Star. — London, England, 1816-07-02 00:00:00

• ~_. ~ r PARLIAMENTARY PRO :. • .161NGS. - •, HOUSE OP LQIIDS, JULY 1. In Mobs* o. Livingston, judgment of the Court below of The cave of Stirling v. Ca ni bell affirmed in part, and remits , ted u to a!lother part. 'The Royal Assent was given by Commission to the Paper Duty Bill, the Loan Charge the hschequ.:rs' Consdlielation Bill, the British and lark Spirt!' Trade 11th, the Sco:ch D'stil lery Bill, the Irish Stamps' Duty BM, the Beer Puty Bill, the Claremont Estate Bill, the Silk Alanufac tires 80, the Habeas Corpus Bill, the Spirit Licence Bill, the ;can Passage the Oil and Blubber Bill, the Gaol Fees Aholitioti Fill, the Lead Mines Coal Bull, the Small Coil Bill, the Inland Coal Bit, the Leather or Tanners and Carriers Bill, the Clergy Farms Bill, the Insolvent Di-trots' Amendment Bit. the I ridtlneolvent D-loots' the Mines Machinery 1411, tie Militsa lt. rt E.l 1, the Mu tiny Act Amendment Bill, the Criminal Lunatic Ital. and some Private itn., including the New Street bid. Commissioners, ' Lords EC.DuN. REIMIDALE, and Suarrastresv. The 11111 and Parish Appientices Bill were returned from the Commtms with the Arnet,tbneuta agreed to. A Person from the Treasmy presented certain Papers relative to the Fundtd Debt : and i Per‘on from the Council-Of f ice pre sented the Returns moved fur by the Earl of HAR noway, rela tive to Glebe Houses and the Residence of the Clergy. Laid on the Table. GAS BILL. On the Motion for the third reading of the Gas till, The Eel.leif LAUDERDALE observed, that it was absolutely imp•'ssihle that any Peer could stile any geed ground for the passing of this Bill. It was as dry and glaring a job as ever had been presented to the consiekration of any Legislature. The prin ciple upon which their Lordships ought to act. upon ste.h occasions, was plain and clear. When a*Cetet paity came to them to ask for extraordinary and ex there privileges and powers, it was expected that, . the y should skew that it would be for the public ad vantage to grant [hese powers and privileges, and :also that the powers and privileges so wanted should •iett be of such a nature as to ruin the Company if- Now, as to the first of these points, they had steevn no public advantage that would arise from it : on the contrary, the object was to procure these powers and privileges to this Company, so as to enable them to prevent competition by private capi tal ; and so far this would have the' effect of a nto haply. The advantage which they had prora:sed to the public when they obtained their former Act was, that they could by this afford for the public lamps a better and a cheaper light. Now it evidently ap peared, from the examinations on the Committee, that they could net continue to perform their promise without ruin arid bankruptcy. His Lordship read several passages irons the eviJence, from wlech; as be ,COOtent;ej, it was clear that the concern had all along been a losing one, and that there was not a shadow of prospect that they could render the con cern protitebla, v ithnut consider ably augmenting their prices. In this state of• things how could tbeir Lordships, consistee t y with the principles upon which they usually acted k 4 ith regard to terse metiers, con bent to pass a 11111 wh;ch would enable the Do ecti.rs of this Ceinpany to raise an additienel iC2‘ , 0,000, when they must be aware that, if the public were thoroughly acqueitated with the state of the concern, no man would advance his money upon it? It was in the confidence that the Legtslature would oot pass Bills in support el a concern which mist be a losing Pus that the subscribers advanced their money ; and be trusted thermic, they would see that it was their duty not to pass this Bill. Besides these obj-ctions, th e y had to consider tee injury which they would do to the whale-fishery, which had• received particular encouragements by no less than six Acts of Parlia ment since i 3 Geo. 111. It was MOST important in a public view that the whale fishery should not be in jured by giving these extreordinary powers to this Gas Com ran y. They ought at least to allow the whale oil to hive its fair competi!ho. Then on these three grounds—that no public advantage would :arise from the passing this Bill—thet the proceeding mould reduce the Company itself to bankruptcy—and that the whale fishery would be injuied—their Lordships