Star.
London, England, 1806-05-16 00:00:00

TqR TO L A.

On the motion of Lnrd TEMPLE, an Account
vat ordered of ell Sugars imp:•rted from the Virgin
ltlands. for the thrce years ending oh the sth of Ja-
nuary slios, dillinguifhing the colony and plantation.
The further conlideration of the report of the Tor•
tole Free Port Bill was pollponed till Monday.
ARMY ESTIMATES.

The SECRETARY at WAR brought up the
Army Eitimatcs, and Rated, that they were the eat-
mates for the regular army for the eufulag year.—
He knew hoer nearly theft climates were connected
with the nirefures which Gentlemen on the other
fide of the Houfe were very anxious to difcufs ; he I
therefore fliould fix Wednefday next for the confider-
satin of thole Efiimaits, wilds Gentlemen &mild I
with for a longer time.
General TARLETON hoped the Secretary at
War would have no °Nation to their being printed,
I for the aft of the Members, as they contained a greet
deal of new tauter.
The SECRETARY at WAR hid, he Ihould not
obje& to their being printed, if the Hoc. General de-
I fired it t bat If the printing of the Abbe& would
be fuSeisnt, it would rave Come days.
General TARLETON acquiefeed in the foggef-
tion, and the Abbe& of the Eflieastes was ordered
to be pristedefar the of. of the Members.

ranersvy
VAN3IrI'ART moved the Order of the
Day for the Houk to gu into a Committee on the
PV`Pel t y Duty Bill.
On the Houk having refolved into the Committee,
Mr. Atexabosa in the Chair,
Mr. ALEXANDER propofed to read the margi-
nal sh!lraas, with a view to expedite the progrefs
without depriving Gentlemen of the opportunity of
commenting upon any claufe which might appear to
them to require alteration or amendment.
Several claufes were palled through without any
amendment. On the amended clank for regulating
I the mode of levying the ditty upon floating capitals.
Mr. Alderman PRINSEP exprefed bib difappro•
bbtion of making the intereft of Exchequer Bills the
ohjee of the direU operation of the tax, becaufe thefe
fecurities, being at prefent at a premium of only two
killings per cent. fuels a dire& operation of the tax
Iwould have the effect of reducing them to a difcount.
Of Exchequer Bills in general he (Imola fay, that
though not an unufual nor an illegal mode of railing
money, they were unconftitutional, and an impolitic
anticipation of the refources of the country. He
thought they amounted to a facrifice of the commer-
cial to the monied intereft, and that the greater part
of thofe now in the market, amounting_ 'to twenty
liven millions. ought to be funded, in which cafe the
monied intereft would embark their capital in the
funds, or employ it in aid of fair commercial fpecu•
lations.
Mr. FRANCIS did not think that the dire& ope-
ration of the Tax would bring Exchequer Bills to a
dikount, becaufe they were payable at par at Rated
and no diflant periods, might be paid into the Ex-
chequer for taxes, and were more handy and conve-
nient for bofinefs than flock in the funds.
Mr. VANSITTART did not think the mffchief
apprehended by the Honourable Alderman would
refult from deducing the duty at the Exchequer.—
The meafure was to be profpeftive, fo that it would
not affee the prefent holders of fecurities of that
defeription. As to the funding of Exchequer Bills,
that would caufe a lois to the public, as they could
not at prefent be funded at a higher rate than sill.
per cent. in the Three per Cents. ; and after the war,
they might perhaps be funded at 701. per cent.
After a few oblervations from Mr. GEO. JOHN-
STONE and the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE-
(VER. the eta*, on being amended by infecting
the words "all fecurities chargeable with intereft out
of the public revenue," inftead of 4' Exchequer
Bills," was agreed to.
A very long converfation then enfued on the
claufe, enaeing that ten per cent. be paid on all pro-
perty, whether in land or in the funds.
Mr. GARLAND contended, that this claufe
would produce much injultice and inequality. He
put the cafe of a man haying an income of aol. de-
rived from land or the funds, and of another who
made 701. a year by manual labour. The former
would have to pay 30$. while the latter paid nothing
at all. He alto thought that the fettle reached too
low, and that pl. a year fhould not pay any thing at
all. He wilbed to know the reafon why the tax was
not increafed in proportion to the inereafe of income,
and why the man who had only sol. a year fhould
pay as much in proportion as he that had 50001.—
The per tentage on fgiall incomes had been brought
much lower than it had been by the late Chancellor
of the Exchequer, while it remained the fame on the
larger incomes.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER,
in reply. obferved, that it was the great aerates..
Mk of the prefent tax, that it diflinguithed between
permanent property and that arifing from manual or
profeffional tabonr. When a min had property in
land, or in the funds, he enjoyed it independent of,
lahoor, and could add labour to property—while the,
man who fupported himfelf by his profefLonal exer-
tions could not always add property to labour. It
was a tax upon property, and not upon income. He
thought, that to mill: the kale of the tax would have
an equalifing tendency with regard' to the different
I claffes of focietY; 'and would tend to overturn thole

