The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-26 00:00:00

ENGLISH WORKMEN IN FRANCE.

Mr. B. COCHRANE wished to ask the Noble Lord
at the head of the Government the question of which
he had given him notice with respect to the inten-
tion of the French Government to those English
workmen who had deposited part of their earnings in
the saving banks of France, but who were obliged to
leave that country at the revolution without obtaining
the return of their little all.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that he understood it
was the intention of the French Government, and that
they were ready to pay the sums, and the only difficulty
in their doing so arose from identifying the claimants.
THE RECTORY OF BISHOPS WEARMOUTH.
On the question that the House do now resolve itself
into a Committee of Supply,
Mr. HORSMAN rose to repeat his question to the
Noble Lord at the head of the Government relative to
the rectory of Bishopswearmouth. He believed that the
Noble Lord at the head of the Government had re-
ceived a communication from the Bishop of Durham,
pointing out the inaccuracies into which the Noble
Lord had fallen in the last answer to his
question ; and he wished, therefore, to know, whether
the Noble Lord still adhered to his answer. The Hon.
Member again went into a recapitulation of the case of
the rectory of Bishopswearmouth, and the course
pursued by the Bishop of Durham. He wished to know
whether any of the points alluded to by the Noble Lord
in his answer to the former question were inaccurate.
Lord J. RUSSELL replied, that on the authority of
the Bishop of Durham he stated that the income of the
late Dr. Wellesley, the incumbent, was 3,5001. The
Honourable Gentleman said that it was much
larger. He (Lord John Russell) could not say
whether it was or not ; he had simply offered the
information he had received. The Noble Lord
then read a letter from the Bishop of Durham, setting
forth that some dispute had arisen with respect to the
proper application of the " way fees," and that the
trustees were not disposed to take any active
part in the disposition of the fund placed at their dispo-
sal until it had been definitively settled. The Govern.
ment acted upon a memorial which they had every
reason to believe expressed the sentiments of the majority
of the inhabitants. Ho certainly should not take the
trouble to inform himself as to the disposition of the fund,
as in the event of the general question being raised iri
the House the matter in question would form a proper
subject of discussion.
Mr. HOMMAN merely wished to know if the Noble
Lord thought that a bishop could divert a portion
of the temporalities of a living to other purposes with.
out violating the law?
Lord J. RUSSELL apprehended that a bishop so act-
ing would be amenable at law.
EMIGRATION.

Mr. MONSELL referred to a document signed by
Mr. Merivale, stating that emigrants would be sent out
from each part of the kingdom, according to its popula-
tion, out of the votes ordered by Parliament for that put•
pose ; also, from a statement made by Mrs Chisholm, it
appeared that 13,533 had been sent out from England,
2,739 from Scotland, and but 1,879 from Ireland, which
included orphans taken from the workhouse. He wished
to know whether the statement was correct, and if so,
if the Colonial-office considered this a proper disposition
of the funds placed at their disposal by Parliament?
Mr. HAW ES was understood to say that there were
2,763 persons who had emigrated from Scotland, 3,554
from Ireland, and 22,000 odd from England. He be-
lieved that the colonists preferred English to Irish
emigrants.—(Laughter.)
Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL asked whether as a large
proportion of the Irish emigrants from Ireland were
young parsons, and especially orphans, there was an)
provision for their being educated in the religion of their
parents.
Mr. HAWES said a Committee bad been formed in
the colony of the leading merchants, to see that the t mi-
grants were properly distributed, and ho presumed that
their religion would be attended to.
MR. COBDEN'S FINANCIAL SCHEME.

