The Statesman. — London, England, 1812-06-27 00:00:00

4 ( 1 r ,~ ~!' •i• I THE STATESMAN. Tn. , CHANCELLOR of the EXCHNUER in rein..l 'aid, the indulgence would be applied at the dis:re.ion of the Commissioners. Al-. LOCK HAR I' asked if the issues of 1795 w'er.• al; paid op. The CII A NCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said be believe) they were. Mr. WIL.t ItTON said all that was outstanding was it s in of boorest. After some farther convercation between Mr. ITBREAD AA Mr. WiIARION, have was Oro to bring ilette Bill. Mr.. LONG as notice that on Mopday next, he should move for have to bring in a Bill to regulate the distribution of unclaimed army prize money. The General Inclosure NI was read a third and passed. ThaWest India Licence Bill was read a third time and passed. A new Writ Was moved for a Member for the 80. rough of apvnton, in the room of Sir Thos. Plower, who had accepted of the Office of Attorney-General. Mr. CREEVEY wished upon this occasion to put a question to an Win. M.mher (Mr. Kenrick), the Master of the Household, whom he observed in his place, u ',tether there was anv truth ist the report that he was extremely desirous of becoming a Judge ? He thought that the House ought to come to a resolution that the office of Judge should not be a matter of po litical favour. If the report Were true, 'it would be d^cidedly so in the present easel and he only wished to ascertaiu the fact, to make it the foundatiou of a future rnatiult. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, he had never heard a question so irregularly put before. Mr. WHITBREAD said, it was the very fittest opportunity to pot such a question, when the situa tion of Welsh Judge, filled by the late Solicitor Ge neral, was now vacated, and the Hon. Gentleman was named as the person who was to succeed him. If the question had not been asked by another he would hale put it himself; and he certainty thought it a most e ► raordinary circumstance, that it was refused to be answered, when the Hon. Gentleman said he was to found a motion on it. The CHANCELLOR, of the EXCHEQUER said, tl.e fact must be some time or other known, if true ; but it was irregular to ask auk. Member as to his private intention. Mr. K Laid, ho had had no notifcatio►► of ans , scA appeotntment, otherwise he ►could not have appear d to-day in his place. 1 VA TAX. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved, t!tpt the Report on the Excise Duty Bill be takrit into cousideration. Mr. BROUGHAM wished to oppose' he Duty on Leather as injurious to the husbandry of the coun try, amal burthensome to the lower classes, on whom it would chiefly fall. It was no doubt true, that; 'nar was expensive; and nothing was more foolish than to wish to go to war and afterwards grumble when the taxes became heavy. His objection was not to the amount, but to the nature of the tax: it was' not the best tax that might have been chosen, though it was not his business, but that of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to point out a better. With respect to its pressure en husbandry and the lower classes, lie would take for example a farm of 100 acres of land. On such a farm, at an average, not fewer than two pair of horses and three persons were em. ploy ad throughout England. lie did not refer to the Northern parts of the Empire, where agriculture was in a more improved state, namely, in Northum berland, and the Southern parts of Scotland, but to the other parts of the island :—it was a melancholy fact, that the strongest prejudices yet kept posses-.ion of the minds of persons engaged in husbandry throughout the greatest part of England, and parti cularly in time Western parts. Such was the number of horses unnecessarily employed in husbandry, that in many parts he was sure the number on a farm of 100 acre;, was the double of what he had stated ; but he would take the average of only two pair of horses and three servants. Now this schedule laid on an additional duty on these horses and servants, us lie would afterwards explain. The Leather Tax ope rated as an encouragment to farming in another way. Supposing a hide to weigh 60 pounds, there would be a duty of more than seen shilling s on each head of cattle, which in so far would be a discou ragement, to time rearing of stock. The tax on shoes would be felt most unequally ; for the upper clases would pay much less than the lower, the duty betty , laid on by weight, and consequently fall- • ing very heavy on the coarse and heavy stuff used far the shoes of the working classes. He understood 1 that the effects of this tax a ould be to raise the price j of the shoes of farm servants, at least Is. 6d. on an average, and allowing them two pair of shoes per annum, it would be a tax of 3s. a year. The leather used in harness and other agricultural purposes, ' amouut?d to a very considerable sum artentHy.