Star. — London, England, 1824-03-09 00:00:00

Mr. M A NSFIELD presented a re:ition from the Licenßed Vietualler4 in Leicester, proy:rg for the repval of the Tax on Ex- _ eke Licenses. Kr. T. WILSON presented a Petition for a similar purpose from the Victuallers and It.ul.•eeper , il. Altigate.—Petitiotis or- tferecrtviirptirteel.• - - . • 11 AM resented a Petition for the repeal of the Coal Duties.—Ordered to lie on the table. Mr. CUIt•WkIN -presented a Petition from the Shepherds of Cumberland for the repeal of the Dog Tax.—Oldered to lie on the table. Dlr. GRATTAN moved for an Account of the quantity of Wool reported from irelaiel since Iwo. Mr. IL DAV IES presented a Petition from certain Inhabitants sa!' Bristol, for the repeal ail . the Window Tax. • .;her a few words f:oni Dames and Mr. Braerr, the reti e' was ordered to he printed. Mr. Sheriff Wlterreeux appeared at the bar of the House, and j • -ented a Petition from the Lord Mayor and Common Connell, 1...-iog for the repeal of the Assessed Takes. Ar. Alderman WOOD, in moving that the Petition be brought Le, expressed himself al .reidedly in favour of the repeal prayed for. Besides the individuals who suffered so grievously fruni this tax in a direct manner, there was another class who felt its oppression in :mother way : those who had occasion to employ workmen even for an hour a slay were obliged to pay a tax of two guineas ! This, as an lion. Member bad properly observed, was of the nature of a shop tax, and lie hoped no time would be lust in repealing it. Dlr. Alderman Ii EY G ATE hoped his Majesty 4 Government would take the subject into consideration, and that they would re peal those taxes which bore hard upon the country. Mr. Alder Man WOOD .moved for an Account of the Malt and Earley: shipped from England to Scotland, and front England to Ireland, in 1821; 1822, and 1823.—Ordered. Mr. GRENTEIL moved fur an Account of the official Returns of the value of all Exports and Imports in 1818, 1819, 1821, and 18513.-10releretL • Sir 8. COI"PERFILL presented a Petition from gectford, pray ing for the repeal of the Duty am Cider.—Ordered to be printed. Mr. A BE ItCRO M BY !!resented a Petition from the Parishioners of the Pariah of Aberlone, in the County ct Cork, praying for a revision of the mode .in which the Averages were struck, from which the Tithes were estimated. Mu: lion. Member said, that under the present systena many .contiguous parishes paid a fifth instead of a tithe, to theyastor.—Ordered to be primed. Mr. S. WORTLEY presented a Petition !loin Huddersfield, praying for the repeal Of the Union Dtith a. Mr. Secretary PEEL postponed the Motion regarding the West Indies, which stood for Friday, till Tuesday next ; and the Motion regarding:Suoth America, till Thursday se'nnight. . Mr. LI N USA Y presented a Petition from the Lord Provost, IMagiatratet, and Burgesses of Dundee, praying to be beard by . Countel against the .Bill retarding the Saltivin Fisheries ou the Tay. Mr. HUME said thathi; had already presented three Petitions on the same subject. lie hoped that the subject of the Petition Would he taken into consideration in this or the ensuing Session, as it was one in which the Public were deeply interested. Mr.HUSKISSON said that the tulatct to which the Honour able Member alluded had been under the consideration of the Board of Trade, as he thought that it was one of great importance, not to private individuals only, but to the Public generally. lie thought it even worthy of a Committee of the Ilewee.—Petition ordered to be priuted. Mr. Merman II RYGATE presented a similar Petition from the Silk Mankfaerut eriof Sudbury, against the repeal of the Silk Duties. 'Mr. BA ILI NU presented a similar Petition from the Silk Manu facturers of Taunton, in the County of Somerset. Colonel TRENCH presented a Petition from the Inhabitants of the Town of Wisbeach, praying for an alteration in the present anode of recovering Sinai! Debts. Sir M. W. RI DLEY presented a Petition from Robert Foster, complaining of the injury done to Public Buildings by smoke, which complenaly discoloured and deformed them, and stating that he had discovered a method-by which that mischief might be obviated. Mr. HUME presented.a Petition trout the Journeymen hatters of London and Southwark, praying for the repeal of the Combi nation Laws.