POSTSCRIPT SATURDAY.

The noose of Commons, last night, having been resolved into a Committee on the Post-office Acts, Mr. S:TIM: linen: rose to make his financial statement, and to pro- pose resolutions ou the subject of postage. After requesting indulgence, and reminding the Committee, that instead of attempting, to cut down expenditure, it had become the practice of the Opposition to propose il:crease in the Estimates, and grants of money for various• purposes,— and dwelling- for some time on the augmentation of outlay necessary to bring several reforms (such as the Poor-law, inspection of Factories, acceleration of the Mails) into operation, Mr. Rice proceeded to the main business of the evening. He first called attention to an increase in Estimates for the Army, Navy, and Ordnance, for tl:e current year, over the Estimates for the year ending 5th of April last. The estimate for the Army in 1838, was 11,322,0001.—in 1339, 6,563,000/.; for the Navy, in 1838, 4,811,0001. —in 1839, 5,197,000/. ; for the Ordnance, in 1838, 1,548,0001.—in 1839, 1,732,01)01.; total excess of Estimates, 812,01)111. ; and this without taking any extraordinary outlay in Canada into account. On alt the departments, the increased Estimates amounted to 9112,2201.

Next he compared his estimates of income and expenditure with the ersults.

yielded £21,210,000 ,902,000 13,729,000 7,000,000 7,043,000 3,654,000 3,700,000 1,683,000 1,674,000 279,000 474,000 The Customs, estimated at £20,795,000, Excise Stumps Taxes Post-office Miscellaneous The increase in the Miscellaneous arises from a repayment of money advanced to the Canadian treasury. The total of estimated receipts was 47,271,803/. ; of actual receipts, 47,833,118/. ; excess of receipts, 611,000!. [There is evidently an error in these figures, but none of the reports enable us to rectify it.] The duties on foreign corn, which in 1837 amounted to 306,8601., last year only brought 146,000/.

The expenditure had exceeded the Estimates considerably, mainly in consequence of the war in Canada.

Estimated interest on the Public Debt Other charges on Consoli- £29,350,000; actual disbursement £29,427,000 dated Fund 2,400,000 2,383,000

Army 6,322,000 7,201,000 Navy 4,811,000 4,690,000 Ordnance 1,546,000 1,381,000

Miscellaneous 2,545,000 2,652,000 The total estimate was 47,477,808/. ; the total expenditure, 48,263,440/. ; excess of expenditure, 785,566/. [Another error here, but the reports agree in it.] Last year he apprehended a deficiency in

the balance of receipts and expenditure of 206,000/. ; but it had reached 430,000/. ; amount of miscalculation, 224,000/. Here Mr. Rice entered into a variety of details, showing on what items of' revenue there bad been excess or diminution of receipts. He then stated the cost of the operations in Canada : for the years 1837-8 and 1838-9, the ex- traordinary expenditure was 947,000/. A vote for 500,000/. had been taken on this account ; leaving 447,0001. to be provided for. The amount required for the present year, including the balance of 447,000/., would be 1,053,000/. And this large sum would have been much larger had not the comparatively tranquil state of Ireland enabled the Govern- ment to transfbr a part of the military stationed in that country to Canada.

The estimated income and expenditure of the current year were then stated by Mr. Rice.

Estimated Income—

Customs £21,500,000 Excise 1:3,845,000 Stamps 7,054,000 Taxes 3,694,000

Post-office

1,585,000 Miscellaneous 250,000 Crown Lauds 200,000 Total Income £48,128,000

Estimated Expenditure—

interest of debt £29,443,000 Consolidated Fund 2,400,000 Army 6,563,000 Navy 5,197,000 Ordnance 1,733,000 Miscellaneous 2,652,000 £47,988,000 Surplus I:140,000 In this estimate no account is taken of the 1,053,00/. required for Canada over the 500,000/. voted last year.

The Chancellor took a cheerful view of the commercial prospects of the country ; and referred to the increase of exports for the present year over those of 1838 as a symptom of returning prosperity. The amount of deposits in savings banks had also very much increased, not- withstanding the attempts to create a run upon those banks.

He then explained the course he intended to take with respect to the

Post-office. In the present state of the revenue, he could not make a proposition which would affect so large a portion of the receipts without the guarantee of Parliament to make good any resulting deficiency. If the resolution he intended to propose were agreed to, he should move for leave to bring in a bill founded on the resolution : and Mr. Rice was at pains to explain that this was a better mode of proceeding than by resolution alone. He should propose a penny postage, because, although the Committee recommended a twopenny, their arguments and the evidence had convinced Mr. Rice that there was less risk of loss to the revenue by adopting a penny than a twopenny rate. He asked the Committee to pledge itself to one uniform rate of a penny at and under a weight hereafter to be fixed ; but as to the mode of carrying out the principle—such as by stamped covers and pre-payment—those and other points of detail would be reserved. He would, however, state his own opinion, that an option should be given to put letters in the post-office as at present. With respect to general franking, that must, of course, be abolished ; and as to official franking, he thought each department ought to pay its own postages. He concluded by moving a resolution— "That it is expedient to reduce the postage charged on letters to one uniform rate of one penny, charged upon every letter of a weight to be hereafter fixed by law ; Parliamentary privileges of franking being abolished, and official franking strictly regulated: this House pledging itself at the same time, to make good any deficiency of revenue which may be occasioned by such an alteration in the rates of' the existing duties."