-- Upon the whole he considered this as a tax on hus tammdry , amounting to 21. annually, on a farm of 100 acres. [ Hear, hear;!] Did Gentlemen consider this 'nothing in addition to the great expences to which farmers were subjected ? Taking the rent of England at 30s. an acre on an average, the rent of t farm of 100 acres, would amount to 1401. This , useful class of men were placed in a very peculiar si tuation in respect to the Property Tax ; for while all the other classes of the community paid a tenth on their annual gain, the farmer was rated, not in pro- portion to what he gained, but what another person Rained, namely, the rent he paid to the landlord.— In England, when be was taxed on three-feurtha of the rent, that is 1201. in 1501. the Property Tax amounted to 121. But these taxes which he was mow opposing, were equal to one-sixth part of this Property Tax. The farmers were, at present, he , would not say groaning under their taxes, but Wildly' ootnplaining of theta ; and yet they were going to impose additional taxes on them equal to one-sixth of their Property Tax. He would, therefore, give his solemn protest against the measure. He would atot enter on the necessity of throwing tiodiscourage talents on agriculture, or endeavour to show its imsl portatice hi a country situated as this country now vas. lu•this part of the island every person wore sboes:; and ceusepteutly the duty on leather was in fact a poll-tax, hut a poll-tax int on the head but the . laug4.)—At his Right Hon.-Ffiend (Mr. Tierney) now acutely suggeated to bliuLtry. seemed to have substituted a foot tax for, the late hat tax. But his Right lion. Friend, who had übw got hold of the feet of the lower classes, would do ho►ter, he thought, not to begin his career un6'r such inauspicious circumstances, and rather grasp at • live fold duties on the g4oves nod hats of the higher classes. Why did he not set on foot a poll tax at once. The wearers bf shoes amounted to ten mil lions. Why not at onee instead of making the rich pay Is. and the poor 3s. make every person pay '2B. this would raise one million, whereas the present tax ‘could ►wt bring in a fourth part of•that`su►n.-- lie did not mean to say, that he wished a poll tax should be substituted, he only said such a tax, how ever objectionable, would actually fall lighter on the lower classes. I Lord ALTHORP objected to the tax from its un equal pressure on the lower orders. The price of a labourer's shoes were from 12s. to 14s. and the tax would amount to 10 per cent. on that sum, while it would not amount to 3 per cent. on the shoes of the' I higher classes. No addition had been made to the duty on leather since the time of Queen Anne,for this reason, ' that it was always considered as a most unfit object of taxation ; and what, he would ask, was the time ' chosen by the Right lion. Gentleman for the impo sition of this tax, which no preceding Ministers had ever ventured to have recourse to? A time when the quartern loaf was Is. 74d.; when the manufactures of the country were at a stand, when it was almost impossible for an agricultural labourer to bring up a family without the assistance of the parish. Ile j should move as an Amendment, that the Bill bei ! taken into consideration this day six months. Mr. BENNET seconded the motion. Mr. LOCKHART said, however necessary the' imposition of new taxes might be, the present tax on' Leather was certainly highly objectionable from the • unequal manner of its operation, and the discourage- ment it would occasion to the 'agriculture of the • country. If taxes were to be laid on the agriculture of the country, why, he would ask, was the tithe holder to be exempted. In proportion as a tax was heavy on the farmer, it was a bonus to the tithe holder, into whose pockets the tenth of the tax paid by the farmer most unquestionably came. The truth .was, that the interest of the person who held the tithe was frequently better than that of the person who held the property ; and he had known instances where actually a fourth part of the land had been demanded . , for it for a liberty to inclose. General TARLETON complained of the manner' in which this tax would affect the army. Sir THOMAS TURTON said, he had been in structed by the Tanuets of the Borough, who lately had a meeting on the subject, to complain of the severe manner in which this tax would affect them. They had now eighteen months' stock on hand—their 1 trade had been for a.considerable time very bad, from the high price of oak ba The Scotch and Yorkshire Tanners were as badly off' in t;:at respect.as the Irish Tanners, who paid n.) duty and the con-' sequence would be, they would be utursold in their own market, if the duty in E..gland was to be dou bled, while nothing was laid ort in Ir?iand. Alderman COM BE spoke against the tax. Mr. BRAND expressed hi; bola that (he third reading of the Bill would not be imr.tediately pressed forward. Mr. BIDDULPH oppose] the .neasure, and sad he should move, at some future priiod, that no fur ther taxes be imposed till it was known whetherthe ex isting taxes were sufficiet,z, and that they were equal ly and diligently coller,ed. 11;! spoke in praise of the labours of the Finance C:ommittee, and adverted to tlic, •.19equal way in which the taxes were levied in Scotland, compared to England. The per centage was much greater iu the former country than in the latter. