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their pleafure; who totally neglected the House of Commons, as if they were never chofen members of it. He wondered that their constituents did not take means to inforce their attendance.

Deferred the other orders of the day to Friday.
Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

THURSDAY, DEC. 6.

Mr. Hobart brought up the report of the malt, &c. bill, which was ordered to be read a third time the next day, if then engroffed.

The Scots small notes bill, was ordered to be reported the next day.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved the fecond reading of the Income bill, which was read a fecond time, and ordered to be committed next day.

LAND TAX REDEMPTION BILL.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer then moved, that the act of jaft feffion, for the fale and redemption of the land tax, be

now read.

The act being read accordingly,

The Chancellor of the Exchequer then rose and said, that it was his intention now to move for leave to bring in a bill to render the faid act more effectual, and to give greater facility to the execution of its provifions. This additional facility was in the firft iaftance the object of the new bill; but among the intended regulations, one of the firft would be to allow an extenfion of the time now limited for the redemption. He likewife thought it advifeable to make certain provifions for enabling perfons to make contracts in fums of money for the redemption of the tax. There were also perfons who poffeffed eftates in different counties, and by the last bill fuch perfons were enabled to charge their property in one county, in order to redeem their land tax in another. This point, in his mind, involved no difficulty but it still gave rife to fome objections among the commiffioners, which he was now defirous to remove. It was another leading object of the new bill to make certain regulations refpecting ecclefiaftical property, and perfons poffeffing property, devifed for lives and on long terms, aud who had no clatm to the fame benefits as perfons enjoying entailed eftates: he doubted

not

not but a mode might be devifed of extending the advantages of the act to all fuch perfons. Some obfervations alfo had arifen refpecting the inequality of affeffments in different parishes; it was even fuppofed, and perhaps upon juft grounds, that there exifted fome inequality in the affeffiments of different parifhcs; that fome perfons had been over-rated might be true; it was therefore his wifh to allow them a pro rata reduction, in confideration of their being fo over-rated. In fuch cafes alfo where a re-affeffment had taken place, he intended to propofe that fuch perfons as had redeemed their land tax, fhould not be liable to any additional affeffment, There were many other points upon which he would not at prefent detain the Houfe; but he deemed it his duty to state the principal outlines that Gentlemen might turn them in their minds, and affift him by their obfervations. This, he trufted, they would be foon able to do, because he felt exceedingly defirous to expedite the measure on account of the great avidity that manifefted itfely in every corner of the country to partake of the advantages which the act held out, There might, indeed, remain fome doubts upon points of detail, but thefe he expected would be fully cleared away by the provisions of the new act. Whatever might have been the greater doubts and greater objections, that fome had at first railed against the meafure, he was happy to be able to fay that fuch doubts and objections would foon appear to have been wholly unfounded, for the fuccefs, he could boldly affert, had far exceeded his moft fanguine expectations. He concluded by moving for leave to bring in a bill, to enlarge the time limited for the redemption of the land tax, and to explain and amend the provisions of the bill introduced laft feffion for that purpofe.

Mr. Jones faid, he did not rife to oppofe the motion made. by the right hon. Gentleman, efpecially if the measure he had in contemplation was, as the right hon. Gentleman intimated, fo palatable to the public. But that alterations and amendments fhould be neceffary to it, he was not at all furprifed; for he could not forget the precipitancy with which the right hon. Gentleman hurried the land tax bill through the House last year, notwithstanding the earnest folicitations of many refpectable Gentlemen that further time might be allowed for a more mature examination of its various and complicated claufes. He was forry to ufe any thing like offenfive or harth expreffions but he could not help faying that it was a fevere reflection on the right hon. Gentleman not

to

to have attended more patiently to the folicitations of the House upon that occafion; it might be faid that a few alterations would render the bill acceptable, but, in his opinion, no alterations could remove what was obje&ionable in it. We had it from high authority, that the measure had already been productive of the happiest confequences, yet we are now told that the bill cannot go on as it now stands. Indeed he felt fo much and fo keenly for the landed intereft, that he could not but confider the prefent meafure as a blow aimed at it in favour of the monied intereft, nor could he help adopting the opinion and the words of an honourable, Member, that between the landed and the monied intereft, property was about to change hands. The measure he always looked upon as iniquitous, and if no more competent Member than himself would take it up, he fhould feel it incumbent upon himself to make an effort that an act of justice might be done to the landed proprietors; for the measure now propofed he had no hefitation in denominating, the child of inordinate power.

