Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-10-09
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.
LONDON, SEPTEMBER Is, 1852

LONDON SEPTEMBER 16, 1852
A very general question is now asked, what will
Parliament do when it meets on the llth of Noyem-
Der and the equally general answer is, that there
will not be time for much but the necessary routine
business before Christmas. This is very much COM
planned Of for it is felt that Lord DERBY has kept
his promise in sound but not in substaneethat pro-
mise by which he sofened opposition during the last
session. and obtained time to mature his measures and
strengthen his hands to carry out his policy.
The great question which :" all good men and
true wish to have put to rest is the commercial
and financial policy Of the country But this ques-
ton, say the DERBYITEs, cannot be decided until a
knowledge is obtained of the real existing state of
the finances and that this knowledge cannot be
rived at before the end of the financial year; and,
further that Mr. D'IsRAELI cannot produce his
budget before February Thus the question of free trade
protection is to be sheved until the spring of 1853
and to have Ministry upon suferance and po-
Icy upon trust for nearly six months longer We have
thus Government year in On the 9th of last
January we had surplus of e. 7O0 OO0 and the 5th
of April it stood e. 000 Under ordinary and usual
circumstances and certainly if the Whig administration
had remained in power that surplus would have been dis
posed of during the last session Of Parliament in
way other the advantage Of the country and the
relief of the axpayers And why it not done? Be-
cause the Government in pacewe will not say in power
but in tolerance-was at issue with majority of the
House of Commons respecting the principle upon which
that surplus should be disposed Of Freetraders would
have used it in way, Protectoniss in another The
majority of the House Of Commons Traders but
the Government Protectonsts and therefore the
only that could be pursued leave the
plus unappropriated until the people general election
had declared which policy they wished to have adopted
Lord DERBY should, therefore, as after the late
possble haye ciy parl
portunity of adudcatng upon the commercial and nan
cia policy of the Government, and embodied in distinct
measures of financial reductions, the mode in which he
proposed to dispose of the unappropriated surplus which
he found in the Exchequer his accession to Office
This should have been done in October 1852 and
February March, 1853. The country is daily losing
the advantage which would result from the relief which
large surplus would have afforded, in whatever way
it had been appropriated With smaller surplus in 1885,
taxes reduced to the amount Of and with
the larger surplus of 1851 the country experienced
lief of e2 6800O0 but now for the first time in the last
ten years. Notwithstanding the large surplus reduction
has been viii be made during the year Thus to the
grave evil Of uncertainty hanging the policy of the
country is added the pecunary disadvantage of the post
ponement Of relief from certain of taxation We
chance of having either the uncertainty the
future policy the Of the present taxation
moved relieved until after Christmas and think the
people have right to be disrustfu and dissatisfied and
do not wonder that their complaints Deep and,
though not loud at present think there symptoms
that they intend to be heard.
If Mr. DoD, the editor and publisher Of that very useful
and wonderfully correct little manual the Parliamentary
Companion is to be depended upon-and he is veteran
in deducng from election commonplaces the political
color Of candidate, and prophesying the Of
untried poiticanhere is ut present. large number Of
new members who the subjects Of uncertainty and dis
pute The new Parliament will contain hundred and
eighty members who have yet divided with either
Ministers their opponents The Derby administration
is not regarded having been very delicate in applying
the argument Of force sundry constituencies during the
elections and they will not it is thought be very fasdi
in using certain argunenG dd honaiHc varying the
argumtum according the homo the representatives
The days Of direct bribery Of members are know long
gone by; the wALpoLE fashion Of open money payments
is obsolete, far honorable gentlemen concerned
But persuasiyes Of less gross but yet OF rather du
bious character stu said be in vogue Snug little Of
fees will turn up for the especial benefit Of gentlemen of
undecided opinions their heirs relatives and dependents
The stoica virtue Of NJ p may be softened in his
despite do what he will he cannot look upon Lord
DERBYs cabinet with quite the eye Of suspicion
he did before Lord d. unsolicited did that very hand
some thing"
We the advocates Of fixed principles, not Of fixed
we cannot respond 10 Wnlcn
is often bestowed upon what is called "opennes to
conviction" and freedom from prejudice" which too
often only vagueness Of mind and want Of oil def
mite results of thought the natural consequences either
of hasy adoption Of previous conclusions, subsequently
found to be the result Of deness and
convenient evasion Of all serious thought upon difficult
subjects To the former may be attributed the un-
certainty Of great portion Of the PEEL school to the
latter the empty generaie Of Of the recent admi
rers Of that great Statesman 1t is these two classes
in the new House of Commons that Lord DERBY must
look for his chance Of retaining Office and therefore the
longer he can postpone the settlement Of any question
as to confidence the longer he win extend the existence
OF his Government and the he will strengthen that
Government by calling into action those influences which
often hx wavering member and doubtful adheren
Lord DERBY has not manifested any very great zeal in
the promotion Of chancey and other legal reforms by the
appointment Of Mr. JeHS STUART to the Vice Chancellor
ship vacant by the death of Sir JAMES PARKEn Mr.
STUART Is chiefly known violent Tory who has made
himself especially prominent by his strong opposition to
Chancery Reform. His appointment TO Vice Chancelor
ship is bad news for the law reformers.
No successor has yet been appointed to the late Mr.
Porter in the Office Of Joint Secretary to the Board of
Trade Mr. McCuLLoCH of the Stationery Office has been
named as likely TO obtain the appointment He would
make good officer.
The great event Of the week is, unquestionably,
the death Of the Duke Of WELLINGTON. His Grace