Star. — London, England, 1806-04-26 00:00:00

anillafter'4"! only way of doing fubliential jußice nr giving gene ral fatisfaelion is by railing the rates of allowatioe to all the chalks of the Navy. The complaint of the Lieutenants, the Honfe will recol'ell, to be by no means new. Sonic years (ince. application was made in their favour, and the eonfequence was, an order merely to talk the pay of the Lower Lieutenants to a level with that of the higher. So far as the arrange ment went it was, no doubt, advaotageous, but to only one of the parties, although the complaint was from the whole. That the ground of fuch it complaint fileild be totally removed, I am fore the Houk will concur will me in thinking and alto that no come plaint Ihoidd be allowed to tuft in any tank of our Navy, from' the higheft to the lowell. indeed, it can only bcnecettary to Aatethis Propofition to infutc acquiefcence without any argument whatever. '1 Mali, of cootie, exclude from the new atran;ement thok 'officers who received tall year any addition to their pay—l mean the Mallets and Surgeons. They were undoubtedly entitled to the•attention they have experienced, bit they have received their due pro , pefrtion upon the kaie I now propofe. To all Ilse other officers 1. (hall extend the augmentati in. I have raid that I Shall make no partial feleetion, and In this refolotion juftified by the advice of the Med competent authorities--of perfons belt qualified fo judge upon the folajeet. It has beet} flrongly urged to me, by every perfon with whom I have cunfulted. that the Warrant and Petty Officers are particularly tinkled to a liberal allowance—and not only the we celfity of perfervi!lg a fair proportion, and the policy • Of guarding againft difcontent, but juflice itfelf pleads in favour of the feamen. Indeed, in the opi aim of all naval men, it would be highly imprudent to advance the pay of the Warrant and Petty Offi cers without granting a proportionate advance to the Able and Ordinary Seamen. I am aware that an ad . mince was made to the latter in 5797. But Kill it will 0 be admitted that from the enhancement of all articles of the firß medley, peed the depreciation of money which has takm place thinthelall9years,thedemand ofafurther advance to thefe meritorious men cannot be confidered onreafinaable. To eflablifh any increafe of *ages proportionate to the circurnltances I have mentioned, it is not my intention to attempt. Indeed Inch a tiling would be (carcely poffible. I have en . deavonred to keep equally in view the degrees of rank and the merits of fervice, and hope I have avoided the injullice and inconvenience of any partial felee don, fuch as prevailed in 1797, when the addition to the icemen's wages was not Such as to afford them much advantage or fatishaion, and yet it created an undue proportion in their favour. - By any man who refleels but a moment on the (of ferings, the privations, and the Cervices of our icemen, it is impoffible - that a doubt can be entertained of the propriety of affording them every Means of confole tion in our power.- Look but at the difficußies and dangers to which they are expofed every hour s re view the manner in which they have overcome every difficulty and danger that has heretofore affailed them, and mark the glory which you have derived from their dauntlefs exertions. After this review, is there an Englifh heart which would not revolt at a mo ment's hatatinn to grant the jutt claims of an Eng. lifh iceman? Bat independently of any appeal to libe rality, the pretenfions of the feamen are incontrover tible. When we confider the nature of the fervice in which they are engaged, what mutt be our reflec... dons ? Withdrawn from all the enjoyments _of do- meftic comfort—ell:soled to all the hazards of war —deprived of the profits and fecurity they had on board merchant (hips, from which for the moth part they have been taken ; the profpeft, in feet, of future advancement cut off, and perhaps forfeited for ever ; Inch has been the Rate of the greater pate of your prefent feamen for years back, eacepting in Come de gree that period of difiumbed and agitated peace, if that could be called peace, in which you were fub jeet to all the embarraffments, obliged' to maintain all the expense and apparatus of war. A large propor tion, indeed, of your Icemen has been in genial ler vice for twelve or thirteen