The Sun.
London, England, 1822-05-20 00:00:00

VAGRANT LAWS.

On the motion of Mr. CHETIVYNDE, the Report of the
Vagrant Laws' Amendment Bill was ordered to be taken into
consideration on Monday next.
IRISH SPIRITS.

Mr. LUSHINGTON moved the third reading of the Malt
Duties' Repeal Bill.
Mr. C. H. HUTCHINSON begged the attention of the
Right Hon. Gentleman to an important disadvantage which
this Bill would inflict upon the Irish distiller, and he was per-
suaded that when the Bill was found to have such an opera-
tion, it. would be altered. He could assure the Honourable
Gentleman that he was about to injure the Irish distillers..
The object of this Bill was to decrease the duty on malt from
6d. (the duty imposed in 1820) to 4id. per gallon of spirits.—
According to the bonding and warehousing system in Ireland,
when the distiller exported his spirits to England, he was
entitled to draw back the malt duty which, by the Act
of 1820, amounted to sixpence per gallon. The benefit of
such a drawback was now taken away by this Bill : but then
it was said an equivalent was given for it by a reduction of the
countervailing dtity to the same amount—that is, that the coun-
tervailing duty, which the Irish distiller had to pay in England,
was to be ieduced from l ls. to les. tad. The English distiller
had, however, this advantage—that instead of paying 6d. a
gallon malt duty, as the Irish manufacturer had paid, he was
only charged 40. by the late reduction ; so that between that
amount and the 6d., the Irish distiller was injured in comparison
with the English manufacturer, on spirits made in England
from the 25th of rebruary under the decreased duty, compared
with Irish spirits brought into the English market subsequent
to February, but manufactured- in Ireland under the previous
high duty. They certainly had a right to be placed upon a par,
according to every principle of fairness and justice. This dif-
fererice, small as it appeared, afflicted the Irish distiller at the
rate of 20s. a punchee., and would amount to no less a sum than
10,0001 upon the present stock on hand, should it be his plea-
sure to export the whole to England. He knew it might be
said, that formerly when the additional tax was laid on, the
stock on hand was exempted ; but to this he had to observe,
that the Irish distiller at that period, in coming into the
English market, paid the increased countervailing duty which
he there found to exist. He had also to observe, that the
question now related to a different stock and to different holders.
The Irish distiller had uniformly to complain of the severe
operation of the English excise regulations, which, in effect,
directly contravened the articles of union. At thie very mo-
ment, the spirit trade of Ireland was suspended, owing to a very
harsh excise regulation, which required the Irish manufacture
to be reduced and weakened, so as in fact to lose its strength
and flavour, before it was permitted out of the docks. It now
became a question of law, about to be argued in the English
Court of Exchequer, whether the Irish manufacture was to be
vendible in its original state in the British market. The solemn
compact, which was to govern the trade between the two coun-
tries, was by the operation of this excise regulation, at this mo-
ment suspended, and the benefit intended to be secured, and
which the legislature had in fact provided for the Irish trader,
was on the present occasion most unjustifiably abrogated. The
Irish Parliament never could have dreamt, at the Union, that
they were legislators not for an Irish, but a British manufac-
ture ; for such the spirits of that country became, when the Ex-
cise insisted upon adulterating it with Thames-water, before its
sale in the English market. Nothing was more unfair, both in
principle and spirit, than the manner in which the Irish distil-
ler had been throughout treated by severe excise regulations,
contrary to the spirit of the law, and by vacillating systems,
and above all, by the. high duties, which amounted to a
bounty upon the demoralizing system of illicit distillation,
—alike inuring the fair trader and the revenue. The Iris'.
distiller did not, in fact, know at, this moment whether the
Chancellor of the Exchequer was to permit the large or sinall
stills to work, and this want of information was a great source
of inconvenience to the Irish distiller, for he did not know how
to act. He understood that the Chancellor of the Exchequer
had made some premises to the Irish distiller, for which he
knew the latter was grateful; but he increased that a more liberal
spirit should be pursued towart3e the trade of Ireland. The
House must know that, except the linen trade, this spirit ma-
nufacture was the only one in Ireland which since the. Union had
found a market here. The clause about to be brought up grant-
ed the drawback on the stock in nand when taken out for the
Irish market, and even for this he was thankful: but the House
would recollect that what he contended for was admission for
the Irish spirits into the English market upon equal terms.—
That manufacture was materially connected with the interests
of agriculture, and a very large revenue was derived from it
alone. If it were contended that the quality-of the Irish spirits
could he altered by the English Excise, the same might be done
with their butter, or with any other commodity ; it was a glaring
inconvenience—cllear.)
Mr. LUSHIN °TON assured the Hon. Member, that his
Right Hon. Friend (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) was most
anxious to act with Itindness and indulgence towards the Irish
distillers, and that when the measure was perfected he would see
no inequality in its operation, both the Irish and English dis-
tillers would stand precisely the same. If the measure should
hereafter be found to work any injustice, he could assure the
Hon. Member wholhad taken so active an interest in the sub-
ject, that the matter should be attended to..—(Hear.)
Sir G. HILL said that the case was simply this—the 6d. per
gallon malt duty was reciprocally repealed for both countries,
and 40. was to be the drawback on export froin either coun-
try. -The Hon. Member (Mr. Hutchinson) had been repeat-
edly with him urging the case of the Irish distillers, and he

