The Sun. — London, England, 1807-01-30 00:00:00

to • bc. of h \ I 139 - , is b lore the noose a Return of the num ,,,,•,nited to complete the Establishment . ' Army on the Ist of Jan. .• fr.in Foreign Corps, and Infantry from Cavalry. • 'Also a R..-:wrn Of t he number and effeaive strength oF t ~ei- v ice of itecruiting tor (in the Ist of Jan. 1806, and .-- • • ;1' .Ako a T.lturn of - the number of persons employed on ( , ) e ist of Jan 1807, in levying men under the I t truaions of the month of 04ober, ISo6, inose on the hart-pay. Also a Return of the number of casualties by death, discharge, and desertion, from the Ist of January, 805, to th. 1 tit January, 1807, fifying the date of the Returns of ciiSnalties from foreip stations. A Monthly'Return of the desertion, at home dun, : ing the same period, specifying those had been approved at ne id-quarters, and the gross number *at deserted netbre they were approved. A .ett.tin ot the number of men serving in his , Maysty's Regular Army, distinguishing.their re spe;:ti e terms of service, and their ages, according hy tile latest lit-turns, - and also the number of pen ioners, and the establishments of Chelsea and -Kil mainham, distinguishing them into their respective classes; and the ainount of thor pensions ; also a Return of non-commissioned Officers who have re ceived the additional, fora service of 14 and 21 ycars, together with the number who having served t: 1 1-3r..4, are entitled to the additional allowances. On the lasi Motion being put, Lord TEMPLE ob served, that the Returticwere so volumnions, that they could not be laid- tiefOre the House in sufficient ' ti me , if'tbe N o bl e Lt)eci called for them with a view to the discusSion - bf any military question that might probabiy be in his contemplation. Lord CASTLEREAGLI : replied, that the Returns could be easily made up ; and that his sole object in moving forthetn was, that the' HouSe - might' have • every possible information'On this subjea. PERMANENT AND WAR TAXES. Ordered, on the motion of Mr. VANSITTART, that there be laid before the House an Account of all the Permanent Taxes for the three years ending the Ist Jan. 1807, distinguishing each- year: Also au Account of all the War Taxes during the same period, distinguishing as above.- COMMITTEE UN THE ..P,U131.,10 VINANiCES. Lord H. PETTY moved the Order of the Day for the House to go into a Committee of - the whole House to consider the state of the public Finanees. Also, that the 'several ACIS for regnlating the Re demption of the Public Debt, and the several Aols for granting to his • Majesty the various War Taxes, until a certain time after ..the Ratification of a De,fi nitive Treaty, be refired to said Cominittee. The House having resolved itself' into the Com mittee, Mr. - H2IIHOUSE in the Chair; Lord HENRY PETTY rose, pursuant to his no tice, to submit certain financial Resolu . tions to the consideration of the Committee. He felt, as he na turally and inevitably must feel, a very considerable degree of weight and pressure from the magnittide and extent of the subject which it was his intention to . bring under the consideration. of the CoMmittee. But whilst he was alive to a sense of the pressure that arose from the magnitude of the subjeet, he derived a consolation front the rene6tion, that the consideration of its magnitude would give him a • • greater claim to the indulgence of the House, and because he was convinced, . that- 'won the state ments which he purposed. that day to submit, , arising out of the Accounts ths!it had 'been. pre -viously moved' for by his Honourable 'Friend :(Mr. Vansittart), depended all our national - pro•-.- sperity and welfare. This :was not now a mere sub- jell of :Npidng, of self-gratification to the 'country, but the pillar and support upon which our National Resources were Upheld,'upon which onr Freedom and Independence rested. Whatever inigbt: be the .pro bity of the statements he shotild hive to make, he 'as confident .these circumstances WOuld. give.the House an interest in them, and procure hitn a patient and attentiVe. hearing - . He was aware that, theugh 'it. was not unprecedented, it was enusual for the per son who tilled the situation he bad the honour to bold, to open. a statement of thq Supplies and Ways • and Mews before he was ready to make the loan for - the year.. Bet he ,coped to satisfy the 110116 e of the pro priety, and indeed, in a great degree, of the necessity ofadopting such a proeeeding.Without farther preface, theretive, he should proceed to state the Supplies,and the.arnount of the Ways and acorns with which it wa s F r o ppsd to cover these Supplies for the prvent year. The aipount of the Supplies had been for the , st part already voted by th House, and he beg ged leave to enuinerate 7 thein in their respe.tive order. Tile sum voted for the •• • , •!siiT of .the Extraottlinaries, was - - :I: 16 077) 83 3 There had been voted for the Army, for Greatßri:. tarn - - - - 32,829,67 z. for Ireland - - • 813 426 Making altogether - --- -- 13,643,e911 For the Barrack , lle:parttn. for G. Britain 506,23 t For Ireland - • _ - - 469445 6 Making together a sum of ---- 7 . The sum voted for the ConmiitSary- General's I)Cpartnii3iit ..as - . 