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

consisted in the appeal to the humamity of Govern-
ment. arising from the'alatmirog statements furnished
ter them as to the progress of disease itt Ireland.—
Without stating it as a subject of accuaation. he
certainly thought the question of breach of faith
on the part of Parliament or Government was a fit
subject for examination in the Committee, should
the House consent to go into the Committee, to
examine whether this had been raised as a war tax
or otherwise. As to the dangerous prevatt•nce of
the fever bring in part attributable to the con-
fined air of these abodes of the poor, there could
be no stronger proof than the relaxation granted
by Government, enabling the parties deprived
of adequate ventilation to open their windows
without being liable to the tax. The question
then for the House to determine was, whether there
was any part of the Petition which ought to he
examined in a Committee. Perluips the Committee
might propose an additional modification ; the
evil might he in part redressed. He by no means
considered the state of the finance such as should
produce despoudency, but rather revision. There
was, therefore, room enough to provide for the re-
dress of this peculiar grievance as affecting Ireland.
Ile would auspicate nothing but good from that
Committee, for certain he was, that no Member of
that Committee would feel himself justified in de-
rogating from the character of Ireland for its ready
compliance in the hour when it became neces-
sary to sacrifice its all ill a grand struggle for a
common► cause.—( I /ear, hear.)—He believed m►st
sincerely that Ireland might be relieved with-
out any general injury bring inflicted on the
financial state of this country. Ireland was ►n that
state that ►he should be carefully nursed, amid her
resources rather calculated upon, as available after
a row year/, than be made the subject of Immediate
(nation, which stolid wily diminish her present
sod future strength.—(Hear.)—lf any other op-
posite system ~.ere pursued, he would assure the
Right Honourable Gentleman, that the actual
returns of the revenues would diminish as the
duties increawed. He for one should vote for the
Committee; but even if the Committee were lost,
he was happy to find the Right Hon. Gentleman
sas rather disposed to diminish than increase the
proportion of Irish taxation. —1 ( Hear, hear.)
Mr. PARNYLL was sorry for the discouragement
which had been given to the proposition by the
Right Hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He
could not see that I eland had not borne he► fair
proportion of taxation and privation for some
years past, although he was satisfied the tax was
a very injudicious one, as the persons resident in
Isoisea of this inferior description were soot able to
abed a single shining as a contribution to the exi-
gencies of the State. /le attributed this financial
error in practice to one of a more general natu►e,
which was the assuming, at the period of the Union,
that Ireland ought, in the ratio of her exports to
those of this country, contribute to our financial
exigencies in the proportion of two-seventeenths—

. .
a proportion much too large, it tieing very falsely
and f.►llariously supposed that the exports of Ireland
wire proofs of her wealth, whereas, being all raw
eponnutpiptirs, exported for the purpose of 'procuring
from other countries that which she ought to have
rrsioted within herself, these exports were only
1.-f. of her poverty. But the causes of Ireland's
:session were ,fien to be f lin her own miss
acloagensent of tier affairs. She was not even per-
m•tted to pave or light the streets of her metropolis,
h•.t a must burdensome and expensive Board had
b...raappoilited by Government for superintending
-.t pettt olpjcet. Upon the whole, the causes of
I enprodsietivvness, in a financial point of view,
•ght he attributed to the depression of the public
-plod mid the nation's energies.—(//ear.)
11r. NIA Y, in a sho►t speech, recapitulated several
f the preceding arguments, and concluded by
.oti.ig in favour of the Committee.
Mr. SHAPLAND CA NEW contended, that the ad-
ditional call upon Ireland had been made in conses
garner of its being I ttttt minced to be necessary to
maintain a force of 4.5,000 men in Ireland.

Mr. %Vss. Surrti considered this a most objec-
tonable tax in principle--a principle which he
hoped would never be endured in this country,
though circumstances might have led the Irish
p-ople to bear with that which their natural high
smelt otherwise would not brook—lie meant the
right given by this Act to go into the interior of
each house to examine if there were any internal
I:4lits. Ile would deny that this was an in-
stance of a mild and liberal conduct on the part of
Government, which would wantonly invade the
quiet and grace of private life for such a paltry
purpose, by sanctioning the domiciliary visits of
persons so unwelcome at all times as tax-gatherers.
Ile hoped if the Committee were granted, the first
step taken by the Right lion. Gentleman at the
head of the Exchequer would be to redress this
grievance, at least, if he were not induced to relin-
quish the tax altogether, in die expectation of find-
ing resources sufficient to replace its amount, by
introducing a yet greater share of public economy.
Mr. P. Moues thought the b uhject had not )et
"ern treated on its proper ground. The Right
Non. Gentleman had stated his readiness to remit
25 per cent. on this tax. If, however, he should
he unable to make shift without the amount of than
i ix, as it stood, he should prefer that the defi-
ciency should he levied ou this country, rather than
(Autunite to sacrifice the lives and health of indivi-
d'lrk in that country, who were as well entitled to
die ',rotes don of that House as ally man within its
walls.

C 4 LCR r FT—After the reiterated represents.
ti" n• ~j pity of the inhabitants of this part
of ..,t•.l Itingdoon, he felt the House would
1131 he authorised in refusing to go into a Corn.
milfre nu the .object. Nothing could he more
clear than that there wa. a reasonable ground to
the policy of the imposition of the tax, had
recut its prodoetivem...4mte hand in hand with the
tient sanguine expectation of the Minister. But
the contrary had beets sliewn to be the remilt, and
enough had been stated to shew to what an impro.
per length 16111111011 11611 been pushed in
Inc nature of these statenteuts were as yet uti.
answered, and, in his mind, unanswerable. If the
light HOll. Gentleman should resist inquiry, be
"°lll4l be one of the first to move fur the repeal of
tile tax.
Mr. ROSERT SHAW replied at some length. He
In Parbetaiar teferreri to the impression attempted
16. be 10,111, on the House. by stating that as ass
window 1t,0,t tax only fell on tenants in hanks