The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-26 00:00:00

did that. Fora long period both civil and religious liberty
has been sustained by the determined moral and political
courage of Scotchmen ' • and when I state to you this offi-
cial fact with regard to the division in the House of Com-
mons, and that no Scotch members have been unseated for
bribery or corruption, while 127 petitions have been pre-
sented against the English and Irish members, I think on
may well be proud of the result. (Cheers.) yon
may now got
rid of the Protectionists, the Derbyites;ig theued Tnoerxir,dfor
ever. Lord Derby and his colleagues re
The Queen was left, I must admit, under very difficult
circumstances. She, however, sent for two experienced
statesmen, Lord Aberdeen, a countrymen of your o
wn
an old experienced Liberal, the Marquis of Lansdo, and
The noble Marquis declined taking any part in the
aa.
forma-
tion of the new Government, but he stated that so far
his advice or influence could go in the formation of a prac-
tical Government, he would render all the service in his
power. In consequence of his age he had bid adieu to public
life ; and I must say, in justice to him, I never knew a man
take farewell of public life, as I heard him do in the House
of Peer, with more grace or dignity, having never been
guilty of a single illiberal act during his long life. Lord
Aberdeen, after a good deal of consideration and reflection,
I undertook to form a Government. He consulted with
-
I Lord John Russell, and it was then determined that a
I Government should be formed by choosing men from dif-
ferent parties on both sides of the house. When I state
how the present Administration was formed, I am very
far from approving of all the appointments. Ido not think
that a sufficient amount of democratic element is intro-
duced into it ; and even as far as the democratic principle
has been introduced, I do not justify it., because I have no
hesitation in saying that the new democratic clement
which has been introduced is not an independent element
in the Government; I say so fearlessly. (Hear, hear.)
The Government was formed by selecting a number of
practical Peelites, a few experienced Whigs, and one or
two at most of professed aristocratic Radicals. But still
the Government, when formed was and is a strong one.
At first, Lord Palmerston was either not invited to join
the Government, or he declined to do so. My impression
is, although I have not his authority for saying so, that he
declined at first. The wonder in the House of Commons
was, that he joined it at all, for he was the only man in
the Commons who really could have formed a great popu-
lar party in that house. But he did so at the request of
those who had been instrumental in dismissing him, and
from the impression under which Lord Aberdeen laboured
that it was impossible to conduct the affairs of this country
with a statesman so popular, so experienced in business, so
skilful in debate, both with regard to foreign relations and
domestic policy, out of power. At the same time I believe
that Lord Palmerston only joined the Government under
conditions which have rendered it much more liberal, and
that he did it out of a strang sense of duty to his country.
(Cheers.) I have reason to say so. Well, on the 30th day
of Deceiuber, in order to give sufficient time for the re-
election o.f those who had become members of the Govern-
ment, Parliament was adjourned until the 10th February.
On that day Ministerial explanations, very liberal in their
professions, were made in the Upper House by Lord Aber-
deen, and in the Lower House by Lord John Russell.
Lord J. Russell had temporarily taken charge of Foreign
Affairs, which it was understood he would give up to
Lord Clarendon, who had not taken office—Lord John
then to continue leader of the House of Commons, with-
out office. Shortly afterwards Mr. Gladstone brought for-
ward some of his financial proposals. By his first he pro-
posed, in consequence of the great abundance of money, to
convert a certain portion of the national debt, and especially
that very anomalous portion the South Sea Annuities, into
a'consolidated debt that would be less expensive, being at a
lower interest to the country, thus saving from 1,000,000 to
200,0001. a year. I did not exactly agree with the manner in
which he did that, at least as to a portion of it ; but still
it would have saved money to the country, and it has. It
has not been so successful as was expected, because we, at
that time, had no idea of a disturbance of the peace of
Europe, in consequence of the difference between Turkey
and Russia. Then, at that time we had no unfavourable
prospect of a deficient harvest. Men in consequence did not
invest moneyfor a long period with the same confidence they
might otherwise have done ; yet, so far as it had gone, the
measure had been a saving to the country. But the great
measure was Mr. Gladstone's financial scheme. He brought
forward a budget, which I say without hesitation, is the
greatest ever presented to the country. (Cheers.) In the
first place, he went thoroughly and fully into the whole of
our national obligations—he went fully and thoroughly into
every branch of taxation. He grappled boldly with that
which no Ministry in this country ever had the courage to
contend with—the extension of the tax always exacted on
succession to personalty, to landed property. His calcula-
tions with regard to that tax had, I believe, been made with
great care—to'my knowledge ho had applied his mind to
financial subjects for some years. When I speak of Mr.
