The National Register.
London, England, 1819-06-13 00:00:00

FIIIIII4Y, JVNIZ It.

Sir H. PA It and others brought from the Common,
the Nleir.i Bridge

The Irish Fever Hospital Bill, and Colonial Ordination
Bill.. were read a third cline and invited
Marquis Camden's 'l'rtkrthip Bill went through a Com-
Witter.
Actjourotd.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
MONDAY.JITNE 7.__

OPPrelasitrit TAxATtoe.—Sir H. WILSON presented a
Petition from an individual, aamcd Bressington ;.we be.icve),
late of Goodman,' Fields, antl now of Great Peter-street, com-
plaioing of the ruinous untlenry of the present state of exce,sive
taxation, and preying that tile House would pause before it
increased the people's burdens. The lion. Member repeated his
declaration, that he would not consent to any additional taxes.
till there was tome redress of grievances—till there was more
sympathy before the Parliament and the People; and he added.
that he would rather lay his head upou Pate blob than agree to
the Chancellor of the Etch:tot:es Hesiliitions. or to one shillirg
of additional tax. (Hear, hear.) Petition read, and ordered to
be printed.
Lord CaArtwOuttx brought in the Hill for the more effectually
prevention of poaching. Head a flit time, and ordered to be
read a second time on Thursday se'nnight.
FINANCES—THE NEW TAXES.
_

The CUANcELLOR of the Excnsoauest (the House having
resolved itself into a Committee,) brought forward his series of
Finance Resolutions, read on a thriner day pro forma,concluding
with expressing the opinion On.tit was expedient to increase the
Taxes to Oft aniount of Three dhotis. The Right Hon. Gen-
tleman said, that us there was a deficiency in the ir.come of the
country. as compared with i:s expenditure, previously to
entering into a detail of the means by which such deficiency
mold be met, it was obvious, that a preliminnry discussion
on the gerersl question could not but be advantageous
and convenient to the Hume. That was the view with
which he had proposed die Reeclutions now to be decided upon.
His Resolutions were founded on the contents of the Finance
Reports; the facts asserted and sums stated were dram, teutii ,ucli
source. Having di tailed those Resolutions, which are already
fully before the public, the Right lion. Gentleman, adverting to
the that Resolution, which states the deficiency of 18,000,n0u1. by
the repeal of the Property and other taxes• observed, that he
should not now coin laud of the decision of the House on that
°cession. He hoped it had been presluctive cf good—but at the
same time lie felt himself bound to say that the credit of the
country could not be considered as placel on a sound footing, as
promising safety to the State, except there was a surplus beyond
the Expenditure—a real Sinking Fund. Had the Property Tax
been continued on the modeled tan
1 proposed by him in tell,
the debt of the country *mule not have been increased I 14,ts )0,6001.
nor would the debts bare been contracted with the hank. The
unappropriated War Taxes no longer remained, and it was evi
dent that the time had now arrived when the Parliament was
required to ktemiine on a more permanent and regedarsystem
of meedag the expenditure of the country; and as there was it
deficiency, the question was, what amount ought to be raised to
meet it. According to the eth and 1 lth Finance Reports of the
last Seeirn, and tile fire Report of the present Session, it appeared
that for the year ending January. lee'', the Expenditure was
54.2000P0L—dm Income 51.500,01a11. !caring a deficiency of
2,1110,0001. For the nest year the Expenditure was 31.900,ene1.
—the Income sezoo,now.--leaving a deficiency of fibo,oool.
For the current year the Expenditure was taken at 52,00001001.
—the Income was na.boo,oool.—the surplus was 1,000,0001.
This snrplus would not enable the enietty to provide for such
an extinction of its debt as would enable it to meet further
tmergemies ; the surplus of two millions only, it was obvious,
would place the country under such restraints as to prevent the
Government from attending effectually to any pressing woofs;
then was it not adviseable to provide for such an extinctien of
the public debt as would enable the• country to be prepared for
the future.? Ile assun.ed dist it was. The surplus was only
e,noo,onol. but is must be as oe.ontil. to render the Sinking
Fund a real Sinking Fund, and effectually to provide for the
maintenance of public. credit. Such a surplus would afford the
me ors of attending to the prosperity of the country, and that end
senile be effected by increasing the burdens of the people to the
amount of 3,000,0001 (Hear.) He should mention the amounts,
and the hems DOS, by which he should morose to reiee such sum;
the mode of increasing the duties, it e. Ix should re erre for de-
tail in the Committee of Ways sod Mean,. Without going into
any examination of the particular items, all he desired of the
House to determine on the present occasion was, whether the
House would agree to the making of a great croft to sustain
public credit. 'flat was the great qui:Mira ; the articles to be
taxed. cote paratively speaking, were of small importance. (Hear.)
!laving thus disposed at &twit general detail as he deemed essen
tial to his main ari,-tatueat end resolution, he would pieced to
enunierete the sondes an shish he proposed that these should be
imposed titiditional duties. The !kat wa., foreign wool; the in-
crease of duty on the importation of which. he calculated, would
produce 3n0,0001. Flom the consolidation of the Custonis
ntyyetol. niore.• The ten:mining articles came unties the head of
Excise. The most prominent article was that el Malt. (Hear.)
Ile was not about to propose the renewal of the duty taken off
after the war, but acoroadcrahle part of it. That duty had been
abandoned or, the revrescritatiorib that it would contribute to tl e
imennerntrt of aericulture, and that it would tend to reduce der
pnes ellen, an article of such essential use to the poor; but he
was sorry to sas dun the expo:tat:eons lucid forth in such reore•

