Star. — London, England, 1815-02-23 00:00:00

COMMON COUNCIL. CORN LAWS. Yesterday a Special Common Council was held in the Council Chamber, Guildhall, for the purpose of taking into consideration the necasaity of petitioning both Houses of Parliament against any alteration in the Corn Laws. The LORD Mayon rose, and stated, that he had taken the liberty to call a Council. for the essential purpose of taking into consideration the necessity of petitioning both Houses of Parliament against any alteration in the Corn Laws. This he felt to be a duty he owed to his fellow-citizens, and, from the.' high office in which he was placed, it made it more incumbent on him, as the effects the alteration would inevitably produce upon the manufacturer, would be a matter of very impos tent . consideration. It was therefore expedient that the measure should not be carried into effect—(!yw.) It had been asked in the House of Commons, if 80s. per quarter for wheat could give uneasiness ? That question must be put in another shape, and no doubt would be readily an swered. His Lordship concluded by stating, that he should not take up thstinte of the Court, as he was sensible that the Corporation atheitizens oil London would deliver their sentiments upon thesub ject in a fair and ;impartial manner.--(lfeenv) Mr. JACKS took a graduated Mtn, of the re of corn for several centuries; alluded to the Acts of Parliament thereon, also to the evidence given before the Committee in the House of Commons last Ses- sions ; and in referring to one deposition, vie. that of a Mr. Potts, it appeared, that about thirty years ago, the rent of his lAMB was £4OO per annum—now it was advanced to £1260; it therefore was clear that the Landholders alone were at the headef the wished for alteration. And from the evidence given to the' Committees of both Houses of Parliament, it appeared i that no alteration was necessary. Mr. Jacks them stated the average price for the last MS years up to, 1814. From the year 1797 up to 1804, the average price of wheat was from 40s. to 485.• per quarter. Landed interest had risen in consequence of the great improvement of commercial intereourses. If land went on at the same ratio, how is it possible that the tenantry could live ? He concluded by proposing several Resolutions, (fir which see the frog pe r ). — Also Petitions to both Houses of Parliament against any alteration in the Corn Laws.—(Hear, hear 4 Mr. FAIHILL, in seconding the Resolutions, was happy that the usual moderation had been used upon this occasion. The designs aOnst Joke Beg were 'evident from the number of - quad: about him, (i laugh) but he hoped Jobe would not be incommoded by such designing quacks. (Hear: ) He perfectly agreed with what the Hon. Proposer (Mr. Jacks) had said, and was sure that the commercial interest would not be set against the agiicultnral, nor the agricultu! ral interest against the commercial. (Hear.j A na tional interest was what ought to be looked to (Near,) , and a safe and general principle was the only thing Irthat would secure that national interest. ( . . / Mr. Wnrra did not rise to oppose the R - / t but wished that the question should be eonsiq ' upon its proper bearing. The Landholder kept the farmer as low as he could in the present times.— About 40 or 60 years ago, the farmer was - a man of little property, and a great portion of his profits arose from his own labour : the case was now widely dif ferent. He was astonished, now that the Property Tax was taken off, how they could have the counts. nance to come forward again, for the purpose apse. curing an alteration; and he concluded by hoping,. that the whole community would come forward with one voice upon this occasion. —(Hear, hear). Sir WILLIAM CURTIS thought the question before the Court as important a one as was ever agitated, and declared he should do all in his power to carry the sentiments of the Court into effect.- (Hear, hew). Mr. DIXON heartily supported the motion. Sir JAHR{ SHAW th d OtZt i:r :hat at the rate of 635. per quarter, the lan irould be sufficiently paid.—(Hear.)—ln Jude, to himself and consti. tuents, he should vote against nay measure of al teration. :: • ... ' , -.. (4.• Alderman ihtria "Atom bark and agreed to the Resolution'. . Mr. WAITHHAII said,. that upon a cfestion like the . present, wherein the voice was unanimous, it were unnecessary to say much. He would not take up much of the time of the Coos* m be *veld have - --- -.- , , .$4.- quired no other punishment than what his avarice re. ceived from being disappointed in its calculations. — It was the farmers who had their lands at the old rents, whose rents had not been raised, because their landlords had not laid out any capital on their estates, #ho were the greatest sufferers. What ought to be the object of the House To do the greatest good to the whole community. 