diflin&ions on which (ociety was founded.
Mr. WILBERFORCE was afraid, that the (eve-
rity of this clank would render the tax itfelf dif-
Wield to the great body of the people. He confi-
(tired it as fomething like a breach of the public
faith, to place thole who had income derived froln
funded property. in a work fituation than they were
Who derived their fubfiflence from labour. But ac-
cording to this claufe, it would fo happen that the
Man who had 601. a year froM funded property
Would pay 61 out of it, while another *hn had a fa•
lacy to the &me amount paid only sos. But it was
Itranic to obferve, that when the income was fire
hundrid a'year,' for inflauce, then the turn contri-
huted was exaflly the fame, whether derived from
funded prdpertY or profrffional Wary. On the
whole, he wifhed the Noble Lord to reconfider the
claufe. and fee whether (merlin% could not be de-
vlfed leis liable to the charge of inequality and in-
piftie.'
Sir CHARLES PRICE confidered the dm& in a
fimilar light.
Mr. WOOD fu ported the principle.
'Mt. SPENCER STANHOPE thought the classic
would operate with peculiar hardlhip on a very nu-
memos clefs of men, who had vetted the petty earns
inks of a long fervice in the funds. Suppofe x. (errant
to-have been able to place tool in the funds, and that'
by tome accident he was deprived of his fituation,
his 31. a year of inierea would be taxed, while others
who had 491. a year, by way of annuity, would pay
nothing at all. • ... .
Mr. JOHNSTON coiscided with the Noble Lord,
with regard 'tithe %yolky of mcreafing the fcale of
taxation in proportion to the increafe of income.—
But he could not fee any reafon for tax!ng thole who
had funded property, fo much more feverely than
annuitants. •
Mr. VANSITTART obferved, that the objetlinns
1 which had been urged by feveral Hon. Members,
proceeded entirely from a mifapprehenfion of the
principle of the Bill. They had all along argued, as
if it went to impofe a tax on income, and not on
property. The prefent tax bore a refemblance to the
land tax, which was paid in the fame proportion by
I the man who bad ten acres, as by him who had ten
thoufand. In the fame manner, this tax was pro-
poled to be laid on the property of the fubjett, and
did not at all enquire into the amount of that pro-
perty. The efficacy of the tax would depend nn ad-
bath% to this principle; and as the income arifing

