Star. — London, England, 1830-05-07 00:00:00

wrri: DILL. Pttitiuns against the Lir bill were presented by Mr. M`KIN NON. from the licensed victuallers of Ipswich; and by Mr. P. THOMSON, from the licensed victuallers of Dover. FORGERY. Mr. E. DAVENPORT, in presenting a petition from the inha.. bitants of Shaftesbury, praying for the abolition of the punishment of death for forgery, stated that he entirely concurred in the prayer of t!., petition. RETAIL BREWERS. %h. E. DAVENPORT presented two petitions, the one from thr re:...1 brewers of Manchester and Salford, the other from the n•LAI brewer* of Rochdale, playing to be relieved from certain pe news under the Excise Laws. USURY LAWS. 31r P. THO3ISON presented a petition from the President, we- President, and members of the Chamber of Commerce in 31an. he-rte.:. praying for the repeal of the Usury Laws. IRISH NEWSPAPERS. (it HART presented a petition from the Letter Press Printers of bor..lcollerry, against the imposition of any additional tax or duty oar Trish newspapers; and strongly recommended the petition to the attention of the house and of his majesty's government. sir J. BR YDGES hoped the right hon. the Chancellor of the Ex chequer would reconsider his proposition for gualising the Stamps on Newspapers and Duties on Advertisements in England and Ire. land. He must always object to any measure which had a tendency unnecessarily to lay restrictions on the Press; although he admitted that the Press in Ireland was, at the present moment, a little licen. tious. Ile bore his testimony to the respectability of the petitioners, and was perfectly satisfied that their motives were good. Mr. MOORE observed, that with respect to the licentiousness of the press, he was persuaded that the press itself was its best cor rector—{hear, hear.) He took the opportunity of declaring that the wishes of the present petitioners, as well as those expressed in the other petitions on the subject which bad been and might be ex. ' pected, would in every stage of the business have his warmest support. Mr. SPRING RICE expressed his cordial assent to the prayer of the petition ; and trusted that it would meet with the support of the great majority of the house. Above all the English members ought to consider that the measure propose. by the Chancellor of the Exchequer was calculated not only to annihilate the press ir. Iceland, but to diminish the Revenue. The revenue derived front the stamps on newspapers, and the duties on advertisements in Ire land, had gradually sunk from 26,0001. to 14,0001. and that was the moment which the Right Honourable Gentleman had se lected for the purpose of trying the experiment of an additional tax on the Irish newspaper press ! If, however, the proposed measure were calculated to add to the revenue, instead of to diminish it, it would still meet with his opposition, as tending to diminish, if not destroy, thefreedom of the press in Ireland. He rejoiced to find that there was a perfect unanimity of opinion upon this subject among the Irish members; and that while they acknowledged that the free dom of the press was the best controul over their actions, their first wish was to maintain that freedom to its fullest extent. Mr. O'CONNELL observed, that the subject was one of too much importance to Ireland to allow him to remain entirely silent upon it. The obj ec t o f t h e proposed measure was to annihilate the hewleaper press in Ireland ; for nothing else could be the result of additional duties under existing circumstances. As to the licen. tiousness of the Irish press, the only description of It which be knew was the license it frequently took in praising persons who did not deserve to be praised. He never, however, knew any action for libel brought upon that score. Flattery and falsehood were pro. tected, while truth was punished. He trusted that the object—it could not be the revenue—which his Majesty's government had in view in this attack on the Irish press—would be signally defeated. Mr. FEROUSSON said, that although he was not a member for the sister island, he should be ashamed of himself if he did not avow his concurrence in the opinions of the several hon. gentlemen who preceded him. He was for no additional taxation on Ireland in the present situation of that country If .he taxes of the two coun. tries were to be assimulated, it must be either by raising the taxation of Ireland to the taxation of England, or by lowering the taxation of England to the taxation of Ireland. Now he should be always ready to vote for the latter proposition, but never for the former. An hon. member opposite had spoken of the present licentiousness of the press in Ireland. If the proposed tax were to be inflicted, there would be no newspaper press at all in that country; or it must be a dependent press, supported by funds, supplied, either on the one hand by the government, or on the other hand by the people. The petition was then brought up, read, and ordered to be printed. NEW STREET FROM WATERLOO BRIDGE. Lord BELGRAVE presented a petition from St. Paul's, Covent garden, complaining of the small communication between the north and