ACCOUNT of the Gross Produce of the Ordinary Revenues of Great Britain, with the Aggregate Payments made thereout, and the Payments into the Exchequer.-1797 to 1816.

Principal Heads of Revenue. Gross Produce.

Income

Land and

Customs.

Excise. Stamps.

Assessed Post Office.
Taxes.

Duty and

Property
Tax.

£

1797

1798

1799

1800

£ £ £ 6,339,848 12,459,978 2,265,001 3,485,341 7,793,279 13,171,273 2,654,692 4,126,776 10,048,050 14,342,791 2,703,459 4,578,393 1,020,934 2,672,065 12,931,455 2,849,443 4,607,317 1,095,711 4,888,215

£

£

933,528

944,186

1801

5,946,590

3,233,567

360,276

3,662,531

4,546,883

6,162,559

9,120,829 9,848,545 13,562,286 3,120,734 4,442,281 1,201,551 1802 10,356,443 16,763,811 3,245,396 5,117,555 1,275,027 1803 10,419,580 19,588,277 3,436,067 5,776,072 1,273,873 1804 10,949,087 22,470,312 3,631,745 5,911,329 1,296,408 1805 11,764,028 24,240,097 4,194,285 6,106,920 1,446,073 1806 12,379,983 25,239,190 4,422,198 6,310,797 1,511,859 1807 12,638,965 25,941,630 4,543,971 6,909,190 1,493,490 10,158,008 1808 11,998,675 26,701,114 4,821,865 7,606,192 1,498,251 11,413,562 1809 13,930,191 25,163,893 5,463,425 8,482,574 1,610,585 12,413,803 1810 14,680,353 27,275,379 5,666,453 7,600,027 1,732,278 13,504,004 1811 12,689,732 27,161,219 5,396,882 7,399,442 1,709,869 13,234,896 1812 13,286,231 24,712,422 5,428,811 7,444,782 1813 14,143,823 27,033,093 5,638,155 7,884,841 1814 14,562,780 29,089,530 5,942,998 7,979,403 1815 13,970,090 29,699,301 6,268,232 7,716,200 1816 11,961,171 27,222,562 6,255,956 7,347,473 2,002,566 11,617,232

1,820,761 13,140,232 1,938,517 14,320,436 2,080,512 14,493,532

2,116,087 14,682,051

ACCOUNT of the Official Value of the Exports from Great Britain to the Spanish Colonies on the Continent of America, 1807 to 1816;-and to the Island of Cuba, 1812 to 1816.

DECREE of the King of Spain, relative to the establishment of a General System of Finance.-Madrid, 1st June, 1817.

I, THE KING.

(Translation.)

It is well known to my People, and to the World at large, what was the condition of Spain in the year 1808. Forced, in the first place, to repel the attacks of the fierce Revolution of France, entangled, subsequently, in an unfortunate and prejudicial League, impoverished by a 12 years' Maritime War, and, purposely hurried on to its destruction by the Tyrant of Europe, a few years only elapsed before commerce became crippled, the Army disorganized, and, after a few useless combats, the Naval Force, which had defended the Coasts and Colonies of this once rich, mighty, and envied Monarchy, was annihilated. It would appear as if within this short period was concentrated all the calamities, all the losses of more remote epochs, the memory of

which had been obliterated by the glorious Reigns of my Predecessors, their Majesties Charles III, Philip V, and Ferdinand VI, who, devoting all their energies to the establishing and perfecting the Financial System, raised, at the same time, the Maritime Power to an unexampled degree of prosperity. It is true that during those Reigns, the Revenue, notwithstanding the wealth flowing in from America, did not sometimes equal the Expenditure, the former being moreover diminished by charges and imposts of various kinds; but, on the other hand, vast sums were expended upon the Departments of Marine, in public edifices, in high-roads, and in other works of utility, ornament and splendour, conspicuous and lasting proofs of which are every where to be seen: several large Commercial Bodies were also formed, and the capitals with which they were amply provided found their way into circulation. But the circumstances of the latter part of the last Century were so urgent, and the excess of the Expenditure over the Revenue so great, that the whole of the funds belonging to those Bodies were applied to the necessities of the State; the establishments were ruined, paper money was created to an enormous amount, and the most sacred property was exposed for sale; the State injudiciously became security for the capitals and interests of the property so disposed of; the Debt was increased to the highest pitch; and, as was naturally to be expected, want of confidence paralyzed all the financial operations of the Government, whose immediate and ordinary disbursements were inade with the funds, which should have been set apart for the liquidation and interest of the public debt. Such was the state of things when Spain found herself powerless, and without resources, and was compelled to admit into her Territory a foreign Enemy, who rejoiced in the prospect of her ruin; in fact, it appeared impossible, without more than human aid, to resist the power of the Tyrant's legions, which were now spread throughout the Provinces.

