Star.
London, England, 1803-06-16 00:00:00

CONSOLIDATION OF DUTItS.

The CHANCELLOR of the Esc :4 Lop Ea moved the
Order of the Day for the Houfe to refolve itfelf into
a Committee, for the further cordideration of fo much
of his Majetty's Speech on the 23d Nov. lel, ac related
to the accommodation of mercantile tranfaiions.

The Houfe refoved into a Committee accordingly.
The Csawc sums. of the EacHatZrla raid, he felt
it requifite fhortly to tretpats upon the attention of the
• Committee, upon the fubjeft of what he had now to
propofe for their adoption ; namely, a propofition for
confolidating the excite duties, by no means fo much
with any view to the increafe of revenue, as to lim-
plify and facilitate its colledlion, and thereby expe-
: dite the bufinefs of the trader, fo far as it was con.
netted with revenue concerns. It was fcarcely need--
fary to remind thofe who heard him, that there was
no branch of the national revenue foveryicomplicated
in its nature, or to which to many regulations were
&reeled, as to that of the Excite Duties, or relatively
to which to many Ails of Parliament had from time
to time paired. Throughout the whole of its details,
• regulation had fo accumulated upon regulation, and
Ad of Parliament upon Alt of Parliament, that there
was fcarcely an officer in the colleSion of this branch
of the public revenue, competently acquainted with
the extent and correct limits of his duty. The bufinefs
of fimplifying a fyftem fo complex, had long been a
dr/aeration anxioufly wifhed for; but the talk was
thought to difficult, as to be deemed hopelefs. For-
tunately, however, two Gentlemen were found in the
revenue department, whofe talents, perfeverance, and
indefatigable induflry, proved competent to the talk.
for the completion of which they were julily entitled
to the public thanks. He alluded to a Mr. Burton,
of the excite department, and Mr. Jackfon, who had
fo fimplified and arranged the whole f; Rem, as to be
of molt material advantage to the public. As he had
before mentioned, no very confiderable augmentation
of revenue was intended by the fyitern in general, the
principal changes confined only, for the fake of dear-
nets in railing the duty, where it made a (ration, to
the next integral rum above it. There were, however,
tome points upon which material alterations were in-
tended, through the whole of which he would not now
go, but confine himfelf to a Ratement of the principal
heads :—and firft, with regard to the breweries, in
which it w•as the intention to place the country brewer
as much as poffible on a footing with the town brewer,
by making his allowances the fame. It was intended
alto to impofe a duty on what is called table•drink.
—lt was alto intended to reduce the duty on cocoa-
nuts and coffee, coming from Btitifh territories
abroad, and give them a preference (on the fame
principle as that adopted lag year upon fugar) over
all fuch articles coming from other parts of the world.
Alto, to raife the duty on cyder and perry now
paying tBs. 7d. to 201. To impofe a duty on mead,
manufaftured for tale, the fame as on Britifh wines.
To grant alto a duty of as. 6d. per cwt. on Salt in
Scotland, in order to countervail the advantage of
falt pros ifions coming from that country.'The whole
of the fchedule lie meant to be printed, in order to
give Gentlemen an opportunity for a full, and he
trufted a fpeedy confideration, in order chat it might
pats into a law with as much expedition as poffible,
antecedent to another great meafure to be brought
forward, namely, the land tax, time enough to pars
into a law before the dote of the teflon.
•DIJ LL AA TION OF MALT LICVOIII.
Mr. Wm 'mita]) felt himfelf indifpenfably called
on to vindicate himfelf, and many other refpeaable
perfons concerned in the Brewing trade, from a ge-
neral, and very injurious charge, Rated to have been
generally and indifcriminately thrown upon the trade
by an Hon. Gentleman oppofite to him, on Saturday
bill (Mr. Vanlittart), in propoling an additional duty
upon Opium; on which occafion, the Hon. Member
was Rated to have raid, that the only motive for im-
pofing an additional duty on that deleterious drug
was, that Government had received authentic fug-
gellions, that it was ufed by the Brewers as a noxious
adulteration in the compofition of their liquor. If
Government had received information that any per.
font in the Brewing trade had been guilty of fo cri-
minal a conduit, as that of ufing noxious or delete.
rious ingredients to adulterate their liquor, they owed
it to the Public to bring fuch individuals forward, to
fubftantiate their guilt, and punilh them as they de-
ferved. The fair traders, unjuilly and illiberally im-
plicated under a general and indifcriminate charge of
this nature, had a right, in their own vindication, to
challenge the profecution and puniflament of the guilty
individual, that they might Rand exculpated from an
imputation fo unfounded, as to them, but fo feverely
injurious to their intetefts and their charters. He
nowiPoke not only what be himfelf felt to be his
own due, but what was the fenfe very acutely felt by
many very refpe&able perfons in that trade, with
whom he had this day converted upon the fubjea.
Mr.Vll N SIT TAR r rote, and obferved, that the Hon.
Member mull be aware, that fuggellions very often
were communicated to Government refloating the
mal.prailices of many parties, which they had not the
means of bringing home to the convitlion and pit.
nilinnene. of delinquent:, which certainly. it would Ls
their 'ditty, if is their power, to do. The lion.

