Star. — London, England, 1827-05-12 00:00:00

%:1 4 V6 wir~wieveme . dm A it • FINCH 1 1 A PERS. itDATFD THURSDAY, HAY 10 . • E iSBURGH, Ann. 19. We learn from an authentic source, that there is at Warsaw a particular commission of inquiry, among the Members of which ate four Ministers, Secretaries of State, who ate engaged in investigating the facts and circumstances of the treasonable intrigues of which in dications were last year discovered in that Kingdom. TRIESTE, Arius IT. We have received, by way of Ancona, news from Corfu, of the 16.11 clpril, which :ay that there was some sharp fighting before Athens on the 4th, 6th, and 9th of April, but the results were not known. It is said that the two National Assemblies of Castro and Egina have at length united at Damula, in the district of Trezene, and that they have chosen for their President the Count Capo &Istria. Till he shall arrive, his brother, View Capo d'lstr ia, has been invited to act as President. Lord Cochrane is said to be appointed High Admiral, and General Church Generalissimo.—Augs. Gazelle. PARIS, May 9. The Memorial Bordelais publishes news from Para guay, which state that the Emperor of Brazil has re moved from his Councils all those who advised the expedition to the South. Letters from Rio Janeiro, of the 29d of February, say that M. Gordon, who had entered into negotiations for peace w.th the Commissioners of Buenos Ayres, had succeeded in terminating them. By this treaty, if the union of Paraguay should be realised, the Cabinet of Brazil hat obtained that the boundaries of the empire shall extend to the rivers Parana and Amazons. If Dr. Francis does not accede to this, it is probable that . the troops of Buenos Ayres and tho.e of Brazil will invade his terri , ory. The Commissioners sent to Europe are condemned to banishment and the confiscation of their property. Dr. Francis has, however, granted them four months time to prove the truth of their assertions rela tively to their departure from Spain. If they cannot produce evidence in their justification, they will be shot. ' Sancho Yegros, a very respectable old man, who was one of the commission, died suddenly when the sentence of the Court was intimated to him. Don Bernardino Yegros, Secretary-General of Paraguay, has resigned, and is succeeded by Don Prudencio Yegro , . FROM THE ETOILE, DATED FRIDAY, MAY 11. DRESDEN, May 5. His Majesty the King of Saxony has just expired after two days' illness. The day before yesterday dispelled the hopes which were entertained the' day before. After a very dis turbed sleep, it was evident his Majesty's strength was gradually decreasing. His situation was such, that it was several times thought his Majesty had breathed his la.r. About two in the afternoon the fever in crea-ed, and a complete stony followed. The agony came on at seven in the evening, and his Majesty ez pire‘i at a quarter past seven this morning. This event has rzcited general consternation ; the' troops are now taking their oath to their new Sovereign. l PARIS, MAT to. The Ilorence Gazette contains a private letter from Egina, of the 2d of April, which says that on the 30th of March the Turks were completely defeated before Athens, by Karaiskaki and Genet, Colocotroni. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT . HOUSE OF LORDS, MAT 11. The Postage Duties Bill was read a second time. Petitions against any alteration in the Corn Laws were presented froni the Landowners of several parishes - in the counties of North umbetland, Sasses, and Nottingham, by the Duhe of NORTIIIIM- IittLAND, Lord Gain, and the Earl of Azinsoost.—Laid on the table. WACILLANEOUIL Mr. Serra presented tbeAtuTualAccounts of the Richmond bridge.— Laid on the table. STATE OF THE NATION. Earl GROSVENOR said that a Noble Earl opposite had some time since expressed his intention to call the attention ache House to a subject of considerable im portance, the state of the Nation. He had in some de gree informed the House of the nature of his motion, and announced that it would include the Catholic Claims, the Abolition of Sinecures, and Parliamentary R form, all objects of very great interest. He (Earl Grosvenor) should wait till that motion was made to ex,,lain the reasons which had induced him to give his humble support to the present Administration. He therefore wished to ask the Noble Earl whether he had yet made upilits mind as to the day when it was his in tention to bring his motion forward ? The Eat] of WINCHELSEA should not delay one moment if he followed the dictates of his feelings, but prudence suggested a different course. As he found that same of the Noble Lords opposite were only pro visionally stationed in their seats, he was waiting to see what changes might take place among them, and in the Government, before he brought on his motion. His sentiments were perfectly in unison with those of the country. They wished to know on what principles the Government was formed. When he recollected how different were the sentiments of the Noble Lords opposite, he did not see how such a coalition could have been formed without a sacrifice of pt inciples somewhere. If there had been no sacrifice of that kind, there must be a want of union amongst the Members of the Go vernment, which deprived them of all claim to confi• dente. He should take the earliest opportunity, con sistently with his view of the subject, to fix a day for bringing forward his motion. The Marquis of BUTE in presenting a Petition from certain Landowners of the County of Glamorgan, said that he should vote for the second reading of the Corn Laws Amendment Bib, though in sortie points he agreed with the Petitioners.