The Sun.
London, England, 1806-05-10 00:00:00

COMMITTEE, OF SUPPLY

as iron, coals, or wood. Of all these siaple rranroo-,
dities he• considered iron to be the most ithporratif
any:Tax on that _articlewould b injuriOnslothe ge-
neral interest, butthe operation of the Tat pripo';:ed
by the Noble Lord 'peculiarly so. The Noble Lord
proposed tO Jay an equal duty on iton- of all qualities.
Now there was a variation of at least .50 per cent. in
the value of different kinds of iron, how, therefore,,
could this proposition be reconciled with the princi-
ples of justice ?. The uses of iron were so multipli-
ed, that it was probable they did not enter into the
Noble Lord's contemplation. He would first con-
sider iron 'of the lowest quality. .:In-the article of
iron rail-ways from mines,. the operation of the tax
would increase: the expence of- such rail-ways 7001,
a mile, an expence Which would almost amount to
a prohibition of them. It had been found desirable
to abolish wooden rail-ways for the ,purpose of sub-
stituting iron ones, an object which this tax must
in a great measure defeat. Yet 'it would even then
be felt
_most severely in the construction of these
wooden rail-ways. The ramifications of injury that
the_ tax would cause were innumerable. Was the
Noble Lord aware how it would Elie& the coal,
trade ? On a moderate calculation it would raise
the price' of coals. is. per ton. The quanity importy
ed into London within the year exceeded a million of
chaldrons.. Thus from this small advance 50,0001.
burden would arise. The utmost at which the friends
of the tax computed its annual amount was 300,0001.
(The opponents 'of it thought not so much). The ad-
ditional charge, therefore, merely on coals brought
to London, came to a sixth of the whole produce of
the tax, ! Another baneful effe& of the tax would be,
that by its, operation oifthe machinery of Our mane..
fa&ories, horses Would be substituted in many cases,
and this at a tune when we were
.paying five millions
annually to the Continent for foreign grain. Was
the Noble Lord aware'of the increase in the price of
wood that' this tax must necessarily occasion ? At
the present moment iron, was applied to pur-
poses for which largestitither would then be Used.
Would it be wise to increase the demand for timber
of this' description at a period When it was. already so
'alarmingly scarce ? With regard to iron of the higher
and finer kind, .in many manutil6thires it had to
pass through three or four different hands. In each
of these stages an 'augmentation of price would take
place.. But. this was a part of the subje& which be
would leave to those who Were more conversant with
it than himself. He would confine himself to the
no-
tice of those large, works, many of whiell,.if this Bill-
were to pass, Would be compelled to be.closed. There
was at that moment a canal censtruCtingy the trough
of which was forming of iron, Was it possible-that'
thiS could be carried' on tader' the oppressive effea
tharthe tax must produce ? 'Amidst aIl the increases that
had taken place on the varions articles of British traffic
and
_manufaCture, no increase littl been made on the
priceOf iron. This was attributatrleto the skill and adi;
vity of our manufadurers ; but if this Bill passed, the
greater part of them would be ruiued,end the business
being'then monopolised by a few, the most injutious
consequences rhugt ensue. He was Justified in .assert-
ing, that only men of very extraordinary capital, ail&
who.hadthe-power of enlarging that capital at' plea-
sure,
could then commence iron works ; for, sup-
posing the distance from a work to the mine to be'
but 30 miles, an increase of capital. to, the amount of
.21,0001. Would then become ne6essary merely fors
the additional expence of the iron railway. He bad
last Session opposed the tax on agricultural horses, as
diredly affeding the interests t4c husbandman ;
but when he compared that tax with the one in con-
templation,he could'not but prefer the dire& tax to one •
which would operate more heavily; though in a cir-
cuitous manner. It was supposed, that-the proposed
measure would be equivalent to a duty of I 2s. on each
husbandry horsei, and when the quantity of iron used
about.afarm- was considered, this was, perhaps,not ad
exaggerated supposition. He would take it', how-
ever, at ss. a horse. The number pr husbandry
horses in use was a million, and thus Would the farm-
ing interest incur a burden at least, and on the
_most
moderate calculation,' of 250,0001. There weft:
200,000 pleasure horses, the additional expence on
each of which_ would be los, making 100,0001.
which, added to the other, rendered the burden
thrown on the article of horses only, by the opera-
tion of this tax, equal -td the gross sum .which the
Noble Lord had estimated that it would produce.—
This appeared to him to be a conclusive, argument
on the subject. It would be criminal ui the House
to impose a burden so heavy, and from which such
little benefit to the Country could be-derived. He
knew with what reluctance some minds acknow-
ledged their error; but he trusted that the minds Of
the Noble Lord, and of the Right Hon. Gentleman
near him, were too great, to. persist in a measure the
tendency of which was so higlily,injurious.'
. Air. STEWART WORTLEY followed on' the
same silo. The effect of the proposed tax would
be materially to diminish, if not totally to destroy,
our export trade in iron, from which whole towns
and villages derived their subSistenCe. The Noble
Lord proposed, by way of removing the pressure,
and counterbalance the effect of the tax, to lay a
duty.of 31. per ton on all 'foreign iron imported
to this Country. This Might b© of service to the
I.ot-h.-Masters, but would ruin the ManufaCturers
who used this foreign iron in their articles. The
etre& of the tax on Machinery and on agriculture
would likewise, be severely felt. It would operate
with peculiar severity on the Arable Fortner. The
great and coMprehensive mind of the Right Hop.
Gentleman who preceded the Noble Lord in his si-
tuation had perceived the injury which 'such a tax
was calculated to produce, and had relinquished his
'intention of imposing it. He trusted that his exam-
ple would be followed iii the present instance. He
concluded with opposing the Speaker's leaving the
Chair, and declaring that he would take the sense
'of the House on the question.
Mr.* ATORDAPT f opposed the Tax, contending
that it. would be in the highest degree detrimental 'to
the Country, and but little productive to the Reve-
nue. It would particularly ale& Birmingham, once
called the toy-shop of Europe; but the trade of
which had materially decreased, and could 'ill bear
any additional bUrthens. The drawback upon the
duty would 'be'insufficient. We ought to allow our
trade in Iron to go unfettered, in. the hope' that it
might expand, and prove a source of inexhaustible
advantage to the Country: It was by our com-
merce and rnanutilaure's, that We were enabled to
maintain a distinguished rank among the nations of
Europe. Touch but thoSe, we should tall an easy
prey to thellyacity of Oetuy. Encourage thprar,

