Star. — London, England, 1819-07-14 00:00:00

L ii ~,, 1 r i ; PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. HOUSE OF LORDS, JULY 13. A formal Meeting of the • House took place at one o'clock, when several Return Bills, meetly private, were brought up from the Commons by Mr. Bammut and others, and laid on the table. Their Lordships Judgments, pronounced yesterday in the Queensberry and other Appeal Causes, were read, and confirmed by the House, and ordered to be entered upon the Journals. About two o'clock, the cannon announced the entrance of bra Royal Highness the Pause' Rao:more into the Chambers of Parliament ; and in a few minutes, the Reamer having put on his robes of state in the. Prince's Chamber, the Royal Procession entered the House o 4 Peers, and his Royal Highness took kismet upon the 'Throne. Sir names Teamster, Knight, Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, was then dispatched to order the attendance of the Commons forthwith, and accordingly a very considerable num ber of Members, with the Seamus at their head, appeared at the Bar. The SPEARRR immediately addressed the PRINCE RROENT as follows : " Map it pleas* your Royal " We, his Majesty's faithful Commons of the United King dom of Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled, at tend your Royal Highness with our concluding Bill of Supply. "I The subjects which have occupied our attention, have been more tuunerous more various, and more important, than are uivally submitted to the consideration of Parliament in the same Session. " Upon many of these subjects we have been engaged in long and unwearied examinations • but such'has been the pressure of other business, and particula;ly of that which ordinarily belongs to a first Session of Parliament, and such the magnitude and in tricacy of many of those inquiries that the limits of the present Session have not allowed of bringing them to a ekes. " But, Sir, of those measures which we have completed, the most prominent, the most important, and, as we trust, in their consequences, the most beneficial to the Public, are the mea sures which have grown out of the present state of the Country, both in its Currency and its Finances. Early, Sir, in the present Session, we instituted an Inquiry into the effects produced on the Exchanges with Foreign Coun tries, and the state of the circulating Medium, by the restriction so payments in Cash by the Bank. This Inquiry was most anxiously and most deliberately conducted, and in its result led to the conclusion, that it was most desirable, quickly but with due precautions, to return to our ancient and healthful state of Cur rency; That whatever might have been the expediency of the Acts for the suspension of payments in Cash at the different periods at which they were enacted, and doubtless they were ex pedient whilst the Country was involved in the most expensive contest that ever weighed down the Finances of any Country— still that the necessity for the continuance of these Acts having ceased, It became us, with as little delay as possible (avoiding carefully the convulsion of too rapid a transition), to return to our ancient sy.tco. ; and that if at any period, and under any circumstances, this return could be effected without national in convenience, it was at the present, when this mighty Nation, with aproud retrospect of the past, after having made the greatest efforts, and achieved the noblest objects, was now reposing in a confident, and, as we fondly hope, aNwell-founded expectation of a sound and lasting Peace. " In considering, Sir, the state of our finances, ani in mi nutely comparing our income with our expenditure, it appeared to us, that the excess of our income was not fairly adequate for the purposes to which it was applicable, the gradual reduction of the National Debt: " It appeared to us, that a clear available surplus of at least five millions ought to be set apart for that object. " This, Sir, has been effected by the additional imposition of three millions of taxes. " Sir, in adopting this course, his Majesty's faithful Commons . did not conceal from themselves, that they were coiling upon the nation for a great exertion ; but well knowing that honour, and character, and independence, have at all times been the first and dearest objects of the hearts of Englishmen, we felt assured that there was no difficulty that the country would not encoun ter, and no pressure to which she would not willingly and cheer fully submit, to enable her to maintain, pure and unimpaired, that which has never yet been shaken or sullied—her Public Credit and the National Good Faith. " Thus, Sit, I have endeavoured shortly, and I am aware how impetfectly, to notice the varioui duties which have devolved upon ns, in one of the longest and most arduous Sessions in the records of Parliament. " The Bill, Sir, which it is my duty to present to your Royal Highness, is intitulecl—' An Act for applying certain Moneys therein mentioned for the Service of the year 1819, and for fur ther anpeopriating the Supplies granted is this Session of Par liament: " To which, with all humility, we pray his Majesty's Royal As ;est." When the SPEAKER had concluded, - - - • . The . Personal Royal Assent of the Rums, ln the name and on behalf of his bLieserv, was then declared, in the usual form, to the following Bills :—The Appropriation Bill, the New Churches Act Amending Bill, the Highland Roads and Bridges. the Bakers Regulation, the Poor Laws Amendment, the Alil bank Penitentiary, the Bill to Reverse the Attainder on the Family of Lire Edw.ud Fitzgerald, and to three Road or Inch.