The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-03-21 00:00:00

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seemed that io Scotland the excise commuted in
some instances the duty on candles for the payment
of los. annually. Let the teluty be taken ot, •iid
every individual be at liberty to make candles.
Instead of 600,0001. they gpuld give to agriculture
in the proportion of 900,000/. by the increase of
consumption of house tallow. There were besides
35,000 tons of foreign tallow used for candles, and
18,000 tone used for soap, about $O,OOO tons
used illicitly, which paid no duties at all.
The excise were unable to stop that illegal truffle;
he expected great advattusgesio Adding that quantity
to the general consumption of British tallow. Ilia
measure was not only necewary fur present relief;
but if not taken in tune tallow would become a
branch of foreign trade, to which the countries
who had it in greatest abuodance would direct their
attention so as permanently to injure the grazier._
If any danger were suspected to our present inter.
course with Russia, why not commute the tax on
hemp, which injuriously affected the shipping in.
terra% and place it on tallow, which would be us fa-
vourable to Rossi* and produce great relief to
agriculture ? The tsx on hemp was most onerous.
He dud not know • class more oppressed than those
on whose operations it bore with the greatest weight.
What was the state of the Greenland fisheries ? Forty
ships less were employed in the last year. That
trade was nearly destroyed. The effect of a tax
on foreigu tallow would be to raise the price of oil
to 31.6.. which on 20,000 tons would be an increase
of 61,000!.: on these grounds he intended to move
the House. If Government would have taken it
in hand, he would have preferred the leaving it to
them ; if they would now undertake to reconsider
the subjectos the measure would be best effected by
them, he would leave it them. Let them undertake
to grant this relief to agriculture and the fisheries.
He would not expatiate on the distresses of either,
but if nothing could be done for their relief, he
felt that a crisis must sent' approach. He would
not say what would actually happen; but the un-
exampled forbearance of the agriculturists during
so long • period, must at leugth give way. They
could not go on in their present course; if they had
not relief they must soon cease to contribute their
share of the general burdens. He concluded by
moving for a Committee of the whole House to
consider of the prop.iety of imposing a tax on fo.
reign tallow, in order to take off the tax on soap
and candles.
Mr. STILES agreed genet:illy with the Hon. Mem-
ber on the desirableness of relieving:egriculture.
It would be his business, in pursuance of the notice
which lie had given, to submit a motion for the re-
peal of the tax on candles, and he would be pre-
pared to point not to Ministers the corresponding
saving which might be effected in the expenditure.
He did not approve of the plan of increasing the
duties ou fureign fat; it was particularly objec-
tionable in regard to our present relations with Rus-
sia; peace and war were trembling on the balance.
At this time, when the preponderance of our na-
tional influence was most wantiug, it was also de-
suable that nothing irritating should be done to
alarm the jealousy of Russia ; besides, the new
tariff was now actually unsettled. Would it be
proper to meddle at this particular juncture, when
all they could hope would be to give security to
some daring 'peculation% which were entered into
on the rise of foreign tallow, expected to ensue from
the imposition of this duty ? He represented •
town peculiarly interested in the Greenland fishery ;
but he believed he should do his constituents, and
the shipping interest generally, a great injury by
supporting the proposition of the lion. Geutle-
man ; the effect of the tax would be to lessen the
importations from Russia ; that would lessen the
exports from England. If we bought less we
should also sell less. The carriage of our ROL.
sign commerce was effected in English hottnms.
Take the loss of carriage and the diminished con-
sumption of manufactures into the account, the
duty on tallow would be oppressive to the manu-
facturing and shipping interests. The duty on
candles was small in amount, and the advantage
to Government no way corresponding With the dis-
advantage to the consumer. It was a tax on the
poor ; the rich eluded it by the use of wax, gas,
and other elegant contrivances to illuminate their
chamber.. It was a tax on labour itself, front which
it took a very large proportion Of wages. A person
well acquainted with the expenais of labour had
assured him that the price of lights made a con 7
siderable part of the sum of 204. which a weaver
Was enabled to earn by extending the hours of la-
bour. Whenever the question of the remission of
taxes should occur, the tax ought to be taken off
candles. He took occasion to discourse on the
sinking fund, an object in the continuance and
management of which lie had little faith. He ad-
mitted the necessity of having • surplus revenue.