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The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that he was not more furprifed at the afperity of language ufed by the honourable Gentleman, than at the incoherency of his arguments. It appeared from what he advanced, that the honourable Gentleman had as little attended to the original provifions of the act, as to the beneficial effects it had produced throughout the country. What was now propofed was merely fome few fubordinate provifions for facilitating the execution of the act, and for extending its benefits by a wider operation. Contrary to the affertion of the hon. Gentleman, he not only did not fay that the Bill could not go on, but he had expreffly afferted that it had already been attended with very great benefits, and thofe even fuch as had far exceeded his moft fanguine expectations. How true, how correct, how difpaffionate were the hon. Gentleman's obfervations he would freely leave it to his cooler reflection to confider. The hon. Gentlemen talks of fome measure of juftice towards the landed intereft. This again was ftrong language; but he was happy to fay that there was no call for any fuch meafure; for in fpite of the objections and oppofition of the hon. Gentleman, and a few of his friends, and in spite of the clamour that had been fo induftrioully raised against the meafure, it would abundantly appear that it had proved not only beneficial to the country at large, but particularly advantageons to the landed intereft. The Bill in its paffage VOL. I. 1798. through

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through the House laft Seffion, had undergone many weeks difcuffion; there was no ftage of it in which its principle or its provifions were not oppofed, he would not fay by trite or frivolous arguments, for many of thofe that were urged were the refult of calm judgment and cool confideration; yet this is the bill which the hon. Gentleman contends was hurried through the Houfe with unbecoming precipitancy. The hon. Gentleman is alfo pleafed to file it an act of power; and moft unquestionably with great propriety, for it was an act of the legislature; and he trufted that acts of the legislature would long prove to be acts of power. Nor did he conceive it fo fevere a reflection upon his conduct as the hon. Gentleman feemed difpofed to infinuate; that he should have preferred the general opinion of the Houfe to that of the hon. Gentleman and fome few of his friends, and that he was lefs fwayed by their folicitations than by the well founded arguments of those who framed and fupported the bill. As to his not foreseeing the neceffity of the Bill being altered and amended, that was a reflection which he was not anxious to ward off. It was not merely the fault of his forefight, but was alfo a reflection upon the forefight of the ableft law authorities in the Kingdom, who never pretended, much lefs did he pretend, to attain complete perfection at once, efpecially in a measure fo various, fo complicated and fo extenlive. He had now been twelve or fourteen years endeavouring to bring forward meafures of that nature, and he was not afhamed to confefs that the firft fpecimens of his fchemes were not as correct and perfect as further enquiry, and more minute inveftigation, might have rendered them. Of moft of his financial plans he could say the same, but he trufted that by perfeverance and attention he had brought them to fomething like perfection. He did not therefore feel the leaft hurt at not being fuppofed to have in the first inftance made a bill more correct and perfect, that was to be framed out of new, difficult and intricate matter. As often as he was cenfured for his endeavours to correct his measures, so often would he receive fuch cenfures as compli

ments.

Mr. Jones explained, and contended that the Gentleman who had formerly divided with him against the bill, had always urged against it the bett founded arguments.

Mr. Burdon faid, that fo far from expecting the bill fhould have met with no cbftacles, it appeared to him for prifing that it should have proved fo practicable in the very

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outfet. He could not therefore, but applaud the wisdom of his right honourable friend in adopting fuch alterations as would give additional facility to the execution of its provifions, by which the country had already been fo materially benefitted. But he principally role to exprefs a with, that whatever amendments were necellary to the bill might be introduced as peedily as poflible, and he particularly approved of that which extended the time of payment-here he withed as much latitude might be given as poffible for fuch payments, and if made in flock, he would think it more advifeable. In the progrefs of the bill he hoped there would be introduced claufe to fettle the test of Freeholders at Elections, which at prefent was a point that feemed to remain undecided. Upon the whole he was fatisfied that the bill would not appear to have in view the object which fome Gentlemen pretended to give it, namely, to ferve certain political purposes; but that it would be clearly demonstrated, efpecially when it was duly amended, that its operation would tend to the general good of the country-in that light it fhould have his moft cordial fupport.

The motion was then put, and leave given to bring in the bill.

STAFF OFFICERS.

Mr. M. A. Taylor faid, he wished to fubmit a motion to the Houle, to which he could not think that his Majefty's minifters would make the leaft objection. Its object was to get information why the charge in the army eltimates for Staff Officers fhould have fo far exceeded that of last year.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer did not object to the motion; but faid, that before the papers were laid before the Houfe he could fatisfy the honourable Gentleman's curiofity, by informing hini, that as last year a very confiderable body of the Supplementary militia had been called out into actual fervice, it was natural that a proportionable augmentation fhould have taken place in the number of Staff Officers.

Mr. Taylor then moved, that there be laid before the Houfe an account of the number of General and Staff QMcers now in the fervice of Great Britain, fpecifying their refpective ranks, the divifions in which they ferve, and the amount of the pay they received - Ordered.

The other orders of the Houfe were then difpofed of, and the Houfe adjourned.

HOUSE

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