south parts of the town, and praying that Government would take advantage of existing circumstances to open a communication from Waterloo-bridge to Tottenham-court-rod Mr. HosHoun was desirous to support the prayer of the pe. Litton ; and he had another petition of a s im ilar tendency to present to the house. The greatest public advantage would arise from building the street required, and the public money might be applied to much worse purposes. Lord LOWTHER was not at all disposed to deny the great be. nefit of the proposed street, but his only objection was as to who should pay the expenses. The funds of the department over which he presided were forestalled for years to come in the improvements at Charing-cross. The improvements both of Regent-street and Charing-cross run through a line of Crown property, the first yielding about 2i per cent. and the latter would likewise yield a revenue. In the line from Waterloo-bridge the Crown pouessed no property whatever, but the Woods and Forests were willing to in cur an expence of 20,0001. in relation to the new street, wh ere i t would'ad the former site of Exeter 'Change. Sir J. YORKE said the proprietors of Waterloo Bridge had ex pended a capital of ono million, and the returns were on a very mo derate scale. The bonds paid five per cent. the annuities one and a quarter per cent. and the original proprietors were quite cleared out. In modern language they were totally done up. The bridge had greatly improved the value of th e lands in the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster, and the lands of the See of Canterbury had arisen in value from 5001. to 5,0001 a-year ; 20,0001. had been paid as duty upon the stone, besides other augmentations to the Excise._ to June, 1815, the house had addressed the Crown to erect a monument to the Glory of the Victory of Waterloo, and the Prince Regent had assented to the address. (Hear, hear. Now the only monument of the sort was this Waterloo-br for the pro. prieton at that time changed the n a m e f rom t h e (ran d - b r id ge to l ige, that of Waterloo-bridge. Government, therefore, might meet the', public convenience upon the present occasion. The expense of the new street to Charles-street would be 45,000(. and from Charles. street to Long-acre, with the Crescent opposite the Theatre, would cost 75,290!. Afterwards the line would run through a miserable set of old dilapidated houses. There could be no doubt that a re. turn of St per cent would be yielded upon the outlay of capital. The time for this'great improvement was most convenient, and be hoped that Ministers would adopt a plan so conducive to the health atti sonvenience of the public.—(loud cheers.) Sir JAMES GRAHAM wished to know if the noble lord (Low. thcr) had paid, or intended to pay the 250,0001. which bad been taken by him into his department from the funds paid by the French , government for a very deferent purpose ? 1 l• The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that ins short period he would submit to the house a resolution respecting the sub. ject adverted to by the hon. baronet. Lord LOWTHER said that he had already paid to the Trea sury a small portion of the 250,0001. in question (a laugh). The petition was then ordered to be printed. Several petitions were presented, the purport of which we were usable to ascertain. 1111UPOWKERS. Mr. Aid . WAlTHMANpresented a petition from the shipownas of Leedom, praying for protection against foreign competition, and emplaning of distress. The hon. Alderman contended that a ammilttee should be granted to inquire into the subjeet. Though the imageudght have incre a s e d, i t was qu i te certain, from returns be fo house, that the buildi ng of ships had decreased. There was also a decrease in the number of British ships that puled the Sound. Zeser em ore in 1829 as competed with 1827 in the number that passed was 992,while the increase in foreign shipping within that peeled wa511,096. The number of ships built and registered in 1826 was 1411, in 1827, 1,460 1 in 1828, 1,136, and in 1829, 1,076. The Committee of 1821 gave It as their opinion, that suddenly to give up the prohibitory system would be a most dangerous sod vi- My.sebasee. For this they gave very good coons; and yet, in ath of this opinion, they proceeded to act upon those princi..l pies which brought the shipping interest to a state of ruin. He might be r ef erred to the official returns to prove the flourishing state of the country, but nothing was more vain than such returns. No Vece could be placefon them. r n ollowing is a copy of the petition : That your petitioners approach your honourable house, to repre. sent that in the general distress whith sisal all classes of the em. pin, there exists none mare inane and eimaitigated than that of the ship owners, and to pray thatetbi _j - will grant them that f ei encouragement and proceed= from competition, th e w i t h. drawal of which, by the alteration i : t n navigation and colonial laws, and entering into the treaties of ty, have reduced the apical of you paidoners to nearly one f its former value, and Imre reduced heights to so low a not