Star.
London, England, 1803-06-18 00:00:00

•DDITION•L CIILTOM6.

The CHATICILLOIL of the Excitaosee moved the
Order of the Day for the Houk to refolve itfelf into
a Committee on the Additional Cuftom Duty
On the queftion that the Speaker do leave the Chair,
General GASCOVN s role to object to it. He Paid, he
was as fully impreffed with the necelfity of railing
taxes, and fubmitting to facrifices, as any other Mem-
ber could be ; but, in duty to his Conftituents,he muff
oppofe a certain part of this Bill; the Duty on Sugars.
It was no proof, he Paid, that, becaufe his Conliitu-
ents were able to pay thofe duties doting the Pate
war, they were able to_ do k now. In 1793, the Weft
India Merchants of Liverpool were under the necetE-
ty of applying to Parliament for relief, which was
granted. In 1795 they did the fame ; and he was
Corry to fay, they mull loon do fo again ; and all tl,efe
applications were for relief againft the old duties, and
to enable them to rapport the fame, whilft the Houfe
was going to lay on new duties. He Willed it was
a lofing trade. He did not afk for any exemption or
diminution of the duty, but only a fufpenfion of it,
till Tome ontport on the Continent Ihould be open to
us. At prefent we had not one ,• and therefore could
have no export. He contended alto, that every in-
created duty mull decreafe the confomption, betides
the additional duty on tea muff decreafe the confump-
lion of fugar. That the traders in Liverpool were not
like thole in London, agents who receive their profits
on what they' difpofe of ; they were in the fame fitua-
lion as the Planters, participated in the misfortunes
of the Iflands, and purchafed their goods on their
own account and rille ; this had been done on en-
couragements dropped from time to time by the
Chancel!.- of the Exchequer as to the continuance of
Peace. He laid, that while Parliament was laying
on 4.5. a cwt. duty on fugar, it was falling in price
to the fame amount ; and if the duties were continued
to be fo laid on, thofe concerned in the trade mutt with-
draw from it. He asked, if it was of no confequence
that we were excluded from Hamburgh, Bremen,
and all the ports on the Continent ? He did not
blame Minifters for this, but they ought to confider
whether they can remedy it. That if next crops
came fafe, they would be the ruin of the Houfes con-
cerned in them, who having no market for them by
export, would not be able to meet the bills that would
accompany them. He allured the Houfe he was not
inftigated by thole who are fo much interefled, to take
the part he now did; for his Conftituents could not
have known it, fo as to apply to him for the purpofe;
he did it as an ad of duty, which he thought he owed
them. He repeated, that he neither alked for exemp-
tion nor diminution, but only a rufpenfion. He there-
fore moved, 4 That it be an inftrudion to the Com-
mitter. to infert a claufe in the Bill, to empower his
Majelly's Council to rufpend the Paid Duties on Sugar
whenever, and for fuch period of time as it thould ap-
pear to them necefrary fo to do."
The S informed the Houfe, that he was of
opinion the Motion was neither regular nor neceffary.
The Committee was the proper place for fuch a mo
tion, and therefore it was irregular ; and, if irregu-
lar, it mutt be unneceffary.
The Coasts ewe of the Excitsoyea fupported
this opinion, and the Houfe immediately went into
the Committee, Mr. Ai-axonal" in the Chair.

General Gascovar then moved a claufe to the
fame effeEt. On the queftion that the claufe be read
a fecond rime, _ _ .

