The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-30 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

LIVERPOOL, MARCH 30.
The Braganza steamer brings Lisbon dates of the
24th inst., when the following vessels of war were
anchored in the Tagus :—HerMajestv's seri, vg ships
Exmouth, Capt. Harry .Lyres ; James Watt, Capt.
G. Giffard ; Princess Royal, Capt. T. W. Anson ;
and Colossus, Capt. T. W. Thompson ; and Bra-
zilian corvette Imperial, Warmheiro.
The Colossus had arrived on the 23d, and the
James Watt was under orders to sail home on the
25th.

The French screw ships Tourville and Carole,
which had put into the Tagus, had left en the 22d,
with the Austerlitz, for Toulon.
The Sultan, steamer, with the outward Peninsular
mails of the 17th, from Southampton, had arrived
at Lisbon on the 22d, and left the same day for
Cadiz and Gibraltar.

The Byzantine, steamer, due from the Brazils,
bad not arrived at Lisbon when the Braganza left.
Our Lisbon correspondence does not contain any
political news of importance in addition to the last
mail. The suppression of the literary subsidy tax,
hitherto collected upon the produce of wine,• was
unanimously voted by the House of Deputies, but
considerable difference of opinion prevails as to the
substitution, of the tax, which amounts to about
25,000/. per annum. The Government plan of dis.
tribution pro rata among the different districts
was, however; approved by a majority of 67 against
41 votes. The ex-Minister, M. Soutes, voting with
the majority.

T.HE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

AT BADNO.R.

The election for the Radnor boroughs took place
on Saturday at New Radnor. The only candidate
was the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Right
Hon. Sir G. C. Lewis. The right hon. gentleman,
who was accompanied by the Lady Theresa Lewis,
was drawn into the town in his carriage by the
populace, and was enthusiastically applauded
Mr. R. GREEN, of Knighton, proposed, and Mr.
J. A. PHILLIPS, of Presteign, seconded the nomi-
nation of the right hon. baronet, who was declared
duly elected by the returning officer.
Sir G. C. LEWIS then addressed the electors, and
after touching upon some topics of a local rather
than general interest, said :—lt has been imputed
to Lord Palmerston's Government, or rather to Lord
Palmerston specially, that he is a lover of war, and
that he is favourable to a turbulent and aggressive
foreign policy. Nevertheless, Lord Palmersi on being
called to the helm at a moment when the war wasrag-
ing, in no long time, by the success of our arms and
by the success of our diplomatic negotiations, we
were enabled to bring that war to an honourable
and safe conclusion. Now, if you oousider the
length of time which former wars of that magni-
tude have lasted, you must, I think, admit that it'
.required no ordinary effort on the part of the Go-1
vernment, whether in the conduct of the war or of
the negotiations, to bring it Cr an honourable issue
within so short a time. ( Hear.) Upon the return
of peace we were called upon as soon as we c Add
to retrench the expenditure which the war had
occasioned, and to adapt our position to our altered
circumstances. Now, can it be said th2.t the Go-
vernment has been slow to recognise that change ? I
(Hear.) Mr. Disraeli, the leader of the Opposition'
iii the House of Commons, in his late election
address—which may, T supposes be considered
as one of the principal manifestoes of his
party—remarks upon the policy of the present
Government with respect to the charge of expen-
diture and taxation resulting on the transition from
war to peace, and he says—`j Lord Palmer etLni is
an eminent man, who has deserved well of the
country." Well, that may be considered as a state-
ment of some importance, coming from such a
quarter—(a laughter)—but then the praise Mr.
Disraeli bestows is somewhat qualified in the re.
mainder of the sentence, for he goes on thus—
" But, as Prime Minister, he occupies a false posi-
tion ; he is the Tory chief of a Radical Cabinet."
(Oh, oh I) These flowers of electioneering elo-
quence are not, I suppose, to be subjected to any
severe criticism ; but, perhaps, I may be permitted
to remark that, in the event of Mr. Disraeli him-
self forming an Administration, he would probably
prefer to be the Radical chief of a Tory Cabinet.
Well, then, Mr. Disraeli proceeds—" With no
domestic policy, he (Lord Palmerston) is obliged
to divert the attention of the people from the
consideration of their own affairs to the distraction
of foreign politics. His external system is turbu-
lent and aggressive that his rule at home may be
tranquil and unassailed. Hence arise excessive
expenditure, heavy taxation, and the stoppage of
all social improvement. ' (" Oh, oh !" and
laughter.) This is Mr. Disraeli's description of
the present state of public affairs. He then adds,
"The general policy which I would enforce at this

