The Sun.
London, England, 1824-02-24 00:00:00

PRICt SEVtNPENCt•

I •
That duty, amounting, to about 380,000/. had, in consequence,
not been received at all, and the only eum.paid into,the-Xx. •
' chequer in the last year on account of !Hops, via that ,of
47,0001. due for arrears. In addition, the kacise.hati sustain.,
ed considerable diminution from 4 measure which passed last
Session. That measure was as satisfactory to the House ail
' it would prove ultimately beneficial to the country. He al-
_ luded to the measure relative to the distilleries of Scotland and
Ireland—(Hear, hear !)---At this moment he knew not what
particular defalcation in the Revenue might be occasioned by
the new system. It was, however, obvious, that the Revenue,
in that respect, would not be diminished eventually so much as
it might be in the firk instance. '.l`he falling Off had not been
so great in Scotland anti Ireland as in England. It was nafu-
ral that the distillers here should hesitate some time to witness
the effect of the new law. But one of the objects, however,
which Parliament had in view when that measure was passed
the destruction of illicit distillation, had been completely
effected. It was on this fact that he built when he calCulated
that by-and-bye the revenue would not suffer the loss which it
first experienced when the charge took place. He was satisfied
that the present loss would at a future period be fully compen-
sated for. not by the increased consumption of spirits, that was
. not by any means his wish—(lcer !)—but the spirits used in
Ireland and Scotland would in future pay that duty which had
hitherto been evaded ; and thus the Revenue would ultimately
sustain no loss. Although there was some deficiency in the last
year, and might be in the present, he was confident, from the
circumstances he had just stated, that the revenue under this
head would ultimately recover. The Excise, as he had already
stated, had not produced what he estimated as its amount for
the year just closed, but he thought the House would feel sa-
tisfied that the deficiency grew out of the causes which he had
enumerated, and he could prove by documents, which should be
laid before them, that the quantity of exciseable articles consumed
within the year had not diminished, but on the contrary in-
creased, with every prospect of their consumption being still
further extended. Of all the articles of Excise which paid .
duty, very few spewed a falling off as to the quantity. That was
the best criterion by which they could form their judgment;
and in quantity it would be found there was an increase over
the last year, and not merely over the last, but over former
years, as the last exceeded the average of the three preceding
years. There had been an increase under the heads of Auc-
tions, Beer, Bricks, Tiles, Candles, Coffee, Glass, Hides. In
Hops there had not been an increase. Gentlemen acquainted
' with the subject knew that the cultivation of that plant de-
pended so much upon the weather and other circumstances
beyond controul, and that last year the season was peculiarly
unfavourable. On Licences there was a very small diminu-
tion of 8,0001. upon 300,000/. Upon Malt there was also a
small diminution for which he could not precisely account,
because the duty on beer had considerably increased.—(A.
laugh.)—Perhaps it arose from the different periods of pay-
ment, which had prevented the ditties from coming into die
Exchequer at the same time as last year. In addition to this,
the Barley Harvest had not been a very productive one, and
the prices were not so low as they had been for the two or'three
preceding years. Nevertheless, he could state that the consump-
tion of malt in the last year, as compared with preceding years,
gave a considerable increase over many. For paper, pepper,
printed goods, soft soap, and starch, on all these articles there
was an increase. There hud been a reduced consumption of
English spirits, but there was an increase on Irish, a diminution
on Scotch, and a diminution on foreign spirits. There was an
increase upon all the other excisable commodities, of tea,
tobacco, snuff, wire, wine, and stone bottles. In this long
accouut there was only a falling off on about four articles,
but a considerable increase of consumption on the mt.--
This increase exceeded not only the consumption of the last
year, but that of preceding years, as the last year exceed-
ed them. This shewed a gradual increase of consumption,
indicating, beyond all doubt, the truth of what his Majesty
stated from the Throne, and in proving that additional com-
forts were enjoyed by all classes; and that, in short, the
couxtry was in a state of almost unexampled prosperity.
—The Stamp Duties he had taken last year at 6,600,000/.,
they had amounted to 6,800,000/. This increase shewed that
a general spirit of activity prevailed throughout the country.
