184] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1797. 
situation, and unnecessary to the 
true interests of this country. He 
hoped that, if the house retained 
any regard for the functions with 
which they were invested, and that 
economy which the situation of af- 
fairs so much required, they would 
- consider the subject with serious at- 
tention, and adopt some effectual 
plan to check the. extravagance 
which was practised, and that neg- 
lect of their controul which marked 
the public expenditures It would 
be iound, he said, that. great as 
the burthens about to be imposed 
were, there would. be. still’, far- 
ther impositions to a very great 
amount. 
Mr. Pitt was ready to admit that 
the accounts, on which he now rea- 
soned, of the exports and imports, 
Were not very correct, aud he never 
meant to argue from them, as by 
themselves supporting a precise con- 
clusion, with regard to the state of 
our commerce. ‘They were, how- 
ever, as correct now, as they had 
been on former occasions; and, bya 
comparison of them with former 
statements; it appeared that the ex- 
cess of the exports and imports was 
as great asin times of peace. He 
conceived it probable that the taxes 
would ke eqsual to all the ends which 
they: were a: signed to support, and 
he wished to!know, whether the ex- 
perience whch had already been 
obtained, was such as ought to in- 
duce him to propose additional bur- 
thens, while the necessity of so un- 
pleasant @ task was by no means as- 
ceftained ? 
Mr, Fox considered the present as 
one.of-the most false statements of 
fivance that was ever brought for- 
ward, calculated merely to delude 
the people of this country ; and ac- 
companied with some political ob- 
servations, which were a libel on the 
constitution. Though the house 
were about to vote burthens, equal 
to the whole that had been imposed 
during the first three years of ‘the 
French and American war, they 
would find that’ above one million, ; 
more was still actually necessary. If 
this he true, said he, as it certainly 
is, what shall we say, of the honour- 
able gentleman’s fair statements? 
Mr. Fox. having made several 
strictares on the. térms of the pre- 
sent loan, came, to the vote of 
credit, for money to be given at the 
cscretion of ministry to the empe- 
ror: to whom he had already given, 
without the consent of parliament, 
twelve hundred thousand. pounds. 
He had not scen the date of this 
advance; but those who were mem= 
bers of last parliament could not 
have forgotten, that, for the last 
three months of that parliament, not 
a week elapsed in which some ques 
tion was not put to the minister, in 
which he was called upon to de- 
clare, whether he intended to grant 
any pecuniary assistance to the em- 
peror ? Did the minister mean to say 
he intended to assist him, but that 
he thought his own authority for that 
purpose sufficient ? If, said Mr. Fox, 
these are the sentiments he »acted 
upon in this country ; if the mitis- 
ter be permitted to carry them into 
effect, I declare, for myself, that the 
constitution of this country is not 
worth fighting for. I wish to know 
on what principle it is that the 
minister takes this power upon him- 
self, rather than ci it to the come 
mons of Great Britain, to whom, 
and to whom only, it constitutionally 
belongs. If he directs the apphi- 
cation of the money of the people 
thus, upon foreign affairs, without 
the consent of parliament, I see no 
Teas. 
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