DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16546#0005
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VOLUME XIV.--JANUARY TO JUNE, 1848.
THE KTJSSELL CABINET.—1848.
First Lord of the Treasury........... Lord John Russell.
Lord Chancellor ............. Lord Cottenham.
Chancellor of the Exchequer ........ ... Sir. C. Wood.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster ......... Lord Campbell.
President of the Council............ Marquis op Lansdowne.
Lord Privy Seal.............. Earl of Minto.
Home Office.............. Sir George Grey.
Foreign Office . . ........ Viscount Palmerston.
Colonial Office . . ...... . . Earl Grey.
Admiralty .............. Earl of Auckland.
Board of Trade .............. Mr. H. Labouchere.
Board of Control............. Sir John Cam Hobhouse.
Postmaster-General ........... . Marquis of Clanricardi!.
Paymaster of the Forces........... Mr. T. B. Macaulay.
»YTood3 and Forests............. Viscount Morpeth. (Earl of Carlisle.)
POLITICAL
PARLIAMENT reassembled on the 3rd of February, 181S,
and the attention of the House of Commons wa3 imme-
diately occupied by the consideration of the condition of the
West India Colonies, and Lord John Russell introduced
a plan for their relief, whereby it was proposed to reduce
the differential duties on rum and sugar in addition to a loan
to the Colonies of £170,000. The Ministerial plan was
warmly opposed both in the Commons and Lords, but ulti-
mately passed both Houses of Parliament.
A pamphlet by Pelnce Joinville attracted considerable
attention in this country, and the state of our National De-
fences was discussed both in and out of Parliament with much
earnestness, and a letter on the subject by the Duke of
Wellington added in a great degree to the public excitement.
The Free Trade party denounced the popular alarm as chi-
merical and delusive, and avowed their opinion that a decrease
rather than an increase of the military force and expenditure
was demanded by the state of the national finances. Loud
John Russell in presenting his Budget, surveyed the com-
mercial distress consequent upon the scarcity and high price of
corn and the reduction of the Excise and Custom revenue
declared its effect on the social condition of the people. There
appeared to be nearly three millions excess of expenditure over
income during the past year, including the £1,525,000
granted for the relief of distress in Ireland, and nearly half a
million of money which was stopped at the Cape of Good Hope,
and applied to the purposes of the Caff're War, and concluded
that there would be a still further deficiency during the
coming year (supposing the expenditure to be the same) of
over another million. He therefore proposed among other
SUMMAKY.
sources of revenue to increase the Income-Tax from three to
five per cent, for the next two years, and considered that
owing to the distress in Ireland the tax should not be im-
posed upon that country. Mr. Hume and many other Mem-
bers expressed their dismay at such a proposition, and asked
if the Government were mad in contemplating such an increase
of this particular tax, at a time when all our manufacturers
were suffering distress, and demanded that our public establish-
ments should be reduced to meet the excess of expenditure.
It very soon became evident that the proposition to increase
the Income-Tax was very unpalatable out of doors, and a keen
sense of the injustice of taxing incomes according to the uni-
form three per cent., made the proposal more intolerable, and
Mr. Hoesman expressed very clearly what was the popular
opinion of this unjust tax. Sir Robert Peel supported the
Ministerial plan, but the opposition in and out of the House
was ultimately too strong to be resisted, and after a very
protracted debate, the Chancelloe of the Exchequee an-
nounced that the Government did not intend to press the
Resolution for increasing the Income-Tax.
The Queen's Speech seven months before promised an
alteration of the Navigation Laws, and the subject came ou
for discussion May 15th, Me. Laboucheee introducing it.
We must refer our readers to Hansard for the details of this
verv interesting debate, which affected so many interests, the
Free Traders considering it as part of that policy which was
now becoming the law of the land. Although the divisions
were all in favour of Ministers, Me. Laboucheee, on the
12th of August, announced the postponement of the measure
until the next Session.