The Estimates presented yesterday by the Secre-
tary at War having been ordered to be referred to the
Coniniittee of Supply, Ihe House resolved itself int&
the saki-Committee, in which, on.the Motion of the
Secretary at Wat, the Army Estimates were voted
for a month, from the 24th inst. in the same pro-
portion as those for the last three months. The
1-loue having been resumed, the Report was ordered
to be received to-morrow.
' REPEAL OF THE ADDITIONAL FORCE ACT?
Mr. HOBROUSE brought up the Report of the
qounnittee on the Bill fbr Repealing the Additional
Fqrce Act. , The Amendments were read .a first
time. On the Motion that they be read a second

Mr. TyRwHITT Jorms begged, that in voting for_
the Repeal of the,Additional Force Act, he might
.not be considered as pledging himself to support the
Bill to be substituted by the Right Hon. Secretary
for the War Department, which, if it corresponded
with the autline-whiCh he had sketched in the House,
,appeared to him likely to be. worse than' the present
measure. •

_ After a few words from Mr. ELLISON, the Amend-
ments:Were read a'second time, and agreed to.
. On the suggestion of Mr'. BANKES, the Bill, as
arntmded, was Ordered to be printed ; and, on the
Motion of Mr. Secretylry,Wtt4DHAl'vl, ordered to be
read a third time on Tuesday.

MALTSTERS PETITIONS. a --
On the :I‘lotion ref Mr. BAKER, the various Peti-
tions of the Maltsters against. certain provisions of
the Ael of the 43d of his present Alajesty, were or-
dered to be referred to a Committee.

