Star.
London, England, 1826-03-14 00:00:00

TUESDAIi EVANING, 111 ARCH 14, 1826.

PARLI4LNIENTARY PROCEEDINGS•

HOUSE OP LORDS, Plasm 13.

Lord Romossocs took the oaths and his seat.
Mr. Masow. front the East India House, presented the Monthly
Returns, of the salaries, pensions, and gratuities, granted by the
East India Oinipapj.—Laid on the table.
Mr. Scam from the Chsmher of London, presented certain
Paper, relative to London Bridge and the Orphans' Funi.—Laid
un the table.

The Duke of ATHOL presented a Petition front the Noblemen
and Gentleasen of the County of Perth. against any alteration in
the flanking System in Scotland.— Laid on the table.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE presented a Petition to the same
effect from the Noblemen and Gentlemen of the County of Ber-
wick, and from the Royal Burghs of Montrose and Arbroath:
also one from the latter place against the • Corn Laws.—Laid on
the table.
Viscount MELVILLE presented similar Petitions front the
Hameterown of Edinburgh, and froM the Royal Burghs of Wig-
, town, Dundee, and Lanark.—Laid on the table.
11 Duke of GLOUCESTER presented a Petition from the
County of Surtcy. signed by the High Sheriff, praying for the
I Abolition of Slavery.--:Laid on tbe table. - -
The Biala*, of .LITCIIPIELD presented a similar Petition
from Newport, in Sluntshire.....laid an the-table. .
PetitiOns to the same effect-were presented by Lord Da DON-
arm:awn, from a parish in the county of Cornwall; and by the
Marquis of Lausnown, in the absence of a Noble Ftiend of his
(the Earl of Derby), from Chesterfield, Camelford, Bishopstone,
and two Parishes in the County of Wilts.—Laid on the cable.
Lord BAR HA NI presented a Petition from Maidstone, praying
for the Abolition of Slavery in the Colonies. The Noble Baron
also presented similar Petitions from Tunbridge Wells, Town
Mailing. Lenhant Goudhurlt,. Cratibrook, and Chart Sutton, in
the County of gent.—Laid on the tabi.
Mr. IjAvaxpes: and others brought up from the Commons save.'
ral Private Bills, which were read a first time.

The Prisons' Bill went through a Com Mince, and was reported.
The Iduquis of LANSDOWN gave notice, that Ie should
move to-morrow fur an Account of the State of Exports and Im-
ports between this country and the Port of Singapore, in the East
Indies. Adjourned.

was the applicatioa-of -sound reastritiog powt•s to the
results lir practical experience, which ;thine could direct
them to the two principles of legislation. It was b)
the just Combination of those two elements of %visite'',
that the House and the public must come to a right
conclusion as to the rnn,t effectual mode of escaping
from the difficulty in which they were now placed. Ii
their' were, indeei, those by wh %ni —in preparing
!heir minds- to come to a decision upoli such sub-
je ti—they should be told that books and reason
were t.) he !ejected, he knew not at what springs
they must drink when diiven from the fountain at
wh tit science and knowledge were the piseiding
Dei•ies. In the general spread of knowledge which
had been constantly proceeding during the last half
century, were _they who sat there as Nlinisters of the
Crown, or as LeAislators, to be behind-hand with the
people whom they had to govern, and for whom they,
made la s ? o.ight they not rather to be foremost in
the race? kno.' ins that the progress of know-
ledge roust he gradual, ought ..thernot to take the best
advantage of the time, to plum themselves before their
c'untrymen, and protect them against emits into
which they might otherwise fail by a premature action
upon the partial information which they might at first
mistake for knowledge—(Chcers). He knew there were
those who feared the spread of knowledg,e,
took of no such feeling. To him, it prorised an effect
diametrically opposite. The more the peliple were edu-
cated, the more likely they would be to see what was
good, and to .arr:sid • that• which was bad—the more
likely they would be to repose upon the idea that know-
ledge was power. To his mind, then, this application
Of knowledge was of the greatest importance, as well
in respect to the difficulties from which they were en-
deavouring to recover, as in respect to times to come.
Li he found the people—if he found the Government
attracting a knowledge of sound principles from the
eapzrience of existing difficulties, he looked with com-
parative indifference at their return, partly because
that would be less likely to occur, and if it should, be-
cause they should be better able to meet and control
them. Having stated thus much ie respect vs the
particular circumstances of the country, it now be-
came him to look at its Finances as they stood, and
to cOesider the nature of their prospects for the future.
But before he proceeded to state to the Committee what
were the in cations of his Majesty's Government, he
would beg to recall their attention to the course which
he had pursued for the last two or three years. And fief'
would de this because he had been reproached, in no
- • •
measuredaerms for the language he had from time to
time thotight It to hold, and accused of having con-
tributed thereby' to the spirit which led to the 'recent
Sufferings of the country. "True it was that while it
'had been his lot to explain the annual state of their-
financial circumstances—true it was that be had Spoken

