The National Register.
London, England, 1819-06-14 00:00:00

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completely failed. The quantity of Malt on which
the duty had been paid had considerably diminished. Where it
was, with the additional duty, in 18'3, et .ton,ooo btubei,; it
was the followingyear only 17.0,)0.1100 bushels—to be sure that.
was a bad Mak eras htw, according to the result of three years'
experience, the iliniimitian in the Malt Duty Lad letoened the
quantity of Mat. Titti4 agriculture had not experienced reha:'„
As to the price ut Beer, after the duty was taken off, the price was
lowered. but only fur a ;cry short tune ; it was almost blemish-
ately niised to its former price, at which it lead since continual.
remaining as high as when the heaviest Malt Ditty existell. Thus
the promised rthif to the poorer classes had nut been experienced.
The additional duty he now proposed to name was about half
the amount of what had been taken of)'; and he hoped to be able
to 5118 W, that. notwitlistandinl such advance of duty. any rise in
the price of Leer would not only be uncalled for, but unjustifiable.
(Hear, bear! and some laughter.) Aceswiling to a Itepon of
last you (of the Brewers' Cotninittee), an intelligent Gentleman,
Mr. Barclay. stated, that in May, 1818, be averaged Malt at
and lltqw at 241. per hundred weight ; at present the House
could not take Malt at a higher price than Gss. not Hops higher
than 81. 12s. per hundred weight. The brewing a quarter of
Malt, last year, was estimated at !el. 11;s. Bd.—this year it could
not be estimated above CA. 17,.4t1.; the additional duty would
impose an increased expenee of 2s. 4d. ; and that would leave 51't.
a quarter to the brewer beyond what be enjoyed lust year; and
where then would be the call for an advance tie the price of beer
to the consumer? This additional duty he calculated would
produce etoo,tmeol. The articles here named were susceptible of
adulteration; but, as they were under die Excise, Ramis were
more easy of detection than were adulterations in articles sub-
jected only to the Customs. The articles on which he proposed
to lay additional duty, were--'l'obaccca—Coffee and ('ocoa—Tex
and Pepper...4Clieering and much laughter.) By Tobacco. he
expected to get an increase of 300,0001. ; and according to new
cakulations and mode of collecting the duty. he believed that
fur some time Tobacco could be wild niuch cheaper to the public.
—(Continued laughter ) By an increase of 4 per cent. on Coal*,
he calculate) on getting 13u.tatol.—Froni Pepper, by rai,ing the
duty iron; 96 to a round luo (a laugh), he tdought there would
be an addition of 100,0001. And he expected that these increases
would produce little or no variation in the quantities consumed.
One article only remained for hint to mention, namely. Spirits
distilled in England: and by an additional duty on that he
expected to raise stio,uftol. beyond die pr, sent produce. The
whole amount of these increased duties lie edimated would be
3.1,90.0tai1. and therefore, calculating on some small deficiencies.
lie might fairly ealeulate on tin improvement of die Revenue to
the extent of 30.10,0001. The items, on recapitulation, would
stand thus:—
Consolidation of the Customs . . 1.5nn,n00
Exciscas-Malt (Is fol. per Bush. additional) 1,401411,11
British Spirits . . . . . 500.1x0
Tobacco ..... . enn,evax
Coflee and Cocoa 120,1100
Tel 130,000
Pepper 100,010

The Right lion. Gentleman having terminated this detail. said
he could not hut impress on the I louse that the increase of the
public burdens was indispensably to uphold the dignity of the
Country by the maintenance of public credit. They had now
to determine on a permanent peace establishment. They knew
the amount of the expenditure ; and he could rot calculate on
any material reductions. lle concluded with moving the Reso-
lutions already before the public.