Juncture may be contained in these words—honour-
able peace, reduced taxation, and social improve-
ment.di Now, with regard to the "honourable

peace," I have already offered some remarks upon
the subjectj and need not return to it. But the
right hon. gentleman says that the result of Lord
Palmerston's Goveraiment is, " excessive expendi-
ture and heavy taxation," and the substitute which
he proposes is "reduced taxation and social
improvement." Now, what I would undertake to
show is that excessive expenditure and heavy
taxation have not been the policy of Lord Pal-
merston's Government, but, on the contrary,-that
it has been diminished expenditure and reduced
taxation. (Applause.) The only way to ascertain
the facts of the case is to compare our present ex-
penditure and taxation with what they were during
the war. The estimates for the army and navy
for all Purposes of war, which were presented at thp
beginning of last session (1856-57), were 56,865,000/.
Those estimates were made upon the assumption
that the war would continue, but happily we signed
a peace about Easter. The Government lc st no time
in revising the war estimate, and in producing re-
duced estimates, adapted, as far as possible, to the
new state of peace. It is scarcely neces-
sary that I should remind you that the enor-
mous establishments created in a time of
war cannot be removed by the stroke of a
wand. We must bring home our fleets and armies ;
and I need not enter iuto detail, because it must
suggest itself to the mind of every one that t hera are
a great number of expensive opera ions attendant
upon the transit:on from a war, which had created
a foreign expedition on a great scale, to a state of
pease. The revised army and navy estimates
amounted to 38,061,0001. Well, that was at once
a considerable reduction. Now, these were esti-
mates for a year not actually of war, but a year in
which many of the expenses incident to the war
bad to be borne, and as compared with the preced-
ing year a Saving of 17,000,0001. was effected.
But then, you will say, what is your calculation for
the year commencing the Ist of April next ? Exclu-
sive of the Coastguard and packets, which are not
for military purposes, the estimates for the year
1857-8 have been reduced to 18,870,0001. as com-
pared with 38,000,0001. in the preceding year.
Now these are positive facts, about which no
doubt can exist, because they rest 014 papers pre-
sented to Parliament. I ask, therefore, whether it
can be said that excessive expenditure, tried by the
test of a great reduction of expenditure, has been
the policy of the Government ? (Hear, hear.) But,
tlr-oi we are told that "reduction of taxation" is
the policy which Mr. Dieraeli recommends, as con-
trasted with the policy of Lord Palmerston's Go-
vernment, which one must presume is that of in-
creased taxation. Well, now, what are the facts ?
The income tax—no sm ill part of our resources—
has been reduced from 16d. to 7d. in the pound,
and other reductions of taxation have taken place,
partly in consequence of propositions of the Govern-
ment, and partly by the operation of prospective pro-
visions in statutes ; and for the year 1857-58, as com-
pared with the year 1855-56, there has been a reduc-
tion of nearly 11,500,00 W. !think, therefore, I
have proved by figures, which admit of no doubt, that
" excessive expenditure and increased taxation"
are not the policy of the present GovertynPnt.
(Hear, hear.) I may perhaps mention, as showing
the extent to which the expenditure has been re-
duced in the present year, since the charges at-
tendant upon the transition to peace were defrayed
—that the actual diminution in the present quarter
(from January to the first of April) is about
6,500,000/. as compared with the corresponding
quarter of the previous year, which was not a
period of active war—that is to say more than
2,000,0001. in each month—rather more than
500,0001. a week, and very nearly 100,000/. per
day. (Cheers.) These facts must, I think, con-
vince you that Government have resolutely put
their shoulders to the wheel for the purpose of
effecting reductions in the military and naval ex-
penditure of the country. (Hear.) The right hon.
gentleman proceeded to show the practical difficulty
of at once reducing establishments framed on a
war basis, contrasting it with the easy work of
writing on paper a reduction from 30,000,000/. to
20,000°,000/. or 10,000,0001., and then continued :
—With regard to the circumstance that led imme-
diately to the unexpected dissolution of Parliament
—the vote upon the Chinese question—it is proper
that I should make some remarks upon it, as it is
the question on which the appeal has been made to
the country. The hon. gentleman who did me the
honour of proposing me very clearly pointed out
the peculiar position of our agents in China, sepa-
rated by many thousands of miles and many weeks
of postal communication from England,—a few
Englishmen surrounded by an enormous and, it
may be, a hostile people, and he has shown that
under such circumstances it is not wise, it is not
fair, it is hardly decent, I may say, for the Govern-
ment to scrutinise with a jealous and hostile criti-
cism all the acts of their subordinates, if they act
