The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-11 00:00:00

INDIAN FINANCIAL YEASTRES.

The minute issued by Sir Charles Trevelyan, the'
Governor of Madras, on the financial measures of
Mr. Wilson, was on Tuesday night promised in the
House of Commons, by the President of the Indian
Council, to be produced in the course of a week or
ten days, when it will be accompanied by other
papers. eanwhile, the document has been received
in full through the Bombay mail. A report has
been circulated that it was published inadvertently ;
but this was not the case. Sir Charles had been
previously consulted by the Governor-General, and
had stated his views, and those of his responsible
advisers in the Madras Presidency. Mr. Wilson, in
his subsequent speech, had alluded apparently with
strong disapprobation to them, as if they were selfish
claims for exemption on behalf of Madras and Bom-
bay which he had noticed "cropping out in official
documents as being encouraged by gentlemen of
influence," and Sir Charles, it is to be assumed,
has therefore felt it necessary in emphatic terms
to take care that these views shall be fully under-
stood in the Presidency for the government of
which he is answerable. Sir Charles commences
by admitting that the time is come when the finances
of India must be placed on a solid foundation. There
must be no more palliatives. The question is
whether the imposition of an income-tax, a license-
tax, and a tobacco-tax is a necessary or desirable
mode of attaining the object. What are the
reasons assigned for the new taxes ? The re-
cent increase of debt, the precariousness of the
revenue derived from opium, and the actual esti-
mated deficiency of income for the current year.
With regard to the first of these, it is urged that,
although it is desirable the debt should not be in-
creased, its existing amount is not disproportionatt
to the means of the country,
.if commerce is left
free, and the people are not harassed. It bears to
the annual revenue a proportion of less than two-
and-a-half to one; while the English debt is to the
English revenue in the proportion of about 11 to 1.
" Our policy clearly is to accept the debt as it
stands, and to direct our attention to the means of
preventing any further increase of taxation." Con-
cerning the precariousness of the opium revenue,
Sir Charles remarks that it has been a common
theme ever since he entered public life, yet the
opium revenue has gone on steadily increasing.
Even, however, if the dreaded falling off should ever
occur it will happen only gradually, and the evil
of new taxes which may then be necessary to supply
the deficiency need not be resorted to in anticipa-
tion. Taxation in England is studiously adjusted
from year to year according to proved necessities.
" If we had an annual revenue in England like
that from opium weshould not think of imposing
new taxes to create an insurance fund against its
possible reduction." Next, with regard to the
actual deficit for the current year. Its amount
is stated to be £6,500,000 ; but Sir Charles re-
marks that no detailed estimate of income and
expenditure is given, and that for a demand
for such a sum to be acceded to in the dark
is wholly against English precedents. The
Madras Government, " being responsible for the
tranquillityandwellbeing ofabout 30,000,000 of her
Majesty's subjects," desire to know what are the
grounds of the asserted deficit and for believing
that the proposed new taxation-is necessary. Sir
Charles believes that the calculation is extremely
faulty. Assuming, however, that it can he borne
out, he still contends that the contemplated mea-
sures are injurious and not requisite. That there
is, at all events, ample time for deliberation is, he
contends, shown by the fact that the balances in
the Exchequer are at this moment larger than they
have been since 1853, and are actually £6,900,00()
in excess of those held at the corresponding period
of last year, the total being al;out £19,600,000. If,
therefore, the desired equilibrium can be restore.;
by a diminution of expenditure, a hasty rush upon
new imposts will be altogether inexcusable. A
reduction of the vast military establishments and
of the swarm of subordinates connected with them
is puinted out as the true remedy. The state of
thiegs in France, it is alleged, where the plan of
maintaining a large portion of the community in
dependence upon the Government at the expense of
the rest of the community is most acted upon, gives
no idea of the excess to which the system has been
carried in India. "Reduction of expenditure would
transfer the surplus portion of this immense sti-
pendiary class to productive industry, and would
make them taxpayers instead of tax consumers."
Yet in the face of the deficient state of the
labour market the increase in the military ex-
penditure iu the current year, as compared with
the year before the mutiny, is £8,519,227, or 65
per cent. At the same time the general rise of

GENOA, May 6.—Garibaldi and two thousand
two hundred volunteers embarked last night at 12
p.m. Three steamers were lying in the offing, to
which they were conveyed in detachments from
various points along a range of four or five miles
of coast. The concentration of any large body on
a given spot was avoided not to bring additional
perplexity on the Government, who has shut its
eyes to whatever Garibaldi has been planning for
the last three weeks, but whose sympathy, of
course, can assume no more tangible form.
The scene at the Foce, near Genoa, witnessed
by your correspondent, was exciting in the ex-
treme. Notwithstanding the lateness of the hour,
and the semi-reserve with which the movements of
the expeditionary force had.been invested, nearly
5,000 persons of all ranks flocked up the beach to
bid the gallant adventurers good speed. Genoa
gave 200 of her best marksmen from the Societa
del Tiro Nazionale ; the rest were from all parts of
the peninsula, as the dialeets you heard on every
side, in the medley of cheers and leave-taking,
amply testified. As usual with Garibaldi's volun-
teers, they were of every grdde and calling—
nobles, soldiers, artists, physcians, down to pea-
sants,and workmen, all young and vigorous, and
perfectly aware that with such a leader no child's
play lies before them. A few were lads of only 15
or 16. They were all in plain clothes, but their
uniforms, with arms, ammunition, &c., were al-
ready on board ship. They are to wear the scarlet
tunic -so identified; in the Neapolitan's imagina-
tion, with Garibaldi's successes over them in 1849,
when the mere sight of one of the red diavoli used
to inspire panic.
The funds for this expedition have been supplied
from the proceeds for the subscription fora million
of muskets set on foot by Garibaldi last autumn.
It is not to land in Sicily, but it is intended to
effect a diversion in Calabria. The enthusiasm of
the troops in garrison here has been so roused
that it was necessary to confine them yesterday to
their barracks to prevent their deserting in order to
enrol themselves. This prudential measure has
been made the most of by the authorities here in
reply to the remonstrances of the Neapolitan con
sul. More has been done, it is alleged, in opposi-
tion to the departure of Garibaldi than the
Austrian Government has seen fit to do with regard
to the thousands of volunteers, many of whom were
her soldiers, who for months past have been pour-
ing into the Roman States from Trieste, to swell an
army intended for the invasion of a part of the
King of Sardinia's dominions.
Garibaldi has sanguine hopes of cutting out some
one or other of the Neapolitan frigates which are
on the watch for his appearance. This would be
but the repetition of some of his South American
achievements.

Midici, his able lieutenant, is to start in four or
five days with 2,000 more volunteers. Events are
thickening. Here it is generally expected that
Lamoriciere will make a descent on Romagna in a
few days.