HC Deb 14 January 1812 vol 21 cc146-51

The House having resolved itself into a Committee to take into consideration the acts relating to the Distilleries,

The Chancellor of the Exchequer

rose for the purpose of proposing certain Resolutions recommending the Prohibition of all Distillation from Grain in Great Britain, for a time to be limited. He regretted that the comparative failure of the crop for the last year had rendered it necessary to resort to the same expedient. The principles upon which the question rested, had already met with such ample discussion in that House, that he should not think it necessary to enter at all into its abstract merits. He had, however, merely to state, that as the Revenue might suffer materially if the duties resulting from spirits distilled from grain were to expire as soon as the prohibition commenced, it had been thought advisable that the duties should be transferred to spirits distilled from sugar. After some further observations, expressive of the necessity for resorting to the restriction, and his regret, that such a measure should be necessary, the right hon. gentleman moved the following Resolutions:

  1. 1. "That it is the opinion of this Committee, that from and after the 1st of February, 1812, and until the 31st of Dec. 1812, no worts or wash for distillation in any part of Great Britain shall be made or brewed from oats, barley, or any other corn or grain, or from malt, flour, or bran, or any mixture with the same; nor shall any worts or wash, which shall have been made or brewed from oats, barley, or any other corn or grain, or from malt, flour, or bran, or any other mixture with the same, in any part of Great Britain, be distilled after the 15th of Feb. 1812.
  2. 2. "That it shall be lawful for his Majesty by proclamation, at any time after the 1st of Oct. 1812, if in his royal discretion he shall judge it to be for the benefit and advantage of this kingdom, either to terminate such prohibition from a time to be specified, not less than 30 days from the date of the said proclamation, or further to continue it from the said 31st of Dec. until 30 days after the then next meeting of parliament.
  3. 3. "That during any period in which the distillation of spirits from corn or grain in Great Britain shall be prohibited, the duties on worts or wash made in Great Britain for extracting spirits, and the duties on spirits made in Great Britain, and on spirits made in Ireland, and im- 148 ported into Great Britain, and the duties on licences on the content or capacity of stills used in Scotland for making low-wines or spirits, and also the duties on spirits manufactured in England and brought from thence into Scotland, and on spirits made in Scotland and imported into England, and the respective drawbacks on the exportation of such spirits, shall be suspended.
  4. 4. "That during such suspension, there be charged for every gallon of wort or wash brewed or made for extracting spirits in England, for home consumption, from sugar, an excise duty of 1s. 8d.
  5. 5. "That during Such suspension, there be charged for every gallon, English wine measure, of wort or wash, brewed or made from sugar, for extracting spirits in the lowlands of Scotland, for consumption in Scotland, an excise duty of 8¼d.
  6. 6. "That during such suspension, there be charged for every gallon, English wine measure, of spirits, of the strength of one to ten over hydrometer proof, and so in proportion for every higher or lower degree of strength, which shall be made of distilled in the lowlands of Scotland, for consumption in Scotland, not exceeding the number of gallons of spirits limited and restricted to be distilled by or from each still, to be paid over and above the duty on the licence or content of the still, and the duty on the wort or wash front which such spirits may be made or distilled, an excise duty of 5d.
  7. 7. "That during such suspension, there be charged for every gallon, English-wine measure, of the cubical content or capacity of each and every still, including the head and every part thereof, and of any horn, pipe, tube, or other apparatus there with connected, under whatever name or denomination the same may be called or known, as high as the steam can ascend, and until the top of the head shall turn downwards, and form an angle of 45 degrees, which shall be used or employed for the purpose of making or distilling low wines or spirits from sugar, in the lowlands of Scotland, for consumption in Scotland, an excise duty of 162l.
  8. 8. "That during such suspension, there be charged for every gallon, English wine measure, of wort or wash, brewed or made from sugar, for extracting spirits, in the highlands of Scotland, for consumption in the said highlands, an excise duty of 7d.
  9. 9. "That during such suspension, there be charged for every gallon, English wine 149 measure, of spirits, of the strength of one to ten over hydrometer proof, and so in proportion for any higher or lower degree of strength, which shall be made or distilled in the highlands of Scotland, for consumption in the said highlands, not exceeding the number of gallons of spirits limited, and restricted to be distilled, by or from each still, to be paid over and above the duty on the license or content of the still, and the duty on the wort or wash from which such spirit may be made or distilled, an excise duty of 5d.
  10. 10. "That during such a suspension, there be charged for every gallon, English wine measure, of the cubical content or capacity of each and every still, including the head and every part thereof, and of any horn, pipe, tube, or other apparatus therewith connected, under whatever name or denomination the same may be called, or known, as high as the steam can ascend, and until the top of the head shall turn downwards, and form an angle of 45 degrees, which shall be used or employed for the purpose of making or distilling low wines, or spirits in the highlands of Scotland, for consumption in the said highlands, an excise duty of 5l.
  11. 11. "That during such suspension, there be charged for every gallon, English wine measure, of spirits of a strength not exceeding that of one to ten over hydrometer proof, and so in proportion for any higher degree of strength, made or distilled from corn or grain in England, and imported or brought from thence into Scotland, an excise duty of 8s. 3d.
  12. 12. "That during such suspension, there be charged for every gallon, English wine measure, of spirits which shall be found in the stock, custody, or possession, of any distiller of spirits in Scotland, for exportation to England, of a strength not exceeding that of one to ten over hydrometer proof, mad" or distilled from corn or grain in Scotland, and imported or brought from thence into England, an excise duty of 9s. 5½d.
  13. 13. "That during such suspension, there be charged for every gallon, English wine measure, of all such spirits as last aforesaid, of a greater strength than that of one to ten over hydrometer proof, and not exceeding three per centum over and above the strength of one to ten over hydrometer proof, an excise duty of 9s. 5½d. and also a further excise duty proportioned to the degree of strength in which such spirits shall exceed the said strength of one to ten over hydrometer proof.
    14. 150
  14. 14. "That during such suspension, there be charged for every gallon, English wine measure, of spirits, of the strength not exceeding that of one to ten over hydrometer proof, and so in proportion for any higher degree of strength made or distilled in England from sugar, and imported or brought from thence into Scotland, an excise duty of 6s. 3½d.
  15. 15. "That during such suspension, there be charged for every gallon, English wine measure, of spirits, of a strength not exceeding that of one to ten over hydrometer proof, made or distilled in Scotland from sugar, and imported and brought from thence into England, an excise duty of 7s. 11¼d.
  16. 16. "That during such suspension, there be charged for every gallon, English wine measure, of all such spirits as last aforesaid, of a greater strength than of one to ten over hydrometer proof, and not exceeding three per centum over and above the strength of one to ten over hydrometer proof, an excise duty of 7s. 11¼d. and also a further excise duty proportioned to the degree of strength in which such spirits shall exceed the said strength of one to ten over hydrometer proof.
  17. 17. "That during such suspension, there be charged upon all rum, brandy, spirits, aqua vitas, or strong waters, (except rum of the produce of the British plantations), imported into Great Britain, and for which the duties chargeable thereon shall not have been paid on the 14th of January, 1812, or imported after that day, an additional duty of. 12l. 10s. per centum upon the produce and amount of the several duties of excise imposed for or in respect thereof, by any act or acts of parliament now in force."