Lord TEMPLE gave notice, that on Monday, he,
would, move, that so much of the Customs Duty
„Att as rc lated. to the Duty on the Importation of
Thread Lace, be referred to the consideration of a
Committee,. • - : ' -

Sir JOHN NEWPORT obtained leave, to bring in'
.a Bill to provide for, the payment of the Interest,•of
the Debt of Ireland,
.now payable. at the Exchequer,
', at the Bank of Ireland'.

The A& of the 43d Geo. HI, relatiye to the regu-
lation of the Malt Duties in Ireland,, having been
catered as read, Sir JOHN NAM/PORT obtained leave
to brliig in a rhe-sattie.
Sir JOHN NEWPORT brought up the Irish Loan
Bill, and the Irish., Treasury Bills Bill; and Lord
IINRY PETTY brought up the -Bill for the better
regulation of the Office ,of Receiver-General of the
Stamp Duties; all whiCh were read. a first
.time,
and ordered to be read a second time on Monday.

IKON DUTY, BILL
The Order of the Day having been read for the
douse to resolve itself into a Committee on the
iron Deity Bill, Lord HENRY PEI TY moved, that the
speaker do now leave the Chair.

Mr.
,CURIVE,'N rose with great reluCtanee to op-
pose this measute, but
,he trusted the HouSe would
do him the justice to believe, no light grounds
would induce him to throw any impediment in the
way of Government at a moment life the present.
Without entering into any details, he thougl?,t that
the very first and most general view of the subjed
ougliv to be sufficient to warrant hiniin calling on Mi-
-nisters to abandon this tax, and adopt some one less
injurious to the interests of the Empire. It bad hi-
therto been our 'Uniform. policy to to tax articles
that were the staple commodities of the country, such

