Star. — London, England, 1806-06-21 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY' PROCEBDIIVGS. HOUSI OF LORDS, FRIDAY, JUNE 20. The Royal Affent was given by Contrniffion to the Irifit Malt Duty Bill, the Mutiny Bill, the Chelfea Allowance Bill,the Dub lin Pavlrg Bill, and twenty.two Private Bills. The Conunifloners were the Lord Chancellor, Lord Wang barn, and lord Auckland. In an Appeal from Scotland, " Martin v. Macnabb,“ the Lord Advocate of Scotland was heard for the AppeUant.-....-Furtlise hearing on Wedoefday next. Mr. Habitant., Mr. Alexander, Mr. Feliowcs, Mr. Mainwa ring, and foetal other MU:tilers of the Houk of Commons, brought up the Duke of Orafton's Agreement Bill, the kith Mine Bill; the Additional Affeffed Taxes Bill, the Oihraltarand Malta Portage Bill, the Pruflian Yarn Bill, and fomc Privateßills, which were read a firft time. The Welt India Auditor's Bill paled through a Committee and was reported. The Report of the Infolvent Debtor's Bill was, on the motion of the Fan of Lauderdale, ordered to be taken into confideration on Wednefday neat. TORTOLA ilia PORT DILL. Earl SPENCER moved the fecond reading of the Tortola Free Port Alt. The Duke of MONTROSE expreffed his regret at the thin attendance of their Lordfhips on a quef lion which he conceived to be one of the greateft im. portance. He was at a lofs to conceive the reafons upon which the prefent meafure was founded. The prefent B , ard of Trade had ailed in this inflance dia metrically oppolite to the decifion of the Board of Trade of tali year. He had hoped that upon this quell; .n the Noble Lord at the Head of the Trea fury would have attended, but underftanding that Noble Lord was prevented from attending by a flight indifpidition, he mull requeft his Noble Friend in the Bine Ribband (Earl Spencer) to aft as Umpire upon thi. queftion between the two Boards of Trade. The principle upon which the Board of Trade of laft year had afte3, was clearly thit, that in allowing the free importation from Foreign Wands, into one of our own Elands, of Sugar and Coffee, and thofe articles which our own Iflands produced, it was impoffible after wards to prevent the importation from thence into this country, of filch foreign produce, upon the fame. terms as the produce of our Hands, thereby mate. tidily injuring the interelts of our own Weft India Hands. This principle applied to the Ifland of Tor. cola, from whence, if foreign fugar was to be allowed to be imported thither, all the ingenuity of man could not afterwards prevent the ingenuity of man from finding means to import that fugar into tide country, under the pretence of its being fugar of the growth of our own !Nods. The eftablifhment of a free port, according to the provifinns of this Bill, in the Mend of Tortola, was therefore, in his opinion, a meaftwe highly impolitic, and a meafure which be thought the Noble Lord at the Head of the Board of Trade could only have been induced to bring forward by the reprefentations of the very ingenious agent of that itland. He thought, therefore, that the confideration of the Bill had better be poftponed for the pecan Sefflon. Lord AUCKLAND defended the Bill, which he conlidered a meafure of found policy. The objea of it was to render Tortola a carrying iftand, and to take from St. Thomas's fome part of the carrying trade in the Ofeffinn of that Ifland, in which a num• ber of Britilb Chipping were employed. This was a meafure which he conceived would therefore be be. neficial to our commerce and our navigation, whilft with refpett to our Weft India Trade, it would not, be injured, nor did any of thefe perfnns concerned in that trade, or co.inedled with Well India interefts,, whom he was in the daily habit of feting, make the lealt complaint, that any fuch injury was likely to refoit from it. As to the dangers which the Noble Duke apprehended, there was an expects provifton in this Bill for the purpt fe of preventing the impor tation into this country of Foreign fugar, as there was a claufe by which no more fugar was to be import• ed into this country from Torthla than the amount of the average annual produce of that &Ind. This, thetefore, negatived all thole evil confequenees ap prehended by the Noble Duke ; as it was not to be toppled that officers employed in the Cuftoms of Tortola, would giant falfe documents, when, at the end of the year, on making up the accounts, the fraud mull necelfarily be difcovered, and thofe guilty of it life their offices. Lord