The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-07-09 00:00:00

iiis Noble Friend, it was in his conviction of the
necessity that the Small Still Bill should have cc-
colon:tided this in its enactment ; he wee tarry it did
tint, because theta the principle of the Dew measure,
or rather of the abandomnent of the old, could have
r fair trill. He chiefly touched upon this cireum-
rtance, to enter his protest against any argument
that may hereafter he drawn from any eircntesmance
of illicit distillation not being pot down. The
Small Still Bill would have acted as an auxiliary
t the present one, cud would have been a most ilx-
s.roble measure to pass sinsultenentisly. His Noble
Friend hail bottomed his speech on the notable
memorials of public bodies. Who were these bo-
dies ? They were the large distillem thetiselves
—under whose auspices and instructions the Chan-
feller of the Exchequer had already obtained two
Cuonntittrra, upon which, as they referred to Par-
liaments that were gone, he might refer is matters
of history—Committees over whom extraordinary
influence hail been used, and conclusions arrived at
with little uttentina to the evilletice that hail
poem adduced. The Noble Earl concluded by
supporting this Bill as the only remedy which
could be tendered to Ireland with any hope of
relirving that country from the oppressions of the
towidand fine syrtein. It was in vaiu to say it bore
'toy assimilailini to the laws of Ireland—to chew its
14ri,rng irjoreice, lie had only to ray that he had
Unown instances in which succestive fines had been

in so oppressive a manner. that the land-
lord himself wished to be relieved front Iris lease,
as the only chance of terminating Ins responsibi'ty,
circumstance which would hardly be believed in
this more fortunate country.—(lleac.)
The Earl of Ltvenroot. thought it very im-
port:nit that the measure against which so man!,
pointed objections had been drown, should be' fully
moleratood as not having originated (he its policy
bud or good) in the imperial Parliament. It was
enacted iii the Irish Parliament, in the year 1733,
and continued by them until the period of the
Union. It was subsequently discontinued as a
metier of trial while Mr. Foster wigs Chancellor of
the Irish Exchequer, and such a disimprove.-
ment (if he might use the phrase), both in the
morals and revenue of the people, took place.
that it was deemed necessary to revive the former
It was revived with the concurrence of
rill the Cabinet Ministers of the Irish Arlgninis-
tratiou of the most different polities! principles;
for lost:wee, Mr. Foster and Sir Julio Newport,
with the exception of Mr. Wellesley Pole. He
did not agree with either of the two Noble Lords
who had preceded hint in the debate, on the
subject of police. lie certainly could not see why,
in a ease of general revenue, if there was a con-
tinual deficiency, and the object was to be attained
by the assistance of a police' the use of it was so
objectionable. The great and important question
was this. could the landed proprietors, put down
illicit distillation, and does, or dors not it con-
tinue in existence by laeing connived at, and tacitly fI
permitted by them ? That was the real question.
If their exertions could not suppress the system.
then the old law was most certainly had ; if other-
wise, the case was not to clear. Ile knew
that it was a subject on which strung pre-
judices existed ; he allowed also that there
might be districts so peculiarly situated that the
proprietor!, would be incapable of extinguish-
ing the practice ; but he was inclined to think that
in .1 Vaal majority of inetauces they did possess the
means. Let that be as it might, undoubtedly con-
siderable abuse had prevailed under the former
law. The Noble Lord had inquired what were the
Haulers of his Majesty's Ministers in repealing the
law. With respect to that, it had not fallen to his
lot to have had much previous communication with
ihe members of that part of the empire which the
measure regarded ; many of them had thought it
their duty to state to him and to others the
hostility in the sentiments of the people to the
Act. It accordingly became • very serious ques-
tion for his Majesty's Ministers to decide. whe.
flier they should give up a measure introduced by
the Irish Parliament, renewed in the Imperial
Parliament at the desire of the Irish Members them-
selves. and which had succeeded its raising a
revenue. To the few Gentlemen from Ireland with
whom he had conversed ou the subject, he had
staled his seiitiments very candidly. Ile had told
them that Ireland must raise her proportion of the
revenue required for the service of the State—that
the pentium-tits of those who paid taxes on the nature
of them were entitled to great couaideration—but
that if the mode of taxation now established
were to be abolished, they would midoubtedly be
Called oa in provide an equal portion of revenue
in some other way. The old Act had much to re-
commend is ; it was successful in its object, and it
had at this moment the approbation of a very large
number of Irish limbers, including some who had
given every attention to the subject ; for installer,
the Noble Lord himself (Lord Diniouglimort), Sir
John Newport, and Mr. Foster, who knew more
perhaps of the revenue sod general state of Ireland
than any other individual. With these authorities oil
their War, if was else duty of the Executive Govern-
:nerd 141 pause well before puttiug an end to the law.
I Todoubteilly the present measure had not been re-
sorted to without doubts on the mind of Ministers.
But one consideration had weighed much with them
lig forming their resolution; that aiuce the intro-
glaction of the Act a system of police had been
established in Ireland by as Right Hots. Friend of
his (tee presume Mr. Peel), which lied beets fool'd
highly efficieut and beneficial, and therefore it was
thought wise to try if by means of these a milder
si stem of revenue law could be carried into ett'ect.
At the same time an option had been left teeny pert
.4thr country that thought proper, to revise the far-
'intl. law by an application from the Grand Jury of
the county to the Lord Lieutenant. As to the
other Bill for the encouragement of mall stills. it

.......
would hive been very desirable. he admitted. that it
could Inaire been introduced with the present; but
it had not been found practicable to prepare and
digrst it sufficiently within the time. It wus yet u
problem whether the measure before their Lordships
would be successful or uot ; et all events. be thought
it would not have been politic to refuse it a trial. Ii
..honlel succeed in bringing in the necessary revenue
ithont the abuses, the inconveniencies of the exist-
ing Act, and the dislike and apprehensions of the
people, lie should be most sincerely happy ; if. on
the contrary. it should fail. be laid in the claim
of Oita country to Ireland's tlisk iit g good the same