from an annuity or from labour wits very dif.
ferent from that derived from real property, certain
remifficns of the tax were propofed to be granted in
the former cafes. The fituation of the man who had
an annuity, was very different from that of hivn who
had income arifing from real property. The annuity
expired with the life of the annuitant, white the Rock.
holder was always Willed of a real capital. The
difference between the two was evidently immenfe,
and the prefent tax conftantly kept in view Ibis acts-
, dal dittindion. •
Sir W. GEARY thought, that the tax would' press
with great feverity on the lower charts of (ociety,
and waked that tome modifications might be intro•
duced into it.
Mr. BABINGTON was of opinion, that eafore•
kg the tax would, on many occefions, reduce very
great hardtbip $ and thought, from his Own exPai-
ence, that it could not fail to prove a mots' di wes.
able talk to the Colonsiffioners employed milder iN
He, therefore, wined to remind the Noble Lord.
he
that taxes very often took their compleCtioe, %
public opinion, from the occurrence of cafes of .ultr•
tiddler hardThip ; and thought that tome
dons would render it more palatable, and equals' Y
produeive.
Mr. FOX willied to Rate in a few words his ideas
repelling the principle of the tax. The general pike.
ciple of it teemed to be, that aU perfoas having pen*
petty of whatever kind were bound to coritribtUe.--a
The exception from this principle was, • that thole
were to be exempted from its operation, who could
not contribute to the tax without 4:priving than-
(elves of the neceffatiot of lite,' and thus becomloo
the proper objeas 'of charity. In• many cafes, it
would be impoflible to take any thing from the pro-
duce of labour, fiuee it might be barely fufficieat to
procure fubfittence. Hence the propriety of thofe
exemptions that were propofed in certain cafes.—
Annuitants elf° below a certain fum were to be ex-
empted, becaufe they could not be raid to be pof-
feffed of real property. But this would not apply to
income derived from monies in the funds, or from
landed property. Support a man to be ',offered of
toool. from which he derived an income of pl. a
year, by rubjeding.him to the prefent tax, you could
not be kid to deprive him of the neceffaries of life,
or Make him an object of charity ; for what title
could fuch a man let up to your charitable angelic',
who was potreffed of a capital of toool. f He,
therefore, was not entitled to be exempted from the
general principle t and this would apply equally to
the poffeffion of landed and of funded property. With
regard to the embarraffinents of the Commilfioners,
in carrying the Ai into execution, they would nee
take plasm, at teat, in the care of the funded property.
Mr. SPENCER STANHOPE °braved, that it
was very common for people in the lower ranks of
life to fettle on their windows the intereft of the (mall
Mass they had been able to accumulate, and the tax
operating on fuch an income, might reduce thole
who received it to the fituation of paupers.
Mr. FOX replied, that people of that dekription
evidently belonged to the des of annuitants.
The dircuffion upon this chafe was protraaed to a
length of two hours, in which, upon the ground of
it revere operation upon (mall annuitants, it was very
ftrenuoutly refined by Mr. Spencer Stanhope, Mr.
Babington, Mr. Wilberforce, 111 r. Francis, and (eve-
rat other Members, who expatiated at confiderable
extent upon the cruelty of its influence upon the
means of exigence to the aged and the decrepid. The
old man, incapabk of increating his income by la-
bour, and who contrived to eke out his remnant of
life upon the intereft of a (mall Min in the funds, fay. '
ed from the produce of his industry in the keno of
early health and vigour ; or the aged widow, who
had feen better days, who may have outlived her
friends and connetions, and was defiled to exitt op.
on the pittance derived from a fault interest in the
funds, tbarcely fufficient to preferve life, and who was
totally upakle to increafe it by any mode of indult:ye
while incomes from labour, trade, or other Mums,
as low as sot. a year was totally exempt.
In tilt copra of the arguments on this particular
clank, a great deal of realoning took place, repelling
the feverity of cueing de tax upon (mall incomes,
fo low as 3os. per week, arifing from daily labour,
Wholly uncertain in its continuance, and totally ina-
dequate to maintain even a very (mall family, in the
lower neceflaries otylife, befides pay ing the rent of a
Iniferable habitation.
Mr. FRANCIS, upon this part of the rubjea, was
forcibly argumentative ; and, amongst other obkr-
rations, remarked, that the Noble Lord, who brought
forward the tax, teemed to be fo inveterately addieed
to his principle of arithmetical proportion, that he
teemed difpofed to facrifice every confideration of
benevolence to the plan of filtrating the tax, in all
cafes, to the fum of income, without at all advertin
to the infinitely various cafes of hardthip and difficul-
ty to which pour perfons, with (mall incomes and
large families, were expofed. But he would find,
upon experience, this rule of proportion would prove
a rule of falfe potation. With men whole incomes
were far above want, for infiance, two or three thou-
rand a year, little or no inconvenience would be felt ;
but where the means of a family's exigence came to
be abridged, the hardthip would prefs intolerably.—
A man who lived in the upper Rorey of a manfion,
might fed little difadvantage in defeending to the
middle floor, or the parlour, but what was to be done
with a man in the cellar
Mr. WILLIAM SMITH joined afro in thofe ob•
jedions, but obferved there was Hill another dafs of
patrons who had not yet been alluded to, upon whom
the tax would fall mat grievoufly, and who were
more properly the objeds of exemption than almoft
any other upon whom it would operate. He alluded
to that decent and repedable order of pedant, nu-
merous every where throughout this metropolis, and
the kingdom at large, who had feen better days, and
been early ufed to the comforts of life, but who with
fmall incomes, were condemned under the viciflitudes
of the times to (Iruggle with difficulties, in endea-
vouring to preferve appearances and mantaiu their
claims to decent refped. For their iituations lie fin-
cerely felt ; hut though he felt for the difficulty in
which his Islajelly's Minifters were placed, be yet few
fo much objection to this bill, and its principles, tb.a
be feared he never fhould be reconciled to it.
Mr. FOX replied to many arguments urged againft
the tax. He begged leave to recal the attention of
the Committee to the line of diftindlion he had before
drawn, And to repeat that it was by no means the
with of thofe who brought forward this tax, that it

'4l

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.46

1
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'•I

LONDON.

