Star.
London, England, 1808-05-06 00:00:00

• „AM1119.11115 TAtili: •
011.4 Te order of the day being moved for the House
going into a Committee on the Assessed Taxes, .
Mr. BIDDULPH 'said, he would not enter' into
any distirkct objections to any separate clauses of the re-
solutions now about tp be proposed, because his objec-
tion went radically to the whole c he stated, that the
sum proposed to be raised was 100,0001. and that a
sum equal to this did • of right belong to the Consoli-
dated Fund; without the imposition of any additional
taxes, which sum should be drawn from the sale of
the demised hereditary revenues of the CroWn. He
enforced this pOsition by several observations.
Mr. ROSE objected.to the mode adopted by the
Hon. Gentleman. He said that the revenue, which
his plan would produce, would not, in his opinion,
amount to 50,0001. and if such 50,0001. were laid out
according to the Hon. Member's idea, the Civil List
.would be deficient, and Parliament would be applied
to, to.make it up.
Mr. HUSKISSON said, he held in his hand an ac-
count of the amount of the demised hereditary re-
venues of the Crown, which had been moved tor by
the Hon. Member himself, in 1797, wherein the sum
amounted in all to about 30,6141.
Mr. BIDDULPH said, he supposed it was an im-
perfect account.
Mr. ROSE said a few words ; when, on the ques-
. Lion for the House going into a Committee, there ap-
• peared—Ayes 51—Noes 21.
. On re-admission to the Gallery, we found the
House in discussion on the re-committed Assessed
Tax Bill, and upon that clause which requires all per-
sons • carrying guns for the purpose of shooting rab-
bits, to take out a game licence. After some diNc es-
. sion, the clause passed with an amendment, excepting
farmers shooting rabbits on their own grounds, bias-
. much as they were really destructive vermin to young
plantations, hedge-rows, and other branches of culti-
vated vegetation.
Mr. BIDDULPH again resumed, his objection to
grant any additional tax whatever, until the account
was produced which would spew the proceeds from
Crown Lands, and•the Mode of their application ;
for he was convinced,.from the Report of the Finance
•Cdmmissionets, that those rents must be grossly ill-.
managed, and that, with proper apnlicati• 4), they
must produce a sum which must render arty additional
tax whatever, at this,time, unnecessary. •
Mr. STURGES BOURNE, Mr. HU,S KISSON,
and Mr. ROSE, all argued that those rexennei were
as well managed as any other branch of the public
finance, under the vigilant direction of a Surveyor -of
Crown Lands, who was bound upon oath to male ir
valuations and correct returns. _

Mr. PONSONBY considered-the mode adopted in
the present year; in respect to the public finance, by
his Majesty's Chancellor of the Exchequer, as con-
trary to the usual course of proceeding. He alluded
to the calls already made upon the Hotise to vote
loans, taxes, and Exchequer Bills,' without bringing
forward his Budget, or explaining to the House, how
the supplies of the last year were disposed of, or what
supplies would be wanted for the present year. He
thought, therefore, that the Committee should now
report progress, and proced no further until a full and
satisfactory statement of the expenditisies of the' last,
year, and an explanation of the finauCes for the present .
year, were laid before them. .
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, that he had already explained on a former night,
both' the extent of the supplies that would be wanted
for the present year, and the ways and means •by ,
which he proposed to raise them ; but whether . that
explanation was sufficiently satisfactory to the Right
Hon. Gentleman, was another question. The rea-
sons which had hitherto induced him to keep back
the budget for the year was, with a view to obtain the
loans-which were necessary for the year on more fa-
vourable terms than if he had fully explained and
brought them forward at an earlier period ; and the
result justified his intention, inasmuch as the funds had
experienced a rise of five percent. since he negotiated
his loan for four millions by Exchequer Bills.
This•occasiotied a discussion of con.siderable length,
in which several Members spoke.
Mr. PETER MOORE contended for the absollite
necessity of satisfying the House, by the production
of all the public accounts,. and the usual explication
of the Budget, before any additional loan or tax of
any sort was voted, inasmuch as upon the public
finances of the country was founded the whole super-
structure of all. OIIT public establishments, civil and
military, and the very existence of the State itself.
Mr. HUSKISSON and Mr. ROSE both defended
the withholding the Budget; and the delay of the
Loans, on the same ground •with the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, and stated, that there would be a
saving of half a million to the public from the rise of.
stock on the sums wanted.
Mr. ALEXANDER BARING admitted that the

consideration stated might have been a justifiable mo-
tive for keeping back the budget and loans ; but, if
the Right. Honourable Chancellor of the Exchequer
realby acted upon any speculative expectation. upon a
probable rise in the Funds, was it not highly impro-
vident for him. to negociate his loan of four millions
so much earlier, with a loss of 5 per cent.. to the
public t He however differed materially from those
who argued that the rise in the Funds was solely anti.
butalale to the operation of the Sinking Fund. He,
on the contrary, thought that it was principally ow-
ing to the depression of our trade, which drove corn--
inercial men to the necessity of withdrawing their
capitals from trade, and-placing them in the Funds,
in order that they might be producing some profit,
until an opportunity should occur of turning:them to
better advantage. With respect to the loan itself, the
withholding it did not tend to hurt the interests, •or
disappoint the speculations of those who might
be inclined to take a share s • for they might make'
their speculative bargains, if they looked to a rise of
the funds, in another way, so as to secure their pro-
fits independent of any share in the loan itself.
Mr. HUSKISSON utterly denied that the high
price of the funds and public credit could be consider-
ed a criterion of the depression of commerce. He
was convinced the Honourable Gentleman, possessed
as he was of acuteness and extensive commercial
knowledge, would not admit as true .the converse of
this doctrine, that the low state of thepublic credit is
a proOf of the commercial prosperity of the country.
-Mr. STEVENS argued to the same. effect. • He
said, the Honourable Gentleman's inveterate antipa-
thy to Ole Orders in Council induced him to, impute
every depression of commerce to their operation, not-