The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-23 00:00:00

were habitually incurring in time of peace arose from
a deficiency in our resources, his apprehensions would
be lessened, because that deficiency might be
caused by transient circumstances ; but that
was not the case, for it appeared the revenue
was no less than 1,600,0001. more than in 1836,
which satisfactory circumstance showed this evil had not
arisen from the resources of the country not being
worked out. He admitted that, and therefore it seemed
somewhat paradoxical for him to say that he feared it
was a more alarming state of the revenue on that ac-
count, and he would tell them why. If that sufficiency
had not arisen from any falling off in the revenue of the
country, it must have arisen from an increase
of the expenditure. He found that the excess of the
expenditure for the present year, as it was estimated
last year was, as he had already said, 3,200,0001. over
the amount of the sum expended in the year 1830.
Now, if it could be proved to him that the necessity
for that increase of expenditure so enormous in amount
existed (as to its object that was another matter to
which he would advert by and bye. If it was shown
to him that increase was owing to any carelessness, or
profusion, or any other cause of that sort exclusively,
and he did not mean to say that it was liable
to any of these imputations, he should feel com-
paratively comfortable, because he should have no
hesitation in relying upon the vigilance of the House
of Commons, and he would trust to their exercising
such a rigorous scrutiny into the expenditure, that
there would be no doubt of their putting a speedy
stop to it. But the fact was, the expenditure
was increasing ; and that the increase had placed
them in dpredieament from which they could not escape.
In fact he believed it was impossible for them to escape
from it. He would call their Lordships' attention
to what had occasioned a very considerable portion of it.
600,0001. or 700,000/. had been occasioned by the ad-
ditions made to the public debt within the last few
years. That addition was made in two ways, partly
by the funding of Exchequer bills, which always oc-
casioned a small increase in the expenditure, but
not much, and partly on account of the interest. Tile
deficiency-of past years had been wholly made up by
borrowing money, for which interest was to be provided,
and if it was not to be provided for by any new taxa-
tion it must necessarily fall upon the aggregate re-
sources of the country. The mode in which the
largest addition had been made to the debt of
the country arose from the operations carried on
in the year 1836, when the great measure of
the emancipation of the negroes, at an expence
of twenty rnilions of money. He (the Earl of Ripon)
was a party to that measure, and if it was to be done
over again, he would most willingly become a party to
it, because he considered it a wise, a politic, and a
humane act ; and, moreover, he believed the
question was in such a state that the act was
one of inevitable necessity.—(Hear.) They could not
however help paying for it, and. that was one of the
items which had added to the expenditure of the coun-
try. Now of that 3,200,0001. excessive expenditure over
the year 1836, a very considerable portion had been oc-
casioned also by an augmentation of the expense of the
army, the military, and the Ordnance, and he should like
to ask any one who thought ho could look forward (and
any one who could look forward for the next six months
with certainty must be a bold man), he should like to ask
any one who thought he could look forward beyond the
present moment, to stand up and demonstrate that
there was any reason to think that they could
curtail any one of these expenses.—(Hear, hear.)
Their Lordships would recollect that last year, after
the estimates had been presented to the other Honse
of Parliament, there arose, unfortunately, a state of
circumstances which compelled Government to have re-
sourse to the painful duty of asking for an additional
4-rant of 5,000 men. What were the grounds on which
Government did so?—The internal state of the country.
He did think that there was no man tsho had watched
the progress of events since that time, who could say
that similar circumstances might not soon make it ne-
cessary again to have recourse to a similar demand.
Ireland, it had been said, was now in a state of perfect
peace, but in a state which made its tranquillity depen-
dant on a contingency—which contingency was no-
thing but the continuance :in office of her Majesty's
present Ministry—a tranquillity which depended 1
on such a fact as that—on the fact whether her Ma-
jesty was to exercise her prerogative in naming her ad-
visers, was one which might be undermined by the
snap of a finger. There was nothing in this which
could enable them to reduce their army.
_He was
iware that the military force had been diminished in
Ireland, and that part of it had been brought over to this
country. It was forgotten, that though a portion of the
regular army had been withdrawn from Ireland, they
had added to the constabulary force there, which was
in itself an army, and which was, perhaps, more effec-
tual than any other, for the purpose of preserving tran-
quillity. The number of the constabulary had been in-
creased, and it was possible for them to diminish
their military force. This country had a large
army in Canada, and he was most happy in believing
that the circumstances of that country had improved,
and Ghat there did not exist the same danger of out-
break there as there did at a late period,—( Hear,
hear, hear.) It was aot the immediate disposi-
tion of the people of Canada which caused his
anxiety as to the state of that country, and though it
was to be hoped that those questions which had so
,ong been pending there should soon be satisfactorily
settled, and though some measures might be going on
which might lead to such a settlement, there was a part
of her Majesty's Speech ;from the throne which did
not satisfy him. There was something about the neces-
sity of settling the question. It was stated that it must
be settled. There was something, however, in the feet-
ngs of a high spirited nation which might make them
feel hurt at such allusions. There was another question
which involved great difficulties—it was the boundary
question pending between this country and America.
There was also another boundary question 'which might

