comfortable as poffible: but on the means of attaining that defirable end, they unfortunately difagreed. In his opinion, the regulations propofed by the prefent Bill would not only tend to enhance the price of meat, but would confiderably endanger the conftant and regular fupply of the market. The Bill, he made no doubt, was well meant by its framers; but it would be found to be erroneous, and that, inftead of relieving, it would aggravate the grievances which it purported to redrefs. He was willing to confefs, that in particular inftances, there existed particular abuses. A man trading on a large capital, or with a greater degree of industry and enterprize, might avail himself of thefe advantages to the detriment of others: but would you, therefore, make a pofitive law to equalize thofe advantages, and reftrain, by particular regulations, the free fpeculation of general trade? Then, indeed, there would be an end to all competition; for competition arifes out of emulation, and by damping this fpirit, you deftroy the vital principle of commerce, and fruftrate the chief benefits that redound to fociety from the unfettered liberty of commercial fpeculation and enterprize. He accorded in opinion with that refpectable authority, Dr. Adam Smith, and with him was for promoting competition, without which commerce and credit would be impaired, if not wholly destroyed. The regulations now propofed only aimed at imaginary perfection; for real perfection was never attained by the fallacious lights alluded to---the whole fhould be left to the free courfe of things; for it was of the effence of commerce to be free; this was an opinion that did not want the countenance of these new lights; it was an opinion attefted by the light of experience, and corroborated by the fanction of practical wisdom. We fhould difregard, therefore, the individual abufes that muft arife out of all human inftitutions, and only attend to promote the general good of the whole. Mr. Pitt vindicated himfelf from the imputation of indifference to the fituation of the confumers of the article of meat, and difowned any hoftility to the fupporters of the Bill. He oppofed it, becaufe the experimentpropofed was dangerous, and would derange the machine on which depended the regularity of our fupply. Mr. Vanfittart approved of the Amendment. Mr. Baftard faid, that there was evidence before the House that forestallers aimed at, and fucceeded in, creating a monopoly, and it was the duty of the Houfe to defeat fuch attempts. These attempts, it was true, were indictable at common law, but the process was too expenfive to be acted on. It was evident that the farmer was deprived of the power of fending his cattle to market, and of felling them as he thought proper; and if the prefent regulations for preventing this abufe were rejected, fome fome other fyftem fhould be propofed by thofe who rejected them. « ---------Si quid novifti rectius iftis, Mr. Mainwaring faid, that he had a letter from the first farmer in the county of Somerfet, approving the regulations propofed by this Bill. There were meetings held in that county, and others, all giving the fanction of their approbation to the measure there were feveral petitions on the Table in favour of it, and not one against the Bill. It was rather fingular, that the House of Commons fhould be a better judge of the intereft of the farmers than the farmers themselves. Mr. Jolliffe faid, that the market could not be regularly fupplied if the prefent regulations were adopted. More benefit would, in his.opinion, arife from eftablishing another market in fome other quarter of the town. The Queftion was now put on Mr. Dundas's amendment, and the Houfe divided, Ayes Majority 37 7 30 The Bill is confequently loft for the prefent Seffion. The Slave-carrying Bill was read a third time, and paffed. Leave was given to bring in a Bill for regulating the height between decks of vefiels carrying on the African Slave Trade. Adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS. Several Bills paffed through the Committee,---Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. DEBTORS PETITIONS. Mr. Alderman Anderfon prefented a petition on behalf of cer tain perfons who had been confined for debt in the King's Bench Prifon, fome of them for fifteen years and a half, and whose debts amounted to 3000l. and who at the commencement of their imprisonment were able to pay ten fhillings in the pound, others for upwards of 2000l. and who could have paid upwards of five fhillings in the pound; many of them in such a situation that they must have perifhed long ago, but for the humanity of William Jones, Efq. the Marfhal of the Prifon, praying to be included in the Bill now depending for the relief of infolvent debtors, &c.--Referred to the Committee on the Bill. He He prefented another petition from another clafs of prisoners from the fame place, concluding with a fimilar prayer.---Referred in the fame manner. Another from prifoners confined for debt in the gaol of Dorchefter.---Ordered to be laid on the Table. Mr. Metcalf presented a petition on behalf of the East India Company, ftating, that the Bill now depending for altering the Judicature of India, &c. would be injurious to them, and praying to be heard by counsel against the Bill. The question being put, that the petition do lie on the Table, Mr. Secretary Dundas obferved, that the objections stated in the petition against the Bill, refpećted merely a particular claufe. He had spoken with one of the counfel employed by the company, who admitted that the objections only related to one clause, and that being the cafe there was no ground to fhew, that they ought to be heard by counsel on the fecond reading of the Bill, more particularly as they might be heard against it in the Committee. Major Metcalfe expreffed his conviction that the company would be fatisfied with any decifion which the Houfe might think proper to make. The Speaker having pointed out the propriety of hearing council in the Committee, the Eaft India Judicatue Bill was read a fecond time, ordered to be committed on Tuesday July the 4th, and the