Star. — London, England, 1809-05-12 00:00:00

3 Hampshire Election. They would then prosecute Mr. Freemantle with the utmost rigour for writing a letter to a single voter ; and yet now they would claim complete impunity for the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Lord Castlereagh who had sold a seat to a Member upon certain terms to obtain his vote, and afterwards turned him out of his seat because he would not vote against his judgment. I f such a case as this were overlooked, the House might as well, in his opinion, expunge its journals, burn its statutes, and blot out the constitution. But, Gentlemen as- serted that there was no precedent for these retrospec tive inquiries--Did they forget that, in one- of the most corrupt periods of our history, at the close of Sir I Robert Walpole's Administration, a Committee was appointed to inquire into the abuses of that Admi nistration for no less than ten years back ? In these, Gentlemen who voted against Lord Castlereagh upon a former night for an act of corruption, which was only inchoate, he thought it would be exceedingly in consistent to vote against this motion, where.the act. was alledged to be complete. The opinion in favour of Reform he believed to be much more general than it had been at any former period, and it was very easily to be accounted for. The result of the inves tigation respecting the Duke of York, the. rejection of the Reversion Bill, and the vote in favour of Lord Castlereagh, formed strong additional reasons for discrediting the composition of that House, and naturally multiplied the advocates for Reform. Still he thought the sentimrt in support of Reform, when it was last discussed, would have been much louder, mere universal and effective, if it had not been for the extraordinary exercise of the influence of the Crown. This exercise was most strongly exemplified in the case of the celebrated Robert Burns, the poet, as appeared from a letter of his, published since his death. Burns was an exciseman, and having, by the liberality of his sentiments incurred the imputa tion of favouring the Reformers of his day, the Surveyor called upon him by order of the Com missioners. Burns disclaimed the charge ; but although under the apprehension of being sent with his family to seek for bread, for the produce of his works was insufficient to support a sick brother, he ventured to say that the corruption of the Legis lature and the extending influence of the Executive boded no good to the country. Upon which the Sur veyor observed authoritatively—" It is your business, Sir, to act, and not to think—be silent and obedient." (A laugh at the bad of the Ministerial Benches.) Mr. Whitbread reprobated such . levity. Sure he was that those who could laugh at such an insolent observa tion must be very much inferior indeed, in genius and worth, to the man to whom it was addressed.— It had become a fashion, he perceived, of late, to call upon Gentlemen, rather improperly a.; he thought, for a profession of faith upon certain political tenets. For himself, however, he had no objection to make the profession required. He certainly was not an ad. vocate for the exclusion of all placemen from seats in that House. Althotr i ilt he knew there were many who had no right to be there, he would rather prefel the presence of Ministers, in order that they might be confronted with their accusers, that they might ac court: for their conduct, and display their views to the House. He was also adverse to the idea, that it was of no consequence by whom tie affairs of the Go vernment were administered. It appeared tohim quite preposterous, even if corruption were not removed or diminished, that it would not be material to consi-• der by whom the power of the country should be di rected. What, that if the vessel were in a crazy state, and its sails rent, it mattered not what pilot was at the helm. There was not perhaps a man in society who felt more hurt or at the idea of revolution than he did. His all was at stake. He enjoyed many com forts, and valuing the British Constitution, he would not risk its loss for any untried system—still less fi,r a Republic. He was no admirer of Republican Governments. They had both in ancient and mo dern times been corrupt and arbitrary. Even ir. Athens, supposed the purest Republic, corruption I pervaded the whole community, the people being bribed by the orators, and the orat rs bribed by fo reign states, Demosthenes himself not being free from the imputation. We happily had a medium to which he wished to adhere, the true line of