'They had no right to mist on wheat's being grown at a lower price than that at which it would afford a fair profit to the grower. On the subject of wages, he had some years ago delivered an opinion, to which, however unpopular it might be, he still adhered ; namely, that more human mi sery was produced by overpayment than by under payment. Large wages led to idleness, extravagance, ani dissipation. There was one class of the labour ing community who had not so fully the means in their own hands of remedying an increase in the price of corn, greater than that to which those wages were adequate—the agricultural class.— A rise in the wages of agricultural labour did not ra pidly follow a rise In the price of corn ; but then a tall did not rapidly follow a fall in the price of corn. The wages of the agricultural labourer had lately risen—the price of corn had fallen—he was therefore left in a better situation than that which he had until ricently enjoyed. He by no means thought those wages too high at present; on the contrary, he thought that when corn became higher they would be too, low. He was not one of those who approved of the.exercise of what was called 6 6 Old EngUsh hos pitality" towards the labouring classes in the country, of cutting up of barons of beef, and the swigging of barrels of ale. Ncthing contributed so mucitto pro digality, profligacy, and dissoluteness, as this mis named hospitality; but he was fully sensible of the advantages which those labouring classes derived from the residence of their landlords amongst them. In this respect, England had a great superiority over other countries. In England there were many land. lords who constantly resided among their tenantry ; and those larger owners of estates, who during a pe riod of the year attended their duties in Parliament, as soon as those were over returned to their estates to per form their not less important duties in the country. In other nations, the principal Land-owners were drawn to and retained about the Court, to add to what was termed its splendour, by the display of red and blue ribbons and crosses of one kind and another, which as soon as they received they buttoned their coats to hide—fooleries which now appeared to be objects of imitation elsewhere. There was no place in which the landlords were so much attached to the al as in England. He would now consider the other side of the question, on which also great exag geration had,taken place. The philosophers did not quite satisfy him. They were occasionally incon sistent in their arguments. It was, however, evident, that any superabundant production of corn in the country would produce an increased pordation.— Mt. Malthus had proved the elasticity of the principle of population, and that let people plough, sow, reap, and work their hearts out, there would always be found some little brat or other to consume the super. abundant corn which this activity might produce.— Nor was a want of habitations a check to popula tion. He remembered a young woman having call ed on him, and told him she had lately married, and wanted a bOuse on his estate.. -He told bee that he bad no house to give her, and asked her why she bad not thought of that before she married ?.`. 16 Lord bless you, Sir, " was the reply, " I was thinking of something else !"—(a lartgh)—The popu lation of the country was working up in every way. —How much would it be increased by the return to their homes of the disbanded soldiers and paid-off sailors, whose wives would be much more prolific when in• their keeping than they had been while in the keeping of the Right Honourable Gentlemen oppo site—(4 loud knigh.)-Much apprehension had been expressed lest we should be inundated with foreign corn. in the first place, whence was the corn to come ? Some said from France. Others contended that that was impracticable, but that it would come from Dantzic ; while a third set characterised that supposition as absurd, and declared that from Ame rica an overwhelming importation might rationally be expected. For his part he did not fear our being overwhelmed with foreign corn, although in times of scarcity we might obtain a supply that would be very serviceable. Whatever encouragement we might give by Acts of Parliament to the importation of fo reign corn, the state of the Continent had been, was, and unfortunately would, he apprehended, long be such, that foreign governments would prevent the exportation of their corn. France was that moment going to stop the exportation. As for the Baltic, what could be feared from the northern countries ? Look at the harassed and desolate state of Poland. Was it to be feared that an act of the British govern ment would immediately tura Poland into a fertile country ? And were that practicable, was not the King of Prussia strengthening the opinions of those who thought with him (Mr. Whitbread) that no danger of an overwhelming importation ,existed in that quarter, by imposing oppressive duties on the exportation of corn In his opinion, Govan ments and Legislatures had no more controul over such matters than they had over .the • What could be more vigorous, vigilant, and omni present, than the power of Bonaparte while it endur. rd ? —yet, when he attempted to prevent us (in imi tation of our disgraceful example) from receiving sustenance from France, he failed. The French wanted money more than corn, we wanted corn more than .money ; the elastic force of the raw material burst its bands, and French ships arrived in British ports laden with that fotbidden cargo. So it was when Bonaparte, irullis hostility to England, attempted to compel Russia from sending us any articles of naval equipment. As in the other instance, the elastic force of the raw materials burst its bands, and the exports which were in this consequence made to this country from Russia occasioned those complaints on the part of the French Emperor which led to Ms invasion of the Russian empire, and eventually to the condition in which things now were—a condition which almost induced some people among us, who could not sell their wheat quite so well as they did formerly, to exclaim—di that it would be better to set Boney up laush.)