Star.
London, England, 1819-02-09 00:00:00

meet the real question. The Noble Lord said, that
12 millions of Exchequer Bills were to be provided
for the ensuing year. There were also 21. milliorr; to
be provided fin outstanding Exchequer Bills. To
provide Exchequer Bills to pay off Exchequer Bills,
was reasonable enough, while was was crippling the
resources of the country, but it was no very certain
indication of prosperity, that the same system should
continue in a time of profound peace—( Hear, hear).
It was a millstone about the neck of the country, and
ought to be removed, at least before its prosperity
was boasted of—( Hear, hear.)—He trusted the House
would see the consequences into which it was plung-
ing the country by acceding to the continuance of
Exchequer Bills, and that it would give to the sub-
ject the fullest consideration, before the vote for
twenty-four milli:ins should be effected. There were
now no less than forty-four millions of Exchequer
Bills, he beliaved, outstanding—(Hear, hear.) There
were £ 1,100,000 in Exchequer Bills voted for
Churches last year. There were 12 millions of Ex-
chequer Bills to be rrovided for the expenditure of
the country, and where was the Exchequer Bill sys-
tem to stop ? Parliament might as well erect a pa-
per-mill in one corner of the House, set it a going,
and then take measures to arrest its career, as to

think of putting a stop to the course of the Riga
Honourable Gentleman opposite in his system of
Exchequer Bills—(Hear, hear, hear, and laughter.)
He did not allude to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
personally. The Right Honourable person, he be.
licved, was, to all intents and purposes, the most
faithful mouth-piece of a besotted Administration;
and if any disgrace was to result from the measures
adopted by him in his official capacity, they ought, in
justice, to fall on the combined wisdom of that body
whose organ he vvas—(Hear, hear, and laughter).
What was the substantial case of the country, • di-
vested from the fallacious representations of the No-
ble Lord ? The dispute was not about onr improve-
ments in this or that branch, but whether we were
now within 13 millions of making the two ends meet.
But it was come to this, that Nlinisters should do
something about the Sinking Fund. This was the
fourth year of peace, and, in all justice, the conotty
had a right to demand some effectual alleviation of
its burdens—(Hear, hear). The Noble Lord came
forward with his statement, exhibiting an unexam-
pled state of public prosperity ; and this, he said, was
all the work of the Finance Committee. But what
had the Committee to do with it ? They had no- •
thing more to do, they could do nothing more, titan
merely set down the numbers and figures prescribed
for them by the Treasury; and this was the extraordi-
nary share they had in promoting the prosperity of the
country. The House had a right to ask for what were
the people taxed? It was an insult tothe people to ask
them for their contribution of 14 millions a year, not
to pay a debt—for it could do no more than relieve a
few millions' of that debt at most—but to support a
system of which other people profit, and are ready
to take advantage.—(Hear, hear.) He understood
that the Right Hon. Gentleman (the Chancellor of
the Exchequer) had, at the commencement of the
Session, declared he should not find it necessary to
make any loan for the expenditure of the ensuing
year. He regretted he had not been in the House
the rime when this declaration was made.
Lord CASTLEREAGH explained. He had stated
that the revenue of the country had been more than
equal to as expenditure, and in saying this, he had
not by any means an inclination to delude Parlia-
ment by suppressing the Sinking Fund. The ex-
penditure of the country, properly speaking, did not
embrace this Fund, inasmuch as it was an entailed
expense arising out of circumstances which no Minis-
ter could controul. The Right lion. Gentleman,
therefore, was not entitled to attribute to him any its-.
tension of delusiq.a.
Mr. TIERNI did not mean to attribute a pur-
pose of delusion to the Noble Lord ; hut he certainly
believed that a wrong, a very wrong impression,
would follow from the argument of the Noble Lord.
(Hear, hear.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER rote
to vindicate the Finance Committee from the effects
of the Right Honourable Gentleman's implications.
That Body was entitled in an eminent degree to the
respect and gratitude of the country. In the course
of their important labours, they aimed a! an effectual
reduction in every department, and applied their
united talents and expetience to their task. In the
second year of their labours, they went again over
the same ground as on the former occasion, conti-
nuing in the same vigorous course of prompt and
decisive exertion, and pointing out from day tcf day;
for the consideration of his Majesty's Minitters, thine
departments of the public establishment where they
believed a measure of economy would be required.
Without detracting from the [noise due to the Mem-
bers of the Government for the great reduction
which had taken place in our general expenditure,
he was sure the I louse would see much was due by
the Public to the Committee on the occasion.—
He would not then go into the detail of what they
had done ; hut at least they had proved, even, he
hoped, to the satisfaction of the Right Hon. Gentle-
man, that they were fully determined to promote
economy. There were some points, no doubt, which
the Right Hon. Gentleman had called to the conside-
ration of the House, in which he had merely anticipa-
ted the Committee—(Hear.)—The House might be
assured that this Committee had turned their :men.
tion more particularly to the collection of the taxes.
(Hear, hear.)-11is Noble Friend (Lord Castlereagh)
in proceeding with the expositions of the Committee's
statement, said that the total amount of the revenae
had improved from 52 millions to 54. millions duo
ing the last and the present year. The Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman opposite seeing that this ac-
count was too favourable, had taken quite another
view of the affair, and seemed willing to produce
an impression contrary to what ought to be the re-
sult of a fair and liberal view of it—(Hear,
At the time of the consolidation ef the Funded Debt
of Ireland with that of. Great Britain, the revenue
of the latter of course was affected very unfa.
vourably. However, it would be seen that a cons!.
derable reduction had taken place in the Consoli-
dated Funded Debt of both. It was stated by the
Right Hon. Gentleman opposite, that the whole
amount of our expenditure, including the Funded
Debt, was beyond our revenue. The Right Hot.
Gentleman knew that to have reduced, or kept down
this enormous charge, it vi,uUld have been messes,
to continue. the war taxes in all their rigour. But two

I

;?

-4