The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-27 00:00:00

the general concurrence of this and preceding Pei tel-
Inents, he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) might
be permitted to inter from that circumstance that
the measures of which so large majorities ap
proved, or in which all concurred, con d nut be qatte
50 far wrong as the Honourable Gentleman would
Juggt‘t. He was not disposed to take exception to any
of the minor points to which the Hon. Gentleman
referred; neither would he allude to the re-
ference made to local taxation. He did not see
that connexion it had with the conclusion to which
Hon. Gentleman had come, but thought it would
De found that a general increase of local
taxation had arisen from the general improve-
Meta which, in recent years, had taken place in local ad-
ministration, the adoption of hotter means of providing
for the secondary punishment of criminals, and properly
accommodating lunatic asylums. The general increase
of local taxation was owing to a general improvement ie
administration. Addressing himself to the main ques-
tion, he took no exception to the Hon. Gentleman's re-
ference to the year 1835. The Hon. Member for Mon
trose and others had constantly referred to 1792; and
there was no reeson why reference shout(
nOt be made to a prior year. But when th
slionourable Gentleman took that year as the standard
to Which
eU the House must necessarily revert,
it ought to be remarked that there were two conditions
(;a which any year could be accepted for the purpose;
"rat, that in the year selected adequate provision was
Made for the public service; and, secondly, that no sub-
sequent change had taken place in the state and t ercum-
stances of the country.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon.
Gentleman proposed, by recurring to the expenditure of
1835 on the naval and military services, to eft ct a re-
auction of 10,000,000/. He stated truly that in 1848 the
total expenditure was 54,185,000/., while it 1835 it
Was 44,422000/ ; the difference between them being
little short of-10 000,0001. But the whole of that in-
crease was not to be estimated as an increase in the
naval and military expenditure. The Hon. Member
himself referred to an extraordinary item of expen-
diture—the Kafir war, which was entirely unforeseen.
Then, there were 276,000/, for Irish distress. The
Hon. Member referred also to the increased expen-
diture for civil purposes. But, besides an increase on
the consolidated fund charges, principally for judicial
establishments and Irish constabulary, there was ale in-
crease on the miscellaneous expenditure of 4,092,000/.;
leaving the increase on the naval and military 6,015,000/.
Were the lion. Gentleman to carry out his reductions
by assimilating the expenditure to that of 1835, he could
*fleet a saving of only 6,000,000/. It was not consistent
with the true and best interests of this country to effect
reductions in the naval and military establishments to
the extent he proposed. If his proposition were simply
to carry out every practicable economy, he (the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer) did not differ from the Hon.
Gentleman; and he hoped to prove that Ministers had
not been unmindful of the pledge they had given last
year, to make every reduction necessary for the public
Interest, although they could not anticipate the halcyon
days to which the Hon. Gentleman looked forward, when
a. national quarrel would be settled in a court of arbitra-
tion, and every sword would be converted into a plough-
teseoualrde.rio lit nder these circumstances the Hon. Member
complain of the manner in which he proposed
tiol meet his motion. It was desirable that the opinion of
Te Rollie should be deliberately expressed upon the
at question whetter the establishments of the country
Ishuld be reduced to the scale of 1835. Experience had
iB24:a that the provision made for the public service in
was inadequate. Fur four years which succeeded
saes
!lie he
dt
nhi
raadi
tt3h, e honour to hold the office of Secretary to
respeated attacks, not during that time he was subjected to
not for increasing the estimates, but
enious disregard of the best interests of the
enitrUittatrPyll,rsiT
keeping them at too low an amount. The
Mates of 1834-35.36 were constantly referred to as a
Peer%
le ehi land yet the Hnn. Member had set-cted the
ts west estimate of the three years, namely, that of 1835.
the Pattern for reduction.—(Hear, hear.) In the '
atteacir 183 e we had no naval force in the Channel,
ate the necessity of nisintaioine such a force was
eh ""gLY insisted upon in the discussions which took place
ben the estimates in the following years. The Hon. Mem-
sleeta:a mistaken in asserting that the increase of the
Ile" ?in 1836. was occasioned by the alarm respecting
4851°- The ground upon which an increase in the
of "al force was proposed in that year was the necessity
elselletcl'ng further protection to British subjects trading
1839 It was not until three years later, namely, in
that the Hon. Member for Birmingham and the
uti. kg
the d Member for West Kent dilated in that House on
dek anger to which the British coast was exposed o. a
that, from Russia. The Hon. Member complained
u, although our forces had been augmented upon va-
ee:, occasions they had never been subsequently re-
ha.:" ; but when the Hon. Member enumerated the
PoZirds to which the country had been successively ex-
tbee 'Such as the Chinese war, the dispute with America
an Ut Oregon, the dispute with France about Otaheite,
ell the rebellion in Canada, it did not appear that at
liieY Period of the time to which he had directed
41eti0.133 serrations could we have reduced our establish-
to the standard of 1835, without endangering the
'ts of our commerce abroad and the safety of our
opt ea at home- In 1844 the Right Hon. Gentleman
Pe;ir,ite, always evinced a desire to diminish ex
te,ol:,`tit'e Where it was practicable to do so, reduced the
year, " of seamen from 43,000 to 36,000; but a single
that Ls experience satisfied the Right Hun. Gentleman
v,r;l ,ne had carried his reduction to a point at which it
a
dd_` im
sspossile it could be maintained; and in the able
whit Which he delivered in that house in 1845, and
sent %liwas a perfect text -book on financial matters, he
ei _tie4ded upon grounds not arising out of temporary
ferreelnstaeces or any particular state of things. but re-
kee" to general policy, that the number of
110,:‘ proposed to be maintained in 1844 wag
e0;1 adequate to protect the interests of the
u try, and he accordingly increased the number of
*4,
1141't ,n to the *mount at which it stood in the pre
clear mates, namely, 40 000 men. It was, moreover,
di(
jar that the Government of the Right }Lei. Gentleman
th not think that even 40,030 seamen were sufficient for
ices"vice of the country, for when the present Govern-
"‘ eatne into office in 1846, they fund the number on
and employed considerably more than had been voted,
Wks a the Ist of January, 1847, the number in excess
1)10-,t'°°0, making the total number of seamen then em-
seti'su 44,000 men. 4,000 men were reduced on the
14'511.1'43 of 1848, and 3000 more would be reduced in
fo SO, making a total reduction of 7,000 below the
torn Which the 'tight Hon. Gentleman opposite proposed
Whiotitlatain in 1845. The principal circumstance to
juiti the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite referred as
I,443eetstcry of the policy of maintaining the number of.
