authorized to report to the secretary of state
the necessity of an additional appointment of constables, wherever the
circumstances of their district should call for such an augmentation, in
a proportion not exceeding one for every one thousand of the population.
At the same time magistrates were to create one or more chief-constables
of the county, with whom should rest the nomination of petty-constables
and a deputy. A further enactment forbade any constable under the
provisions of this hill from voting at an election, or exercising any
other employment. In order further to secure the peace of the country,
Lord John Russell subsequently moved that an addition of five thousand
men should be made to the present military establishment; and after
an amendment by Mr. Hume, which was unsuccessful, the house went into
committee, and a vote of L75,000 was carried for the increase of the
army.

THE BUDGET--PROPOSED REDUCTION OF POSTAGE DUTIES, ETC.

The chancellor of the exchequer brought forward his financial statement
on the 5th of July. From his statement it appeared that the expenditure
had exceeded the estimates; chiefly in consequence of the war in Canada.
The estimates were L46,974,000, and the expenditure L47,760,000, so that
there was a deficiency of L786,636. Mr. Rice, however, stated that he
did not think himself justified in laying a permanent charge on that
account upon the country, and he proposed to meet the deficiency by a
vote of exchequer-bills on a subsequent occasion, in the nature of
a vote of credit. The chancellor of the exchequer next stated the
estimated income and expenditure of the present year; the former being
L48,128,000, and the latter L47,988,000, leaving an excess of L140,000.

In his statements the chancellor of the exchequer took a cheerful view
of the commercial prospects of the country; and he referred to the
increase of exports for the present year over those of 1838 as a symptom
of returning prosperity. So confident was he of a return of prosperity,
that he proposed to reduce the rates of postage. At this time there was
a committee sitting on the post-office acts; and Mr. Rice moved this
resolution:--"That it is expedient to reduce the postage charged on
letters to the uniform rate of one penny, for every letter of a weight
to be hereafter fixed by law; parliamentary privileges of franking being
abolished, and official franking strictly regulated. This house pledges
itself at the