Star. — London, England, 1802-02-16 00:00:00

BT THE DUTCH MAIL. CONSTANTINOPLE, DEC. zB.--.This day all the Foreign Minifters waited upon the CAPTAIN PEEN* to congratulate him on his viaorious return from Egypt. 114•DRID, JAN. 12.—His Catholic Majelly has given orders, for the benefit of the interefts of the Spanifh Treafury and the French Manufaetures, which are contained in the following Circular Let ter to the Mini fl er of Finances, and the Director of the Cu(toms ‘‘ His Majefty having ordered that in the Royal Cuflom-houfe, Merchandize, being the manufac ture of the North and the Pas de Calais, (hall not be acknowledged as fuch, unlefs accompanied by an original certificate, figned by the Commiffary of Foreign Commerce in the faid Departments, or by the Under Commiffery, and leafed with the Arms of Spain ; I have given the proper orders to the Dire tors of the Royal Cuftoms, in confor mity to thefe orders of his Majelly, to prevent in future any other Merchandise than thofe of France, from enjoying the fame advantages on their im portation into Spain. 4 , You will give the greeted publicity to this order, in order that fus:h merchandize, en their arrival in Spain, may not experience any difficulty in their introduaion into the Kingdom, for want of being accompanied by the proper Certificates. (Signed) " MIGUEL CRYETANO SOLER." AMSTERDAM, FEB. +—New iuftances have again been made to the Government of State re. fpeain g the finances of this city, which dill con tinue in the moll deplorable situation. We hear that Citizen GLARY ELD, our Plenipotentiary at the Court of Portugal, is fafely arrived at Lilbon. Citizen Welts, who is to repair to Madrid in the fame quality, is at prefent in Paris. Our Government, in order to meet the preffing exigencies of the State, has, within thefe few days, fold 15,000,000 lbs. of coffee, now lying in Ba tavia, to the merchants of this city and Rotter dam ; among whom a fubfcription for this purpofe has been opened. Three-fourths are fubfcribed for here, and one-fourth in Rotterdam, an eighth of which has been purchafed by aninglifh mer chant at prefent in that city, and lately arrived from London. The whole purchafe-money a mounts to 3,0ca0,000 of forms (od. per lb.) z,000,000 to be paid immediately, the other in Batavia, and the third million on the return of the Mips; thirty of which are to be fitted out by and at the expence of the fubfcribers, with the liberty of an outward freight; this, it is corjtaured, will turn to good account, as all the Company's warehoufes in that quarter of the world are at przt - ent empty. This amazing quantity of coffee (which it is cfli mated will colt the fubfcribers 9d. per lb. home) is to be lodged in the Company's warehoufes on its arrival, to be fold in the Mimi form, and the proceeds, after a deduaion of two per cent. for the Company, to be delivered to the fubfcribers. —lt is thought that fhips will be taken up in Eng land for this expedition, molt of our large veirels having either been captured in the cootie of the war, or suffered to rot in port. 1-laove, Frs. 9.—The alteration which time makes in the opinions of men is inconceivable; who a few years fince, talked of wearing a ihree•coloured fafh, with a projeaing dagger affixed to it, in order to flab every Orangift who flood in the way of their greatnefs ; who have been :ailed by the people to elevated Rations fur their pretended abhorrence of oppretlion, now turn their backs on their benefaaors. Thefe men, who would have Plain the Orangifts td get into their places, had other means failed, are now the tuft to cringe to that party, to invite their amity, and even to enlift them as auxiliaries, at the expence cf the nuine friends of freedom. The printing of the ...Senatorial Debates is now confidered by there men as a very ill•advifed and dangerous dep. it is fuppofed that the Government purpofes to ioftitine an inquiry relative to the furrender of our colonies. And it would by no means be amifs if they ordered STOILY,CAPELLEN, and VAN 13RARIN to return tin account for their condua, fince they can no longer be confidered as prifoners of war. 1 he former has proved himfelf a warm friend both of France and England. To the Brit he made a prefent of the Engfifh tranfport 'hips when they en tered this country ; and to the latter, by way of compenfation, our Texel fleet. To pedal his glo rious career, he has only to make this country an Indemuirication for her lots. Before the adoption iiibe pip to fen gssa =Moo_ youscli a( caw now lying in Batavia for ready money, a flew tax was propofed in private among fome of the mem bers of Governm:nt, bin rejcft::d as an impolitic expedient at this jun:nre, and the other carried into execution as a wife one ! _ ROTTERDAM, Fsi. 9.—The rioters who have been imprifoned here, ior wearing Orange cock• ades, have hopes of obtaining pardon, tip -7 hay ing alledged inebriety in exeutz:. But the libeller, woo was for calling the people together to chute a head. and who fem., to have bee.n in his pro per infer, is nut fo likely to come off with flying colours. Seven or eight {hips are to be fitted out here, for the propofed expedition to Batavia, which will give a livelinefs to trade, and brighten up the countenances of our dcjeEled manufacturers and tradefmen. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. HOUSE OF LORDS, MONDAY, FEB. is. Their Lordflii2s heard Counfel in continuation, relative to the Scots Appeal, Sir Wm. Auguflus Cunningham, Bart. &c. v. Higgins and others, namely, Mr. Erfkine at confiderable length as leading Conniel for the Refpondents : the further confideration of the cafe was deferred till Wed nefday. Lord PELHAM prefented a Mefrage from his Majefty relative to the State of the Civil Lift, fimilar to that fent down to the Houle of Com mons, and for a detailed Report of which we re fer to the Proceedings of that Honfe : its general fubfiance was a communication to their Lordfhips, that the provifion made by Parliament having be- come inadequate to the fupport of his Majefty's Civil Ehablifliments and Houfehold, a confider able debt had betn unavoidably incurred thereon ; that his Majefty had given direetions that Ac counts relative to the fame be laid before their Lordfhips, on whofe readinefs to concur in the neceffary meafures, &c. his Majefty relied with confidence. Lord Pelham then moved, that his Majelly's Mefrage be taken into confederation on Monday the 22d intl. and that their Lordthips be fummoned for that day. _ _ _ The Duke of NoavoLK exprefred his with to know whether it was intended to lay before the Houfe certain papers, the produdion of which he thought necelfary to enable their Lordfhips fully to underfiand the fubjea—fuch as the particulars of the debt incurred, and fpecifying the fame under diftind heads ; a fpecification of the funds out of which the charges were to be paid, kc. Lord PEL1141.4 obferved, the Houfe would re coiled, that in his Majefty's Meffage it was ex prefsly Rated, that Accounts relative to the Debts in queftion would be laid before the Houfe : when thefe Accounts were before their Lordfhips, any thing which may be unlatisfadory might then be regularly explained. The queftiOn was then put, and the Wage was ordered to be taken into confideration on Monday next, and their Lordfhips fummoned on that day accordingly. Some routine bufinefs was then difpofCd of, and the Houfe adjourned till to-morrow. FRINGE. PARIS, 2.2 PLUVIOSE, FEB. tr. Prince Han R y of Pruffia was confiderably better on the 29th of January. The FIRST Comsu L. has iffited a decree for putting upon the Ellablifhnent of the French Pry. taneum twent y•three children belonging to families retident in the departments of the Po, the Stura, Marengo, the Donea, Sella Tanaro. The re-eleCtion of the members of the Legifla tive Body and the Tribunate, who are to form the four•fifths remaining in of thofe two affemblies during the year to, was completed feveral days ago. The members who go out of the Tribunate in confequence of the &ft decifion of the Senate are Citizens Alexandre, Bailleul, Barra, Barthe- lemy, Cambe, Chazal, Chenier, Benjamin Con- Rant, Courtois, Daunou, Defrenaudes, Ganilh, Garat-Maillia, Ginguene, Ifnard, Legier, Parent ' Real, St. Aubin, Thibault, and Thielre. It is pofi tively Rated, that the eletiion of the fifth to fupply the place of the excluded members will commence en the xoth inliant, and that the Senate will make the nomination from the national lift of Notables. According to report, the number of candidates • wltoshave prefented themfelves to fill the tiny va• cant feats in the Legiflative Body, and the twenty in the Tribunate. amounts nearly to 300. But the Senate, regulating itfelf by the Conaitution, which direas that in the year to the eleaions in queflion thould be made exclufively from the na tional lift, has reduced the number of candidates more than one half. .~. 1 ~i y HOUSE OF COMMONS. A new Wrk was moved by Mr. Sturges for the Borough of Eait Lone, in room of the Right Hon. Sir john Mitford, Knt. who has been removed to the Upper Houfc under the ftylc and title of Baron Redefdale. A new Writ was alfo moved for Heytdbury, in the room of 1 , the Right Honourable Henry Welbore Agar,Vifeount Clifden. of Ireland, who has fueeceded to the titles of the late Lord I I Mendip. BOOKSELLERS PETITION. Mr. SHAW LEFEVAZ prefentcd the petition of the bookfellers, printers, and others conflated with the Rationary trade, Rating the grievous dif advantages they labour under in confequence of the exceffive duty on paper. The Hon. Member, in laying the Petition before the Houfe, conceived it to be his duty to fay a few words on the claims which the Petitioners poleffed to the attention of Parliament, from the hardfhips to which, in con fequence of the duties, their trade was expoftd. He Rated, that while the duty pleffed immedi ately and direly on the capital employed in this trade, the Pale was often extremely flow, and the returns in a high degree precarious. The opera tion of this pre ffure was feverely felt at home, but it bore iliil more heavily on the export trade to' various parts of the world. With refped to this branch of the trade, he had indeed to Rate to the Houfe, that at preent, in confequence of the du ties, it was very nearly annihilated. It was an