to leave any femme. ration for the capital of your even in its diminished value. That your petitioners, w addaising your honourable house, : l ion cutlet but regret that the great so necessary, and so long Mffinainedo of giving to native industrf also espied in order to the support different daises of society, should ever have bean to foreigners ; a protection which hadatedved the =Rodeo ages, as the best bulwark and secerity -et *caste, nnd its peatended colonies and cast. metes; and in its practical dhoti had increased the wealth and prosperity of the people...sad they cannot but call to mind, that when the alterations alluded to were pending, the shipowners sub mitted to the legislature and the government in the most constitu tional mode, their firm and decided conviction, that if those alterations were persisted in the conseque nces wou ld not on l y prove highly injurious and ruinous to the commercial marine, but eventually destroy the means on which the naval ascendancy of the country rested. That so much cheaper are foreign shipping navigated, that the alien duties even when imposed on cargoes imported in foreign bottoms, were never equal to the higher expenses incurred in navi gating British ships, so that foreign ships had always an advantage over the British ; but when the miscalled treaties of reciprocity were brought into operation, the duties so collected no longer found their way into the Exchequer, as the national check upon foreign com petition, but were left in the pockets of foreigners to act, and is now acting, as a bounty against the British. That your petitioners had conceived, before these alterations were inflicted upon them, that it was morally impossible that illusion and theory could triumph over practical testimony, when borne out by long experience, in the soundness of the laws regulating the foreign trade of the country, and had persuaded themselves that a sense of justice must continue to them a protection, so long as re strictions were itnposel to build, equip, victual, and man their ships in England, thereby forcing them to purchase all materials, and employ the native labour of this highly-taxed kingdom : although your petitioners are perfectly satisfied that the restrictions imposed, arc for the wisest purposes, and that common prudence ought to forbid the abrogation of those restrictions. That while your petitioners admit this in principle, they cannot but feel acutely, the injustice of exposing them unprotected to a competition at once ruinous in its present results, and hopeless as to future prospects. Your petitioners, therefore in justice to themselves, claim what all other cl asses actually enjoy; they claim an equal measure of the protection which is given to all other classes of the :tom:flunky, as it is quite evident no protec tion is now extended to them, the unmitigated severity of Free Trade having been placed in operation on the Ship-Owner, alone, and the consequences to your petitioners have been a ruinous sacs i. flee of their property.--And your petitioners will have much reason to complain, if they are to continue the single exception to the ge. neral rule of a protective system, they claim being equal to others, but if the time has arrived to break down the system of protection, than let common justice be administered to all classes. Your petitioners are aware that the coasting and the direct cola I nial trades, are still reserved, but from this reserve British shipping derive no support as regards remuneration, as the foreign tonnage admitted into the freight market levels all freights to the same standard of depression ; and so eager were ship owners to escape from the evils of the reciprocity System in the European trades, that the Indian and all other seas have been crowded with British yes. sell in search of employment, and the same ruinous consequences have followed to the most distant parts of the globe. That your Petitioners are prepared to prove, that all the conse quences predicted from such a system have been fully realised; that such sacrifices have been made as no set of men ever before either made, or were called upon to submit to, that of competing, unpro tected by duties on foreigners, who can navigate at so much less ex. pence. And that this competition has ruined great ,umber of ship-owners, and will eventually involve in ruin all those who are so unfortunately situated as to be compelled to carry on so unequal a competition; and without carrying on that competition their ships must be laid up to rot. That your petitioners are sorry to observe, that whenever they crave a consideration into the very peculiar situation in which they are placed, the amount of the shipping tonnage is held out as a sufficient answer to their claim, but your petitioners submit that whether the amount of tonnage be great or small, it cannot alter their right to have the common protection of the realm. Your Petitioners know that the repeal of the Combination Laws induced ship-owners and ship-builders to take apprentices, and that this, with the great excitement held out to those who were credulous enough to believe the mis-called