The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-03-05 00:00:00

SALT DVI Y

The Right Hon. Gentleman then moved the or-
der of the day, for the second reading of the Salt
Duty Bill—which being read;
Lord W. RUSSELL rose to oppose the motion.
He began by expressing his hopes and wishes, that
those Gentlemen who constituted the Committee,
and who had made a report, that the Salt Duty
ought to be altogether repealed, would now come
forward, and give their reasons for making that te-
port. For his own part, he could not help opposing
the tar, as one which fell direcaly, and very heavily
too, on several of the absolute necessaries of life.
He particularly instanced bread, cheese, salt-rneatr
and salt-fish, all of which were, in a particular de-
gree, the chief find of the lower orders of the peo-
ple, and could not, therefore, fail to operate on
them, with a pe:uliar degree of hardship and seve-
nty. He contended, that one of the first effects
which would be felt flo.n it, must be to raise the
assize of !mead, already at an exorbitant price, and
would be more dial the I rover orders of the people
coold well bear. He could not, on that accouro, give
his assei t to this ax, and would, therefore, move as
an amendment, th it, instead of tt be now rend a se-
cond time," the words tt this day six months" be
substituted.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, the same observations had been made, when
the tax was first mentioned ; but the Noble Lord
and others, who had argued on it, were certainly
in the wrong in their mode of erimatitip; this mat-
ter. That report by no means proceeded on the
grounds which the Noble Lord relied on. Take the
whole of the arguments, and it went neither to snore
nor less than that of taking of the duty on Salt. al-
together. As to the fisheries, they had always been
exempted, for a drawback of the duty as to theta had
uniformly taken place. He begged the House to re-
colleEt, that this was a duty ih,ch would bring in the
sum of 500,0001. in time of war. That the Coln..
matee to which the Noble Lord alluded, and which
had made that report, sat in time 4-peace, and that,
whatever might be their opinion at that parti-
eular period, there could be no doubt but it
would have been very different, bad it been given in
time of war, fur it was clear they acted under an
impression that salt might be made conducive to
agricultural purposes. One of the strongest proofs,
be said, that can be adduced, as to the interpreta-
tion he put on it was, that the question had slept
from that time to the present. No one of the Com-
mittee had stirred in it ; but now the argument is
brought forward in time of war, when it is absolute-
ly necessary to raise taxes to a certain amount ; sup-
pose the taxes to amount to a 11/11lion, those parts of
the country in which salt Lh is only found, will

stand ezaaly the same as they do now. He mew-
ed the House he was at all times sorry to impose
taxes which could in any degree be supposed to fall
with particular or extraordinary weight on the
lower or poorer classes of tke community. But he
must, at the same time, remind them that he had a
high and paramount duty imposed on him, which
was that of raising Money to carry on a war, in
which the honour, the safety, and the dearest and
most vital interests of the country are most deeply
implicated and involved. An Honourable Gentle-
man opposite to him (Mr. Fox) had complained,
on a former night, that the present taxes were laid
too little on articles of general consumption. He
had uniformly made it his study to impose taxes
which should, as much as possible, fall on the higher
classes more than on the lower. That system had
been persevered in for many years ; and if Gentle-
men would take the trouble of running over the
taxes of 1804, which amounted to no less a sum
than sixteen millions, they would see in how much
less a proportion they bear on the poor to eitat they
do on the rich. If they look on the great addition
made to the assessed taxes, which are almost all on
articles of luxury ; it they look on the taxes of
wine and foreign spirits, articles which do not be-
long, or in any sort touch on the labouring poor,
they will be convinced, that the greatest attention
has been paid to the lower orders, and the taxes im-
posed on such articles as they have been exempted
from. It was impossible to agree to the Amend-
ment of the Noble Lord, without abandoning the
salt duty altogether, which he thought no man in
his sober senses would contend for. He thought it
impossible to say the proportions were unfair or un-
just, taking the calculation of the salt consumed by
the higher and the lower classes of the people, and
it fell much heavier on the former than it did on the
latter. It was estimated that it did not amount to
more than three or four shillings on any person in
the lower ranks of life, a,id, if so, how much more
must that be exceeded by those in the higher? 1-fe
was convinced there was no comp.irism. As to the
other objeaion of the Noble 1. ,rd, that the tax would
take the assize ut bread, he thought it of very little
consequence indeed, for the assize of bread is never
altered on less than the price of a sack of flour, and
the salt used in that cannot be more than a small
fr. taion of a penny. Under these circumstances,
however desirous he might be to lay taxes which
should bear on the rich more than on the poor, he
felt this tax to be so essential to the interests of the
country, that he could not give it up, and must there-
fore resist the amendment.

