The National Register. — London, England, 1816-02-18 00:00:00

FEB. ltl. the Report of the Finance en 4 in 172i0, three year aft, the conclusion of the American war, they would find that Com mittee declaring a certain part of the war taxes still necesFary, and that they probably would he so till the year 1190, sere,. years after the conclusion of the war. The t ate of seamen fer the , present year would be 33,009; the peace establishment m woil probably be 23,0.10; the expense would be two millions. In 1790, our seamen amounted to 29,0110. The additional "rases of the navy, almost the whole of w hich required most expensive retmirs ' in consequeuce of the !MK course of service in which it had been engaged, would raise that item of supply to 7,00a. 0 101. For the army no vote would at present 4e required. The nimbi rof infantry and cavalry thr Great Britain, including Jersey and Goernse, won:d be 2:000, and for Ireland the same. (Ilear, hear, front th, (Jppoition.) 'the time would arrie e when this proposition mieht be taken in detail. 'flu' number of troops for fare,gn garrisons would be 3,0011 ; the army' in Fenny,. 30,000 ; Gib raltar, Malta, and the garrisons in tic Medi!erraneam 11,00 e; the garrisons in British Anna lea, 10,000 ; the West I edia hods, 13,090, of which 4,900 a`d , re in Jamaica; the Cape (,t* G o od elope and Africa, 3,e00 ; Ceylon, 3,000. With re-poet to them. last, the Right Hon. Gent. said, they vesase formed partly of eolonlal and partly of British troops. The House would see hew (lesiva/deft was that a force to serve iii these islands, and unhealthy climates, sle odd be formed, as much as possible, to emeest of natives, even though we were under the necessity of keeping up a larger establishment, as we should therethre Save a considerable number of valanble British live-. The garrison of St. I:tlenti wool,! consist 41,200; these, together with 3,00 u which would be kept afloat, would make up a force of 99,000 teen, indepetment of those in France. Many of these regiments, however, would he skeleton regh»ents ; and, owing to this cit.- cumstaixe and ecmtalties they could not be taken, though no. minally 99,000, at more, in reality, 'han 54 or 9u:100 at most. Besides these, there would be a force of 20,000 for the East India Company ; bat for the e, or for those troops in France, so call would be made oa this country. Th.• French contribu tiom Vi,IS equal to the pay 01' these troops, and hitherto that con tribution had been regularly paid; 100,0001. had already been paid. Ile understood that !caddy these contributions belonged to the Crown us drolts. His ttoyal Highness the Prince Re gent, however, had scorned to take as such what had been ac quired with such bravery by his army. ( Hear, hear.) Out of the contributions, 30 millions of livres were to gi"en 'o the British and Prussian army; the rest, amounting to four millions, h:.applied to the payment of the troops. The total amount of the charge for the army would be 9,300,000. ex elusi e of extraorditimies. The Commissariat would be 09,001.; the Barrack Department 258,0001.; and the Extra ordinaries of the Army would be two makime a total of 12.23U.0001. for the entire of the army. The IVEseettaneons • would be 2,500,0001; this would he better discussed when the diGrent items curve before the House. Three was au ,her in ma still o meatier', and that we:, payment of a sum to the E.-tit India Company, fur money advanced by them Kir the pun lie service in East Indies. According to the ::est r: ithon which could at present be formed, their demind would amount to two millions, and they had already had tioa,oaol., and it was pr mused now to ad vamai them one minion nun e. This would snake the total of supply requ:tod 24, 55,000!. : besides this, there •e, as a separate charge fur Gre..t Britain, making the total of Great Britain and Irclami 29,393,0001. The Ways and Means to meet this sw. wer - The surples •• ill tummies -priated of three millions of last year's grant; ilia surplus of the Con solidated Fund, say 2,5e1,0001.; the ordinary annual taxes, three millions ; the war taxes, , :hick he would now tuke at only six milf.ons ; the five per cent. Property-tax, which he 'wield also take at six millions; the Lottery, 21 1 '1,0401.; Ex cheq tier Bilis, six millions ; and lastly, ix millions fro . the Houk, by way of Luau : these sums would altogether• make a total of ati,loo,oool. to meet that part of the eapenditure bekaging to Great Britain, amounting to 20 millions. Here the Right Gent. entered iato a detail of the negociation with the Bank, which, he onserved, had been brought to a cohelusion on terms highly advantageous to the pultlie, the whole stint