bring coffee into more general use, a difference was made in its favour, but it was now proposed that coffee and the cocoa-nut or chocolate-nut, should, with reference to taxation, be placed on the same footing.-The remain ing articles to be considered were tobacco, coffee, tea, and pepper. With respect to tobacco, the existing duties greatly varied. American tobacco paid an excise duty of 92d. a pound; Spanish and Portuguese tobacco 2s. a pound; and West India tobacco 1s. a pound. To this was to be added the custom duty. It was intended to simplify all those duties, and to impose on all plantation and East India tobacco a duty of 4s., on foreign tobacco, and on all foreign snuffs a duty of 6s. The produce of the increase of these duties he estimated at 500,000l. Upon coffee, of the plantations, there was at present a duty of 74d. a pound. He proposed to raise it to 1s. a pound. East India coffee from lid. to 1s. 6d. ; and on foreign coffee from 2s. 44d. to 2s. 6d., from which it was estimated, that 30,000l. would be derived.

He had already mentioned, that by the transfer from the customs to the excise, very considerable expenses of management would be saved to the public. By placing all the duties on one article under the management of one board, that of the excise, all the services of the officers of the customs employed on that particular branch of the service would be saved to the public. A most essential convenience would also be afforded by it to merchants. He did not know any thing of VOL. LXI.

which persons in trade more loudly complained, than the multiplied regulations to which they were at present obliged to attend, and the necessity they were under of making applications on the same business at various places, and at different periods of the day. All that would now be remedied. But the principal advantage of the projected arrangement was this, that it would prevent the adulteration of the articles which it comprehended. Some of those articles were sold in small quantities; oftentimes ground up, and it therefore became extremely difficult to determine whether or not they were genuine. By the transfer of these from the customs to the excise, a watch would be set over them to prevent their adulteration. It was desirable also, that the collection of the revenue should be placed under the care of those who possessed the best means of exercising a vigilant superintendance over it; and the commissioners of the customs had no cognizance of the subjects of taxation after their delivery from the king's warehouses.

Two other subjects remained to be brought under the consideration of the committee. One, from which he expected to derive a very considerable addition of revenue, was the increased duty on malt. He had stated on a former evening, in his general opening, that he calculated on its producing 1,400,000. including its operation in Ireland,-to which country, indeed, it was proposed that all the increased duties should extend, except that on home distilled spirits. The sum [H]

which

which he had mentioned, would, he conceived, be raised by the imposition of an additional duty of 1s. 2d. a bushel, or 9s. 4d. per quarter.

When he first intro

duced the subject of the duty on malt, he endeavoured to show by calculation, that the additional duty ought to cause no addition of price to the public. In the opinion which he had expressed on that occasion, he had been confirmed by subsequent inquiry and consideration. He wished that every gentleman who took an interest in this subject would give themselves the trouble of consulting the evidence taken before the committee on breweries which sat last year; the report made by which contained highly valuable information. He had taken the liberty, on the occasion to which he had just alluded, of adverting to the evidence given before that committee by a very respectable gentleman, extensively engaged in the trade, and at that period a member of the House. Another very respectable gentleman thought that he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had mistaken that evidence. Since that period he had had a personal communication and conference with the gentleman whom he had first mentioned, - Mr. Barclay,-in order that he might correct any error into which he had fallen; and he would now state to the committee the view which Mr. Barclay at present took of the subject. Mr. Barclay said, that the real price of malt generally averaged 4s. a quarter less than the price quoted. The price quoted last year was 81s. a quarter, and that he had stated to the com

mittee on the subject; but the general average of that year he believed to be 77s. a quarter. So far the difference of the two statements certainly diminished the result of the comparison which he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had made between the last and the present year. Mr. Barclay also stated, that the average price of malt this year was 84s. a quarter; but he allowed that it was of an inferior quality to the malt of last year, and that it was not so good for the purpose of brewing by 6s. a quarter. That 6s. ought therefore to be added to the present average price of malt (as compared with the average of last year) making it 90s. a quarter. But hops which were last year 24. or 25l. a cwt. had fallen to 10. The result, then, of the comparative statement between 1818 and 1819 would stand thus:-In 1818 the quarter of malt was 31. 17s., and the hops and other materials necessary to brew it cost 21. 2s., making in the whole 51. 19s. In the present year, the quarter of malt (allowing 6s. a quarter for its inferiority to the malt of last year) was 47. 10s.; but the hops and other materials necessary to brew it, would cost but 18s. 4d., making in the whole only 5l. 8s. 4d. It thus distinctly appeared that the brewer gained a profit in the present year of 10s. 8d. a quarter more than he did last year. He thought it but perfectly right that the public should participate in that profit; and it was obvious that the proposed duty, being drawn only from the surplus profit of the brewer this year, as compared with the last, ought not to

affect

affect the price to the consumer, which price, instead of being raised, ought, and he trusted would, rather be reduced; and more especially, if the approaching harvest should turn out favourably. He hoped, whatever might be the differences between the calculations of various persons, that the House would find the general result the same, and be satisfied with his position, that the present duty did not only not go to justify a rise in the price of porter, but was compatible with a diminution of price after a time, was fully borne out.

