Star. — London, England, 1806-05-16 00:00:00

' .AMERICA. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, MARCH 25. On the motion of Mr. Mumroan, the Heinle re folved itfeif into a Committee of the whole. Mr. Ni. cnotsow in the Chair, on the bill prohibiting the im. portation of certain Britifh) goods, wares, and met , chandize. 'l'be articles enumerated in this bill are the fame as thofe contained in the Refolution on which it was framed. Mr. MURVORD moved to fill the blank left for the time when this bill is to take effect with the 13th of November next. Mr. CLAY moved the eft of January, and Mr. Crowninfhield the iff of July. Mr. MUNCORD faid, while they were charging a foreign Government with furprifing their commerce, he hoped they would not do the fame thing them (elves. He was, therefore, oppofed to the tit of July, and in favour of the 15th of November. On agreeing to the in of January the Haute di vided—Ayes 37—Noes 67—the Federal Members voC , ,g in the affi•mative. On agreeing to the 15th of November, fixty-four Members rote on the affirmative fide—carried. On this cotellion the Federal Member* likewife voted in the affit m stive. On the motion of Mr. MUMFORD. a Hank was filled,. in. as to make the feAion amended lead as 101 l w.:— as W :Ain cloth, whole invoice price &all exceed ss. Ilerltng per fquate yard." New Yon 11, APEIL 2.—Mr. Samuel Ogden yefise. day appeared before the Circuit Court, and was bound, hirnfelf in to,ooo dollars, and a furety in so,ooo, so hand trial on account of his connation with the Leander and General Miranda. Art RIL B. rhe merchants of New York have ap plied to the Government for information refpeEling she date of their relations with Foreign Powers. In their letter to the Secretary of State they lay : •6 The fituation in which we arc placed with Eng. land claims the fit ft notice, becaufe of her prodigious naval power, which, it is apprehended by fume, may be fuddenly employed to annihilate our commetce. We therefore with to be informed, whether the inju rious principles adopted by her tribunals have been relinquithed or extended—whether the meafures de viled by the wifdom of Government to obtain redrefi, compenfation, and fecuritf, promife a fuccefsful refult .I—or whether the merchants mutt tape& molt por tentous events ? " Rumours have prevailed refpeaing our relations to the oppofite belligerents, and of events tending to embroil us with them, which have alarmed the mer chants of New York. They are delimit* of knowing whether thefe rumours be idle and vain, or whether from tranfaelions in the knowledge of Government, it would be prudent to fufpend, or wholly to abandon our commerce with France and Spain? " Finally—The plunder and outrage to which our commerce is expofed in the Well Indies and even on our own coals, render it very deferable to know whe ther Government contemplate employing a refpeaa. ble naval force to reprefs thole preda._ ry aggrelliord?" The Secretary of State has deciined fatufyirg the inquiries of the merchants in a letter in which he oh ferves, that a communication of the nature alluded to would exceed the duty and refponfibility of any Government, as it would frequently do the rules of prudence." APRIL g.—By the fhip United States, arrived at Baltimore, difpatches have been brought out to Go vent ment from -Mr. MONROE. Their contents are raid to be of the molt fatisfaElory nature. We pre fume they are the fiat difpatches from our Miniller !race his interview with Mr. Fox. The information of the fpirited meafures propofed by Congrefs at the opening of the prefent Section had produced a great fenbetion among the merchants of England. .P.MLLIMEATART PROCELDIAGS. NOISE OF LORDS, THURSDAY, MAY rs. Tho Houk proceeded, at ufual, to Weltmlnfter Hall, and re. turned about four, when an Order was made to proceed further co the Trial of Lord Vikount Melville to-morrow.and a Merge knt to the Houk of Commons to acquaint them therewith. lIISOLVSNT DISTORS SILL. Previous to the order for the Houle to refolve itfclf into a Committee upon this Bill, being read, Lord Vifeount Siostotura pretested a petition from certain perlys, whole names were thereunto fob fcribed, againa the Bill, praying that it may not pals into a law; which was ordered to lie or: the table. The Houle then refolved itfelf into a Committee upon the Bill, Lord Walfiogharn in the