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER be gan by observing, that as duri::g the last century every thing that could be taxed had been taxed, it was evident supplies could be rai'ed only on an increase of duties upon some duty already existiu.;. With regard to the Tax upon Leath,r, no increase had been made in it for upwards of a hundred years. As to its ul timate effects upon agriculture, it should be remem bered that the increased improvemmits in agriculture were such as would enable those who were engaged in it to bear them. Supposing it should operate, as seemed to be suggested by all lion. Member, so as to produce as high ar increase as five-ponce an acre in arable farms, would any person say that the in. creased value of those arahle farms teas not such as would bear that augmentation ? With respect to the tat upon leather, 'me of tl-u• c::ief objections that had been urged against it was, that it would chietly affe,et the poorer classes of community ; but it should be remembered that a poor nuta's shoes lasted twice or thrice as long as thos. of the classes; and besides, the'materials of which shoes were made was far from constituting the principal object in their price, which was affected chiefly by fashion. But it was not true, that the 'operation of the tax would priacipalLy affect the poor; he contended that it would operate • more upon the rich. It should be considered how many domestic articles of use and ornament were re quired amovg the affluent, in which the tax would be' felt; carriages had been already mentioned, and there were besides harness, saddles, the binding of books, and other things. No accusation, therefore, could be more unjust than that its operation would be chiefly confined to the lower classes of society. One reason which had been su'ggested for delay was, the way in which it would affect the manufacturer, and that it would be advisable to wait. for further infor mation upon that subject. lle could state, however, ! that he had consulted with Re manufacturers of tke metropolis, and he saw no sufficient grounds for de lay. In reply, also, to what had . Mien from au Honourable Baronet, he was happy to say, that no duty was to be chirged upon the stock in hatid.— . Another objection was the advantage that would be given to the Irish tanner, but a very short answer would shew the fallacy of that objection. The duty now paid by the Irish tallier, was somewhat lower than that paid by the English tanner, and when the duty paid by the latter oas doubled, Cat paid by the former would be still lower. Butt in what market did that affect the Eriglittli tanner? If leather was imparted from Ireland, it would be immediate/y sub ject to the same duty as. the English• leather, and would come into the market, therefore, upon equal terms. If the English tanner exported to Ireland, he expott&l daty free ; and Would be iubjett only to the sameduties as were paid by the Irish tanner, and of course he would come into the Irish market upon equal terms. lie concluded by observing, that he thought no new light could be derived from delay, lithe whole case was before them, and in his apprehen sion it was a very simple one. Colonel BASTA Ill) opposed the tax. Mr. SHERIDAN hoped that the Right Honour ' able Gentleman would not resist the postponement of the question. He was deeply connected with a I town that would feel it very much, and consider it as a great aggravation of their present ditlicultiei and distresses ; lie alluded to his former, and he hoped he might say, his future constituents. He denied that the tax was equal in its operation. The Right lion. I Gentleman had stated that no new increase of duty had been laid upon leather for the last hundred years; but he would ask, had any article risen in price with in that period equal to leather? The fact was, it was found it would not bear an additional tax. -lie remembered when he was Secretary to the Treasury, a tax precisely similar to this was in contemplation, but upon mature investigation it was relinquishel, from such a view of its impolicy as he thought would have prevented it from ever being again attempted.— He concluded, by hoping that the Right lion. Gen ' tleman would allow time for collecting the opinions of the shoemakers, not merely in the metropolis, as to iis likely operation. The House then divided, when the numbers were— For the Amendment 46 it 66 PROVINCIAL DISTURBANCES. Lord CASTLEREAGH said, that he should have.' 1-to submit to the House to-morrow (this day), or on Monday next, a statement respecting the Internal State of those Counties which had been disturbed.