The National Register.
London, England, 1816-03-24 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

thereby bad, to a certain extent, sanctioned an application for
the ways and means to support that establishment. The st
and means he was abOnt to promise a as, a inintinnaner of the
Property-tax. Against this measure lie belies ed a consider-
able impression hail gone abroad. lie trusted, however, when
the gl!hivet should have been further considers it by the House
that impression would be ' ie away. lie had been repeatedly
railed on to abandon tins tax, oo the grounibi of the sit ttttt .roua
petitions which hail been presented to the House against it.
'1 lit re petitions, howin cis, lie considered as cosset anti the *erne
of only a very small proportion of ilia people.—(//sar, Ivor. ,
lint, even had he considered them as einitaiiiiag the st ntiments
and opiiiiiius of a majority, he should still hav a thought it his
ditty to bring the subject before the House, to have the delibe-
rate judgment of Parliament upon the ineusiire. The delilime le
jrulginent the Petitioners hail out hail all opportunity of form-
ing. us they hail Ilia the materials before them aside!! the House
had. Even the petition presented by an Hon. ,Ilderman to-
night (Sir W. Curtis), respectable as it was, lie did not consider
as elltlVe ing the deliberate minden of the merchants, bankers,
and trailers, of the City of Lontlem—t Hear, 11,x.1- Since that
petition fell into the error which all the others hail done,
namely, of stating that Parliament had given a pledge to the
country that the tax should expire with the war. The Hon.
Alderman who presented that petition, laird stated that it was
at a meeting in the city that the property-tax originated.
'That nus not so. In 1700, the meeti in: in a spirit of patriotism
which did them the highest honour, taking into cousidenition
the distressed state of the country, recommended a VIIIIII/titry
contribution, which was adopted. Mr. Pitt also the same
session, feeling the necessity of rai•ieg as great a portion of the
supply as possible iii the year, raised the assessed taxes to a
very considerable degree. This was AMU(' to hear hard on
the people, and was next session abandont if, and the pi overly-
tax adopted in its room. The plan of the tax dam, Isowever,
was, that it should continue after the expitation of the war, for
the payment ot' a certain sum. for alibi' it was mortgaged )
and thus this tax continued till the peace of Amiens, when
Lord Sidatoulis determined to repeal the tax,aml, instead of it,
to make a very large addition, no less than live millions per
annum to the permanent taxes. At the rent nal of the war,
Lord Si dr amth had again recourse to the income-fa icor. a war tax,
ertaiuly; hut nu pledge was given with it; and, in itithi, it was
increased to 10 per cent. upon the same principle, but it never
was considered, or had he (Mr. Vansittarl) as had been as-
serted in another place, ever said, that the tax ass to be re-
peated at the end of the war.
(Ilene Mr. Vansittart proceeded to read some extracts from
a printed speech delivered by him at the time alluded to, and
also to athert to the speech delivered by Mr. Rose at that
(line.]
Mr. BARING here rose and spoke to order. He did not con-
sider it ao regular for tr Gentleman to read hits own written or
printed speech, or reports of the debates bi Parliament.

Mr. VANSITTART said his speech had been alluded to in
another place.

511.. CALett Art sailh that was a printed speech, corn-evil by
the Right Hun. Gentleman hine.elf. The Right Hon. Gentle-
man was now about to read the speech 01 another Right Hon.
Gentleman.

