Duties.] ON F E E S , G R A T U I T I E S , & c . acting the Law bufmefs of their refpeCtive Departments, the Solicitors of Cuftoms and Excife are fometimes employed in preparing, for the opinion of Counfel, the Drafts of fuch Bills as are intended to be prefented to Parliament in each Seffion, for railing any Money, by the impofition of Cuftom and Excite Duties, or for regulating the collection and management of thele branches of the public Revenue; and to the large fumTpaid to Counfel and Solicitors on this account, may be attributed fome portion of the excels of the Law expenditure in the three years ending 5th January 1808, compared with the like expenditure in the two years im- mediately preceding. The amount of fuch payments in each of the £ ve years ending 5th January 1 808, appears to have been as follows : viz. Years ending 5th January 107 Appendix, N" 66 & 67. A ppendix, N" J 64 & 65. Nil. ' 5 " 1P * 11,7^ 5,952 17 6 6,401 10 — In 1791, Government dire6ted an annual allowance of £. 700 each, Appendix, N8 72, to be paid to the Prime Serjeant, the Attorney and Solicitor General, and the Senior Counfel to the Revenue Board, for preparing and fettling the Money Bills in each Seffion of Parliament, and of £. 850. to the Solicitors of the Cuftoms. and Excife Departments, to be equally divided between them, for drawing, preparing, and fair copying the Money and Revenue Bills in each fuch Seffion ; and a further allowance of JT. 100. to the fame Solicitors, in confederation of their extraordinary attendance upon the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and their preparation of other public bufinefs. under his direction. This arrangement appears to have been occafioned by the changes that had been made in that year in the for- mation of the Money Bills, the number of which having been leffened ill confequence of the coniolidation of Duties that then took place, it was thought equitable, on account of the lots the Law Officers and the So- licitors would fuffer, if paid, as had been the praCtice, according to the number of Bills only, to give them fixed annual allowances equivalent to the Fees they had received in preceding years. The Fees to be paid to the Law Officers for preparing other public Bills, were not then regulated, the allowances affigned to them being in confideration of their trouble refpeCting the Money Bills alone; but it is ftated, that the lame Appendix, Counfel, along with the Junior Counfel to the Revenue, are entitled to re- N" 66 & 67. ceive according to an ufual and accuftomed rate, a fee of 10 Guineas each, for every confutation relating to any Cuftom or Excife Regulation Bill intended to be prepared, and of 40 Guineas on its being finally fettled, unlets it happened to be a fhort Bill, in which cafe lower Fees were allowed ; and it is alfo ftated, that for preparing fuch Bills, the Solicitors were entitled to receive an Allowance between them equal to the Fee of one Counfel. This latter claim feems, however, to be altogether incom- patible with the order made in 1791, which, befides granting the fixed allowance of S50. for preparing as well the Revenue or Regulation Bills, as the Money Bills, gives to the Solicitors the additional allowance of 100, for preparing other public bufinefs, under the dire& ion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer; and to preclude, it would feem, the 2 Ee exercife Appendix, N* 72.