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    Ko. 424, May 8, 1858.]______ T _ H ;g__j...

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    Imperial Parliament. Jsfomhiy, May 3?V7....

    assert that they desire to see the most complete religious equality in India . : / the Earl of Ei-lenbouougH said : — " I do not know thai with reference to this petition I need say more . than thai as long as I have anything whatever to do with the government of India , I shall'adhere most strictly to the ancient traditional policy of the British Government in that country—namely , that of absolute neutrality in matters of religion ; and that I intend , as f : u as in rac lies that that'neutrality shall -bo real—that it shall not exist only in tlie language of the Government , but in its acts , and in the acts of all its officers . I have heard with satisfaction . from my noble friend that the

    petitioners do not desire the aid of the Government , (// ear , ' hear , from Lord Shaftedbury . ) 1 feel satisfied that nothing could be more injurious to their objects than even the appearance that such aidvas extended to them , ( Jlear , Jizar . ) By themselves—by individual exertion—by private means , " they niay have some success ; but iVeel convinced that , if it were for a moment supposed that the Government extended its aid to them ns I fear may have been of late to sonic extent the case—the result ivould be the greatest danger to our interests in India , and the utter destruction of all the hopes of the missionaries of religion . "—The petition was then ordered to lie upon the table .

    The Exchkqukii IJn . i ' . s ( -20 , 1 ) 11 , 500 ^ . ) B iul was read a tbird time and passed . Tiieir Lordships adjourned at a quarter-past seven . o ' clock . ¦ -..:

    SANxmuusx axu wrcn . In the . House op Commons , Mr . Lygos asked Liortl Paltnerston whether f . ; e minutes relative to the recent alterations at Sandhurst and Woolwich -wore submitted to ami-sanctioned by the late Government or not , and ¦ whether the uobLe Lord was responsible for any portion of the regulations . — -Lord r .-VLMKUSTOX said that his noble friend , Lord Panmuro , ¦ - . showed him a draft of th « reg-tilations which ' -were to form the new arrangement , and generally ' speaking- they seemed to him correct and proper . They involved two ' , material points . One -was that young men , who wish to b-e candidates for the competitive' examination . for the scient'iiie branches . of . the service , should , instead of registering their names at the office of the Secretary fur \ Var ., . register . -them at the

    office . of the Conimander-in-Chief . r lhe other point : \ v « is that examinations for the scientific branches should take place by competition from amongst those who had ' -been educated at Sandhurst , instead of being open to tlio = e who had been educated elsewhere . Both of these arrangements were made with a view to the improvement of education at Sandhurst ; but it was understood by the Commander-in-Chief that , if found objectionable , tlie regulation eshould be so i ' ur ' modified that the competitors should consistuf half from Sandhurst and half from elsewhere- With regard to the latter part of tlie ( question , he thought it very likely that , when the reg-nlatipns were sliowu to him , ho might have suggested some alterations ; but what they wen : it was utterly impossible for him at the present moment to state . ( Luuyhter . )

    EXCHEQUKK BONDS ( 2 , OU ( i , l ' l 0 l . )/ . ) 1 VII . T .. On the order lor the second rejidiny of this bill , Sir GEOliGK CoUNliWAI ^ L L kWIS entered IlltO 'details to dlriprovc a charge which had been made ayainst the lute Government , awl himself , in ]> ariicul : ir , that they Lad left the nuances of the country in a disordered and ¦ unsatisfactory state . With respect t «> tlie -Kxchequcr-bonds , as the same amount of 2 , 000 , 000 / . m > idd lie duo next year , and 1 , 000 , 000 / . the year following , the , ; -e liabilities must be met by having recour . se to re-T ) orrowiiig . A . s to the War Sinking- Fund , it -was the only plan of that character which was practicable- ; ami , unless Parliament ¦\ vere prepared ti » make it obligatory upon the . Government to ailupt a plan bv whieh ' a eei'laiu portion of tlie

    debt would b-o annually exliugui . lied , il inu .-t make , up its mind to perpetuate the jivsliiI National Debt . The Budget of tlio ChaneelW of the Exuheijiu-r was a schome which made no attempt eilhor to pay oil' any part of the I'lscheinier-bunds or to liuep up the "War Sinking Fund . The relief afforded liy ilu : fall of the Income-tax would not be very sensibly full , and the Chancellor of the . Exchequer , by his . arrangement in respect to that tax , and in not reducing ' the Kx . eli (! ijiicriiond debt , had violuied an important principle , witlioul any substantial and eflVql . ual relief to the payers of the

