Star. — London, England, 1815-02-21 00:00:00

Spanish Government, and were still making; and he trusted also that he would be enabled to state hat it was likely the demand would be complied with. Earl BATHURST.—Having beard the case of four Spanish gentlemen who had sought refuge in , Gibraltar, and had been delivered up to the Spanish government by the Governor, and having seen a fetter to Lord Holland, and an address to the Prince Regent on the subject, he had lost no time in taking the sense of his Royal Highness on this matter. He had caused every inquiry to be made into the cir cumstances, and application had certainly been made to the Spanish government for the release of these gentlemen, though he was sorry to state, without as yet having produced the desired effect. He confes sed the case had made a stronger impression on his mind at first, than the circum s as they after wards appeared seemed to demaid. General'Camp. bell, by whom the men had been delivered up, was dead at the time the application bad been made to him ; but the state of the case was thistliese four men, when the Cortes and Regeacy had been is power, were engaged against the royalist party; but were set at liberty in Consequence of an act of in demnity, passed to a certaio extent, at the instance of the British euthorities. They were' afterwards seized, and sent to Cadiz ; and there they prayed to be released through the interference of the Brifish, who, they said, were parties to the indemnity: The ReAency and Cortes, however, stated, that they had been seized in consequence of subsequent acts. They then came to Gibraltar, and applied for protection ; but had been delivered up. There wove two circum stances, then, with respect to which he bad been under a misapprehension. In the first place, the ca. pitulation or declaration of indemnity was not our's, and the acts fur which the men had been seized had occurred during the authority of the Cortes and Re gency. He did not, however, intend to justify the conduct of the British Governor, nor did he by any means say that there did not exist grounds for very strong representation on the subject to the Spanish government, and such representations had been made; though he was sorry, as he had already stated, that those representations bad not as yet been attended with the desired effect. Lord GRENVILLE—He was quite satisfied that Iris Noble Friend had no desire to justify the conduct of the British Governor, but none of the circum stances stated by his Noble Friend in the least touched the ground on which be (Lord Grenville) ?rad rested the question. That ground was, that by the laws and Constitution of this country, strangers resorting to it, as well as the natives, were entitled to the benefit of our liberties. If these strangers had been convicted of the most heinous murder, whatever might be their offences and crime% still not even the King himself, and far less an inferior governor, had the power or the right, without a po. dtive act of the legislature, to lay Hands upon them and deliver them up. Whatever, therefore, might be the merits of their case in other respects, It was wrong to give them up, and we had a right to de nand that they should be replaced under that pro tection of which they had been deprived by collusion betiveen the British and Spanish officers. He bad no wish to press harder upon the memory of Gene ral Campbell than the circumstances absolutely de manded, and he ought now to state that he had beard him well spoken of : but he had in this instance been guilty of a mistake, and he must say, a most reprehensible mistake. In this respect there was no difference between a stranger and a native-born sub ject. In both cases allegiance was required, and in both protection was due ; and, therefore, it was not sufficient merely to make representations; but these representations must be urged, and the demand in sisted upon. It could not be passed over, unless we were prepared to surrender the honour and indepen dence of this country, and lay them prostrate at the foot of the Spanish Government. U the object could be attained by representation, so much the better; but if success in that way should appear desperate, then it would be necessary to adopt more affective measures. TRANSFER GIP GENOA. The Order of the Day being read, The Marquis of BUCKINGHAM rose, pursuant to notice, to move for the proclamations of Lord W. entinck and General Dalrymple to the people of Genoa. If there was any duty more incumbent on the Government of any country than another, it was that of redeeming the pledges Made in its name, and with its authority, by its officers. If then was any thing more base and dastardly in a government than another, it was the leaving it a matter of doubt, whe ther the acts of the officer were really the acts of the Government, or the acts of the agent himself exceed ing his commission. He was speaking of a measure Which was concluded, so that there could be no pre tence for refuting these papers on the ground of a pending negociadon. It was now partly his object to bring the principles which he had stated to the lest, and to call upon the Baecutive Government to evuor their support of th e acts of their agent, ce to disavow these acts if they did not support them.