 per cent. for improve-
nts in India. Twenty millions was the revenue. of the
Ten per cent. upon that would be two milriOns.
-4a7 this out of a revenue the normal state of which was
ba',eit, and which never deviated into a surplus. The
et the of thepublic works in India was an item
'5l; "ue grievances which the natives of India laid to the
aaarge of their rulers. He held in his hand statistical
.Tera relating to India, printed for the Court of Direc-
saaahich showed the amount of the expenditure on
4blic works in India. The amount in 1849-50 was
Tb
h ,Cl'°°°/. There was a little attempt at mystification
aee• The return was for 15 years, but the estimate
igcl was exactly double the expenditure for 1849.
atfle table baron who presented the petition had called
r attention to the trunk road from Calcutta to Delhi,
4t-;fr,ont thence to Peshawur. Of this road only
the 'lles of the 1,423 had been completed, and as far as
statement showed the remainder had not been begun.
Itselle the road front Bombay to Agra was begun in 1840.
eot was 734 miles, but whether it was finished or
130,04 not stated. Here then was the Calcutta and
168 ay mail road, which was 1,170 miles, but of this
ataat'ad- been previously constructed. In 1845 the
,dircted that 1,002 miles of road should be con-
ava,itd for the transmission of the mails. A summary
taaarerr of all these roads. They were to be 3,059
Toad 4,1 length, and to cost 2,964,0001. for construction,
but, a-rk a-year for repairs. AM this was to be done,
Ilftia-3-7" all, what did it amcant to One-seventh part
41rulaike roads in England and Wales for a coun-
for a.e•vela times as big. He should on a future day move
.!raalsretluill of the number of miles of road fit for the
I.LI thP:rt of goods by coach, and used for that purpose,
-mfr of Madras, and a similar return for
The
•
zo subject then dropped.
13111 SEA ANNUITIES COMMUTATION
th BILL.
Motion for
e goinga into committee on this bill,
"aiNVILLE understood to say that he
aralvaileci several noble lords wished to speak on this bill,
reaaaria.suggested that they should do so on the third
After
'Lora a few words from Lord MONTEAGLE,
114‘p ST. LEONARDS (who, as usual, spoke in so
,errtalle of voice as to be all but inaudible in the
_g.al-
suitaaw, ;a's understood to object to the bill as excluding
naitaes 41 Chancery, whose funds were in South Sea An-
alaacie_es or Consols, from the advantages which other
alte~atholdera-vaould have in taking either of three
redlicattavfered, via., to take an interest of 31 with a
Capital; an interest of 21 per cent., with an
.t.„ to the capital; or Exchequer Bonds. He would
Ile aroain,e progress of the bill with great jealousy ; and
aaa.n ula call upon their lordships to insist on suitors in
eve, cerY being placed •
y otherexactly the same position as
ieleha,oetaJOgtio ,skhonido'eire.ss.ile did not ask more for them, and
ay
`a[tp CHANCELLOR referred to detailed °b-
ud appeared to have been made by the noble
and lea
°Peration
0, fiord, and undertook, in regard to the
suitors in
Chance
bill so far as it affected holders being
Zast, bye framingi ra- in. Consols, that he would do his ut-
, e eaagrinie Special and general order, to meet all
(.Zr fi it tau
Chauceroet
nit'cre• ;Viire case,
and to procure equal justice
'rirad thata.rhs:sitteooartshe operations of the bill, so
Awnonoulidt i se
phloaledeedr se hneo
con-
ga
n
un-
tnntation bill
_ Position whatever This was unlike all other corn-
.."titehiltahtSvsseasit(o)frWlainadne
holders , Bin this respect, that it provided that the
understo seeryle)etcotuoldremdeaciloinefaanstaa-
touf
qtulioe,
dme stock, on the same conditions (So we
Lead the noble and learned lord.) • rianiaa, ST.W, LEONARDS was satisfied with the expla-
ta the
areuich the noble and learned lord had given as
and lerate,Pi
jun sotti e
Pint. But on the second point, the noble
Ohba
en r
y forgotthatshoul
pension lord seemed to be under a misappre-
saanaeorace ;it.ttor
hereqsuuirhejdeet thtaot
ptional excl •
usion applied to no other holders
1

HOUSE OF COIVEVIONS--(YESTERDAY.)
THE BUDGET—ADJOURNED DEBATE.
( Continued front our Third Edition of last evening. )1
Sir F. KELLY opposed the resolutions before the
house on the ground that they formed part of a scheme
of taxation, which was pregnant with new,
landedenlar
d,
and intolerable burdens on the already oppressed
interest ; because they sought to extend the income
tax to Ireland, without any justification or any
political or other necessity ; and because they sought
to perpetuate, or continue for the unprecedented period
of 7 years the income tax, with all those intolerable ine-
qualities which had brought discredit on the Legisad suf-
lature
and under which So many classes of the people h
fered.
