The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-04-22 00:00:00

REPEAL OF USURY LAWS.

Mr. Serjeaig o!ssr.ow rose, purroatst to notice.,
Fsubmit o motion to the House, with a view of
ocaring a repeal of the loos regulating the rate
of interest on money. Why money should not be
allowed to bring in to its owner whatever look he
'night be enabled to produce from it—why the con-
tracts between man and milt, conceraing this ar-
ticle of ronourier, should he shackled and fettered,
tlwse rot all other commodities were left free
rival open, no good reason had ever het liven ad-
vanced. The truth stas, that the laws on the sub-
ject had their origin to the false views and narrow
notion, of Our 111110:S111111, whose illiberality also led
Coln to denominate the ban% of interest above
a certain t.!ablis'ieil rate, usury. 'Try were passed
at stages of out history when it could not be sup-
posed that our 11..e4i-Istors rotrmoord very rasli4hi.
cord trews ou the :rthject of pasta:Al tco.

General Si tee nat. I.wouid oppose the motion. The
opinions of the whole coinmeicial merest of the
North of !retain' were adverse to the change con.
terupletod be the Ron. awl beamed Siam. The
Bankers of ilelfast bad held a meeting to consider
of the subject, in which they resolved, that to re-
peal the Usury Laws would shake to its eeiitre the
commercial credit of the country. The Chancellor
of the Exchequer had told the House last night that
Exchequer Bills could now be had at the rate of 2d.
per day interest. Was it at a time when money could
be obtained on terms so easy, that so great • revo-
lution was meditated He had heard of gentlemen
of landed property, from the operation of those
laws, being obliged to pay interest at the rate of
nine per cent. He would confess that lie had him-
self some experience on the subject, but had
always been able to borrow at the rate of five.
Mr. J. P. GRANT ass unable to reply to the
speech of the Honourable General, as he had
grounded Iris opinion on that expressed by the
Meeting of Bankers at Belfast, without detail-
ing the reasons on which they hail arrived at it.
He would most cordially vote fur the motion of his
Hon. Friend, is whom he felt much iiiilebtedfor
having wan, brought the subject before the House.
Mr. CALCRAFr bad last year opposed the Bill.
fle would now vote for the appointment of a Com-
mittee ; not being, however, pledged to implant
any measure it might reromniend, unless it brought
forward new matter to c7iiiiige his apiuiun.
Gem THORNTON shortly supported the motion.
General MITCHELL signitiell that he would for the
present withdraw his opoositioo.
Mr. Serjeaut Oxst.ow said, that if the Hon.
General had read a Report of the opinions deliver-
ed at the meeting in Belfast, lie would ace that the
ground. of the conclusion they had come to, were
fultile in the extreme. He liad examined it with
accuracy, and had not found a tittle to shake his
former sentiments. Vise views of the suhject could
not be looked for from those who cum posed the
meeting, men quite unversed in the operations of
money. He had received litany letter. from Ire-
land, and he believed that sin part of the Empire con-
tained stronger advocates fur the measure he con.
template'', as none were more interested in seeing it
accomplished. The Hon. General bail stated, lie
had been able to borrow money on lauded security
at 5 per cent. He believed he was the wily gentle-
Mall of lauded property who could snake such a
statement.

The motion was then agreed to, and the Com-
mittee appointed.

REPEAL OF WINDOW_TAX-IRELAND.

Mr. lloserr SHAW then rose, sod addressed the
Douse to the following effect :—" Pursuant to sty
notice, I now rise to more th..t the Petition pre..
rented by me to this Douse from the Householders
of the City of Dublin, fur the repeal of the Win.
(low Tax, together with the other Petitions from
Ireland on the same subject, be referred to a Com-
mittee. And in this tpsesison to the
coosidenitiois of the House, I hive to regret that it
lias nut filled into the Ilillids of some person more
competent to the undertaking than I fret to
he, on a ipitstion or so much moment to the pro.-
perity of Ireland. I tuna wily. th,refeere, reyne‘t
these patient Nod candid atteistioli while t %mle
very shortly the strung grounds upon which the
citizens of Dublin think themselves justly entitled
to the relief they uuw priy fur. I meil nut rotund
the House how patiently the city of Dublin has f3r