8 4 1 ,5 2 7 For the . Orditancc- - - - - - 2, 755,474 From which was to be deduced that particular Esti mate for the Convnissary-Gencrai's Department, the principle upon wh:ch it was proposed to vote that service separately having been previously stated by him to the House. ' 97i, 63 7 These sever.d sitms made a total of z8,z23,786 Thc ninount of the vote for Ordnance was, For Great Witaia - ' , 3,264.514 For treanci - - - 479 ,2 i 6 In all - - . --- The Miscellaneous Services were, For Great Britaiu, at - - - 1,1c0,000 fyr I teiahcl - . 666,0.0 T :,getncr - - - -J-'----- 1866,040 ~ To , hose several:sums were to be added the usual Yott s of Ci - eO, viz 3,743.7 61 Ppr G..at Itntain For I r aud. the usual sum of 2,400,000 boo,ooo Making together - 3,000,a0e But out of the Vote of Credit for Great Britain was to be deduoed the sum of one million, to be applied .to the dis,:nErge of Subsidies at present due. There w. Aso another, sum of 500,0001. applicable to Sub si'l ies, makin. ; the whole sAsi applctiie to that pur pose out of the Vote of Credit for Great Britain 1,500,0001.: This sum was not equal to what the . pre.,ditt circumstances of Europe might require, but Ite had' no ground for supposiug that any l arge r burn would be called for, uor tudeed that any ad- dition would be required to the amount which he then stated. This made the amount of the joint charge of.Oreat Britain and Ireland, .43,811,4401. From this aetia to be dedeeled the separate e i lserge ler Great 13ritain, viz. Deficiency on Malt, .43 . 015, 200,0. , 01; ' not voted in 180 ti, because impossibleto. calculate the amount, «80,0001. Interest on Ex c h e - q . uersßills, 1,200,0001. Those whO were Members of t)e last Parliament would recollect, that it was in thy' o last Session thought-to be a more wise an d man l y crse to vote the interest that was to accrue on the Unfunded Debt at once, and not to leave it to be provided . for in a subsequent Session. To these sums were to be added what remained to be paid, and the 5 per cents. of the . ' Loyalty Loafs of 1797, amounting to 350,0001. which made the whole of the separate charge of Great Britain 2,030,0001. The total amount of the charge of both countries, therefore, was 45,841,3401. from which was to be deduCted two seventeenths, as the share to be defrayed by Ireland, amountine -5,314,2,751. and there would then remain to be de frayed ,by Great Britain a'. total sum of 40,527,0651. Having stated the sums that had been voted, and were necessary for the service of the present year, he was next to proceed to a statement ,of the Ways and Meaps,by which these Supplies were to be met. The produce of the duty on Pensions, Malt, Tobac co, and other articles, he estimated at the usual amount, viz. 2,720,0001. The surplus of the Con solidated Fund.he should estimate at the same amount as last year, and he was happy to state to the Com mittee, that notwithstanding all that had happened within the last year,notwithstanding all theevents that had since last Session taken place in Europe, he was warranted in taking the surplus of the Consolidated Fund at the same sum as last year, viz. 3,500,0001. The war taxes he should take at 19,800,0001. This sum would not comprise the whole of what the war taxes may be expe&ed to produce. He had every rea son to think that they would prove much m ore pro duaive, and bewas happy to take that opportunity of informing the House, that the measures which had been taken last year, with a view 'to the colleCtion of the war taxes, had produced an effea and result be yond the most sanguine expeetation, certainly far be yond any expectation he had ever formed. From the assessments that had been made in the course of this year, on the property liable to the Property Tax, he felt himself justified. in estimating the produce of that tax, which had been last year taken at ten millions and a half, at eleven millions and a half. The other duties on Customs and. Excise, which