Mr. FOX declared, that since he had sat in that
House he never knew a tax that was liable to more
objections. He perfectly coincided in opinion with
the report of the Committee, and he was certain
that, if it had been followed up, it would have been
found highly advantageous to the agricultural in-
terests of the country. He denied the inference
drawn by the Right Hon. Gentleman; that be-
cause four years had elap,ed without any thing
being done in it, the re„; rt was not good in it-
self. He condemned the n.,de now resorted to Of
increasing the per centage fro:n one million to a
million and a half, as a most fallacious and injurious
mode of proceeding in taxation, for there was no
knowing where it would end. He insisted that we
ought, even in time of war, to object to this in-
crease, and that it should be one of our chiefest
cares not to suffer an increase to take place. This
WAS most clear to every one who rightly understood
the ptinciples of taxation. The Right Hon. Gen-
tleman had said the fisheries were exempted. He was,
host-ever, of opinion, that it was a very exceptionable
way to lay taxes on any article which required
drawhad... One of two things must happen ; either
the dr.svback is not paid, or it is paid but partially.
I low was it possible, he asked, for the poor man to
obtain his drawback ? The impediments were so
many that he feared few or none would ever attempi
it. lie denied that the Right Hon. Gentleman had an-
swered his Noble Friend's position, that tIM tax fell
diredly and with weight on the lower orders of
the people. He had said that it was no tax on
meat, nor on bread ; he would, however, mention
an article on which it was a direct tax that fell very
heavily on the poor. No one would venture to
deny but that the poor had very little chance of
eating other than salted meat. He had made an
inquiry into this subject, and the result of it was,
that to salt a hog of twenty stone would require a
bushel and a half of salt; and the less the animal
WAS, the greater quantity of salt was requisite
in proportion. The rise of salt, which had al-
ready taken place, was. six shillings a bushel, that
which was before sold at i 4s. being now sold for
20s. Here are 6s. a bushel laid on; so that, if his in-
formation be true, a hog of that weight will cost in
salting 9s. thu price of a bushel and a half, and a
smaller one will cost more than the half of that,
so that, upon meat consumed by the poor man, you
must at least aJd one halfpenny per pound, which
he insisted WAS a direS tax on the poor, because
poor people were under an absolute necessity of
eating such :neat. He i ever could admit the Right
lion. Gentleman's position, that a tax could not be
withdrawn in time of war; if it was an injurious or
partial tax, weighing more on one particular class of
the community than it did on the other, it could not
be too soon withdrawn, either in the time of war or
peace. He insisted on it, that the Agricultural in-
terests of the conarry would have been infinitely be-
nefited by the repeal of the tax altogether, and hoped
the House would not suffer it to proc..ed any fur.
ther, AS, in his mind, it was impossible to conceive
a tax that was more exceptionable.
Mr. EGERTON said a few words against the
tax, as bearing hard on the salt works in Cheshire.
A MEMBER, whose name we could not learn,
spoke against the tax, but in so low a tone of voice
that we could not chstinSly hear him, further than
this, that in the neighbourhood where he lived, when
salt was raised from ss. to 10: a bushel, it created
such a difficulty, that the people were obliged to give
over curing salt fish altoganer ; from which he had
no doubt the tax must be very severely felt by the
lower orders of the people.
Sir W. PULT::NEY said, he was a memher of
the committee, which had been alluded to as having
made a report in favour of the repeal of the Salt
Duties altogether; and, the only question against
following up that report was the difficulty of find-
Mg a substitute for the tax, which would be ade-
quate in its amount. The Right Hon Gentleman
had said, that this tax was no more than three or
four shillings a year; but he begged the House to