— Looking at the proclamations, he should think that the ageht had the suppos of the Government ; but when he observed their silence on the subject, he should rather think that the agent had not that au thority. They appeared to have been willing to take all the advantages of the proceedings of their ' officers, still reserving . to themselves a hok to creep out from the inconveniences of his engagements. He had taken too limited a view of the question before;—he now boldly protested against the Obeli system of TO. liation, plunder, and aggression, which began with the French Revolution, god appeared now to be• adop ted by us. The NobAC BA - (Liverpool) had said tie other day, that the transaction was net comple ted, and that the time for esplanation was not yet ar rived : but he called upoq the Noble Earl to pro. duce the documents which would prove that 'the t r ansaction was completer& T h.. Wile Earl kw./ to, what he alluded. The dmument was in the Ofce. Let him itwodoce tie protocol of Congress 4,130 12th of Pecan*. Wyo. Omen, and had *l6 discussed a t Gmtkßaf ;pd .pipt 4 %town hgre a air by tfit does the terprr,reg Irwin if rarnbelYtimtransfcne for ez e plaiTantil ul a t cl ai nos . ;3! it; C rierid j it h m t vla i; *let ,rat CQ pllniCi t *ii'e, tiollid 4 ozo worg tiinegth." 1 OP r4 l tit OS 01 1 . 0 .. 1 *4 ll° '. FO di* 4 r e4 they op. for a verdict ? This Wei another eatraOrginVi ' notion on the subject gf remonsibility, in eddhion to Ate strange doctrines whit had lately been broached mspecting t, and that, toe, by, some learned per sons, who Issisl spjd that wb e • ce was raised for a certain purpose, it might sle kept up after the cause had ceased upon the responsibility of Ministers. His Lordship then sated the eiretwetances of the case, as he did on the night when he gave notice of his motion, and read the proclamations of Lord W. Bentinck and General Dalrymple, the one promising independence, and their ancient Constitution, to the people of Genoa ; and the other stating the transfer of that State to Sardinia, in violation of the faith of this country, and of the pledge of the Allied Powers given in the T4lhty of Paris. Some reason of expe diency might lifurged for this ; but it was a sound maxim in Which as well as in morals, that honesty was the best policy. The Noble Marquis then ad verted to the impolicy of taking from the feeble power of the King of Sardinia the most important and strongest part of his dominions, and loading him with the defence of an extended barrier, and a terri tory already hostile to his Government. He obser ved on the departure of Ministers from that policy of Mr. Pitt which they professed to have constantly be fore their eyes ; pad molded by moving an Address so the Prince Regent for copies of two proclamations, one issued by Lord W. Bentinck, on the 26th of April, 1814., end the other by General Dalrymple, on the 27th of December, 1814, with such extracts of their instructions as were compatible with the public service. Lord LIVERPOOL could have no possible ob jection to the production of the papers in question, nor to any imaginable mode of prosecuting the en- quiry into the subject of the Noble Marquis's cons• plaint : but let the season for their production come, which it had not yet done, nor could while their ge neral matter was still before Congress. There was no instance where a Parliamentary enquiry was al• lowed to be instituted on a part of a great and com prehensive transaction. In the year 1783, when peace was made with America, the documents rela tive to that were refused simply because they bore a connection with the French peace, which had not been then completed. This was the custom of Par. liament. He could not break through it on this inc. casioe. But this repugnance was not to be construed into the slightest admission of the statements of the Noble Marquis. He must move the previous question. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE considered the transaction as complete, and, therefore, a fit subject of enquiry at this moment. One fact was certain. Lord Wm. Bentinck's proclamation was contradicted by General Dalrymple's, Would Ministers deny both or either ? He was grieved to suppose that Mi nisters should lay the country, for the moment, un der the imputation of having adopted the policy, after having conquered the ambition, of Bonaparte. They ought to rescue the name of England front the shame of giving up Genoa. What answer could we now make to any partitioning attempts on the part of France, Austria, and Russia ? Lord BATHURST denied that there was any desire in Ministers to shrink from enquiry: but these papers could not be adduced, without involving sub jects on which the House had yet no means of judg ing. The question divided itself into two—of the policy, and the honour. of England. The policy was only to be determined by the general result—their Lordships might rely upon his solemn belief, that the honour of the country was secure, and that no engagements had been offered which had not been fully performed. He, himself, front the station and offite which he held, had a peculiar anxiety that in. vestigation should be speedy; but painful as it was to live under imputations, nothing should induce him to clear himself at the expense of the public interest. The Duke of SUSSEX took a general view of Lord Wm. Bentinck's movements in Italy, and con tended that we sacrificed good policy in endeavouring to support the Sardinian Government against the Genoese. He then spoke of the impolicy of sanction. ing the possession of Italy by Austria. Italy, under 4 line constitution, would have been a powerful ally to England. The kingdom of Italy under Napoleon had a revenue of five millions, and an army of 145,000 men. Lord KING was surprised to see that Genoa could h have been given up after England's faith had been so pledged to her. L'rd GRENVILLE thought it was impossible to draw back from enquiry when these two proclama tions were read. But this complaint of treachery to the Genoese was to be thrown by for a more conve. nient season ; and what did that mean but putting it by, till it came buried in a mass of papers of the ge. neral concerns of Europe, and till its interest was not capable of being attended to ? The question was, what were the instructions given to our officers? It was idle to say the act was incomplete. The liberty of the Genoese was established by proclamation ; it was then revoked by proclamation. Here was an en. tire transaction. The thing was complete; and therefore might be made a subject of separate and immediate enquiry: The public principles of Eng. land were in fact a solemn pledge that no nation should raise its arms to her in vain. But how pain fully was this noble prejudice violated; and how was .the case still darkened by not merely refusing this liberty, but using a British force for the purpose of enslaving a people desirous to be free ? Were we to sanction the old and now the dangerous idea, that Kings might transfer their subjects like sheep ? Kings had no right over their subjects to give them thus away like herds; and were we now to be the first to esia blish abroad principles which we abhorred at home ? The LORD CHANCELLOR observed, that the ground of resisting the motion was its involving the premature disclosure of matters of still higher impor tance. The Noble Marquis (Buckingham) himself' ,was aware of this from the warding of his own mu tion, which asked for such extracts as might not . be inconsistent with the public service. 1 The Marquis of Bucaociutast and the LOAD CIIAN• 4111•LOR sitegaliT explained. • The Housethontivided on the previous question— Contents, s 7. Mot Contents, 13.--Adjourned till tn-morrow. . ; ii9u4g OP 00401111116 Mr. BARCLAY gash tit aids, We WWI Sir lis Borough it souses, are. • A iseadfsitetile amber o f Pahleos was pneeeted, raying fop assiiiikeilsZia 11 .4. 400611 LIWS, SS MU as ethers *pint shirisanydrbo the.. . . . • • , ' itaairus wale rafted at the par, tithe edetlet end fees of 'the ailment officers and ministers ot Justice le the Oeurts of Chancery NO King's Bench ; as also of the fees and salaries of dig oaken .lp the Tre e pury and „Etc/parer in Ireland. Mr. BENNE ITgers *mice, that be would, to-morrow, move foe some enquiry into the state of the King's Bette, Fleet, sod Marshalsea prisons. _ MILITIA. Sir S. ROMILLY gave notice, tbst he should submit a motion to the House on the subject of the Militia Laws. in consequence of that force being still keep embodied, on to-morrow se'nnight. SIR J. DUFF. Mr. WHTITREAD gave notice that on Wednesday se'nnight, he should move for an Address to his Royal Highneis the Prince Regent, relative to the conduct of Sir J. Duff and General Smith; and he was desirous that the Right Hon. Centlem.ut should in the neon time inform himself whether the memorial of one of the Spanish prisoners tried at Cabe had been trans mitted by Sir J. Duff to General Smith. CORN LAWS. Mr. BARING rose, to move the order of the d 47, for the House resolving itself into a