reciprocity system an improvement, had the effect of keeping up the tonnage against the natural depres. sion, caused by foreign competition, but those impressions have now given way, and the ship-builders have suffered with the ship.own. ers ; for notwithstanding the increased population and the conse quent demand for colonial and foreign produce, the amount of ton nage is decreasing, the stimulus of remuneration is taken away, and few or none will be found embarking on so hazardous a profession without that stimulus. That the decrease on tonnage, while the population and consump tion are on the increase, is perhaps the strongest proof that can be adduced of the depression of the shippinginterest, particularly when the interest on money is so low, that if any return was to be had, capital would be employed in keeping up tonnage. Your petitioners therefore earnestly pray, that your honourable house will immediately take into your consideration the depressed state of British shipping, and afford them encouragement and protection. And your petitioners (as in duty bound) will ever pray. Mr. SADLER supported the petition. The shipping interest, in all parts of the country, were unanimous as to the existence of distress. The only effectual relief would be a gradual return to that system under which the country so long prospered. It was folly to talk of free trade u nd er t h e present circumstances of Europe. He could prove that life had been lost in the ex. traordinary and all but impossible exertions made by the British shipping interest to compete with foreigners. In the last two years there was a diminution of thirty-tive per cent., in the building of ship, and My per cent. decrease on the tonnage. If the internal navigation of the country in. creased so much as was stated by the Secretary of State, for the home deparunent, what reason could be assigned for a pro portionate increase not having taken place in the external amigo don ? There was no way of accounting for it, but by the intro duction of a system of policy which rendered it impossible for British shlp.owners to compete with foreigners. The hon. member here re ferred to various returns, from which he said t h e conc l us i on ' clearly followed, that for the two last years the increase of British shipping inwards was only one and a half per ant; and the in crease of British shipping outwards, between two and three pa cent. Now, during the same period, the increase of foreign ship. ping, clearing out from the ports of Great Britain, was not less than 90 per cent. That man must be a poor patriot indeed—be could be no true Briton, who slighted documents of this kind, which so clearly proved the decline of that interest on which principally rested the prosperity of the country. AU this was owing to the change in the Navigation Law, and what was most extraordinary, this change was introduced against the opinion of those who were most deeply in terested. The greatest Minister who, in his opinion, ever sat in that house, was not in the habit of acting in this way. Before he adopted any measure of great public importance, he always consulted the parties most nearly interested. The Navigation Act of this country was spoken of, he believed by Dr. Smith, as a most stupendous ef. fort of human wisdom. Yet this Act the new school of political economists tore asunder with as little ceremony as if it were no be:ter than a common ballad, and east upon those who differed from them, who wished to take time for consideration, the reproach of be ing theorists. Those who saw the working classes of the country re duced to beggary and wretchedness by such a stem, were called declaimers if they ventured to c om pl a i n an d state t heir opinions boldly He was no declahnet. He had no occasion to declaim..H The figures to which he referred declaimed mush more effectually than he could. To state that the country, as regarded the shipping interest or any other interest, was advancing in prosperity, was as greaten in. suit to common sense as to tell $ man labouring under severe illness that be was in vigorous health. Two years back the same line of sr patent was pursued with respect to the silk trade, as now with respect to the shipping interest. They were then told of the great activity in the silk trade, of the vasdy-increased number of spindles that were at work. The distress of the trade could not be denied, no thing could be more clear, but it was said to arise from over-produc tion. So now with respect to the shipping interest, the number of ships and the amount of tonnage was referred to as a proof of over production in this branch also, and the low prices of freight were ascribed to excessive competition. The great increase in the import of the raw material was referred to as a proof of the flourishing statel of the silk trade. But bow stood the fact ? In BM, the quantity imported was 4,380,48116 ; in 1827, 4,128,90716: and in 1829, the whole quantity manufactured was only cent. W 2,8112,972 lt,_ being a falling off of 42 p er nt. In the yesr lOW at thee were hitby eight large ship-building yards, employing 1,000 bands, and fi ling support