The Sun.
London, England, 1841-09-20 00:00:00

Cbg ATIA/4

LONDON:
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1841.

One of the most effective blows which Sir
ROBERT PEEL gave to the late Ministers on

Friday evening,-which told in the House, and
will tell in the country, was borrowed from their
colonial expenditure. Said Sir ROBERT—
" Ido not hesitate to tell the Noble Lord that I look
with alarm to the growing tendency to an increased ex-
penditure in our colonial possessions. I have here be-
fore me a paper which declares the necessity of taking a
comprehensive view of the civil expenses to be incurred
in the island of Hongkong. Well, then, here he wants
9,000/. for the present year ; but he hopes the Govern-
ment will see the necessity of large and comprehensive
views on the foundation of the new colony. As to New
South Wales, I have read a despatch dated in January,
1841, from Sir George Gipps, in which he stated that he
had issued a great number of bounty warrants—no less
than to 71,315 emigrants, the estimate for which amounts
to—what do you think ? Why, to no less then 979,5631.
—(Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord had most wisely put
an end to the system ; but, do what we will, a sum of
not less than 500,0001. will be left to be provided for in
some way or another. As to South Australia„ such was
the desperate condition of that colony, that even last
year we voted 155,0001. for extricating it from difficulty;
and since the Noble Lord quitted office bills to the
amount of 14,0001. have been presented and protested by
the British Treasury ; and, from the dates, I feel con-
vinced that mire are now on the way home, and they
also will be protested, but I much fear that we will be
obliged to pay both the bills and the expense of the pro-
test. I now come to New Zealand, and it appears that
bills to the amonnt of 33,0001. have been drawn by the
Bank of New Zealand upon New South Wales.—
(Hear, and a laugh.) Don't flatter yourselves that
this is all, for there is an indication that there are bills
to the amount of 54,0001. additional on their way.—
(Hear, hear.) Now I come to Canada, for which the
estimate of last year was 6,0001. ; but since the Budget
was brought forward the credit of this country has been
guaranteed for a loan to Canada to the amount of
1,500,0001. I an: not questioning the policy of that
step ; but here is a new engagement which this country
has contracted. You have, in addition, guaranteed an
expenditure of 100,00C1. a-year for fortifications."
Having always objected to the extension of
the operations. of Government, and to the em-
ployment of the public funds for anything but
for the strictest public purposes, and only then
when required by necessity, we can but applaud
every attack on wasteful expenditure. Coming
from the Tories it is an unusual homage to eco-
nomy. At the same time it seems adverse to Sir
ROBERT PEEL'S general principles to find him
condemning unnecessary expenditure. He
adopted Mr. HUME'S principles when they
served to injure the Whigs, who may from that
learn how little they can hope from the gra-
titude of the Tories. Extravagance in public
expenditure is of Tory origin—is consistent with
Tory principles--and is supported by those who,
in their hearts, are Tories.
Certainly, there appears in the miscellaneous
estimates for the years 1841 and 1842, which on
the whole amount to 3,269,583/., much matter
for remark and regret. Directing attention to a
few of the items, we must impress on the public the
impossibility ofboth decreasing the expenditure of
Government and increasing the sphere of its
operations. They are incompatible, and the only
way to make the Government economical is to
make it do less. On this point the Doctrinaire
Radicals have been very obnoxious to cetwire,
for they have continually called on the Govern-
ment to do this and do the other, and have very
much increased its troublesomeness and expen-

siveness.
Considering the straitened circumstances of
the people—the complete destitution, in fact, of
many classes—we are bound to observe, that
not one sixpence of the public money should now
be employed for any purpose whatever which
can be avoided, and that every sixpence of taxa-
tion which can be spared ought to be remitted to

the people. It is not yet too late for the Liberals
in the House of Commons to mark their opinion
on this point by resisting some of the votes on the
miscellaneous estimates, though framed by the
late Ministers; and it is certainly not too late
for Sir ROBERT PEEL to win the approbation of
all right-thinking men, and particularly of
the suffering multitudes, by at once curtailing
much of the expense provided for in the esti-
mates of the miscellaneous services for the year
For example, Mr. WILLIAMS, of Coventry, we
know, will object, and we'should think he will
be backed by the bulk of the Liberals—no longer
doomed to silence by any fear of injuring the
Whigs or offending a patriotic QUEEIS—to the
sum of 51,6541. yet to be voted for PUBLIC
BUILDINGS and ROYAL PALACES, the whole vote
for the year, under this head, being no less than
103,3091., 19,243/. more than the sum voted in
1839, and 14,600/, more than the sum voted for
the same. purpose in .1840. Of the whole
49,5671. is to be ex pe d 1 li-eL on PALACES ki4ld

ROYAL BUILDINGS. \le lieg to state explicitly,
whether it concern Sir R. PEEL, or the Whigs
or her MAJESTY herself, that while the people
are starving Royal Palaces must remain unre-
paired and unembellished.
-We are no enemies to the increase of know-
ledge, but we hold with COBBETT that it is better
that the people should be well fed than much in-
structed. it has been,. we arc aware, the
of Liberals to deemed public money for schools,
museums, public walks, &c., &c. Nevertheless,
in the present embarrassed state of the finances,