JUKE IS.

silstadona had completely failad. The quantity of Malt on which
the ditty had hero paid h,.d considerably diminished. Where it
vote, with the additional Mitt. in 1813, 26.200,c00 bushels ; it
was th.: to:lowing year only. 17,0e0.000 buslte--to be sure that
was a mid ,l.at o art but, recording to the result of three years'
expert aim. the diminution in the Malt Ditty had lessened the
yuvrtity of Malt. Thus agriculture had not experie:nced
As to the price of Beer, after the ditty was taken off, the price was
lowered, but only for aver) short time ; it was almost immedi-
ately rai:ed to its former price. at which it had since continued,
remaining as high as when the heaviest Malt !bitty existed. *rims
the pnciliall relief to the poorer classes had nut been experienced.
The additional duty he now proposed to name was about half
the amount of what had been taken off; and he hoped to be able
to sheet,, that, notwithstanding such &deltic.: of duty, any tie in
the price of beer would not only be uncalled Mr, but unjustifiable.
(Hear, hear! and some laughter.) According to a Itewrt of
last year (of the Brewers Committeol, an intelligent Gentknian.
Mr. Barclay, stated, dna in May, lOt d, he averaged Malt at tits.
and Hops at tab. per hundred weight; at present the House
could not take Malt at a higher price than &3a. nor flops higher
than hl. 12s. per hundred weight. The brewing a quarter of
Malt, last year, sus estin mei at 91. Itia. Bd.—this year it could
not be estimated above oh 1 7s. 4d.; the itdditiontl duty would
impose an ir.creased expellee of 9s..ki. ; and that would leave Ms.
a quaner to the brewer beyond what he enjoyed Lst year; and
whew then would be the call for an advance In the pnce of beer
to the consumer? 1 his ailditiorad duty he calculated weuld
produce 1,400.0101. The articles here named were susceptible of
adulteration; but. as they sere under the Excise, fiands were
more easy of detection than were adulterations iu articles sub-
' jetted only to the Customs. The articles on which he proposed
to lay additional duty, were—Tubacce-aeCoree and Cocoa—Tea
and l'epper...-(Cheering and much laughter.) By Tobacco, he
expected to get an increase of 500,001.; and according to new
calculations and mode of collecting the duty, lie believed that
fur tonne time Tobacco andel be Pohl much cheaper to the
.—(Contimied laughter) Hy an increase of 4 per cent. on Coffee,
he calculated on getting 130.0001.—From Pepper, by raising the
duty from 96 to a round inu (a laugh), he thonght there would
be an ithlition of ion.oool. And he expected that these increases
would produce little or no variation in the quantities consumed.
One article only remained fur him to mention, namely, Spirits
distilled in England : and by an additional duty en that he
expected to raise 300,00 M. beyond the present produce. The
whole amount of these increased dutie3 be estimated would be
3,190,01)01. and therefore, calculating on some t mad deficiencies,
he might fairly calculate on an improvement of the ltevenew to
the extent of 3,000,000 L The items, on recapitulation, would
stand thus:—

