Commons Sitting of 13 March 1804

MINUTES.—
Two Committees were appointed, the one to examine into the accounts of cloathing, &c. for the militia in Great-Britain, and the other for a similar purpose, with regard to the Irish militia.—On the motion of Mr. Corry, it was ordered, that the Speaker do issue his warrant, empowering the clerk of the Crown to make out a hew writ for the election of a member to represent the City of Dublin in Parliament, in the room of J. C. Beresford, Esq. who has accepted of the office of Escheator of Ulster.—A petition was presented from a number of the inhabitants of the county of Norfolk, complaining of the operation of the late duties upon malt. Ordered to lift on the table.—A person from the Stamp Office presented an account of the sums of money in the hands of the distributors of stamps on the 25th January, 1804. Ordered to lie on the table.—ACommittee was appointed to examine into the statement of the amount of monies paid to adjutants and serjeant-majors of the militia, during the time of their being disembodied.—The American Importation Indemnity Bill was read a first, and ordered to be read a second time.—The Irish Malt Duty Bill was committed, and ordered to be reported tomorrow.—Mr. Hawkins Browne, presented a petition from the executors of James Wright, Esq. late Governor of Georgia, praying for a remuneration for the losses he had sustained in that province. The Chancellor of the Exchequer stated, that he was empowered to communicate his Majesty's assent to the reception of the petition; but at the same time he would not pledge himself to any approbation or support of the matter which was contained in it. He then moved that a Committee be appointed to examine in to the merits of the petit ion. Ordered.—The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, pursuant to notice, for a Committee to inquire into the propriety of making any and what difference in the duty to be laid on barley and big, the growth of Scotland, and that o the same sort of grain in England.

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He stated the different alterations which had taken place in the duties of those species of grain in Scotland, from the time of the union with Scotland to the present period He wished the question to be fairly investigated, and would not therefore prejudge it even so far as to state any opinion on the subject, but content himself with moving for a Committee to inquire into the subject. A committee was appointed and ordered to sit for that purpose.—The Chancellor of the Exchequer observed, that he saw mention made in the Journals of different petitions which had been presented to that hon. House against the late duties on malt. As it was his wish that ever class of his Majesty's subjects should obtain redress, if any grievance could be found to exist, he gave notice that after the Easter recess he would move for a Committee to inquire into the subject matter of those petitions.—On the report of the Committee being read, leave was granted to bring in a bill to authorise his Masjesty's ministers to raise two millions by way of loan on Exchequer Bills, towards the service of the current year.—The House went into a Committee on the Irish Countervailing Duties, and the report was ordered to be received to-morrow.

IRISH DUTIES BILL.—
Mr. Corrymoved, that the House resolve itself into a Committee on the above bill. On the question being put from the chair,
Sir John Newportreturned the right hon. member the most sincere thanks, both on his part, and in the name of his constituents, who had desired him so to do, for the very liberal manner in which lie had attended to their interest, and made them acquainted with the different duties which were to be in any manner altered by the bill. In other parts of Ireland, however, the commercial men were acquainted with the true object of the bill. He therefore hoped, that so much attention would be paid to the doubts, or even the prejudices of so respectable a body of men, as not to make the duties permanent in the present session of Parliament.
Mr. Corryexpressed the greatest degree of pleasure in having the testimony of the worthy baronet and of the merchants of so respectable a place as Waterford, in favour of his conduct. There were other places also of the first respectability in that part of the United Kingdom which he thought had nearly an equal right to be pleased with the conduct of his Majesty's ministers towards them; in the City of Cork, he knew that there was at present some difference of opinion with regard lo the operation of the bill, but the opposition was there so slight that
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he thought a very little reflexion or explanation on the subject would reconcile the commercial people of that city. The merchants of the city of Dublin, indeed, were a body of men possessing as strict honour as any persons in the world, and whose capital was as great as that of any other class of his Majesty's subjects in proportion to the trade of the country. They had objected to 38 of the duties which were to be imposed by the present bill, and government had conceded in a great measure to their wishes. There were only 4 of the 38 articles of taxation which remained unaltered according to their wishes; 1. foreign herrings imported; 2. foreign oil; that, however, was something lowered, though not in a proportion equal to their wishes; 3. foreign hops imported in Ireland. These three were continued to be taxed nearly to the same amount as ministers had at first proposed, merely for encouragement of the British trade and British fishery in preference to the commerce of a foreign country. As to the 4th article, which had not been attended to, it had been so frequently discussed, that he would only say that it was incompatible with the general policy of the empire that such a measure as that of taking off all the duties on the exports of Ireland should ever be adopted. But in order, if possible, to reconcile the different commercial bodies of men throughout all Ireland to the adoption of the present measure, he would, in the Committee, move for the addition of a clause, limiting the duration of the act to one year. On account of the absence of a great number of representatives of different parts of Ireland on their military duty at this period of the year, perhaps it might be thought expedient to some of the duties for 5 quarters instead of 4, as before the expiration of that time it might probably be in their power to attend in Parliament,
Mr. Fosterstated the inconvenience which was likely to result from such an alteration in the mode of collecting the duties in Ireland.
Mr. Corrythen said, that he should not consider that he acted improperly in moving to have those duties renewed at the end of the year, for 3 months, before they were made permanent, if there was not a sufficient number of members present from that part of the United Kingdom to which the bill referred.—The House having resolved itself into a Committee, Mr. Foster suggested, that it would be more regular if the act was to continue in force beyond the term of the year, though the duties might be voted only for the year,. It was, however, agreed by

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the House, that the act should continue to the 25th March, 1805. The House having resumed, the report was brought up, and ordered to be received to-morrow.