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great inducement to filly people to have inferiptions to their memory, and their names put up in gilt letters. The bill itfelf he conceived to convey a libel on the legislature; for, if parfonage-houfes and church yards were fo neceffary, let the public furnish them, and do not apply to exploded fuper tition for the purpose.

Mr. Hurt confidered the 9th George II. to have been an excellent ftatute; meant, in its own language, to prevent large and improvident" legacies for fuch uses. The limi fation of this bill did not juftify it, for the bequeft would be very large and improvident for the family of a poor man, which might be a trifle to a rich one. The confequences might alfo be nationally very mischievous. Suppofing that only 100 perfons fhould be prevailed upon or induced to give fuch legacies in land, the confequences must be, that 500 acres of perhaps the fineft land in the country would be taken away froin agriculture, or other useful purposes, for ever, and, contrary to the laws and conftitution of England, that property would never more be free or alienable.

The Houfe then divided on the question for the Speaker's leaving the chair, when the numbers were,

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The Houfe then refolved itfelf into a Committee on the bill (Sir William Dolben in the chair.)

Mr. More moved an amendment to one of the claufes, that infead of the will not being valid, unless made three months previous to the death of the teftator, the words twelve months thould be fubftituted.

Mr I. H. Browne oppofed the amendment.

The Solicitor General thought that any portion of land devifed and become inalienable, in confequence of this measure, mult neceffarily be fo fmall as to be exceedingly trifling to the public. He confidered the object of the bill to be, to oblige the perfons to whom the trust thould be conveyed, to employ it beneficially; for a man may bequeath his money for trufts which never could answer any useful purpose.

The amendment was rejected without a divifion, and the report was ordered to be received on Monday..

THE IRISH LOAN.

Mr. Corry, in confequence of the notice he had given of his intention to lay before the Houfe that day the terms of the

Irish Loan, thought it right to take this opportunity of acquainting them, that he thould have no occafion to fubmit for their approbation any loan for that country in the prefent. year. To account for the failure of the loan, he had to inform them of the nature of bidding. The party who came for ward in Ireland offered no more than 781. 5s for 100l. stock, which would yield, befides the bonus, &c. an intereft to the bidder of 61. gs. 9d. whereas in the laft lean, made in England, it was no more than. 51. 2s. 1od. a difference fo enormous, that he could not for a moment confent to it. He had alfo to obferve, that for fome time previous to the bidding, the Irish funds experienced very confiderable fluctuations. He did not attribute that to influence or machinations, but wished to obferve, that on the Saturday, which was the day of bidding for the Irish five per cents. after fome fluctuation, left off at 861. and a fraction, and after the bidding was over, and the other rejected, opened at 9ol. on the Monday. There was alfo on the fame day a proportionate rife in 5 and 1-half per cents, which were down to 70 on Saturday. The Houfe must therefore be aware that fuch an offer, and there was but one bidder, must have been indignantly rejected; nor was it without regret that he found himself compelled by his duty to make a statement fo deftitute of that fair and honourable intercourse which ought always to fubfift between the Govern ment and the monied intereft, and fo difcreditable an advantage attempted to be taken of what was fuppofed to be a matter of neceffity in the ftate. The Houfe, however, must be aware that he was fufficiently careful to have taken what now turned out to be a neceffary precaution, in order to protect the ftate from the artifices of those who had the prefump tion to offer fuch terms; by a bill for raifing a million upon Irish Treasury bills for the fervice of the year, the report of which he now moved to be brought up.

Mr. Alexander then brought up the report of the bill, which was agreed to, and the bill ordered to be read a third time the next day.

Mr. Johnstone obferved, that from what had appeared on former experience, the difficulty of raifing the loan in Ire land upon terms agreeable to Government, might have been eafily forefeen; and therefore he thought the present inftance would afford a leffon to thofe who bid for the loan in this country, under the idea that it would be only twelve millions, when in reality it now turns out to be fourteen. He there

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fore confidered the propofition for raifing two millions in Ireland, now found to be impracticable, as only a disguise to keep fo much of the general loan out of view, until the first part was difpofed of. He thought, therefore, the more candid way would have been, in the firft inftance, to open the bidding for the whole loan in this country.

Mr. Corry affured the hon. Member it was really and fincerely the intention to have raised the loan in Ireland, had it turned out to be practicable upon terms at all adiniffible; and he had purpofely chofen to try Ireland firft upon the principle fo ftrongly urged laft vear by a Gentleman not now in his place, and one of the reprefentatives for that country (M Foster), who laid it down as an axiom, that the railing of loans in this country for the ufe of the Government in Ire land, was a ruinous practice for that country, as it would ef fect a great drain of cath from Ireland annually to pay the intereft to the holders of Irish stock in England. But, having tried the experiment without fuccefs, no charges would rett against him upon the ground that was fo alleged to be impolitic. He was far, however, from thinking, notwithstanding his ill fuccefs in the present inftance, that the Irith mar ket should not be tried from time to time in raifing the loan for the year.