to between 4,000 and 5,000 person s . Three of these' already given up the business, and he was informed upon good authority that there were at the present moment two more dec li ning in their business, and could not probably go on much longer. What was this to be attributed to but the superior cheapness with which foreigners could build and navigate their ships ? In a noun. try like this, with such a weight of taxes upon every article of consumption, it was in vain to think of competing with countries where taxes were comparatively light. The wages of labour were, it was true, now low, but why not reduce the salaries of all public men in proportion ? It was impossible that high salaries could be main tained with low wisps. If there was any unity in their plan, there might be some excuse for it, b ut t h ere was no such thing. He re that he did not see th e Vi ce- President of the Board of i i7 uttl adein his place. That right hon. gentleman designated him (Mr. S.) a worthy man, without any fixed plan. Let a committ ee be appointed to inquire into this sublet, and then he should be ready to bring facts before them, and to press to that right ; boo. gentleman whether he had a plan or not. He "honk! be meet reedy to communicate all the information in his power, sad to contribute his humble aid towards applying a remedy to the existing disown. He only wished a wholesome return to that system of protection which the mercantile manures of this country requited. He gave his entire support to the petition. Mr. LIDDEL said that he bed alresdy presented two petitions upon this adios, and in 'enacting the shipping !merest now, he was only d a public duty. .11e would not Imitate the izac ta g worthy alderman who went into so many extraneous Its, but a sense of duty imposed upon him the necessity of su any and every measure which had for its object the civil and Improve ment of bur colonies, particularly in North America. Re eons!. dered that a reduction of duty upon the raw material for shipping should take place, in order that we might be able to compete with foreigners. Our shipping had been equipped and navigated in an 1 extensive manner, at the time of the reciprocity system, and no won. der that the ship owners should now make loud complaints. This house could not now re-impose restrictions which had been repealed ; but still he trusted that every alleviation would be afforded to so important an interest. 111 r. ROBINSON supported the petition, and read an extract of • letter from Whitby, in which it was stated that four out of seven new ships were unemployed. Some alteration in our system was rendered imperatively necessary, and if British ship-owners were allowed to be the sole carriers of our own foreign produce, great be nefit would be derivial from it. At present the ship-owners of this country had to let their ships at a rate which could not pay them, or be placed in dock at a very considerable expense. This was hat he wished to be remedied. Mr. SYKES said he had so often stated his opinions upon this subject, that he would not on this occasion trespass upon the atten tion of the house. Ile differed with his hon. friends as to the con clusion to which they had come, because he believed the system of reciprocity to be a good one. In fact, no other condition would suit us in the present state of our affairs. If it were altered, we would be confined to our coasting and colonial trade, which would be highly detrimental to our marine. He believed that the shipping interest of this country was at all times of great importance, and he hoped that a Committee would be appointed to investigate ha present con dition. Mr. HERRIES said be was glad he had not presented himself to the notice of the house before the hon. member who had just spoken. His observations would shorten what he (Mr. Berries) had to say ; but looking at the business now before the house, and the inopportune time taken for discussing this subject—he would offer but a very few observations. lie admitted the great importance of the shipping interest ; but that, like every other, must at all times be liable to fluctuations and occasional distress. He did not know how the timber trade of all others could be made the subject of corn plaint,when it must be known h ow ver y es p e ci a lly it was p ro t ec t e d. With respect to the public accounts,he could only say, that they were as accurate as they could be ; and whether the honourable mem ber (Mr. Sadler) believed or disbelieved them, and whatever coo. elusions he came to from them, he (Mr. Herries) was prepared to say that the hon. member had not dealt fairly by the Government or the House. The essential question in this case was the activity of our shipping; and since the year 1814 our shipping had most ma terially increased; and, taking an average of every three years since, that fact was undeniable. The shipping inwards would be the fairest criterion to judge of the question. In 1814, there were 12,000 tons ; in the averages of the next four years, 17,087 ; and In 1821, 2, and 3, there was 1,668,106 tons. The next three yens during the new policy, was 1,964,182 tons; but in the last dime years, when the system was in full operation, 2,190,239 teem I much for the decay of the shipping interest.