Chair. The Clerk proceeded to read over the clan les, in fome of which a fcw verbal amendments were or dered. on the Inggeftion of Lord Holland. A few words were then interchanged between Lords HOLLAND and ELDON, in the courfe of which the latter faid he fhnuld referee himfelf for the difcuflion of filch amendments as may be propofed for a future flag. of the Bill ; and immediately after the Noble Lord retired. The important confederation of the period at which the AR is to commence its retrofoetlive operative, was pmpofed by Lord HOLLAND for the " Eft day of Fcbtuary, 18c6 ;" and the blank cackled to be filled up accordingly. With refpat to the highei fum, as the amount of cl:ht upon which the Bill is to operate, it was origi ;tally propofed to the fame amount as the left InfJl - Al embraced, VIZ. 15001. Sor - e farther verbal amendrueno being made, and the fuhordinate blank% filed up, agreeably t.) the - .11i-ns of Lord HOLLAND. the pre a mbl e of the Bill was agreed to by the alinsmittee, and the Houle rfumeY. On the motion of Lnrd HOLLAND, the Bill was then, w ith the Amendinents, ordered to be ptinted. Mr. Cakraft, Mr. AI, zaf.der, Sir Jacob Alley, Mr. Fellow's, Mr. Chaplin, Sir William Middleton, Sir John Frederick, Mr. Shells y, and fevcral other Members of the Houk of Common., brought up the Additional Force Repeal Bill, the Motiny Bill, the frith Treafut y 'ills Bill, the kith Loan Bill, and fevcral Private Billa,which read a fiat dine. The Additi.mal Force Repeal Bill was, on the motion of But Spencer, order, d to be printed. Mr Williams. front the CononifSoners of Naval inquiry, pro kneed the Thirteenth Report of that board, which, on the Modon of Rad Spencer. was ordered to be printed. aldjuUrtsest till to raw row (this day). HOVE OF COMhIONS. 1 The Additional Force Repeal Bill %%If ordered to the I.orde. A Meffage from the Lords intotand the Houle, that theft* l.otel• Chips would proceed on Lard trial tomorrow. hlr. H. THORNTON brought up an Account of the Sums of Money granted on Account of the Sierra Leone Company. The Mutiny Bill. the Itith [...an bill and the Iri a Treafury Bills Bill, were read a third time and paired. On the motion of Ttlr. CORKY ,au Account was ordered orate Balan.:es In the bands of the Riciderr General of Cullonta and Stamp Duties in Ireland un the sth nt January. Mr. WILLIAMS brought up the t 3th Report dile Comtnif- Goners of Naval haquary. ADMIRAL DUCKWORTH. The SPEAKER dated to the Houfe that lie had received a letter from Admiral Duckworth, dated the ill of May, in aufwer to the Vote of Thanks of the Houfe to htinfelf, and the Officers and Seamen under his command. The letter was to the follow• ing purport : Si a, 0 Superb, (off Cates) May t. I have received yours of tin ssth of March, conveying the Meat honour that can be conferred on any Meer is his M lef ty s fetvice. the Thank.. of the Imperial Parliament of his Coun try. However feebly I may be able to meets the high fenfe which I entertain of this high and ditlinguithed honour, I certainly feel it deeply. The belt return that I can make on thb occatinn for the proud difliodlion which the Houfe of Commons has con• ferred un me by its approbation of my conduct in the battle of the 6th of February off St. Domingo, Ur to requeft you to 'fibre the Houle that I Cull mew my gratitude in the manner which will be moll agreeable to them, and that Is by Ming my heft awls in op• poling the enemies of my Kin ,t and Country. They have done me a particular favnur when they &fire that I amid communicate their thanks to the Officers 'nuke my command, and no tear fa vour when they dare :hat the Captains of the leveret wffels Mould communicate to the (cameo and marines the molt bonouratle re. ward of their fervices, the Thanks and approbation of the Repre. tentative.' of the Nation. I beg leave to return my particular thanks to you for your congratulations, and the very bandfome terms in which you have tranfinitted tome the approbation of the Houle. I have the honour to be, fec &c. " J. T. DUCK WORTH." TAPIRS RISIICTING situarvoas. Mr. PAULL tieing a Nobl: Lord in his plate, (Lord Morpeth), wilhed to know why the papers he had moved for relpeßing Ilhuttpure, were fu long delayed ? He had firft moved for their produflion on the t ah of March, and finding the Order of that Day was nut complied with, he moved on the I.3th of