House Of Commons
Wednesday, April 24.
Report Of The Bullion Committee
stated his intention to propose Resolutions on the subject of the Bullion Report on Monday next, in case those of his hon. and learned friend (Mr. Horner) should not be adopted. Having only very lately seen the Resolutions of his hon. and learned friend, he was not prepared as yet to state exactly what the nature of his own Resolutions would be but he would read them to the House on Friday, after which they might be printed, so as to be in the hands of members previous to the discussion. In the mean time he was desirous that some facts already sufficiently notorious should be brought formally under the view of the House, and would therefore move for some papers. An Account of the number of Bank notes in circulation between February and August 1785–6—2d, the average amount in circulation in 1799, 1800–1–2—3d, an account of the average amount between 1797 and 1810—4th, an account of the quantity of gold coined from the Revolution to the beginning of the present reign,&c.
remaked, that these were called for at so late a period; that it would be impossible for his hon. and learned friend to avail himself of whatever light they might throw on the question.
said they were matters of notoriety. Gentlemen might, by glancing over one page, see the situation of the exchanges at different periods.
said that though the hon. gent. wished to elucidate his own view of the subject from these papers, others might see cause to use them for the elucidation of another view. He did not refuse to grant the paper; but the time even for the consideration of the hon. gentleman's Resolutions was very short. He was as anxious as any one that the House should come to a speedy decision on this subject; but, at the same time, it was necessary that they should be thoroughly aware of whatever was to be proposed on either side. If the hon. gent then intended to propose Resolutions contrary to those of his hon. and learned friend, and could not state them till Friday, he suggested whether it-might not be advisable at once to delay the discussion for a day or two.
admitted that there was some weight in what had been said by the right hon. gent., but he tnought it better to wait till they heard what the Resolutions of his hon. friend were before they postponed the discussion. Finding that the view taken of the subject by his hon. friend (Mr. Vansittart) coincided with his own, he had requested him to draw up Resolutions accordingly, and it had so happened, that this was the earliest moment he could apprize the House of his intention.
spoke only on the supposition that they were to be the contrary of those proposed by his hon. and learned friend. If they should turn out unexpectedly not to be so, certainly the foundation of his suggestion would be gone.
thought that there should be the earliest notice given of Resolutions of such great and acknowledged general importance as those to be proposed by the right hon. gent. He did not accuse the right hon. gent, of taking the House by surprise—very far from it; but still it was to be lamented that they were not already before the public, in order to enable them to form a fair judgment upon them, com- pared with those from which they were avowed so materially to differ. It might too operate rather unexpectedly on his hon. and learned friend, who was not then in town, nor could be, he believed, before some time in the forenoon of Monday.
expressed a wash that the resolutions might be ready for printing on Friday.
pledged himself that nothing should be wanting on his part to put them in every state of forwardness.—The motion was then agreed to.
Pepition Of The Brewers Of Dublin, Cork And Waterford
A Petition of several brewers of the cities of Dublin, Cork, and Waterford, was presented and read; setting forth, "That the petitioners are engaged in a manufacture, the prosperity of which is universally allowed to be intimately connected with the health and morals of the people; and that the petitioners had, for many years previous to the late session of parliament, witnessed a desire on the part of the legislature to encourage the use of malt liquor in Ireland, manifested not only by repeated declarations of parliament to that effect, but by a progressive encrease to the duties on spirituous liquors; and that, under the encouragement so held out to the petitioners, and the growing demand for malt liquor resulting therefrom, they were led to entertain a confidence that the brewing trade was considered as an object of national importance, and would consequently continue to experience the kind protection of the legislature; and that, influenced by these motives, they have been induced to expend large sums in extending and improving their works, and in making every ether necessary preparation for supplying the extending demand; and that they were naturally led to hope, that the legislature would have been greatly strengthened in its opinion of the high importance of the Irish brewery, not only as connected with public health and public morals, but as an object of revenue through the medium of the duties on malt, from two facts, which occurred during the temporary suspension of distillation from grain in Ireland, commencing in June 1808 and ending in March 1810, namely, that habits of sobriety and good order, with their happy effects, became conspicuously disseminated amongst the lower classes of the people; and that, within the same short
period, the consumption for malt liquor in Ireland had proportionably increased, in so much that the malt duties paid by the brewery alone in the year ending the 29th September 1809 (in which year distillation from grain was suspended) amounted to the sum of 411,646 l which sum exceeded the malt duties paid by both brewery and distillery together in the preceding year in the sum of 79,268 l., although the preceding was by far the most productive year, in point of distillery revenue, that ever was known in Ireland; and that during the last session of parliament, at the same time that the Irish distilleries were permitted to recommence distillation from grain, the duty on Irish made spirits was reduced to the extremely low rate of 2 s 6 d. per gallon, whilst the malt duty, which principally affects the brewery, remained undiminished; and that, in consequence of this measure, the price of spirituous liquors has become so extremely cheap, that the lower classes of the people have returned with unexampled avidity to the excessive use of those liquors, and the consumption of malt liquor has declined to such a degree, as to cause great alarm to the petitioners, whose establishments are so extensive, as to bear with insupportable weight upon a declining trade; and praying the House to take the petitioners case into consideration, and to extend to their declining trade such relief as to them shall seem meet."
Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the table.
The Report of the Committee of Way" and Means was brought up, and the Resolutions read and agreed to.
observed, that there were only three ports in Portugal to which the exports of Ireland, such as woollen, cotton, and leather, could be sent. He wished, therefore, to now, whether any greater facilities would be afforded to the manufacturers and merchants of Ireland to dispose of their commodities? He also wished to know whether any steps were taking respecting the engrossing of brandies by the Oporto merchants?
replied, that there were no complaints of the want of places to dispose of the commodities alluded to, though he ports were so few; for the merchants found customers enough. With respect to the second question, he was not prepared to answer it.