HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 16. The House having resolved itself into a Committee of Supply, to whom were referred the accounts of the public debt, &c.; the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in a prefatory speech, in which he congratulated the House on the flourishing state of the Finances, brought forward the annual Budget. The Hon. Gentle man said, he should first state the Supplies already granted for the year :-For the Navy, 19,258,0007.- the Army, including Army for Ireland and Extraordinaries, 20,307,0007.- the Ordnance, 4,411,0007. Miscellaneous Services, 2,000,000. There would besides, be a vote of Credit for England, to the amount of 3,000,0007.; for Ireland, to the amount of 200,000l.; for Sicily, to the amount of 400,000l.; for Portugal, to the amount of 980,000l.; total about 50,500,000l.; from which, deducting the sum for Ireland, there would remain to be provided for by Great Britain, 46,079,000l. To meet this, there were Annual Duties, 3,000,000l. Surplus already voted of the Consolidated Fund of 1809, 2,661,6027. — Surplus for the for the present year, 4,400,0001. — War Taxes, 19,500,000/- Lottery, 350,0002, -Exchequer Bills funded, 8,311,6007.— Vote of Credit, 3,000,0007. Loan, 8,000,000%. Making in the whole, 46,223,2021..or an excess of 144,2021. aboye the sum required. He should proceed to state the different items of which these sums were to be composed, leaving the Consolidated Fund to the last. First, the War Taxes: these he estimated at 19 millions, and he esteemed himself justified in taking them at that amount, they having last year produced into the Exchequer 22,707,000l. Property Tax had, during the last year, produced 13,751,2331, although the assessment for that year was computed only at 11,400,000/. being a difference of 2,351,2337. This, however, might be supposed to have arisen from arrears, none of which now existed earlier than 1807. The last quarter shewed the Property Tax to be greatly on the increase, but he did not take it at the increased rate. The War Taxes, under the heads Customs and Excise for three years 1808, 9, and 10, amounted to 27 mil lions, being on an average 9,060,0001.:being together, 20,460,0001, By the drawing of the Lottery in one day, the evil resulting from insuring had been remedied, Trusting, therefore, that Gentlemen would not deprive the revenue of this source of income, he should estimate GENT. MAG. July, 1810.

The

it at 250,0001. As to the Exchequer Bills, he had already stated them at three millions for the year, and he trusted the House would not be indisposed to a grant to that amount. Regarding the Loan, he had the satisfaction of stating, that it amounted in all to 12 inillions (namely, eight millions for Great Britain, and four for Ireland); and had been concluded on terms infinitely the most favourable of any Loan which had yet been known in this country. The terms were, that the Contractors for every 1007. should receive 1301. three per cent. Reduced, and 101. 7s. 6d. Consols, being in the whole, 1407. 78. 6d. ;. the amount of the interest thus to be paid for the loan, being no more than 41. 4s. 34d. per cent. ; so that a loan of 12 millions had been negotiated at 15s. 74d. below the legal rate of interest. The total charge on the publick, in this manner, was, in the proportion of the loan of last year, as 41. 4s. 3 d. to 4l. 12s. 10d.; so that, be the country in a worse state, or a better now, than it was last year, 12 millions had been borrowed for a sun intrinsically worth 11,230,000. The Right Hon. Gentleman then proceeded to state the amount of the Consolidated Fund, which exceeded in the year 1810 the surplus of the preceding year by 5,339,000%. He did not wish, however, to take it as this amount, but to prefer an average of the two years, which produced 4,485,2241. Under the head of Malt Duty, there was an increase during the last quarter of 40,0001. The Assessed Taxes for the last year amounted to 6,459,000%. In this sum, there were considerable arrears, amounting, on the best calculation, to not less than 600,0007. These had, however, been reduced to about 300,000l. The Stamps he estimated at 5,193,000l. the Post-office at 1,194,0007.; the Hawkers, &c. at 20,0002 producing a total of 37,597,000l. The charge on the Consolidated Fund, exclusive of Ireland, amounted to 31,960,0007. leaving a surplus 5,637,0001. The reason why he should not take more from this branch for the service of the year, than 4,400,000%. he would explain. The Stamps had risen very greatly during the last year, to the amount of not less than 1,236,9077. in consequence of the consolidation of those duties, arising from regulations which he himself had introduced. These he had estimated, under different heads of management, would produce a saving of 106,0997. but it so happened, that in

of

catastrophe, the French Revolution. The course his Right Hon. Friend had taken would create the necessity of adding another million to next year's loan; so that it was only shifting the ground; he might as well have placed the charge upon the war taxes.

Mr. Rose, in reply to the last speaker, remarked, that we had made such arrangements for the benefit of those who were to come after us, that no less than 10 millions per annum were set apart to relieve them from debt, which sum was more than the whole revenue of the

country when he first entered into public life. How the resources of the country had been so prosperous as the statement of his Right Hon. Friend displayed, he declared himself unable to account. But somehow it appeared, that, from the industry and ingenuity of our merchants, every prohibitory measure of Buonaparte's had utterly failed of their object. In fact, instead of limiting our trade, it had rather extended, in spite of the hostile proceedings of the Enemy.