HAWK ESBURY fupported the arguments urged by the Duke of Montrofe, and fuppoled that this meat ore mull have come befcue the Board of Trade in the abience of the Noble Lord (Auckland) cppofite, wiude accurate knowledge upon the fubjea forbade the auppo fi tion that he had been prefent when the meafure was difctiffed. Earl SPENCER oblerved, that in hi. new offic e of umpire, conferred upon him by the Noble Duke, hehad little difficult: in deciding, as he foiled that the prefent Boat d of Trade had, in this meal-ore, only followed the example of the former Board of Trade, by whom an At fimilar to the prefent, was brought forward, Taft Salon, for efiablifhing a free port at Nsffau, in the Bahamas. His Lordship like %rife fupported ft:e Bill, on grounds fimilar to thofe urged by Lord Auckland. The Duke of MONTROSE and Lord AUCK• LAND ex; taioed. The Bill was teed a fecund time, and committed for Monday.—Adjourned till Monday. • HOUSE GF COMMONS. The SPF AKTR, with fereral Members, having attended in tlie Hoer of beers, to hcu his MaJelty's Comnuilion read for denls rl Y the Royal Agent to certain bills, on his return reported that Royal Allent bad been declared to the reveral Bills mentioned i.. our Rayon( of the Lords. ri l e Afraid Tains Bill, the Irilb Mine Bill, the Duke of Graf t .n's Agreement bill, the Pruißan Yarn Rill, and the Gibraltar and Mall Patage bill, were read a third time, puffed, and or dered to the Lords. Lord . 11IMPLE moved the order of the day for the further eemidenhion of the American latereourfe Bill- The Houle ac cordingly rerolved hi It into a Committee on the;Bill, when the ate..admenta propufed on a former night by Mr. Alderman PRIIaSEP were adopted, aad the Bill ordered to be reported to htorfow. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved that there be Liid before the Houle a Copy of the Report of the Compttol r of Army A cc,unts with refpcd to the mode to which the Ac counts of Mr. 'lrrutttr were made up, tor ther with a Copy of the Minute of the Bo .rd of f reafury thereon; alto, of two Minutes of the Board of Trcafury on the accounts of Mr. Pierce, Army Ciuthier fur troops on :I& C:ondncat...-.Ordered. Mr. CHARLES WYNN• preferued, partnere to order, Copies of Re . erns made "by Lorda Lirtitenanta of Counties, relpetting the Sta , c of Yeortunry C.rps —Ordered to be printed. The ioniser enefidt mina of the Grain lutrecuurfe Bill was de ferr,d lid this day I.:n.,ight. l'apar, treu:, unit Affairs were prefented, and ordered to itc upun he rowv. 11., !nth !,:uca;ion Bill rod the trith Bpbft Licence Bill were sun a recant; eintcond commit:rd. Mr vAwsrrrAßT prrefeoted Reports on the Experiments on Matting eon). Ordered to lie on the table. The further eonfideration of the Affadled Turn Allowance 8111 was peltpened to Tuefday. The Contatittec of Supply was alto poßponed till Tudday,and coefequentBr As fraction for the Army Extrsonlinaries. The Committee' of Ways and Means was poltposed till Monday. Mr. ALEXANDER gave notice, that he lhould on Monday move for leave to bong in a Bill for the better Regulation of blec lions in England. The Houfe pro:ceded to take Into confideration the Cullom. Houk Pees and Hai lays Abolition Bill. , The blanks (or except ed Days were filled up with the words " Xing Charles's Reßora don, his Maiefly's Coronation. their Majeltics' Birth-days, and tams Birth-day of his Royal Highnefs the Pellet of Wales ;" and the Bill ordered to be engrolleJ, and read a third time en Monday. FIRST CHARGE AGAINST MAREU/IS WELLESLEY. Mr. PAULL moved, that the &ft charge againft Marquis Wellefley be printed. Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY oppofed the mo tion, and obferved, that it was pretty extraordinary that the Honourable Gentleman thould now move for printing this charge, which, three months ago, the Houfe had by its vote ordered to be printed, and af terwards refcinded that rote. The printing at that time, when there was a profpeEt that the charge might have beets taken into confideration in the courts of this Seflion, would have been perfettly fair and reafonable, compared with inch a meafure at this late period of the Seffion, when there was no probabi lity this fubjeft could be taken into tontideration, and when the charge, if printed, would not be for the confideration of the hlembers, but for the purpofe of going forth to the whole country, as one of the moll heavy and criminal charges againft his 'Noble Rela tion that ever had been