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weight of taxes finally come. To SMITH said, that foreigners were make the weight unfelt, the Land alarmed at the talk of "breakmay make loans; and, while this" ing faith." Indeed! Yes;

and that a foreigner had written him a letter to say this. Indeed! Well, then, my lords and 'squires of the soil, out you must march! But, Mr. SMITH's grand argument was, that, if the Funds

is going on, the Landlord has a fine time of it; for, his labour being paid, in great part, out of high prices occasioned by an influx of money, he is pocketing twice as much as he ought. But, there must be an end to borrow-went, the Land would go! He ing; and, well would it be for said, that parchments would be no him, if that were al! O, no! security; and that, whenever the There are the loans all to be paid; day came for violating" publie and, out of the land the payment must finally come. The necessary consequence is, that the land must refuse to pay the debts on it, or, it must surrender itself up to the money-lender.

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faith," the Landholder would have no security for his estate; and, indeed, could not expect to have any; or, if he did, his expectations would be disappointed!

Do good for evil" says the Mr. CURWEN, who came next, Scripture; and I here fulfil it. appears to have been duly imMr. LOCKHART wanted(or sham-pressed with these arguments; for med to want) to shoot at me, or he sang very piano: it was the to run me through the body: and piano without the forte. He had I have written this last paragraph thought, and he did think, and he for the express purpose of en-trusted, and he hoped; but, not lightening, if possible, the mind a word about the no longer paying of Mr. LOCKHART. the interest of the Debt! What I now come to Mr. JOHN play is it, where some red-faced SMITH (Banker of Nottingham, dare-devil goes boldly into a I believe), brother of Smith, who haunted chamber, and comes out is a Lord, under the name of as pale as death? He had seen CARRINGTON, and who was a or heard something! One would Banker himself, if he be not one think this honourable member had now. This Mr. SMITH was recently seen something. Peragainst the repeal of the Malt haps it has been you, GAFFER, in Tax, because it would shake the your Committee. At any rate, Funds! He was very vehement never did man appear so completein his censure of sentiments hos-ly changed as Mr. CURWEN aptile to public faith." Well he pears to have been. Mr. LITmight! He said said there were TLETON kept perfectly silent; 900,000 Fundholders! What a and, if he did say any thing brood! Come, then, my "lords about the "monster of consump"of the soil," prepare to walk tion," it was not above his breath. out; for, out you must go, and with nearly as short process as Radicals are sent to dungeons by you and I know whom? Mr.

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CASTLEREAGH, taking advantage of the panic, fell upon the poor Landlords, pell-mell, He *thanked God, that the time

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66 was not come for that house on any boards in this world. I "to endure sentiments hostile to should like to have seen him public faith; and he saw with when he uttered these words; pleasure, that those who suf- and when, out of 400 members "fered such sentiments to escape present, not one was found to re-` "them, immediately recolea mind him of his "sudden tran"with horror from what they had "sition from war to peace," and "said." And, he intimated, that, of Canning's "Scene of prosthis being the case, he was dis-" perity hidden, for a moment, posed to pardon them. "But," "behind a cloud, only to appear says he, "the danger is, that" with more splendour than "that may be attempted to be" ever." Not one: not a soul to "done indirectly, which no con- ask him whether the "sudden "siderations will induce man to "transition" were likely soon to "do directly." And then he be over: not a soul to ask, how went on to show, that the present long Canning's "moment" was Bill of tax-repeal was one of likely to last. Not a creature to those indirect attacks. This was inquire (with all due submission) very true; but, I would have what "a general working of faced the buck, if I had been events" might mean; and Mr. WESTERN, notwithstanding whether it resembled the operathe palarver, which that "re-tion of yeast among wort; or the spectable gentleman" received meeting of clouds charged some at the opening of this speech. with water and some with fire. The General went on, and really believe, that the " general workmade, for once, an excellent" ing" of events will resemble, a speech; that is to say for the good deal, the latter sort of workoccasion. He had not much to ing; and that the relief to the do indeed. He found the enemy farmer, the only relief he w.l en deroute. The panic was so ever get, he will receive from the great, that he had little to do but result of a most furious storm. to p ck up laggers and deserters. But, to ask questions like these, In this state of things he seems the auditors must have been in to have relaxed to a joking and possession of those senses, of jeering mood. "No," said he, which they seem, upon this occasion, to have been bereft by the panic, into which they had been thrown.