years. and in actual fer vice of the moll toilkane, dangerous, unprofitable, and unpromiling defcription ; compelled. fur the moll part, of late years, to encounter the inclemency of all feafons, they have had to watch the enemy in his ports, without even the hope of meeting and con quering him—which would render a Blitith feaman indifferent to' fatigue. No ; the enemy having no means of fafety but in eluding the vigilance of our feamen—difappoiato that thirft for conqueft and glary which ditiingtriffies our gallant tars, and which reconciles them to danger. Under (itch an accumu lation of difadvantages, can you refute them any comfort in your power to adminifler ? Can you heft. tate to foliar diem with the means of folace on thei/ midnight watch? (a cry ofbrar l Ivor I) Mating flitted to much at large the motives which have induced me to bring forward this propolition, I (hall now proceed to detail the reverel items of the . increafe which I have to offer for your confideration. It will be ribierved, that my arrangement does not include the landimen—becaufe I feel that, as they enter voluntariky, aware of al( the eircumllances of the fituation in which they engage, they Rand on a j footing quite different (rem that t I the icemen.— Now, as to the kale of augmentation, I propok to • allow every ordinary laronan an additional pay of6d. per week, or 1 , . per month ; to every able feaman ts. per week, or 4,. per month : to all petty officers, who, according to the univcrfal opinion, are fo mate rially intilnmental its prrierving the difcipline, and in promoting the focccis of our fleets, ss. per 'month. At the fame :tme I mean, that a confider*. ble addition fhould rake place in the number of this very artful body of men. This addition to include all thofe who are denominated on board, the Cap. tains of the Forecafile —of the MA R—of the Tops— and of the Afterguord, who are the moll alive Sea• men on board—and to each of them I propok an in er cafe of 91. 6,1. per month. To Mailers' Mates and Warrant Officers i would give an addition nibs. per month. As the Warrant Officers are retained and receive their pay during peace, as well as war, the addition to be granted them, in this mitance. is only to he allowed while they Pre in aeual fervice. I'o the Matters and Surgeons, I have already Slated, no ad-Pition ft to be made. her: there is a clefs of per• tons in the Navy. whole claims to attention are as sneil founded as the'pertervirefpeitability of their che et—l mean the Chaplains : among the general I.lvattec I pt..pore t., grant the Chaplains the ap nu::.-tmeat of •Jaa..cri Mafttr, :notch trillium an ask k /Minn to big revenue nf 201. a year. I now cetsli tts the Commiffioned Officers, whole pay has not expe rienced any rife fince the days of Queen Anne.— Fisk as to Lieutenants, who have received but se. a day finer that period, I &odd add ts. per day—to the Captains and Admirals, whole pay has been as lationary as that of the Lieutenants, I would Wu make an addition. The Captains, I allure the Houle, although their complaints have nut been fo often heard, have as much ground to complain. and ate as much entitled to attention, as any dais in his Ma. jelly's ferviee. To the pay of thefe Officers, there fore, I would add 4s. per day. The gradation relpec clog the Admirals I would arrange thus—to Rear Admirals, an addition of 3s. 6d. per day ; to Vice Admirals Ss. to Admirals ys. and to Admirals of the Fleet los. Upon this calculation, the addition under the feveral heads-will ftand thus : a • ‘56.3113 7.3g* 2,563 s 7 600 26,8c0 1 7.9 0 4 3: Ao6 711,000 • 30000 . -- Officers - Warrant Officers M■l4en' Mates Petty Officers • Malignant& Captains Admirals Ablc Seamen Onlisary Seamen Total a 88966 Or fay 300,0001. per annum. Bat as the efttmate for the prefent year is only made out from May next, I have only now to move for the grant of 193,1681. To the principle of this arrangement I have no fear of any oppoiltion, and if in the details any thing obje&ionable lhould occur, I ball be very wil ling to attend to the fuggeflicn of any Gentleman. The plan of providing for thofe who are able to ferve being gone through, we naturally torn our at tention to thofe who are difabled by age,' infirmity, or wounds, from any longer ferving their country. For fuch perfons Greenwich Chet and Greenwich Hofpital already furnifb