—Laid on the table. Lord TEYNHA:II presented several Petitions to the same effect from the County of Northampton, and gas• notice that after the second reading of the Corn Laws, be should move that all the Petitions presented to the House on that subject be referred to the Committee. GAME LAWS. On the Order of the Day for receiving the Report of the Committee being moved. The Earl of MA LM ESBURY observed that there was a strong feeling in their Lordships against the present system of the Game Laws as tending to increase the commission of crime. Now he contended that the in crease of crime did not arise from that system but from other circumstance,, and in support of that opinion he should refer to Returns on their Lordships' table. It appeareditom those Returns that the convictions under the Game Laws in 1817 Mete 127, and in 1826, 128, being an increase of only one in ten years. Of crime under other heads, on the contrary, there was a much larger increase. Horse stesiing for instance had become so prevalent in hill part of the country that there was scarcely any security for that kind of property. In 1810 the number of convictions for that offence was 58. In 1826 it rose to 120, or more than double. In 1810 the convictions for simple larceny were 2,2691 in 1826, they were 8,081, or had quadrupled. He was there fore surely justified in stating, that some other cause, beside the present system of Game Laws, must have operated to increase Mdse. These causes he con. misted to be -the distressed state a the population, and the want of employment: In the County of Wilts, to which he (+he Earl of Malmesbuty) belonged, there had been more convictions this year than in any other part of the country, and the nature of the indivi duals convicted greatly differed from what it was in former years. They were young, industrious men, who had hitherto maintained themselves and their families by their work, but who, when reduced to a pittance of half a crown a week, it was not surprising should be tempted. He was in possession of Returns from the County of Suffolk, a County in which game abounded, from which it appeared, that the number of commit ments in the year 1817 was twelve, the price of wheat at the time being 945. per quarter; that in 1818, the commitments had risen to only eighteen, while the price of wheat had descended to 835.• It was remarkable that crime had increased in proportion as the price of wheat had diminished. This could only be accounted for by the want of employment occasioned by the fall in prices and the reduced means of agriculturists. In 1822, the commitments had been seventy-two, and the . price of wheat had come down from 945. to 435. Amongst other causes of the increase of crime, the aug mented consumption of spirits ought to be ranked, for it was a fact to be verified in all the papers, that seve ral horrible crimes recorded within these last three months had all been perpetrated in a state of intoaici tion. The quantity of British spirits consumed in the year 1824, was 15,000600 gallons, and in the year I ' ' ' 1826 20 000 000 gallons, or an increase of one-fourth in two years. In the consumption of Rum there had also been an enormous advance at the ratio of from five gallons to eight. All these things were, what he would nail, alien causes of the great augmentation of crime, and proved that under the Game Laws that in crease had not kept pace with that of other offences. Thl Noble Ea I then_lamsottdilie great augmentation of juvenile offenders, and said it appeared from Mr. Capper's Report, that out of four thousand offenders not less than one thousand were under twenty With respect to the Bill, I.e did not see its necessity. Had the existing Game Laws been as oppressive and unjust al they were represented to be, they would.not have been suffered to continue for one Se.sion, by the great men who for fifty or sixty years had had the di rection of the laws cf the country. They had seen the imperfections of the system, hut they had also seen the difficulties of amending it. Ile considered that the pro posedßill would establish an entirely new kind of Game Preserves, where game had never existed before, not for the advantage of the Gentry, but for that of tenants. It . would create a new species of property, and make it,a question of pounds, shillings, and pence. There Was but one class th it would benefit by the measure, a very worthy class no doubt, that of Country Attorneys. Tise Noble Earl then combated the arguments which WA been advanced by the supporters of the Biil, that it would riot decrease the attractions of the country. He chewed the importance of encouraging the Country Gen tlemen to reside on their estates, and wuuld prefer securing that point, to bringing forward the most liberal measure possible. The young men raised in the country, and inured in their hunting, &c. to all the hardships of weather, watchings and fatigue, were also much more likely to produce a good race of active officers for the army than those who in town spent all the time in passing from one club room to another.