The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-29 00:00:00

PORTUGUESE WINES.

Colonel BAEITTELOT asked the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs whether a treaty of commerce had lately
been concluded with the kingdom of Portugal, by which
the wines of that country were to be admitted into Great
Britain at a reduced duty ; if so, what was to be the rate
of duty, and at what date the new daty was levied.
Lord STANLEY said no such treaty had been entered
into. Much correspondence had taken place, but no final
arrangement had been arrived at.
THE ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION.

The house having gone into a committee of
Ways and Means,
Mr. HUNT rose and said, in the absence of his
right hon. friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
it devolved upon him, in consequence of the in-
disposition of his right hon. friend, to make a state-
ment to the house which he had hoped would have
devolved upon other hands. He felt that he should
stand in need of indulgence, and he hoped that his
shortcomings in performing the task would be fairly
viewed by the house. The house having agreed
that a sum of 12,000,000 should be voted to
defray the expenses of the expedition to Abys-
sinia, it became the duty of the Government to state
how they intended to provide for that additional
expenditure. He might as well say at the outset
that the Government did not propose to look beyond
the resources of the year to meet the expenditure.
(Hear, hear.) The Government might have met
the additional expenditure by way of loan,
or the temporary expedient of borrowing,
leaving it to the Committee of Ways and
Means next year to meet the extra expendi-
ture. However, they had thought the most manly
course was to look the matter fully in the face, and
to endeavour to make the resources of the year
1867-8 meet the additional expenditure, which
was not contemplated when the Chancellor
of the Exchequer made his statement
on the 4th of April. The calculations of the right
hon. gentleman had led him to anticipate a surplus,
and that anticipation would be fulfilled. The
surplus at the end of the year would amount to
£200,000, and the whole of that, as far as it goes,
would be devoted to that purpose, but they
woul I requ're to provide for the remainder in other
ways. Without entering at great length into sta-
tistics he in;glit say at once that the Government
proposed to levy as additional penny on
tile income tax from the prescnt financial
year. The effect of that addition, coupled with
surplus would give £840,000, leaving £960,000 still
to be provided for. In order to do this the Go-
vernment proposed to make the balances available,
and although those balances only amounted to
£5,000,000, yet it was thought best and wisest to
take the required sum from that source. He had
stated the proposals of the Government in the
strongest and clearest manner, and he begged now
to place in the hands of the Chairman the resolu-
tions to carry out the proposals he had mentioned.
The CHAIRMAN having read the resolutions,
Mr. GLADSTONE thought the choice of the
Government with respect to additional taxation
was a just one, and under the-circumstances the
incon4e tax was the beet resource they could have

had recourse to. With respect to the balances they'
had already been drawn upon, but that did no, t
not preclude a further sum being- taken
from that source. It was proposed to take
£960,000 from those balances now. A d xaught
from the balances ought to be looked upon r e equi-
valent to the creation of additional debt, " but, as
they had reduced the debt, what the ( Jovern-
ment proposed now to do was to set the
one against the other. (Hear, hear.•.) He
did not think the Government could nave done
better; they incurred no practical risk., arid he
thought that amongst the thinking part of the com-
munity the proposal to meet the difficulty in the
way proposed by the Government would be -viewed
much more favourably than if they bad decided to
raise the money in a less direct manner.
Sir G. BOWYER thought the proposed increase
of the income tax highly objectionable, at. the pre-
sent time more especially.
Mr. L.A.ING said the only question was bow to
meet the increased demand, and it appeared to him
the Government had only to consider whether they
should raise only half the amount by an addi-
tional ld. to the income tax, or whether they
should have drawn the whole of the sum
required from that tax by the addition
of 2d. in the pound. He thought that if the war
continued the addition of 2d. to the income tax was
inevitable, and he for one should not object to
such a proposal. Taking things as he found them,
he did not find fault with the proposal of the
Government, as he felt it was the most sensible
way of stopping up the financial gap for the
present.
Mr. WHITE said he was sorry to disturb the
harmony that at present existed, but when the pro-
posal was put from the chair he should give an
emphatic " No" to the proposition.
_ _

After a few words from Mr. HANKEY in approval
of the policy of reducing the national debt when-
ever practicable,

Lord STANLEY reminded the house that the
two millions now asked for had not yet been spent,
and that there were many reasons to favour the
hope that so large an expenditure might not be re-
quired. He hoped—as the case was exceptional,
and the charge merely temporary—the house would
agree to the resolution at once, although, if there
was any want of unanimity, he would not press it.
_ _

