The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-16 00:00:00

IRISII POOR-LAW.

Mr. HENRY HERBERT moved fur copies of so
much of the c3rrespondence of the Poor-law Commis-
sioners of Ireland with the boards of guardians, during
the lust six months, as relates to the question of giving
or withholding out-door relief : detailed account of the
exi enies which have la.-en incurred by the several
boards of guardians in providir'r increased work-
house accommodation: copies: of forty-eight general
orders issued by the Commissioners fur administer-
ing the Laws for Rt.lief of the Poor in Ireland, under
the Act 1 and 2 Vic., e. 56; nominal return of the poor-
law unions in Ireland, where the affairs have been ad-
ministered by paid guardian:, and stating the periods of
such administration; and, return of the amount of the
debts, claims, and liabilities, exclusive of those owing to
the Government, against those unions when the ad-
ministration by paid guardians commenced and termi-
nated.—Agreed to.
POLICE INSPECTOR COWARD.
Sir IL WILLOUGHBY wished to ask the Right
lion. Gentleman the Secretary of State for the Home
Department, whether his intention had been drawn to
the conduct of police inspector Coward, as it appeared
in evidence in a late criminal proceeding at the Central
Criminal Court?
Sir GEORGE GREY replied that an inquiry had
already been iestitu:ed int) tho conduct of the officer,
and although he had certainly been guilty of indis-
cretion, it appeared now in a vi ry different light to what
it did a short time ago.
KILRUSII UNION.
Mr. POULE SCROPE asked tho First Lord of
the Trca:ury whether any measure was in contemplation
by the Government to check the wholesale evictions and
house-levelling which is still in progress in the Kilrush
and ether Irish unions, and which threaten to depopu-
late those districts?

Lord JOHN RUSSELL said there was :no measure
on the subject of evictions in immediate contemplation
by the Government. The question of evictions was one
which lay at the rout of the relationship Letween land-
lord and tenant.

Mr. A. STAFFORD took occasion to protest against
any inference being drawn from the anonymous report
which had been quoted by the lion. Member for Stroud
with reference to the state of the union of Kilrush.
Mr. P. SCROPE said his authority was Captain Ken-
nedy himself.
ACCIDENTS ON RAILROADS.

bin SPOONED gave notica-that on Monday next he

would ask the President of the Board of Trade whether
he would be prepared to submit to the House some mea-
sure with reference to the liability of railway companies
in cases of accident.
IRISH REGISTRATION.

Mr. STAFFORD asked Lord J. Russell when he
would be prepared to go on with the Irish Registra-
tion Bill?
__ .

Lord 4. RUSSELL hoped to do so on Monday.
DUTY ON BRICKS.

Mr. CARDWELL presented a petition from the
Arches°logical Society in favour of a removal of the
duty on bricks.
SAVINGS' BANKS. _ _ _

The Chancellor of the Exchequer entered the House
shortly before five o'clock, and took his seat on the
Treasury bench amidst loud cheers from all parts of the
House. The Right Honourable Gentleman appeared to
havo entirely recovered from his recent indisposition.
Mr. REYNOLDS immediately afterwards rose to ask
the Right Hon. Gentleman whether he intended to bring
in a Bill on the subject of savings' banks.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said a
Bill had been prepared on the subject, and he should
take the earliest opportunity after Easter of bringing it
forward. _ _

Mr. REYNOLDS said, the answer of the Right Hon.
Gentleman was highly satisfactory.
Mr. HERBERT wished to ask the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman a question in connexion with this subject. Was
it the intention of Government to introduceiany measure,
or take any steps to reimburse the depositors who had
lost their money by the failure of the Rochdale, Dublin,
and other savings' banks during the last two years.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said a
Committee had been appointed to inquire into the mat-
ter, and he should be wanting in respect to that Com-
mittee if he answered the question.
LORD-LIEUTENANCY OF IRELAND.
Mr. REYNOLDS wished to ask the Noble Lord at
the head of the Government whether it was the inten-
tion of Ministers to introduce a Bill this session for the
abolition of the office of Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland?
Lord JOHN RUSSELL said a Bill was preparing on
the subject, and he should give due notice to the House
before introducing it.—(A laugh.)
HUNGARIAN REFUGEES.

