The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-06 00:00:00

BRITISH TROOPS IN INDIA.

Colonel LINDSAY begged to ask the Secretary at
War the following question:—As the service of regi-
ments in India is in future not to exceed fifteen years
(except under extraordinary circumstances, such as war,
&c.), and as about a year and a half must elapse
from the time when a regiment of cavalry is under or-
ders, until the regiment to be relieved can return to
England, whether any steps have yet been taken to re-
lieve the 3d Light Dragoons, whose period of fifteen
years' service expires in July, 1852?
Mr. FOX MAULE said that the matter had for some
time been under the consideration of the Government,
and as soon as a decision had been come to ho would
state it to the House.
THE WOODS AND FORESTS.

Mr. COCHRANE-moved for returns of the attend-
ance of the Commissioner of Woods and Forests, since
the Noble Lord came into office:-1. At the Board of
Woods and Forests, Works and Buildings; 2. At the
General Board of Health; 3. At the Commons Inclosure
Commission; 4. As Chief Justice in Eyre, North and
South Trent; 5. As Gaveller of the Forest of Dean; 6.
As Commissioner of Greenwich Hospital; 7. As Commis-
sioner of Highland roads and bridges; 8. As Commis-
sioner for the repair and maintenance of roads,
bridges, and harbours, originally under the care and
management of the Commissioners of Holyhead Roads ;
9. As Commissioner for building churches ; 10. As
Commissioner for the conservancy of the Mersey ; 11.
As trustee for the Commissioners for the management
of certain churches in Marylebone ; 12. As Commis-
sioner for paving Regent-street ; 13. As Commissioner
for Fine Arts ; 14. As member of the Council
for the affairs of the Duchy of Cornwall ;
15. As Commissioner for the geological surveys in
Great Britain and Ireland, and the museums established
in London and Dublin ; 16. As member of the Com-
mission for the more effectual means of improving the
metropolis; and of the number of Boards held during
the same period, that is, since the Noble Lord was ap-
poined Commissioner of Woods and Forests-1. At the
Board of Health; 2. At the Commons Inclosure Com-
mission.

AYLESBURY ELECTION.
Mr. R. PALMER moved that the petition of Mr.
Bradmore on the subject be taken into consideration.
Captain BOLDER° said he had a counter-petition to
present, and he therefore hoped the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman would put off his motion until to-morrow.
Mr. R. PALMER was quite prepared to postpone the
motion till to-morrow, but for the sake of form he would
move that this matter bo referred to a Select Com-
mittee.
Lord J. RUSSELL thought it would be better for the
House to have both petitions beforo it previous to
coming to any decision, and postponement would there-
fore be the best course to follow.
The SPEAKER said, that in order that the question
might come on the first thing to-morrow the motion had
better be withdrawn now and renewed at the sitting of
the House to-morrow.
The motion was accordingly withdrawn with leave.
Captain BOLDER() then presented his petition,
which was ordered to be printed with the votes.
MINISTERIAL EXPLANATIONS.
PROPERTY AND INCOME-TAN BILL

The House then went into Committee on this Bill
when

Lord J. RUSSELL rose and said, before they pro.
ceeded to consider the Bill with regard to property
and income-tax, the House would, perhaps, desire
that either his Right lion. Friend the Chancellor of the
Exchequer or himself should state the course which
Government proposea to take not only with regard to
this measure, but also with regard to all other financial
measures of the session.—(Hear, hear.) The House
was aware that on Friday night, by a majority of four-
teen, it was decided that on© year, instead of three years
was the period to which the property and income tax
should be continued.—(Hear, hear.) The Honourable
Gentleman the Member for Montrose, who made that
motion, stated as his reason for doing so that he
thought it was desirable that an inquiry should take
place in reference to this tax with the view of making
it more just and equitable in its operation, and with the
view of ultimately rendering it a permanent tax, after
such alterations and modifications should be introduced
into it which the result of that inquiry might suggest.
—(Hear, hear.) He (Lord John Russell) did not
agree on Friday, nor did he agree now, that it was
far
before b e t
eithert r to dionpqtu
de-
sirable to abridge the duration of the tax for that
au
purpose. —(Hear, hear.) He tbcught it would have been
theinquiry
w generprincipleas l
or an ymodification
ofthe tax
was made in the tax; but the House decided otherwise,
and it then became the duty of
the Government to
consider what eourse they should take to secure the
stability of the public revenue.—(Hear.) Now, although
in his opinion it would have been more expedient to
have continued the tax for three years rather than for
one year, yet he could not suppose that the majority of
those
.Members who supported the contrary motion had
any wish or intention to place the public credit of the
country in jeopardy. He could not suppose that, be-
cause the majority of the House since its first
assembling after the last general election had shown
themselves most careful of preserving the public credit
and providing for the necessary establishment of the
State. He aid not suppose so, because amongst the
Members who voted for the amendment on Friday night
there were many who by their acts and speeches had
shown every determination to provide for the public
credit, and make every necessary provision for the
effectual discharge of the public service.—(Hear.) And,
therefore, in concluding that such was not their inten-
tion, Ministers had to consider whether or no they could
adopt the resolution of the House and proceed with
the Bill in its present amended shape. Now many gentle-
men who had argued this question with hins in private
had said that it was the general impression of the coun-
try that though the tax in its existing shape was unequal
in its operation, it might yet be made exceedingly bene-
ficial and just by the introduction of certain specified
alterations; and when he had answered that Mr. Pitt and
Sir Robert Peel, and other eminent men who had been
in office had always come to a different conclusion, it
had been replied to him, that if the conclusion to which
these eminent men had come should be supported
by inquiry, the country would be satisfied by the
result of such an inquiry, while, on the other hand, if
it could be shown that the tax by modifications could be
made more fair in that case, such alterations might be
adopted and the tax rendered permanent, so that either
way, after inquiry, the country would be satisfied with
the result.—(Hear.) Now be had no doubt that those
who had expressed these opinions to him acted in that
view when they gave their support to the motion of his
Honourable Friend the Member for Montrose, and
therefore, seeing that, contrary to the expressed opinion
of the Government, the House had come to that con-
clusion, Ministers thought it desirable, in the present state
of affairs, that there should be an inquiry on the subject.
I think, after such being the decision of the House, it
would be neither fair nor wise to attempt to refuse or
evade that inquiry, but it ought to be a fair inquiry, and
conducted by men in this House who were generally
leaders on financial subjects. The Government were,
therefore, prepared to agree that there should be a fair
and full inquiry.—(Hear, hear.) But a further question
arose, and that was, whether taking the income-tax only
for a year, they could agree to any other modification
-of that tax, and whether they could proceed with those
measures relative to our financial system, which his
Right Hon. Friend (the Chancellor of the Exchequer)
bad brought forward. On that subject they had to con-
sider that the House, by its previous votes had agreed to
the continuance of the income-tax for a limited
period, and had rejegie,cl the motion of the Honourable
Gentleman the Men:filer for Stafford for taking off,
without modification or alteration, a part of the
income-tax equivalent to the surplus, which the House
might be disposed to remit in the shape of taxation,
The House likewiss concurred with his Right Hon.
Friend, in the proposal to repeal the window-tax, and to
supply the deficiency °maimed by the 1018 of the-tax,