Mr. LOWE, remarking that Sir F. Kelly's speech had
not been addressed to the amendment, proceeded to deal
with his arguments, amusing the committee by showing
to what they led, and describing the deduction of Sir
F. Kelly really to be that every person in every schedule
of the income tax was entitled to a large reducti
and on.
He admitted that any tax was unjust per se in
answer to the demand for graduation, contended that
what Mill had laid down as the abstract justice of
taxation, namely, the requiring equal sacrifices
was impossible. He confessed that
from all parties,
some of the flagrant errors might be corrected, and
schedule D might, for instance, be dealt with ; but we
should thereby introduce a new element into the system,
and no longer ask what income a man had, but how he
obtained it, and we should immediately hive a revolution
and social war in each of the schedules. He, for example,
had a small property in Australia, which he would not ex-
change for one of the same value in London, and it would
become a matter of complaint that his income was acci-
dentally derived under more favourable circumstances
than an English one. Such a principle would lead the
subdivision of classes until all the alphabet would be
pressed into the schedules, and the tax be frittered away.
As regarded Ireland, he said that the fact shortly was,
that the service for the year was inexorable, and if Ireland
did not pay the 400,000/. some one must, and that must
be Great Britain. What claim had Ireland to make Great
Britain her tributary ? The Government scheme was
founded on the principle of free trade, which was more
valuable even than free trade itself—namely, social and
financial equality, and the doctrine that no portion of the
people ought to be taxed for the benefit of another. As
regarded the Conseliclated Annuities, some parts of Ireland
were charged with them, others not. T former surely
received ample advantage ; and as for the latter, instead
of their complaining of the hardship that an undistressed
part of the country, which had been advancing in pros-
perity, was taxed like the rest, as they ought to have been
long ago, they ought to be thankful that they were not
charged with arrears. He sarcastically remarked upon
the hardship of taking a burden off a poor cottier to put it
upon a man with at least 1001. a year. Denying that this
was a "rate-in-aid," and declaring that it was an Imperial
tax for Imperial purposes, ho demanded whether the word
Union was a meaningless formula ; and urged that we
were not entering into a convention with a foreign country.
He observed that it would have been easy for Mr. Glad-
stone to have got rid of three-fourths of the speeches in
this debate, if ho had chosen to deal with the income tax
as the late overnment had proposed to do, and had stooped
to mean truckling to gain a temporary popularity.
Mr. Sergeant MURPHY contendedthat it was clear from
the disposition of the English Parliament, that an income
tax for Ireland was inevitable • and, therefore, that it was
better to take it at the hands of those who would also give
good government than from those in whom he had less con-
fidence. There was a reasonable guarantee for its extinc-
tion in 1860. The remission of the consolidated annuities
was a very important boon, and he would only look at the
question as one affecting the whole of Ireland. He also
remarked upon the advantage Ireland had derived from
free trade, while paying no tax.
Mr. ROCHE did not think the income tax the most un-
just tax existing, and pointed out the equal injustice of
the incidence of marry indirect taxes; and he believed that
in 1860 the balance on the Chancellor of the Exchequer's
plan would be in favour of Ireland. Insisting on the value
of obtaining equality, even at a sacrifice, he expressed his
opinion that the budget was beneficial to the best interests
of Ireland.
Mr. DISRAELI—There are several hon. members con-
nected with Ireland who wish to address the committee;
who will no doubt answer, the observations of the hon.
gentleman who has just sat down, but, as this debate has
not passed over a whole week—(hear, hear)—l think it
may not perhaps be presumptuous if I take some part in
it to express the opinions of some English members upon
the question before us. (Cheers.) Whether we divide
to-night or not, and I hope we may divide to-night--
(hear, and cheers)— hon. gentlemen on the other side will
clearly understand that, in all probability, many occasions
will occur on which they may offer their opinions upon
the interesting subject under discussion, for at present
we are only upon the threshold of the debate. (Hear,
hear.) Under these circumstance, then, I shall take
the liberty of offering some observations] to the com-
mittee. I am bound to say that, In considering the
budget of the Chancellor of the Exchequer with all
that attention which so important a proposition de-
serves, to the general principles upon which his financial
policy is framed, I must give my entire approbation
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) I say that in no spirit of
affected candour, or to obtain credit for a magnanimity
which is really not required by the occasion, but I say it
because I find in the principles upon which he has framed
his policy the identical principles which, only four months
ago, I endeavoured on two occasions, on the other side of
the table, to impress upon the consideration of this house.
