Star. — London, England, 1815-02-16 00:00:00

no t know he had ny a intention ordoi‘g..l), would' . ceru i n ly be replaced by some other. HUSTON IC /IL SIMON BILL. IMr. SWANN moved the second reading o f t bi Helstone Elec tion Bill. M r . U. GIDDY said he would not take this mei of the H o u se on the principle of the Bill, although li he thought it had much better be dropped ; but if tht honourable and Learned• Gentleman would not con sent to pestponq the further prcceeding.upon it, and the Bill should reach the Committee, he gave notice, that he would then propose several alterations—. among which would be the. omission of the epithet .6 corrupt, " in the preamble of the Bill, (the itrer• brity not baiting been intentional,) a ihange in the clause by which the Corporation were divested of the right of voting, &c. Mr. SWANN would not agree to postpone the ruceeding on the Bill, which had already been am - I li ccut,ilered, having twice gone through that Howe, although it had not in either case received the concurrence of the House of Lords. The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be committed on that .day se'nnight, and to be printed. CORN LAWS. Mr. BARING rose to move for a return of the price of bread during a certain number of years which be considered as a necessary document in the inquiry they were about to institute. He regretted, indeed; that the inquiry was to be brought on so soon as Friday. on which day, as he understood, a Right Hon. Gentleman intended to propose a series of Re solutions for the adoption of the Committee, upon s I subject the most important to the vital interests of the country. He was certainly of opinion that more time ought to be allowed for individuals to snake up their minds. He had heard, indeed, of a tort of Le gislative Committee that met at Lord Liverpool's house, to determine upon the measure that was after wards to be proposed. lie did not mean to censure that meeting, but it seemed to him to be a.very un usual proceeding. Upon a question, however, of so great importance, and with Petitions from every city and borough in the kingdom respecting it, he cer tainly thought that House ought to know what it was Government intended to propose, (for a mea sure of Government he now understood it to be,) before they were called upon to vote. If it was merely intended to propose certain Resolutions to the Committee, and then ask leave to sit again, he should feel less objection to the measure.. The Right Honourable the Chancellor cf the Ex chequer had postponed his motion upon Finance, to make room fur the Corn Question, because of its.ur , gency ; but he (Mr. Baring) could not see that ur-tncy at the present moment, as the ports were al ready volt against further importation till the month of May, by ttie operation of the Act now in force.... OA the other band, the Finance measure: of the Right Honourable Gentleman, which bad been postponed, were of real urgency, because vague declarations upots the subject had been scattered among the people, and were producing the most injurious effects. It was not known whether it was intended to .touch the Siiking Fund, to triple the Assessed Taxes, cr by what other means to meet the difficulties of the coun try. That hate of doubt and uncertainty was most prejudicial to the public credit, and to money trans actions throughout the kingdom. The Funds bad been depreciated ever since the intimation given by the Right Honourable _Gent:man, and specs/a ro:4 in them had been carried on to a great extent. lie did not mean to say that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had made any improper discl-sures of his inr,:ntled plan; but those employed under him might, perhaps, notwithstanding all his caution, obtain some knowledge of it. He regretted, therefore, that any delay had taken place, on account of the influence which had been produced upon the public mind ; .2nd as he was tar from considering the corn question :is one of such urgency as had been represented, he should oppose it in every stage, at least until he knew what were the measures intended to be brought forward. The Honourable Member concluded by moving fora return of the price of the quartern loaf of wheaten bread, as regulated by the assize of the .City of London, and stating the average clench year, front 1697 to 1814. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER had no objection to the production of the account, ant he bupposed the city officer could produce it.