The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-04 00:00:00

THE MAYNOOTII GRANT.

Mr. WHALLEY gave notice that, in the event of his
motion for the withdrawal of the grant to the College of
Maynooth being negatived, he would move that a
committee be appointed to inquire into the canons and laws
of the Catholic Church, and the text-books used at May-
nooth College.
THE ABOLITION OF CHURCH RATES BILL.

Mr. S. ESTCOURT appealed to the hon. baronet (Sir
J. Trelawney) who had charge of this bill, to postpone it
for a fortnight, considering the spirit of compromise that
prevailed amongst the members of the house in respect to
this subject, which might lead to an amicable settlement.

Sir J. TRELA WNY said there were a great many
persons in the house who believGd that a compromise could
be effected in regard to the measure. He did not partici-
pate in that belief, but in deference to the wishes of the
hon. members he would consent to the'postponement pro-
posed.

EAST INDIA LOAN BILL.
In reply to Mr. VANSITTART,
S:r C. WOOD said that ha intended to proceed with this
bill in committee this evening.
ABOLITION OF TOLL GATES.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE asked the Secretary of State for the
Home Department what progress had been made towards
the abolition of toll-gates round London ;if the Metropo-
lis Roads Commissioners had held any special meeting
to effect that object, or whether they had teen summoned
for the purpose at all; if they had net, what was done, and
out of the forty-one Commissioners how many were pre-
.

sent; and if her Majesty's Government intended to present
any specific proposition for abolishing toll gates, and when.
Sir G. LEWIS said there was considerable difficulty in
dealing with this question, and he did not intend to make
any proposition such as that alluded to by the hon. member.
ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S SHOW.
Lord FERMOY asked the First Commissioner of
Works whether there was any truth in the report that he
had granted permission to the Royal Agricultural Society
of England to hold their annual show in the Regent's-
park ; and, if so, whether he had restricted them either as
to the space which they were to occupy, or the time during
which it was to be so occupied for the erecting and taking
down the sheds and other fittings?
Mr. COWPER said he had no doubt that public
opinion in the metropolis was in favour of the Royal Agri-
cultural Society being afforded every facility for having
their show in London, and 26 acres would be placed at the
disposal of the society.
CRIMINAL LAWS CONSOLIDATION BILL.
In reply to Mr. HADFIELD,
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said that, in the present
state of public business, this bill could not be proceeded
with as early as he could have desired; but from its dis-
cussion in the Upper House, and careful investigation
before a select committeee of the House of Commons, the
bill would not be expected to be discussed at much length.
AMERICAN PRIVATEERS.
In reply to Mr. FORSTER,
Lord J. RUSSELL said that orders had been issued last
Saturday on the subject of the privateering ships of the
American States, by which both the belligerent parties
were interdicted from bringing prizes into any of the ports
in the dominions of her Majesty, whether in the United
Kingdom or in the colonies. The Government had also
communicated with the. French Ambassador, who stated
that the French Government would act in conformity
with a rule agreed to in 1860, by which, when France was
a neutral Power, prizes could be brought into her ports,
but were not allowed to dispose of them there, or to remain
beyond 24 hours.
THE CUSTOMS AND INLAND REVENUE BILL.
On the motion for the third reading of this bill,
Sir W. JOLLIFFE said it would be remembered that, at
a former stage of the bill, he had reserved his right to call
attention to the new mode which had been adopted by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer in the collection of the income
tax, and which had greatly added to the inconvenience and
severity of the tax. Up to last year the tax had been col-
lected half-yearly, but in October last the right hon. gen-
tleman suddenly altered the system, and began quarterly
collections. Now all payments in this country were made
upon the principle of half-yearly payments—that was, all
large, regular fixed payments were made upon that definite
principle; all permanent vested interests paid half-yearly
dividends. The dividends on the national debt, amounting
to £800,000,000, were so paid, and the interest on railways,
mines, docks, harbours, and other public investments,
amounting to at least an equal amount of capital invested,
were paid in like manner. The system of quarterly col-
lections thus suddenly introduced by the right hon. gen-
tleman was therefore at variance with the great monetary
arrangements of the country at large, and must give rise,
if persisted in, either to a great amount of evasion by those
liable to the tax, or a great and severe pressure, and in-
convenience probably to both. He had no desire for any
new legislation on the subject, and certainly he did not
wish that the tax should be evaded, but he put it fairly, as
a practical question, to the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
whether he would insist upon a mode of collection which
was open to such great and obvious objections. So long
as the present Government were determined to maintain
at an increased height a tax which fell with the most un-
just and severe pressure on many of those who were subject
to it, it might have been thought that they would have
lightened that pressure as much as possible by the mode
and time of its collection, instead of introducing changes
which made the tax be felt more severely than ever. Land-
lords were badly enough off, whether they were the owners
of acres or houses, in having to pay the tax in the first in-
stance on mortgages, bonds, and other encumbrances, but
upon the tenants who were called upon to pay the property
tax of their landlords a quarter before it could be deducted
from their rent, it was peculiarly hard. The Chancellor of
the Exchequer had very much surprised him the other
night, when he had stated that he understood that quarterly
collections instead of half-yearly were generally preferred,
as being more convenient. The right hon. gentleman did
not speak as from his own knowledge on the subject, but
on the authority of the subordinate officials ; and it only
showed that Chancellors of the Exchequer lived in such an
atmosphere that it was difficult for the truth to reach them.
If the right hon. gentleman would only go a few miles out
of town with him to the market table of the first market,
he would be convinced of the inaccuracy of the assertion.
He did hope that the right hon. gentleman would again
give this subject his consideration, and respond to the ap-
peal which he had felt bound to make to him upon a ques-
tion deeply interesting, not only to his own constituents,
but to those of every hon. member in the house.
Mr. BAILLIE entered into calculations to show that
the estimated surplus, even if it had ever existed, had al-
ready disappeared, owing to new charges, and contended
that disturbing causes affecting the cotton trade would
materially reduce the revenue for the current year.
Atter a few observations by Alderman SIDNEY,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied
briefly to Mr. Baillie and to Sir W. Jolliffe in some detail.
Mr. BENTINCK anticipated a very large diminution of
the Customs and Excise.
Some remarks were made by Mr. CRAWFORD, and
Sir S. NORTHCOTE explained and justified the grounds
upon which the opponents of the bill, while admitting a
surplus, urged the repeal of the war duties on tea and
sugar, in preference to an abolition of the paper duty.
Mr. WESTHEAD approved the repeal of this duty, be-
lieving that it would enable the manufacturers of this coun-
try to compete with the Germans. The duty, he observed,
was originally a war tax.

