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      » ¦ ¦ ' • . ¦ .. . ' ¦ 904 The Leader. [...

      » ¦ ¦ ' . ¦ .. . ' ¦ 904 THE LEADER . [ No . 489- Aug . 6 , 1859 .

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      Imperial, Parliament. Monday, August 1. ...

      IMPERIAL , PARLIAMENT . Monday , August 1 . [ n the House of Lords , Lord Teynham inquired whether in proposing any measure for Parliamentary Reform the Government would take into consideration the expediency of not proposing any property or pecuniary qualification to entitle a person to be registered as a voter . —Earl Granville declined to give any premature explanation upon a subject which was , he observed , still under consideration by her Majesty ' s ministers . amended

      The Divorce Court Bill was considered as in committee , and after a slight discussion on an amendment of lJord Redesdale to limit the power of the Court to sit with closed doors to suits of nullity of marriage , and which was carried on a division by a majority of 13 , the report was adopted , and the bill read , a third time and passed . Lord Derby , in opposition to the Municipal Corporations Bill , said that the object of it was to reduce the Church of England to a level with all the Dissenting- sects in the country . BRITISH SALT IN CUI ^ A . Lord Stanlet of Alderley , in calling the attention of her Majesty ' s Government to the admission of British salt into China , stated that the supply of salt to a population of 300 , 000 , 000 had been hitherto , a monopoly in the hands , of the Chinese Government . It would be only fair in asking permission to import salt into China . to make some compensation equal to the revenue that would be thereby lost to the Chinese Government , He concluded by asking what steps Jiad been taken by the Government for the purpose of bringing the . question for admitting British salt into China before the Court of Pekin . —JLord Elgin said , he concurred with all that had fallen from Lord Stanley of Alderley , but it was not so easy to make the Chinese Commissioner entertain the same views . "The monopoly of salt was a very ancient one in China , and would on that account be difficult to overthrow , and , in addition to that , it was a very productive source of revenue . With respect to the appointment of a' Russian ambassador at Pekin , he thought it would be as well for this country not to press at first with too great stringency on the Chinese Government our right secured by treaty of permanent residence . Should , however , other nations insist on that right he presumed we should not fail to do the same .- ^ -Lord VVodehocsb stated the instructions which had been given to Mr . Bruce , and explained the steps which had been taken by Russia . Their lordships adjourned at eight o ' clock . THE HEW PXJBUC OFFICES . In the House op Comjioss Lord John Manners recapitulated the proceedings taken under the late and preceding Governments regarding the designs for the new Foreign and Indian offices , with especial reference to ah answer recently given by Lord Palmerston to a deputation , and expressed a hope that during the recess nothing would be done to the prejudice of a design , which he thought admirably calculated for its purpose . CORRUPT PROCEEDINGS AT ELECTIONS . Lord R . Cecil , adverting to the hardship to wliich candidates at elections were subjected by being made responsible for acts of their agents of which they know nothing ( adverting particularly to the decision of the committee on the Gloucester election ) , asked the Secretary of . State for the Home Department whether it was the intention of the Government to issue commissions to inquire into the election proceedings of those constituencies in which committees

      have reported tliat extensive bribery prevails ?—The Hojuh Secretary observed that that duty did not properly belong to the Government . When the evidence taken before the committees was printed , the House , if it judged proper , might address the Crown , asking tor the appointment of a commission respecting the late proceedings in either or both the inculpated boroughs . —Sir J . V . Shell ey stated that he should riaovo a resolution providing that in all similar cases the issue of new writs should bo

      ture 21 , 000 , 000 / ., the difference being 9 , 000 , 000 ; ., there was room for a very large reduction upon this item Of expenditure , and he thought the reduction might extend to 3 , 000 , 0001 ., or 4 , 000 ; 000 Z . It was impossible , however , to say how soon this reduction could take place , but the utmost care would be taken to keep down this branch of the expenditure . With regard to the augmentation of the revenue , authority had been sent to the Government of India to raise the salt duty in Madras , Bombay , and the North West Provinces , and to impose stamp duties and a tax upon licenses ; and possibly a succession duty . He could not , of course , form an estimate of the probable

      amount which these duties would produce ; but when all was done that we could hope to do , there must still be for a year or Jtwo a considerable deficiency that must be provided for , and 5 , 000 , 000 ? . or 6 , 000 , 000 * . would have to be provided for by Parliament . Remarking upon the vicious and wasteful system of India finance which had hitherto existed , Sir Charles announced that a commissioner of wisdom and experience was to be sent out to that country to investigate the question , and suggest means for placing the revenue and expenditure of India upon a sounder basis . Observing that during several years before the mutiny the revenue of India had evinced extraordinary elasticity , he felt justified in

