The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1806-05-20 00:00:00

"
road a second time, and ordered to be committed
on Friday sennight.
Mr. VANSITI'AItr moved for an account of
SU Kilt charged with duty, f.)r two years, ending
ds* sth January. 1806, distinguishing each year.
Ordered.

Also of all Malt. charged with duty, made in
Scotland, slasiog the -ease period, distinguishing
each year. Ordered. . .
Also *e number of barrels of StrOnFtier
brewed within the last ten years, within the Dis-
tricts of the Ktcise Office, distinguishing each year.
Ordered.
Also an account of all Tahle Reer hrewea within
the same period, distinguishing -each year. Or-
dered.

Sir J.- NEWPORT postponed his notice relative
to the Dublin Paving Bill, which stood fur to-day,
to Thursday.
Mr. HUSKISSQN gave notice, that he would
to-morrow move for a copy of the Minute of the
Treasury, relative to the Petition of Chalmers and
Cowie.
Lord TEMPLE said, that a Bill had been passed
in the Lords, for suspending the Ads of Naviga-
tion, in certain cases ; and it had occurred to His
,Majesty's holiytii,setnearlst,iersh,awt
Ilthicehrerewnedseriendtihteirg
sr:mueuar
have orienated there. It was, therefore, hos in-
lention to move, "that the said Bill be read a first
tale," and afterwards. " that it be read a second time
:this day three months, iii order to bring in a simi-
lar Bill in that House," which was done, and or-
dered accordingly. His Lordship then awed "for
ve to bring in a Bill to the same purport," and
lifts: wards, " that the said motion be referred to a
Committee of the whole House.to-morrow."--Or-
dered.
A Message from the Lords informed the liouse,
that their Lordships had agreed to the Mutiny
Continuance Bill, the Treasury Bills Bill, the Irish
pebentore Bill, and several private Bills, without
any amendments.
Mr. BANKES said, that in the muse of the last
two Sessions, the House had adopted some very
liberal regulations relative to that useful and im-
portant establishment, the British Museum ; and in
the Isst Session, particularly, respelling the antiqui-
brought from Egypt. He begged therefore to
•
~ • That a Committee be appointed to examine ibe places met-
ed ler tbe reception of The Egyptian Antiquities, and ;bat they
' aeriale same, viththeiriipinion. to the House.—Ordered.
rfr XORTOI.A FREE PORT BILL.
Lord TEMPLE moved the Order of the Day
for the further consideration of the Report on the
.Tortola Free Port Bill, which being read, he pro- •
sed a
bogs-
beads
to
be
exClauteT to
to3,ltictt.the mltnwuatbtehreteofforen
e
-
cessary the Bill should be recommitted. The
house then wentinto a Committee, in which
Mr. ROSE repeated his former objections, and
added, he could see no reason for the Bil ; but the
Noble Lord had made a blunder, and did not like
to give up the bill, lest it should be discovered. If
the Noble Lord would give a single good reason
for the bill, he would no more open his lips about it.
, Lord TEM PIA: said, the Right Hon. Gentleman
was mistake n ; he had made no blunder, and as to
his motive, he could have but one, the carrying into
ailed a measure which justice and equity requited.
The ground on which he proposed the bill was.
' • to make British merchants vest their capital in 'Tor-
tola, which they now do in the neutral island of
St. Thomas's.
Mr. HOSE said, this bill, or a similar one, had
been in force for three years, and the merchants
knew it produced ao effect at all. The Noble Lord
bad certainly mistaken the objelt of his own bill.
Lord 'FEMPLE said, the bill had been repealed
early in the third year, and taking the time before
it operated, it had been in operation no more than
one year.
Mr.• ROSE insisted it had been in force three
comphie seasons, and if now passed into a law,
might 'have the tired of btieging into this country
an incalculable quaritity of foreign sugars.
After a few observations from Mr. Vansittart,
and Mr. Percival, the Clause was agreed to, and the
Repor: ordered to be received to-morrow.
EXCISHAND CUSTOMS IN IRFLANI).
Sir J. NEW PORT rose in pursuance of the no-
. lice he bad given, to move for leave to bring in a
- bill for regulating the Mice of Customs and Excise
in li eland ; without entering into the subjea of the
regulation, it would be sufficient, he said, to state
i the client of the revenues in I ;04 At that period,
the Cus:oms wile 121,0001 and the Excise 160,0001.
making a total at 200,0001. At this day, the total
amounts to 3,000,0001. By this bill a power would
be given to enlarge the number of Comeriissioneis.
The Board of Customs were now obliged to apply
to the Excise for assistance to go on with their bu-
siness; this additional number was called for, because
it was intended the revenue causes should be tried
before the Commissioners. Under these circum-
stances he moved for leave to bring in a 'bill " for
establishirg certain veralattcrhs in the miriagement
and colledion of the revenues of the customs, ex-
cise. an I tate. in Ireland."
• Mr. FObTER seconded the motion ; which was
agreed tn.
Sir .1. NEWPORT then moved, " that the Ad of
the 44th of the King, far raising an additional force
in Ireland, be reed," which being cone. Le stated that
the same ineonveniencies an se from raising paro-
chial levies in Ireland, as in Englami ; and he
moved, " That kayo be given to bin in a Bill to
repeal the said All."--Grain d.
NEW TAX ON pßicArr mctrwras.
The House having resolved itself into a Com-
mittee of Wars and Means—
fPrd HENRY PF.I'I'Y said, it seas within the
reeolledion of the House, that a 1.-v days since he
moved to defer the proceedings on the iron dusty, with
the view to find nut some other tax or taxes %%loch
might be more acceptable to that House and the
country. In nose preaneing that substitute, he
considered it desiriab!e that i: Rhou'd fall on one
single article only, as being the must certain mode
of obtaining the requisite supply. He was aware
of the wish that prevailed to kook to luxuries as
the best source of tazstion ; but these would be
found ism& fi.t.tte to the present exigency. and
would he harassing in their operation, with. •it
• Lettarni ny.: sn
igaffibiely
ttie..pnityetiproodatatev
to the
13,uVis a view to
sum proposed
toinbbe-

