.831.] I 285 ] 



POLITICAL AFFAIRS IN MARCH. 



GREAT BRITAIN. 



THE general distresses aud the 

 various exertions of the minority 

 in parliament to procure relief, have 

 been the chief topics of recent domestic 

 interest. 



Mr. Hume has unsuccessfully moved 

 two sets of resolutions, of which we 

 subjoin copies. 



FIRST SET. 



" 1- Resolved, Tliat it appeart; by the 

 Official Returns before this House, that 

 the total Military Establishment of Great 

 Britain and Ireland for 1792 (exclusive of 

 the East Indies, and of the Artillery, Mi- 

 litia and Marines,) consisted of 48,474 men, 

 namely, 15,919 for Great Britain, Guern- 

 sey, &c.-, 17,323 in the Colonies abroad; 

 and 15,232 in Ireland ; and, that the total 

 Military Establishment of Great Britain 

 and Ireland for 1821 (exclusive of India, 

 the Artillery, the Militia, and Marines) 

 consists of 81,106 Officers and Men; 

 namely, of 27,852 in Great Britain, Guern- 

 sey, &c. ; 32,476 in the Colonies abroad ; 

 and 20,778 in Ireland. 

 H " 2. Resolved, That the Supplies for the 

 expence of the Military Establishment of 

 Great Britain and Ireland, in 1792, were 

 2,331,1491. ; that the Supplies voted for the 

 Militery Establishment of Great Britain 

 and Ireland, for 1820, were 9,500,2161.; 

 and that the Army Estimates for 1821, now 

 submitted to the House, are only 163,4981. 

 less than those of 1820. 



" 3. That there were in the service of 

 Great Britain and Ireland, in 1792 (exclu- 

 ■ive of the regular Cavalry and Infantry,) 

 25,757 troops, namely, 3,730 of Royal 

 Artillery, 4,425 of Royal Marines, and 

 17,602 of Disembodied Militia ; and in 

 1821 (exclusive of the regular Cavalry and 

 Infantry,) the number of 125,492 troops, 

 namely, 7,872 Engineers and Artillery, 

 8,000 Royal Marines, 51,998 Disembodied 

 Militia, aud 57,622 Yeomanry Cavalry aud 

 Volunteer Infantry, being in number a 

 larger force by 132,367 men, available for 

 purposes of Government, in the year 1821, 

 than the Government had in 1792. 



" Resolved, That it is the opinion of this 

 House, that, under the present circum- 

 ManccK of the country, jt is expedient to 

 make a large reduction in the amount and 

 expenditure of its Military Estublishnients, 

 and to approximate as soon as possible to 

 the EBtablishmcnt of 1792, as recommended 

 hy the Finance Committee of 1817." 

 SECOND si;t. 



" That (here are 05 receivers-general of 

 the land and assessed taxes in England and 

 Walejf, Who received an allowance of 

 41,4151., and of 41,9841. in the years ending 



the 5th of January, 1820, and 1821, for the 

 duties of their office, although the greater 

 number of these receivers-general perform- 

 ed that duty entirely by deputy ; and re- 

 tained balances of cash in their hands 

 which, on an average of these years, ex- 

 ceeded 367,5741. sterling per annum. 



"That it appears, by the returns before 

 the House, that ten receivers-general were, 

 on the 1st of January, 1820, in arrears (at 

 the time of their death, or of leaving their 

 office, since 1790) to the amount of 304,3371. 

 2s. 4d. ; of which amount a balance of 

 117,1151. Is. 8d. then remained due to the 

 public, as stated in the annual finance ac- 

 count laid before the house in 1820. 



" That the office of receiver-general of 

 the land and assessed taxes is one of depo- 

 site, and for remittance of the taxes from 

 district collections to the Exchequer ; and, 

 in the present state of the finances of the 

 country, that such service may be per- 

 formed at a less charge to the public than is 

 now incurred, with equal security against 

 loss, and with equal efficiency to the public 

 service. 



" That there are 95 distributors of stamps 

 in Great Britain who received allowances 

 or poundage amounting to 87,2331. for the 

 year ending the 5th of January, 1820 ; and 

 87,9731. for the year ending the 5th January, 

 1821, and also retained balances of cash in 

 their hands which, on an average of these 

 years, exceeded 138,9261. sterling. 



" That, in the present state of the finances 

 of the country, the duty of distributor of 

 stamps may be performed at a less charge 

 to the public than is now incurred, with 

 equal security against loss, and with equal 

 efficiency to the public service." 



Mr. Western was more successful hi 

 moving for the repeal of the additional 

 Malt Duty, and during his excellent 

 speech he stated the following details : 

 " The total amount of the tax on malted 

 barley, including that on beer and spirits, 

 was 10,000,0001. In the last budget of 

 finance it was 8,670,0001. in England, and 

 about 1,300,0001. in Ireland, to go into 

 the detail — there was, first, the tax of 288. 

 per quarter on the malt ; then a tax of 32s. 

 per quarter on it in the beer — riiaking in the 

 whole, 31. per quarter on malt and beer. 

 The duty on it as manufactured into spirits 

 actually amounted to 101. per quarter ; that 

 was, every quantity of spirits made from 

 H quarter of malt, p4id that duty. The 

 house niight wish to ' know what was 

 (he progress of this duty. In the year 1780 

 the duty was 10s. and fid. per quarter on 

 malt, and so it continued w ith a very little 

 deviation, which he sh6uld afterwards 

 notice, until 1802. In that year it wus 

 t'a&sed, 