FRIDAY, MAY 16.
PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK.
Cod*, for money, 6oft—Cor May kit—Osmium ei
The pleating intelligence received by the IA over
land difparches from India, (which we have already
had occafion to Rate to our Iteaders) was announced
Officially this day, in the lollowing •
LONDON GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY, MAY 4, do&
wuerimaLL, fIIDAY, MAT i 6.

A DEpatch has been received at the Bait India-hook from Sir
Gaeaoa HILAIO BA BLOW, But. dated Illababad the 4th Da
ember. igos, of which the following la an mama :

0 I have now the honour to inform your Honourable
Court, that, on the aid ultimo, a Definitive Treaty
was concluded between the Right Hon. Lord Laza
and the Plenipotentiary Agent of Domzuz Row
' SCINDIAH, upon terms whicb appear to me to be cal-
culated to 'Roblin% the relations of amity and concord
between the two Rates upon the molt fecure and per-
manent foundation.
0 Your Honourable Court will alto have the Calif
faAion to be apprized of the expeaation which I con-
fidently entertain of a fpeedy and favourable fermi.

salion of bailities with Jo swim. Row Notate, and
of the eonfequent important redudion in the military
charges of the feveral Prefidencies infeparable from
a date of war.
‘,! I have the fatisfallion to inform your Honourable
Court, that petted tranquillity prevails in every
quarter of the Company's dominions ; and I am not
aware of the probability of any occurrence of a na•
tare calculated to ditlurb it, or to impair the funda•
mental foul ces of the power and profpetity in
India."

i, Difpatches have been alto received from Sir G. H.
I ' Bautow, dated Illahabad the toth December, 18os,
from which it appears, thit, in confequence of the
Treaty of Peace with SCINDIAK, and the confident
expeaation of a Peace with Houicau, orders had been
iffued for the return of the troops belonging to the
Prefidencies of Madras and Bombay within the limits
of thole Governments refpeftively, where they were
to be difiributed in cantonments, and placed on a
Peace Eflablifhment.

Intelligence has been received this morning at the
Eaft India Houk of the fafe arrival of the following
:lips at St. Helena, viz.
The Devaynes and Carmarthen, homeward bound,
arrived, the former the sth, niii the latter the 24th
of February.
WHALERS.
7cb.a. Anroza—tst. Alexander and Commerce.
rcb. 50. Kingfton.--at. Charlton-57. Dubuc.
March 3. Brook Waders... Mara so. Cyrus.