recollea, that it was as. or Ts. a year on each
of a family; and where that family was latent it
fell with a very great weight indeed. He had also
said, that Parliament had been studious to impose
taxes on articles of luxury ; that might be, but
he could Cot forget that they have also imposed
them on some of the absolute necessaries of life.
Witness this very tax, and another, which bore a
great degree of analogy to it, viz. the tar on leather.
"These kind of taxes he could not but condemn ; be-
cause, he was well aware of their mischievous tend-
ency, for both of them contributed to raise the price
of labour ; and of course, by that means, materially
affefled the interests of agriculture. Those who made
salt, he said, were obliged to be content with small
profits, from the heavy duty that was imposed on
it. lie exemplified this position, by a reference
to the Gabelk, or Salt Duties in France, under the
ancient Government. When the tax in that coun-
try was very high, the general average was su t.
posed to be 121 b. per head ; but when it was
it amounted to 281 b. per head. He said that s„ It
was an article which was particularly wanted ho
the lower orders, who were obliged to use it in al-
most all the articles of necessity on which they
sustained themselves. In licanl tnd they used it very
much with their oatmeal in the various ways in which
they dressed that necessary of life; but, in the time of
the scarcity, the people were compelled to use their
oatmeal without salt, as the price of one and the
duty on the other would not permit them the use of
both, so that he was convinced the tax fell the
heaviest on those who could least afford to bear it.
The Right Hon. Gentleman had said that you most
have taxes in time of war. I admit that, said ~e
Hon. Baronet, but we ought at the same tier, t.,
look at the circumstances of the people; and he
thought it would he better to make retrenchmeras in
our expences, than to go on in theipmfuse and extra-
vagant way we had done during the last war. For
these reasons he would vote against this Bill.
Mr. ROSE replied, that on the sto jea of mewl.*
and extravagance, as tepees ed by .be Honoer-
able Baronet, to be imputable to the Gm eminent ;
there was no man more ready than hi: el' (s
henrty laugh from the Opposition sae); ne repeated
that there was no man more ready than he was to
enter into the discussion of such question , wh:
ever they were brought regularly before the dons. •
but he could not approve of such a method of usfr7.,
incidentally, topics, which had scarcely even a
mote application to the silbjeet direaly under LthA.
deration. The Hon. Gentleman opposite to
(Mr. Fox) was under an error, in supposing, from
any former reference or experience, that the addi-
tion nov: proposed would, in arty degree, tend to
diminish the consumption of salt ; for, to judge by
former experience, he was prepared confidently to
state, that after the former salt tax was deuhled,
the consumption was not diminished in any part
of the country. It was also an error en say
that it was customary in Acotland for people to
catch fish, and afterwards salt them for the
Lute of themselves and their families, as it was
well known to be the praftice of individuals to
apply to the fish salters for what they wanted to
supply their own consumption. He contended,
that Mr. Fox was also under a misapprehension in
asserting, that the cure in salting of twenty seers of
hog bacon would require a bushel and a half of
salt; for, at the time the Hon. Gentleman was
making that calculation, he stepped out of the House,
and ascertained, that the salting of such a quantity
in his own family did not require more than 13 or
14 pounds of salt. But even admitting that some
of the objections to this duty were quite A;.plicable
(as where was the duty to which of jections did not
apply ?) he mut give his xupport to the mesiure,
because, after the most mature consideration, he did
not know of any article ie the whole system of
taxation which could possibly be made an ade-
quate substitute for the picient measure, or one
which would not be considevd as much more ob.
jeftionable.
Mr. FOX replied, that his cakulation was not
founded ou what was the praftice in geittlemen's fa-
milies, where they only salted certain parts, such as
merely the sides of a hog, and that only for speedy
use; but to those persons who were obliged to salt
the whole of it, and, in such a thorough manner as
to be prepared for consumption at a temote period.
Mr. ROSE explained, that his calculation went
to the whole of bacon hugs salted for the use of his
Mr. Alderman COMBE spoke in so low a
tone of voice, that we could collea but very tittle
of what was said by him. We understand hint
however to allege that the wholesale dealers would
make this tax a pretext for an enormous rise on the
retail dealer, and consequently on the consumer;
and lie also wished to corrett a mistake into which ti.e
Rt. Hon. Gent. (Mt. Pitt) had fallen; he said it
would have no 'flea upon the price of bread. It
was very true, that by the Int mer Aft t':e price of
bleed win regulated according to
article of expense
to which the bake, was subjeeted was taken into
account, and the price of b.ead tot the week
regulated acccrdin.tly.
The SECRETa RY at WAR wished also to
correct a misoteteinent made by Sir William Pul-
teney, when he said that the new tax would be as
addition of four shillings on each individual of a
family; whereas, by referring the consumption of
salt, and comparing it with the population of the
cuantry. it would be found to amount to no more.
on an average, than four shillings a year epon e.eh
tamily, and not on each individual.
'Lord Aacaraai D ii•ISILTOM and Mr. HUIV.D...
SON said each a few worth, the first against, and the
other in favour of the original motion.
Mr. JOHNS lONE coatended, that his Hon. re- ('
lation (Sir William Pulteney), so far from ex 7,ge-
rating the pressure with which this Bill woulu tall
upon each individual of a family, had, through
inadvertency, understated it considerably. Ix
proof of this he referred to the Iteport of the Salt
Committee, which stated, that the duty, as it before
Komi, would amount to 25. 61 on each individual
to which, if the raw duty of Is. 9d. mere was add-
ed, the whole a ould amount to 4s. ad instead of 4s.
as had been stated by the Hun. Baronet.
Ihe House then divided, when the our.nlers:
were—For the original Minion, 93—Against e, o).
Majority 33.
The Amendment being thus lost, the Bill was
read a second time, and metered to be comnatted
to-morrow.—Adjourned.