important and a moR ferious fall, that within thefe few lag months many Englifh publications had been printed abroad, and brought into the market at half the price which could be afforded in this country. Tile drawbacks allowed on ex portation might here be alluded to; but he was enabled, from good information, to fay that this allowance dia by no means put the Englifh ex porter on a footing with his foreign competitor. Having alluded to thefe points, he did not with to detain the Honfe longer at prefent, and there fore be concluded by moving, that the Petition ihould &ft be read. The petition was read ac cordingly, and is as follows : That the Petitioners have ever been willing cheerfully to bear their proportion In common with the re it of his Majdty's (objets towards the uptakes of the State; but they humbly beg kave to reprefait to the Houle that the additional duty tin pofed upon Printing Papers and Milled Board, during the lift Seffion of Parliament; ban greatly affected the trades of printing and felling books, and has injured the laterals of the Petition as bromine, that if it be not repealed, it mulL infallibly tend zp the dettrudtlon of a trade very beneficial and important to the country ; namely, that of printing, felling, and exporting boots, and confequently oecafion a diminution in thereceipt of the Public Revenue; and that this tax is peculiarly opprellive on the Petitioners as a trading body, and falls &rally and wholly upon their capitals, and but Clowly upon the public at :arse, beware in priming an edition of any book, they are un der the neeeffity of purchafing and ufing the whole of the paw , •he duty on which has been previoufiy paid, totwithitanding the edition nay be many years upon fait, or may never be fold ; and that they humbly beg kave to explain to the Houfc, that isnao 6 t-a^ ten a^4aar-gillidlrlander.ADA3aULANNO•~l.. copy as (man a proportion as poffible at the heavy menet Or r the copy-right, and of the firft felting up of the prefs, they cr always obliged to print a much larger number of copie. than car be fold for a confidemble time, and they are thus, from thi. peeLliar feature attending the prirdudion of books, under the neccllity of paying for heavy ftoeks of printing paper, before a finele fpecimen of the manufaCtured article can be produced for (ale ; whereas the generality of manufedurers are exempted from this expenfive tucclfity, as they can manufadure their articles at filch times, and in fuch proportions, as the demand may require; and that to diminilh the ruinous cffed% of the prefent high prices of paper,and to prevent the inereafe of their expenfive Rocks, the Petitioners have, in force inftances, for borne to re-print new editions of meritoriousworks ; and have alto, in other inftances, been induced to print much (mallet editions of books than was formerly their predict.; in contr. quence of which the expence of the Copy-right, and of the file I letting up of the Types being neceffarily laid upon a (mailer num ber, the feparate copies have unavoidably been railed in their price. It has, however, been found, that the confequent ad vance in the price of books to the Public has greatly diminiflied their fele, the Petitioners therefore find no adequate refource in their own means, and are compelled to apply to the Houle for relief. And that the Petitioners are aware that it might have been expeded they would have found relief in the appli cation of various new inventions in the manufadture of paper which have been propored to the public; and Tome of which have received the fandtion of the Legifiature ; but not any of thefe inventions have hitherto enabled their condudors and proprietors to offer their paper in a Rate fuitable to print books upon, at a price which promifes to leffen the grievance above Rated ; and that the Petitioners are efpecially called upon at this time to pray for relief, bccaufc they have re cently found that editions of all rise belt and molt favourite Englifh Authors have been printed, and are now printing, in various fixes at Berlin, Me, Philadelphia, Bolton, and other Cities in Euro?e and America ; and as Come of thole foreign editions are offered for fate, at one half of the price at which the fame books can be printed and fold at a very moderate !profit by the Petitioners, they are threatened with the lots of the export trade to America, and to the European Continent efpecially, and to other parts of the world, fince,by means of foreign veffeb from the ports on both fides of the Atlantic, the cheap foreign editions of Englith books are, with tranfported to the Britah and other European Settle ments in Alia and the Weft Indies ; and that u it may be al ledged that the Petitioners in their export trade have a relief in the drawback of four-fifths, or two-pence per pound weight, upon printed books exported, they feel it incumbent upon them to obferve,that this relief is inadequate, and does not enable tho Petitioners to meet foreign competitors in foreign markets; be cub the full drawback adlually viewed feldom amounts to more than one-third of the duty, and, upon the whole exports. not to one-tenth; becaufe not