— It was one he added ) which wodld lead to no dis cussion. Mr. SIIERIDA,N presented a Petition from Mr. St. John Mason, contradicting the statement con tained in a letter from the Duke of Richmond to Mr. Secretary Ryder, purporting to be a representation •f the circumstances of his case. Ordered to Ile on the table. The Report of the Assessed Taxes' Bill having been brought up, Mr. GILES - made several objections to the tsx on Husbandry Horses, as a tax which must ulti ;lately fall upon productive labour. After a few observations by several Members the House divided, when there appeared For the Clause - - 45 Against it - - - - 23 The Fast India Debt Transfer Bill was brought in by Mr. WALLACE. It was read a first time ) and ordered to be read a second time on Monday. ~::~..~ the Admiralty invariably instituted a full hiverr,a. tion. Lord CASTLEREAGH, in reply tfi %sl i m IA fallen from Mr. Baring, rogarding who were supposed to have broken their prole that not a single i ns t ance o f the kind had co m . b , his knowledge, althongh it was tree that KPVi • r , l Or, ficers who had been confined in France had ►ffected their escape. Mr. CHOKER acknowledged that there w n , one case of the kind, and only one—that of a voun. Midshipman, who, iu 181)5, broke hi; parole, a „ d who had since applied, through very powerful fi kid s , to be reinstated ; but as late as only yesterddy, the Board of Admiralty had given their ti ial ref seal Mr. BARING explained, in consequen e of which Mr. CltOK Ell added, that when he was at Ports. mouth he made enquiries of all the prisoders, and heard of only one well grounded complaint, %shicll • originated in a mistake. Sir GEORGE WARRENDER haling lately gor e over the prison-ships at Chatham, Lore testhoony to the cleanliness and comfort of all the Mell there con fined. Mr. GOULBURN explained the di ilicultiet wirlor which Government laboured in refusing adn6sion to foreigners. Sir F. BURDETT expressed his opinion that the Act of Parliament lodged in the hands of Gor.,rn. ment power which might be abused ; but he did :int mean to assert, that it had been almsod. B. did not see airy reason for refusing residence to aliens, as long as they conducted themselves peacelhl aud obeyed the laws. The conduct of the G•ole‘ai cer alluded to was most scandalous, and in his (Sir F. Burdett's) opinion Government had lietcsv,d with too much lenity to him, and too great injustice to the private soldiers, in disgracing them by the company of such a man.—Tiffear, hail!] lie rose priuti. pally to notice the immense accumulation of :mi. soners in consequence of the .protracted a olaic ; and he expressed his determinating;, before rising of the House, to move for certain documents to shew what endeavours had been made to procure au ex.. change of prisoners with France. M' ROBINSON reminded the Honourable N. ronet that such a motion had been made eighteen months ago, when it appeared that the rupture of the negociation upon th? subject was owing to the indisposition of the French Government.--[Hea r , hear!' Sir F. BURDETT enquired whether any messaga had been received from the enemy upon the subject since that time ? Mr. CROKER, replied, none; but he begged to add, that, subsequent to the rupture of the last negro. elation more than one attempt had been made without success ty the British Government to renew it.— [hear, hear !j After a few words from Mr. CALVERT, in which he stated, that the retfirn included the names of no less than five General Officers tivho had broken their parole— The SPEAKER informed the Hen. Member that the printing of the document in question had been al ready ordered some days ago. Several Papers relating to Jurats in Jersey were ordered, on the motion of Mr. Abercrombie. In a Committee of Supply, Mr. VANSITTART, moved a Resolution, which was agreed to, for impos ing a duty of 4s. ld. per cwt. on stone bottles. On the question that the House go into a Com mittee on Palmer's Per-centage Bill, Mr. VANSITTART protested against the princi ple of the measure. A division immediately took place, and the num bers were, For the Committee . - 40 Against it - - - 9 The Bill accordingly went through the Committee. In a Committee of Supply, Mr. Wharton moved the Miscellaneous Estimates, which were agreed to, and the Resolutions passed. The Report was or. dered to be received to-morrow. CHELSEA PENSIONS. Sir F. BURDETT threw out . a suggestion for the consideration of Ministers, as to tle propriety of giving Young Chelsea Pensioners the same allowance paid to the Old, in all cases where the womb of the former wholly disabled them.. Mr. VA NsiT FART admitted the suggestion to be worthy of further consideration. a • LANCASTER CASTLE. • Sir. F. BURDETT postponed his !notion respect? ing Lancaster Gaol till Tuesday.—Adjourued. FRENCH OFFICIAL ACCOUNT OF TUI DEFEAT of the GREAT GUENILL.I GE NERAL, MINA, 4c. VALENCIA, MAY MAY 10.