Star. — London, England, 1816-05-24 00:00:00

W.' 0 . 4 r4. • - r • • , . ri i . . . . . . ... . . .- .. -- -....'''''''''''lllis i'' , k . i ll ' .' ''• . 11 ' f . .. ' • . • - -I - • n , . 4 1 . - li ' N ek ...4 4: 41'. V, ' lb.- 71 ' -.... . . 4. 4.10 P' . - 4 ' • A.' . ..... . ' l li .......- FP . - • • • I ) • fig A-0 I VT - 4t 7 - e ! V !14. ~. 7 . =_- pi tia.s:l4j FRIDAY, MAY 24, ple. N 'LIMBER 9120. PRICK SIIIRRN-P3141C1. P.IRLIAM,ENTARr PROCEEDINGS. • SY SPECIAL DESIRE. THEATRE ROYAL. COVENT-GARDEN. THIS PRESENT EVENING, will be per fmined; THE JEALOUS WIFE. Lord Trinket, Mr. Jones ; Sir Harry Beagle, Mr. FeweeteFf n Dailey, Mr. Young; Major Oakley, Mr. Terri; Chaska Mr. C. ICensble. Mrs Oakley, Miss O'Neill; Lniky M i re, Mn. Gibbs; Harriet, Miss Foote. • To which will be added, CYMON. To morrow and Monday, the new Tragedy of Adelaide. .;71-1111 GENTLEMENi CLERGY, and FREEHOLDERS, of therouNTY PALATINE of LANCAS'T'ER. fialtTLaatEN, HE Office of T one of the Coroners for this County having become vacant by the death of NAiIIANIIM MILN kimpare, I beg to offer myself a Candidate to succeed him in that Office. Should Ibe °fortunate, as to be the object of your choice , s h a ll endeavour, by a stri ct and conscientious disebaelte of the hopurtant duties of that eitsittion, to make a proper return for the Nib confidence reposed io sow 'the appointment. I Laic the boom' to*. , -Your Tisk deggpligiett humble Servant. ELLIS CUNLIFFE. Marelester. Mit May, 1616.. COMMEMORATION OF BURNS. rrHE FRIENDS and ADMIRERS of ROBERT I. BURNS, In LONDON, will DINE together at FREE ' MASONS' HALL, Qneea-straet, Lineoln's•lnn•Flelds, on SATURDAY, the 25th of May, In aid of the Subscription for completing the Monument over his Grave, now erecdog at poetic& PRESIDENT, - , The Right Honourable else FARL of ABERDEEN, K. T. STEWARDS. Rt. Hon. I istd Vise. Melville Francis Horner, Esq. M.P. Ite.lioa , Lord Vitc. Palmerston J. F. Hent, Esq. b ar d Archibald Hamilton John Irving, Esq. M. P. sl a T. M, Knt. Sheriff, &c. William Jerdan, Esq. Thomas Campbell, Esq Alexander Key, Esq. Archibald Campbell, E.q. Peter Laurie, Esq. W. R. K. Douglas, Esq. M.P. Rev. Dr. J. Lindsay General James Dunlop, M.P. Sir J. Marjorihanks, Bt. M.P. K i r k man Fi n lay, DI. M. P. John Nichol, Esq. Charles Forbes, Esq. M.P. Cosmo Orme, Esq. Charles Grant, jun. Esq. M.P. Courts Trotter, Esq. G. Hasher's, Esq. John Tunno, Esq. I. C. Herries, Esq. Commis. Sir G. Warrender, Bart. J.I.P. wry-In•Chief David Wilkie, Esq. R. A. Ads. Sir G. J. Hope, Bt. M.P. I Dinner on Table at Six o'Clock precisely. Tickets, One Pound, te be had of the Stewards; at the Bar of the Freemasons Tavern ; Mr. Richardson's, Bookseller, No. ex, Cornisill; and at The Star, Morning Post, and Sun News. suer °Sees. 91HE ANNUAL MEETING of the SOCIETY finale Benefit of WIDOWS of OFFICERS of the HOS PITAL and REGIMENTAL. MEDICAL STAFF of the ARMY, will be held suite 'llstched House Tavern, St. James's strut, on SATURDAY, the Ath June next. Paistuster—.FßANGN KNIGHT, Egg. VICR•PRLSIDGNTS, Slr Walter Farquhar, Bart. - Charles Ker, M.D. Sir Everard Home, Bart. Will'am Franklin, M.D. Sir lay. M'Grigor, Km. M.D. William Somerville, M.D. BENJAMIN MOSELEY, M.D. In the Chair. STZWAIDS, Diesel assisde M. L• Ere, Esq. William Pym, M.D. I J. A. Gillhani, Esq. Diaries F. Forbes, M D. Jame; Forbes, M.D. George J. Guthrie, Esq. William R. Morel, Esq. Georbe F. Albert, Esq. Robert Stewart, Esq. William A. Hay, Esq. James Deese, Esq. Tickets to be bad at the Bar of the Tavern, or of Mr. Tanner, Secretary and Collector to the Society, No. 5, Berkeley-Meet, Berkeiretsquare. Dinner on Table at Sit oViock preciseely. Dutchmen who intend dining. are requested to provide them. selves with 'Tickets on or before the Qtls June. . . SIX I'lf THOUSAND POUNDS May be gained by a Single Ticket NEXT THURSDAY, BEING THB LAST DAY, Wizen all the Capitals must be Drawn. BISH, Contractor for the State Lottery, begs • to inform the Public, that Next Thursday will be the last day of Drawing, when the Lottery All finish, and one Ticket may pin Sixty Thousand Pounds. As this brilliant attraction must naturally create a great demand fer Tickets and Shares, both In Town and Country, and as the opportunity of adventuring tsr so splendid a Prize may never again occur, those persons who may be inclined to do so, should not lose a moment in making their purchases. SPLENDID WHEEL.-ALL MONEY PRIZES. Two - Three . - Thrte - X 30,000 Xl,OOO 2500 Five - - 2400 BESIDES OTHER CAPITAL'. AB of which must be drawn NEXT THURSDAY. A Sixteenth may gain AIX° In Money, An Eighth may gain £e7,500 in Money, A Quarter may gain X 15,009 in Motley, An Half may gain 2630,000 in Money, A Whole Ticket 260,000 in Money. , consequence of a report that the Novel of " Gienarcoa" had been suppressed, we are requested to state that such report is erroneous, and that copies lit Still to be had of the Publisher, Mr. Cousuax, easduit.street. Wednesday was the Second Day of Drawing of the State Lottery, and the Contractor, T. Brut, respect. fully acquaints the Public that sons the 430,000 Prizes remain in the Wheel. The following Prizes, • drawn on Wednesday, were Shared and Sold at his Offices, 4, Corolla', and 9. Charing Cross : 13,051, COW. entitled to £5OOO momunking sew° • - al,OOO 5,775 • SOO 1,424 300 12,7611 SOO 12,95! 