After some critical observations from Mr. DARBY
GRIFFITH, in the course of which he predicted that
a much larger expenditure than two millions would
be required, the resolution was agreed to.
In committee on East India troops and vessels
(Abyssinian expedition),
Sir S. NORTHCOTE moved.a resolution to the
effect that a military expedition having been directed
to be despatched against Abyssinia, consisting
mainly of troops, both European and native, at
present maintained out of the Indian revenues, the
ordinary pay of such troops, and the ordinary
charges of any vessels belonging to the Indian Go-
vernment employed in the expedition, which would
have been charged upon the revenues of India it
such troops or vessels had remained in that country
or the seas adjacent, should continue to be so charge-
able; provided that, if it shall become necessary to
replace the troops or vessels so withdrawn by other
European or native forces or vessels, the expense of
raising, maintaining, and providing them should be
provided by Parliament for the purposes of the ex-
pedition. After explaining the effect of the act of
Parliament regulating the application of the reve-
nues and the employment of the forces of India,
the right hon. baronet defended the conduct of the
Government in throwing the cost of the expedition
in the first instance upon the finances of India.
He also argued that the people of India felt deeply
that the honour of the empire was at stake, and
that no injustice would be done to them in asking
them to bear a moiety of the cost of vindicating it.
Mr. FAWCETT spoke strongly against_ the in-
justice and itnpolicy of asking the unrepresented
millions of India to contribute towards the cost of
a military operation in which they had no interest
whatever. He expressed his intention to divide the
house against the resolution.
Sir El. RA.WLINSON could not see any injus-
tice in calling upon India to bear a moiety of the
cost. In reality, however, the question was merely
a departmental one, as it would not involve the
ultimate expenditure of a single rupee of Indian
revenue. Moreover, it should always be remem-
bered that England maintained in India a force in
excess of what was actually required, and that its
employment in cases of emergency was perfectly
legitimate. Referring to the expedition itself, Sir
Henry pointed out the dangers and difficulties to
which it might be exposed (involving, perhaps, an
occupation for some years), and recommended pru-
dence and foresight, citing the disastrous retreat
from Cabul as an illustration of the perils to which
an invading army in a distant and unknown country
might be subjected. _ _

Mr. GL ADSTONE maintained that India would
not be a shilling poorer for the expedition, as it
always had a margin of disposable force applicable
for emergencies. If the troops drawn from India
were afterwards required in that country the Go-
vernment had pledged itself to restore them, so that
no injustice would be done. The proposal before
the house was in his opinion moderate, conformable
with precedent, fair in principle, and agreeable with
the equity of the case, and therefore he should sup-
port it.

Mr. LAING dwelt upon the value of prestige in
the East, reminding the house that it was an im-
portant element of political security, and that so
far as the Red Sea was concerned it was desirable
to allow that England had a long arm and could not
be insulted with impunity.
Mr. OSBORNE thought the English taxpayer
had a right to complain of this description of legisla-
tion, and that India ought to defray one-half of the
expenditure. It seemed to him that the war had
been got up by a clique of officers at Bombay for
the purpose of keeping the Bombay army in wind.
He hoped the House of Commons would set its
face against going to war for the maintenance of
prestige, and above all for keeping the Bombay
army in wind.
Lord CRANBORNE protested not against the
war itself, which he regarded as just and necessary,
but against one of the motives assigned—namely,
the necessity of preserving our prestige in the East.
That would be a wicked as well as an unnecessary
motive, especially as we were bound by every prin-
ciple of honour to rescue the captives from King
1 heodore. India ought not, he thought, to be con-
verted into a garrison for England, and he warned
the house how it rashly diminished the force neces-
sary for the security of our possessions in Ilindostau.
lf, on the other hand, the force i❑ India was in
excess of its wants, it would be unfair to throw the
burden of maintaining it on the revenues of India.
Colonel SYKES, feeling that argument was un-
palatable to the house, contented himself with
entering his protest against the resolution.
The House then divided, when the numbers
were—

For the resolution l9B

Against

Majority 175
The resolution was then agreed to, and ordered
to be reported to the House.
The remainder of the sitting was occupied in
discussion in committee on the Metropolitan Streets
Act (1867) Amendment Bill.
The House adjourned at a quarter to one.

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