Mr. Goumiunrt said, that the financial statement and the Post-office question were each of sufficient importance to deserve a separate dis- cussion ; and he felt some difficulty in dealing with them both together. With respect to the Canada expenditure, he must say, that if those ex- hortations to increase the armed force of the country, to which Mr. Rice adverted, had been attended to in time, Parliament would not now have been obliged to provide for so large a sum as one million for the war in Canada. He found no fault with the estimates of receipt and expenditure, but be disapproved of the plan of staving off the period when deficiency of revenue must be met. He could not sanction this spendthrift principle of borrowing year after year, on the pretence that the deficiency would not be permanent. Many objections to the impo- Against the Archbishop's motion :

Non-contents—Present 80

Proxies 38 118

Majority against Ministers 111

[Now what wiL the Ministers do ? Of course they must ostensibly stick to their plan ; but will they practically carry it out, by giving Dis- senters and Catholics any part of the grant? Very doubtful indeed.]

sition of a new tax would arise when the proposal was separated from • the occasion of imposing it. Then, probably, the Member for Kilkenny would tell the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that as the deficiency was , only temporary, he could not agree to lay on a permanent additional tax; 'and so the Chancellor would have recourse to an issue of Exchequer • Bills. With respect to the Post-office proposition, Mr. Goulburn said it had his approval ; and there was no occasion for an apology for pro. seeding by bill, as that was evidently the proper mode of proceeding, He reserved the right of opposing any part of the plan, which on ex. amination appeared objectionable.

Mr. Hums said, he had no doubt the House would make good any deficiency arising from the reduction of postage, but he thought it might be provided for by reduction in other establishments. He strongly con• deemed the system on which Mr. Rice conducted his business with the Bank.

Mr. WALLACE spoke for some time on the benefits which cheap post- age would confer on all classes.

Sir Romer PEEL did not like to pledge himself in the manner the Chancellor of the Exchequer proposed. He thought the risk had better be rim without than with a pledge—especially one so very indefinite as that he was called upon to give. Sir Robert dwelt upon this point, and his general dislike to pledges, for some time. He thought the House was running a very great risk. The calculations on which a cheap postage was to yield a large revenue were very vague. Neither Lord Lichfield nor Colonel Moberly approved of the experiment. lie hoped before the House definitively pledged itself, time for consideration would be given. He reserved to himself the power, on a future occasion, of meeting with a negative the two propositions into which the resolution branched- " First, whether the state of the public finances was such as to justify the House in incurring the hazard of the loss of more than one million of the public revenue ? second, if so, whether the Ilouse was prepared to take the consequences of such a step, and to incur the responsibility of giving the un- exempledprecedent of fettering Parliament by a pledge to make up an uncer- tain deficiency ranging over an indefinite period of time."

Mr. WARBURTON pointed out the defects and injustice of the present system of postage, and the great advantages that would result from adopting Mr. Hill's plan. The Committee had recommended a uniform rate of twopence, only because they thought that better than no uniform rate at all.

Mr. W. A'rrwoon objected to give the pledge required by the Chan- cellor of the Exchequer.

In reply to a question from Sir ROBERT PEEL, Mr.Ilacs fixed Friday next for bringing up the report.

The other speakers were Mr. GILLON, Alderman THOMPSON, (who objected to the practice of increasing the unfunded debt,) Mr. O'CoN- NEL, Mr. HINDE, Mr. DARBY, Sir J. B. REID, and Mr. SCHOLEFIELD, (who recommended a property-tax to snake up deficiencies in the re- venue.)

The resolution was agreed to without a division.

Sir WILLIAM MOLESWORTH gave notice, that on Thursday next, on the motion for reading the order of' the day for going into Committee on the Lower Canada Government Bill, he should move a resolution- " That it is the opinion of this Ilouse, that the interests of justice, of sound policy, and of humanity, require that Parliament shall apply itself without delay to legislate for the permanent government of the Provinces of Upper and Lowor Canada."

No other business of importance was transacted in the Commons' and time House rose at one o'clock,

The Lords read the Jamaica Bill a third time, and passed it, on the motion of' Lord NORMANBY j who accepted the measure with apparent thankfulness. His Lordship regretted the alterations, but hoped that the bill in its present state would pass with the unanimous approbation of both Houses, and that the Assembly would, by resuming- their func- tions, render its enactments unnecessary. The instructions given to the new Governor of Jamaica should be of a character to secure this result.

A long discussion followed on the Archbishop of CANTERBURY'S mo- tion on the Government Education Scheme. It was a sort of field-night for the Bishops. The Primate, with the Bishops of EXETER and Lori- noN, spoke earnestly against a system which tended to deprive the clergy of their just influence over the people. The Bishops of OrmnAm and Nonwien could see no injury to the Church in the diffusion of education. The Marquis of I,AxsnowsE and Lord MmmounNE de- fended the Government : the Marquis laboriously proving the neces- sity of better instruction for the people. Earl Ferzwiwam spoke,, sensibly and moderately, to the same effect. Lord BROUGHAM treated the paltry plan of Ministers with scorn and ridicule, throwing in many hard hits at the Bishops ; but he was earnest and eloquent on the ge- neral subject. The Duke of WELLINGTON, who reproved Lord Brougham for his Anti-Episcopal levity, was very prosy on the advantages of clerical education of the multitude. He: insisted on the right of the House of Lords to give an opinion on so important a question.

Then came the division—

For the Archbishop's motion : Contents—Present 171 Proxies 58 229