State of Public Affairs. 
examinations, Mr. O’Connor, Mr. Binns, 
Mr. Quigley, Mr. Allen, and Jeremfah: 
Lary, were committed under a charge of 
high treafon; foon afterwards a com- 
miffion was made out for trying them at 
Maiditone, at the head of which was 
Mr. Juftice Buller. The commifhon 
was opened at that place on the roth of 
April. On the rath of April the pri- 
foners were brought to the Bar, and in- 
formed by the Judge, that the Grand Jury 
of the county had found a bill of imdict- 
ment againft them for high treafon, and 
that the court intended to adjourn to the 
goth of April, when they would be 
arraigned. 
About the fame time feveral perfons 
were taken into cuftody at Manchetfter, 
under a charge of high treafon, and: 
brought to London, and alfo feveral 
perfons, members of =the London Cor- 
re{ponding Society. 
Mr. Wilberforce, in the Houfe of Com- 
mons, onthe 2d of March obferved, that 
in purfuance of a notice which he had 
lately given, concerning the reimburfe- 
ment of thofe cofts which magiftrates 
incurred by adminiftring the laws, he 
fhould now move “ for leave to bring in 
a bill authorifing certain courts to detray 
the expences which magiftrates might 
incur in profecuting for mifdemeanors, 
by paying the fame out of their refpective 
county ftock.”. Mr. Mainwaring op- 
pofed the motion. Mr. Rofe ftated, that 
a late decifion in the Court of King’s 
Bench rendered fuch a bill neceffary to 
be paffed into a law, and the motion was 
agreed to. 
Mr. Pitt, having on a former day 
fignified his intention of propofing the 
repeal of the watch and clock tax, on 
account of its lamentable effects upona 
very numerous clafs of mechanics en- 
gaged in the manufaCture of thofe articles ; 
on the 14th of March obferved to the 
houfe, that although he had occupied a 
confiderable portion of his time in form- 
ing a plan of affeffment, to be adopted in 
lieu of the tax on clocks and watches, 
he had not then definitively arranged it, 
but fhould premife what obje&s he had 
thought proper to felect as fit for additi- 
onal taxation. Thefe were the duties on 
inhabited houfes, window-lights, horfes 
ufed in hufbandry, and dogs. The tax 
on Clocks and watches had. been eftimated 
to produce 200,0001. and this fim would 
certainly be obtained, if the duties he had 
juit mentioned were additionally afleffed 
by impofts of one feventh or one eighth of 
their prefent produce, It was his in- 
208 
tention, therefore, to make this a part of 
his plan. ‘The adjuftment of the taxes to 
be raifed in lieu of thoie repealed was 
deterred fora few days. 
On the 2d of April, Mr. Pitt intro- 
duced into the Houfe of Commons his 
plan for the Redemption of the Land Tax. 
He faid, he hada plan to propofe, which 
had occupied much of his attention, and 
of which, on a former day, he had given 
notice. He had no doubt but the countfy 
would derive ultimately the greateft 
benefit from this meafure. ‘The leading 
puter of his plan was to abforb a 
arge quantity of ffock now in the market, 
by transferring it to the purchalers of the 
land tax, on conditions equally eligible 
to the purchaters and to the public. The 
wealth and induftry of the country, he was 
aware, were fubject to fluétuate in local 
inftances,~but looking to the general ftate 
of the national property in an aggregate 
point of view, and from carefully ex- 
amining into the internal fituation ef the 
country, he had the pleafure to ftate that 
we had now a greater command of capital 
than at any former period in the lar 
of Great Britain. He would then, in 
the firlt inftance, fimply ftate that the 
amount of the land tax wag 2,000,0001. ° 
per annum. For near a century this tax 
had not been Jefs than the uniform rate of 
4s. in the pound, fo that gentlemen could 
not have any great expectation of any 
diminution. By his plan, the public in 
point of revenue would gain 400,¢e001. 
He propofed that when the 3 per cents. 
are at 50, for inftance, that the value of 
the land tax fhould be rated to the pur- 
chaser at twenty years purchafe. 
At 524. to be rated at 24 years purchafe. 
At 55 22 
At $7 
At6bo----- 24 
By this plan, he faid, the public might 
have the advantage of four years purchafe 
between the 3 per cents. and the. fale of 
theland tax. “This would alfo givea clear 
profit of eight millions of money-; which 
fam being likewife invefted, will produce 
an annuai income of 460,000l. taking the 
price of the 3 per cents. at_an average of 
53. Im this manner the public would 
redeem about 8 millions:of 3 per cents. 
yielding an annuity of 2,400,0001. per 
annum,, in leu of the annual grant of 
two millions frem»the land'tax, and all-the 
expences of collection.» He alfo urged 
the further advantage to be derived from 
this {cheme of taking 80 millions of public 
debt out of the market. Notwithftanding 
thefe fpecious arguments, this plan of tke’ 
miniit.r 
— oe 
