magnitude and adaptation all
previous speculation.

NATIONAL FINANCE.

The expensive war with Russia entailed its costs long after the first
outlay and havoc passed away. The financial returns for the year ending
with March, 1856, were, however, most encouraging, and proved how great
were the pecuniary resources of England for war or peace. The following
is a brief abstract of income and expenditure:--"The public income for
the year ending the 31st March, 1856, amounted to L70,552,145 against
L64,091,571 in 1855, and the expenditure to L93,149,310 against
L70,236,817 in 1855. Thus there was an excess of expenditure over income
in 1855-56 of L22,597,165, and an excess of L6,145,246 in the year
1854-55. The customs (in 1855-56) yielded L35,635,552; the excise,
L5,210,384; stamps, L7,063,610; the assessed and land-taxes, L3,136,077;
the income-tax, L15,159,458 against L10,922,267 in the year ending
the 31st of March, 1855; the post-office, L2,767,201; and crown lands,
L421,715. The duties on spirits and wines remained very stationary;
those on malt, coffee, tobacco, snuff, and sugar increased. The
house-tax yielded L728,689, and land-taxes L1,157,525. The expenditure
in 1855-56 included L2,863,353 for collecting the revenue; L28,112,825
for the public debt; L1,695,052 for the civil government; L3,192,420 for
law and justice; L366,443 for diplomatic salaries; L47,461,188 for the
army, navy, and ordnance (against L28,321,707 in the preceding year);
and L4,200,000 for the vote of credit (war with Russia). The army
cost the country L17,395,059; the navy, L19,654,585, and the ordnance,
L10,411,544. The civil list, privy purse, the salaries of the royal
household, and the payments of the queen's tradespeople included the sum
total of L371.808."

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS.

There was little in the session of 1856 to demand attention from the
historian, except the debates upon the three great wars in which the
nation was engaged. The wars with Russia and Persia excited party
debates of long duration and fierce conflict. The war with China
occurred too late in the year for parliamentary disputation, until the
session of 1857. The terms of the peace agreed on at Paris with Russia
caused very prolonged discussions, but in these, and in the opposition
sustained in connection with the Persian war, the ministry was
successful.

The differences with the United States afforded another opportunity
for the parliamentary