—They considered him as an ingredient which tended to enhance the money market. If this spirit were permitted to gain head, be was afraid, if he might use such contradictory terms, that the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite BMW - 7 declarer war again, in order to keep the peteit.6:(4 laugh.)—Adverting to the subject of vverages, lie contended that their fallacy was gross and generally allowed. It had been allowed by the Right Ho = nourable the Vice-President of the Board tit Trade, who had nevertheless said, that he most take theme because he did not know what else to do.— As a legislator that Right Hon. Gentleman ought to endeavour to discover what to do. For his part be (Mr. Whitbread) could not agree to thmeocro of ob- posed Resolutions, unless some more correct taining the averages were resorted to. He had been told by several well informed persons, that had the averages been fairly struck throughout the kingdom, the ports would have been shut so long ago as No vemWr. Were the averages better taken therefore, they would afford greater protection to the farmer. In the first place he would say, a take the averages better, and the ports will. sooner be shut." In the second place, 44 now the ports.are shut, wait until you see the effect before you adopt , any new measures." Mr. Whitbread observed, that whatever had been the case as to the harvest in Ireland or elsewhere, he had lived, thank GOD, to see the day.when it was urged that distress was occasioned by the apprehension of corn being too cheap I—(Load cries for the Howe so adjourn now taking Noce, Mr. Whitbread rat dotes. ) Mr. ROSE said a few words in explanation, which could not be heard for the cries of 64 44oara PI Lord BINNING followed. He only wished to explain, that he had not held any language-hostile' towards France, as had been attributed to hint-a but had said, on the contrary, that he hoped, trusted,. and believed, that we should long, in consequence of the good understanding between the British Govern ment and the amiable French Monarch, maintain the relations of peace and amity with that country for tinny years to come. Mr. PONSONBY deprecated hasty discussion.— The bitterest easily to the country could not wish any thing better. • The further debate on the subject was then adjour ned to this day.—Adjourned at Two o'CLocK. • an opportunity of esprening his sentiments at OM leuth to-morrow, (this day, in Common Hall).— Tf he were to advise, he ceetainly should recom mend stronger means: The advantages of the in tended alteration would not come to the• farmer, but to the landholder. He had been accused of having been warm in the cause, and was very fee from imputing blame to the landholders; but be knew that surveyors and others had been ell=" ployed to take advantage of the farmer, in order to give a high price to the loaf (bier.) When he saw the destruction, poverty, and distress that per vaded, and contemplated the horrors of war, he would ask what had the landholders lost by the war He would ask any Gentleman in that Hall, or were he in a situation, be would ask those great men who were the projectors of the measure, if the land holders had not all the advantage. It seemed their object to adopt a measure most destructive, when we expected blessings resulting from peace—(Hear). — If we are still to suffer all the effects of war, it ap peared to him (Mr. Waithnaan) that few of these projectors had but little conception how the great machines of commercial interest were worked. It is impossible that the City of London could sit quiet under such proceedings. An improvement was only to be effected by the Landholders lowering the price of land. He concluded by hoping, that the people would come forward in one bold instance of firmness and magnanimity. Mr. Alderman Wools spoke againstany alteration it present, and swished some legislative measure might be adopted to keep down the price of bread., The Resolutions were then put, agreed eo, and Pe titions received, read, and ordain' ta be presented to both Houses of Parliament. 