raised by the Jute on Iron, he had sele,fted the ar-
ticle of private brewing, which had, of late, very
considerably increased, from motives as well of eon-
venienci as ueconomy. It would be, sufficient to
furnish the sum now wanted, at• the same time that
it would be in a proportion so moderate and li-
mired, as still to leave a great advantage to the
private brewer. It was difficult, he owned, to fiud
Apy daim_upon which he could accurately calcu-
late the produce ; but he could not he very distant
from it, when he stated, that the criatitity of malt
paying duty, was three millions of quarters, but of
which there were five or six millions of barrels of
strong beer, brewed by common brewers. One of
these millions was nut included in their consumption,
and therefore must have been applied to titivate
breweries, in the proportion at least of about 790,000
quarters, as it was ascertained, that even in the
scarcity, the private brewers consumed 2.50,000
quarters. Judging upon that calculation, the duty
proposed may fairly he taken at the full amount of
the proposed iron duty, namely, 301,0001. The
most obvious way of realizing this produce, would
unquestionahly he to put the private brewers under
the excise ; but he was deterred from doing so, by
the inconvenience it would create to private fami-
lies, and the odium with which it would be attend-
ed. He should, therefore, propose to give those
persons the option of a composition, according to
the rate in which they paid to the assessed taxes,
and that every one should make his return accord-
ing to the number of carriages, servants, and other
assessed taxes he was subject to, and get a licence,
permitting him to brew as muFh as he and his fa-
mily consumed. By this means, the new duty
would not touch the comforts of the cottagers or
lower orders, who were not charged with assessed
duties. The scale he had to submit would exempt
all persons of that description, and was ranged un-
der the following classes:
First Clast.-.-Thn.a who kept four-wheeled rarriagee, to pry,
annually, one citric' for every male, and half-a-(uinea fur
every female, of their family.
Second Claw--Those who keep no four-wheel carriages, ho
were a,seseed to the male ..ervanta dui), to pay 1.56. for each
male, and 7s 6.1. for each female.
Third Class.-These who had in male servants, hut were
charred with other assessed taxes, to pay Ws. Cr: omits, and
female's.
Fourth Clase..Those who were only uies-r d to the horse
and 'window duties, ss. males, and 2s. 64. females.
With an exemption in all the chasms of elt.ldren under the
age of ten years.
It would be impossible to calculate, with any ac-
curacy, the number of families in the country,
who brewed b'er for their private use ; but he be-
lieved he might safely estimate the first class at
12,000, the second at 50,000, the third at 350,000,
and the fourth at 390,000, which he made no
doubt would produce the sum required, still leaving
to private families a great Advantage ovet those who
resorted to the common brewers, and not at all af-
fecting the lower classes of the people. The reso-
lution, therefore, which he had to submit was, that
towards raising the supplies granted to His Majesty,
there be imposed on each barrel of strong beer, pri-
vately brewed for the consumption of families, of
the value of 16s. a barrel, a duty of 10:. unless the
parson brewing it shall make a composition with the
Commissioners of the Assessed Taxes, atter the rate