the last fireand-tweiste years bums her ohare of the
getters! prestige', Nod how elieerfulty she has cots-
tiibuted to the exigent-Ws of the times, during ti
war us expensive and sasieuniery in its preAress. 811
it has been glorious awl decisive lit its result :
she lieeer once made Huy cunsplauir. As sate'.
how, err► an hoetilities Intl teiniliteked in a peat e
that 101 l this country nothing to fete, a joie-
rd expectation was felt throtigitatit ell par:, ot
the empire, that every predicable relief. consistent
with the iistlispensable necessities oldie State, would
be granted to the distresses of the people. atilt this
house too passed a great tool deeisive step in ish-
snediately lesseatiog the burdens of the people Nt
this country ; and although, perhaps. there never
was a tax in favour of which orrice meld he said
upon general priiiciples, at least, than the l'roperty
Tax. still this House felt denotative. edged is
the people of Emehisil, trod prttArO thee Lain&
deter. by .removing, to osier, foureeesi &llama a
year of the public burdeua. I mention these car-
cuatstalaces to show the [Nose how they cosstris
bated lustrengtheu the ecn.lideot expectations este
tertumed by the Cittz.me of Dublin. that iu the
work of general relief, Ireland would not be Ilse
(oily part of the united kingdom overlooked by the
Imperial Parliament. :mil more especially too alter
she had sacrificed ell the local advantages cif a re.
silent Legislature to the general interests of the
empire at large. Bust, Sir. stidepeodent of any
?loch general expecearnout., they hod Other, atids in
ray humble judgment, peculiar ethos* grounis fur
the lot/kitty: forward to the total repeal of the win-
dow tax as sots :14 the war was over, and to claim
it not so much front the boomy as the justice of
Pathogen% The tax was always peculiarly ob-
noxious to the Citizens of Dublin for several res.
sons-sits very unequal ittessule, the itiquisiturial
nature of its levy, and the room's!. cousequences
resulting to the health or the city, troos the coo.
trivancre of all the poorer classi-s to neatly it ;. and
it is stow inure oppressive than ever, from their total
inability to pay it. Oil nil 1111110%It1011 by the hot
Parliaturist that ever sat in Ireland it was et first
very generally opposed, until the Chancellor of thee
Exchequer repeatedly pledged istatimelfoll the part of
the Gime 000000 rut, that it was intesoled for a war tax
only, lend accordingly the tax woo proposed, and
enacted, at first, for three years, provided the war
should bet SO 111114. I bull 111 my hand ass extract of
a speech of Mr. Corry's, as reported its the Dublin
Journal, of the 526th Juice, 1800, a paper eminent
at that time for the fidelity or its Perlianscntary
Reports, and which, with the leave of the House,
I shall now read to them. Mr. Corry's speech
stated, that. 4 When the wiuslow tax wan first pro.
posed, it was on the footing of a mere war tax. to
'sleet the exigencies of the moment., Emil that en
order to'reucter it of rut, it became occesion to
give it a retrospective operation. he had Already,
every time that the subject had been brought be-
fore the Hume, advanced that the tax was not
intended to be permanent, but as a mere war pro-
visioa—on the footing then that it wan merely a
war tax, he hoped to do away eve' y ohjectiou to the
Bill.' I hope I shall not be told that the 'sledge
of one Miuieter is slut biudisig 011 his successor.
Sir, it is of the last importance, that its all transac-
tions between the people and the Gower 00000
the faith of that Goverinuent should net only be
pure, but above suspici 0000 ; and I entreat Gentlemen,
seriously to consider whether resorting to such an
argument stay not lie tceci.ed by the people of
Ireland as au unworthy welcher for breaking an
engagement we do not wish to keep. Mr. Corry
was then the littaischil Mitti•ter, and as such lee
pledged himself sod the Government, of which he
was in that initiative the accredited tirgasi, that if
the Irish house of COnintolle would er int that tag,
their constetuente should be relieved frosts it set the
end of the war; the tax wag veiled and has been
levied ever since ; the people of Ireland have cheer-
fully fulfilled their part of ili;s contruct, and if
the Irish Parliament were now ju brio;;, is there a
doubt that this pledge would hove heath redeemed
on the conclusion of die war ? I ass sure that I
shall slot appeal in vain to the Justice, to the
honour or this 1-100., to redeem oh it pledge which
the Irish Parliament, us I might utmost say its last
momeuts, gave to the citizens of Dublin. I am
satisfied that this House will take cite that, in this
instanee, my constituents shall not stiffer for the
want of a resident Legislature. I spoke of the
inquisitorial manlier its which this tax lies been col-
lected ; this is ass objectimi which has been always
found to awaken the constitotional jealousy of this
Douse, anti perhaps was the efficieut can -c Of the
repeal of the Property Tax. If it be the boast of
the humblest man in England diet hit boner it his
clothe. I fear that under the operation of this Act,
the people of Ireland have no reason to be very
proud of their share of suds is
" Are Gentlemen aware, that, under the present
Act, the collectors can demigod au entrauce into
every room hi every house iu Ireland. from eight in
the morning until sunset. and insist ui achniss
rims, under a penalty of :la ? I steed not say that
there might be instances 111 it,. rase of sick porsosis
of the oilier sex, whore every Genf halloo who hears
Ina would recoil at the idea of such an Act being
rigorously enforced ; utid I mutt add in candour,
that there is little apprehension of any smelt abuses
its a department under the euperiiitestilatiCe of a
gentleineit, whose Wrote and assekiity since he be-
came Chief Commissioner of Excise have tsen
grate! ully and universally acktiowledgeil ; but ‘fill
it is His anower to the mossy objections against the
harsh Inusisions of this Act. that they are not as
re, or sly enforced as thy nigh. be. It it 1101 to
hi:for:courts, that, harsh as they are, they are shill as
much the law of the !sod as the RAI set Rights, and
weler them a collector, if eey house was unoteu.
p ea by the absence of the family in the cotsistry, or
for :my other wove, might. at ter the empty formali-
ty of affixisig it notice, hi -a'sl open thee hall door tm-
der the warriiiit of any itispector of taxes, and seize
der
sell the furniture lie found within. 'that such
scruples are not new stud affected an the pert of the
Clue-Nis of Dublin, but ti.Cov:ied and fr.cthried