were levied as War Taxes, he should take at the amount of last year's Estimate, viz. 9,000,0001. There was iti ad dition to these another item, which, though of no very considerable Moment, ,would increase the ag gregate of the War Taxes. . He did not think it right, just at that time, to advert more particularly to this item ; bdt he was confident, that, when it should be submitted to the House, it would meet with their entire approbation. From every view, therefore, that he could take of the subject, he was warranted in taking the amount of the War Taxes prospeairely at twenty-one millions, though he pro posed to take them for the present year only at the burn which he before 'stated,._ viz. ip,soo,oool. The Lottery he estimated at the same etnount as last year, namely, 450,0001. To, these he pro posed to add a loan of t 2/200,0001. Gentlemen would perceive that the loan of last year was eighteen millions, and that it was a circum stance Of material importance that The Loan of the present year should be so much less. The whole of the Ways and Means, which he had thus enumeratect, made' a total of 41,106,0001. Titi sum left an excess of five or six hUndred thous sand pounds over the Supplies : but he had thought it right to leave such an excess, in order to ,cover any possible deficiency that may arise frOm any floc tuation that might take place, as flueluations would often take place - in any of the particulars compp , sing. the , Ways and Means of the year. Having thus stated the amount of the, Supplies and of the Ways 'and' Means to - the ;Committee, he felt, that, if he were addressing them in common or or dinary-times, such as would justify him or his Ma jesty's Ministers in taking a narrow view of this important subjea, he might there close his labours, and dismiss the Committee from the painful neces sity of following him through a more .gthened statement. But the Committee would feel with him, that in the present state of Europe, when the ele ments of discord, were abroad, whena he independence of all Nations was at stake, Ministers would not be justified in taking such a, narrow view of the subject. '.[-.le was-convinced they would agree with him, that, in taking a view of this important subject, his Ma jesty's Ministers, and the House, should look at the past, and to the future ; should consider the circum stances of this Country,ancl of the World ; and turn ing from that gratitude, which they must feel for their deliverance from past dangers, look with, an awe, unmixed, however, with apprehension, at that dark cloud which overhangs Europe, which no human eye can penetrate, nor any human wis dom anticipate the consequences of. Yet though this cloud may be viewed without fear, it would be admitted on all hands that it called for the employ ru,ent of every degree of precaution and foresight, in order that, by looking the danger in the face, they snight.guard against its approach, and provide against its menaces, in every way that human means or hu man wisclont could enable them, and in order to pro vide against the possible visitation of a protraeled warfare. It was their duty with that view, to en deavour to adapt our means to the situation and cir cumstances of the Country with increased energy and vigor. Ftar this purpose it was that having stated the sense he entertained of the situation of the country, he felt himself bound not to stop short at opening the Ways and Means of the year, but rather to take a view of the prospective Ways and Means of the country, which might be necessary to meet any future exigency. In this, however, he conceived it to be his bounden duty not to conceal any part of the circumstances of the case, whether favourable or unfavourable. It was undoubtedly his opinion, that in the view he was to take of the subject, there were some unfavourable circumstances, and with these he proposed to commence. It was far from being to hint a matter of surprise, that in the pre sent state of the Finances of this Country it Was difficult to point out new objects of taxation. It was . rather a surprise to bim that the Legislature could have gone 0n,,50 far in the perpetual increase of taxes as it had 'hitherto done. This would be obvi ous to any Gentle,nau who reflected that-in the year ealf, eftei the American War, the Government Tax& itiNioptited to t o millions, and that the great Statesmat who then had the administration of the Finances ofiht Cetry. had found it difficalt to ?discover new ob. jetas of taxation, met had eetualty been obliged''te e.yt,lidraw certain taxes whielehe had proposed-. Ii would