ion of churches. When asked, however, "Why not say
in the preamble of this bill that there should be an abolition of
church-cess and rates for the future?" he said he was not prepared to go
to that extent. If he consented to the introduction of these words
into the preamble, he should be doubtless told that church-rates were
abolished, and that the people of Ireland so understood it. He did not
wish, he said, to declare that to be the object of the bill which was
not its object, however it might be likely to be effected by the
passing of the bill. On a division Mr. Shiel's motion was rejected by
seventy-nine to eighteen. The bill now proceeded without further delay,
and was passed by the commons and the lords. On the second reading in
the upper house the Duke of Wellington expressed a wish that it should
pass unanimously, he believing it to be the commencement of a series of
measures which had the pacification of Ireland for their object.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

As the reform bill and the management of Ireland were the great business
of this session, matters of trade did not occupy much attention
in parliament. The chancellor of the exchequer made his financial
statements on the 27th of July, when it appeared that in the quarter of
the year ending on the 5th of January, there had been a deficiency of
L700,000, making the revenue of that quarter fall short of the estimate
by no less a sum than L1,200,000; ministers having calculated on a
surplus of L500,000. The revenue in the year 1830, the chancellor of the
exchequer said, was L50,056,616, while the expenditure was L47,142,943,
leaving a surplus of L2,913,673. The expenditure of 1831 ending in 1832
was within L19,664 of that of 1830; but this equality did not proceed
from an equality of votes in the two years, because in the latter
year there arose, from the reduction of four per cents., a saving of
L777,443. After entering into minute particulars of the receipts
and expenditure, with the savings which government had effected, the
chancellor of the exchequer said, that upon the whole there was a
decrease of income in 1831, as compared with 1830, of L3,682,176. From
this, if the surplus, which would have accrued if the income had
been equal to the expenditure in that year, that was L2,933,319, were
deducted, there would be an excess of expenditure in 1831 over the
income amounting to L698,857. The state of the revenue, therefore,
in the commencement of 1832, was,