" This, Sit, is the opinion reinvestd by the Enghe
licit Iluieee of Cbtrovione ilu lotiA ago. es to the ex-
pediency of this tax. notwitlietaudiug which it is
still continued in Ireland.
" I have but out other topic With &hell I would
trespass farther on flee Home, mid that Is oue of
the tirst importatice, inasmuch as health is the first
of tempwat blemiugie and cositegion, fur the time,
perhepo the mote tremendous of ell national cala-
mities. During the slut g prevalence of fetes
this lest yearrii Ireland, it was the atianimutis opi-
nion of the Faculty, that unless the ',cubes Were
inure generally ventilated, the cotetagion must
spread, and a plague he the eimseepiesice. That
part of the city of Dublin now occupied h 1 the
poorer orders had become inieetbibly unhealthy front
the constuut desices to evade the tax, by steeepiiig
the windows cud excluding the light vied sir. SO
that the inward part of the dwelliiie Was d nit end
noisome, and which. when croeded by fever pee
tient*, farted as Su until itureeries for coley:Igloo.
The danger helium so imminent, that the Gee.
vernment took the alarm, suit the Right Iltnevur-
able Geutleniati who for so keg a period heti
conducted the Adiniuistreitiou of helmet, with
equal firmness, temper. and taleut. acted here
its a wanner worthy of himself, abandsposiug all
minor considerations of reveilue to Use para.
mount one of the health und genenif safety of
the community, gave orders that all the wiudoer
which bad been hitherto closed up, said that wets
ileceveary for ventilation. should be thrown open foe
that purpose. cut font isubjeetissg the owners to airy
additional claims, on the part of the Excises that,
followed up as it has beets by the liberal; pioropt,
and decisive measures of the Atlinitiistretioe, Cut
the removal and providing fur all lever ioutieuts, hat
preserved Dublin, ler Providence. hole au im-
pending plague. For the repeal, then, of a tax so
universally odious to the citizens of I)ulefin, I ant
now to move on their behalf,. and ib tobWience to
their unanimous instructions. I can sincerely assure
the House that upon this question they have hot
one sentiment—they are all as one man against die
tax—they think it unjust iii prieciple, severe and
unequal to its pressure. tonenestitmional its its, levy,
and in all its practical effects spun the peorer utdcri,
as etidangesisig the health of the cominueity ; and,
above all, they feel. and feel indienaietly, that the
faith of the Goveriiineut is pledged to the repeal of
this tax. and that the exaction of tt .0 a atsboia of
universal peace is it continued violation of that en-
gesgeinetet. Fur every reason, tiiereliere, they think
themselves entitled of inure right, justice, mid
good-faitle to the total repeal of this tax ; they
have looked fur the repeal of it, and the
poiuttnent of last Sete' was certainly telt with
great and general bitterness. I never knew the
citizens of Dublin upon any other question so
solicitous, and, at the same tiinei so isthmian's'•. I
am sure that the voice or the second city of thin
British empire, and, indeed, 1 may bay, of all Ire-
land, will never be heard in this House upon any
subject wills indiftsrence. 1 have stated the grounds
upon which they ask for this repeal, mid ctoi.illet-
ing it in a mete thiaminl point of view, what would
it cost the public revenue to comply ? it sum
not exceeding annually 300"01. a drop in the
ocean compared with the vela Meunier of the empire.
And I thiek they will be the more entitled to it.
when we take a view of the ordinary mid extraordi-
nary resources of the two coniaries at the cud of
the war, by which it will spieear that Ireland has
contributed much mute thuu liar proportion accord.
tug to their respective means. By the Finance Re-
turns before this Home, fur the year midis% 5 It
Jan. to IG, the last year of the was, the net produce
applicable to netional objects, aid to psysieriete betas
the Exchequer fur Ent:bind, exclusive of
amountel to 79,948,670/. Os. elel. while that of Ire-
land for the some period amounted only to a sum of
7.405.314/. I7a. 7311. Indeed, 1 believe it i. now
perfectly well understood. and candidly admitted
by thole who took the moat active part at the time
of the ClOOll, that two-erventeethe woe, cuuorkr-
ru the comparative resources of the two countries,
a larger contribution than should, in fineness, have
been assigned to Ireland—and accurtheig to the
scale of their respective incomes, which I have
just mentioned, the ratio of Ireland should not he
so touches two-seventeetitlas, but rather two totenlye
second parts ; so that the quota of Irelaitel's ci
bution even Hum to the taxes or the Empire,

