The financial year does not close till the last day
of March ; but it seems pretty certain that the Revenue for the year, when the final account is cast, will exceed the estimate by nearly a million. The estimate was for £94,175,000. Down to last Saturday £89,345,000 had been got in ; and the Times calculates that in all probability the Revenue will be "upwards of £95,000,000" on March 31st. This million of actual cash will go, of course, to the Commissioners for reducing the National Debt. If, however, the expenditure for next year is to be calculated as no more than last, and the Revenue can be estimated as the same, the Chancellor of the Exchequer would have a million in hand, and would be able to take off taxation. We nevertheless doubt his being in any such posi- tion. In all probability, the growth of the various charges will be found to swallow up the surplus, in spite of the Navy loan. Possibly, however, there may be enough to allow every one an extra spoonful of currants in his Sunday pudding.
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