Mr. VANSITTART role, and denied the affertions of
the Hon. General as to the home confumption, and
intifted, that, notwithßanding the duties, the con-
famption duriog the left war increafed no let's than
700,000 cwu. It was the fame as to the exports;
for we are not now excluded from any ports on the
Continent, from which we were not (hut nut during
Taft war, except Hansburgh : and it is remarkable,
that in the year during which we were excluded from
that port, our exports were far greater than during
any other year of the war. The Hon. General had
laid, that the imports of Sugars were encouraged by
the affertions of Minitiers relative to Peace ; but this
he denied, and (aid, Minifters had uniformly cau-
tioned the public as to the pollible danger of raking
too mulch on that (peculation.
General TAILLTUN Paid, that taxes mull be im-
poled, and the country fupported. If at any time
he fhould receive infiruilions from his conftituents on
any fubjee, he thould be happy to obey them, if con-
fonant to his own opinion; but his conftituents had
returned him free, and he hoped he thould always aft
on the fame principles. Look, laid he, t• any pe-
riod i.l ten years during the Taft century, and you
will find that, both in Peace and War, the town of
I,.iverpool has increa'id in opilence, population, and
confequence; and he believed, that if his Honourable
Colleague would leave the inhabitants to follow their
own fpeculations in regard to trade and commerce,
they will hill be found as forware in advancing the
commerce of their town, and the intereft of the na-
tion in general, and would as cheerfully pay the taxes
they thould be liable to be charged with, as any other
part of this country.
General Gascovaa faid, it would have been more
for the credit of the Right Hon. Gentleman, if he
' had made flikpropofition boomer. At the time the
Houk was called on firft to agree to this duty, they
were left in total ignarance of a faa then known to '
Minillers, and which Once came out, namely, that
there WA• no: a Ingle port open to the trade of this
country on the Continent of Europe ;—apd the
chum-.l,:i.cattea to the mercantile interefts on this
tip::, was by .. frigate, Rationed at the mouth
of the Elbe, • hich warned the &hint flips, laden
fug.ir, and . pproaching that river, not to enter,
AS they wuald ..crtair,ly fall into the hands Of the

enemy; ;nd thus thole ihips, with their Cargoes, were
fent back to this country, with thofe very cargoes
which were purchafes under the affurance of per.
manent peace, given by the Right Hon. Gentleman.
The Hon. Gentleman (peaks of the profits arifing to
Liverpool from the prefent war is but a fhort
month fince it has commenced :—how then was a cri-
terion to be formed for fuch a coitclution, An Hon.
General, too (his Hon. friend) had talked generally
of the improvement of the town and trade of Liver-
pool no argument he had ufed could be conftrued
Into a denial of that general profperity ; but he (Gen.
Garcoyne) was fpeaking of a particular branch of
trade, namely, the WeR Indian; his only object was,
not to evade, but only to fufpend the duty, and he
hardly thought the Hon. General would be bold
ensugh to deny that the merchants of Liverpool
wifhed for fuch a fufpenfion. The Hon. General had
defired him to leve the merchants of Liverpool to
themfelves ; this, indeed, had been pretty much the
lradice of the Hen. General hitnfelf ; but, melancho-
y indeed was the profped, if the Atence of the Trea.
fury Bench was to to be taken for their opinion upon
the &Ned. He did think that Come relief would be
thought necetlary to thofe now Reacting on the brink
of ruin. _ _ _

The CHANCELLOR of the Excli acting faid, that no
fuch inference as that drawn by the Hon. Member
was to be fairly founded on the condo& cf his Ma-
jefty's Miniflers ; namely, that no communication
whatever was to be opened for the trade of this coun-
try in any of the ports of the Continent. It would
be difficult, indeed, for either power or ingenuity to
prevent the commodity in queffion from finding its
way into the Continent, of which this country held a
monopoly, and which there as well as here was be-
come a neceffary of life. But if reference was had to
the actual price of (mars at this moment, compara-
tively with that which they bore immediately before
the war; if it was confidered that the article had
rifen from 335. to 475. per cwt. fence the commence-
ment of hbftilities, it was a pretty ftrong proof the
article (offered no deterioration in price in conk-
quence of the war. The Hon. Member, therefore,
on this ground, muft admit that his conflituents were
in a better fituation than they were fix weeks ago.—
With fo much a higher price, and no dimini(hed con-
fumption in this country; with a large drawback
upon exportation. and with a total monopoly of the
trade in Britilh hands, he could fee no ground for
apprehenfion either to the Weft India Merchants or
any other (et of men concerned in that trade. So
far from the additional duty of as. being an exorbi-
tant impoft, in the circumftances of the country.
many judicious perfons, will converfant in the trade,
were of opinion, that it would well have borne a duty
of 3s. more; which it was, however, not his intention
to propofe, though, had it not been for fome calami-
ties which the Weft India trade bad of late fuffered,
he fhould have been difpofed to lay on a duty of 6s,
inftead of as.
Sir W. Po many thought the argument of Mr.
Vanfittart was conciufive, if exportation ihould con-
tinue ; but the drawback was no fecurity for that.—
If exportation did not continue, the price of fugar
mull fall at home.