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Mr. Tierney thought it necessary that some inquiry should be instituted as to the cause of the present state of our resources, in order to ascertain whether that cause was likely to be permanent, or merely of a temporary nature. This inquiry appeared the more necessary, as even an old Member of the Board of Trade professed himself unable to account for that prosperity upon which the House had been congratulated. As to retrenchment, he heard no proposal of it he could see no sign of itwithstanding all the professions that had been made. He saw a Vote of Credit equal to that of the last year, when we had Austria and Sweden to subsidize ; and this vote too in addition to that already granted to Portugal. What then could be the object of this Vote? certainly required explanation. As to the rise in the price of 3 per cent. Stock, he thought it owing to artificial causes, by no means indicative of national prosperity, although enabling the Right Hon. Gentleman to conclude the Loan upon such advantageous terms. But the Right Hon. Gentleman seemed to have a great deal of good luck to help him out. In the first year of his financial duties, the Loan was provided by his predecessors; in the second year, between 3 and 400,0007. of Annuities fell in; and now a surplus produce of Taxes offered, which, however, he thought the Right Hon. Gentleman was grossly misapplying, in setting apart to pay the interest of the Loan. This surplus ought rather, in his judgment, to be

Lord Milton shortly spoke; as did Messrs. Long, Perceval, and Wharton, in reply.

Mr. P. Moore opposed the motion, because it did not go far enough; he was for the abolition of every sinecure office.

The House then divided on, Mr. Bankes's amendment: Ayes 93, Noes 99.

Mr. Martin then agreed that his Resolutions on the same subject should be negatived, and those of Mr. Perceval agreed to, on an understanding that the latter should be discussed, on bringing up the Report.

HOUSE OF LORDS, May 18. The Royal Assent was notified by Commission to 73 Public and Private Bills.

In the Commons, the same day, a Bill for allowing the Trustees of Drurylane Theatre to, rebuild the same, was read the first time.

In the Committee of Supply, the sum of six millions was granted to pay off Exchequer Bills.

In the Committee of Ways and Means, six millions by Exchequer Bills was voted for the service of the year.

The Committee of Privileges, appointed to consider the notices of action sent by Sir F. Burdett, presented their report. It consists solely of a citation of law authorities and cases, where the privilege in question had been exercised, and acquiesced in.

Mr. Whitbread observed, that the report was overrun with erasures, made by the pen, the pencil, and the pen knife. The extracts cited from Sir J. E. Wilmot's posthumous papers were given as if they had been taken from judgments actually delivered by him; whereas the fact was, that the opinions quoted had never been delivered by him, but merely presumed to be delivered. Eleven precedents were also cited as the immoveable rocks of their privileges; but of those eleven rocks it appeared that second thoughts had swept away four by erasures. After some further discussion, the report was ordered to be re-committed.

Lord A. Hamilton's motion for expunging certain resolutions relating to the sale of seats, from the Journals of that House, was negatived without a division.

Mr. Grattan then submitted his promised motion on the sul ject of Catholic Emancipation; and concluded an impressive and eloquent speech by moving,

That the Petition of the Catholics of

tee of the whole House."

Sir J. Hippisley seconded the motion, and vindicated the Creed of the Catholics. The debate was then adjourned.

May 21.

In the Committee of Supply, 13,7731. was granted, for purchasing, and annexing to the British Museum, Mr. Greville's collection of Minerals. (See vol. LXXX. p. 584.)

Gen. Tarleton presented a Petition from the inhabitants of Liverpool, in favour of Parliamentary Reform.

A similar Petition from Canterbury was presented by Mr. Wardle.

Mr. Brand, in a lengthened and appropriate speech, submitted his motion on the subject of Parliamentary Reform. The Hon. Gentleman observed, that the first and greatest evil that existed was, that so many Members of that House were nominated by individuals, the proprietors of decayed boroughs. It was well known to have been the practice of old to relieve, on their application, particular boroughs from the onus of sending Representatives to Parliament. The same principle would authorise the disfranchisement of such boroughs, and transfer the right of returning Members to that House to more opulent and populous places. He denied the right of the proprietors of such boroughs to claim remuneration; yet, he thought, that in feeling and equity it ought to be granted. That property and population formed the basis of Representation, he collected from the spirit of the Constitution. It was a principle recognized by our ancestors, and he found it pervading every one of their measures respecting the constitution of Parliament. The elective franchise for counties had very wisely been given to the freeholders of such counties. He should not think of altering that arrangement; but was of opinion, that the copyholders should also be allowed to vote. This was the only alteration he proposed in the right of voting in counties, except in a few of the Northern counties and in Scotland. In the Metropolis, and other populous places, he should propose, that the right of voting should be given to all householders paying parochial and other taxes. In the Northern counties of England, and in Scotland, he could not see any reason why the right of voting should not be assimilated to the practice in this country, and left in the counties to the resident freeholders and copyholders; and in the boroughs, to householders paying parochial and other taxes. North of Oxford-street,

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