Mr. Tien NE r rose. In the few observations he had to make
to the llouse, he would confine himself to the abstract question
of the three millions of new taxes in the fittl: year of peace. It
seemed to him. that after all the vapouring about the Sinking
Fund, after all that had been said about its inviolability and the
confidence which its existence inspired in the public creditor, we
now had this inehincholy fact—that Ministeis were driven to a
direct breach of faith with that public creditor. All the rase-
ranees which he had formerly made. were now, it seamed. het
sight of. and the public were to fbrget them as if they had never
been made. The Sinking Fund, after all. is in fact only two
millions, and Parliament must make it s.tesaooni. in order to
make some provision for the future payment of the debt. Now
we had a debt of itumoon,ooes. and even at one per cent. (the
usual allowance on loans) it would require a Sinking Fund of
bon,ollo.oooe. to am to meet that on Jut old principle. So that
now• in the fifth year of peace• we were to go on with a debt of
noo m ,onoail. with a Sinking Fend Of 5.000,ti0u1. ; and to supply
that and make both ends meet Mr the present, we were to have
3.000.nu01. of new taxes and this se were told to look to, as our
permanent peace establishment. (Hear.) The Right Honorable
Gentleman's language was this—•• Here I come again with my
old proud prancing periods; give me but 3.000,0001. more, aged,,
depend upon it. all shall be right. happy. and agreeable for the
future." Before a tingle farthing of such a sum was granted to.
him, be thought that be (the Chancellor of the Excheyuer)
ought to state it hat he had done with the many millions which
had previously been voted. He had indeed promised the nation.
that it should have indemnity for the past, and security Be the
future ; but it was a strange indemnity, and • still stranger Se-
curity. to infix upon it 3,000,n001. of additional taxes in the fifth
year of peace. (Hear.) Was it too much, under such circum-
stances, for him to ask the House to pause before they determined
—to deliberate before they resolved ? Was it too much for hint
to demaail or them to exam ne how this sum had been advanced.
and that had been withdrawn ? The last ptuposition of the Right
Hon. Gent. was this—'• that it is expedient now to hicrease the
income of the country by the imposition of taxes to the amount
of 3.000.0001. per annum. ' The Right lion. Gent. must forgive
him if he raised his voice most loudly against these 3,00001001 of
new taxes. (Hear, hear.) The lion. Gentleman then desired
the I louse to look at the situation in which the country was placed.
He had himself admitted the complete stagnation of our trade ;
whether lie admitted it or no was very immaterial. since nothing_
was to be heard, from one end of the country to the other, except
the distress in which all classes of our manufacturer/1 were plunged.
The petitions which the Howw had received from the tigrieultte-
tpl part of the community clearly proved that their fortunes were
not in a much tr.ore flourishing gate than those of the manufac-
turer ; whilst the complaints which they were now daily end
hourly receiving regarding the heaviness of the poor-rates. showed
that the evil eves not confined to particular distticts, but spread
far and wide throughout the whole nation ; and yet what was the
answer that the House was making every t 4 hoto3 to there ex-
pressions of misery and distress? Why the amuse r was, ••'s%c
will impose upon you 34100.000 h of additional taxes." (Hear.)
Were the people of England stocks or stones, that they cot, id he
expected to induce such treatment ? (Ile:tr.) It might there-
fore he a fair question fur any one to auk. in what way were
our finances to be at Mu put upon a fair footing ? To such a
question he would reply, that there wire only three niethetis—a
constant application to the Sinking Fund ; an imposition of new
taxes; or, what he thought better tl an Loth, a retinae and re-
trenchment in every department of State. (Ilean) He main.
reined that the House had no right to impose a single tax upon
the country, until it had shown that a reductionhad teen trade in
every establishment which could be teduced. (Loud cries of
hear ;) and that it had no right to goad and irritate the people
by new imposts, until it had shoe n them that there was no other
risource to which it could apply consistently' with either the safety
or the credit of the ration. (Hear.) But he supposed that sonic.
of the gentlemen on the opposite latielew would say to hint, I
know you talk grandly on creamily ; hut can
you part out ai:,/
reductions by which a large rum can be saved to the peblic r
He would reply to these interrogatoties. by answering, that he
believed that such reductions might be wiled out ;
and by ca-
pressing his firmconviction, that an administration which is ade
economy their object might save at leave 1,000,(001. to the come