Member, however, was milinformed in flating•t},4
he had made any general charge of this mal•praaice
againft the perfons concerned in the brewing trace
for he had exprefsly exculpated the refpeelable Nit
of the trade in town from any concern whatever in
fuch mal-praCtices. The pre lice alluded to obtained
with certain Brewers in the country, againfi whom,
though the circumflance was too well known to trill
for the entertainment of doubt on the matter, yet the
circumflances could not be maintained fo as to con.
Neverthelefs, Government felt it their duty to
ufe the belt means in their power to break down the
inducements of thole who ufed that deleterious drug
as an ingredient in their liquor, by laying upon it
filch a duty as would deflroy all advantages from its
ufe as a cheap ingredient.
Mr. Lamont AD laid, that the indifcriminate term
of Country Brewers went to implicate a number of
refpeetablz perfons, as innocent of the charge, and as
incapable of incurring it, as any Brewer in town,
however rcfpeaable. He was himfelf concerned in
a Country Brewery, where no noxious or deleterious
ingredient was nfed.
Mr. Vett litre ar could allure the Hon. Member he
did not allude to any of the Breweries at Plymouth.
Mr. Sri bR,Daw obferved, that if a predict fo mif-
chievous was known by Government to exift, fo den-
germ's to the health of the community, furely, it was
the duty of Government to punifir them under the
exifting laws, or to bring forward more efficient laws,
if the prefent were inadequate. But it was in vain to
expera that fuch crimes were to be deterred by excite
duties. The attempt to prevent them by fuch means
was like taking half the profits for the liberty of poi-
toning the people.
The CHANCELLOR of the Excescgree fnpported
the argument of M:. Yankton, and laid, the heavy
duty was the only means by which the Government
could at prefent counteraft the delinquency of men,
who found means to elude the feverity of penal law
by the privacy of their praCtice : but whole guilt it
would certainly be the duty of Government to pun&
if they could effeaually prove it.
Mr. %%Tema:an thanked the Hon. Gentleman for
his explanation, whith he confidered as exculpating
the brewers in London from this charge. He under-
flood, however, there were fome individuals conviited
and-fined upon (=dor charges in London. There
was one advantage the Hon. Member had over him,
in his appearing to know how opium was ufed ; for
his part he did not, nor was he acquainted with the
ufes or properties of any ether noxious ingredient, in
the bofinefs that he was concerned.

Mr. Hosuouse Paid, the truth was, the Hon. Mem.
bees apprehenfions as to any charges implied as
againft himfelf, were influenced by mif.ftatenaent.—.,
His Hon. Friend near him (Mr. Vanfittart) certainly
made one general charge, but particularly excepted
the refpglable brewers ; and unlefs the Hon. Mem.
ber was difpoled to deny his name was amongft the
lift of thole, it could not be properly allumed by him.
He (Mr. Hobhoule), as being concerned in the fame
bufinefs with the Hon. Member, certainly did not fed
the charge as any way aUallve to him.
Here ended the converfation, and the Chancellor
of the Exchequer's refolution for the expediency of
eonfolidating the Excite Duties, agreeably to a faze.
dule for that purpofe, was agreed to, and ordered to
be reported to.morrow.

UNE