96] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



recollected that, whether that 

 should turn out so or not, provi- 

 sion had aheady been made for 

 them. In addition however to 

 the regular services which he had 

 mentioned, there were some few 

 items of expenditure, already 

 voted by parliament, that re- 

 mained to be provided for. The 

 first was the grant of 725,681/. 

 12s. 3d. for fortifications in the 

 Netherlands, in pursuance of the 

 treaty of 1815 ; but it was not in- 

 tended to propose any addition to 

 the burthens of the country on 

 that account, as the expense was 

 to be defrayed out of the French 

 contributions in the hands of the 

 commissioners. The second item 

 was the sum of 400,000/., which 

 had been voted for carrying into 

 execution the treaty with Spain 

 for the abolition of the Slave trade. 

 Another extraordinary item was 

 259,686/., to supply the deficiency 

 of the ways and means of last 

 year — not arising out of any 

 failure of the ways and means 

 themselves, but from the circum- 

 stance of the vote for the charge 

 of disembodied militia, to the 

 amount of 300,000/., which took 

 place last session after the other 

 supplies had been voted, and the 

 waj's and means provided. This 

 .charge had formerly been paid 

 out of the land tax, in the nature 

 of an anticipation of the payments 

 into the exchequer; but it had 

 been thought that it would be 

 more regular to vote it in the 

 committee of supply, that in com- 

 mon with the other expenses of 

 the country, it might be brought 

 more distinctly before parliament. 

 The deficiency which was now to 

 be voted, was the difference 

 between the sum of 300,000/. 



voted for the purpose he had 

 already described, and the small 

 excess of the ways and means of 

 last year above their estimated 

 amount. These two extraordi- 

 nary payments which were this 

 year to be provided for, amounted 

 to 659,686/., which added to the 

 regular supplies for the service of 

 the year, made 21,011,000/.— 

 He should now briefly state the 

 manner in which he proposed to 

 provide for this sum. In the first 

 place there was the vote of 

 3,000,000/. on the annual taxes, 

 which it was unnecessary to ex- 

 plain, as the same vote was pro- 

 posed yearly. The next sum 

 was 3,500,000/. on those excise 

 duties which by law were con- 

 tinued till 1821. It would be 

 found, by reference to the ac- 

 counts, that in the year ending 

 the 5th of April 1818, those 

 duties produced only 3,184,950. 

 But from the state of progressive 

 improvement in which they now 

 were, there was a fair prospect 

 that within the year 1818 they 

 would produce three millions and 

 a half. The next item was the 

 usual sum of 250,000/. by way of 

 lottery. The sale of old naval 

 stores it was estimated would 

 produce a similar sum. In 1817 

 it would be seen that they pro- 

 duce 400,000/. ; but it was obvious 

 that the sum produced from that 

 source, must diminish with the 

 duration of peace. In the present 

 year the commissioners of the 

 navy have calculated the produce 

 at 250,000/. This sum was of 

 course but a conjectural estimate, 

 though there was reason to believe 

 that it had not been taken too 

 highly. The next item arose 

 from some considerable arrears 



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