Star. — London, England, 1816-06-01 00:00:00

- ne (Lord Folkestone i even:;ed rt ma stock alto fled horn persecution, and (mend protection hereeee From the fostering hospitality of this country, every thing that he or his family had, or were likely to have, was.derlyed. Passiegethis bill would make it s p re e,. As if AR* sehn ) ad- received Brh protec-1 don had attestors themselves unworthy of it. But the' titers were eriv changed. ye had re.established the Pepe, e n i the Inquisitinn. entte e House of B err bon, the old constant enemy of toleration and liberty. and had concaved at the persecution of the Protes• tants w Froice. lie oltlected to the hill as contrary to the eslicy of our ancestors, under which we' had tontiseee. It was unconstitutional, by giving a power sheve .di control of the Lew. It was said that it af fected ithenS retry, but there was a degree of baseness lit that mode of reasnning. 'flue arguments horn the r Ifs of Parliament might be used for almost any Iwo.. -let Th es e rolls were only the records of an -16,• cient acts of Varliament. The object-of the bill was t.) estabristi a power unenowe to our laws and con • stirs:lion. He protested against the bill as contrary to good - British policy. Bin the present policy, it appeared, had a view to the Possibilities of the French Gover,iment being affected by aliens residing in tots country. It sees quite novel for the British Perna merit to legislate tar the support of the goveriunent of France.. He protested against the bill in iota. Sr S. ROM I LLY said, the House should be aware what the proposed clause W 23. At pres•nt, as the bill ,stand, the It inn. Secretary could send rest of :lie country an alien woman mairied to a natural-born subject, and ever. eetet•tr of Luglishmen. The cer_a. tiers was, Vrtletliel' such a p-wer should be granted ? The only reasons he coold leave for it were, that as a fernier pie poi.it!oit of ameodreetit had been rejected so ettght the results; um! that thin lesser power of prohaeie iejustice should be ritained. Ise the tejec. l tem of . A farmer anseedment he thetight the House acted against Inc pi eicreles et jestice. No real' objectioo to the 4:1A0,x wai off fetit Lut the Nellie Lordrested on Ins anticieeted nne;oray, winch he, too, (Sir 3. lemilly) unlotantately anticipated. It was said that it was unlikely that the power would be abused; but psis that an areenreen to offer to the House of Commons ? Becate,e Ministers said they weie not likely to abuse the powers they asked, were the House to enable them t;) es) so if they chose?— The power had been abused in various casts—in one case of a - men who had lived here fifteen years, and had made his property in this country. He thought also that it must t•e ado..itted, th •tessrsons had • been ser.t away at the ia,tanc4 of a fereign Minisier. When these abuses were seen, weuld the grata Mi nisters this enormous cower ? There sea' no objec tian to the clause, but the wish ot the Noble Lord to Wile tee whole power of the Aliea Act. Lord MILTON uhserved, that in Mr. Pitt's bill there were li:nitatiens. • The House then divided—For the Amendment —Age nst it dl—leliejority When we were re-admitted into the Gallery, we found Mr. J. P. GRANT proposing another clause to peteet as alien bete being transported to any pail that his :4-Jests's Ministers chose ageinet his own will. It would he terrible to vest in Ministers the power of transeeri leg an uelortunate refugee who fled fro= a country where he sas p.'mcuted to that same cam-. try. He therefore should propose a clause, providing that the wit') should be ten to the port which he Chose, provided I.e could spew that a ship for that port would be ref to sail in a reasoneble eetiod. Lord . cis..sTur Gli op prised the (Wise on the g round.ihat there was nn reason to suppose that his Majesty's Ministers wouel wish to use the power rested in them cruelly and inhurnenlya The clause woeld be leaving the power vested by the Bill jast as it was belore. Mr. I'RE.TON was snrpiis::.l that the Noble Lord was no. ash.inse.l io oppose the c:Ause. Mr. 1.. Y. ILEToN meted a case of a person of the name of Betfioi, who was sent cut of the kin g . dom in 1813 alter seven years residence in it, without having any cause whatever assigned to him. His daughter was ()serried wan Lnglishmtn, his property was in England, and lie was nu friend to Bonaparte, Cr his three sons had been forced into the. French army by the conscription, and had perished there. Mr. BENNET would wish for soate explanation from rise Right Honourable Geettenian (Mr. Ad dingt n) on this case. Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY thought the instance mentioned by his lionouritale Frieriu a most power fill proof of the, abuse of powers vented in Ministers by the Act. . Mr. 1111.EY ADDINGTON deprecate:l4lllz ens. nof bringing let ward complaints. He defied any torn of bringing lot ward cornplaint. He dtied arty person to prove that the person alleded to had been transported to France to suh;ect him to the power of Bonaire: te. Mr. AtiERCROMBY was astonished at the Right Honourable Gentleman's custom of objecting to every complaint ot ripe operation of the Act. His hiajtsty's Ministers v..ished to have an arbitrary power vested in them by this 8.11 ; ar.d then they re fused to answer aay complaints against the use which they made of this power. But the reason why the Right Hon. Gentleman. refused any answer on the present occasion was, he really believed, because be was entirely ignorant of the circumstances ot the case. By this Bill his Majesty's Ministers were to become the Police Officers of a foreign power ; and this a as the real object of the Bill. Mr. HILLY ADDINGTON explained. Lord MILTON thought, out ot the very few in stances e hich were said to occur of the operation of the Mitts li,ll, the Right lion. Gentleman might re collect the circiintstances of sense one. Mr. BROUGHAM said, it appeared that the rci fs htt I.m. Gentleman had always taken great pains to be iteormed, and was elwayentieinformed at last. .1.449 laus4.) Atte: a few words from . Mr. ITAMMEIttILEY, the 11110tiOn wv..y negatived without a division. Mr. r0N601,03Y. proposed a clause, that there should be laid before the House, within the first ten days of every Session, an account of the Aliens sent out of the kingdom since the preceding Session, with their names and the places they were wilt to. He could twt cinrceiye how this clause could be of jec ted :Au PRESTON observed, that this Bill went to *teak down the institutions of our ancestors, by re• protection to foretsners in a country Which bad • • • 4 1 i n i sse d always been looked ap item ikylaintotigi • The amendment vats din OngatlOei• • Sir SANIVEL ROMILLY proposed ari amend•. menu for limiting . the &ration of the Bill to one, in of two years. Mr. HORNER supported this motion. He etould not conceive why.such a power as this should he given to Ministers longer than the necessity of the case required. The Bill was a reproach and a stain lire the character of the countey, by doing away that hospitality for which the country had ever been distinguished, and by giving such an arbitrary power to his Majesty's Ministers. • Lord CASTLEREAGH observed; that it would he open to Parliament to repeal this Bill next year. It - was conceited that the state o? Europe required that the restriction 'should continue for two years ; lent any Gentleman might move for the repeal of the Bill next year. Sir JAMES MACKINTOSH said, that no other grounds for this measure had been laid before the House than the assertion of the Noble Lord. This was x Bill for the creation of a tyrannical power, without any allegation of its necessity. It was a Bill for substituting . Lettres de Cachet for writs of Haecar and for substionieg the Inquisition In the room Of the British Constitution. Mr. BROUGHAM pointed out the variance be tween the language and conduct of the Noble Lord (Castlereagh). He state& that the Bill was a mea sure of named police ; and it eppeated from his conduct, that it arose out of foreign policy. It ap peared to have been intended us a restriction to pre vent the inbjec's of one country from reinaining iu aneteer country. He therefore hoped the House wool pause before it gave its final sanction •to a measure which was nothirg more than a means of. enabling foreign Ptinces to exercise a tyrannical power in this country over their subjects. Mr. SWANN suppre eel the amendment. He had long been a friend to this ; but he could not ,now give his vile: for rut). measure that went to give a power to France to exercise a tyranny over its sub jects in this country. The House then divided—For the Amendment 29 —Against it 79—Majority 50. Mi. 