tome provifion. As to the Hcfpital, that inliitution has quite•fufficient funds to edgier its objea, and any further allowansp to the feamen who (OAR on it would be rather liable to abefe. But, as to the Chen, its funds would be in. (efficient for the.purpofe. Thofe in view require an addition of from 14 to ao,oool. Out of this fum I would have allowed to out-penfioners a certain addi tion each, to be regulated according to their Cervices and their prefent fituation. From 7f. a year, it amid rife in gradation till it reached is. per day. For this fum I mean no addition to the public burthens. I propofe it to be provided by a mestere which will require a Bill to be brought in, namely, by a grant of is. in the pound from all prim-money t and, in ad. dition to this, I have no doubt of his Majeßy's con fent *to let apart, for the fame purpofe, all droiu of the Admiralty. His Majefty's uniform folicitude for the tomfocts and rewards of the Navy warrant a confi dence in his acquielceme upon this tubjed. It will be teen that I have altogether omitted any allufion to the Marines, not however from any dif polition to overlook their jet claims. But this de fetiption of force having Co much analogy to the re gular army, I thought tt better to poßpone any refer ence to their cafe, until the quellion refmaing the pay of the atmy ball be determined. I have now nothing more to add than to allure the Houfe, that in the preparation of the arrangement I have detail ed, my anxious endeavour has been to reconcile all fides. 1 flatter myfelf that the outline will not be ungracioufly received by any one. If, however, any difference of opinion fhoold strifz upon the detail part, on which I may perhaps have deviated from the principle, which, I troll, is unexceptionable, I hope that the whole may be confidered on its own merits. My with is, that no comparifons may be made. They mull tend to excite the moll invidious feelings, pot libly other milehievous aids, while they can ferve no porpofe of legitimate argument. The army and navy are both the means of our fafety, and entitled to our warmeß gratitude. The condition of both is deferring our mot diligent attention. But then they Rand upon different grounds. No comparifon can be fairly inßituted between the Rate and pretenfioos of both. What may be a boon for the one, it may be impoffible to give to the other. I, therefore, hope the two cafes may not be confounded, and that in difculling this fubjeft, Gentlemen will avoid any re. lerence to extraneous topics, but decide upon it from a fair view of its own jullice and expediency. The motion for the grant of 193,11681. with which the Right Hon. Gentleman concluded, being read by the Chairman, in reply to a queflion from an Hon. Member, Lord HOWICK dated, tli.tt the propofed addition to the number of petty officers, would amount to about ten in each /hip of the line. Mr. FRANCIS role to put a general queftion, which would apply to the whole of his Noble friend's meafure—namely, whether the pay of the navy, when fettled in Q2een Anne's reign, was not fo fet tled with the prize money in contemplation ? As to his Noble Frieud's requek that no comparifon thould be inflituted in this difcullion between the cafe of the navy, and that of the army, he rather apprehended that if there fhould be any inequality in the propofed addition of pay in the two branches of fervice, on pie:brit comparifons would be made elfewhere, how. ever ftudioufly any allufion to the fubjcth might be avoided in that Hoole. _ _ Lewd GARLIES, on the prt of the Navy, ex pelled his obligation to the Noble I,qt d, for the fo licitode be had mudded fo foon after his introduc tion to office, to better the condi.iun of the Officers. With every fenfe, however, of the debt due to the Noble Lipid, he mull fay, that although he fully ap proved of the principle of the nitafure, he very much dilapproved of its application. He did not complain i of the addition propofed to the pay of the Petty and Warrant Officers. He, on the contrary, wither] it 1 had been more, as thefe officers formed the very foul of the navy. If an addition had been made to the Ipay of the Firtl Lieutenants or men of war, it would I have been, in his opinion, exceedingly agreeable to I the fervice, and the Turn neceiTor y 6r filch an increofe could not be material, as there were only from too to 1 so (hips of