Star. — London, England, 1801-05-14 00:00:00

was ju (lige,' in prefenting, and the .Houfe in reedy. I ing his Petition. The prefent proceeding was im portant and unexampled, for it ought to be confi dered that it affeaecr the rights of a numerous , body of men, diftingui(hed from other holies, who enjoyed their incomes only for their lives, whilft t hey paid ten per cent incom: tax, the fame as thofe who polreffed Freehold Estates. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHRTIER ObferVed, that Mr. Rufhworth did not petition on behalf of the Clergy, but becaufe of his own particular cafe. The Petition was then brought up and read : It Rated that the Petitioner, Edward Rufhworth, Ecc t . was above 21 years ago ordained Deacon, but that he had never performed the duties of that office above two months, and that he had since rslinquithed them entirely ; that he was elcaed a Member for Newport in the Me of Wight, and when his Elation was petitioned againft, a Com mittee had declared him duly elthed, and that he had continued to fit in the Houfe till the di‘folu- Lion of Parliament in t 790 and praying that the propofed Refolution, declaring the Clergy ineligi ble to a feat in Parliament, fo far as related to his right, might not receive the lanaion of the Houfe. The Petition was ordered to be laid on the Table. The CHANCELLOR of the Excn soots moved, that it be an inftruftion to the Committee that they do make provifion for the extenfion of this Bill to Clergymen of the Church of Scotland, as by law eftablifhed—Ordered. Mr. Jotting fpoke at Tome length againft the Speaker's leaving the Chair. Not one argument, be affirmed, had been adduced by the supporters of this Bill. He was not fond of long fpeeches, but he really fhould have been happy to have heard It few words in vindication of a meafure of fuch mo ment. What were the qualifications of a legisla tor? Were they not aknowledge of the hiftory of, language and the different fciences ? And who pofreffes: thefe in fo eminent a degree as the Clergy? They were difqualified by being fubjed to the in fluence of the Crown. The Crown had in its gift, indeed, prebendaries and canonfhips, and reetories; but had it not regiments to bekovr, and govern. ments, and contraas ? The idea of the holinefi of the Clergy was ton abfurd to bear being argued. Mr. MARTI*, with the greateft pollible deference to the high' authority of the Right Hon. ind Learn ed Member, begged to be permitted to addrefs a few obfervations to the Committee in fume* of the claufe as it flood at prefent. The difficulty ap prehended is, that by the preamble of this hilt the, Reverend Gentleman may poffibly be fubjed to being deprived of his feat, cokrary to the mean ing and intention of the Legiflature. The pre amble lays, it is expedient to remove doubts, which have arifen refpeding the eligibility of per lons in holy orders to fit in the Houfe of Commons; and alto to make more effeaual provifion fo'rexclu• ding them from fitting therein. This preamble does not declare that perfons in holy orders, now feated in the Honk, are to be excluded. Un doabtedly this can be colleeted from the recital he had. mentioned, that the Houfe entertained an opinion that the law is unfavourable to the right of Priefts fitting in the Houfe of Commons. But does it follow that becaufe the Houfe entertain this opinion they are to aft upon it ? Here the Houfe, toiuftify their excluding the Clergy in future, fay this, that the better opinion is, that they were be fore palling the Bill ineligible.—lf they enaaed this declaration or preamble, then it would be making an a& to exclude the Reverend Gentle anan.—lt is not faid that all Priefts or Deacons returned to Parliament, face the beginning of the Seffions, fkall be excluded.—No, but it fays, w That from and after this Bill shall become a Law, no Priers or Deacon !hall be capable of being eleaed a Member of the Houfe of Com mons." Is it not evident, that by there words the Legiflature mean only to area fuch perfons as Ball be in future eleaed. This muft be con- Itrued as a penal ftatute, and therefore no fubtle conftrudion would be attended to, fo as to work a penalty to attach upon any man. But he thought it impoffible, even by the molt equitable conftruftion, to contend for this, that by this law the Honourable Member would be affeaed as to his prefent right. Would any lawyer get up in his place and fay, that this day month, when, proba bly, this Bill may be a law of the land, he would fecond a motion to expel the Honourable Member ? It is impofilble the law could fo apply, and there fore he ftrongly inclined to think further caution