&told fo far trefpafs upon tie weenies of life, as
to oblige any of the parties from whom it fltonld be
crafted to apply for parochial. or even for private 1 With this pleating information we have to announce
relief; and therefore upon this prencipk, as In the I that intelligence has at length been received of the
cafes of income Irons labour, the mere annuitant for
condi followed by that divifion of the Breft Fleet,
life in any income from the funds under sot. was ex-
empted by the Bill. Bat any perfon who was the in which Putouts Borormtra has a command.
fee fimple proprietor of 6or bol. in the flocks, Lieutenant Maisat.t. arrived at the Admiralty
which might entitle the holder to an income of 301. laft night, with difpatches from Sir Homes Papuan,
an or 301bjea likely
a y
to ear, he could
life, not contider in he ligtoht
be of at the Cape of Good Hope, containing intelligence
o
driven to leek for charitable relief, and thereforeor an of the capture of a French frigate which had ar-
rived there. How Lieutenant M
annuity fo circumftaneed came fairly under the opt-
arrived we
ration of a property tax, like freehold property in have not learnt, but our letters from Plymouth eon.
land. For the clalk of perfons to whom his Honour- ble us to (Fate the following important particulars :
able Friend alluded. and who were (lruggling with
narrow The Amy, frigate, which arrived at Plymouth
eircumftances to preferve appearances, and
on Wednefday, fell in with a tranfport at fat. on her
maintain the refped to WIWI their charafters in life
piny entitled them, he felt as sincerely as any mars-; ome, with a Britifh Officer on board, bringing
and not merely for thole with income. cf tool. of patches from Commodore Sir Home POPHAM, at
tool. but even in many cafes with fool. a year. No the Cape of Good Hope.
man was more fincerely difpofed than he was to of-
From this rail intelligence was received, that on ford them alleviation. He begged his Honourable
the 6th of March, Sir Hosea then lying at anchor is
to be allured, that he Milo not bimfelf a friend
to the tax under any of its principles or operation : Table Bay, a (hip of war was feen in the Offing fup
that he was fenfible the oblations to it were pia and poled to be French. Sir Hosea having hoilted Dutch
innumerable ; but his &Nears prefent Minitlers were colours, the ftrane fail came to, dote to the Dia-
rehatantly forced to adopt it, under the preffure of g
DIM, when the was immediately taken poled:Goo of by
wilting eircurnftsusees, which it was their only coo.
folatiem to refire they had no (hare in producing. our brave tars.
put when the alarming' preffnee of thofe exigencies She proved to be the French frigate Volontaire,
were felt on ill fides—when their ears were daily the advanced !hip of a fquadron belonging to the
and hourly fainted with admoniticns of " take care
enemy, conning of the following men of war :
of the dangerous fitnation of the country—you mull
have powerful fleets and formidable armies, and you rouadroyaat - 8o guns Rear Admiral ViaLouaterz:
mull (pare no expence in arming fur your defence at Veteran • 74 cape. Iteouse Bo AAAAA Ti
all points;" and yet, when they come to propore the Canard - 74 num
means of railing funds for fuch preparations, it was Impetueur • 74 Lrirta.
not very pleafant to their feelings, when they heard . P
_Met 74 KultON.
nothing but oblations and einbarraffinems. - 74 Parma,. ea Caen.
The queftion was at length pur, upon an amend. Reiman sod Vopootaire—Frigatcs.
anent propofed by Mr. WILAIRFORCE, which was ne- From the accounts that we have received, it does
gigativedd to upon a divition, and the original claufe not appear, that the reft of the fquadron bad reach-
Mr. WILBERFORCE prepared a provifo for al. ed the Cape when there difpatches were fent away.
lowing perfons infuring their lives for the benefit of Some of the letters.from Plymouth fpeak as if the
their families, to deduel the premium of inlurance whole French fquadron had arrived at the Cape.—
from their income ; this provitO was refitted, as in- But we do not underhand that this was actually the
continent with the principle of the Aft. and in moll
cafe, but that in confequence of the arrival of the
ibliances not worth the trouble of reeking it.
V
The exemption to be granted to income from daily Volontaire, the other (hips were hourly expefted.
wages, or piece work, under 601. a year, is to be ob. It is poffible, however, that the enemy's (hips may
tamed by a certificate from the perfons paying the not have gone into the Cape. They may have received
wages, without the oath of the claimant. The gene- Come alarm, and continued their courfe, for we ult.
cal impropriety of allowing the Churchwardens to
demand. that from tome accounts received by Go.
adminifter oaths, was allowed by the Minifter, and a
remedy to this defect is to be confidered. vernment, apprehenfions were entertained For the
On the claufe fixing the period for charging the fafety of Ps ince ofWales Bland, as there were grenade
Tax on Exchequer Bills, Sir W. Cuarts wished it to for believing that this fquadron was dettined againft
became chargeable on the gth of July, inaead of the that fettlement.
loth of October.—Mr.lt/SHUTT/LIT thought lne
Toth of October a better time, as it was lull that the But as the deftination of the enemy mon have
charge fhould be generally known before it attached, become known to Sir House Posttest, by the capture
not only in this country, but wherever there was any of the Volontaire, we entertain no doubt that their
property vetted in our Exchequer Bills. object, whatever it may have been, has by this time
'The report is to be be brought up this evening, but
been defeated. Sir HOPIS has with him a Britifh
the claufes are not to be confidered till Monday.
force, confining of fix (hips of the line, betides a
(hip of inferior rate, and two frigates, and me may
he fore would not loft a moment is purfuing the
enemy.
The public will be extremely anxious till farther
accounts are received, and we may expe6l to receive
them in a very ffiort time.
Lieutenant M is Commodore Sir Hone
POPHAM'S Fiat Lieutenant.
After writing the above, we received a copy of the
following official notice, fent to Lloyd's :
BULLETIN.
ADMIRALTY MICR, MAY rd.

•
The Vo{outsize French frigee was taken poffcffion of at the
Cape of Oood Hope co the 4th of March.
• A cartel from thence, with prifoncrs, fell in with a French
fquadroo under command of M. VILLEAUMEZ on the eotis
March, hit. and bog. not Rated, but fuppoled to he off St. He-
lena."

We fhall not attempt to reconcile all the points of
the intelligence that has reached us from Plymouth
with the contents of the above Bulletin. There is,
however, no abfolute difagreement. The Volontaire
may have gone on before the tell of the Beet, to pre•
pare accommodations for their reception at the Cape.