The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-06-18 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN.

althot!gb high as
compared to the terms on *Mob the
bargains o the last three years had been made, was
still less than that Which had bffen been given in pe-
riods of war: Perhaps, indeed, the contractors had
even now mdre to complain of than the public; and
be'was sure that, Considering the situation of the
country, and the Consequences of the late Loans to
the contractors, the House would join hint in the
'Wish that the present may prove more profitable to
them than at present it is likely to become. lie had
'now arrived at that star of his duty, of which the
performance was the most irksome and painful, that
of pro'posing to the House those additional burthens
which the necessities of the times and of public affairs
required to be imposed upon the country. The sum
necessary to be raised to discharge the Interest of
the newly funded debt would be 1,900,0001. He
' proposed to provide this by a series of different mea-
sures. The first to which he should beg leave to call
the attention of the House, he was happy to say, was
a tax that would fall upon nobody. [A laugh.] Per.
baps it ought not in strictness of language, to be
called a tax, as the sum intended to be raised would
arise from the discontinuance of the. bounty on the
export of Printed Goods. From a sum of compa.
ntively trifling amount, this bounty had risen to
308,000. He felt an entire confidetiee that the with-
drawing of this bounty would not materially discou-
rage our manufactures, and that they had advanced
to that state of pert cfon as to require no other aid
and assistance, than that unrestricted vent and gene-
ral demand, which, in the event of a change in the
state of the Continent, might safely be anticipated.
:The present bon n'y varied from one half-penny to 1-Id.
per yard, according to the quality of the manufacture,
and the retention of this trilling encouragement could
not be considered as cil ciliated to do any serious injury
in depressing our exports. The Committee would
vaturally bear in mind, that in every proposition,
having in view the object to which they w re direct-
ing their attention, trey had only a choice of evils,
and they must be elute:it to select those which ap-
peared, under all the circumstances attending them, the
least exposed to any just objection, or welt-founded
llear!]—He had in the next
place to submit a duty on Hides and Skins imported.
A tax of three half-pence per pound would, by a cal-
culation formed on the large quantity recently brought
from South Amerita, produce 325,0001. per annum.
He was of opinion that no reasonable objection could
be raised to an addition to the duty on Gass, that
manufacture being p, otected from fort ign competition
by a positive prohibition. Ile should estimate the
produce of this at 328,00:M. A small increase to the
tax on Tobacco, of 10 per cent. as the present duties
could not be seriously felt, and he should only take
the amount at 107,0001. He had now to propose a
duty of another kind, dilfering from the preceding,
inasmuch as it would be brought forward in the
shape of a regulation. The present Duty on Auc-
tions would be extended in its application, not in its
amount, by this mnsure. It was a matter of
pretty general noto. iety, th it property was often
put up to a nominal sale, w:lich fictitious sale was
not at present subject to a pa) ment of the duty. It
was intended by this measure that the duty should
be equally a; plLable, excapt in cases where the pro-
perty in gne:tioa should be proved to have actually
chauged hands within the period of 12 months. It
was of course quite impracticable to form any thing like
a precise estimate of the probable produce of this
extension. Premising, therefore, that it was simply
matter of conjecture, he would state it at 100,0001.
An increase of Id. on the Postage of Letters convey-
de beyond the distance of twenty miles, might he cal-
culated as likely to yield a sum of 220,0001. and to
this he did not apprehend that material or general
objection would be felt. 'the Committee would re-
collect that in the year 1800, when a Noble Lord,
now a Member of the other House, held the office
which he himself had now the honour to fill, a duty on
Private Breweries had been submitted to the House.
Many strong considerations were then urged against
it, and the measure was finally abandoned. It had
been, however, the intention of his late Right lion.
Friend to have brought it forward a second time, so
modified as to be entirely free from the principle
which was chiefly resisted, that of introducing the
Excise into private houses. To get rid of the neces-
sity of resorting to this unpopular expedient it had
been proposed to substitute the principle of an equal
and general commutation on heads composing families.
