The National Register.
London, England, 1816-02-19 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

port of the army now, compared with what it wa• in 1792. The
half-pay and other increased allowances to the army (some of
which he bad at first opposed, and still thought extravagant),
were greater than the whole pay of the army in 1792. Since
that period he had lived in intimacy with Mr. Pitt; and he
would say, that that great man expressed his regret, that we
had entered into the war of 1792, In some degree unprepared,
iu consequence of the small peace establishment we had pre-
viously kept up. The army to be kept up in France was to be
30,000 men, and that in India 20,000; but these lie deducted
from the whole army, which lett 90,000 men for Great Britain
and the Colonies. lie had no objection to the production of the
papers moved for, and would be ready, at a future day, to enter
into a complete discussion of them.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said, the hope of the country
had now been deceived, that after the dreadful privations the
people had suffered during the war, the peace that followed it
would bring them relief. The Peace Establishment this year
was greater by four or five millions than it was last year. Was
Buonaparte more formidable in St. Helena than he was in the
Isle of Elba ; where, by the bye, the Ministers told them they
had last year placed him in perfect security? The Noble Earl
(Liverpool) was now calling on the House to make the War
EAablishinent a permanent tone in the time of peace. It was
too much to tell the people of this country, who had shed their
blood and spent their treasure—who had by their valour and
their zeal destroyed the French fleet—reduced their army to
10 or 12 regiments—it was too much to tell the people of this
country that there should be sso reduction of our expenditure ;
no relief to them from tie burdens under which they had
groaned for 25 years. He Wasted the House would endeavour
to bring back that relation between the military and civil esta-
blishments of this country which prevailed before the war,
and which could alone secure to us the blessings of a free
constitution.

Lord Kiss contended, that this was only an attempt to try
the temper of the country, bow thr it would suffer a war esta-
blishment to be kept up in a time of peace.
The motion was then agreed to nem. dis.
THURSDAY, FEB. 15.
The Naval Courts Martial and the Glass Duties Rills were
brought up from the Commons, by Mr. llnoc Den and others,
and read a first time.—Adjourned till to-morrow, (Friday),
when the House sat; bat there being no particular business
before it, the House adjourned to Monday.

—...,-...
HOUSE OF COMMONS, MONDAY, FEN. 12.
Lord G. SZRESPORD informed the House, be had waited on
the Prince Regent with the Address of the 10th inst. respect-
ing the erection of a Naval Monumentnd that his Royal
Highness had signified he would give innate orders for car-
rying the vote into effect.
Sir F. FLOOD gave notice, that he should, on the 11th of
March, move for leave to bring in a RIR for the better protec-
tion of Landlords against Frauds committed upon them by. T-
enants. He would also take this opportunity of asking an Hon.
Member (Mr. Western) if, in his notice for a motion to appoint
a Committee to enquire into the state of the Agriculture of the
Country, it was in his contemplation to include Ireland.
STATE OF THE FINANCES.
The House then resolved into a Committee of Supply.
Mr.VANSITTART said, it, on the present occasion, he merely
had to advert to the Resolution which he was about to submit
to the Committee, it would not have been necessary to detain
them by any long statement. All that he had now to submit to
the Committee would be, a Resolution for a sum of 12,600,0001.
for paying off that sum issued in November, 1814, at present
unprovided for; and 500,9001. other Exchequer Bills now
coining due; and, Ana for a vote for the re-paynions *inch
as:were outstanding o the rant of 1815, Recording to the
usual mode of proceeding ; hot he understood some Gentle:,
asen bad, during life-etanace on • former eveulag, expressed
an expectation that he should on this occasion submit to the
House, and to the country, something in the shape of a gene-
ral outline of the nature and amount of the Supplies which
would be required for the present year. Although this was
not the usual course, be should not consider it as either an un-
reasonable or an inconvenient one ; and would now, therefore,
proceed to give a general outline of what our expenditure was
likely to be for the coming year, and what our finances to
meet that expenditure. Gentlemen would be `aware, that it
could only be a general statement, and one liable, in some de- I
gree, to error; but he would endeavour so to state it now,'
that there should be no increase hereafter. We were now, he
trusted, arrived at the end of this long and eventful contest--
1 a contest which we had maintained for the defence of the liberties
of Europe ; and, he United, we had so conducted ourselves
through it, that our naval and military glory was established
with all the world ; and it now only remained for us to exert a
little of that firmness and constancy so often recommended in
that House, to meet the difficulties we bad at present to en-
counter. On the present occasion, it would first be necessary
to take a short review of the financial state of the country at
the commencement of the present year, to state our wants, the
ways and means we had to caret them, and the expenditure
and receipts of the last year. The documents on the last sub-
ject would be speedily laid before the House. The first head
of Finance which he would mention was the Customs. These,
for the year ending the Mb of January, 1816, amounted to
11,059,0001. ; the produce for the year eliding January 5, 1816,
was only 10,482,0001.; but it must be recollected, that in the
receipt of 1814 the war tax on tonnage, amounting to 700,0001.
was included; this was repealed, and, therefore, if that sum
was deducted from the amount of Customs for 1814, it would
be found, that even that head of Revenue had increased in the
last year. The next bend of Receipts which he would advert
to was the Excise; this giranch of Revenue in 1814 produced
25,143,0001. ; in the last year it produced 28,562,0001. exceed.
ing the former year by. 1,400,0001.; yet no new duty had been
imposed,l except an additional duty on licenses; which, how-
ever, had produced no more than 304,0001. of the increase.
The next source of Revenue, was the Stamp Duty : which in
1814 produced 5,596,0001.; and in 1813, 5,865,0001. A con-
siderable increase had been made in the Duties on Stamps of
difkrent descriptions; but he could not say, that the increased
duty was occasioned by this circumstance. The Property
Tax, in 1814, produced 14 millions; in the last year, as
produce exceeded /5 millions. The nest great bead of
revenue was the Assessed Taxes, which, in 1814, produced
6,411,0001. ; and, in the last year. 6,620,0001. The Right
Honourable Gentleman then proceeded to enumerate the
revenues of the Post-office, the Land-tax, Ire. and compared
the receipts of last year with those of the preeeding year; and
observed, that there was an increase upon each item: anti on
looking to the total amount for each year, it would he found
that the total amount of income in 1814 was 65,430,0001. ; and
in the last year it was 60,443,0001. being an increase of some-
thing more than a million, notwithstanding the difficulties un-
der which the country had laboured durintr the last year. It
would be expected that he should now give some account of
the application of Supplies so liberally grouted, so well propor-
tioned to meet the dangers we bad to apprehend at the time