Consolidation of the Customs . . £500,000
Excise... Malt (Is 2.1. per awl]. additional) 1.400,04.0
British Spirits BOP OPO
Tobacco Ron.nto
Coti;:e and Cocoa leirmmo
Tea 130.001)
Pepper . 100,000

The Right Ifon. Gentleman having terminated this detail, said
tic could nut but imprtad on the House that the increase of the
public burdens was indispensably to uphold the dignity of tin.
t'olintry by the maintenance of public credit. They had row
to determine on a permnncnt pence cstabli.huient. l'hey I new
the amount of the expenditure ; ard lie could not caLulate on
anx mrterial reductions. Ho concluded with moving the lle,c-
luuons already before the !mbar.
. . . .

Mr. 'f tsar: ks roses In the few observations he had to make
to tee House. lie would confine himself to the abstract question
of the three millions of new taxes in the filth year of peace. It
seemed to him, that after all the vapouring about the Sinhiog
Fund, after all that had been said about its inviolubility. and the
confidence which its existence inspired in the public creditor, we
now hail this melancholy fact—that Ntioisteis were driven to a
direct breach of faith with tnat public creditor. All the roan.
mnces which he had formerly mode, were now, it seemed, lost
bight of, and the public were to forget diem as it' they had never
been made. The Sinking Fund, after all, is in fact only two
millions, and i'arliament must make it 3,000,000/. in order to
make some provision for the future payment of the debt. Now
we hail a debt of 809,000.000/. and even at one per cent. (the
usual allowance on loans) it would require a Sinking Fund of
wasooo,oon/. to go to meet that on he old principle. Su that
now, in the fifth y:;ar of peace. we were to go on with debt of
aad,000,0014. with a Sinking Fund of 3.000,4 ord. ; and to supply
that, and make both ends meet for the prvent, we were to have
3.000,0001. .if new taxes ; and this we were told to look to, as oar
permanent peace establishment. (Hear.) The Right Honorable
Gentleman's language was this..." Here 1 come again with toy
old proud prancing periods ; give me but 3.00a,0001. more. antis
depend upon it, all shall be right. happy, and agreeable for the
future." Before a single farthing of such a suns was gianted to
him. he thought that he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer)
ought to state what he had lone with the many millions which
had previously been voted. He had indeed promised the nation.
that it should have indemnity for the past, and security for the
future; but it was a strange indemnity, and a still stranger se-
curity, to infix upon it 3,000,0n01. of additional taxes in the fiftit
year of peace. (Hear.) W. 14 it too much, under such circern-
stances, for him to ask the House to pause before they determined
—to deliberate before they resolved r Was it too much for him
to demand of them to examine how this sum had been advanced,
and that had been withdrawn ? The last proposition of die Right
Hon. Gent. was this—. that it is expedient now to increase the
income of the country by the imposition of tales to the amount
of 3,nn0,0001. per annum." The Bight Hon. Gent. must forgive
him if he raised his voice meet loudly against these 3.000,0001 of
new tuxes. (Hear, hear.) The lion. Gentleman then desired
the House to look et the situation in which the country was placed.
He had himself admitted the complete stagnation of our trade ;
whether he admitted it or no was very immaterial, since nothing
was to be heard. from one end of the country to the other, except
the distress in which all classes Of OUT manufacturers were plunged.
The petitions which the House had received front the agricultu-
ral part of the community clearly proved that their fortunes were
nut in a much more flourishing state than those of the manufac-
turer : whilst the complaints which they were now daily and
hourly receiving regarding the heaviness of poor.rates, showed
that the evil was nut confined to particular districts. but spread
far and aide throughout the whole nation ; and yet what was the
answer that the Home was making every 24 hours to these ex-
pressions of misery and distress? Why die acswcr was, "We
will imyose upon you 3,000,4001. of additional talcs." (lcer.)
Were the people of England stocks or stones, duo they could be
expected to endure such treatincnt ? (Ilear.) It might there-
fore be a fair question fur any one to ask, in what way were
our finances to be again put upon a fair footing ? To such a
question he would reply, that there were only. three methods—a
constant application to the Sinking Fund ; an imposition of new
taxes; or. what he thought better thi.n both, a reform and re-
trenchment in every department of State. (Ilum) He main-
tained that the I louse had no right to impose a single tax upon
the country, until it had shown that a reductioniutd been made in.
every establishment which could be teduccd. tEoud cries of
her and that it had no right to goad and imitate the people
by new imposts, until it had abown thou that there was no odor
resource to which it could apply consistently with either the safety
or the credit of the nation. t 11C411%) But be supposed that some
of the gentlemen on the opposite tenches would say to him, " I
know you talk grandly on economy ; but can you point out any
reductions by which a large suni can to saved to the public ?'
Ile 'mild reply in there intenugatories, by answering. that he
believed that such reductions might be pointed out ; and by ex-
pressing his firm enniiction, that an administration which made
economy their object might save a: least 1,000,U01. to the cowl.