1 The whole scheme had, however, been subsequently
abandoned, both from a persuasion that the amount
would fall far short of the estimate, and that the
equality, which it was the leading object of, the mea-
sure to preserve, was in fact unattainable, and that
the burden would rest principally on the poorer
classes, who, in the instauces in which they practised
private brewing, naturally brewed only, to the extent
prescribed by necessity, while the rich brewed also
for the purposes of hospitality. In now referring to
the Assessed Taxes, he had found it his duty to re-
commend to the Committee some few alterations and
increase on their different heads. In the first in-
stance he should propose an additional tax of 4s. to
1 the '2l. Bs. now paid you Male Servants. Upon ee-
-1 casional Gardeners 4s. making the whole duty on
' this description of. Servants 10s. Upon Mercantile
• Agents and Riders the increase would be from 21.85.
I. to 31. That on other Clerks from 11. 4s. to 21. A
similar duty on Drivers of Carriages would be sub-
jected to a similar increase. Occasional Waiters to
, a duty of 20s. and Servants occasionally employed
in Agriculture to one of 4s. The tax on Carriages,
which was now 111. 15s. it was his Intentiou to raise
!to 121. On Horses used only for Pleasure, a new
' duty of 4s. making the amount of the entire duty
I el. 17s. tad. On Horses used exclusively for the par-
: poses of Husbandry a tax of 3s. ed. but on those
employed in the occupations of trade, being of con-
siderably greater vaineetiOs. He believed he skeet('
also suggest some incenie of the duty on Dogs, apa
although he was himself no sportsman, he conceived
that some distinction might be fairly introduced,' anti
bat Greyhounds, as furolishing .Geutlemeu - with
greater pleasure, should be subjected to a propor-
tionately larger duty [a Mae]. for Game-keepers
an additional tax of, four shillings,, for servants not
assessed the same sum, and for those assessed an ad-
ditional tax of ten shillings and sixpeiice. His' esti-
r'mate of the total produce was 1;903,0001.;. and he
now begged leave to congratulate the Committee,'
that at a time When It was generally epasirlered4liat
is the eiisting state of the leiotirMp of th, oototry

, taxation had found its limit it had been found ptac. imperiously demanded minute and immediate in.
.11cIsb_ le to submit a scheme' of increased duties that vestigation.—[Hear, hear, hear !]—AltlZoo el her
threatened so little general inconvenience, and what finances were in this reduced condition. no kloutic..
*IS most material, so little pressure on the lower or- t man denied that no part of the Uni' ed li:ngdom had
tiers of society. lie had had it contemplation to been, or continued to be, more ra,,',lly ini ror.
offer a few observations, but he believed that he had " ing :the rent of land had'
enormousi. risen, P the
trespassed sufficiently long on the attention of the progress made in agricul nre had ,esen gr:evr, and ;ter
Committee, and would, therefore, reserve them to a . manufactures were not meeli ,11,• inj,tred by the
wi•arcruimnswtahniccehswiet wwearge einigoatgeda —li;til.et ustitidi:prilaarll! these
future stage of the proceeding.
Mr. HUSRISSON observed' c that in the present 1
circumstances of the country,
he was decidedly of nearly all the produce of the taxes imposed in Ire.
opinion that a more judicious selection of objects land had of late years declined In proportioo to her
could not have been made, than that of his Right prosperity, and her consequent Mall, of paYiug them. '
Hon. Friend.—[Hear, hear!]—When the plan In, the • year of 1799, the impost, upon loathe gave
should have undergone some modification in its future a Revenue of 55,0001. and in 1811, it had ;alien
.stages through the House, he had no doubt that it to 40,0001. though the employment of (het article
-*ould be al acceptable as any measure of this cha- must have amazingly augmented. The same remark
racter could be in the present state of the resources would apply to the Tax on Malt. in 1799, the are•
of the country.