the British Constitution. The exultation of the people at the resignation of the Duke of York, was not from joy at his humiliation, but from the triumph of seeing that a Prince of the Blood could be brought, as it were, to the bar of that House. It was justice which pre vented revolutions. If a Prince of the Blood in France could have been brought to trial for follies similar to those of the Duke of York, there would have been no Revolution in France, and the old Monarchy might( have continued " Trojaque nunc stares, Priamique vox all a maneres." It was the want of justice, and the want of timely re form, which precipitated the fate of the ancient Mo narchy of France, and which threatened the destruc tion of other countries But aversion to the idea of revolution must utterly blindfold the judgment of any man, who could suppose that such an evil was likely to arise, if Lord,CastlereAgh were not granted im punity for a two-fold abuse of patronage, and if such a case as that before the House were not overlooked, the motion was perfectly ridiculous. The Honourable Gentleman concluded with exhorting the House to guard the country against the fate which all the cor rupt Governments of Europe had experienced —to conciliate the people to their Government, aryl not to reth:ce England to the state in which Sicily now was, where the conduct of its Government had ren dered the people indifferent to the fate which seemed to menace them. Mr. B. BAI'IIURST saw no reason why it should be assumed that he, and the Gentlemen who voted with him in the rno.jr , rity upon the Duke of York's case, had not come to a correct and conscientious con chi,ion. That they did so, h e h a d no dou b t would be the prwvalent opinion of the country, when the pre sent ferment subsided, and Gentlemen had an oppor tunity of explaining the grolinds of their conduct to their constituents. As to the question of Reform, and the extraordinary professions of purity by which it was recommended from certain quarters, he begged the House to examine those professions. It would be recollected,•that of all the corruptions which had oc curred, or were ever reported to ha v e occurre d at po-1 pular elections 4f venthe story of P unc h at Shaftes bury sunk into mstgnificance, when compared to the creation of the hundreds of voters for the Isleworth M ! Ilear ! from the Ministerial Benches. ) The Right Hun. Gentleman expressed his resolution to oppose this motion, ort , any other of a similar na. ture which promised to give food and fuel to that po• palar ferment, which it should be the objeit of the House to allay. Lord COCHRANE said, his principal' reason for supporting Parliamentary Reform upon old constitu tional principles was, as he had stated at a late popular ' Meeting, ti order to set Ministers free from those dis, cussions, which occupied too much of their time, and. rendered thesis unable to attend to the important bu- • siness of their several departments, the neglect of which he had too often witnessed on foreign stations. If the people were fairly represented in that House, his opinion was, that there would be less of captious opposition or tedious controversy ; corruption would be set aside ; opposition Would have no abuses to point out ; and Ministers, being disengaged from the task of defending such things, would be able to devote their minds more profitably for the State, to the ob. jects he had before alluded to. Mr. PONSONBY thought the discussion had, for • near Live hours, been quite foreign to the subject be fore the House. The Motion was a specific charge against two _Ministers for corrupt practices, and the speeches were almost entirely about the danger of popular :'.l,..etinas, and general questions about Parlia menc2ry. Reform. After this, would it be right for him to inkn advantage of a political adversary ? No, even though he con f essed there was no man on earth to whom he had a greater antipathy than to Lord Castlereagh—a man who bad ruined the liberties of the land which gave him birth, and destroyed the Parliament of which he haf been elected a Member ! Yet even though he was one of the accused, he would' not vote against him because opposite in party and in politics. It had been...objected, that many on each side of the House were interested in the concealment of abuses ; but for his part, though he could not an ' swer for others, he had never in the whole course of his political life bribed any man in order to get elec ted to a seat in Parliament. It was not his province to answer for those who might differ from him in opinion, but