14r NAVAL DITELLIGENSE. FALMOUTH, FEBRUARY eo. Arrived his Majesty's ship GOLDWINCII, from a cruise; Duke of Kent Packet, with a mail from 'Al ban. in seven days; and his Majesty's ship H A t`GHTVe kont Cork. His Majesty's ship that arrived yesteru day is the BITTRRN. from Plymouth. By the Duke of Kent Packet we learn, that reports were prevalent at Lisbon of the capture of the British frigate MAID sToNK, by the American frigate Constitution :—by the Packet we also learn, that American Privateers were very numerous between Care Finistetre and Cape St. Vincent's, and that they had captured seve ral vessels, amongst which is the sloop Johanna. , Ktrrs, Master, from Mevagissey for Naples, with fish ; and that a cartel had arrived with the crews of three or four vessels at Lisboa.—Wind W.S.W. PLYMOUTH, FEBRUARY 21. Arrived his Majesty's ships ROLLA and SLANKY, from a cruise. PORTSMOUTH. FEBRUARY 22. • Bailed his Majesty's ships Harz and Psalms, for the coast of France. His Majesty's ship Lavms a t li v7 instructions to the ships bound to Neerfoun • Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. DEAL, FEBRUARY it Arrived the ROSARIO sloop of war, from Ports mouth. Put back the Nancy, BROOK% for the Ca nary Islands. Came down from the River the Swift, CHURCH. for Montreal, and remains, with a large fleet of -outward-bound. Sailed his Majesty's skip Sem for 6heerness. HARWICH, FEBRUARY 2% The Prince of Orange Packet landed Malls and Passengers yesterday at Losiestofft, from Holland.— Sailed the Leicester Packet, for Holland. Letters have been received this morning from Leg- horn of the .12th instant. They bring nothing of any moment,' with the exception, that the King of SARDI NIA wotdd.not suffer the post to pass through his ter ritoriesogted the bag of letters acre forwarded by seconder. Tuesday the Duke of York transacted military business with the Pausen.RACENT ; afterwards his Royal Highness went to his Office in the Horse Guards, and held a Levee, which was attended by General BINGUAI4 and Lieutenant-Colontl Baring Dr CAPAL, of De Roll's regiment, on his return from the Continent. Dust.—Early on Monday morning a meeting took place behind Holland House , Kensington, be. tween Captain Pit. of the Navy, and Mr. H. in con sequence of adispote on the subject of Sir Join Moastar's Court-Martial. The parties were accnm. partied to the ground by their seconds and a surgeon; and each exchanged two shots. At the second fire Mr. H.'s ball entered the eght arm of Captain M. at the wrist. The seconds now interfered, and the parties declaring themselves satisfied, entered a po* chaise which was waiting in the Uxbridge Roid, and returned to town together. DRURY-LANZ THICATRIL--A fine selection of Mask was performed at this house last night, covsibting of a great portion of the Requiem of MOZART, part of a Mass by Burnovra, now performed for the first time in this country, the Battle Sinfonia, acc, &c.— The latter was amended by the usual enthusiastic applause, and attracted the usual aowd, for the nlest se was full It. all germ Was issiase the hal& price commenced. Covrav-Gattrne.—The Selection .at dub house, assisted by the united efforts of Mr. BIAIIIAM, Mrs. Salmon, Miss STRPHIGNS, and Signor Vassaun, af forded a high treat to the Musical amateurs. RISURRICTION Mex.—Those who have lain buried as it were for years past, have now risen to a new life of Adventure, in their eagerness to purchase Tickets and Shares for the Three Thirty Thousand Pound Prizes, and the Five Thousand Guinea Prizes to be paid in Gold as soon as drawn, declaring they had no Inducement in the common insi; i.i Schemes of late years, and only buried themselves until the present enli • Scheme reanimated them, and to which seems all daises of Adaenturersr• The Drawing begins sth Aram. COURT OF KING'S BENCH, FEIRUARY WALII4II PALBTSMIL This was an action for sties. Oa. brought •by the keeper at the Percy Cerese-boese against a Clerk in the Et:cheerer Bill-office. It appeared that the MtW was now above 30 years of age, and that be was otWoeft waiter at a blotto under Covent-garden Plasm, whets he married Ms first wife, the bar-maid of the some place; his second wife was nursery-maid to the firs:, by *beta be bad a child grown up ; and it wee not till his present wife became the widow of a person of the name of Willis, that =lra connection with bar began ; be then kept her in at Camden Town, led had cos child by her bre be easeried, she being at that time propane of seedier. lids was in 1901, when the woman was nearly thirty years of age; and though her public minket knee as mistress of the eolfewbeinse wee proved to be correct by many of the plan tiffs male acquaintances and servants, yet it awned that eenamion with the defendant, who , was an isisimat• quelomme of lb@ plaintiff, and was in the bait of 'bide( be and kis wife, began four years aiv when it was carried on at tbe Key, in Chandoeetreet, whither the plaintiff% Ink sell the Mo dest were in she habit of going every Webeedny end ABOrning feet as hour belt: and they melee argeder in their re mits to she Key, that the walnuts and cbeembeeqmids alas IMPlik all all *sir customers by claraneriatheet feigned INMee• riiall thesembe-ormatiserinabbesathealmemnesels et their comldg en Corset-garden market days. It that lie of these Waiters bad before lived at the P erc y henlisOmd the parties were upon one omens watched into the Km s br i o porter at the Percy. With the exception of the tiff ortM, and the commencement Obis acquaintance with