M

Airf iNOON,
We-MAY, MaIICH 5.

l';'lP 41...4.1T.1.5.1-1 PIit.ESS

The Salt fifty 111.1 wits read a second time last
night in the House of Commons. The Tax, how-
ever, ti.ill no doubt be amended and modified in the
Committee. Thus much may be inferred from the
following paragraph in The Liwerpoi Adverther re-
ceived in town yesterday :
" The following is the copy of a letter, dated Lon-
don, Feb. 27, from Gen. Gascoioxe, relative to
the export duty on Salt, addressed to the Worship.
ful Writ. Ratline, Esq. Mayor :
author' by Mr. Pitt to inforin my Constituents at
t he shall, fur cite present year, desist from press-
tug if Common., the proposed Tax on the ex-
port of salt to the Conti lent."

We still remain without any intelligence of the
Toulon and Rochfort squadrons ; of course their
destination is involved in endless eonjeaure.—
Among the various opinions that have been hazarded
upon the subjetct, one of the most prevalent is, that
the Toulon fleet is gone to the Levant to attack the
Turkish Frnpi re at Aboukir or the Dardanelles, and
that the Rcchfort squadron is bound for the Brazils.

Orders have been sei.t to the Mint, to prepare a
silver coinage for Ireland, to the amount of one
million sterling, with ..11 possible dispatch. It is to
consist of ten-penny and five-penny pieces. The
Ming has undertaken to execute use order at the rate
of 10,00.)1. the first week ; and 20.0001. for every
week after, until the whole amount shall have been
issued.

memenmeeeissema
On Sunday a Cabinet Council win held at Lord
Mt. Loa AVeS Office.

Yesterday the Real; aa Amsassamea transalkod
business at Lord MuLou Avt's Olifica frook two till
three o'clock.

Lurd DIAICANTION starts for the borough of
Kna .borough, and Cavennise BaAssitAw is can-
vaniog 'he borough of Hookers.
the Drake sloop of war is appointed to convoy the
ettwatd-hound West India ships from Portsmouth
to Cork

