Star. — London, England, 1815-07-05 00:00:00

i, • taxation, and that, hereafter, much national benefit would arise from a consolidation of the revenues, or the application of a uniform principle of finance in that respect to both countries. The Earl of DONOLIGHMORE spoke in expla nation, after which the Bill was agreed to by the Committee, and reported without any amendment. The Earl of LAUDERDALE deferred his mo tion for the second reading of the Pillory Abolition Bill till to-inorrow, when, if the measure did net meet with approbation,- he said he should not press its further progress this Session. The remaining Bills upon the table were then for warded in their respective stages, and an adjourn took place. N HOUSE OF COMMONS. The U•her of the Black Rod having demanded the attendance of the tii'llie Ili tie How of Vuers, the SPZAKLII, on his re. turn, at:act!, that the Royal Anent had been given by Cuomo'. sion t.i seettai Public and Private Bills.—(For wluch see the I:ortia.) • 1 he Charitable Donations Bill was read a first and second time, and committed. Report to-morrow. Mr. I.v Lidos, from the Ta; Office, presented an Account of the Expellee, incurred by the Commissioners, for the sale and redemption of the Lard *Fax. l'he liunckil Debt, Epsom Salt, Sweet., and Spirits Intercourse wee read a third time and passed. OItANGE SOCIETIE3. Sir H. PA RNELL rose, pursuant to his notice, to move an Address to the Prince Regent, for the appointment of a Committee to inquire into the na ture and consequences of Orange Societies in Ireland. When the Petitioners from Newry applied to him last year, he advised them to leave the matter in the 'lands of his Islajesty's Government ; they did so, and he was concerned to find, that tip to the present time mining had been done in it. He stated the nature of the Orange Societies, who bound themselves by oath to support King George, as long as he shluld support the Protestant ascendancy; thus making their allegiance conditional. They also bound themselves not to disclose any • information they might receive. 'Pe Petitioners complained that they disturbed the public peace by their proceedings, which excited ank mosaics. and even riots and murders, as well as in terfetieg in the due administration of justice. The Honoiliable Baronet proceeded to read other subor dinate allegations contained in the petition of last year. On being applied to, to present their petition this year, he said he requested to be informed whether the evils complained of had diminished since last year ? when they assured him that they continued to the same extent as heretofore. He alluded tp the opi nion of Judge Fletcher, who lately declared that these Societies had produced the must mischievous' effects, and that he pronounced all such meetings to be contrary to law ; and was convinced that till they were put down, and the arms t 'ken from their hands, the tranquillity of the North of Ireland could not be attained. 0,1 these grounds, and without any hosti lity to the Government, he thought the subject so important as to require the immediate attention of Parliament. He then made his motion. Oa the question being put, Mr. PELL said, it would not be necessary for him to detain tee House at any length, on the subject either of the speech or the motion of the Honourable Baronet. The motiorehe considered to be totally un necessary: It deemed part of the system of the Hon. Daman to bring torward such a motion veiny year, and at an equally late period of the Session. On the 12th ce July, IBIS, he made the same son of motion; on the 18th of July, 1814. he made a speech without snaking any motion ; and on the 4th of July this year, he makes his motion again. It must therefore be evident to the Hon. Baronet himself, that no expe diency existed for the commission. It was merely to enquire whether the statements in the Newry petition and Judge Fletcher's opinion were true or tribe ? It was a commission which was neither to be empowered to examine witnesses on oath, nor to punish any per sons who might be proved guilty of exciting distur bances. It was, therefore, to be a sort of roving commission of inquiry, equally absurd as unneces sary. He hoped that the House would deem it quite inexpedient to enter into an investigation of general allegations, unsupported by specific charges or facts. It some of the Hon. Baronet's statements were true, that Juries were influenced, and Magistrates preju diced by the* Societies, he would leave it to the House to say, whether such a state of society could exist ? If the Hon. Baronet had any charge to make against the Irish Government, he begged him to bring it forward, and he would pledge himself that it would be openly met and controverted. Mr. MAURICE FITZGERALD defended the proposition of Sir H. Parnell. He repeated the con tents of the petition, as just grounds of inquiry ; coming as they did from persons of all religious per suasions, and complaining of the proceedings of the Orange Societies interrupting the impartial admini stration of the laws. No less than fourteen petitions had been presented on this subject without effect.