JUNE IS.

try. It was for the principle of economy that he combatted, and
against that principle ministers as vehemently contended. His
friends had tried them upon the question of the two Lents of the
Admiralty. (Hear, hear). These I.ords had only I.ooolot piece.
to that the saving which they had proposed only amounted to
9..0001. per annum; this, it was said. was scarce worth talking
about; lie allowed it; but maintained that the principle on
which the reduction was founded was invaluable. The Hon.
Member then adverted to the magnitude of our military estab-
lishments, which, if they wore nut reduced speedily, would end
in our total ruin. Much had been laid of the imposing attitude
which we preserved towards Europe ; he wished to know which of
these two attitude% was the most imposing—to keep up a large
army whose expenses we could not pay. or a small army whose
expenses we could pay, and whose numbers we could increase
whenever we chase or had occasion for them. But then it was
hard, very hard, to part with a little patronage (laughter) ; yet
before they taxed the meanest beggar in the country. he had a
right to say to them, " Show me that you have avokkel all un-
necessary expenditure." Bul this his Majesty's Ministers could
not show, because they had been guilty of the most profuse ex •
traragance. The army, however, was not the only department
of our expenditure in which great savings might soon be accom-
plished. The expenses of many of our colonies might be dimi-
nished: a consolidation of offices under the revenue might take
place, and the office of a third Secretary of State, as he (Mr. T.)
laid once proposed, might be entirely abolished. Indeed, he saw
oo more reason for a third Secretary of State than he did for a
third Archbishop. (Much laughter.) " But then," say the
supporters of the present system, " if these reductions are made,
no administration can possibly stand." He maintained, that any
sidntinistration which owed its continua ace in power to such sup-
port as this extravagance supplied, ought not to stand for a single
moment; and added that no administration could be strong in
public opinion except that which took care that every f..rthing of
money eaacted from the pubic was expended in ml and not in
nominal services. Far his own part, he (Mr. Tierr.cy) was sure
that if they had the rauney given them, the country would hear
no more about their economy till they had occasion to apply for
some again ; for he was certain, that in their natures they ab-
hinted economy, and that they would never practice it unless
it were forced upon them in future as it hail been forced upon
them in the past. M'hane;er and wherever they had resorted to
it, they had rarcrted to it to stifle what they called the clamour
and impatience cf the populace; (Ilear,) and had never made
any reductions voluntarily, except those which were occasional
by the transition from war to peace. (Ilan.) He again repeated,
that great reductions must be made, if the Government wished to
render the taxes at all palatable. ; ;Jul concluded his speech by
observing, that he should not say :my thing at that time regarding
the particular taxes which it wit proposed to levy, as his objec-
tion was to the levying of new tuxes at all. lie then moved the
previous question, and sat sown amid lung and loud cheers from
both sides of the House.