April fur a peremptory order. As the Papers were by no means voluminous, and there had been fuch abundant time for their produftion, he fhoulsl now make a further motion, unlefa he received a fatisfac• tory reafon for this delay. Mr. CREEVEY Paid, that the Board of Controul bad done all that was incumbent on them to do when they ferved the India Board with notice of the order that had been made by that Houk. He thought, however, that it mull appear moll unfair in that Hon. Gentleman, to charge the Board of Controul wi•lt wilhing to keep back any information, when it I was recollefted, that tl.ey had not refraed one of the ninetreight motions for • per s which the Honourable Gentleman had made in the courfe of the lan four months. He, however, in confequence of the con• verfation ire that Houle upon the fubjeft, had fent to Mr. Ramfden, the Secretary of the India Board, to knos# therealon why thole papers were not produced? He was informed by the anfwer, that there was at prefent a chafm iu the confultations of Bengal, which probably the next (hips would fupply. Since that time, the Honourable Gentleman had made 39 motions for papers, which went Co far as to require a detailed account of the molt minute expences of the Marquis Vs'ellefley in his entertainments. At the fame time, they were getting ready the papers rela tive to Surat, which were no leis than two thoufand folio pages. hile all thefeaccounts were making out at the lame time, it would nor be wonderful if there fhould be fame delay ; this splay could not however be imputed in any degree. to ; lie Board of Controul, who were really willing to give him as many papers as he sulked for. Mr. P .-- AULI. petalled that he had met with great delays. Mr. FRANCIS laid, he was ant furprifed at hear ing of this chafm in the conadtations of the Bengal Government. He apprehended there were other ' chafms, as. the letters figned by twenty-three Direc tars charged the Marquis Wadley with not entering on there coufultations the proceedings that he ought to have entered. The chafm could, however, be no reafon for no:making a return. If no record could be found, the anfwer would be carter. Sir HUGH INGLIS Grid, the principal reafotts which occafioned the delay of thole papers were, ra, the voluminoui nature of the papers which were or. dered with refpeet to Surat ; in the fecond place, there had no %ad left Bengal !ince the Medufa; which failed in Nr.ramber. He had realms, however, to think, that the aril (hip which arrived would ply tire Oman thirt was complained of. • He Marred the Hon. Gentleman, that there was no With to dilly, and that the papers (horrid be laid upon the table as Coon as, in the uncunillances of the cafe, they could be got ready. Upon this explanation, and after a few words from Lord MORPLIH, Mr. PAULL conflated to with draw his motion. Mr. PAULL then gave nntice, that he lhould move tomorrow to rclond an order that had been made in the mouth of April, fur the produltion of a protetl of Mr. Bofanquet, relative to this trainfation: TqR TO L A. On the motion of Lnrd TEMPLE, an Account vat ordered of ell Sugars imp:•rted from the Virgin ltlands. for the thrce years ending oh the sth of Ja nuary slios, dillinguifhing the colony and plantation. The further conlideration of the report of the Tor• tole Free Port Bill was pollponed till Monday. ARMY ESTIMATES. The SECRETARY at WAR brought up the Army Eitimatcs, and Rated, that they were the eat mates for the regular army for the eufulag year.— He knew hoer nearly theft climates were connected with the nirefures which Gentlemen on the other fide of the Houfe were very anxious to difcufs ; he I therefore fliould fix Wednefday next for the confider satin of thole Efiimaits, wilds Gentlemen &mild I with for a longer time. General TARLETON hoped the Secretary at War would have no °Nation to their being printed, I for the aft of the Members, as they contained a greet deal of new tauter. The SECRETARY at WAR hid, he Ihould not obje& to their being printed, if the Hoc. General de- I fired it t bat If the printing of the Abbe& would be fuSeisnt, it would rave Come days. General TARLETON acquiefeed in the foggef tion, and the Abbe& of the Eflieastes was ordered to be pristed e far the of. of the Members. ranersvy VAN3IrI'ART moved the Order of the Day for the Houk to gu into a Committee on the PV`Pel t y Duty