Mr. COBDEN rose to move the following resolution:
—" That the net expenditure of the Government for the
year 1835 (Parliamentary Paper, No. 260, 1847)
amounted to 44,422,0001.; that the net expenditure for
the year ended sth January, 1849 (Parliamentary
Paper, No. 1, 1849), amounted to 54,185,000/.; the in-
crease cf nearly ten millions having been caused princi-
pally by successive augmentations of our warlike esta-
blishments, and outlays for defensive armaments : that
no foreign danger, nor necessary cost of the civil Govern-
ment, nor indispensable disbursements for the services
in our dependencies abroad, warrant the continu-
ance of this increase of expenditure : that the
taxes required to meet the present expenditure
impede the operations of agriculture and manufac-
tures, and diminish the funds far the employment of
labour in all branches of productive industry, thereby
increasing pauperism and crime, and adding grievously
to the local and general burthens of the people : that.
to diminish these evils, it is expedient that this House
take steps to reduce the annual expenditure, with al;
practicable speed, to an amount not exceeding the sum
which, within the last fourteen years, has been proved
to bo sufficient for the maintenance of the secu
rity, honour, and dignity of the nation." He
said : I rise, sir, to put the amendment
into your hands of which I have given notice, because 1
have thought it my duty, and a matter of great interest
to the country, that before we went into a Committee of
Supply, and before we went into any details of the esti-
mates, we should take an opportunity of discussing
our financial condition and prospects, and the cause of
the increase of our expenditure for the last ten years.
I wish to explain that, in bringing this motion on in the
shape of an amendment to the motion for going into
Committee on Supply, I by no means wish Honourable
Members to infer that the plan that I propose here, or
have proposed elsewhere, is one which I expect the
Government will bring forward in their esti
mates to-night, or on Friday next. I shall b.
very sorry if Ray Honourable Member made
such an inference ; but what I propose to do is.
this; it can be done instanter; all 1 wish is that this
House shall have the opportunity of expressing their
opinion as to the desirableness of carrying into effect
a great reduction in the expenditure of the country.
Now, Sir, there is another thing which I wish to notice
in connection with the notice of motion which I have
given. That is the fact that whereas the public expen-
diture of this country was 44,000,0001. in 1845, it was
upwards of 54,000,000 in last year. In stating these sums
it must be recollected by the House that I am only dealing
with round numbers, and that in every instance I have
taken the amounts under those really stated in the balance
sheet of the country .—(Hear, hear.) Now, on this
subject we can make a remark that there is a manifest
difference between- the mode in which the accounts of
the national expenditure are drawn up, and those of
our own.—(Hear, hear.) For instance, in the French
accounts, each item is made to bear its own charge,
`and show the way in which it arose.—(Hear, hear.) In
fact each portion of the French Budget shows its own
portion of the debit, so that those statements which are
put down in this country as charges are those put down
as the reverse, and made debits on the French account.
—(Hear, hear.) For instance, those items which are
put down as necessary expenditure are those made regu-
lar debits, such as religious establishments for the State,
the arts, bridges, the whole of those expenses incurred
for the support of workhouses and unions, which in this
country are charged as matters of local taxation, are in
the French Budget made to figure as portions of the
national statement presented by the Chancellor
of the Exchequer. And in stating this much
I must carefully guard the House against
any forgetfulness of the indirect taxation of
this country. The budget of last year for
54,000,0001. was made up in such a manner as, including
all the charges of the state, those for local taxation com-
bined, made up 77,000,000/.—(Hear, hear,) This
77,000,0031. was to be placed against an expenditure of
72,000,000/. by the French people, there being
an expenditure of the former sums, including hos_
pi tals and all local charges, of 80,000,0001. by 36,000,000
of people against an expenditure of 72,000,0001.
by a population of 49,000,000, and that too in
revolution h
luitirrease which hasandinsurrec taken placetionary ov
in theemeL
Na
oywe,arsior!
in. the
local expenetiture of the country I see something that is
deserving of the solemn and serious attention of the
House.—(H ear, hear.) I will take in the first
have been
raisedpl ce
nt the
shapeamount f
rates
e sr rates
the
s w
maintenance of the
poor. In 1.837 the amount raised for the support of
the poor in Great Britain, was 4,300,000/.; last year
the amount raised for Great Britain and
Ireland amounted to 8,841,000. I take the
1837 as titre first starting point, because in 1837, the
new poori.lrw woe brought into operation, end we then