The Sun.
London, England, 1822-02-16 00:00:00

limited. He had caused estimates to be made

of the consumption of malt for the last thirty
years, by which it appeared there had been no
diminution of consequence ; and the House would
observe it was rather a whimsical circumstance
that the least quantity of malt was consumed
when the taxes were the least. For the three
years ending 1701, the number of quarters that
raid duty were. '27,001400, and for each suc-
ceeding term of three years as follows :
Qrs. Qrs: • Qrs. Qrs.
20000,000 1 21,000,000 1 24,000,000 23,000,60
59,000,000 23,000,000 22,000,000 24,000,000
For the three years ending 1821, 28,697,000.
It was evident, therefore, that there was no di-
winution, although there had not been an increase
proportioned. to the increased population. The

reasonAof this, however, was explained by a re-
- -ference to the increased consumption of tea by
those classes who formerly indulged much in the

use of beer.—(Hear, hear !)—fie assured the
Eon. and Learned Gentleman he was not going
IV argue the matter of beer versus tea, or tea
versus beer, as to their respective merits; but he
I -would produce a similar calculation with regard
to the consumption of that article, in support of

11-;hat be had advanced. The calculation corn-
.• ..r.P.enced at, and covered the same period, and the
:sums represented the consumption for a similar
liegiod of three years. It would be borne in
.mind that the. duty upon tea in the year Mit
.was 13/.lor, per cent.- The consumption for the
~farst and following term of three years were--
lbs. 11)3. lbs. lbs.
17,000,000 1 ,24,000,000 I 20,000,000 I 93,000,000
19,000 000 • 20,000,000 I 90,000,000 I 21,000,000
20,000,000. Fer the three vearsentli!bg 1821, 22061,000
it -,-;as now liable to a duty of nearly 100 per
..cy.nt. co that it appeared that this impoverished

~sountry, suffering tinder the evils of over-popu-
lation, had chosen to consume nearly one-sixth
more of tea at a duty of one hundred per cent.
than they had done when it only si,;ported a
,ax of 131. They had voluntarily subjected
.themselves to a tax which they might
.have es-
caped.—(Hear.)--He did not mean to stop here
shewing the growth of comfort amongst all
classes of the community ; and probably it
would be gratifying to the Hon. and Learned
„Gentleman to learn that a considerable increase
of cltanliness had taken place. Not only was
„there a great augmentation under the head of
,ricks to build with, but on the article of soap,
the quantity was doubled.—(Hear.)--He would
not go on, however, through the long list of ex-
ci4eable articles which exhibited the same satis-
factory alteration, not wishing unnecessarily to
take up the time of the House. But he could not
_refrain from bringing before them one ether do-
current which spoke volumes on the same sub-
ject. it went to prove~ indisputably that the dis-
tress, of the country was not so pregnant and ir-
remediable as had been assiduously represented.
..ittld he must here say, that he knew no greater
cruelty than when the people were suffering
frarn.causes which could not The controlled, to
preach up to them false doctrines, the only
effect of which must be tO;plunge them deeper
in deipond.ency.—(Hear, hear !)—He . begged
to be understood as pointing at the pernicious
doctrines of the
_Honourable and Learned Gen-
tleman opposite (11' r. such was not the
language of real friendship—(Cheers.)—The do-
cument he spoke of was one which compared'
the Excise collections of the whole kingdom for
the last year with the preceding. By this would
be seen the working of the Excise Laws over the
whale surface of Great Britain, by which six-
teen millions and a half were brought in. The
number of Excise collections was 59, and on a re-
venue of sixteen millions and a half, there was a
gross increase in the majority of the collections
000/. last year over the preceding. There
was, it was true, a decrease in some few collec-
tions, amounting to 125,000:. leaving a net in-
crease of about 1,400,0001., or between nine and
ten per cent. on the Excise collections of the
kingdom.—(Hear!)--But even this falling off
could be accounted for locally, and in no way
went to affect those general principles of resur-
rection and prosperity, which if the House
-would but support, as it was their duty to do,
would, by their natural progress, restore all
things to the state they had left.-,-(Hear, hear !)
—Of this number of collections, fifty-nine, there
were only six collections which exhibited any
diminution of Excise duty, and only two of
any amount. Two or three were to the amount
Of ,only 4,000/. or 3,0001. and it was but in the
clleCtion of Canterbury, Sussex, and Worcester
that the remaining material part of the diminu-
tion proceeded from—and this the failure in the
Hop Duty would at once explain.—(Hear, hear !)
—lie .was happy then to be able to relieve
the House on this branch by sheaving them that
the set-off against the universal prosperity of the
kingdom was of so inconsiderable.a nature. On
the revenue. proceeding ,from this source, there
was a proof of its exceeding other years by at
leaft one million. That the commerce of the
. wascountry largely and rapidly increasing, he
w4s able to state from official returns. Thus the
'returns for the . year ending October, 1819,
arlio.unted to 37,590,000/. ;, for 1820, :38,272,0001.
and for 1821, 42,747,0001.. an increase of
4;400,000/. over. the last year, and nearly six
millions, over the, antecedent. So that under all
that preSsnre which he admitted to exist, com-
merce was largely and steadily growing, and all
articles of ordinary. consumption exhibited, an in-
cf•ease,w no, was universally distributed through-
ou_t
,the whole kingdom.—(Hear, hear !)—Before
he came to what was the most important duty he
should have to perform, viz. to lay before the
HoUse a view of. what he conceived was actually
the.financial state of the country, he would make
a:few preliminary observations, which would tend
to • s',.orten the road betwixt the Honourable
and' Learned Gentleman opposite (Mr. Brougham)
and 'himself. lie believed that Honourable
Gentleman
.had endeavoured to show that
the rechiction of taxes alone, of course not refus-
ing credit to the favourable operations of nature,
could reduce the agricultural distresses. He
loikked to. the repeal of taxes as anxiously. as the
Hon. Gontlernau, ,but he would state the general
view. he. took of that.question,, which led him to
deny ,that relief to the agriculturist could effec-
tually be given in the repeal of taxation.. Even I
if they swept 'away the whOle mass of taxes ;