—(Hear.) Why, the last year the activity was greater than at any period of the hit war. 'The average during the highest three years of the war, was, in 1810, 11, 12, and the amount was 1,057,490 tons ; and in the last three years of the peace it was 2,170,000 tons. The foreign shipping entered Inwards during the last year of the war, was 793,000, and in the last year of the peace f 948,060. So that we bad the difference in the increase of our own shipping. In 1821, 2,3, the average of foreign shipping was 482.801 tons ; in the next three c i n o it o was above 800,000 tons ; and in the last three years only tons. The coasting trade had also exhibited a vast increases-- In 1823 it was . 7,893,000 Tons. 1824 . 8,801,000 1825 . 6,832,000 _ _ 14a6 • . 8,160,000 1127 • . 8 , 118 , 000 182i1 . 8,911,000 18:21 . 8,930,000 Thu. 'hewing a progressive improvement in every successive year. So much again for our decay. By a comparison of the foreign and British shipping entered inwards to our ports, it would manifestly cep. ' pear that agreat and valuable increase had taken place in British ship. ping. With respect to the British, and all other foreign powers, the British passing the Sound was 5,056 tons, and in the 3 years fromlB26 something more than 56 per cent. to our profit. No man could have read the report of Mr. Cambuslang without being forcibly struck with his observations upon our reciprocity system. They were drawn from the hest sources, and it was therefore that he recommeaded their attentive consideration to the honourable members who bad taken a different view of the subject in this house. It was said that the shipping interest was now in a state of embarrassment and ruin ; but the facts which he had stated would serve to dispel the idle notions which were entertained by several hon. members.— This was nut the season to enter into the question: of oar commercial policy, although he would not sh r i n i front rill mails en a proper period arrived ; but it must be quite clew that who used his own faculties, must see that the silk trade cuff less than many others, which, be regretted to say, might be mentioned. There was abundant reason to believe that the shipping interest was now in a ive state of admire, whatever might be said of others. The petitioners prayed fee la. quill into their case, and if he knew of any means by which that object could be accomplished, nothing could give him greater satra. faction. This he did not see, and with these few observations be would conclude what he had to say on this occasion. Mr. ROBINSON said that this question was not fairly discussed, for gentlemen at each side of the house adduced figures with a view to their own purpose. Bat as to the British registered tonnage, there was a considerable reduction in the course of the last three years. He admitted there was an increased activity (as it was termed) in the shipping trade. but the rare of profit was such as le deter men flrom entering into that occupation. It was said that ne relief could be worded them; but that he denied, and asked why not reduce the duty upon the raw material for shipbuilding? Us was aware that this mode of discussion upon a petition vas incon venient to the house; he knew they were impatient on the mthiset I but in some way or other the shipping interest was entitled to same attention than had hitherto been paid to it. Mr. 11212114 rose to explain, when Sir J. NEWPORT rose to order, and hoped that this discussion upon a petition should not be longer continued. Mr. HERRIES.—I only rise to say a few words in explanation. Colonel WILSON said that be was going to state facts, and not hearsay. from the moon. He had received some valuable inflame don from a commercial man, who stated that he was the owner of two British and one foreign ship, and that the latter alone yielded him profit. The hon. member was proceeding, at some length, in the perusal of his friend's letter, when several members cried, " Oh! Oh!" To those gentlemen who cried "Oh ! Oh!" he could only say, that he was not giving a partial extract, but a whole extract.— (Laughter.) Mr. 0. THOMPSON expressed his regret that such a conver sation should have ensued upon the presentation of a ppee tition. The subject was highly worthy of a full and fair disewsbo, and it was not fair to press it on the present occasion. If the cue of the ship owners was one of such hardship as had been stated by the worthy Alderman, surely it might have suited his convenience to bring for ward& specific motion on the subject, and then have It discussed as its merits.° eminently deserved. With regard to the silk trade, it was scarcely ever in a greaser state of activity than during the last four or five months. He knew that within the last three days 6,0001. worth of silk goods had been bought and shipped for France. In Spitalflelds there had been almost a battle among the buyers, as to who should obtain goods as they were made. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER deprecated fur. then discussion upon the present occasion, as it interfered with the most immoral* pills beldame of the night. Mr. TYLER add that the silk crab had experftneed any thing but a Immeesey activity la eseempeense el the /pin annuals. The pedtion was ordered to be plated. ADJOURNMINT OF TIM MOUS& The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved that the House on its rising be adjourned to Monday—Agreed to. ADMIRALTY COURTS IN IMILAND. The House having resolved itself into a Committee upon a Bin for the Admiralty Courts in Ireland, Lord L. GOWER said that he had some difficulty in dealing win; this ease, as to the course which the House had to pursue to. wards Sir Jonah Barrington, a judge of the Irish Admiralty Court. The noble lord stated some facts, to show that Sir Jonah Bar. rington had converted the money of the suitors to his own use. He proposed to move that the Admiralty Court in Ireland want one of great importance, and that Sir Jonah as Judp et that court, had appropriated to himself monies adjudi cated by his. self, as Judge of that court ; that the feet was sufficiently per before the committee of that house ; that it is, therefore, the opinion of this committee, that the said Jonah Barrington bad been gotileyef groat malvereations in his office, and that he is not any lager Melo hold the situation of Judge of the Admiralty Court in Enka After some observations from Mr. D. W. Barmy, Mr. C. Wpm. Mr. O'Connell, Mr. and Sir J. Newport, the Chains= peg the Resolutions serial" whirs werEe: to. The house resumed, and the Report was adored to be tup on Monday next. After a few words from Mr. the Attorney-M% Mr. Sykes, Sir C. Wetherell, LAM Milto n,i the Solicitor.Glasseek Lord Ale, and Mr. Maxwell, the house divided upon gobs Into a wmttes on the Usury 'Laws. For the modem ' Apinst ft Majority fur the motion The hems the, went into a committee. The house resumed, and the upon was ordered to be brought up on Monday. The other ardent of the day were this disposed of, and the hour adjourned at a Quarterthsfore Two this morning, till Monday. LISBON, APRIL 24. PRIVATE CORRESPONDENCE OF TIIE lILRA 0 There have been no arrivals from the Azores. 100 01.) mean time the AI iguelite Government seems affrighted. This night, packet takes so Falmouth the Conde Pombeiro, Secretary to t' • Viscount of Assets, who goes, it ht said in jest, with the amnesty • y much demanded by the British Ministry, in his pocket—that is, , promise from Miguel to change his nature—to become mild—t o re. store the plundered property of his adherents, and to administeryuy. Hee. Report circulates this statement, yet 1 doubt it. The Gazer:. contains various notices of sales of the property seised, and every day one hears of arrests, and the transport ships are getting ready t convey the political convicts, among whom, is to nail, the weU. known Borges Camaro, in the Joao Magnanitno, neat week. The approaching punishment of the Conde de Subserra and of Pedro dc Mello Breyner, is also talked of. A Major of the 13th Regiment o: Infantry, who, while commanding it in May 1828, at Peniche, pr e . vented the soldiers from joining the Oporto insurgents, au um Monday on board, degraded, and condemned to serve as a common soldier at Angola. In the country there are parties of armed men on horseback, why go about attacking those who wear the Miguelite badge. At Gut. lawmen', at Moncorvo, and in Upper Beira, those parties are poy:. tively stated to exist. At Punhctc, about 18 leagues from Li.)., on on the borders of the Tagus, the populace sing songs against M:. guel, the burden of which is, " prometteu—jurou e Calton ;" h promised, he swore, and he is found wanting." Instead of the amnesty, Miguel,as well as the Dukc of Caylars;. his present home Minister, has been employed in examining t!,. state of the prisons at Trafacia, where they wish to confine sore more convicts. Every hour one bean of persons either hiding away Of being wrested. I will mention but two or three cues as es. simples :—A Canon, 93 years of age, is obliged to conceal hint. self, because he is considered an enemy to Miguel. A parr of the police went this week in search of a young man, nephew to a prebend of the cathedral, whose father has been confined in St. Julian's Tower two years on suspicion They ransacked the prebend's house, and, not finding the young man, actually took upwards of 10001. in gold from the prebend. leaving him 3s. to support his brother and himself ! A corporal o! the same police, now dying in the hospital, has written letters to about thirty persons whom he had denounced, begging pardon for ht, injustice; he has also signed a notarial instt ument to thte same effect The four English sailors captured near the island of St. George, con. tinue in the prison of the hulks. An attempt was made by the polic.. officers to force the British subjects, as well as other fa. reighers, to pay a fine for not taking out a license to res:d, in Portugal. Although the treaty ensures to British subjects the right of paying no more than a Portuguese, they are liable to heavy charges for passports, for licenses, &c. A Portuguese. on arriving in Lisbon, pays 6d for a license, a British subject be 6d ; the for. mer receives& passport for 6d. the latter pays 3s Gd. and is obliged to take one out twice a-week if the police choose. This is the maul: of our reciprocity system here. Why does not Lord Aberdeen re sist this police imposition, as the Spanish Charge de Affair's is no* doing? The Sppanish Minister remains still at Cintra, being ready, as it is stated, to take his departure fur Madrid in the beginning ot May, unless Miguel be acknowledged by Great Britain. 