Star.
London, England, 1814-07-07 00:00:00

FINANCE.

In. a Committee of Ways and Means,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
took a brief view of the Finances of the Country.
His statements are for the most part already before
the public. The revenue he proved to be in a flou-
rishing state, having increased to the amount of four
millions in the course of the year. He moved a
grant towards the supplies of the year of 820,500,000,
to be raised on the War Duties.
After a few words from Mr. BARING, Mr. Loci•
HART, and Mr. WESTERN, the motion was agreed to.
The Report was ordered to be received on Friday.

THE NEW POST OFFICE.
Mr. BARING stated a varietrof objections to
the proposed removal of the Post Office. In a few
days he expected to present a Petition against it,
sigued by every considerable Merchant in the City.
The expence of the new Post Office was estimated ..t
e 8280,000. IF an enquiry were gone into on this sub-
ject, he could prove this sum was not more than
enough to give as compensation to those who were
to be turned nut of their dwellings to make way for.
it. There were several situations where the Poste
Office could be built, which were preferable to the
scite chosen. The present plan of Government was,
he contenued, the most inconvenient, and extrava-
gant, and absurd, ahat could be adopted. He much
complained of the conduct of Government in bring-
ing forward this measure, which was to be carried
into effect at the public expence, in the form of a
private Bill. He moved for Plans of the New Office
....Estimates of Ex .ence—Plan of the Scite of the
New Building—Specification of the Buildings to be
removed—and Estimate of the Sums to be given as
compensation to their present occupiers.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said that the plan originated with the City, by whom
one-third of the projected improvement was to be
borne. Most of the buildings to be removed he un-
derstood to be of small value. The scite was recom-
mended by the Officers of the Posooffice, as being
the best that could be chosen, and it was stated, if
this opportunity were lost, one so good could not be
expected to occur for a century to come. The incon-
veniencies of the present Post Office made its removal
necessary, and the effect of the change would benefit
the public generally, as letters would be delivered
half an hour lather in the morning and half an hour
later iu the evening. He did not object to the
Motion:
Mr. H. SUMNER thought the expence of the
new Post Office would not be less than £500,000,
though the estimate was but £280,000. Such a mea.
sure ought not to have been introduced as a private
Bill. The City of London, it had been said, would
pay one third of the expence : that was incorrect—
the City of London would net pay a single shilling
of it, but the money would come out of the public
purse; it would be taken out of the Orphans' Fund,
given to the City by Pailioment for the purpose of
paying its debts, and on which they never ceased to
charge newly incurred incumbraeces. He hoped the
Hotiouta'de Gentleman would postpone his Bill till
next Session, otherwise he should oppose it in every
stage.
A conversation then arose between Mr. FITZGE.
RALD, Mr. PETER MooRE, and the SPEAKER, rel..tive
to the nature of the Bill, whereof, though a private
one, Mr. PoMooice contended, was irregular, as it
coma:lied a grant of public money.
Mr. HOME SUMNER. asked of the Speaker,
whether the Orphans' Fund was not public money ?
The SPEAKER stated, that the Orphans' Fund
was so anomalous that it was not easy to be describ-
ed. It had never, however, been considered as pub-
lic but rather in the light of a local tax, simi-
lar to those in Ireland.
Mr. BARING also expressed his intention of op-
posing the Bill in evci y stage, and hoped to see it
postponed to the next Sessiou.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
had, with an experienced Friend, attentively heard
all the objections of the Gentlemeo of the Stock Ex-
change,
And really did not find them calculated to
idle? his sentinicnts on the merits of the measure.
The motion was then carried in the affirmative
without a division.
Mr. LUSHINGTON obtains.! leave to bring in
a BM for letting to farm the duties usually called
Post Horse Duties.

WAYS AND MEANS.
The House then resumed the consideration of the
Resolutions of the Committee of Ways and Means,
which had been postponed to th:s day.
On the third Resolution being read,—
Mr. Fl'l ZGERALD stated, that it was in the
recollection of those who had, on a preceding right,
been present in that Committee when he submitted
certain propositions for raising the supply for the ser-
vice of Ireland, that he had recommended the impo-
sition of a stamp duty ad valorem on letters of attor-
ney conveying a power to receive rents, or the annual
proceeds of other property in Ireland, not merely as
a financial measure ; he had pressed on the Commit-
tee, and he was glad, that in doing sn, he had the
sanction of high authority, which was then present;

