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

ttwions end indnstry of the country; but it was
tell 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
the debt, by an illusory system of assignees, by
speliations 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
approbation of the plan of the Noble Lord, even on
its 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,
Item its nature :serious and intricate, especially
When 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 the 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 inattetry 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 but 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,-