he thought would be to fteer clear of fixing the duty fo high, as to endanger the intereft of the manufacturer, or fo low as to injure competition at home. Under the prefent circumftances of the country, he thought there was no reason to fear for our home manufactures, as, during the continuance of the war, our thread lace manufa&ures had greatly flou rished, and fince the peace it had confiderably fallen off. In general it had been found, that immediately after, and, indeed, for fome confiderable time fubfequent to the making of peace. contraband trade was best and most effectually fuppreffed, by fixing a low duty, which took away the induce ment the smuggler had to make exertions and run risks, when his profits would be little or nothing; and if at any time afterwards it fhould be found neceffary, a higher duty may be laid on: but there was no principle more clear than this, that a contraband trade cannot be demolished all at once. It had been the study, and was the continual with of his Majefty's Ministers, to ufe every means in their power to protect the manufactures of the country, and they were very glad to receive every degree of information which fhould enable them to allay any alarms that might take place in the minds of our own manufacturers. Another refpectable defcription of perfons, he faid, had been confiderably alarmed at the permiffion that was to be given to the importation of foreign porcelain. The duty on this had been 105 per cent. and it was propofed to reduce it to 50 per cent. which he thought would have been a complete protecting duty. It was not, however, confidered to be fo by the manufacturers of this article in this country, who have urged in the strongest terms their apprehenfion that this manufacture would be greatly injured, if this alteration in the duty was to take place. Under thefe circumstances, he had undertaken to recommend it to the Houfe to increase the duty from 50l. to 80l. per cent. and if that should not be found fufficient, to increafe the duty fill more, and make it higher, as the nature of the cafe might be found to require. The third point he had to notice, he faid, was the petitions from perfons in the filk trade. It was well known, that the importation of manufactured filk from Bengal, was altogether prohibited. All precautions to prohibit it entirely had been found ineffectual; but he thought that by a duty of 25 per cent. on that article, the trade of the finuggler would foon be entirely demolished. He had propofed that the importation of filk handkerchiefs (hould be confined to the

average

average on the fales of the Eaft India company for the latt feven years, but he now recommended that the prohibition should be renewed during the war, with the power of fuf pending it afterwards, as the Houfe may think proper. He faid, he thought he fhould not be doing justice to thofe re fpectable perfons who had prefented petitions, as well as thofe who had waited on him on the occafion, if he did not fay that he believed they had not the fmaileft with or inten. tion in what they had done, or in the further steps they intended to purfue, to embarrass his Majefty's Ministers in the execution of the prefent meafure, but that they had acted purely from the juft caufe of alarm they thought they were bound to maintain, for the intereft of the different important manufactures in which they were feverally engaged. He believed, however, they were all fo perfectly fatisfied with the modifications and alterations propofed to be made in the bill, that they would decline giving the Houfe the trouble of hearing counfel on their behalf. He begged pardon for having fo long detained the Houfe from going into the Committee, but he had been induced to fay fo much, in hopes of faving their time after the Speaker thould leave the chair.

Lord Temple thanked the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the very candid manner in which he had made known the modifications, and faid he should withhold all further oppofition to the bill, on the part of thole from whom he had prefented petitions against it.

Lord G. L. Gower alfo thanked the right hon. Gentleman for his candour in explaining his motives, as well as for the feveral modifications and alterations he propofed to make to. the bill. He had in his hand, he faid, a petition from the lace manufacturers, which, after what had just tallen from the right hon. Gentleman, he fhould not prefs any further.

Mr. Macnamara, in behalf of the filk manufacturers, expreffed himself highly fatisfied with what the Chancellor of the Exchequer had fo candidly stated.

Mr. Alderman Combe returned the right hon. Gentleman his warmest acknowledgments, not only for his candour on the prefent, but for his general candour on all occasions in which he had an opportunity of fhowing it. He faid, that at any future time he fhould be happy to give every affiftance and facility to fuch further modifications or alterations as might be deemed neceffary.

General Cafcoyne faid, he was forry he was obliged to obe ject to the Speaker's leaving the chair; but as he had no

