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

ased taey had reinosed a great oiietaele from their
pro- pet ity. There Was a (a.ff renee between the position
of sonee of our celeeie and he did net apply those oh-
servatiete. to all of them. Fer instance, where they
kept tip fi trifle l 'dare., like Gibrzletar or Malta, they
must pay for their earrisoes. But he maintained that
in Austratie, New Zealand, or the Cape of Good Hope
—in temperate latitudes where the English race could
become indigenous, it was folly and monstrous iejuistiee
to ask thi- colliery to maintain those establishments.
Tne cenamouest labourer iu one of these colonies was
twit, r off trawl the struggling small fa. tiler of Devonshire.
He had rend a letter from the wile of a Northampton
emigrant in Australia lately, of which the tollusving was
an extrect:—
'• The only thing that grieves us now is to think of
your starving in England, and we in a land of such great
plenty. I wi.h you would all make up your minds and
come. lam sure you would never repent coming here,
for there is plenty of work. and plenty of money, and
plenty of victuals. We never (at less than a quarter of
mutton a week for us three, and beautiful meat it
is here."
Hon. Genntlemen who thought he was speaking
and arguing fairly from the principle of tree trade, mus
agree with him that they should relieve themselves from
colonial expenditure as speedily as possible. In Nen
Zealand they had 2,000 soldiers to 20,000 colonists, or
one soldier to every ten Europeans, who were fed and
clothed at the cost of England, though every one of the
emigrants carried his rifle, and knew how to use it, as a
matter of course. In Australia, where there were
2,000 or 3,000 men, we were bound to keep them
as a sort of police as long as we sent convicts there.
But he believed the population would see the troops
sent home or disbanded with pleasure, if they were
allowed to have the management of their own affairs.
He believed that much of the fdrce was required owing
to the policy of the Colonial-office.—(Hear, hear.) It
was used to keep down rather than protect the English
population. He believed it had been truly stated, that
only one-third of the troops were needed for the pro-
tection of this country, while two-thirds of them were
stationed in the colonies. That system required a total
change, and if it were made there would be no difficulty
iu effecting the reduction he proposed. With respect to
the armaments at home, he was aware the force in Ire-
land and England was much larger than in 1835. He
was sorry it should be so. But there was a most
exaggerated idea as to the necessity fur those troops last
year.—(Hear, hear.) They were all under a panic
then, and could not argue these things. But they might
reason together about them now, when they were able
to come to the cool consideration of the subject; and
trials had occurred which threw considerable light on
what they had designated with the name of a rebellion.
There were not a hundred persons contederated in arms
together in England and Ireland. Not thirty were pre-
sent at any of their meetings in this country, and at
least six or eight of these were spies. This very im-
portant fact was to be borne in mind, that what there
was of threatened revolution came from Hibernian in-
spiration. If it had nut been tdr the Irish element there
would have been co turbulence at all among the English
population.—(Hear, hear.) In justice to the greet mass
of the working classes it ought also to be borne in mind
thee for eighteen months previous to the outbreak of the
French Revolution they had had to pass through a
period of great privation and suffering. There could
hardly be anything more severe than the pressure on the
working classes in Lancashire and Yorkshire in 1847.
Under such circumstances everybody knew the tendency
which usually existed to turbulence and political excite-
ment.—(Hear) lint the people knew that every ounce of
bread was allowed to come from abroad without paying
a shilling of duty; that even the navigation-laws were
suspended; that the Government was not placed in a
position antagonistic to their rights and intere-ts;—all
exasperation against the Government was allayed, and a
perfect feeling of loyalty prevailed.—(Cheers.) He spoke
not without observation. L had touched him d.eply—
it was not without indignation that he had heard it
al eged that it was the horse and foot artillery of this
metropolis, not to say the special constables, that pre-
vented the people of this country from rising last year
against the Government. lie did not believe it. Ho
was happy not to believe it; for their case would be a
very bail one were it so. Another point he should wish
to mention in mercy to those few deluded men who were
now expiating their folly by undergoing the punishments
to when they had been sentenced, and it a as a point which
he hoped would be taken into consideration that
this country, as well as the rest of Europe, was subjected
to a shock which affect(d especially men of sanguine
temperaments, who suffered, it. might be, from fancied
grievances. It was natural that the state of excitement
and revolution which ran through the whole of Europe
should be felt iu this country. The shock and sensation
were to be expected. They had reason to congratulate
themselves that it had taken so little hold on the minds
of the people. What he meant to argue was that they
could not take the actual condition of the people of Eng•
land as a reason fer keeping up a large military force.--
(Hear, hear.) From the state, then, of their foreign re-
lations, especially on the ground that their colonial pos-
sessions might he put on a different footing, he would say
there was no reason why the Government should not be
desired by this House, as an act of justice and mercy, to
reduce the large taxation of this country.--(Hear, hear.)
It was not his intention on the present occasion to tell
the House what they might do with the money they
might save. He did nut intend to say anything as to
how much the; might relieve the industry, the com-
merce, the agriculture of this country by a large re-
duction of taxation. He would not dwell on the eousi.
deration that the only opportunity possible that Hon.
