The Sun.
London, England, 1807-06-29 00:00:00

EAST lINWIA BUD9ET.

Mr. H. ADDING-I'OlV, seeing his Hon. Frie.nd./
(Mr:.Dundas4 in his. puce, wished to know
ther it was his intention' to bring forw'ard the Ac-

counts of the East India Company this Session '? If
so; he trusted that he 'would bring tbern forward-
on as early a &ay as possible, and aswred- him that
it woyld'he a matter of personal-conVenictice to•him
to have the qUeslioi) discsSed at the earliest oppor-:.
tunity. .
.
Mr: DUNDIIS replied, that it was certainly his
intention to bring forl.vai:sl the Aocounts of the- East
India Company this Session, and' that no time. should
be unnecessarily-lost.- At the Same-time he-begged'
to remind the Hon. Gehtlemau, that for some years.
back these Accounts had been 'one year in arrear.
It was his intention- to endeavour to bring up that
arrear in the present Session, and the Horn Gentle
man must be aware that this would require soine
time.

Lord HOWICK observed, that. from the Papers
then upon the table; it appealed, that, upon a com-
parison-of the Revenue and Expenditure of the Com-
pany in India, there was a ,deficit in the latter of
above two millions and a half. This was a state of
things in which any one may see that it was im-
possible for the Company to go on, without some
adequate provision to make good the deficit. It
was the more necessary, as the Public had been led
to expea that there would be a considerable partici-,
pation derived from the Fast-India CoMpany'4unds;
in aid of the national resources-. Oa beingreminded
by the Speaker of the irregularity of these oNerva-
' tions, the Noble Lord then said that he wished to
know, then, whether the lion.-'Gentleman meant
to bring forward any proposition upon that subject.'
Mr. DUNDAS informed the Noble Lord, that it Was
his intention, at an early d:ty, to propose some're-
gulations respeeting India affairs, which would in-
elude the point to which tl:e Noble Lord had ad-
verted. 'He was afraid, however, that he should not
be able:to bring forward the'annual acconnts'at -so
early a day,,as only a few of the Ships had yet ar-
rived, and it would 'be desirable to have the ac-
counts stated in the most .correct manner that was
pOssible. .
Mr. CROKER desired to know. from the Noble
Lord opposite, who had, in the debate
,of the pre-
ceding night, adverted to the subje& of Tithes in
Ireland, whether it' was his intention to bring for-
ward measure on thlt- subjet:t this Session ?
'The Pon. Member was proceeding to comment on
the importance of the question to Ireland, 'when
gently reminded by the SPEAKER, of his being not
in order.

Lard .11.0 WICK replied,. that there had been
plans for the ameliuratidn or•the, Tithe System in
Ireland under the consideration of His Majesty's
late Ministers, and that it was their intention, as
sbon as they could bring any one to maturitY, to
submit it to ParliaMent. He. had alluded to the
SUbje4 on the preceding evening, only to recorn-'
mend it to, tbe most serious attention
.of His Ma-
jesty's Ministers. He did not mean to take op the
• , •
question tnt Session, but might in a future Session,
though for every reason .he thought. it better that
such a measure should originate. with Government.
Mr. HALL brought up the Report of the Address;
which was agreed to, and the AddreSs ordered .lo be
presented by such. Members as are of his Majustrs
Privy Council.

The .Commissioners'. Speech was then ordered to
be referred to a Committee of the whole House on
Monday next.

'MAI CUSTOM BILL.

Mr. FOSTER moved, that the House do resolve it-
tell into a Committee' of the whole. House on the
Irish Customs Aet.

On the question. being put, that the SFr:mutt do
,leave the Chair, a long-and superogatory conversa-
.tion took place, on the merits of the Dissolution;
~and the consequences of the Duties and Customs
in Ireland, determining by the expiration of the Act
on the 25th inst. two Or•three days bete re Re,
it ing Act could be passed. .It was contended on
one side, by Lords 1-10 wick, TeMple, and Folk
stone, Sir John .N.,...trpOrt, Messrs. Taylor,
bert, Parnell, ,Caicraft; and W. Smith, that this'
was an evident ill consequcuce ,o 1 • the Dissoht-.
tion, as in the. utterval
,between the expiration
the existing Aa, ad:-the vissing, of the yeviv-
.ing, either the Duties on Customs, amotuning:to
nearly two millions .anhnally,
,should' not be. cal
leCted at all, or should be levied Wit flout the nut ho-
rity of Parliament,; that any Ship which should
enter any of the Ports of Ireland, during this period;
might discharge her goods free of the d4ties,,whieh.
should then be contrary to law, and that this intervd
would be. extended beyond the period necessary for
passing the Bill, to the time whcsn .t he account 01 its
gassing could be conveyed to Ireland; that &would
be unjust to give a retrospective etfed to the revived
Bill, because the goods having passed out of the pos-
session of the importer in the interval, when the duties
could not attach, it would be contrary to all fair-
ness to levy • the duty upon him, w.ho no longer
has- the power to
,indemnify • himself by charging
'the consumer in proportion.; and that, though such
a retrospe&ive operation might have been some-
times given to'Bills of Excise, the cases were wide-
ly different, the Excise Duty applying to the stock
"on hand, which was still in the possession of ,the in,
ffividual, who had therefore the means of. indemni-
fying himself by an increased charge on the article to
the consumer. It was asked by what mode it
was proposed to obviate this very serious evil On
-the other hand, it was urged by Messrs. Rose, For-
ster, Huskisson, Ellison, and the Chancelloi of
the Exchequer, that oh the expiration of the
Parliamentary duties, the hereditary duties would
immediately attach, which would render entries.
of the goods imported indispensable, so that the
Officers, by having the amount of the goods ascer,
tained, might leasily ascertain the amount of the
duties incurred and to be levied under the retrospcc,
tive operation of the Bill ; that such provisions were
not unusual in EXcise Bills, and that as the question
related to' the levying;, of money on the sutije&,

'x

there could be no s mid distinaion 4etween 41-
ties of Customs and Excise ; that the Gectlemen
Opposite had supplied a sufficient prec:ident, in the
cou.rse::of the late Session, byl.their
tional.l.Yuty on Brandies, thellesolution for this Pi4ty
having.passed on the/29th of Vet). to haVe
.the igth, and in the most remote part of Ireland,..
thouvii the Bill did ,not pass till the !Tt4 of,Marcii;.
that Tfierevi,•ing Bill, with which it wasproposedlto"
proceed a slap each day till it passed, 'might be
finally pri;ed 3t-thrt best on the'Wrdriesday after the
25th inst.' when the existing. Bill would expire, and
the communication might be made to Ireland in 36
hours after ; that the .Resolution of. this might be
transmitted :to .Ireland, and would satisfy-.the mer-
chants and the officers, that revived. B;11, teas .to
have the retroSpeaive operatism, so that no incon-
venience would or could ensue ; and thaf'the' Hon: •
Gentlemen who thought thismatterat present of such
importance, would alter their'opinion as soon as their
minds should cool and recover the agitation which'
the state of the House in the preceding evening lad'
thrown thew iuio. • I .
The House then went into a Committee on the
Bi!l, and having resolved that it should be continued,
the House resurned,andthe Report was ordered to
be received on Monday.