FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION.

The following statement of the charge for the Army, Navy, Ord- nance, and Miscellaneous Estimates, from the year 1818 to 1833 in- clusive, and of the reductions effected during the last three years by the present Ministry, is extracted from the pamphlet (published by RIDG- WAY) entitled The Reform Ministers and the Reformed Parliament.

" In 1817, the Committee of Finance, after a laborious investigation, gave an estimate of the amount to which they thought it possible to reduce the charge for the Army, Navy, Ordnance, and Miscellaneous service. That estimate was 17,350,0001. " From that period to the present, the following have been the Estimates annually voted :-

1818 £18,970,959

1826 £17,942,963 -1818 18,488,447 1827 18,745,360 1820 19,673,717 1823 17,776,999 1821

18,358,651 1829

17,626,855 1822 16,679,633 1830 16,648,762 1823 1'5,878,313 1831 17,782,487 1824 16,734,713

1832

15,411,571 1825 17,593,252 18:33 14,622,219 " The Estimates of the present year are, therefore, 2,720,51:1. below the amount which the Committee of 1817 thought it possible to reach. They are3,162,0001. less than the Estimates of 1831, and 2,730,835/. less than the average of 1828, 1829, and 1830, being the three years of the preceding Govern- ment.

" The Duke of Wellington, during these three years, carried into effect many vigorous measures of economy. In this respect we are ready to admit the merit of his Government, but on the same ground we claim still higher praise for those who followed ; their task was more difficult; superfluous offices had been al- ready greatlydiminished, and further reduction was to be effected on a diminished

Amount voted. Amount voted.

expenditure. ' We have reaped the harvest of reduction,' said a member of the late Government, 'and left only the gleanings to our successors :'-these, then, are the gleanings-they equal the harvest in amount, and far exceed it in the dif- ficulty of the gathering.

,, The reductions which have been made in the Estimates for the Army, Navy, Ordnance, and Miscellaneous services will be shown by the annual charge for the last three years.

Navy. Army. Ordnance. Miscellaneous.

1831 £5,842,835 ... 7,551,000 ... 1,478,900 ... 2,900,400 1832 £4,505,000 ... 7,006,000 ... 1,634,800 ... 2,133,900 1833 £4,658,000 ... 6,673,000 ... 1,455,200 ... 1,835,000 " We insert a most important account showing some of the diminutions made in the salaries of the principal Officers of State, of the Judges, Commissioners, and others, whose allowances exceed 1,0001. per annum, and also the reduction in the Diplomatic Department.

"AMOUNT OF REDUCTIONS IN SALARIES OF 1,0001. AND UPWARDS,

SINCE 1830.

Emoluments Emoluments

in 1829. in 1833. Saving.

sons reduced was 507.

Amount of reduction in salaries £68,000 Official expenses reduced 72,500 Superannuation and retiring allowances diminished 4,750 Total annual reduction. £145,250" £6,100 16,728 12,440 9,421 9,286 46,120 7,100 14,492 16,914 4,005 6,298 9,400 11,400 3,450 3,625 22,650 199,429

" During the years 1831 and 1832 the total number of offices reduced on the several establishments amounted to 1,265, and their salaries to 220,000/. From the retired list 506 persons have also been brought into active employment, as vacancies occurred. This sacrifice of their patronage proves the sincere desire of the Government to effect every possible saving. "But it is not only in the expenditure of the public income that great saving has been effected ; the expense of collecting it has also been greatly diminished; indeed, to such an extent has this been carried in some departments, that it may reasonably be doubted whether such reductions, in justice to the fair trader and without risk to the revenue, can be carried further.

" In the Customs (luring the years 1831 and 1832 not less than 414 offices have been abolished, and a saving of 29,0007. effected. " In the Excise during the years 1830, 1831, and 1832, the number of per- Treasury £20,900 £14,800 Home, Foreign, & Colonial Departments 52,828 36,100 Admiralty 19,940 7,500 Army 17,876 8,455 King's Household, &c 11,286 2,000 Customs 64,520 18,400 Excise 14,300 7,200 Judges and Courts of Law 52,492 38,000 Ireland 49,903 32,989 Colonial Agents, &c. 5,305 1,300 Miscellaneous 6,298 _.....

DIPLO3IATIC AND CONSULAR OFFICES-

Ambassadors 55,300 45,900 Envoys Extraordinary and Ministers Plenipotentiary 50,300 38,900 Ministers resident abroad ..... ....... 14,200 10,750 Secretaries

15,000 11,375

Consuls, &c 44,450 21,800 General Total £494,898 295,469