igrotabingS of Oe Commons.
1. SCOTCH REFORM BILL. At a late hour on Monday night, the Bill was committed pro forma, after some observations from Sir WILLIAM RAE and Mr. CUTLAR FERGUSSON, and several other Scotch members. The further consideration in Committee was then adjourned until the following day. The Bill was considered in Committee on Tuesday. On the suggestion of Sir GEORGE CLERK, the first clause was postponed ; Lord ALInoue at the same time stating, that it was his firm intention not to consent to any addition to the members assigned to Scotland by that clause.
Sir GEORGE CLERK, previous to going into Committee, spoke against the court of review to be created under the Bill ; to which Sir WILLiam RAE also objected ; and Sir CHARLES WETHERELL supported the venerable authority of the Sheriffs, established, he said, by the ancient constitution of Scotland.
In Committee, Mr. GILLost moved that the boroughs of Selkirk and Peebles should be preserved. Lord ALTHORP observed, that if Peebles were taken out of the county, there would remain only about 7,000 of population in it. Mr. GilloWs amendment was supported by Sir GEORGE B, AY Sir GEORGE CLERK, Mr. C. FERGUSSON, Sir GEORGE MURRAY, C. BRUCE, Mr. R. A. DUNDAS, and Sir C. FORBES. It was rejected, on a division, by 133 to 60. Sir GEORGE MURRAY'S amendment for giving two members to every county containing above 200,000 of population, was also rejected, by 113 to 61,—after a short discussion, in which Lord ALTHORP, Sir GEORGE CLERK, Mr. S. CAMPBELI.,_ Mr. R. Demons, Mr. GILLON, Mr. CROKER, Mr. MABERLEY, Colonel LINDSAY, and others took part. Mr. CROKER, in supporting the amendment, denied that he was acting at all inconsistently with his vote on General Gascoyne's motion. The consideration of the other clauses in Committee was postponed until Thursday.
2. FINANCIAL STATELIVNT. On Monday night, Lord ALTHORP, in a Committee of Ways and Means, the resolutions of supply having been previously reported and agreed to—made the following statement. The_amount of the receipts under the head of Customs, for the year 1830, had been 17.540,0001. Taking this as the calculation for 1831, in the quarter to the 24th September, there had been a decrease of 644,0001., which reduced the amount to 16.896,000/. There was a further loss of 210,0001. from the reduction of the Coal.duties ; but there was an increase on account of the duties on Raw Cottons and on 'Wines of 100,000?.; so that the net amount of the Customs was 16,786,0001., or he would take it at 16,750,0091. The Excise-duties for 1830 had amounted to 18,644,000/.; but, in calculating for 1831, there had been a decrease in the quarter, to the 24th September, of 1,909,000/.; and he estimated a further loss of 100,000/. on the reduction of the Beer-duties, so that he took the Excise at about 16,642.660/. To this be was to add the sum of 157,0001. received on the stock of wines in hand, so that the Excise-duties for 1831 would amount to the sum of 16,800,000/. After having made this estimate of what the Excise and Customs would be, it would prove satisfactory to the Committee to consider the amount of taxes reduced, and what effects that reduction had had on the revenue. In the last two years, taxes had been reduced by 3,357,000/. under the head of Excise. The redaction in the Customs had been 1,120,000/. The amount of reductions in these two branches in 1831 was 4,477,0001., and the decrease in the receipts had been only 2,634,0001., so that there bad been a real increase of 1,842,293/. He should take the evenue of the present year as follows:—
Customs 16,750,000 Excise 16,800,000 Stamp-duties 6.850.000 Taxes 5,000,000 Post-office 1,500,000
Miscellaneous 250.0110
And a receipt from the hereditary revenue of Scotland, of 100,000
Total ........ 47,250,000 Be would now proceed to the expenditure, and be felt himself fully justified in estimating what the expenditure would be. He should take it up To the 24th September, all. £35.021,643
For the remainder of the year 11,534,578
Total for the year £46,756,921 He had to allow for 200,0001. more received from the account of the last year, so that he would take the surplus of revenue over expenditure at 493,000/. He felt confident that he did not make any exaggerated statement; and he begged leave to observe, that the surplus was larger than what he had anticipated before the House In February last, notwithstanding be bad not succeeded in carrying several of the taxes he had proposed.
In concluding, he complimented the Bank for its judicious conduct in not contracting discounts when the exchange had turned against the country ; which would have aggravated the evil. He mentioned, at the same time, that the surplus revenue had been applied to the purchase of deficiency bills of the Bank, lest the drain of specie on the one hand, and the discounts on the other, should cause an injurious accumulation of securities.
Mr. GOULBERN made some observation on the method which he was in the habit of pursuing,—namely, of reducing the interest of the debt and economizing in the public departments. This, he concludad, was better policy than reducing taxes, by which the public gained little, while the revenue suffered much. Ile expressed great fears that the surplus of Lord Althorp would be found too small. After some conversation, in which Mr. MABERLEY and Mr. HUME took -a part, the motion of course, on occasion of which the statement had been made, was agreed ;to. 3. BANKRUPTCY Coolers. The bill for the new Bankruptcy Courts was the subject of a short debate on Wednesday; in which Mr. J. WILLIAMS, Mr. Sergeant WILDE, and Mr, J. SMITH eulogized the bill and its author, and Sir EDWARD Summar attacked both. It was finally agreed that the bill should be read a second time, committed for the purpose of having the blanks filled up, and reported pro forma; and that the debate should be taken next week, when both its friends and its enemies will have ample opportunity of discussing it in principle and detail.
4 and 5. THE SUGAR REFINERY BILL was read a second time last night, after a division of 130 to 96; and the EXCHEQUER COURT BILL went through a similar stage, after a division of 95 to 31.
6. CALL OF THE HOUSE. On Thursday, Lord EBRINGTON, on having ascertained that it was not the intention of Mr. O'CONNELL to follow up his motion for a Call of the House on the Irish Reform Bill, stated that events in another place might render it necessary for him to move a call on Monday, for the purpose of taking into consideration the present state of public affairs. His Lordship last night repeated his determination to have recourse to this measure should the English Reform Bill be' thrown out.
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