He would now, however, with the rage quantity on which the duty was charged, was
permission of the Committee,•recal to their recoller- 12,000 barrels, and in the last year, it was only
don a few of those observations which he had thought : 7000. To what then was this diminution owing '
it his duty to make three Sessions ago, and to apply The Hon. Member charged no individual, but it ap.
to them some of those facts and examples which sub-' peared to him certain, that bisides great laxity its
j sequent experience had furnished in confirmation of ' the collection of the Revenue' there was something
his former reasonings. He had then stated as like a connivance at fraud. [Hear, hear!] The
a general principle, that the only secure means to . country was doubtless deeply iudebted to the Chan.
I which the country could look, to enable it to sup- cellor of the Exchequer for Ireland for the unceasieg
port the arduous and protracted struggle in which ' pains he had taken to procure a more adequate col.
' it is engaged, was the adoption of every practice. ! lection of the taxes, but he had failed,.sitice nothing
Ible measure of retrenching and equalizing its ex- but a complete change of system, in Mr. Huskisson's
penditure.' He had added, that the then existing ' opinion, could effect so desirable an object. Tee
%ystem of Loans and War Taxes could not be con-: defalcation would appear the more remarkableos hen
tinned for any great length of time. What had re- it was known that in Ireland, not one direct tax
cent changes and events tended to establish? In i • was imposed, and in this respect, that her situation
1810, the amount of debt funded was upwards of was better than that of any other country of the
jsixteen millions ; in 1811, 19,500,0001.; and in world, with the exception of the Culled States. The
' 1612, to '27,870,0001. The state of the public i truth was, that the public credit of Ireland stood
funds at These different periods, corresponded with I much higher than that of Great Britain 9 and yet this
the increasing demands, and strongly countenanced I country lending to her assistance she could by no
those apprehensious which he had entertained.-1 means afford. He would venture to assert, that if
The three per Cent. Consols were in 1810, at the 'by this circumstance, the public credit of Great
!tine of contracting for the Loan, at 70; in 1811, I Britain had net been so grievously injured, the Loan
'at6s ; and in 1812, at 56. The charge of the. Loan ' just negociated might have • been contracted for ,on
had risen from 61. 4s. to 71. 4s. The Rlght, Hon.: terms 5 per cent, better than those actually obtained.
Gentleman then entered into a discussion of the ' [(bar, hear 1 To correct defects in the various
financial policy of the last three years, and blamed' respects he had hitherto pointed out, was by no
f the interference with the Surplus of the Consolidated I means all that was necessary, because if the system
',Find. He reprobated the tax of last Session on I hitherto pursued was to be continued, a revision of
Spirits, contending that it produced no addition to j our foreign and domestic establishments would be
• the revenue, while it served to encourage elicit dis- j absolutely necessary. [Velar, hear! i The Naval
tillation, to the detriment of public health and mo-1 and Military branches of our expenditure must be
rids. 'lt was evident that if by doubling a duty they closely examined ; and it •was impossible for any
diminished the legal consumption of a commodity, individual, even though he should have spent
nothing was gained. We had recently taken upon his• whole life in public concerns, to form even a
ourselves the provision for paying the interest of the vague calculation as to the result : that it would tie
Irish Loan, but this provision appeared to be entire- j highly advantageous to the finances of the nation
ly forgotten, unless the Chancellor of the Exchequer I was clear, and that it would not be detrimental to
for Ireland had included it in his Budget. The I its safety and interests was equally certain ; much
Hon. Member then proceeded to what appeared to I might however be effected by the revival and invir.
him to be the most important part of the subject, ' ration of the Public Credit ; and let whoever would
and which consequently required from Government be Ministers, they would not deserve their stations,
the most anxious and unceasing attention • he meant if they did not make the attempt. It was now too
the state of the public credit, which had been so much late in the present. ear to accomplish the design ; but
depressed by the heavy demands upon it. The addi- he trustee, that in the interval between this and the
tion to the Funded Debt of 1810, created a stock of succeeding Session some plan would be digested cal.
not quite twenty-five millions and a half, and in 1811 culated to effect the object in view. It was far
of not quite twenty-eight millions and a half, and from his intention, in the present melancholy state
even this augmentation had the effect of lowering of the interior, to produce despondency ; such a
the funds from 70 to between 50 and 60. The ca- feeling should at no time be indulged in..a state that
pital stock of the present year, however, to be only existed to any purpose while it was free, but
added to the public Debt, was not less than he was yet to learn that any advantage was to be de.
, fifty-two millions, amounting nearly to the wbole rived from shrinking from facing our dangers, as, in
increase of two years preceding. To what then might his opinion, nothing could be gained from a con•
we not exigct that the price of the Funds would ceolment of our real situation. It was true, that
shortly be reduced, and with what serious conside- in the manufacturing districts distress existed, which
ration did not this momentous subject require from cast a general gloom over the prosiaect of public af-
those who had the management of the Finances of fairs, but the cloud was transitory, sun-shine would
the Empire ?—This depression of the Public Credit, soon be restored ; and although we.might not long
which naturally created such alarm with all thipk- be able to continue our foreign exertions to the ex.
ing men, bad not arisen from any national discs- tent to which they had hitherto been carried, yet he
ters that we had sustained, but it had taken place was convinced that the stamina of the nation were
at a time when the affairs of the State had been con- unimpaired, and that its resources were in-a state of
I ducted with almost unexampled success, and in the ;progressive improvement. [Hear, hear!] Farther
• face of a Sinking Fund, of not less than fourteen land great sacrifices might be necessary to enable us
millions. The terms of the loan that had this year ,to support the arduous struggle in which liberty and
I been contracted for, were less favourable than any ljustice fought against tyranny and• artifice, and if
j that had been obtained since '1798: the war taxes !they were called for he was so firmly persuaded of
then produced little more than four millions, and the I the public spirit of the people, that they would
Sinking Fend was in its infancy, not amounting to I never be backward to supply the means for cond.
more than one-hundreth part of the National Debt ; I truing the triumps of our fleets and armies.
i
!whereas now it had itscended to an importance which Lord A. HAMILTON conceived that the Income
authorized the most sanguine hopes as to its ultimate Tax which, in this country, reached so low as 601.
; effects, since it was more than one forty-sixth part a-year, should also, in fairness, be extended to Ire-
-lof the National Debt. In noticing this subject, land. • .
!he could not in too strong terms point out to the Sir J. NEWPORT would take that opportunity of
I Committee the impolicy of raising money for the pub- submitting some suggestions on the, subject of Irish
I
lic service at such a disadvantageous rate of interest, Finance, which had been introduced by the Hon.
and it appeared to him that it would be far better to Gent. and his Noble Friend. He fully assented to
1
I obtain it by general taxes, which would in the end the truth of their remarks on the extreme dispropor.
' affect the people in a much less proportion. This j tion between the respective revenues of the two
I was another reason for attemtzting by a change of I countries, whch had been increasing ever since the
system, if necessary, to invigorate the present debi- I Union • but it did not proceed from the want of new
litated condition of the public credit of the country, ! taxes being nominally imposed on Ireland. The re.
particularly at a period wheri even the necessary de- venue of that country in 1808 was 4,570,0001. ;
mends upon it were so extensive. He trusted that since then nominal taxes to the amount of 1,200,0001.
the Committee would allow him to point out a few , had been imposed, and yet the produce of the reve-
extraneous circumstances which had caused this de-i nue was 400,0001. less than in 1808. The radical
pression, and which, if duly attended to, might pro- defect lay in the mode of collection; and his opinion
duce considerable relief. The most important of I was, that much more would be done by proper re-
these was the extent to which it had been thought ne-igulations in the mode of levying the taxes, than by
emery, at the sacrifice of our own, to support the! the imposition of new ones. The espeuces of cal-
credit of Ireland. It was a matter that required im- lection were enormous, and impossible to be ac-
I mediate investigation, because it might be deemed one , counted for, except on the supposition of the gross.
iof the roots of the evil. What was the condition of ' eat abuses. In 1806 the expence of collecting the
Ithe sister kingdom in the year 1812? Last year the in- customs in Ireland was 9 per cent. and the excise 8
terest upon her debt was 4,400,0001. exceeding by per cent.; but in 1810, it had-risen to 20 per cent.
half a million the whole amount of her revenue; so in the former, and to 14 in the latter. Hence must
that, in fact, she had no revenue at all which was pro- ,be inferred the grossest corruption. It stood on the
ideetive of benefit to the kingdom in general. Since! Journals of the House, that whole bodies of men
the Union, 'in the course of 1% years, the addition : convicted of the grossest corruption in the collection
made to her public debt was 68,500,0001. the in-lof the taxes, had not only. not been dismissed, but
terest upon which was 3,190,0001. and the increased actually promoted. Of this Mr. Beauchamp Hilt
revenue intended to provide for the payment of that was a pregnant instance, Our Income 'Tay in Ire-
iinterest, did not exceed' 1,370,0001. This was the I land would only increase the number of absentees)
lactual condition of her financial concerns since thel one of the great evils under which it laboured. •
Union so that, year after year they had been gra- I Colonel BASTARD 'expressed his intention not
! dwell/proceeding from bad to Worse, nor did it ap-Ito vote for a single new tax, till the noose
that they were now in a train to amend. - The came to some resolutions of economy. The Minis-
Increase of the charge for the management of the !tem of the Crown had always had too much facility
Revenue was not. less singular. Before the in railing taxes. While bankruptcy stared us in the
Union it was 350,0001. and now it vies no less than face on the one hand, and famine on the other, why
were not the waste lands belonging to 'the Crown
ht),Pooo4.bai:etoho•aligillogoloths,,,ed.Refenl,37o,ll49itietworl.7heso collected
no sold, sold, and converted to some useful purpose? .
loss than 650,0011. wets charged foe
_managing After- Aeon. farther. conversation, the restdsk*
13370,0001. Such a-stete # tang' !a his view were put cud carried.
_

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Mr. WELL LEY POLE brought forward the
Irish Budget. Ile stated •the several articles of sup-
ply ; and then said, that the interest of the whole
amounted to 449,0001. which was provided for by a
I duty on spirits, to be raised partly as a regulation,' and partly as a duty of 2s. M. a gallon laid on in
! the present year. Re then entered into some obser-
vations on the present Government of Ireland, which
introduced a very long conversation,which our limits,
and the late hour at which the House adjourned, will
1 not permit us to enter into.
i It• t' The first resolution, viz. that 500,0001. he granted
to his Majesty, to be raised by Treasury Bills, was
-then read, and agreed to; the Rouse was resulned,
and the Report ordered to be received to-morrow.
Adjourned at half-past one to this day.
i ft Arr.
1
Dublin
8
r 11 1
I
Lisbon
1
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( PRICE OF STOCKS TlllB DAY AT ONE O'CLOCN.
Rank India Rondo It) 11 dis.
~ 3 per Cent. Cons. Exchequer Rills Sid. 4 3 d
• 3 per ('eat. Red. 1106 Li I)itto lid. 3*pr.
4 per Cents. 72}1 Oinniuin 1/ 2
1 r S per Cent. Navy Conseli for Acct. 57i 871
Long. Ann. 14 15-16 15 Lottery Tickets
; THE ST ITESMAN.
LONDON:
TIIURSDA IF, JUNE 18, 1812.

The Nonpariel schooner arrived on Tuesday at
Plymouth, with the official details of the defeat of
the enemy at Almaraz, by Sir Row Lawn HILL, of
which we were previously informed by the Lisbon
Papers. Major CURRIE, who was the bearer of these
dispatches,.and who is said to have brought a French
Eagle. captured by General HILL, arrived in town
yesterday afternoon, when the substance of the com-
munication was transmitted by the Secretary at War
to the LORD MAYOR, by an Official Bulletin; and
this forenoon the particulars were given in tho fol-
lowing
GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY.
wAlt DEPARTMENT.