that dcfcri : uiot. in commiffion. The officers to whom this iacreale would apply were really cleferving of (nine confideratian for their inerealed ferrite and refponfibility, beirg nest in command to the Captains, although they had no more pay than Ithe youngeft Lieutenant. To the petty officers and warrant offices he afro thought that time fly •lier ad• dation ought to have been granted. If the means of that addition were even taken from the propcned aug mentation of the pay of fcamcn, he was fury it would . . excite no murmurs Om this, to be lure, *al only a (peculation), and the difference would only ter ve as an additional Itimulos to the reamers to leek by gond behaviour for the offices thus improved in revenue. The Warrant Officers, whole rank was fomewhar on AS level with that of Quarter Mailers and Serjeant Majors in the Army, ought to be allowed at the rate of 51. a month i and petty Officers, whole rank is equal to that of Setjeants and Corporals, ought to be allowed 31. a month. Pennons, the Noble Lord conceived, ought to be allowed to the Widows and Children of Seamen who died in the fervice. A Noble Lord (Melville) who, although now under the JR: pleafure of that Hunfe, was a great praiticat Stater man, had it, he knew, in contemplation to adopt this plan of penfloning the poor widows, and alto to make many of the arrangements now propoted by the No ble Lord over the way. Having alluded to that Noble Lord (Melville), he begged leave to fay, that more *was done for the Briti(h Navy by that Noble Lord and his fucceflor who immediately followed him, and the glory of the country was carried to a higher emi nence by them than by any two petrol): to be found in our naval annals. The Noble Lord particularly applauded Lord Melville's plan of building (hips in the merchants' yards. The Refolution was agreed tn, the Houfe returned, and the report ordered to be brought up on Monday. SLAV! TRIMS ISSTILICTION mt. On the motion for the further confideration of the Report of the Slave Trade Rearielion Bill. Mr. ROSE wiffied that the dircuffion of this fubjeet fhould be poftponed till Toefday, in order that it might be fully conlldered. 1 Mr. Secretary FOX could not conceive why the confideration of the Report (hould be delayed. The Right Hon. Gentleman had formerly an opportunity I of confidering this fubjed fully before, for a Bill of the fame nature had been propofed t ome years ago.. He would have an opportunity of objetling to tie principle on the third reading. Mr. ROSE then Rated his objeaions to the Bill • to be founded upon the injury which it would do to our thanufaCtures, our (hipping intereft, and to : the Esft India Trade. The exports annually, to Africa are upwards of 2,000,000 Iterling,which would' be completely put an end to if this Bill palled. All • that would 4 obtained in -return- was the tabled of humanity. rt therefore became necelTary for the i Houfe to paufe before they ,confented to the further progrefs of the Bill. The Right Honourable Gen- 1 demon Hated a eircumftance which came within his ' ' knowledge, and which tended to (hew the fuperior 1 advantages accruing to the Americans from the 1 • trade, which. be contended, would now be min : lively du own into tbetr hand.. A (hip from Carolina : to the Havannab, freighted with haves :oft in' its paffage not lets than 152 fiaves, and yet made a prml &able voyage. The ATTORNEY GENERAL obferved, that the Right Honourable Gentleman's °bier:rations, as they went to the principle of the Bill, might as well • have been made on the third reading. Sir JOHN NEWPORT conceived the Bin to be : eligible in the higheft degree. The trade, which was one of blood, was not for the benefit of the country folely, bat, in many inftances, for that of • the enemy. I General TARLETON confidered the Bill as' an attack upon the Navigation of the country. The African trade furnithed fearoen for the Britifh navy, and was in fait the principal fupport of LiverpOol. As Reprefentritive of that great commercial town, ' he (hould give the Bill his decided negative. it would have the 'Eat of virtually abolifhing the flalin trade, and transfer it to America. Alderman PRINCEP had fame objeitions to the Bill, but not founded on the fame principles as thole of the Honourable Gentleman who fpoke lA. He ad verted to the articles of Capitulation of the Colonies of Tobago and