The Sun.
London, England, 1826-03-14 00:00:00

could not reach, then there might be much more ground for un-
easiness and appreh6nsion, than appeared to hint really to
exist. But in all the discussions which bad taken place since
the opening of the Session, although differences of opinion had
prevailed upon other points,- there had been, he thought, but
one general opinion as to the nature of thosecauses.—and but
onegeneral opinion as to the manner in which they h"ave pro-
duced their consequenceS. To his mind, these circumstances
had been a source of much unnecessary contest between those
who were somewhat' sneeringly denominateii philosophers, and
another class who ascribed to themselVes the more !limbie ap-
pellation of practical men. Ile said that this had been an un-
necessary stingele, hecausa it was the application of sound rea-
sonieg powers to the results of practical experienee, 1'04101m"
direct them tethe'true principles of legislation.' It was by the
just combination Of those two elements of wisdom that the House
and the ptiblic must come tow right conclusion as to the most
effectual mode of escaping fronts the difficulty in which they
,were now , placed. If they were, indeed, those by whom—in
preparing their minds to tome to a derision upon such subjects
e-theY should be told that books and reason were to be rejected,
he knew not at what springs they must drink when driven from
the fountain. at which science and knowledge Were the presiding
Deities. In the general spread of. knowledge which bad been
constantly proceeding tinting the- laitt Atalf Century,' were they
who sat there as Ministers of the Cioan,oeita Legislators, to be
behind-hand with the people whom they- had to govern, and for
whom they made laWs? Otte`'tl. they not rather to be fore-
most in the race ? knowing that. ,the progress of knows
ledge must be gradatti3Ought they net to take the hest adVan.
tage of the time, to place themselves beibre their countrymen,
and prdtecti them against errors into which they might other Wise
fall by a premature action upon the partial information which
they might at first mistake for knoWletige.—(Cheers.)—He
knew ther'e were' those WhO'feared the spread of knowledge, but
he partook of no such feeling. To him, it promised an effect
diametrically opposite. The more the people were edudated,
. the more likely they would be to see what was good, and to
avoid that which was 'bads—the more likely they would be Lb
.repose upon the idea that knowledge was power. To his Mind,
then, this application of knowledowas of the greatest importance
as {V 1.6 respeet to tilt; difficulties from which they were,
endeavouring' •to recover, as in respect to times to come.—
If he fiiiindthe r he found the Government extracting
a knowledge of sound principles from the experience of exist.
ditlicultiete he looked with comparative indifference at their
return, Partly because that would be less likely to occur, and it'
it should, because they should be better able to meet and con-
trottl them. stated thus much in respect to the parti-
ettin circumstances of the country, it now became him to look
at its Finances as they stood, and to consider the nature of their
prospects for the futire. Rut .befoie he proceeded to state
to the Committee.what were the intentions of his Majesty's
:Government, he would beg to'recal their attention to the course
which he had paraued for the last two or three years. And he
would do this because belied been reproached in no measured
terms, for jhplangtrage he had from time to time thought fit
to hold, avid accused of having contributed thereby to the spirit
' which led fti'the recent sufferings of the country. True it was that
While it had been his lot to explain the annual state of their thiate-
cial circurnstences—true it wits that he had spoken in the Inn.
gunge of confidence and congratulation. From that language
Ale would not now depart. Ile hail declared the affairs of the
country to be prosperous, and he weuld not now shrink front
repeating it. The country was not in a situation which war-
ranted hint in throwing out a declaration of its being in a state
of decadence; and although in the natural warmth of feeling a
man might be allowed to indulge in the expression of hope to a
somewhat greater extent than prudence would perhaps carry
him—this he would venture to say—he haul stated nothing its
fact which did not bear him out in the result. Ile would revert,
therefore, to what he bud done and said, and in the course of the
three years he would chew, that however he might have erred in
the language whiCh.lie used to express his feelings, yet he hind
neither practised deception upon the House, nor held out pros
peas, of delusion to the country. When in the year 1823 It first
became his lot to take a view Of the finances of the country, he,
ventured to assume that in the course of the year a certain
amount of revenue would accrue.' Ile begged leave to aak-z.