— Far from being impolitic or unjust, the present system of Game Laws was therefore both politic and beneficial. For two years a dispoltion to libel Country Gentlemen might be traced from the daily P.ess to works of the first eminence. In fact it had become a regular system to run down Country Gentlemen and the Game Laws. If you went into the City, you would hear the Lord Mayor, whilst lecturing a young offender, inveigh . against the Game Laws; or )ou would see him after committing some poor fisherman who cast a ho iic into the Thames, go down to Greene ich and dine upon white bait—(Laughter). He objected to the Bill as far as it affected the law of trespass, and trusted that on all those grounds their Lordships would agree with him in the motion that the Report be brought up that day three months. The Earl of ABINGDON said he thought the Bill calculated to demoralize the nation instvad of doing good, and would be happy to join in throwing it out of the House, of kicking is out of the The Earl of ELDON begg-d permission to say a few words. Having in his early youth criached en the land of his ancestors more than he ought to have done, he would seize this moment to make all apology. If some Bill like this were not passed, he feared it would be because he had not suggested all the amendments which it was his duty to do, hut which pressure of busi ness prevented him from doing ; for the language of some of the clauses might lead to much mischief if not . . altered. When it WAS — recollectei how little might re duce murder into manslaughter, the language ought to be most carefully attended to. He could not believe that that Bill was the one tehich ought to be adopted to prevent increase of crime. As long as their Lord ships should support the system of sporting by means of Battues, it would be all a pretence•to say that this 8,11 was to prevent crime. On that ground alone he would give his negative to the measure , unless a provi sion was introduced i n to i t to p revent Battues. With respect to himself, he sported in the ancient style. He went out with a couple of dogs, and as an old lawyer he was fond of seeing their points. On one of these escur sons, not very long since, he had seen some Gentlemen shooting on his grounds in another field. He crossed the hedge, and asked them what right they had to shoot there ? One of them, with a seasoning of oaths which he should be very sorry to repeat to the House, told him that they had a tight to shoot there, for they had leave from the Lord of the Manor, Lord Eldon— (Laughter.) He then turned lawyer, and told them that he believed they had no such right; when tley bade him go to his old master, old Eldon, and that Ire would settle the matter at once. "I am Lord Eldon myself," said the Noble Lord, " and as I seem to have told you a very disagreeable piece of law, I beg you will take an agreeable day's shooting on my manor."-- But if, according to the Bill before the House, he had set about apprehending those Gentlemen, where should I I he have been ? But to be serious, there was danger in endeavouring to arrest men with arms in their hands ; and when it was recollected how Hale might involve men in the crime of murder, the greatest care and at tentionshonld be paid to the enactments of the Bill. Lord DACRE not suspecting that it would have been maintained that the present system of Game Laws ►ed to a great increase of crime, had not armed himself with Returns like a Noble Earl: He recollected, how.! I ever, from some which he had formerly seen, that.in one year not less than 1,300 persons had passed throng the prisons of the country for infractions oldies, Laws. Most of them were good and industrious labourers,who came out of jail complete and hardened thieves. If it were wished to demoralize the country, nothing more effectual could be invented than to attach to an act which displayed no moral turpitude, the complexion of crime, and to crowd the jails with its most active youths, who came out of them incorrigible rogues. The Earl of MALNIESBURY explained. The Earl of HARROWBY said that he bad looked over some Returns which were prin ing but not yet completed, and that a cursory examination of them had convinced him of the.necessity of the present Bill. He had compared the commitments in the years 1810, 1811, and 