brought againft any man in a public fituation • when afterwards it would depend entirely upon the 9 difcretion of the Honourable Gen tleman, whether lie fliould move the Houfe to take it into confideration next &Ilion or not. He objeeted to the motion alto in point of order, as the Honour. able Gentleman had not given any previous notice of fuch a motion. Mr. PAULL did not conceive himfelf under any neceffity of giving filch previous notice, by the rules and orders of the Houle, and pet filled in his motion. He difclaimed any loch motive as that imputed to him by the Hon. Relative of the Noble Lord, and ' faid, that he moved for the printing now, becaufe it would be impeflible to underhand the folic& with a view to its confideration, unlefs Members were ena bled to compare the evidence lance laid on the table with the feveral particulars of the charge, in order to fee hoar , the charge was fopported. Mr. SPEAKER explained the praCtiee lately dia. bliffied by the fettle of the Houle, and conceived, that, agreeably to that pra&icr, the Hon. Gentle man's motion could not lie entertained. But it was for the difcrction of the Houfe to dire& what fhould be dose. A converfation of tome length, upon the ruble& of praelice and ufage, on this point, enfued between Lord Foixtrrons, Mr. hum., Mr. Roar, Sir JOHN WROTTESLEY, Mr. WINDH•M, and Mr. STURGIS Boultita ; the refuit of which was, that Mr. PAULL withdrew his motion, and gave notice for Tuefday next. Mr. PAULL then moved for a Copy of any Ap plication made by the Nabob Vizier to Marquis Wel lefley for a Loan of to,ooo rupees, from June to Auguft. tBog. Ordered. Mr. PAULL then (laced, that General Sir James Craig, a principal Wharfs in the Charge againfi the Marquis Wellelley, appeared, by the certificate of his Phyficians, to be at prefent confined to his apart. ments in fo ill a (late of health as to he utterly una ble to attend and give his evidence before that Houfe. According to precedents, then, he moved, "that the Honourable Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY, Mr. HOBHOUSE, and Mr. PAULL have leave to pro ceed to the Houfe of Sir James Craig, to take his ex amination." Ordered—And " that a Committee be appointed to prepare queftions to be put to Sir James Craig ; and that they take his examination, and re port hs anfwers to the Houfe; and that the raid Gentlemen be the faid Committee." GENERAL TRAINING DILL. Mr. WINDHAM having moved the leered reading of the Ge neral Tr lining Bill, Mr. RYDER Rated it to be his underftanding,, in now reading the Bill a fccond time, taut after going through a Committee, it was to he re committed, for the purpofe of ambling Gentlemen, after it hod come forth In the molt unexceptionable fhape, to Rate their objedlions to the principle of the Bill. He urged this the more firongly, as one Honourable Friend of his, formerly at the bead of the War Department, had gone out of town on this un derßanding. Mr. FOX declared, that he had never given any reafon to fop. pore that he would content to the delay of a meafure like the pre ftrit. If, however, any Hon Gentlemen had left town under fuck mifeonception, he Ihnutd he forty to pret. the Bill forward more than was ahfolutely neceffary. Mr. PERCEVAI. underftood it to be by no means ihtended that the Bill fhould be ret,rded. but that an opportunity mould 1 1 be given of go tog through the Committee pr. /woo, this night, that it timid be recommitted on Come future day, and be then dif• ertf..d. After tome farther explanation between Mr. FOX, Mr. PER CEVA 1., and Mr. WINDFI l ht, the Bill was read a fccond time, and committed. The Report was received, and oa the motion fur c iti tF it Into farther confideration on Tuefday, N Ir. ROSE fuggelted Wedricfday as being the better day, the Amcri:an Intercourfe Bill (landing for Tuefday. Sir R. BUXTON thought it advlfable that the Bill fhould conic forward as early as poflible, many Gentlemen being anxious to get to tae country, which they could not do till fu Important a Bill as this bad received a fair difcullion. The farther confileration of the Report was then fixed for Tucfday. MAISCVIS WELLESLEY. Mr. PAULL m.