The Sun.
London, England, 1804-07-03 00:00:00

IRISH CUSTOMS AND EXCISE

Mr. bout tt moved the Order of the Day for the
third reading of the Irish Customs and Excise
Bill. On the question being put,

11171CIIINSON could not stair this op.
.portunity to pass, without Making lk few nbserva.
titans on the situation of chili part of the Empire to
which the operation of 'this Bill was to he Confined.
Right Hon. Gentleman opposite* (Mr. Fos.
/ ire) had stated the National Debt of Ite;and to.
have bees, 25,000,0001. in tBOO 4.3,0c0,0p01, in
eBO3 ; and that the Ate venues of Ili.' o)untry were'
rapidly declin;ng. He Kui stated, that since Ja.
ou,iry kit, a defalcation had taken place in the Re.
venues to the amount of '300,0001. and yet,
.with its
manuf Antes annihilated, except its staple, the Linen
Nti,tnutatitite, with its Ploviston Trade diMinished,
ar:ol its jt,!snoreei Abiamed, that Country hadludd':d
40 its debt thi yetr; while Great_Bri.
Lint, during, the same petinti, enjoying a commerce
commentura;e with 'tile limitS of the twhitalbie worlOt
%tit!) manulatito es in a state of the highest proepe.
rity, and wealth and resources inexhaustible, had
,added 'but a sum little exceeding t 2,010,6091. It
Was unnecessary to accompany 646 a statement with
any observations on the finantial difficulties that
must be the fate of Ireland, difficulties which 'one
would be almost 'afraid to look' in the. face. The
iti4ht Gentleman' had proposed to support the
Sirking liteenue of Ireland, by raistos an additional
Revenue to the.amount of 1,253,0001.; and hells he
took occasion to return his thanks to that Right
Von. Gentleman, for having given up the increase
of the Duty on foreign Salt, and the proposed Stamp.
Duty, or the Registering of Freeholds. Bei that
Right Hon. Geolieman must agree with ,him, that
the Taxes now proposed would be heavily felt in a
Country circumstanced as Ireland. The Right Hon.
Gentleman had appealed to the Members for Ire.
land to look the difficultiee in.the face, and to make
c;+11141011 cause in their efforts to prutnine the col.
tedion of the Revenue, No man more cordially
wished for that unanimity.than he did, because he
was -confident that the want of union had been the
cause or ail the lamentable miseries'and disuse-
tioipi that hail beTallen,that Country.. 'He was
pine enough in hope that, if ever that blessed day,
as lie shnild call it, should arrive when the. Mem,
hers for Ireland would be unanimous in recomme4d.
ing measures best' calculated to promote the perma-
nent interests of their Chantey, they would have the
hearty concurrence of the., Members -for this part of
the,Empite. Anti here he begged to enter his solemn
protest against the principle, from whatever,quarter
it may have been derived, that Irish Members
ought not to interfere on ottestions exclusively
tined to Gieat Britain, nor wire wirsa. Such a:
principle was in direet contradidion to the spirit of
the tinion, which transferred the care of the interetis
of all parts of the United Empire to the enlighten.
etf.wisdom and 'impartial justice of our Imperial Le.
gislature. The Right Hon. Gentleman hod pro.
posed two arrangements for supporting the sinking

reecoirces.of the Country : he had appeal/1d to the
Gentlemen of Ireland to., assist; in promoting the
"effedual colleilion of the Revenue, .and to. the
Minister of ' the Empire, tn, give • efted to a
'system of economy. These, however, were not
of themselves sufficient to save the Country, and
lie should look upon himself as deficient in duty, if
he negleiled to remind the House, 'that something
More Was necessary to save that Country from the
ruin, which, -by the statement of the Right Hon.
Gentleman, and by the Papere on the T.ihle, appear.
ed to be impending Over it. No man lamented more
than he did, the circumstances of exclusion under
which the present Administration was formed ; yet
whatever loss he must suppose the pnblic service. to
have sustained thereby, when be looked at the Right
Hon,Genneman (Mr. PITT), when he recolleiled the
experience he had had for act years in the Govern.
meni of Ireland—when he called to mind the cir.
cumstances; feelings, and sentiments under-which he
had retired from office, and wtien he perceived him
returned to power, convinced, as he must be, that
Ireland had been miserably governed, and that no.:
thing had since occurred to change those sentiments
and feelings, "though he lamented the principles of
exclusion on which his Administration was 'formed,:
he could not hot (mien . favourably to the Cease
of his Country, from the return of that Right
Hon. Gentleman to power. He hoped and trusted
the Right Hon. Gentle Man would bear the matter
in his mind, that he Would..take with him to his
closet during:the recess,. and employ on it his gi.
gantie faculties, and that he should not he misled
by weakass, bigotry, or wickedness. lie could nor.
avoid adverting. to these circumstances at ,a moment
when•they were going to impose nearly one half in
addition to the Baud amount of the Revenue
in Ireland. The Honourable Gentleman then ad..•
verted to the suspensioo of the Habeas Corpus,
Mt, and the Bill for establishing Martial Law, the
pulley of which measures, 'or of repealing theta, in
the present instance he did not mean Weiner• into ; •
and after bearing honourable testimony to the:mih.
ner in which the governMent of Lord I IA R
h.td been administered, concluded with a declaration
of his wish to rivet the attention of the Right Hon.
Gentleman. (the CHANceLLou of the. ExcArtQuix) •
to the State of Ireland, and that the security de.
pended not upon Fortifications or Blockading Spia.
drons, but upon the AgetliOns ind Loyalty of the
People.
I Bill was then proceeded with in the third
_reading ;* and after some prngtess had been madC;
the tnitherroceeding was put off 011.to.murrow.