1812, with those of the years 1821, 1825, and 1826, and found an enormous increase in the latter period. In the course of the last three years the number of our fellow subjects sent to gaol for offences agains7 the Game Laws Was 4,500, whilst in the three years from 1810 to 1812, it did not exceed 460! Hum in crime and misery had therefore increased tenfold in fourteen years. He did not see how in justice such a system could be allowed to prevail, Which for a crime of no moral' turpitude in itself, but made into a crime by law for the gratification of one class of the commu nity, allowed 1,590 of our fellow-creatures to be thrown into gaol every year, their morals destroyed, their fa milies reduied to beggary, and the whole thrown for support upon the parish. The Earl of FALMOUTH contended that instead of decreasing, the pr..posed Bill would increase the per petration and amount of crime. Lords GROSVENOR and ELDON mutuall y explained..— The former thought that the only possible chance of putting an end to the enormous evil of the present sys tem, was to adopt the Bill of his Noble Friend. Lord WHARNCLIFFE defended the measure on all the grounds upon which it had been attacked, a-id main tained that as long as there would be game, there would be poaching.. He agreed, however, with the Noble and Learned Earl (Eldon) that the hest mode of preventing p iaching, was to prevent the accumulation of Game Preservers. If that Noble and Learned Earl wished to introduce a clause to that effect, he (Lord W ) was ready to go into the Committee again, and to try their hands afresh. Not only had crime increased, but what was worse, the feeling in favour of the poacher had also in creased in a tenfold degree, so that the Preserver of Game was almost considered as the real offender. He, felt the importance of vi hit had fallen from the Noble and Learned Lord, and as he now could have his as sistance, together with that of the Woolsack and the Lord Chief Justice, he should propose, if the Report were received, to re-commit the Bill ; and as a check again.t the very small proprietors, he should also make it incumbent on every person who chose to sell Game, to take a certificate, as at present, to kill Game. . _ The House then divided on the question that the Report be now received Contents . . . . 29 Not Contents . . . 30 Majority against the Bill —1 Tie House then adjourned at HALF-PAST &MIN O'CLOCK. HOUSE OF COMMONS, M.r 11. An rrpectation having generally prevailed that an interesting dis cussion would arise respecting the state of the Administtatiou, on the moti.in that the House should resolve itself into a Committee of Supply, a crowd assembled at the galkry door at as unusually early bow. At half-past two o'clock the door was opened, and tke gallery was immediately filled. Sir J. SCA aLrr7 and Air. STURGIS Booms took the oaths and their seat. Sir J. W ROTTESLEY presented a Petition from certain Pro testant Dissenters of Wolverhampton, praying for the repeal of the Teat sad Corporation Acts. rsnaTL Mr. LECH KECK brought in a Bill for the prevention of bribery and corruption in the borOugh of Penryn, which was read a firat time, and ordered to be read a second time on Friday next. Mr. EGERTON preseuted three Petitions from the Protestant Dissenters of Cheshire, praying for the repeal of the Test and Cor. porat ion Acts. • Mr. HindEpresented a Petition from the Freeholders of For farshire, in favour of the Salmon Fishery Bill. The Hon. Maims presented a Petition from certain inhabitants of the town and suburbs of Dundee, employed in the manufacture of linen cloth fur exportation to North and South America, com plaining that the measures which had been adopted by the House on the subject of the Corn Trade were not calculated to afford the people relief. Mr. H. HUTCHINSON presented two Petitions from cork against the Salmon Fishery BilL Mr, Alderman WA 1T 11 MA N postponed Ms motion relative to the Cornwall and Devonshire Mining Company to Tuesday. Sir W. GUISE presented three Petitions from Protestant Dis senters in Gloucestershire, praying for the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts. Mr. PEEL presented a Petition frum owners of salmon fisheries in Ireland, praying that the salmon fisheries of that country might be exempted front the operation of the Salmon Fisheries Bill. MR NEW MINISTRY. Mr. BEAUMONT, seeing a Rigtst Hon. Gentleman, the Secre tary of Sate for the . Home Department, in his place for the first time, wished to ask him whether he considered his appointment only provisional, or in what light be viewed his nomination to the office he now held? He hoped to receive a satisfactory answer. Mr. STURGF.S UOU RN la replied, that be held the office of Secretary of State for the Home Department as long as it pleased his Majesty totetainhim there. . _ _ Mr..13g1 U MONT expressed himself not at all satisfied at this reply, and stated, that in consequence of it, he felt himself bound to bring beore the House a motion respecting the manner in which the Office of Secretary for the Hume Department and other offices were at present held. Till TUT ♦N! CORPORATION •CTS. A Manisa en the Opposition side asked the Noble Lord oppo site (Lord J. Russell) what course he meant to pursue with re spect to the notice of a motion he had given for the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts? Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that a question of the same description had been addressed to him by a . party of those persons who were interested in the repeal of the Acts in question. He had informed the applicants of whom he spoke, in answer, that the Lice of affairs in Parliament had considerably changed ; and that it was for them to determine whether they thought it fit that their measure should be brought forward subject to that change? adding, at the same time, that he was perfectly ready to bring it forward, and to do it every justice in his power. To that communication made by him, he had as yet received no regular answer: bur, as far as he could ascertain the opinion of the Dissenters, the greater part of them were desirous that their claims should be fairly stated, and the opinion of the House and of the country taken upon them ; but with respect to the time for bringing forward the question, they were willing to consult the views of all whom they con sidered friends to their cause, and to take that op portunity for discussing it which should seem best calculated to serve the cause of general religious liberty. That disposition, he (Lord J. Russell) thought, and the House would probably think, was highly credi table to the feelings of the Dissenters, and one which entitled them to the peculiar consideration of the State. For his own part, however, he was ready to declare, that in his opinion it was expedient, for the sake of the cause of the Dissenters, as well as for that of religiou► liberty generally, that a repeal of the disqualifications which affected them should be moved on the day foi fixed.whic he w A e n u d i du ntlaelss:lizei. pionhdeietidheaddlyoritec: n t a h l e l con , 7 b e t r n a ry e re. ceived from the body concerned an exp ress i on hims• If the responsibility of appeiring to the measure ; and should, on the 7th of Jun e roost e move for a repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts. SUPPLY—QUESTIONS TO TOR ADMINISTRATIO N. Mr. HERRIES having moved that the 11 ou s e should resolve itself into a Committee of Supply, Sir THOMAS LETHBRIDGE rose to opp 3. - 16 Speaker's leaving the chair—he said he on l y meant to detain the House but for a short time. His objec t to ask a question of the Right Hon. First Loirtf.rive, Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer, whi ch the knew it was in the discretion of the Right H on , c:„, answer or not. The question he wisf.ed to Fur 7: been in some degree anticipa ed by the questl- n i put by an Honourable Member to the (. 1 - nourable the Secretary for the Home Derartm or to whether the terms upon which he held I i office . ? r i of a permiaent or temporary nature? Th at t h e r ; the Right Hon. Gentleman had not been such as the Hon. Nlember expected or was satisfied with, appeared certain from his having followed it up by a antic e cf motion for a future city. That part of hi s : question bad been anticipated by the Hon. Member ; Ina h e should now ask the Right Hon. Genthaman whether the office of Secretary of State for the F neign Department was filled by the Noble Lord who 110 A/ occupied it, upon the understanding that his holding it was tem. porary only, or whether it was to be permanent as long as the Administration of the Right lion. Gentleman should last? He thought these questions some highly important to the country, because it was an unmet dented thing for those high offices to be filled prori. sionally, and one which . entirely altered the situation of responsibility in which •a Government cught to staid to that House. That was the reason why he had been presumptuous enough to come forward and sleet what he contended was a constitutional, regular, and legitimate course, namely, to deny the means which could not be had without their approval; The It ght Hon. Gentleman had said, that this would be the legitimate time when any Hon. Member might shew his loyalty to the King by denying the Supplies.He trusted that he had ever felt that sentiment in a becoming manner, and be .hould be sorry if he thought he should ever abate one jot of his loyalty to the King of this country, his legitimate Sovereign. He had given no proof whatever of a want of loyalty; but he thought occasions might arise whet any Gentleman, without being chargeable with a wart of loyalty, might take the course which he had recom. mended. He did not want precedents for such a step, It was not long since a Right Honourable Gentleman (the Member for Knaresborough) refused to vote for the Supplies, because noA d ministration had been formed, and he went further, and divided the House against the vote. He knew there was