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the service of Great Britain, a body of his electoral troops, for the purpose of assisting his allies the States General of the United Provinces, and of prosecuting, in the most effectual manner, the just and necessary war in which his majesty is engaged, and that his majesty had directed an estimate to be laid before the House of Commons of the charge attending the employment of the said troops; and his majesty relied on the zeal of his faithful Commons, that they would be ready to make the necessary provision for maintaining the

same.

It was then ordered that his majesty's most gracious message be referred to the consideration of the committee of the whole House, to whom it is referred, to consider further of the supply granted to his majesty.

On the same day a similar message was delivered to the House of Peers by lord Grenville, for which an address of thanks was voted in the usual forms.

On the 11th of March, the House of Commons, having resolved itself into a committee of supply, Mr. Pitt said, before I proceed to enuinerate the expences of the present year, and the means and aids by which they are to be supplied, I must first mention the leading object which has governed my mind upon this occasion, namely, the recollection of the unanimous opinion, with respect to the present struggle, which the House have carried to the throne, and published to the world; that they regarded it as a struggle for whatever was most dear and sacred, for the security of the throne and the pre

servation of the constitution; and that they were prepared to prosecute it with the greatest exertion, and a zeal proportioned to the im portance of the objects for which we contended. The first object to be regarded is, the vigorous and effectual prosecution of this war, in which we have every thing at stake; and it is by such a prosecution of the war, that we shall best consult true prudence and rational economy. I do not wish to conceal from the House and from the public, that large preparations must be made, and considerable expences incurred. Economy, in our present situation, must not appear in limiting the extent of these expences, but in controuling their application. There is another point also, which it is my wish to inculcate; that whatever degree of exertion we may regard as necessary, or may be disposed to make, the public ought not, in any respect, to be deluded and flattered.—They ought to be made sensible of the full extent to which they may be liable to be called upon to defray the expences of the war. But though in calculating the expences of a war much may be done by estimate, a great deal must still depend on contingency. Unforeseen occurrences will continually arise, which will render additional expences necessary. Taking then these occurrences into view, it is proper to allow considerable latitude for the expences that may be incurred. It is part of my plan to allow a considerable sum for these extraor dinary emergencies, so as to make a full provision for every part of the expence. But there is another object to be attended to; whatever

degree

degree of exertion may be made in .the present contest, which involves the dearest and most sacred objects, still we must not allow ourselves to neglect what likewise involves in it the permanent interests of ourselves and our posterity. I not only mean still to employ the annual million for the reduction of the national debt, but likewise the sum of 200,000l. which was last year understood to be set apart for that purpose, so as to provide, even during the continuance of the war, for the lessening of the debt by compound interest. I likewise mean to avoid another evil which

has taken place in all former wars -the accumulation of an unfunded debt. I therefore intend to bring the unfunded debt every year to a distinct account. In conformity with this principle, I shall propose the payment of the navy debt, in order to reduce it to the establishment mentioned by the committee in their report last year. I shall now proceed in the usual way to state, first, the total amount of the supply, and the total amount of the ways and means, distinguishing the excesses of the services, and of the resources.

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DEFICIENCY OF GRANTS.

Arising from interest on exchequer bills, lottery,

deficiency of ways and means

Deficiency of land and malt

To be made annually to the sinking fund

£222,325 2

350,000 0 200,000 0 0

With regard to the expence of the navy, for which 45,000 seamen had been already voted, Mr. Pitt said, that he would by no means have it understood that these are the whole number which may be necessary to be employed-these sums, however, constitute the whole of the supply in the ordinary mode of the estimate; to which is to be added such a sum, as the committee may think proper to allow for the latitude of unforeseen, and unavoidable expences. If the situation of this country should lead us to take an efficient part along with our numerous allies, in carrying on offensive operations against the enemy, he observed, that a considerable increase of expence in our military establishment will be necessary. Hitherto we had hired none but the Hanoverian troops ; but, in this case, we may have occasion to employ a considerable body of other foreign troops in order to press, on all sides, the common enemy. Some additional expence will be incurred by domestic encampments. An increase will also accrue in the sum allowed to the loyalists, some of whom have been sent to Canada. A loss may perhaps accrue in the lottery, on account of certain regulations which it has been found necessary to make. It is, therefore, my opinion, that a considerable sum should be set apart to enable his majesty to provide for the unexpected occurrences of a war, and defray its exigencies as they arise. So many are the contingencies of a war, that, whatever sum may be voted for this purpose, I will not pledge myself for its sufficiency. In other wars, let it be recollected, that, after the sums allotted for them had been expended, very considerable debts were brought forward to be defrayed at a future period. After endeavouring to take every thing into the account, and to calculate as exactly as I can, I will not pretend to state the precise sum; but I would not propose less than a million and an half should be given to his Majesty with a view to contingencies. The mode of giving it, I would suggest to be by exchequer bills upon a vote of credit; but as I do not wish the number of exchequer bills in circulation to be increased, I would likewise propose to pay off a million and a half of those which are now in circulation. The total of these sums amount to 11,182,2131. 3s. 81d. To defray these expences, Mr. Pitt proposed the following