he could not reconcile it to himself to condemn a political antagonist for a measure which had been universally practised. Lord FOLKSTONE could not help differing. es sentially from the Right Honourable Gentleman who had just sat down. With respect to the Prevention Bill which was introduced, he would be glad to kriow how long that Right Honourable Gentleman, or even .thoie opposite, had been reconciled to it ? But, even although they both did agree to the Bill, what reason was that for their not adopting the present measure ? Were abuses to •continue in the House on that ac count ? A curious answer was now made, and it was said that abuses were known to exist, but because they had existed long, they ought to continue loage . r. He remembered some time ago, when he asserted that such abuses did exist, he was very much chased and ridiculed for saying so. Now the case was altered, and Members thought it politic to allow what they had formerly denied. He had been accused also lately for making a too general assertion ; and now the mover of the present question was opposed for being too specific As far as he could see, the plain object was not who could be too general or too spe cific, but that the que.,tion and inquiry should- be waved altogether. Mr. WIND HAM rose amid loud cries of questiOn. He said, he did not wish to detain the House very long, but he could not help expressing his opinion upon the present question. Much had been said about abuses, and many Members had contended that they ought to be totally eradicated ; it ought, how ever, to be cautiously considered, lest in tearing out those abuses they should tear out the Constitution also. It would be very diihcult, without danger, to separate co-existent particles from the original sub stance, because,hose particles taken particularly might be dangerous. The very air we breathe con tains particles, which, taken in themselves, were na turally poisonous, but if we were to strike out those particles, we would render the earth itself uninhabi table. So it was exactly %rid' the Constitution. He was, he believed, as great a friend to the Constitution as any man, but ho would take it as he found it ; he would not attempt to tear out the blemish, lest he might annihilate the garment in the attempt at im provement. Lord Chatham had said he would leave the Constitution as he found it, and he was. not ashamed to follow such an example. He would ad-, mit there was corruption in the State—corruption from top to bottom, but more at bottom than at top. /auerh.) The very proof was, that ulten.a public man event astray, it excitedea greatcaimmotion in the people—the exception p r oved his general rule ; at all events he would not amend a general abuse by the punishment of individuals. " In short," said the Right Honourable Gentleman, " there is a general agreement between the parties, which, notwithstand ing the new morality, I cannot call corrupt." Lord A. HAMILTON rose, amidst a tumultuous call of Question ! Question ! and it was with consi derable difficulty we could sometimes catch a fesv words of what he said. His Lordship expresed great surprise at the various doctrines he had heard deliver ed on the present question. One Right Honourabitos! Gentleman (Mr. Tierney) had declared, he could not listen to the charge, because the practice on which it was founded had long been as open and broad as the sun at noon-day. For his own part, if he linden,' stood the Constitution—if he understood his duty as a Member of that House-=if . he wished for the pros perity and tranquility of the country, he Amid sup. pose that such a conviction in the mind of the Right Honourable Gentleman who made it should have been a very strong reason for his voting in favour of the motion. With respect to the speech of the Right Honourable Gentleman who had just sat down, he had with pain heard and observed that it seemed to cast such indulgence on every species of corruption, that if he had not himself heard he could not haVe believed. There seemed to be a doubt between that Right Honourable Gentleman and his Majesty's Mi nisters whether there was anything whatever to correct in the present system of Parliamentary Representation. If the House should unfortunately determine to over look the present charge, he trembled for its dignity and character having any longer a place in the esti mation of the people. Mr. WILBERFORCE declared he never rose to speak witlt more pain and surpricee He thought the House ought to come to a resolution in favour of the motion for the sake of its own honour and