Star.
London, England, 1819-05-21 00:00:00

eci , considered faaourablv t
Buthim whenselt
he four
1.1 • °
srs
all
onoonime Gentleman enistaken respecting fluence in that House, but that the Clrince'i
WaSC!(
;nee tlai;eiroueitinentilf the Vice-Cl So far
Chancery, that in fact, almost the only wee
hisiat tho via.;
was
the arrear of causes now unheard in the
ca.C:ioeusrnt
now
ilestehitionu.er
su
tatTlgviltto pbearikltwea
which had been set down within the last Ter
msee down for hearing, and not yet heard, were ,hose.
resolved at once to bring it forward •
( Hear.) There-were now two hundred and six causes'repeal. Gentlemen who knew the aaacat.,,T
set down for hearing, all of which were set down in ; House, and of what it was
Fompos,e...
Hilary lernalast, except about seventy or eighty p , sur rased that such a proposit 'a ion wou. ca,
(hear, heir.) As to bankreptor, it was an absolute of forfutd2ble enemies, all in co-ops attic
a thing own inutvidilal interest, witho • •
fact, that there now was no armor whatever, u. an:
which had not happened for meny years. What then of the Public. In ',akin. those w fin
became of the Honourable Gentleman's reasons for ihostility against the measure, he bestowal a
erecting a new court for Bankruptcy ? He was as- encomiums on Mr. Crawshaw, who, fro
tonished to hear it said, that bankruptcy cases were beginnings, had acquired a princely roa„
all strictly legal. The truth was quite the reverse.' iron-foundry, and that by the most faithiel
For it so happened that there was not a single bank- of every moral obligation. But is it in thsa,.-1
ruptcy case in the Court of Chancery which did not or justice of the House, that because tilev had ‘,•°,,-.
involve a question strictly equitable, which none but these duties so long patiently, that they nev,e
a Court of Equity could decide. But to talk of re- be released from their burden? The pccpie
lieving the Court of Chancery from the pressure of minghtm complained, that if the duties are take
business, by removing the bankruptcy business, was coastways, the while manufactures of that iat
ridiculous—for the great pressure of business in that place would be transferred to London ; hat ti,
Court was not occasioned by Bankruptcy cases, but a mere hypothesis unfounded in experience. ';
by those of a general nature. The truth was, that of which he now complained had alreatis
ever sines the appointment of the office of Vice Chan- such a magnitude as to demand an immedie'e
cellor, the pressure of business had been diminished, It was not the application of philosophic.d „
and this great advantage had accrued that the Lord which could afford those aggrieved relief. '1'1;0--
Chancellor was able to devote more time to Appeal must have radical removal of the evil.Scatlso s"s.
cases. That Noble Judge was now enabled to sit in did not mean to include in his general pmposia,,,, ;
the House of Lords thiee days in the week to die that the Gentlemen of that country need not eater.'
patch Appeal cases. On the whOle, the Honourable taro any apprehensions of an innovation. The ('ha.
Gentleman had not made any sufficient ground for cellor of the Exchequer hid referred to him for a oh.
his motion. He concluded by expressing his sense stitute, should he consent to the measure. Lst hot
of the merits of the present Lord Chancellor, whom first carry his motion, and then something might be
he described as one of the most consummate Judges suggested equally productiVe. The Honourable Mm*
,who had ever sat on the Bench. bet concluded by moving in substanc
e for leave to
Mr. MICHAEL ANGELO TAYLOR.—After a ,bring in a Bill to Repeal so much of the preeta
general review of the subject, and enforcing his pre- as relates to the Duties on Coals.
vious arguments, he pledged himself that he would Lord EBRINGTON stated, that *sae Ilonourahle
not relinquish the renewal of his motion, should he Mover had gone so fully and so ably into the sub.