ought not to pass this Bill, which was a mere job and bone -ug upen the public. The Earl of LIMERICK said, that notwithstand ing the confi.l.et assertions of the Noble Eatl, he would support tee 13111. Great gold had resulted to the public trim this invention ; and though the Com pany had not as yet derived much profit from it, he maimained that there was reason from the evidence to conclude, that the Company would derive consi ditable profits from the concern. They were per fectly ready to fulfil their stipulations with the public, and p pl y gas via the terms which they had pro mi,ed : and as to the whale fishery, what had those engaged in it. to apprehend, if this Company must b.come bankrul:t according to the Noble Earl's pre eictiort ? But granting that some injury might be done to the public in that way, it would be more, than compensated by the increased consumption of coals, the coal trade being notoriously the best nursery lot seamen. Toe Earl of HARROWBY said, that though his N Jble Friend had the courage to mount the breach, he had not been able to resist the fire. He had not I , shewn that ally public advantage would arise from the passing of this Bill. He thought the Whale- Os!tery of public importance, though riot of so much ituportant.e as same conceived it to be. , He would not therefore discourage thi. new and beautiful in ventiot, mt.rely to support the Whale•Viciy but then the oil ought to be left to its fair competition : and even with a view to the advantage to be derived from this very discovery, no extraordinary powers rai;ht to be granted to any particular company.— Tins would only enable them to drive competitors from the market by underselling them in the first in. s t ,flee, and Then they might raise their terms, and supply we public with a worse article at a higher price. This would therefore have, in sortie measure, the effect of a monopoly ; and upon the whole be saw no good reason for passing the Bill. Lord LONGFORD supported the Bill upon the same grounds as those stated by the Earl of Limerick. Tile Earl or LAUDERDALE stated, that in case • the SU should be read a third time, he would move ark antetdment. that the Company should not have t h e power to raise the prices stated by themselves in we lif . their schedules to be sufficient. Upon the question, that the Bill be now read a third time, the 1-1-use divided.—Contents. 16; Not pottsents,ts—Majurity, 1. The then read a third time; • and we un dectiold that while strangers were excluded. The Earl of LAUDERDALE moved his amend ment, there being 10 lorit, and 16 ep i thet it. The Bill was then passed, and sent to the Commohs. The Appropriation Bill was read a third time end passed.—Adjourned. HOUSE OP COMMONS. The SPEAKER having attended witesome Members in the House of Peers, to hear the Royal Assent given, by Commis shoo to a vast number of Public and Private Hills (for the names of o hich km oar Peers' Report), informed the House ache same - - ou his return. A Message from the Lords announced their Lordship? assent to various thib, without any amendments and the return of others, with several asnendments, to which they desired the con• currence ut the Commons. A person from the Mies of the Chief Secretary of State for Ireland presented an ACCOMV of the sums of money received by t h e Directors of the Inland Navigation. Ilsritnis accounts of Imports, Esports, &c. were also presented front the Custom house. Mr. Bs u nitre r presented an account of the number of per sons in the ci..to.lx of the Marshal or the King's Bench Prison ; the number of which was, on the esth June, 1816, 753. Simi lar accounts were presented : of the number persons confined in the Fleet anJ Musbaisea Prisons to the same period. PILLORY ABOLITION RILL. Mr. M. A. TAYLOR made some objections to one of the Lords' Amt nriments in the Pillory Abolition ilia, which related to their Wring upon themselves the power of peuishMent by fines in the Coors of Law. The SNEAKER explained the nature of the Amendment, and observed, that it was at the option of any Hon. Member to state his opinion whether the alteration trenched upon the privileges of the H•'u'e. _ _ Mr. IiORNEit was of opinion that if the House had taktn away the power of punishment by fine, and the Lords had touched on this point, ft would have been an entrenchment on the privileges if the Commons, but it did not appear that they bad done so. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL justified the Amendment, ob serving, that it was in the power of the Courts sof Jostles, if they thought proper, to impose punishments by line. After a brief explanation from Mr. 'I AT Loa and a few words from Serjeant BUT, the Amendments were agreed to. MACE OF TILE METRopOUS. Mr. BENNETT, on bringing up the Report of the Committee appointed to inquire into the state of the I'o lice of the Metropolis, stated that the Committee bad gone into such an extensive and voluminous mass of evidence, as had placed that important subject in the clearest light ; and he trusted that next session they would be enabled to continue their labours, which could not fail to be attended with the greatest bene fit to the public. The Honourable Gentleman then entered into a review of the contents of the Report,' in the course of which he paid the highest compli ments to the ability and exertions of the Police Ma gistrates. We understood him, However, to make tan exception to one Magistrate, whose conduct and, inability be censured in extremely strong terms; and . he observed, that a connection had been made out iu the Whitechapel district between a Magistrate and Brewers, respecting licensed public-houses. He then adverted to the accounts of the state of the different prisons, and recited the number of persons imprisoned at different periods for a series cf years, with a view, as we understood, to chew, that by the results of the labours of the Committee in question, the commit ments would in future be less numerous, in conse quence of the measures adopted for the prevention of crime. After many observations its favour of the Report, it was ordered to lie on the table. General THORNTON rose to express the h;gli gratification he felt at the satisfactory opinion given by the Honourable Member of the ability and exer tions of the Police Magistrates, a tribute which he I had reason to know they justly merited. It was not the least praiseworthy part of them conduct, that they continually gave good advice to the persons who came before them, by which many materially profited. Mr. BUTTERWORTH expressed his regret at the loss of the Da for regulating the conduct of Stage Coach Drivers. He hoped the measure would be renewed nest Seuinn, either by the Right Hon. and Learned Gentleman, or somebody else. The lord from Coventry to aricester had long been quite A nuisance, and productive of the most serious cala mities from the conduct of those persons. The ATTORNEY GENERAL said he would not p'omise that 'he would himself bring forward a riew Bill next Session ; but sure he was the public felt that some c thing must be done on the subject. The House went into a Committee on Dyott's Di. vorce Bill, when Counsel was heard and evidence examined ; after which the Bill was read a third time and passed. A Pe , ition was presented from the Frame-work Knitters of Tewkesbury, praying for a Bill to relieve them from the grievances under which they laboured. Read, and ordered to lie on the table: Alderman C. SMITH gave notice, that early next Session he should move for leave to bring in a Bill for regulating or suppressing Mock Auctions. Mr. TAYLOR gave a similar notice respecting a Bill for the better Paving of the Metropolis. ROCUISTICIt iLECTION. Mr. CROKER moved for leave to present a Pe tition from certain Freemen of the City of Rochester, complaining of the undue return oil Barnett, Esq. Ou being brought up and read, it was found to con tain accusations of bribery and corruption against the Gentleman returned. It stated, that many persons who had no right to vote, were received on the Poll Books, while others who had come to vote for Sir T. Thompson, were not allowed to do so, in consequence of which, J. Barnett, Esq. had been returned by a mlority of two, one of which was that of the May% himself. It concluded with praying the iaterposition of the House. The Petition being ordered to lie on the Table, Mr. CROKEIi. moved, that this Petition be taken into consideration on the Ist day of August next. The SPEAKER explained, that it was necessary to iamb the Commissioners, that they must enter into recognisance* to renew their Petition within four cis): after the meeting of the. next Session of Par liament. ACTION armful A SPANISN SLAVS SHIP, AND A SRI• • TISH SHIP OF WAS. Mr. WILBERFORCE wished to