soon add to those difficulties ; he alluded to the boun-
flary of the district westward of the Rocky Mountains,

which might give rise to new discussions between
the two countries.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") It was
now settled by a treaty, but that treaty would
expire in twelve months. He had no jealousy of the
American Government; God forbid that he should do

othervvise than believe that they were disposed to main
Lain the most friendly relations towards the Governmeni

of this country, but those grounds of discussion mus
arise ; they were in existence now, and of course ren
dered it naturally imprudent for us to reduce our at my
in that quarter. No country had such an immensity of
foreign possession as we had, but throughout the
whole, could any man put his hand upon one
and say that there was too much garrison. On
the contrary, he believed that many of them were
too weak. Circumstances might arise! which would
imperatively demand an increase of our army abroad,
and so certain as those circumstances did arise, if not
directly, certainly indirectly, they would demand an
increase of the army at home, otherwise it would
be impossible to keep up that system of relief.—
(" Hear, hear," from the Duke of Wellington.)
which was necessary in order to keep the minds of
men at ease by knowing that they were not banished
from their country for ever. Then, with respect to the
many. Great complaints had been made last year re-
specting the proceedings of the Admiralty, which were
positively denied by that department, and it was
said that ships were building, stores being laid
in, and ships being put in commission, but all natu-
rally leading to an increased expense, and the Go-
vernment :complained of the great difficulty they
had in inducing the other House of Parliament to grant
them sums of money for the purpose. He believed
that those complaints wellwere founded, and that
m
similar Lcoplainta might be thade_ by, every,- Go-
vernment that had been in. office since the' peace.
He did not wish to' keep up an extraordinary force
in the time of peace, but it was necessary to be
prepared for any contingency. He, for one, was not
so much afraid of the resources of Russia as many
other people were, but still, when it was known that
they were in a state of great activity,—when it was
known that these resources were so great, and in a
state of such forwardness, and that they might
that was not to out of mind.
Then with respect to France : a report had been made
at
eo
h
which it was very reasonable Louis Philippe should
adopt and the Chambers would sanction ; but that did
not make it an object of less solicitude to this
country. They would be blindindeed if they treated the
course adopted 13) the French ho
, with respect
to their bravery with so much indifference as to say
tapepli Fedrenhcl oist Governmentilityat
be any
left time, was a thing
containing propositions
they would not notice it. He ailed on them to think,
and if the Government and Parliament thought of
it effectually, he, for his part, would entertain but little
alarm. Then as to the United States of America.
The American fleet was found stationed everywhere.—
(Hear, hear.)— But what right had this country--
to complain of that ; and without imputing
designs or showing any unreasonable jealousy,
lousy, that fact justified him in coming to the con-
clusion (and he could not come to any other), that it
was not possible, in the present state of things, for this
country to diminish the present enormous expenditure
with respect to her navy Then, as to the unintelligible
state or things that existed in the government of China.
Nothing had been laid on the table of Parliament with
respect to the policy of the Chinese Government, nei-
ther had the House any information as to what had
occasioned these differences, wbot were the views of
the Government, or what was the nature of the
steps they had taken or intended to take with
respect to it. But it was quite clear it had
caused an interruption to our trade. Nobody could
say how long it might last, or what consequences might
result, but it undoubtedly was an interruption to a most
important branch of the commerce of the whole country.
It was a question involving some serious principles of
commerce—of ruin to the merchants, and inconveni-
ence to the East India Company—besides involving
the loss of three millions of money and the prosperity of
the tea-trade, the enhancement in the price of which arti-
cle, and the consequent decrease in its consumption, must
necessarily lead to a great defalcation in the revenue.

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