in the language Uf 'confidence and congratulation.
From that language he would-not now depart. lie had
declared the affairs of the country to be prosperous,
lnd he would not now shrink from repeating it. The
country was not in a situation which warranted him in
throwing out a declaration of its being in a state of
I decadence; and although in the natural warmth of
feeling a man might be allowed to indulge in the trx•
pression of hope to a some., hat greater extent than
prudence would perhaps carry, him—this he would
venture to say—he had stated nothing as fact which
did not bear him out in the result. He would revert,
therefore, to what he had done and 'said, and in the
I course of the three years he would chew, that however
he might have erred in the language which he used to
express his feelings, yet he had nei.her practiced
deception upon the House, nor held out prospects of
delusion to the ccuntry. When 'in the year 1823 it
first bec one his lot to take a 'view of the finanCes of
the country, he ventured to assume that in the
course of the year a casein amount of revenue
would accrue. HO begged leave to ask what
was the result ? He founJed his estimate then upon
novague, imaginary foundation, but upon the plain,
simple basis, of the amount of revenue received in the
preceding year. He would shew the Committee, That
en 1823, 1824, and 1825, in all his estimates for those
Ithree years, not only were the expectations which he
held out realised, but they were esc:eded by an amount
which the most sanguine man in the country could
never have anticipated. In the year 1823 he estimated
the probable receipt of the Customs and Excise, the
Stamps, the Post-office, and the Miscellaneous, at
52,200,0001. He then proceeded to repeal taxes in thit
Ses,ion to upwards the amount of 3,000,0001. and in
the course of the year he calculated there would be
lost to the Revenue A millidn and a half. TherefoteX
the Revenue had ben less by 1.500,0001. than in the
preceding year, his calculation uould have been fully
realised. Now what was the fact ? The antral produce
of the Revenue turned out to be 52,017,0001. being 1:
than the produce of the preceding year, notwithstanding I
the repeal of above 3,000,0001. of taxes, by the simply
sum of 182,0001. From this sta•ement it was pretty
clear that he held out no expectations to • the House,
which were delusive or unreal. In the year 1694 he
estimated the public income at 51,265,0004 and pro-
ceeded to repeat tales to a considerahleamount, in ,
con-
sequence of which he calculated upon a loss to tire'
Revenue of 530,000/. Bat the actual Fort:duce of
'the year again exceeded his original estimates it,
the-following proportion :—the net Revenue amnuuted
to 52,562,0001. and his estimate was 51,265.0001.
so that the actual receipt was 1,300,0001. more
than be bad led the- notice to expect. The same
thing again happened in 1825. He then calcu-
lated that the revenue would peoduce the sum of
51,975 0001. and that 6500001. would be lost bi the
reduction of taxer. Tne actual receipt-of that yea:,
however, eshibittd not a loss, but a surplus beyond
that estimate—it .mounted to 52;259,0001. being chore
than the original estimate, as he framed it, eon tf these
had been no reduction of taxes at all. The result or all
tt.is was, that the income es im :tad by ltim during these
three years amounted to 145,440,0001. The rs venue
actually received to 10;836,0004 The produce es
cc 'Jilts the estimate fry no less 1 suns' Oran 1,398,0301
Now, When theiitireititi/jarties were fooked ter, anc
when it was considered:north-4 had reatuce.: 8,000.0061.
f taxes in the mein *MA is4ht boidl)
. assert that he hasl skit hetititalky of ftatitlg *an,ething

[PRICE SEVID:PENCE.

