The Earl of Darnleyasked: whether it was the intention of ministers to stop the distillation from corn in Ireland? From the information he possessed relative to the north of Ireland, he thought that measure highly necessary.
The Earl of Liverpoolsaid, the subject had received the most thorough consideration on the part of his majesty's ministers, and it was not thought that the measure alluded to by the noble lord would now be proper. The stopping of the distilleries now would only tend, by a rise of price, to give enormous profits to persons who had a large stock on hand; and besides, the little advantage which might have been derived from the measure would now be lost, as it would be peculiarly injurious to those parts of the country which had much bad corn to dispose of.
The Earl of Lauderdalewas aware that the stopping of the distilleries was a measure which at all times tended to throw enormous profits into the hands of some individuals; but the noble earl was quite mistaken, if he supposed that, by keeping the distilleries open, he would promote the 837 consumption of bad corn. The distiller, like every other man, would look to his own advantage, and would purchase only grain of the best quality; because, from the distillation of it, the greatest profit was to be derived.