— He could state from his own experience, that the in-' sluence of religious feeling excited by these Societies woe stn great. that it had in many cares been deemed mercy to prefer martial law instead of the ordinary law of the land. He was convinced that it was mote the interest of the Protestants themselves than of the Catholics, to put down those Societies. As the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Peel) must be perfectly aware that a great part of Ireland is now disturbed, he most be also aware of the advantage that would arise from putting an lanced* causes of the disturbance, • which were to be twain these Societiei more than in any thing else. Mr. V. FITZGERALD could not suffer the sub. jot to pass without s few obieriatient. He bad never beard any-question less likely tb comasand the adop tion of the House thin that which had been brought forward by the Hossobribht baronet, and supported by his Right Honourable Friend (Mr. M. Fitzgerald) to a speech abotinding in 'tnitupported allegations.— e/ (the Helenas-able 13aronet). had even 'contested sera she 'did not" suspect or charge the Government • *Rh any 'partiality' and yet he wished atiminiesioh In eficoire into the clirrges of the - petitioneti. The 4tight.Henourible Gentleman then defended the G 6; larnment of LeidWhitetetth and the Duke of Rich = Inond'agebist theinsinuatibn' of Mr: M: Fitzgerald, ' ft' laving 'been - lett inspotdat than' those .of Lords Chen vhdlis lard ritswillism,' and insisted brat they hadehever *parsed from diet ' impartial Odmisistra tiou justice whicit it oars tbeii-dtity to *serve: — As WV* &imbed state of the votary te which his itight Honotirshle Vinod bui aliptledt be ought in ; candour to have stated, that these were the precisif parts w, here such Associations do not exist. He ens treated him not to persist in the opinion that Mar i tial law was preferable to trial by Jury. Such .feelings were too predominant amongst us , but they were most ' egregious ; and he agreed with him, that the revival of such topics, u were now brought forward, was most injudicious. He would oppose the motion, from a firm conviction that there was nu foundation for the interposition of Government. Mr. M. FITZGERALD explained, that he did not mean to impute partiality of conduct on the part of Government towards either of the parties. Colonel ARCHER said, that there were other so cieties more obnoxious to the public peace than the Oraneemen, such as Ribbonmen and others; and why had not the fitinourable Baronet included them in his motion ? He thought such a question calcu lated to keep alive the animosities which the Honour able Baronet condemned ; and he trusted that' the House would not countenance any such attack upon a body of loyal individuals as the Orangemen had proved themselves to be. Sir H. PARNELL explained, and stated that the Ribbonmen had associated to protect themselves against the proceedings of the Orangemen. He re peated the anecdotes he had mentioned at a former period, respeCting the acquittal of some persons charged with firing on a party at a fair, by which some lives were lost, and which drew from the pre siding Judgb the observation to the Jury, that he' thanked GOD the verdict was not his, but theirs. He+ reurged many of his previous arguments in favour o f the motion. Mr. PEEL replied to the observation; of the Ho. nourable Baronet, respecting the unfortunate riot., and stated what he had said at the time, in proof that the prosecution against the Protestants engaged in it, was conducted at the express direction and ex pense of the Irish Government. Sir G. HILL was convinced that it was impossible for the law, both civil and criminal, to be better con ducted than in the province of Ulster. He deprecated not only the general tendency of the statements of the Petitioners, but the consequences that must arise out of the discussion of such topics. The Protestants of the North of Ireland were really the body who had a right to complain, from the system of oppres sion and libertinism which prevailed in those districts on the part of the Catholics ; in proof of which he read a set of resolutions, signed by one thousand two hundred Protestants, respecting the outrages com mitted by an organised society of Ribbottmen at the fairs. The best commission that could be issued would be one to authorise the Magistrates and Jus tices of the Assizes and Quarter Sessions to enforce the law to its fullest extent in trials for rioting and disturbance. As to what had been said on different occasions of Orange Processions, he never recollected one in his life ; and he would say, that it was a duty on the part of Government to suppress any such exuberance of sentiment, if it really existed. After some farther remarks on the impartiality of Juries. ot which he had been foreman, the question was called for, when the House divided s For the Motion 40—Against it 89—Majority 69. Mr. BENNETT, seeing a Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Addington), in his place, wished to know what had been done respecting the advice contained in the' Ripon of the tonesetkies that had enquired into the Sute.of the Prisons in the kingdom ? Mr. ADDINGTON stated, that some steps had been taken by Government, in conformity to the re commendations in that report. In farther reply to + another question from Mr. Bennett, -the Right Hon.' Gentleman said, that the very serious illness with which he had been long afflicted, and from which he had but just recovered, had prevented him front knowing, till within these few days, what steps had been taken on the subject. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER brought up several Papers, amongst which was a copy of the Bull of Pope Pius VII. relative to the re establishment of the Jesuits —(Load laushiag.) Mr. BARING wished to know if the Chancellor of the Exchequer had it in contemplation, before the close of the present Session to introduce any measure for carrying the commercial regulations of the late Treaty with America into effect. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the Honourable Gentleman must be awate that this could not at present be done in any regular form, but he reminded him that a Bill was now in the House for regulating the trade with America. ... „ . THANKS TO THE DUKE OP YORK. Sir J. MAJORIBANKS trusted, that in submit ting to the House the motion of which he had given notice, it would not be supposed that he was Atuated by any interested motives. Those who knew him, must know that be bras incapable of such conduct. It had appeared to him that the services of his Royal Highness as Comm:cider in Chief of ,the English army, were entitled to the consideration of that House. He had been confirmed in his design tg submit st motion on this sUbject, by the course which had been pursued last year, and h 1 the language held by the Duke of Wellington when that illustrious per.i ionage received in person the Thanks at the House' of Commons. On that occasion the illustrious Com mander he had last named had declared, that it VMS to the support which he had received from Govern. ment, and to the judicious arrangements of his Royal Highness the Commander in Chief, that ihe . success of his operations was to be ascribed. At the present moment, when that which had a short time been so modestly predicted or anticipated by the Chancel lor of the Exchequer—(ot Laigh)—seemed on the Eve Of being accomplished, he trusted the House Would feel it would not be too much for them to be stow on the Commander in Chief some particular mark Of their' gratitude. He therefore moved.... 66 That the Thanks of the House should be given to his Royal Highness the Duke of York, Captain Ge neral and Commander in Chief of his Majesty's Forces, for his continued efficient and unremitting exertions id the discharge of his duty for upwards of go years, during which period the English army had acquired a degree of discipline and science never be. toie known, to which, under PROVUUNCE, the late gliitidus successes were to be asctilied, and ttielipve sent Sechrity of the Country." , • The 'CHANCELLOR •of the EXCHEQUER was far rising to oppose the motion; Which, as . far of he Could judge, was likely to pass without es. Cohntering . Obe 'dissentient voice; but he could not help thinkio4 it alight have been better to have waited 7 - . 7 -77 A.,. • till that. period arrived, which be (the Chancellor oil the Exchequer). as the Honourable Gentleman was pleased to say, had so modestly predicted. was not far distant, when 'the labours of the army would be terminated, and the hopes of the nation fulfilled. He, however, could not complain, that in the enthusiasm which had been inspired by an exploit which had never been surpassed, that that distinguished indivi. vidual should be gratefully remembered who bad formed the army r and prepared the means of victory. It was a peculiar, singular, and no less gratifying cir cumstance, that t hei full extent of the recent triumph was obtained not from the dispatches of our own Commander, but from the narratives of our Allies, and the confessions of the enemy. Those who read these accounts must feel, that among the great cbs. l racteristics of the Duke of Wellington, his modesty was not the least conspicuous or extraordinary. In one battle the Conquercr of Europe had not only been defeated, but driven from li;s throne. This itn. portant result :hewed the unequalled magnitude of ! the service performed. Such extraordinary success,' however, it was not reasonable to suppose could hare been obtained but for the exertions of the Comman derin Chief to make the. army complete in every part. Our infantry, attacked by the French cavalry, and surrounded by every species of destruction, asto nished by its firamess—our cavalry not less by its ve locity and force. Every part of our army was en. titlrd to equal praise ; and the Commander in. Chief, iti exerting himself to make it so, had had no object ► in, ilerytort to secure its e ffi ciency. Ho petty or per 4. tiostal nes feted with his regolat ions, and these it wars which had placed our army in that situation in which it Low stood, and in which it commanded the universal approbation of the country. fie had not mentioned the artillery on the present occasion, as that was a branch of the st-rvire which did not im ruedhitely c . .me outer the care of the illustrious sub ject of the present motion. The artillerymen were not behind their hi ave. comrades in merit, and not having noticed them before, he thought, in justice to them, he could not too soon supply the omission. General FERGUS'iN supported t!.e motion. Mr. WESTERN, though he g-tve the fullest crib dit to the services of the Royal Duke, objected to the motion on constitutional wounds. if the Commar• der in Chief were not a Royal Dake, lie did not think a vote of thanks would have been proposed to him more than to any other person in that adminis tration of which he was but a subordinate officer. Constitutionally there was no difference between him and the Master General of the Ordnance, and the Commissioners of the Navy, yet were