The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-13 00:00:00

Indian Exchequer. Under these circumstances, her
Majesty's Government, as at present advised, subject, of
course, to information which may at any moment arrive
do not feel called upon to submit to Pathatnent any
proposition with regard to assistance to be afforded to
the East India Company. I can say, therefore, that the
Ways and Means which the liberality of Pathanient has
placed at the disposal of the executive Government ap-
pear as far as I am able to judge, to he ample for meet
ing the probable wants of the present financial year.
(Hear, hear) If the- Government had any reason to
doubt their sufficiency they would not be slow in bringing
the matter under the consideration of this house, in full
confidence that any want which could be established with
regard to finance, and that any demand for .xpenditure
which could be proved by demonstrative evidence to be
required for the interests, the defence, and the welfare
of the country, would be furnished by the liberality and
public spirit of this House. (Cheers.) The Government
are not restrained by any doubt of the willingness of this
House to meet any reasonable demand on their part ;
but, as far as they are able to judge, there is no imme-
diate reason for making such a demand. I will 'merely
remind the house that up to the present time all the de-
mands upon the Exchequer of this country have been
satisfied from the Ways and Means of the current year.
We have. already discharged 2,000,0001. of Exchequer
bonds which fell due in the month of April last ; and
within the last few days a considerable sum in respect of
the redemption of the Sound Dues has been paid. Not-
withstanding those large payments, one of which was in
redemption of debt. and the other in a matter equivalent
to the extinction of debt, yet.tbe growing revenue of the
year appears at present adequate for the demands of the
country, and notwithstanding the large shipmentof troops
to India, I do not anticipate at present any inadequacy of
Ways and Means to cover the expenditure of the year. I
will merely add, in reference to what fell from the hon.
baronet, that he is no doubt aware that as soon as re-
giments are transferred to the, service of the East India
Company they become chargeable to the revenue of India,
and cease to be chargeable to the revenue of this country.
Therefore,. so far as measures have at present gore, they
have produced relief rather than burthen to the Ex-
chequer of this country. The dissolution of the Bengal
army, however disastrous an event to the Indian empire,
is n vertheless immediately attended with a diminution
of expense, inasmuch as the pay of 40 regiments, with
the exception of the British .officers, at once ceases.
The immediate effect is not to bring any great charge
upon the Indian or'Eaglish Exchequer, and the principal
loss to the Indian Government arises from the plunder
of their treasuries, and the cessation of the collection of
taxes in the disturbed provinces. But the places of the
regiments sent to India will be filled by recruits. Re
cruiting is, of course, a gradual process, and the ex-
pense attending the supplying the regiments shipped for
India comes on by degrees, and when it is carried to the
full extent only creates a charge equal to that removed
by the departure of those regiments. My noble friend
at the head of the Government has already explained,
with regard to the embodied militia, that it is our inten7
Lion to call out regiments only so far as may be neces-
sary, in consequence of the slow process of recruiting ;
but it is not anticipated that the vote to which the house
agreed 1 at night of 100,0001. will be insufficient, and
possibly the whole of that vote will not be required.
Under these circumstances, as I stated before, I do not
at present anticipate that I hall have to make any further
propositions to the House in Committee of Ways and
Means, or in Committee of Supply beyond what are now
on the table, and I trust that, alter these explanations,
the resolutions in the hands of the Chairman will re-
ceive the assent of the committee. (Hear, hear.) The
right hon. gentleman concluded by moving the following
resolutions :
"1. That towards raising the supply granted to her
Majesty, in lieu of ate duties of Customs now chargeable
on the following articles imported into Great Britain and
Ireland, and in lieu of the duties of Excise now chargeable
on sugar made in the united kingdom, the following duties
shall be charged until the 31st day of March, 1860, inclu-
sive (that is to say) :

e. d.