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taking off taxes will do no good "to the farmer." "The farmer," added he, "ought to be taught "to look for relief, from" However, to make all sure; to what, think you? "that prevent the possibility of rallying, "GENERAL WORKING OF on the part of the foe, CASTLEEVENTS, which he trusted REAGH told the House, that " HE “would, 'ERE LONG, as it had should be SORRY TO AD"done in FORMER CASES, "MINISTER THE GOVERN"lead to a return to prosperity!""MENT, if the wisdom of Bravo! He was cheered here 66 ; Parliament shonld decide against and well he might; for a finer "the continuance of this tax." piece of acting never was seen This was enough! Not another

sound, but " question! question! Mr. WESTERN said, that before he .66 was heard! Divide! divide !" | moved the Order of the Day for the And then came the thundering second reading of the Malt Duty Remajority against the bill! peal Bill, he wished to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer at what sum he estimated the duty on malt? There was an observation which he wished to make on the Scots malt duty. Scots malt had, ever since the imposition of the malt tax, been subjected to 8d. less per bushel than English malt, on the ground of its inferior quality. In 1804 a Committee was appointed to consider the propriety of continuing this difference, and it had decided in the affirmative; but when the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in 1819, pro

If he had said, "I will go out and let in the Whigs, who must repeal the Six Acts," he could not have produced a more strong impression. Thus, at last, here it is, in one word: the Landlords will submit to any thing; aye, to any thing, rather than run the risk of Reform! That is the git of the whole story from beginning to end. Rather than do justice to the people, they will endure any thing. However, they, besides, buoy themselves up with hopes. These are vain; but, no matter. They have their weight for awhile; and awhile is all that is wanted.

posed the additional duty of Is. 2d. on English malt, he imposed an additional (duty of 1s. 10d. on Scots malt, proIt was extraordinary that the Chanfessedly to do away with the inequality. celor of the Exchequer should, in

Now, GAFFER GOOCH, if you read this letter attentively, you will derive more knowledge from it than from all goose-gabble of the face of the Resolution of the Comall the agriculturists" in the mittee of 1804, have deprived the kingdom. I long, I die, for the Scots barley of this exemption. He Report and Evidence of your however, wished to disengage this Committee. These will be a treat question from the consideration of the indeed! No man that has them difference which should be made bein his possession need go to Sad-tween Scots and English Malt, and ler's Wells, or to Astley's, for a should propose the repeal of the Duty month: his time and lungs will be much better employed at home. of 1s. 2d. which would press on both One thing I do hope you will do: countries alike. and that is, to send a copy to every Radical's dungeon. I would endure six month's dungeoning myself, rather than not read this Report and Evidence.

So, no more, at present, from,
Dear Gaffer,

Your most obedient
And most humble servant,
WM. COBBETT.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE

QUER estimated the produce of the additional Duty on Malt at 1,500,0001. He had no objection to revive the

Committee of 1804.

Lord A. HAMILTON said, it would be recollected that he had moved last year to repeal the additional Tax of Sd. per bushel which had been imposed upon Scots Malt. The Chancellor of the Exchequer had resisted that mo:

tion. He (Lord A. H.) was aware he looked to the eastern parts of the that, in giving his support to the pre-ruin complete. He would there find same county, there he would find the sent Bill, he was not settling the ques-many hundred acres which he might tion of the proportion between the occupy merely on paying the poors' rates and taxes, and this not very bad Duties on Malt in the two parts of the land, or land newly brought into kingdom, but in voting for taking off tillage, but land which had been culThe distress 1s. 2d. per bushel he was relieving the tivated, for centuries. did not fall on the farmers alone. The whole kingdom. If this Bill was car-moderate landed proprietors suffered ried, he had no doubt that the justice as much. They had their farms thrown back upon their hands, and were obliged, if they would not let them unoccupied, to get them tilled by hired bailiffs, who had no interest in them. It had been asked how, if this tax was repealed, the interest of the debt could be paid? The Chancellor of the Exchequer had told them that this year there was a saving of a million. The country would not find any benefit from this, unless there' was a proportionate reduction of Taxes. It was better therefore to repeal the Tax in question, than to add in some small degree to the inefficient Sinking Fund, by which the Country had been for a long time humbugged (a laugh). The agriculturists could not expect relief from the fundholders. They must therefore look to his Majesty's Ministers. If an absolute reduction of the amount of taxes could not be suffered, he should propose a limited Property three millions might be raised; other Tax of (say) two per cent. by which taxes to an equal amount being repealed. It had been said, that if this tax was repealed; his Majesty's Ministers would resign (a laugh). He (Sir J. S.) did not wish to see them resign their places, he only wished them to resign a few of their taxes.

of the barley grower in England would assist the Scots Members in putting the Scots Malt Duty on a fair footing. The notion seemed to have been industriously circulated that the English Members would not be willing, if this measure was carried, to take the Scots Duties into consideration, and it had been particularly attributed to his Honourable Friend, the Member for Norfolk, that he was of this opinion. He believed this assertion was unfounded, and he therefore wished his Honourable Friend to state what his opinion was.

