material importance was that to which he had already called the attention of the House-an increase of duty on Foreign Wool. The others were all of a very minute description, and the produce of the whole he took at 500,000l. per annum. Out of such a variety of articles as were comprehended under this head, some might produce less-some more than he calculated upon; but he had no reason to expect that the result upon the whole would be materially different from that which he had previously anticipated. The whole of the minute particulars would shortly be brought under the view of every Member, by a separate schedule, which he hoped would very soon be in their hands. He had mentioned, on a former occasion, that a considerable proportion of the sum proposed to be raised was expected to arise from a transfer of part of the business now jointly carried on between the Boards of Custom and Excise. It was intended to transfer to the Excise certain duties which were before in part collected by the Customs. These were the duties on tobacco, tea, pepper, coffee, and cocoa-nuts. On the last-mentioned article a higher rate of duty was at present paid than on coffee. For many years the duties on the two articles had been the same. But when it became an object to bring coffee into more general use, a difference was made in its favor, but now it was proposed that coffee and the cocoa-nut or chocolate uut should, with reference to taxation, be placed on the same footing. He then proceeded to notice severally the articles which came under this head-tobacco, coffee, tea and pepper. On tobacco the present duties varied very materially. The Excise duty on American tobacco was 9 d. per lb. on Spanish and Portuguese tobacco 2s.; and on West India tobacco 1s. To these he added the Custom duties, and the augmentation now proposed on these would make the total duty on plantation tobaccos 4s.; and on foreign tobaccos and all snuffs, 6s. pr. lb. On plantation coffee he proposed to increase the duty from 73d. to 1s. On East India coffee from 11d. to 1s. 6d.; and on foreign coffee from 2s. 4 d. to 2s. and 6d. per lb. The duty on pepper he would raise from Is. and 104d. to 2s. 6d. per lb. The advance he had to propose on tea he had before stated, which went to raise the existing duty from 96 to 100 per cent. On tobacco he looked for an increase of revenue of 500,000l.; on tea of 130,000l.; on coffee and cocoa 130,000l.; and on pepper 30,000l. The motive for transferring the duties he had mentioned from the Customs to the Excise was this, that it went to effect a saving of nearly all the officers now employed in that branch of the public service, who had the charge and management of the Custom duties on these articles. This arrangement would also afford considerable accommodation to merchants. Nothing was more complained of at present than the multiplied regulations which they were forced to observe, and

a

the necessity they were under of making applications on the same business at various places and at different periods of the day. But the principal advantage of this arrangement was this, that it would prevent the adulteration of the articles which it comprehended. Some of these were sold in very small quantities, and often ground, so that it was not easy to determine whether or not they were genuine. By the transfer of these from the Customs to the Excise, watch would be set over them to prevent their adulteration. On this account, as well as on others, the transfer was obviously desirable. Two other subjects were yet to be brought under the consideration of the Committee. The first of these was the increased duty on Malt, which he calculated would produce 1,400,000l.; including the sum which it would raise in Ireland, to which he proposed all the new duties should extend, with the exception of the tax on home distilled spirits. The sum which he had mentioned he calculated would be raised by a duty of 1s. 2d. per bushel on malt, or 9s. 4d. per quarter. When he first opened this subject to the House, he had certainly entered into some details, to show that the tax which he had suggested might be borne, without an increase of the price of beer. Every inquiry he had since been able to make, had only served to strengthen the impression which he had then on his mind. For information on this subject he would refer the House to the Report of the Committee on breweries, which sat in last Session, which would be found to contain much valuable matter, especially that which had been furnished to it by a most respectable Gentleman, then a member of that House. With that Gentleman, he meant Mr. Barclay, he had recently had a communication, and he would now state to the House the view he took of this subject. Mr. Barclay had stated the real price of malt in the last year to have been 4s, below the prices which had been quoted. According to him, though 81s. 4d. had been paid for a finer sort of malt, the general purchases had been made at 77s. 4d. Hops had then sold for 241. or 251. per cwt. Much of the barley grown in the last year was unfit for malting, and consequently the price of malt was higher now than it was then. The average price in the present year was 90s. But hops had fallen to 107, per cwt. The result then was as follows:

Malt was in 1818 per quarter

In 1819

£3 17 0

Hops were now so reduced in price, that the expense of brewing a quarter of malt for porter, which was

last year

Was in the present year

4 10 0

5. 18 0

5 8 4

0 10 4

Deducting the price of the present year, there remained

in favor of the brewer

This being the case, there being a balance in favor of the brewer of 10s. 4d. on the price of brewing a quarter of malt, Mr. Barclay was of opinion that the duty proposed might be borne without inconvenience; and he was further of opinion, that, if the present season should turn out as favorably as at present there was every reason to hope it would, the public might reasonably look forward, as he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had stated on a former evening, to a diminution of its price. (Hear, hear, hear!) He hoped, whatever might be the difference between the calculations of various persons, that the House would find the general result the same, and be satisfied that his position that the present duty not only did 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 duty on home distilled spirits. It was not his intention that this measure should extend to Scotland or Ireland. The present duty on wash for distilling spirits, which paid Is. 9d. on the gallon, he proposed to add 3d. to, and charge in future with a duty of 2s. The sugar wash, which now paid 2s. 6d. per gallon, he would render liable to 2 duty of 3s. 3d. The duty on spirits he calculated would produce an increase to the Revenue of 500,000/. If the effect of this tax should be to diminish the consumption of spirits and increase the consumption of the wholesome produce of the brewery, no man would more rejoice at the effect of the measure than he should; and with this feeling he had thought it right that a tax on spirits should accompany the new duty on malt, to protect both the health and the morals of the people.-Those concerned in the spirit trade had however urged, that this measure would give the traders in foreign spirits an advantage over them if some duty were not imposed on spirits imported.-On this subject he had come to no decision, but he might hereafter find it necessary to come forward with some additional measure to protect their interests from the injury they might sustain, if undue advantages were conceded to the foreign article. Having gone through the different subjects he had wished to press upon the attention of the Committee, he begged to say, if on any point he had not been distinctly understood, he should be happy to afford any explanation that might be required.

Mr. Grenfell upon having observed across the table, that he had not quite understood what the Right. Hon. Gentleman had said regarding the 11,000,000l., the Chancellor of the Exchequer further stated he was happy that his attention had been recalled to this point, especially as it was connected with what he was about to have stated. He had said that he hoped the present would be the last time he or his successors in office should have to discharge

the duty of calling for a loan and for additional taxes. With reference to the 11,000,0007., he had observed that 13 millions were required to balance the expenditure of the present year with the income, but that he hoped in the next year, partly from reductions of charge, principally on the unfunded debt, and other causes, the sum to be borrowed would not exceed 11 millions. Supposing therefore the House should think it safe next year, to resort to the Sinking Fund for a loan of 12 millions, four millions in addition from private sources would be all that would be required to complete the payment of the remaining 5,000,000l. to the Bank of England as far as Ministers were able at present to see, 4,000,000l. of loan or of Exchequer Bills beyond the sums which might safely and without inconvenience be borrowed from the Sinking Fund, would be the utmost that would be necessary to complete the supplies for the next or for any future year.—(Hear.)—This effort to avert the repetition of the evils of loans and taxes hereafter having been made, Hon. Members would return to their homes with the satisfaction of having performed their duty; and he trusted that the exertions would be rewarded by the approbation of their constituents, even though some momentary feeling of distaste might prevail as to the particular taxes. Without trespassing further on the time of the House, he proposed his first resolution, which was " that towards the supplies of the present year 12 millions be raised by way of annuity."

No. I.

334,000