GENERAL HISTORY. 



[i03 



was, that the after-purchases of 

 the commissioners should be em- 

 ployed to defray those charges. 

 But he would not enter further 

 into that subject at present, for 

 that would be to anticipate the 

 discussion of a future day. Re- 

 verting to the improvement of the 

 revenue, he observed, that it af- 

 forded a most gratifying reflec- 

 tion. That improvement was in- 

 deed such in the excise, from 

 which the condition and con- 

 sumption of the people might 

 best be estimated, that the receipt 

 of the last quarter, compared 

 with the corresponding quarter of 

 last year, was improved more 

 than 10 per cent, the increase 

 having been 509,750/. on a re- 

 venue of 4,640,000/. The excise 

 war duty of the last quarter ex- 

 ceeded in amount the corres- 

 ponding quarter of the last year 

 by near 90,000/. Nor were the 

 custom duties less promising in 

 their appearance than those of 

 the excise. There was one cir- 

 cumstance with respect to them 

 to which it was necessary the 

 committee should refer the form- 

 ing their estimate of that branch 

 of the revenue. In consequence 

 of the additional duty of 3?. a 

 cwt. to be paid on sugar after the 

 5th of January 181S, a larger 

 portion of the sugar duties had 

 been paid in anticipation ; so 

 that, in the quarter before the 

 last, five or six hundred thousand 

 pounds had been paid of those 

 duties, which, in the fair routine 

 of the revenue, would have been 

 paid in the last quarter. Never- 

 theless, the amount of the custom 

 duties of that last quarter exceed- 

 ed by above 90,000/. that of the 

 corresponding quarter, and might 



have been expected, if this cir- 

 cumstance had not taken place, 

 to have exceeded it by six or 

 seven hundred thousand pounds. 

 Calculating on all these circum- 

 stances, and looking at the gene- 

 ral improvement in the commerce 

 and manufactures of the country 

 (of which the committee must 

 themselves be perfectly aware) it 

 was impossible not to anticipate, 

 that so large an increase would 

 take place in] the revenue before 

 the close of the year, as to add 

 considerably to the consolidated 

 fund. It was not his intention, 

 however ( as he had already stat- 

 ed), to call on parliament for any 

 grant from the consolidated fund 

 in the present year : but next year 

 he hoped, that a considerable 

 sum might become available from 

 it for the public sei"vice. For the 

 charges thrown on the consoli- 

 dated fund this year, he should 

 propose no new taxes. He would 

 at all events abstain from doing 

 so till next jear, and in the in- 

 terim, he hoped the circumstances 

 of the year, or the consequences 

 of the great measure now submit- 

 ted to the committee, would 

 furnish the means of providing- 

 for them in a manner the most sa- 

 tisfactory to the public. — The 

 right hon. gentleman concluded 

 by moving the following Resolu- 

 tions : 



1. '' That, towards raising the 

 supply granted to his majesty, 

 every person who shall, on or be- 

 fore the 24th of April 1818, have 

 subscribed his name in the books 

 of the governor and company of 

 the Bank of England, for the 

 purpose of converting not less 

 than 2,000/. capital stock in the 

 3/. per cent consolidated, or 3 



per 



§ 