nut to be measured by the provot tido which
to have been unfairly struck at that tow.; and
thing was warted to conti:in that, it is the al,
Mg and rapidly thcieasiog antouttt of the Maul
cles, which the Chinnsibsionero of Excise base
obliged to allow M the City of Dublin Eloise
ly u Return winch I hold in shy hued, and
hay only just been print-d, it will ai,pcir 11
_ .

the year einhog. the sth of January, 1816,
aluvuut via 414.; 4pr the

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itrary, 11117, it automated to 3,143/. Its. bed.
Ai hew dean it stand foe the last year, to the sth
bf.Zaestary. Isle ? it amounts to 3.7911. l lg. sid.
'besides • very considerable arrest uncollected. all
of which there can be but little doubt must be al-
lowed, as we all know with what persevering dili-
gence the collection of the revenue has been en-
forced iu Ireland. 1 shall new, Sir, trespass no
longer upon the patience of the Home, except by
thanking them foe the isalelgence with which they
have Ilford me; and I canuot sit down withoutkx-
pressing my confident hope, that as this House
yielded 14 millions s year to the voice of the
people of England, they will snit now deny the
paltry sum of 300,0001. to the patient endurance
and tried loyalty of the people of Ireland. i now
move—
s, That • Select Committee be appointed 'to Vemider the
immediate" of repealing the bath of the King, as far as
respects the Tax epos Windows sad Hearths iu Inked."
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCUILQUIII said.that,
knowing the deep interest which was attached to
On subject, it was with extreme regret he felt
'himself obliged to state his objections to the pre-
'tient Motion—bat, in justice to the general interests
of the smpire, he was bound to oppose the Hon.
Gentleman's proposition. The Hon. Gentleman
had rested his motion on two distinct grounds—.
Tint. the expectation, which, consistently with the
good faith of Parliament, was entertained of the
repeal of this lax in time of peace—and next, the
oppressive nature of the tax itself, which bore une.
gully on the community—and the utter imprecti-
tability of rendering it extensively productive. With
regard to the first of these 'grounds, it rested entirely
on • fallacy. Though it
_might, when originally pro-
posed in behind, have been contemplated as a war
yet having been, from time to time, enacted,
and at length pledged as a security for certain
charges on the Consolidated Fend, it appeared to
him to have lost that (+erecter—and he con-
ceived the iwople of Ireland hail how no right to
demand its repeal, on the ground that the faith of
Parliament would be violated.if it were not removed.
In fact, it could not be repealed, without acting
unjustly to the public creditor—and it would be
must dangerous, if, to confer a boon on any body of
people, the Legislature were to depart from those
great principles which formed the basis or public
credit. If the prayer of the Petitioners were cotn-
plied with, it could not be on any ground except
that of commutation or substitution—so that the
burden would necessarily affect them in another
way. It was • feet well known. and which 'hewed
that the faith of Parliament was not pledged for the
removal of ibis tax, at the end of the war, that the
same Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Corry,
who proposed it in the lnsh Parliament, made lid
proposition, at the time of the ',este of Amiens,
fur its repeal. Bat, if he ever had noticed such a
pledge, when the peace of Amiens was concluded,
the proceedings that afterwards took place in Par-
liament would have removed the effect of such no..
tice. In the next Parliament, however, the tax was