. .
rreshould successfully resist every attempt that could Sir J. TPROTTE SLEY took a comprehensive
be in:tiLe against us., ,He 'trusted the Noble Lord view of theSubjed, priecipaliv entbreing the argu-
wOeld se-consider this measure. If he aixuidoned it, i ments •of Mr. Wilberforce. The trade consisted
high as his cherader stood in the Country, it would 'greatly in the ingenuity of those praising it, and
become still there exalted. ' . ' . • , nothing could so effeatually put a stop to the prac-
. Me. H. LASCELL ES stated various objeaions to tice of this ingenUity ,as putting the manufacture
the Tax, which in his opinion would be highly inju- under the Excise, . Formerly, and until within the
rious to,,if not wholly destructive of the export trade. j last five or sine years, wood or charcoal was the only
Mr. WILBERFORCE opposed the Bill, at very material by which it was supposed that Iron could
considerable length, on the ground of theinjury that - be made ; but the ingenuity of, the manufilEturers-
it would cause to, manuladures and commerce : led them to find a substitute in conk. Under the
250,000 tons of pig iron were manufactured in the
.gloomy influence of the Excise there is every reason
year, which gave employment to an immense number to believe that this useful discovery would.never hays
of athletic men, who were ready on any emergency been made.- The moment the • Legislature put on to defend the Country. Considering these men as the Excise, they imposed a specific mode of work-- taxable commodities, and considering that they would ing, from which no appeal could be made, and which
be deprived of employment bythe duties propiased, ; must at once put a stop to the ingenuity. Insuper-
he contended that the financesof the country would F able i:difficulties presented themselves to the execu-
thus sustain more injury inditealy than they would at on of the plau. laid 'down. The Manufacturers
derive dire& advantage from the operation of - the were called on to give notice to the Excite Officer
Tax:. The Tax would burthen the Public with the 'of 'the time at which they were to proceed to work.
•
expence of near a million annually, nor 200,0001. of I This was impossible. 'With all their:praatice and'
which would ever 'find its way into the Treasury. skill in their business they could not judge within
This was an abominable ' waste of the resources of four hours of the time it might be in their power
the Country. He deprecated the introduction of the to open the furnace, and' proceed to cast, and 'the
Excise into a branch of manufaBure to which it had Ekcise Officer must be always on the spot, or the
been hitherto unknown. A great portion of his con- Manufacturer must be under innumerable penalties.
stituents were looking to the issue of this discussion The door,would also be opened to, .great frauds.:
with the utmost anxiety,' as it :involved their nearest This' the pei-Sons who had applied .to him on the
interests. , He instanced a foreign invoice which had subject were particularly anxious to guard against.
accidentally fallen into the hands of the British,' by- Nothing could be so unjust to the fair Marialaauter
evhich it appeared that the manufacturers of Gentle-, 'aS to confer on the fraudulent the means of evading
ny were ready to furnish to Portugal articles at a 'the. Duty, and ortihdersellieg the fair dealer. As to the
.price far inferior. to that which British Manufaaurers rate of drawbacks, he contended that those specified
could afford. The drawbacks proposed to be allow- ' by Gentlemen On the other side, as
.being assented
ed were insufficient: He dwelt a long titneon these to by the Manuladturers, were not made out on an
and other points; and implored the Noble Lord at accurate basis. a The Manuthaurers of Sheffield and -
least
to wait until the iron manufaature had attained ' Birminghatn were the best qualitied to judge on this
a greater degree of strength and maturity, before he subject ; and they said, that nothing, was more die-.
hazarded itepoSing so Heavy a burden .on it as that -licult than to fix the drawback, or • rather that no
he proposed. • drawback could indemnify them. In such articles
Sir R.-BUXTONexpressed his surprise that the as knives, spadea, &c. where part was iron and part
landed interest should so readily have consented to wood, or other material, it was hardly. possible by an
the:tax on husbandry horses that had been. rejected Aft of Parliament to fix the drawback which ought
,last year; which Would certainly bear exclusively on to besallowede Taking a view of the different quan-
a particular class of society. He was aware of the . tities.Consumed in home and foreign conaumptiOn,