Cayenne. It was there agreed that the former (hould continue under the fame regulations which it had while it belonged to the Britilla, before it was taken by the French, and then it was upon the fame footing with the other &ha Viands. With regard to the latter, it was agreed that it Ibould be regulated in the fame way as our other Welt India Colonies. He merely willed for an anfwer to there objeetions to fatisfy his contlituents. The ATTORNEY GENERAL obferved, that the HonoUrable Gentleman teemed to mifconceive the objeet of the Bill. The defign was to prevent the colonies from being in a better fituation when delivered up, as they might be at the conclufion of peace, than they were before. The Bill gave his Majeily the power of altering, modifying or annulling altogether the Order of Council, as he fianuld fee fit. General GASCOIGNE would only fay a few words, as the capitulations which formed the great foundation on which the arguments for or againft this Bill thould reit, were not yet before the Houfe. At the fame time he admitted the firength of the other grounds on which it was oppofeil. He afked whether the Annual Bill was to come forward ? If it was, the fubjeet might be dirculted generally. When •the capitulations were produced, he would (hew that this Bill was a grofs violation of them, more particu larly as he would be enabled to prove tome private underflanding between the captors and the captured. Such a Bill, therefote, would be of the moll injurious cos s fequences to us in any future war. Sir W. YOUNG Paid a few words; after which the report was agreed to, received, and the Bill or dered to be read a third time on Tuefday. General GASCOIGNE hoped that it was under. flood that counfel might be heard on the 3d reading. The ATTORNEY GENERAL replied that a motion to that purpofe migl t be made, but that there was no engagement that they Ihould be heard. PROPERTY TAX. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved the Order nt the Day for committing the Pro perty Tax. Before the Speaker left the Chair, how ever, he begged leave to date to the Houfe two or three principal amendments. As to the principle of the Bill itlelf, he was aware that there were confider able differences of opinion, and that a few were hot . - tile to it, fnr•whnfe opinions, however, be had the highen refpeet. But upon that he would not enter at prefent, but confine himfelf to the amendments it; two prints of view ; full, in enntradiftioaion to the provillons of the tax as it paged in former years, and feeondly, as to the alterations in the •prefent Bill WI% The chid dillinftions in the Bill from thofe of the fame nature in former years, were the pio vitions to render is eglcaci'.us. Theta; tas railed I* ' 1119.11V17 • to to per cent. all exceptions were taken away,. ez. 1 eept from annuitants and (mall traders under tool. a year. All real property was to be taxed to per cent but with regard to annuities from the funds, of °poll land, a gradation was to be eftablifhed betteed so and tool. and when under Sol. a year, it was to he exempted altogether. He thonld add here, that the mode of repaymeut would be found its the Committee to be extremely Simple, as it only required the procluelion of a certificate. He would nut originally have propofed filch a mode of cols Idling the tax, bad he nut been convinced upon mature deliberation that it was an advantapous and a practicable one. The inconvenience arida& from it, would not be fo great as tome might be apt to fuppofe, and every one mutt agree, that to the Com raiftioneis it would be a very coafiderable relief indeed. There being the principal futures in which the laden' meafure differed from former ones of the I fame nature, he would now ntention a few alterations which he propofed to make in the BR! itfelf. Alth.o he was aware that this Was not a time in which ex emptions were to be 'entdtiplied, or in which sny great relaxation eould*leipeded, yet, at the fame tune, when he looked.otilte Situation of tome mem bers of the community, be found himfelf compelled to leffen the burden en particular chafes. The firft in• ftancein which be thought this indulgence ought to be granted was with regard to the weekly wages of bandicraftlmen, which might amount to more than Sol. a year. ihen we confidered the cireundlances in which thefe men often flood. when we confidered that there