Mr. &ilium fpoke for the claufe, and Sir W.
Yoove againa
Sir WiLLIAN Yount; thought the whole fyllem of
the new taxes propofed by the Minifter extremely
fair and impartial; and he himfelf, as a perfon con-
cerned in Well India property, cheerfully acquiefced
in the prefent tax' and thought it could not fairly be i
complained of by the Britith merchant ; as, in fait,
the Well India planter mutt be the principal fulerer.
General GASCOYIII did not with to take his Ho-
nourable Friend from his military duty. On the COQ.
trary, he thought that his fervices in. the field wet c
infinitely of more importance than 'n that Houfe.
At the fame time, he did not with to kave the people
of Liverpool to the chapter of accidents, as the Hon.
General feemed inclined to do.
General TaaLarom put it to the feelings of the Ho-
nourable General himfelf, whether he did not think it
honourable to follow the duties of his profeffion ?
The Cmaticatioa of the Exce Kyle declared that
it was nneontlitutional to veil a difpenfing power, asto 1
the operation of an AR of Parliament, any where.
Mr. EVAN BA ttitefaid, that fugar might be,bonded ;
and, if we did not now agree to the tax, he thought
it moll probable that we mull in a fubfecpsent year ;
he therefore thought we might as well fubmit to it
at once.

Mr. Deux Paid, that a report which was in circu-
lation this morning, and which he feared was true,
had excited a confiderable degree of alarm among
the merchants. The dearnefs of fugar, he thought,
was not a fit criterion to judge of taxation by. He
thought it much more our duty to confider the Rate
of the Country. He knew it was not right to hold
out defponding language to the people, though the fi-
tuation of the country was certainly deplorable enough.
Mr. jonarroas obferved that, by a Convention
among the Northern Powers, they might fend (hips
dire& from the Weft Indies to their own ports, there
land their fugar, and fo make it neutral, and then fend
it all over Europe. The Americans too might injure
our trade confiderably. The port of Hamburgh was
alfo reported to be flint againft us. It therefore ap-
peared to him not advifeable to lay on a heavy ad-
ditional duty at a time when there was a probability
of fuels obfiruetions to commerce; and when there
wu fuch ground for alarm among the mercaatile
pan of the country.
The Cantett.t.oa pf the Excingy ea thought,
that the arguments of Gentlemen appeared to him to
be founded muse on fpeculations in trade, than in the
deduelions of found reafoninig. It did not appear to
him that the difficulties to which they alluded would
be at all aggravated by the circumaince of the Houfe
agreeing to an additional duty. Neither could be
think it altogether right, at the prefent conjundure of
public affairs, for Honourable Members to mention
unfavourable reports in that Houle on the foundation
of a mere report, and when there was no document
or authority before the Houk to that effeB. For his
part he knew of no filch event having taken place as
the Honourable Centkrnen had alluded to.

After a converfation of confiderable length the
Hossottrabla Member contented to withdraw his mo-
tioo; ott the fuggeßion of the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer th i at t was an unconnitutit nal meafure, de-
claring that it was not his inclination to place greater
confidence any where than was confißent with the
principles of the Con dilation of the country.
Me. CI"! 111°03 ina g Oi to Lillgri.ll Inch rk!" ss kad

omitted to finality theniretwa affording to Law for Ming certain
Offizes in Ireland.--Rcad a Brit, and ordcred to be real a tecond
time tO-11101TUIV.

