The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1807-02-20 00:00:00

ttwions end indnstry of the country; but it was t ell a pleasing reflection to consider, that the sn ood income of the nation was brought within two millions and a half of the expenditure ; that whilst the enemy has supported the expences of warfare by confiscations, by a diminution at one period of the public debt, and next of the interest on t he debt, by an illusory system of assignees, by s peliations on foreign state', and mi.:ling from o:hers a tribuee, as the price of a mock independ ence, Great Britain, is the progress of a war avowedly undertaken and concluded against her tesoeices, has risen superior to her difficulties, and b?,;;ia this period of its progress almost equalised at. income with its expenditure. In expressing his a pprobation of the plan of the Noble Lord, even on i ts own merits, he felt that opinion considerably strengthened, by cor,etrasting it with those recant]. vended by the Hon. G:ntlemen on the opposite ' side, which increased the public burdens in the de•revent ieltance, and in no degree diminished the 'Viccemulation of the public debt. r JO NSTON E telt himself particularly em 'Wasted in addressing the House on a questinn, I t em its nature : serious and intricate, especially Wh e n be recolleeied that his Hon. Friend. woo had pa sat down, bad eliclared 4imself not at all con linced by the statement of his Noble Friend (Lord I Castlereagh) upon this subject on a former evening. When the suggestions and opinions of that Noble Lord were unable to impress a mind of such capa. city anti intelligence with convitlion, it was wound for him to feel extremely diffident, in submitting his humble opinion, after such a candid acknowledgment. There were, however, some pre liminary observations, which it was his duty to sub ink to the House, previous to his entering into the detail. One source of satisfee'tion he telt from t:.e firmer discussions, namely, that the public were to longer deluded by the liettering prospott at first drawu by the Nohle Lord, with respell to the bmit of the public expenditure. That Noble Lord should have cdfried his settle much tut ther, as in the nature of things it must unimatety extend itself. it the Es tuation of Europe be truly considered, it will ape . peat that Russia must he either subsidized or abaci- Jo: ed ; and if tee former opinion should be the it. Ault of the consideration, in what part of the plan of the N. able Lord are the means of meeting that steoldv to he found. There was also a sum of 590,0001. due by the country to the East fettle Come party, set comprehended within the estimates. The 'Anyone of the Noble Lord and his colleagues was, on former occasions, that on no account should the revenues of posterity be mortgaged, that it was tie duty of the country to bear up against presene difficulties, and submit to fresh burdens, he than adopt the ruinous alternative of loading their deseendants with tile pi essure of their debts. It was not his ohje& to blame the Hon. Gentlemen for the chenge of opinio : ; on the contrary, he was a great lover of casing burdens upon posterity, be cause the experience of the past has convinced him, that the weieht imposed upon this coun try, a century ago, in no degree retarded its ar. tiva/• to that pitch of emineece which it has attained. But the objeftions against the plan of the Noble Lord, 'proceed from no such considera tions They are purely against his doieg th at, at a great and enormous veer:ice, which could be done at less. What does it effeil with all its complicated machinery and specious promises? It is all to supply a 41,fira of two millions and a half, winch uitimately tend to incre Ise the public debt in amuch greater proportion, than it levied in taxes. under the ordinary and approved system of :he country for the last twenty rars. The Hor our e Gentleman then entered into a comparative yie*'ut the plan of the Noble Lord, with one which he bad to propose for the consideration of the Howse ; the fifth plan which we believe originated with the Gentlemen on the Opposition side. Mr. BA N KES followed, by decl-s ing his hostility to all proj,,Os which tended in their operation to trench on the regular appropriation of the Sinking Fund. With such an impression, he cnuld by no means lend his support to the p.at s recommended by the Hon. Gentlemen in opposition to that sub. matted by the Noble Lord opposite for the adoption of the House. In e4iftemplatang that system, there were many things which met his approval, and others to lament ; hut they were the effens not of choivi, but of nec.:s,ity. The system which it was judged advis ible to eh:alp, was certairly a good one in its formation ; but the question was, Could it be persevered in, after the enormous increase of taxation; In his opinion the Noble Lord ailed wisely