whet was the result ? lie founded his estimate then upon no
vague, imaginary foundation, but upon the plain simple basis
of the amount of revenue received in the preceding year.' Ile
would shew the Committee that hi 1823,1821, and 1825, in all
his Estimates for those three years, not only were the expecta-
tions which beheld out realized, but they were exceeded by an
amount which the most sanguine men in the country could
never have anticipated. In the year 1823 he estimated the pro-
bable receipts of the Customs and Excise, the Stamps, the Post
Office, and the Miscellaneous, at 52,200,0001. He then pro-
ceeded to repeal taxes in that Session to upwards the amount of
3,000,0001., and in the course of' the 'year lie calculated there
would be lost to the Revenue a million and a half. Therefore,
if the Revenue had been lets hy1,500,000/. than in the preceding
year, his calculation would have been folly realised. Now what
was the fact ? The actual produce of the revenue turned out to be,
52,017,0001., being less than the produce of the preceding year,
notwithstandinx the repeal of above 3,000,0001. of taxes, by
the simple sum of 182,000/. From this statement it was pretty
clear that he held out no expectations to the house which were
delusive or unreal., Ia thneye,aorlth repeat
attl:dxesthteopaucto)lnic.
income at 51,265,000/. dpa to
sitlerable. amount, in consequence of which lie calculated upon
a loss to the Revenue of 530,000/. But the actual produce of
the year again exceeded his original estimate in 'the following
e =punted to 52,562,000/. and
proportion :—the net Revenue
his estimate to 51,285 0001•; so that the actual receipt was
1,:t00,000/. more than he had, led the House to expect. The
same thing again
,happened in 1825. Ile then calculated that
tr,2t
the revenue would produce the twin of 61,97.5,001 th, and that
650,0001. would be lost by the reduction of taxes.—
The actual receipt of that year, however, exhibited not
aetilostso, aioosuotrp!ubSeliblgeyouniodre et:1:3117 estimate—orilgtinnailnott,tn,tti:
mate, as he fraMed It, even if :there had been no reduction
of taxes at all. The result of al: thii was, that the Incothe
estimated by him during these three years anireat.ted. to
155,440,0901. The Revenue actually received, to yx,tat.nont.
The produce exceeding the estimate by no less a suit then
1,398,0001. Now, 'wheii these circumstances were t it to,
and when it was considered that he had reduced B,ooti two/ ut

taxes in the mean time, he thought he might boldly assert that.
he had not been guilty of stating any thing which was either
wrong in feet, or delusive to the House and the country.—
(Cheers.)--!le bad'said that during these three years taxes to
the amount of 8,000,0001. had been repealed. Hut they
should he taking only an imperfect view of the reduc-
tions which had been effected if they stopped here. He
must therefore beg the Committee to .go back with
him to ,the year: IBM and see what Parliament had
done since the, winding up of, the war, enafiled them
to relieie the country of a portion of, its burthens.—
He thought it necessary to da, this, because it was said the
amount of taxes they had reduced were not worth thinking of, 1,
„Anti they would scarcely equal the difference in the value of
the currency, and that there could be no possibility of return.
ing to that state contemplated by the measures which had oc-
cupied .theta during the Session, unless a large reduction of
taxation took place. lie thought these propositions were I
not warranted by the facts, and he was confident in'
being able •to shear that there .was no foundation for the
assert!an that they haul done nothing or not enough to
render :these , changes practicable. lie did not mean, to
say when he used the word " enough" that they were
to do no more as soon as opportunities offered, but he conteud.
Jed that.the repr nentationS to which be haul alluded were not
consistent with the facts'of the case. In looking to the amount
of the reduction of taxes which haul taken place, they must go
back to the year 1816 ; and taints it would be seen that Parlia-
ment had not slept at its post, but had shewn itself mindful of
thutreblie interest. In 1316, then, which was' the first year of
the reduction of taxes, they repealed—first, the Property Tax.
He Inew this ,was effected: contrary to-the opinion of the Go-
vernment; who thought it ought to WT.. been Maintained for
two. years longer. But, however, Parliament thought and de-
cidtd atberwisre ; and whether the decision was,right or wrong,
it was quite certain that the people benefited by the re-
peal of the nix to the 'amount of 14,320,0001. The Malt
.Duty wad repealed in the same year, amounting to 2,700,0004
and the 11rar Tonnage Duties to 828,0001. The Assessed
'll axes in Ireland were also reduced, amounting to 35,000/. and
the Malt Tax in Ireland to 315,000/. The total of all these
repeals was 18,288,000/. In 1817 there was a reduction of
280,0001. 1n.1318, Assessed Taxes in Ireland were again re.y
pealed to the amount of 236,000/. In 1819 a different policy
was pursued, which created an addition of 3,000,0001. to the
taxation of the country, and to which he should presently ad-
vert. In 1020 there was no change. ,In 1021 the Agricultural
Horse Tax was reduced, amounting to 4E10,000/. In 1822 they
reduced the Malt Tax 1,400,000/, 'the Salt Tax 1,395,0001.
the Leather Tax 300,0001., and the Tonnage Duties 260,0001.