(Cheers.) I said then, as the organ of the Government, that
I thought the time had arrived when it was necessary to
assimilate our financial policy to our new commercial sys-
tem. (Some hon. member—we believe Lord J. Russell—
exclaimed, " Hear, hear." I don't know who said
" Hear, hear." I think it was the noble lord opposite,
but I recollect when I made that statement four months
ago the noble lord, instead of saying " Hear, hear," rose
and, in a spirit certainly of incredulity, if not of ridi-
cule, spoke of the idea of assimilating our financial
policy to our new commercial system as a wild con-
ception, which had nothing to do with the practical
affairs of life. (" Hear, hear," and a laugh.) I said then,
Sir, in order to assimilate our financial policy to our new
commercial system, we must make up our minds to com-
mence and to carry out a complete revision of our taxation.
Will the noble lord say " Hear, hear," to that ? I remem-
ber that when I made that observation before—and recol-
lect it is only four short months ago—the noble lord said
it was most ridiculous to enforce a complete revision of
our taxation ; that our taxation had been revised more
than once ; that anything like a formal revision of taxa-
tion was quite unnecessary, and out of the question ; that
all we could do was to let the principles which had been
established with respect to our finance operate in a natu-
ral manner, and that any proposal to have a formal or
complete revision of taxation was one of those phrases
which could never influence the affairs of the world. I am,
however, extremely glad to find that the noble lord is so
ready to encourage me at the commencement of my obser-
vations. (A laugh.) But it was not merely the noble
lord who entertained this opinion. We had a speech de-
livered to-night—a very able speech, delivered, unfortu-
nately, in a thinner house than it deserved—by a member
of the Administration, the secretary of a board, and, I be-
lieve, the secretary of a. board because he made a speech
against the last budget. (Hear, and laughter.) What did
that hon. gentleman say on the same subject? The hon.
gentleman the Secretary of the Board of Control (Mr.
Lowe), in the mouth of December last, saw no case made
out for any revision of taxation. "All that they had to
do," he said, " was to continue going on as they had gone
on hitherto." (Cheers from the Ministerial side.) We
shall have several more of these assenting cheers—(laugh-
ter)—and I can assure hon. gentlemen they are very agree-
able to me to listen to. (Hoar, and a laugh.) The hon.
Secretary to the Board of Control continued :
" When the surplus shall be disposed of by their making
further remissions of taxation, on the same principle as former
remissions had been made, which led to the wonderful exten-
sion of trade, commerce, and increasing revenue, which all
acknowledged, they would then have done all that a wise Go-
vernment and a prudent Legislature could do under the cir-
cumstances."
(Hear.) Now, let hon. gentlemen recollect these words of
the hon. memberi for Kidderminster, for I may recur to
them. That hon. gentleman has spoken to-night,
in the absence, unfortunately, of many who are
listening to me now, and in a very different spirit from
that which he manifested on the occasion to which I have
policycwoh lde io
tot
n lwyo
just referred. It must be remembered that I said that,
e.anbeesf
effected
eucttoeedml ybmnyeercaceisaslar necessary to assimilate our financial
system, complete
was
subirevision and that a
oft thatour object
taxa-
tion, I said also that there were two things which a Chan-
cellor
of the Exchequer should not, under the circumstances,
refrain from doing, and without
having
recourse to which
this great object could not be attained.
things ? One of them was, that the
Chancellor What were these
of the Ex-
chequer must not shrink from making a deficiency which
was to be supplied by the proposal of new taxes in order
to carry out his system ' • and the other was, that it was
absolutely necessary that he should not bound
opera-
tions by the horizon of the financial year, but his
might even presume to attempt to regulate
financialthat he
operations fora longer term. Now, how were these
propositions received by the noble lord and his colleagues 9
Why, no language can express the reprobation—(cheers
from the Opposition)—with which the heretical idea was
received, that a Chancellor of the Exchequer may feel
it his duty to create a deficiency and to supply the
vacuum by the proposition of a new tax. (Cheers and
laughter.) That indignation was not confined to the
Secretary cf the Board of Control, who was then for
standing upon the ancient ways. (A laugh.) What said
that high authority the right hon. member for the Univer-
sity of Cambridge ? (Hear, hear.) That right hon. gentle-
man (Mr. Goulbuna) was particularly alarmed upan the
subject, and described to the house the very unorthodox
manner in which it was then proposed that the finances of
this country should be administered. He said—
" But mark hew different was the basis on which
ed this and
former GoverumeLts proceeded. They proceed on the
basis of having las', s.?,cured by a skilful management of the
receipts and expenditure of the cd
to country
make a largreductions.
e available
balance, out of ;\lllcli they could
They did not in tile first place create a deficiency, and then
call upon ParliamJut make it up by fresh taxation."
(Cheers.) Well, what RAM the feelings of the present
Chancellor of the Eachoquer upon. the subject? I don't
know whether the right hon. gentlemati is present, but 'I
shall be sorry to ma',ee any comments upon what ho has
said in his ab.enco, The Chancellor of the Exchequer
seemed to be struck with eerop horror at the proposition—
(a laugh)—and lee said, speaking pc me almost in a tone of
derision,—" He is going to impose one tax ia order to re-
peal another tax. (Hear, and laughter.) Now, that is