—These Petitions were severally read, and ordered to be printed. . Lord A LTIIORP postponed. his ',Motion for the production of correspondence respecting Itibluatunen iu Ireland, which stood for to-morrow, ter Thursday next.. Mr. F. BUXTON held in his hand .a Petition signed by. 2.5,060 journeymen Silk Weavers, residents .of tee cities of Loudon and Wetuninster, against the repeal of the Silk Duties,. This Pctitiou differed from all those which-bad Iseeir previously presented the sime subject, inasmuch as they bad hectare= masker manufacturers who bad considerable property embarked in that trade, whereas the Petition which he rose to proseut was:from:the persons who derived their daily bread tiont Their anployment lit that manufactute. lie mentioned-that distinction, betause the _answer given to the other Petitions was, that the . prespect.of (attire advantage should induce. those-Petitioners to ipeur. temperas , . incontenience. _To wealthy men titaCmight be a,rrytnuelusive moment, as they could afford. to wait for the promised advantages ; but the poor meg, wig:as: t hee tition he held, could not exist withopt daily employment, and c not, consequently, be relieved by the remote though advantagetaus • operation of the proposed measure. . . Mr. ELLICE was in possession of fifteen or ,twenty .Petitio from several districts, aitniler to that pretested by the Honourable Gentleman who had just sat down, and which he would have, brought to the House that evening, had he expected that the tonsi dvratiOnnf the subject would have come on that eveoing. ktrewe alan that a great number of Petitiona to the same effect were on theroad from various parts of the country ; and he was sure, itrirrae were given, that the table could not contain the number that would be presented.—The Petition was ordered to be painted. usTcoura picas-mud a Petition from certain persons en gaged in the Tobacco Trade at Devizes, ytaying for a reduction of, the Duties on Tolraceo. Mr. BENEIT (uf Wiltshire) supported the Petition, and son tended that it would appear, from the documents connected with the aubjett, that the indreated duty per pound had caused a de crease in consumption to such an exteut as to reduce the automat. of duty received below what it was before the increase of duty . had been laid oil. Sir J. NEWPORT also contended that the increase of the duty. tier pound had caused a diminution of revenue by the temptatiorl •it afforded to ainugglets. hut it would be found that the quantity of tobacco which paid duty in Ireland un taus year 1801, amounted to 'upwards of seven millions of pounds, whereas the average quantity which pealiluty in the years 1619, 1820, wad,,ii3rls.was only 4,191.,0001115. ' • lien r.t Mr. BRIGHT rematkcd , that from the increase, let gykpninla *Ninoeased consumption ought to have resulted,- whereaa , :lhe• contrary was the fact. . Mr. EIiTCOURT presented a Petition front the. Silk Throw sters of Devizes, apiust the reduction of the Silk Duties. Mr, LINDSAY presented a Petition from certain lincholders and tnalwapers of the Count y of Lancaster, pray ing for a reduc tion in the Excise Duty upon Licenses.—These Petitici,s were se ter.:ffy ordered to be printed. Sir J..3IACKINTOSII was extremely anxious to fix a day for banging forward his Mation respecting out diplomatic, or rather moor want of diplomatic relations with the new States of South America. wished to name next Thursday week, if poasible,but a Motion of his Huriottrable Friend, the Member for Aberdeen, stood for that day. Should his I lonoarahle Friesnl accommodate Jinn by postponitte that Motion to a further day, he (Sir J. Mackin isith).oh.olikl fax twat Thursday Vanight fur his own Motion. , 151. r. HUME acceded,. and the Motion was accordingly fixed for Thursday, the 18th instant. • WAI4 AND MRANS.-SUGAR-DUTIES. On the Motion of Mr. llusiussom, the House re -s.Aved itself into a Committee of Ways and Means, .11n000cx in the Chair. • ,Ur. LIUSIUSSON then rote and said, that although. he - understcod it:was the intention of the/lonourabie Member for Aberdeen to move for an alteration of th 4 Duties on Sugar, yet be (Mi. Iluskisson) felt it . oe4 necessary then to move, that the Duties on Sui 4; :granted .Majesty last year, should•be cantinue4 . txorn tlie.2.ith Match inst.(lB%) 25tb March,-:18$5.1 Mr:.111.1 ME %you'd feet eittenic reluqt;nte in pressl -ing upon las l‘lajesty's Gove:ntilrnt any Motion for th further reduction of tares, after the •very liberal he "bit'Obliey • which they had • Already . ..shewn they nkiin t,erpio to propose woi.ild conduce w the triiefef di **di orthi; country, by .le,bruing the price Grrtlial AsisC.tsikl a , 3t ck •ahSager. 'Pte. tiu t ,4 fidttrilarthrt`ifit.triittg of . the:lkij i ttri.ous efteC; . 