


902 
imported z-1s. ditto, on thofe at 2 ap 
home - . - = 36,000 
§ per cent. on cpftomed goods, and i 
_ 10 per cent.on brimfone, hemp, 
iron.in bar or unwrought, olive- 
-oils and fiaves (prize goods, 
wine, and coals excepted) - 184,600 
Audtions—23d, in the pound on 
eftates ; 3d. ditto, on furniture, 40,000 
Coffee and cocoa, gd. per lb. - 30,000 
Poftage——1d. additional on 3d and 
fo in propersey ~ 250,000 
Canals—1s. 2d. toll duty on | goods 
carried by inland navigation - 120,000 
Diftileries—1d. per gallon on corn ey 
wath < = + 30¢,000 
Stage coaches 60,006 
Par. els—zd. on all Sane eee 60.000 
Drawback on plantation coffee = 22,009 
Affefled Taxes—-Horfes  - = 12,000 
Commutation duty 128,000 
Houfes = > 150,000 
‘Total amount of the taxes_is 2132,0CO 
And the in: erett, for which they are 
‘provided for, being - - 2,1¥0,000 
There remains a furplus of - 22,000 
The Chancellor of the Exchequer then 
gave a general {ketch of the produce cf 
the permaient ta xES, and calculated the 
average revenue, for the laft four years, 
at 13,835,000. But the next fiatement 
of the Minifter was of a moft extraordi- 
nary nature: ‘¢ His Majefty’s Minifters,”’ 
faid he, “ did not think it juftifiable to 
withheld, with dangerous caution, that 
ie :pply which might have fruftrated the 
xertions of a perfevering and faithful 
ally.” With this confideration, he add- 
ed, that the {um of 1,200,000l. had been 
allotted to the fervice of his Imperial 
Majefty, without the confent or advice of 
Parliament, 
After propofing a vote of credit, to the 
amourt of three millions, he drew a fa{- 
cinating. picture of the profperous ftate 
of this country, and obfervea, that if the 
mext quarter of the prefent year kept 
pace in improvement with the former, 
the commerce of 1796 would be found to 
exceed that of 1795 by no lefsa fum than 
four millions. The exports alone amount. 
ed to more than the {um of 30 millions. 
Mr. Fox and Mr. Grey, with power- 
ful arguments, controyerted feveral of the 
ftatements of the Minifter, and deduced, 
from the failure of his former affertions, 
ftrong_p:obab: lities of the groundlefs na- 
ture of thofe he had made that day, ree 
ipecting the profperous ftate of the coun.. 
ary, andof the fnances... Mr. Fox avow- 
-@0, that whenever the queftion for voting 
Public Affairs —Great Britain. 
[ Dee. 
the money that had ‘been given tothe 
Emperor fhould come before the Houfe, 
he ihould oppofe, it; and he hoped: the 
Houfe would refit, with him, fo violent 
an attack upon the Conftitution; and 
then he fhould know, whether he lived 
in a free country or not. 
The refolutions moved by the Chan- 
cellor of the Exchequer, were then put 
and carried, and the report ordered to be 
received the next day. “On that day 
(Dec. 8th) Mr. Hopart brought up 
the Report of the Committee of Ways 
and Means, and moved, that the refolu- 
tions be read a firft time. 
On the motion that the refolutions be 
read a fecond time, Mr. Fox rofe, and 
faid, he had fome obferyations to make 
on the degraded fituation of the Houfe, 
with refpeét to the Executive Power. 
A fervant of the Crown, in contempt of 
law, had fent 1,260,901. to Germany ; 
and, till the Houfe had folemnly pro- 
nounced on the Minifter’s conduct, he 
-fhouid deem himfelf a traitor to his 
country, if he agreed to vore either 3 
man or a fhilling: In the café in quefs 
tion, Minifters had been guilty of adie 
reét breach of the Conftitution. “They 
had difpofed of money, not only without: 
convening the Parliament, but without 
confulting it while afually fitting. Pays 
ments had been made fo toe as Novema_ 
ber, 1796; and all this had been done, as, 
if on puipofe to thow, that the power rey 
fided in the fervants of the Crown. “Mr, 
Fox noticed it, asta circymftance not 
leis fingular, thar the Houfe had yefter. 
gay, for the fir time, been acquainted 
with the Spanith war, although it had 
been publicly intimated by the Lord 
Lieutenant of Treland ; though notice of 
granting letters of marque had appeared 
in the Gazette ; and though the newly 
papers were full of ‘hoftilities. He then 
returned to the ufurpation of the func. 
tions of Parliament by the King’s fer- 
yants ; and afked, what figure this Par- 
liament would make in hiftory, if itovers 
looked fo fatal a precedent ? As to himy 
felf, he fhould oppofe the fecond readin 
of the’ refolutions ; and, if fupported, 
would pledge himfelf to ‘bring forward a 
motion, charging the Minifters with 
‘s high crimes and mifdemeanors.” 
Mr. Pirr contended, that Minifterg 
were juftified in what they had done, by 
the vote of credit, which was to enable 
his Majefty’s Minifters to adopt fuch 
meafures as the exigencies of the public 
might require. 
Sir W. PULTNEY and Mr. Grey 
confidered 
