HISTORY OF EUROPE. 71 
was proposed, with certain modifi- 
cations and exceptions, to raise the 
war duties of the customs from one 
fourth to one third. An addition 
would be made to the duty on sugar 
of three shillings per cwt. These 
‘additional duties would produce 
#.700,000a year. ‘Tobacco would 
be taxed under the excise, and it was 
calculated would afford 300,000 a 
year of additional duty. 
Yo cover the iuterest aud other 
charges upon the loan, a sum of 
1,136,000 a year, was still to be 
provided, which was proposed to 
be done in the following manner : 
The wine duty, already existing, was to be declared ° 
_ permanent, and applicable towards ‘the interest on 
the loan, amounting to 
— pee 
1.500,000 
A duty of forty shillings per ton on pig iron, suppos- 
ing tlre quantity manufactured to be 250,000 tons 
annually, would produce 
An equalization of the duties on tea would produce 
A tax on appraisements was calculated at 
The noble lord concluded his 
speech by expressing his determi- 
nation, and that of his colleagues, to 
administer the government with 
economy, and to reform abuses 
wherever they could. be detected ; 
and after an allusion to the labours 
of the naval and military commis- 
sioners, and assurances that minis- 
ters were ready to follow up any 
plans and improvements, which 
these enquiries might suggest, he 
announced to the house that steps 
‘were’ taking to recover the sums 
lost to the public by malversations 
in the West Indies, and that mea- 
sures had been adopted to put astop 
to the scenes of fraud, perjury, and 
peculation, which had so long 
prevailed in that part of the em- 
ores: 
- Instead of entering into a detailed 
account of the discussions, which 
arose on this and subsequent occa- 
sions, upon the propositions recom- 
mended by the chancellor of the 
500,000 
70,000 
— 66,000 
Total 1,136,000, 
exchequer, we shall confine our-~ 
selves toa brief and general abstract 
of the arguments for and against 
them, and to an account of the fate 
that finally attended them in, the 
house. 
It was objected to the course of 
proceeding taken by ministers on 
this occasion, that it was contrary 
to the usage of parliament to bring 
forward the ways and means before 
the estimates of the year had becn 
voted; and this usage was founded 
on the obvious and reasonable prin- 
ciple, that parliament ought not to 
burthen the subject unnecessarily, 
and therefore ought not to provide 
greater ways and means than the 
sums granted in the committee of 
supply. But, the ways aad means 
now proposed by the chancellor of 
the exchequer, greatly exceeded the 
supplies voted by the house; for the 
army estimates of the present year 
had not yet been submitted to its 
consideration; and no precedent, 
F 4 it 
