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( Bntn CaititriL
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but even sends forth a few great men , who , by their contributions to art , learning , and science , appeal to the world for the free development of Italian civilisation . When a nation is oppressed by foreign soldiers and by crowned tyrants—her soul crushed out by legions of Jesuits , by a sanhedrim of priests —when ignorance is fostered by state laws—when learning is a crime , and immorality and servility are regarded as virtues , is it not a good omen for the future if there are still men of genius who sacrifice their private means and cultivate the sciences without any public encouragement , without hope of praise or reward , and without honours , excepting those which posterity may sissign to them ?
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A PROBLEM FOR THE " PROFANE . " A statistical Correspondent , who appears to soar above the imputation of joking , submits to us the following problem , -which we , in our turn , submit with all deference to the free and accepted members of that mysterious brotherhood whose good living is proverbial : — { To the Editor of the Leader . ' ) In a periodical devoted to the craft of Masonry there are sixteen deaths recorded during the first six
months of its publication . Nine of these -were sudden deaths ! What proportion does this number of sadden deaths among Freemasons bear to the sudden deaths in other societies in which the murder of a brother member is not regarded as an ancient privilege too sacred to be inquired into by the public , or investigated before a legal tribunal ? Among the sudden deaths recorded in the Masonic Mirror is the assassination of Moore , the Freemason . Everybody knows that that affair has not yet been strict'i / inquired into , nor properly investigated before a lecral tribunal . Regultjs .
" Kegulus" evidently considers that sixteen deaths in one fraternity during six months constitute an exceptional and alarming obituary . He is probably not aware that the number of Freemasons , connected , as subscribing or _ mm-subscribing members , with Lodges in the British dominions : ilone , is something like two hundred and fifty thousand . Y \ e would respectfully suggest at once to the initiated and the uninitiated , another and more humane solution to thte terrible problem : — ™^* < Query . —Does the good feeding for winch Freemasons are justly celebrated cause tho proportion of multicn deaths in tho fraternity to be so great ?
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flN Till * IlKIMUTMKNT . AS AM . OPINIONS , IIOWKVKR f *™*' "' ,, jU . l . littl-: i > AN KNI'KKS . MON , TUB KUlTIOll WCCKSSAIIIM MOI . U&Hlil ' sr . i . r r . i : siN > Nsim . i : wit monk . 3
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"THE COMIC OLD G ENTLEMAN . ' ( 7 ' o the Editor of the . Lender . ") 8 ,,,,-Fruivc , in 1774 , like England eiff hty-onc . ye « v * Inter , lacking wisdom to guide through / « c » ilttca , found u wit , The young JUrois was « clnod to Krnvc counsel ,, but the Uhurdi bM »^ £ " S ^ tho Ulo > i of austerity , ami , l . y zeal of the ¦ J ™^ ffov ormm-nt « ,. « hi »« U ¦
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AUSTRIAN FINANCE . ( From a Vienna Correspondent . * ) The administrative year in Austria closes at the end of October ; yet the report of the administrative year 1854 was not published by the Vienna Official Gazette till last June , that is to say , after a delay of eight months . It is true , from the chaos and mysterious confusion , in which these finances are enveloped , they require no less time to be arranged ; for , though a certain degree of publicity is due to the people , who have to pay everything still the imperial , ministerial , and inquisitorial spoliations must not be exposed too freely to the public gaze . But , in spite of great elaboration and ingenious manipulations , this report bears evidence of the administrative ability of the high-minded Emperor , who secures the happiness of his subjects by a progressive increase of taxes , of expenses , of deficit , and of debt . Ample proofs of this may be found in the comparative state of the finances during the last three years , which the tranquillity of the monarchy should have tended rather to improve than to depress . In 1852 the total income of the empire Florins . amounted to ... ... ... ... 