    Income-tax . Considering the disproportion between I In . ' Amount of direct , taxation and that of indirect , taxation , it scorned to him that the House oii ^ ht not to conn- lo a distinct pledge as to ( lie period wluiu tliu lncniuo- (; i > c , or « ny other tax , should eeu .-u , or incur ain ra .-h obligations . In Lho present suiU-of parties , it was the ( . iovunilnent which had become Llie great , advocate , uf ecoiunuy in that House . Propositions en mo from various <| imrtcra to increase our expenditure , : md it . was dillicult for the Government to reni . st . The . problem , however , nui . st be . solved , how to cquali / . i : tint expenditure with tho revenue .

    Mr . CiiADKTONK agreed with Sir U . C . Lew In in his endeavour lo draw tho attention of the . House- to tho BOrioiirt coiiHnqiuMiee . s likely to result , from the practice uf using tho House as a siiinulu * to I ' . xpuiulitimi . lint , though Sh- ( jiuorgc bad deprecated r ; Ush engagement :- ; , he Jiad himself entered into n rash en-ugeinent , to pay oil 1 , 500 , 000 / . in tho namo of n . Sinking Fund . Ah U , tho

    Exchequer Bonds , there had been no pledge on the part of the House that any portion should , be reduced in 185 S ; and , with regard to the Income-tiiK , he approved the course taken by the Chancellor of tlie Exchequer . If the Income-tax was a £ ood tax , let it be paid . It li : id great recommendations , but there were grave objections to it , and he believed that , by its very nature , it corrupted and demoralized many . { Hear , hear . ) So long as they continued to vote the lueoinc-tax , it . would be vain to talk of economy in expenditure . He thought tiieir scale of expenditure would admit of many deductions ; but the course which they pursued put reductions out of the question . It is the duty of the Minister aniV . of Parliament to have a clear surplus : but

    liow arc they to get it ? Certainly tlie Chancellor of the Exchequer is not called upon , to liquidate bonds which he has not one farthing to meet . —Mr . 'GakdwelTj said the course recommended was that they should postpone their obligations . They were going to postpone them until the Income-tax had expired ; but he thought - \ ve should then be some four millions worse oft' than we now are . They should not postpone their obligations , and make -prospective difficulties . He iirmly believed they were laying the foundation of a new Income-tax in 1 S ( JO , and thov should not have too much confidence in a , buoyant exchequer . He certainly should rejoice to

    see the pape" duty and the lire insurance duty remitted . —Mr . Tiio . uas Making said every new Chancellor of the Exchequer-reduces taxation , and leaves the revenue to take its chance . Whenever they have a surplus , some person is sure to propose a remission of the paper and hop duties . ( " //« . ' « r , hear" and a hiff jh . ) . But lie did not think it was honest to saddle posterity with their debts . If they paid their debts in time of prosperity , they would be able to borrow money at a cheaper rate when they got into difficulties ; and their great object should be to pay as they go on . Had they pursued that system , they would now be in a better position than thev are .