any of the additional advance confequent upon the new duty is drawn back ; becaufe not any of the advances upon printing which has occurred within thefe two left years is drawn back ; and beeaufe every other c , pence attending the produetion of books,is much higher in Great Bri tain than in other parts of the world ; and that although in con fequence of the Peace, raw material is lower in price, and paper in Come degree cheaper, yet the redudion has not been fo great, nor is it likely to be fo gnat, as to enable the Ped. tioners to maintain the export trade, 1w books, inafmuch as the price of the raw material is fluanating, while the duty remains a permanent charge upon which the manufadturer and !brim= put as permanent a profit ; and that the Pe titioners are convinced that the injurious tendency of this Tax will operate nearly as a prohibition uf every new li terary (peculation, and confequonly that the Revenue, in field of being benefited by the new duty, will eventually fuftain a confiderable injury; whereas, if the Taft duty upon. printing papers, ftridtly to called, copperplate-papers, and mil led-boards, be repealed,it appears to the Petitioners that tbe in credal demand for printed books, which would naturally fol low a reduction of their price would, in a great meafure, com pmfate, by an increafed demand for printing papers, this (mall deduction from the revenue ; and that by the operation of this tax, an important branch of trade is thus in a great manner di verted from the country; the Petitioners are reftrained from rifting their capitals, in the uncertainty of meeting with an adequate return; many thoufands of &high fubjeds engaged in the various branches of paper-making, printing, bookfelling, engraving, and book binding, in danger of being deprived of ' fubfdtence ; the progrefa of education is checked, the cxtenfion of knowledge impeded, and literature manifeltly and the National Genius difeouraged and depreffed : and that the Petitioners are prepared to prove the various allegations above Rated, If thought neceffary, which they beg leave to Cub a* to the confideratiou of the Houfe; and therefore praying for fuel, relief as to the wifdom of the Houle (hall appear to be expedient. Mr. LEFEVRE moved that it do lie on the table. The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEOyER took an opportunity of remarking, that he did by no means wills to objet to the Hon. Gentleman's motion; on the contrary, he trufled that the Hon. Gentleman had an intention to move that the Pe tition be referred to a Committee, who might ex amine into the truth of its allegation, and bring it regularly under the confideration of the Houfe.— For himfelf, he was fully convinced that the peti tioners laboured under great difadvantages, and as far as he could perceive, thefe difadvantages were detailed with accuracy in the petition. With refped to the mode in which thefe difficulties were to be removed, there might be a ground of doubt, and a fubjed might be opened for future difcuffion. concurred,He however, heartily in the prefent motion, and he fully hoped the Hon. Member would take an early opportunity of following it up by another motion, which would put the rub , jed into a regular comic of inquiry. Mr. SHERIDAN faid, that when the additional Tax on Paper was propofed laft Seffion, he had taken the liberty of objeding to it, as highly impo litic and inexpedient. He was well aware that it would neceffarily produce the confequences which were now fo feverely felt by the Petitioners. Now that the matter was brought before the Houfe, he hoped the Honourable Gentleman would name an early day for taking the fubjed under confedera tion, to live an opportunity for a full difcuffion. The policy of accumulating taxes on fo important and valuable a part of the national trade, he could not help confidering as barbarous in the extreme, as well as highly degrading to the literary charac ter of the country. The pernicious alas of the tax had been mentioned with a move particular re ference to the export trade. What had been (laced on this fubjed was aridly confdlent with fad, and ..... •L.•..~•L:. ao lets than fix editions of Shakcfpcarc were :LI at Paris, betides a variety of valuable Treatire, on Navigation and other fithjeets molt intimately connelled with our national interests. Under the prefent chcumßances competition was impoffible, and unlefs the duties on paper were repeakd. no thing could prevent the whole export trade flora palling into other hands. 