104 



dciily to change that relaxed conduct, and in many cases corrupt beha- 

 viour, to which they have been unfortunately too much addicted. This 

 difficulty with regard to the ofliceri, would add to the facilities to fraud 

 arising from the more rapid dissolution of sugar, which even of itself would 

 render it far from easy to get an accurate account of the wash. 



The enormous account of the illegal distillation in Ireland (which is 

 chiefly practised' in the North) is urged as a strong objection to the pro- 

 posed measure. The very great preference entertained by the people 

 for corn spirits ; the consequent hopes of sending them to other parts 

 of the country, where there are fewer illicit stills ; and the desire which 

 would be created in landholders to find a market for the corn, thus ex- 

 cluded from the legal distilleries, would, it seems, operate to the great 

 detriment of the revenue, by tempting an increase of private distillation, 

 which would be entirely from corn ; and if so, whatever that increase 

 should be, the revenue would receive additional injury to that amount, 

 without causing any additional consumption of Sugar. This objection 

 would, however, not ap^ly in case of a serious apprehension of scarcity, 

 because the inhabitants would then be active in stopping the use of corn in 

 the illicit distilleries. 



The detail of regulation which would be necessary to protect the inter- 

 course of spirits from Ireland would be considerable, and your Committee 

 pass by that subject, leaving it for the consideration of parliament. 



In case it should be thought inconvenient to extend the restriction gene- 

 rally to Ireland, it were to be wished that the distillation for export from 

 thence, might be confined to sugar. Under such a regulation, however, 

 considerable inconvenience might arise from the probability that a great 

 deaj of corn spirit Would be exported under the pretence of exporting su- 

 gar spirit. This too would be an inconvenience superadded to the risk aris- 

 ing from the illicit trade, as above stated. 



On the whole, if it should be deemed expedient to confine this measure 

 to Great Britain, your Committee would "ecommend a suspension of all 

 intercourse in spirits between the two islands, as the best security that 

 could be afforded to the British revenue and manufacture, such suspension 

 to continue while the corn distillers should be restricted in Great Bri- 

 tain. With a view to afford security to the revenue, as well as to 

 protect the interest of the present corn distillers, it would be an indis- 

 pensable measure, to whatever part of the Empire the suspension of the 

 use of grain in the distilleries should be applied, to confine the power 

 of distilling from sugar, to the houses now engaged in the malt distil- 

 leries. 



The Maidstohe distillery was established under a particular act of Par- 

 liament, and works, for a particular object, with different materials from 

 the ordinary distillers. That house cannot make a spirit from sugar similar 

 to that now made from corn. Were this distillery allowed to go on work- 

 ing from their present materials, the rest of the trade being subject to the 

 suspension, the injury that would accrue both to the revenue and the other 

 Distillers need scarcely be pointed out. This peculiar mode of distillation 

 ought, therefore, to be suspended during the operation of the proposed 

 measure. But your Committee recommend that for that period, the pro- 

 prietors ought to be allowed to enter and work from sugar as ordinary dis- 

 tillers. They were not allowed so to work during the last prohibition, and 

 suffered accordingly. It is stated that they now pay L. 30,000 per annum 