— He could not agree with the Honourable Gentlensint, that the delay in bringing forward his propositions oil the finauce of the country was at all unreasonable ; and had the time, indeed, been shorter, he appre hended some complaint might have been made on a dilteat ground. He conceived, that the anxiety prevalng in the country on the subject of the Corn Trade did call for the earliest attention of Parliament, and was of a more urgent description than any new measure which WAS to be proposed. in substitution for the Property Tax. As to the previous meetings held at the hous e of Ills Noble Friend, the Honourable Gentleman could not be so unacquainted with the practice of Late years, as not to know that it was ex tremely usual before submitting any measure to Par liament of great and general importance, to collect the opioions of sL:i, n tut Members more immediately intcreuedo as to the best form deo subnsitting it P.!. and ;hat it was a practice which had been found ex trenkly convenient to Parliament and the Public.-- The subject of the Corn Bill bad been discussed at.. Lord Liverpool's in a numerous meeting.. comP 44l4 ' cf indiviihials of opposite connection% • and different political sentiments. With tespeet to the alit'Vd .ptenlations in the money mar kiit,. these he consider ed ii navnidable, and as naturally attendant on every nr , tice i n P.:lliamont of a similar nature. The Hun. i ientleman had elute hint the justice to say, • that Sta !•o;noprt disclosure had proceeded from him. , He iead . einy to add, t h at t h ere was no intelatioll of 1111- 1 l tci ; :a.arsly huming forward the Corn Bill, although he roast observe that the subject bad already tinder g":.:e nn ampl e an d laborious investiAation. fit- TIERNEY &aid, what h es.,:nd had i * Honourable . complsined of was, that there being two !gross questions before the Hbuse, the Rig ht lion. which e 1 nel Tin should is that for the collie:a d ay to postponement was immaterial- Nol , ody C 41 , . hi reasonably expect f rom hi m a f u ll discloAes: ithe ___ ... chit plan ; q his tinan . Public 0 . P i chluced bythe but it would certainly relive anxiety, to know whether the 1+ millions property tax were to be its part or ;T tir ell mind by a new s y stem o f taxa tion ? it not, .t: Mc . t On the money aukrket must Wpm 141)10 as great AS if the atom were tend by lean. Safi'' from thinking the mating at Lt;rs! Liverpool's no thing more than meal, he deemed it extremely un• usual, and thought it highly objectionable in a ml. nister to send for a certain number of leading per sons in both Houses, and ask them whether, if such s measure were framed in inch a manner, he Might rely on their support ? To him this appeared to be rather an unconstitutional kind of rehearsal. if the object in naming so early a day was to strike while the iron was hot, and to take the country gentlemen at their word, he could understand the policy of this precipitation; but he could not see how it accorded with the acknowledged importance of the subject, and the deliberation due to it. He had by rumour been given to understand, from • what passed in another place, that the report of the Lords' Com mittee• was represented to contain a very complete and satisfactory body of evidence. He bad been a little surprised at this, as he recollected, that last year, when the report was produced, the Lords Te -1 fused to take any steps upon such defective informa. don. He was desirous at present chiefly, however, to know whether it was the Right Hon. Gentleman's intention to propose new taxes, or to raise the ne cessary supply by other means? • Mr. SWANN said he should move an adjournment, if the present irregular and premature discussion of the subject was proceeded in. Mr. HOItNER was anxious that the present con versation; which was strictly regular, and arose out of the motion of his Honourable Friend, should not, through the - tactics of the Honourable Member, be terminated without some reply (torn the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the question last addressed to him. He wished also to know, whether it was in tended to take the sense of die House at once upon resolutions which had perhaps been fully discussed, and unanimously carried at Lord Liverpool's, but of the grounds of which, or the justiie.s of the reason ings urged in their support, Parliament could have uo knowledge. Mr. SWANN rose to order, but the Speaker con sidered there was no irregularity. Mr. HORNER had al way considered the practice to be, to print resolutions on an important question, previous to their discussion in Parliament. This, how ever, he did not ask ; he asked only for reasonable time, and for full consideration. He was also of opinion that the deliberations of that House must be fettered, if public measures were to be subjected to the inspection of certain Lords of the articles sitting in Whitehall, previous to the production in Parliament. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that where a string of complicated Resolutions was about to be submitted, it was usual to have them printed previously ; but where a measure was so short and simple as immediately to meet the appro bation of every Member, he did not see the same grounds for such a proceeding. When the Resolu tions were before the Committee, they would be able to judge whether any further delay was necessary. Mr LOCKHART contended, that the present state of the agricultural interest in the country, de manded the immediate attention of the Legislature. Mt. BARING thought it extremely indecent to. wards the Legislature, that a proposition was to be made to them, on which they were to be called to pronounce without hesitation, which same proposition had required great discussion, and hint occasioned repeated divisions in a body previously assembled out of doors to deliberate on the subj.:et. In his opinion s this was a fit occasion for Parli.tm.•ntary jealuasy. motion was then agreed to. 111SCILLANIE.,. Lord A. IiAMII.TOI , I preseutud a Petition from the County of Renfrew against the Property Tait. Sir SAMUEL ROMII.I.Y presented a Pedtion flout the Ma gistrates and Freeholders of th.• County of Ayr, p: :tying to have ' 1 the benefit of Trial by Jury extended to them. A Petition front Berwick•apon-'l'wced watt presented against . the Property Tea. The Bleaching Powder Bill was read a second time, after a few remarks from Mr. Brown, Mr. Mats Gid.!y, Mr. Psni,oliby. Mr. W. Smith, and Mr. Finlay.—Ordered to be co tttttttttttt to morrow.—Adjourned. • • THE EVENING STAR. LON DON. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16. 1815. PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT TWELVE O'CLOCK 84111-4 per Ct. SI I-5 per Ct. Navy 933 tot e rs i iiiii—fur account, 644—Oomium 3f Sank Long Anna. 16 5-16tha--Bou4a l le. 12.. pre. }'..tr.liequrr Bill. Si. to se. prem. We return again to the Corn question, for we know nothing of so much importance to be well understood at the present moment. Some of our law-making Landholders seem determined to precipitate the ques tion, and have determined on Ws. a quarter as the prohibition price, below which corn shall nut be im ported into this country—a price which cannot fail to prove ruinous to the manufactures of the Empire., • . There is something very disingenuous in the_olit in which some men argue on this vital question.—` They keep constantly declainsiag agitrtsc the impolicy and iujustieeof withholding' Oreseation from the Corn grower. They lever their arguments, with all the face of iihich. they are capable, against those who' ore for leaving the trade entirely open ; and from the any in which they reason, would lead the inatyptive hearer to conclude, that there is no medium between an often trade and a protecting duty of 8U shillings. —We are not of the number of those who, in the pre sent citoumatances of the country, would be for no restraints whatever on the importation of corn. We confess that we think this ought to be the ultimate aim of the Legislature, if they are desirous that the capital of the community should be employed to the utmost possible benefit ; but the late war has thrown us so much out of our naturaVate, that . we should not attempt to return to it all et once. The attempt would be dangerous, by causing a sudden derange ment of some importint movements in the political machine. We are therefore persuaded that the far. met., for a time at kale, should enjoy an artificial prok section but the landholders have no right to arg u e the question merely is theabstract, and•then to.jeaer .o their conclusion that 80s. illoald be the protecting nice. Again we sa wli - not meet the question LT, ly do they _ ...e fairly ? Their principal opponents (and we.speek aot now of those who oppose them on motives of private interzst, but of those who enter the lists on' principles of general benefit)—their principal oppo. nents do not contend that they should not at present be protected : none of them have proposed to repeal the present protecting duty of 63 shillings. But we complain that the advocates for dear bread endeavour to keep it out of view that by the present laws the ,ports are shut against importation whenever the average price of the twelve maritime districts falls to 63 shillings :—that they keep this fact in the back ground, and argue as if they enjoyed no protection. They are protected to the price of 635. wit'a also an instant exclusive monopoly for a whole quarter of a year, from the date of the returns. In other words, they are then allowed to raise the price to 80s. 90s. 100 s.—to any price their conscience may allow : and we know something, by experience, of the length of this measure. Now the question is, whether 635. be not at least a sufficiently high protecting duty? Let us for a little examine their own evidence. In the House of Commons' Report, their very first wit am states, that with wheat at eighty • shillingo, the tenants can pay the present rents, and of course the preselit taxes and expenses : another wit ness (still with reference to the pretext rents and taxes) says, that if the farmers could be protected against importation to the extent of 73s..they would be under no particular anciety.or uneasiness.