42 



ANNUAL llEGrSTE]{, 1805. 



solution being read, for imposing 

 an additional duty on sa,lt, colonel 

 Calcraft said, he hoped the minister 

 would reconsider the elVect of 50 

 per cent, on an article of such neces- 

 sity as this tax, together with that on 

 husbandry horses, which, by raising 

 the price of bread would be distres- 

 sing to the poor, who had already 

 felt severely the hard pressure of 

 the tinies. 



Mr. Sheridan also reprobated the 

 tax, which was in the teeth of a 

 former resolution of the house, 

 that the duty upon this article ought 

 to be lowered. Upon the strength 

 of that resdiution, the saltworks at 

 Lymington had been renewed, but 

 if this measure passed, it would be 

 no other than a trap to the manufac- 

 turers, at the same time that no tax 

 could operate so greviously, opprcs- 

 sircly, and grindingly upon the 

 poor, who, in all their provisions of 

 hsh, pork, poiatoes, &c. were obli- 

 ged to use a considerable quantity 

 of it. — The chancellor of the exche- 

 quer thought both (he honourable 

 members mistaken in the operatic -i 

 of the tax, a very small portion of 

 which wonldfall on the lower orders 

 of the people ; and as to the resolu- 

 tion alluded to, it was passed four 

 years since, in time of peace, and yet 

 no reduction had been made in (he 

 duly, ever since that time. — ]Mr. 



Egerfon represented the hardships 

 the law would bring upon the salt 

 works in Chester, and Mr. Kinnaird 

 the suti'crings it would inflict on so 

 many of the [)eople, who almost 

 wholly depended on their fislieries. 

 .Mr. Rose replied to these, by stating 

 that the draw back would remedy 

 all the apprehended evils. 



Sir R. Buxton objected to the 

 tax on husbandry horses, as falling 

 partially on farmers, and wished 

 that, instead of such a duty, the 

 members of that house should afl'ord. 

 aproof of their disinterestedness, by 

 giving up their privilege of frank- 

 ing. — Mr. Windham thought dif- 

 ferently of the privilege of frank- 

 ing, which, (hough to members 

 themselves was merely a feather in 

 their cap, and the last privilege left 

 them, independent of the minister, 

 was of great use in keeping up 

 their correspondence with their con- 

 stituents, and contribuied to give 

 them more infonnation of the wishes 

 and the true interests of the people. 

 — The chancellor of the exchequer 

 concurred in Mr. Windham's opi- 

 nion, observing that (he privilege 

 wis the most inconsiderable thing 

 in the world, in point of revenue, as 

 it would not amount to more than 

 40,000/.^— After some further con- 

 versation, the resolutions -were 

 agreed to. 



ClfAP. 