      anticipating a renewal of prosperity , industrial and fiscal , when tranquillity was restored and the resources of the country developed . Adverting to the new loan of five millions , he . stated that the amount would be called for by small instalments , and a large proportion need not be paid up until April next . —After some remarks from Mr . Crawford , Lord Stanley recognised . the difficulties by which the Indian Government was beset . The India of 1850 differed essentially from the India of 1856 , and years would probably elapse before all the traces of the late revolt were entirely effaced . Entering at large into the financial question , the noble lord maintained that no increase of taxation was

      possible in India to any great amount , more probably that : half a million a year , and expressed his disapprobation of the proposal to give an imperial guarantee for the Indian debt . . Nevertheless , he believed that something in the nature of imperial assistance to the Indian revenue would before long become a matter of necessity . Why , indeed , he asked , should India be required to pay the whole expenditure incurred in its defence , while other colonies were , to some extent , defended at the cost of the home exchequer ? Respecting retrenchment he agreed that not much , could be effected immediately , but pointed out many ways for saving expenses in future , suggesting especially for this purt of atives in the civil

      EAST INDIA LOAN . In the evening , the House having resolved itself into a committee upon the East India Loan , Sir C . Wood called attention to the state of India with reference to its finances , —a subject , he observed , of vital importance , and requiring the most anxious consideration . The prospect , discouraging as it was , was not hopeless . If we surmounted the difficulties of the next two or three years , he saw no reason why India should not recover the prosperity it enjoyed before the mutiny broke out . Premising that it was impossible to bring down the financial statements to a late period with precision , as the accounts since April , 1858 , were

      only estimates , and that he should deal with the sums in "round numbers , converting the rupee at the uniform rate of 2 s ., he proceeded to state that on the 30 th April , 1857 ( before the mutiny ) , the Indian debt amounted to 59 , 462 , 000 ? ., the interest to 2 , 525 , 000 ? . The military expenditure , ordinary and extraordinary , was 12 , 561 , 000 ? . In 1857-58 the general expenditure of India amounted to 4 O , 226 iQ 00 Z ., the revenue to 31 , 706 , 0002 ., the deficiency of revenue being 8 , 520 , 0007 . In 1858-59 , the expenditure Avas 48 , 500 , 000 / . ; the revenue 33 , 800 , 000 ? ., leaving a deficiency of 14 , 700 , 000 * . The total deficiency to be provided for in the two years amounted , therefore ,

      to 23 , 220 , 000 / . The sums borrowed in India in 1857 . 58 and 1858-55 amounted to 10 , 556 , 000 ? ., and in England to 11 , 562 , 000 /? ., making together 22 , 118 , 000 ? ., the difference of 1 , 102 , 000 ? . being made up by the diminution of balances . This was the state of things ^ up to the 30 th of April last . The debt of India , there and in England , was 81 , 580 , 000 ? ., the interest being 3 , 564 , 000 / . The military expenditure in the year ending the 30 th of April last was 25 , 849 , 000 / . The expenditure on India for the year 1859-60 was estimated at 38 , 380 , 000 / ., the charge at home at 5 , 851 , 500 ? ., the interest on railway capital he took at 900 , OOOZ ., and the compensation for losses in India at 1 , 000 , 000 / . ; making the total

      estimated charge 46 , 131 , 500 ? . The revenue for the same year was estimated at 35 , 850 , 000 ? ., including the additional taxes ; deducting this sum from 46 , 131 , 500 ? ., and adding to the deficiency 2 , 000 , 000 / . on account of further demands , there would remain 12 , 500 , 000 ? . to be provided for . The loans in India had produced much iess than had been expected , but he hoped , to receive in India 2 , 000 , 000 / ., and this , added to 4 , 800 , OQOZ ., the produce of the 5 , 000 , 000 ? . of debentures issued under the authority given by Parliament to raise 7 , OOO , O 00 Z . ( making together 6 , 800 , 000 ? . ) still left 5 , 700 , 000 ? . to be provided for to make up the 12 , 500 , 000 / ., and he proposed to take power to borrow 5 , 000 , 000 / ., in addition to the