---" they would i have no ground at - all:" a third states, that if the farmers could be by law protected to the extent of 70 or 755. a quarter, there would be no difTiculty in getting them to take leases. And one witness sell a farmer of near 500 acres) speaks thus: " I consi der that Vs. a quarter, upon an average crop,although it would not admit of the introduction of luxuries into a farmer's house, would be a protection to him." New this may fairly be called . the landholder's evi dence'; for it is matter of nutotiety, that the manu. facturtrs and others, who presented the petitions, did not exert themselves to produce, and did not produce a single witness. •We say, then, that even on this ex• parse statement, SOs. 73'. 725. or 70s. are to be tact.' as affording a living profit, under all the then existing guar taxer, at the war priers of labour, aaJ consuma:le articles, and at the war-rent: ; but what do these same witnesses acknowledge to be the ntcessary cuu sequence of a change, in the particulars on which their calculations are grounded ? Why, they admit, that 66 if the Property Tax were taken off, it would make a difference ;" that 66 if the high price of the article is reduced, !dour will necessarily reduce itself;" that 46 persons have purchased lands at enormiusly high prices, merely because corn was at so high a price that tenants could be found to give exorlitamt rent:;" that •' if the price of wheat should fall back to the price of 179'2, all the expense:, excepting taxes, would in.a length of time be diminished in the sime proportion."—Now, it is certain that the Property Tax is to be taken off: it is proved that the price GI labour has actually fallen :and it is not too much to expect, that those who have taken exorbitant rents will make some abatement. But farther, let us observe the mode of managing the evidence. The questions were generally what lawyers term leading questions. , They may be illus trated by the sapient question of Aunt Deborah to the Doctor— ,6 Is it not murder to drown a child every morning in cold water ?" 44 Under the prudent rents, taxes, and expenseS, what price would yield die farmer an adequate profit ?",..." Can he afford to sell under per bushel ?" 3cc. Now if by their own evidence, under war rents and taxes, from 70s. to 80s. would have been a sufficient protecting duty, is it too much to assert that, with the savings occasicned by the repeal of the property tax, the cessation of war taxes, the reduction in wages, in wood, in cattle, in tradesmen's bills. and in seed corn, Sixty-three shillings mould be sufficiently high to protect-the agricultural interests ? The fact is undeniable—the aim of some Landhol ders is, to compel the country to pay the same prices las when the Landlords were subject to the Property Tax, and high war expenses. In other words, to corn-tax the rest of the community—to make others still continue to pay their quota of the Property Tax, that it may go—not into the Treasury—not in aid of the public exigencies—but into the pockets of the Land holder: theinselves. It is all a farce to talk of protecting the tenants. i Every one in the smallest degree acquainted with 1 political economy, knows that the question lies en tirely between the Landlords and the rest of the com munity ; for the greater the profits to the farmer, the higher must tents eventually rise. It is in the very nature of things that excessive farming profits, by the usual operation of rivalry inducing offers of higher rents, must find their way into tae pockets of the Landholders- Were thin, however, a question only between the Landboldets and the rest of the community, it would be trivially unimportant;—the one would pocket what the other lost ; it is a question between Great Britain and our Continental rivals ; and on its deci sion—on the price of our bread—will depend. whether' Britain is to maintain her superiority in manufactures and commerce over other nations ? That is, whether we are to sink in the scale, and become a retrograde— a falling community ? 