pressure of the Tax under consideration, upon agri- by Governmeet, &c. the "Hon. Gentleman contend-
culture, but when he considered the circumstances ed that, of, the whole gross amount 0f610,0001. which
ofthe Country, such a Tax, extending to the whole , it was agreed the quantity of Pig Iron manufadured
of the Country,- ought to be preferred. would, at the rate 'of 40s. per ton, produce-in one
-Mr. WII4dERVORCE explained. year, 112,0001. would be ' for Government,. and
. Sir. IVM. YOUNG contended, that it was a prin- , 208,00.01. would be entitled to drawbacks. Suppose
eiple of taxation to lay the tax 'on articles, that were ing that there were 200 furnaces, and that only one
most diffusive, and consequently would be most Officer were to be required for each, this would pro-
produative. He did not think a tax uponeluxuries duce an expence. in collection at least to the antomei
or San-ants, as suggested by the Hon. Member (Mr. of 20,0001. so that there would remain of the whole
WilberA,rce), would be either eligible or produdiVe. 610,0001. only 270,0001. He asked if for- this s'an
' The use of iron in agriculture had -beenenentioned, the House would wish to run the risk of annihilating
but the consumption of that article' in the West so promising a branch of their nimuthaurea ?' -
-
'lndies Was in a tenfold proportion increased, being M. Alder-man PRINS EP did not conceive the
proposed Tax on the raw material as at all likely to
there used instead of eopper in boilers, and other-
wise .in very general use. He contended that the have. the effed which some Gentlemen apprehende
drawbacks were sefficient. The success of our ma- ed upon the higher wrought article. The rant was,
, that upon the rate of such articles the original; TA
features in-the. foreige markets would depend on
would scarcely have any effect. ,This Tax, he re•
their quality, .aral.not so much Oa the price; and in
reset of their quality no Country could rival us. 1.
Lord 4. HAMILTON felt great reluctance to o marked, was opposed altogether by the represented,
dune of interested persons, and therefore were nat, '
-.
'ise any tax brought forward- by his Nobl p
e. Friend. intitled to the. attention. which many Gentlemen
After what had been so ably urged against the tax, seemed to attach to them. He remembered that
it was unneceasary for hum to add anything to the when the Tax upon silk was raised at the rata. of
arguments-that had beets used against it.' -He felt from si. to 135. a great outcry was raised among-doos
himself bound, however, from a sense of his [tiny, manufeaturers, yet the fat was, that notwithstanding
end a conviction that this tax would cut off: the this inerease, the silk gliumfadtory had considerably
sources of future Revenue; to oppose the-progress-of
advanced.
the Bill. - - , ; • _ Mr. W. SMITH,' although he disapproved
.ot
Mr. CA LCRA FT . argued in support of the tax, the Tax, wished that the Bill should go into a Corne
that the manufeetdre was ripe enough 'to be made' the mince,' in order to see whether i( could be se mei--
objeat of taxation ; that . the duty would not inter- dified as to be accommodated to the feelings of tht,
fere with the foreigrrtenufedurers. If this modification were foutat
n trade ; thus the -progress. of the '
manufacture would not be interrupted by its being predicable. 'he 'would be ready to.grant that supporz,
excised ; and that the tax would produce to the Re-
which he would be happy on all occasions to af..
four hundred thousan
venue a sum to the
.d
poUnds.
amount. of between three and ford his Honourable Friends on the Treasury Bench,:
Lord HENRY PETTY ably answered the sevee
, Mr, FA/11MS felt much reluEtance to object to had
rat ohjeaions which been offered to the Tay
any measure originating with the Right Hon. Gentle- under discussion. To the proposition for substt.
matr, to whom partiality and-habit attached-hime He luting a Tax an Horses employed .in agriculture, he
rose merely to ask a question,. the answer to which thought it unnecessary to make any other reply than
that which had been already heard in the course of
would remove the. difficulty he felt on the present
subject. He wished to be informed, to ;what ex
7 the debate. A Tax upon the Landed Interest be..
tent the tax would operate on consumption of hem yond their fair proportion,' would not, he was sere,
in the public service. , - 'be listened to by the House—particularly, because
Mr. VANSITTART took a view -of all the ob- . that part of the Community never 'manifested any that had been made to the ' tax, and coin- disinclination to bear an equal burthen with others.
