Star. — London, England, 1806-06-04 00:00:00

Pitc" HOUSE OP LORDS, TUESDAY, JUNE 3. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. The Temple Bar Lottery Bill was read a feeond time, and cont. Witted to a Private Committee for •Ihurfday. The Ira Revenue Colka:mt Bill,and the leiOa Mtlt Bill pared through Committees, and were reported. The Earl of it.IOIR A prefented a Petition from Mr. Ju ft ice Fox, which was read (hurt by the Clerk, prayloa. that the Houfe would take his cafe into erinfideration, and do what Ihould Item meet to them therein )rdertd to lie on the table. Mean. ALEXANDER, DICK ENS, and A SH ETON SMITH, and kraal mho. Members of the Hank of Commons, brought up the kik Sugar Bill, the tel Additional Force Repeal Bill, and three Private Bills, which were read a firil time. The Ira Additional Fora Repeal BiU was, on the motion of Lord WAI.SINGHAM, ordered to be printed. Lord ELDON rote to move the Order of the Day. Earl STAN HOPE willted previoufly to offer Come obfernt ions to the Houle. Hari BA IHURS I' moved that the Houfe koold be cleared— Strangers were immediately excluded, and we undertlood the eat- Gderation of the evidence adduced on the trial of Lord Vikount Melville was retooled. The difeuMon continued till ten o'clock. We undailood that queftions were referred to the Judges, who arc to deliver their opinion, in anfwer, on Thurfday (to.morrow) to which day the further confideration of the evidence was deferred, and to which day alto the Houk adjourned. HOUSE IF COMMONS. ..... Mr. PATERSON moved that the evidence taken before the CololllitteC on the Norwich Paving Bin mould be laid before the Houle. After a few words from Mr. FELLOWES and Mr. HURST, this Motion was negatived. Mr. FELLO WES then moved that the Bill be read a third time. Mr. PATERSON oppofed it on the grounds that from the re- ducal Rate of the town in plot of trade and opulence, and the preffare of a variety of pecur lary burdens, this wan not the proper time for it. After a few ofifervations, however. tram Mr, FELLOWES, Mr. WM. SMITH, and Mr. SHAWE I.E FEVRE, the Bill was read a third time and paffed. Lord OSSULSTONE reported, that his Majefty had been wait ed upon with the Addrcf, of the Houle yefterday; and that, in eoefequence, his Majeity had been gracioufly pleated to give direc tions, that the Memorials from Upper Canada and Nova Scotia, refpedting the trade from thole Colonies to the Weft Indies, In 1804, be laid before the Houle. Mr. FULLER brought up the Report from the Committee. on the Petition from certain Inhabitants of Brighton,namely, that the Petitioners had proved their Allegations; and he then moved for, and obtained leave to bring in a Bill for crafting a Jutty in the Harbour of Brighton, for the Security of Shipping. Mr. WHITSHED KEENE moved for a Copy of the Letter of Sir John Macphrrfnn, written while he was a Member of the Ste. prang Cou,eil of Bengal, dated the 3oth of March, 1783. to the Court of Dire tors. Thft was fuppofcd to relate to the oblerva tioos made tefpening Sir Richard Sullivan.—Ordered. Mr. OWEN prefented papers from the India Houfe, purfuant to the orders of the Houfc of the 13th and 60th of May Ordered to lie on the table. Sir JOHN ANDERSON prefented a Petition from the London Dock Dircetors avian the Fait London Water-works BilL—Or• dared to lie on the tahle. On the motion of Lord TEMPLE, It was ordered that the Haute Mould at its riting adjourn till Tharfday. Mr. BAKER prefented a Petition againft the Eaft London Water-works Bill—Ordered to lit on the table. Sir JOHN SINCLAIR gave notice of a motion for ennadering the Las rapt:ding Broad-whetted Waggons and the Highways in Scotland. AMERICAN INTERCOURSE. Lord CASTLEREAGH, though the fecond reading of the American Intereourfe Bill flood for Thurfday, hoped that it would not come on fo loon, a► Parliament ought not to be prefied to decide upon it before it was in polleflion of the requifire informs• lion. He thought the Hance fhould be in poffeflion of the inftruaions given to the Governor of the Welt India Minds, by the late Adminiaration, which he confidered as confonant with the foundeft principles of the Navigation Aft. He alfo wifhed to have thole inftruftions which had been fubfequently fent ; and concluded by moving, that the ;nitrations fent to the Governors of the Weft India Hands, relative to the American Intercourfe, of the sth of September, 1804, fhould be laid before the Houle ; as alfo copies of any inftruftions fubfequently fent. Lord