1392 ANNUAL REGISTER, 
endeavoured to prove, that instead 
of a million surplus of revenue, 
as had been stated in another place, 
there was, in fact, a deficit of near- 
ly double that amount! 
Lord Auckland, defended the 
accounts, which he had before pre- 
sented, and justified the conduct of 
the minister, who was incapable of 
such an imposition, as he seemed 
charged with. ‘The total revenue 
of the last year, was above 34 mil- 
lions, being considerably more than 
our expenditure; and the surplus 
of the consolidated fund, was above 
seven millions. This was a situa- 
tion which, he thought, might just- 
ly be spoken of, with some exulta- 
tion. 
The earl of Moira asserted, that 
even from the noble lord’s state- 
ment, it appeared, that there was 
a considerable deficit ; for it only 
allowed an excess of nine millions, 
to meet an expenditure of thirteen. 
He thought it was most preposter- 
ous, to enter into a comparison of 
the revenues of the country now, 
with what they were in 1787 ; every 
body knew they had much increas- 
ed, but he, for one, did not con- 
sider that increase, as a subject of 
much exultation. We knew the 
numerous additional taxes, which 
had been the fruitful sources of this 
increase ; it was, indeed, some- 
what consolatory to find, that the 
wonderful and unceasing skill and 
industry of the people of this great 
country, pushes forward its com- 
merce, in spite of all its burdens. 
He never heard those very florid 
descriptions of our financial pros- 
perity, without considering them as 
the forerunners of fresh expences 
and calamities. 
false statements to be made, but he 
He did not wish > 
1803. 
had a high opinion of the real. 
strength and resources of this coun- 
try, if it should become absolutely 
necessary to exert them to the ut- 
most, against our ambitious and 
implacable enemy. 
Lord Grenville observed, that he 
should proceed to call their lord- 
ships’ attention to the subject upon 
which the noble lord had grounded 
his motion, though he, in some de- 
gree, differed from that noble lord 
in what he had advanced ; his ob- 
ject, however, in so, coming for- 
ward, was not to place himself in 
opposition to any of the noble lords 
who had delivered their sentiments, 
but impelled by considerations of 
public duty, to shew, as far as he 
was able, and which, he thought, 
was the bounden duty of all, the 
country its true situation, by a fair 
and manly statement of the circum- 
stances under which it was placed. 
That system of concealment, which 
had prevailed so much of late, had 
been carried too far, and particu- 
larly upon a subject, the most in- 
teresting of all others to the coun- 
try. He thought no member of 
that or the other house of parlia- 
ment, had need to apologize for 
bringing forward a subject of such 
vital importance, fairly to the view 
of the country. ‘There must, how- 
ever, be persons conscious of not 
having thus come forward to serve 
the country; but with respect to 
parliament generally, it was neces- 
sary they should open the eyes of 
the people, and particularly in , 
such a momentous crisis as the pre- 
sent, shew them their real situa- 
tion: it ought to be made clear to 
the country, whether or not its 
finances were in that state, that 
there existed a large disposable 
surplus 