be informed by any of the Gentlemen opposite, whether any official account had been received of an action between a Spanish Slave Ship and Si British Ship of War ? • Mr. CROKER thought, that it was not to be ex pected, that Spanish Slave Ships would be over soli oilas to attack British Ships of War. There had, how ever, gccurred an insmnce of this kind, and an ac count rad been received of it. Mr. WILBERFORCE asked if there could be any objection to produce this account? Mr. CROKER wished the account should not be moved for in the absence of his• Noble Friend, who alone was able to state what impediment; it might throw in the way of t►e negotiation which was now gang on upon the subject. fie, Himself, could hot say that some public inconvenience might not arise from the production of the document. while he fore saw no advantage to be obtained from it. as no pro ceeding could take place upon the subject this Session. After a desultory cotiversgtion between Mr. W. SMITH, Mr. limo:EN and Mr. WILBERFORCE, in fa veur of the production of the piper, and Mr. MAR RYATT, Mr. HUSRIS7<IN, and Mr. CHOKER against, Mr. WlLllettiroßCE, who bad persisted in hiving the question put, consented to withdraw the motion. • CROWN ESTATES AT BERBICR. Mr. BARHAM, after some observations on the mismanagement of the Crown Property at Berbice, which had proved a loss to the country. moved for accounts of the expenditures under the Cron in that island, as well as an account of all the sales that had taken place, and the several produces ari,ing from the sales of such estates in the Dutch Colanies. Mr. W. SMITH said he should be happy to see every account of these establishments brought for. ward. He trusted the•merits or denmits of the Com missioners would not be weighed Ly the expenses of the Colony. • Mr. MA R R YArr observed, that it was the ne glect of those Commissioners rendered a new account necessary. There was not a uord about money in the whole of their returns. 'the nthrtality of the slaves at Berbice had averaged seven per cent. At Grenada, where the number of slaves was tour times as great as at Berbice, the rain occasioned by insur. rections and other calamities had been repaired, and several thousand pounds had been paid into the Trea sury, while from Berbice not a farthing had been paid, but on the contrary, one set of estates had drawn ' considerable sums from the Treasury. Mr. BARHAM, adverting to the alleged mor. tality at Berbice, contrasted to the mot Laity at Ja maica, where the managers of estates had been so much decried for their cruelty, and where it was only either a little above or below two per cent.— He con tended that the Crown Estates in question, if they had been properly managed, ought to have produced more than simooo a-year. debate then tool a desultory and warm turn, particularly between Mr. W. Slims and Mr. BROWNE. The latter Gentleman adverted to an observation of the former, which he understood to accuse him of availing himself of the last day of the Session to bring forward this subject, reminded the House that he Ltd moved for these paperi as I ,, ng agd as the 27th of Fi.hritiry, and they were not produced till after the Ewer rucess, when they were in such a state that it was impossible to make head or tail of them. Mr. SMITH retorted, by remarking that tho' flonourabie Gentleman's statements, who had spoken against the Commissioners, were hill of mistakes. The reas'll why there had born any loss at ail t‘a%, that when these estate; were deiiv,red up to the par ties, the most valuable negroes were taken away from tie Crown Estates to serve the private purp , ises of the Governor. Much further explanation ensued between Mossrs. BARHAM, MAR.:ICATT, HORNE!t, BROWNS, GORDON, and JAMBS GRANT, in the course uf which Mr. GOR DON observed, that the most decisive roofs of mis managemz..nt on the estates in question was, t'. it Out of 12 O negroes there had only been four births iu three years. Mr. WILBERFORCE defended the Commis sioners, from the firm belief that if he and his friends had not undertaken Ibis commission the whole of the poor creatures (the slaves) would have been ester. minuted in the course of fourteen years. The moment the Gentleman they had sent out had begun to act upon their instructions, the estates promised to afford a great revenue to the Crown; and the fact would turn out that they had not produced any