dignity-- There never was a time when tinder any state of things either within or without the House, they ought to be more careful of observing the opinion of the People. Mr. CANNING, in a very eloquent manner, called upon the House. that night to make a - stand against the encroachments of the factious, and to re flect upon the system of which this motion formed a part, dexterously introduced as it was. To-night it was called upon to make an immolation of two upon his side of the House, and, perhaps, if successful now, it would on the morrow be summoned to sacrifice two stately victims from thi other. ( Hear, hear.) He argued the right of canvassing the motives and ap-1 preciating the conduct of public meetings, when such meetings wen protruded upon the' judgment of that House, as speaking the popular will, although never legitimately convened, either according io the spirit or the forms of the constitution. The Right Ho nourable Gentleman, although persuaded that excul pation would be the consequence of inquiry into the conduct of his two Right Honourable Colleagues (of one of whom (Mr. Perceval) he would say that his private virtue and public integrity were acknowledg ed by his friends, and admitted even by his political opponents to be without a stain) still he thought the House bound to negative the motion, as well for its avowed object as for the consequences to which it would lead. He then concluded with a fine pane ' uric upon the House of Commons, to whatever causes, whether arrangement or chance, it owed its present constitution. Mr. HUTCHINSON spoke in favour of the ori ginal motion. Mr. MADOCKS replied ; when Lord MILTON withdrew his amendment, and the House divided on the main question; whm the numbers were—For Mr. Madock's motion 85.—Against it 310.—Majority against the motion 225.—Adjourned at half past two. THE EVENING STAN. LONDON FRIDAY, MAY 12. PRICE OF STOCKS 'KITS DAY A I' ONE O'CLOCK: Cons. for otoney, 671—acc. 66—Red. 67i—Ornnium 1 2 pre. Dispatches were yesterday received by Govern. ment, brought by the STATIRA, from Lisbon, announ cing that Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY had arrived there on the 22d ult. after a passage of seven days.--When the STATIRA sailed from Plymouth on the 15th ult• it was believed she had gone to Milford, but she ac tually proceeded to Guernsey and convoyed thence six transports with troops for Portugal. The STATIRA left Lisbon on the 25th ultimo. The French v.-ere still in possession of Oporto, but the advance of Marshal VICTOR towards Portugal had not been so rapid as was expected ; our troops had taken the field, and rational hopes were entertained that Oporto would soon be recovered. The day before the STATIRA sailed from Lisbon, the TRIUMPH, 74, and upwards of 70 sail of trans. pprts, full of troops, arrived in the Tagus, and im mediately began to disembark. Reports were current at Lisbon that the Spanish Patriots had gained several signal advantages over the French. These reports were so generally credited, illuminations and rejoicirws took place at Lisbon for three days and nights prior to the sailing cf the STA- Trita.—Great numbers cf re.erchantrr:en and trans. ports were lying at Lisbon, and the people were in better spirits than they have been at any period since the emigration of the Braganza Family. A rumour had got jot° circulation, just before the STATIRA sailed, th::: Opot to had again been wrested from the hands of the French, but it was not believed to rest on any good authority. By the STATIRA we have received Portuguese pa pers to the l7th.ult. They con.ain no intelligence of any decisive action, either in Spain or Portugal.— The Spanish Generals URBINO, LA PENA, and Mo r.exa had been convicted of having, sold the army c f Anchilusia, as well as that of CDESTA, to the French Generals opposed to them. General CUESTA'S head quarters were at Mastaro ; be had been joined by 15,000 fresh troops, and daily expected to have an action with the French. Accounts had been received at Lisbon from Catalonia, stating that Generals RE. DING, the Marquis LAZUN, and FRANCIS() PALAFCX, had formed a junction with an army of 50,000 men, and were driving the French before them. The Por tuguese papers are filled with fre;ll proclamations to the inhabitants, calling upon them to exert themselves for the defence of their country. Letters from Sweden state, that the proposition of the Emperor ALEXANDER for appointing the Duke (4 . OLDENBURGII to the RegenCy is acceded to.