The Sun.
London, England, 1824-03-13 00:00:00

ANNUAL DUTIES.

The House having resolved itself into a Committee on the
Annual Duties' Bill,
CoIoneLDAVIES rose to move an amendment on the duties
on Foreign Spirits which was imposed by this bill. This was
duty, he observed, which affected a large portion of the I elple
in various ways, and was besides a part of a system which was
highly odious. The evils of the present fiscal system were
such as led to the greatest irregularities, including perjury,
and even murder. These arose from the temptation which the
high duties on foreign spirits offered tosmuggling, and evasion.
The ,effect of lowering these high duties would then have the
beneficial tendency to abolish smuggling. Nor would it be
merely •to the persons actually engaged in the nefarious traffic
that its benefit would extend. The peasantry at large would
be affected by it; for it was impossible to say-to what exten-
sive ramifications the evasion of the revenue-laws was carried.
It could be proved by a reference to the returns for the differ.
ent periods marked by a fluctuation in the duty on spirits that I

the revenue received mere when it was low, than at other
times. In the year 1815, the duty was reduced, when an in-
creased importation followed, yielding a revenue of 815,000/.
—Yet this was not above one-half of the revenue collected on
article in 1806, when the duty wax only 12s. But it was not
in this alone that such an effect was visible. It was the same
in wine. Mr. Thornton, an eminent wine merchant, had given
evidence before the Committee of Foreign Trade, that in con-
sequence of the high duties on French wines and spirits, he
had transferred the whole of his Colonial business from this
country to the country where the article itself was produced.
—The same results would he found in coffee and tea, and
indeed in all the productions whatsoever, where over taxation
prevailed. The cost of collection too was greater in proportion
to the amount. He wished to see the duties brought down to
the standard of 1806. At present it was his intention to move
that the duties on brandy be reduced Is. 10d. from its present
amount.
The CHANCELLOR of the. EXCHEQUER said, that the
Bill betore the House was to continue another Bill for twelve
months, neither of which stated the specific amount of the duty.
Ile did not therefore see how the Honourable Gentleman's
motion could apply to the present business before the House;
nor slid he see how he could help him to attain his own
object. Ile was willing to admit that the duty on brandy
was too high, but this was not the moment to reduce it. It
could not be done without reducing the duty on English spirits.
Ile might be told, in answer, that it was impossible to do a
better thing ; and that might be true, but it was a large ques.
tion, which it was better not hastily to touch, involving, as it
did, so large a receipt of the revenue. A high duty upon spirits
was per se good, and for many weighty moral considerations it
ought not to be reduced too low. As to the amount of the Hon.
Member's reduction, one shilling and tenpence, it was too
small to have the effect of removing the temptation of the
smuggler. It would go into the pocket of the merchant, but
would be little felt by the consumer. It appeared therefore,
to him, that not only was the mode in which the lion. 'Member
proposed to execute his purpose was inconvenient, but that it
would not answer his end it it succeeded. If it were possible
to go beyond the proposed reductions of taxes, he confessed he
would rather relieve the articles of tea and tobacco, which
might he called the luxuries of the poor, from some part of
their burden. He heel, 'therefore, so many objections to the
motion of the Hon. Member that he could do no otherwise than
oppose it.
Mr. HUME thought that the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
upon his own principle, instead of making a partial repeal,
ought to make a general repeal of the duty on Spirits. The
British spirit trade was worse managed than any other branch
of national industry—it was completely in the bands of a mo-
nopoly ; and if the Chancellor of the Exchequer would not be
afraid of the great distillers, who really seemed to press upon
all the measures of Government like a night-mare, he would
find no difficulty in disposing of the question. By a late
measure of Government, the stnuggling from Holland had,
indeed, been put a stop to, but it was carried on with more
activity than ever between Scotland and England, and Ireland
and England.. Why should not whisky be allowed to come
from Scotland to England ? and what was the consequence ?
As he had told them last year, he had smuggled whiskey in
his cellars ; and he said openly he would break the laws when
they were so absurd—they might catch him if they could.—.
(Hear, and a laugh.)—lt was a notorious fact, that the difficulty
of getting spirits created the appetite for it. With regard to
the motion of his lion. Friend, lie thought he did not go far
enough ; but as the Chancellor of the Exchequer agreed with
him in principle, probably he might think it necessary to
press it.
Cul. DAVIES said a few words in reply. Under the cir-
cumstances lie should not press his motion, and was willing to
withe raw it.