Candy brown or white refined sugar, or sugar ren-
dered by any process equal in quality thereto,
per cwt
White clayed sugar, or sugar rendered by any pro-
cess equal in quality to white clayed, not being
refined, or equal in quality to refined, per cwt. 16 0
Yellow muscovado and brown clayed sugar, or
sugar rendered by any process equal iu quality
to yellow muscovado or brown clayed, and n.d,
equal to white clayed, per cwt l3 10
Brown muscovado or any other sugar, not being
equal in quality to yellow muscovado or brown
clayed sugar, per cwt
Molasses
Cherries, dried, per lb
Comfits, per 1b...
Confectionary, per lb 0 2
Ginger, preserved, per lb
Marmalade, per lb
Plums preserved in sugar, per lb 0 2
Saccades, including all fruits and vegetables pre-
servedin sugar, not otherwise enumerated, per lb. 0 2
Tea, per lb.
" 2. That the following drawbacks shall be allowed on
the exportation to foreign parts, or on removal to the Isle
of Man, for consumption there, of the several descriptions
of refined sugar hereinafter mentioned, until the 31st of
Marsh, 18.i0, inclusive (that is to say) :
Upon refined sugar in loaf, complete or whole, or
lumps duly refined, having been perfectly clari-
fied and thoroughly dried in the stove, and being
of a uniform whiteness throughout, or sugar
candy, or sugar refined by the centrifugal ma-
chine, or by any other process, and not in any
way inferior to the export standard, No. 3, ap-
proved by the Lords of the Treasury, per cwt l7 2
Upon such refined sugar already described, if
pounded, crushed, or broken in a warehouse ap-
proved by the Commissioners of Customs, such
sugar having been there first inspected by the
officers of stems in lumps or loaves, as if for
immediate shipment, and then packed for ex-
portation in the presence of such officers, and at
the expense of the exporters, per cwt l7 2
Upon refined sugar, unstoved, pounded, crushed,
or broken, and not in any way inferior to the
export standard sample, No. 1, approved by the
Lords of the Treasury, and which shall not con-
tain more than 5 per cent. moisture over and
above what the same would contain if thoroughly
dried in the stove, per cwt l6 4
Upon bastard or refined sugar, unstoved, broken
in pieces, or being ground, powdered, or crushed,
not in any way inferior to the export standard
sample No. 2, approved by the Lords of the
Treasury, per cwt.
Upon bastard or refined sugar, being inferior in
quality to the said export standard sample No.
2. per cwt.
" 3. That towards raising the supply granted to Her
Majesty in lieu of the duties of Customs now chargeable on
rice imported into Great Britain and Ireland, the follow
ing duties shall be charged, (that is to say) ;

15 1

s. a.
Rico and rice dust, for feeding cattle, per cwt. ... 0 4i
Rico, rough, and in the husk, per quarter ... 0 9
Meal, not otherwise enumerated or described, per
cwt,

0 4A

Mr. GLADSTONE said,—l do not rise for the pur
pose of opposing the resolutions of the right hon. gentle
man or of detaining the committee for any length of time,
but it does appear to me that we must regard this pro
posal as an omen of other proposals which are to follow
it. (Hear, hear.) There is one statement of the right
hon. gentleman upon which I have the misfortune to
differ from him, and I cannot allow it to pass with-
out recording my protest against it. He speaks of
having paid off 2,000,0001. of Exchequer-bonds and
provided for the Sound Dues, re; if in either of those
operations he were extinguishing debt, or performing
a process analogous to the extinction of debt, out
of the Ways and Means of the year. I do not
wish to revive arguments which we have bad at great
length, but, so far as the Sound Dues are concerned,
the case is this : —ln t ie years 1856 and 1857, by ilea
exercise of borrowing powers to a consider ably greater
extent than the ultimate expenditure required, there
were large balances of borrowed money in the Exche-
quer, and out of those balances the Government applied
1,000,000/., and something more, to the extinction of
the obligation contracted with respect to the Sound
Dues. The Sound Dues were just as much discharged
out of borrowed money as if a special loan had been
raised for the purpose. (Hear ) As respects Exchequer-
bonds, so far from considering that we have liquidated
2,000,0001., out of what may be regarded as legitimate
Ways and Means, I contend not only that those
2,000,0001, but that 2,000,0001. or 3,000,0001, more,
which we applying to Ways and Means, ought to be
applied to the liquidation of public debt in redemption
of the pledge given by Parliament ; and next session it
will be necessary to review that subject at greater
length. (Hear.) As respects the general matter of the
speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, I am glad to
understand from him that the East India Company are
in such a state as regards finances that he contemplates
they will be able from their own resources to meet for
the probable period of six months the heavy charges of
operations which must be undertaken in that country.
If that be the case, I entirely agree both with the autho-
rities of the Company and with the right hon. gentle-
man in the wisdom of not making any present appli-
cation to this house. (Hear, hear.) In what he said
he perhaps alluded to what fell from use when I re-
spectfully tendered to the Government my advice, that
if they foresaw the coming necessity of rendering pecu-
niary aid to the Indian Government they should render
a portion of that aid at once. But I quite agree that
if the resources of India are in such a state as the right
hon. gentleman represents them, it is much better to
avoid any demand at the present. Grave as is the crisis,
meet weighty as may be many of the matters raised and
discussed with great ability by the right hon. gentleman
the member for Buckinghamshire, yet I confess I incline,
in common with the hon. and gallant member for Aber-
deen (Col. Sykes), who addressed the house very recently
and very admirably—(hear)---to the opinion that there is
nothing absolutely unreasonable in the hope that, by the
blessing of Providence, the head of this mutiny, gigantic
.as it is, may be crushed, and certainly, so far as positive
evidence goes, I cannot see the evidence upon which the
right hon. gentleman the member for Buckinghamshire
interprets this mutiny into general disaffection. (Cheers.)
In the resolutions there is no reference whatever to Indian
affairs. We are not going to increase. Ways and Means,
nor to make provision directly or indirectly in reference
to the state of Indian affairs. If any such necessity bhould
arise it will be dealt with hereafter, but we are going t