'WOOD was decidedly hostile to the power intended to be given by this 13i11 to tle Government. He sew no reason why in the 19th century we should put an end to privileges that bad elisted for many ages before. (dear, hear.) —The then passed. FINANCE. Mr. P. GRANT moved the tesnwp - inn of thead jourued debate on the Finance Rtsolutiens. He began by observing that this country seas in a state of financial difficulty, the like of which it never expe , riesiced before; and therefore it was necessary far the Government to adapt a scale of economy commen. surate to the necessities of the country. He was far from holding out any despondency, because he thought the country was in a situation to overcome all its difficulties; hut he thought it absolutely necessary to 'look these difficul:ies in the face, instead of contittnally going on from one expedient to another. The first, part of the Resolutions went to shew the different charges for the year. He then noticed. the several items of expenses brought forward on a former night by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Some of his Resolutions agreed with these sums. He said the joira expenditure of the United Kingdom amounted to 880,850,000. The net revenue paid into the Irish Exchequer foil far short of the spins necessary for defraying the charges of that country. Tile defi ciency amounted to £616,0L:5 in Irish currency, exclusive of the sums necessary for c saying on the Civil Government of Ireland. Ireland, therefore, was wholly unable to pay the interest of her debt.— The whole of the deficiencies in the revenue of tre bled, and which she would require to pay the inte rest or her debt, and the expenses of her Government, would amount altogether to a million a year. If the Right honourable Gentleman would take the Ways and the Me.:ns as he Lie-Belt had stater:l'6m, he would find a very considerable deficiency. Ttie whole sum to be provided was stated in the ‘2lst Re. ,:nitition, and 01,1101 serve slight difference existed between the stetemetes there raade and those of the Right Henottrahle Gentleman on a Pruner evening, the deficiency would still eepeer evident. He had added a farther resolution for the new ceinaae, that i.:500,000 was necessary. The stun to be provided by loam for the services of Ireland and England was 411,117,307. The Honourable Met:thee then enu rnetated the Ways and Waits, vie. Surplus, Grants, Surplus Consolidated Fend, Taxes, Berik Advances, Ste. The Chancellor of the Exchequer might think, that by these Ways and Means he would get through the year tolerably well ; but lie ought to consider how he would get throuph future years. There would be found the sum of tour millions, which could not be said to belong to the expenditure of the present year, arising from extraordinary services; but con aid- ring all such expenses, still there would be round a very great deficiency in the annual Ways and Means, if the establishments were not reduced. Mr. W. SMITH rose to speak to order. He con. sidcred this one of the most interesting subjects that could come before the House ; but it demanded a peculiar degree of attention, and unless that attention were given to it by the Gentlemen on the opposite side, tresf little good could be expected to result. Mr. J. P. GRAN I' was only sorry that he had un tertaken a duty which required talents such as he sal at no great distance from him (Mr. Tierney) . to T en.• der this subject perfectly clear and interesting. He was anxious that the country should•know the amount of, the annual expenditure, which was about twenty. seven millions, six hundred and seventy-seven thou sand pounds. It from this expenditure were de ducted the actual revenue of the present year, taking away the extraordinary resources, let the House see where the revenue stood.. Of the Ways and Means of the present year, the sum of £5,663,755, arose Irons grants of the year 1815; to which being added various other items, which could not lie properly con sidered as thorevenue of the present year, these would remain £9,800,000, as the Ways and Means of tit present and future years. The result, therefore, of these calculations was, that we bad only £9,800,000 of disposable revenue, to meet ai‘Nmpenditure ,of £27,677,000, taking Great BeitaitiAdireland toge-; ther. The last resolution Rated the diffefeace, %bleb, acc.rding to the present establishment, made ,the de ficiency amount to 817,877,000; with the exception of some trifling errors lain might have unavoidably fallen iota It did appear to him to be the imperative. ditty liy!'er7 Man* who formed thew view& of IN 4abject, to stars his sentiments to the Holm.