GENERAL HISTORY. 



[87 



He had now to call the atten- 

 tion of the committee to the man- 

 ner in which he proposed to meet 

 the above demands. The first ar- 

 ticle which he should notice was 

 the annual duties on malt, sugar, 

 tobacco, and some other articles 

 which had been taken at the usual 

 amount of 300,000/. The com- 

 mittee were aware that those du- 

 ties always produced considerably 

 more than the sum of 300,000/. 

 charged upon them, and that the 

 surplus was carried into the con- 

 solidated fund. 



He next proposed to avail him- 

 self of the ways and means for 

 1815 and 1816 exceeding the a- 

 mount of the supplies Avhich re- 

 mained to be paid out of them. 

 The sum for the former year was 

 1.5,749/. and for the- -latter 

 1,849,810/. These sums formed 

 what, in the language of the ex- 

 chequer, was called s\irplus of 

 ways and means. He did not, 

 however, mean to take credit for 

 them as a genuine surplus, as in 

 in fact they became disposable 

 only in consequence of parliament 

 having, since they were granted, 

 made a different provision for 

 great part of the supplies charged 

 upon them ; whereby they became 

 applicable to the service of the 

 present year, instead of those for 

 which they weie originally pro- 

 vided. The whole, after retaining 

 a sufficient sum to pay the sup- 

 plies charged on them, amounted 

 to 1,86.5,5.59/. arising in great 

 part from the temporary excise 

 duties, upon which 3,500,000/. 

 had been granted in 1816, but of 

 .which sum only 1,4 94, 592/. had 

 been leceived on tlie 5tli of April 

 last. There remained, therefore, 

 to be received on that day 



2,005,408/., and it was estimated 

 that before the 5th of April 1818 

 they would produce the further 

 sum of 1,800,000/. for which, 

 therefore, he should take credit 

 as the next item in the ways and 

 means of the piesent year. 



He should in the next place 

 advert to the amount of the con- 

 solidated fund remaining at the 

 disposal of parliament on the 5th 

 of April last. In this case also a 

 surplus had been produced by the 

 recent proceedings of parliament. 

 A considerable deficiency had ac- 

 crued in the produce of the con- 

 solidated fund on the 5th of Ja- 

 nuary, but that deficiency having 

 been made good by subsequent 

 votes of the House, and all grants 

 aflFecting the consolidated fund 

 having been cancelled by act of 

 j)arliament, its surplus produce on 

 the 5th of April rtsmaincd dis- 

 posable for the sei-vice of the pre- 

 sent year. The sums now remain- 

 ing in the exchequer of Great 

 Britain and Ireland, and which lie 

 should propose to vote on this ac- 

 count, amounted to 1,225,978/. or 

 in round numbers 1,226,000/. 



The lottery was taken at 

 250,000/. and though this might 

 appear a larger sum than that of 

 last year, yet, when the whole ac- 

 count was compared, it would be 

 found that the lottery was re- 

 duced 50,000/. instead of be- 

 ing so much higher, as one third 

 of the profit of the lotte]7 liad last 

 year been reserveil for Ireland, 

 according to the practice which 

 had prevailed ever since the uuion^ 

 whereas this year the whole esti- 

 mated profit was carried to one 

 account. The whole ainount was 

 therefore taken at 300,(X)0/. in 

 1816, and at only 250,000/. in 



the 