The total of the reduction of that year 3,355,0001. In 1823,
the total amount reduced, including the Assessed Taxes, was
3,350,000/. In 1824 'the reduction was 1,721',0001. 'ln 1825
there-were various items of repeal, including the remainder of the
Salt Duty, the reduction of that upon hemp, upon coffee, upon
wine and spirits., a further repeal of Assessed Taxeg, and other
items, amounting in the whole to 3,146,000/. Front this statement
the Committee would see that there had beerian actual remission
since the closeof theswaT of 30,712,000/. of taxes. But they
must deduct frenrthat amount the 3,198,0004 imposed in the
year 1810, which would leave the clear sum of 27,520,0001.-;--
Well, then, he would say, that this was a substantial and de.:
cided relief to the country; and he thought it impossible .for
any titan in his sensestOdeny that such a ,relief front taxation
had not contributed to increase the revenue by increasing the
capability of the people to purchase articles of Consumption.—
It was quite true that there hail been an alteration in the value
of the Currency. This rectification of the currency could be
computed as varying his statement no further than by the de-
gree of its previous deterioration. It was not deteriorated
above five per cent. at the , period from which, his compe-
tition commenced. - the' year 1814, the total amount of
revenue was sixty-one milliOns; five per cent. upon this sum
would give three millions, and if this were deducted front the
former amount, of 27,520,000/. :there. would then remain
la
cleat reduction of 2.1 millions and :a half. This was so
much clear benefit, It was necessary to argue a priori, that a
mitigation of taxation to this amount must be, a very material,
benefit to the country. Facts had occurred to put this beyond
the possibility of dispute. Although .a reduction had peen ef-
fated to the amount of 27 million, the acute) receipts bad been
diminished only by 9 millions, the receipts in 1816 having been
61 millions, and those of the last year 52n011ions. It was evi-
dent, therefore, that 18 millions of the present receipts arose
front the improved means of the people, the effect of tile relief
which had been administered to them by the previous redac-
tion. If this were disputed, he :would take, for instance,
the Salt Duty, and appeal with confidenee to the lion. Mein-
for Wareham. That Honourable Member had strongly and
properly urged the repeal of 'this tax. He would ask him,
then, whether he did not believe that the poor roan now
experienced a sensible relief from what had been done ?
7-11 e would ask the 171,800 persons who had received
benefit from the reduction of the House Duty, or the
135,000 who had received benefit from the alteration of the
Window Tax, whether they thought, like the Hon. Member
for Aberdeen, that nothing had been done —(llar, hear!)---
whether they , thought that Ministers had been carrying on a
System of extravagance-.--whether they were prepared to ac-
euse ;them of keeping up an, unnecessary, .revenue, for
the sake of a little paltry patronige.—(Chears.)—With re-
spect to patronage, he could declare upon his honour, that
he never once thought of it. The idea never came into his
Mind in connexion with the extent of the public esta.
blislunents, and the necessary amount of revennea. Ile
was net of course, any more than others, free fromtapplications,
or without persons about him for whom he in igitt naturally tel tan
inclination to provide. Hut when applied le he had always given
one general answer, that :Government was upon the econotulcal
system, that it wit/fuseless for any body to apply who was either
two,old or too 'young or in any Other way disqualified for the
situation to which he aspired. He we. frequently compellei
b
out of
ttoi fle)roa,ov
tnra
tatt a
,t 1
(1: e, Ilk; ast
lForty
r,fee
tihte, taut
liem. th a tmar.ilhdtueisnww:ialnlisnoiswqlwitethidbt;teel
allowed f!ity that dut,ing the time that this diminution of
itst d fits had also been
taxes took place, the permanent burdens of the country, he
mbuctebnatftol:nesieleC.twTherinCtcltnettioNetii,tetilt
~ it might be well to
proportion the power of consumption had encreased, in order
40. prove that.the country was uot a state to warrant any de-