TEMPLE had no objeftion to the papers— but as to the pollponing of the fecond reading of the bill, if he did that, it would be on account of the (fate of the public bufinefs, and not on account of any ar gument urged by the Noble Lord. He contended that the bill ought to pals with all convenient fisted. Mr. PERCEVAL obferved, that though it did net pals this (Aims, the Weft India Colonies would only be in the fame fituation that they had been in for the lift thirteen years. He did not, therefore, fee any particular neceffity for prefling the bill forward with any great We. He did not fee the propriety of the Noble Lord urging it on by that command which his fituation gave him over the Houfe, before the pro per information was produced. Mr. PLUMER faid, that it was irregular to fay that the Noble Lord had a command over the Houfe. Mr. PERCEVAL, in explanation, laid, that he did not fee where the irregularity was in Paying, that the Noble Lord's firuation and elcquence gave him groat influence in the Houfe. Mr. PLUMER obferved, that if the Honourable and Learned Gentleman had not ufed the word com mand, he would beg his pardon. Mr. ROSE withed to know whether it was the in tention of the Noble Lord to pnflpnne the fecond reading of the bill beyond Thutfday ? He advertel to the petitions that had been prefented, and the great interells that were concerned in this Wind's. If a Committee was granted to him, he undertook to flniflt the evidence up Hairs in three days. He had, during the 101 l few months, Peen the molt extraordi nary meafures that ever he had obferved in Parlia ment ; but this was the moll extraordinary of them all. His Lordthip had expreffed his doubts whether he would pollone it upon the arguments of the Noble Lord near him. This was mull extraordinary lan guage, and fuch as was feldom heard in that Houfe. Lord TEMPLE, in explanation, laid, that his diAibts as to poltponing it arofe from the Bate of bufinefs before the Houle ; and he had exprefsly laid, that this was the ground t f his doubt, and not any argument of the Noble Lord. As to the merits of the care, the Right Wnourahlc Gentleman's propo fiiion for a Committee would hare been perfally proper had the bill been a mesfure of repeal. lint it was merely a matter of regulation, enabling the Go. •ernment to do that by law which Lad been for fe veral years pall done without law, or againit it.— he would poflpone the fecond reading of the bill till Friday. The papers were then granted. AnnLITICht Or TH111411 , 1 TRRD[. Mr. Secretary FOX rote to give notice that he fh,,h; i on Toef.lay next bring forward a refolution hich would have the effett of !hewing that his Me. jetty's Minitiers 'fete not unmindful of the pledges they had given, refpeßing the final abolition of the Slave Trade. He conceived it would be too late in the prefent Scriloat to propofe any Bill upon the fub ies ; but ..t it was one of thole important fubjeas' upon which hisMajefly's prefent MiniAers had pledged their opinions to the Houle, he thought it high time to evince their determination of carrying thole opi nions into efFedt. General TA RLETON wilhed to know the (pacific tenor of the Right Hon. Gentleman's intended mo• tint. Mr. Secretary FOX Paid, he had no with to conceal from the Hon. Gentleman the purport of his motion, but he had not yet shaped it into any fpecific form of words. His objed, hdwever, was that the Houle fhould pledge itfelf to tome refolution for entering as early as poffible next feffion into the confederation of this fubjed, with a view to the abolition of the Slave Trade, but without fettling any particular period for that purpofc. 74•Rozna Lord TEMPLE, — purtuant to the notice he had given upon a former day, now rote for the purpofe of moving a Specific day, for taking into oonfidera tion the charges of high crimes and mifderneanours agoinfl the Marquis Wellefley, laid on the table by an Honourable Member on the 28th of lag month. He hoped it would not be neceffary for him to pre face his motion by obfervations of any great length. But as the Honourable Member who bad brought forward thole charges, had named no particular day for moving the Houle to their confideration ; feeling as he did the nature and importance of thofe charges to be Inch as called for their full invelligation with the leall poffible delay, he now role for that purpofe. Gentlemen who had looked into thofe charges mull have felt them to be of the moll weighty and impor tant nature. They directly imputed - to Lord