. mented with much ingenuity upon them. He main- To assert that the Tax betbre the House pressed op.
tained that the tax could not interfere with the pressively . upon. this class, he thought a position
foreign trade. Iron had been but 101. per ton in that could not for a -moment. be sustained : for he
1799;
,in 1801, it was 191. per ton, and shortly after had the satisfaation -of stating,' that, independentlyt
it fell to eel. and yet this flualuationhad no effeat on .f of the :other circumstances already mentioned, the
the trade. The statements- that had been' referred to. f farmers had, in the value of old iron, a deduction of
were much eXaggerated,, and the- drawbacks in the little less than half the original price. But to judge
Pell were sufficient to cover the trade from the etlisa 'of the falladousness of ile statements circulated'
of the tax. In some instances the drawback proposed upo.l this subject, it was only necessary to mention;
to beallo-i.ved exceeded that demanded by the manufitc- ac aerding to one which had no doubt been put into
tureens; in others they were lesiit but every liberality the hands of most
,Members of the House, it wag.
would 'be extended to the wishes of Gentlemen on'the j seriously asserted, that the proposed Tax, whieh
subject, and the drawbacks might be modified or ex... was only 4Us. per ton, would, as tohorses employed
tended so as to besatisfeatory to these concerned -,--. in agricultere, produce an increase of nine pounds,
As to the Excise, he appealed to liisLearned lfriend, six shilling' and eightpence per ton. The Noble.
(Mr. Percival) 'whether any harsh prof isiuns on that i Lord wept on to shew, that when Taxes became
head existed in the Bill. Indeed, such provisions . necessary, the attention of Ministers was naturally
Were unnecessary, 'because, a bate of pig iron was - i directed to those persons, who were able to bear- •
an article that could not easily be smuggled.—The them. Finding then the Iron Manufactory to be a
tax would bear so small 'a proportion to the itti- flourishing trade, they very naturally thought proper'
tense capital employed in such concerns, that they to select it. 1 That this trade was, many years since,t
could not bematerially affeeted thereby. He could I in the year 170, pointed out to his predecessor in,
see nothing in the state of the countries on the Con- i office as a fit subjea of taxation must be known tie
tirient to give rise to the apprehensions entertained the Gentlemen on the other side ; and, although
with respect to the foreign trade. As to America, the proposition was not then acted upon, he undere
iit was a country in the id-fancy of its population,'' stood that it was not by any means given up, but.
. and no wise Government would encourage-in such a intended to be brought forward again by the:Right
Country the employment of its Subjects in - menu- , Hon. Gentleman alluded to. In order to shew thqe
factures' to any extent that wistuld enable them to flourishing state of the Iron Manufacture, the Noble-
rival this Country. The population of that Country '.Lord stated, that the quantity of that article mauu-'
would be wisely direated.ao the more productive em- . featured in 1797 was but 130,000 tons, and that
Ployment of cultivating their Country. The (plan- the quantity in the last year amounted to 250,000. ~
tity of Iron consumed on account of Government FrOm this improvement he inferred the super= ca-
was,, on an average of some,years, only 15,060 tons; i pacity of the manufadurers at present to pay the
'and last year amounted, including the estimates for duty which his predecessor declined to pass in 1797.
the manufaCture of arms,,tO no more than 28,000 tons, ; As to the-operation of this Tax. upon the machinery
which was nearly double the, average consumption.. employed 'in ditfererent manufaatories, it did not
As to the payment of the Duty, time would be al-. appear to him that any objection ought "to be inade
lowed for' it, or proper security, and a still farther , on that 'ground, when it was considered that from
extension for the stock on hand. ' the proceedings of , a certain Committee (the
Sir R. MILBANK., feeling as he did 'for ,the 'Woollen Manufh6ture), it was in contemplation
persons 'who complained of the projected Tax, had : to 'release this machinery from many embarrass-
;:till such confidence in the present -Ministers, that , ments to which it had been heretofore liable:—
he could not otiet. toe the Speaker's .leaviN the ' It was not too much, therefore, on the part of the
.. .
ch#.ir, -- ' I State, to Scek, some return from. the Proprietors 'o:

~#

M.M.S.
AARIVED—i Gottenbuigh, z Dublin, 2, Waterford.

PRICE ()1. STOCKS '
'IRIS DA? AT TWELVE O'CLOCK.

- 6o k

THE SUN.

SOLZA4 QUIS DICaRb VALSUM AUDXAT?

L 0 N D .0 N,

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1806.

such machinery. - The -objekions urged to the pro-
posed interference of Excisel Qffieers in certain ma-
nufaCtories,might, if of any Weight, be obviated in the
Committee, and therefore they could form no ground
for resisting the Motion before the House. With
respe& to the Export Trade of wrought Iron or
Hardware, the Noble Loid begged the 'House to
bear in - mind that the drawbaCk proposed
.to be
granted was more than was required by,a Commit-
tee
of Iron Manufa&urers.themselves, who bad ap-
plied to the Treasury upon the subjea._ The Noble
Lord shewed the increase of the . Export Trade of
Iron from 1799 to the last year, and the comparative .
rise in the price of the article, to sh,ew -The capacity,•.
of the article to sustain an increased duty; and he
• maintained that from the. nature of the drawback
'no, diminution of the Export could be apprehended
from this duty After several other, observations,
'including particularly an answer to those who seemed
to insinuate that this was Abe first tak.upon a raw
• material in this Country, lie concluded by. referring
them to the Taxes upon Cotton,' Foreign Wool, and
Malt. - The Noble Lord pressed upon the considera-
• tion of the House that the. question now was as to
choice of evils ; that money must be procured for
the exigencies Of the State, and that the mode now
proposed was much less objedionable than any, other
that had been suggested. It.had been recommend-.
• ed to him to propose what. Taxes. A Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman . bad pushed the adoption of a
Tax upon Coals in the pif,..in lieu of that before the
House. But, he ,preferr.o the latter, and to those
who 'seemed so anxious to present him with a substi-
tute he would say—Tinteo danaos et_ dons frrentes:
The Noble Laid disclaimed any intention of per-
sisting in this Tax from a pertinacious adherence to
his own opinion, but from a firm conviction, after-
the most attentive consideration of all that he had
heard upon the subject, that it was the most fit and
equitable Tax that had been -devised—that it was to
be imposed upon those who were well able, and, he
had no doubt, willing to pay.. -
Mr. G. ROSE argued against the propOsed Tax,
with respect to which he was now, 'fully satisfied
that the opinion. of his late Right Hon. Friend
(Mr. Pitt) remained the same to the last hour in
which he thought.of such subjeis, as it was when it
was rejeaed by him. The Right Hon. Gentleman
endeaVouredtdimpress upon the House that if this
Tax were adopted opt manufanures would be un-
.dersold in. foreign markets: Upon the whOle, he
earnestly recommended the,Noble Lord to abandon
this Tax, and suggested to his consideration, a's sub-
stitutes, Taxes upon Horses kept for pleasure, upon
those employed in Agriculture, upon Male Servants,,
and upon Gentlemen's Carriages : these were sources
from which, 'he thought, the Noble Lord
.mizlit •
draw a more productive rev,enue than the Tax beiore
the House 'could promise, and 'at the same time
avoid any kind of oppression or injury to corn,
coerce:
Sir J. WROTTESLEY explained. . •
Mr. Secretary FOX observed, that having the
sa-
tisfa,ion to hear the opinions of different Gen-
tlemen—their atgtiments had certainly great weight
upon his Mind, -but there was not,a single argu-
ment which had been advanced in the course of
that night's Debate which, did . not, equally apply
to almost . every other Tax that could possibly be
brought forward. There was hardly.
.one of the
Taxes that. had been laid on 'fOr these. twelve years
past which he could say he thoroughly approved
of. They were all laid on• articles which most
Writers agreed in saying were not fit objeels of
Taxation. But the fat was, that_ we are now plated
. in such circumstances that we are driven to adopt
modes of Taxation which 'must; in some degree,
affea the 'prosPPrity of one ,branch of our trade or
commerce or another. If it was thought necessary-
, . to modify- the provisions of the Bill, the.ComMittee
was the proper place for making such regulations; -
and he had not heard a single word that he thought
Could induce him to withhold his vote from the ques-
tion—That the House do now go into a Committee:
Iri the articles whiCh are called. hardware, ,a draw-
back might be allowed ad valorem on exportation,
and that would do away a great many of the objec-
tions that had been started againSt the Bill.
Mr. CANNING contended .that, from the variety
of materials of which hardware articles were corn-
Posed, it was impossible, fairly, to levy a Tax, or
allow a drawback, ad valorem,' on the articles in
their finished state. He also insisted that when a,
man had sunk great capital in a business ; when he
had established population in a place that was a
derness before; when he had settled a colony of de-
pendents under him, the inttochidion of an Excise-
man to be, in a manner, the master of his esta-
- bhshment, would degrade and lessen the patriarchal
authority which he was intitled to have over a fa-
mily, as it might be called, which otherwise had
none but him to' look up to for support or, counte-
nance.
After a few words from Mr. VANSITTAET and
Mr. SMITH, the House divided : the uninbere
For the Commitment 119
Against it - - 11,9
- The House then .resolved into a Committee pro
.forma. After which the House resumed, the Chair-
Man reported progress, and obtained leave to sit again.
Am Monday next.
The other Orders of the Day were disposed. of,
-and the House adjourned at Two o'clock..

WE have just received French Papers to the 4th,
arid Dutch to the gth, from which we have extra&ed
all that deserves notice_:
PARIS, MAY .—Several Englishmen of distinc-
tion are arrived at Paris. Lords ELGIN and YAR-
Mouni are atuong the number. They appear as if
they expeeted permission to return home. •

Admiral VILLENEUV, who was. allow-ed, by the
British Government to return to Paris, will never

see that Capital :—he put an end to his existence on
the night of the teth, at an Hotel at Rennes. His
death is much regretted : he was buried with mili-
tary honours. '•

The last news from Servia state, that three Rus-
sian Generals are'arrived .at Montenegro; to organize
the inhabitants, and unite them to the Dalmatialt
mal-contents. The Russians have taken the im-
portant fortresa of Kakasoll, in Albania.
PARIS, MAY 3.—On the 12th April a Coririer
arrived at Naples, with- the, Decree of His Majesty
for the elevation • of 13rince JOSEPH to'the dignity of
KING of NAPLES and SICILY.