G. BENNET supported the motion. If the duty
on spirits were reduced to its proper level, there would be little
or no abuse in the consumption of it.
Mr. KENNEDY bore testimony to the value of the mea-
sure relating to the Distillery Laws, passed last Session. He
thought, however, whiskey ought to be allowed in England;
the consequence of it not being so was, that a great number of
large works were lying idle in Scotland.
The usual resolutions of the Committee were then read and
agreed to; the House resumed, and the report was ordered to
be received on 3londay next.

CIVIL CONTINGENCIES.
The House having resolved itself into a Committee of Supply,
Mr. LUSH INGTON moved that 100,0001. be granted to
his Majesty in part, to meet the Civil Contingencies for the
i occasion
year 1324. He observed that he proposed this vote in part,
thinking it a More convenient Course for the House.
letxpiriessitensMed at
The Resolution Was then agreed to.
The
Mr.
fin et,73,lltEessoalittlit,ioiniewil on a 3,2871. for
former
3,207. the Civil Eab
of the Bahama Islands.
wish that some means might be devised, by which the charges
of these establishments should be defrayedr out of the revenues
of the respective Colonies. He was not, however, aware whe-
ther this Colony ridded any revenue.
Mr. Wlmu ur no 4 TON observed (as we understood)
that the time might coine when this arrangetnent might be
effected. At present
did not see how it could be done.
After a few words 1.1.0111
Mr. W. HORTON and Mr. III:24E,
the Resolution was carried.
The next grant was 600/. to defray the 'Civil Establishment
of the Island of Dominica.
Mr. 11U3IE said he should be glad to know whether the
Isle of St. Dominica were dot capable of paying this 6001. for
itself.
Mr. W. HORTON referred the Hon. Gentleman to a Paper
laid before the 116ttse- 00 the subject of the Colonies in 1321,
which explained the grounds for exempting the island from
this charge. If the lion.
, Gentleman were not satisfied with
that statement, lie ha" nothin—
g new to offer. Ile put it to the
House if it would be well to leave the island without a Chief
Justice, whose salary
this was to pay.
Mr. lIUME did not wish the island to be left without a
Chief Justice, but thought the expence ought not to fall on this
country.
The MA NCELLOR or the EXCHEQUER described the
Island of Dominica to be
one of the most distressed spots in
the West Indies. It hadbeen repeatedly visited by hurricanes,l
which had swept away its whole produce; many parts of it
were very sterile, and it vote altogether so circumstanced that
he thought it ought to be Considered the difficulties with which
it had to struggle were such as to constitute an exception in its
favoer from the general system acted upon in the West Indies.
The Resolution was then agreed to.
Mr. LUSHINGTON next moved the following Grant,
which he stated to be 4,0001. less than the one voted for a like
purpose last year, 8,2291. to defray the charges of the Civil
Establishment of Upper Canada.
Mr. HUME thought it unfair to tax the people of England
not only to pay for the military defence of Upper Canada, but
also to meet the charges for its Civil Establishment. If the
Civil Establishment were useful to the Colony, the expence
ought to be borne by the Inhabitants ; and if not useful, let
it be dispensed with. Why should we pay for the Sheriffs of
Canada, the Clerk of the
,Council, the Surveyor of the Lands,
and other officers that had nothing to do that concerned this
country ? Some of the lands might be sold to cover this
expence. If the lands were not for sale, what occasion
was there for a surveyor ? Then there was a naval officer
from whom one hundred pounds was charged. The peo-
ple of England ought not to pay a naval officer in that Co-
lony any more than for one in Ceylon and Calcutta. Then
there was a second Surveyor. One was requited for past ser-
vices, another for what he was now doing, but the people of
this country had nothing to do with either. There was also an
agent charged, and to this he objected. The Canadas could pay
their own expences, but would not while England was foolish
enough to do it for them._.
Mr. W. HORTON remarked, the Hon. Gentleman had
spoken as if the Colony of Upper Canada was so prosperous
as to require no aid from the Mother Country ; such was by no
means the case. Till 11110 the whole of her expences had been
defrayed by this country, and though now in a state of progres-
sive improvement, it could bear no more than had already been
put upon her. The total expence of the colony was 30,0001.
of which she herself bore 20,0001. When it had been proposed
to unite Upper and Lower Canada, with a view to diminish
the charge, the lion. Gentleman had been the first to oppose
the plan. For the Sale of the Lands, though they might become
hereafter extremely valuable, they had no pecuniary value at
present, and being granted to individuals who were to bring it
into cultivation it could not be offered for sale. The question
read before the Committee was simply whether 10,000/. was too
much to be granted by the mother country to a colony as yet
but in its infancy? Agreeing in principle with the lion. Gen-
tleman, that the first proper opportunity ought to be taken for
removing the charge in question from this Country to the Co-
lony, he contended it would be unfair, and unsound in prin-
ciple, at once to withdraw the support hitherto granted ; the
charge, however, was in the course of gradual reduction, and
he confidently anticipated would, at no distant period, cease al-
together, from the revenues of the Colony becoming equal to
its expenditure.
Mr. BENNET thought the people of this country had no
right to bear the charge in question, and thought the principle
now admitted might be acted upon to burthen their grand-chil-
dren on the same account.