Wel lefley not only every Species of public delinquency that could brand the charatler of a public officer, but every charge of private depravity that could Rain the perfonal reputation of an individual. He had no doubt that the Hon. Gentleman who brought forward thofe charges, had done fo under a fellperfuafion of their truth, and a belief that he Should be able to fubflantiate them in evidence. He would not pay the Hon. Gentleman fo bad a compliment, as to fop pole he would bring forward Such charges againft any man, much lets againft the Noble Lord, unlefs he was himfelf pertuaded they were founded in fall, and without being prepared with evidence, which he himfelf conceived competent to fußain them. But the Honourable Gentleman mull allow that, notwith- Randing the ftrengh of his own perfoafion upon the fubjedt, it was Rill poffible that the Noble Lord might poll - els a confidence in his own innocence, Superior to every occultation of Such a nature, and muff feel ex tremely impatient for the opportunity of his own vin dication, more efpecially when thole charges included one of a nature more atrocious than all the fen, and Such a one as called for the moil immediate inveiti gation, namely. the charge of a foul, deliberate, and cruel murder. In this charge was alto included ano ther perfon, not a Member of either Houle of Parlia ment, for whole account alto much anxiety mutt be felt ; though he had not the honour even of a flight perfonal acquaintance with him, namely, Mr. Henry Wellcfley. But, from the nature of the charges al. together, and more efpecially the lag, it became ab folutely neceffary that an early invelligation Should now take place. If the Hon. Gentleman had named any day for Such an enquiry, it would not be his wish to take it out of his hands : for the prefent, how.. ever, he Should move, " That the Honfe do, on to morrow fortnight, take into its confideration the charges of high crimes and mirdemeannurs, laid on their table, againft Richard Marquis Wellefley, on the 28th ult. concerning the affair of Oude." If the Honourable Gentleman Should then have any motion to fubmit to the Hottle upon the fulajat, he would have an opportunity of doing to. If not, he (Lord Temple) Should certainly propofe a motion on the fubjelt. Mr. PAUL adverted to the precedent of Mr. Burke's proceedings againfl Governor Hollings, and Paid, that that Right Honourable Gentleman, after five years deliberation and repeated motions, had, upon the 4th of April, 1786, laid on the table (even ; articles of charge againft Mr. Hollings; on the 12th of April, he laid four more ; and on the 7th of May three more • and notwithlianding the Right Honourable Gentleman had taken five vears to de liberate upon his purpofe ; that he had the benefit of the Reports of the Secret Committee, of various pa. pers he moved for, and of evidence examined at the Bar for the proof of his charges ; yet it was not in lets than fix weeks afterwards, that he moved the Houle to any proceeding upon thole charges. Now he had given notice only yellerday, that he had wit nefres to examine, and had alto moved for a number of papers, many of which were abfolutely neceffary in fupport of the charges alluded to by the Noble Lord. Let thole witneffes be examined at the Bar ; let thole papers be produced in proper time, and he Should have not the fmalleft oblation to proceed to the invefligation on the day propoled. Indeed, it was his intention to have moved for that day, if the ter timony and documents had been fairly before the Houle : but until they were, he Should not be induc ed to move one Rep to the right nr to the left, or to move one degree quicker or flower, in confequence of the Noble Lord's motion, or of any importunity from the friends of Lord Wellefley : and with raped to the charge of murder, alluded to by the Noble Lord, it was a general charge, and only mentioned , amongft others, with a hope that, upon fubflantia ting the preceding charges, he would be allowed to bring a rupplementary charge upon that diftiat head ; and he would be ready to go into the proofs upon that point to-morrow, it the others were gone through, Lord TEMPLE explained, as did Mr. PAULL. Lord ARCHIBALD HAMILTON could not let pals tonic expreffions which had fallen from the Noble Lord, without making tome obfervations upon them. The Noble Lord had complained that the charges of the Honourable Gentleman went to impeach the private charafter of Lord Wellefley for alts merely of public and official