Star.
London, England, 1803-05-18 00:00:00

DEFENCE OF THE EMPIRE.

The SECRETARY at WAR gave notice, that to.
morrow he would move for leave to bring in a
Bill for the better defence of Great Britain and
Ireland. The Bill would be the fame with that
paired in 1798, only that the provifions of it would
be extended to Ireland.

CONSOLIDATION OF THE CUSTOM AND EXCISE DUTIES.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQSER moved the
Order of the Day for the Houle to refolve hfelf
into a Committee on fo much of his Majefty's
Speech, of the 23c1 November laft, as related to
affording facility to mercantile tranfa4lions.
General Gascorosis raid, he did not know this
fubjeet was among the Orders of the Day. It was
not his intention to object to it at prefent ;—but
viewing the (title& in a different light to which he
had done, he willed a little more time, becaufe
that which might be objectionable in time of
peace might not in time of war. Confidering the
information.he had received, he had not had time
to bring his mind to a conclufion on the fubjettl.-.-
Any meafure which had for its object the fimpli-
tying that which was complex, was certainly defer-
able. It was not to the principle of the bill in
time of war that he objected, but he trufted the
Chat!cellor of the Exchequer would net confider
that there was a general anent to it at all times;
and that he would allow full opportunities for
Gentlemen to Rate their objenions. It ought not
I at !melon to occupy too much time in the Com-
mince. lie could not, however, fit down without
recommending to the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer to confider whether it would nut be as well
p to leparate the Tonnage Duty ft om the reft of the
I bill. If he did this, he helievet! the principal ob
jekttion would he removed. He fhonld at all times
objed to the Tonnage Ditty as a principle of tax
atuut in time of peace. If the Chancellor of the
Exchequer would feparate the Tonnage Ditty, he
I had realm to think there would not be the leaft
objection. It might be confidered as a convoy tax,
!I and the merchants would not make the leaft op
polition to it ; he merely threw out this f•r the
I confiderath'n of the Right Honourable Gentle.
man. What he recommended might be moved by
way of an inflration to the Committee. He
I lhould not make any objection at prefent, but &mid
referve himfelf till the refislu•ions were 'reported.
The CHANCELLOR CIF THE EXCHFOZ7ER faid, he
!wiped the Houle would do him the j!iftice to re
collea, that he had (hewn every dilpofition to dd.
cufs the lithjeft alluded to by the Hon. Member,
and that he had not brought forward this bufinets
ftuddenly. He hoped the Houfe would now agree
with him in the neceßit y of dilpatch on this ocea-
fion, as the iilbjeCt was of very great imp irtances
and might lot in the foundation lot another mea-
lure of the titmolt consequence, which Ih! ul.l be
brought forward in the fhape of a Bill; t.l!s• was
to be a meafure for affording accommodation to
Merchants, with regard to warehoufing their
goods. The only thing at relent betore the Houfe
14Ai a propofition to go into a Committee, to con-
fider of the bent means of affording aecommoda-.
Lion to the mercantile and (hipping interests of the
country.
General GASCOMNE laid, he underflood the
Right Hon. Gentleman intended to bring in a
confqlidated Schedule. _

The CHANCI•LLOR OT THE EXCHEQUER replied.
that it was his iotention, in the courfe of the lase-
fent Salon, to bring in A Bill for confolidating the
duties on Excife, Stamps .tnd AfTetfed Taxes.
The Houle then relolved itfelf into a Committee.

The Cm A NC I, LLOR OF THE Exc kky SP. obferved,
that he had on a former day (teed to the Hoit(e
the • general principles of the meafirre he now
meant to bring forward, and he Ihould therefore
content !timidf at prefent with calling the atten-
tion of the Honk to certain parts of the fchedule
' of duties. Many alterations ware to be made in
the duties ; in Cone inilances the duty on articles
were to he augmented, and in others diminithed.
For intlance, he propofed to make an alteration
in the duties on port wine ; at ',relent all port
wine imported into London paid a duty of 11. los.
a pipe more than was paid in any other port of
Great Britain. From the improved hate howe-
ver of the other ports, and the increaled means of
conveyance from -them into the interior of the
country, they were as well able to bear that duty
as the City of London, and therefore k was in-
tended that the ditty Ihould be the fame through-
out every part of the kingdom. A regulation was
intended to be made in the duty upon &ins. It
WAS meant to extend the duties on all articles of
wood, except that which was to be ufed for the
building of thips. The duties were to he increafed
' on chemical oils and fpices imported into this coun-
try. A duty was alto to he laid on precious Bones.
Such an alteration Arnold take place in the duties
on china ware imported into this country, as Ihould
give greater encouragement to our own earthen-
ware manufadures. The dirty on indigo from the
Bt kith plantation► was to be reduced : that which
i was to afford the greatell accomm,,clation of all,
would he the difallowance of the drawback on ex
portation. He (bold propofe to reduce the duty
on cotton wool to Id. per lb. ; and the ditty on
cotton to rad. per lb. As one great objed of th,.
Indent 171CHIOTE was to cotinteraFt the prattice of
imuggling, he (tumid reduce the duties, AllO m .ICe
other regulations with regard to lace and Bandana
handkerchiefs, of which there was a large clan•
&Rim importation : the fair trader thoulii have an
opportunity of manufeeturing the handkerchiefs
here. The (muggier could at any time enfure the