petition of the East India Company was referred to the faid Committee. Mr. Dent, after fome obfervations on the amount of the dogtax, which he stated, in the last three quarters, to be 70,000l. moved, that the product of the faid tax, and of Game Certificates, be referred to the confideration of a Committee of the whole House. His object for this Motion was to extend the product, and offer fome regulations that might appear in many points of view more falutary than the prefent ones. The Chancellor of the Exchequer obferved, that the produce of the three quarters upon the dog-tax had fully anfwered the expectation that had been formed upon it. If, the Honourable Member meant to recur to the ideas he had thrown out laft Seffion, and which the Houfe then difapproved, he should certainly oppose them, as he had done before. Mr. Dent faid, that with regard to the Game Certificates, he believed there would be no occafion for him to fay much; but as to the dog tax he should certainly perfift in the measure which he propofed last year. He fhould do the fame every year while he had a feat in that House. The House then agreed to refer these points to a Committee of the whole Houfe on Friday July 6th. 10 С No. 45. THE THE BUDGET. The Houfe having refolved itself into a Committee of Ways and Means, The Chancellor of the Exchequer role." Sir, as it is my duty to offer to the confideration of the Committee fubftitutes for the deficiences that have taken place in the estimated product of the late taxes, I shall take the liberty of ftating respectively what thefe taxes are on which any deficit has happened. It will in the first place be neceflary to provide a fubftitute for the propofed Toll Duty, which, as Gentlemen must recollect, was cftimated at the fum of 450,000l. That there are many ftrong objections to this tax, and particularly to the manner of collecting it, I readily admit, and it has therefore been given up. There is alfo another tax to which fo many and fo ftrong objections as to the former certainly do not exist, but the details of which are of fo complicated a nature, that I fhall not prefs it upon the House at this late period of the Seffion, though I think it neceffary at the fame time to observe, that it is not liable to fuch folid objections as to induce me to abftain from taking the fenfe of the House upon it at fome future period. Having made thefe obfervations, it is no doubt clearly understood, that I allude to the tax on parcels. I feel myfelf called on to notice the manner of an Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Sheridan) oppofite to me who feemed to think that the tax to which I adverted was of another defcription, and respected the Inland Navigation. I therefore, Sir, feel it my duty to ftate, that though fome alterations and modifications, which it may have been found neceffary to introduce, may make the product of that tax lefs, yet there exifts no difpofition whatever on my part to relinquish it. Thefe modifica tions may probably occafion a reduction in the amount, which was 120,000l. to about 30,000l. I therefore mean to make provifion for that deficiency. In the tax upon Newspapers, a discount has been allowed, and it has not, from various reasons, been judged proper to perfift in the propofed duty on Advertisements. This will alfo occafion a further fum to be provided for of 40,000l. Another tax which was approved of by the Committee, is a ftamp duty upon transfers of property; and though a tax upon Deeds may not be completely free from objection, yet it is in its principle undeniably fit for taxation; but as it is difficult to make a fcale adequate to comprehend every cafe, I shall not eftimate the product though fixed at 170,0ool. at more than 80,000l. It therefore appears that a deficit remains to be provided for of 660,000l. as follow: Toll "Having thus ftated the deficit, I feel no fmall fatisfaction in being enabled to affure the Committee, that there is an article generally confidered as a fit object of taxation, in which there is a confiderable rifing in the produce of the duty. I particularly allude to the duty upon Scotch Spirits. The Houfe will recollect, that credit was taken for 330,000l. The average produce was not formerly more than 53,000l. per ann. but according to the prefent rate of duty, 541. has been laid upon every gallon of the contents of ftills in the Low Lands, and gl. in every part of the High Lands, and 61. 10s. in another part. The average of the latter may confequently be taken at 81. It is no ealy matter to state a juft proportion between the High Lands and the Low Lands, but it is afcertained that more than 8000 gallons were diftilled in the Low Lands, and 13,000 in the High Lands before the prefent duty. I fhall therefore take the number in the former at 8000, and in the latter at 10,000. I have no difficulty in afferting that the Revenue will be carried to a yet greater extent, but taking it on the prefent fcale, the total amount of this part of the revenue cannot be well eftimated at less than 512,000l. which will of courfe leave a furplus of 182,000l. to be applied to the deficit which is now to be provided for. NEW TAXES. DUTY ON HORSES. "I come now, Sir, to the confideration of new duties, and I muft obferve, that one impofition will fall on those who would have been fubject to the payment of the Toll-tax. I mean a tax on those Horfes already liable to pay 2s. and I propose a duty of 5s. to be laid on all Horfes, now fubject to the payment of 2s. and employed in the purposes of Agriculture. The product of this impofition may be ftated at the fum of 150,000l. and here I think it neceffary to obferve, that I will not subject the farmers or proprietors of fuch Horfes to more than if the Tollduty had taken place, and they had paid for the turnpike of a Horse only 12 times during the year. PEPPER, COALS, &C. The next article is 5 per cent. additional duty on those articles of the customs on which no fpecial duty is now impofed. Sugar, Wine, Tea, Tobacco, Eaft India Goods, and fome other articles, are excepted. The product of this additional duty on the 10 C 2 importation |