thanks

thanks to return to the right honourable Gentleman for any candour he had fhewn, as to that part of the bill which he had the greatest objection to, he hoped he should be excufed if he made a few observations on the subject. He ob jected to this bill, in fo far as it feemed to introduce a new principle in making a distinction on the taxes to be charged in one part of the empire more than another. He was well aware that what might be oppreffive to Ireland might not be fo to England; and he was impreff d with the idea, that there ought to be no difference fubfifting betwixt these two parts of the Britith dominions, in respect to trade and navigation. The laying taxes on one part, and leaving the other exempted, was obviously prejudicial to that equality in trade which ought to fubfift, according to the articles of the Union. He was far from wishing to extend a tax to Ireland, which might be reckoned in any degree oppreflive; but he withed that the trade of the country thould be put upon an equal footing. If, however, it be faid that the trade of Ireland. requires fome encouragement which this country does not, he hould not be against allowing it; though he could not think that fuch could poffibly follow as a matter of right. He would afk, what. advantage has the trade of England received from the Union with Ireland? [Here he begged leave to read part of the Act of Union, relative to the equality in point of navigation and commerce, which went to thew that the encouragement given to the one was always to be proportioned to that of the other] He did not intend to deny, that there might not be a difference of taxes in the two countries, upon any other fubject than commerce and navigation. If fuch a disparity was lawful in regard to Ireland, Scotland might, with equal propriety, claim the fame privilege of exemption, notwithstanding the articles of Union, by which it was agreed that all fubjects of the united kingdom should have free intercourfe with the British fettlements, except where it was exprefsly agreed to the contrary. The principle on which this bill proceeded was not new; for he remeine bered that no later than last year the fame thing was attempted, with refpect to the duty of exports and imperts. Ir was then faid, that Ireland was exempted from the extenfion of that principle, and a right hon. Gentleman, not now in his place, came to the Houfe for the purpose of defending that measure; but he foon acknowledged that it was ime proper, and unjustifiable; and the Chancellor of the ExVOL. IV.1802-3.

S

chequer

A

chequer was convinced of its abfurdity; and all those who fupported the principle, were thus obliged to give a negative to what they had thus brought forward themselves. right hon. Gentleman had obferved, that any alteration in the propofed tax would not only be prejudicial to Ireland, but even to his conftituents but for his part. he could not conceive how the latter could poffibly be affected, fince all ips from England to Ireland are confidered as coafters, and are exempted from the tax, fo that this country could not be injured. The only queftion he withed at present to have determined was, whether or not the trade of one country could have fuch a tax impofed upon it as to prove in any refpect injurious to the other; and he begged, therefore, to fubmit to the Houfe the following refolution :

"That there fhould be an inftruction given to the Committee on the prefent bill, to extend the tonnage duty on the importation of any article of commerce brought into the ports of Great Britain, equally to Ireland, according to the 6th article of the Union."

The Speaker obferved, that fuch a motion as the one which the hon. Member had just now made could not be accepted of in the prefent ftage of the bufinefs, as the purpofe of it went to impofe a duty which does not now exift, and which could only be done by the Committee upon the bill previous to the Committee of the whole Houfe.

General Gafcoyne was ftill inclined to think that his motion ought to be received, even in the prefent ftage of the bill. He could not, befides, understand upon what principle the framers of the bill had proceeded. when they propofed to Jay a duty of only 6s. a ton on importation into the port of London, while they made the duty into the outports amount to upwards of ten times as much, being no lefs than 31. 145. He thought that fuch a ftep would be perfectly impolitic, and a complete innovation.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that he perceived the hon. Gentleman was extremely defirous to bring forward his motion, while the Speaker was fill in the chair, but he begged leave to inform him, that fuch an inftruction never was propofed on any former occafion. It was no less than an inftruction to a Committee not to perfift in that which the Houfe had formerly adopted, although the bill had now reached to the prefent ftage, and was about to go into à Committee of the whole Houfe. Whenever the question

comes

comes to be put with regard to the amount of the duty on the whole importation, then it would be open to the hon. Gentleman to propofe that there should be an alteration in the duty about to be imposed on wine imported into London, and that imported into any of the out-ports.

The Houfe then refolved itfelf into a Committee of the whole Houfe, when the bill was diftinctly canvaffed, paragraph by paragraph, and the chairman (Mr. Alexander) reported progrefs. The report was ordered to be received the next morning.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer gave notice, that he would next day move for a Committee of the whole House, for the purpose of impofing an additional duty on foreign porcelain imported into this country. It was, he said, in contemplation to raise the duty on that article to fuch an amount, as to prove an effectual difcouragement to its im portation, fo as to encourage our home manufacture.

The House to refolve itself into a Committee of the whole House next day, in order further to confider fo much of his Majesty's Speech on the 23d of November as related to mercantile tranfactions.

The Irish thips burning bill was read a first time, and ordered to be read a fecond time the next day.

The bribery oath bill was ordered to be read a third time on Tuesday following.

The Committee of ways and means was poftponed to Monday following.

Refolved, That the Houfe refolve itself into a Committee of the whole Houfe on the Eaft India fhips bill the next day."

Adjourned till the next day.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

SATURDAY, JUNE II.

The Royal Affent was given by commiffion to fixty-one bills, among which the only ones of importance were the country's defence bill, the land-tax confolidation bill, the Irith Courts bill, the indemnity bill, the Scotch fchool-mafters' bill, and Markham's divorce bill. The commiffioners were Lords Auckland, Walfingham, and the Lord Chancellor. The Scotch emigrants bill was read a third time and paffed, together with the bill for affording additional fecurity to trade during the war.