The Budget discussion Of Thursday night was rot very useful,
though Sir Stafford Northcote did complain bitterly of the Government for taking credit to itself for paying off the debts which the Tory Government had incurred. He seems to think -that because he had promised to pay them off, and had passed the Bill which would have required him, had he stayed in office, to do so, he had virtually provided the means for paying them off; which, as Mr. Gladstone said, was very like the im- pression of the man who, when he gave a tradesman a bill at three months for what he owed him, said, with a sigh of relief, "Thank God, that settles it." Colonel Nolan moved a foolish resolution reducing the tea duty from 6c1. to 3d. a pound, which, as it would have sacrificed 22,000,000 of money in a year when we have only just the hope of' balancing accounts, was a very wild proposal indeed. The House, of course, rejected the resolu- tion of this volunteer financier by 70 against 19; majority, 51.
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