former tax arofe from the manner in which many of the principal claufes were framed. Mr. Erskine was of opinion that our particular fituation muft fuggeft the meafures of our conduct; and, though far from withing to fee an income tax re-established, as an ordinary mode of taxation, unlefs in times of very great diffi culty indeed, yet he was ready to fay, he thought this was not the time for debating fuch matters. The country was in a great and awful crifis; but he did not fay this with a view to difmay the national feeling. The enemy had but two modes by which to accomplith their mott fanguine expectation for the invafion of this country: the one by pour ing in their population. If they do fo, he was convinced they would have their fchemes thwarted; if they be allowed to invade us at all, it must be owing to our not evincing fufficient fpirit. Even ten thoufand people firmly refolving to defend their country, would give a feature of national Spirit fufficient to convince the enemy of the rathness of his views, and the invulnerability of this country. He apprehended that another hope of the enemy was to exhautt our finances, by allowing us to go on with the funding fyftem to carry on the war, which the enemy imagined would terminate in exciting difcontents amongst the people of this country, and confequently excite difunion. He therefore thought that the rich thould make up their minds to fuffer great privations at this moment; as the more we disappoint the hopes of those who with to difunite the people of this country, the ftronger will be our means of defence. He by no means affented to the principle of this bill as a permanent mode of taxation, but merely as a means of providing against prefent danger; and he trufted the country would cheerfully acquiefce, and bury all differences of opinion on the fubject. His own income, he faid, was not worth two years purchase; it was earned, he would fav, by the most arduous exertions of mind and perfon; but thefe confiderations weighed nothing in his mind against the fairness of the impoft; and his with was, to fhow the enemy that we difdained private confiderations, and paltry ditputes, whether one man fhould pay two or three guineas more than another when his country was at ftake. This was, in his mind, the` arduous moment for the rich to come forward, and fhew an example; and the more unanimous the country appeared, the better for the fecurity of the nation. No man was more fincerely difpofed than he was to peace; and his principle was, to be cautious of entering into a quarrel: but that that being inevitable, let our enemy be convinced that we were prepared to profecute it with ability, energy, and effect. Mr. Weflon was decidedly against the principle of the in come tax, as peculiarly oppreffive upon the commercial intereft, and contrary to the ufual and conftitutional principles of taxation in this country. He concluded by moving, "That the Speaker do leave the chair.” Sir Thomas Metcalf said, that it had been almost univerfally acknowledged, that the income tax, prima facie, was the beft in principle that ever had been devifed; and the reafon why it was not productive to the full extent originally propofed, was the dishonefty of many of the parties upon whom it was impofed, and not from any mifcalculation of its juft. extent. As a war tax, he highly approved of it; and thought that its revival would be a fecurity to the country. Whether a tax upon funded, landed, or profeflional income, he thought it a fequel of the late income tax, and therefore approved it; and with refpect to difclofures, if inftead of looking to the income of the prefent year, that of the last year was reforted to, he was inclined to believe it would be ten times more productive than formerly. The Speaker then left the chair, and the Houfe refolved ifelf into a Committee on the bill.. The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that the object of this Committee was to conjoin the provifions of the income and property tax bills in one bill; then to have the bill fo conjoined reprinted and diftributed amongst the Members. For this purpose he hoped the bill would be printed by Friday, fo as to allow time enough to prepare Members for its full difcuffion on Monday; but if not printed by that day, as he expected, then to be taken into confideration on Tuesday. However, on this point he thould be prepared to inform the Houfe next day; and if he thould not then feel it neceffary to make any motion, it would be understood that the difcuffion was to take place on Monday. The House was then refumed, and the report ordered to be taken into confideration on Monday. ولة The Lords' amendmen s to the bil s for railing an additional number of men for the protection of England and Scotland, were read and agreed to. The order of the day was read for the House refolving itfelf into a Committee, to enable the Lord Lieutenant of IreVOL. IV. 1802-3 3 K land land to raife volunteer corps for the fervice of Ireland, and authorizing the Lords Commiffioners of the Treasury in Ireland to advance a fum of money for raifing the fame, at feven guineas per man: to be taken into confideration the next day. The Houfe refolved itself into a Committee of ways and means for raifing a loan of one million, (Irish currency) on treasury bills. The order of the day was read for taking into confideration the militia pay bill, in Great Britain, for the year 1803. The Secretary at War propofed an amendment, to increase the pay of Adjutants from 6s. to 8s. Mr. Baftard faid, that the pay of Adjutants under the prefent bill, was on a worse footing than during the last war, when they were allowed 3s. 6d. military days, befides their regular pay of 6s. and propofed railing their pay to 75. Mr. Dennis Brown fupported the bill. The Secretary at War faid, the pay of Adjutants in the militia was the fame as in the infantry of the line. He had no particular objection to the hon. Gentleman's amendment, but it