- sure Bills. After the above proceedings, his Royal Highness the PRINCE REGENT closed the Session by the fol lowing Speech from the Throne: - A My Lords, and Centkreen, " It is with great regret that I am again obliged to armour:Lc ' C c to you the continuance of his Majesty's lamented indi Lion. " I cannot close this Session of Parliament without :pr essing the satisfaction that I have derived from the zeal an assiduity as ifh which you have applied yourselves to the several • taut objects which have come under your consideration. Your patient and laborious investigation of the state of the Circulation and Currency of the Kingdom demands my warmest acknowledgments; and I entertain a confident expectation that the measures adopted, as the result of this inquiry, will be pro ductive of the most beneficial consequences. " Gentlemen of t'.e Hustse of Chnsmons, " I thank you fur the Supplies which you have granted for the service of the present year. " I sincerely regret that the necessity should have existed of snaking any addition to the burthens of the People ; but I anti cipate the most important permanent advantages from the effort which you have thus made for meeting at once all the Financial difficulties of the country; and I derive much satisfaction from the belief that the means which you have devised for this jrur par arc calculated to press as lightly on all the classes of the ca:nraunity as could be expected when so great an effort was to be made. " My Lords, and Genliemen, " I continue to receive from Foreign Powers the strongest assurances of their friendly disposition towards this country. - " I have observed with great concern the attempts which have recently been made in some of the manufacturing districts, to take advantage of circumstances of local distress, to excite a spirit of disaffection to the Institutions and Government of the country. No object can be nearer my heart than to promote the welfare I and prosperity of all classes of his Majesty's subjects; but this cannot be effected without the maintenance of public order and tranquillity. " You may rely, therefore, upon my firm determination to employ for this - purpose the powers entrusted to me by law ; and I have no doubt thas, on your return to your several counties, you will use your utmost endeavours , in co - ope r ation with the Magistracy, to defeat the machinations of those whose projects, if successful, could only aggravate the evils which it is professed to' , remedy; and who, under the pretence of Reform, have really no other object but the subversion of our happy Constitution." Then the LORD CHANCELLOR, by the Patrice Rs- GENT'S command, said— "My Lords, and Gentlemen, ' " it is the will and pleasure of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, acting in the name and on behalf of his Majesty, that this Parliament be prorogued to Tuesday, the 24th day of August ' next, to be then here holden ; and this Parliament is accordingly I prorogued to Tuesday, the 44th day of August next." The Members of the House of Commons retired, and the PRINCE Reozwr withdrew in the same form as was observed on his entrance. HOUSE pf COMMONS. At half-past one the SPIPotiIER took the Chair, dressed in his state robes. A message from the Lords requested that the House would furnish their Lordships with a copy of the Report of the Commissioners appointed to in quire into the state of Weights and Measures in Ire land, which was ordered. Sir GEORGE HILL brought up the several Re ports of the Annual Public Expenditure of lieland. STORRICZEPIR-GENZRAL ' S DEPARTMZNT. Mr. HUM E, in rising to address the House, meant to conclude what he was unfortunately prevented from doing last night, and should close his remarks by moving, " that an humble Address be presented to his Royal Highneis the Prince Regent, praying that he will be pleased to cause a strict inquiry to be made into the expenses of every Branch and Department of the Public Service, but especially into the expenses of the Storekeeper-General's De partment." He meant to move such an Address, with this addition—" that he will be pleased to take into his consideration the nature of any va cancies which may occur in such Department, before they be filled up." The Honourable Gentleman went on to complain, that the assertions which had been made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the rest of his Majesty's Ministers, of their wish to prac tise every possible economy in the public expenditure, bad not been fulfilled; that they had not shewn the slightest disposition to retrenchment; that, on the contrary, every branch of public service, the Military establishments in particular, were carried on upon a scale of the most lavish and extravagant expense: that these within a short period had increased from £2,441,461, to upwards of £9,000,000; and that as a proof of the inordinate charge for them in the pre sent year, it was only necessary for him to name