be still more obvious if they reflected that at the cottelusidn of last war the permanent taxes amounted to twenty-eight millions, and thatiOnc.e th ,commeticement of the present war they had been still farther increased to thirty-two I.7nder such' circumstances it was impossible not to perceive the diffictilty of devising new' sources :of taxation, and it was equally impossible not to feel gra titude to -the .Country for the manner en which it had borne those aggravated burtheps. He did not mean here to assert, that in relying on the spirit of the Country, they might not be found to provide for the interest of the loan of the present year, or of the year after, or of many years to come. In this view, therefore, there did not appear to him to btr any absolute necessity for anychange Of system. The House was aware, that, in the imposition of new Taxes, though there Might be a danger of interfering with the produce of other taxes,the Matter might be so arranged as to.give the result required, so that they might still be able to go on in the .old track, and to provide for aheinterests of lax-me:loans. But in the View whiCh he had taken of the situation of the. Country, and under the circumstances of the proba ble continuance c the war-for an indefinite period, because no wan could rationally- by arguing infer any certain time at which.. Peace might bexestored to the Empire, being compelled to look to futurity, they ought to pay particular attention to the great object of relieving the SubjeCl. The first consideration that. occurred on this point was, that it . would be ex tremely desirable to confine the permanent Taxes to their present amount. He should think.fhat policy. as most short-sighted and unjust that would lead them to anticipate the resources . .of future generations ; equally short-sighted and impolitic would it be, -if the relief of the Subject. which whieh lye deemed so des:ir able, was to be obtained by a sacrifice of any of those principles sanctioned by public opinion, and essen tial to public faith, WhiCh it had been the inva riable policy of this Country to uphold. If any . such sacrifice were to be proposed, .he would be one of the first to objeCt to the measure, as he should never consent to a violation of those great principles of public faith ; all of those means of upholding the charaCter and the glory .of this Country in the proud station which it had always occupied amongst the Nations of Europe. He came.next_ to a more satisfai.lory part of -his taskin adverting to the Resolutions which it was his intention to pro pose, and which he was happy to think would not interfere with either of these objels, it was most gratifying to rate& that the objeas of his Resolu tions did not rest upon chance, upon fortune, nor upon any of those casualities hich usually contti bute to rise or to depres§ States. They were the gra dual result of the continued exertions, activity, fore sight, and industry of tie Country and of the Parlia— ment. They had been created by unwearied exer tion, and secured by wisdom and foresight. The two great objects to which he looked for thexelief of the Subject, were the War Taxes and the Sinking Fund. The policy of raising a large proportion of the Sup plies within the year had been first aged • upon during last war, but had been carried to a much greater extent during the present war., As it was on the bass of these two establishments tllat he meant to build his statement, he trusted the Com mittee would grant him their indulgence, if he dwelt more at large on the origin, ciretimstanees, and pro gress of both, because they were the great distin guishing features of this country, and perhaps the most important establishments that had ever existed in anycoutry. The Sinking Fend had been first esta : e'-1 . blished in 1786, and was the produCtion of that great I Statesman, Mr. Pitt; and here he could not but repeat what, on a former occasion, he had stated as a tribute due to the merits and memory of that great States man—his -enthuSiastic admiratjon of his fiLl3llCial measures and arrangements, when he called to mind that'he had been the author of that most important estahliihmk . !nt that had ever been instituted in any country. It was matter. of 'pleasing refleetion also, when they had been at ditterent times called on to regret - the loss of such distinguished chara6ters, men who, whatevzr might be the feelings. of pplitical ene mies, and no other enemies could they have had, were universally regretted as great Statesmen, and the brightest ornaments of the times in which they lived. • When he