— it'was-not for hirakto propose a remedy, though hi mgu it c t t h : av t e he fo ii r i ze r d m 3 c7 on op recl ini u o i n si o te n f t , h w a s t u b c r h a a n p el t i o o p f „ t s h a r. : rested with Ministers alone ; they must- have cow templated the present tituatiOn of affairs coat” years; and all the successful circumstances of tha war had thrown large sums into' their hands, to aid them in such 4n endeavour. But when the war was entered into last year, he (Mr. Grant) skated the dangerous situation of the finances, and the Right I ff.n. Gentleman opposite could nut have gone to bed a single night without its coining home to his thoughts. He (Mr. Grant) did not expect much from the No ble Lord (Castlereagh)--he was too much occupied lin the government of France to attend to that of Eng land but from the Chancellor of the Exchequer hi did expect something like an explanation. The Right Hon. Gentleman had made it a matter of boast that £3,000p00 had heed paid off; bat that was out of the Sinking Fund, and he Lad forgotten the five million pounds surplus of last year; so that, instead of having paid uff delit, the Right Hon. Gentleman knew, when hc proposed the present establishment, that that establishment exceeded by many million, the highest revenue of a period of war, when the In. come Tax was in full force. The erpenditure of the present year amounted to £29 499,000; the charge on the Consolidated Fund to *43,390.000 ; and the revenue amounted to "6,000,000, and some cid 1 I tlionsand pounds : so that the expenditure for this year exceeded the revenue of a year of war by sever.,l millions. His Majesty's Ministers never thought of making any reductions till the Income Tax was re fused ; and what were the savings that they had effected ?—rather curi'vis than important : they amounted to a small sum on the staff of the army, and to a small sum in the Ordnance Department : out of such an expenditure as he had stated they amounted to 56177,000 : this was the reduction on our army, navy, and ordnance expenditure of 023,000,0f0. if compared with the whole expendi ture, it was triA:ng indeed ; but if compared with the amount of the particular branches from which it had been deducted, it was rather more considerable. But the House might be aware that his Majesty's Minis ters could not save unless compelled to do so, and that they mild save if they were compelled. He (Mr. Grant) thought savie„os might be made, hut he was at a loss to conceive how, under the estirioee that had been given in. If only a million could he reduced out of the estimated expenditure, it w i eld he nothing towards what was required. It had been held out that no reduction could be made in the co loniee, and according to Ministerial statements, so far from hopes in Ireland, we ought, on their calor 'mit:, to set down '28,000 men as necessary ; then the number of men in this kingdom could nut be lessened when there were so many in the neighbour in; States. From 311 this he did not conclude that great savings c mid not be made, but the: they could not be made with such views as Ministers entertaiiied.l He wished t'.) ireow what statementihey would make, and what 'ledge they would give for the large savings they had fooroised. lie had now done with the ex pi:n(l4llre, and should come to tl.e consideration c f the revenue : he would ask if there was any rational expectation of an increase of revenue such as to meet the exigencies of the case ? The revenue indeed was sinking and falling. It Gentteraen I ioked to the pavers before the House. they would find a surplus stated of 4/85 C 65 (no greet increase on a revenue .f sixty-six niiiltuns). But compiling the Excise and Customs of t!.e three last quarters with the re-, turns of the three quarters preceoing, there certainly was a considerable diminution, and the £4-5.:.665 in crease upon the whole revenue wes accoulted for by the rise in the item of stamps. The prospect was most cheerless, and he saw no hopes of any increase. What was the plan the Right Honourable Gent!em.:n had proposed ? To borrow of the Bank ?—Evan that resource must soon be exhausted, and Ender what circumstances did he borrow ? lie would have us believe in the probability of a resumption of cash pay ments ; but if they were not resumed now, it would be found necessary to continue the ref: ictions for ever, and then the Right Honourable Cio-othensin could only look on to a further issue, i.nJ a ter titer depreciation of the currency, to relieve us from our present burdens if be had any plan it must be this: but he (Mr. Grant) was convinced the Right Ho- P ncurable Gentleman had no plan at all; he was only swing on from day to day, as occurrences turned my, and trusting to his stars tor extrication. It lie ( Mr. Grant) could only obtain a pledge that the Right Honourable Ger:dem:in had any !den