Star. — London, England, 1809-04-26 00:00:00

of duty imperiously called upOn him to urge these considerations on the attention of the House. Mr. BANKES, adverting to what had fallen from the Noble Lord (Hamilton), observed, that the duty of the Committee was merely to examine into abuses, and report their proceedings. The Hon. Member alluded to certain accounts in some of the public prints, ha which not even the Royal Family had es caped observation— (Near, hear !) --He meant the Duke of Cambridge—so far from having any patro nage, he had not the most distant knowledge of the transaction therein stated. A person still higher, the first subject in the realm, had not been spared, and it became the House to set a mark upon such proceed- ings.—(Loud crit.r rf Hear, /war!) Sir FRANCES BURDETT, at that hour of the night, and after the very able speech of the Noble Lord who had opened the debate, as well as the able speeches of many Gentlemen below him upon the floor, did not mean to trespass at any length upon the attention of the House. At the same time the question was in itself of such importance, and so much had been said in extenuation of the case, founded upon the admission of the Noble Lord, and some observa tions which had fallen from the Honourable Gentle man who had just sat down, were such, that he was induced to trespass a short time upon the indulgence of the House, even at that late hour. If it had not been for the general gravity of that Honourable Gen tleman, and the serious manner in whiam :tie had pro duced these observations to the House, he should have supposed that there had been something ludicrous in his statement from the effect it appeared to have pro duced upon the faces of the Right Honourable Gen tlemen opposite. With respect to the question be fore the House, he could not see any objection to the original Resolutions proposed by the Noble Lord.— As to the objections which had been taken to the se cond Resolution, that it was not founded in fact, he must observe, that though it was not exactly made out by the evidence, yet it would be very easy to amend it; because the fact was, that the negociation had actu ally failed, in consequence of the inferior agents not having been able to accomplish what they had un dertaken. It had been argued, that if the Noble Lord had been aware of the character of Mr. Reding, or had an opportunity of again turning his attention to the transaction, it could never have taken place. But it would indeed have been surprising if the Noble Lord should not have broken off the business in the event of his having discovered the character of a man who was endeavouring to trick him. The Honourable Gentleman who had just sat down had thought pro per to make an allusion to a set of persons, what per sons he could not tell, who wet e busy and ever active is decrying all the rank, and running down all that was eminent in the State. Ile had often heard complaints made in that House against unniators and libellers, but highly as he valued the privileges of Parliament, he knew of no pri: vilege that would entitle any Member to calumniate any class of his Majesty's subjects. (Hear, hear!) 1-1:, knew of no right that any Gentleman could claim to utter misrepresentations against whole classes of the people of England, especially when so much mischief was likely to result from such calumnies going forth; to the public. It was peculiarly hard that such a course should be adopted : it was particularly so at a moment too, when, (as he must be permitted to state, even within the walls cf that House), the cha a racter of Parliament did not stand as high in the country as it ought. Under such circumstances, he thought it unfortunate for that House, as well as inju rious against the British Public, to calumniate any class oil the people of England, by whom, so far as his observation enabled him to judge, such calum nies were wholly unmerited. Having made these observations, he would leave it to the House to judge how unfair it was to deal out insinuations against whole classes of the people, or whether it would not have been more candid and manly to name the per sons at once to whom such observations were applied? He was convinced, upon the result of all that he had an opportunity cf observing, that there was no set of men in this country disaffected to the Government ; and to make an assertion that there was, would be as injuriou.; to the pee*, as it would be unser viceable to the Throne, and hostile to the constitution and the country. He had attended particularly to every thing that had been said by the Noble Lord in his defence, and whatever difference of opinion might appear to exist in the House as to the degree