3liguel goes next week to take up his residence at Cintra. A great number of the veteran militia (Ordenanca) officers have been dismissed. The Viscount of Santa Marta has been appointed Governor of the province of hlinho, as the Government is much alarmed about the state of that province. Miguel shuns all contact with the suffering poor ; he ,had a passage made from the Palace ot Quehu to the grounds, so as to avoid being pestered by the number. less petitions of his starving labourers. There has been seen off the bar at Lisbon, during the last five days, a large frigate, sailing from north to south, and iron: south to north. She shows no colours, and L i nd gives rise to conjecture and alarm. E xc h ange on E ng . ,A& Government paper money, 29 discount. TO THE REFLECTING AND INTELLIGENT OF THE UPPER CLASSES. It is generally supposed that you have an intrust in maintaining society in its present state, because you ap pear to possess many advantages which the middle and lower classes have not; and therefore, as your situation is, by comparison, so much better than theirs, you have every motive to perpetuate the existing order of things. My convictions are, that, with some truth, there is also much error in the preceding statement. It is true you possess some privileges which the middle and lower classes have not ; but it is also true that, by another arrangement, founded on principles in unison with all known facts, each of you, individually, may obtain, in security and perpetuity, other advantages which shall exceed your existing privileges ahundred-fold. Now, I am either right or wrong in these convictions. If I am right, the proof of that right will be to you a great gain—an everlasting benefit of high importance to yourselves and to your descendants. If lam wrong, the detection of the error by the intelligent of the upper classes will put a stop among the industrious classes of society, to measures now in active progress, which cannot fail, if not arrested in their course, to effect the most extraordinary change in the condition of this and other countries. The time hu arrived when it appears to me to be my duty to put you in possession of the principles which will effect this great change, and of the practice which is likely to follow its introduction. It is supposed by many that these principles and prac tices are already known to the public. This conclusion is most erroneous ; very little of them is truly known. for, if it were otherwise, all classes would be eager to adopt them. Vague imaginations and random conjectures have been given to the world by most writers, who have noticed my proceedings, for principles and practices, which admit of no inconsistencies without immediate detection. Now I propose to adopt measures to enable those who feel an interest in this vital subject to make themselves masters of its ultimate results ; and, if I mistake not. there is no subject that can come before you in which you and your posterity hare a deeper interest at stake. That no one in the upper classes may say hereafter that they have been taken by surprise in this change coming upon them before they are prepared for it, I will deliver an introductory lecture on Saturday, the 15th inst. at two o'clock, in Almack's rooms, when the principles on which the change of system about to occur will be fully disclosed; and after this introduc tory lecture arrangements will be formed to make the details of the system as well known to the intelligent of the upper as they will be, ere long, to the intelligent among the middle and the lower classes. My object in these proceedings is to form a beneficial union of action among all classes of the present genera tion, to obtain for the rising generation all the advan tages which the means now possessed by society are competent, under proper arrangements to secure for them. I add, that, as the change of system is inevitable, it is desirable it should be effected by a good understanding between all classes; but, if this =vent cannot be brought about by the well- . and well disposed of all parties, the industrious classes will be compelled, by the overwhelming effects of the progress of machinery in competition with manual labour, to form arrangements among themselves, unaided by aught ex , ceps their industry, directed by knowledge and good feeling, to effect the change, to save themselves and their children from the miseries of slavery produced by science misdirected. I am, gentleman and ladies, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 49, Bstifordmigue, May •. ROBERT OWEN. I :~. 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