Committee of the whole House on the Corn Laws. It had been, he observed, his intention to submit counter resolutions to those proposed by the Right Honourable Gentle man. On subsequent consideration, however, and the suggestion of an honourable friend, he was satis fied that the most convenient course for him to pur sue, would be to move some amendment, the object of which would be, in the first instance, to make the measure temporary; and, secondly, to introduce some gradation of prices. This it was his intention to pro pose in the Committee on Wednesday next. Those who agreed with him in the principle, that any inter ference with the Corn Laws ought to be temporary, might then support his amendment, although they could not concur with his arguments, had they been submitted to the House in the form of resolutions. The Committee was then fixed for Wednesday next. CROWN LANDS. Mr. LAMI3TON said, he observed, in the papers on the table, a sum of Rt,ooo paid from the revenue of the Crown Lands to his Royal Highness the Duke of York, to defray the expense of certain entertain ments. He wished to know if the Right Hon. Gentle man could afford him any explanation on this subject? The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in reply, said, it was an advance from a fund entirely under the con troul of the Crown to his Royal High. ness, to enable him to defray the expense incident to the entertainments given to the King of Prussia, to whom his Royal Highness was nearly related. Mr. BENNETT said a few words, when the con versation dropped. FINANCE. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved, that the House should resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, to consider of the Ways and Means for the present year, and that the accounts presented during the present and last Ses sion, together with the Act 54 of his present Majesty, be referred to the s ime Committee. [ The SPEAKER having left the Chair], The Right Honourable Gentleman began by ob serving, that it would on this occasion be naturally expected from him to state, in the first instance, what the principal cause was that now induced him to come forward and submit certain propositions to the Com mittee. On the .sth of Apia next the Property Tax, and about two months afterwards, the other war taxes would expire. It was not his intention, as he l had already announced to Parliament, to propose any further continuance of the Property Tax. Before Christmas last, some doubt existed as to whether the Tax would legally cease in April next ; but the Peace with 'America, and its probable ratification by the American Government, had removed every doubt of this description. He was satisfied, however, that the House, in abandoning that great measure of finance, did not consider itself at all precluded from resorting to it again, whenever the necessities of the country should render it expedient.—(Hear, hear).—The Par liament of 1802 and 1806 never could have intended to fetter the discretion of either the present or any fu ture Parliament, nor did he know of any distinction between the Commons assembled in that House, and the Commons of the Country at large. The Repre sentative and Constituent Bodies were one and the same branch of the Commonwealth : it was not be tween them that any contract was binding, because whatever was done by the Representative, must be supposed to be equally done by the Constituent.— I'he Public never could have contracted that Parliament should not enact such laws as were suited to the emer gencies of tire country, ncr could any faith be broken by she renewal of the Property Tax, if it sliot;!‘l ap pear to be the only advisable means of winding up the expenses of the war. That renewal, under all the circumstances of our financial situation, it was not his intention at present to recommend ; but he felt it to be his duty, in proposing the substitution of other measures, to call the attention of the House to the important service which this tax had been the means of rendering to the country. He had himself been a party to its introduction; and he could assure the Com mince, that there was no circumstance of his public life on which he looked back with gi eater satisfaction. In conjunction with the other war taxes, it bad sup ported the public credit, and finally enabled us to as-; :Ist materially in effecting the deliverance of Europe. They had saved a funded debt of between two and X 300.000,000, and an annual charge diet 4,0()0,000-1 The Property Tax alone had produced X1. 