VOLUME XIV.--JANUARY TO JUNE, 1848.
THE KTJSSELL CABINET.—1848.
First Lord of the Treasury........... Lord John Russell.
Lord Chancellor ............. Lord Cottenham.
Chancellor of the Exchequer ........ ... Sir. C. Wood.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster ......... Lord Campbell.
President of the Council............ Marquis op Lansdowne.
Lord Privy Seal.............. Earl of Minto.
Home Office.............. Sir George Grey.
Foreign Office . . ........ Viscount Palmerston.
Colonial Office . . ...... . . Earl Grey.
Admiralty .............. Earl of Auckland.
Board of Trade .............. Mr. H. Labouchere.
Board of Control............. Sir John Cam Hobhouse.
Postmaster-General ........... . Marquis of Clanricardi!.
Paymaster of the Forces........... Mr. T. B. Macaulay.
»YTood3 and Forests............. Viscount Morpeth. (Earl of Carlisle.)
POLITICAL
PARLIAMENT reassembled on the 3rd of February, 181S,
and the attention of the House of Commons wa3 imme-
diately occupied by the consideration of the condition of the
West India Colonies, and Lord John Russell introduced
a plan for their relief, whereby it was proposed to reduce
the differential duties on rum and sugar in addition to a loan
to the Colonies of £170,000. The Ministerial plan was
warmly opposed both in the Commons and Lords, but ulti-
mately passed both Houses of Parliament.
A pamphlet by Pelnce Joinville attracted considerable
attention in this country, and the state of our National De-
fences was discussed both in and out of Parliament with much
earnestness, and a letter on the subject by the Duke of
Wellington added in a great degree to the public excitement.
The Free Trade party denounced the popular alarm as chi-
merical and delusive, and avowed their opinion that a decrease
rather than an increase of the military force and expenditure
was demanded by the state of the national finances. Loud
John Russell in presenting his Budget, surveyed the com-
mercial distress consequent upon the scarcity and high price of
corn and the reduction of the Excise and Custom revenue
declared its effect on the social condition of the people. There
appeared to be nearly three millions excess of expenditure over
income during the past year, including the £1,525,000
granted for the relief of distress in Ireland, and nearly half a
million of money which was stopped at the Cape of Good Hope,
and applied to the purposes of the Caff're War, and concluded
that there would be a still further deficiency during the
coming year (supposing the expenditure to be the same) of
over another million. He therefore proposed among other
SUMMAKY.
sources of revenue to increase the Income-Tax from three to
five per cent, for the next two years, and considered that
owing to the distress in Ireland the tax should not be im-
posed upon that country. Mr. Hume and many other Mem-
bers expressed their dismay at such a proposition, and asked
if the Government were mad in contemplating such an increase
of this particular tax, at a time when all our manufacturers
were suffering distress, and demanded that our public establish-
ments should be reduced to meet the excess of expenditure.
It very soon became evident that the proposition to increase
the Income-Tax was very unpalatable out of doors, and a keen
sense of the injustice of taxing incomes according to the uni-
form three per cent., made the proposal more intolerable, and
Mr. Hoesman expressed very clearly what was the popular
opinion of this unjust tax. Sir Robert Peel supported the
Ministerial plan, but the opposition in and out of the House
was ultimately too strong to be resisted, and after a very
protracted debate, the Chancelloe of the Exchequee an-
nounced that the Government did not intend to press the
Resolution for increasing the Income-Tax.
The Queen's Speech seven months before promised an
alteration of the Navigation Laws, and the subject came ou
for discussion May 15th, Me. Laboucheee introducing it.
We must refer our readers to Hansard for the details of this
verv interesting debate, which affected so many interests, the
Free Traders considering it as part of that policy which was
now becoming the law of the land. Although the divisions
were all in favour of Ministers, Me. Laboucheee, on the
12th of August, announced the postponement of the measure
until the next Session.