Mr. Rose said, such was the usual custom. if. however,
the Hon. Gentlemen opposite liked it better, they should liase
a report of his speech from his own month—(a laugh.)
Mr. VANSITTART then resumed. He trusted, that down to
the Tenewal of the tax, in 180.7, be had proved there was no
pledge given that the tax should cease with the war. Last
year, on his proposing the tax, it would he in the recollection
of every gentleman, that he stated it would be for future con.
sideration to say, whether it would be desirable to continue the
tax ;ruder certain modifications. The time for that conside.
ration was now arrived; and having, as lie trusted, proved
that no pledge ever was (indeed how could a pledge Le given
that Parliament should not at any time receive such mem:ores
US should appear beneficial to the people?) given, he should
now proceed to state the necessity. In 1797, when Mr. Pitt
first proposed this tax, the country was labouriog nnder the
greatest pressure upon the money market : so said the wor;hy
Alderman (Sir W. Curtis %. A necessity of a similar nature
now existed. In 1796 and 1799, lifty-six millions had been
raised by way of loan, and many commercial misfm tunes ag-
gravated the distresses of the count Ly. The fonds were in
consequence much depressed; and Mr. Pitt, in consequence
of this distress of the monied interest, determined to raise the
greater part of the supplies in the year? hat was the state
of the country now? In 1796, ;ind 1797 loans to the amount of
56 millions were taken; in 1814 and ISIS, no less a sum than
106 millions had been borrowed. The funds were inducd
better, hut now they were only at 61, even at the conclusion of
. a contest so glorious for the country. After the Treaty of
Amiens, the 3 per cents. were at 57. Something therefore, it
appears, must be dune tbr the money market. in the last four
years, 165,000,00 had been taken in loans, and 239,000,000
of stock had been creates yet no one would regret this eir-
con:stance, when it was cousidered, how honourable the con-
test had been to Great Britain; for even when the admires of
the country were alone the main spring of the operations
against the enemy, the machine never stood still for a
moment. An Hon. Baronet, (Sir J. Shaw) had recommended
the borrowing of the sum wanted; but he (Mr. V.) mold not
agree to- that mode. Commerce wanted a spur, and the best
mode of giving it such a spur would he to relieve the money-
market. He had been told, indeed. !hat taking a small Van
would give life and animation to the market. This was top
paradoxical for him to understand. The gentlemen who gave
this advice seemed to have something of a secret feeling. They
' were persons who expected, if any loan were contracted Mr,
that they would come in for a sharcond they, probably, thought
it would be better to add perhaps 20 per cent. to their incomes
titan pay 5 per coot. out of them. The Right Hon. Gentleman
then proceeded to contend, that no tax could he propiwed
which would press so lightly and so equally on all classes as
the property-tax would.--(Hear, hire.)—Talcs vu cou,nuip-
non must always be unequal; they tell not on a moo's ;nos,
but on his expenditure ; and frequently a man who had a large
family, and a email income, paid more than his rieh neighbour,
Mite had nu family, and a larger income. The tuxes proposed
last year, though adopted, atter the best information had been
sought Mr, had proved unequal in their opeadion,and unpro-
ductive to a certain extent. The income-tax was one w hich
pressed equally ou landed and funded property, more espe-
cially as to funded property, where it was illyo6Sible a person
could be over-charged, or under-roil:4. The system as re-
gargled flue ormlnee of industry was complained of; and was
perhaps dekctirt; but no plan had been suggested for its
ammoniac:it. But in this respect every num was charged ac-
cording to his own retum of profits. The Right llou. GOO-
tleman then proceeded to- recapitulate the proposed modiiea-
toms in Mvour of toe tanner, as stated by Lint on a f'ormer
night, namely that tenant's tax, instead of being charged Oli
Utley-Murtha of the rout was now to be taken mi one-third, any
under the new regulations a vast proportion of the cultivators

MARCH 241.

