treated him to wait until the termi ing Classes in 1816 and 1817;sion, which rendered it imperative on him to proceed, notwithstanding the absence of the Noble Marquess. He the more regretted this, because when the subject was laid before the House, the Noble Marquess had earnestly ennation of the inquiry by the Committee on Agricultural Distress, pledging timself to support the proposition, should the result of that inquiry be to recom mend it. With that request he (Mr. Curwen) had complied. The Right and the suffering. is now teaching the farmers and landlords. It was urged against your bill, that the Farmers did not petition against taxes. Oh, no! And for reasons fully explained in my letter to Mr. ATTWOOD, and in that to Mr. HAYES! The far-Honourable Chancellor of the Exchequer had also said, that any such mers vainly hoped, poor Bull-recommendation on the part of the frogs, that the parliament could give them high-prices. But, they will now petition against taxes, I hope! And, the man is a mere ideot, who does not see, that every tax taken off, be it what it may, finally benefits the whole of the House. Formerly he had felt it the community. There are, howto be his duty to propose some substitute to supply the deficiency which ever, taxes that press more imme-the Repeal of the Tax in question was diately on husbandry, and that But things were now in a different have the effect too, of checking sad since had abundant opportunities produce, and such are those I am, Sir, Your most humble Agricultural Committee would be a strong inducement with him to comply which he had in view was one most with the proposition. The object material to the interests of Agriculture. The Tax had always been unjust in principle, and oppressive in practice. But the question now wore a very different aspect from that which it assumed when he had formerly brought it under the consideration of calculated to occasion in the Revenue. state. The Right Hon. Gentleman terri-of obviating the evil. Not only must salt-well aware of the extent of the exthe Right Hon. Gentleman have been isting agricultural distress, but he must have well known what had passed in the Committee appointed to inves tigate the causes of that agricu'tural distress which every one acknowledged to be unprecedented in extent. The result of the inquiries of that Committee had been, that although there existed a variety of opinions in it on other parts of the subject, on that of the agricultural distress, and of the necessity of affording speedy relief to that distress, the Committee came to an unanimous resolution that the distress of the country was fully proved. With such a resolution (whatever difference of opinion might exist on other subjects), what would be the impression of the country if it should turn out that Parliament throughout the whole Session had abstained from taking a single earthly step to afford the relief acknowledged AGRICULTURAL HORSE TAX. Mr. CURWEN said, that in rising to call the attention of the House to the important subject of which he had given notice, he extremely regretted the lateness of the period in the Ses to be indispensible [hear!]? To the work which they must afterwards vote of that night, therefore, the coun-carry to a much greater length (hear). try would look, that they might esti-It was most unjust to call on the Agrimate what they might expect from culturists alone to make sacrifices; Parliament; for, it was evident, that let them be made equally by all classes if the Report of the Committee were of the community. Was it possible to be made in the present session, it that nearly one half of the whole inwas too late to found any measure come of the country could continue to upon it. He put it, therefore, to the be collected in taxation? In his house, what answer they would make opinion, it was utterly impossible. to his constituents, if they were asked Unless some permanent protection why they did not adopt the proposition could be granted to the Agriculturist, which he was about to submit to them? the only alternative was to cut down. Would it be becoming in them to say, the expences of our establishment at that because they found they could not home and abroad from the King to give all, they therefore refused to give the lowest officer in the State (hear, any thing? He must again express hear!) But had any disposition been his regret that the Noble Marquess evinced thus to relieve the burdens of was not present, because he felt it his the people? None whatever. It had duty to say that, in his opinion, the been stated by some Honourable Genpresent administration did not show tlemen, that the Tax under consithe feeling which they ought for agri- deration was a very trifling one; culture. At the opening of the pre-on the light soil it was not much, but sent Session, there was not a word in on the heavy soils it amounted to three the Speech from the Throne on the per cent. on the rent. It was a Tax subject of the distress of agriculture. the principle of which was most unjust, His Majesty's Ministers appeared, being a Tax on the Plough, and fell therefore, either to be ignorant of the most heavily on those who were the extent of that distress, or indifferent