—Last year the produce of the taxes had been 7,100,0004
in the present year they gave but 6,200,000/. This diminution,
however, was not to be regretted, nor did he grudge it to the
public. It was occasioned by the repeal of a large portion of
the Assessed 'faxes, and the relief which had thus been af-
forded had diffused universal satisfaction, and given very ge-
neral relief. The Post-office had given less this year than
in the last, as the revenue under that head was a little
above 1,400,000/. ; last year it was 1,460,0001. The next and
last head was the Miscellaneous, which amounted to 2.611,3881.
being a great increase over the production under that head
in the last year. The excess was to be found in some of those
items which were of annual recurrence, but principally it
was owing to that portion of the Austrian Loan which by the
negotiations lately concluded became payable in the present
year. That was a matter in which he would offer a few obser-
vasions to the House. He believed that when the Austrian Loan
was formerly the subject of discussion within those walls, that
very few persons expected that any portion of it would ever be
paid to this country. It was fair to state, that the question was
not one of easy adjustment ; for though it was most true that we
had a right to sell the bonds of his Imperial Majesty in this
country for what they would fetch, yet considering what
had occurred since that Loan was contracted, it would have
been exceedingly hard to have pressed on Austria for payment
of the whole. Few, as he had said, expected that any thing
would be paid, but Ministers were certainly more sanguine,
as they happened to know that his Imperial ilisjesty
dered it necessary to his personal honour that a settlement sa-
tisfactory to this country should be brought about. Whatever
might have been said of the Emperor of Austria, and some
very hard things had been said of him, there was no Mo..
narch upon any throne of the world more distinguished by
personal honour and honesty. His Imperial Majesty had
what we, living under a free Government, might consider the
misfortune to reign where the power of the Monarch was abso-
lute. Placed in this situation, it sometimes became his duty to
exercise powers which to us, under our happier form of Go-
vernment, appeared to deserve reprobation. But his Imperial
Majesty deserved the praise he had offered, and had felt his per-.
sonal honour implicated in the adjustment of this loan. Some
difficulties were in the way ; as, in the first place, the AuStrian
Finance Minister would not be very desirous of handing over
a sum to this country which it was impossible to pay without
pressing heavily upon the interests and resources of Austria;
and the people by whom it was to bspaid, in such a case, could
hardly be expected to enter very nicely into the calculations
of honour and fair dealing, which would require them to rnake
so considerable a sacrifice. He therefore considered, that what
had been agreed to was highly creditable to the Emperor
of Austria, anti that it would be generally viewed as a God-
send by this country.—( A laugh.)—lle had now explained
all that appeared to him to grow necessarily out of the state
of our finances of last year ; and must beg the House to
accompany him through his Estimates for. the future. The
Customs he took for the present year at 11,560,0001. lie added
50,000/. to the produce of the year. He did not think he was
too sanguine in doing this. His calculation was not founded
on the expectation of any increase in the revenue, but from
various changes made by the consolidation of the Customs of the
three kingdoms, by which at the least a saving of 50,000/. in the
expence of collection would be made. This arose out of the,
arrangements made at the different ports, recommended by a-,
Commission, at the head of which was an Hon. Friend of his,.
whose labours he hoped would yet be prolonged, as he was
sure they would greatly tend to the benefit of the country. The.
Excise he took at 25,625,000/. ; the Stamp Deities at 6,800,0001;;
theAsseised Taxes and Land Tax at 5,100,0001.; the amount of
these in 1820 and 1821 had averaged, before the repeal of one
portion of them, 7,510,0001. Since a reducC,ei had taken place.
of the Agricultural Horse 'fax, amounting to 480,0001., and of
other Assessed Taxes to the amount of 2,216,0001., these tee.
gether amounted to 2,696,0001., which, deducted free' what .he
had stated to be the average produce of the years 1820-1821,
would have left, not calculating on any future increase, their
probable amount, 4,814,000/. In the present year he took rather.
more for their amount, as there was an arrear of 300,0001. due
before the reductions took effect. The Post-office he stated
at 1,460,000/. The Miscellaneous at 730,000/. The sum to.be
paid this year on account of the Austrian Loan is 1,500,000/. and
that to be paid by the Trustees of Half-pay, &c. 4,620,11001.
The total surplus, it would then be found (deducting 5,000,00 We
already applied as a Sinking Fund), would amount to 1,002,076/.
In alluding to the surplus, he had gone a step too far, as be
ought first to have called the attention of the House to the esti-
mated expenditure of the present year. The charge for the
Consolidated Fund was estimated at 38,057, 6541. This in--
eluded 5,134,458/. for the Sinking Fund. Under the head of
Supply, it was not necessary, on the present occasion, to
,remark
upon the votes already agreed to for the Army and Navy, and
about to be proposed for the Ordnance. It was sufficient for