‘ved the order of the day for the Houfe refolving itfelf into a Committee for the fur ther confideration of the charges againft Marquis Wellefley. Lord FOLKSTONE, before the Houle fhould re folve itfelf into a Committee upon this filbjedl, wifhed to call the :onfideration of the Houle to a fubjeEt which flrongly affected his own mind. He thought that from the great extent of the evidence on both fides, upon thqfe feveral charges, it would he utterly impoaible for Members to have fu fficiently confidered the nature of that evidence, to enable them to come to a deliberate decifion upon thole charges in the pre. fent Scilion. He was of opinion, theretore, that the beft way to proceed would be to have the evidence fully gone through in the prefent Sefton, and that all the documents adduced on both fides fhould he printed for the ufe of the Members, who, in the coorfe of the reeds, would have an opportunity 01 confidering and weghing the thellitnony maturely and might come the better reared, on the meeting. of the enfuing &Eon, to give a clear, deliberate, and , decided vote on the fulska. Mr. PAULL fignified his own determination to prod with the [Arne unremitting indollry he had hitlerto done, and that it would not be his fault if the Oude charge was not completely gone through in he prefent Seflion. He appealed to the linalfe, wkether any thing in his conduft on the occafion locked like a with to delay proceedings ; on the con tray, he had afted in this cafe with an indultry and efiet unparalleled in the annals of Parliament, and lad before the Houle three diltinet charges of High Crimes and Mifdemeanours againft Marquis Wellef lee, and produced the documents, voluminous as they were, and difficult and embarrafling as it had been to bring them forth in fupport of thole charges. It was not to him, but to the Noble Lord near him (Lord Temple) that the delay was imputable, of not having brought the prefent charge forward upon the rath inilead of the 18th of the prefent month : and when the Noble Lord had mentioned his own inten tion to bring it forward on the 18th, with a view, as he underßood him, to a final decifion upon that day, feeling, as he did, that filch a decifion would be im poftible upon a fair confederation of the whole body of evidence he had to produce, he had declared that he would take no part in the proceeding of the Noble Lord, and that he never would, until the whole of the documents for which he moved upon each particular charge, were laid upon the table, move one inch to the right or to the left, Rawer or quicker, than fuited the perfed convenience of his purpofe. But, as the conlideration of a charge in very important, in Houle' fo very thinly attended, was utterly inconfif: tent with any poffibility of due deliberation, he would be obliged, late as it was in the Sefton, to move for a Call of the Houle, in order to enforce an atten dance, as confiltent with the decorum of Parliamen tary proceedings, as with the effence of Parliamentary jultice. The three charges he had brought forward were undoubtedly charges of very great importance; but there was a fourth charge, not yet brought for ward, flill more important, and which he could not well bring forward before next Sefton, namely, that of depofing the Princes of Saffni and Cajowlah. He concluded by repeating his molt earned and eager with for as fpeedy a decifion upon the whole of the charges as was confillent with the due ends ofjuffice. Lord TEMPLE difclaimed having ever expreffed a with or an intention to profs the Houfe to a final decifion on the fubjeft on any given day. Here the converfation ended, and the Houfe re folved id& into a Committee, and proceeded to the lexamination of evidence. Mr. HOBHOUSE then took the Chair, and Mr. Cowper was called in, and examined at the Bar on the Oude Chaige. ft appeared that Mr. Cowper was a Member of the Supreme Council of Fort William in Bengal, in the years 3798-9 and iBOO. A variety of queftions were then put by Mr. PAULL and Sir A. WELLESLEY. A queßion of the IA Honour able Member "refpefting Mr. Cowper's opinion of the meaning of the treaty ot 1798, with the Nabob, was objedled to by Mr. WALLACE, on the ground, that the document was already before the Houle, and that every Member was at liberty to form his own opi nion on the fubjeft. Sir A. WELLESLEY then agreed to withdraw his queltion. In the courfe of the examination, it appeared that the province of Oude, ender the Nabob, had been is a Rate of great anarchy and diforder. From a queltion by Mr. WALLACE, it appeared to be the opinion of the witners, that a charge of by pocrify. rapine, oppreffion, and murder againlt Mar-i qois Wellefley, would be heard with afionifhment and indignation by the people of India, as well natives as Europeans. He alto bore teßimony to the high cha