now lose it, till the House consented to a Committee `ject, he thought that there was very little left to: him
of Learned Gentlemen to inquire into the merits of to induorthe House to agree to the motion. In the
the allegations. In case of the "resignation or death counties of Devon and Cornwall alone, the duties
of the present Lord Chancellor, which no man less averaged £70,000 a year, and the chief part of it seat
wished than he did, all the causes now in progress defrayed by twelve ports in those two counties. The
must be renewed de novo. Such renewals would en- consumption of coals was not general in- Devon an
tail upon the parties an incredible expense. There Cornwall, but confined to a small portion of the po
were many cases, as, for instance, the Roxburgh and pulation. The duties were so oppreeiire in those no
Queensberry, that had been waiting judgment for 18 counties, that several manufacturers had been ruined
months or two years; those causes had cost the par- A china manufacture had been lately attempted st
ties £5,000 or £6,000; and if the Noble Lord should Plymouth, but in consequence of the heavy dittiam
resign, or if any fatality happened, these cases must coals had failed. As the duty on coals affected the
be re-heard at the expense of the parties. Give him manure, itconsequently affected the growth of cora;
(Mr. Taylor) but a Committee, and he -would spew therefore it operated as a direct tax on agriculture
that the Vice Chancellor transacted all the business Mr. LITTLETON confessed he was fit a little
of Chancery, and the Lord Chancellor nothing .surprised that the Member for Surrey she Id has
The appointment of the former had in many instances brought forward a proposition hostile to our,sviten
superseded, and totally altered the constitution or of Finance, when the Minister and the House wen
office of Keeper of the Great Seal. The Vice Chan- anxious to improve it.' In his censure of the duo
cam's appointment took place in 1813, and not, on sea coal, or coal carried coastways, he proceeded
withstanding this great auxiliary to the Chancellor, leY a grand retrograde movement to- the remoteness
the Chancery business was still in great arrears, and of Richard IL -With in dill fine display of g*ing
.the suits delayed, to the prejudice of the 'parties. It in the historical acCODISt of the coal dutieseise bad
was not his ()fr. Taylor's) opinion alone, but the ge- better confined himself to the time of the Revolution,
neral language of Gentlemen at the bar. Whatever when those duties first began to be modified into a
might be the sentiments of some Gentlemen, he regular taxation. To agree -to the HarableGes.
could easily prove to the country that he was right, tleman's proposition would be great it ice to max
.A(1 that hewie in the faithful discharge of his duty respectable characters who had embarked large ca-
when he submitted his present motion to the House. pitals in important national concerns. He enema-
A division then ensued, when the numbers were— rated the various counties that would be affected by
Ayes 49—Noes 77—'-Majority 28. the proposed change, and those that would not feel
DITTIItS ON COALS. it. He insisted, atat the grand projectors of the
/14. HOLE SUMNER, in introducing his mo- measure had been much disappointed ; that their
tion for a Repeal of -the Coal Duties, so as to render meeting at Tom's Coffee-hoese and other places, had
them more equal, acknowledged that if any thing not been productive of the PetitiNts expected ;
could more than another justifY taxation, it was ter- ther had they been able to otithin one from West-
Wray a deity on coals. But then-he thought that it minster. Nothawing moved for the.printing of any
I should be on a principle of equalization, and not by of the numerous Petitions which he had presented
the oppression of one_part of the community at the against any, alteration in the, duties,: tie.llonourabie
nmpense of another. The Honourable Member then Member took to hirnself,.Soute.ceecfit for hydro
iron into a.detailed historical account of the rise and made such a saving to thmpublic ; and he though
[progress of the coal duties, tracing them to the most that if the same Ihie 'of conduct were followed by
remote period on record, namely, to the reign of other Gentlemen, the expense of printing, which had,
Richard the Second, in 1379, when the inhabitants.of in the lasofew years, increased incredibly, might to
Newcastle and Sunderland, being threatened with 'kept within some reasoableboonds, It might notbe
some enormous tax or contribution, petitioned that courteous to oppose autumn AC i very.c•innweace
Monarch for leave to fit out his then intended arma- menu, but he thought himself called uoterbefehlk
went, provided he would be graciously pleased to be duty to-oppose the -motion. - •
contented with a duty of 6d. per chaldron on coals. Alderman WOOD saw the Him. Mover and his
In the reign of Elizabeth it was increased to is. per friends between two fires—between the Chancellor GE
chaldron upon all coals ; and in the days of Charles the Exchequer and those who declared themsebts
IL it was considerably increased, from which duty Sit hostile to the motion. While formerly the Chancel-
Thomas Clark received £5OO a year. In the time of for of the Exchequer had given them hopes, he nor
William 111. it was furtf.er augmented to ss. per left them to be attacked by the Member for Stafford.