of his guilt, it appeared to him to be an aggravated case. It appeared to him to be an abuse of the patronage of a Minister with a view to make an attack upon the independence of Parliament. If a Minister were proved guilty of such an offence, was the House not to say that he was so guilty ? It was not now a cues tion of punishment ; cr if the removal of the Noble Lord from office was to be considered a punishment, this was the first time that he ever heard of its being a punishment CO be out of office. The Noble Lord ' had said that his object was, in disposing of this wri tership, to procure support for Government, that is, for the Administration, because that was the way in which he confounded the Government with the Ad ministration. But as the Noble Lord had given them to understand that he would still think that a justifiable mode of disposing of his patronage, it was the duty of that House to guard against such aLt.ses. The patronage of the State was the property , of the public, ans.; ought to be fairly ami impartiahy distributed amongst the people. If nisters had attendeu more to this principle, and less to the practice of their particular connections, there would have been a benefit to the public service, and certainly less disgust existin, e , out of doors at the man ner in which his patronage had het n • I d• • nt ierto isposeu of. The Noble Lord had complained, in some mea cure, that he had been convicted solely upon his own evidence ; but he would leave it to the Howe to de cide whether there could have been stronger evidence product d ? But whilst the Ni:hle LoLl rested so much rn the circum,tance that his conviction was ra,t supported by any evidence bat his own admission, he bad still endeavoured to maintain that there had been! nathiog blameable in the transaction, as he wished only to bring his friend into Parliament, that he might: have his assistance in their common department.— That statement was sufficient alone to skew that these resolutions ought to be passed. If the Noble Lord could pervert his official Patron age f or the purpose of I bringing a friend into Parliament, that was, in his mind, a heavy offence, such as, he was convinced, that House would consider no other heavier. The RightHonourable Gentleman bad complained that the Honourable Gentleman on the floor (Mr. W. Smith) had made an allusion to the transactions in which the Noble Lord had been concerned at the timeoftheUnion. He could not see any hardship in such allusion, when the Noble Lord and his friends laid se much stress upon the purity of his motives. It was natural, in answer to such a defence, to refer to transactions that would shew that such purity of motives could not easily be imputed to that Noble Lord. It might be urged against him as a want of candour, but he could not conceal that he did net give the Noble Lord muck credit for purity of motives. He should still continue -to watch with that jaundiced or jealous eye, which bad been sometimes imputed to him, all the conduct. of that Noble Lord ; and having caught him - in one instance tripping, he should therefore jealously ob serve his future measures. It had been contended, that the offence in this instance was not as heinous as the taking a bribe at an election : but the House would never by its vote upon the present question, sanction the opinion, that it was ready always to pu nish the petty offenders in retail, at the same time that it passed over this wholesale trade in corruption with out animadversion. The Noble Lord had -stated, that if the transactions had proceeded, he would have taken care that none but a proper person should be appointed. But the law does not allow any man, however proper, to be promoted far a bribe. Yet, had not the Noble Lord pointed out the particular political principles which his proper person was to en tertain ? Had he net described the connections, and mentioned the support that was to be expected from him and them ? 'Would the connection of any Gen tleman, who, in the performance of his duty in that House, should oppose the Noble Lord, have been a proper person, according to his idea of such a one as he should deem a fit object of his patronage ? It was this gross partiality in the selection of objects, and the' sill grosser motives that guided the selection, that he looked upon as the most dangerous circumstances in giving to any Minister the unlimited disposal of the Patronage they possessed. Every • thing, therefore, sheaved how necessary it was to pass the Resolu lutions of the Noble Lord. Some Gentlemen had' taken occasion, and very properly taken occasion in this discussion, to make some observations upon the necessity of a Parliamentary Reform. His