—An account of the mili tary events which have taken place since the 1-t Ui April has been published here officiallv : On the 7th of April, the General of Division Se veroli left Trempe to incline upon the l'obla, with the 60th regiment, the Ist of the line, anii. the 7th regiment of the Italian line; intending to attack the Baron D'Eroles, who had intrenched himself. Af ter having broken down the bridge of the Nogueia, General Neveroli forced the almost impr .enable posi tion, drove him from the town with considerable less, and pursued him several leagues among the mountains. On the 21st of the same s month, the corps of the enemy, under General Sarslield, consisting of '3OOO infantry and 300 horse, proceoded from Tore d'; Embarra to Constanti, and formed a commu nication with 2000 men of the bands of Gay and 31ordlei, who had been at Roes from the 13th. Cell. Lac arrived to direct in person the projected attic': upon Tarragona; and the English, who had proposed to land the artillery at Torre de Embarra, not hav ing been able to effect the landing at that point, in clined upon Villanova the Setges to execite it. The fortress of Tarragona had been lately provi sioned and the garrison reviewed. In the night, t' , tween. the 21st and 22d, General Bertholeiie. tte, Governor, detached from the place o:!e liendre: l and lif:y men, under the command of the ( Ind of Battalion Felici, of the Ist regiment of Ita! , •ta light infantry, and the company of Sleek) , ;:••1 s d'armes, of Captain Yriarte. This troop surpri- • the first posts of the enemy, killed tell r : 0 0 , and returned into the place without loss. 'Plc `IL!' nialds, wishing to avenge this defeat, attempted, it the morning of the 22d, to make theeLlelvetilW4U's PRISONERS OF WAR. Mr. N. CALVERT rose for the purpose of mov ing, that the returns upon the table of the French Prisoners of War, who had broken their parole, be printed. lie emphatically directed the attention of the House to the large number, and to the rank of : many of the officers included in the list. He lament ed that we were compelled still to have the disgrace even of retaining men in England, who had thus ' shewn a disregard of the most sacred principles, and who proved so unquestionably the present abandoned state of the French army. He deprecated severely the permission that was given to so many foreigners to enter this country, and thought that the laws of Japan, which prevented all intercourse with China, were preferable to such indiscriminate inun ' dation. At the same time he felt the propriety of paying reverence to the sacred laws of hospitality to such as, driven by calamities from their owu, sought refuge in Great Britain. Lord CASTLEREAGH contrasted the conduct of French Officers under the old regime, with the de meanour of those under the new. Formerly such ' men as had thus degraded themselves, instead of being, as at present, restored to their ratfk in socie ty and in the army, were considered so debased as to he unworthy of the company of their fellow men. He regretted that the list presented was so numerous, and if this disgraceful practice were continued, the Uriiish Government would be compelled to adopt measures which would render the situation of French prisoners of war much less comfortable. Mr. BA:LING referred to the case of a French General Officer, who had twice broken his parole ' of honour, and who, in consequence, had been confined on boatd one of the prison ships at Chat ham. It appeared to him that this punishment was more severe than was suited to the rank and educa tint, of this Geetlearati, since he was lodged in the hold with four hundred of the common men, atul was, according to his own statement, covered with , filth and vermin. The lion. Member had heard of • several instances where British Officers in France had broken their parole, and escaped to England. Sir JOHN SEBRW HT thought that the treat ment the officer alluded to received was perfectly just, since he had shewn himself unworthy the so eiety of any bat the lowest of mankind.—[learl]: He had resigned all claim to the title and to the treatment of a gentleman. Mr. CHOKER said, that he was fully aware . of all the circumstances of the case referred to. This gen- i tleman (he apologised to the House for giving him a . title to which he had no right)—this man had been allowed his parole when he first arrived in England, • and had broken it. Upon various representations it was again allowed him, and he again broke it— • [lleur, hear .9—The statement of Mr. Baring, was from beginning to end erroneous, but he was not surprised that the individual who would forfeit his 'honour, would pay no regard to truth on the repre sentation he had made to the Hon. Member. lie ' (Mr. Croker) had visited the prison ships at Ports mouth, and the iiersons confined in them, were happy and comfortable :—they were perfectly cleanly and were provided with every kind of amusement—even music and billiards.—Wegr, hear !I—He hate no j doubt, that the prisoners at Chatham were in an equally comfortable situation. Ile regretted that so many inducements were held out by Englishmen tot, French Officers to break their parole. These abet tors were - very numerous; and even Gentlemen of high respectability were sometimes induced to sign a . Memorial to the Transport Board, praying that Wl eers who had once broken their parole should be j again allowed that privilege. Ile hoped that the conversation of this night %mita put a stop to the yam. variety of applications to him and others upon the subject. 'Whenever any complaints were made, • • : . li i c.rl