5 50,4100,(.00, and had saved a burthen of £180,000,000 of debt, with £9,000,000 of permanent taxes--(Hear, hear). If he could at all agree with those who, in reproba. bating the tax on property, described it to be as odi ous in principle as it was arbitrary in its assessment and collection, he certainly should not now express any hope that Parliament would still consider it as a reserved resource for future wars or critical emergen cies. He knew it was common to hear it called op-1 pressive and inquisitorial, but he sincerely believed that the Gentlemen who gratuitously discharged the duties of Commissioners had shewn as much atten- tion, justice, and impartiality, as, making due al lowances for human infirmity, could be reasonably expected from any body of men whatever. They were composed of persons who undertook the office from the most laudable and patriotic motives : they were in general the same Gentlemen who filled the Commission of the Peace, and maintained in the dif ferent functions of the Magistracy, the internal order and tranquillity of the kingdom. He should never, therefore, listen to any remarks derogatory to their character, without doing his best to repel them.— :With respect to the powers conferred upon them 1 0 , the Act, if we consultea m p a reeeditats we should .find no reason to. copsidise is excessive. Dy, 'the Act Ist Anne. actin 1. chap. 15. on tla re newal of the French war, a tax subset - oqt to that on lotto was imposed nn personal property. — The tax amounted to 50 shillings on capital, 25 on income, four on trades, and four on professions ; the assessors were empowered to levy penalties, and La commisioners to summon, inquire, and examine np. on oath. By the law, as it then sv.od, every tra r was obliged to deliver in as account cf his steci.: r 1 trade. The present tax on property made no pease. nal inquiries, and whatever might be its ineees • . niencies and defects as applied to income derive,{ from trade, he considered it, as it affected Led, is approach to perfection. A clause had been i :sertell in 1803, for the purpose of remedying. in some de. grce, this evil, by referring cases to private ereitra. Lion, but it was subsequently omitted. lie tees anxious to state his view of the importance and vantages cf this treasure, in the event of circle., stances hereafter rendering it neceisary to ca:l once more into action. It undoubtedly was strict:; a war tax ; and although it stood pledged for sever el years at the peace of Amiens, and although by et::- ring off so productive a source of revenue at a taw when the war expenditure still remained to be wooed up, the loan for the service of the year must nrceez rily be large, he still thought that the great variation of prices must render it, if longer continued, far more vexatious in its operation, and unequal .n rs pressure than at any former period. The farmer z particular, must be exposed to a charge considerahe higher than any estimate of his real profits wee.l justify, as it had been the practice hitherto to calze late his income on a general principle of assessmeet. It had been proposed to him, and probably similar suggestions had presented themselves to mane e :fa now heard him, to continue the tax on property L:_ der different modification. One of these plans pre posed to exempt the class of farmers altogether, aril apply the tax only to property of a mixed .Lscrip tion. The obvious objection to this was, that in every loan Act, a clause was introduced, exempting the stock of the contractors from the tax ; and wher ever the principle of exemption should he admitted., the stockholder, as a public creditor, would have ti.e best title, vie. the faith of Parliament, to plead in hie behalf. Another plan was to augment the tax cote siderably on the great proprietors, and induce it as :t affected persons of limited and narrow incomes. A very little attention, however, would shew the im practicability of such a project. The Act at preens I gave no insight into the real property of any !rely; the tax was levied without reference to the name or business of the proprietor. To illustrate his :can ing. he should suppose, that a person who was a banker in London might be a merchant at Br;strt, and a manufacturer at Lancaster, and that be s!eiel have a large landed estate, and £lOO,OOO in tike Funds—(4 loud laugh.) This individu it w-uld only pay upon his separate estates, nor would it be r is•-• ble for any man even to guess at the gross agg: eget' of his property. He was, however, he admitted, de cidedly of opinion that the tax could not, consiete:•tly with the views with which it was originally instiee ted, be retained for more than another year,. or le: any other purpose than the final settlement of tie: war expenditure ; and he therefore thought it mote advisable to lay it aside at once, than to impair tie principal by any new modifications. In laytn i; le the Committee the amount of supplies waisted re. the service of the year, it was impcss;ble tor him t' state any precise :um, until