Mr. Ponsonby

did not rise to object to the Resolutions, but to complain of the change that had been wrought in the constitution of the country, by the usage that had silently grown up amongst the people, of looking for the relief of the respective grievances of different trades and interests, to the executive government, and not to the constitutional source of appeal and redress, the parliament. He did not wish to impute any blame to the right hon. gent for the course he had pursued; but he regretted that a practice had been silently growing up, which seemed to have rendered such a course of proceeding in some measure excusable. The government, however, had no reason for not acting decisively; for since July last the King's. physicians entertained no expectations of his Majesty's recovery; therefore ministers might have acted as decisively and as promptly as the occasion and the interests of the parties required, if the agricultural and colonial interests were so far involved as to call for immediate and effectual relief. He did not see why ministers should not have seen in that circumstance a sufficient reason for assembling parliament. He meant no particular imputation upon the right hon. gent., but he regretted that departure from the sound political maxims and conduct of their ancestors, which made parliament, and parliament alone, the great resort to the people for all species of redress which did not come within the laws of the country. In parliament all interests were represented, and in parliament were at all times to be found persons the best informed upon the several subjects upon which redress could be sought for.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer

complimented the right hon. gent, on the candid manner in which he had made his observations; at the same time he could not admit the existence of what had been called the growing practice of those without doors. When parliament was not sitting, the parties interested could only apply to the executive; and even if parliament had then been sitting, the prohibition could not have been earlier than it was now to be.

The Resolutions were then agreed to.