Mr. COKE said he was convinced that it was absolutely necessary for the landed interest to unite in carrying "measures in which they had a common interest. He was ready to say, that if the present measure was carried, he would go into a Committee on the Scots Malt Duty, and that he had never been adverse to such an inquiry, He highly approved of the Bill before the House, but he thought a still further reduction of the taxes which pressed on land was necessary.

The Order of the Day for the second reading of the Malt Duties repeal having been read,

Mr. WESTERN moved that the Bill be read a second time.

Sir J. SHELLEY, in allusion to a former speech of Mr. Huskisson, contended that the agricultural distress was now general. The Right Honourable Gentleman was speaking on the experience of the western part of Sussex, where the farmers were not in an absolute state of ruin; but if

Mr. J. W. WARD said, there were only three grounds on which he could be requested to repeal this tax. 1st. That the country could go on with its present taxes, and 1 million less taxes. 2d. That the expenditure might be reduced million per ann.; or, 3dly, that a less burthensome tax might be imposed. As to the first of these suppositions, it could only be realized by taking 1 million from the Sinking Fund. The merit of the Sinking Fund was a subject which was better discussed in the closet than in a deliberative assembly. But thus much he might say, that if Parliament, at

temper which prevailed abroad, he could see no safety in our dispensing with a large and respectable military force. He was himself among the most anxious to preserve this country in peace, but that could, in his opinion, be done by only keeping arms in our hands, particularly considering the situation of our neighbours, and the probable conflict between the excessive ambition of some Monarchs, and

of the people. But how could this country maintain such a force if the means of Government were to be cramped by the Repeal of this Tax? An Honourable Baronet, in support

the earnest solicitation of a Government in which it ought to confide, had determined in 1819 that there should be a large Sinking Fund, it would betray discreditable vacillation to shrink, in 1821, from carrying that Resolution into effect. If the Sinking Fund was a fallacy, to use a gentler term, for the idea which his Honourable Friend (Sir J. Shelley) had conveyed by a different word, it was a fallacy of some standing. It had deceived Par-the vengeance or exhausted patience liament and the public, including the wisest statesmen whom the country had known, from the time of its original establishment. Both Mr. Pitt and Mr. Fox were among its supporters. But still he was open to argument up-ing that Repeal, had taken occasion to on this subject, if argument were ad- recommend the imposition of a small duced to shew the fallacy of this sys- Property Tax in lieu thereof. For tem; for he could never oppose autho- himself, he would say, that he had no rity to demonstration. But in the ab- objection to a Property Tax to a comsence of argument or demonstration, petent amount; to the principle of such he could not be influenced, by mere a tax he could see no objection; the abuse, to become the opponent of the inquisitorial manner of collecting it Sinking Fund, or an advocate for re- was indeed, at all times, the cause of ducing its amount.—At least he should outcry against it. But when so many not agree to this until some new dis- Gentlemen were found to oppose this covery were made to convince him of Malt tax; when other Gentlemen callits justice aud expediency. What ed for the repeal of other taxes, while might be the nature of that discovery several evinced a disposition not to he could not anticipate. The world support any tax at all, how could any at one time believed that the sun Ministers calculate upon success in the moved round the earth-but it had proposition of an Income Tax? A been since discovered that the earth Gentleman had said, that in objecting had moved round the sun. Possibly to a tax he was not bound to find a too it might yet be discovered that it substitute, as that was the duty of the would be rather better not to make Chancellor of the Exchequer. Now, any provision for a Sinking Fund to he would take the benefit of the Hodischarge the national debt, but until nourable Member's principle, and say, that discovery were made, he must be that he would not vote for the repeal excused for retaining his present opi- of this Malt Tax until another and nion. He, therefore, deprecated any less objectionable tax were proposed attempt to reduce the Sinking Fund, in its stead. To consent to the proand while he was willing to sanction posed repeal would really be, in his any practicable system of retrench-judgment, a most inconsistent proment, he could not agree to the idea, ceeding on the part of the House. A that after voting the present establish- few days only had elapsed since the ments, the House could consistently House had voted certain establishwithhold from Government the means ments, and would it not be extraordiof supporting those establishments,nary if the Bill sanctioning that vote as the present Bill proposed. But if should be overtaken at the foot of the this were even the first day of the Throne by another Bill refusing the Session, before any establishments means of support to such establishwere voted, he would not support thements. But would it not be still more exmeasure before the House, because hétraordinary if such inconsistency should could not see the propriety of reducing our establishments consistently with a due regard to the safety of the country, The House had seen the peace of Europe recently disturbed, and with the

be maintained by the advocates of the Pitt system, nay, that even the Members of the Pitt Clubs should be among the foremost to starve the means of Government to support those very

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