3,176 0,060 12,124 11,149 - £3OO • 200 - 200 • 200 A very few Tickets and ghaies remain for Sale ; but while any are unsold they may be had as above. Nut THURSDAY iS the last Day of Drawing. and • the first-drown above £25 most receive in addition 40,00 0, it is therefore very likely to prove a Prize ; of 460,000, which may be gained by one BDrer THOUhAND POUNDS mar be gained by One Ticket on Thursday next, as the first drawn Prize above £25 on that morning, will receive 430,000 in addition. The Wheel is Rich beyond comparison, toataining Two Grand Prizes of 830,000 and 24 ~‘ " ber Capitals—all of which MUST . 31 DRAWN next untrlday- A few Tickets and Shares, warranted Indrawn, are on sale at Wines truly Fortunate 2 161 , 9, Corolla', and 17, Ludgate-street, where 3154, drawn on Wednesday last, it Prize of Five 4 °l•and hoods, war sold sod regiesend ; and the tiro last drawn Prises of Thirty Mamma -Pounds. Seth in Num& HOUSE OF COMMONS, MAY 11S. Petitions were presented from Persons interested in the Spirit Trade in the Town of Greenock, praying for an alteration in the Distillery Laws of Scotland; from Deemed Spirit Dealer of Jedborough. to the same purpose; from John and Georges Burke, Diallers, in the County of Tipperary, against illicit Distillation; from the Cotton Weavers in the Town and neigh. bourhood of Stockwork, complaining of distress; from the Parishes of Langhann and Triplestock, lit Devon, against Tithes. Laid on the Table. The Report of the Shoreham Harbour Bil was brought up, and the Resolutions agreed to. Mr. HALL °brained leave to bring in a Bill to prevent the deoluction of Salmon in England. Mr. BIRCH gave notice, that he should, on the Stb of Tube, move for certain Papers concerning the Trinity Howe. The Hoesch Harbour Bill Went through a Committee.—Re- port to-morrow. The Farming Stock Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed tomorrow. 1 he Local Militia Pay Bin was read a first thle•—To be read a wood 'time to-morrow. The CHANCELLOit of the EXCHEQUER gave ?loth:NI that he would roost the oonsideraden of the Ways and Means, on Monday next. Mr. GEORGE ROBE moved an instruction to the Commit tee to inquire into the Education of the Lower Classes of the metropolis ; tbat they should consider of wlAt was best to be done with regard to the children of pauper*. Mr. TIERNEY said, that be meant to• make a motion to morrow, when the Civil List would be discussed, to render the Molts of Admiralty available to meet the charges of the Civil List. PROPERTY TAX. General FERGUSSON had made a statement some time ago of grievances suffered by the Land holders of the County of Fife. under the collection of the Property Tax. The Chancellor of the Ex chequer said on that occasion, that the whole of Scotland was in arrear a year, and that there bad been no severity exercised in that county. He, how ever, had made inquiries since that time, and found that the grievances complained of existed. He wished to know whether the Chancellor of the Exchequer would take sny steps to remedy them ? The CHANCELLOR ot the EXCHEQUER said,- that what he had stated on the occasion alluded to was, that he.would make inquiry on the subject. He did not think any severer proceedings had taken, place in the County of Fife, than in the rest of Scot. land. The collection, instead of being premature, was in arrears. There would be steps taken to pre vent any greater severity in the collection of the arrears in the Northern, than in the other parts of the kingdom. Mr. BROUGHAM complained, that many per. sons had suffered grievances under the collection of the Property Tax in Scotland, and wished to know what remedy the Chancellor ot the Exchequer pro. posed for those who owed arrears? • The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, his remedy would be a division of payments, one half six months before the other. _ Mr. BROUGHAM complained. that itr . Dover , and other places, gentlemen were made to pay an ad,alorern duty on their carriages. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that certainly private carriages were not subject to pay duty ; but that the duty on carriages for sale was so small, only half per cent. that it was hardly worth complaining of on private carriages. SLAVE REGISTRY RILL Mr. H. DAVIS presented a Petition from the Merchants of Bristol against the Slave Registry Bill. Lord CASTLE RE A.GH would wish to know from his Honourable Friend (Mr. Wilberforce) what course he intended to pursue with regard to the Slave Registry Bill ? There were negotiations at present pending with foreign Powers, with which this mea sure might interfere. Even after those negotiations were successfully terminated, there might he occa. sion for a registration of slaves. But he suggested to his Honourable Friend, that it would be desirable to gain the concurrence of the planters and inhabi tants of the West India Islands. Indeed, he hoped they would themselves see the benefit of a more strict registry than the present. It was the intention of his Majesty's Government to attract the notice of the Colonial Legislatures to this subject as soon as the proper time should arrive, and he thought if the concurrence of the inhabitantsof the Islands could be procured, the measure would- be executed at a much cheaper rate, and be much better carried into execu tion, than Without it. He allowed that the measure was necessary to prevent the possibility of the im portation of slaves. He hoped to lee before the end of this year, the Local Legislatures of the Islands take the subject into consideration; and he therefore hoped that his •Honourable Friend would not press the measure at present. Mr. TAYLOR hoped that the Local Legislatures would take such steps on the occasion as would pre vent the necessity of any harsh interference on the part of the Imperial Legislature ; and he thought it would be better to-have the co-operation of those Legislatures, than to interfere so as to exasperate. Mr. WI - LBERFORCE felt the peculiar force of the appeal of his Able Friend. It had not been his intention to push. this measure farther than to have the Bill read a first time and printed, and to let it lie over till next year, and therefore there was no great difference between his intention and what his Noble Friend wished. Undoubtedly if the co-operation of the Colonial Legislatures could be procured, it would be rt most desirable object; and if there could be any probable certainty held out that it could be procured, he would most gladly defer his measure. On this day se'nnight, he should move far some papers on this subject which might produce some discussion.; but after what his Noble Friend bad urged, he should not press his Bill farther this Session. After a few words from Mr. •Peornmunt and Mr BLIOUGHAM, the Petition was laid on the Table. • INTORIIST OF MQUY. rserjeant ONSLOW, in rising to move for leave to briorin a Salto repeal the laws fixinti Skint! Of Interest of Money' in Loani, would pan** a kW/ words.' He then went into a history of. the eirceite. steams undw which the existing laws wee sea In the early ages the Councils of the Cher.h had al t I ether discontinued taking any interest for money- I wever, it was found that money would not be through mere charity, and therefore interest was allowed. The rate of interest rose, after the reign of Henry VIII. to 14 per cent. ; under Jones I. it was reduced to 8 per cent. ; under Cromwell it was farther educed to 6 per cent. ; and it was settled, in the reign of Queen Anne, at 5 per cent. He quote ea Bentham and Adam Smith against any limited rate of interest. He argued, that at present money could never be borrowed at the legal rate of interest, far that numbers were in every instance resorted to at a Mach heavier expense to the borrower than if the rate of interest was left free. He mentioned an instance of a Gentleman, with a large and clear fee simple property, who could not get money but on a • redeemable annuity at a rate of 10 per cent. He. eooclnded by moving for, leave to bring in the Bill. The CHANCELLOR.' of the EXCHEQUER thought it would not be expedient or hardly safe to Amnon the laws tbet had existed on this subject, during a century, especially while'such an enormous* public debt influenced all the money transactions of the country. When the public debt could be consi. 1 derably reduced, then might be a time for the Ho nourable and Learned Gentleman's measure, bat at I , present he could not think it either wise or politic.— He therefore moved the previous question. Mr. BARING said, he could not see my way in which the repeal of the Usury Laws would injure public credit ; and, if men took money out of the Stocks to lend it at an increased rate of interest, he thought it would produce great public benefit ; there would then be a fixed rate, at which men could al ways depend on raising money instead of borrowing, as they now did, from bad characters, in a circuitous way, and at enormous interest. It was monstrous 'and absurd to say, that Government should borrow at the rate of six per cent. and that all individuals should be prohibited from borrowing-at above five. Indeed, in a short time, during the continuance of Peace, the rate of interest would, by its own opera• titan, fall considerably. Every man was, in equity, entitled to the market value of his mottle!, and when contracts on that principle were made, it often hap. pened that fraudulent debtors took advantage of their flaring given a small sum more than the legal inte rest, and had the creditors heavily fined for usury.