The Sun.
London, England, 1801-12-15 00:00:00

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the Sake of payitog .theal '4 compliment, but giv Tog
them tl:eir due, and the Public were interested in
having that: truth made nitanifest ; , for it was not
merely the capital which Was, embarked in: this.
Trade that was to be considered, there was to
be considerek skill, integrity; and as it were
certain hereditary dispositions ethbarked in :this
Trade; the fidelity of which depended in a great
degree on succession. It, \vas *a Trade which
had, grown to -a size. beyond -the capital- which
any individual _could readily throw into it ;: -it
was in a very few hands, t4t not like some other
trades,. which were in a fe \l/2, hands, managed
.by
cqmbination ; on the contiarY, its profess,ors had
sacrificed their i?rivate interest to public advan;
tage for.the security of the Revenue, therefore, as
well as for public justice, great conSideption was due
to those Gentlemen,cor .if they were made to quit the
Trade,, they would leave, a ,great chasm, Which
would not be easily supplied, and he knew who
would be their Successors; those
,who world seek
their present
,emolument in
_England, by pratti-
ces similar to those, of which there is too much
reason to complain in Scotland and in Ireland.—
On these various considerations, which be would
not recapitulate, he felt it his duty to oppose this
Motion. He wotild have been inclined to move
the previous question, but that was impossible, for
the Motion was for leave to bring in a Bill to continue
a LaW now in. being. The Huse would observe that
by, negativing this Motion it would not give up its
power over this subjed whenever it became 'neces-
sary to exercise such power.
Mr:RORSON was of opinion, the Country was
not in a state to allow the Distilleries to be opened.
If it was right, he said, to prohibit Distillation in
December last; it was equally right at the present
moment.; The Beer. that. was 'at vesent brewed,
was, he said, , nbtdrinkableand would the House
agree to suffer that to go. to DistillerieS which
ought to he appropriated to the Brewery ? The
price of Grain had, he contended, been constently
falling, until it was known, that, the DistillerieS
would be again opened ; since which period, it had
been continually rising.' •
MANNING spoke briefly upon the subjeft,
but in so low a tone of voice," that we could only
colleft an expression of his wish, 'that every en-
cOural..,ement should be given to Distillers, in the
'use of Molasses, acid an observation that the Re-
venue was materially: concerned with respea to.
that ar:icle ankSugar.
TheCHANC ELLoR of the EXCH EQU ER explained.

Mr. N. , VANSI7.7I.4RT observed that the' whole
duty upon Sugar was drawn back upon exportatiOn,
and that therefore the Revenue •was only benefited ,
by so', much of that article as was used for home
consumption. - -An encouragement was, 'he said,
expressly given to the. 'use of 'Molasses in distills-
. tion, which might always be purchased for that
purpose. .
Me..JONES, thought it his_duty to vote fbr the
present Motion, if compelled to snake a choice be.:
tween one extreme and the other, but he would rather-
join in pursuing some middle course. If a Committee
was appointed to investigate the subject, i t might per.
haps be the better mode. He acknlwledged, that, a
defalcation of Revenue to the amount of 400,0001.
was a serious consideration, but it ought not to weigh
with the:House when placed in competition with
the means of human subsistence. He took notice
of the Petitions to the Lords of the Treasury, riten:,
tioned by the CHAIWELLOR Of the EXCHEQUER,
- which he thought, appeared somewhat uncoLti- '
tucional. He thought, the House ought not to
adjourn. without adopting some measure relative to
this subject.•
Air..NICHOLLS said,..this appeared to 'be really -
a question between the Sugar Planters on the one
hand, and. the Barley Growers' do .the other, and
whether the West-India Planters should be prefer- ,
red to. the Landed Interest' of ,this• Country, He
conceived that the Corn Trade was etttremely bene- '.
filed by the quantity cf Grain :Used in the 'Distil-
leries ; though he-admitted thatia case might arise '
when it might be proper to prohibit- the use of
' Grain in distillation ; but was such a• case made
' out in the present instance ?...--,He thought not. :If
such a prohibition took place, .he ':was convinced a
great blow would be given to Agriculture. Let it
be considered at what a high price the seed hail been
put into. theground, and if the price of Grain was kept
low, by prohibiting its ttsain distillation, there was no ,
doubt such ‘a measure would throw 'a damp upon the
spirit of AgrieullUres, and those who agreed 'td such
a measure, Would soon have -reason to repent of it ,
most bitterlY. The West India Planters had, be
sao,.,tittring, the last seven years,, been acquiring '
:forttines; even beyond the dreams of Avarice, whilst
.many of thelittie Farmers of this Country had been
, ruined. He was convinced the Milt Distiller? waS of
'material benefit to the Conntryond hOwever hemight
, ,lagree, that the' use of Barley,' when .at.a high"price
I'[ itla seaso n' of Scarcity,t ought` to. 'be prohibited in'
'Distillation, yet; he wits also: convinced 'that the
:present price of 'Barley was by no means above an
ordinary level. .
t Mr Ifr: DUN D4S expresSed his.wish to offer
,a
few Observations, and first to notice what f4ll froM
'an 'Hon. Gentleman opposite' to him, respeCting.
:what he',.c'alled T,reasury Petitions, and which he
:seemed to say ' to. the, number of. go, had been
smuggled from the -vie'w of the House,,---He 'woal,d,
however state the faa_ for the information of Gentle-
men.: ,
these Petitions were in effeet representations
from *different towns in' Scotland, 'the parties in
which, exercising
,their 'indiVidual, discretion, `did
not wish to petition Parliament, but preferred their
own statements to the Cdtitmis.sioners of the Treasury'
e--He Would tell il.:•eHOild; that irirthogelowns, there.
'were at least fifty . unlicensed stills. It m;-as. alSo
a faa,,that in a fortneritistance -when the distillation
was
.prr'ihibited, spode sS than goo illegal Stills were
eized,' by the atliVity of the Excise ()facts. With
:res'peel to 'the' lion.' Gentleman's 'idea that the sup.
ipressid6 of tk,ise tfirlicensccitills was easy and prac-
iicable,, • by, aptiiiiiiiing a greaser number of Re..
;venue. Oili-:,ers, he would tell him, that.' those:
who were-acquainted with the 'geography of Scot_
land were aware,. that -if every mat) in the army was
converted! into, an. ,Excise i Officer, and .every-vessel
in the.navy, into 4 ReyelliV, Cutely, it:would not be..
adequate to , the suppression of tlite illegal. Distil.:
i icric. : Tjle•DiStiiiefS A*CUld king their spirits to ,