Lord CASTLEREAGH maintained, that the present adminis-
tration had proceeded with the utmost rapidity in making all the
economical arrangements in their power. especially in the army,
navy, and ordnance department.. His Lordship was disposed to
complain of some of the other &nee...awns of the Hight lion
Gem. and particalarly of f sa: which were intended to totters a
false impression into the country. Surely this attempt was riot
only unworthy of the high station which the ili ht lion. Gentle-
man held in the Home, and of his great knowledge upon sub-
jects of this nature; but very nearly half his address hal been
employed in insinuating alarm into time minds of public ens'itors.
that Ministers were meditating a breath of faith ; that the ob-
jet of the proposition of the Chaneellor of the Exchequer was
the destruction of the Sinking Fund as esta.blished by Mr. Pitt,
and afterwards mmxlilied by Parliament. Yet nothing could be
snore unfounded titan such a uippositioo. Nothing like an in-
vasion of the Sinking Fund ha been contemplated. His I.ord-
ship was persuaded that not a single obiervation bad Wien from
his Hight floe. Ft lend (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) in the
course of the sec: ion, that was inconsistent with the perfect one-
cation of the Sinking Primal Act. At the same time Ministers did
not mean to assert that the provisious of that Act. at all tiontv,
and under all circumstances could be literally executed. The
first question which the country ought to look at in a fearless
and a manly way was, whether it ought to be waist's-El with its
financial situation in time of peace; or whether some effort
ought not to be made to ennhle it to meet the burdens of a new
war, should such calamity unfortunately visit us.-.(1-• car, bear.)
11i, lordship writ on la conteinl that is Nosing of 2,1a10,00.11.
annually was not sufficient to enable the country to meet
ith firmness the slim kof is future war. Toe rtifiC hon.
Brut. had untitled him with opi bb sss ito he (Lord Castlereagh)
had es pressed early in the session. His ,ordslaip would not
retract one icon of what be had then advanced. lust fweause
he oas nshamed in do so if truth would warrant him, but
because all he had asserted had litres' barite out by nutiscipient
inquiry. He had maintained thirst the country was iii a state
of prosperity, and lie was willing to rest the eolith matom
sodelsampoil the evidence of tile bun. mrinher for famma:ter.
Ile had also contended that there was a fair prospect of Ne-
ther imp; oveusent ; anal is hn had yea tured to contradict him?
His ini &hi p should conieder the nation in a proud sitter
in point of &Rafe, with a shmkiar fond of 8,S00,(021 and
an million! inexhaustible reserve of 13,000,0001. in the *Lope
of am properly-tax, should the threats of a darinc came and
the dangers of the kingdom render it necessary for ministers
to call upon Parliament for a renewal of that meaty suet re
of revenue. However unwilling a minister uugbt be upon
;moods of speculative policy to call for this aid, yet his hod-
ship confided on the energy and Si ibdorn of the nation to
grant it, should a ease of necessity arise. It sad already
consented to the sacrifice on the return of Bunnoporte from
Llisa ; and he did not doubt that, sliortld a new expeasive
war visit the enontry, the govern.' eau sould_again lie arum.,
w it h this manire and tin pregnable shoal. ( Continued cheer%)
His Lordship thought that he .bad stow ocesipied guile as
much time as was necessary upon a matter so plain to all
who were disposed to we: time question merely resolved
itself into tide point—ought the coition). to be satisfied
with its financial situation? The siglu lion. gent. Noised
was far from 'mime satisfied upon it: he scanned to hold
out a prospect that lie would hats e made a much greater
effort i that instead of 3,00,c001. of tithe*, Ulm had been
minister, he would have propoassl 111,000,41001.; Ills advire
upon this and some other subjects might be veil, good,
but his Lordship &shied whether the country walled lie
willing to pay the additional 7,0t0.0 01. to obtain it. His
whole speech went to show, that iginiste Is ought to be
turned oat of their places. became they did not propose
10,000,0001. : at all events, an stroll (light to lie made.
Tht present ;government thought 3,n00.0001. soffit boll,
and they had also thoosalit it better to Sablail it to poi Ito-
ment rather than to shun provinces. Tete neat point was,
was the present the fit time fur making au (seri Sion ? Upon
that his Lordship wialied to join Wane, cud he Was as Mlle
alirellen‘ilie hr the result as lie had been oil wfiroter
Meld, when time entifidenee of the House had even exceed-
ed his most sanguine expectations. Then it 14.10. Ilse grand
question, for w Melt the other side had act jong waited, was
decided, and when the House of Commons Lad had the
courage to declare by its sloe, Ilint it placed more °phoneme
on the measures of 'Moister' than on the speech.* of their
ants eon's's.

Mr. iIItOtTGRAM WP4 quite ready m meet the noble lord on
the ground where he bad planted luumelf; he had •undouhtrdly