o el - , opi nion upon that subject was well known, and he was convinced that nothing could tend more to shew the necessity of such a measure, than if that House shoeld pass from these Resolutions to the Orders of the Day. In supporting the Resolutions, he was cer tainly most disinterested ; because he was most sin cerely a friend to reform. He should be happy to see reform brought forward by his Majesty's Minis ters, because in such hands it would be productive of as much good as would spring of mischief from the blind resistance to practical reform proceeding from any other quarter. He would particularly, therefore ; rejoice to see his Majesty's Ministers bring forwar a plan of reform, which would come with grace from them, and be received with gratitude by the people. The opinion of the necessity of a reform in Parliament was at present so general, the only difference prevailing upon the subject being only as to the precise plan, that some Reform must necessarily take place. This was particularly desirable at this time, when com mittees of that House were every day bringing to light abuses that were concealed from view ; when the weight of the taxes were only to be equalled by the severity of their collection, when what was gran. ted liberally was expended prodigally, and when there appeared no disposition to retrench unnecessary expenditure. Under such circumstances a Reform was essentially necessary, and at such a moment he regretted that any Gentleman of such respectability as the Honourable Gentleman, and who had reeder ed such important services too in the various Corn mittees of that House, should have spoken of a class of the people of this cenntry, in such a manner, that, with ell his respect for him, he must say, he bad grossly misrepresented them. But the Honourable Gentleman said, that the Noble Lord ought not to he punished, because the offence had not been com pleted. But the question was not then a question of punishment. All that was proposed was, to guard against his Majesty's Ministers future conduct ; —it was only proposed to provide, that similar effects should not in future arise from similar causes : and the more especially, as it had been that night admitted and argued on their side, that the corrupt abuse of Patronage in support of Administration was not blameable. It behoved that House to shew to the public that it was not inattentive to its interests ; and to guard its own character from the imputation that whilst it punished petty offenders in detail, it was re luctant to inflict the same punishment upon an Offen ding Minister. Was not the Plymouth tinman's case in the recollection of the House ; and with such an example before their eyes, could they hesitate to vote the .Resithitions against the Noble Lord ? Complaints had been vented against the press, but if men of rank would do their duty, they might bid defiance to the press. It was not their rank, but their vices that pro voked the animadversions of the press, which would ever be ready to pay the tribute of its admiration to their virtues. Were they not to cure their deformities, but to endeavour toleit out the eyes of the nation, that it may not behold them ? In this thinking, this rational, this reflecting country, they had but to do , thcir duty, and they should insure the approbation of their countrymen. If any plan of reform should be proposed, he besought the House to entertain it with temper, and abstain from all imputation of disaffec tion to those who may propose it. He should not de tain the House longer, but should most certainly vote for the Resolutions of the Noble Lord. Mr. GEORGE JOHNSTONE inclined to the opinion of Mr. Banker, and would willingly adopt the principle of Mr. Hume, who advised moderation as the best guide in politics. Mr. IL LASCELLES imagined that the case of the Noble Lord was somewhat similar to one in which Mr. Pitt had been placed, by granting money with out the consent of Parliament. The thing was irre. gular, though it was evidently intended for the good of the country. The intention of the Noble Lord, no doubt, was the same ; but still it was proper to m.uk the irregularity of the transaction. Mr. iVINDHAM thought the mode of proceeding proposed against the Noble Lord was severe out of all proportion to the offence ; a distinction should be Made between the act and the principle; and the of 7 fence and the offender. If the House passed to the Order of the Day, they would seem to pass over the transactio% unnoticed; if they adopted the Resat- . • tion, they would vote a pnnishment-beyond the mea sure of the crime. Did not individuals exert influence atelections ; and were Ministers the only persons to be precluded from