— No such thing would happen if the law was done away. It was well known, that in countries where no restrictions took place, the rate of interest wits lower than five per cent. ; such was the case in Hol land, where every man might get as much interest as he could for his money: As to the arguments, that extravagant young Gentlemen might be led to give enormous interest by mortgaging their future pro perty, the fact was, that under the present system they were frequently ruined by borrowing money on 416011itillos. payittst. ;ii tate, at the rats se 90 Or SO per cent. which would not be the case if the Usury Laws were done away. Mr. PRESTON was in favour of the motion, as one likely to prothite the most beneficial effects ; be. sides, it would be attended with this great advantage, that it would do away that most iniquitous system of granting annuities.—(Near, hear). —He was con fident that the repeal of the law would make the'rate of interest lower. Sir JOHN NEWPORT *perfectly agreed with the Honourable Gentleman who spoke last, as to the ad vantages that would arise from the repeal of the laws. He was confident that such a measure would do away the ruinous system of annuities and other cir cuitous modes of raising money. This restriction increased the difficulties of obtaining money. He could say, that men of the best characters were now trafficking in annuities. Even in marriage settle. ments, he knew that there were lately clauses intro. dined to allow the trustees to lend out money on an nuities. In a country like this, which &unshed by commercial enterprise, the trading people ought to be left to themselves, and men should be suffered to obtain money on the best terms they--could. In dustry should be left to its free channels ; and the common interests of lenders and borrowers, as well as of the community at large, would be best consult ed by leaving men to make their own bargains, and give and receive money on such terms as most suited their own convenience. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL thought it would be highly improper to bring forward a measure of this kind in a precipitate manner. In the present atatcof things; it would be extremely unwise to in troduce it. Mr. ABERCROMBY said, the law was not only nugatory in regard to preventing persons from lend ing money above five per cent. -but it also had the effect of obliging people to raise money by annuities at most ‘ enormous rites of usury. In short, no nionorcould now be borrowed except by annuities. However, he did not think it.would be advisable to alter the law immediately, as it might cause a sud den shock, which must expose many people to grea t inconvenience. . Mr. PONSONBY thought the Learned Serjeant was entitled-to the thanks of the Public for his me don, which would tend to great public good and the removal of great public, and private evil. - He agreed, however, that this was not a measure which ought to be adopted at the present moment. Mr. FINLAY said, he knew of many evils arising from, the Usury Laws to the trading and manufactnting interests* of the country, at the same time he was SWIM of the inconvenience that must follow from their speedy repeal. He was, however, greatly surprised at the opposition of the Cbancellot of the Excheysee, which went to preclude the Mean* from being adopted at all. It was as unjust. to prevent a man from turning his money to 1-advanthge. as to prevent him from making a pro fitable disposed el his laud or any other properky.-- Therefore, he thought the laws ought, to be altoge ther repealed. Mr. SHAW said, •that many upright persons had been involved in the greatest embarrassments in imin. sequence of their ignorance of the Usury Laws oar i ; sons from inadvertency, had offended against t laws, and afterwards preferred losing the whole of their money rather than expose their characters by going into a Court of Justice. le 'rat Of great im portance that the Usury Laws should be defined, so that he whn ran might rt•ad ; because it is well known that many persons got largeinterest without violating the fetter of the law; while others whn had not received near the amount of interest were subject to penalties four times the amount of the money they had lent; and he would appeal to the Attorney General, whe ther be had not witnessed cases of this kind in the course of his practice in the Courts ? Mr. MA RTIN supported the motion. General 'I'HORNTON thought the principle of the motion very good, but at the same time be hoped the Darned Serjeanr would withdraw it. Mr. Serjeant ONS LOW in reply observed, that not one argument had been advanced against the principle of his motion. But as so many Gentlemen who approved at the measure had expressed a wish , that it might be s postponed, he was ready to withdraw the motion, which however he was determined to bring forward again at some future period. The mo tion was therein withdrawn. PROTESTANTS IN PRANCE. Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY wished that some abler person had taken in hand the subject to which he should have to call the attention of the House.— ' He did it, because he conceived it of too Much ins. portance to allow the Session to pass withont enter ing into its invest gation. Gentlemen were aware that some months since reports had been in eked's. don relative to the persecution of the Pritestants in France, which had produced much effect in this country. Meetings had been holden in various quarters, and subscriptions opened- with the usual characteristic liberality of Britons. It appeared, how. ever, that his Majesty's Ministers were inclined to consider That interference both unnecessary and kn. proper—they even tried to check the course of pro• ceedings which had been adopted, and a letter was published, written by the Duke of Wellington, in which he stated that he was satisfied that every thing possible had been done by the French Government to prevent those disturbances, and that his Majesty Louis XVIII. had extended his protection to all classes of his subjects, and secured the enjoyment of their religious rights. A Noble Lord, a Minister in that House, had there represented the events that had taken place in the South of France as of so light a kind, that he had desired Honourable Members to take lesson from them, how to interfere another time in foreign matters. These official statements had produced some impression on the public at large, and on the Common Council ; and the litter had even seriously debated whether the Address which they. had prepared in favour of the peraecuted•Pro. trillions in France, should be presented to the Prince Regent. It had been presented, however, and his Royal High4ess had been advised to answer, that he was re.tdy to interpose his good offices in behalf of the Protestants abroad, should the occasion require ii, but that such an occasion had not occuned. He (Sir S. Romilly) did not mean by his present motion to criminate Ministers. He did not b e li e v e that if they had known what had really taken place in the South of France, what had been the interposition of Louis XVIII. and what protection be had extended to li's subjects, they would have pursued a line of conduct so detestable as to support a Government to whom they wished well, by disguising the enormi ties which had been committrd. All he charged them with was credulity. They had too readily believed the false assurances which they had received. He was led by no party, by no political motive—be should only state the facts which had come to his knowledge: and after the active inquiries which he had made, the information which he had obtained from she places not distant from the seat of the enor mities, and the conversations which he had held with persons who had_ been eye-witnesses on the spot, he ' thought that he could not have been deceived. Nei. ther did he believe that there was any danger in bringing the subject forward, nor that his 'motion would be fraught with mischievous consequences to the Protestants in France. Commanded and extorted letters from them had indeed deprecated British in. terference. But how had those been procured ? The Duke of Wellington's letter had been printed and ostentatiously published at Nismes by the French Government. It had filled the Protestant: with the deepest consternation. It had taken the last restraint away from the persecutors—it had extinguished the last hope of the persecuted. Was it Fr isible that they should be still worse treated because their brethren of Great Britain took interest in their fate ; at lower animals on whom their master revenges himself for the sympathy expressed by strangers in their behalf ? He thought, on the contrary, that his motion would do them good, and that British interference had even hitherto not been entirely useless. The sub ject would resolve itself into three branches : First, Had those murders and enormities been corn. fm bee ro n p. o mined or not ? Secondly, Did they spring lineal or religious causes ? Aad, thirdly, Had the French Government afforded due protection to the rights of all its subject: ? It was impossible to give an adequate idea of all the transactions which had taken place in the Department of the Gard, for with the exception of small districts of the adjoining De partments, the persecution of the Protestants was confined to the Department of the Gard. Before he shodld enter into details, it would be necessary for him to put the House in possession of the situation in which the Protestants stood in that part of France at the restoration of the present King. The Depart ment of the Gard was composed of the provinces of • Languedoc, Provence, and'the mountains of the Ce vennes. it was the birth-place of the Reformed Re ligion. There its doctrines had first displayed them- Iselves, centuries before the Reformation had begun in other parts of Europe. The Vaudois (Waldenses) , . . ... m•