thing to it before. Atter a few words from 'Mr. BROWNE, in reply, who asserted, that the Government at home had suf. fered the Governor to remain in the Colony, without limy knowledge that there was any property whatever in it, that n iged to the Crown, the Accounts were ordered. Mr. WILBERFORCE then moved for a copy of the Treasury Minute, of the 2Gth of March, Ibl l, relative to the Crown Estates in lierbice. Atter some observations from Mr. MARAYATT, General Macaw., and Mr. W. SMITH, the motion was agreed to. Mr. W. SMITH then moved for " An account of all monies received by the Treasury from the Berbice Estates of the Crown, before the appointment of the commission, and trout the time of the conquest thereof." This motion led to a renewal of the arguments on both sides, the sehstance of which we have given above, Mr. Manatvarr contending that the return must evidently be a , nil," or else that the former ac count must have been incorrect or imperfect. The House at length divideil— The Gallery was then cleared for a division, but the House did not divide, and the motion was with &awn. • EXTENTS IN AID. When strangers were re-adtnitted, Mr.W. SMITH was addressing the Hoose on this subject. He had turned his attention to it, not in consequence of indi. vidual grievances, bet because he was sure the public sustained much injury from the practices of which :fee had complained. He, however, stated one case of great hardship, in which the goods of a Mr. Smith had been seized, as his person would have been, had he not been from home ighea the Officers arrived.— This, he further observill, bad been done at a time %%hen the Plaintiffs held in their hands property to the amount of £12,000. over which he had no con clout. They not only acted thus, but they attempted to stop the Coal Works of the Defendant, which they would have accomplished, but for the prudent and manly resistanse of the other partner; and, had this been done. 1500 men. would have been at once thrown out of employ in a neighbourhood where there were previously many persons ;at want of work. He concluded by moving for a copy of the Affidavit on which an Extant in Aid had been issued at the suit of Messrs. Dalton and Co. against Mr. Joseph Smith. of Cosely. near Bilston. in Staffordshire. The motion was agreed to. GAS LIGHT BILL. A Message front the Lords announced their Lord ship' Assent to the Gas Light and Coke Bill, with Atuendtnents, and requested to belornished with a Copy of the Itepott of the•Belect Committee ou the . . o" t • State or t MetroP lendicity in the vs. as also a e n of the Report made by the Com m i ttee on the L o subject, in the last Session of Parliament. The 11f‘ senpers were informed, on the motion o f Sir JAP4t, Gitatltiva, that the Report made in the present S s ., sion would be communirated to th e i r L ordships, „, that to that part of the Message whch tefirred to Report of last year, this House would return an ar, steer by Messengers of their own. On the motion of 1 - 101)E that the H owe sliltild take into consideration the Lords' Amend. ments to the Gas I..i..Tht Bill, Mr. CAWTHORN moved that the Amendments should b% taken into consid e r a ti on on t h at day dun months.—The Gallery w.ss cleared tc,r a divisi on , when there being but twelve Members pretern; :so Adjournment necessarily took place. FRENCH PAPERS. PARIS, JUNE '27. Every thing announces that the august ceremo cy of die Coronation of his Majesty will take place the course of the summer. Already persons area, cupied about designs, according to which 'Au b e arranged the decorations of the Cathedral t,f Rleito for that solemn occasion. The King presided yesterday at a Council of xi. nisters. The Department of the Haute•Saone is desolated by considerable overflows, in consetrience of abun. dant and continual rains. The fields were under water, and on the 20th -the water was as high as three feet in several streets of Vesi:ul. The Duke of Feltre, War. Minister, is indispose. It is thought that his Excellency will he obliged to pass some time at a watering place to re-establish his health. It is said that Marshal Suchet has had the honour of a private interview with tie King, which Wed more than an hour. The Marshal has been replaced in active service. ASSIZE COURT. TRIAL OF THE SELF-S LIMED PATRIOTS OF Isle. SITIINO OF 3'llll 27T11 OF JUSE. This day the trial of thesepervions;twenty