of the land and growers of corn mould voilas within the
abatement scale. In additiouto their Iht' whit+ *leek' dui. ho
afforded to the farmer,lmproposed tar relieve him Avon tha tax
of 7s. ntl. each on agricultural owes ; and a here the amount
of pent was Jess than 100[ to exempt Irian altogether. With
respect to the other rhos of penotts. ttateely, ;.'Ore whose
incomes arose from the produce of ind i•try, &t. be should
propose to take all returns at a hat they were last year,
mid to charge 5 per cent. upon those returns. A dny to be
fixed fur appealing. Where no appeal was made, the; 'tonne to
be taken without further enquiry ; and in cases of al,' cal it
was intended to revive the old clause, giviug to dm appellant.
a righted choosing referees;. anti whero this was th eiiattla the
person appealing arts to go before the Conimis,imiers, where
mic Commissioner, accompanit ti by Lite Clerk, havlite !wen
first sworn to sect oey,, wins to irnrstidatt. !,..• ~A)ellatit's case,
arid afier surds ilivestigneion, to destroy ors and doer.
melds whutever.. The tax was to be continieu for the extra-
ordieary exiiences of the ear,. awl would he proposed for two
wars, to which them it %vas vstitnatetk to raise 12,00V,0001. Any
amendment might lie proposed in the progress of the nib. By
adhering to this tax for two
.years, the money. market would be
relieved, and credit wood(' again look up. Without this means
he (Mr. Vansittart could see no prospect but a kola slicer:4s
sion of difficulties. (II•ar, hear.) The Hon. Bart (Sir W..
Curtis) had said he wished the country to hate breathing time,
(lour, hear) and he only called for the tethered tax for two years,
which he tbresaw would have all the effect wished for. r,e
Slitting Fund would toot bear more than had been laid upon it.
We were already beginitiug to feel the benefits it .adting from
a reduced expenditure, but we enlist not be in too much haste
ac must consider the eircitinstmices under v.hielt
was placed, and lint expect to find all the benefits of peace im-
mediately. He then moved a string of iesolutious, that for
every gus. of rent arising from lauds, tenement,, or heredita-
meats in England or Wales, there should lire pail the sum of Is.
—on those in Berwick upon 'raced, td. iii VI pound; and in
scotland :HI in the pound and all other proper 'y from annuities
or Mikes Is. iu the pound.
Sir W. Cc arts opposed the tax.
Mr. W. SMITH objected to the tax in all it, branches, hut
especially as it effected the persons who bat! trades i.e.; profes-
sions. 'The remedies rnentioned by the Right lion. Gent. mere
not efficient to correct the evils, fur hi' Was assured that a titan
in trade or commerce would sooner pay the five per ceet. than
chew the Costmlissioners that they had suffered any losses.
the City of London alone, there were I 3,oeu stitecharges on in-
come. 71ie Bight Hon. G.mt. was very willing to make a con-
ce.sion to the landed interest by redmeing the tenant'.. tax, but
lie would advise Hon. Members not to be led away by such an
insidious representation. And it' there were any Irish Mt .oubers
willing to vote for this tax, lie would ask Hume, how they
thought the Gentlemen of I:velum! would stiffer this tax a ith-
out its bring also imposed on Ireland ?—(ifear, hear.)—There
was not a page of Adair Smith eidlich did not Walk thern tieamst
agreeing to such a tax as this. The tletici.mey of ca:.:etal in
the country., he be lies eel, did not depend alone on the racers
Of' g,eueral taxation, or on the manner in whichthis tax had been
collected. He contended, that capital !vet to the tmblie by
way of loan would be less disadvantageous to the comitry than
taking capital by way of tax, when it might have been employed.
in Mai:rent ways. He contended, that Mr. Pitt net( ; intended
to continue this tax in time of peace. But it' it were tiniest,
as he contended it was, in its nature, it ought not to be en-
dined either in peace or war. There were in the papers before