intelligence c.f the reef:. cation of the treaty of peace by America sllete. enable him to ascertain the period witein fleets and our armies ceeld be recalled. Tlte vice. therefore, which he was about to take of the tinanci..4 situation of the country would be less adapted to a peace establishment than to a state of gr idetien from a war to a peace establishment. It would be LecescirF to borrow to a large amount, but this arneuitt wee depend on the tie,e within which it would he possii•le to limit the war expenditure. The cessation of the I property tax must, of course, render a considerable augmentation of the loan necessary. Looking for ward beyond the present year, it might be desirable to indulge for a moment in a mere exteneed view o. our situatim, Upon the whole, he censidered the prospesi as very satisfactory. It was not his inter• tion to compare our situation with that of any fouler period of peculiar difficulty and embaressment ; sari;, for example, as that at the close of the Aunt - iced war, when public credit seemed to be giving war, but should contrast it with a period when our reve nues were in the most flourishing state. He alladee to the year 1791, shortly before the breaking out the revolutionary war. It appeared Ly the report et a Committee of F.nance at that time, that the pe duce of the different taxes composing the Consolit. - ted Fund was AC13,472,000, and that the chaegts upon it amounted to £ 1 1,321,000, leaving a suge. • of £2,151,000. To this was to be added the Fr duce of the land and malt taxes, 42..575,000, coast tuting a disposable fund of a11 e 726,000. On tl sth day of limitary last, our income amounted £38,236,000, to which as to be added another se i 1 upwards s f a:2,000,000, making together a gross • venueof 410,95'2,000. The principal charge open tit was the interest of the funded debt at A"35,4'20,00 which, with the imperial loan, made a Metal £35,773,000, and, with the addition of the oth charges, amounted to £37,544,000. leaving a pi manent surplus of £3,418,000. If to this am to added the annual taxes, substituted for the lend at malt, a sum total 403,118,000 would be found a. plicable to the support of the establishments of e • country, a much greater sum than that with we begun the war. We had at that time besides sinking fund of £1,300,000 only ; we had now u of more than sel 1,000,000. The debt, indeed, w much larger, but our means of meeting it had i creased in a fourfold proportion—(ffear, hear.) Co siderably MI lions, inmever, woe still necessary.- The House must be aware of the requisite extiet..e of our military establishment, horn the titctasity ,reserving our colonial settlements, for Malt Ceylon, and especially for Canada. All this bete taken into consideration, it would be found, that t. peace military establishment would not be tar of what it was at the commencement of the war.- When also it was recollected, that our navy had be: engaged in au arduous war for twenty years, it m , : be seen at once t h at very extensive repairs Were ai misery. The. Hbuse, therefore, would probate:" hear without surprise, that the expense of the pv: esta_4shment would be eighteen or nineteen millia•• quclaing the Irish establishment. He shame' 'hoped, Out as act Uist3lll retiod some reduct6' .V7••••••••••••••' - ' -- -- -- ^G - •'-',., -•--, - `,-,-, ..-- - 1 - - - -•-.17 - rrut/11/19MM WIILIII WC pupsw scrum were composed of persons To tovihat he alluded,. 'rho document w as in the Th e M arqu i s of BUCKJ.WOHA/4 find the LORD CAMS' from the most laudable an Office. Let hint Pr°44.ce the pro;oc,o1 of Conrcsa 0,54.L0R strfOgally espleuzed. • were in general the um* I o r t he 120 1 of 17ecembjex. Xi . vos li t aaarai and 4 .44 The Houselbeerdivided on the pervious question— Commission of the Peace, a kV% discussed at Ctenictas Mad, pot bo liclown bin 0 Contents, 97-.4ltia Contentp, 134—Adjourned till fit functions of the Magi mie In Mit klaCn i tntnt the terVir; a( Penpa. wit it- to-morrow. nna.tranquillity of the kink r oler 4 my, transferiei to §q4uttt i Bof . thep it let 1100411 01 0 0 1 0 4 0 11 1. thimble, listen to any rem L 414 - o w 4141 for expwation gl ad no ; s l u r re d 1 AUX IS m i .. BARMAy um ay pad% use Visit let di* Um. tinireeter, without doing h triii•Oilis plinic4 v4i441 qqui!i in3* wafer iitsow_,__lt-ok.. • ~..._''.';.___, ......,_ with respect to the powe coo sieve ? * r4l Die 04 1 Chi gx Ow 1 0 , A __,...=,21: 6 6 6 : ' it ir.,` dash . ;r e ; ime ' 46 . g ." 9 '‘ hy the Act, if me consulo p-0 tit* ? I,( . Oftise4 I'll ( 90 v t/AW)1 1 1 , .P,7",,,,,,i` "=", is i wsy ri to . - = i.: • ari,,.,,, L , fi nd no reason to. consider c 9 A his own time or his defence, whet sou d hey AO Rams was mailed at the par, oldie WWI. all !met:the Act Ist Anne, section