votes of thanks even under similar circumstances moved for them ? To thank the Duke of York personally would be to create an anomaly, and to introduce a new person into the Constitution. At the close of the last war, late in the Session, when there were hardly forty Mem bers present, an Honourable Friend of his, the Mem ber tor Taunton, had proposed to add a vote of thanks to the Commander in C h ief to the Thanks moved for the army. Timis he had considered an ex traordinary motion; but if thanks were again to be given to the Commander in Chief, they ought to wait till that period arrived at which they were voted before. He thought the circumstances under which this subject was brought forward peculiarly (Inform. aate. During the discussiOn au the merrier et awes dire Royal Luke. the merits of the Dabs of York had some how been introduced. Did it not then un fortunately appear, that this Vote of Thanks to the Duke of York had arisen out of the proceedings re specting the Duke of Cumberland, in order to raise the character of the former at the expense of the lat. ter t Perhaps the Honourable Mover would say. he bad intended bringing this motion at all events. If such had been his resolution, he thought it was a matter of regret that he had not given notice of it till within the last three days. He objected to the cr.urse now proposed as unprecedented and um:tn. .stitittional, and thought the vote ought not to .be come to until the conclusion of the war, nor ought it then to be submitted to the. House without previous notice being given. Sir J. MA RJORI BANKS explained. Mr. W. POLE, knowing as he did the sentiments of his Ncble relation on the conduct of the Comman der in Chief, could not be silent on this occasion. If the present motion had been brought forward at an unfortunate time, it had originated in those loyal and British feelings which ought to ensure it a favourable reception. It was wrong to say such a vote ought not to be come to, in acknowledgment of those ser- Vices v. hich had called forth general acclamation, be cause there was no precedent. (Hear, hmr.) In the same spirit of cold calculation the Honourable Gen tleman (Mr. Western) had asked if such a motion Would have been entertained had not the Comman der in Chief been a Royal Duke? He would say that it any man in that situation had rendered his country such eminent services as it owed to the Duke sot Yom k, it would be proper to thank him personally on an occasion like the present, without waiting till the war should be over. (Hear.) Was it unconsti tutional to reward a man for the able and successful ditty bar ge of his duty, in that situation to which at had been - s he pleasure of his Sovereign to call him ? Its - giving thanks they did not preclude themselves from judging of the future conduct of the individual so ho. Poured, whatever that conduct might be. The same constitutional objection which they had heard this night, might be opposed to a similar motion at the close of the war. It might still be urged there was no precedent—one indeed there was, but that was of modern date ; and, therefore, c ould not authorise the reward of merit like a precedent obtained from 'some old musty record. (Crier of Hear, hear!) — But for the great exertions of the Duke of York, as Commander in Chief, to supply him with the utter sary means, the Duke of Wellington believed be could not have atchieved the late victory. He (the Duke of Wellington) was astonished at the great improvement which had been introduced within the lass twenty years into the British Army, by the per severing study, unremitting lahour, and above all by the impartiality of the Duke of Ycrk. The Ho. noorable Gentleman whb had brought forward this motion could not feel more' the importance of the •Duke of York's exertions than the Duke of Wel pgroa did' in . the positive strength which he (the uke of York) had given to the army which had fought at Waterloo. Thirty:limey of his troops had astonished the Duke of Wellington, and he bad ex. pressed himself on the subject in these words, in a letter which he had written to hint these. W. Pole) immediatdr after the action—as I aver took so mo t h pains before. I never was so nearly being beaten— the English army never behaved itself so well."— This praise was due to every part of the army, and that the army had merited such an eulogium was to be ascribed to him, for whom, the Member for Esser, could net agree to a Vote of Thanks because no old musty record furnished a precedent for such a pro. ceeding. He could not speak on such a subject without warmth, when he saw such distinguished merit so reluctantly acknowledged. In his life he (Mr. W. Pole) had never given a vote with more sa tisfaction than he should give his vote that night in favour of the motion. Mr. BARING did not consider the Member fie Essex had merited the severe animadversions which had been bestowed upon him. He had not utterd syllable against the Commander in Chief; he hag' only suggested that there might be a constitution:' , objection to the motion. He differed from that He scarab)* Gentleman in thinking the Commander ii Chief was not constitutionally distinguished ken the Officers of the Government. He thought tb , • fittest time for bringing forward the p resent )een motion had not been chosen, but since. it had submittee to the House, s he should be sorry to see it withdrawn. He understood the Duke of York