It would he folly and madness not to produce a
distinct sum beyond the expenditure from the taxes;
but he would not take a step in that course be-
yond what was necessary for national credit.—
He objected altogether to the proposition of erasing
the sinking fund to accumulate by compound in-
terest. lie thought that the state of the revenue
would rouble them to repeat the tax au candles
without detriment to any class.
Mr. F. ROBINSON. io a few word% wished to state
she reasons why he must oppose the motion.
As one of that class whose interests the Ho-
nourable Member professed to have in view, he
would have been glad to support any measure
for their relief which could have been effected with-
out detriment to others ; but be could not agree
in the view taken by the Holt. Grnt!emsn. His
measure must have uue of two effects—to raise the
price of tallow, or out to raise. If it raised the
price, that would be an aggnevat pro Mato,
on the expense of candles to the consumer, which
would be as bail as if effected by so increase of
duty on candles. The existing duties on candles
were from 9/. to 101. per too ; on tallow from 3/.
to 4/. per ton. It was proposed to impose a duty
of 20/ per ton, instead of M., the amount of the
whole Julie* at present. This would be any thiug
but an advantage to those who were oppressed.—
What object was there to view? To relieve agri-
culture? In taking measures which would oppress
other classes, tney ought at least to look well In
the degree of relief to be obtained. The House
ought to be very cautious how they trusted to the
advocacy of this measure, which had among its
boldest partisans one who was said to be deeply
interested in the success of speculations depend.
fug entirely ou the rejection or adoption of it.--

....g-P

Thal person hail slated that tht average duty on
tallow would be then about V. 10a. He had gone
a round-about to prove this; it might be correct or
it might not; if it were correct. it would make
cattle more valuable by shout 3s. a head on oxen.
Were they to risk the existing relations with Rue.
sin and other countries for • relief not worth
having ? But suppose the price of tallow were
not raised at all—and he wits at liberty to
take either of these positions, as they had been
each held in the succession of argument—sup-
pose then the price of tallow not to be raised at
home, foreign f■t would be supplied at so low a
rate that it was more than probable the price would
not rise. The ioferrnce of the Honourable Gen-
tleman in every way was wrong ; it would come
to this, that as the restraints on foreign trade
were so great that the different Power, were to take
any course they could to come Tutu our markets,
the moment it was detected that their itigeouity
had discovered a way, Government was to step
in and impose new restrictions. Rather than
go on in this way it were better to shut tip
shop—(Lsughter)—it would be impossible to do
any business in foreign trade profitably. If the
measure were to raise the price of tallow, it would
be no benefit to the grazier, as far as lie was a con-
sumer, while it would be injurious to the com-
munity, and especially to the lower orders. He
held it to be equally objectionable in any sense.
Were they to risk their relation• with foreign
countries, and incur their jealousy and ill-will, per-
haps in the end their huatility, fur the sake of keep-
ing their produce out of our markets? He must
give his decided negative to the motion.
Mr. Ricaano had heard the sentiments of the
Right Hon. Gentleman with pleasure, and most
heartily coneurt•d with him ; he hoped to see him
enforce the same doctrines on all other objects of
our commerce. His Hon. Friend near him was
astonishingly alive to all taxes laid directly out agri-
culture, and it was really surprising to see how he
got over the ground on his calculations of the effect
of a tax, on the prices of commodities, and the costs
producing, from first to last. His Hoe. Friend
thought the price of tallow would he made to rise
51. It would be extremely difficult for any one to say
what die effect ►ould be; but he took the calcu-
lation es to the larger profits of the Russian
produce to be made entirely in error. It was not
the interest of any country to send their produce
into • foreign market at a dearer price than they
could afford ; end, generally speaking, we had
Russian tallow as cheap as it could be rendered.