'oPO'h - the thujocrjAski,llutyoa tobacco, l the itieite' 7 meat to smuggling ; in consequence of which the amount of duty now itcrivt4 on that article was less than before the iucteased duty took place. He was W. possession et docnjnents by.which lit „could pre that the increaid of the' clut'y Oa Irina Wad's' caused such aialittyirtution of consumption;. as to reihice thiainount.liff. duty below *pit it had bWen p}tvicafts tothat inereasteof duty. He itiproaed ofthe new'lineOf policy whiefi:Minitters had adopted. He knew they were anxious to make a begin. (ring in it; and here was an'article on Whickatt addi tional duty had been laid in time of war, under pretext of a charge for convoy, &c. and which ought therefore to be deemed a war duty—a tax laid on' when the finances of the country requited increase; and now that an opportunity offered, front our being at peace and the, prosperity of the country, it would be only just that that additional duty should be repealed. The West In. dor proprietors were, it was well known, in a state of exti erne distress; it became the chityof Ministers there fore to ascertain if the the duty on their produce could be lessened, from which increased consumption would, no doubt, result ; for, by reducing the duty, the planters would be enabled to raise the price of the article with out increasing it to the consumer beyond what he at present paid, without injury to the Revenue, for the in crerised consumption would fully compensate for a re duction in the duty. Documents had been laid betoie Parliament to prove the increased prosperity of the country,. by the increase which had taken place in the consumption of etciseablearticles. In considering in what way reliefsould be best afforded to the people, Government ought to look to sugar. It would be found that the quantity at present consumed was not greater than it had been in 1814: The population had since intreased ; there was no sugar smuggled; conse quently the fact that the quantity now consumed was not greater than in 1814, must be received as a proof that the duty operated as a check upon consumption.— To demonstrate - that fact with reference both to Eng land and Ireland, the *Honourable Gentleman entered into a statement of the comparative consumption at the awo periods: The tax laid on during the war was per cwt. The war was now over, and there was no reason why it should be continued, but he should only move for a reduction of 7s. per cwt. on the duty on sugar, namely, from 275. per cwt to 20s. There was a surplus revenue of upwards of somo,oooi. which was called a Sinking Fund, and even should that fund be broken in upon to the amount of one or 200,0001. by the measure which he meaut to propose, Government would not be doing justice to the West India Planters if it hesi tated on that account to telieve them to that extent. It was true, he might be told, that relief had already been given to the West India Interests—the relief given was paltry—it was only 'laid. per gallon on rum, which could be of little or no consequence, excluded as that article had bhen from Ireland and Scotland by the Acts of last Session, against which the redtietion of ISO. was not an equivalent. The check given to the consumption by the increase of the duty could not be questioned.— The West India interests were at present distressed be yond any former example—the means of relieving them were at hand, on which account he hoped for the support of the Committee. The *Honourable Gentleman tiled concluded by moving that the duty on sugar be reduced from 275. to 20s. per cwt. Mr. BARING said, it was the duty of the House to afford relief from taxation wherever distress was mani fested, and wherever relief was practicable. The House had acted on that principle wtth respect to agriculture, and it was the duty of the House to extend that prihci pie to all other classes where relief could be afforded conveniently with the general interests. If, therefore, it could' be shewn to him that the reduction of die duty on augar cOedd ache** the West - India planters, and that that reduction did not interfere With the general inte rests, he for one would support the motiq'n before the House; but at the same time he felt bound to look at the general state of the funds, .and to oppose the repeal iof any tax until convinced that the country could spare lahatomount. He was of opinion that the country :could not spare the sum required by the Motion- of the *Honourable Gentleman ; and even if the country could 'afford that amount there were other objects to which it could be applied with more advantage to the people.