delivery of there at 14 per cent. and it was meant
to propufe a duty of 25 per cent. upon them. It
was handed to reduce the duty on hemp coming
from America and the Welt Indies. Alto to re-
duce the duties on Italian wines, fo as to make the
duties the fame as thofe paid upon Port wines.—
His ohjea, in making this alteration, was to give
encouragement to the Mediterranean trade. He
fhuuld propofe to take off part of the duty on
coarfe linen yarn imported from Germany. With
regard to the duty on the tonnage of (hipping, he
'mutt new underftand that the ohjeCtions made to
it, were chiefly done away, on account of the fop_
poled flate of the country. All that the oppofers
of this meafure meant to contend for was, that the
duty ought not to exift in time of peace ; bit; that
they were willing for it to be continued durinz
war. It wasunneceffary for him at prefent to lit!:
any arguments for its continuance during a peri,d
' of peace ; but he muff inform the Houfe, that the
duty had not hitherto any of thofe dircouragii,g
effedts that had been attributed to it. During the
exiftence of that duty, the navigation of the coun-
try was highly improved. Every year the Britith
(hipping had experienced an increafe, while there
was a decreafe in foreign (hipping and tonnage in
our ports. The inereafe was great and progretlive,
both in time of war and of peace. He now fpoke
from pnfitive information, which he had been at
tome pains to obtain. He had thus thought pro.
per to give the Committee a fort of outline of the
plan he intended to lay before the Houfe, and to
hate Tome of the principal alterations that were to
take place in the duties. It was intended that a
fchedule of all there duties was to he tranflated into
all the European languages, and peace' up in
every language at the Cultom Houfe; and, at the
end °few, Sefton of Parliament, to print a rew
fchedule containing the alterations that may have
, been made in any of the duties. He then Con.
eluded with moving a refolutiun purfuant to his
Itatement. _ _

Sir WILLIAM MILNIII Paid he fhnuld not op.
pofe the refolutions, but put in hii. claim to offer
any °Nations that may occur to him in the future
progrets of the bufinefs.
General Gascosows laid, he would for the pre-
fent abttain from going fully on this fiihjea, but
confine himfell to a very few particulars. He
much queflioned the expediency of increafing the
duties on wine in the out-p rts, as the fame prac-
tice which the Right Hon. Gentleman walled to
overturn, had continued ever fence our wines were
no• fubjeaed to criflom duties. The fame prin-
ciple would equally apply to the equalization ofthe
land tar, or the counry rates. The Right Hon.
Gentleman had omitted the mention of the coffee-
duties, though there was not a fingle article in
which fmuggling was carried on t r fa great an
extent, for the London market was principally
fup-
plied in that way until the building of the Ealt In-
dia Docks. He alfo diffired with the Chancellor
of the Exchequer on the fubjed of lowering the
duties upon Lorton wool, conceiving that the tax
altogether would be better laid upon the rnanu•
facture than on the raw material. The Tonnage
Duty would probably now lad for fome years, till
the conclnfion of a peace. The facility of palling
and n.paffing to and from the Continent made a
great difference between that and other branches
of trade, and if the Right Hon. Gentleman look-
ed to the number of limps in all the different ports,
ditlinguithing Englith from foreign bottoms, he
would have difcovered, that inßead of an increafe,
the tonnage of the country had of late experienced
a reduction. He concluded with fume animadvert
lions on what he called the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer's mifconceptino of the fchedule, and con-
tended tha: the promife of only changing fradion-
al into integral firms had not been complied with.
The increate in the duties were in many articles
Rom to 35k. the latter of %smith was not an
integral number.
The CIitNCFLLOR of the Excnicttrea replied,
' that what oe dated before was, that in many ar!
tides it would he advileaLle for integral numbers
to be fubilitutcd for fradional, which mull be the
necelfary circa of the variation of the duties. On
this fnbjea he hoped the Houfe would do him the
juttice to be!ieve that be had been at confiderable
pains to collect the opinions and c•mfult the judg-
ment of mercantile people, and he allured then
that the prefent meafure was the refult of mature
deliberation, and the labours of one of the ablett
men ever 'employed in the public fervice. He
believed the Hon. General was millaken in his
idea of the effect of t}e drawback on (agar, but if it
was not found fufficient to afford the neceffary en-
couragement, he would not be found unailling to
increate it. As to the precife number of flips,
Englilh and foreign, engaged in the trade, out-
ward. nr inwards, the Finn. General had it in his
power to obtain accurate information, by moving
for the necelfary papers which he had not the
fmalleß inclination to withhold. The prododsons
of the lilt would (hew a preidigioto increafe, for the
laft year, in the (hips, tonnage, and feamen of this
country, and a proportionate diminution of fo-
reigners in the cnrrelponding articles.
General Gascomme then gave notice of his in-
tention, in a fubfequent lligc, to move that provi-
fion be made for extending the tonnage duty to
Ireland.

Mr. CORRY thought it right in the fir(l inftance
to enter his protell, and announce his oppofitioo to
any such exteofion being applied immediately to
Ireland. The Honourable General, by fuch a
motion, would not be consulting the intereft of his
own contlituents ; and he observed, that ever
fince the At of Union all (rift veffels were taxed
equally with thofc of England.
The resolutions were then agreed to, and the re-
port ordered to be received to-morrow.
On the motion of the Sec•etary at War, the re-
port of the Soldiers' Relief Bill was deterred till
to-morrow.—Adjourned.

PRIs.:E OF S COCKS l'alS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCs s

per C Conf la. tor money. 59:11-
Ditto, ter ace- scot.
Lung Ann. 17 5-t6.

DIJILIN, NAY 14.

s per Cent. Government llebaltures - 9',
Cowie of lizelsant-Dublin ce) Laid= IA a 14.