The World will ever recollect with admiration the proofs of loyalty then exhibited by the Spanish Nation, and the heroic resolution with which it cheerfully bore, for the space of 6 years, all the privations and calamities consequent upon a sanguinary and destructive War, in order to preserve its independence and the succession of its legitimate Monarchs. The faithful Inhabitants of the Capital and of the Provinces listened to-no calculations of policy: wherever men capable of bearing arms were found, there were found Soldiers: the natural affections were suppressed: private property was regarded as that of the public: the Treasury, the magazines and storehouses were replenished and filled by general and voluntary contributions: Authorities for arming the People and preparing the means of defence were chosen: in every part of the Kingdom, Troops were organized, Armies created, contributions levied, loans and donations raised and given, and supplies

of stores multiplied:—so that after successive reverses, attacks, sieges, assaults, battles, and general engagements; after her Armies had been a hundred times renewed, Spain triumphed, and, at the expence of her sacrifices, which Europe contemplated with wonder, the other Nations of the Continent broke asunder their galling chains of servitude.

O my People, I shall never cease to consider you as a model of loyalty, inimitable valour, and extraordinary perseverance! And you, Generals, Officers, and Privates, both of the Army and Marine, as well as all you, of whatever class, condition, or age, who took up arms in defence of my Throne, my rights, and the cause of the Nation, you have immortalized your name, and are entitled to the blessings of your native Land, the admiration of Foreign Nations, and my everlasting gratitude.

Heaven at last was pleased to put an end to this destructive Contest; the power of tyranny was overthrown, and whilst the victorious Army remained on this side of the Pyrenees, I, on the other, entered my Kingdom, receiving with tears of the purest delight, the assurances of fidelity and constancy which all my Subjects hastened to give to me. Upon such an occasion, it is true, my heart experienced all the rapturous emotions of which human nature is susceptible; but the pride and happiness that I felt, amidst the welcomes and congratulations of my People, were counterbalanced, by the sorrow with which I beheld Towns and Villages reduced to ashes, and the frightful devastation of the Country, and contemplated the torrents of blood which must have flowed in its defence. These reflections, however, did not cause me to abandon the hope that, under a paternal Government, my Subjects might repair their past misfortunes, and find in their prosperity and happiness, and in the industrious cultivation of our fertile soil, the reward due to their unexampled and heroic patriotism. All this, however, was to be the work of peace, and in the interim, it was necessary to meet the claims of an immense number of Soldiers, who had been raised upon no regular system, in consequence of the desultory warfare which was at the time carried on. Nor was this the only difficulty: the most productive of the public revenues had, during the latter period of my absence, been replaced by a direct Tax, which, although it might have had its advantages had it been less general and different in its principle, was most oppressive, both as to the assessment itself, and the mode of collection: the People petitioned for relief, and, under the circumstances, being confident that the revenues arising from the Government Monopolies, and which could not possibly be raised by any other means, would be considerably increased, my first step was to revert to the former system of Taxation; confirming, however, the suppression of the productive duty laid upon each cuartillo of wine (the proceeds of which were about 50,000,000 reals); as well

as the reduction in the price of Tobacco, which had been determined upon by the Central Junta for the benefit of agriculture, the alleviation of the public burthens, and the personal comfort of Individuals. About the same period the Prisoners of War, who, during so many encounters, had fallen into the Enemy's hands, returned in such prodigious numbers from the different French Depots, that the funds at that time destined for them, were wholly insufficient for their subsistence. In addition to this, the Enemy of the human race had escaped from the small Island in the Mediterranean which had been assigned to him, and threatened again to disturb the peace of the Continent of Europe, and it consequently became necessary that my Armies should once more assume a warlike attitude, a measure which could not be accomplished without incurring fresh expenses and great pecuniary sacrifices, the effects of which were severely felt by the Treasury, in the Year 1815. The National Debt had, moreover, increased during the War to an enormous amount; and, being thoroughly convinced of the necessity of giving to it a bona fide value, in some mode or other, I had repeatedly declared my Royal intention to secure the public credit by every means that could be made available.

To all these difficulties was superadded that of preparing, equipping, and dispatching several Military Expeditions to my American Dominions, upon a larger and more expensive scale than any that had been fitted out since the discovery of the New World. These Expeditions were doubly painful to my feelings, because they were destined to act against Spaniards, sons of the same Country, members of the same family, and consequently my children; who had been deluded by the visionary ideas of an emancipation, which could be advantageous only to its promoters, whose sole object was to benefit themselves at the cost of the innocent blood of my Subjects. Nor could I but lend a gracious ear to the prayers of all, whether private individuals, or public bodies, who petitioned for the reduction or abolition of the Taxes, for the rewards merited by distinguished services, or for any kind of favour that might with propriety be solicited; for all classes of the community had lent their aid, with a generosity which knew no limits, at a time when to overstep them was but doing justice to those who had prescribed to themselves no bounds in their performance of the most meritorious deeds, in every part of my Dominions.

To meet so many and such serious claims, my whole dependence was upon the proceeds of the reimposed Taxes; but even the collection of these was slow, it being only with difficulty and by degrees that the stock of the different articles of Monopoly, and which had been exhausted, could be replaced, while that of having recourse again to the direct Tax, which had been abolished on account of its oppressive character, could not for a moment be entertained. It is not unlikely that this period, which was certainly one of the most im