FOR THE SUN.

MR. EDITOR,—In my return on Friday from
the London Docks, towards the Co:.1 Exchange,
I found the enclosed Notice to the Younger
Brethren of the Trinity Douse ; and as,the loss
of it may put the parties with whom it originates
to some inconvenience, you cannot do better than
insert it in your miscellaneous and interesting
Journal.
Ship Tavern, Water-lane. BENBOW,
TO THE YOUNGER BROTHERS OF 'THE COR-
PORATION OF THE TRINITY HOUSE.
GENTLEMEN,—We, the undersigned, beg leave to call
to your remembrance the oath. you have taken as a Younger
Brother of the 'Corporation, viz. " To be aiding, by all the
best means you can, to uphold and maintain the good and
welfare of this Guild, Fraternity, and Brotherhood, whereof
you be now a Member."
This being part of the oath we have taken, we conceive it a
duty imposed upon us, from various circumstances which have
occurred, and what is now passing before a Committee of the
House of Commons, which renders it doubtful whether these,
peculiar rights and privileges, originally granted to this Corpo-
ration, for the particular guidance, good rule, and benefit of the
Seamen of this realm, with a view to promote the true interest
of the country, in all its maritime affairs, may not be taken
away and annulled, if it should be found that the Elder Brethren
of this Corporation have not performed those higher duties they
owe to their country, and particularly as regards the manage-
ment of the Funds of the Corporation. We therefore are of
opinion that a General Meeting of the Younger Brethren of
this Corporation should be convened, as also every Ship-
Owner, who has been a Master Mariner, and others now
Master Mariners, to consider and devise Such measures as may
be:deemed necessary, agreeably to the oath we have taken, for
the purposes before-mentioned, and, if requisite, to petitiOn
Parliament to recommend to his Majesty to alter the present
system of this Corporation, and refound it on its original prin-
ciples of General Election by all the Younger Brethren of the
Corporation of Members for Elder Brethren, as noAls the case,
according to Charter, for the Masterat least, in • ar.ait- may
be best suited to the present order-of things at, raisin:jolt of
time. This we have no doubt.would tee away those
evils which now exist, and thereby repdastherbrpoi-ation of
that great utility for which it was on pdagy lassiruteetro. the
first practical Nautical lnatitUtiOif of thqs4 icalms..—ta promote
the welfare of British Seamen and the eontitry in' all itt Mari-
time-aifairs--an Institution that was never mere reitiiired Visa
at this present time, when a total alteration is about taking
place in all our Laws of Navigation and. Commerce. .
We therefore recommend, that all Members of the Corpora-
tion and others, Master Mariners, who are willing to support
the measures now proposed, should send in their names to any
of the parties, whose signatures are now subscribed, and a Ge-
neral Meeting shall be called as early as convenient for the
purposes.men tion ed.