It is said, that the troops will be ordered very
early into camp, on the Kent and Sussex coasts, in
con equence of the aelive preparations making by
the enemy on the other side r,f the water.
Meetings for the suporession of local notes, are
becoming very general throughout the kinedoin.—
The lila VOR of Fareter has appointed a nieetlng for
this purpose, of the inhabitants of that city, to be
veld this day.
We hear that tEe bakers of North and South
Shields have determined, for the purpose of avoiding
the salt tax, to use salt water in future in the making
of breed.
Th. weather now being tolerably fine,the works at
the heights of Dover goon with increased aetivity ;
shaft has been begun, and will be opened before long
to form a quick mode of ascending and descending to
and from the worksheet the town in Sna rgate- street ;
the Barracks that are finished are very commodious,
and said to equal any in the kingdom; great im-
provements are also said to be likely to take place
soon in that harbour, now become a place of so
mach consequence from the great force the
_enemy
has eollefterl at Boulogne.
The passengers by the nine India ships now at
Portsmouth, are not so numerous as in some former
seasons; they consist of two returning senior mer-
chants, two writers and three Assistant-Surgeons on
the Civil Establishment; of the Company's Military,
fifty-four Cadets; thirty Ladies; the officers of the
meet
&eh reservme gint. and three Ceylon writers in Govern-
ice.
An interview has lately taken place between the
eIIt•NCIILLOR Of the EIGH 'Spill and several Lords
Lieutenants of Counties and Colonels of Militia, re-
lative to the catering the provisions of the Defence
Bill into etecuti i.
Sunday Scho ..s are about to be instituted in most
of the towns in the West of Cornwall, under the
auspices of the Methodists, and to be kept in ;heir
chapels.
The Comptroller and the Surveyors of the Navy,
having completed their inspeaion of the ships at
Portsmouth, have proceeded to Plymouth for the
same purpose.
A large smuggling lugger arrived on Sunday at
Dover, with about twelve hundred parcels of gin,
brandy, rum, tobacco, and tea, taken by the Tariur
and Lmety revenue cutters, after an affray, in which
two or three were wounded.
On the 19th ultimo, the Officers of Excise, on
searching the North end of Deal for some goods,
calen out of the wreck ship Endemism., were op-
pled by the Deal men, who mounted a twelve-
p ;and carronade to file on the Officers, and deter
tl:em from doing their duty t but the Officers c riling
the mili:ary to their aid, the banditti that Of posed
them ran away. Great praise is due to the military
on this occasion.
On Friday last, the bodies of five passengers were
can ashore at Vs'eymoutli, and immediately buried,
•-• all twenty-one bodies that have floated
of the A6,rgaveilliy. The ship is
e position a. when she sunk. No as-
been male to weigh her.
‘'nnlght, the Petition of the inhabit.
with upwards of 15,000 signa-
a :epeal of the late Corn Aet, and
partof an aa, passed in the SI st
of His present fslAJsnTs, which re-
imposing certain duties en foteiga corn,
Great Britain, when the same shall
• home consurr.ption, was transmitted
Lsq. Member of Parliament
of boroughs, to be by him presented
The incorporate bodies of that city
of Calton, are also preparing peti-
rature fur themselves.

THE SONS OF THE CLERGY.

This Society had their union dinner yesterday, at
the Thatched House Tavern, St. Jaynes's-street.
It was the usual meeting, preparatory to the grand
anniversary festival, on the 9th of May, and was
attended by the Stewards eleel, and also the Stew-
ards retiring from office.
Among the former were—His Royal Highness
the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of Beoroan, Lord
GRANTIS AM, and the Bishop of Kr LIIIOIII, as proxy
for his uncle, the Archbishop of Tua w.
Among the latter were—the Earl of Barnet-
WATER, and His Royal Highness the Duke of
CAMBRIDGE, who, with his Royal Brother, contri-
buted much to the pleasure of the evening, by their
affability and attention.
The meeting was also honoured with the presence
of the Archbishop of Cairrresuae, the Bishops of
Chiron' and Etarta, and several other Noblemen
and Gentlemen.

The LORD MAYOR attended in the morning, but
did not find himself sufficiently well to stay for din-
ner. It was officially reported to the Meeting, that
a detachment of the Artillery Company, command-
ed by Colonel LE MERV RI et, will pay their respells
to Their Rorat HlOHNnses on the 9th of May, and
rec►ive them at Temple Bar, from whence they will
conduct them to St. Paul's, and thence to Merchant
Taylors' Hall, where a sumptuous dinner will be
provided.

r4king
trorn the snack a
still in the wane pt
ten2pt has yet bees
X egterday se'nn4
an.: of GI istro
It titres
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-- she repeat a
s Itir a the re;
'stet to the isn—gpnosiol.r
4feboti.,j in G"
tarn out for ho
rs
r h 4. distria of
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Is d the suburbs of
4 like ratu
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