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

grata a certain degree of relief to the people of Ire-
land, with respect to this particular taxa Thesub-
ject had not escaped his attention, and he had 'pre=
pared a schedule, from which it would appear that
a considerable relief would be extended to (hem.'
The general principle would be to relieve the pein.
ple of Ireland from the additional duty of 23 per
cent. which had been laid on a few years ago. The
relief, to those on whom the tax pressed most heavily,
would he 2S per cent.—to others a smaller degree
of relief would be greeted. He was obliged to the
Hon. Member for noticing the rumour, that this
tax had tended to produce contagion in Ireland, on
account of the obstruction of air, occasioned by the
shutting up of windows, because he could give a
satisfactory answer to it. His answer was this, that
the Government of Ireland had authorised the open•
ing of windows, deemed necessary for the health of
the inhabitants, without payment of window tax,
when application was made for that purpose—so
that this tax could not fairly be cunsidered as the
means of extending a dangerous malady in Ireland.
The Government did not suffer financial considera-
tions to interfere with the more important question
of the health and security of the nation. He hoped
that the distress under which Ireland had laboured,
was in progress of removal. He could not look to the
accounts laid on the table of the House, connected
with this subject, without feeling the utmost satis.
faction. He felt a strong eunviction, on examining
these documents, that the trade of lrelund was ins-
proving—that industry was reviving—that property
was increasing—and that the comforts of the people
were hourly extending. U'lleu the exports front
this country, in the last year, were greater, in of-
ficial value, thou in almost soy preceding year, he
could not hut suppose th.st the prosperity of Ire-
land had had a prnportionate increase. Referring
to the consumption of those articles, which hest
chewed the state of industry and of affluence in a
country, he found it was considerable greater than
it had been for some years past. The consump-
tion of tea, wine, :oil sugar, had greatly in-
creased—and he hoped, end believed, from va-
rious circumstances, that the clouds which had
long hung over the prosperity of Ireland, were
about to he dissipated. He had already expressed
his wish to grant some relief with re.peet to this
particular burden—and lie conceived that the mode
which be stated would be more tigrerr.b:e to the
people of Ireland, then the appointment of a Com-
mittee to consider what was In be done. lie sl Id
oppose the motion, first, on the grownd of the good
faith which was due to the public creditor—and
next, because lie conceived !hit an immediate relief,
to • certain extent, would lie much better than to
wait for the deliberation of a Committee, which
roust necessarily consume a considerable time, and
might finally end in on inefficieet proposititm.—
, When he obverted the number of applications for
relief, during the present Se.sion, from the pressure
of one tax and another, in both parts of the United
Kingdom, he could not but think it was the duty
of Porliument to make a finn stand, and only to
give way where the distress was moot obviou a and
severe.

Mr. PLUNKETT regretted, that the motion or his
Hot). Friend, introduced as it was with 110 much
candour, moderation, and propriety, had not been
acceded to by the Right Hon. Gentleman. In the
course of his speech, the Right Hon. Gentleman
had expressed the utino4 de-ire to grant every relief
in his power to the people of Ireland—but the line
of conduct lie had pursued was by no means au ex-
emplification of 'itch a disposition. To prove that
this was not a war tax, the Right Hon. Gentleman
had referred to olpiervi&oiss made by the Irish
Chancellor of the Exchequer. He (Mr. P.) beg-
ged leave, in addition to this, to refer to the lan-
guage of the Acts of Parliament themselves. The
Right Host. Gentleman would there see clear, di-
rect, and specih... evidence, that the tax was only
intended as a war tax. It was first introduced in
1799—and the House would find, by the 40th of
the King. cap. 4, that the tax was granted for the
purpose of keeping up en effective force of 49,073
men—that was, for the express purpose of main-
taining a war establisl alt.—(l/ear, hear.)—
It wa* recited, in the body of the Act, that the
tax was laid on for this purpose, and for no other.
!fit were not then a war tax—completely incapable
of being explained away—lie was utterly at a loss
to know what a war tax was. In the same Session
the Act of the 40th of the King, c. 52, was palmed.
By this Act, certain regulations were introduced,
" for the better collecting tales and taxes on dwell-
ing-houses inhabited, in respect of windows and
lights therein, and to prevent frauds—be it enacted,
that those houses built before the first of January,
1799, shall be rated, according to the windows they
then had, fur three years, from and after the pin-
ing of the said Act, provided the present war shall
so long continue." Now it did surprise him, how
the Right Honourable Gentleman, whose acute
mind could not have suffered this Act of Perlin-
med to have passed unnoticed, could, after a re-
ference to it, have had any doubt on the subject of
the nature of the tax. Rut, if he still retained a
doubt, lie hoped it would not extend beyond the
precincts of his own ' I, and that the House
would agree with him (Mr I'.) its opinion, that the
tax was clearly a war tax. If then it was a war
tax, he would proceed to examine the ground on
which the Right Honourable Gentleman refused to
put an end to it, when an end had been put to the
war, He stated, that, at the peace of Amiens, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Curry, who had
proposed the tax, did not think it right to move for
a repeal of it. Now it did not appear to him to be
a fair inference, because a Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer was nut in the greatest hurry—did not seize
the earliest opportunity—to remove the burdens of
the people, that, therefore, no pledge for their re-
moval had been given.—(l/ear, hear, hear.)—
In the short period during which peace then pre-
vailed, it was not *unitising. perhaps, that the tax
was nol taken off. But the people having suffered
injustice for a certain period of time, did not runtish
a good argument for refusing to do them justice,
when their eyes were opened and they applied for
redress.—(/leer, hear.)—The Right lion. Gen-
'lemma said, it would be a breach of faith with the
public creditor, if it were repealed, whet' it was
pledged as a security for a part of the charge ou the
Consolidated Fund. The Right Hon. Gentleman
hail, ha conceived, supplied hint with an answer to
this argument. He was Ii i 11l self ready to give up
25 per cent. of this tax Ile was willing to break
one-fourth of his good' faith with the public ere_