Mr. W. HORTON thought the Hon. Gentleman had for-
gotten the charges to which Canada had been subjected by the
late war with the United States. Canada had paid 50,0001.
in consequence of that contest. As to the expence here com-
plained of being thrown on their grand-children, he begged to
say he looked forward to nothing of the kind, but considered it
certain, that in the course of a very few years Upper Canada
wauld cease to require such assistance.
Mr. BRIGHT defended the policy of the grant, and set

forth the importance of bringing forward Upper Canada, by
encouraging and doing as much good for its population as was
possible.
Mr. HUME said, if he were able he would advise that
the Canada% should be enabled to become independent of
this country in the course of ten years, with a Government
and ConstitUtion of its own,, that we might not hereafter be in-
volved in a war for its defence. He was surprised to hear the
opposition which he had off4ed to the union of the two Ca-
nadas thrown at him, as the Honourable Member must know
that what he had opposed was an attempt on the part of
the Honourable Gentleman, or on that of his Majesty's Go-
vernment at least, to cheat the Canadas out of their Constitu-
tion. lie doubted whether this country derived any advan-
tages from those Colonies. We paid twice as much to them for
bad timber as would suffice to purchase good any where else.
In this and in various ways it was injurious to us. Ile did not
talk of im.. ediate separation; but this he maintained, that if
we refused to support them with the grant now required, the
people of Canada would either find the means of defraying
those charges which we were called upon to meet, or they
would dispense with useless officers, so as to reduce their esta-
blishment.
Dr. LUSHINGTON rose to state the reasons why he could
not vote with his Hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen.—
He proceeded to describe the miserable state to which Canada
had formerly been with respect to the administration of justice,
and thence inferred the importance of granting that aid to them
which was contemplated by the present vote.
Mr. HUME offered a few further remarks; after which the
resolution was agreed to.
The next vote proposed was 9,1971. to defray the charges of
the Civil Establishment of Nova Scotia. •
Mr. BENNET objected to the amount of the grant.
Mr. W. HORTON defended it, and contended it could not
now be reduced without great injury to the Colony.
Mr. HUME considered Nova Scotia must be able to bear
the charge for itself. He wished to know if it were not so, and
what the imports and exports of that colony were.
Mr. W. HORTON said, the exports to Nova Scotia were—
In 1821 - - - - - £31,228
In 1822 . - 31.032
In 1823 -
The exports to Nova Scotia from Great Britain and Ireland
were—

In 1021 - - - £155.159
In 11322 - - 128,856
In 1823 . - - . 153,281
He had no doubt that this vote might be diminished at no dis-
tant period, but maintained that to reduce it at this moment
would be unfair and injurious.
Mr. HUME did not wish to urge a willing horse too far.---
He was glad to find .a disposition to attempt reduction ere
long, hut thought it partial and unjust to tax the West India
Colonies, that Nova Scotia might be spared, and to tax the
people of this country tbr the same object.
The resolution was ap,reed to.
The next resolution was 5,1941. to defray the charges of the
Civil Establishment of New Brunswick.
Mr. HUME stated a memorial to have been received from
this colony in 18111, offering to bear this expence themselves,
provided they might be allowed to manage their own custom-
house, and have the appointment of their own customs'.officers.
This had not been attended to. He thought the colony ought
to be allowed to do what they had proposed to do, and thus re-
lieve the country from the expence now thrown upon it.
Mr. W. HORTON replied in a low tone, and was under-
stood to say, that that which the Ilon. Member had recom-
mended was intended to be done.

Mr. lIUME expressed satisfaction at what had just been
stated, but was surprised the memorial had not been attended
to before.

