Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-05-04
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
FROM OUR EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT.
LONDON, APRIL 10, 1850

amusements, fully commenced, yet there is great
dearth OF events and matter of public interest. Par
Lament re-assembled after the Easter recess the
9Th instant but nothing of Importance has yet taken
place, although all parties appear to be buckng on
their arnor previous 10 general melee on the
subjects of retrenchment, economy, &c. Rumor
strengthens almost daily respecting an approaching
change in the Ministry. The Earl of CLARENDON
WILL il is said, take office under new organza-
ton of the Cabinet, and if Sir ROBERT PEEL does
not absolutely do The same report is very prevalent
that such arrangements will be made will identify
him and his friends with the existing Administration.
In fact, although no important divisions have taken
place since the recess, yet those which have oc-
Cured clearly show that the agricultural protec-
tionists and the old Tory rump in Parliament so
far identify their cause with that of reform and
trenchment as 10 induce them to vote with even
the ultra Radicals, upon any and all questions
which tend 10 embarrass Ministers Thus, upon a
trihing division The other night, on question rela-
ting to improving the accommodation provided for
assistant surgeons on board ships of war; Ministers
were defeated by maority of iorty-eight against
forty. Of The former, twelve were Proectonists
of the old school, nine were Conservatives of the
Peel party, and the remaining twenty-seven Radi-
cal Reformers; whilst of the forty who voted with
Ministers. no less than seventeen were absolutely
either in the Cabinet or held high and important
when Lord DUNCAN brought forward his motion for
the repeal of the window tax, considerable num-
Der OF Tories and Pr0tectonists voted with the Re-
formers, and the motion was rejected by minise-
rial majority Of only three the vote being eighty
in favor of retaining the tax, whilst seventyseven
voted for its repeal. This state of things cannot
last; Lord JOHN RUSSELL must add either to the
physical or the moral force of his Government or
he will be defeated; and the best friends of the
I,,,.t IL
ton Of political parties. Mr.. D'IsRAELI does not
appear satisfied with the committee which Lord
JOHN RUSSELL proposes to raise on the subject OF
salaries, retrenchment, &C., and has stated that he
shall support motion for much more searching
Inquiry and more stringent measures upon the SUBJ
iec than he supposes will be likely to be produced
by Lord JOINS committee. The ministerial mea.
sure will be introduced on Friday evening; after
which we may probably form correct opinion
upon the subject; but at present the apparent juno
ton of the Proteconiss and the Reformers upon
this and other leading points of policy look very
unfavorable for the present Administration.
The returns of the revenue for the quarter lust
terminated have, however, been directly opposite
to the predictions of the Protectionists The
Gazette of yesterday announces that the exact
surplus of revenue expenditure for the wear
which ended 9Th January, 1850, was go O9s,l26
Is. Id, and the quarter which ended 9Th instant
instead Of showing that alarming indication of ruin
and progress towards national bankruptcy which
was prophesied, shows an increase of e 1854 over
the similar quarter OF lS49. The income and pro-
perry tax is now perhaps one of the best gauges of
the condition of the people generally and if the
amount this tax produced in l849-'50 belongs
solely to that year, and is not to any considerable
degree made up Of of former years. it indi-
Gates an augmenatio in the income of those classes
who pay it of about el00,00o,o0o, Or twenty five
per cent on the estimated aggregate income of the
United Kingdom. Ia whatever light this fact NAV
be viewed, or however much it may be modified, it
is still one which bears convincing testimony 10 the
stability ofthe Of the country and proves
that the condition of the trading and producing
classes, and we hope, that of the landed and agr-
cultural interests Notwithstanding the present de-
preston of the grain market, isSimproving rapidly
This is we'll founded hope, if the state of the re-
venue is to be regarded as furnishing evidence of
any thing. The Morning Herald, however, and
other journals of the "croaking" school, say that
the severest tria-tme has not yet come, and that
the results of free trade the farming interests will
be tested within the next twelve months. We are
afraid that both farmers and laborers are suffering al
present, but there is every reason to hope that such
suffering will be only very temporary being the
unavoidable consequence of change of policy,
that change being from an erroneous, partial, and
unjust course, to judicious liberal, and equitable
one. The Protectlonlsts have more than once made
assertion that British cotton and woollen manu-
features still protected by duties the extent
of ten per cent. A return, made on the motion of
Mr.. HUME, proves the fallacy of this assertion.
This return shows that the revenue collected from
imported manufactures of all kinds during ls49,
and which amour, indicates the extent of protec-
ton to those OF home production, was 9476,476 I;
while on imported agricultural produce of every
kind the amount thus collected in the form of i'm
port duties was 81 ,062, 5O6 of which the duty on
corn was no less than 4637 sl4, that on all other
articles g424, 692.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in reply to
Lord DUNCAN, in relation to the window tax, stated
that the tax could not be said 10 bear oppressivey
upon the poorer classes of society," nor to have an
impeding effect upon projected sanitary improve
ment, since out Of the three millions and half of
houses III the country, only half a million were
liable to the window tax; the other three millions,
being the residences of the poorer classes, were
entirely exempt from it," The annual produce
OF the window tax is about FL 100000, and the
Chancellor of the Exchequer said Government
could not get on without it. Mr.. HUME in re-
ply, had no doubt that if Parliament repealed the
tax, Ministers could very promptly reduce their esi
mates SO as to fall within the diminished revenue
The division upon this question is regarded as
Ministerial defeat especially as Lord JOHN RUSSELL
was supported by all his official staff, whilst several
,oambers hn would haya votaJ cor r orJ D.,.,z..,