Members opposite, representatives from the agricultural
districts, who were anxious to promote the agricultural
interest, might have of placing themselves in the way to
gain the End they had in view might nor be presented;
he meant by abolishing the hop and melt duties in terms
of some proposition such as he had made. They com-
plained of being obstructed in the way of their industry.
He acknowledged the justice of their claim. As a con-
sistent free-trader he would do anything to remove every
obstacle in the way whether of the agriculturist or of the
manufacturer.—(Hear, hear.) But it. was of no use
going to an agricultural meeting and talking of the re-
ductien of the malt and hop taxes unless they looked at
th it arithmetical table which he held in his hand, and
from which they would see that it was only by reducing,
and largely, the military establishments of the country,
that thi y could make room for a large reduction of taxa-
tion.—(Cheers.) There was the tax on timber, which
the Government, he doubted not, would make a corollary
ti, the abolition of the corn-laws.—(Hear.) Then there
were the duties on t. a, arid so on. lie heard gentlemen
right and left of him whispering some favourite tax.—
(A laugh.) It was not necessary that he should dwell
on the advantages which would accrue lrom such reduc-
tions. He would have plenty of opportunities.
But hi' could net, concluie without urging that while
they maintained this root mous establishment they were
incurring far great, r risk to this country than any they
rata from tereigners by reduction. He would say to those
who saw dengers abroad, and anticipated in other times
a combination of foreign Powers which might threaten
the security of the country, that if he had nothing else
to look to than the chance of collision of foreign Powers
he might take the same view as they did; but he hoped
in justice to him they would bear in mind that the ques-
tions to be weighed were, what was the danger to be
apprehended from the diminution of the forces.
and what was the danger to be apprehended
to the country if they maintained this en-
ormous amount of taxation. When it was from the
packets of the people, and chiefly of the labouring classes,
that the revenue was drawn, when it was taken by im-
posts which obstructed the trade and industry, commerce
tied agriculture, of the country, it wa, a serious considera-
tion whether they would not run a little risk of danger
from abroad in order that they might be a little better
prepared to meet that danger when it occurred. Though
he had shown that an increase had taken place from time
to time, as particular causes suggested, yet it had been
said other countries had increased their armaments. But,
in the first place, he was of opinion that, with respect to
the navy, they had in this country been the great offen-
ders in the matter. They had been the first to increase,
and they had kept increasing in a greater ratio than
their neighbours. Jedging from the tendency of opinion
in France, he thought there existed a pacific disposition
on the part of that people, and any approaches or over-
tures made by this House and country would gladly be
mut by France in a reduction of their army; seeing
they had now acknowledged through all their organs
of public opinion that their finances were the great diffi-
culty andzdanger of the new Republic; and the only re-
medy that remained for them as fur this country, was
a large redaction of their militaryestablishments. It
was not merely to military and naval reductions that his
proposed reduction applied. It applied also to the civil
expenditure. The sum was a small one. It was not
only on the miscellaneous estimates and the consolidated
fund that they were to carry out their economy; but
there was a large amount of disbursements for the cost
of collection, which if they could reduce they would in
proportion increase the amount in the Treasury. There
was one item to which he looked fur a considerable sav-
ing. The Noble Lord the Member for Bath (Lord
Duncan) had said he would go into the Committee on
the Woods and Forests with the hope of saving 600,00GL
It would not be difficult to reduce the public expenditure
to what it was in 1835. If it were left to him to do
it he would spend not more than 10,000,0001. on their
armaments; and while he would have 1,500,000/. more
for the civl branch of the public service, he would
have 1,600,000/. less for the military and naval
establishments than he had in 1835. If the course
he proposed were followed, he was confident they
might return to the expenditure of 1835. The
House itself bore witness to the growth of opinion on
the subject ; and seeing the opinion, or progress of
opinion, such as it was, he had no doubt a great reform
would be effected, and the expenditure brought back to
that of 1835. By the reduction of that expenditure, by
the removal of those impediments which obstructed the
free action of trade and industry, and caused distress,
disease, and pauperism to prevail, they would foster
those influences which tended to make men happy and
contented citizens, instead of miserable, dejected, and
disaffected; giving them something to fight for, to pre-
serve, and to love, instead of making them enemies of
the public institutions, mitigating the pressure of taxa-
tion on the people, and showing them that a govern-
ment of this kind might be carried on as cheaply as the
government of another country, Parliament by so act-
ing would do more to maintain the institutions of the
country, and to preserve it from foreign attack, than by
any expenditure they could bestow on warlike establish-
ment.—(Laud cheers.)
Mr. 'HUME st emitted the motion.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, while
he could not concur in the conclusion at which the Hon.
Member fir the West Riding of Yorkshire had arrived,

nith,t yet bear testimony to the fair and temperate man-
ner in which the Hon. Gentleman had stated his view,.

—(Cheer,...) The lion. Gentleman ha +, in perfect con-
sistency with his conduct on former occasions, abstained
from making any attack on the present or any pest
Government. When the Hon. Gentleman truly stated
that the increase of the estimates be►d been made