least able to bear it; the Tax not to it. It was with him a matter of no only bore hard, but exposed the doubt, that there never could be any farmer to endless vexations; for, condescription of prosperity in this coun- trary to the law of the land, the Tax try, while agriculture remained in a Office pronounced every man guilty distressed state. The Right Hon. the till he was proved innocent, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer had, number of surcharges was in conseduring the last two months, been re- quence enormous, having been peatedly intreated to reconsider his fewer than 139,000 in the year. If a estimates. He (Mr. Curwen) was farmer once crossed a horse, he was. persuaded that if the Session were charged with a pleasure horse, and now to recommence, the majority his ploughman was charged as would declare that these estimates groom. These were vexations which ought to be reduced. Government ought to be corrected. To shew how ought not to have trusted to any Com- vexatiously the assessed taxes were mittees; but, taking a view of the levied, he instanced the case of a poor state of the country, have made those woman in the neighbourhood of Berretrenchments which would have wick, who having paid sixpence to a enabled the House to sacrifice man to prune a favourite fruit tree, was to the agriculturists this boon. surcharged with an oocasional garTrifling as it was, it would be re-dener, and her goods were actually ceived with gratitude, and would have sold to pay the tax (hear, hear!). a most advantageous effect. In the Some persons thought it necessary course of the discussions in the Com-the inferior grounds should go out of mittee, a Resolution was agreed to, to instruct the Chairman to move for the repeal of this tax; though, subsequently, it was decided not to do so until the Report was made. This circumstance had occasioned the delay in his motion. He confidently an icipated that the present decision of the House would be now to begin that no cultivation; that he expressly denied. Every acre in the country ought to be brought into cultivation; for what was the evil which the country at present endured above any other but want of employment? And was that evil to be aggravated instead of diminished? If there were an increase of employment, an increased price of the necessaries of life would be of tlemen who had been hitherto the unlittle moment. Cheap bread without divided supporters of Ministers. He work would at length, he was con- felt particularly gratified by what had vinced, be found to be a great evil, as fallen from the Honourable Chairman destructive of our manufactures as of of the Agricultural Committee (Mr. our agriculture. The repeal of the Gooch) upon the motion of his Hon. Malt Tax (although he voted for it) | Friend (Mr. Curwen) the Member for would not have afforded so great a Carlisle. He (Mr. Coke) was an old relief to the Jarmer as the repeal of Member of Parliament, and he could the Agricultural Horse Tax. The vouch for the unusual exertion and incountry had a right to demand some dustry of his Honourable Friend. sacrifices to relieve it. This was the (Hear, hear.) The Chairman of the only remaining opportunity to eff ct Agricultural Committee (Mr. Gooch) such an object, and he called upon the had stated, that the Agriculturalists House, therefore, to concur in his were in the greatest state of distress, proposition, which was for leave to and that the present tax ought to be bring in a Bill to repeal so much of removed; and yet he was one of those the 43rd and 52nd of Geo. III. as re- who had uniformly supported Ministers lated to the Duty on Horses employed in every measure which was proposed in Agriculture. to burden the country. (Hear, hear.) He (Mr. (oke) had uniformly opposed Ministers, not from a desire of opposition, but from a conviction that their measures, if pursued, would bring ruin and destruction on the country. He would agree with the Honourable Me ber (Mr. Gooch) in supporting this motion, not because he felt that it would afford any effectual relief, but because he was anxious to lay hold of all he could to reduce the burdens of the people. (Hear, hear.) He hoped that those Gentlemen who complained of public distresses would exert themselves in opposing the lavish expendi|ture by which those distresses were produced. 66 Mr. Gooch seconded the motion. He confirmed the statement of the hon. gentleman as to the Resolution which the Committee had a lopted, to instruct the Chairman to move for the repeal of this Tax, although they had eventually relinquished the proposition. If ever there was an unjust and oppressive tax, it was the present. He most strongly recommended the repeal. It was a coarse but true saying, that you could not have more of a cat "than its skin;" and the agriculturists were, in fact, unable to pay the tax. (Hear, hear.) If we could not increase our means, we must diminish our expenditure. (Hear, hear.) Much as he differed'in polit es from the Hon. Mr. GIPPS thought the House must Member for Aberdeen, he must s y see the necessity of supporting the that he thought that Hon. Member hau met on. The Hon. Member was prodone great service to the c. untry.cceding to state