high wages were often obtained at the ex pence of their comforts, their happinefs, and even fometimes,'at the rick of their lives; when they en. ;aged for the fake of fuels high wages, they fogaged . in trades which in their nature mull be pernicious to the conftitution, it would be a hard matter indeed to let taxation fall heavily on income acquired by fuels means. Without, therefore, admitting the objedloll to the taxing of labour of any kind, be certainly thought that the burden ought not to be laid to a great degree on this clefs. He would then propoli a claufe, by which income of this kind, antounties to no more than thirty &filings per week, or five &Mins a day, should be exempted altogether. He likewife propofed, that with regard to incomes arifing from annuities from the funds or land, and from fmall trades, the fcale (Mold be railed from tool. to ;Sol. fo that the fcale would now fiend between std. a year and isol. ;offend of tool. as it was before. Sir R. BUXTON would not wore the Speaker's leaving the chair, but he thought the good of the landed iotereft ought not to be neglected. It' was now heavily taxed. Mr. WM. SMITH obferved, that be did not taint to enter upon the difeutGon at prefent, but as he was one who had oppofed the tax at the beginning, he stated it to be underftood that he did not favour it, merely becaufe it was propofed by his friends, and he would, at a future time, declare his opinion. But at the Conte time the embarraffments to which his friends were reduced by the prefent critical Situation of affairs, inclined him to give as little oPpofitioa u potfible. The ream of the tax to to per cent. be ' did not confider as any great objection to the matinee . Mr. WILBERFORCE thought that the exeMp tions ought to be extended to other claffes, but be did not fpecify them, as he hoped the Noble Lord himfelf would, upon further coofideration, find out such as ought to receive this indulgence. After a few words from Alderman Weep, Lord Henry Petty, Mr. Ballard, and Mr. Vanfittart, the Bill was committed and reported. Report ordered to be eonfidered on Friday next. STIPENDIAftIf CV sssss The Stipendiary Curate Bill was thrown out after a short debate—Majority againft the Bill 13. The prefs of foreign intelligence compels n's to defer the particulars of the debate on the above Bill until Mu ds y.—A dj owned. LONDON. SATURDAY, APRIL 26. PIMP OP STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK. Canfols, for money, 64—for May 6o} —.oasalatt at. Luba+ Bills is. a pre®. The difcaSons laft night in the Houk of Corp. mons, particularly that regarding , an lnereafe of Pay to Naval Officers, in which Lord. Gavials, for the firft time, very much diftinguifhed himfelf, de ferve every attention. The propofed plan embraces every clefs of perfons ferving in the Royal Navy, ex cept the Mailers and Surgeons, whole pay had beat recently augmented. Some judicious alterations, it wilt be feen alto, have been made in the Property Tax. It was reported in the City yellsrday, that the King of Peussia has been affaffinated. This news is not believed ; but certain it is, that throughout his whole dominions, aid even among the Officers of his Army, these are great murmurs again( the proceedings of the Government. To the arrangements repeaing India, which we yeflerday communicated to the Public. we have to add, that Sir DAVID BAIRD is fpoken of with confi dence as the Officer to be appointed to the Command in Clhief at Bombay, with a feat in the Council, vice Lieutenant• General Nice& Ls. General SINCOR certainly relieves Sir DAVID BAIRD, in the command at the Cape of Good Hope. We are happy to announce the fafe arrival of the Oporto convoy at Portfmouth. By letters received by this fleet, we are informed that the French frigate la Topa te is Rill in the Tagus. About three weeks before the failing of the een• voy, four frigates and a brig efcaped out of Cadiz. The brig was captured on the day after they got out by the HYDRA, and fome vefrels were fent in purfuit of the frigates, which were fuppofed to have failed for Teneriffe. There were in Vigo on the 15:11 ult. two Spann. and one French (tip of the line, and a frigate, ready for fea, and under orders to fail. An embargo was laid on all the trading each at that port, probably to prevent, their intention from being conveyed tn the 13titif►h tarn of war. - ' r •