the House 500,000 persons whose incomes were between 50/.
and 1001. a year, paying one million a Near to this tax. These,
he contended, acre the poorest class of` the community. These
were beyond all others those who should receive relief. He
had always consider( d Mr. Pitt as a Financier,-such its Bimini-
parte in war. 'f lie linear never considered how be ought to
raise the money, hut what nieuey he winded to raise. 'so Moo-
naparte net er emisidert el how he was to raise men but by the
couscriptiou ; and the Income-tit:. was a conscription on the
comitry to raise money. But lie hoped. that this brat question
would destroy this tax. tar ever, and co. sequently prevent the
necessity of entering Mt° details on this subject.
Mr. Rose defended the financial character 01.1 tr. Pitt ; and
stated, that in t7S4 the emitutry was exhausted' from the Ame-
rican war, yet he iaid on ethheool. fresh taxes a year, which.
brought up the mean, of the Coll.ltry to its expenditure, and
also estaloasbed a Sitiking Fund of due year. He con-
tended that Mr. Pits establisaed this tax before the Ere-Motions
of the A' ..Tchants and Bankers of London, by which they raised
this tax ;Mtn 3,c0c,0n01. alearte ti,OOO,OOM. an unprecedented
instaswe of liberality. He also contended that Air Pitt never-
intended this tax to be ooly imposed in time of our.—(The
cries of ti.tatien! became here so loud that as, could not gather
unv more of his arguments.)
Mr, W. Reese wished (as fares we could hem) that this tax
were laid on absolute pioperty merely.
Mr. H. Davis had Malty • emoidered• this measure as net one
to be supported in peace, except for tau ye ars, to pay off part
of the debt contracted in time of tr.u. lit' wished to know it'
the Chancellor of the Exchequer naluit to charge this tax on
landholders, if they proved to the Commissioners that their
tenants were unable to pay their rents. 'the continuance of
this tax would give his Majesty's Minions--(a general hawk,—
' he meant Miolders, tuns' to reduce the other taxes, which Owe
heavy on the comers% It would raise the farmer's prier on
his produce, awl consequently the credit of the cuuntry, aide!'
%youthd be a muelt emelt( r Utivalitary than removing a small tax.
This was his opinion, although lie was sorry to give a vote
against tle• opinion of ill large a body of his constituents.
Mr. VANSiTI.XaT said, that the case of a landlord receiving
I no rents, in coasequenee of tire distress or iiisulvency of his
tenants, ass Oise alticli hunt occupied his attention, and would
be plot ided for.
i Mr. BAUINN would not occopy the Ciammittee long in the
temper it then was; but he thought argitment of Meat-
, her for Bristol (Mr. H. Davis) would wither be very satisfac-
tury to the Committee nor his constituents. 'Lite Chain:CHOP
Of the Exchequer hail not pledged himself to discontinue this
tax for two years, but it was to be kept up for the extinction.
of a war debt of l 1 millions. It would therefete be continued,
as long UN Ministers could skew the tail of what they called the
war elebt. If Ministers could once get this tax eat. ensiled in
peace, none of 1:5 would sec the end of it ; ii r it a wild be au
. easy mode of raising taxes to supply- a wastello expenelittine.
'Tile Case of 1797 was the reNCtsr present, for now a e
have a rich Exchequer and a poor country. ( Thar. hear. l And
that distress was not to he abet rated Ly tatsing more motley
out of the pockets of the people.
Lord C S rt.xtt EAGIt tad, uhc suhire t had been so tinted! dos-
cawed, co.t it a- be soli: 111011 s to. use any iirgtionclits al this-
hour of We night. But le owed it to the country to state the
necessity elfish inditecd '..misters to oppose itself to the very
natio al (It sire of the to get rid of the tax. Ile %%imbed
;to si.eirk with ail res;.t ei the petitioners, Wit lie did mu think
that the 41clitotiaitO sy tit 51,43 so sun;. as to ieuk
heyoha thie a ails of tut. House 100 st..vic,:. how to att. lie was

