108] 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1812. 



Irish members, who made vari- 

 ous observations on the subject. 

 The several resolutions of the 

 Chancellor of the Exchequer were 

 then put, and agreed to. 



Irish Budget, Mr. Wellesley 

 Pole said, that he rose for the pur- 

 pose of calling theuttention of the 

 committee to the Ways and Means 

 of Ireland, wliith he would en- 

 deavour to do as shortlj' as possible 

 at that late hour. In the first in- 

 stance the supply was, 1,794,000/. 

 being the contribution of 1811, 

 there was due of the quota of 

 1812, 7,011,000/. Irish currency 

 and the interest on the debt of 

 Ireland, up to the 5th of last ,)anu- 

 a\y, was 4,496,000/. making a 

 total of 1.3,902,000/. He should 

 propose to meet this, in the first 

 instance, the surplus of the 

 consolidated fund, amounting to 

 2,775,000/. He next proposed to 

 take the revenue of the cunent 

 year, which he took at 4,300,000/. 

 The nett revenue of the last year 

 4,170,000/. The repeal of the 

 bounty on retail spirits 40,000/. 

 The regulation of tobacco duties 

 &c. 417,000/. The profit on the 

 lottery he calculated at 150,000/. 

 the payment of seamen's wages 

 150,000/.— The loan 1 ,500,0(tO/. 

 and 50,000/. by treasury bills ; 

 making 2,000,000/, ; and" a total 

 of 13,982,000/. being an exceed- 

 ing of 82,000/. It was now ne- 

 cessary for him to state the mode 

 of providing for the interest of 

 the loans and the sinking fund, 

 which amounted to 449,000/. The 

 loan had been raised by 5 per cent 

 treasury bills, and the manner of 

 providing for it was by a tax, 

 which had been rather ludicrousljr 

 alluded to by an hon. gentleman — 

 he meant by a tax on spirits, which 



he trusted would be found by it» 

 produce to cover the loan. He 

 would state to the committee the 

 grounds on which this tax would 

 cover every thing. It would be 

 recollected that a tax had been le- 

 vied on Irish spirits, amounting td 

 2*. Qd. a gallon, which, being dou- 

 bled, now produced 5«. British on 

 the gallon. The consumption of 

 spirits in Ireland, for the year end- 

 ing on the 5th January, 1812, had 

 been 055,000 gallons ; the quan- 

 tity exported 792,000 gallons. The 

 consumption had been diminished 

 one fifth by the operation of the 

 duty, leaving 461,000 gallons, 

 which at the rate of 5*. 5af. Irish 

 currency, produced 1,248,000/. 

 being 260,000/. more than last 

 year. He was aware that it might 

 be said, that this statement would 

 not hold good, as distillation was 

 stopped in Ireland ; but the com- 

 mittee would recollect, that, previ- 

 ous to the levying of the dut}', 

 another measure had been taken 

 to prevent the exportation of spi- 

 rits, by which a considerable stock 

 remained on hand, the duty oa 

 which according to the best infor- 

 mation he could procure, would 

 amount to 270,000/. ; so that there 

 was actually 270,000/. of the 

 449,000/. taking then the stock 

 in hand at the above sum, he had 

 to stale, the hope of increase from 

 the power gi anted by the act to 

 tlie Irish government, to open the 

 distilleries on the 1st of November, 

 in the event of a good harvest : 

 and according to the best informa- 

 tion, there never was a more abun- 

 dant lu'omise ; so that it was 

 almost certain that the distilleries 

 would be opened at the time con- 

 templated in the act, namely, the 

 1st of November. Having state-d 



thus 