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Surplus of consolidated fund on April 5, 1794, viz. expected surplus on 5th April, 1793

274,000

Expected surplus of the four quarters 5th April, 1794, esti

Carried over £3,459,696

Brought over 3,459,696

mated on the four years average as below, after deducting 220,0001. for duties to be appropriated to pay the interest of money to be borrowed

Interest money to be repaid

Money to be paid by the East-India Company

£2,185,000

Money for the commissioners for the national debt, includ-
ing the annual contribution of 200,0001.
Continuation of temporary taxes

Total of ways and means

250,000

500,000

1,650,000

255,000

£8,299,696

That part of the statement which relates to the surplus of the consolidated fund, on the 5th of January last, Mr. Pitt thought must afford much satisfaction. It would be recollected that the expences of 1792 were to be defrayed by the amount of the revenue to the 5th of April, 1793; but it happens that the expences were not only defrayed on the 5th of January 1793, but a surplus actually remained; consequently the produce of the quarter ending on the 5th of April, is applicable to the exigencies of the present year; of the produce of this quarter 435,000l. have been already voted, Supposing it to be as favourable as it has been in former years, 274,Cool. will remain in this quarter, in addition to the 435,000l. of which the nation will have to avail itself. Still, however, he proposed to carry on the year from the 5th of April, 1793, to the 5th of April, 1794. However sanguine in his own expectations of the flourishing state of the revenue, he always wished, he said, to be moderate in his calculations; and therefore had, upon former occasions, as at present, taken it upon the average of the four last years. It was his intention to continue those temporary taxes which were imposed upon occasion of the Spanish armament, and which expire at different periods. They had been found to be attended with no particular inconvenience to the country, and would consequently be submitted to with less reluctance than any fresh imposts. These amount to 255,0001. which sum he should henceforth propose to consider as part of the supply. The aid which he had now to suggest was, what often has been treated at best as precarious and uncertain, namely, the assistance which the finances of this country would derive from India. This assistance had been pledged to him; and he was happy to say would soon be fulfilled; as in 1794, a sum of not less than 500,0001. from the finances of India, would be applicable to the expences of this country. He acknowledged, however, that, after every other resource, he must depend upon a loan of 2,900,0001. concerning which he had not made any proposals, because he considered it to be a previous duty to submit this statement to the public, in order to avoid any thing that might have the appearance of deception. The sum of 240,000l. which would be necessary to pay the interest of the loan, he proposed to supply from the taxes imposed on occasion of the Spanish armament. These taxes were of two kinds, some of them temporary, and others perpetual. On these the additional tax on bills and the game duty amounted to 85,0001.

The

The tax of one penny per gallon on all British spirits, produced a sum of 112,000l. Another of these was the addition of 10 per cent. upon al assessed taxes, which amounted to about 90,000l. making upon the whole a sum of 287,000l. Mr. Pitt then offered to the attention of the committee a general statement of the whole subject in one connected point of view.

GENERAL STATEMENT.

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Such, continued the chancellor of the exchequer, is the statement which I submit to the committee. It is apparent that I have stated an ample provision, in point of expence, with a view to an extended scale of operations, as well as for the unforeseen and extraordinary Occurrences which may arise during the war, while, at the same time, I have attended to the object of keeping down the unfunded debt, and applying the annual surplus to the extinction of the funded debt. The excess of the permanent revenue, if kept up, is no dess than 900,000l. above the peace establishment, which even, if exhausted by war, will leave the

17,000

£287,000

country in possession of all its ordinary revenue, I have, however, taken care not to found any calculation upon it, because I was desirous to leave it as a security against those contingencies to which war is liable. The committee will perceive, from the statements I have submitted to them, that even, if the struggle, in which we are engaged, should last beyond the present year, we shall be able to carry it on during the next without any additional burthen. Mr. Pitt said, he had been careful not to state these encouragements to war in any of the previous discussions, and that if we considered war as necessary, we were bound to meet it,

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