The Sun.
London, England, 1856-05-20 00:00:00

TTIE S I ONDO N, TUESDAY EVE.,,,Ti, MAY 20, 1856.

according to the Right Honourable Gentleman—
as a year of war, there have already been an-
nounced reductions in the Military and Naval

Expenditure, amounting to 17,559,0001. But
no relief is given to the tax-payers. They
must still meet the full amount of the war taxes.
The first of these imposts that will return to its
previous dimensions will be the Malt Tax—the
rate of 4s. per bushel ceasing on the sth July,
and the previous charge of 2s. Bd. being substi-
tuted. A drawback will be allowed for the stocks
then on hand, which will absorb a million sterling
or thereabouts. The increased duties on tea,
ooffee, and sugar will cease on the sth of April,
1857, while the Income Tax will be continued,
with all its gross inequalities, for twelve months
longer, until the sth of April, 1858. As to
spirits, he holds out no prospect of a reduction,
for which he will probably have his health warmly
toasted by every illicit distiller throughout the
kingdom for the active support, accorded to the
demoralising traffic.
Another million is to be advanced to Sardinia.
A question might have been raised as to whether
England was pledged to this advance. No true-
hearted Englishman will regret that we are to
carry out our promise, not merely to the letter,
but according to the spirit. This statement more
than justified the manly and pertinent observations
of Mr. DISRAELI, in reference to the state of Italy,
and the extraordinary Treaty of the 15th of April,
which, as he justly remarks, seems calculated "to
rivet the chains of Austrian despotism."
The net revenue for the current year is estimated
at 67,152,0001., the expenditure at 77,525,0001.
There would thus be a deficiency of 10,373,0001.,
but as there remains 1,500,0001. from the loan of
last year, this is reduced to 8,873,000/. For this he
provides by the loan of 5,000,0001., and a power
which he intends to claim of issuing 2,000,000/.
iu Exchequ:r Bends. There would still be a de-
ficiency of 1,873,0001., which is completely dis-•
regarded. It is, we suppose, accounted for by
the fact that he allowed a mtrgin of 2,000,0001.
in estimating the expenditure. But why he
should afterwards throw it overboard we are un-
able to understand.

It appears that the applications for the New
Loan awounted to fully 40,000,000/.—a fact by
no means astonishing, when it is considered that
each recipient will realise a profit of more than 2-}
per cent. on the amount allotted to him.

On the whole the Budget is as bad as could be
offered to the country, and there is not the
slightest hope held out of any revision of taxation,
to relieve the minds of the Financial Reformers
from the dreary prospect before them.

We earnestly invite the attention of our readers
to a report, which will be found in another column,
of the meeting held last evening in the Vestry-
hall of St. Pancras, on the stoppage of the bands
in the Parks. The large hall, it will be seen,
was crowded with inhabitants, and the proceed-
ings wore of the most exciting, but most orderly,
aud, with a paltry exception, the most unanimous
description. The blood of every JOHN MILL pre-
sent was fairly up, and, in the remarks made by
the Chairman on the disgraceful interference of
the Scotch members, and the intimation made by
a working-man of the possibility of retaliation
having to be resorted to if the Sabbatarians
persisted in persecuting the people, a lesson
was tendered which prudent men would do well
to profit by. Long years of kindly intercourse
and admixture of race were fast wearing away the
acerbities and animosities long existing between
the two peoples, when the Scotch members, like
" born naturals," must revive them by this inde-
cent interference with the consciences and plea-
sures of a population almost as great as that
of all Scotland---the population, in fact, of
the greatest and wealthiest metropolis in the
world 1 The folly as well as the progumptiou of
the act is astounding 1- The more it is looked at,
in fact, the worse does their conduct appear.
Suppose the population rose in revolt, how many
of their countrymen, who have won a position by
honest industry, would be ruined And what
sort of favour would Scotchmen, however guilt-
less, be held in by the population for half a cen-
tury to come? The men surely cannot be so mad
as to believe that Englishmen, who know nothing
of JOHN KNOX, and have grown up in the belief
that Sunday recreation is lawful, will bear the
same yoke as their Sabbatically-trained and most
unfortunate brethren in Scotland. If they are,
we sincerely advise all sensible Scotchmen of in-
fluence among their constituents to have them
muzzled as soon as possible ; for, on our con-
scietce, we believe great harm may result to Scot-
land if they don't. What would Scotchmen say
to the English Church being thrust down their
throats as the National Church ? The Scotch
members certainly should have been prepared to
answer the question when they banded themselves
together to thrust JoHN Krrox, and something
more than JOHN KNox, down the throats of the

Londoners.
The letter of CHARLES DICKENS deserved all
the applause it received, more especially the con-
clusion, and clearly enough indicated in what direc-
tion the tendencies of the times may be sought for.
Governmental and sacerdotal humbug have trying
pinches before them. The most striking feature
of the meeting, however, was the presence and
speech of Sir BENJAMIN HALL, the latter chiefly
because of the authoritative revelations it con-
tains. There can be no dispute now as to what
the SabbatariAns intend. The closing of the
British Museum and the dismissal of the Bands
will not content them. The next thing they wi 11

compel the Premier and Parliament to do—if we
don't got better than the present—will be to put
down steam-boats on a Sunday, then prevent the
running of railway-trains, then close the Post-
office, and in the meantime shut up the gates of
the Parks, and pronounce skating, baking, shav-
ing, potato-boiling, &c., illeg l finally, of
course, succeeding in dosing the people
with Sabbatisna till they have net sufficient

spirit to resist being driven by the police

,o church or chapel in handcuff's.

reader smiles. Let him ponder the matter for a
brief period impartially over, and we are much

deceived if he does not arrive at the conclusion
that the Sabbatism of the day is a.; absurd as it is

tyrannous, and that the condition of no State in
Italy could be worse than that of England would
before long become if placed under the uncon-
trolled dominion of the Sabbatarians. Nor is this
the only charge against them. Some feeling of pity
might be elicited by their vagaries were the party
I honost. What (Les Sir BENJAMIN' HALL say on
this head ? Ho wishes it to go forth—that on that
(Monday night) " he had bzen told in the lobby
of the House of C.)mmons that if he had confined
the band to Kensington-gardens he tvoul4 have
been left quiet," but because he had presumed to
offer the like boon to the poor population in the
vicinity of Regent's and Victoria Parks his
scheme would not be submitted to ; in short, he

and it would be put down. Further, that
if he would connont to withdraw the baud from

the Parks objected to, he would be permitted to

retain the hard in Ketrington-gardens ! Not
merely is Sabbatisni intolerant we have here the

best authority for ite being unprincipled S What