and prudently, by giving to 0..: c. , lintry a pause from additional bur dens, stifle:ll. I k•eg either its credit, security, or revenue. lie wished that a more extended scale was ailed upon under the present circumstances of Europe ; but, on the other hand, a beneficial rife& wet likely to result, inasmuch as the principles of economy and retrenchment would he striaiy kept in view, and thence there was a justified ho;:e of keeping within the prescribed limit. When lie re commended economy, it was such a principle as !vac consistent witn the exertions of the country, far different horn a delusive and destruEtive parsi moil. It was much, the fashion in the present dis eteisiou, to introduce and comment on the denger of t .r Natianal Debt being too speedily paid off, by ,be growing operation of the Sinking Fund. This indeed, that sort of extraordinary Paradise; whieh existed only in fancy, and the effi.els ot hich would be nest refuted by referring to the observations of Mr. Hume, on what he denominated puzzlii.g ar ;rumen's. The danger which was apprehended, lest the National Debt should be too quickly paid of., was senverred into a subsidiary argument to trench upon the Sicking Fund, by preventing its excess. To this apprehension lie could not yield, be rather wished the bapny day was neater than he much famed it W4l. Ile mos: prominent feature and the Er ingest tecommendatioit in the plan of the Noble Lord was, that it paid cif is so quick a time the debt which it created. Such a consequence was rue the result cat a sound and vignrons policy. With seseett to the War 'Vexes, the necessity of the case justified the country to avail itself of them, in etefe: nee to an intinedidte and perhaps impree ticebte addititie to the abeady enormous burdens cif the count' y. The lienoureble Gentleman edeeried to the laud.tble joalcu y of Mr. Pitt, as to .• .; :ea:in:non of the Sinking. Fund; and eon '. • -Ai s• 4t observing, that t h e least sivaltute from that principle, in the year 1802, veal ate oi the probatle causes of the present embarrassment. Dime' taxation be ever thought preferable to cir cuitous ; and of all species, he thought the tax on property, under certain emdifications. the :nest be neficial to the revenue, and the least distressing in it: operation. In the system of the Noble Lord, there was much gen:Jelly to appo eve, andsomething to lament, but it was necessary, and could, from the views of the Hon. Gentlemen who opposed it, be only obviated by creating greater evils. Mr. GEORGE ROSE insisted, that the Sink ing Fund could, in the plan proposed by the Noble Lord, only be provided for, by the anti cipation of the War Taxes; and, to rest on them, he conceived the height of madness and insanity. On the article of tea, an increase of 751. per cent. had taken place in the duties, within the last three years. It would require the aid of witchcraft to preserve that duty in time of peace. Formerly the addition of five per cent. was the cause of considerable apprehension with the East India Company. An appreeension. which could not now be diminished, when a rival in that . trade had started up, and no less than 40 thin had sailed for China, from American ports, list year. The duty on spirits could never be continued in time of peace. in consequence ef the feciiity of smuggling, not only from Gueruvery arid Jersey, but from Cherbourg and the opposite ports of France. The Tobacco Duty in within these few years, nearly ' douhled. With reseed to the duties on 1 pioneer, • : and our Export Tiede, it was a well-aseertained ' fad, that German Linens find their way to the Wed India Island. circuitously , in American bon r toms, and had obtained an .dual rivalry v i: h the MAtilliaallTeS of this kingdom. In the reign of Chalks the Second, when the ptinciples of political economy were little understood, the duties on British tonnage were first imposed. But even on the reign of King William, they wen consictra. bly dineirashed ; aid. in the year 173.2, during the r ign of Gorge the hirst, were entirely re- . peeled ; yet, at this time, when the c , mpreition et foreign manutentures WAS so close, when the ii vah y was so successful, the Sleigh Parliament were called on to vote a; permanent, a SAX SO likely to , produce incalculable mischiefs and it jury to the commerce and inatt e try of the country.: It was in the reeilledion of the country Gentlemen, that, from the year 1191 the duty on man increased, ft ion three-pence to two shillings per bus'el. Many plans were proposed by Gentlemen on differeet sides of the Hcu-e, to each of winch 1:e ead Oh jedinns ; but in the one proenseo by the tZe bl Lord opposite, where the debt was progreasevely 1 increasisig, and the Sinking Fund ultimately di minishirie, he saw natio ng bu t disappoinment to the : opes of the proposer, and embarrassment .4 , ..1 ISO-Chief to the resources of the country.