passed more time in his office than had ever before been given to it• duties by any Commander in Chief of his high rank He could wish as it was a long time since the Hone. had made any provision for him, that his income should be taken into consideration, as whatever might be ttle state' of our finances, he hoped the country would never fail to mark its gratitude for eminent. services. Mr. B. WILBRAHAM replied to the objection% urged to the motion by the Honourable Member tot Essex, and denied that the present motion had origi nated in an invidious desire to raise the character ot one Royal Duke at the expence of that of another. C.,lonel WOOD suppos•ed :he motion, and to prove that the Commander in Chief was particularly entitled to the thanks of the House, begged to remind' them of what had been the situation of the army wnen the Duke of York was first put at the head 0. it. At that period a practice had obtained of buying Commissions, and of tut:Mug up persons is the ser vice, who had interest, so rapidly. that it was. no: uncommon to the person named in one Gazette at as Ensign, to appear in another a few days atter a-. a Lieutenant-Colonel. In this manner mere LT. frequenily got placed in the command of regiments. The Duke of York put an end to this system ; he in stitu,ed gradations of service, by Which it was neces coy that every OtEcer, whatever his connections might be, should go through a certain course of ser vice before he could be promoted, and this salutary regulation had never in one solitary instance beer broken in upon. He noticed various iinprovertmits, of which the Duke of York had been the author, an spoke particularly in praise of the present system of tactics which he had introduced. These, which 2C years ago were unknown in the British service, were so simple, yet so applicable to every purpose of movement, that now British troops meeting from re- Mtn, parts of the Globe, could at once unite and act together. This was seen in the late battle. Our infantry (though it was not a picked army), though *Voted to a most murderous fine of artillery, atten tive, they Wee 'approached by cavalry, instantly threw themselves into squares, and uniformly beet off the enemy. The confidence of the Duke of Wel. lingcon in them was such, that when he saw the French cavalry advance, he instantly threw hirmel 4 into the centre of that battalion which was nearest tr him, and remained there till the tharge was over.— Tna English foot then fell back about 800 yards, just out of range of the enemy's musket;. The French infantry on seeing this advanced, and then the English deployed, charged with the bayonet, and drove them back. This statement of tiler move menu must prove the present system of tactics t h e best in the world. The Duke of Wellington had said the infantry was never for a moment shaken. Ht hoped the thanks of the House would be unanimously voted to the Commander in Chief. Mr. ME I'HUEN admitted the claim of the Duke of York to the gratitude of the country ; but could not think any increase of his income necessary. He had £lB,OOO as his ducal income, 1118,000 more on his marriage, the Ist Regiment of Guards, consisting of three battalions, and the Bishopric of Osnaburgh. He considered his Royal Highness to be amply pro. vided foe. If it could be proved otherwise, be (Mr. Methuen) would be open to conviction. • Iidr.WfiITBREILD was sorry the motion had been brought forward at this time, and regretted that any additional remuneration should have been suggested, as fit to be granted to the Duke of York, not on ac count of the insufficiency of the provisions already made for him, but as a reward for the Lull discharge of his duty. He also regretted the high tone which he thought the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. W. Pole) had unnecessarily taken on this occa.ion, who had raised in his mind a new objection to the motion by de. scribing -es ingratitude, an indisposition to vote for it. When the acknowledgments made by oar great Com uiandete himself to his Royal Highness, and dfoo-• were not hollow compliments, were considered — when the efficiency of an army composed of corp. coming from so many different quartets, was ascribed to his exertions and providence, no one could deny that high praise was due to him ; and even the speech' of the Right Honourable Gentleman opposite shoul not prevent its being paid. Lord BARNARD thought the Duke of York en titled to every honour which the House could con vey. The satisfaction given by his Royal Highnet , to the army was universal. Serjeant BEST acknowledged the full extent t the merits which it was proposed to reward, but wow I have wished the motion had been postponed uni.i the war had been terminated. There was anode illustrious personage to whom a vote of commie • lation should be moved, and to whom the whole cowl try was still more immediately indebted for the =- equalled advantages that had been attained. If die army owed its efficiency to the Duke of York, wh had appointed his Royal Highness ? The Prince Regent. It such victories had been gained by the Duke of Wellington. who hid appointed that heroic Commander I The Prince Regent. He called upon the House to recollect what was the state of Europ.. at the time his Royal Highness entered upon the R. gawp Lord Wellington was then shut up with , the lines of Torres Vedras s and the Government t _ r .\ I'' S V, .';~~ .1 t h e.