The only remaining article to which he had to call the attention of the committee, was the proposed increase of duty on home-made spirits, he meant spirits distilled in England, for it was not his intention that this, tax should extend either to Scotland or to Ireland. The new duties he meant to impose, were at the following rates: the duty on malt wash he meant to advance 3d. per gallon; or from 1s. 9d. its present rate, to two shillings. The duty on sugar he proposed to advance to 2s. 6d. ; and that on wine wort, or wine wash, to 3s. 6d. The produce of those increased duties he calculated at 500,000l. If the effect of these last duties should be to diminish the consumption of spirits, and increase that of the wholesome produce of the brewery, no man would more heartily than himself rejoice at a change that would be so conducive to the health and morals of the people. Some gentlemen concerned in the distilleries had however represented to him that

1

this measure would give the foreign distiller an advantage over them, unless they were protected by some countervailing measure. On that subject he had not yet come to any decision; but he might hereafter deem it expedient, to come forward with some additional proposition, which, while it afforded protection to the home trade from foreign competition, would probably, at the same time, augment the revenue of the country."

Several amendments were proposed by different members of opposition, which being all thrown out, the original resolutions were agreed to.

House of Lords. Tuesday, July 13.

The Speaker's Speech to the Prince Regent on presenting the Money Bill.-This day his Royal Highness the Prince Regent came in the usual state to the House of Peers. His Royal Highness having taken his seat on the throne, the gentleman usher of the black rod was directed to require the attendance of the House of Commons. In a few minutes the Speaker, attended by a great number of the members of the House of Commons, appeared at the bar.

The Speaker delivered at the bar the following speech:-May it please your Royal Highness; We, his majesty's faithful subjects of the united kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, in parliament assembled, attend your Royal Highness with our concluding bill of supply.

"The subjects which have occupied our attention have been more numerous, more various, [H2] and

and more important, than are usually submitted to the consideration of parliament for the same session.

Upon many of these subjects we have been engaged in long and unwearied examinations; but such has been the pressure of other business, and particularly of that which ordinarily belong to a first session of parliament; and such the magnitude and intricacy of many of those inquiries, that the limits of the present session have not allowed of bringing them to a close.

"But, Sir, of those measures which we have completed, the most prominent, the most important, and, as we trust, in their consequences the most beneficial to the public, are the measures which have grown out of the consideration of the present state of the country, both in currency and finances.

"Early, Sir, in the present session, we instituted an inquiry into the effects produced on the exchanges with foreign countries, and the state of the circulating medium, by the restriction on payments in cash by the Bank. This inquiry was most anxiously and deliberately conducted, and in its result, led to the conclusion, that it was most desirable, quickly, but with due precautions, to return to our ancient and healthful state of currency; that, whatever might have been the expediency of the acts for the suspension of payments in cash at the different periods at which they were enacted (and doubtless they were expedient, whilst the country was involved in the most expensive contest that ever

weighed down the finances of any country), still, that the necessity for the continuance of these acts having ceased, it became us, with as little delay as possible (avoiding carefully the convulsion of too rapid a transition) to return to our ancient system; and that if, at any period, and under any circumstances, this return could be effected without national inconvenience, it was at the present, when this mighty nation, with a proud retrospect of the past, after having made the greatest efforts, and achieved the noblest objects, was now reposing in a confident, and, as we fondly hope, a well-founded expectation of a sound and lasting peace.

and no pressure to which she would not willingly and cheerfully submit, to enable her to maintain, pure and unimpaired, that which has never yet been shaken or sullied, her public credit, and her national good faith.

"Thus, Sir, I have endeavoured shortly, and I am aware how imperfectly, to notice the various duties which have devolved upon us, in one of the longest and most arduous sessions in the records of parliament. The bill, Sir, which it is my duty to present to your Royal Highness, is intituled, "An act for applying certain monies therein mentioned for the service of the year 1819, and for further appropriating the supplies granted in this sessions of parliament. To which, with all humility, we pray his majesty's royal assent.

The royal assent was immediately given to the said bill.

The Prince Regent's Speech at the Close of the Session.-The Prince Regent then delivered the following Speech:

"My Lords and Gentlemen; "It is with great regret that I am again obliged to announce to you the continuance of his Majesty's lamented indisposition.

"I cannot close this session of parliament without expressing the satisfaction that I have derived from the zeal and assiduity with which you have applied yourselves to the several important objects which have come under your consideration. Your patient and laborious investigation of the state of the circulation and currency of the king

dom, demands my warmest acknowledgments; and I entertain a confident expectation that the measures adopted as the result of this inquiry, will be productive of the most beneficial consequences "Gentlemen of the House of Commons;

"I thank you for the supplies which you have granted for the service of the present year.

"I sincerely regret that the necessity should have existed of making any addition to the burthens of the people; but I anticipate the most important permanent advantages from the effort which you have thus made for meeting at once all the financial difficulties of the country; and I derive much satisfaction from the belief, that the means which you have devised for this purpose are calculated to press as lightly on all classes of the community as could be expected, when so great an effort was to be made.

My Lords and Gentlemen ; "I continue to receive from foreign powers the strongest assurances of their friendly dispositions towards this country.

"I have observed with great concern, the attempts which have recently been made in some of the manufacturing districts, to take advantage of circumstances of local distress, to excite a spirit of disaffection to the institutions and government of the country. No object can be nearer my heart, than to promote the welfare and prosperity of all classes of his Majesty's subjects; but this cannot be effected without the maintenance of public order and tranquillity.

"You