exerting such influence e That in fluence consisted in property, in connection, perhaps was resolrible ultimately into money; but should it be less fair to use it in support of Gpi►ernment, than to exert it in opposition to Government ? Besides, in the present instance the Act was only inchoate, and had never been completed. It therefore did not fur nish matter to criminate the Noble Viscount. He was far from believing that the number of those were few who looked for reform, which in accomplishing, it was acknowledged that the people did not well know where to begin or where to end, as the observa tion would be found to be just. In his opinion, the moment a single brick was taken from the edifice, the whole would tumble to the ground, and parliamen tary reform would be found to close in universal re volution. _ Mr. WHITBREAD, in an able and eloquent spcech, supported the Resolutions, animadverted on what had fallen from the • Honourable Gentlema n 1 (Mr. Bankes), and expressed his conviction that the proceedings of the former night, as well as those of - i the present, would do more to convince the people of : the necessity of reform than any thing else. Mr. CANNING, however he might feel for his j . Noble Friend, yet was disposed to think that some sort of reproof must attach upon him, He moved an amendment to the following effect : " That it is the duty of this House to watch over the purity of elections with a jealous eye; that, upon due consideration of die evidence produced before the House, It did not appear that Lord Viscount Castlereagh had used any undue influence in the election of Members ; the House, therefore, did not think it necessisry to come to any criminal proceedings upon the subject." Mr. TIERNEY supported the Resolutions. Sir C. PRICE said a few words in Favour of Mr. Canning's resolution, and l e ord A. H4MI.L.TOPI replied, The House then divided upon the gesolu• tions— Ayes 167, Noes 216—,-Majority 49. A second division took place* pn Mr. CANNING'S amendment—Ayes 214., Noes 167• Majority 47. During tie exclusion pf strangers, we understood Mr. C. WYNNE moved an amendment to Mr. CAN NING'S proposition, by Inserting the following—. " Being coat med in our opinion- by the acknowledgment of that Noble Lord, and by the contrition he has expressed for kis offence." T 1 is amendment was negatived. CONDUCT OF 1%41N15T 4 7.R.1 IN PROCURING BOATS IN PARIfAMF4T. Mt. MADDOCKS gave notice that be should, on Friday se'n night, rno , .e for a Committee of the whole House, to examine evidence at the Bar relative to the conduct of the present Admi nistration, in precu;•ing seats in Parliament for certain individuals. The douse adjourned at four n'clock this morning. t con the of anc alit prii c - tp Du rag trat hrs bec ing nig Lo spe floc the qtu hat the Ina ind of be( tle: du sul his dui tlet for ori; As cor mu by bec all ha' (let hat hai the it • Lc evt kVh Ce pet sor act all he: lur the vitt ana 1-1; tot pec wa tot cot: an star rac cou tho riot cla his nie! obs box 1,1, hat son LONDON. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26. PRICE OF I ) CKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK. Consols, for money, 67V,—Ditto for May, 67fi. Omnium 1 prem—Exchequer Bah. 14s. prrm. Two Gottenburgh Mails arrived last night, and one this morning. Great hopes were entertained at Stockholm that a peace would be concluded with Russia, Denmark and France, and yet licences had been issued by the Swedish Government for every de scription of Foreign ships to trade with England as usual, until the 31st of September. The dispositions of the Swedes are, of course, amicable towards Great Britain, Government have received intelligence from Heli goland of a considerable Austrian force having en tered Saxony. By a foreign brig arrived at Dover in three iklays from Rotterdam, we have received Dutch Papers to the 23d instant, containing Pari news to the 19th.— The Archduke CHARLES had announced to the Com-, manding Officer of the French troops- opposed to him, that he had taken the command, and was about to eater Bavaria. The Emperor FRANCIS has left Vienna for the army, but no countenance is given in these papers to the reports in circulation, of a battle having been fought in Bavaria, or of the Austrians having occupied Munich.