Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1814-04-27

paid into the Treasury before the end Of tie
PER lsl[. making with the quotas already
paid, two millions f dollars.
Al The internal duties, with the cxcep
tioa OF the duty on refined scsar, viii b,
more pr, ductive than was heretofore est
mated. The credit allowed for the duty on
licences to cissil,ers, will postpone the pay
meat into the treasury of "a considerable por
tiun OF that duty, accruing during the PIE.
sent year, beyond the eIa Of the yeai. But
Notwithstanding this crcum stance, the a
mount payable on account OF those duties
during the year is estimated a, Que million
eigh, hundred Thousand dollars; If which.
about seven hundred thousand dollars have
already been paid into the Treasury.
Tue revenue arising from the postage of
letters, lees ON letters patent. and sundry
Incidental receipts, including arrears OF for.
mer direct tax aud internal duties, may be
estimated at fifty thousand dollars. The
receipts on these accounts for several pas,
years have averaged mole than this sum
annually.
The result Of the estimate now given,s is
for receipts during the year iSl4-
Fr IN he proceeds OF the
Customs. 6.soo, 900
Puo.ic lands, 100000
Direct tax, 1900 coo
Internal duties, 100000
$500, 600
Postage and incidental
receipts, $4,000
Making an aggregate of 1O,9so,o00
Aud oer.g o5V.0UO dollars more than was
Estimated IN the annual report from this de-
partn.eit IT the sth ut January last. From
tins view of the subject, it is considered, that
Tor The purpose aione OF covering the deficit
OF 7UU,tU0 dollars, stated IN that report, 1t
Will not DC necessary TO provide additional
reSe.ue..
On the subject Of changing the duties on
domestic distilled spnits from the capacity
oil the stii 10 the & lion, isspectlag which
you ask such information "a the treasury
department can furnish, have the honor
to observe, ina the only practical lEiorma
ton thus department. could be supposed 10
possess CHI tnis suuj, CT, must ue derived ell
ther from the proceedings under the former
laws imposing duties Oh domestic distiie !
spirits, or tfom chose under the present law
lay ing duties on licences to dsti.iers, &C
he documents III this othce, SO Tar a. II
has been Practicable u examine them, dur
ing the short ,iiiie allowed ior that purgoNe,
furnish no Information relative TO the pros
cetdis6s Under the former laws calculated
to Throw light Oh the SUBJECT. The Inior
inaiion derived from utner sources, tends to
shew that the difficulties which occurred in
Collecting, under chose laws, the duties OIL
the quaneity OF spirits distilled. were expe
rieh.ed principally in cases of distilleries
carried On In The Country, or OF such as were
Carried on elsewhere on small scale. In
the cases OF these carried on in Cities, towns
anu village, and particularly such as were
SCala tfxx <f,tA lie
considerable.
BY recurring to the laws passed on this
suOJsct, from 1871, to 1897, (Which are suts
hcientiy well known 10 the com ittee) il
apPeaIs the option first given TO country
aistiliers and owners OF stills worked else
hhere' OF small capacity, to pay by the gal
ion' pfeierred, instead Of paving by the
SapdCisy o. Tue sill, was by the act of Bird
March, 1877, abolished, and the duty on the
CAPACITY vi the still made absolute in those
cases; from which 1t may be inferred the
opinion then prevalent was in favor of the
latter mode. A duty on the quantity of spi.
Tits distilled, If the same could, without much
esasion OF the law, be collected, would. il i
Presumed, be more productive than that
."nich Il might be deemed proper to impose
on the Capacity of the still
how iartne progress of improvement, il,
the country generally, or q change OF
circumstances In other respects, may be
Considered as having removed the causes
OF 'he difficulties formerly experienced in
conecti'ig the duty On the quantity
Oh SPINS distilled; or how far il would be
advisable to ADOPT, to Certain extent. the.
u'se formerly pursued, and impose the
ou'y on he quantity distilled, in cases OF
i@i6c di''iiieries generally, and of all thos,
Carried on lis cisies, towns and villages, lex
pt perhaps such as are on very small
ssa'g) and On the capacity of the still, in all
o.. Cases. are questions proper for the
coss.d-fation and decision Of the Committee
-he res ut Jaw laying duties on licences
todisti.iers. c<c.has not been in operation "a
sufhcieas leGYth of time to afford the means
OF forming SUCH opinion on the subject as
oaAhc TO be relied Gil. From the account
rsceI, ed IN tie department Of the proceed
ings under IT., ,irie is reason to believe, az
already stated in answering another part of
your letter, that the revenue arising from
thi> branch of internal duties will exceed
t.e SUN at which 1t has been estimated.
have the honor to be, very respectfully,
sir, your obedient servant,
G. w. CAMPBELL.
HIN. John w Efhes. chairman
Of ne committee Of spoys and
means