The Sun.
London, England, 1804-06-21 00:00:00

soother circumstance in the Revenues of the present
year m..rerial for observation. It was, that in the
Accra:Tits, so tar •as they could be made up, of the
produce of Irish Revenue in the present year, there
%yeas a deficit from the nroduce of the last year, coin-
paring similar periods, of somethitlg between 2 and
3-eo,oool. so, that judging from present prospeas,
there was every reason to believe, that so far from
producing a surplus over the expenditure, the pro-
doee of the Irish Revenue for therpussent year would
he as a blank sheet'of parranOt shewingone shilling
towards the quota of Ireland, in the common ex.
le'naliture of the. Empire. In. a situation so truly
lalmentahle and alarming, with an e enormous and
growing increase of debt—a rapid falling off of re.
venue—a decay of commerce and manufactures--
he came now to speak, of the last Means left for
rneeting•the difficulty ; and he would appeal to the
Gentlemen of Ireland (in the hearing of so many of
whom he was glad of the opportunity of expressing
11;s sentiments at this moment), whether it was-not
the fairest and most manly principle to look the
miscliief in the face, and boldly to meet the public
exigency of the Country, by raising at once addi-
tinnal Taxes adequate to the Public Expenditure; in
such a say, however, as not to distress the Mann-
faaures cf the Country, or to press painfully on the
feelings of the middling and lower orders of the:
People, add at •the same tithe to render the col-
leetion of the Revenues in Ireland efficient, as they
ought to be, but which many Gentlemen who heard
him, very well knew they were not, by which means
thepuNic exigency would he met with as much ef-
lea, and as little new burthen, as was prafticable.
The branch of Revenue in which the principal hur.
then of non-eiredive colleetion lay, was in the Dis-
tillery of the Country, by the vast number of private
Distilleries, which wholly eluded the King's Duties,
greatly to the injury of the fair trader, as well as
to the fraud of the Revenue; but unless the Coun.
try Gentlemen of Ireland would aid the Govern-
ment of the Country, in this purpose of rendering
the Revenues of the Country efficient in their col-
leetion, with ail their vigilance and influence; un.
less they would in good earnest set their shoulders
to the wheel, the consequences must fall heavily on
themselves, and it would become the duty of the.
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, whnever he
might he, at no very distant day, to propose Taxes
upon their own Landed Property, for there would
be no other means of going on. Mr. FOSTER then
proceeded to shew, that the Expence of Colleaing
the Revenue of Ireland•was increased in proportion
to its amourit, from rol. per cent. in the year
/890, to above 131. per cent. in the last year!--
. There was another consderation on which it was
very material for the Committee to be informed,
namely, the Balances in the hands of the ColleCtors
of the Ri!venue in Ireland, compared with a similar
Lem in the Returns of this Country. In England,
with her enormous Revenue, the last Accounts shew
the Balaece' in the hands of the ColleEtors to be but
30,0-of. whereas, by the last Irish Returns, on a
similar bead, the Balance in the hands of Colleaors
now in Office, .appeared to be 600,0001. ; and to
prove that this was not a matter of recent incident,
but one of rapid growth and increase, he stated
from a similar Account in 1803, it appeared to be
03,0001. and in last year 505,1001. How it hap.
pened he was at a loss to account, but firmly per-
suaded he was, that such a Balance ought. not to be
left in the hands of any set of Collet-tors Whatever,
more especially when the pressing exigencies of the
,COuntry were considered. This Account, how-
.ever, only related to ColleClors existing in Office ;
but if he looked to , the Arrears of Colledors
-dismissed, it would appear -that very large Ar-
rears were then due also, namely, to the amount
of r 20,0001. which, though it might be sued
for at Lose, was very doubtful of recovery.—
' Under-the head Of &amps, though the whole amount
of the Rev 7' nue wets stated at 18z,000l. the balance
in the ha' ds of Coliefters was stated to be E 6,0001.
though the Stamp-Office, where the money is all re_
. ceivede is in the City of Dublin. In the Post_
Office, ;Aso in Dublin, the balance in the hands of
Collreisets, in 1803, was stated to 'be 15,6001.
though the amount of its Revenue is stated at only
250,0001. alai by the last returns there appeared 1
ba'arce with the ColleCters of 22,9001. He was
fer iromrs.as;og- all tiaost. balances were solvent ; he
was stire groat part of them were the reverse.
But theiSul: he had oriecipally to find was with the
Tr 'astir,/ Peeir(l, in not tailing in those balances in
time. That every thing nraeticable might he effeEted
to econemise 'he public expenditure, and make it
square with t!;e public iueoine, he meant, at a future
day , to, move far a Committee to be established in
this k.uniry, crop mitred to examine upon oath,
tounhing every. item of the Public Accounts of
le,aland that ,hill be brought torward,• when any
&ao whomever shall arise. Not wishing to trespass
fat:Len on the time and attention of the Committee,
he :voted now propose to state the increased Taxes
he had in contemplation, viz.

Per

&I.: LT an illcrease-on the
ti,se,..l Duties ci

French Wina k • 97
Port \V isle - 65
I.A.Acititra , , 7,
IL itentsh ,_ 6a
All utile.; Wir;zr. ha

O 0 o
- !6 7 0
29 9 4
- 24 0 0

Which, upon an average of 11,-,e Lnports of the last
seven years, would protluc e9,c001. or, according
to those of last year, tz,o,cpol.; but he took it at the
former sum. 4 rAx cn Malt of per barrel, which
ts. 5.1.more than the present duty, and B.t.
her barrel less than is paid in England, 'which he
estimated t. produce 63.7501. 'The next was a Tax
on Teas. The present duties are in Ireland, Blac
per ccut. 251. all others 421. 7s. HC therefore pro.
posed to d, übte the present duty on both Teas,
which be est:mated to produce 18o,o0Pl• The next
was an additional Tax. on Tobacco, di 4.d.per pound
over the prekent duty of: ;s. rd. which, uphn an
average of the last three years, would. produce
tz,pool.
.The newt was an advance of the present
duty onlume.tn,de Spirits, froin its proent rate of
3,, 9ie. per gallon to 4.5. 'hit; would make 4.1,0001,
'inc tie„ was an equalization of the Boglr'Duties,
n,Hch a been otruurd,:in, the Budget ut the-last
tr, %high, id, per cwt. Fr)»
duce of g., on Ittfincti 33oo1".
'1 h: next TAX was :Starnp•Pury upon Aftidayos.be.
re tieo .VCer rthrite to 'ffii ;is
i'aseatintots y 411:and juries; to