continued—though certainly it was in then power of
the Legislature to have repealed it, if they thoug,lit
fitowid to have introduced any other tax they pleas-
ed to make op for the deficiency which such an
act would have created. But it having been
pledged fur a part of the debt, they could not. on
any principle of good faith, have entertained such
a proposition. If it appeared indeed that !rebind
.had made an exceedingly losing bargain, in grant-
ing,this tax as a security for sums borrowed from the
Consolidated Fund, a question not of good faith, but
of liberality, with respect to her, might have arisen.
If it could be said that she brought more than her
regular proportion to the Consolidated Fund of the
United Kingdom, it would be a reason for entering
into a minute consideration of the subject. But
this was not the case. The debt of Ireland, at the
consolidation of the two Treasuries, was 6,500,009/.
—her revenue was short of 4,500,000/. ; so that the
whole deficiency, amounting to 2,000,0001. might
be said to arise from that consolidation, Ireland not
having paid her just proportion. That deficiency
she was bound to snake good. The war taxes, with
respect to that country, as well as this, were kept
separate nod apart, subject to the view of Parlia-
ment. The supply for Ireland being raised by
loan, considerable taxes were pledged us a security
for the necessary charges. Parliament, no doubt,
on grounds wise and just, thought proper to adopt
a different principle with respect to isms raised for
Ireland, compared with those procured for the ser-
vice of this country. Here 200,0040,000/. were raised
on additional taxes, without touching that part of
the public revenue pledged for the public service—
and even now the people of Great Britain paid be.
tweet' 3 and 4,000,000/. of continued war taxes,
snider the head of Excise. With respect to Ire-
land. • different plan was pursued. He should be
very sorry to deprive that part of the United King-
dom of any relief it could fairly expect. The in-
terests of Great Britain and of Ireland were inse-
parably united—and it would afford him as much
pleasure to remove from the people of Ireland any
burden that might press severely on them, as to
relieve any part of Yorkshire from an obnoxious
tax.—(Hear, hear.)—With respect to the other
part of the Hon. Member's argument, winch was
founded on the peculiar hardship and unequal pres-
sore of the nix, the Hon. Gentleman must be
aware, that, when in Ireland, lie had snide some
inquiry on the subject, and he was very far from
being inclined to believe that the operation of the
tax was so oppressive as had been stated. He
thought, however, that the assessed time., and
psrticularly the window tax, had been increased
with a rapidity and to an extent, which defeated
the object sought to be attained, that of producing
a steady permanent revenue. In saving this he
did not mean to cast any reflections on his pre.
decessor in the office which he v had the ho-
nour of holding. He was called on to procure
the Supplies within the year, and was prevent-
ed from adopting other taxes. The necessity
of the case obliged him, therefore, to lay the Mlle
rate of taxation, which was levied in Eligh,„d, on
similar subjects of taxation in Ireland. But this
mode did not produce such • revenue as was ex-
pected from it.—(Hear, hear.)—With respect to
•• the pressure of the window tax, he begged to oh-
wive, that the distress which was felt in that coun-
try, on account of the scarcity of provisions. neves-
eerily rendered it more than ordinarily difficult to
support the pressure of taxation, but it certainly
did not go to the extent which some Gentlemen had
stated. Perhaps, it would not be improper to