FEB. 19.

they were given. By the results of the ever-glorions battle of
Waterloo, however, the necessity rot them was in a great de-
gree superseded. On the 14th of Jane last, the Bettie voted a
great part of these Supplies, and there were at that time stints
Gentlemen on the other side of thg House, who prophesied
that, as great as they were, they would fall short of the wants .r
those who applied tor them. Those Gentlemen also predicted.
that any attempt upon the French fortresses would end unit in
proving the absurdity of the attempt. (In the very next ay,
however, the attempt was made, Site value of the prediction
was shewn, for the attempt fully succeeded, and the cannon did
not cease to roar till the power of Fiauce was overthrown in
the field of Waterloo.—(Hear, hear.)—And he had now the sa-
tisfaction of stating, that so far from the sinus then granted by
Parliament not having been sufficient, 20 millions, a part or
them had been applied to the reduction of the au/boded debt of
the country, and a further sum of 21 millions to the paying off
outstanding Exchequer Mts.—Wear, hatr.l-1a the beginning
of the year 1015, the Exchequer Bills outstanding amounted to
68,5411,0001. ; now they were 47,600,0001. From a view of the
revenue, he would wish the House now to look to the trade of
the country. The total of Exports for the three quarters of a
year ending on the 10th of Oct. 1814, was 37,167,0001. , for
the three quarters ending Oct. 10, 1815, they amounted to
42,42.1,0001. The Cotton Exports in 11414 were 13.169,0001.; in
the last year they were 15,376,0001. The Linen Exports in
1814 were 1,186,0001.; ih the last year they were 1,334,00e1.
The Woollen in 1814 were 6,131,0001. ; in the last year they
were 8,330,0001. The great and lending difficulty which we
had to encounter at present was the distressed state of the agri-
cultural interests of the country, the depreciation of value of
all agricultural productions, which during the war had, from
various circumstances, risen s• mach beyond their due propor-
tion : this unnatural rise had its origin in the events of the years
1795 and 1800; our supplies from the Continent, at that time,
depended en the caprice of an inveterate enemy, and a great
price was afterwards given to our own growers, to encourage
the growth of grain at home, and render as, as far as possible.
independent of the Continent for a supply ; the high price
which all agricultural produce fetched in the market from that
time, certainly encouraged the growth of corn at home, but on
the Continent becoming open to us, it was discovered that we
could supply ourselves much cheaper, and the consequence
was that corn fell at borne. Parliament, under these circum-
stances, adopted the measure of last Session, but that measure
coming immediately after a plentiful harvest, and a large sup-
ply from the Continent, came ton late, and the prices continued
to full. Besides the large supplies of corn sent into the mar-
ket, it must be recollected, that Government during the war
had been in the habit of taking a large quantity of flour for
biscuits, amounting annually to 200,000 sacks ; the Commissary
General was also in the habit of making large contracts ; and
whenever Government went into the market, it had the effect
of raising the price of the commodity, because it was know*
that its necessities were pressing, and the commodity must be
had at any price • this was, no doubt, another cause of the fall
in price. Had Parliamentl interfered at an earlier period, and
adopted the measure of last Session, it might have had some
effect in arresting the evil; such a measure was proposed in
the preceding Session ; but the country was not then prepared
for it, and it was abandoned to the following Session ; and in
the mean time the blow to agriculture was struck. A variety
of remedies had been proposed; at present he should advert
to but two or three of them. An Hon. Member had suggested,
as a remedy for the evil, a suspension of the Usury Laws.
Could he (Mr. V.) consider the evil as likely to be lasting, be
would not dismiss this recommendation without a most mature
