The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-05-14 00:00:00

ineentives should be applied. °theft causes should be heed on beside
mere emancipation, IN the Alember's plan for the purchase of eman-
cipation. If the 31embe attributed any of the present distress to the
proportion of the duties existing at this moment, he was in error.
The duty upon sugar was estimated at 275. the cwt., the drawback
was supposed to be 31fa. He asserted, when the prier was higher
than 475. that the drawback increased from 275. to 30s. This was
a mistake. The fast was if the price of the article rat afis., the
ipwback then became Mal It was also the calculation, that every
WS lbs. Of leri sugar made :Albs. of refined sugar. This was tne
calculation of his lion. Friend ; but the proportion was not so.
The more accurate calculation would be. a, he was Informed, that
3,4001b5. of the raw made 2.000 lbs. of the refined ; and it ems
clear that the drawback must be conddercd as a contingent, when
the price of the article itself fluctuated. The drawback. as he ob-
served, fluctuated from 27.. to 30s. until the year 111146-7, when it
was fixed at 30s. by a Noble Marquis, then Chancellor of the Ex.
cheque, at present in :mother House. This Noble person saw the
impossibility of keeping a fluctuating drawback. He, fur his part,
would not deny that he did not justify either bounties or duties I Let
he wished fur a postponement of any future consideration of
this subject until next session. And thus, trout what he had
stated, there was nothing in the motion of the Honourable
Member, except the dry. and admitted question of the boun-
ties; and he agreed with his Honourable Friend that these
bounties should not be continued. He had another objet.
tion to the discussion : he meant the distress pervading our
West India Colonies. Its effect would be to aggravate that
distress; it would spread alarm throughout all the Colonies; it
would dispirit the proprietors, who were now struggling to
raise funds necessary almost for the daily subsistence of their
families: these funds they were endeavouring to raise in this country
upon their estates, already overburdened. This discussion would I
go to the aggravation of those difficulties in whi-t the pro? -it.. •os
were placed. The question before the Ilouse was tic for die
eusaion of the bounties; if it were, this was not a Into:
motion : even if it were the time, the queshott !boob: r.ot to
coupled with any other discussion. The view t-ts af the milder
by his Hun. Fnend might be, he did not doubt, istent •ith
sound statesmanlike and humane principles, but it w.o.t. run, he',
thought, be consistent with the wisdom, sense, a;4l understaatting
of Parliament, to deal with this question, as eotmea-ted with We,
In his anxiety for the reduction of bounties, Ms lion. Pr;ent.
stated the amount of the exemption to be 1.100,0001., bat all the
money either coming in or going out of the Tec...1...ey, in the shape
of bounties, did not amount to more titan 159 or 106,144104 Of this
sum the Member said nothing distineey; he er ,140 al with
other considerations. He did not state his , %tee, u: the
measure. He did not give due r.otice to tvt.t.tna: h
was just or salutary to dispose olio touch of the public money in
the way be wished, for the purpose of establishing a fund for the
purchase of slaves front their masters. As to the statement
sporting Sham Leone, the lion. Member omitted to state that all
the funds for the improvements were contributed by the Govern-
ment, with the intention of civilising the inhabitants of that coast,
and making that colony the centre front which that civilization
should diffuse snd spread itself. Houses were built, road. were
made in that colony, by grants from Parliament, and these grants
had of course increased the Customs. lle would be the first of those
to cry down any Mtionipts made to repress the consideration of sub-
jects favourable to the interest of the colony ; but there was a wide
difference between the inhabitants of that colony, anti taking upon
ourselves the 1100,000 slaves 10 the West bulks, attending to their
police, to their moral habit* and making them zealous and useful
subjects. The Hon. Member stated himself hostile to the system
of the slave trade. He was equally so, but it was utterly impossible
to met into the details of that measure at present, or to come to a
general view upon the subject, in consequence of the general
changes which had taken place in the colonial system of Europe.
Our Government should adapt itself to existing circumstances; it
should conform to those new systems of policy created around us •
it was not possible for those who were responsible to bring forward
plans, because the elements. of those plans were not yet matured.
He would object to general abstract discussions upon the state of
slavery, and he did rut think there was ground for a specific In-
quiry, as no fact was proved.

Mr. WHIT3IOKE explained. He said. in consequence of
what fell from the Hon. Member, he would not press the question.
Negatived without a division.
SA LT DUTIES.
Mr. WODEIIOUSE wished fur the maintaining of the duties
on salt, to enable the Minister to make a suitable reduction in the
taxation laid on windows. Ile was aware or one ground of oppo-
sition to his motion, that the House stood pledged to the reduction.
From this opinion he dissented ; the HJilbe could not be considered
pledged—there might not have bean one-third of the 31inisten
present at the time. The rule for the conduct of the House
was, to act according to circumstances; if it were otherwise. the
House would cease to be identified with the people, and would go
the length of stultifying the Constitution. Fot the details on the
subject he was indebted to Mr. Can, the Secretary to the Treasury ;
it was the opinion of that gentleman, when examined before the
Committee, that the scale of penalties should be lowered, in pro.
portion to the rate of duties ',bid' were evaded; this would cum
n general improvement, and world diminish smuggling. As to
the salt tax, to which hr called the attention of the House, he
not conceive why there should be such a difference in England and
Ireland, especially when the exchequers were consolidated. The
duty on salt was reduced from ISe. to 2a. ' • the expense of collection,
amounting to 300,09 should
4/. ou be reduced in the same proportion.