1••••••••• • It iS not the prevalent opinion in the City, that aa additional Land Tax of sixpence in the pound upon the preseat rates, Will form a proasiasat item in the Cismicm.Loa of the Exnaaavaa's new plan ' ctriatancifoe the eilndisig !trot threllalllnfiles This will, k is iestimated,produce eight inillions: The other projects mentioned are the unclaimed di videndi in the Bank and in Chancery, amounting together to about 24 millions. A . Jamaica Mail arrived this morning. The Papers brought by it are to the 80th December. On the 9th of that month a Haytian flag of truce arrivtd at Kingston with the the French pseudo Commissioner, General LAVAYSIE, on board ; and, it is added, in the Jamaica Papers, that PErvis had declared his willingness to surrender his portion of St. Domingo to Louts XVIII. The above Mail was brought by the Pi incess Mary packet, which has arrived at Falmouth. She kit Jamaica on the 2d January. SECOND EDITION. STAR-OFFICE, THREE O'CLOCK. SIR JOHN MURRAY'4 SENTENCE. The following is the Sentence of the Court Mar tial on General Sir JOHN MURRAY, which will be promulgated in General Orders this evening. Of the first and second charges the General is acquitted, bnt on the third charge, which refers to his leaving the Stores behind, he is ordered ro be admonished. By letters received from Liverpool, it sprears that Admiral Coma Axe's Expedition, consisting ( f be. tween fifty and sixty vessels, and tea thousatA troops 'on board, arrived before New Orlegns on the 9th December. Admiral CocnnAltz immediately look pnssession of a fort, which had been evacuated by the Ameri. coos under General Jacis:•`, who had retreated. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. FALMOU ni, FEBRUARY 14. Arrived the Princess Mary Packet, with a Mail from Jamaica, in 42 days—she experienced very bad weather in a hurricane, when scudding under her toresail—she was strtick by lightning, which killed the Mate, and wounded one of the men, and mate rially injured her decks. Put back the Lady Wel. lington Packet, sound from hence to Halifax, with a Mail—after being at sea one month and two days, she experienced such very bad weather, that she was at length obliged to bear up for this port to rert4 her damage, but not until she had been compelled to throw all her guns overboard.—Wind S. PORTSMOUTH. FEBRUARY i 5. Arrived the Noma cutter, from the Coast of America; and ABUNDANCE str,re ship, from the Diwns. The outward.bound fleets are still at St. Helen's. His Majesty's ship Amer. with the convoy hound to the Canaries and Coast of Africa, are at anchor in Cowes Roads.—Wi .4 W. S. W. DEAL, FEBRUARY 15... Arrived the Mary Ann East Indiaman, Captain Annum Nor, from Madras, last from Scilly, and re mains in the Downs. Came down horn the River the SWAN cutter, and remains with the Mercurius, Rattlesnake and Scourge.—Wind S. %V. THE ARMY. This morning General Toni:Ens waited on his Royal Highness the PNINCE lt Fonts'''. with the sen tence of the General Court-Martial on General Sr JOHN MURRAY. The halt-yearly arrangements in the distribution of the Brigade of Foot Guards, stationed in this Me tropolis, will take Flace on the 21. th inst. as follows : The Ist Battalion of the Ist Regiment, now at Knightsbridge, will march into the Tower. The 31 Battalion of the Ist Regiment, now in Westminster, are to occupy the barracks in rortman•street. The Ist Battalion' of the Coldstream Regiment, now in Portman Barracks, are to occupy the barracks at Knightsbridge: and the Ist Battalion, • nose in the Tower, will march into Westminster. The Depot of the 37th Foot is ordered to march to-morrow from Hastings to Chichester ; and the 2d Battalions of the 27th and 55th Regiments, in the Isle of Wight, are ordered to Portsmouth. The 2d Battalion of the 59th Foot have embarked at Dublin for Ramsgate. The 9th, and Ist Battalions of the 71st, 79th. and 91st Regiments of Foot, are amongst the Regiments already mentioned, which have sailed trout Cork on foreign service. The Shropshire Regiment of Militia has arrived at Liverpool from Dublin, and are now 'on their route to their disembodying quarters. The Pensions of the Widows of Officers of the Army are to be assimilated to those of the Navy. and their increase of pay is to take place from the _ . Ist of January, 131*. The depot of the 100th Regiment, now at Has tingh has got a route tar the Isle of Wight. It will leave Hastings on the 18th. and reach the Isle of Wight on the 24th. The Nissnt.ll cutter, which arrived yesterday frorn the coast of America (we unJerstand from the Giilph of Florida) is, it is said, the bearer of dispatches bum Pensacola. SournwAux Eutcrum—At the close of the poll yesterday it was tutderstood that the election had finished, and (as will be seen by a reference to the proceedings of day, in the next page) Mr. EAR. CLAY pddressed the electors to that elect. This morning, however, the friends of the Candidates again appeared on the hustings, and the polling was resumed.: At twelve o'clock the num'xts were, . Per Mr. BA IC LAT 1840 ' Mr.*. 1. Bo ILDITT . 406. The Sacred Metik at both Theatres 4ist night was highly attractive, and the performances met with the most unqttalificd approbation of crowded audiences. Than.—ln Melsom.street, Bath, after an illness of ten defs e _Twosses Rosalyn', jun. Esquire. son of THOMAS' Rutin, Esq. of Charterhouse.so". ; . r J i t