!it 004 at 40,000 was, that since 1835 a large field of
in
thYtuent fur the British navy had been opened
With" eastern hemisphere. In 1835 our trade
vneea China was mainly carried on by the in-
tik' tittitlity of the East India Company. Now we
'vasqtre ports open to us in China, in each of which it
liasileeesaery to maintain a British man of-war. Since
Kit t?o, New Zealand had been added to our colonial
five of lons' and then, so far from regar.fing the ad,,p
rastits "r'e trade as a reason for reducing our establish-
Psteditbe extension of commerce which might be abaci-
bisocia rem that pol cv would give rise to increased de-
Preteet. for protection to British subjects, and that
the „Sitlu must be ext, end,-d to them, in whatever part of
tippiitu.rlEl they might be placeil. The same argument
lees ea, of course, to our military feice. The happy
keitsatented state of Canada, as described by the Hon.
tbl,4iite,r, furnished some answer to his allegatunis of
t4air `Pisgovernment. A military force was as little
keg in New Zealand as in Canada tor the purpose
;lt~eless,,,Ping down the British population; but it WAS
erY to Protect that population against the war-
heit sttteehe
to which it had been exposed during the
)4407° Years. The very letter which the Honourable
to,prover had
road from an emigrant was calculated
Untied e that the money was not ill expended that main-
te ext armed force to protect colonies which opened
4111 an
field for British enterprise and industry,
Atod°M Which we might in future years derive the raw
Portjdee for manufactures which in turn would be ex-
them. It was necessary to remark, also, that
ilk,y, 73 a vast increase had taken place in our steam
Itetch; .1•11 1835 we possessed not more than two or three
s7essels. In that year no steamer had crossed the
imile,lt and learned treatises were written to demon-
terir,',, the impossibility of such an event. Since that
halal Navy
the application of steam to the purposes of the
'tail!' Navy had been carried to an immense extent, and
ett,:oW reached a point beyond which it was not ne-
tetitY to advance. The increase of the steam navy
te.:ered necessary an increased charge for stores, but
Ike `ttempt had been made to show that there had been
te,/'1 extravagance under that head. Upon this point he
144;eated the attention of the House to the following
art:yge in the report of the Select Committee on the
"1%,119;57, and ordnance estimates:—
Sete le Vote for stores differs essentially from the other
L'ot,e-a"llasizuch as it is not an estimate to provide for
4 -„,ll%ntnption of the ensuing year, but has reference
'tide "'re distant period of time. The effects of an
eepele) reduction in this vote are not, therefore, per-
stltilei. until some years after the time when the in-
;4lse estimate may have been proposed. In such a
-,110111,e1e obvious that the apparent economy in this vote
Postponement of purchases necessary for the
eiate,e"plee of the navy and, in fact, relieves the estt-
ititi,,,(4 elle year by sling the burden on the votes of
A lap :e session." eg
etarrt,rbulerease of expenditure had likewise been in-
.atioe Y the establishment of steam-packet c.ommuni-
ttee, with
hie
f trent parts of the world, but that was an
paer lesin 4 the representatives of commercial and manu-
tetnoto%c2rntuunities, whose interests were so much
ere world rapid communication with distant parts of
heease could not reasonably object to. The in-
tealtda of elsPenditure which had taken place under the
11,,.°.tnateesstcles. buildings, and packets, since 1835,
- not
eh° eg ne Las than 2,310,4001. Our steam navy
tit be attained its maximum, a reduction was
tea to the Made under the heads of stores and bulld-
he 11' amount of 638,000/. Trusting that the state-
roafade must have satisfied the Hothe of the
tow atea making the large reduction in the navy
Preee mat the lion. Member proposed, he would
tir.4ideri ed to deal with the question of the army. In
erl3o3g,this question, justice was rarely done to the
tite °
.There was no army on the face of tho.
vie of p'o"s which such hard service was demanded in
th:f a poLe.."--(1-1ear.) With the exception of
. the ser-
er t ,tossi4 4 viou of
the French army in Algeria, and of
%the tontine am
in one or two possessions, the armies
14%4 io th:ental Powers remained always in time_ of
Tbtq. w:.?ountries to which they respectively be_-
the y were "a British troops the case was reversed.
Itc, tropical eLzPosed alteinately to the frosts of Canada,
fig Neel neat of the West Indies, and the burn.
Orli 4 tithe „
th ratst—year atter year they passed
dutybaernue climate to the other, and di i
reor
Cruel
circumstances.— Loud cheers.) It
,tv e to make the British soldier's service
441,0,845 4:lt...than it was at present.—(Hear, bear.)
41,44 of fluslit Hon. Gentleman urged that with the
il • orce WL•
it 11. A &itch had up to that time been main-
.'" "en found impossible to relieve the eeldier