— it was remarkable, that, while the table of the House Was loaded with Petitions for the repeal of various taxes; trot one had been presented from any part of the country 'whatever for a reduction of the duty on sugar. \Vas he 'not therefore justified in assuming that the reduction was :not an• Object with the people'? (Hear). The-next' ques 'don to be considered was, whether the Seduction sought. 'for was calculated to relieve the West India planters, by encouraging consumption? He did - not think that it was, for the reduction proPoted would amount to little more than a halfpenny in the,tiound ; the reduction would not, therefore, he : Productive of thestnallest re lief to the planter. The EfonOttrable•Gentleinan had re fared to the cousumption of sugar, which lie (slr. Baring) would contend was,: greater •in England, con sidering the amount of its population, than in any other ! country in the world ; for example, the consumption of France was not half that of England. He(Mr. Baring) for these reasons could not anticipate any advantage from the proposed reduction. But he would say,wincli he did from the best feelings toward: all the interests concerned, that there was a mode by' which much more benefit might be given to the West India planter than by the Motion of the Honourable Gentleman. From the present priCe of barley, and the likelihood• of its continuing to increase, he would pnt it to the Country Gentlemen themselves' if they would not -consult their own interests by doing, an act of justice to a class who were well known to be in a state,of distress ? If the markets'should operofoi the admission of foreign grain (and the prices at present relehed;Seiy nearly to that at which importation mtatolloair)," therevai no knowing where importation ..would atop. Be Should • therefofe call upon. the Agriculturists to permit distillation from: ilgar—Wear. - itear). The only difficulty thi(piesented itself to him was to fix the time when that operation shimldSommence. The present was the best period foe distillitigi there remained indeed 'only two months of the-tiroe ; ut which distillation could be carried on ; and it was.avell worth the attention of Government to direct its attention to a measure so well calculated to avert frono'the agriculturist a threatened evil, and give to the West Indiallanter a certain relief. After the next two mouths should elapse, the quantity. of barley which dis tillers vould consume was comparatively small; it would therefore be a great boon-to the planter, and little loss to the agriculturist to suffer at theexpiration of that pet iod distillation from sugar. He was perfectly • aware that there was no ;great stock of sugar at present on hand, Anil that a scarcity might be apprehended should dis tillation from sugar be permitted.; but it ought to ire re-- .collected that this was about the ; titne - ar which the sup plies usually arrived front the : Colonies, arid was-•Conse queutly the period at which the stock on hand, is gene rally lowest. For these reasons he thought : Government ought to see if the measure he suggested was practicable and likely to be beneficial. aalaradietilit;l4tria"3had s aid, in the fist in fhperoHpoonenable 'Member for stain., upon the observattone that had been made on tile Tobacco Duties. lie 3146 introduced the 'subject of, the \Vine - Duties. Now, if he (Mr. ftoskiSaon) under stood the stratements respecting the Tobacco trade, -they went to-prove that the duties on that article tended to increase smuggling—and the Honourable Member fas'Aberdeen had himself admitted thatahere was no sugar smuggled ; consequently. admitting that , the whole duty was levied, therefore the Honourable Gentleman's argument respecting Tobacco did ma apply. The argument of the. Honourable Gentlemani respecting wine, that high duty had the effect of dimi-, nishing the quantity consumed; was not more fortandlea for no such diminution had takenvlice. The Honoura able Gentleman, had to- his (Mr. Huskiison%) surprise, said that DO increase in the consumption of sugar had' taken place, since 1814. gO far frosts that being the fact, there was no article the cbrisumptioa cf ahich•had so much increased within that period as sugar. He did not wish to detain the House unnecessarily ; but he felt it necessary to refer to some particulars to prove that the statements of the Honourable Gentleman were not colt ect. The average