been burrowed at an interest of no 111.01 e than fmr per cent. Ile hoped, notwitlistandine the Lumi of Exchequer Bills now Con teutplateti, ..341 this advance on the part of the Haul:, when the neenunts should be made up to the cud of the yee r, there would be isitind to he act nicr , ase in the unfunded 'debt of the coun try. He would now detain the House no longer; but merely again add, that the establishment, the outline of which he had just subruittcd, ougl.: by no %leans to be akin as the intended Peace Est::::hslunent, but as one founded on the wants and necessities of de: present year. 1 was happy in being able, at the conclusion of such a dlr_ conflict, to make the statement be had now clot. • —(hear, n" ~I—and was convinced, in con tradiction to the many gloomy prophecies of Gentlemen on the other aid:. e f the Hot:se of the ruinous state of the country, that our finance were floe visiting, and tha, one expenses were diminishing. ' I I,,..tight lion. 11 , •nt, concluded by moving tin a sum of 12,300,0001. to he applied to the payment of Exche quer Bilia ' • and sat down amidst loud cheering from all quar ters of the House. _ _ Mr. PONSON BY said, in no view, which he had taken of the situation of ti._ country, vac t':rre any pretence to justilv so large au establishment. The Right line. Gent. had talked of the desire of Ministers for economy and retrenchment. He knew of none; it' economy was necessary, surely that head required peculiar care, tic must also enter his protest against the Propeety-tax : be would not consent to grant one shilling. The country must nut be deceived by thsir Representatives ; for if they voted tin this tax, real retrenchment in the Public Expenditnre would not be seen; and, therefore, the only way was by denying Ministers the tax they .ere about to' demand tor tau years to route. He relied ou the ittterity of the House, and the spirit of the People, fur eetapelltil4 Ministers to re trench. If the House did ro.t, the People of England %%mild think twat the Represeuta,tves bad deserted their interests. — near. hear) Mr. I:twee:twit complimented the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Va;l.4ii.l..lrt) on his able teal luminous statement. Another opportutoty would be aW.reled to follow him through the !.e this ltu•ge and complicated subject; for the present he amid only t -aer his protest against time of the principles of it. Ministers thesta,:tly talked of economy, bet did nut pro. eeettlo carry iT jute ettect. The first onject of attention was the dlstrefsed stole of the country ; and here he wouid remind iiinsuf the statement in the Speech front the THrOnt!, of the flourishing state of the country, which it now turned out was not quite so liouri,hlng. Their first object should have been to relit ye those distresses. but how were those distresses to be relieved ? Tate lion. Gentleman ado mit d to what he buil thrown oat on a former evening, in respect to the Usury Acts, as giving a (acuity of borruwiugmoney in ease of esigen9r. if the distress was the consequence only oil a ; .wing storm. Ibis subject he again recommended to Miols .s for their consideration, for rene,,Mg the wants of the londbotderv, as the restrictions Im posed by law on borrowers wet' very hens y. All the Life In. stir:ince Companies were in the practice of taking more than Per cwt. Lu n 0 one tare was a rtguLtr atortioge to h ob- THE NATIONAL REGISTI:n. tattled at that per centage, with the exeention of houses which might be igswc d , and of course furnished a sort of doreeue. In the count. y, stock, &c, held nut no such temptation, and , hercrore the harrower was obliged to obtain his loan in the shape of annuity at per emit. which, with an additional per cent. on ;4*e-instil mice, made the &ureter 10 per cent. 1 2 ..v!'n so high as 15 per cent, was sometimes charged. The Usury Law !wing in fit!, t:•re. , he could not conceive how iho Right Hon. Geatleanin em.l I think that 13 millions would, in the event of leaving the Slinking Fund untouched, go Irian the individual to the latailioider, at the rate of 3 percent. ttiongli he was ready to admit that. to a eertai:t degree, it would tenth to decrease the rate of interest. He therefore begged the Right lion. Gentleman would not, on any •-ten specolation, ahandan the thought of abolishing the Usury Acts. Tim lion. Gentle man °loci eed, th at be ha-! also thrown out Foote suggest:ens re , peethog restrictior. t!i exportation of metal. The present ~.as filir Oppl/111111:'y ;in z relief, when the foreign markets ....ere open. i-i trust. n the Right Hot,. imitleman would not be so ch iltli t as n :o direct his attention to this subject. It was also nevessa: vto give relit fi , the landed in terest by a more equal tying .of the 0 '...