consideration : but he trusted the evil would not be of that
description. For himself, lie considered there were two moties
to be adopted; first, a diminution of taxation—theer, hear
, and secondly, the support of Fabler credit. The first might
appear, and certainly was, desirous ; bat he did not consider it
as the most politic. He would put a case to the House. Sup-
pose, for instauce, every person in Great Britain, men. women,
and children, could, by any magical device, find at their rising
to-morrow morning each ofthem a guinea in their pockets.—(4
general laugh.)—Phis would bring a capital of near 15 millions
into Great Britain : yet no person would be able to pay a 101.
bill, or buy a load of corn with it, any more than he could at
present. Unless it could be collected together into a capital, it
would be of no relief to the country. If, instead of a single
guinea in the pocket of each individual, the 15 millions could
be paid into the country banks, the distress of the country
would, lie was convinced, disappear almost instantaneously.
Every man who stood in want of' temporary assistance, and had
security to offer, would get it, and get it from the usual chan-
nel. Now it would not be convenient to Parliament to give
assistance to every individual in the proportion in which he
might want it, or would it perhaps be prudes' to lend 15 ail.
lions to country bankers; yet, what Parliament could not do
positively it might do negatively ; and in his opinion, the only
way to alleviate the distress of the country at large, would be
to uphold public credit. To raise 15 millions by taxation,
would be to take a guinea from each individual; but this he
did not believe would have any effect on public credit ; though
to take that sum by way of loan for the public service from the
money market, would have that effect, and tend very materially
to aggravate the distresses of the country: last year 64 mil-
lions were added to the public debt ; if this year we should add
nothing, but on the contrary pay off 17 millions of old debt.
much would be done, and the country banks would them obtain
assistance front the money-market through the usual channels.
He had en a former night stated his intention to propose tits
reduction of the Property-tax to five per cent.: this would take
ofi seven millions of taxation, above four millions of which
would belong to the agricultural interest. He also hoped to be
able to diminish agricultural taxes to the amount of aaotbet
million, making altogether a diminution of five totalities. It
would be for the future consideration of the House to say on
what articles of taxation this reduction could best be made.
His present opinion, however, which he would state, was, that
it would be hest made by taking off part of the duty set forth
in schedule 11, namely, the Tenant's Tax, and the duty °fram-
ing byres altogether. The Right Hon. Gentleman again ob-
served, that he trusted he should be able to raise the supplies
without having recourse to any loan for the present year; the
three loans had amounted to let millions, of which 54 millions
had been taken in the last year. Uwe this year refrained from
taking any loan, and instead of doing so threw 14 millions into
the money market, a great deal would be done towards reliev-
ing the distress of the country, and he trusted would, in a few
months, accomplish that object altogether.—(Hear, hear.)—
With respect to the expenditure of the present tear, an Hon.
Friend of his would, in the course of the evening, propose
resolution for the number of seamen and marines for the pre-
sent year. In what was now to be subniitted to the House, he
did not intend to say such was to be the Peace establishment;
on the contrary, he was in hopes considerable reductions might
still be made, even in the present year,and in future years web
greater. The House would not think it extraordinary that
every thing could not be done in the first year after the conclu-
sion of this momentous contests when, ii they looked back to

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