—ln other words, the Court of Stockholm is in future to be as obsequious to the purposes of NAPOLEON, as any of the subjugated states of the Continent. Last night a vessel arrived in the River from Hol land. Some letters by this vessel state, that it was believed at Rotterdam, so late as Tuesday last, that t he loss of the French in the late engagements, was not inferior to that of the Austrians ; and : that a report had got int o c i rcu l at i on o f t h e latter having gained a subsequent victory over the left wing of the. French army, and that the Duke of DANTzte had either been killed or made prisoner. It was also ru moured, the same day, that Saxony had joined Aus tria.—By this vessel we have received Dutch Papers, of the date of Tuesday, but the intelligence which they bring from the seat of war, comes down only to the 28th ult. and consequently does not enable us to au thenticate any of the above reports. The following is the news they contain: A division of the Austrians, under the Archduke FERDINAND, had entered Poland, and the Polish troops are in motion to oppose their progress. The head-quarters . of the Archduke CHARLES were at Cham on the 28th ult. This place is 37 miles. N.E. from Ratislson. The Prince of Ponte Corvo (BERNADOTTE), was marching by Egra, with the French troops from the North of Germany, on their way to the seat of war : mean time the Impeii Horse and Grenadier Guards had arrived at I. shut, where they were reivewed by NAPOLFON in person, and another decided movement against the Austrians was expected to take place every instant. The King of SAXONY has issued a Proclamaticn against Austria, which is given at length in the D ule l, Papers : it is in fact a dechration of war, a n d of course contradicts the reports in circulation, that Saxony had joined Austria. This document is date) Leipsic, 27th April. MUNICH, APRiL 28. Yes'erday, five Couriers arrived here from the head-quar,r, at Landshut, (three to 11:.s Majesty, and two to the H , 2% liar ) Prince), who bring advice that the Imperial Guards had arev(if at Landshut, and had been reviewed by Vie vOiri mediate!y afterwards set out fur Wasserbu - g, %dare great tv, tt , are expected to take place. The head-quarters of the Emperor will to-morrow he at Ne L a . rt . :nat.—A part of the troops of Hesse have entered i lcgu,_ The ccrps under the Archduke Charles has taken a Cham; but as the corps of the Prince of Ponte Corvo i€ ing upon Egra, it is nut probable that the Aus:raus there long. Yesterday, a Russian Officer arrived here, who apr of rank, accompanied by a French Adjutant, who will him to the Emperor. He is come from the army of Prince $, rows!ly. _ _ _ Lieutenant-General Baron Vrele hat pai.se.l the Inn trit'• division, at Muhldorf. The 2500 men of the imperil Guard.;, tog-iber with 104 grenadiers of. same. who arrived on the 125ih at Augilierg, were the next murning conveyed furward on 500 wagg;.l3, passed the Lech. Th.: grenadiers, 14 days before. wer: still 11 Madrid. On the day of the battle of Abensberz, the Emperor zavz fLe: the word, " Bravrry—llavaria." WARSAW, APRIL 17. The Austrians pave already Coniniellced hostilt, ias against tb Duchy of Warsaw. On tl r 15th inst. the Ar.:hduke Fertir tratismitted to the Polish Minister at War, Prince Poniatet:ski, a printed Declaration of War, dated Gallicia, the 14th of Apr?', ie. gether with a letter, in which he informed him, that twt:ive Lour. after the departure of the Messenger who was the hearer of tack, he should advance into the Duchy of Warsaw wi•': the Aus;:ian army. The enemy has taken possession of the crcntitr town, Nowemiasto, on this side of the River Peiica, on the direct road to Cracow, ten miles from hence. After the receipt of the declaration of war by Austria an ex. traordinary Council of State and War wa s h e ld , at which tie French Minister resident, De Sura, was present—three ho”rs afterwards all the regiments of infantry and eavakry stationed here, with a strong train of artillery, had already brcken up to march against the enemy. In the night of the 15th, the Minis ter of War, Prince Poniatowsky, with his whole Staff, set out for the army, in order to take the chief command. We 5 kortly expect to hear that a corps of Polish troops, in consequence of the Austrian declaration of war, and the viola:ion of the Polish territory, has entered Gallicia. Seveial skirmishes have already taken place hetivien tlic Aus trian and Polish advanced posts, and we daily expect a eue:,ll battle in the vicinity of Newemiasto. DRESDEN, APRIL Q. a. Count Von Zechy, the Austriau Minister, left this city to ' day with his whole retinue. AMSTERDAM ROYAL