consumption for three years ending in 1817, was 2,214,000 cwt. The consumption of the three years ending in 1822, was 2,762;000 cart. being an increase of 648,000 cwt. in the compass of about seven' years, or 20 per cent. on the consumption' of the article. But the increase in the last year was still mare extrema' dinary, and he would quote it from a document that would in a very short time be ready for delivery to the Honourable Gentleman and the House. By that docu. anent it would appear that the quantity consumed in the year ending the sth of January, 1824, was no less than 3,130,000 cwt. being an increase of consumption to the extent of forty per cent. more than it .was nine years ago. The Honoutable Gentleman had admitted that there was no such thing as smuggled sugar; it was apparent, therefore, that the increase of consumption had not been , impeded by the duty complained of. In that calculation he took the United Kingdom into view. There wete cir cumstances in the state of Ireland which did not entitle ' it to a comparison with England. The people of that country were unfortunately in a state of such distresses to put the consumption of sugar almost beyond their reach—(hear, hear.) —But was the dimintition of one halfpenny in the pound in the price of sugar calculates to effect their relief, and enable-them to become eon-, -so mers of sugar ? lie shoull be glad, with the permission , of the Committee, to compare u hat had been the progres- ' si re state of consumption with the progressive state of sup ply. The supply from the old colonies of Great Britain, be meant the Colonies held by the Crown in the year 1792, had increased since the year 1814, by no less a quantity than 322,000 cwt. from the new Colonies, 306,000 cwt. being a total increase of supply in nine years, from old and new Colonies, of 628,000 cwt. The increased con sumption was on the other hand 800,000 cwt. above the increased supply. That must have been some allevie.. tion of the distress of the Colonies ; and should the country continue tp increase in prosperity as it had done;l and he saw no reason for expecting the contrary, that time was not fardistant when the consumption of sugar (would hilly equal the power of producing it. The last tear the increase of demand for supplying the foreign 4trarket amounted to 77,000 cwt. above that for the same Market in .1814; while the increased supply for the home market in the same year exceeded anything we I had on record respecting the home demand or supply from our West India Wellies. The time was not far distant, be therefore argued, when we should have an' ideqaate demand for the produce of our West India islands. It was worthy of remark, that this calculation I w, it would appear, well founded, halm a mere ye- Ireaenee to the price of sugar in the three last years : In , Itte first of these years the price was on the average, about 31s. in thesnext year 925. 10d. and in the last 'us high as 335. 101 d. This was the result, •no doubt, taf 'an inateasing temand, and * decrease of the stock en hand. It is not likely, from circumstances known to most persons interested, that we should have any increase of supply from "the old Colonies, whilst it, was probable, that from the new Colonies, and par ticularly Demerara, an increased supply of sugar would be paired in upon the market, for some time I to -come, from the circumstance of the lands appropri ated to cultivation being turned intosugar plantations. 'Under such circumstances it was fair to expect the sup ply iimildaanly Meet the growing consumption of this country. This growth of consumption was the result ;of incieasedcomfoit, for it was impossible, if' the people of this country were in indigence or declining, that an article like sugar, which might be pronounced to be the 'link betvieen necessaries and luxuries,;thetild be a SUO• . ject of increased demand. To prove th tinned pro gress of the demand, it was only gra:444'400 state, that in the year 1791 the supply was-ale-more than 1;400,000 cwt. for both England anti ; and though the interval up to 1814 had been almost an un intertupred period of war, still the consumption was more than doubled on the average of the last three years: As the duty in 1791 was about one-half of what it was maw, it was clear that the increase of demand arose out of the general improvement of our condition 'and the increase of the comforts of life. Now this was so striLiagly the fact, that it was adtnitced that no coun try in Europe, though three times the extent of Eug