could not be difcuffed in the prefent stage of the bulinefs. The report to be received next day. Captain Harvey prefented a petition from certain fishermen in fome towns on the river Medway, praying leave to be heard by counfel. Agreed to." The Houfe went into a Committee on the bill for regulating the Irish revenues of customs and excise. Mr. Wickham brought up a bill for making provifions for the wives and families of the militia ferving in Ireland. Read a first time. Mr. Corry brought up a bill for amending the act to secure the collection of the revenue arifing from malt in Ireland, and for the prevention of frauds among diftillers. Read a firft time. To be read a fecond time the next day, and printed. Mr. Alexander brought up a report of the amendments to the bill for granting to his Majefty certain duties on malt exported to Ireland. Agreed to, and to be read a third time the next day. Mr. Vanfittart moved, that fo much of the acts as related to the exportation of corn, &c. to Guernsey and Jersey, be taken into confideration the next day. The Houfe in a Committee went through the lottery bill. The The five millions exchequer bills bill was read a fecond time. Adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS. WEDNDSDAY, JULY 6. The royal affent was given by commiffion to the English and Scotch army of referve bills, and to one private bill. The commiffioners were the Lord Chancellor, and Lords Alvanley and Walfingham. The Scotch militia families' bill was read a third time and passed. CLERGY BILL. Upon the motion for the third reading of the clergy bill, Lord Suffolk, according to the intentions which he had intimated before, ftated his fentiments refpecting the bill in queftion. He did not intend to oppofe the bill, nor to enter into it now fo fully as if he had been allowed to difcufs its merits when it was committed. Some bill to this purpose muft pafs, as the period of fufpending actions brought against the clergy for non-refidence had now very nearly elapfed. He had before intimated his objections to the bill, which were, that it did not go to what in his opinion was the most effential of all the points that could be comprehended in it, viz. the making fome adequate provifion for the inferior clergy. He had before ftated his opinion that no clergyman ought to have lefs than 100l. per annum. This the prefent fituation of the country could well afford: and furely it was not too large a provifion for a perfon who had received a liberal education, and whofe profeffion required that he fhould keep up the appearance of a gentleman. He had before ftated, and not upon flight authority, that out of the 10,000 livings in England, 4 or 5000 did not yield upwards of 70l. a year. This was an evil which certainly required a remedy, as it was of the laft confequence to religion and morality, that the clergymen of the country fhould be enabled to maintain their respectability in the eyes of their parishioners. Some time ago, in alluding to this fubject, he had mentioned an intance of the degraded fituation to which a clergyman, in a certain part of the kingdom, which he had accidentally vifited, had been reduced by the fmallnefs of his income. He again. alluded to it, both as illuftrative of his argument, and that he might have an opportunity of correcting a mistake which had been committed by the public papers in their account of 3 K 2 wha what he had faid when treating this fubject on the occafion alluded to. The public prints had ftated him to have faid at that time that the clergyman, to whofe fituation he had called the attention of the Houfe, poffeffed gol. a year. With the fum of 401. a year, a clergyman in that part of the country, and at the time to which he alluded, which was 35 years ago, might have made a very refpectable appearance, and maintained his family with fome comfort. But the clergyman in queftion, who maintained himfelf by keeping a public houfe, and fidding to his parishioners, had only 14t. a year. He before mentioned a plan by which the livings of the inferior clergy might be rendered more comfortable. The first fruits and tenths had done a great deal; but in the manner in which they were at prefent collected, they fell far thort of what they ought to perform. Instead of a nominal first fruit and tenth, he would advise the collecting of a real first fruit and tenth. This was furely not too much for dignitaries, and thofe clergymen who had rich livings, to do for the interior clergy. The firft fruits and tenths, as at prefent collected, did not amount to more than fifteen or fix een thousand pounds a year; but if really and properly colleted, would, he was affured, by a very moderate calculation, amount to 6 or 70 thoufand pounds a year. Perhaps they might amount to more, but he withed to keep within bounds From the payment of thefe first fruits and tenths he would exempt, not only the curates and clergymen with poor livings, but all thofe whofe incomes did not amount to 2col. a year. Let the firft fruits and tenths be fully levied from thofe whofe incomes were above that fum, and if proper y app ied, they might afford a more adequate relief to the inferior clergy. This would, in his opinion, not only afford the requifive remedy at prefent, but might leave a very confiderable furplus This furplus might be applied to the purchafe of glebes, for thofe who had not a fufficient one, to prevent the neceflity of taking an additional farin. And if a farther furplus remained, which was extremely probable, he would advife that it should be formed into a fort of finking fund, and thus the livings of the clergy might be made to keep pace with the improvement of the landed property, and indeed would be a fecurity for them, whatever might be the fate of agriculture. It was the neglect and poverty which the inferior clergy had endured in France, as he had formerly stated, that in a great meafure had occafioned the revolution in that country. A committee of Bithops had been there |