CO882-(1-2) — Page 32

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 882

1

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON |

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serious item had the outbreak been less promptly put down.

Notwithstanding all these casualties, and the abolition of the export duties, the expenditure of the year did not exceed its income by more than 16,5591.; still leaving to the credit of the colony a balance on the 1st January, 1849, of 57,6261. -(of this about 40,0001. is Government notes)— in the cash chests, and 47,0001. liabilities for notes in circulation.

In effecting the reductions of expenditure which Lord Torrington found himself enabled to accomplish within this year, there is scarcely a department of the colony into which he did not succeed in carrying economical reforms; not only by the suppression of some offices which he found it practicable to dispense with, but by abstaining from all avoidable outlay in every branch under his control.

I beg to put in a statement to exhibit this, which will show that within the year 1848, as compared with 1847, there was a decrease of ex- penditure under no less than thirty-three heads

Amounting in the gross to

And after deducting an unavoidable increase, in

17 items, of..

It shows a clear reduction on the year of The nett excess of expenditure over income during the four years that elapsed since Alr Anstruther left Ceylon amounts to

But if we take from this the fixed addi-

Defcit.

£93,632

5,970

£87,661

Surp.

1845 5914

.. £170,815

1846 1847 1848

81,801

78,369

*6,560

tions made to the ordinary expen- diture by Mr. Anstruther and

others, before Lord Torrington's Arrival

And the contingent charges in each

year which it occasioned ..

£45,940

12,000

Doduct sur-I plus of 184

176,720

5,314

£170,815

£57,840

£173,520

These charges during the three same years would

give

Or 2,500/, more than the whole deficiency,*

During these three years, too, Lord Torrington has protested against a formidable item in the annual charge, the 24,0001. per annum con- tributed from the colony towards the military chest for undefined purposes, over and above all the regular military charges borne by the colony under specific heads of account.

This sum has been steadily insisted on not

• The accounts for 1849, when made up, will, I apprehend,

rander the result of this calculation still more striking.

1846 C 1847

-1848

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only in years of surplus but even in years of deficient revenue. The nett deficiency of revenue during these ten years has been 139,0812, and the payments to the military chest, 240,0001; and were it not for this fixed contribution, instead of a deficiency of 139,0811. there would have been a surplus of 110,989.

For all these reasons I cannot concur in the statements of Mr. Anstruther.

grom

I cannot admit that there has been extravagance" of expenditure, when in each year under Lord Torrington's administration there has been an important reduction below the expenditure of his predecessor, and whilst at the same time provision has been found by him for all the outlay forced upon him by Mr. Anstru- ther's measures; and this too whilst he has been enabled to make important alterations in com mercial taxation, involving a surrender of 20,0001. per annum.

I cannot admit Mr. Anstruther's correctnem either as to the state of the finances when took his departure from Ceylon, or the condition in which he reported them to be when he gave his evidence before the Committee in 1848 and . 1849.

Nor can I admit that he is correct when he states it to be within his own knowledge that the colony is bankrupt; seeing that up to the present time the colony has met every demand, both extraordinary and ordinary; that there was a credit in favour of the Treasury of 57,6001, at the very time when he spoke; that expenditure

is

your by year undergoing rapid rednetion;

and the revenue after being deprived of income from monopolies and casual sources, and after surrendering the export duties for «ncouragement of trade, realised in 1848, year after Lord Torrington's arrival, withi #0001. of the income of 1846, the year before his £418:404 appointment to the Government of Ceylon.

Ievenue.

440,019

414.900