onneceßkry, but it is more, it is tnifchievous. This law he could confider as declaratory, certainly not in tfie ufnal fink, for all its effea and operation will be future. Thofe who believe the Hon. Mem ber's feat would be affeftcd, mull fiippofe he would be liable to the penalty for having fat, as thofe, l l will be in future, for every day they than fit in Parliament after palling this Alb—Now this would be abfurd, and yet fuch an idea did not teem to his .mind more unreafonable than the opinion that any other enaaing claufe, raying that all perfons in Holy Orders than in future be incapable to fit, can by any con ftruaion apply to the cafe of the Hon. Member who now fits in the Houfe. As he did not mean by this law to prejudice the Hon. Mem her's title, neither did he mean to prop or fupport firth tick.—lf the Hon. Member was by the law , and ufage of Parliament incapable of fitting or Voting in Parliament, he meant to leave him fo.— If, on the other hand, it might turn out that though in Holy Orders he had the right to fit with and re prefent the Knights, Citizens, and Burgefres in parliament, in fuch cafe he thought this law ought not to exclude him.—The Bill, in its prefent form, appeared to avoid both thofe difficulties, and there fore he inclined to approve its prefent form—he fhould however fubmit what he had faid to the cor ration of the Right Hon. and Learned Member's better opinion, fenfible that if he perfeveted, him felf mutt be in error. The Houfe now went into a Committee, Mr. Basocia in the Chair. After a few forms, Mr. Hosea Tool's rote. He was told by the Chair man, that the only quellion then was, whether the preamble fhould be pollponed ? Mr. Hose I Toone faid he felt the civility and attention of the Right Hon. Gentleman, and ac knowledged the obligations be was under to h im fir the corm in which be had brought this Bill before the Committee, for his intention of not fiif fering the Bill to have any retrofpeCtive etre.% with regard to himfelf. But for his own part he world be contented to go back to his home to-mor row, and give up his feat there. He did not de fire any peculiar exemption in his favour, although the duration of the prefent Parliament might ex ceed the term of his natural life. It was his in tention to move certain amendments to the Bill. In the firft place, he fhould move feveral which, if they were not agreed to, he Mould then propofe an addition to the Bill, by which he fhould wave all the civility that was intended him, and call upon the Houfe to place him in the fame fi tuation with other perfons whom the Bill fhould eff:a. If the Bill paffed in its prefent form, it would be abfurd and inconfiftent to fuffer him to remain there. If the introduction of perfons who had once been in Holy Orders were capable of pol luting that Houfe, a permiffion to fuch a perfon to continue in it mutt have the fame effect. How, therefore, could the Houfe be guilty of fo great an incontinency as that of declaring, that it was ne ceffary for the purity of Parliament to exclude a certain defcription of perfons, and at the fame time Coffer the Houfe to be rendered impure by permitting one of thofe perfons to remain in it He would therefore, if it fhould be neceffary, en deavour to relieve the Houfe from this dilemma. If the omifilons he intended to propofe were adopt. ed, the Bill would then be to this effect ; " As it is expedient to remove certain doubts, and to make more effectual provifion, &c. be it coated, &c. that if any perfon having been ordained a Prieft or a Deacon, flull be elated to fit in Parliament ; and being eleCted, fhall fit in the Commons Hou fe of Parliament, he (hall for ever after be incapable of taking, holding, or enjoying any Ecclefiallical Benefice whatever; or of taking, holding, or en joying, any office or fituation under the Crown." He fhould be happy if he found himfelf laved from the neceffity of entering into, or noticing the (tate ments which an Hon. and Learned Gentleman (Sir William Scott) had made on a former night, u to the impolfibility of a man who had once been a Clergyman ever ceafing to be fuch : ftatements, which, in his opinion, were more extravagant, wild, and fantaftic, than any thing that could be found in the Arabian Nights Entertainments, or the Fairy Tales. He had a high refpeet for that Learned Gentleman, as well as for the high Jim. ation which he held ; but he could not forbear making there obfervations on his attempt to bring forward as religion, that which was not religion. If fuch an alteration as he propofed was made in the Bill, the Bill would anfwer all the rational objections that could be