4th of William and Queen Mary, were preserved, it was because the Parishes were all equally affeffed then in proportion, and because the Legislature did not at that time think the wording of the Act could afterwards work fuch monftrous injuftice as it had done. In 1739, the county-rate was only 800l. per annum. It afterwards role to 1,200l. and it had rifen to the enormous amount of 15,000l. per annum. In the mean time, the rental of the Strand was no more than 70,000l. per annum, out of which it contributed the yearly fum of 2151. to the county-rate, while the rental of Mary-le-bonne was 320,000l per annum, out of which it contributed no more than 541. whereas, according to an equal proportion between the rental and the rate, the parish of Mary-le-bonne ought to contribute more than four times that fum, while the Strand fhould pay no more than 401. per annum. The fame fort of argument applied to the parishes of Spital Fields and Shoreditch, where numbers of the poor induftrious people are compelled to contribute with difficulty a larger proportion to the county-rate than parishes where fcarcely any but the rich and the idle have their refidence. As to the objection, that every county would have a right to expect a fimilar affeffment if this Bill paffed, he denied the fact, because other counties are not liable to incur the fame increafing expences. The profecution of felons in the county of Middlesex is attended with an additional expence to that of other counties, and to fuch an amount do thefe expences fometimes rife, that in a recent trial of two perfons for forgery, the profecution coft no lefs a fum than 6661. 18s. 6d. Now as the large Parish of Mary-le-bonne must be more inftrumental in caufing thefe expences than smaller Parishes, it was but juft it should contribute a proportion. The expence of building a Houfe of Correction had alfo encreafed the county-rate in the fum of 20,000l. to which was to be added, the yearly expences attending it, of 1000l. and to this was to be added, the expence of building a new prifon in Clerkenwell, for which the fum of 60,000l. was borrowed at an intereft including the other expences attending it of 3000l. per annum. All these expences had been incurred fince the paffing of the Act; none of which the Legiflature could poffibly forefce. To fhew further how extremely hard the prefent rate bore upon fome of the smaller parifhes inhabited by the poorer claffes of the people, he ftated, that by a dreadful fire in Radcliffe two or three years ago, the greater part of the houfes in the parifh were confumed, together with the property of the inhabitants; and confequently they were no longer able to contribute to the county-rate; yet according to the letter of the law, the Magif trates of Middlefex might have diftrained the goods and chattles of of the overfeers for the payment of it, which was a fpecies of humanity he did not expect to hear of, even from the parish of Mary-le-bonne. To conclude, he contended that if the Bill did pafs, the parish of Mary-le-bonne would not have a great deal to complain of, as an equal county-rate would not afleis it more in addition to the trifle which it now contributes, than one penny in the pound. The Solicitor General and the Mafter of the Rolls both spoke in favour of the Bill, after which the Houfe divided. For the fecond reading 82 71 Majority 11 It was then moved that it be read on Wednesday the third of May, and carried on a divifion of 80 to 77. Mr. Rofe moved, "That the following Accounts be laid "before the Houfe, preparatory to the opening of the Budget;" which were ordered and immediately prefented: An Account of the Produce of the consolidated Duties of the Stamp Revenues, from the 5th of April, 1795, to the 5th of April, 1796. An Account of the Produce of the Duties of 1 per cent. upon fums infured on property confumed by fire. An Account of the Produce of the Duties on Bills of Exchange. An Account of the Produce of Duties on wrought Silver and Gold Plate. And an Account of the Produce of Duties on Solicitors and Attornies Certificates. MAROONS. Colonel Walpole moved for Copies of the printed Proceedings. of the Affembly of Jamaica refpecting the Maroons---of their numbers arrived in America--and a Copy of the Obfervations of Commiffioner Quarel. Which Motions passed without a divifion. BUDGET. The Order of the Day was then read, and the House refolved itself into a Committee of Ways and Means, Mr. Sylvefter Douglas in the Chair. The Report of the Select Committee of Finance being previously referred to the faid Committee. The Chancellor of the Exchequer. "In the great and extenfivé profecution of the bufinefs which it is my duty this day to fubmit to the confideration of the Committee, it is impoffible for me not to feel the weight and importance of the burdens which our exigencies have occafioned, and ftill lefs is it impof fible for me not to feel confiderable regret, and great perfonal disappointment in being compelled, however reluctantly, to propofe an addition to the ample and large provifion already made towards defraying the expences of the country in a wide and calamitous war, and add to the prefent burdens which are borne with unexampled patience, and to which nothing but the moft rigorous neceffity could force me to impofe fresh burdens. I am conscious the fenfations of every Gentleman in the Committee will be hurt on this occafion, and I trust, whatever may be their feelings upon this fubject, they will give me credit my fenfations are not lefs alive. But it is not my duty to dwell on thofe fenfations. Much as I regret the caules of the war, and the calamities with which it has been attended; much as I regret the manner in which the hope of a fpeedy termination has been obftructed, and additional expences thereby incurred; much as I regret increafing expences, where expences have already been fo much and almoft fo infufferably increased; and whatever may be my own perfonal mortification and regret in being obliged to come forward at such a distressful period with new burdens; I feel it, notwithstanding, to be my first great duty to come forward, as I hope and truft the Houfe and country will do with me, with a firm and manly fpirit, to convince the Enemy that however great may be our preffure, however embarrafled our circumftances, we are determined to contend with them as long as we are able, rather than fubmit to haughty and difhonourable, terms. Though we may not be fuccefsful enough to accomplish the means by which we can terminate the fatal conteft in which we are engaged, confiftently with