    Mr . BiiiGirr denounced the excessive expenditure of late years , and attributed it to our meddling : foreign policy and our combative spirit . A war had recently been begun and ended without the House of Commons being consulted-, and it was ended , because Ministers , had the fear of a memorable debate before them . Tlie House had condemned the China' war , and , that condemnation had never been reversed . No Minister had-dared t ' o ask Parliament to reverse that sentence , lie did not know whether or not we arc now at av ;; v with ' . China .. ' - "A celebrated , individual" had been taken prisoner . "Was he a prisoner of war , or was he taken away merely as a li

    curiosity ? ( Lanr / h ( ei : ) In China , we are . malting the English name detestable . Territory ' cannot be our object ; , our object is trade , and how are we to trade with a nation with which ireare at war ? ( TIcar , hear . ) The navy estimates are now some millions more tlian they were a few years ago . 2 sow , there is no fleet , except that of Prance which approaches the llect of England ; and 1 ? ranco is our nearest ally . . They might- be told that the amity of nations is not a tiling to be relied on . He was for amity -with all nations ; but ho never had the slightest sympathy with the French alliance . lie did not want political amity , nor did he see how it -was to be maintained . If thev asked the lYeneh Minister

    why his navy estimates are so large , he would tell them that he is building large ships which-arc of no use , because iMigland is building large ships "which are of no use . Qlii : ai ; hear . ) That Minister would assure them that France has a great navy because England has a groat navy . Would it not be better for tho Minister of this country to tell the Kmperor of tho French that , instead of quarrelling about the Suez Canal—instead ut negotiating about some petty matter—thev should reduce that vast taxation which is wrung from the people to maintain large navies and large armies ? ( Ucar , // car . ) Such a proposition would ijive as great relief to

    the people of Franco as it would to the people of this country . As to the army and navy , the cry is 'Give , give ! and that is llie . vvy from session to session . [ l / iiar , hear . ) Wu are lavish in our expenditure for warlike purposes , while we , have a multitude of paupers ; a large number of people arc drafted away year after year ; and many « man thanks Heaven that he lies hmded in fi'inie country whore ho is relieved from exorbitant taxation . (_ IJ (< ii ' , hear . ' ) When we have a reformed Parliament , the landed proprietors "will not escape the public burdens so easily as they now do . The . sueeor-ruou dutv will be overhauled . The course now

    pursued is foolish and wicked ; and they might , rely upon it tli . it , when the people have the power to lay ou taxation , they will not be driven to the wall ns they now are . It i , s Llie duty of Parliament to dhninit-h expenditure ; and they wi-ru net ing a cowardly , and even an iininond part , in throwing taxes upon posterity . " ( Ao » o to avoid ; Unit complaints against this tux . came from professional men and the humbler classes of sociciy <> u account , of its injustice ) , impolicy , and impiirsiLorial character , the clamour nguiiiMt the tax never having arisen iVoiu the opulent elasscs . It was , therefore , iinposMble to maintain it an a permanent , feature of our liiiinieial . system . As to ( lie War Sinking l- ' nml , it would be idle lo contend tliul it should

    he maintained in the present circumstances of our finances . There is a very great difference , no doubt , between the engagement to pay the Exchequer-bonds and to maintain the "War Sinking Fund ; but tlie House had been of opinion that it was most inexpedient , in the present- state of the country , to load it with an amount of new : taxation in ordyr to enable it to fulfil these engagements . " The House had allowed him to raise the -Exchequer-bonds , and he would state what he liad

    doue on the subject . He had obtained from the Bank an advance- of one million , payable in 1802 , . at 3 J-per cent ., and he liad made it a condition that he should have the right to call for another million at the end of the year at the . same rate , but he hoped , and was even confident , that the state of the balances in the Exchequer , strengthened by extraordinary payments , and an improved state of the revenue , would not render it necessary to call for the second million . He Avould draw the attention of the House to the state of the revenue on

    the 1 st of May m the present year , and they could judge th « n as to the probabilities of his anticipations being realized . He would compare the revenue from the 1 st of April to tlie 2 nd of May , 1857 , with the corresponding period in the present 3 "ear . From the ls-t of April to the 2 nd of May , 1857 , in the very height and flush of commercial prosperity , the excise duties ¦ were 1 , 866 , 000 ? ., and the receipts from excise 'in the month just passed after the commercial crisis was 1 , 602 , 000 ? . The receipts from stamps in the month from April to 3 Iny , 1857 , was 484 , 000 ? ., and in the corresponding neriod of the present year the amount had reached 578 , 000 ? . ( Hear , hear . ) There had also in tbe same months been an increase in laud and assessed