made againft the admif lion of' Clergymen to feats in that Houfe ; for if Clergymen fhould. by being defied, be rendered incapable of holding any benefice, there would be no fear of the Houfe being crammed by ecclefiaf tieal candidates. The H oufe in that cafe would not commit any aft of inconfiftency, nor would it have to meddle with things which it was incom petent to. There was but one publication which he knew of concerning the indelibility, of the dui cal character this was a book written by Dr. Campbell, Profeffor in the Univerfity of Aberdeen; and he certainly had argued the fubjeft more ably than filth a phaniom deferred. He was fare the Houfe would never trouble itfelf about fuch a dif cuffion as that of the indelibility of the Clergy; as that of deciding whether a man once, ordained could lay afide his illations or not t Were the foes and friends of the Clergy to unite at this time, and ffigmatize them in a manner that was never thought of before ? He then moved that the pre amble of the Bill might not be poftponed. The that was put on this motion, and it was ordered that it fhould be poftponed. Mr. Tooxe then moved to leave out of the Bill, the word declared, becaufe it was not proper that the Bill fhould be a declaratory aft. The CHANCELLOR of the Excnsculsa agreed that it was proper to leave out the word. The SPEAKIR Paid it was not neceffary in cir cumftances where doubts had exifted to declare what the law was before: and therefore it would be better to make the claufe merely an enacting and not a declaratory claufe. Doctor LAURINCt Paid, that the leaving out this word would be an acknowledgment that the Clergy were hitherto eligible to fit in that Houfe, and of courfe the prefent Bill would be a complete disfranchifement of that Body. The Houfe would therefore aft contrary to the principles on which the Chriffian and civilized world had flood for ages. The Socicrroe GINERAL thought it would be neceffary to remove any doubts that might arife as to the exclution of an Hon. Gentleman, whom it was not the intention of the Houle to exclude ; and therefore he thought it would be better to omit the word than let it remain in the Bill. Mr. Wicciasi SMITH was or the fame opinion. Mr. BURTON raid, if the word was not left out, the public would think that the Houfe was aban doning its right to the prefent difcuffion. If the Mottle was ever of opinion that doubts hail exifted on this fubjea, it would completely abandon its right of judicature as to its owq privileges; if by fuffering the word to remain in the Bill, the qnef lion fhould remain as if no doubts had ever been entertained. Mr. TAT Lpe raid, he was clearly of opinion, that the Clergy had alwayslaten ineligible ; it was neceffary to declare that in this Bill ; and honer than leave out the word in queftion, he would move a fpecial provifo. that the Bill fliould not go to deprive an lion. Gentleman of his feat. Mr. BAKU, Mr. ALIZANDIR, and Mr. STUR DIER were againft leaving out the word. Mr. WHITIIRRAD thought that ever fence the diiTo.. lotion of the Convocation, the Clergy had a right to fit in that Houle; and if a law was now to be made for their ineligibility, it met be an malting and not a declaratory The Sprain laid, the Bill was to have a pro fpeffive and noe a retrofpeaive effect ; and that could not be, if it was to be declaratory. Mr. WINOHAM 'rinsed that previous to the in troduaion of the Bill, the Houle had gone (trait forward, and declared what the law was; that without (hewing any hoffility or complacency to wards au individual, it had barely Qated the law itch as it was. As eireumflonees now Rood, he vas for retaining the word in question ; but the eat of the Hon. Member lhonld not be affeded by 'uch a clank. The CHANCELLOR of the ETCHEQVFR approved )t - the remedies propofed by Mr. Taylor and Mr. Windham. Mr. SHERIDAN thought the Bill prepofterous, as ;t proceeded entirely upon a prefuniption that it vas the opinion of the Houk that perfons in Holy Orders were ineligible, whereas there was no de cifion on that point. The converfation was then continued by Mr. ALEXANDEr, Mr. VANSITTART, Mr. BANKS, Mr. WARTIN, and concluded by Mr. Joustsou. After which the Houfe divided on Mr. Tooke's amend. ment, which was negatived by a majority of 102 to t t. An amendment was then moved, conformable to that fuggelled by the Chancellor of the Exche quer, by inferting the word " is," and a fpecial provifo, exempting any perfons in holy orders then having a feat, from the operation of the bill. Ayes for the amendment 102—Noes 11. The gallery remained flint while the other daufes were paffed through the Committee, and the report was ordered to be received to-morrow. LONDON. THURSDAY, MAY 14. PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK Confols 6o F.