The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-01 00:00:00

nation from the change of Ministries may be of a
purely financial character. Well, let us see
whether we have at last hit upon the right con-
jecture. In what consists these presumeable
financial advantages ? In the reimposition of the
detestable Income Tax—or the substitution
of some other tax almost as objectionable ?
With this agreeable alternative before us,
the gain is obviously not in the department
presided over by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Possibly the yet undiscovered advantages relate
to the Colonial Administration ? Yet the notion
becomes preposterous to the meanest capacity upon
the instant—when it is borne in mind that by the
substitution of the Coalition for the DERBY Minis-
try, we run an imminent risk at the moment we
were preparing to witness the extinction of the
Hudson's Bay Company's monopoly, of seeing the
expiring charter of that Company renewed, and
the monstrous monopoly resulting from it thus

perpetuated !
Can the inscrutable gain relate to the still further
strengthening of our military and maritime arma-
ments ? Hardly—when. General PEEL, being re-
placed at the War-office by Mr. HERBERT, and
Sir Sows PAKINGTON at the Admiralty by the
Duke of SOMERSET, his Grace and the Right Hon.
Gentleman the Member for South Wilts are to num-
ber among their colleagues the ultra-economic peace.
at-any-price believers in the efficacy, under all cir-
cumstances, of pure and simple and unarmed arbitra-
tion, the member for Rochdale and the member for
A shton-un der-Lyn e !
The advantage, therefore, is clearly one not of
measures but of men. The national gains are these
—that we have Mr. LowE as Vice-President of the
Privy Council for Education ; that we have Mr.
WILSON as Vice-President of the Board of Trade ;
that we have Mr. CARDWELL in lieu of Lord
NAAS as Secretary for Ireland—that the Duke
of ARGYLL is Lord Privy Seal in place of the
Earl of HARDWICKE—that Sir CHARLES WOOD is
now ruler of India instead of Lord STANLEY—that
Sir GEORGE C. LEWIS occupies at the Home-Office
the post filled successively of late by Mr. SPENCER
WALPOLE and Mr. SOTHERON ESTCOURT.
Eureka ! The problem is solved—the salvation
of the country depends in some mysterious manner
once more upon the country swallowing without a
qualm, and, as a panacea for all kinds of political
evils, the olla podrida of a new Coalition Govern-
ment

The Quarter's Revenue for the quarter and year
ended yesterday has been published this morning
in the usual official form, and exhibits a very satis-
factory statement. There has been an increase on
Customs of
Excise
Taxes
000
Post-office
Crown Lands 5OO
161,680
Miscellaneous

Stamps ....
Income Tax

DECREASE.

. £123,788
. 417,481

£753,559

Net increase on the quarter .

541,269

£212,200

This is highly satisfactory in the present state of
political affairs, and augurs well for our industrial
proficiency, evidencing beyond all doubt the won-
derful elasticity of our national resources.
The return for the year is equally manifest as to
its improvement, there being only a deficiency
of £1,190,143, notwithstanding that in the Pro-
perty-tax alone, the decrease amounts to £4,064,056,
so that the real increase on the year amounts to
£2,873,913, independently of other items. Now,
this clearly proves that with proper management
we can do very well without a renewal of the odious
Income-tax. A tax on realised property is quite
another thing. But we see sinister hints given out
in certain interested quarters about the necessity
of the Income-tax, with villainous abuse of the
woeful condition of our financial deficiency, owing
to the mal-administration of the Chancellor of the
Exchequer. The accusation is so totally at vari-
ance with truth that we shall not condescend to
waste another word upon it.

We well remember that on the breaking out of
the Russian war, now so memorable for its digrace-
ful beginning, stinted progress, and still more dis-
graceful termination, some of our then, and now our
present Ministers, wished us to pay not only the In-
come Tax, but also the current expences of the war.
In fact one of them; the present redoubtable Secretary
for. Foreign Affairs, went so far as to say, by way
of encouragement to the enemy, that England was
so highminded—so purely disinterested that she
would not take even so much as an acre of terri-
tory from the aggressive Russians ! What then
did we go to war for ? To protect Turkey, and yet
do no harm to her invading and unprincipled op-
pressor. The thing sounds so monstrous that the
Minister who could utter so base a statement ought
to have been impeached as an accessory in the In-
vasion of the Principalities.
Now as to the " blazoned" deficiency in our
finances it is " all moonshine !"—only paraded be-
fore the public gaze in order to familiarize it to a
renewal of the accursed Income Tax. No ! If Mr.
GLADSTONE wants to make up any assumed defi-
ciency let him get a loan in the present very
favourable condition of the money market. The
interest of that loan will be a mere trifle, and the
improving state of the country will soon repay, not
only the principal of that loan but serve to pay off
other incumbrances also.

What we want, above all things, is a stricter
management of our revenue Is ith a large diminu-
tion of our dead weight, such as pensions and other
wasteful extravagancies, in every department.
Now we have somewhere about three Generals for
every Regiment, and ten Admirals for ever ship of
the line in commission ! This reckless squander-
ing of the . public money, wrung from the poor
taxpayers, is a national abomination. We
do not begrudge our brave soldiers and sailors
their due reward, and even more when
fairly won; but we do object to that indiscriminate
Promotion of lordlings, through corrupt influence,
in order that, come what will, they may be provided
for at the national expense. Let an officer but get
on the list of Generals and he is provided for
life* On the same principle, let a naval officer
be pushed on till he be posted and he may sleep
for the rest
of his easy life ; for his promotion
is all safe. If he be a man of merit all the better
for his pride, his natural ambition will stimulate to
deeds of daring, and make the nation proud
of his renown. But he can do without these,
if he be only able to sign his quarterly re-
ceipt. And should such things be tolerated much
longer P Let Lords PALMERSTON and RUSSELL
look to it. The nation is up and stirring. Let our
Rulers see that the Cup of ; Ina
—gnation be not suf-
fered to overflow—for in that case, some people may
have to drain the very dregs.

Our readers will perceive from to-day's set,
that a courteous correspondence has passed between
Lord JOHN RUSSELL and some staunch Liberals of
the City of London respecting the Ballot. Very
reasonably they thought his appeal for re-election
on taking office a suitable time to ascertain defi-
nitely the noble lord's position in regard to the
most important of all reforms—the one which
would create really independendent constituencies