With respect to the prosecutions taking place under these laws, he
had prepared a list, shelving their number from 111111. In that year
there were 191 prosecutions—penalties 3,41)01. In the year 1 ma,
there were 33 prosecutions, the penalties were 331. Under Exche-
quer suits, in the (:own of Exchequer itself, there were 37 prose-
cutions--the peualties amounted to 2,4'11/4. In the year WM, there
were but three prosecutions in that Court, and the penalties were
11. Ills. lie wished to know what became of that 1/. 180.2 He
hoped it was added to the Consolidated Fund. In Scotland,
ir. lttri, there were 812 porecutiona—the penalties were 612 f. ;
the consequence was snuggling on salt wasdone away. If
he wished to address the Chancellor upon this subject, it would be
by a deputation of smugglers. An Hon. Gentleman, the Member
for Cheshire. informed hint of a gentleman well known in that
county, who kept twenty-four men and paid than for smuggling;
but he latterly dismissed them, as he would be able to pay them
no longer, the temptation to the I ?scree being gone. As to the
fisheries, he valued them much, but he could not give in
to the opinion that they would be carried to the extent supposed.
As the law at present stood, it was necessary to have a certificate in
many instances of the quantity of salt consumed, of the amount of
capital employed in it, and other foolish restrictions, which should
be dispensed with. There was also a penalty of forty shillings
in :Irene instances, and in other!, of even a hundred pounds, for the
application of this article to agricultural purposes. These and
several other parts of the present laws should be expunged, and he
contemplated their extinction in the continuance of the present
duties. Much advantage sits expected from the tree permission to
use this article in agricultural pursuits. For his part, he thought
the advantages which were contemplated from this permission went
greatly magnified. lie wished particularly to hear the sentiments
of the lion. Member for Cumnerland (Mr. (.."urwen), who (ruin the
estates which he enjoyed in the Isle of Man, and other parts of this
country, would be likely to supply some valuable information on li
the point, bow tar agricultural pursuits would be promoted by this
encouragement to increased consumption of salt by the reduction
of duty. lie expected the opposition of the Members tor the
western counties on this question ; but there was one lion. Gentle_
man, the Hon. Baronet, the Manlier fur Westminster (Sir Francis
Burdett), whose support he valued more than that of them all put
together. (A laugh.) As he advocated the policy of the grant of a
million to Ireland a few nights ago, and preferred the appropria-
tion of that sum to Ireland to that of 500.009/. to the building of
churches, and 300,utee. to the improvements of Windsor, he
(Mi. W.) expected his support of the present motion, as it was
necessary the tax Amid bung ntore money, as the exigencies for
the use of it increased. 'die lion. Member proceeded to the eel-
dence of Mr. Parks before the Committee of '1 rrde, as to the effect
of the discontinuance of the salt duties. In reply to *question as
to the result of the repeal, he said it was impossible to apprehend
what new exertions would be made, and new branches of industry
rise up, front the impetus that scold be given to speculations in
mar.ufactures, he. trout the free use of this article. It ass his'
(Mr. ‘Vodehouse's)opir.ion, ilint the interests of manufactures did
not at all requite the CVl7lCtiOil of the salt duties. It was the
opinion also of litany Members en both Minot' the Ilutise. lie would
even put to the lion. .!ember fix Itodotin, it he, casting off local
pareslities, math! "peek leat real sentiment*, if the interests
of manufactures required the extension of these duties ? If he would 1
come forward and say so, he (Mr. W.) would consent to withdraw
his present motion. In the evidence which was given on the sub-
ject of the salt duties, it was stated that in GPI!! where one pouttil
was purchased now, fourteen pounds would he purchased ; and
where a gallon only now would be taken, persons would, in the
event of their ccssatiou, take a bushel. The use of the article of
Isalt in the lotteries was also maintained ; it was said that it would
11018111 tUM persons at sort there, and operate to destroy
the paralysis wishes was now prevalent in those Places. Did any
Hon. 31ciithers, be could ask, believe all this? lie was sure they
• did not. lie adverted to the evid.nee of Sir F. Barnard before the
Committee, and to the opinion of the lion. Member for Wareham,
who quoted a passage from the w.itiegs of Mr. Burke, in which it
was stated that the English paid five pence a pound, and the French
only two-pence. This opinion had not the teotteicy which it was
supposed to have by the Honourable 31ember, but lie defied any
passage to be sheen in the writings of that great man, pointing out
toe material benefit to be derived from such a cessation of duty as
is now eontemplatcd. There was a great increase of buildings lately
in England ; many art them were built closely and inconveniently
together, both as to accommodation of light and sir. If a redue.
tier of taxation could be made, and in his aphids' the Assessed 1
Taxes afforded a much better opportunity for realm-dm than the
::alt Tax, thee had stronger claims. In the year 1411, out of two
millions five hundred thousand houses claiming excumtion, front
pore-ty, a million were exempted on the ground of poverty. lie
felt more disposed to give remittance of taxes in the shape of rt.
lief to the houses of a low rate of aressment, than in the form of
reduction of the salt duty. The principal objection to his motion
was the alleged plpdgo given for the repeal of this duty. Wear,
hear from the Opirsition.) lie did not exactly comprehend the
force of this objection; pledges of this kind were always eon.
trolled by circutustsnees; for instance he approved of the leaky of
a Sinking Fund of five millions. If pease should continue, and
national prosperity increase, he, upon mature deliberation. might
think a sum to that extent not necessary to form a Sinking
Fund. In voting for a measure once, it was not to be
oupposeti that he should vote fur it to all encrnity. His motive
in bringirg forward the present motion simply arose thin a
cons tenon that there were other interests which more re-
quired relief. His intentions were liable to misrepresentation;
but it was the result of his sober judgment, that the prurient re.
duet ion of the salt duty was not that which should be selected in
preference to other interests, whit rued in greater exigency, fur
relict. Ile concluded by movieg to the effect. that the prseent
salt duty be ceLtthoeil, with a lien of allordieg (lova:mica mom