led, used an equal quantity of sugar. With regard' to the suggestion of the Hon. Member. (Mr. Baring) to ease the West India trade by admitting sugar for the purpose of distillation in thia country, he confessed he felt no objection to it , in principle. He should be glad, it cOvild be settled in a manner' agreeable to those; ~olio were engaged in the spirit trade ; ; but in the pre .sent Session he was very little inclined to hold out 'topes of its being brOugg ,into action, as there were :now only six weeks to come of the 'distillery season. He had usually found, from his experience in the House and at the Treasury, that the trade in such cases sre quired so much tia.e to clear out the wash and grain . then in proceas of being distilled,- that it would be al. most impossible that this measure of relief could this Session be acted upon with the deihed effect, consider., ing that the distillery sea son would expire in six weeks mole. The expedient was suggested of admitting sugar into our ports, whilst the ports were closed against the importation of barley from foreign countries, so . that they might be available together to the distiller, and let the distiller choose which he • zonsidered best for his own advantage. He did not think that practicable; but he should be glad if it turned.out as had been an ticipated by the Honourable Medaber:fsr Taunton. One thing he was glad to sec admitted —namely, that the stock of sugars . had decreased; and that, as there was not above six weeks supply in the...country, taking the fiareign . demand into consideration, notwithstanding the, new sugars wonla now be coming in; still the stock-cei hand would [o:illl.4C,to increase-. lie trusted that lie had made out a ca. - .,6 to shew that there was hot Sufficient ground for the application now made to reduce the du ties on sugar,-with a view to relieve the West India met ,.chants and planters ; and he felt satisfied that they ought to feel encoutageneent from the cmitinned progre-sive increase of consumption of We.t India produce, which would no doubt operate asbeneildelly on their property ass the increased_ demand fur home produce had opon the property cf the growers of corn'and the agricultural body here, _who had long. ceased to feel the pressure of which the House had two years ago heard so mild,. I t -was well known that the British market was the best for ,sugar. And as wpm ; the project of reducing the duties on that article was at once given up in the lutist Prudent 'manner by the West India merchants, when they weee etude ac qu i aced that even a reduction ,o! ley en shillings. :would amount to a loss to the Revenue of upwards of ,a million, the trade nppearing - to think the reduction of the stock on hand would be a still greater boon. The quantity; of rum impeited into Ireland never litterin g etceeded 40,000 gallons, it was clear that little wa s M be apprehended . from . a decrea , ,e of supply to that country, which had always manifested so decic'et a preference for the native—(A Lank) —liquor. H e had only further to state, that it had - been improperly argued that turn ought to be aroeed wastage, whiele was proper to all other articles. Now the fact was, that rum ss as the only article to which it had been givers ; and that exclusively, and that concession had been made to this article in consequence of the piessureexcerienced by the trade of those Colonies. The merchants were compelled to bring it to this country to prevebeits eva poration in the hotter climate; but being all wed t bond it in the warehouses of the Customs, it was dear that they received a horn and a benefit, and the•efore sti ictncss, as it saved wasting, they er ere not entitled to any such allowance; nor ought the Revenue to take a lesser duty than that arising out of the whole quan tity originally bonded ; because if siith a principle were generally admitted, it would open an indefinite ground of fraud and loss to the Ite.venite. In other conlitiles, where the bonding system was acted on, as in the United States, that had been always the principle acted eh, •so that the Revenue should not suffer by the indulgence. It was only in the case of the West Indian proprietors that this sound principle had been departed 'corn by our revenue laws. The indulgence oas the mote material and considerable when he assured the House, that for every shilling duty deducted on each gallon there ac crued to the Public Revenue a lo,s of 1.50,000/. by tha diminution of duty receive. - .. Orr ail these considers- • tions he