226 , 305 , 108 The expenses to ... ... 279 , 812 , 439 Deficit ... 53 , 447 , 331 1853 . —Income 237 , 136 , 893 Expenses 293 , 960 , 628 Deficit ... 56 , 823 , 735 1854 . —Income :.. 245 , 333 , 724 Expenses 386 , 046 , 044 Deficit ... . 140 , 712 , 920 Hence , if the income of 1853 exceeded that of the preceding years by ten millions and threequarters , the expenses went beyond that increase by fourteen millions . The disproportion between the revenue and the augmentation of the expenses is even more perceptible in 1 S 54 . It is true that M . do Bruck , to palliate this indecorous waste of public money , attempts to represent the sum of 91 , 000 , 00011 . as extraordinary ' expenses for the military establishment ; but , putting aside the enormous exaggeration of this estimate , who compelled Austria to undertake an expense so burdensome to her finances , when she had firmly resolved not to interfere with the wav in the East ? Such deficiencies can only arise from a spendthrift Government , indifferent alike to its true interest and to the fate of its subjects . But , even granting all things , th « inconsistency and carelessness of the Austrian financier even in his manipulation is remarkable . At the ciul of October , 1854 , the expenses of the army are set down in his report as amounting to 117 , 000 , 000 11 ., while , if wo look into the reports of 1852 for the same object , wo find the sum is 1 11 , 000 , 000 tl ., and for 1853 , 112 , 000 , 000 fl ., &c , so that the diflcrence at that period was very insignificant , consequently this excess of 91 , 000 , 000 ll . is not correct . Tho extravagance * of the imperial household affords another instance of the putemal mlministration of the young Emperor . The late Emperor Francis , although he had a numerous family of brothers , boijh , and nephews to omlow _ and maintain , never Huflercd his household expenditure to exceed 3 , 500 , 00011 . The Emperor Ferdinand kept within the same limits . But tho worthy son Of Sophia considered this endowment lar too mean for him , and has thus gradually increased hia oxpenscs : — In 1852 to ( 1 , 1 ) 00 , 000 tl . 1851 ) to fl , 7 : i . > , 0 OO 1854 to 7 , 600 , 000 ¦¦ Tho interest of the public debt has in tho mean time increased in the saino gradual proportion : —
In 1852 to 62 , 608 , 000 fl . 1853 to 66 , 819 , 000 1854 to 72 , 148 , 000 On the other hand , those branches of the revenue derived from productive sources , which are signs of increasing activity and commercial enterprise , and consequently of public prosperity , are gradually diminishing . Thus the Customs produced In 1852 22 , 317 , 000 fl . 1853 20 , 728 , 000 1854 19 , 000 , 000 which shows an annual diminution of about I , 600 , 000 h \ Hence the increase in the general revenue falls on the personal and territorial imposts , which fire the most onerous to the contributors . These taxes are so heavy that many cannot pay them ; they are , in fact , so disproportionate to the means of the landowners , as sometimes even to exceed their income ; thus many small proprietors , totally unable to pay , and persecuted by fiscal exactions , have preferred to give up their estates to the Crown . Notwithstanding these inci-eased burdens , the revenue derived from the land-tax was in arrear of ! 3 , 000 , 000 fl . in 1852 , and of 12 , 000 , 000 fl . in 1853 , making a total deficiency of 25 , 000 , 000 fl . in two years ; to cover which , even with the aid of the above extortions , only 14 , 000 , 000 fl . could be raised . But the difficulty of payment continued in 1854 , for in that administrative year no less than 21 , 000 , 000 fl . are represented as still owing ; 12 , 000 , 000 11 . by Hungary , 7 , 000 , 000 fl . by the Sclave-German Provinces , and 2 , 000 , 000 fl . by Lombardy and Venice . When it is remembered what Hungary , since her annexation to the Austrian Monarchy , has , through the abolition of the Custom dues , gained by the facility of selling at higher prices her wine , cattle , and corn , in the Austrian dominions , oiie can easily imagine how miserable must be the condition of the country , and how oppressive the fiscal regulations , if the people , even with these advantages , cannot pay their tribute . Most of the provinces of the Austrian Empire are very poor , and so isolated , that they can scarcely be said to form a part of civilised