rafter of the Honourable H. Wellefley. On a qua. tion from Mr. HURST, be Paid, that he confidered the interference of Marquis Wellefley in the affairs of Oude, as proper and neceffary ; and approved of all his condo& in that interference. Mr. Riley was then examined, who had been in a judicial fituation at Oude. Nothing of great impor tance, as affeBing Marais WeHaley, was extra red from his examination, «• Major Oufeley was then examined: he had long refided at Lucknow, and was in the habits of inti mate acquaintance with the prefent Nabob, in whole employment he is at prefent. As to his general eha rafter, he fisted, that be was a man of dignified man ners, and very princely deportment; that he was well veiled in all the literature of the Ea ft , and was polkaed of an excellenttafie in architeAure and other arts; and that in private life he was foeial, and fond of horfes, of hunting, and of all field amufements. Notwithfianding the intimate acquaintance that the witnefs had with him, he never law any great depref lion of fpirits in him on account of the changes in troduced by Marquis Wellefley. His cavalcade was not quite fo great as that of his predecellor Afuf Dowla, but it was better appointed. He had now in his (tables about three thoufand of the finefi borfes, inchlding about Igo Arabian (addle holies. He had about 1300 elephants, and in all the other expences of his hate he was more fiimptituus than before ' • he went to more expence in building p a l aces , an d for- nifliing them ; and, upon the whole, according to his opinion, had had no reafon to be diffatisfied with the change. He had, it was true, changed his tur ban for a while, and fuffered his beard to grow, which in that country was confidered as a fign of affliffion ; but fince that time lie had appeared per- hely reconciled. When Holkar invaded the Douhab, he advanced ten lacks of rupees (about too,000l.) of his own free will, to enable Lord Lake's army to march againli him, and there was no left than 400,0001. colleßed at Lucknow for the fame purpofe. As to the Police that (Willed formerly at Oude, no. thing could be worfe. It was true, there were but few executions by law, but then it was equally cer tain, that there was no fecuriry either fur property or life. The country was infetied with banditti, who plundered or murdered thole who were not well guarded. As an inflanre of this, he mentioned Mr. Metcalf (fon of Sir T. Mrlcalf), who, having gone on a hunting party from his houfe, was attacked and maimed by fume of there banditti, although he had all the neceffary Mahratta paffports about him. The Nabob hunfelf requefied Marquis Wellef ley to fuggefl to him tome improvement in the Pr. lice and Government of his country; to which the Marquis replied, that he would fire try, as experi ments, on the ceded Provinces, what he thought would be acirrifeable, and that if they anfwered there, the Nabob could adopt them with greater confidence. The tendency of the remainder of the tellimony of the wisnefs was to exculpate the Noble Marquis from the matters charged egoista him. some quettions were put to him, which he declin• ed anfwering, on account of the violation that it ap • peered to him that this would he of private friendibip and confidence. Some of the quellions were Own withdrawn. Upon the examination as to the charge of the Mancini* having kept all Europeans frcm advifing with the Nabob during the negociatinns, the witnefs was afked, had not the Marquis accufad Mr. Treves of advifing the Nabob contrary to the interefts of the Campany ? The witnefs objedled on the ground that the anfwer might implicate the charadter of Mr. 'neves, who was then oat of England, aid in the fervice of the Company. This objedtion was, how, ever, at length over-ruled; and upon the witnefs be ing again lanced the queaion, he fubmitted another objedlion, namely, that he had no fort of knowledge , except from confidential letters from friends, which he hoped the Houfe would not urge him to difclofe. A very long debate took place in the Comnainef refpedling this objeaion, and upon the motion of Mr. JOHNSrONE, it was ordered that the Gallery thou Id be cleared. Strangers were not again admitted, but after fame further examination of Major Oufely, and Mr. John (lone, the Chairman had leave to report progrefs, and to fit again. At a quarter before two o'clock (this morning) the Houfe adjourned to Monday, undertlanding that the Chair fhould be taken at three, the ordinary bufinefs