chaldron, by way of a temporary duty for the im- and others who opposed the came. The coals is
provement of- the resources of war. By the 9th of von and Cornwall were often carried 20 or 30 nab
Queen Anne, there was a further additional duty of inland at ,a considerable expense, in addition to ;:.g
3s. per chaldron. The two last 21/4mentations were excessive duties. There appeared such a rnonoi !!
rendered perpetual by an Act of George I. and by of coals in certain counties, that the manufacturer
the 17th of George 111. a Regulation Bill -was passed, found it necessary, for their own supply, to be
imposing upon London 9s. 4d. per chaldron, and 6s. proprietors of coal mines. The worthy Alder'
in all the outports. The duty for the former place bestowed many encomiums on the Hon. Mover, als
alone amounted to 12s. 10d. per chaldron, being a he hoped would allow him to be called hii Honour
sort of consolidation, including rneterage, on that ne- able Friend. Me had very ably detailed the risetal
4essary of life. Great part of the London coal duty progress of the coal duties, and notwithstendiag.th
was attached to what was termed the Orphans' Fund. ridicule of some Gentlemen, he was perfectly ng.ig
He did not mean to speak disrespectfully of that to go back to the days of Richard 11. when the dour
charity or any other. His whole object was to move first had a tangible shape. To have confined
hinu
for there peal of' the whole duties, In order to prorose to die Revolution would not have been sufficiendf
some other plan equally. beneficial to the public reve- illustrative. With regard to the duty itself as 3
ittie. In corroboration cf his sentiments, the Honour- matter of finance, he did not care whether it sal
ible Member quoted Dr. Adam Smith, and Dr. An- taken off or not ; but let there be some equalisation`
derson. He thought it exceedingly bard; that coals let the whole country be charged at the rate of
carried coastways, should pay a heavy duty, while "per chaldron. But he called upon the Uhancellur
coals carried inland pay no duty at all. But some the Exchequer to say why he fay.outel one countl.
Gentlemen said, that if this iluty be repealed, it would more than !mother ? Why did he favcur Wales nose
yaia mast numbers of manufacturers, by producing than Cornwall ? In the latter place. the poor ms'
issifttfacturers at or near London, who would rival or had frequently not been able to earn more than tsc,
letidersell those in the inland counties. Their had all, shillings a week, and yet he was to be burthene.l,
po doubt, their local attachments and local prejudices. the oppression of his superiors, through the medoo
The present duties not only affected London, but all of the unjust and abominable duty on coals. He hi•!
the counties circumjacent, particelarly that to which known instances in which the poor of the city
the belonged (Surrey). There were sixteen counties London had paid seven shillings per, sack for
it coah.,
if
that paid the heavy duties now complained of, white He did not care how the tax was imposed,
twenty counties paid no duties whatever. In our made equal.
population, it might be said, that out of nine mil- • Colonel WOOD opposed the Motion. In WalS`
lions, four millions and a half pay 065,000, nearly Coals were not only fuel, but its many instances
£1,000,000 sterling, while one four'saillions and a served for tillage, or the improvement of the Lin
half pay no duty. As an argument on the part of by burning lime. And- what wriuld be our
those who opposed his proposition, it had been ad- lain agriculture without this auxiliary to oor
"vanced, as no small consolation, that the wages in The Member for Surrey was supposed to pi.r,
London' were higher ; but It ought at the same time good. substitute for the duty on Coals ; but lie
to be recollected, that the duties are higher also ; and acted with good judgment and discretion in not c
that the pear Man frequently. pays 44d. mote per ,closing Nos tax, as the Chancellor of the L‘c3-
bushel for opals than the rich man. At or.e time he might be rapacious enocah to have takes

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