•r Rates. At pi csent tin y fell exclusively . the catit ,. ary to the inesiiing of the statutes. The iiiiiiititisctories were tine i with spinning jennies, the owners of winch paid to the pow rates in the ;oro portion of 3 or -1001. a ye..', while the I.—id-owner pail at the rate of 15 or 20,000!. thus inakile.• the termer norun the tits nufseturer of paupers. The psor rates, therelore, did not t.,0 to the support of the poor, but to the diminution of fisheye. Another subject which teas worthy of attention was that of Tithes. He dill not whether any thing had been done; but lie trusted, that . I .inisters would devise smite meats of re • meiß mg the evil. 'I next ! •oint ~ .as the Military Establish ment, which hail given him much • ,use of regret at hearing that called a list . rstahlishitient, wtiich, at any ooh .1. time, would have been ,:.soda grief ails war one. The Right Ho nourable Gentleman, alter sliewi: . .g the different disinisitions of the fume to be kept up, which le. amount to 149,000, had stated that i 9 59,900 more would be in the p.• yof this country. 111 r. VANSITT A lIT -ere eNplained, that besides the establili. meat of 99,000, there were to be added from 40 to 50,00) which were in a state 01' -eduction. ltßol GUAM worm :dill, and observed, that the expense of th.• est:OA:Am:Ba, near 10 was a most intulellible burthen on the country. What prospect, be wished to ask, was toere et any greutor diminution next year, with the ex ception of t: last item, which might reduce it to 25 millions. A great deal load been said about the peace—that it was the best peace which the country had known, and yet this best peace lett the contrary loaded with a Jorge military estaiiiish ment at home and in the coloeies, and a three of 30,000 to be kept up in France, accordi-7 to Treaty it we chose to ratify it. The Rilit Hon. Gentleman had talked of the East India Company paymg their troops; it was a mockery to say they would pay, w ,, en year after year they were coming to this House for loan , . lie coudemaed the large amount of the force in the (littered. :lands, particularly that in the lonian 'shoats. Why were seven or eight thousand men to be sta tioned in eh. se islan ls , which were rich in nothing but patron age and currants? hy was it necessary to keep so many islands ? What did the country gain by them, especially the 141 AI Colouics? N ith respect to the military establishment, why, he would ask, was it necessary to keep so large a standing army in Ireland as 25,000 men in time of peace? Would it not have been better to calm the minds of the people in Irmand by ameliorating the condition of the Catholics ; and by some ar rangement of the grievous burthen of tithes? this would be a more practical saving. There was no chance of disaffection now, nor of foreign it , istanee. I3ni, however, retrenchment wa,, fit eessary, and that w best accomplished by dimiaishing - some of the teieless offices. For instance, why, he would ask, in times of peace, were so many Lords and Secretaries to the Ad miralty? if seven Lordi were necessary in war, surely now the country could dispense with the service of tour, vvi.en there were only 200 ships afloat. In war, ac'ording to compat seventy instead ut seven would not have been enough to direct the Naval Trident. In looking at the peace establishment of ! 179 g, he found the estimate was five n:illions. France was now reduced below her strength at that epoch. All Eur o pe leagued against her; our own power greater than at ails thriller oeriod --no enemy to contend with; then what was to be feared? A peace concluded, to be preferred beyond any other—even that of Utrecht; and the result of it all is—a load on the country cif front 25 to 30,000 annuaiiv. If the prices of every article had been doubled since 179 i, that would not call for nor than 10 millions. The lion. Gentleman, after sonic further oser vations on the neeesity of aunt ding relief' to the landed in terest, as the relief now proposed, in his opinion, was iueffiea citing, suggested the propriety of taking off the tax upon leather, winch would give material relief. He observed, that nothing had been said about the War Malt 'lax; he hoped this would meet the attention of Government. But the greatest burthen of all was the Property Tax, which he had no doubt the country would rise up against, and come to the House and de sire the Right Hun. Gentleman to ask for a Mall loan, and charge the interest on tile Sinking Fund. With respect to loans, he wished to know why Austria had not repaid the loan of seven millions, borrowed twenty years since.: At any rate, it was