Mr. B. OSBORNE said, as the Noble Lord the Secre-
ta-y for Foreign Affairs was not in his place to answer
a question he had given the Noble Lord notice of, ho
should take an early opportunity of calling the attention
of the House to the conduct of the Turkish Government
towards the Hungarian refugees.
THE BUDGET.

The House then went into Committee of Ways and
Means, when
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER imme-
diately rose to bring forward the financial statement of
the Government. He commenced by thanking the House
for the kindness it had evicced towards him during his
illness, and then went on to ask the indulgence of the
House while he entered upon his budget, not only on
account of his own indisposition, but for any inaccu-
raeies that might creep into his statement.—(Hear, hear.)
Some of his Hon. Friends who sat behind him, he said,
were always anxious for an early budget, but at this
early period of the session it was impossible to disclose
it with that degree cf accuracy which it was desir-
able should always characterise a statement of this nature.
It was the duty of a person in his capacity to state
what he fairly believed would be the probable income
and expenditure of the year now ensuing. With regard
to the expenditure, Honourable Gentlemen were aware
that it was necessary that the vote for the ensuing
year should contemplate certain excesses which
might have taken place in the navy, army, and
ordnance expenditure. The accounts of the navy,
army, and ordnance expenditure ‘e ere not made up till
the end of April, therefore it was impossible to form a
correct estimate of what those excesses might be. That
which was valuable for the House to have was such
an estimate as the person who made it might be
honestly and conscientiously able to say was reelly a
true state of the case. Last year it was impossible to
make anything like an accurate estimate, considering
the time of the year when it was made. The circum-
stances of this year wero more favourable to such a cor-
re t estimate. He had now to lay before the House
two estimates of the income and expenditure ; one
fur the year ending sth April next, and another
for the year ending sth April, 1851. After referring in
touching terms to the death of a public servant this
morning, by whom he had been assisted in the business
of his office, the Right Hon. Gentleman proceeded to
say, when he hid before the House his estimate
of the income for the last year he estimated
the probable income at 52,262,000/. Up to January last
the receipts amounted to 52,874,000/4 the income up to
the sth April next lie could not :estimate at so urge a
sum; but he believed, therefore, that the probable in-
come of the financial year, ending the sth April
next would amount to 52,785,500/ ; while the expendi-
ture he calculated at 50,533,3511., which would give a
surplus of income over expenditure of about two millions
and a quarter. The House would be gratified to hear
that the actual expenditure in the last year had been
less than the estimates by about 1,625,0001., which in-
cluded about 400,0001. put to the account of naval
excess, and he hoped that this would be taken as
a proof that in every possible way consistent
with the public service attention had bean paid to
economy. With regard to the estimates of this year, he
was afraid that there was not much encouragement for
quite so favourable a picture. In the first place, he
triought they must look for a cdsiderable falling
off in the Customs, which might be ascribed to
several causes, among others to the reduction upon
the duty in sugar which had taken place in June last.
Now, the decrease in the receipts upon foreign sugar he
found from the returns which were made up to sth of
March this year, and up to the 12th of March last year,
was not less than 626,000/.—(Hear, hear.) He men-
tioned this in order to show that the expectations of
those who anticipated very large reductions in the
Customs duties could not be realised.—
(Hear, hear.) Whatever increase had occurred
had been found to arise from the import of colonial pro-
duce.—(Hear, hear.) All the increase had been from
our own colonies. In Dutch Guiana they were com-
plaining that they could find no market for their pro-
duce in consequence of the competition of the British colo-
nies, and there, accordingly, the greatest distress prevailed.
He was desirous of stating this in order to aid, further,
the fact that erroneous impressions prevailed in the
public mind respecting the sources of our prosperity.—
(Cries of " Hear, hear.") But on other topics he could
speak with more confidence. In 1848-9 the importa-
tion of brandy had been 577,0001., giving an accession