felt it impossible to agree to the motion. Mr. ELLIS observed, that on a fair compariem of the two proposed measures before the House, he felt the scale must preponderate in favour of the concession of -the Right Ilonoin aisle Gentleman (Nir. Huskissen) re lative to rum, in prefei et:cc to the proposed !eduction of the duties on sugar. Ile should hare been glad to find that both might be cart led into effect. - The depres• sion on both articles entitled them to redress in repot tion to the measure of their distress. Ile did not now affect to give any opinion on the policy of the Coln Laws; but he must urge that if a measure sods as that now hinted at should be proved on examination to be conducive to the alleviation of the diatreeeol4 wienced by the West India planters in admitting sog.si jointly to be employed in the di tilleries. it ought ~os, tied he hoped,confidently it would not, excite any j usy in the minds of the coin-growers he; e—t Hear, heat.)- r ile hoped the pretensions of the Right Honourable kitentle.- non would prove true, and that the country would Soon be able to absorb all the surplus supply. He was in clined to try the experiment dui ing the next year of the Right Honourable Gentleman's recommendation, and he should on that account vote against any change taking place at present. Mr. ELLICE meant to vote kir the motion of his Ho nourable Friend (Mr. Hume). He objected genesaily to the reasons assigned for the increase of consumption of West India produce. He wOul,d not ask any pledge of Government, but simply that they would give the subject their mature consideration, whether it would not be advisable to provide for permitting sug.ai to be dis tilled whenever, from the prices, it might be l.kely that the country would he inundated by a large import of barley from foreign countries ? With that understanding he 'should beg his Honourable Fr tend to withdraw his motion. One thing he shou'd mention - before he sat clown, - which mote thee anything p:oved .how muchthe West India-merchants must feel 'the depreciation lb the value of their property since the year 1791. In that , year, although the duty was not one-balf of that which rum now paid, the price obtained for rum was as much as was paid•for it.at the present day, although it bore double the duty. Mr. CALCRAFT saw no reason that sugar should 'not be admitted in common with bailey into our distil leries. It appeared thews:amity consumed had increased, if he understood the'Rrett•Hon..Gentkman, in propor ,tion as the ditty - increased. Mr. HUSKISSON.—I said the Colonies had pro , duced a greater relative surplus supply in 181+ than in 180. This proved that a less relative excess of supply was created now, taking the increasing consumption into consideration, theta had takeneslace in Mt. Hence he had contended, that if we went on at the wine ratio . Of consumption and supply, at the end of two or three years there would be no surplus beyond what would be eabsorbed in the ordinary coneamption. All these cal culations to - which'ho had alluded were already .before the House, with the exception of List year, and front .dose it would appear that the reduction was taking place at the rate of 1.:0 per cent. up to the beginn in g of last year, since ee.ich it amounted to 40 I:er. cene... A difficulty did exist at present from the state of our ;briar Laws ; but that could easily be removed if the [;acne were of opinion that sugar shoeld be used in distilla tion, when the rate of iearley was tufficientlyhigh to open the ports to foreign bailey. Ile could certainly sec no objection to this proposal. however as barley was now 365. a qua:ter and it must teach 40e before the ports would be open, the Committee would see that the distillery season would be over befote the expira tion of the duets months during which the portswoall continue open. Mr. C.ALCRAFT observed, that the barley questica would he one which must Le determined on further discussion, and rest with his Majesty's Government. Mr. 13ENETT contended that the tiouri.hing con• dition of agricultural property hod been excessively over-rated. It was scarcely extricated-from its ditficie t;es. It the runs were admitted tuts the distilleries, it roust thereby stop the distillation from corn. and he had heard from a rectifying distiller, hat, what was mire alarming, by a very simple ptucesi, the rectifier could change all the sum.into gin. Mr. iII_I:3KISSON said there were undoubeeelly many diflieuittes in the way, and but for theni he should nave 1 r ' t •