said, that being u true and faithful ads-, she would pay the in terest, Willa the principal, which would now amount to between heir and tire minims. The truth was, that England furnished all the 111011 Cy, but seldom got repaid. Mr. Russ:, In reply to the Hon. Geathman, observed, that there was tor reason for altering the Usury Laws. In respect to the Poor fates, various plans had been suggested, without effect, to the benefit of the land owner; ut the same time. he adautted that it bore hard upon the agricultural labourers. Ike !lon. Gentleman had talked about taking off the ro,tric lions on wool exported, as a means Of relieving the grower. The fact was, that wool is exported from Spain, many parts of Germany ; and even France had a great redundancy ; there fore he (Mr. K.) wad at loss to know where the wool would be Exported to. lie had also talkeii about the patronage of the lonian Islands, when, in fact, there was hut a single Commis sioner in those Isles, and one at St. Helena. In respect to the Property Tax, that was increased by the Gentlemen opposite wheu they got into power; and that tax 18:1(1 ..aved a eapital of 300 millions,• and nearly 12 minions of permanent taxes, lie doo.,ted whether the public would pctihou against the tut to the exteut stated. Mr. Nt ESTERN conceived the proposed relief to the agrieal tural interest would not he so peat its the Right Hon. Gentle man expected. The only relief that farmer: would obtain, in a farm of 300 acres, takiii,g ft 3 horses, would be about 121 an nually. 'the best relict' would lie to tax die real property. It was in vain to attempt to lay on taxes, if, he (4 , 11 h Adcd, the resources of the country had faded. After pitint; the expense , of cultivation of the land, there absolutely remained no . hing for rent. With regard to making 1 1, i. property-tax a pewee-tax, he hoped the Chancellor of the Excheipwr •mild find the opi nions Of the conntr;, meppositiou, too itu , .:erful fur him: tor where property was already diminished, e ci.utinuance of this to ; must be daily more arid more diminished. Sir it. Urania said, that when the infe,li vet - ea' of that night Rai circulated in the coi.ntry tla per); ie must ft.-el nniSr mil gloom. They would .hen see that, the system of economy r, , ..otinneniled a. the Regent's Speech was to be found no where but in that document. The retrenchment should iiegin in the Negentas expenditure. They had been told of the imposing situation this rouatry had assumed in Europe ; but he wished that wr had taken nivantage et' our insular situation, and kept out of all foreign wars. Whirl consolation wouid it be for the starving tailor and shoemaker, to be told that they had put the country in an imposing state; that the army %%413 covered with glory; that they were governed by a Prince of such gond taste, that he could not endure the same furniture for two years together ) . and who expended more in the erection of a thatched cottage, than other Sovereigns did in building a palace. Mr. 6REINFELL cote' ire protest against the measure of accepting from the Bank the loan of the money of the country at 4 per cent. Mr. F. lie:via wished any man to contrast our present situtt tine e ith the , atm blishment required by the greatest Miniatec thia country pi urine ed at the close of the American war, when all the meney required by him for the Army, the Navy, the Ordnance, and the Civil List Establislimenta, amounted to two millions and a half. If the Income-tax was continued, it must become a tax upon loss, and riot on profit. Fur he believed that it could be proved at the Bar of the I louse, if necessary, Ur, t'2s millions mere removed from the circular Mu iit the coun try during the last two years. It was not fur his to propose a remedy; but he would say that the House (-tight to think, of some remedy for this state of things ; but whatever that might• be, he hoped it would not be the Property-tax. Mr. BARING allowed that some relief was necessary for the Laded interest; but what that should he would require great consideration. lie considered the baits of the tel tax, and the tax on farm borers bring reduced, as intended by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to induce the country gentlemen to acquiesce in the :iicome-tax being continued, notwitb. standing the hatred of the nation against that tax. Mr. Its tan said, that when he heard from the Treasury Bench that we were now entered .into a state of profound peace, he could not help asking, in the name of the country, silly such a tremendous peace establishment was to be kept itp r 'fire Chaneceor of the Exchequer ought to recollect that tire faith of Parliament wai. pledged to the