The revenue accounts for the year and quarter are most
satis- factory. On the year there is a considerable increase in all the standing branches of revenue, amlunting to 2,616,8711.; the in- crease in Customs being 1,103,887/. On the quarter there is an increase on all branches, excepting a nominal decrease in Cus- toms; the real augmentation being 496,269/., though it appears as if reduced to 41,000/. by a falling off in China money and such casual sources. This advance of the national income ha& taken place concurrently with the great " distress " and pressure on the money-market. The increase to the wealth of the nation is not represented solely by these figures: there has been also a great increase in the use of taxable articles—the people are in possession of greater material property—they have more edibles, more clothes, more furniture, more materials for the reproduction of wealth. The obvious reason for this marked increase of pros- perity at an adverse period is the success of the Free-trade mea- sures. So far as they have gone, they have redistributed the employments of industry according to the largest power of pro- duction; and the result is a larger amount of produce for the use of the people, concurrently with an increase in the amount of money disengaged for the service of the body corporate.