—All prospect of Russia taking a part in favour of Austria seems to have va nished. The negotiations between Russia and the PoitTE have been suddenly broken off, and a Russian army is said to be in motion towards the Danube to commence hostilities against Austria ; at least this in telligence is repeated in the Amsterdam Courant of the 21st instant. Captain MAITLAND, of the EMERALD, arrived at Plymouth, states, that the gallant Lord COCHRANE had a most miraculous escape ; he went in his gig to bring off the Captain, &c. of the French ship which struck to him, and was on his return to the hipe.. RIEUSE, when a shot from the batteries struck them, carried away the fleshy part of the French comman der's thigh, and threw LordCocnltANE out of the boat. Assistance being promptly rendered, his Lordship was soon out of danger ; but the poor Frenchman died two days after in great agony. . . Dispatches to the 17th instant, three 'Jays later than the details published in the Extraordinary Gazette, have been received from R9chefort. They were landed at Plymouth from the BEAGLE brig two days ago. Nothing farther of importance had occurred there ; but all the letters received by the BEAGLE agree in asserting that the enemy's ships driven on shore must go to.pieces. A Common Hall was held at Dover, on Monday, for the pur ro6 of thanking G. L. WARDLE, Esq. when several resolutions ivere agreed to, similar to those at other places, and ordered to be presented to Mr. WARDLE ' and Mr. Ho it woo o (one of the Members of the County), by their representative butt JAM. SON, Esq. Often, very often, has is occurred, that the latest adventurers in a Lottery have proved equally successful as the most early pur chasers of 'l'ickets and Shares. A very critical moment now de pends for trying the experiment. Thursday and Saturday next will determine the issue of the present wheel, which yet possesses Prizes of 4 20 , 0 0 0 , £5OOO, £lO4O, £5OO, att. Ste. , EAST INDIta We mentioned yesterday the arrival oldie Groac:. ANA packet at Plymouth from India, and laid befo re the public some interesting details reTecting the Ed s. India shipping, Ste. In our Plymouth letter, in day's STAR, OUT !leaders will fins some further par ticulars. The private letters received by this packet, slate, that a serious misunderstanding has taken place be. tween the Chinese and the British, in consequence the latter having taken possession of Macao. The first China fleet for England will, we under stand, be convoyed by Sir EDWARD 131-:LLEW hinaelf. He sailed from Bengal on the 4th of December t , ) proceed to Penang, for the purpose of joining the ff.:et there. The British Squadron stationed off the Isle cr France during the months of June and July, Cul . sisted of the NEREIDE frigate and two sloops of wa r , from the Cape, they maintained a very strict block ade, and the NEREIDE frequently passed Nithia range of the batteries. No late communication had been received from France ; the only vessel which for some time had ar. rived from Europe (a corvette laden with wine, aria having two nephews of General DMA EN on board), had been intercepted close to the shore by the Ncur iDE. The effects which the Island experienced from the continued blockade, conjoined with the interruption of all intercourse with the rest of the 'world, were ex tremely dismal, whenever the blockading squadron appeared, a general gloom visibly diffused itself over the countenances of the inhabitants, even the petty traffic with Bourbon and Madagascar, so essential to their existence, had latterly been exposed to the most alarming interruptions, and a general dearth of all the necessaries of life had been the consequence. The frigates la MANcitE and CAROLINE, and nvri f all the privateers which had been fitted out i n the spring, with the exception of a small ve , :isel, named the VENUS, were at sea. . The Jena, French corvette, had been taken by his Majesty's ship MODEST E. Sir HA RFOILD JONES, 77/10 was conveyed by the Nereido frigate to the Gulph, had landed from that vessel at Bushire, where he was received with ,very mark of respect and diskinction. It was reported in India, before the GoonciAw.t sailed, that the Per4ans had already had some dis, putes with the French, and had driyen their Agents from the Court and Capital. " MADRAS, OCTOBER 20 " His Majesty's ship Coaxaraws, on Monday last, brought accounts pc the capture off the Saad Heads, of the French nizate le Jena (formerly le Revenant), of 24 guns, after a runairr tizht of ball an hour, by his Majesty's frigate Monts-re, Hor..(..p:an ELLIOTT. The MODEST'E loft the Master, and two men lOU s—the loss on beard the Jena was 12 men killed, and deuhle that number wounded. It was supposed she was commzn:!ed by Monsieur MouTattn, as she was manned by the crew of the Semillante. She had 24,000 dollars on beard, taken out of the Swallow, and had made three captures. She is taken into oiir service, and Captain SToIEURD has been appuitited to com mand " CALCUTTA, NOVEMBER 15. 