abolition of every one of the War-taxes ; instead of that, he had only offered to relieve tire people of live per cent. on the Property -tax. In his opinion, the people ought to protest against the continuance of this syst-m of taxation, which they had borne so long and so gloriously. Mr. Von ICE contended, that the establishment proposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer was only intended for the current year, and not as a permanent establishment. He hoped we should have no more war ; but the best way to prevent it was to be prepared for it. Lord NLGENT was of opinion, that the military establish ment of the country could nut be too early discussed, consider. ing that it was to be kept up to a most unconstitutional extent. Mr. JONES contended, that the landed proprietor or his te nant could support the Property-tax no longer. Mr. Alderman ATKINS said, that the difficulties of the coun try did not fall merely on the agricultural interest of the coun try, but pressed equally on ail classes in the nation. He hoped that the Chancellor of the Exchequer would give up the Pro. perty-tax. Lord CViTLEREAGIT said, it was impossible, in a short time,. to reduce such a force as our's, so spread over the world, to a • regular Peace Establishment. He compared the estimate of the last and present year, to.PIICW, that every possible retitle film had taken place in our naval and military expenditure, even to the amount of eight or nine millions. Ile deprecated so false a step as that proposed of suddenly letting down the force of this country, while all the other nations of Europe were still in an armed state. The Resolut ions were then agreed to, and the Report ordered to be received to-morrow. After some cooverantion between Lord CASTLEREAGH, MT.. PoNsoN.•. , i, and Sir G. WARRENDER ' the discussioa of tile Navy Estimates was postponed a few days.—Adjourned at clo ve* o'clock. TUTI4IDA V , rex. 1 3. Petitions were preki uted from certain inhabitants of Tiver ton, in Devonshire, pruning a repeal of the Insolvent Debtors' Act. _ Gen. Thornton gave notice that be would on Tuesday next move for ICAVe to brine in a Bill to render the Property in out Fonds, belonuing to foreizners residing out of the kingdom, liable to a foil proportion or Taxation. Mr. 4rand presented a Petition from the Farmers and Corn growers of• Hertfordshire, praying. relief from the heavy load of taxation with which they were bartheued.—Ordered to lit, on the table. PROPERTY TAX. The Sheriffs of London presented a Petition From the Lord Mayor, Aldermen. and Clnunion Council, of the City of Lon don, praying a repeal of the pre.ciit Property-tax; and that it should not be continued under any modification w hatever ; which was read, and ordered to lie on the table. Sir W. Ct: wits said, he held in Isis hand a Petition from the Lord Mayor, and Livery of London, in Common Hall assembled. This Petition was cinched iu temperate language, and wan agreed to by a most respectable body of the Livery. It prayed a repeal of the Property-tax, to the burthens of which the Pub lic at large had only been induced to submit with patience by the urgent necessi:y of the times. That necessity they cos. sidered was now gone by ; and any renewal of the tax, however modified, would, in their opinion, now became an intolerable horthen ; they therefore hoped, that no attempt whatever would be made to continue it. _ _ The Petition having been read, Sir J. Straw said, the lan guage of this Petition he cowidered to be Iliclamptage of the Livery at large. It was temperate and moderate, and it cer tainly spoke his own sentiments. The Livery at large had three objections to a renewal of this Ti,x all of vs 11*.cli were well founded. They objected to it, first, because the neve•sity which could :Ilene render the tax bearah:e was past; secondly, because these was a plc hue given lust year, that at the cud of it, or of the war, the tax should expire ; and, thirdly - , because in t present state of the country it was, he believed, dot of the power of the people to pay it. fader thestt circumstances, and for all thcsc reasons, he woulJ now submit, that it would • he fur preferable to raise the six millions, which it was estimated this tux would produce. by wa vof Loan, the interest to ha paid out of the Sinking Fund. This plan would relieve the country from a load of taxation for the present 3 eau, awl %souk& out at all affect the Sinking Fund, The Petition was then ordered to lit on the Mr. WilmaTos brought up tlie Report ot the Committee of apply. On its Wing reed, Mr. BARCLAY oral 4 anxious to expregt his opinion on the pro. robot for continuing the tax ou Propel t . ;., or lucainey berans•