Gladstone before this assembly and before the country, I
speak from personal knowledge of him, having acted under
him for some years in office. We had daily intercourse
while he was Vice-President, afterwards President of the
Board of Trade, and I was chief socretary, and consequently
intrusted with all the important airairs of that department.
I saw he studied during that poriod everything con-
nected with our commercial legis/ation, Instead of
being bigoted as a (politician, in religious or in civil
affairs, I found he had thrown off an the little pre-
judices of youth—l found that he was a man who had
determined to do everything that he considered commer-
cially, financially, and morally right—and I knew that he
moment he took office I and others might place coneidence
in him. (Cheers.) His calculation with regard tee the '
succession duties was in substance, not iu his more hecid
words, this—l shall probably, during the first 15 monties,
get from 2,000,0001. to 2,500,0001.—it will eventually pro-
duce 3,000,0001. a year. I am looking forward to the falling
in of the terminable annuities in 1860 ; from tile conse-
quent diminished expenditure of 4,000,0001., and the in-
creased revenue from this source, I shall be enabled to do a
good deal. In the first place, in the excise department I
am pressed to abolish the soap duties, yielding 1,000,009/.
I am advised not to meddle with it at all unless I abolish
it altogether. It is a tax on cleanliness and health ; very
well, I will abolish it altogether ; because, if I allow the
exciseman to remain for the purpose of collecting my duty
I shall prevent the extension of the manufacture ; I shall
nearly double the price ; I shall prevent the poorer classes
getting all the advantages of cleanliness and salubrity ;
IRA I shall be doing more, I shall prevent the extension of
the African trade in palm oil, and prevent Britain from
being the greatest soap producing country in the world.
(Cheers.) Then lam called on also to reduce the duty on
tea. I should be happy to abolish it altogether, because I
consider is should be as free a beverage as water is now :
and, to use the language of a gentleman from this city, to
whom he said it, instead of the people drinking slightly
stained water as they now do, I want them to drink good
wholesome strong tea. He adopted the amendment that
was proposed to Mr. Disraeli—l proposed he should reduce
the duty from 2s. 24d. to ls. in three years ; I should like
to do it immediately ' • but deriving a revenue of 5,900,000/.
from tea, he could not do it at once, inasmuch as there is
only one market to produce the article, while many other
are competitors for it. He reduced it in three years to
one shilling per pound. He then brought forward mea-
sures long contemplated. He said there are 227 articles
now subjected to Customs duties. They don't produce a
very large revenue ; they are a great restriction on com-
merce and trade. The collection of this revenue, too, is
attended with great vexation, dispute, and litigation, even
more than the revenue on larger articles. He therefore
abolished the duty altogether on these 227 articles. (Hear.)
These duties included many on the raw material of manu-
factures • all the remaining articles of food being now re-
lieved oeduty, except eggs, on which the duty is merely
nominal, to enable an account to be kept. Then we had a
good deal of discussion on the taxation upon knowledge. I
wished them abolished altogether; but taking into consi-
deration the state of the revenue, and believing that
a progressive reduction was better than none at
all, I came to the conclusion that it would be
well if wo could this session repeal the duty
on advertisements, and look to the next and following year
to abolish the excise on paper ; because he made up his
mind that in all cases where the excise were concerned, with
the single exception of spirits, if touched at all the duty
should be abolished. As to the advertisement duty some
objection was made ; there were a few men in the Govern-
ment who wanted to retain the 6d. I voted against its
retention. We beat them ; Mr. Gladstone was not sorry ;
it was probably his own intention to have repealed it first.