condutt, and that he had applied to the Noble Marquis perfonally every l atrocious epithet—of tyranny, cruelty, oppredion, plunder, and even of murder, for acts done in his public and official fituation. But he mull conceive it impoilible, that fuch could have been the purpofe of the Honourable Gentleman; and as to the charge of murder, he did not conceive it to be put by the ! Honourable Gentleman in the way it was imputed. But really, if in bringing forward charges Such as chore now on the table of the Houle, and every tittle of which his Lordatip conceived to be warranted by the documents already brought forward in fupport of them, a Member was to he reftrained in the ufe of fuch language and fuch epithets as were ufual in ex preffing opinions, extremely natural to his feelings, upon loch circumftances as thole charged, left the prirate charafter of the party accufed fbonld be flip. poled to be implicated in his public conduit, it would be impoffible fur any man to devife a becoming lan. guage for bringingbefore that Houle criminal charges againft public delinquency in any man. Sir JOHN NEWPORT expreffed fome furprife, how the Noble Lord who (poke lalt, if be had read the charges upon the table, could fo far miftake that particular charge, which related to murder, as to fay the crime was not roundly and fpecificallT charged againft the Noble Marquis, in conjunBion with others. I The Honourable Baronet here read an extra& from the charge, which Rated, that the laid Marquis, in conjunetion with Richard Wellefley, bad, with num• hers of armed men, furrounded the manfions of cer• tain Zemindars and Rajahs, the fubjeas of the Nabob I of Oude, and within his dominions, and did attack, flay, and dellroy feveral of the Paid Rajahs, Zemin. dare, and their attendants and adherents, and did Pack and plunder their Paid manfions of their proper. ty ! thus completing the meafure of his oppreffion and tyranny, by a foul, deliberate, wanton, and cruel murder. If this, then, was not a charge of murder, I couched in as Itrong . words as had ever appeared in the language of an indiOment, he was at a lots to conceive what words could defcribe it more•ftrongly. Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY rote, to exprels fame furprife at the declaration made by the Noble Lord who (poke IA but one ;namely, that he thought the charges againft the Noble Marquis, his relation, borne out by the documents already laid upon the ta. ble : and more efpecially, as the Noble Lord's Hon. Friend (Mr. Paull), had Paid, only the moment be. fore, that he could not faftain thole charges without feveral other documents which he had moved for; and alto the examination of feveral witneffes at the Bar. It was very extraordinary, therefore, that the Noble Lord Ihould pronounce to decidedly upon the truth of charges (which however remained to be proved), that his Hon. Friend who brought them forward declared he was not able to ((Alain without much more evidence. With refpein to the charge of murder, however, it was one of too foul and atrocious a nature to be fuffered to go forth unexplained, or remain as a Rain upon the charatter of his Noble Relation, without placing the circumnances upon which it was founded in a proper point of view. There were certain Officers, called Zemindars and Rajahs, refident in that part of the Nabob's territory, which was ceded to the Company in t Sot, and rendered liable to pay certain tributes, in the way of land tax, upon that territory annually to the Company. The firft year's tribute they did pay, he believed, regularly ; and the regulations of the Company, which were the laws of the country, were promulgated and ellabliffied in that territory ; but upon the fecund payment being required, it:Mead of complying with the law, they combined to re fi ll it : they affembled together their armed forces under the chief command of an officer named Amas Ali Khan: they retired to their forts ; they let the laws at deft. once ; they refufed to pay any tribute; and it was found neceffary by the Governor General, in fupport of the laws, to reduce thofe men by force. So formi dable were they, that it required the whole of the Bengal army, with the Commander in Chief at their head, to drat this fervice. They were attacked in their forts, and in the courfe of their obftinate refit. tance tome perfons fell ; tome blood was fpilt ; and this was what the Hon. Gentleman impnted to the Noble Marquis as a murder. It was an a& of public power done in fupport