      2 , 000 , 000 ? . under the former power , it being necessary that he should have a margin of 7 , 000 , 000 ? . in order to meet the expenses of the year . At the end of 1860 the Indian debt would be 95 , 836 , 000 ? ., and the interest upon the debt 3 , 900 , 000 / . In the course of the year 1860-61 it would he unnecessary to provide a sum for compensation for losses ; on the other hand , the interest on the debt would have increased , so that he could not take the expenditure of that year at less than 46 , 0 O 0 , 00 OZ ., and the revenue he took at 36 , 000 , 000 ? ., which left a deficiency of 10 , 000 , 000 Z . How the expenditure and the receipts could be balanced was an embarrassing question ; it must be effected either by a reduction of the former

      pose a larger employmen n service of India . — -Mr . Bright believed that the Indian difficulty was becoming annually more intractable . For twenty years the finances of that country had presented a chronic deficit and continually augmenting pile of debt . This fact was in itself a proof that the government must be extravagant and bad . Much of this debt was , he admitted , unjustly fixed upon the Indian exchequer , the fifteen millions spent in the Affghan war in particular being exclusively required for a purpose supposed to be imperial . At present , he observed , the whole net revenue of India was swallowed up by its military outlay , a state of things which no state could long endure without coming to ruin . Yet it was stated that the army the

      or an addition to the latter . The reduction of expenditure depended upon the state of India . The first item of expenditure was the Civil establishments , and he should deceive the House , he said , if he held out a hope of any considerable reduction in this item ; Ho did not think it just or fair to reduce the salaries of civil servants now in office , though a reduction might be made on new appointments , but , considering the demand for European supervision , he did not think tliere could be a material diminution of the civil expenditure . The next item was public works , and some saving might be made in this item , though not large , and some reductions might be made in the home expenditure . ' But the great item in which a saving might be made was the military expenditure . The force

      would not be reduced , while it appeared that sources of income were almost altogether unolaatic . The ultimate issue of this systom could not bo contemplated without alarm . The lion , member proceeded to denounce the policy of annexation , which had led to a profitless and unwieldy extension of our empire . The civil service in India was , ho contended , susceptible of large retrenchment , all tho salaries being extravagantly large ; and even if no money was saved , more moderate payments would enable tho Government to augment the number of European functionaries , and so improve the administration of the country . In the army , aguin , largo reductions wore possible . Before tho mutiny , it was said that the native force was too large . It was that force which caused the revolt . Yet at this momon *

      • whole military in India , and including depots at home , Europeans , natives , and military police , at the present timo consisted of 431 , 600 men . It was clear , he thought , that we must main--tain a larger European force in India than wo had hithorto done . It was clear , too , that the mutiny had been almost entirely a military mutiny , prompted by religious feelings , tho native population , generally speaking ( except in Oudo ) , having taken little or no part in it . From this fact wo might learn , ho . obsorved , two things —jflrst , that vro should carefully avoid giving tho natives any reason to believe that there was a design to attack thoir-religious prejudices -, secondly , that w © ought not to maintain bo large a native force as bofore . The question as to the amount of foroo required in India was a very difficult ono . Tho military expenditure before the mutiny boing 12 , 000 , 000 / ., and tho present

      oxponcUthore were 50 , 000 native soldiers in our pay more than before , although tho mutiny was suppressed and large provinces altogether disarmed . 13 y a j uster policy ana humane treatment of the natives we-conm dispense with a largo portioh of our army , hotu European nnd native , save an enormous expenditure , and place tho finances of India In n satisfactory position . In every branch of administration thoro was , he insisted , no responsible goyomixumt , and oxtonsivo reforms , some of which ho indicated , woro » ndlspensablo before tho country could bo rosouod from its present abyss of debt and omt > arraafln » ont .- — Mr . T . G . Bauino ( Under Soorotary for India ) gftvo some further explanations touching flnancQ , --Mr . Danhy Swymouk complained of delays > " ill ° tho transaction of business , and tho ucuonipHshmonc of tho most nocossary rbforms in rniUa .--Tho

      discuspostponed . SUPPLY . The Houso then wont into committto of supply . ; vote for tho expenses of the Statute Law Commission underwent much discussion , on tho ground that tho commissioners had bopn at work since 1854 , and liad produced no rosult in tho way of consolidating tho law . —The Homb Sisoiuotauy justified tho vot « , but consented to reduce tho amount by 1 , 0002 ., as tho chief commlssionershlp , lately hold by Mr . Bellenden Kor , was now vacant . —The opposition , waa ; however , pressed , and on a division tho ytoe was aHogother negatived by ft majority of 91

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 6, 1859, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_06081859/page/4/