looked back to the origin of the Sinking Fund in the year i7Bti„ it was, he. re peated, matter of pleasing reflection, that two such charaaers, -though they might have differed as to*sOthe points of detail, had agreed on the general principle, and that in their unionof sentiment on this subjea they, however they might- have disagreed on,other subje&s, supported this great measure with all .the weight of their authority and opinions. In 1786, when a million had been appropriated as a Sinking Kind, the; amount of the Funded Debt of Great Britain was 238,5731,2444. The Sinking Fund, therefore, was to the debt as one two hundi : ed and thirty-eight part of the'whole. In this way it conti nued to operate till 1792, when another-financial ope ration was proposed by Mr. Pitt, and the measure, on being explained to Parliament, was adopted and acted upon. It was then proposed to add. 2040u1. annually to the Million that had before been appropriated as a ,Sinking Fund; ,and thus since the year 1792 the sum of one million two hundred' thousand, pounds was the sum applied, to the purposes of that Fund.— in 1793, the first war with revolutionary France broke, out, and another' Sinking Rind was then created by the appropriation of one per cent. on the capital of each loan. The original million, however, constituted a different fund, .for it was not to accu- ululate perpetually, as the new fund, but til it should amount to four . millions; after which, boWever, the smplus was to be applied to the alleviation of the public burthens by the discharge of the National Debt. The Sinking Fund of 793 was not subjea to such limitation, but was to accumulate until it should accomplish the object of Its establishment. No alteration 'took place in this . , relative state of the two Funds until the end of last war, when Lord Sidmouth, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, finding it necessary to fund the debt for which the produce of the Income Tax had been mort gaged, and not thinking it desirable to add to the taxes which it Was fomid necessary to impose the one per cent. on capital, agreed, iti order to satisfy the Stock Holders, to consolidate the original Sink in Punt' with the new fund e thereby removing limitation, by which it was not to exceed four led lions, its maximum, which it was to amount to iu 18 - 08. On the Ist of January, 1803, the untedeein -I:ed debt amounted to 48*,724,7601. ; the Sinking Fand was then 6,311,6261. which consisted of the two funds ; so that from the operation of the Silik ing Fund from 1793 to 1803, its amount was creased. from being /-238th . part 'of the debt, to 1-77th part of the unredeemed -debt. It next re mained for him to state the present amount of the Sinking Fund, and the proportion ;which it bears to the debt. The unredeemed .debt of Grant Britain is at present 530,35kU811.; the Sinking Fund for the year euditig ist of February next, [ was 8,333,7091. e so that the Sinking Fund was et present 1-63 d part of the whole debt,. or 141st, accordit to the money price of the Stocks. Tile improvement and extension of the Sinking Fund, and an improved appliCation of the War Taxes would be the grounds of the measure he had to pro' pose this night. The principle of raising a large pork tio - n - of the Supplies wjthin she year had been first adopted in 1797, in the triplication of the Assessfd Taxes ; - a proceedin g the most unfair. a n d u t ejtist that could possibly have been framed. He was not averse to raising .the Supplies' within the year ; but to raise them by a measure which assumed expenditure as the criterion of property was injurious and impOlitic in the highest degree. The measure was laid aside in tie subsequent year. But sixteen millions, which had been borrow ed upon it, were transferred to the Income Tax, which yeas substituted for it; and the principle being followed year after year till 1801, the benefit of the exertion within the year was in a great degree saerie feed by this continued accumulation of annual bur then ; a mischief which would have still continued to oppress it if it had not been for the measure afterwards adopted by Lord Sidmouth, of pro— viding by permanent taxes for fifty-six millions of capital, thus charged on the Income Tax, and six millions of interest. Frem the sensible etlitels of this mischief, Mr. Pitt was led, in 1801, to abandon 'the praetiO of borrowing upon the credit of the tax. No part of the loan of that year was char g ed upon it ; and in 1802, after, the P eace of Amiens, when Mr. Addington was. desirous to relic4ve the Country from the burthen of the