eight is number, commenced uncrit the Presidency of M. kis main Deseze. The two benches destined for pi. soners being insufficient to contain all who were iO. plicated in this trial, together with the gensd'arner who guarded them, a third bench became necesary. Amidst the ill-looking faces of the greater part of the prisoners, some of them displayed an assurance vet/ unbecoming their situation, while others had an sir of stupidity, which shewtd them to be men tern tools. The female Picard seemed to be vet) , penitent. _ _ After the reading of the act of accusation, No,;ch lasted two hours and • a half, M. Vandeauvre, subst,. tote f the Attorney-General, opened the vceed. ings in a speech ot cons'sierable length. Among other observations, be reniarked....." that our age had s-en men spring up who moved only for cliTcs, whom experience does not teach, whom clemency cannot vanquish, and who act, speak, ,nd bieatbe only for the ruin of their cowitry.. Vindicators et a pretended laxity, which they prostituted to the mutt odious despotism, these Patriots, as they call them. selves, have never known any other liberty but the power of doing mischief—have had no other god but their own intetest. It is to that they have sacrificed, and would 'again sacrifice every thing. It is high time to put a period to their fury." He proceeded to remark-14 that it could hardly be conceived that so extensive an enterprise as that with which they were charged could have originated with men desti tute of credit, the greater part of them in the most abject poverty, and, in short, the very dregs ot the people. A great crime ordinarily supposes a great interest, and a man does not usually expose himself to certain peril without some hope of a countervailing success. Could the accused hope to succeed by their own powers in a picket which went to nothing less than to overturn the throne, and to shake France from its very foundations ? Thuy must thee have been merely instruments in the hands of more im. portant personages. This was the observation which naturally occurred when the plot was first discovered, and it was difficult not to repeas it now." After this speech, the thirty-two witnesses sum. mooed on the cause were ordered to withdraw to another room, and the prisoners were also removed, with the exception of Pleignier, the currier, to whorl the Judge proceeded to put a variety of question as to the share he had in drawing up the Yroclama. lion, &c. Nothing of any interest transpired in the prisoner's answers, which are given at length in the French papers. The prisoner either was, or affected to be, in a state of great feebleness both of body and milat. The only novelty that appears, is a statement of the prisoners having expressed a wish to one of his fel low-conspirators, that s Carnot, and Gonriex, one of the editors of the Nria Janne, at Brussels, were is Paris, because they were men of great deter nrinario'.. The Judge, in the course of the interrregatury, trta occasion to rent Ark, that it was very extraordin-ri that the female Picard should engage in politics, husband having gained much by the King's Teton, as he furnished boots to almost the whole of Lie King's housenold troops. Carbonnean, the next prisoner, was then interim ' gated by the Jii,!ge at considerable length, but n)- thing of any interest transpired. Thus finished ' fi rst diy's proceedings, and the Court rose at Eve ! o'clock. ~~ A private lett-I from Paris contains the followiig ' extraordinary information : " PARIS, Half-past Five, June 2 7 . 66 A horrible plan was laid to blow up with gun. powder the Duke of Weiling:on, and the supelivr Officers of the Ili itish Army now at Paris, as well as ' all the younger branches of the Royal Family who honoured tile illustrious Field-Marshal with their presence at his EA and Supper given on Tuesel, the 25th instant, on account of the christening of child of Mr. Harvey Aston. A number of persons ' are now in confinement, and important revelations are said already to he made. Sir R. Wilson has obtained permission to reside 'at the hotel of his lady during the time of her illneo, which is supposed to be most serious. He is on pa• role not to quit his apartment, but his friend , are ',snowed W see him." g%in r Xll • *4 41 0i was hou so Th 4 arrt SD 3 tar lOC will ol 1 ,„ I coo tio k! wb we wb 'll lei Co a 1 tb lo -4 * • "'I P d 11 • a 1 :~