of the laws of the country, like what would have been done againft any Oafs of Bri tifh fubjeets in timilar refinance to the laws palled by that Houle ; and the Houle would judge how far it was kill to defcribe fuch a meafure by the epithet of murder. Mr. FOX thought it exceedingly to be deprecated, that the nature and grounds of the charge (hould be at all gone into, in the prefent Rage of the bufinefs. Mr. PAULL, in expllnstion, charged the late Prefident of the Board of Controul with lupprang important Papers relative to the charge againit Lord Wellefley. Dr. LAWRENCE, from what hag come to his knowledge on the fubjett, alto thought that papers had been fupprefed, and confidered it as irregular to name a day for taking the charge into confideration, before all the papers in fupport of it were before the Houk. Lnrd CASTLEREAGH felt himfelf called upon to reply to the nbfervations made on his conduet when at the head of the Board of Controul. No paper had been then fuppteffed, but merely that difcretion cur cifed, with which the Board had been inveßed, of withholding fuch papers as they might deem it in conlißent with the good of the public fervice to pro. duce. Dr. LAWRENCE explained. Mr. JOHNSTONE was of opinion, that the papers which had been withheld by the Noble Lord were, of all others, thofe which fhould not have been fup. preffed, as referring entirely to matters of a public nature, and notorious through all India. The motion of LordTEMPLE was then agreed to. eximrrinms UNDER THE A D TAXIS. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER rote to fay, that a complete mirconception of the notice which he had given lalt night, had gone abroad, through a certain channel, and he now walled the mit - conception to be corre&ed, through the fame channel. It had been faid, that perfons of Email fortunes, and having large families, were to be ex. empted from the operation of the Property Tax ; but he had now to date, that no intention whatever was entertained of introducing any Bill for the purport of making any alterations in that meafure. Mr. LONG then withed to know in what way the perfons alluded to, namely, of (mall fortunes, and with large families, were to enjoy the benefit of ex- emptions. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER re. plied, that it was propofed to grant them certain ex- emptions under the alleiTed taxes. INTERCHANGt OF GRAIN WITH IRELAND. Sir J. NEWPORT rofe with peculiar fatisfallinn on the prefent occafinn, as he was convinced it would be fufficiant merely to Oate the megfure of which he had given notice, to enfui e the full concurrence of the Houle. This meafure, in which he was fupported by the authority of his Majefly's Minifters, went to lay open the intercourfe in grain between Great Btilein and Ireland, and, he trufled, it would be merely a prelude to that free interchange of every other comma. dity between the two countries, which was fo much to be defired. With regard to grain, an article of the frit neceffity, there could be no doubt, that one part of the United Kingdom fhould AMA another, whenever occafion demanded it : and the only way of preventing an undue rife in the price of the commodity in any part of the country, was to remove every limit and obfiruftion in the way of its interchange. The meafitre which he Ihould propofe would place all the ports of the United Kingdom exaßly on the fame footing with regard to importation or exportation, as the different ports of Great Britain were at precept with regard to one another. It was carnally to be wifhed, that the union between the two countries mould become every day more clofe, and that the channel which divided them mould no longer be con fidered as a barrier, but as a bond of union, and the medium of mutual and beneficial intercourfe. He then moved for leave to bring in a Bill, for making the intercourfe in grain between Great Britain and Ireland free and unrellrained. Mr. FOSTER Paid, this meaftire was agitated in 1783, and afterwards in 1797, and very flrong preju. dices were found to exift spina it in the minds of many perfons, and particularly farmers, in this coon• try. It remained, therefore, for the Right Hon. Gentleman to confider whether it was likely thofe prejudices were now done away, or bad fublided, fo as to render it available ? If they were, be &Gold certainly not ()Nal to the Bill. The motion was then ordered to be referred to a Committee of the whole Houfe on Thurfdv. Mr. FOSTER gave notice, that he fhuuld on Thurfday move for certain papers refpeaing the Cern Trade of Ireland. Sir. J. NEWPORT brought up the Irifli Malt and Spirits Duty hill.—Read a firft time, and ordered to be read a fecond on Thurfday. CHILSWA HOSPITAL. Lord CASTLEREAGH then role, to move for certain papers refpeaing Chelfea Holpital, which he thought it extremely material for the Houfe to be in poffellion of, before they entered on the difeufflon of the propofed changes in the penfions to be given to foldiers. From thefe papers it would appear, that the Houfe was called upon to new-model a benefac tion which ought to have originated from the Crown. The new meafure would alfo materially affect the rights of property which had been veiled in a corpo rate body. He then moved, that there be laid before the Houfe a copy of the Charter, and Regulations of Chelfea Hofpital, together with the returns rf the number of In and Out-Penfloners, and of the expenee attending them : alfo a flatement of the Revenue of the Hofpital for the lan year, with an account of its fources. MUTINY BILL. Mr. ALEXANDER bought up the Report on the Mutiny Bill. Mr. sTuRGES BOURNE begged to know when the Right Hon. Secretary intended to bring forward his Bill for abulifhing Ballot in the Militia, and for providing for the Defence of the Country. for the introdueion of which he had received the content of the Houfe full two months ago Mr. WINDHAM replied, that he had already given notice of his intention of bringing them is on Thurfday next. Sir W. ELFORD conceived, that the mode of railing and fupporting the Militia by means of boun ties, iallead of ballot, as propefed by the Right Hon. Secretary, would dellroy the very effence of the Mi• litia. At prefent the ballot was fufpended, becaufe the Militia was not reduced to that ellablifbment which was thought fufficient ; but now they were to be placed on a very different bating ; ballot was to be rejefted, and bounties to be tried. This he con ceived a dearuttion 4 the conflitution of the Militia, which was founded on the undoubted prerogative of the Crown to call nut a part of the community for the defence of the Country. The Militia fervice was therefore of a perfonal and compullive nature. The Hon. Member was proceeding farther, when lie was called to order by the Speaker, who obferved that the lubjed was not at prefent before the Houfe. Mr. WINDHAM Paid a few words in reply to what had fallen from the Hon. Member. General Sir JAMES PULTENEY gave notice, that on the third reading of the Bill, he fhould pro. pofe an amendment, relative to confining limited fee vice to fecond battalions. The iteport was then received, and the Bill was ordered to be read a third time on Friday next. MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS. Lord TEMPLE farther poftponed the fecund reading of the American Intereourfe Bill, till Monday. On the motion of Mr. WINDHAM, the Houfe eefolved Weft* into a Committee on the Bill for regulating Chelfea Hapital. The Report was then received, and the farther confideration alit rift. poned till Thurfday. The Weft India Cominiffloners Bill was read a feeond time, and ordered to a Committee of the whole Houk on Thurfday. Mr. HAWTHORNE brought up the Report of the Committee .of Supply, granting four millions and a half for paying off Exche quer Bills of tilos, outftanding and unprovided for. A Bill was ordered to be brought in putfuant to the Refolutlon.—.Adjourned to Thurfday. LONDON. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4. Hie MAI MY'S EIRTII aut.—Holiday At all the Public 015ces. The Houfe of Loids yenerday rrfumei the con• federation of the Evidence adduced on the Trial of Lord M. r.vr La.,. Strangers were excluded as ufual, and their Lordfhipt adjourr ed at ten o'clock to Thud day next, on account of the intervening AnniverfAry of the Birth of his MAJESTY. ■' PROPERTY Tax.—Lord HENRY PETTY role laa night in the Houfe of Commons, in order to correct a mis Ratement which had gone abroad refpating the exemptions under the above Tax. His L-)rdllip laid, that perfons of (mall incomes and large families were to be entitled to exemptions from their iffrAd Taxes, but not under the Property Tax. Aaot.►r►os or THE SLAVE TRADE. —From what fell from Mr. Fox lag night, in the Houfe of Com mons, we have no doubt that we (hall fpeedily have to congratulate the friends of humanity and the coun try in general, upon the total and final Abolition of this difgraceful Traffic. The language of the Honourable Secretary was at