tax, and to allow the extraordinary resources of the Conn try to repose and recruit shemSelves, so as to preserve their full vigour for future . exigencies, that. Gentleman had recourse to the bold measure of re lieviug the fund= from-'this hurt hen which becarto chargeable immediately upon the Peace ; he at once repealed the tax, and created funds for ninety-sic millions of stock, thus freeing the Country from the arrear, and preserving 'its full means unimpaired for the future aelion, which they were unhappily too soon called into. The advantages of this measure were too striking and too beneficial to require comment- When the present War commenced, the experience already had of the advantage of raising a great part of the Supplies within the year -led to the adoption of the property Tax + which, in the first instance, was - produEtive to a considerable amount. He would not maintain that it was an equal tax, fir what tax to that great amount and general nature could be made to bear equally on all classes of the commu nity, or to the circumstances of every iedividual This was the case with respeee to all general ateasures- In measures of law as in those of taxation. flo w ' was it possible t'o'pr6ient the weight'o'f the same de gree of corporal punishment from bearing unequally in'proportion to the strength of the individual who Suffered. The great prattical °hied was, to adopt some general- principle:which would leave no room for evasion. 'Renee means had been . devised, end put in force, to secure an exact re - turn - of fticome, and to insure a stria colle&ion in the Customs and Excise ; by these means a very large portion indeed of the expences of the- War were raised within the year. To these objects the attention of the present Ministers was called immediately after they entered into office last year. They found, the Finances , in a state in which seven millions were added to the annual expenditure, and' an improvement of only one million had taken place in the War Taxes. The ex penditure of the Country was overgroWn, and the icoe , mediate resources being inadequate, overgrown Jnana, were again recurring in consequence. In this situa tion his Majesty's Ministers thought it their duty to meet the burthens by adequate exertion, and ts , provide at the same time for the future operations of the War. With this view, his Majesty's Minie stern, thought proper to increase the Property Tax, and at the same time to make such further additions to the war taxes, as would make the produce of both arnoui)t to eighte t l lillions within the year. In consequence of . resolution, he had the harsh and painful:duty:Jr pressing uporr Parliament pro visions of a severe and galling nature,, 'the prnsi*.6t of whose operation it was very distressing to his ()till feelings to contemplate at the time. But though the task was painful ; the- exigency of the public service, and the magnitude of the oldeEts: that were in view, would not allow him to shrink from did duty. • He had some satisfaElion, however, in think. ine, that though the proyisionemayleaeneen in the adoption, they were amply produdive in el' i i nasmuch as to justify hi m in t a ki ng the atnoUgt of the Property TaX this night at 11,500,00,01. tip amount which combined with the War Taxes,and the , improved epplication , of the Sinking Fu n d; w ould be amply adequate to defray our future expencesV any height to which, they could be fairly calculated to arise. - He trusted he did not deceive the Rouse, if, while he did not conceal any thing that was 1- 11 " favourable, he did not preclude himself &dm thr e benefit of what was favourable. H e th oug h t himse" entitled to take the improved amount .of the W 3r Taxes at e't,000,000l: which, with the Sinkog Fund, taken at 8,300,0001. would a6rd a free ma: come of near 30,000,0001. exclusive of the Perioa7 nent Taxes. This was a fad upon which the,,HOLI Se must reflect with pleasUre, and from ,which -men would go forward, with greater satisfaiaiiin to ( 14 consideration of how it was to be applied to the C:3 15 of a war, the nature of which was such as to call 'the utmost possible exertion. He would now .procet'. to the application of this 30,000.,0001, beyond ti le ' Permanent Taxes, to-the present adual expenditur e * In order to arrive at a distinct knowledge of - that Of; penditUre, it ,ovai necessary t 6 consider _it' distioei v . from all demands from abr o ad, fr om a ll ForeignStw sidics, and from any eventual incr ease i n t h e price 4 stores; all of which may prodbc e casual vari36 o ,!; bin not of such a nature as materially t o atfo:;t