MARCH 24. •

prepat rii to sav, that if the House shrunk flout imposing this
tax, they would abandon a strung feature of finance. The
Nvble Lord denied that aN the puldie meetings were for the
purpose of opposing the Property-tax ; other ;natters were
mised up in the mu 'lion. Out of 90 countit s, only 19 peti-
tions were from counties. It was, in truth, a div bird question,
not half of the counties weve aZaittst the tax. He should con-
tend, that it was by clamour that the breach of Parliament was
attempted to he fastened on the House. -(f/..a,.. hew'.)—The
expellees of the country were estimated iu rotund nnuMers at '
:to minion:, prospectively at .2.11 millions. The revenue to tweet
this was the surplus of the Consolidated Fund, mid the miler
items, amounting to '2M ewillious. The plan of Isis Right Ilon.
Friend had been, to remit eight millions, thus leaving alp.ott
two-thirds of the revenne applicable to the, ex-penditure. Would
it be prudent to remit six millions more. Gentlemen had talk-
ed of referring to the Sinking Fund, which was now something
snore titan 11 millions; hut that would lie a tootle of proceeding
injitriotta to the best principles of timmee. It the House (lid
not give.the Government the aid of this tax this year, you must
endure a debt of 1-2. millions, which there was no possibility of
avoiding; and he pot it to the good smite of the House and
nation,if they would shrink ft ont supporting the Government,
and tsi.a their barks on thritssrires. lie, therefore, hatl nu doubt
the House would agree to the vote.
Mr. Hnot tr t a shoved the recorded pledge of P.illiuinent
itself. In the tit sect, of the fottt of the Ling lie *mond
these a or.ht—" Be it further enacted, that tlik %et shall con-
tinue in tree during the war, and for six months after the cot-
(elusion ofa Definitive Treat) of Peace, rind its longs."—(Loud
cries of hear, hear.)
Mr. Wit. mnfourer. believed that the House in supporting
'this tax would indeed turn their Int,-k, on /emu He saw
no clear and plain neeessity for the tae. llis 'Right Hon.
Friend had put it in a clear point of view. and tits gueNtion was,
whether the House should east. the money mat ket or ease them-
selves.--( Hear, Ifrur.)
. . _

. .... , _
The House then divided— Aye 4, 401--Noes, 238—Majority
azainst the Tax, 37. -(Loud c4g aim; jialviced the atmeonct ?newt

,!1 the flambe, R.).
The Report of the Supply for sealing a provision for the
Princess Clitirlotto of Wales, was brought op and agreed to;
as was also the Report of the Army Estimates.
Adjourned iit'luo o'Cloek.
Tt away, M 4R CB 19.

Mr. WESTERN presented a petition, signed by a number of
the mmt respectable owners and occupiers of land in the (*Min-
ty N.,l* EsstA, EVlliiitt forth the hardshil,s4inder hich tlkey at
present laboured, and praying a re% ision of the present ”'stetti
of Ty tins. 'Ulm Hon. Member tool, this oppoi limit!, ntb Wing
his opinion that the present s%stem of ty the. was one whir('
was Irighls burthensome to the coltivators of land, and which
called loudly fur the interference of the Legislature.
Mr. Lot t,uIET agreed iu what hail been stated by the Hon
Momber. (Mr. W.)
After a fuw words from Mr. COKE, tki. 'million was ordered
to lie on the table.
Mr. I'. :Moon E presented a petition from Rear-admiral
6r:revs, claiming a redress of certain grit.% anees, %%Inch, lie
stated, he had sustained by the itmaoper sole and transfer ofx
si‘th part attic Valiaina Islands, which he claimed in right of
his wife, Arabella Grants, to whose famil% the land in tilles.tioll
had been granted by a patent from the t.:row.n.—The petition
was ordered to lie on the table.

31r. Com: presented a petition front certain owners and oc-
cupiers of land in the county of Norfolk, praying Ate Wiese to
take into consideration the distressed state of kgriculture.
Sir W. NNE presented a petiti tttt (rout certain ow ners and
nevi' piers of land in the county of llenbigh, setting forth the
hardships under which they at present laboured.
Mr. )faun I:11AM MO% eti for a return of all goods seized as
contraband, ou board transports, tvithin the last six nxintlis ;
awl also for copies of correspondence between Sir Home Pop-
ham and the Treasury. relatise. to tr,oisports in the service of
thivernment, or .pretending to be in Ilw set.% ire of Govern..
went, having contraband goods on board.--After a few words
front Mr. Vansittart, the motions were agreed to.--Ad-
juitrned.