with perfect good faith, and when there is no
imputation upon their honesty, or upon their
desire to serve their country. Now, our agents
in China have not been charged with rapa-
city, with any desire to enrich themselves at the
expense of foreign countries, nor of seekirg to ag-
grandise their country by taking territory from
foreigners. No, the most that can be said is, that
from an excess of zeal, Sir J. Bowring somewhat
erred in asserting the rights of his country, believ-
ing that a treaty had been violated ; and I say
that the Government which should be over-hasty
and over-disposed to censure their subordinates
would justly excite the disapprobation of the coun-
try. (Cheers.) lam not called upon to maintain
that Sir John Bowring's conduct was faultless and
immaculate ; it is not necessary for me to show
that his judgment and that of Mr. Consul Parkes
was the most perfect and the wisest that could
have been exercised under the circumstances.
What the Government have to consider in such
a case is, whether their agents acted to the best
of their judgment and with a reasonable discre-
tion. Well, now, let us see the ground upon which
the Government acted in the case of Sir John
Bowring. When the news first arrived it was im-
possible for us to know that the next packet might
not bring intelligence that the whole matter had
been settled • but when that packet arrived we
found that the breach had been widened rather than
narrowed, that fresh grounds of differences were
added, that the Governor of Canton showed a most
u.nconciliatory spirit, and that the quarrel, which
was originally of small dimensions, threatened to
assume an extensive and, even an alarming chas
meter. -Under these circumstances what was the
resolution of the Government ? They thought it
expedient to send out a person possessing ampler
powers of negotiation than had been given to Sir J.
Bowring, who was put in possession of their views,
and who could go out with the authority belonging to
a person proceeding directly from the central Govern-
ment, and who might, by his authority and by his
superior' knowledge of the views of the Government
be able to direct operations on the spot, and to ne-
gotiate with the Chinese Government. The right
honourable baronet, after alluding to some mea-
sures of social improvement which the Government
had been obliged to abandon in consequence of the
attention of Parliament being concentrated on the
war, proceeded to touch upon -the extension of
the c -iuntry franchise question. It must not (he
said) be forgotten that the 40s. franchise gives votes
to a large number of persons in counties, while no
such franchise exists in boroughs. He expressed
himself decidedly in favour of very considerably
reducing the present 50/. county franchise, but
would not pledge himself to the exact amount of
the redaction, whether to the full length of 10/. or
not. He thought it would not be wise to put the
same restriction upon county voters as upon
borough voters (freemen), and thus prevent a man
from voting unless,..he resided within a distance of
seven miles. Mr. L. King's motion a.similated the
right of voting in counties and boroughs, the policy
of which he doubted, and which, he observed,
would be introducing into counties an entirely new
element. The law of voting could not be simply
transferred from boroughs to c ointies ; some adap a-
tion was necessary, and, subject to these restrictions,
he was decidedly in favour of Mr. L. King's Bill.
In fact the Government had agreed to support the
introductiOn of that bill, but afterwards found
that on account of some questions of form rather
than of substance it could not be conveniently in-
troduced ; and that was the reason why they voted
against its introduction.. (Hear, hear.) The
right hon. baronet next alluded to the Church-rate

question, remarking that the recent decision of
the House of Lords had placed the law on this sub-

ject in a position which rendered the present state
of things intolerable. While contending that the
Church-rate was a charge upon rent, and that its
abolition wonld have the effect of at once putting
some 300,0001. or 400,0001. a-year into the pockets
of the owners of the soil, he showed the feeling of
injustice with which it was regarded by Dissenters,

and expressed his opinion- that, Unless those

friends of the -church who at present would listen
to no proposal for an alteration of the Jaw, should

assent to a reasonable F. ottlement that would relieve

the Dissenters, not many years would elapse before
the rate would be abolished and the church esta-
blishment be maintained by voluntary effort. He
had no fear that such effort would be adequate to
maintain our churches ; but the burden would he
likely to fall more heivily upon the present and the
liberal than upon the absent and the illiberal.
(Hear, hear.) The right hon. gentleman, after a
few further expressions of his thanks to the elector
for the honour again conferred upon him, resumed
his seat very lou tly applauded.
A vote of thanks to the returning% officer Closed
the proceedings.

DEATH op Mn. ADAM LEFFLER.— This well-known
bass singer, who at oi.e time held a leading position in
English opera, died suddenly on Friday night.