The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-22 00:00:00

Si !ALI PA &, IA ARI 11 -I'.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(This Day.)
The SPEAKER took the chair shor ly after 12 o'clock.

SARAWAK.

Mr. CRAWFORD presented a petition from the
merchants, shipowner:,, and bankers of Ljndon, tradiu
to the East Indices and China, calling ai tenti -in to the
present state of Brizieb interests in theArchipehigo, and
praying that pnitection might be afforded to the govern-
meta of Sarawak under Sir J. Brooke.

CONSOLIDATED FUND (A PPROPIZ IATION)
BILL- TR E FINANCIAL STATE OF THE
COUNTRY.

On the motion for going into committee on this bill,
Sir G. C. LEWIS called the attention of the Louse to
a comparison of the figures in the Appropriation Bitl
with the Chanc llor of the Exchequer's statement when
he introduce I his budget. fie then estimated the re•
venue at 63 000,000/., and that there would be a surplus
of revenue over expenditure. The right hon. gentleman
estimated the interest of the national debtat 30,300.000'.,
the charges for the army 11,750 000/., for the navy
9,860,0001., the civil serve. 7 000,0001., and the collec-
tien of the revenue 4,700,000/., making a total of
63 610,0001., compared v. ith a probable revenue of
63,900 000/ , showing a surplus cf revenue over ex?en-
diture of about 300,000/e The respite of the votes in
committee during the session, as shown by the appro-
priation bill, were as follows :—National debt int: rest
30,300.0001., army 12,010.000/., navy 9,839,000/., civil
,tervices, 7,240.0001 and ecl ection ofrevenue 4 738,000/.,
making a t, tat of 64 119,0001, but to that must he '.•'d
326,000/., the balance of former re). 23 :a weernittee of
r-ueple, of which the G v. rument proposed to avail
..beues Ives, and th,t would bring up the total charge
of the existing financial v. ar to 61,415,000/ , agatnet
an estimated revenue of 63 900,000/. ; ther, fore, ac2ord-
ieg to the infertnation new before the hou e, instead of
there being an excess rf revenue of 300,000/ c• r ex
penditure, there wou'd be an estimated exclqi of expen-
diture over revenue of 835,0001, which was the point
to which he wished to call attention.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said it
°as true there bad been an excess of estimated expen-
diture over revenue, but at the same time he was happy
to say the revenue bad also exceeded his estimate, and
he were called upon to make a statement from this
iime, his estimate of revenue would be much greCer
than the estimate referred tn. The Bloomy state of
things that Existed when her Majesty's G ivernment took
office had cleared away, and the rev-nue for the final
quarter showed an increase of 223,944/. income
over expenditure, and that at a period when their
expectations were the least sanguine, He found
from a return that had been furnished to him the follow-
ing favourable state of the revenue from the Ist to
the 19th Jul, in cemparkon with the same period of
the previous year. Ie 1857 tie revenue derived from
the customs for the 18 days was 867,000/,, fur this year
1,063,0001., giving a surplii, on the 18 days of 196,0001.
(Rear. hear.) Excise in 1857 Wa,, 623.0001., it was now
728,0001., giving an increase of 105,0001. (Hear, bear.)
Stamps in 1857 was 297,0001, tt was now 340,0001.
—(hear, hear)—giving a surplus of 43.0001. (Hear,
hear.) The post-office in 1357 was 30,0001., it was now
50,0001, giving a surplus of 20,0001. The aggregate
increase of surplus on these four great branches, which
more than any other indicated the condition of the coon-
; ry, was 364,000/. on the 18 day.. (Hear, hear.) Such a
state of things would, he thought, allow hon, members to
meet their censtruents without any gloomy s iev;s t f the
state of the finances of the country—(hear, hear)—and
when it was said there was a deficiency instead of an in-
crease, he appealed to the figures he had stated as proct
to the contrary. The state of the revenue was so encou-
raging, that her Majesty's Government, although they
had tee power of raising this year two millions, in orsler
to pay off Exchequer Bonds, had only availed themselves
of that power to the extent of one million—(hear, hear)
—which they anticipated would be sufficient— (beat,
hear)—so that if public aff ore proceeded as favourably as
now, her Majesty's Government would he able to reduce
the debt this year one (Hear, hear.) The rig l.t
Eon. gentleman reminded the house that revenue and
expenditure depended on the policy pursued by a
G ,ven nuient-. (Hear, hear.) And atter reviewing cur
position with referi,ece to foreign ceuntrits, and our
commercial prospects, he c ncluded by observing that
the inc o-ne and expenditure was such as to give satis-
faction to every lover of his country. (Hear, hear.)
After some remarks from Mr. Wins .N and Mr.
HAMILTON,
Mr. CRAWFORD asked the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer if he could state how much of the increase in
stamps aro3e from the impaction of stamps on bankers'
cheques
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
he could not examly answer the queetion of the hon.
member, uor did be think it necessary to do so. The
t axes had generally realised the estitna'ss he made in the
beginning of April.
S r H. WILLOUGHBY complained of the growing,
increase in expenditure of the country. It was becom-
ing a very serious matter, and the house must do some-
thing to chick it. The finanots were in a buoyant state
but unfortunately expenditure increased according to the
capability of taxation. He had every confidence that
the present government would use their utmost en-
deavours to reduce the expenditure.