these Estimates :—Army, £13,900,000 ; Ordnance., £1,091,000; making an aggregate of £9,991,000, notwithstanding the many pledges of economy which had been given by different Honourable Gentlemen. The Honourable Member here entered into several statements of the general Military Establishments, in confirmation of Ins assertion, and then proceeded to notice that to which he wished principally to direct the attention of the House, namely, the Storekeeper- General's Departn*nG—a Department which he de clared was wholly without precedent in point of ex pense. The office was originally established under the direction of Mr. Trotter, now distinguished by the name of the Soho-square Mr. Trotter, to receive in charge Stores which until that period it had been usual to sell. For the fifteen years during which it had been under the superintendence of that Gen tleman, the average annual expense of the Establish ment had deen £19,717. With a view to economy, his Majesty's Government had placed at the head of that Department the present Mr. Trotter, who had declared his intention of considerably diminishing the expense. The House would, however, hear with astonishment, that he had increased the establish ment of Clerks from 13 to 93, and the general ex pense, in the first year of his superintendence, to £30,323 ; in the next year, to £55,561 ; in 1813, to £130,000; in 1816, to £131,000 ; in 1817 (being the, second year of peace, and notwithstanding a Com mittee of the House of Commons had reported that the Storekeeper-General's department was one pecu liarly susceptible of retrenchment) to £82,594 ; and in 1818, to £63,968. It was also a fact, that during the three years, 1816, 1817, and 1818, the whole value of the Stores placed in that 'Gentleman's cus tody, was only £153,329 ; while the expense of keeping them for these *three years amounted to £277,716, being nearly twice that amount ! If that was not enough to prove a wasteful expenditure, he knew not what was. It was an expense which Mini sters might stop at pleasure, 6ut yet they allowed it to go on increasing. They had done more. They had allowed the Clerks of that Establishment to re tire on Pensions unwarranted by the practice in other Public Departments. One of those individuals had been allowed so to retire after a service of only one year and four months--(Cries of No, no, floor Me Treasury Bench),—lf that was not the fact, then the Returns on the Table were inaccurate, for it was there distinctly stated. Unquestionably he did not ascribe to those Returns the praise of correctness, for it was said in them that the Deputy Storekeeper- General, 11Ir. Smith, had intimated his intention of giving up his Commission on the 24th of December, when the fact was, that that step was taken in con sequence of his having been found guilty, by a Corn mittee of Inquiry, of most improper conduct.—=The Honourable Gentleman was proceeding, when the discharge was heard of the cannon, announcing the arrival of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent; on which he said that he would no longer trouble the House—(A laugh), but move his Address, which, as the Honourable Gentleman had before observed, was an echo of the Resolution of the House, calling on Ministers to adopt the most rigid public economy. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER thought that the Honourable Member had selected a period the most unseasonable that could be chosen to bring forward a measure involving so much dis cussion. If the Honourable Member felt inclined to bring forward his propositions in the next Session, he might expect that his observations would be met with statements fully confuting the animadversions' which he had thrown out. There were, however, one or two points which he could not pass over.— During the time that Mr. Trotter, of Soho-square, was in office, the whole of the Stores over which he bad charge, amounted to I:1,800,000, while those lof which the present Storekeeper-General had in charge from the commencement of his office to the present time, amounted to upwards of three millions. The House would readily see that the expenditure during the offices of the two Storekeepers-General, must naturally vary very considerably in the amount. It was to be remembered too, that the former Officer had a profit of 10 per cent. on the sale of those Stores, independent of all the other advantages he enjoy e d. But perhaps the House would be better put in pos session of the character of this model of economy by a short extract from the Speech of Lord Henry Petty, the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1806. That Noble Lord stated that for six years previous tolBo6, Hospital Stores merely bad cost the country £700,000, Mr. Trotter, he stated, had so much seal and disin terestedness for the public service, that in his own F:Crn he united the several characters of a manu irer of stores, a purveyor of others, a contractor for others, was the conductor of all himself; and be sides this, had in addition ten per cent. of the sale of all stores. The Treasury was compelled in justice to the country to set about a complete alteration of this system. Sir T. B. MARTIN rose to express his indignation at the unfairness of the accusations made by the Ho nourable Member (Mr. Hume); when The USHER of the BLACK Ron mitered the House, rand informed the SPEAKER that his Royal Highness the PRINCE REGENT required the attendance of the House in the House of Peers. The House then went to the House of Peers, and heard the PRINCE REGENT deliver his Speech from the Throne, and the Parliament prorogued. The SPEAKER then returned to the House, accom panied by a few Members, to whom be stated, that he had procured a copy of the Prince Regent's Speech, which had just been delivered. He then read the copy of the Speech ; after which the various Mem bers withdrew, and the Session terminated. THE EVENING STAR. LONDON. WEDNESDAY, JULY 14, 1819. THE FUNDS. PRICE OP STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLCCK 3 per Cent. Reduced 68i S per Cent. Consols 67R-1 ex. div. Si per Cent. 771-1. Tier Cent. 861 871 86; 87 5 per Cent. Navy 1041; ex. div. Bank Long Annuities 18Ii Imperial 3 per Cent. Anns. 67; 66} India Stock shut—lndia Bonds 6 pre. Exchequer Bills (2ck) 1 dis. par Uranium 1 dis. India for Acct. 21St 2141- Consols for Acct. 6911 69 169. Another proof occurred yesterday afternoon of the dangerous extent to which speculations for time are made, and with what facility the credulity of individuals is worked upon by the party who wish to raise the Funds to diminish their own losses, without any regard to those whom they thus sacrifice, in opposition to common sense, and to the conviction of the Public most decidedly ex pressed. A very respectable Jew Merchant has announced his incapacity tb meet his differences, which are stated to amount to upwards of Twenty Thousand Pounds. It is known that one Broker loses 1:6,000, another £4,500, one £3,800, one £l,BOO, and another £2,000; the rest uncertain, but believed generally to fall, as well as the above items, upon the Jews themselves. This is as it should be—for it cannot'be disputed that these men, by their enor mous speculations and their deep-laid schemes, cause al; the ruinous fluctuations that occur. Consols, which had been done at 70, fell to 69 ; a number of persons were frightened out of their mo ney, and are now looking on with vexation at their own folly. The price is 69, with every appearance of a further decline, as it now appears that the Ac count will turn out differently from what was expected. The PRINCE REGENT'S Speech yesterday, on pro roguing the Parliament ( See the Parliamentary Pro ceedings), was not so long as has been usual for some i years, on similar occasions. After a slight allusion , to the lamented indisposition of his MAJESTY, his ROYAL HIGHNESS expressed satisfaction at the patient and laborious investigation of the state of the Cur-, rency, and his confidence as to the result; and on this point we are sure that the voice of all sound econo mists goes with the Rzozwr and his Ministers. The Speech next adverts to the New Taxes. On this subject many considerate men differ much from; his Royal Highness's Ministers, as to .he propriety of the manner in which it has been sought to increase the Revenue, or rather as to the objects fixed on for taxation. In a period of such general distress, new Taxes should be such as not to touch upon the poor, but only those whose property places them above the general pressure: but on the contrary, all the lately imposed Taxes fall upon necessaries, not upon the luxu ries of life; and the suffering thereby induced must be proportionate. If, however, the produce of these new impositions shall bring up the receipt of the Exchequer to the public expenditure, one great object will have been gained, and we may hope, this being once effected, that pains will be employed to produce some amelio ration in the operation of the taxes by a transfer of part of the taxes on necessaries to objects of luxury. It has, however, been noticed as singular, that the present Speech presents no anticipations of the in creased productiveness of taxes already in existence. On this head we commend Ministers for their prudent silence ; for, at a crisis like the present, it is impos sible to calculate, with certainty, on the receipts from consutription, when every one employed in any kind of business, occupation or labour, is obliged to eco nomise : nor can the receipts of any single quarter furnish any certain criterion whereby to judge of the annual produce ; for even the imposition of the late taxes had the momentary effect to increase the Trea sury receipts, by encouraging the holders of Colonial produce to exert themselves in raising money to take bonded goods out of the King's warehouses, before the operation of the new taxes could affect them. His Royal Highness continues to receive from Foreign Powers the strongest assurances of their friendly disposition towards this country. We wish' we had also seen in the Speech, the same expression that occurred at the prorogation of the last Sessjon, viz. " their disposition to maintain the tranquillity of Europe." Should this silence be considered as a mere oversight ? or may it be inferred that there are clouds in the political horizon which would have ren dered it imprudent to predict that every thing like tempest may be considered very remote ? , The Speech also alludes to the unhappy state of some of the Manuflcturing districts, and tt'e sition of some individuals to take a; opportll-:y f :0 . 