Bill. On the Houk having refolved into the Committee, Mr. Atexabosa in the Chair, Mr. ALEXANDER propofed to read the margi nal sh!lraas, with a view to expedite the progrefs without depriving Gentlemen of the opportunity of commenting upon any claufe which might appear to them to require alteration or amendment. Several claufes were palled through without any amendment. On the amended clank for regulating I the mode of levying the ditty upon floating capitals. Mr. Alderman PRINSEP exprefed bib difappro• bbtion of making the intereft of Exchequer Bills the ohjee of the direU operation of the tax, becaufe thefe fecurities, being at prefent at a premium of only two killings per cent. fuels a dire& operation of the tax Iwould have the effect of reducing them to a difcount. Of Exchequer Bills in general he (Imola fay, that though not an unufual nor an illegal mode of railing money, they were unconftitutional, and an impolitic anticipation of the refources of the country. He thought they amounted to a facrifice of the commer cial to the monied intereft, and that the greater part of thofe now in the market, amounting_ 'to twenty liven millions. ought to be funded, in which cafe the monied intereft would embark their capital in the funds, or employ it in aid of fair commercial fpecu• lations. Mr. FRANCIS did not think that the dire& ope ration of the Tax would bring Exchequer Bills to a dikount, becaufe they were payable at par at Rated and no diflant periods, might be paid into the Ex chequer for taxes, and were more handy and conve nient for bofinefs than flock in the funds. Mr. VANSITTART did not think the mffchief apprehended by the Honourable Alderman would refult from deducing the duty at the Exchequer.— The meafure was to be profpeftive, fo that it would not affee the prefent holders of fecurities of that defeription. As to the funding of Exchequer Bills, that would caufe a lois to the public, as they coul d not at prefent be funded at a higher rate than sill. per cent. in the Three per Cents. ; and after the war, they might perhaps be funded at 701. per cent. After a few oblervations from Mr. GEO. JOHN STONE and the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHE (VER. the eta*, on being amended by infecting the words "all fecurities chargeable with intereft out of the public revenue," inftead of 4' Exchequer Bills," was agreed to. A very long converfation then enfued on the claufe, enaeing that ten per cent. be paid on all pro perty, whether in land or in the funds. Mr. GARLAND contended, that this claufe would produce much injultice and inequality. He put the cafe of a man haying an income of aol. de rived from land or the funds, and of another who made 701. a year by manual labour. The former would have to pay 30$. while the latter paid nothing at all. He alto thought that the fettle reached too low, and that pl. a year fhould not pay any thing at all. He wilbed to know the reafon why the tax was not increafed in proportion to the inereafe of income, and why the man who had only sol. a year fhould pay as much in proportion as he that had 50001. — The per tentage on fgiall incomes had been brought much lower than it had been by the late Chancellor of the Exchequer, while it remained the fame on the larger incomes. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in reply. obferved, that it was the great aerates.. Mk of the prefent tax, that it diflinguithed between permanent property and that arifing from manual or profeffional tabonr. When a min had property in land, or in the funds, he enjoyed it independent of, lahoor, and could add labour to property—while the, man who fupported himfelf by his profefLonal exer tions could not always add property to labour. It was a tax upon property, and not upon income. He thought, that to mill: the kale of the tax would have an equalifing tendency with regard ' to the different I claffes of focietY; 'and would tend to overturn thole diflin&ions on which (ociety was founded. Mr. WILBERFORCE was afraid, that the (eve rity of this clank would render the tax itfelf dif- Wield to the great body of the people. He confi (tired it as fomething like a breach of the public faith, to place thole who had income derived froln funded property. in a work fituation than they were Who derived their fubfiflence from labour. But ac cording to this claufe, it would fo happen that the Man who had 601. a year froM funded property Would pay 61 out of it, while another *hn had a fa• lacy to the &me amount paid only sos. But it was Itranic to obferve, that when the income was fire hundrid a'year,' for inflauce, then the turn contri huted was exaflly the fame, whether derived from funded prdpertY or profrffional Wary. On the whole, he wifhed the Noble Lord to reconfider the claufe. and fee whether (merlin% could not be de vlfed leis liable to the charge of inequality and in piftie.' Sir CHARLES PRICE confidered the dm& in a fimilar light. Mr. WOOD fu ported the principle. 