Europe . Among these are Gallicia , Silesia , Croatia , Sclavonia , the Tyrol , &c . So that all pecuniary exactions fall on Hungary , Italy , Bohemia , " Moravia , and Austi-ia Proper . Every one , therefore , may judge of the amount of discontent , and of the chances of tranquillity and credit which Austria has prepared for the future . To resume her financial record : in 1854 we find a deficit of 140 , 712 , 920 fl ., to which M . de Bruck ' s report adds 54 , 045 , 10811 . for various expenses and m-gent needs not explained , but probably for secret service and espionage , thus making the real deficit of the last year amount to 192 , 758 , 028 fl . During these years Austria has contracted may loans at home and abroad , sometimes called voluntary , but at home always in reality , compulsory . ' Florins . A loan for a lottery at 4 per cent , gaye ... 13 , 000 , 000 Another at 5 por c-ttnt 11 , 000 , 000 The National Loan , which till that time had produced 27 , 500 , 000 A loan with the Bank 5 !> , 300 , 000 Issue of paper money to the amount of ... 53 , 000 , 000 Uy various financial operations ... ... 18 , 000 , 000 Total -212 , 187 , 034 DeriVit extinguished 192 , 758 , 028 Hcmainder 19 , 429 , 000 A part of thin , M , de Bruek said , lias already been absorbed in various objects , and the remainder is left as a fund . Now coined the deficit of 1853 , which will by far exceed all that has gone before . Austria has endeavoured , through her organs in Germnny , to ^ spread a report that she maintains an army of 720 , 000 men ( a number which she never reached , for even in the mu . st critical times of 1848 and 1849 , she never had more than from 350 to 100 , 000 men ) , Unit every thousand men cost her half a million of florins a year , and that her military expenses this year will be about 300 , 000 , 000 ll . more than usual . AVe will say nothing of this prodigious mystification—that will be a future question ; all that it is iinpovLnnt at the proaunt to know is , that M . tie llruek ia busily engaged in devising some new and efleetivo suhoino for raising money . The National Loan of 500 , 000 , 00011 . has already boon , devoured , and a
war loan ( what war ? unless the eternal one with her own subjects ) has been proposed by the President of the Ministry ; M . de Bruck is , however , an able Chancellor of the Exchequer , and he has openly denounced every form of loan as destructive to industry , and contrary to economical science . But what does economical science suggest to the mind of M . de Bruck ? Injustice and inhumanity . His favourite plan , "which he warmly advocates , and which probably will be preferred , is to raise capital from the estates of benevolent institutions , hospitals , foundling hospitals , workhouses , and charitable foundations of every kind throughout the empire , to vest these in the Government , which will indemnify them
with paper money . This measure will weigh most heavily on Lombardy and Venice , for there even the villages have been provided with benevolent institutions , either by the hard-earned savings of the poorer classes , by tlie beneficence of the ancient independent municipalities , by the communities of the working people , or by the bequests of private individuals . That the holy legacy which the generous charity of ancestors had left to the poor should be thus wasted to uphold a spendthrift Government is a proof of the » humanity and piety of the much bepraised and chivalrous Emperor , while M . De Bruek wfll prove himself a philanthropies ! statesman worthy of the master he serves . What could barbarism do more ?
May it not be the consciousness of the preqajttous tenure of their office that makes rulers thus boldly defy the sense of justice common alike to all mankind ?
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July 14 , 1855 . ] THE . 1 EA . DEE . 673
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There i . s no learned , man but will confess ho bntn much profited by readme ; controversies , his seniua awakened , and Ins judgment sharpened . If then , ibe prom . nl ., 0 for him to road , why should it not ., aleast bcLiOiuolofor his ndversnvy to write . — Mn . ii >> -
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Leader (1850-1860), July 14, 1855, page 673, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2099/page/13/
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