COURANT, MAY 9. By letters from Poland we have received advice of a sznguinary battle fought on the 19th ult. between the brave Poles and t!,e Austrian army which was three times as strong as their;, b::t the issue as yet Is not known. We only know that the 1.500 S. ons, wko had joined the army of Prince Poniaousky fought bravely, and did great injury to the enemy by their aruller;. SUPPLEMfNT EXTRAORDINARY TO THE PRIVILEGED GAZETTE OF PRAGUE. " On the 23d April, at nine in the evening, Count. AVERSPLRO, Adjutant-General to his imperial High.' ness the Generalissimo, arrived at his Majesty's head. quarters at Scharding. He was sent on the 2°.,d*: from the field of battle. The two ChiAS and; the two armies advanced oft that day to combat each other—Success was on the side of the Aus. trians. The Generalissimo caused the post of Abbach, on the Leber, to be attacked, for which %v.: had in vain contended the preceding evening, and he carried it. The third Corps of the army . took Fairport. Whilst the right wing of the Austrian army was' vic torious, the enemy succeeded in getting possession of Echmuhl, but the presence of the Generalissimo re stored order, and thus ended a battle which had lasted rive days without interruption.—We have in this and other previous affairs taken a great number at pri soners, among whom arc a Lieutenant-General under the orders of Marshal DAVOUST. The loss on both sides has been great--We have several Genera's and Officers of the Etat Major wounded—The first corps of the army has advanced to Hemmenau, and toucliei the grand army by Abbach." The Princess Elizabeth packet, is arrive{ ^t %via; Mu.ils from Lisbon, which place she left on the ul:. Tte Letters will not be delivi.red till to-morrow. FA Liston . H, MAY 9.—Arrived this • day his Majesty's s!..p STATIRA, of 3S guns, from Lisbon, 14 days passage. Sailed the Mary packet, COCK, for Halifax and New-York; and the Prix• cess Atne:ii packet, MoJasoat, for Jamaica, both with mails. l'he Snake packet, for the Brazils, i, detained till further orders. — The Sxstriftzt sailed again this evening for Plymouth. PLYMOUTH, MAY 10.—Came in the STATLEA, 38 pin, from Lisbon, with dispatches for Government ; also a schconist from Rochefort, and the Morning Star cartel, LEWIS, from AI. :lair Sailed the Harlequin hired armed slip, on a cruize to the west ward ; and the ARETHUSA frigate for Falmouth. A 9:7: cf merchantmen passed down Channel this day. YARMOUTH, MAY 11.—Yesterday afternoon arrived the SA:- SZTTE frigate, of 38 guns, Captain BATHCRST, from Caritscron.:,, with a fleet of merchantmen; this morning they got ur! , :* weigh for the Westward. Arrived the Princess Caroline end Havoc. Sailed the Acute and Redbreast on a mint.. In the Roads, the Roebuck, Princess Caroline, Gorgon, Calypso, Have:, Vixen, and Cheerful.—Wind E S.E. DOVER, MAY 11.—The Bell hired armed cutter has detaincl and sent in here the brig Hannah, of and for New-York, fr,ri Amsterdam, in ballast.—Wind E. and moderate. DEAL, MAY 11.—Sailed the Cif ALI ENGLE., having under 1!:. convoy two sail of transports bound to the Baltic. Also sail, d the FLY sloop on a cruize off Boulogne; and MARINER gun-brig on a cruize off Calais. Gititvest Nn, MAY 11.—Passed by the Hope, Flower, Porn Cork; and Jason, Nicholas, from DLblin.—Sailed the Venus, Davis, for Dubliti ; Diana, Wilson, for Quebec; Aimwell, An derson, for Dominica ; and Friendship, Spink, for Seville. CORN EXCHANGE, MARK.LANF, MAY 12.—This day there are considerable remaining supplies of Wheat—this trade is Un commonly heavy of sales, and at rather lower prices—Barley and Malt likewise, and in plenty—White Peas at the late reductiun —Beans, of both sorts, at little variation—.there are large sup plies of Oats, witb severai more arrivals of foreign, and this trade is cheaper, excepting for those of first quality—Stocks of flout arc large and dull—Sales at the last reduction in price. GENERAL CURRENCY AS UNDER: Wheat, 565. 70s. 82s. Beans (new) 565. 625. Fine ditto, 84$. 85i. Tick ditto, 475. 525. Rye, 50s. 555. Barley, 40s. 975. Cod. Malt, 70s. 78s. Oats, 30s. 335. 365. Poland ditto, 38s. 40s. Putatoe ditto, —I. 413. od. White Peas (boilers) SOs. Bss. Rape Seed, 521. to Z)6l. Grey ditto, 46s S2s. _ _ Fine Flour, 755. to 80s.—Seconds, 70s. 75$ BIRTHS.—On the 20th inst. the Lady of J. Gibson, Psi• Hunter-street, Brunswick-square, of a aon.—Yesterday, Nladirre Catalani, dr a son. LONDON : Printed and Published by LEVEL terbury Place, Lambeth, at the STAR-OFFICt . j No. I. c 7 street, Prblished also at the STAR-Orrice. Temple 141