GENERAL HISTORY. 



[119 



CHAPTER XI. 



Petition from Dublin for the repeal of the Windffw tax.- 



tion of the Alien Bill. 



•Continua- 



Tljr/?- Robert Shaw, member 

 -^■^ for Dublin, rose on April 

 21 St to present a petition from 

 the householders of the city of 

 Dublin for the repeal of the win- 

 dow tax. This tax, he said, was 

 always peculiarly obnoxious to 

 the citizens of Dubhn for several 

 reasons — its very unequal pres- 

 sure, the inquisitorial nature of 

 its levy, and the ruinous conse- 

 quences resulting to the health 

 of the city ; and it is now more op- 

 pressive than ever from their total 

 inabihty to pay it. On its imposi- 

 tion by the last parliament that ever 

 sat in Ireland, it was at first very 

 generally opposed, until the chan- 

 cellor of the exchequer repeat- 

 edly pledged himself on the part 

 of the government, that it was 

 intended for a war tax only ; and 

 accordingly the tax was at first 

 proposed for three years, pro- 

 vided the war should last so long. 

 Mr. Corry, who was at this time 

 the minister of finance, expressly 

 asserted, in a speech reported in 

 the Dublin Journal, that the tax 

 was not intended to be permanent, 

 but as a mere war provision. Are 

 gentlemen aware (said the hon. 

 member) that under the present 

 act the collectors may demand 

 an entrance into every room in 

 every house in Ireland, from eight 

 in the morning till sunset, and 



insist upon admission under a 

 penalty of 20/. In the reign of 

 William and Mafy an equally 

 obnoxious tax, that of hearth 

 money, was levied, which the 

 Irish House of Commons stigma- 

 tized as " a badge of slavery upon 

 the whole people, exposing every 

 man's house to be entered into 

 and searched at pleasure by per- 

 sons unknown to him," and their 

 remonstrances were near putting 

 an end to it. The hon. gentle- 

 man then took into consideration 

 the dangers of infection which 

 were thrown upon the city of 

 Dublin during the prevalence of 

 fever in the last year, respecting 

 which he said, it was the unani- 

 mous opinion of the faculty, that 

 unless the houses were more ge- 

 nerally ventilated, the contagion 

 must spread, and a plague be the 

 consequence. In conclusion he 

 moved, " That a select committee 

 be appointed to consider the ex- 

 pediency of repealing the act of 

 the 5Sth of the king, so far as 

 respects the tax upon Windows 

 and Hearths in Ireland.'' 



The Chancellor of the Exche- 

 quer said, that knowing the deep 

 interest which was attached to 

 this subject, it was with extreme 

 regret that he felt himself obliged 

 to state his objections to the pre- 

 sent motion. The hon. gentle- 

 man 



