HC Deb 27 June 1807 vol 9 cc663-4

The order of the day being read for the house going into a committee on the Irish Revenue bills, and the question being put, that the Speaker do leave the chair,

Lord Howick

rose, not to oppose the motion, but simply to observe that, by the dissolution of parliament, they had been placed in this situation, that about two millions of money, raised under the Irish Revenue acts, must either not be levied at all, or must be collected on British subjects without any legal authority. Without sending the act of parliament by a balloon, or a carrying pigeon, it was out of the nature of things, even supposing it to pass both houses with the most unexampled rapidity, that it could arrive in Ireland till several days after the existing act had expired.

Mr. Rose

argued that the hereditary duties to which all goods were already subject, would, even in the event of the payment of the additional revenues being resisted, which was not probable, enable the revenue officers, on the arrival of the act, still to levy the additional duties with precision.

Mr. Foster

observed, that a similar dilemma had already twice occurred, and no bad consequences had resulted.

Sir John Newport

was glad the right hon. gent. had stated this fact. He would tell the house how the dilemma had been got the better of; it was only done by adding one illegal act to another; by informing those who refused to pay the additional duties on the goods which they had removed in the mean time, that until they paid such additional duties, they should not be allowed to land any more goods. The father-in-law of the present member for Dublin (Mr. Shaw) rather than do so had retired from business sooner than he intended; declaring that he would never submit to the allowing the Custom House officers to take from him what they were not entitled to by law. In this way the merchants in Ireland had been sur- charged every year, except the year when he had the management of the Revenue of Ireland.—After some additional conversation the house went into a committee. Ordered that the report be brought up on Monday.