'Mt. SPENCER STANHOPE thought the classic would operate with peculiar hardlhip on a very nu- memos clefs of men, who had vetted the petty earns inks of a long fervice in the funds. Suppofe x. (errant to - have been able to place tool in the funds, and that' by tome accident he was deprived of his fituation, his 31. a year of inierea would be taxed, while others who had 491. a year, by way of annuity, would pay nothing at all. • ... . Mr. JOHNSTON coiscided with the Noble Lord, with regard 'tithe %yolky of mcreafing the fcale of taxation in proportion to the increafe of income.— But he could not fee any reafon for tax!ng thole who had funded property, fo much more feverely than annuitants. • Mr. VANSITTART obferved, that the objetlinns 1 which had been urg e d by f evera l H on . M e mbers, proceeded entirely from a mifapprehenfion of the principle of the Bill. They had all along argued, as if it went to impofe a tax on income, and not on property. The prefent tax bore a refemblance to the land tax, which was paid in the fame proportion by I the man who bad ten acres, as by him who had ten thoufand. In the fame manner, this tax was pro poled to be laid on the property of the fubjett, and did not at all enquire into the amount of that pro perty. The efficacy of the tax would depend nn ad bath% to this principle; and as the income arifing from an annuity or from labour wits very dif. ferent from that derived from real property, certain remifficns of the tax were propofed to be granted in the former cafes. The fituation of the man who had an annuity, was very different from that of hivn who had income arifing from real property. The annuity expired with the life of the annuitant, white the Rock. holder was always Willed of a real capital. The difference between the two was evidently immenfe, and the prefent tax conftantly kept in view Ibis acts , dal dittindion. • Sir W. GEARY thought, that the tax would' press with great feverity on the lower charts of (ociety, and waked that tome modifications might be intro• duced into it. Mr. BABINGTON was of opinion, that eafore• kg the tax would, on many occefions, reduce very great hardtbip $ and thought, from his Own exPai ence, that it could not fail to prove a mots' di wes. able talk to the Colonsiffioners employed milder iN He, therefore, wined to remind the Noble Lor d. he that taxes very often took their compleCtioe, % public opinion, from the occurrence of cafes of .ultr• tiddler hardThip ; and thought that tome dons would render it more palatable, and equals' Y produeive. Mr. FOX willied to Rate in a few words his ideas repelling the principle of the tax. The general pike. ciple of it teemed to be, that aU perfoas having pen* petty of whatever kind were bound to coritribtUe.--a The exception from this principle was, • that thole were to be exempted from its operation, who could not contribute to the tax without 4:priving than (elves of the neceffatiot of lite,' and thus becomloo the proper objeas 'of charity. In• many cafes, it would be impoflible to take any thing from the pro duce of labour, fiuee it might be barely fufficieat to procure fubfittence. Hence the propriety of thofe exemptions that were propofed in certain cafes.