The Resolution was agreed to.
The next votes were, 3,3181. to defray the charges of the
Civil Establishment of Prince Edward's Island t 15,2941. to
defray the charges of the Civil Establishment of New South
Wales. _ _

ewmeartellverally agreed to.
moat
thep, which were for the
The next Grant proposed was—
art
£22,594, to defray the charges of the Civil Establishment of
inaudible Resolutions,irl atfhteerGaalfleewryr,
Sierra Leone.
Mr. HUME wished to know if any inquiry had been made
as to what benefit had been derived from this establishment,
and whether there were any reports to thew that its utility was
Commensurate with the expence and loss of lives attendant
upon it.
Mr. W. HORTON said, the occasion was not a proper ore
for opening the wide discussion relative to the Slave Trade,
which was mixed up with the vote. As to the establishment,
considered exclusively as such, no practical vote could now be
come to with regard to its continuance. The grant for the pre-
sent yenr could not be stopped.
Mr. HUME wished to know whether there was any informa-
tion which could be laid before the House, to give them an idea
of what was the state and utility of the colony.
Mr. W. HORTON had nu doubt that there were such in-
formation.

.....
The next vote proposed was the sum of 4,8311. for the service
of Newfoundland, winch, after a few words from Mr. HUME,
was agreed to.

The next was a sum of 424561. for the civil and military ex.
pences of the Gold Coast.
Mr. GORDON said that the African Company Forts had
been taken under the controul of Government, and he wished
to know whether the effect had not been to improve the condi-
tion of the colony, to. increase its commerce, and to extend
education and civilization.

Mr. W. HORTON said that the objects of Government
had been somewhat obstructed by the Ashantee war, but that
the situation of the Colony was greatly improvcd.
Mr. H Ulll E saw an item of 1,6001. for the pensions and pay
of Slaves. He wished to know how that was applied.
Mr. W. HORTON said, when the Government took the
African Company's possession into its hands, it was agreed to
take their servants, and continue their allowances.
The Resolution was agreed to.
The next vote wax for a sum of 9,8271. for the expence of the
convict's establishments of Bermuda.

After a few words, which were generally inaudible, from
Mr. G. BENNKT, Mr. DAWSoN, Mr. LOCKHART, and Mr.
ChoKER, the vote was carried.

A vote was then proposed for granting 150,000/. for the ser
vice of New South Wales.

Mr. HUME complained of the manner in which the accounts
of this Estimate were made up.
Mr. W. MORTON said, that the apparent confusion arose
from the distance, which obliged them to take votes on credit.
The vote was agreed to.
The next was a grant of 2,4421. for Colonial Contingencies,
formerly charged on the Army Extraordinaries.
Mr. HUME said that there were allowances for private
Secretaries in some of the Islands, and that the fees and. Colo-
nial allowances were a sufficient remuneration. Ile should,
therefore, like to know what those fees and allowances amount-
ed to ?

Mr. W. lIORTON said that the Private Secretaries of the
Governors received no fees; the Colonial allowances were only
due to Public Secretaries.
After some further conversation between Mr. llume, Mr.
Goulburn, Mr. W. Horton, and Mr. G. Bennet.
Mr. GOULBURN said that every man who looked into the
subject must know that the Governors of the West India
Islands were so badly paid as to find a difficulty in making
their allowance pay their expences.
Mr. HUME repeated his objections, and said that if the
Governor of Barbadoes must have a private Secretary, the
people of England ought not to be called upon to pay it. He
should therefore move a reduction of 1,6221., being the amount
of these salaries.

The Committee divided, when there appeared—
For the Amendment
Against it -
Majority for the Vote

-72

The next vote was a sum of 15,532/, for defraying the ex-
peaces of the Society for Propagating the Gospel in Upper and
Lower Canad . Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Cape of Good
Hope, and Prince Edward's Island.

Mr. HUMS said that he did not know the increase upon
the vote last year was again to be proposed. In 1818 this
Society reported that a school had been established in New-
foundland ; in 1820 there were other reports, stating that books
and scholars were also there. But it turned out that there had
been neither schools, books, nor scholars. The excuse made
by the Society was, that it was a mistake of their Secretary.
The whole sum subscribed by the public to this Society was
650/. He thought the House ought not to give 15,0001. a year
to be distributed by this Society. There was a Bishop and
Clergy in Canada, and why should they not be entrusted with
the management of these funds. But the whole military esta-
blishment of that country was paid by us, and therefore it was
not too much to expect that they should pay for their own reli-
gious instruction. For these reasons, he should move the re-
duction of the whole vote.

Mr. W. HORTON said that the Hon. Member founded his
opposition to this Society, upon an act of forgetfulness on the
part of their Secretary ; but the subject was one which de-
served to be considered on large grounds. The Parliament
had placed their confidence in this Society for the appropriation
of the Funds which they thought it necessary to apply to the
purposes of religious instruction. The good which had been
done under that arrangement, lie would not cot; to detail, as
many Gentlemen in the House were perfectly acquainted with
them. He agreed with the Honourable Gentleman, that as
far as they were able, the Colonists ought to hear the expence
of their moral and religions instruction; but to withhold assiq.