he bad pressed with an earnest feeling, which he still
retained, the adoption of this Resolution in the liope,
that by including, if not the residence Of the Irish
Landlord in the midst of his tenantry, at least that
approximation between the proprietor and the occu-
pier of the soil Which it was an object of great na-
tional policy and domestic peace to promote, he had
even expressed hope, that in point of revenue it would
be unproductive; he had not been guilty of the injustice
of proposing it either as a direct tax upon Absentees
or upon Property; he was awate that the very principle
of the Union would make it in the former view a most
objectionable proposition ; but he had deemed it con-
sistent with every view of political economy to hold
out an inducement to those possessed of property in
that country, to make themselves more intimately
acquainted with the interests of those who are depen-
dent on them—such would have been the general
and beneficial results of the measure which he had
contemplated, even if in point of revenue it should
be found not to prove on the whole not so productive.
He hoped that the grounds upon which he had first
recommended, or even those upon which he had re-
linquished this tax, wr.uld neither be misunderstood
nor forgotten, for he should hold himself at libetty
on a future occasion, to recur to the same proposition
when the public exigency might call for increased
supply, and the people of Ireland, and their Repre-
sentatives in Parliament, might have a more extended
opportunity of considering those measures which were
to affect them, and when he might hope for their con-
current support to those propositions which not less
his anxiety for their domestic interest than his sense
of duty as a public servant had induced him to bring
forward.
The House having resolved into a Committee on
the Exportation of Tea, Mr. LUSHINGTON ob-
tained leave to bring in a Bill to allow the Exportation
of Tea without paying any duty.

BANK RESTRICTION LILL.
On the motion of the CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQUER, that the House resolve itself into a
Committee on the Bank Restriction Bill,
Sir HENRY PARNELL complained of not hay.
ing had sufficient notice. He called on the Honour.
able Mover not to press the measure, but to agree to
postpone and print the Bill. He also wished the
Chancellor of the Exchequer to point out, as far as it
was in his power. the time when it was most likely
the Bank would be able to resume its payments in
cash.
Mr. BROWN expressed his surprise at the commit-
ting of such a Bill, of which he had never betore
heard of.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
was not conscious of having been guilty of any want
of attention to regularity and the forms of the House,
till :ate notice of a Noble Lord (Lord Hamilton),
on a nearly similar subject, had been diiposed of, he
could not present his own. He, however, had after-
wards entered into a kind of compromise with his
Lordship, to whom he mentioned he intended to pro-
pose, on finding the House to be unanimously of opi-
nion that the Bank could not with propriety imn;e-
diately resume cash payments, to continue the restric-
tions for a further time. He then brought in the
Bill which had since proceeded regularly to its pre-
sent stage. If it had not been more publicly heard
of, it was on account of the unanimity of opinion
which had hitherto prevailed in the House, respecting
its policy. In the Committee he should propose that
the blank date, as to the period of the Res:rictions,
should be filled up the Ist of June, as it would se-
cure a better attendance of Members to discuss at
the expiration of this measure, the important subject
of payment in cash.
Mr. BROWN waived all opposition to the mea-
sure, on hearing this explanation.
Sir HENRY PARNELL thought the delay until
the Ist of June too long. The 25th of March had
previously been mentioned, and he thought that pe-
riod preferable.
After some further conversation, the House went
into a Committee, and the Bill was ordered to be
read, clause by clause.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
then restated his reasons for preferring the Ist of June.
It was well known also that the circumstances in
which the country had been placed for several years,
had not enabled the Bank to make the preparations
necessary to pay in cash at the termination of the war.
The price of gold and silver had, however, lately
fallen no less than 25 per cent. and we might look
with joy and confidence to the future. He now pro-
posed the blank to be filled up to the I st of June.
After some conversation between Sir HENRY PAR.
HELL, Mr. A. BARING, Mr. GRENWELL, and the
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, the latter gave up
les amendment, and the blank was filled up to the
25th of March next. The Bill then went throvgli
the Committee, and the report was ordered to be re-
ceived on Friday.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
then brought in three Bills to settle the f nnuities
granted by Parliament to Lord Lynedock, Lord
Hill, and Lord Beresford.—They were read a first
time, and ordered to be read a second time on Friday.
The Report of the Irish Judges' Annuity Bill was
brought up, the amendments agreed to, and the Bill
ordered to be read a third time on Friday.
After a long conversation between Mr. PRESTON,
Mr. LOCKHART, Mr. DAVIES GIDDY, and Mr. Ser.
jeant BEST, the Deeds Attestation Bill was read a
tnirci time and passed with several Amendments at-
I tached to it by way of riders.
The Irish Assault's Redress Bill was read a second
time, and ordered to be committed on Friday.
The other Orders of the Day were then disposed
of, and the House adjourned at Half-past Ten.