to the revenue of 43,300/. This was partly owing
to the state of the commerce of the country,
and partly to the alarm which prevailed respecting
cholera.—(Hear, hear.) The other increase was upon
gin, rum. and the various products of the British colo-
nies. During the last year the increase had been in the
duty reports 118,000 gallons, showing an increase of
duty of 139,0001., and in 1849 the quantity was 559,786
gallons, showing an increase of 381,000 gallons.
It was not likely the same quantity of grain would be
imported next year. He estimated the probable receipts
of the Customs for the ensuing year at 20 millions. On
all the other items, he was happy to say, there were the
strongest reasons for expecting an increase. The Excise
produced last year 13,980,0004 and these were
circumstances to warrant his taking the receipts
of the Excise for the ensuing year at 14,450,000/4
another item, the Property-tax, he calculated
would amount to 6,860,000/4 the assessed taxes to
4,320,000/.; the income tax, 5,010,000/ ; the Post-office,
820,000/. ; Crown lands, 160,000/. ; miseellaneous,
260,0001.; old stores, 410,000!.; making altogether
a probable income of 52,285,0001. On the other
side of the account there were these items
—lntere'et on funded debt, 27,700,000/4 interest on
Ezell( quer-bills, 405,000/., making the charge for debt
28,105,0001. The other charges on the Consolidated
Fund of 2,500,000/, 5,849,4231, and 764,2361., would
make a total of these latter items of 1,613,155/.
Ti e army estimates at present on the table amounted to
6,109;347/a the militia estimates wero 110,000/., and
the commissariat department 500,0001, making a total
in the army estimates of 6,629,3471. The ordnance
estimates were 2,434,4171., and the army and navy esti-
mi.tes tegether were 15,677,452/, and these items
added to the other he had mentioned made
an expenditure of 50,612,182/. In accordance, however,
with the general wish of the House, expressed last year,
he proposed to increase the vote for the New Houses of
Parliament, while, if the Bill of his Right
Honourable Friend the President of the Board
of Trade passed, it would impose an additional
charge of 30,0001. on the Consolidated Fund.—(Hear.)
There would also be a further charge this year for the
Arctic expedition, and he proposed, therefore, to take
a margin of 150,000/.2 making the probable expenditure
50,763,5821. leaving a surplus of 1,521,4101., but taking
off a further margin, the total surplus of receipts over
expenditure might be written down at 1,500,0001.
Now that balance-sheet of January was made known to
the public just after the meeting of Parliament, both in
and cut of the House; and there were persons who had
been sery anxious to save him the slightest trouble in
disposing of that surplus.—(Laughter.) Hardly was the
balance-sheet out when his Noble Friend (Lord John
Russell) received a large dequtation inter asted in the re-
duction of tea. They stated a great advantage would
result to the consumers cf tea in this country from the
reduction of the duty in the increase of our trade with
China. He was not disposed to say that there was not
some force in those representations, and perhaps the best
policy,'as a general rule, was to reduce dirties to such an
amount as not to interfere with the consumption of the
articles on which they were imposed.—(Hear.) But in
order to attain that end it was indispensably
necessary that the House would not think it
right
lais nmz
ioo7ultdhn,
uoetttooyor
Leor dceneidsitaupvh,coehetdsei esoanftrouoeftoii. thesmall
ththe
e dutyd surplus of last year
utoyn tuena latietaY The
amount Iwaes
mopnortteaatvii.as.s
Invoowuld2s
0.
n2liydp.
rpoedrulcbe.
2,500,000/., leaving, therefore, a first loss of
no less than 3,000,0001. To recover the reve-
nue up to 3,000,000/. would require: an increase
of consumption to the extent of 10,000,00011 m.
Taking it in its most favourable light, there would be
a loss of 2,500,000/. The next proposition he received
was a deputation asking for a reduction cf theduptyapoenr
windowe, bricks, and soap. The duty on these articles
last year amounted in. the aggregate to 3,275,000/.
;ton
thee had au lns ot ao
f proposition74s,o o o l.,thet repeal
advertisement
duty
of
157,0001., and the certificate duty, which amounted to
170,0004 He was quite aware that very strong argu-
ments might Le adduced in favour of the repeal of
these duties ; but he must say that, looking at the
interests of the great bcdy cfthe working classes ,
o fthe country, these were not duties which had the first
claim. A proposition had been made also for the reduc-
tion of the duties on timber used in ship building. lie
certainly had not been prepared to fincl_so much value