by which he cupid extricate us from our present difEcalties, he should feel at least better satisfied than be did at present. ' On the Resolution being put—" That there haS been voted for the Service of the Navy, during the present year, £10,11&345. Its. 7d." Mr. W SMITH rose to second the motion, aid though great accuracy of detail had beets !mingle forward by the Honourable Mover, yet this was out necessary on his view of the question. He did not attach any blame to his Majesty's•Nliuisteis ; the dif ficulties in . which they had been placed were an ex cuse for many et rots ; but he recollected that be hAa seconded the repeal of the Income Tax, not because he thought the money was not wanted, but because the measure itself was so unconstitutional that he thought it incumbent on Parliament to redeem the pledyte that 11.1" d been given by the Minister, and re peal the tax. It might be said, that his Honourable Friend had erred in some trifling particulars ;—but with that he hid nothing to du—those sums were so small that they made no impression on the total de. ficit. Under any view of the qtlcstion there eras a deficit of ten millions, and unless some very uneept-c -ted explanation were given, the gloomy conciusiou to which his Honourable Friend came would net begot rid of. He thought that, after all, if difficulties were looked in the face, it could not be disguisid that sooner or later some reduction must be made in the dividends ; and though some Gentlemen had looked to such a measure with the most fearful and gloomy apprehensions of the consequences, he did not think that the effect wouldbe so dangerous as was imagined. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER found it impossible to concur in the view wh3ch the Honourable and Learned Gz«itleman ( Mr. Grant) had taken, in the Resolutions he had proposed : they. seemed to bins only to add one link to that long chain of sinister plogaubticatiolli with which the house was - -vw Admonished towards the close of every Emp,, t. •, spite of all those prognostications, we h a d 6 11 4 triumphed over our difficulties, and he trusted t i, the present alarms would prove as ~ roitc!!:.„ ~‘;', 1 , Orrner. HQ had never stisimsed flo ~ o, h; 01 , 1; , difficulties of our fbittlitttop. h.it, Con,p4rett wit!' l;•"' which had beim surio-n , :ted, tin tia re n.. t ‘ .. , 4 C alarming : we had long bbe - •nc , :rucilifin g ( i lex i te, "! Ind *ere now cor.tendaig tor a relief b um our i : dens ; but he believed that the entritr) would ii.,,,r., be ne.lriced to that extreme re:riesl) wti:cli eie li i s . Gentleman who spoke List hncLendeavo ure d fob •.'; , t,4 to it. He was convinced the 11.4ise would , tty , ' listen to so unjust a priums.l, under whi c h thee-1111:r woulil lose more by the wreck of credit Ku t c h 1 . 41 7 than it could ever gain from such a breactt of ta . i.' t The expenses of the present year had hera m et i. l : ..s much irg way Lit gave satisfaction ; but the Hon. Moverl , ,d assumed tluit the ezpences ot future years taquaitx equal to the present. 1....t:1ier the floc Git ieu vi nitr himself could say what w:eald b. , tile ci:coc u stances of a future le ir ; but it the peoce cou,l.. ue{ a considerable reduction mil be exaa.ct A i t ..„ 4 . 3 been objected on former occasinti., that Ow expemits of the navy were tun smail as carer :r:•:1 wit!, t i vit o tl f te til p e re a se r4 n l t Y Ye b a u r t : i a t n 3 d m h c e urt w 7 iu d h t l r' al ea :.:t If.. a a sot etimate of ten millions a year was likely to b e ap . proved of as a re; afar peace estat)iistlintnt?— —lle had , :ta:::.d that Ora e was a deniniiti:Ju ot dell this year, and only el -1 .. ,n0),00t) had been I.ft:unwed for the whole Tinned Kingdom. I.!ie sum ; qu id this year would exceed the sum botrotted trf th : te millious. In lutuie years I.e ito; , ed for igrea es *l 5 . crease our iitcoeie over the e:radnere requ:re c t for the of ptihhc service. Tiris. was aconamg p r ,,, rec: after Ills! w. , r, and a qa:e of things vo!ich had occar. red in the first year after the c )ocluron of / l a ', row peaco• At tlii.: end of the A:wilt:an war our dil . a had increased for some ye , s ; an: :t WAS ~fit Ea 1783, when Mr. Pitt es:ablist,ed tiic :linkup F o j. :hat the income of tlie year conlsi b dance th v I, ty . went GI the interest of the N.itic.nal bent, and defray 1 the char ...es of our establishment... .I. :le 1-11 , 110lIt t N g and Learned Gentiern in, rot saris?: .d at ith ttat atAte of things, tegnired A pledge frost' Mitiistits s tEc i . nomy, And the