-Conf. for ace. 6r—Omnium 93. PRIES OF STOCKS YESTERDAY : Bank Stock t 674 t6B Long Ann. z 8 t-i 6* 3 per Cent. it.c.L All Short Ann. s 1-t6l . 3 per CUM Con. Imp. 3 per Cent. 331 , 4 per Cent. 783 Omnium 83 9 5 per Cent. Navy 9631 India Stock acot 5 per Cent. Loy. 931 94 ConL for May 6if 6z Laft night we received Paris Journals to the loth inclufive. They contain no official intelli gence from Egypt, but the official Paper, in com menting on the intelligence given in the Englifh Journals, Rates, " That there remains a corps of Frenchmen, to the number of 13,000, who have not as yet fired alhot. This corps will be united with the two or three thoufand Cavalry, which General Malmo is fuppofed to have collected at Alexandria, and with the troops that are nation. ed in that fortrefs, and in that cafe on what lies the probability of fuccefs ; what man in his fenfes, who calculates the refiftance which three or four thoufand men only have fo effeftually made to the whole of the Englifit army, as to keep the field, without being compelled to fbelter themfelves under the cannon of Alexandria, and in fpite of all the efforts of the Englifh, to preferve their com munication with the interior cf the country, muff not be convinced that the Englifh army will not be able with an equal force to withftand our at tack for twenty minutes." The fame Paper adds : Although the troops who compote the Army of the Eaft are unconquered, we agree that they are not invincible. The art of war is compofed of many different elements, of which the courage of the foldier conftitutes but one. At the fame time we can Ain with confidence, that if General LAMLISSE, inftead of having four or five thou fand men againft feventeen or eighteen thoufand, had had one againft two, the Englifh army would, by this time, be re-embarked ; and certainly there are few examples of an army five times more numerous than its antagonifts, having been fo long engaged without making any impreffion on it; without making a fingle prifoncr ; withoitt, in a word, driving them wholly out of the field." A letter from General MouNIT to General Li- CLIRC (in the official Journal), Bates that the ad. vanced guard of the French army had arrived at Burgos on the a6th of April. The Kum, yefierday morning before breakfaft, walked in the Gardens of Kew Palace, accompa nied by the Quits and Paincassis. Difpatches - from Sir Hvos P were re ceived at the Admiralty this morning. Yefterday arrived Major BROWN and Lieutenant Gamoity, with duplicates of the difpatches from Lieutenant-General Tama' and Admiral Duck. WORTH, refpeding the capture of the Dana and Swedilh Iflands. Mr. COURVOISIUR left town !aft night with dif patches for the Court of Peterlburgh. Tuefday GROROR GARLAND, Efq. was unani. morally re-eleded to ferve in Parliament foi the town and county of Poole. The Corn-Market ye ft erday was very dull, fo much fo, that wheat has again experienced a fur ther decline of 98. per quarter, Flour 7s. per Pack, and other grain in proportion ; Malt was very heavy, and full Bs. per quarter lower. Captain Moscow, of the s sth regiment, rode his bay horfe, by Young Morwick, on Thurfday morning laft, from Leiceller, through Wilford, to Northampton, a diftance of 32 port miles, with apparent cafe, in 98 minutes, for a wager of too guineas. On Tnefday fennight, two gentlemen, with each a fecond and a furgeon, arrived from Edinburgh at Berwick-upon-Tweed, in two poll chaifes, and at a (bort diftance from that place took their ground and fired each - a (hot without effed. The feconds then interfered, the affair was made up, and the whole party returned in the fame manner as they arrived, without any of their names tranfpiring. At Hendon Fair on Monday, the !ports of rink ping for a foaped pig, grinning, running in lacks, &c. were exhibited with tome fuccefs. The Middlefex SefGons will be opened on Tuef day next at Hicks's Hall . ; and the SeiGons at the Old Bailey will begin on Wednefday. NAUTICAL INTELLIGENCE. MAILS THIS DAY,—WIND N. W. ARRIVED DOR o iiAmburgiv. May o Duh;iii, May • Waterford, May 9 I Donnaghldce, May 20, 0 • Lceward ICand FALMOUTH, MAY zr. Arrived the PRINCE nous"- packet, Captain PrrRE, from the Leeward Iflands, with Mails and Difpatcbes the failed from England on the :Bth of February kit, with the Mails for the Iflands, and arrived at Barbadoes on the 6th of March, where the found the SYREN frigate, which had convoyed the Welt India fleet from Cork : at Martinique, on the loth, the found his