— , Iv hoped -,.e Noble Lord was not so wedded to it, to eel' teem the I louse, at present, to vote it per .anent. He might try it ter a year, and not disep eint the people in the retied:to:ion they entertained 4 no eddeemal taxes. It had seen asked, where is ohecerteinty of the war taxes acing peodurtive ? The I 51.1VPIC was, Peace will bring about facilizies:; and it will be in the pnwcr of the !louse to resort to a mare produdive substitution. Wbat are these facilities ? Ile roiseny of the country has proved, that, at the end of no war, save the American, was there any g , eat spring to our revenue and our commerce. And. at trio, en onient, when the trade of the WOrire s enjoyed by the country, wh it can be ezpeoffelle from a cess.eien . of hostilities, but that diminutiouse which the engagement of other nations in come menial pursuits, must of necessity produce. It was the system .it Ni ye ka r anticipating the resouress of France, and for the purpose ei. creating a sue perficial all ovietoen of public burdens, which aida ma Ely led to the dreadful revolution which sea sued. Mr. CORRY said, the 'tight lion. Geetlernaa was totally dezeived in what he had said en thir st:bk.:l of the War Taxes, for the Noble Lord only peaposed poi apply the el teitlions to the peymeut of the Debt int- n 4e.1 tin be created by his plan during the war. Besides. he had all along admit ted, that should Parliament feel it expedient to chenge the manner of raising the War Taxes, the precise articles of taxation neght he changed for others at their pleasure. This would by no means tie down the kiense to any particular mode of ant ing in :mere, as the Right lion. Gentleman had said, and therefore on this sithjed he could see no serious objection to the ticsolutems proposed. Mr. PEACEVA I. observed, that both the Reso lutions they were called on to support, were preju dicial to the interests of the Stockhelrers throughout the kingdom. Was it just to adopt a Resolution which sanctioned a total change in the means of raising those Taxes which Parliament had Feedged themselves to the Stockholders to secure 1 1% , ho could Answer for the consequences of She changes whteh might be adopted. should it please %Insisters to propose them ? 'lnc Noble lend lied, in his own weteis, conic ,sed to the Hewn, that the se Ise of these Risulutions was decidedly this, that we shall in the one case vote for the continuance of a taxa tion which it is not our intention we should con tinue. and sanction a repeal of a set of taxes it is not our intention we should repeal If it was tint the intention of the Noble Lord ever to introduce to the House such a continuance er such a repeal, why then introduce them in these Resolution% ? He thenobserved ontleeprejudicial di:calla taxes proposed to be continued on the :hipping and colonial int-rest. floe cessation of tasetion ton three years he thought a dangerous capers:nen', as well as his intention of breaking in no the excesses of the Sinking Fund. He Co:le:laded with observing, that the Noble Lord could not but suppose Members equally anxious to obtain informations on this great subject. as those eve n Al the head of the Treasery Depertmere, they had near a twelvemonth in consider of it, while the Members had not :dear twelve days; nay. part of the necessary infortnesioo was not even yet laid be fere them:: he therefore theught it would be much better for the Noble Lord to take for the present year as much as we. ince:miry for his pun pose, ac coreing to the old system, and permit the Mere bars gad the country at large to consider of the ex pedieece of such a very material change in the financial property of the nation. Lord EL. PRITY replied e - considerable length to the ebservetionr of the • lion Gentlemen who had weeded him. He th tt is st,- Rig /; ht __ observed. . instinct; day Ised reuteedeo to argue on statements alleged .so be Contpred in his plan, which had no Place in 4- One Right Hop. Gentleman, had raid, thit dee eliodld now determine on the partictfar War Taxes which should be continued in time of Peace, if it shoeld be necessary to continue any. Was this a proper time T. decide on scab a master?' Were not the articles of taxation coritinnally Mating in price and ennsumprinr ? and might tat the taxes most prOdUalST: a' this day, be in a few years incapable of prochicin.