his mead wife, and fist one of the witnesses proved be played at cards en ihurdsys, the pialetiff came before the Court without reproach—be was proved to be an indulgent lamina, and to hare found comfort in the today of his wife and children : he had no suspicisa et her long blidelity—tbe waiter et the Key le. scribed bar as nimble& woman when be lived with her : bat open die whole It dilate eppar that she dressed or behaved in a manner uabireinbs bee shaadea et the bar of the plaintiff's coffee-hou.e. Evideece was gate late is to the Antonin of the deterilines W eans, the greater part of which appeared to arise from his dike of collector of the Property Tax, about to expire : bet to,d Ettshaeaootta thought this an immaterial inquiry ; for tl maxim of law was, “ be who could not pay in his pur.e mu.t pay In his person.* The Jury found for the plant ff--anugt s iC3OO. MARRIED. Yesterday, at St. Jantes's church, the Hon. Mr Edward Paget, IL B. M G. to dm lady Hardee Legge, sister to the Ead of Dartmouth. Ships at Market. $7 Newcastle $2 Sunderland 6blps 6 MOH W ATSIO. AT Morning t AMn►oon - T, FHB. 99. PAM. 401 Od to 4114 9d. 411 Sd to 41s 6d. WOE TOMOILROW. U minutes alter $ ait abates alter 4 . • ..- s Mod by Live& Karr, koscbau Hue; Wei 04 it the 3Par oliee, Teeple SKI S ' ' THE EVENING STAR. LONDON. THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 23, lel& PRICE OV STOCKS THIS DAY AT TWELVE l O'CLIOCK Comb Se Reduced 64E4 per Ct. $l41 — per ay Ct. Sh taf for account, IHM I --Onndum SH , S db. Bank Long 16 toldtbs—Boode Te. Sr, pre. Exchequer BM par to Se. prem. In the Commons, last night, the time of the Howe r was chiefly occupied with the question of the Corn Laws. Mr. BARING opposed the general arguments of the supporters of the • Resolutions, but admitted that it might be impolitic .to attempt, all at once, to go back to the state the country was in before the prices were induced by the circumstances into which the country had been brought by the late war. Any rim upon the present import prices should, be said, be declared to be only temporary, that those concer ned might prepare for a rum to their former state ; and he, therefore, moved that in the 4th Resolution the words “ for a time to be limited," should be in troduced. Mr. furrow, Sir Fame= noon, and Lor d BINNING, supported the original Resolutions; main taining that the Farmer; could not pay their present rents without the protection proposed to be given by the Resolutions. Mr. Rosa maintained the same opinions which ha held last year. He thought the farmers should ri ceive a fair but not an unreasonable protection ; and that 745. would give them all that they were entitled to demand. He observed, that if rents fell lower (and they are falling, and must fall) the Farmer would not need so high a price as had been proposed. Mr. RONSON'S!' gave all the support in his power to the Resolutions ; and Mr. Wurrartaan acquitted the Landlords from being the originators of the high rents—They were the consequence of high taxes. Mr. Wurrsagan, in the course of his speech, inti mated that the breWers had that day come to a de termination to lower the price of porter, which we understand is to fall one penny in the pot. . The Debate was adjourned. In the mean time it is to be hoped, that other public bodies will follow the example of the City of London, and petition Parliament, to give the Coun try at least a little breathing-time before they pass a law to raise the price of our bread. Today we received Paris Papers of Monday.— The Moniker repeats the article respecting the final arrangements of the Congreu on the subject of Saxony and Poland, which we gave yesterday, from the Minor Journals : but the intelligence is evidently not authentic, for the Madan. cautiously .gives. it al 'a quotation from the other Papers. According to the,Minor' Paris Papers which we haveiectifitrAo# day, the Slave Trade has beet formally -09W*. i'ioy Congress; but we seallylca. net how tar can credit them. They positively state also, atilt the rumours which have been circulated respecting the recognition of MURAT'S title to the throne of Naples by the Allies are absolutely false. The pa• cific ultimo's, respecting the general affairs of Europe is said to have been signed by all the Allies on the 7th instant. The Congress then proceeded to the internal organization of the German States. By accounts received els Liverpool, from the Mis sissippi, we learns that c n the 6th of January, Gene. ral PACKI2IHAM was within a few miles of New Or- 1 leans with 14,000 men, and that the American Ge neral, JACTIION, covered the place, (being posted at Terre aux Bccufs) with about an equal force. It is understood, however, that Government have received accounts of a later date, at which time, it is reported, New Orleans was in the possession of our troops. • Our Readers will observe hi our Port Letters. that there is a report at Lisbon of the capture of the Mutinous frigate, by the American frigate Consti tution, We suspect this is a mere revival of an ob solete story in an old American Newspaper. It was long since contradicted by the American: the/mein* t er se v: COAL