before mentioned.
Mr. ROSE said, he did not rise to make any op-
position to this tax, which otitinated in the sug-
gestion of his Right Honourable rriend, now no
more (Mr. Pitt) who, however, intended to make
an exemption in favour of farmers, who were in
general under the necessity of brewing a consider-
able quantity of beer, in harvest time only. He
wished to know if any such exemption was now in
contemplation ?
Sir ROBERT BUXTON objeted to the prin-
ciple of the tax, as, if the precedent was adopted of
obliging people to take out a licence for brewing, it
may afterwards be extended to baking, boiling, and
roasting. It would be a hardship net the landed in-
terest, as country Gentlemen are tinder the neces-
sity of brewing their own beer, being out of the
reach of the c.unmon brewer.
Mr. LONG did not see the use cf giving this
option of compounding with the Commissioners.
Sir W. GEARY was in faveur of the composi-
tion, for the sake of keeping the Exciseman out of
private honses.
Mr. HUSKISSON ohjeaed to the effea of the
tax upon Gentlemen who may reside nine months of
the year in London, dealing with the public brewer,
and were obliged to brew for the consumption
of the other three moriths, in their private houses.
By this measure, they would be compelled to pay
as much as if they resided in the country All the

year.
Mr. PATERSON expressed his convietion. that
the landed Genilenien did not wish longer to have
the necessaries of lite cheaper than the poor m.m,
who paiJ a penny a pot more for his beer to the
common brewer, thaw the rich man brewed it fur at
home. He thought the produce of the tax would
be mach increased, by laying the fluty upon the

man to brew exaftly what he thought proper. In
point of equality, between rich and poor, he con- 1
sidered it to be a very fair tax.
Lord H. Pit'lTY said, that the option was favonr-
able to those gentlemen who 'raided only a du at time
in the ceuitti y, as it would be more to their advan-
tage to come wider the Excise. He did not pro.
pow the option h r the benefit of the Government,
but fur the ivcrommedation of the private brewer.
However, at all event t, the principle of its interfer-
ence with domestic concern, was an ohj-Rion which
he thought could nut well Apply in these times, as
the duties on carriages, horses, terrains, and indeed
all the assessed rum were of the same nature. The
principle of licence was by no means new, and had
been resorted to in the beat of times. In the reign
of George I. a licence was required for making can-
dy., though since repealed.
Mr. ROSE thought it wrong to allow *the alter-
native, for, by that means, a man may pay the
lice:ore for a Short time, and then brew enough to
last him Env several years.
Dr. LAW ith..NCE thought it strange to hear
these gentlemen. who, in the beginning of the
session. cle•catle-cl on the prosperity of the country,
and the facile y of-raising taxes, as a " bed of rows,"
now calk cting to every duty that was proposed ;
her his ewn part he should prefer a direct li-
cence, withian an option ; and clientele titer was
a defect in the ausifications as these who wae