at some length the ef(Loud and reiterated cries of hear. fects produced upon the agricultural hear, hear.) He did not say this for interests of the country by the Corn the purpose of catching popularity, Laws, when or to hurt the feelings of his Honour- Mr. M. A. BARING rose to order. able and Right Honourable Friends He put it to the Hon. Member whether near him; but because he could not the question of the Corn Laws was at meet his Constituents without per-all mixed up with the subject then unforming the duty which he owed to der discussion? them in making this declaration. The SPEAKER said, that it was for (Hear.) the Hon. Member (Mr. Gipps) to conMr. DAVENPORT said he felt himself sider how far he could bring the argubound to support the motion. The taxments upon which he was then enterupon Agricultural Horses pressed most ing to bear upon the question under severely upon the farmer. Taxing discussion. such horses was, in fact, taxing industry, as without horses neither the plough or harrow could be worked. Mr. GIPPS bowed to the opinions of the Chair. He concluded by observing that he would support the motion from Mr. COKE (of Norfolk) said, it was a conviction that, however small, it to him delightful to hear the language would be received as a boon by the used upon this occasion by those Gen-landed interest of the country, Mr. BARING commenced by apolo- [ a few words upon what had fallen from gizing to the Honourable Member who Honourable Members on the other had just sat down, for having inter-side, besought the House to grant rupted him. He would, in his obser- this small boon to the agriculturalists, vations on this subject, confine himself as it would shew that Parliament was strictly to what had fallen from the not totally inattentive to their situaHonourable Gentleman opposite. Hetion. He would give his most stren(Mr. Baring) was one of those who uous suport to the motion. had used their best endeavours to en- Mr. W. BURRELL Supported the force retrenchment and economy upon motion, not from a feeling that it would. Ministers during the late grants, but afford relief, but because he felt that unfortunately without effect. Those i was an unjust tax upon the agriculextravagant grants having however turist, and because it was a tax which been carried, he could not agree to operated more severely upon the weaken the revenue by repealing the holders of bad than of good ground, tax in question. And he could not He would, for instance, take Romney help expressing his surprise that gen- Marsh, with which he was well ac tlemen should pretend to return to their quainted. There the w ole land was constituents with a good grace after in pasture, and of course no agriculhaving supported the whole of the tural horses were used. It would be present burthens on the country, as just to tax the cows and sheep which merely because they advocated the re- fed upon that land, as to tax the peal of this solitary tax. Gentlemen horses by which other lan s were on the opposite side might differ with worked. It was said by the Honourhim upon certain points, but upon noble Member for Norfolk (Mr. Coke), one of all the numerous divisions that Gentlemen on his (Mr. Burrell's) which had taken place upon the reduc-side of the House usually supported tions proposed by the Honourable Ministers [hear, hear!) He for one Member for Aberdeen, were the names had supported Ministers during the of the Honourable Member (Mr. war, for the purpose of obtaining Gooch), or the other gentlemen who an honourable and lasting peace, and opposed this tax, to be found (hear, | with a view to the repeal of many of hear!). Yet the whole of those gen- our taxes [hear, hear?]. But what tlemen had concluded their speeches was the consequence? We had now by advocating retrenchment, notwith-al but the Property Tax, and that he standing their having supported every supposed we should soon have too grant, however extravagant, propo- [hear, hear!]. These Ministers came sed by Ministers. The first duty of down with the same expenditure, and the House was to look to the xpendi-without any view to_economy [cheers ture of the country, and that being voted they were bound to provide for it. The Honourable Member next animadverted upon the injustice o those arguments, which tended to point out the necessity of seizing upon the security of the public creditor, in order to relieve the distresses of the country. The money lent to Government was advanced during a period of exigency, and though we were now in a state of peace, he would ask what would be the situation of the country in the event of any fluctuation in the affairs of Europe, or in the event of a war with America? In either case we must have recourse to public credit; but how could that application be made with effect, if no reliance could be placed upon the securities already given? Mr. BENETT (of Wiltshire), after from the Opposition Benches]. It was true that there had been a reduction of 10,000 men, raised at a time when the public peace was disturbed, but these men ought to have been restored to their homes at the moment that tranquillity was restored [hear, hear!] He thought that the taxes imposed on landed property operated to the ruin of the country. Now, the tax-gatherer helped himself first. If the landlord did not receive his rent, he did not distrain, because it would have the effect of throwing the land upon his own hands; but the tax-gatherer had no such feeling. He called upon the landed interest to support this motion. I was impossible that the country could be relieved unless the army was cut down, and unless economy was introduced into every branch of the public expenditure. He would support the present motion, as well as every other motion for real practical economy which should be made in the House [hear, hear!].