The Sun.
London, England, 1806-05-08 00:00:00

IRISH BUDGET.

Sir Jolizt NEW PO RT moved, that the House should
resolve itself into a Committee of Ways and Means,
.and that the several. Accounts presented, relatike to
the Revenue of Ireland,should be referred to the said
Committee.

The House having resolved itself into a Com-
mittee,' • •

Sir JOHN ,NEWPORT said, that if in attempt-
ing to lay before the Committee the statement of
the Revenue of Ireland, he was possessed of the abi-
lities and eloi-prence of his 'Noble Friehd near him
(Lord H. PETTY), be should not 'feel' at all em-
barrassed at the task he had to perform, because he
should, in that case; feel a confidence• in his own
powers, and by a luminous and perspicuous arrange-
ment of the subjeet be had to state, arrest and en-
gage the attention-of the Committee ; but as he was
not possessed of those powers, he could only pro-
mise to lay before 'the Committee, in simple and
unadorned language, the Supplies and Ways and
Means fgr the Service of Ireland for the present
year. Although in some respects hecduld,not con-
gratulatd the Committee on- the state 'of Ireland;
yet he was bound to attribute • the deficiency
-which existed in the-Revenue of that Country-
to. the -want of arrangement which prevailed in
the- colleiition of its 'Revenues. It must be the
wish, as it certainly , was the duty, of the Go-
vernment of Ireland; to adopt as soon as possible the
,same excellent mode and ,plan for the colleCiion of

.•
the Revenhes that-existed in-this Conn thy. ,He felt,
however; great satisfaaion that in spite of
many obstin&ions which the Trade of Ireland had
experienced,. and still experienced, tbat-Country'dis-
'played powers of energy and resource .which, under
regular and proper management, must render. it a
source of strength, instead. of toding,..,as, he, was
afraid,.it did in sotne-histances, to the weakness of .1
the Empire. The Exports of Ireland amounted Lest-'
year' to above 5,200,0001; official value, that is above
30,0001. more "than the preceding year. The Ex-
ports'Of Linen had also increased last year. It .was
5,500,000 yards,
.and the, Import of Flax-seed 1677
hogsh*eads. in fact, the. Exports of Ireland were:
greater last year than any, year since.l792, .Ano-
ther proof of the increased state ,of the,Exporti
of Ireland might be drawn from the state of the
Course of Exchange, which, without any extrane-
ous assistance, had been lower, and more fixed, 'for
the last four months than it had. been for several
years. But the terms of the
.Loan lately contraaed
in Ireland.afforded a still stronger proof of'the grow-
ing prosperity of that Country, and of the' increased
Confidence of the People in the Government. . It
certainly was a most-flattering circumstance that the
Loan negotiated in Ireland should be ,on more
favourable terms than- the Loan negotiated in this
Country, and he believed-that no Loan had been
contracted on. such favourable terms since the year
1790: In the Loan agreed far in Ireland the-31 per
cent.' stock was taken at 711. 19s. and it was ob—
servable, that on the 19th of April, before the terms
were sent over from this Country, that stock was at
711. and two days before the Loan was negotiated,
that is on the last day that the stocks were open be-
fore' the contraa was made,, they were at 7i ; so
that, in lila,- the Loan was' taken'at 19s. per cent.
more thanlll4 'market price of the stocks on that
day ; an&there was this further advantage, that the
Leah being contracted in the ai per. cents. niece
was not so much stock created'as if it had been in
the -3 per cents. .He -was sure that the Com- .
mittee Would consider this, as a good criterion
of the' growing prosperity of that .Country, and
of confidence in' the.Govermneot. In making this
Loan, it was singular that two lists should, without,
,any Fevious communiwien whatever, contain ex-.
.aEtly the same offer for 'the Loan. The third list
being 4L higher, the two parties who had offered
the same.. terms agreed to take the Loan between
them.' He would now proceed to state to the,
ComMittee the Supply for Ireland for the service of
the present year. ' The joint 'charge upon Ireland
being two-17ths of the general' expenditure of the
Ernpiree amounted in Irish money to 5,738,9881.
the separate Charge as it stood on the 5t4 Jan: 1806,
fot interest of the Debt, Bze.' &c. was 2,922,3461.
He begged leave to State, that he should not have
found it necessary'to propose to the Committee so
large a-sum by way of Loan if the Taxes imposed
last year bad in their produce fulfilled the'flattering
expeelationS which had been held out ; but that cer-
tainly had not been the Case, and he could in many
respects 'account for the deficiency which had taken
place. The Charge. on' the Loan for the present
year was 313,8661., inclUding the dis Count and
Management. This was the whole of the Supply;
and amounted in Irish Money to 8,975,1941.
The Ways and Means by ' which he proposed'
to raise these Supplies, were as follow :
Thorp remained of the Loan last year in England
192,3391. which had not been drawn for,, which.of
course was applicable to the service of the present
year. There was a surni of 140,0001. advanced in
the Autumn of 1805, .by the. Treasury of, Ireland,
for-Ordnance Services, and since repaid. One-third
of the three Lotteriei for the service of the year,
205,0001. 'Two-seventeenths of the Prizes which His
Majesty had been graciously pleased to grant to relieve
the 'burthens of the People, 127,4501. There was
due from Great Britain- to Ireland a sum of 50,0001.
for seamen's wages. The Loan for the service of
of Ireland, contacted -for in England,,amounted to
two
.millions British; or in,lrish Money to 2,166,0001.•
The Loan negotiated in Ireland was two million,. and
he proposed,to raise the sum of •500,0001. by, Trea-'
sury bills. The Revenues of Ireland for the present
year, including the new duties which he shouldino-
pose, he estimated at. 3,800,0001. These various arti-
cles 'of Ways and Means amounted altogether to
The Supply, as he had before:stated,
WAS
.8,075,19.41. consequently- there was a surplus
:of the Ways and Means above the supply of.
206,26 tl. He had taken theßevenues for the year
at 3,800,0001. and he would state shortly to the
Committee his reason for so doing : the produce of
the P.evenue up to the sth January was 3,35.4,00-01:
and -he had -reason' to apprehend there remained
'about 160,0001. not colle&ed ; and these two sums,.
. added to the duties which he proposed to lay On for
the- present year, amounted to rather more. than
3,300;0001. In proposing the new'Taxes to defray
the interest of the Loan, he had endeavoured to press
as lightly as possible upon the necessaries of life', or
upon those articles which might, press severely upon
the lower order of the people. The first Tax which
[ he had to propose wasan augmentative of the duty on