0 The late rumours from the island of Java, resin:chug the ar rival of a French squadron, &c. are repeated in the Bombay Pa pers, with the addition that the King of SooLoo had taken up lums against the Dutch. " 4 The fleet, under convoy of the Ma/tic:rause, consisting of thrt4 lndiamen and ten valuable country ships, of which the Canton Was one, reached China in safety on the 7th of Juii; and on the 24th of the same month the second fleet, consisting of the ships Baring, Admiral Drury, and Margaret, of this port, tole• ther with the David Scott atd three other valuable ships from Bombay, likewise arrived at Macao, after beating off a large French privateer near Pedro Brenca." CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, FEB. M " Opr fleet I; returned from a cruize off the Isle of France, .14 has been in port about a month, but sails again immediately to resuma the blockade. " The same fleet carries out propositions to General De Caca, the Governor of the Isles of France, for an exchange of primer:. The Admiral (Berrie) and his raceilency have already held a vo luminous. correspondence on the subject ; and it is understood that se soon as a regular cartel can be established, an exchange will take place without further impediment." CORN EXCHAPPOR, MARC.],4NR, APRIL 26...-There is but a short supply of Wheat to-day, fine much in demand, and :ales fully support last prices—Barley and Malt likewise, and i•oth in short supply—White Peas at the late reduction—ikans of b sorts at little variation—There arc several arrivals of Oats from Holland, and some from•lreland, which prevents a .i.e in this trade, and is expected cheaper—Flour without alteration. PLYM(YUTH, APRIL ::•t. • By the Georgiana packet that arrived here yesterday from Cal. cutta, 17 weeks front Bengal, and eight weeks from Sr. lfcle: a, we have advices, that the Lord Nelson, Presion, and Ceylou regular ships, together with the Ann, Diana, Glory, Experimerr, and Tigris, left Madras the 23e1 October last, under convoy of the POWERFUL and ALBION, of 74 guns each : ships paned company in 9. 0. S. long. 99. E. during a gale, when the Lord Nelson, Experiment, and Glory were missing, and fears are enter tained for their safety. The Diana and Ceylon were left at the Cape : the Georgiana sailed from St. Helena the -27th kelirc.ary, and left there the Hardeastle, from China; Wexford, front Bom bay; Preston and Phoenix regular ships, Ann, and Tigris, front Bombay; Rose whr.ler, from Botany Bay; and William, front Di soLtion : they were to sail from St. Helena the Ist of March, wider convoy of the GRAMPUS, of 50 guns, and THAIS sloop of war.—Sir EDWAREI PELLEW is coming home in the CULLODEN, of 74 guns.—The Travers extra ship, Captain Cotem, out ' ward bound to Bengal, went ashore in Drowned Island, in the mouth of the Pegu River, on the morning of the 7th November last, and shortly after striking, she filled with water; and the crew launched the long-boat by cutting away the gunnels: 93 persons were in the long-boat and cutter • 16 of the crew were left on the wreck, all of whom are supposed to have perished. The Moo gsT E, Capt. E ttiorr, has captured the Jena French privateer (formerly the Revennante) commanded by Su aeon Fr; she was chased nine hours, in which the Master or the MODISTE is said to have been killed.-1 he Sea Flower brig, Capt. Owe N, was captured by the,Cannoniere French pr: Jateer, and recaptured after a long chase, going into the Isle of Prance. Ihe Sea-flower had previously taken some very valuable prizes, which are all safe. Came in the IMPERIEUSE, of 38 guns, from Weymouth. The MEDUSA frigate sailed at seven o'clock last evening for Jtochefort, and took out a supply of live bullocks for our fleet there. The BEAC.:LE brig made her number in the oMng at half past six; but she proceeded to the Eastward, exr landing an Qfficer with letters and dispatches front off Rochefort to the 17th instant. DOVER, APRIL 2S. Arrived in the Roads from a cruise the SKYLARK, Tcr, and BADOKR sloops, and BLOODHOUND gun-brig; the ionner 1)11 sailed again, the three latter remain.—Wind N. E. and Ivo:it:rate DEAL, APRIL 25. Sailed through the Downs f.-om the River, the Oxford, Cap tain Potherby, for the Cape of Good Hope; Susannah, Estill, for Dominica; William , —, for Trinidad ; and Fanny, Hera, for Portugal.—Wind N. F. HARWICH, APRIL 25. Arrived this morning, the Lord Duncan, Captain HamturoN, from Gottenburg, with mails and passengers; and this afternoon, the King George, Captain SAUNDERS, with mails and passengers, from Gottenburg ; both which packets have been sent to Stallate Creek, to perform quaramine.—Rernain as per last. LONDG:: Printed and Published by LEVEL KENT, of Car terbury Place, Lambeth, at the STmt-Orricr, No. 1, Cut) ;greet. Pubkared o k a at the STAIIO.OI rtes, Temple Dar* 1 1 1 1