{ any , from the eieiseituJes of all human He ri•colleded well, that at the first an 'nosel of the War Tastes, ' the Right Hon. Gentleman had deprecated the idea of their ever being produfliee in time of War ; now he maintained the impo hility of their ever be coming ro i: Peace; he, however, as a well-wisher •t his country, hoped that he might be equally pre - prietic in the present instance, as in the former. As to what had been observed of the danger arising from the German linen interfering in the colonial markets with ours, in consequence of the tax on shipping, he was not apprehensive of much competition from Silesia, wh re na,:t of their I.nen was manufaeluied, as, tag pt the Centlemtu could drive Rinaparte out of that territory, he hardly 'opposed the occupations of War, and keYi"lf of C inserters, would give them much oppertunil for cult:eating the am; of pace, or interfering with our maeufaeures. He then proceeded to compass his plan with those proposed by the opposers of the Re;oluthins ; he observed one grand distinelion be tween them was, that his alone proposed an increase of the Sinking Fund, while theirs proceeded im rnedi tuly to seize on that sacred treasure, and then they !prim:mended themselvew tnr the simplicity of their ra- de. This put him in mind of the Quack Semi) 1) dor, who proposed in the play, thaw, most tffedually and simply the disordeis incidei t to that its lul arum di; and this simple acre at last • appeared to be cutting th • poor createrre. .! fl oa t , Certainly he must resign the palm to Geri&nien, , who would thus siniply settle the matter. by seiz ing on the wh- le Sinking Fond, to facilitate Their system of taxation. He coiicluJed with obserseng, that their systems promised at the end of the war an amazing increase of debt, without any increase of Sinking Fund, to discharge that debt. This would be produlive of the worst ,Lifts on the credit of the nerirn, as th proportion of the • S,nking Fond to the Stock wis always the great source of encouragement to those who 'had money v sted in these Mods. ' Mr. 140 - SE shortly explained. L td CASTLEREAGH, in • speech of consi derable length, which our limits present us from tw tailing, took a general enmparative view of 'tbe se veral plans which had been suggest •d, (irn which he co tended, th it the plan of the Noble Lord op , posite ts...au malty Petty) was by much the MO!: extray..gart, and his own the most economical: Mr. figspiso24, after a length of general ob servation, begg. d leave to ask, in what way the Neble Lord Alietty) had reconciled the proposed plan with the Alts of Parliament existing upon this babied VANSIT FART replied, tbsit, upon a pro per examination of the plai., it woulu be found per teetly consistent with the Ails of Parliament !elat ing to the Sinking 1 . 11:47, and it would be further found,that in no way whatever could the Stockholder be injeszed by this measure. Mr. 'JOHNSTONE shortly explained. Mr. CANNING said, he could not at all re concile the plan of the Noble Lord to the lutes of consistency. He declared his most decided phjec lion to the whole principle of the measure ;*.buta: that late hour ( two o'clock) he thnuld nor neseas• upon the time of the Host.e in offering easy . ttbserv. tions upon it; but, as many opportunities would occur in the course of the proceedings upon the plan, he should reserve himself for a more convenient season. The question was then loudly called fur, and the • Resolutions read a second time, agreed to. ant or dered to be taken into further consideration to morrow (this day) Mr. Vansittart brought up the Bill for granting bounties upon double refined Sugar, which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time to morrow, (.lus Jay). Mr. H sbliouse brought up the Report of the Committee of Ways and Means, !elating to the ad ditional duty or 2s. 6.1 per gallon upon all Foreign Brandy. etc inspinted, &c. Cho Resoletio s :sere read 44 .Lcreed to. and leave given to brat.; in a Bill pui anent thereto. Mr. Hobheuse brought up the Report of the Committee tip in the German Yarn Bill ; the Reto hitions were lead and ageed to, and the Bill oreered to be read a third time to-morrhw (this day). Upon Motion of Sir JOHN NEWPORT, the Howe wept into Committee upon the Irish Sugar l)rawh irk bill ; the several Resolutions were r ATI and agreed to, and the Report ordered to be re ceived ttemoirow (this day). The Sierra Leone Company Bill was also com mitted, and a Resolution proposed by Mr. RO BERT THORNTON, to prevent the Imperil:inn II Slaves into that Settlement, WAS brought up agreed to, and the Report ordered to be :mired on Thur sday next. The (louse went into Committee for the further ennsideratioa of the Turkey Tobacco Importation Some Amendments, proposed by Mr. VA NSI r- TA Rr, were read and agreed to, and the B II or dered to be engrossed anti read a third time to-mor row (this day). The other Orders of the Day were then dispostd 4, and at HALF PAST TWO O'CLOCK the House adjourned. ••• The length of out Pailtaasdiedst Report °Nigel us to d e f er , uu s g , oomorrow, our tbnovratione uiren au article, entitled "Ti- Homology Demon," which appeared to Glint it its Ursette, slum Tae Cowrie, of yestrrdar. THE BRITISH P~ SS. lON DON, FRIDAY, FauvAity 420. The Committee an the Norfolk Petition. Tester dai. decided that Mr. WinDII•34 and Mr. T. W. ~~ • . ascertained