proceeded in until five, and then the examination of witnelfes on this fubjea to be refumed. LONDON. SATURDAY, JUNE U. A Cabinet Council was yefferday afternoon held at the Foreign Office, in Downing-flreet, which was atteraled by the LORD CNANCILLOR, Earls Star/cue. and Morita, Lords GRINVILLS, SIDMOVTN, Howrcz, and McNair Prrvv, Mr. Fox, and Mr. Wrsnnist. After the Council difpatches were made up for the Courts of St. Peterfburgh and Vienna, with which Meals. DRESSING and PROW/MAN, the Meffengers, have fet off, the fiat for Vienna, the latter for Pe. terfburgb. If the rife in the price of the funds afforded any Pure criterion by which we might judge of the pro- • ceedings of Government, we thould fuppofe that Come progrels has already been made in a Negotiation for Peace. Among the buyers at the Stock Exchange, were Come of the known or reputed Agents for the French houfes. From this it may be inferred that they at leaft are perfuaded, tome overture has been made by the French Government for pacification.— The thing is not impoffible ; for NAPOLEON has ob tained the complete fovereignty of the Continent, and before he can execute any of his foreign projeas, the interdia impofed upon hini by our Navy muff be removed by Tome treaty which may lull this coun try into a Rate of falfe feenrity. Whether overtures ha►e aflually been made to our Government, we cannot take upon us to hate, but we have every tea. fon to hope they will not be liftened to, if of fuch a nature as to involve the honour or the fafety of the country. We underftand that, during Lord YARMOUTH'S fhort flay in town, he had frequent interviews with Mr. Fox, at his Office, in Downing-fireet, a eir• cumfiance which, in the opinion of many, gives fome countenance to the reports in circulation. In the City the opinion gains ground that a pa cification is at no great difiance. The Funds fill keep improving. At one o'clock the pikes were as follow : Confols for opening 631 a I—Reduced 621 a 1.--Omniutts, for Money Prices 61, and for July 61 a I—Exchequer Bills par a; dircount. The refielt of Lord ME LVI LLy's Trial has been fo extremely gratifying to the inhabitants of Wimble don, that on Wednefday evening they celebrated the event by a Ball at the Rofe and Crown in that village. Numerous entertainments were given on Monday in Glafgow, in celebration of Lord MsxviLLs's ac quittal. On Sunday, after the idirmiffil of the parade of the 7IR regiment upon their return from Church, the men voluntarily gave three hearty cheers in tell. mony of their joy on account of the fate of their noble countryman. On Wednefday the Magi ftrates,Town Council, and a number of refpeltable Gentlemen of the neighbour. hood of North Berwick, affembied in the Town hall to celebrate the acquittal of Lord Mar.►tr.t.a. A number of toaftt, expreffive of their approbation of his Lordfhip's political conduet, were drank on the occatinn, and the Volunteers fired three ►oiler. Friday fe'nnight, the ad and 4th battalions of the Royals marched into Glafgow, on their way from Stirling to Ireland ; they are complete skeletons. Same day, the ad battalion of the 73d, a Highland Regiment, arrived at Dumfries from Peterhead. On Thurftlay evening Itft, Mr.. incurs, had a large party of fafhionables at her Houfe in Orchard• (trees, Portman•fquare. • Died, no Saturday lan, at Cheltenham, in the 43t1 year of his age, Sir WILFRED LAWSON, Bart. of BrAy ton•houfe and Ifell.hall, both in the county of Cum. !Arland, the laft of the male line of one of the molt ancient and refpeaable families in that county—dying without if the title becomes win& Letters from the Hague, of the date of June I S. Rate, that on the day of - proclaiming the new Con- Ititution to the Batavian people, a great military force was *trembled in readinefs to prevent any dif torbance that might take place among the populace. The whole ceremony,however, paired in fuller' faience, the majority of the people having manifefted their real fentiments more plainly by not even appearing in the greets through the day. Though guns were ordered to be fired, and bells to be rung, not a tingle individual, unconnelted with the Government, could be found to exptefs any external figns of their opi. ninn on the fubjeel ; a kind of ftudicd condat, very unlike apathy, which, it is Lid, has excited confi derable uneafinefs in the breafis of their Hugh bligt!- tineffes.—King Louis's departure from Paris, it is awed, has been delayed by a new indifpnlit;;.c. I