    taxes from GG 3 , 000 ? . in April , 1 S 57 , to 668 , 000 ? . in 1 S 5 S . lie did not think the member for Birmingham was just in his remarks respecting the transference of taxation from property to labour . He ( the Chancellor of the '' Exchequer ) , could not accept the position that tlie taxation ' of the country rests upon the people whose incomes are small . lie regretted , with the hon . gentleman , the necessity for a great expenditure upon armaments ; but he did not despair that , in due season , and when the excitement winch prevailed of late had passed away , the wisdom of Cabinets would bring about a reduction in military expenditure . " . Sir . TTii . soisr severely criticized ' .-the financial scheme

    of the Chancellor of the Exchequer . —Sir H . YVn ,-loiGHBY spoke against continuing the Income-tax in time of peace . — ~ Mv . SlAn \ ky denied that the House had a tendency to put taxation on the shoulders of the poor . —Mi ' , Hamilton defended the estimates submitted "by . the Chancellor of tlie Exchequer . —Sir . ' Castley believed that the periodical prostrations , and consequent misery of the country every ten years , are tlie result of bad legislation , not of nature . —Mr . Ewaet admitted that a very skilful Budget had been produced "by the Chancellor of the Exchequer , but at the same time suggested various improvements . The bill was then read a second time . STATtll * DUTY OK DRAFTS BUTT .. On the order for tho second reading of this bill , Air . Thomas Baking said that , although he doubted tho soundness of the principle of this tax ,-he ' thought the plea of the Chancellor of the Exchequer , that it . was necessary to have a little surplus revenue , was a sufliciont reason for not opposing it . He suggested various objections to the tax , and was of opinion that artitices would bo resorted to in order to evade it . — Mr . Grkavks , not opposing the bill , recommended certain modifications-of tlie tnx . —Mr . Baxticu spoke in its favour . —Mr .-TuiiNi ; it ' took an opposite view of the tax , which he looked upon as a step in the wrong direction , as throwing tin additional weight upon commerce . — After some further discussion , the ( Juancktj ^ or ok the ExciiKQur . u , in replying to objections , observed that the bill assorted no new-principle ; it only sought to extend a principle , and terminate an exemption which no one viiidiratcil . Tho bill was then read a second time . Tin : c ; ovi ; un . mi ; nt op india . The IIouso then wont into committee upon tlie resolutions for llie government of India . —The second resolution being read , the effect of which was that her'Majesty , by one of her principal Secret ai'ios of State , should have aiul'purform all the powers and duties relating to the govi'mment of India now exercised and r-ovfiu-nied by the Hast indin Company , . Mr . Avktox moved , by way of amendment , that the pouors and dutio . s sh . mhl lie excreted and performed by a Minister of the Crown in Council , his object being to ensure the administration of the government witli due cure , caution , and ofi'mieney . lie meant to follow up tiiis resolution with another , thai

    Mich Minister shall lie responsible for every act done in the United Kingdom in relation to the government oi . India , lint that no mwU act , slmll lie performed l » y him without tin ! reoordiul opinion of three mi'inber- of the Council thereon . — Lord StaMiKV opposed Ih is . imendmiMit . Tlie argument of Mr . Ayrlou was in favour of the government us it is now carried on hy the East India Company . If the Minister " in" Council "wnv tn aet . only cniijoiiitly with ihu ( -mnicil , there , would In- n divided ' ivs i ' u ' . isili ' ilily . Wliore t Ik'in- wu » to lie iv-poii-( sil ) ili ( y , there munt lie power ; hut , if the Coiniril wviv to havo conjoint ] io \ vor with tho 01 hunter , individual ro-Miiowsibillly would cease . What was wanted win uiuli-

    Ko. 424, May 8, 1858.]______ T _ H ;G__J...

    Ko . 424 , May 8 , 1858 . ]______ T _ H ; g __ jf g ^ j ^ % —__ - ^__ : -li , _ jg £ _

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), May 8, 1858, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_08051858/page/3/