which was ei.her wrong in fact, or detusive to the House
arid the country—(cheers). He had said tl‘at during
these three years, taxes to the amount of 8,000,00 W. had
been repealed. But they should be taking only an
perfect view of the reductions which had been eff ctel
it they stopped here. He must therefore beg the Gom-
ir.i tie to go back with him to the year 1816, and see
who Patßement had done since the ind.ng up of .the
wareitabled them to relieve the country of a portion of
its burthens. He thought it necessary to do this, be-
t'use it was said the amount of taxes they had
reduced were not worth thinking ofer-that they
would scarcely equal the difference in the v Atte of
the currency, and that there could be no possibility
..1 returning to that state contemplated by the meesurvs
which had occupied them during the Stssi n, unless a
large reduction of taxation took place. He thought
these propositions were not warranted by the facts. and
he witconflaent in being ab'e toshew there was no foun-
dation for the assertion that they .had done nothing, or
not enough to render these chinges practicable. Ile
did not mean to say wl•cn he used "the word enough"
OW they were to do no more as
.soon as oppottuisiti.ts
t
offered, but he contended that '.e roots, trui,us to.
which he had alluded Were nut consivept with the facts
of the ca e. In looking to the amount of the, reduction
of t.:xts which had taken place, they must go back to
the year 1616 ; and then it would be seen that Parlia-
ment had not slept at its pest, but had -shewn itself
mindful of.the public interest. In 1816, then, which
was the first year of the reduction of taxes, they repealed
—fist; the Property Tax. He knew this was effected
contrary to the opinion of.the Government, who thought
it ought to have been. maintained for two years longer.
But, however, 'Parliament thought and decided other-
wise; and whether the decision was right or Wrong, it
was quite certain that the people benelitted by the re-
peal of the tax to the amount of 14,320,00 a The
Malt du. y was repealed in the same year, amounting
Ito 2,790,00 W. and the War Tonnage DJties to 828,0001.
' TheAsiei-edrases in Ir eland were also reduced amount-
ing to 85.0001. and the Malt Tax in Ireland to 315 0001.
The total of all these repeals was 1,8,728.000 t: in
1817 there was a 'eduction of 280,0001. In 1818,
As4ssed Taxes in Irelvnd were again.repraled to the
amount of 236,0001. - different
pursued, which
the tit:aeon

sently
the ligriculu
to 480,0001.
r, 0091
300,0001. hand s
of the teduCtion
the total
Tag% was
1,72 l ,f1)001.
peal, including pity,
reduction
.it.biu upon )seetts, now Rome,
uppa wine , and :putts, a furthet, repeal 4 Asses:: si
Taies aad other items, amonetiag ia. the, 'whole
to 5,218,b001. From this statement the CQ1*0449,
would me that there had been an actual lessisaitaksitipt
the close of the war of 80,712,0001. of .1
Buz they must deduct from that am .aattliefsl9a.oool..
imposed in dm yeas 1819, which would .leave the clear
sam of 27,520,0001. Well, then, be would say, that this
was a substantial and decided relief to the counter; and
he thought it impossible for say man in his senses to deny
gild such a relief from taxation tta.l not cootaihated.to •
increase the revenue by increasing the capability of the
people to purchase articles of consumptio r. (Cheers).

The whole will stand at ow view in the following form:— - •
ESTIMATE OF TAXES REPEALED SINCE THE TER.
PIINATION OF THE WAR.
11116.—Property Tax . £14,5e0.000
War Mak 2,790,000
War Customs, *outage, Coast-
ing, Ste. . - 81111,000

•••
236,0001., In 1819 a different policy was
which crested an addition of spcoo,owl. to
of the country, and to which he shosia pre-
erg. In 1820 there was no change. hi 1821
dtural Horse Tee ,was reduced. ansaireiieg
01. 10 1822 they reduced the Malt Tax
~the Salt 1,395.0001. the Leather Vex
and the Tonnage Dotie,s 260,0001. Thepwl
action of Ilset year was 945.1,0001. Iu 1t
ailment wekcsd. inc44ng the Attempt
ts 3,550,0 W. "An 1821, redractiou *es
In 182.5; there vete various keels of
je-
uding the retnaioder aF
.the Sat Puy,
:Lion of
,that upon Jim, spout PAP.