Majetty's (hip LEVIATHAN, with Admiral DUCKWORTH'S flag on board, and the CALCUTTA: from Domi nica to Antigua the was convoyed by his Majefty's (hip CAYENNE: at Antigua the found lying his Majeay's (hip PROSELYTE with nine tranfports un der her convoy from Portfmouth, and the Ame rican brig Eagle with a convoy, all of which failed from thence on the 2 ift : the landed her Mails at the feveral Iflands and arrived at Tortola on the zd of April, where the found the Acts- ANDER tender, which failed from thence during her (lay there : the touched at St. Thomas's, where the found his Majefty's SOUTH•METON, Co. ROMANDEL, ARAB, and CALCUTTA, and failed from thence for England on the sth of April, un der convoy of the ARAB, which parted company on the Bth : fpoke the tfodelly, of Bremen, 40 days from Charleflown, bound to London, all well on the sth inftant, and arrived here this day. —Mr. Livros, our late Ambaffador at America, came home paffenger in this packet, together with Captain BOGER, Major BROWN, Lieutenants Moe- KY. and GREGORY, and Meas. ARMSTRONG, GIL. BERT, MACLACH LAN, and Ross. Put back by contrary winds, the KING Gsoac a Packet, with the Mails for Li(bon, which failed yefterday.—Appeared off, for orders, and failed again, for France, the American (hip Sufan and Polly, Captain WOODBURY, from Charleftown.— Arrived the American !hip Argo, Captain How. LAND, from Barcelona, with wine, &c. for orders. The two French frigates mentioned in my letter of yefterday, fpoke by the Puossi ix Packet on the sgth ult. are la Cocarde and la Corneille, of so guns each, they were kering S. S. E. with a prefs of fail. PLYMOUTH, MAY is. Came in the Spanifh brig San Francifco Saviour, from St. Bebailian, in ballafl, taken by the Earl St. Vincent privateer, of this port : alfo the Ame rican Ihip Minerva, of New Bedford, Capt. Man- IL 1H sw, from Almeria, bound to Hamburgh, laden with barilla, detained by the Ferret privateer, of London. Five P. M. A cutter in the fervice of the Admi ralty, is kill come in from fea, and going up Ha moaze, and by her appearance is from abroad : the has had an anion with fome velrel, her fails being full of (hot holes ; her mainmalL appears to be much wounded, but cannot get the particulars early enough for port. PORTSMOUTH, MAY 13. Sailed for the Downs the Ram, of t 8 guns, • Captain SANDERS, with a convoy.—Arrived the Hazaao, Captain BUTTSaiIIiLD, from Ireland. SHEERNESS, MAY 13. Sailed yellerday the followinßgun.brigs, &mon. HOUND, ARCHER, BASILISK, MARINI', LOCUST, and FIRMER, for the Downs.—Arrived this day the DRIVER floop, Captain DUNBAR, from Yar mouth : the Isis was taken into Dock; and the Aaaow floop came into Harbour. FROM LLOYD'S LIST. DIAL, MAY 13.—Arrived the SERPENT (loop of war with a convoy from Belfaft, which are failed for the River; and SURPRIZE frigate, with the fleet from Jamaica,—Wind S. GILAvISINIWMAY 13.—Paft by the Kingfmill„ —; Czar, —, from Trinidad ; Live Oak, —, from Lifbon; Elizabeth, HIM, from Corks Neptune, ELzzas, from Koningiburg ; Afteon, Bennis; Flanders, PARR Et ; Ayr, SALTER ; and Manning, LAN E, from Oporto ; Charlotte, Ro. GELS Friendfhip, —; and Favourite, Wire Lusts, from Dublin. The Grand Planter, Winos, from St. Kitt's to Portfmouth, which had been taken by the Braave privateer, is retaken by the Gssamoas frigate and arrived at Cork. The Camilla, Pars-row, from Grenada for Li verpool, which had been taken by the Braave privateer, is retaken by the Giza mots frigate. The Eagle, Plumy, from Portfmonth, is taken in the Gut of Gibraltar. On Wednefday fe'nnight, the Packet, Pass, Bsonn mailer, from Hamburgh, in palling from the harbour of Dundee, to a bank at a little dif tance, where veffels are in the pradice of taking in ballaft, run upon a rock immediately oppofite to the Craig Pier, whereby the has received very con fiderable damage. Copy of a Letter from Capt. HADISTII•N to Was. Tat Bcorr, Efq. of Scosfball, by Lerwick. " Bgolaaac, at Sea, asd Apr% dot. " At half pail four P. M. in lat. 60. 30. long. 14. 6. weft, we• difcovered four large Mips (land ing under a profs of fail to the S. E. At nine, af ter firing three thou brought them to, and boarded die - Commodore's Ibip, Which proved to be the Danifh frigate Nayaden, of 36 guns, commanded !try Monfieur KRIJOORD. The rea of the fqua dron were one 64, and two 4 Map from St. Thomis's bo From the queflions which t? relative to Sir Hvoa Peas: Baltic, of which we had received am induced to think this fquadron" home per exprefs." wo frigates of 40 guns bound to Copenhagen. the Commodore atked A :11l and our fleet up the received information, I nadron has been ordered