4 these distresses to excite disaffection ; and tzi..e s a , surance that his Royal Highnels will employ t i. e powers entrusted to him by law to promote the w e !, fare and security of his Majesty's subjects. Such are the topics presented in the Speech; bat we miss another that we expected to have fou n d i 3 it—an assurance that the effecting of the entire aty, lition of the Slave Trade, by urgent negotiations those Powers whose co-operation is necessary, wok not be lost sight of. Spain, Portugal. and " France, are at this moment actively engaged in t . :; abominable traffic. We used also to be told of up . cheering prospects of our Trade and Commerce, which, however, the present Speech is silent : we think Ministers, in framing the Speech, have azea very wisely. When a patient is in the paroxysm c:'a fever, no prudent physician will venture to progar• . . ticate the period of convalescence and return to sound health. By an Order in Council of the 12th instant, it 2p. pears that a prohibition is laid upon the expnrt gunpowder, saltpetre, and every sort of ammunition, from this kingdom, to all the ports in the Spani,: l dominions. The neutrality determined by this coo. try to be observed in the quarrel between Spain ati her Colonies, will thus be strictly maintained. n e Order itself is a corollary to the proposition of th e Foreign Enlistment Bill ; and indeed it was only fair, that as we would not permit our countrymen to fight in the armies of the South Americans, so we ought not to supply their opponents with ammunition. The Paris Papers of Sunday last arrived thy , for , noon.—The Chamber . of Peers commenced .1r! finished on Saturday the discussion of the Iltikzet 1 Expenditure for 1819. It was finally adopted, wits only one dissentient voice. The Deputies were on the same day occupied with the discussion of the Petition from the Students (4 Law, soliciting the intervention of the Chamber against the suspension of Professor BAVAUX.— The Commission recommended that the Chamber should pass to the order of the day, seeing that the matter was already in a course of investigation bi the proper Tribunals. The Chamber, after a smart debate, adopted this recommendation by a large ma• jority; there being only seven of a minority, consist. ing Of Messrs. LAFAYETTE, CONSTANT, CIIALIVELIN, MANVEL, DA (MOO, HERNOIM, and COORCELLES. As soon as the Chamber of Peers have terminald the discussion of the Budget of Ways and Means for 1819, a last Sitting of both Chambers will be con voked, when the closing of the Session will be pro. nounced by commission. Don Orris, the late Spanish Minister to the United States, left Paris on Friday for Madrid. He dined on the preceding day with M. Ds CA2ES. The French Funds, which have for a consiJeraWe time past been rising very steadily, have at levn reached the high rate of 71fr. sc. A Hamburgh Mail arrived this forenoon with P. pers to the 6th instant. We subjoin some interesting extracts, which will serve to shew the existing state of the relations between the three great Northern Powers—Russia, Denmark, and Sweden. It is diffi cult to discover any remaining occasion for quarrel among these potentates, now that the question of tie Norway debt has been satisfactorily settled ; but it is impossible, at the same time, to read of such de monstrations of strength, as these accounts present us with, in the shape of annual marine excursions, grand reviews, &c. mixed up with so many jealous allu sions to future contingencies, without feelings of con. siderable apprehension and mistrust: ST. PETERSBURGH, JUNE le. The usual annual excursion of the Baltic fleet, for the purpose of exercising the sailors, has begun. The squadron sailed some days ago from Cronstadt. The marines and the corps of sea cadets, sail from here to-morro*, on board a frigate and a brig, for the same purpose of improving themselves in naval practice. HELSINGBURG, JUNE 26. His Majesty's Ambassador at Copenhagen, Cosa tarvast, brought to his Majesty, at Herrcward s 'Closter, the assurances of esteem and friendship of his Danish Majesty, who returned the compliment by sending his Aid-de-Camp, Lieutenant-Colonel Adlercreutz, to Copenhagen. 'On the 23d, the Danish Admiral Bille, and Crla nel Harrier, arrived here on a similar mission, and had an audience of the King ; and on the 23d were received by the Crown Prince in the Camp. On the 24th, being St. John's Day, all the Rcgi• ments of Infantry in the camp received their new standards of the national colours; the ceremony was performed with great solemnity, the Infantry formed an open square, which was almost surrounded by the Cavalry drawn up in the form of an herse•sboe• After the Army had done the King military honours• the Colonels of the Regiments placed themselves in a circle round his Majesty,, who received the colcurs from Lieutenant-Governor Posse, second Comnrin,lu of the Corps, and delivered them to the Crown Price to distribute them to the Colonels. His Majesty saiJo on this occasion, " Tell the Colonels of the Regi menu that these standards, adorned with the national colours, which they now received, shall always serve them as a rallying sign fur the defence of the Stze, and as sure guides, if they should have to act again'-: