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Surplus

£. -25, 38,348

4,527,652 With respect to the Imperial Annuities, he had the fatisfaction of being able to inform the Committee, that in confequence of a strong reprefentation recently made to the Austrian Ambaffador on the fubject of thefe Annuities, an anfwer was received, which the Right Hon. Gentleman read. It contained the most folemn affurances that this debt would be difcharged as foon as circumstances fhould permit. The Right Hon. Gentleman defcribed the Refolution he meant to fubmit. The next to that already mentioned he stated to be for 1,500,000l. in Exchequer Bills, to be iffued to the Bank in part of payment of the fum of 3,000,000l. advanced by that body for the public fervice in the year 1798. His next motion was for the payment of a balance of 99,8861. due on the Portuguese fubfidy, of 300,000l. voted in the courfe of the last year. The laft vote he had to propofe was for the fum of 14,cool. the appropriation of which was fully explained in the Dif pofition Paper on the table. He then moved Refolutions purfuant to his statement, which were agreed to, and the report was ordered to be brought

up to-morrow.

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For the maintenance of Sick
Prifoners of War

He next proceeded to advert to the remaining Votes of Supply, of which the first that prefented itself was,

For the valuation of the Dutch
fhips which furrendered to
Admiral Mitchell, at the
Helder, the 30th of Auguft

1799

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199,812 He had on this occafion only to remind his Majefty and the Prince of Orange, them, that by a Convention between the latter agreed that the ships which furrendered to him fhould remain in the British fervice till the conclufion of the war, on the condition that they fhould be commanded by Dutch Offiɑ cers, which ftipulation had been complied with. The next fums he referred

to were,

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For the alterations in both Houfes of Parliament, by their authority

For the expences of removing the Office of Charges of the Dutchy of Cornwall from Somerfet-house

£.

99,000

3,000

1,104

5,903

11,948

4,605

612

19,920

698

For the incidental expence of
the Army Establishment 1,000,000
T 2
The

The next object he would fubmit to them was one with which they would not be difpleafed, when they found it to be for increafing the comforts of the Officers of the Naval Service by an augmentation of their pay. It had long been ftrongly represented, that the allowance made to that diftin guifhed and highly meritorious fet of men, was by no means proportioned to the decent expences of Gentlemen in their fituation at the prefent day. It would be obvious, that the preffure of increased expences would fall harder on fome claffes than upon others; but confidering the neceflity of maintaining fuperior rank and station, as well as adding to the comforts of inferior degrees, it was thought better to make the measure fo comprehenfive as to extend to Naval Officers of every defeription; and he had the pleasure of affuring them, that the plan had the fanction and recommendation of the highest and most illuftrious Officers in that fervice. The augmentation of pay would defcend in a gradation from the higheft to the lowest, according to their claffes, and the rates of the hips. By the prefent regulations Admirals on half-pay were allowed 21. 10s. a day, but in future would have an addition of 10s. making it in the whole 31. per day, or 10951. a-year. The additions to the pay of other Officers would be to Vice-Admirals 5s. and Rear-Admirals 2s. 6d. per day. Of 900 Captains 50 would now have 12s. (in lieu of 1cs.), 300 of them 10s. and fo down in proportion. Of 24,000 Lieutenants, 200 would have 5s. 300 4s. 6d. and the others 4s. ; the total of this expence to Commiffioned Officers would be 64,2011. but in addition to this it was propofed

to extend fimilar accommodations to

fome claffes of Warrant Officers, in proportion to the rates of their hips and their feniority. In the higher claffes the pay of Boatfwains would be raifed from 41. to 41. 5s per month, and fo on in proportion through fix rates of faips. A proportionate allowance would alfo be made to Gunners and Purfers; and according to the estimate the expence this augmentation would entail on the public would be,

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but from this there would be a confiderable deduction, as out of 350 fhips, 110 would be continued in time of peace, and the Officers fo employed confequently be entitled to no augmentation. Other means of providing for fome of them in an official line might alfo be devited; and he conceived himself justified in calculating the grand total expence at 64,6951.; but the vote he had to propose to them at prefent was

For the increafed pay of Com- £.
miffioned and Non-commif.
fioned Officers in the Navy
for the remainder of the year,
confidering that the Naval
Service was not yet put upon
a Peace Establishment, and a
number of them confequently
to be kept fome time longer
on full
pay

30,000

The feveral Refolutions were then put and agreed to.

IRISH SUPPLY.

Mr. Corry then faid, that the Vote he had to propofe on the part of Ireland would be in the nature of what was understood by a Vote of Credit in this country, but was no part of the financial fyitem of that part of the for the Contingent Expences of the United Kingdom. He then moved, Civil Lift in Ireland, the fum of 50,000l.

WAYS AND MEANS.

Mr. Addington began by obferving, that he thought it neceflary on this capitulate the various heads of Supply occafion briefly and generally to reand of Ways and Means which had been voted within the current year, and to fhew, as diftinctly as posible, the difference which had been made

between the War and the Peace Estab

lifhment, he thould firft notice the expences of the last year.

The Navy (including two £.
millions of debt)
13,833,573
The Army (one million of
debt)
Irish ditto

Ordnance for Great Britain
Irish ditto

Mifcellaneous Services

10,211,793 2,649,116

1,192,274

203,079 1,194,980

Corn Bounties (to March 20) 1,620,000 Irith Permanent Grants 263,338

Total of Joint Charges 31,259,209

The feparate charges for Great Bri

751541 tain were as follow:

Deficiency

Deficiency of Malt Duties,

&c.

Intereft on Exchequer Bills
Exchequer Bills

Deficiency of Grants

Confol Fund Arrears of Exchequer Bills 1800

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400,000

2,676,000

1,166,493 On looking over fome of these items, he was of opinion that a new regulation was neceflary as to the Irish proportion of expences; and it was his intention, early in the next Seffion, to offer a Bill, which hould place the relative proportions of the two countries on a fettled and permanent footing. In the mean time he had to ftate, that the feparate expences of Great Britain, as above enumerated, with fome finall items, amounted to little thort of 9,000,000l. This made the total of the joint expences of the two countries 41,168,6821. The proportion of Ireland, confiiting of her two-feventeenths, and of fome items peculiar to herleif, amounted to 3,815,7161. The proportions, therefore, ftud thus:

Great Britain
Ireland

Total

of our Army and Navy were not on 479,777 foreign fervices, but on foreign fta137,000 tions, and when the period of return 3,000,000 with a great part was fo uncertain,' the expences to be incurred, and the favings to be made, were, as the Committee would fee, by no means a matter of precife calculation. There was, however, a great, an obvious, and' actual faving. The difference of the Naval Expences of 1801 and 1801 amounted to little lefs than 8 millions.. The Army in 1801 coit 18,997,000l. In 1802, the expenditure amounted only to 10,906,414). Here was another faving of 8 millions, though much had been advanced for the deficiencies of the last year. The ordnance had beenreduced from 1,938,9681. to 1,295,000l. making a difference of more than 600,000. The mifcellaneous fervices alone had increased; they were laft year 858,6751. this year they had amounted to 1,194,000l. With thefe favings, amounting in round numbers to about 6 millions, it might no doubt be fairly afked, why fo large a loan was neceffary in the current year? To this he muft anfwer, that in order to wind up the expences of the war, it was neceffary to make a large addition to our expences; and that it was alfo neceffary" to provide a very large fum indeed for the deficiencies and exceedings of the lat year, fome of which it was undoubtedly his duty to enumerate, viz. Deficiency of Malt Duties (1801) Navy exceedings (ditto) Army ditto

£..

37,352 966
3,815,716

41,168,682

He should next come to the provi fions which had been made in the courfe of the year for the payment of these charges.

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2,000,000

750,000

270,000

180,876

Confolidated Fund 4,500,000 - Supply to Portugal 998,360

Exchequer Bilis

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Civil Litt Debt

(ditto)

Deficiency of Eftimate Ton.
nage Duty

Deficiency of Confolidated
Fund

£. 75,801

2,155 199

1,945,557

990,953

410,000

1,500,000

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2,676,981

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Exchequer Bills funded

8,725,000

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Remain for Public Service 9,330,000 In this he did not include the Austrian Debt, because he had the fulleft and moft gratifying affurances that it would very fpeedily be fatisfied. The Estimate of the Committee of 1792 stated the difpofable fum, after the payment of intereft, to be 6,590,000l. We had now a furplus beyond that, amounting to nearly three millions, applicable to our extra expences. It must be highly gratifying to the Houfe and the country to know, that, after fuch a war, and fuch a contest, we had fuch a difpofable furplus, and could effect fo large a loan on fuch advantageous terms. Whereever we looked around us in this country we faw nothing but indications of wealth and profperity. He would not ftop to take an infidious glance at the very different fituations of fome other nations which had been engaged in the fame conflict. It was fufficient for him to be enabled to ftate. that our funds were high and flourishing, and that our resources were found, on experiment, to be folid and fubftantial beyond all former example. He fhould therefore not trefpafs on the time of the House further than by moving two Refolutions:

'That five millions of Exchequer Bills be iffued for the public fervice, to be defrayed out of the first aids of the next year.

And that 114 000l. being the furplus of Grants, be applied to the fervice of the current year.

Thefe Refolutions were feverally put and carried.

Mr. Corry then followed to ftate the Ways and Means of Ireland for the current year. He began by ftating the nature of the general financial fyitem of that part of the empire, which, he faid, was divided into two diftinct claffes, viz. the feparate charges of Ireland, and thofe charges which the bears jointly with Great Britain; the

years Intereft on Loans,

Due on the Lottery of 1801 Inland Navigation Treasury Bills

£. 1,880,255

555,600

150,000

300,000

413,000

The total of feparate Charges 3,298,855

Under the fecond head were com

prifed all thofe items which were reckoned as joint charges, viz. For various Grants of Mo

ney from the Civil Lift for various purposes Sums paid pursuant to the Votes of that House Sums for various Mifcellaneous Services For various Expenditures, the items whereof lie on the table of the House

Military Charges

To which adding the charge which Ireland bears of her proportion of Military Establishments abroad, being about

Makes the total one round fum, on the joint charge, of about

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393,000

222,000

104,Coo

190,000 2,860,000

360,000

4,129,000

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was about

a Tax on Imports and Exports, pre-
cifely the fame as that adopted in this
country, making suitable allowances
for the different fituations of the two
countries. The total value of goods`
imported into Ireland
4,450,000l. The value of goods ex-
ported about 3,304,775. Exempting,
then, feveral articles from the duty,
fuch as Ashes, Smelts, Flax and Hemp
imported, and Corton, Cotton Goods,
and Corn exported, the produce of
the duty at per cent. would amount
to the fum cf about 99,2441. which
will be about 6cool. more than is re-
quired for the purpofe ftated. He then
concluded with moving the first Refu-
lution.

flattered to believe, that this anticipa
tion of the profperity of the financial
refources of Ireland would prove cor-
rect and faithful, from the dawn of
fuccefs and commercial increase the
prefents even already; and the more
he reflected upon this fubject, the
more he was convinced of the truth
of his opinion. Here the Right Hon.
Gentleman entered into a minute com
parison between the financial and com-
mercial fituation of Ireland at former
periods, and even last year, and the
prefent period of this year, with a
view of establishing the theory he laid
down. He obferved, that last year
the revenue was no more than about
2,400,000l. and he affigned his reafons
why he estimated them fo high as three
millions this year, being just 600,000l.
more than they produced in the year
1801. He founded his eftimate on the
increased produce they already pre-
fented, and taking them for a ratio,
fhewed that he might calculate at
the end of the year on an advance of
800,000l. instead of 600,ocol. He was,
therefore, by this estimation, even
200,000l. within the extent, and he
believed the truth of his calculation;
but he took the leffer fum that he
might not appear to be over fanguine
in his expectations. He then pro-
ceeded to enumerate the ways wherein
the revenue would increafe. His data
was upon five different articles, viz.
the duties on Foreign Spirits, on Sugar,
on Wines, on Malt, and on the Ditil.
leries, all of which had fo confiderably
increased within the three firft months
of the year, that, under Divine Provi-
dence, if the feafon fulfils the hopes it
prefents, he had no doubt but what he
had already stated of the progreffive
and anticipated state of the revenue
would more than exceed his calcu-
lations, and probably even his own
expectations. Whilft he thus, for the
prefent, merely restricted himself to
thefe five items, he begged leave to
remark, that it was but reasonable to
judge, that in the proportion as they
increased, the other parts of the reve-
Rue would naturally increase alfo,
although he did not take that increase
into the account. The Ways and
Means for this year were merely to
provide for the intereft of the money
borrowed by Ireland upon Exchequer
Bills, and for that purpofe he should
propose a tax which would not be felt
by the poorer claffes in Ireland; it was

On the question being put,

Mr. Foiter rofe, and in a fpeech which abounded with a vaft variety of calculations and found argument, entered into a molt minute inveftigation of the reasoning of the Right Hon. Gentleman, and deduced from the whole, that he was much too fanguine in his estimate of the produce of the revenue, when he calculated it at 3,000,000l. For his part, he was decidedly of opinion, that it would he found at the end of the year, from the impoverished state of the trade and manufactures of that part of the kingdom, that instead of anticipating an increase of revenue, the very reverfe might be the cafe. The Right Hon. the Irish Chancellor had founded his fanguine hopes on the burit that occurred on the event of the Peace; but he feared too truly that he would find himself moit egregiously in error, by taking for his data fo difputable and vague a principle for the foundation of his theory.

Mr. Wickham replied, and a converfation enfued between Mr. Corry, Mr. Tierney, Mr. Vanfittart, Mr. Boyd, Mr. Archdall, and Lord Caftlereagh; at length the motion was carried, and the Refolutions were feverally agreed to.

TUESDAY, JUNE 15.

The report of the Land Tax Redemption Bill was agreed to, after some explanatory remarks from Mr. Shaw Lefevre and Mr. Vanfittart.

The Secretary at War brought up the report of the Committee of the Amendments made by the Lords in the Militia Bill, fome of which, but not all, they recommended the adoption of. The Houfe then agreed to

the

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