Star.
London, England, 1823-03-18 00:00:00

not vote with the Member for Aberdeen. HE should
not object•to a delay for a few weeks.
The tiou,e. then divided—
For the Amendment - - Sit
Against it . 109

-
Majority - - —so
The House again divided on Mr. BARING'S Amend-
*lent, that went to substitute three instead of five
millions as the amount of the Sinking Fund-
-I'or the Amendment - - - 72
Against it - - - - 100

Majority

the Bill was then read a third time and passed.
POUR AND A HALT PER CENT.FUND.--DARBADOES.
Oh the Order of the Day being read for the Com-
mittee of Supply,
Mr. CREEVEY objected to the item in the Ord-
nance Estimates of 22,4121. for fortifications in the
island of Barba.loes, as there was a particular Colo-
nial Act pa ,sed in the time of Charles 11. by which
a JONI, called the per Cent. Duty was set apart
for colonial purposes. That fund had been mi,ap-
plied for some time; but in the reign of Queen Anne
had been restored to its original destination. Ile
would therefore ask, how, with such a fund, that
House could be called upon to provide for the expense
of fortifications in that island? The Hon. Member
concluded by moving the following Resolutions :
" Resolved, That It appears to this House from the Estimate
laid before it for the service of the Ordnance for the present year,
there is a sum of E2:1,412 for erecting and repairing fortifica-
tions in the island of Barbadoes.
" Thar by an Act of the Colonial Assembly of Barbadoes,
which was passed in the year 2663, it was enacted, that for the
purpose of maintaining the reparation of the fora, the building
of a Sessions House, and a prison, and all other public charges in-
cumbent on the Government there, an impost or custom upon all
dead commodities of the growth of the island, and to be shipped
off the same, should he paid to his Majesty, his heirs and suc-
cessors, for ever, after the following rate ur manner, that is to
say, 4} in specie for every live score.
" That it further appears front the Journals of this llouse,
that in the first year of her Alajesty Queen Anne, a Petition
was presented to it from the Planters and Merchants concerned
in the !stand of Barbadoes, setting forth the Colonial Act of
Barba:irs before referred to, and praying 'that the said duty
of 4i pc. centum might be applied to the reparation and building
of fortifications, and defraying all charges incident to the Go-
vernment there, as the same was originally intended, instead of
being diverted to other purposes, as the same then was ;' and
that, in consequence of such Petition, the House did address
her Majesty Queen Anne, praying that the duty nibthiit be re-
stored to the purposes for which it was created by the Colonial
Act of llarbadoes, and that this House was informed, by a
Message front hit Majesty, that she would give such inactions
accordingly.'
" That notwithstanding such specific application of this fund
try the Colonial Act of Barbadoes to the building and repairing of
j fortifications in that island, and notwithstanding the recognition
of that law by this House and by her Majesty Queen Anne, this
fund is now for the most part consumed by pensioners in this
country, including even Members of this Iluuse, or their fami-
lies, whilst the fortifications and other public works of Barba.
does are left to be maintained by money raised front taxes on the
people; and that, under all the circumstances above stated, and
adverting likewise to the present ,fflicting condition of a great
portion of these kingdoms, this House considers it to be alike
due to its own character and to the feelings of the people, hum-
bly to request his Majesty to give directions that the said duty
of 41i per centuai in the island of Barbadoes may be again restored
to the original purposes for which it was created."

M . R. WARD had no objection to the agitation
of this question at the proper time, but in his view
-any opportunity might have been preferred to the
present. It was an error to suppose that the House
-was about to be called to vote money for any of the
purposes mentioned in the Act of Assembly of 1663,
for he was in a condition to shew that not a shilling
now about to be required would be so applied : it
was not to be laid out in the erection or repair of
fortifications, in the construction of a Sessions House,
or in the building of a prison, the three objects men-
tioned in the Act referred to. The great Naval
Arsenal at 11.11 badoes was:or the service of the whole,
of the West India Islands, and not exclusively for
Barbadoes : and the workshops and storehouses in a
course of repair were applicable to the whole of the
Leeward Islands, and none of these could be said to
be fairly included in the Act of 1663.
Mr. HUME thought that no time more proper
than the present could have been chosen for bringing
this subject under the notice of the House; it was
only unlucky that. the discussion had been postponed
too long, for if it had been agitated year after year,
from the- reign of Queen Anne to the present time,
the point would soon have been carried otne
laughter). He meant, that if it had been agitated year
after year when the Petition was presented, many
-years would not !rave elapsed before the duty was ap-
plied to the purpose for which it was granted.
Sir C. LUNG would not go at length into a subject
that bad been discussed for four or five years in suc-
cession, the H. on every occasion having been
satisfied with the arguments brought forward against
the Resolution. No doubt, it the Hon. Member for
Aberdeen could have lived long enough to have
brought the topic under consideration every year
since the first of Queen Anne, he would have done it ;
but it.waf itleast equally certain that, if he had done
• so, the Itiouse would, on .every successive occasion,
have rejected his propm,ition. He begged the House
to bear in mind, that the 41 per cent. dUty was given
• in lieu of another impost which the Crown r elinquished,
- and in order to obtain for certain possessors of lands
a confirmation of their titles. It was not to be for-
gotten also, that Nevis, Montserrat, and St. Christo-
pher, had all made similar grants to the King and
; his successors, without tondition ;'and it could not be
disputed that they were hereditary revenues of the
`1 Crown. In the reign of King William, Lord Somers
" 'himself had consented that the duty in question should
form part of the Civil List. What Queen Anne did,
on the Petition of the inhabitants of Barbadoes, was
au nutter of grace. It was well known that, for a
century at least, the proceeds had been applied as at
present, and accounts at various pet sods had been laid
,tithout scruple before the House. Mr. Burke, when
Ire regulated the Civil List, had expressly taken this
fund into his consideration, and it was an attempt to
tnislead the House to say that the money was appro-
priated by stealth, and that the Public at large knew
nothing of the mode in which it was expended.
Mr. BERNAL supported the Resolutions, and con-
tended that the Fund was an extortion, and though
continued for a century, it did not alter its character.
AkwiLmoT rerouted on the Hon. Member, that
if his as.ertion of this 4} per cent. were an extortion,
it would relieve Baiba...oes from all obligation to
contribute to its own defence. They were at present
Jr3ilig their time in debating a question whit!), how-,
!tver Ithiper for discussion, was brought forward at an',
Tr", ta time. The appi opt iation of the 4i per cent:,
had been the •..tme as at present for more than a cell,
t-rry, mid had been know a to the ilemse ut CoMnionsi
•k.:41 1164 v:!iich the lion. Gentleman called an op.