He disagreed in the propriety of any lax imposed
for a particular class. It was full time to
set aside all such notious, and give full effect
to the industry and ingenuity of all countries.
He could not help adverting to what had been said
by the Member for Hull in respect to the 'nuking
fund. The Han. Gentleman was a friend to a
surplus of income, but objected to • sinking fund.
He could imagine no other idea of a sinking fund,
but • surplus revenue. What was the use of a sur-
plus but to employ it in reducing the debt ? The
Hon. Gentleman was afraid to trust Ministers with
• sinking fund on account of past experience. He
agreed with the Honourable Gentleman. But for
that sentiment no one would go farther than
himself in the establishment of ■ sinking fund.
Though no one was more eager for measures to put
the country out of debt, yet he would not agree to
trust any Ministers with, a sinking fund. He would
vote for the remission of taxes so long as any sink-
ing fund existed. He had heard taxes selected her
repeal ; one preferred the malt, another the salt tax,
another the duty on candle.. He admitted the
salt tax to be a great grievance ; but these were
not the taxes he would have repealed. In his
opinion the tax on law proceedings was the most
abominable and unjust—(Loud laughter)—it was
• violation of justice, and a direct wrong to the
poorer claimants, for it went to the advantage of
the rich. Every Member had his favourite tax for
repealing. He would have the tax on law proceed.
kips remitted.
Mr. T. WILSON expressed his satisfaction at the
liberal sentiments expressed by the President of
the Board of Trade. He could not concur in the
motion, nor in the sentiments expressed oft the
wool tax in the course of the argument upon it.—
That tax was a great mischief to the country, and
had caused the prohibition of English cloths in
Spain for a considerable time. He apprehended that
Russia would act in the same manlier on the itnpo-
sition of the tax proposed. He opposed the motion.
Mr. J. BEarrr disliked the confined view of
their interests taken by the agriculturists. Would
any of those Gentlemen have the same feeling fur
the manufacturing interests ? Would they be as
anxious for the repeal of the duties oil foreign silk ?
If they were sincere in their wishes for freedom of
trade, let them vote fur the repeal of all the re-
straints on commerce one by one. lie would volt
for the motion. reserving his optiiittu on the a;•pli-
ca►ion of it till the discussion in the Committee.
Mr. PHILLIPS was glad to
see any relaxation in
the restraints on foreign trade, which were nothing
better than impediments on our own. How weir
they to trade at all if they would not admit itu-
portutiou ? The silk trade had been referred to as
tine depending on restrictions; hot let the denies
be taken uff raw silk, and the restrictions might be
removed with advantage. If that were dour, the
improvement of the silk trade would extend itself
to agriculture, which could only be supported by
the prosperity of rminufactures and commerce.
f-fe was happy to hear the sentiments of the Presi.
dent of the Board of Trade. At present they wets
foolishly fearful of importations, ■nd the exports
were obstructed by the difficulties placed in the
way or the imports. He ridiculed the represents-
tiona made by a party interested in tallow specula-
tions out of doors, sod concluded by opposing the
mutton.

Mr. CURWIIII, in reply, thought it bard that an
individual should be su harshly commented on as
hint who had been adverted to. Ile had nothing to
do with the views of that person. Ile would waist
any Member in obtaining ■ repeal of any taxes
which could be spared ; all he tought was some
measure of relief. He expressed his surp►ise that
the end of the arguments of all the political reouo-
mists should be so oppose•d to granting any relief.
Ht. argument went on the necessity of the case;
lie felt, as he stated at first, that ■ crisis was aps
picnicking (if ito relief could be granted), alien it
would be impu►stble to bear the existiog burden..
tic thosght the measure he proposed Pas demanded