nothing unprecedeitted, thee. fore, in such a course, and he would be bold to say there was nothing disloyal in If he thought the Home would support him, he would now oppose the grantiq of the Supply. He would do it in the discharge of hit duty to those who sent him there, upon the ground the he had no confidence in the Administration now formed or forming. That Administration was of a most as. precedented and unnatural—he had almost said, cf a most unconstitutional—naturi. He would say, that it had been f rmed by the total abandonment of that public principle which public men had formerly held sacred. He knew that he was exposing himself to severe animadvei siens anti expressions of dislike fr as the other side of the House; but he would not sit silent and witness that paring down of principles which had to long been maintained to the advantage of the counuy. He would not sit by and see public men shamefully compromise their principles, and sacrifice every this; for the sake of office, without lifting up his voice against it. There had been men at all times ready to make sacrifices for their King and the gpblic, but not the sacrifice of principle. If it should hereafter turn out that Hon. Gentlemen opposite had sacrificed their principle to office, Ire denounced it as a national evil. The Right Hon. Gentleman, and those who supported him had at first created a general belief that there had not be pleasing to the Right Hon. Gentleman to hear, and not pleasing for him to utter. Throughout the whole of this treating for place, it was impossible not to been a cabal and conspiracy against him, and fcr a time the public had been led away upon that point. 13'1I now the public mind had become disabused and the cr. planations of those formerly charged with such conduct were admitted to be perfectly satisfactory. He could not feel himself equally satisfied, that the conduct of the Right Hon. Gentleman himself stood cleared by the statement he made to the House, able as it was, and able as any statement coming from him mutt be. But from all the facts he could not avoid cos lag to this conclusion, that in forming his Admini• stration he had taken a course, which if he described it according to the impressions on his mind, would see there was a continued chain of facts leading to one main end. The House must shut its eyes if it did not come to the conclusion that there had been a treaty for place on the part of the Honourable Gentlemen who sat behind the First Lord of the Treasury, a long time going on ; that it had been a long, preconcertedond concocted plan; and that every step they had taken h" been a preparation for that time to come when they might accept of f ice under the Right Hon. Gentleman. The question be wished to put to the Right Hon. Gen tleman, if the answer was a full and open one, would, he thought, place the whole of these recent transactions in a new light. He meant to ask whether or no therewas a treaty existing, during the existence of the late Ad- ministration, between the Right Hon. First Lord of the Treasury and certain Leaden of the Whig Party, for their coming into office upon the condition of giyingth e support of their weight and strength to the Right Hon- Gentleman? The House had a right to know whether aol such proceedings had been going on; and above all the Right Hon. Gentleman, in justice to his own character, was bound to answer the question without disguise. — These questions must be answered to the country sooner or later. That House would not rest satisfied without information, whatever might be the tone in which 't was refused; it was not to be dictated to by the most splendidtalents when it had aright to expect iriformati n, and it was due to all parties that this mystery should be cleared up. Would it not be extremely desirable- - if the Right Hon. Gentleman could do it—to disabuse the country fiom its apprehensions that at the time when the Right Hon. Gentleman first went to his Sove' reign to advise him upon the formation of an Admits' stration, he was in possession of an offer from the Whip to coalesce with him, and that he kept it in his own bo• sun a secret from his then friends and colleagues, and even from the Sovereign himself ? He hoped the Rt. Hon. Gentleman would be able to clear this up, and if he outd he must give him thanks for afford rg him the 4 14 not in c r will vain the the pro des forr Ger and the him ther Rigl elost that Clot reali Ana bad Hon then too I was late Cam lion drive been then Ivor origi and oppc Live then fhinl an u Gent his o cif fo pon but I own. form *Tea We wet had Righ *tin • o w erinj iwa: I ues nd out d. hem ltd ee re n s f .eeid rt eclat Ct ould ' ighl nest nee enec id nd ngi nd ii . ad ; le= add mpi at t e ha nil e ha bet !SU nd ut I urel , as f as Chet fight the .e th hig, ono tens hro resin 0 ail oreii nuns ad he f u repo ? ' he wit t+ ken .er fa an, , ce, sis M iehl aunt howl, ives 'PPoI of b e very t wa •np r city 1 14 ell • M is 'el env i• re • ogl late onrt • lat•st el eni •