His Imperial and Royal Majesty has ordered, that,
the decorations of the Legion of Honour shall in
future be surmounted with an Imperial Crown.
Letters from Nancy state, that large bodies of the
Austrian Prisoners continue to return home every,
; 2700 men have already left that place.
HAGUE, MAY B.—M. FRAN KEN, Adjutant of the
Secretary of State for the Marine, arrived at the
Hague the- latter end of last week, in great haste,
froin Paris, with dispatches for the Government.
What the purport of these are, can only be sur-
mised from circumstances : certain, however, it is,
that they were of the utmostimportance : they formed
the subje& of several conferences between the Mem-
bet s of the Government, on Friday and Saturday last,
at the Pensionary House in the Wood ; and in the
afternoon of the latter day the Adjutant returned for
Paris, bearing- dispatches from the Government.
VIENNA, APRIL 19.—We learn by Letters from
the Italian Tyrol, that several French Regiments,
which Were on the Banks of the Adige, have began
their march, part for Dalmatia, and part for Naples.

The first division of our Prisoners of War arrived
here within these few days from Fiance. Count
•
CoßEisrriEL, formerly the Austrian Ambassador to
the Court of France, is about to return to Paris.

FRAN KFORT,•APRIL 25 .—Sveral.Germ an Papers
have published the principal Articles of the Conven-
tion. byt which the Austrians surrendered Cataro and.
Castel Nuovo to the Russians, which throw great
light upon that extraordinary transaction. The re-
port of' the evacuation of Catarp and Ragusa by the
Russians' is not confirmed. Three. Russian Officers
have arrived at Montenegro, for,the purpoie of or-
ganizing the inhabitants; to assist the malcOntents of
Dalmatia.

BERLIN, Arinr grand. Council of State
was lately held here, at which four Ministers of
State were present. . . .

The English Ambassador has received his Pass-
ports, and will shortly leave this Metropolis. The
Secretary of Embassy is already gone.
The following Notice to the Merchants of this
thy was giyen by Count HAUGWITZ on the 19th
instant.

."By the most recent intelligen& from London, it
appeari, that, on the part or the Englisil Government,
an Embargo on all the Prussian Vessels in the Ports
there has not only been laid, but that other aas
of hostility against the navigation and property. of
Prussian Subjais are to be expe6ted. The Royal
.Court here. will immediately adopt every measure
which. the present circumstances.shall 'demand, but
wishes previously to acquaint the Merchants ofthis city
with the sudden turn of .affairs, That the Subjeas
of the King may take measures for the security of
,their property. The Royal Consuls in the Sound,
in Holland, and other frequented Sea-ports, are
hereby charged to guard Prussian Masters of Vessels,
at' their ltspedive places of residence, as much as'
possible from the threatened damages; and to give
them ,notice of English Privateers destined at any
time to Chace them.'.' •

FRANKFORT, Amu. 28.7—1 t is said that the Grand
•
French. Army is in motion to- pass the Itkiine, but
certainly no movements have taken place among the
Troops of Generals AUdRREAI and LEPEaVan.
Prussia has taken possession of Osnaburgh, as well as
the other Hanoverian Territory.

IT was thought the Managers had' closed the
Examination of Witnesses yesterday at ` 4Testininster-
Hall, but it ‘i'as resumed this day, and the Some--
TOR-GENERAL is, therefore, not expeded to sum up
till the next meeting of the Court. The Hall was
very much crowded.

The Dutch Memorial which we insert this day.
will excite.a.strong.interst in those who are not in-
ditlerent to the sentiments of a People. It will be
seen in that Memorial; from whomsoever it came,
that, the Dutch, notwithstanding the misery and op--
pression which they hate 'so long endured under the
Gallic yoke, •are, not wholly subdued .inspirit but
have;§till courage to manifest their wishes, however
improbable it may be that their wishes will be at all
regarded by the Imperial Disposer of their fate in
Prance.

Yesterday, at two o'clock, a Cabinet Council was
held at. Mr. Fox's Office, which was attended by
(besides Mr. Fox) Lord'GßENvitit.E, Earls MoiRA
and FITZWILLIAM, and Lord SIDNIOUTII.

Yesterday Her MAJESTY and the PRINCESSES took
an airing to FrOgmore.