(Hear.) Then there was a new arrangement of the assessed
taxes. They had been greatly moderated ; and there were
those on carriages and horses, which Mr. Gladstone had
changed to a more equitable and much lower rate. We
had various other matters to look into. A bill was brought
forward for the purpose of relieving merchant shipping
from existing restrictions in regard to the manning of ships ;
that bill has been carried, and it certainly is a great ame-
lioration of the former state of things. Ido not say it is
perfect, but it was perhaps as much as could be done at the
time. Various other measures were introduced by the
Government which it would be tedious to detail. There
was the Charity Trusts Bill, which I believe will be attended
with great advantage to the country. (Cheers.) Other
measures were proposed and abandoned, or postponed until
next session of Parliament. Lord J. Russell introduced a
bill with regard to national education ; that bill was post-
poned. I will, therefore, say nothing about its merits.
It was not a bill to meet all my views ; nor do I believe
it would entirely have met the wishes of the people of
this country. I trust the time which will elapse between
this and the reassemblinc, of Parliament will enable him
to bring forward a better bill than that which in the
meantime has been postponed. We had a bill of the
greatest possible importance introduced—for the govern-
ment of India. Such a bill may not be very well compre-
hended in the extent of its importance by the public gene-
rally. It was a bill that would have been exceedingly im-
prudent if it had concerned a European nation ; but consi-
dering that from time to time the monarch of this kingdom
has acquired sovereignty over 151,000,000 of people in Asia,
divided into many nations, professing many religions, speak-
ing several languages, divided hereditarilyinto numerous and
unmixable castes, legislating for that country could not be
rashly attempted, in order to make any immediate and
rapid change, when we consider that that country is go-
verned, with its 151,000,000 of inhabitants, by Europeans,
of whom there are not more than 12,000 resident in the
whole of that immense empire, extending from
tßeloochis-
tan and Persia to the province of Ava—from
Hima-
laya mountains Lto Cape Comorin—a territorymohreetilhiicinklay-
settled than one-half of Europe. A bill, therefore, was
brought in, which changed to some extent, yetretained
s the Government with a great proportion of its former
powers, reducing the number of directors from 24 to 18, of
whom 12, or half the former number, are to be elected by
the proprietors, and six to be nominated by the Crown.
The bill related merely to the administrative Government
of India ; it did not trench atalsl on the revenues and com-
merce of the country, and it was
considered merely a, temporarybill (H
accordingly, being
was one circumstance connected 'with iHt ewah ,
chhe hear.)
w. )
will
ee rne-
tion, the more particularly
as my vote on that point was
different from that of
unconstitutional My honourable colleague. A most
had not the power t motion was brought forward, which we
ment of India the o carry out, having given the Govern-
financially for 3ower of legislating commercially and
itself. So long as we continued that power
we could not interfere with any of their duties ; but it
was moved that the salt tax in India should be abolished.
I did not vote for that, because I knew it was unpractics.-
ble ; but I knew more'; I know that instructions were to
be given to the new Government of India to reform the
whole commercial policy of that country, and provide as
rapidly as possible for the abolition of the salt duties alto-
gether. Other members who were not acquainted with
these circumstances, voted in ignorance; they voted for
what could not be constitutionally done; they voted, in
fact, much the same way as if the proposal had been that
Parliament should impose any particular local tax on Glas-
gow, while your own Corporation had th e power of managing
your own affairs. At the same time, had a measure been
brought into Parliament for the purpose of disabling the
I
East India Company from imposing that particular tax,
should not have voted against it if I were not certain_that
Government are to direct their attention to its gradual and
rapid abolition. My vote in Parliament has been misun-
derstood. I never give a vote in the goy of Commonsthe
most a practical view. I wish always to attain, in
most practical way, the best thing; but I never
.refuse. to
gain, step by step, that which leads to this best thing, be-
cause I cannot get them all at once. The hon. gentleman
then referred to the Canada Clergy It""Y", Which he