the honour, fecurity, and permanent and effential interefts of the nation, let us yet convince our Enemies, that our spirit does not defert us in our trials, but that, in fpite of every difficulty, we will still be juft both to ourselves and to our country. In this fentiment I trust to meet the fenfe of the House and the people at large, whofe patriotism, juftice, and magnanimy, as they never have failed in the moft arduous conflicts, will not, I truft, fail now; but manifeft, on the contrary, that whatever may be the event, they have but one duty to purfue, the fafety, honour, and happiness of the kingdom. "Without hesitation, though certainly not without anxiety and regret, I fhall now proceed to fubmit to the Committee what I have to propofe. In doing this, it is with pleasure I declare, that I fhall not only derive great advantage, but that my labour is materially diminished alfo by the very able and impartial ftatements of the firft Report of the Select Committee of Finance, which has been printed and this day laid before you. However, in particular parts, I may be juftified in differing No. 33. 7 P * from these statements, however favourable those statements may be to the general wishes of the Houfe and of the Country (and I am ready to confefs they are more favourable than what I have to propose) I fhall guide myself by their direction, and render that Report the basis of the plan of my propofal. I fhall follow the ufual mode of proceeding upon fubjects of this nature, and first take a view of the tranfactions which have caufed the expences for which we are now called on to provide, and state what fums remain to be provided for; I fhall then compare thefe provifional demands with what have been already provided for in the courfe of the prefent year, and fubmit the plans which I propofe for a further provifion, and in this procefs I fhall be as fhort and explicit as I can. For this purpofe, therefore, and according to the ufual practice, I fhall firft call the attention of the Houfe to the whole amount of fervices for the prefent year, with the amount of the fums already voted for defraying them, and the amount of the fums remaining to be voted; and after that I fhail detail the Ways and Means by which these fervices have already been defrayed, and by which the remainder may be defrayed; and finally I fhall ftate the specific meafures which I mean to ground upon those statements towards the provifion for the accumulated intereft and charges. For the fake of being clear and intelligible, I fhall proceed article by article, under various heads; and, to pursue the cuftomary mode, I fhall of courfe begin with the NAVY. The Committee will recollect, that for the Navy service of the current year, there has been already voted the fum of 7,661,000l. in addition to which the Committee of Supply has voted 5,000,000l. more. Gentlemen will recollect, that altho' I eftimated the expences of the Naval departmet at 7,661,000l. I then stated my intention to propofe the provifion of a further fum of 2,500,cool, in order to remedy an inconvenience which heretofore had arifen, and thereby have 10,161,000l. in Cath towards defraying any excefs of Navy Debt. Such, however, have been the extraordinary exertions and expences of the war, that there yet remained an un unded Debt of the Navy unprovided for to the amount of 4 millions. In the statements of the Select Committee a comparifon has been given between this outftanding Navy Debt and the outstanding Navy Debt in 1783, and the Committee has made an allowance for 3,000,000l. In the Select Committee it appears by the best eftimates, that as far as they can be ascertained, the expences of the Navy Service would amount to 12,900,000l. which is fhort of what I have ftated them to be, but exceeding what I formerly confidered them. By way of reducing this amount, though I ought to state that a fum a fum of 800,000l. went in aid of the Navy Services of 1796, and confequently left the provifion for the Services of 1797 deficient in that fum, for, however careful we may be, a part of the expences will be carried on in Navy Bills, though certainly to lefs extent than formerly. In the provifion of 12,000,000l. four thillings per month would be carried to the ordinary expences of the Navy, whereby about 110,000l. would be taken away from the unfunded Debt. As I fuppofe there will then be a million, or a million and a half of Navy Debt afloat. Such was my former statement, and compared with the statement of the Committee, there is this difference, that it fuppofes 1,500,000l. of floating Navy Debt, inftead of 3,000,000l. as the Select Committee of Finance has calculated. I do not know whether I have expreffed myfelf clearly upon this point; but if not, I fhall be happy to give any Gentleman a further explanation. ARMY. "The next head of fervice is the Army, upon which there has been already voted the fum of 10,913,000l. The accounts for foreign corps are not yet made out, but they foon will be, and I have reafon to hope their expences will be less than were calculated in my original statement, and lefs than they appeared to the Select Committee. I have reason to think this diminution will amount to one half; and that the fum of 370,000l. will be fufficient; 6,000,000l. was the total amount eftimated for the Army establishment, independent of the extraordinaries, which is lefs by 297,000l. than the estimates for the enfuing year by the Select Committee. In 1796 there were fome extraordinary expences of the army incurred which at prefent remain unprovided for, to the amount of 3,287,000l. and in the interval of the 8th of December and the Ift of January, there was another out-standing demand made evident of 100,000l. which, in confequence of not being paid, is to be added to the other, and makes a fum of 3,387,000l. out-ftanding army debt to be provided for. It appears by the Report of the Select Committee, moreover, that by Treafury Bills paid at the Bank, and warrants for army service due and unpaid, a further fum of 2,088,000l. remains to be provided for, inafmuch as Treafury Bills paid at the Bank previous to the 5th of January 1797, and those which were due on the 8th of January, but not included, amounted to 1,660,000l. to which were to be added 428,000l. for Army Warrants. So that the fum total would be as before ftated, 2,088,000l. The estimated fum to be incurred by the Army Extraordinaries for 1797, according to the Report of the Secret Committee, and for the amount of which it is my intention to provide is 4,000,000l. It was not propofed before Christmas to |