[Stafford H. Northcote, as Chancellor of the Exchequer] Sixteen (16) Autograph Letter Signed Stafford H. Northcote to Kempe, his Private Secretary (John Arrow Kempe) about Budgets, trade, taxation, Finance. WITH: Notes for Kempe and drafts.

Sixteen Autograph Letters Signed, total 45pp., 12mo, some bifoliums, good condition. He usually asks for research into issues, national and international that were subject to Parliamentary discussion at the time. Subjects include: tax involving brewers; falling off on Customs; income tax; Post Office and Telegraphs; reports in newspapers (deficit suggested when he sanguinely expects a surplus); points he wants got up before the Budget (exclusive of Irish education); Glasgow University papers, 'Sugar Refining business', suggesting giving the proportions between Debt and Revenue [...] from the time of the War [Crimean?]; Revenue comes out better encouraging a higher estimate; requiring statement of the price of wheat, and a comparison of the present prices of meat, butter, tea, sugar, &c with those of this time last year; travel plans (Highclere, Hughenden); requires statistics showing the growth of the Northern towns (especially Middlesbrough, Stockton, Darlington & Hartlepool), trade and shipping, recent figures of the Coal and Iron trades, not a cheerful story; goes over the figures for the half year; Would you ask Mr Kennedy for a copy of his paper on the Foreign treaties question. And also ask about the effect of more liberal treatment on the trade of foreign countries; asks for statements of previous estimates, figures for year's trade; thinks of sending real figures to newspapers to correct glaring mis-statements, giving some figures; Turkish bond holders; effects of 'stagnation', Leone Levi's classification, Do the people seem to be more or less depressed, asks if they can get a comparison with other countries; life annuities; he requires Welby's two [papers] - one on the S. African Expenditure, the other on the Debt. They formed a most important part of the Budget statement; Annuities, increase of the Probate and of the succession duties; requests Mr. Gladstone's Marylebone Speech on the Probate scale;[final letter, 8 June 1880] He asks if Kempe has the box which contains the Irish papers since he'd do well to take it up, adding in a PS that he may want [his] financial papers at once, if the reports as to Gladstone's intentions are correct. This correspondence illuminates several things, including the functions of a Private Secretary and Chancellor, the economic, political and financial issues of the period, and the strong impression of Northcote's interest and competence. They derive from the Papers of John Arrow Kempe who later became Knight Comptroller and Auditor General. They are accompanied by notes and memoranda by Northcote sent (or given) to Kempe relating to the issues affecting Parliament and the Country during Northcote's career as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary (1874-1886), 22pp., 12mo and 8vo, some tipped on to sl. larger page. Kempe (presumably) has docketed many with date and other information. Each semi-colon indicates a separate page. Subjects include: taxation (inc. war taxation, emergency tax, etc; docketed one page Budget 1876); dissenters and churchmen (docketed Burials Bill....January 1876); Friendly Societies Bill (1874); Friendly Societies Act; Docketed Notes for a speech before the [rising?] of Parliament either 1876 or 1877 mentioning Prospects in Turkey | in India [...] in the Colonies | at home, depression, remedies (protection); Docketed Reply to Hartington on vote for £6.000.000 and [notes for] Speech Feb. 8 1878; Docketed Notes for closing speech on vote for £6.000.000 Feb. 78, involving 1. Freedom of the Black Sea &c | 2. Guard Road to India | 3. Peaceful resettlement, The latter involves Races (Greece), Religions (Mussulman as well as others) Dynastic ambitions not to be got rid of by words; N.B. Note (by Kempe presumably) on reverse of the notes for the afore-mentioned notes for the speech confirms that the Speech was about the £6,000,000 to be granted in increasing the Naval and Military services at the present crisis of the War between Russia and Turkey; further important notes on the same subject (see image for full text) under headings Sum up situation, Criticise the terms, European interests, Position of England, Despatch of Fleet, etc.; Request for detailed information for Manchester Speech (imports, exports, consumption, pauperism, etc etc, comparative taxation, ratio of imports/exports 1865 and 1875; Bills listed perhaps for soming fiscal year (from the Crimonal Code to the Railways Commission, matters affecting Scotland and Ireland; notes headed Mr Rylands motion divisible under 8 heads (basically expenditures, employment, pauperism & crime, reduce expenditure to match revenue, relief to taxpayers; headed Points for Budget (2 pages, 4to) seeking information from Review state of trade to State of working classes (inc. poor relief), request for figures for things like income tax, horse duty, sugar duty, police, lunatics, rates on Govt property. NB Kempe has annotated in pencil; Foreign questions | Salisbury's notes including Greek frontier (negotiations), reforms in Crete and in Asia Minor, Cyprus, etc. with two pencil comments by Salisbury, Prime Minister and docketing in pencil Queen's Speech for 1879 (page damaged without textual loss); requests to Kempe inc. his finding Mr Gladstone's Budget speeches about the taking off of taxes AND asking when the old sinking fund was given up and other issues inc. Amortissement, signed with initials, docketed 1876; questions about poor relief, Schedule A and Schedule D (Value of property), local rates, expenditure every 10 years from 1843, population's consumption of tea, sugar, malt and spirits and pepper per head each year from 1868, question about consumption of bread and meat (whether it can be estimated).