'rise CHANCELLOP. Of the EXCHEn!IEP., 1^ expla nation, obferved,that when he laid that there might be a difference of opinion refpedling the mode of removing the difadvantages under which the Peti tioners laboured; he alluded to the mode of redrefs which had been pointed out in the Petition. When he laid this, he willed the Houfe to underfland that he did not think thee difadvantages grew out of the additional duty impofed during haft Sefilon. That this duty had fome (hare in producing the effeet complained of, he did not mean to deny, but he was perfuaded that there difficulties and difad vantages were the refult of other canfes,which were increafed by the reafonalledgedonly in a very flight degree. Mr. SHAW LEFEVILE then intimated that he would on Monday move for referring the Petition to the confederation of a Committee. MESSAGE ;ROM HIS MAJESTY. The CHANCELLOR of the Exc;aoyea brought down the following MeffAge to the Houfe : GEORGE R. His Makily feels great concern in acquainting the Haute of Commons, that the provifion made by Parliament for defray ing the napalm of his Houfehold and Civil Go►ernment bar been found inadequate to their fupport. A econderable Debt has in confequence been unavoidably incurred, as account of which he has ordered to be laid before this Honk. His Ma. Jetty relies with confidence on the real and affealon of its faith• ful Commons, that they will take the fame into their early confederation, and adopt fuch meafures as the circa:vita/las may appear to them to require. G. R. The MelTage having been read with all due refpeet, the Rigbt Hon. Gentleman faid, that at prefent he had no intention of doing more than moving, according to the method ufital on Each occafions, that his Majelty's mott gracious Ideffage be referred to the Committee of Supply. He would now however (late, that it was his intention, in obedience to the commands of his Majeity, to lay a variety of accounts relative to the fubjeet of the Meffage before the Houfc to-morrow. Thefe accounts he lhould on Wednefday move to be re• terred to a Selea Committee, on whole report the lloufe would found its future decifions on the fub. jeZt. The MeiTage was in the mean time referred to the Committee. PRIVILEGES OF THE HOUSE. Lord FOLICSTONE begged the indulgence of the Houfe for a few moments, while he called its at tention to a fubjed which materially concerned its diginty. It would be in the recolledion of the Houle that a few days ago he had complained of a gmfs Breach of the Privileges of the Houfc, effect ed through the medium of a paragraph in a pub lic Paper. He had not proceeded to any fpecific motion at that time, conceiving that tome other perfon, more able than himfelf, would have brought the fubjed forward, and trolling that the perfon who had been guilty of fo grofs a violation of the Privileges of the Houfe would have taken the hint and correded his condud. He regretted he bad confented to delay the matter, becaufe, in the firft place, he obferved that motives of delicacy had prevented other Members from interfering upon tt ; and in the fecond, becaufe he had found his hope deceived with regard to the effe& he had expeded from his lenity. It was with no (mall degree of furprife he had, on Saturday, read in the fame Paper of which he had complained, an attempt to juftify the paragraph contained in the Paper publifhed on Friday. The Author claimed the right of animadverting upon the Proceedings of the Houfe. The Privileges of the Houle were now come to an atm. The queftion now flood in a very different point of view from what it did on Friday haft, or from what it would if no notice had been taken of what had paired upon the fubjed.— It might then have been fuppofed that the Houfe was willing to overlook what had been done ; but as it was juflified on the ground of right, it was neceffary that the Houfe, in defence of its Privi leges, fhould proceed further. He fhould there fore propofe that the paragraph should be read, and the Paper containing it laid upon the Table ; after which he should make a regular. Motion upon the fubjed. Lord SnEFFIELD immediately moved that ftran• gers fhould withdraw. Strangers being ordered to withdraw, we are only at liberty to defcribe generally what paired. Mr. Lay having read the paragraph com plained of, and the obfervations that appeared in the True Briton of the following day, Lord Fotttsrowa moved, " That the Paragraph in queftion was a Breach of Privilege, and that the fame fhould be referred to a Committee ef En quiry ;" which was about to pafs, when Mr. SHEEIDAN, with that kindnefs and libera lity of conduct which have ever diftinguifhed him, obferved--that although there could be no doubt of the impropriety of the animadverfion, he hoped the Houle would not oa the prefent occafion ad with feverity towards the Proprietors of the Paper in queftion. It had almoft grown into a habit, not only to report the proceedings of Parliament, but alfo to animadvert on what paired ' within it. He recolleded a publication called the Anti-Jacobin, which had made pretty free with the charafters of Members on a former (K -eeton, though no notice had been taken of it. In refped to the Members themfelves, one of them (Mr. Roblon) had become a very alive Member of that Houfe. With regard to the other (Mr. James Martin) he was a very old Member, and his charader flood fo high, not only with the Houle, but the public, for the molt unimpeached integri ty and honour, that be was fore no obfervations from a newfpaper could injure it. He thought the Houfe would belt consult its own dignity to pro ceed no further on this occafion. He never knew any good come of thefe kind of motions. He therefore recommended that the Houfe fhould pro ceed to the order of the day; which was accord ingly49ilqer-A4imacsk_ . PI t 3