— Annuitants elf° below a certain fum were to be ex empted, becaufe they could not be raid to be pof feffed of real property. But this would not apply to income derived from monies in the funds, or from landed property. Support a man to be ',offered of toool. from which he derived an income of pl. a year, by rubjeding . him to the prefent tax, you could not be kid to deprive him of the neceffaries of life, or Make him an object of charity ; for what title could fuch a man let up to your charitable angelic', who was potreffed of a capital of toool. f He, therefore, was not entitled to be exempted from the general principle t and this would apply equally to the poffeffion of landed and of funded property. With regard to the embarraffinents of the Commilfioners, in carrying the Ai into execution, they would nee take plasm, at teat, in the care of the funded property. Mr. SPENCER STANHOPE °braved, that it was very common for people in the lower ranks of life to fettle on their windows the intereft of the (mall Mass they had been able to accumulate, and the tax operating on fuch an income, might reduce thole who received it to the fituation of paupers. Mr. FOX replied, that people of that dekription evidently belonged to the des of annuitants. The dircuffion upon this chafe was protraaed to a length of two hours, in which, upon the ground of it revere operation upon (mall annuitants, it was very ftrenuoutly refined by Mr. Spencer Stanhope, Mr. Babington, Mr. Wilberforce, 111 r. Francis, and (eve rat other Members, who expatiated at confiderable extent upon the cruelty of its influence upon the means of exigence to the aged and the decrepid. The old man, incapabk of increating his income by la bour, an d who contrived to eke out his remnant of life upon the intereft of a (mall Min in the funds, fay. ' ed from the produce of his industry in the keno of early health and vigour ; or the aged widow, who had feen better days, who may have outlived her friends and connetions, and was defiled to exitt op. on the pittance derived from a fault interest in the funds, tbarcely fufficient to preferve life, and who was totally upakle to increafe it by any mode of indult:ye while incomes from labour, trade, or other Mums, as low as sot. a year was totally exempt. In tilt copra of the arguments on this particular clank, a great deal of realoning took place, repelling the feve ri ty of cueing de tax upon (mall incomes, fo low as 3os. per week, arifing from daily labour, Wholly uncertain in its continuance, and totally ina dequate to maintain even a very (mall family, in the lower neceflaries otylife, befides pay ing the rent of a Iniferable habitation. Mr. FRANCIS, upon this part of the rubjea, was forcibly argumentative ; and, amongst other obkr rations, remarked, that the Noble Lord, who brought forward the tax, teemed to be fo inveterately addieed to his principle of arithmetical proportion, that he teemed difpofed to facrifice every confideration of benevolence to the plan of filtrating the tax, in all cafes, to the fum of income, without at all advertin to the infinitely various cafes of hardthip and difficul ty to which pour perfons, with (mall incomes and large families, were expofed. But he would find, upon experience, this rule of proportion would prove a rule of falfe potation. With men whole incomes were far above want, for infiance, two or three thou rand a year, little or no inconvenience would be felt ; but where the means of a family's exigence came to be abridged, the hardthip would prefs intolerably.— A man who lived in the upper Rorey of a manfion, might fed little difadvantage in defeending to the middle floor, or the parlour, but what was to be done with a man in the cellar Mr. WILLIAM SMITH joined afro in thofe ob• jedions, but obferved there was Hill another dafs of patrons who had not yet been alluded to, upon whom the tax would fall mat grievoufly, and who were more properly the objeds of exemption than almoft any other upon whom it would operate. He alluded to that decent and repedable order of pedant, nu merous every where throughout this metropolis, and the kingdom at large, who had feen better days, and been early ufed to the comforts of life, but who with fmall incomes, were condemned under the viciflitudes of the times to (Iruggle with difficulties, in endea vouring to preferve appearances and mantaiu their claims to decent refped. For their iituations lie fin cerely felt ; hut though he felt for the difficulty in which his Islajelly's Minifters were placed, be yet few fo much objection to this bill, and its principles, tb.a be feared he never fhould be reconciled to it. Mr. FOX replied to many arguments urged againft the tax. He begged leave to recal the attention of the Committee to the line of diftindlion he had before drawn, And to repeat that it was by no means the with of thofe who brought forward this tax, that it '4l • . " .46 1 1 I