disclosure of plans for pietenting the ruin he apprehended ; but he gasr. very bale ream for making such a pledge, by declaring that 113 pledge coot,' &her be properly given ~r coafid , iitly relied uo. He (zlie enaucclior of the I:thereto) would v..; ye no pledge, kec lose Ministers teat u o. ligation wiiicli lock duty imposed so strolglF, that no plt.dgt couli add to its force, or alf tional s , .curity for i:s fulfilment. It would be vat! I . impra.tkut to give any othet I:ledg... than an as-atem that whatever &tould appear 111 , •st conducive pitbl;c welfare would be supported aud carried 'me e!F. ct with all their deal ani • l'oey cdall bind themselves to •no particular cout se of ccit,!ar. —The poseur able and Learned Groltle ti,i allowed an incrense of revt nue to the anioante; able of b and the of Bii • do X 500,000, on con:prin t ! the produce of the T.es this year with their produce in a f .rmer year; be veitinet this lie stated the asnount of the new Taxi ar 4%10,000, .attia the increase of the eroperty to the eetent of AC200,000 more, making in al del,100.00:), which, it deducted trent the ilicrwedin venue ed this year, instead of making it epee sr grnoct than the 1 ist, would diet', a faking otf at Ziett,troOne —lle had, however, stated, Oa a fie iner weenier, that if new duties were imposed, others had tat:min and expired. It teneeld b e found that War aniesif Customs and Excise, to the aronuet of ste",ueltaiiil been thus lost to Vee P.evence, vAtich veceeid do :Tee than cover the eecesi ~t •;,,y,),T);), nviitr,ned As a failing of?. Ile wcind venture to affi:in, tag ern to April last, so 1. r their being any decrease, there had been an ann;rnentation. be coaid nit sty what would he the vette of tiv country in Innate Clough there wes a ptobaLil;ty that there wizen ere: year oe a falling oil in some branches or . the T: v:nue, Iron) the distresses of the ceuetry, and sonic caeca iii operation, hs failures in business, the results of which wouid not be :vial till anether tear. On t c peesTective. view he coeld veenore to give no di nen or decided opinion —tar less eveuld lie wish to ple4: tier opinion of eatliarnent by 1:a n z g the ptcset Itesolutions• The lionour7,4le and Ineiniest Gee Orman 'hewed something like injin:ce in wishino bind Nlenisters :o economy and to a reduction while he took away their resources In- alert:Jig .e. minds for tYle service of the wont: y. The H ewe , - able and Leanied Gentleman should rely en tie W' don of railiament, and the fornuese with which el country would support what eves necesssiy to Cant it throsigh its dirliculties ; but he wool.' not pledge tee Legislature to any particular conrse, and woule eiere le!e feel it consistent with his duty to move the pre. vines question on tho Itesolations den had been regd. Mr.-f-tiNSON thientht the liesse was to the Honourable and Learned M-ver for the awe rite and able st ite-nents of our financial sitnatica which lie lied gelid beiore it. Their accuracy Ira t)r . oee.l by tho rite tit actiniescence of the Rieet Ifee Gentleman e n po s i t e, w h o end di.pated none of ti acceunte. He only divined the conclusions ulich lid been troni tLeni ; end those conebreere he (Mr. Pose:on:ay) fl e as afraid %%ICA: be ioend A incontrovertible as the figures on ninth t:‘er se foundel. It was a fact that could not be that we could tiot meet the expel:di:tire of nie.t y without a great deficiency 0' ways and means. Vie• ther that deficiency :iniounted to ei! ! ;hteen only thitnen, or ten, was a matter of lit:lee:• sequence, since any of these sums would be eiloe , / to be enormous ant latntiai;. For t:iis evil s: Chencellor et the Eecheyter, however, !:4d a n:tdy. That remedy he did nnt eeplein, but as had detected the. remedy of his I-Itetonreble trial (Mr. W. lineit'i). so lie (M. - . ?unveil:7) e seali, thous lit. divine his. The r, medy of the Chaaceli.: of the Excnt•gt n was the Property Tax. lie charged his Inenourable Friend (Mr. Smiei) wrej' , despondency, but be would rather have the tiespere dency.of his Honourable Friend than the joy of t .: Right Hon. Gen!lcmen—(Laugh.) Ile never ilcs• paired cif the state cf the country ; but as nor se.ieh constituted one of the chief elements of nor power and•graodeur. if we wished to maintain our pOsitioS among the nations, we should husband our resources and practice economy. He thought his kloneurabie and Learned Friend's resolutions should be catrW• •4' that he should tale the sense of the House tie them. Mr. TIERNEY expressed his sstisfs.ctio :tic . fali of 1 a II II C it