After some lemarkl fr.)m Mr. W. WILLIAMS 111 rela-
tion to the increase of expenditure in the army aLd
Davy,

The motion was agreed to.

tLEFT BITTING

MARGARET PUB IN&W, AND THE
ALLEGED PROCURATION SYSTEM.

Sir Peter Laurie had made arrangements to pay a
visit to the West London Union, to a,certam the result
of lettere sent by Mr. Phillips, the Master of the Union,
to various persons whom Robinson alleged were cognisant
of her case, but in consequence of the day appointed,
Tuesday, being a beard day, the worthy alderman did
not keep the appointment. Since the last notice of the '
case, Mr. Phillips has received a letter from Mr. Oldham,
the clergyman in Glasgow, who bad taken such an inte-
rest in the girl, in which that gentleman declares his in-
tention of not interfering any further in the matter. The
girl's father has not addrmsecl any answer to Mr.
Phillips' letter, and the affair assumes a by no means
satisfactory aspect. It is the intention of the authorities
at the West London Union to remove the girl to the
Westminster Reformatory, where the will be subjected
to strict discipline.

Margaret Robinson ia not the "interesting girl" she
has! been de cribed, but a weather-beaten avid lather
haggard-faced girl. Altogether a grosser imposition.
has never been practised upon the public.

THE CASE OF SWINFEN v. SWINFEN.

As one or two inaccuracies appear in the para-
graph from the Loudon papers, it may he interest-
ing, while correcting these, to give a resume of the
circumstances under which this cause celebre comes
on for trial once more at the present Stafford
assizes. Mr. Samuel Swinfen, of Swiufen
near Lichfield, died a few ykars ag having, by a
will made shortly previous to his death, devised his
estates, worth 60,000/. or 80,._001,, to the widow
of his only sou. The son had died suddenly a
short time before the making of this will. After
the death of old Mr. Swinfen, the heir at-law,
Captain Swinfen (son of a hall-brother, and per-
sonally unknown to the testator), claimed the
estates on the ground that the will was invalid.
The action to decide this was to have been tried at
Stafford in the spring of 1856, Sir Frederick Thesi-
ger (now Lord Chelmsford) being Mrs. Swinfen's
leading c uusel. During its progress, Sir Fre lerick,
contrary to the expressed desire of his client, en-
tered into a compromise with the ceu -,eel of the
heir-at-law, according to which Mrs. Swinfen was
to give up all claim to the estates, aLd receive
1,0001. a year for life (not 3,0001. a year, as
stated). Mrs. Swinfen repudiated the right of
her counsel to enter into a compromise withew her
authority, and sought immediately to be relieved
from it. The arrangement, however, having bee i
made by a rule of court, application was in the next
term made to the Court of Common Pleas to commit
Mi s Swinfen to prison for re pt acceding to the terms
come to by Sir Frederick on her behalf. On thisocca-
sion his counsel made affidavits against her; but
after a very able and elaborate argument from Mr.
Kennedy, Mrs. S winfen's counsel, the court refused
to make a rule absolute for her committal. A bill
for specific pi rformance was afterwards filed iu
Chancery, to compel her to accept he compromise.
This bill was dismiss( d by the Master of the Rolls,
and an appeal against the decision, entered before
the Lords Justices, met with a similar fate, the
court, after hearing Mr. Kennedy, confirming the
decision of the Master of the Rolls, and ordering
Cap ain Swinfen to pty all costs. Lord Justice
Knight Bruce, in giving judemene, cereienieed
most strongly the cone •e ;Jur eued by the defendant
harassitig Mrs. Swinfen by a suit in Chanceiy.
Mrs. Swinfen being thus completely freed from the
compromise of 1856, the proceedings to test tle
validity of the will hegin de novo, and the action
of Swinfen v. Swiufen is to be tried during the
Mr. Ken-
pre4en t Stafford assizes by special jury.
body will be the leadni cotinFel on the part of
Mrs. Swinfen, and Mr. Edwin James is specidly
retained for the other side. Mrs. ~Swinfen Lib°
brings an action against the Lord C hancelor to
recover damages for having entered into the com•
promise. Mr. Kennedy will be her counsel in this
matter. The question is of importance to the legal
profeision end the public, it having been too fre-
quently the practice of leading counsel to come to
terms without consulting their clients.—Birming-
ham Daily Post. -

THE NEW FLAX Cu r fine specimen of new flax
ha be-n I,f, %cab us by Mr John B 48 to 50
inn ies ng, grown from E: gli.h seed, idler a crop of
oat- at Syrinx-vale. near Deugh.
THE GREAT COMET.—It i,:-tated in 1.-tters from Paris
that the great cornet, which was so much talked cf about
a year ago, but failtd to appear, has been descried, jubt
below the horiz9o, at the Paris Observatory. The point
of emergence is raid to be identified with that ind:cated
mouth ago by Prates, r Donati, of Florence,