that this decision renderi these Gc.tlemen ineligible for 64 county. A new Writ. however. was moved last night fur the town of Derby. in the room of Mr. EDWARD (>164 VIM, we understand, will stand for Norfolk, and be succeeded in Derby by Mr. T. W. Cone. hir. Wistnu h, we believe, returned for New Rom nty. Sir iseos Atiter, Mr. Haire, and Mr. Wr Imams, a relative of the late Wrntrer, are men tioned as Candidates for the vacant representation of Norfolk. Mr. Su rain roe, last night, is the linase of Cont. !Awls. gave notice of a Motion this day, rola. v- to the bdilloring for a Convnittee to try the alerts of the ‘V•stntiaster Eledion, wh:ch stands for the Mr. WVtsirascao, last nee% submitted to the House of Commons his New System fin the Support of the Poor. It is a hide I:aorta:rale, that some woo' .he partizans of Sir' Hone Port .0 were not :p -rised in time of his return to England. Had they been so lucky, they would certainly have decreed him, not an ovation, but a triumph. They would not have announced merely that he was at slie Admiralty on Wednesday, end was to take his e.,t in the House of Commons yesterday, hut they would have ordered a procession from Mt. At.te- AnUaa Davisoles, in St. James's-squire, to the Bank of Englaod, in which their patrrn and frier.d should .receive the cheers and congratua lations s.f the populace of Undoes. The fol• towing fulsome flattery, in an Evening Print rf yeretday, fully jut ifies this observatioo : "We are hap, y," says George Ruse's Curette, " to hem that our little army has bcen greatly benefited by the capture of Maldonado. Sir Hone was thereby enabled to mount the cavairy, and provide the ne cessary arpllery ; and ra.ist •of the private letters agree in stating, that on the arrival of the MO °rem anent!, Buenos Ayres will again fall an eahy ce. qnest ter the Stant% arms. This opinion. is entitle,: to she more rehired, from its beard tuby won oy bte 11. YUrNA u. W:tu, in a heater to a kite , . J. thus ens presses itim,elt :•—• I ament the loss of any east of toe good opinion of the air-e. who, sic weii as my I hare fothfuny sr. v,d, and who se late e.ts weic alwltys near-st .7:. am, Kw. verthelcss, still pettedly saesfic.:. . 0 • a ta e. purary 111.1pflUall 111 comae. retal taken place by the re-eaposne tat Setae@ Ayres...P.a. We should be &ad to know wtat is nreant by this passage ? Doeh it allude to the saute= at (sty under Ueneral Beeitraao, now prisoners of war, in the hands of the Spaniarsts ? It iair iurs too much of tae humours of Sir Yobs to make his bro ther Knight boast of mounting tub cavalry, and pri vtdiag tile necesliary artinety for t.e two or three JOL:11 of men, who art waiting tor reintorcemeats st islaidonade. tined,' ridiculous is toe .bah., tbaz •• datum Ayres will again tali an tab, co. qu-st, and test ad, a toetperery otspeuston of cu.neter,da, us tersoese has taken place my its recapture." Writ air bows Poenan's partisans and flatterers dare to • . say, that ihsessOs Ayres, prepared and upon th • at • , is an easier conqueit now, than when it was so t .: prised by that adventurous Aright and ir not, what merit can he derive from toe eztraordinat y exertions which Government may make fur its t o. capture? Sir Hums Pop AM, howevsr, has o en put under arrest, and, we understand, • ' oss speedily brought to trial. The result or t'._ it becomes the public to await with patience, and without prejudice or passion. We trust, therefore, that the partizans and floterers of Sir flon:s Poe. HAY will restrain their indiscreet zeal in his service, in order that those who feel an honest sees to the public service, may not be Ihrced to adopt a coarse, • which their sense of justice condemns. Sir Joan Newport. latrly wrote a letter to the Council of the Chamber of Commerce. of the city of Dublin, relAtive to the patti,ipation at IrelAnd . P,l r i in the East India Trade. The olsji-et of the [tasting Interest of Ireland, instead of the present arrange ment. is to procure ,!.e right to send a ship from that Country to China, which may 'return dire° to Ireland, instead of the present unprofitabSe mew*, to send nut a certain gnantsty of goods in !welsh vessels. - nie answer rrceived by Sir JOH • NM. Poet has been reported to the Commercial Body of Dublin, at a meeting called tor :hat purpose. It states, „ that a trade from Ireland is not practicable to any beneficial purpose under the Act passed by the Irish Parliament in 1795, as by that Act, Jhe trade from Leland to India is restrtcsed to the Peninsula of India, and dnes not com,re`lead China, which is generally conceived to be the most lucrative object of Eastern adventure; and the exports from Ireland to the East Indies are re. striaed I. goads, the growth. produce, and man*. failure, of His Mune v's European dignini , ns g consoquendy, rim bash merchant is excluded from ~ F e ... . ii I 1