The Militia Suba!tun Officers Bill was read a firft, and ordered
to he read a fecor..l Cane to-morrow.

The Highlands of Scotland Roads BM was read a grit, and or.
dered to be read a fccond time on Monday.
.. - .

The further confide-ration of the Report of the Militia Pay Bill
was poltponed to Tuefilay.
The Affelfed Tales Conforulation BiU etas rah: a Cult, and ore
dered to be read a fecond time to-moi row.

The Bin for the better (upplying his Maleltem Navy with Sea.
men was reported, and ordered to be read a third time to-morrow.

The itia Pdrfunage Houle Bill was reported, and ordered to be
read a third Close on Tuefday next. •
Mr. BAILLIZ mined, That Aecoonts be laid before the Mouth
of the number of Shipping, and the quanety of their Tonnage,
which had entered Briltot in the year 1101; and alio Accounts of
all Goods wbash had been brought there not coaltwife, from the
year t 799 to 18C2, dittinguilhing each year.--Ordered.
The frith Militia Transfer Bill was read a *ft, and ordered to
be read a fecoed time to-morrow.
Mr. WICKHAM moved for leave to bring in a Bill for the more
eilklaal Prevention of Combination amongft Workmen in Irchad.
—Granted.
The Cotton Weaven' Bill was read a fecund time and committed.

On the Motion of Colonel Stanley the feveral Petitions minim
to the objeft of that Bill were referred to the Coalmine on the 801.
The Twelve Million Loan Bill paired a Committee of the whole
Houle, and was ordered to be reported to-mprrow.
The Bill for regulating the Corn Trade hctween England an 4
Ireland Wai read a fetond time, and committed foe to-morrow.

Ttse other Orders of the Day were them /warmed, and tho
Houle adjourned.

LONDON.

SATURDAY. JUNE 12.

PRICE 01: STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'Cl.00IE:
per Cent. Red. 56;1
New Cent. ytf--Long Ann. 161
Oninium a; 1, a difoount.—Goof. for op;. SR.
PRICE Of STOCKS YESTERDAY:
Bank Stock 146 147 tent South Sea Shock bat
3 per Cent. Red. tn-lia Old S.S. Anne. Rut
3 per Cent Conf. Mut Loop Aso. tiff
4 Pee Cent. 714 f 72;i Imp. 3 per Ceut. jst
5 per Ct. Aso. tout Eating. Bills ti. to U. d 4
5 per CL Ann. 1797, 91!I 0111011/0114 I t a dIL
India Stock (but Conlols for op 57t 510
DUIL IN, 'VIOL 14,-sper Cent. Go'. DebtlgUrti 504

The following hleff.ige from his Mai Isry was yes
terday delivered to both Hooks of Parliament s,
" GEORGE R.

" His bletssry thinks It right to inform their Lortillps.
that foam an anxious define to prevent the calamities of war being
extended to the Saari= Republic, be communicated to thil;
Government his difpoetion to terra" their neutrality, provided that
a fimilar difpation was manifeited oo the part of the French Go-
vernment, and that the French forces were forthwith withdrawn
from the territories of the Ratavian Republic. This propolitiots
not having been acceded to by the Government of France, sod ma-
fures having been recently taken by them In direct violatien of
the independence of the Burden Republic; his hiajeltyjodesti*
expedient to diredt his Malta to leave the Hague; and he teal
Ilnce given orders, that Letters of Marine and Gamma Reprifils
°meld bellied againft the Saurian iterbile and Its Mime*.
His Majefty has at all times manUelted the decpeft and am.
lively Montt far the prdpatty and Independence of the Unite.
Provinces :he has revenge, therefore, to the proceedings wide
the molt fincere regret, but the conduit of the French Govern.
mast has left him no alternative; and in adopting Mc& itseafures.
he is 'dusted by a Cage of what is due to his own dignity, sod let
the fecnrity and effential interefts of hie dominions."

The following is a Copy of the Communication
made to the Batavian Government refined to in the
above Meirage