The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-18 00:00:00

ST.ATISTIC.AL SOCIETY.

A meeting of this society took place on Tuesday evening
at 12, St. James's-square, at which Col. W. K. Sykes,
M.P., presided.

After some formal business had been transacted,
Mr. L. LEVI read a paper on " The progress of the public
expenditure of the United Kingdom." After some intro.
ductory observations, he proceeded to show that in Great
Britain from the year 1800 to 1816 there was an income of
74 millions, and a deficiency, caused by excess of expendi•
tare over revenue of 231 millions. From 1817 to 1820 the
income was 54 millions, and there was a deficiency of 11
million. From 1821 to 1830 the income was 55 millions,
and the income and expenditure were about equal. From
1831 to 1840 the income was 51 millions, end there was a
deficiency of 3 millions. From 1841 to 1850 the revenue
was 56 millions ; then there was an excess of 1 million over
the expenditure. From 1851 to 1859 the income was 62
millions, and the deficiency was two millions. He pointed
out that whenever the expenditure had risen above a certain
amount—say about 55 millions—it had been found that the
revenue was insufficient to meet it. After some further
remarks he directed attention to a statement of the percen-
tage of expenditure of this as compared with other coun-
tries. This percentage, he said, was in the
War Interest Miscellaneous
Forces. of Debt. Civil
Government.
United Kingdom.. 40 .. 45 .. 15
United States .... 47 .. 11 .. 42
France
Prussia
Russia
Spain .
Austria
Portugal ... 26 .. 23 .. 51
In respect of the cost for war forces, ho observed he did not
consider it economical to expend money on volunteer corps
and thus divert persons from the ordinary channels of in-
dustry, but ho thought that it would not be judicious to in-
crease the payment of the regular troops. He thought the
sum expended in maintaining the dignity of the Crown
would bear fa ,curable comparison with the sum expended
for the like purpose in other parts of the world, but he de-
precated the system of paying pensions, as the country was
now doing, in respect of persons such as William Penn, the
Duke of Marlborough, and the Duke of Schomberg, to the
successors of those persons, and thought it would be well to
settle them by the payment of a sum of money, as pensions
should only be for life. The expense of foreign missions
might, he believed, be considerably reduced; and whilst he
did not object to the £700,000 paid for maintenance of the
courts of law, ho saw no necessity for some of the pensions
to which the judges were entitled. The expenditure in re•
spect of public works had increased to a wonderful extent
of late years ; one great cause of this was the expenditure on
account of the House of Commons, the stones of which were
already crumbling to ruins, and the bell of which had never
tolled. There was room for improvement, he urged, also
in the distribution of the funds for the promotion of educa-
tion, so as to admit of the poor as well as the rich schools
coming in for a fair share of support. He thought also the
colonial governments ought to maintain their own military
Cot. SYKES pointed out that whilst the expenditure for
the country had increased, so had its wealth; he certainly
could not see the necessity for much of the expenditure
sanctioned by Parliament last year, for he believed that the
same pluck that had preserved the country from invasion
for so many years would be equally effective for the same
purpose in time to come.

Mr. HAYWOOD agreed that pensions should only extend
to the lifetime of the pensioners, and also that the colonies
should support their own military.
Dr. GUY pointed out that as the country became
more humane and substituted imprisonment for flogging,
&c., and encouraged education and the fine arts to a greater
extent, it must expect its expenditure to increase.
Sir F. GOLDSMID thought there must be some explana-
tion wanting to show how England paid 40 per cent. for
war forces and 15 per cent, for her civil service, whilst
France paid N per cent. for war expenses and 43 for her
civil service ; he thought something must be withheld from
them that would show how this vast difference was occa-
sioned.

Mr. RAWSON thought the centralisation that existed in
France, in contradiction to the municipal system which
prevailed in England, accountei to a great extent for the
peculiarity referred to by the last speaker.
Mr. LUAILEY said it appeared prettyclear that this coun-
try had not paid its way for many years ; this was a bad
state of affairs, and ought to be altered. As to the colonies
paying for their own military protection, they could not be
expected to do so whilst Great Britain had so great an in-
terest in them.

Mr. TAYLOR agreed with Mr. Rawson as to the cause of
the difference in the expenditure in respect of the civil ser-
vice in France and England, and believed that the root of
evil in respect of the public expenditure in this country was
the national debt.

Mr. NEWMARCK wag of opinion that the national debt
came to them with the sanction of a great obligation, and
represented the best arrangement that could be made at the
time it was contracted.

Professor RODGERS thought that if the colonies were
made to pay the expense of maintaining armies for their
protection, the result would be that they must increase
their customs duties ; the effect of that step would react on
this country, and cost it more than it saved by transferring
this branch of the expenditure to the colonies.
Mr. LEONE LEVI briefly replied, and a vote of thanks to
that gentleman, for the paper he had read, terminated the
proceedings.

The annual report of the Port Phillip and Colo-
nial Gold Company, preparatory to their general meeting
on the 21st inst., states that during the year 21,694 tons of
quartz were crushed, which produced £29,161, leaving a
profit of X 13,180. This sum added to the balance from the
last accounts results in a net amount of £16,085. The mort-
gage debt of £5,000 has been paid off, and considerable
additions have been made to the machinery and plant. The
company are no longer engaged in any mining operations,
having transferred their interest in the NintingbGGl Mine
to the Victoria (London) Mining Company on payment of
the outlay incurred. The directors abstain from recom-
mending any dividend at present, as, owing to the paying
oft of th mortgage debt and the outlay incurred in per-
fecting the machinery, the financial position of the com-
pany here would not warrant it. They therefore propose
adjourning the meeting, and deferring that question until
July, to enable them to receive remittances from the
colony.

WAGES OF THE,POOR.—The new industry that
has sprung up by tne discovery of vegetable leather is
r g a great boon to the working classes of the
impo-
verishedrovin district of Stepney. -While other establishments
are partially closed, or wholly suspended, by the t xtreme
old, Spill's manufactory is in full operation, as the demand
for the vegetable gaiters, although so great hitherto, is
amazingly on the increase ; and now there are no less than
five thousand pers,ns, young and old, and of both sexes,
whose wages average fifteen shillings per week, indirectly
employed upon their production. Thus the encouragement
of this peculiar branch of manufacture is an incalculable
blessing to thousands who would otherwise be out of em-
ployment during the present fearful atmospheric visitation.