Downing-Wed, June. 17, 1812.

Major Currie, Aid-de-Camp to Lieutenant-Gen.
Sir Rowland Hill, arrived this evening at Lord
Bathurst's Office with a dispatch, of which the fol-
lowing is an extract, addressed to the Earl of Liver-
pool by General the Earl of Wellington, dated Fuente
Guinaldo, 28th May, 1812.
When I found the enemy had retired from this
frontier, on the 25th of April, I directed Lieut.-Gen.
Sir Rowland Hill to carry into execution the opera-
tions against the enemy's posts and establishments at
the passage of the Tagus, at Almaraz.
Owing to the necessary preparation for this expe-
dition Lieut.-Gen. Sir Rowland Hill could not begin
his march, with part of the 2d division of infantry,
till the 12th instant, and he attained the objects of
his expedition on the 19th, by taking by storm Forts
Napoleon and Ragusa, and the fetes-duvont and
other works, by which the enemy's bridge was guard-
ed, by destroying those forts and works, and the ene-
my's bridge and establishments, and by taking their
magazines and two hundred and fifty-nine prisoners,
and eighteen pieces of cannon.
I have the honour to enclose Lieut. Gen. Sir Row-
land 11111's report of this brilliant exploit ; and I beg
to draw your Lordship's attention to the difficulties
with which he had to contend, as well from the na-
ture of the country, as from the works which the !
enemy had constructed, and to the ability and the
characteristic qualities displayed by Lieut.-Gen. Sir
Rowland 11111 in persevering in the line, and con-
fining himself to the objects chalked out by his in-
structions, notwithstanding the various obstacles op-
posed to his progress.
I have nothing to add to Lieut.-Gen. Sir Rowland
llill's report of the conduct of the officers and troops
under his command, excepting to express my con-
currence in all he says in their praise. Too much
cannot be said of the brave officers and troops who
took by storm, without the assistance of cannon,
such works as the enemy's forts on both banks
of the Taus, fully garrisoned, in good order, and
defended by 18 pieces of artillery.
Your Lordship is aware that the road of Almaraz
affords the only good military communication across
the Tagus, and from the Tagus to the Guadiana, be-
low Toledo. AU the permanent bridges below the
bridge of Arzobispo have been destroyed during the
war, by one or other of the belligerents, and the
enemy have found it impossible to repair them. Their
bridge, which Lieut.-Gen. Sir Rowland Hill has de-
stroyed, was one of boats; and 1 doubt their having
the means of replacing it. The communications from
the bridges of Arzobispo and Talavera to the Guadi-
ana, are very difficult, and cannot be deemed mili-
tary communications for a large prmy. The result
then of Lieut.-Gen. Hill's expedition, has been to
rut offthe shortest and best communication between
the armies of the South and of Portugal.
Nearly about the time that the enemy's troops, '
reported in my last dispatch to have moved into the
Condado de Niebla, marched from Seville, it is re-
ported
that another considerable detachment under
Marshal Soult went towards the blockade of Cadiz,
and it was expected that another attack was to be
made upon Tarifa.
It appears, however, that the enemy received
early intelligence of Sir Rowland Hill's march. The
troops under the command of General Drouet made
a movement to their left, and arrived upon the Gua-
diana at Medellin on the 17th inst. ; and on the 18th
a detachment of the cavalry under the command of
the same General drove in, as far as Ribera, the
picquets of Lieutenant-General Sir Wm. Erskine's
division of cavalry which had remained in Lower

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Estramadtnai with a part of the td division of in
fautry, and Lieutenant-General Ilatnikotes division
of infantry. Marshal Soult likewise moved from
the blockade of Cadiz towards Cordova.; and the
troops whieb.had marched from Seville into the Con-
dado de Niebla, returned to Seville nearly about the
lute time; but Lieutenant-General Sir lowland

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