Mr. HENNESSY replied to certain comments of Mr.
Osborne upon statements he had made in a previous debate
upon the subject of Irish butter.
After a few observations by Mr. HENLEY and Mr.
OSBORNE, the bill was read a third time and passed.
THE INDIAN LOAN.

In a Committee of the whole House,
Sir C. WOOD, in moving a resolution, " That it is ex-
pedient to enable the Secretary of State in Council in India
to raise money in the United Kingdom for the service of
the Government of India," said that, deferring his full ex-
position of the Indian finances till he was in possession of
more perfect accounts from India, he thought it necessary
to make a short statement. He referred to his financial
exposition last year, in which his anticipation that the
deficiency of revenue would disappear was conditional on
no unforeseen event occurring to disappoint it. He was
sorry to say that such an event had happened in the shape
of a drought and consequent famine, the necessary effect
of which was a loss of revenue and an increased expen-
diture. The ultimate result would be, taking the
most unfavourable view, a deficiency of £2,000,000,
which he did not think could be much complained
of. Meanwhile the prospects of the ensuing year
were favourable, and Mr. Laing expected shortly to see
the revenue and the expenditure equalised. There would
be a pressure for money in the early part of the year, and
recourse must be had in this country either to the money
paid in by the railroad companies, or to a loan in the money
market. From the railroad balances he had no prospect of
a considerable sum being available; the only alternative,

then, was a loan to meet the demands in England. The
next :question was what sum ho should borrow. After
stating the estimated amount of the expenditure in Eng-
land on account of India, and the means of meeting it, he
proposed, he said, to borrow a sum of £4,000,000, though
he might have occasion to come to the house again to bor-
row a further sum for railroad purposes. Sir Charles gave
a very long and detailed explanation of the general position
of the railroad finances and of the state and prospects of
those undertakings.
Mr. BAZLEY dwelt upon the heavy tax upon cotton
occasioned by the want of facilities of transit, and urged the

necessity of a revision of the land tenures of India. He

hoped that the Indian Government would endeavour to de-
velope the natural rather than the artificial resources of

India, insisting upon the great importance of securing an

ample supply of the raw material required for the employ-
ment of our manufacttuing population. Our colonial pos-

sessions comprehended an immense area of cotton-produc-
ing countries, and in 'lndia there ras not only land but

labour.

Lord STANLEY said he was glad to hear from Sir C.
Wood that the reduction of the military expenditure was
going on at a rapid rate, being satisfied that our prospects
of equalising 'expenditure and revenue mainly depended

upon the diminution of this part of the expenditure. He
deferred a full consideration of the subject of this loan till a
future stage of the question.
Mr. J. B. SMITH strongly recommended the use of
water-carriage for the conveyance of cotton and the opening
of the navigation of the Godavery river. Everything de-
pended, he said, upon cheap carriage for the transport of
Indian cotton. With European superintendence India could
produce cotton equal in
qualityquantity as much as we required.
Mr. VANSITTAR
T tooka to
muchthleessAfmaveroiucraanb,laenvdieiwn
of the Indian finances than Sir C. Wood, and was of opinion
that the anticipated equilibrium of revenue and expenditure
was not likely to be seen for some years to come.
Mr. CRAWFORD said the proposal of Sir C. Wood
would not throw any additional weight upon the money-
market, and his specch, he thought, would greatly relieve
the public mind. He pointed out the aavantßzes which
would in a few years be derived from:railroads in India, and
the misapprehensions which prevailed in this country re-
specting the tenure of land in that country, the system of
agriculture there, and the nature and extent of the home
demand for cotton in India.

Mr. SMOLLETT complained of the enormous expendi-
ture on account of India, and that with an income of
£38,000,000 the Government could not make ends meet,

but were spending £47,000,000, which he thought a great
scandal, Lord Dalhousie having considered that £34,000,000
would suffice. He believed that a very large amount might
be saved in every department, especially the milit.-ay and
public works. Against the latter department he brought
very heavy charges, and said he should vote against the
resolution.

Mr. A, SEYMOUR objected that, in rolation to public