* make the duties on the raw material we import as moderate as possible. If heavy and unwise taxation were to be kept up on the manufacturer, he alone would not be the sufferer: the farmer and the landlord would share in his hardships & depression. It was by the industry of the manufac turers-it was by the enterprise and state of agricultural Poland and of Russia? If the House took an enlarged view of the state of the conntry, they would turn their thoughts to the amount of the tax Lord MILTON said, that if the Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Burrell) called upon the House to protect the landed interest, he (Lord Milton) would extend that call, he would call upon the Mem-efforts of commercial men, that the rents bers of that House, the Representatives of this country were paid. If, from a of the country, and of its various inte- narrow and erroneous view, the burthen rests, its manufactures, commercial and of taxation were shifted on the manufacfunded, to stop the career of that taxa- turer, for the protection of the agricultion, which affected every class of the turist, the consequence would be, that community. He would put it to his Ho- the country would be driven back to the nourable Friend, the Member for Taun-state of agricultural Poland. But would ton, that even on his view of maintaining the any man wish to see the country reduced funded interests, taxation ought to be di- to that state-wuold any man who looked minished. The capital of the country at its condition, who considered the wealth constituted the security of the funds; it that had been accumulated by trade, the was by that capital, that what was called great improvement that followed, the public credit could be alone maintained; number of beautiful cities and flourishing it would be, therefore, wis rand better to towns which spread themselves over the leave that capital in the pockets of the peo-face of the country, wish, by an unwise ple to increase and to fructify, than to interferen e with our commerce and maimpoverish them by excessive taxation;nufactures, to reduce the country to the by such taxation they would ultimately be rendered unable to pay what at present they met with great difficulty. He agreed with the Hon. Gentleman, that the tax under consideration was a monstrous tax; itation by which it was pressed down; it was a tax upon the implements used by the industrious population; it was a tax which operated unequally and of course unfairly. In proportion as the Manufac turer of Corn carried on his business at great expence, the tax weighed heavily upon him. But the Labourer who worked at a light soil, and who therefore used fewer horses, was subject to a light tax, and the wealthy grazier literally paid no thing. He (Lord Milton) was not only for relieving the Agriculturist from op pressive Taxation, but he thought that the manufacture was equally entitled to the consideration of that House; and now, in the year 1821, he could not do better than refer to the speech of a Prince, whose counsels were governed by that wise Administration which for 25 years ap to the Treaty of Utrecht, had remained in power. H's Majesty, on addressing his Parliament, had said that it was worthy of their attention to weigh well, to consider the duties on the importation of raw materials, for the purposes of manufacture in this country, with a view to make those duties as low as good policy would admit of. Nothing to him (Lord Milton) could appear more wise than to was not wise to consider any particular tax ;-the whole question of taxation and expenditure ought to be brought under consideration — taxation, not as it affected the agricultural class, or the manufacturing class, but the country at Large. I, indeed, one tax more than another deserved to be repealed, it was the Mat Tax, because the Malt Tax was more particularly felt. With respect to the tax on agricultural horses, he would heartily vote for its repeal; and should the Bill be carried to a Committee, he would move for the repeal of the tax on foreign wool The Noble Lord next observed, that as to maintaining the public faith of the country, he was not for breaking that faith. But was not the public faith more than maintained ? There was at present a surplus revenue of four millions. That fund was preserved, not as a Sinking Find-it would be ridiculous to call it a Sinking Fund, on the princip e on which Mr. Put had originally established it. The plan of Mr. Pitt was one of doubtful policy at best, but when it was once broken in upon, it might be interfered with to any extent. At present, a sum of four millions was |