Mr. Alexander then brought up the report, which was agreed to; and Mr. Corry moved an amendment agreeably to his propofition, which was adopted, and the bill ordered to be engrolled, and read the third time the next day.

WEST INDIA COLONIES.

Mr. Barham faid, he held in his hand a petition, on the fubject of which he was proceeding to expatiate; when

The Chancellor of the Exchequer requested that he would poftpone doing fo till fome future day, as there was bufinefs of very great importance already before the Houfe, which it was extremely defirable to expedite as much as poffible.

Mr. Barham acceded to the requeft, and prefented the petition, which, on being read by the clerk, turned out to be on the part of the merchants, planters, and traders of the Weft India colonies, ftating, that they had been for many years fuftaining great lofs, (as they were obliged to fend all their goods to this country exclufively, and were thereby deprived of the benefit of other markets) in confequence of the enor mous duties laid upon fugars and other articles of their produce, without any regard to their staple produce; or that VL. IV. 1802-3

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this, with other circumftances, did not allow them a profit by any means proportionate to the greatnefs and extent of their capitals; and praying for relief.

The petition was ordered to lie on the table, and Mr. Barham gave notice, that he would make a motion on the fubject of it on Tuesday next.

Colonel Stanley moved the further confideration of the report of the cotton Committee.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer begged that this fubject - might be allowed to give way to the other important business of the day. Besides, he said, the subject refpecting cotton was of extreme importance, which he wished to confider of very minutely, which he could not find time to do heretofore, on account of the other more immediate fubjects which preffed upon his attention.

Colonel Stanley confented, and the bill was poftponed. The London quota bill was committed, and the report or dered for next day.

PROPERTY AND INCOME TAX.

The House refolved into a Committee, to refume the confideration of the bill for imposing a duty on real and perfonal property.

When the claufe which requires that the occupiers of land thall pay at the rate of 9d. in the pound on their rent was read,

Mr. Pitt obferved, that the principle now admitted on all hands was, that every perfon fhould pay at the rate of is. out of every 20s. of his income. It appeared then, that when the bill propofed to take 9d. per pound on the tenants, it was affumed that that would amount to the fame fum as one fhilling in the pound on his profits; or in other words, it was calculated that his annual profits were equal to 3-4ths of his rent. The bill, however, ought to declare the ground on which this estimation was taken, in order that the principle might be rendered manifcft. The rent alone, however, could not fhew the value of the tenant's profits; for of two farms producing the fame average crop, one might pay a much higher rent to the landlord on account of its paying lefs or no tythes and poor rates. In fuch a cafe the eftimation of the profits by the rent would be very unfair. The bill propofed, very juftly, that the tenant in Scotland fhould pay fixpence in the pound, because there being no poors rates or tythes in that country, the landlord receives a higher rent than in England. As it was prefumed

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by the bill that the English tenant's profits are equal to three fourths of his rent, fo it was fuppofed that the Scotch tenant's profits were equal to one-half of his rent. The principle of the eftimation, however, ought to be declared, that it might not appear there was a boon given to Scotland where none was intended. A better criterion of the profits of the farmer ought alfo to be adopted, and he believed that would be found in the aggregate of the rent, tythes, and poor-rates.

Colonel Wood thought there were confiderable difficulties in the way of the laft fuggeftion of the right hon. Gentleman. In his opinion, it would be better to adhere altogether to the calculation on the rack rent, or to leave the matter to the difcretion of the affeffor.

Mr. Pitt confidered, that although an abfolute equality might be impracticable, though a perfect fyftem could not be deemed attainable, that fill the Houfe was not, on that account, to debar itself from approaching as nearly as it poffibly could to fuch a perfection. He pointed out the inequalities in the operation of the act, as at prefent framed, in taking rent as the criterion of the income of a farmer. He inftanced the cafe of two farms adjacent to each other, one of which might be extraparochial and tythe-free, and the other liable to both outgoings, yet paying both the fame rent. Could it be faid that in fuch a cafe the criterion of the prefent bill would be juft and effectual for the purposes of a tax upon income? He then went through the obferva tions of the Attorney General, on whofe fpeech the right hop. Gentleman had paid very clofe attention to country affairs, as his excurfions into the country had not perhaps, been fo frequent as he (Mr. Pitt) could have wifhed for the learned Gentleman's advantage, and probably he had chiefly drawn his arguments on the fubject from the cases made out in his briefs.

Mr. Sturt approved of the claufe as it ftood. Speaking of farmers in general, he obferved, that in Suffex, where he had the honour of refiding a confiderable part of the year, a farmer generally calculated on making four rents: one for his landlord, one for wear and tear, &c. one for the intereft of his capital, and one for his fupport.

Mr. Dent made fome humorous remarks on the Suffex farmers, and their proximity to the fea coaft; but was averfe to the claufe.

Mr. Windham confidered, that it was the duty of the

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