Star. — London, England, 1820-05-20 00:00:00

TO THE PROPRIETORS OF EAST-INDIA STOCK. 1 LAMS A D GAirrizmaN, IN consequence of • the Death of your late much respected Director, Sir Joao JACKSON, But. I take leave• to offer myself to your notice to succeed him in the DIREC TIOA• of YOUR AFFAIRS. Originally brought up in a House of Business, and having been for the last seventeen years a Principal in an Establish ment intimately connected with the Commerce of the Country; I trust that, from the experience I thus have attained, I may venture to look forward to the favourable consideration of the Proprietors, and in return for their support I pledgesmyself to a tealode and assiduous attention to the weighty and important concerns of the Company. I am, Ladies and Gentlemen, Your faithful and humble Servant, WILLIAM CURTIS, Jun. No. 61, Portland-place, May 17, 1820. TO THE PROPRIETORS OF EAST-INDIA STOCK. LADED AND GLICTLIMIN, AVACANCY having occurred in the Direction of your Affairs, by the Death of that highly-esteemed and worthy Director, Sir Joint Jackson, I respectfully vesture to offer myself as a CANDIDATE to fill that important Office. In my Address of the 19th March, 1818, I submitted to you the grounds which induced me to aspire to your favour, and I now beg leave to solicit your Votes and Interest upon the pre sent occasion. Should Ibe so fortunate as to obtain, through your kindness, a Seat in your Direction, I shall devote the whole of my time to the conscientious performance of its important duties. 1 remain, Ladies and Gentlemen, Your most obedient Servant, JOSIAS DU PRE ALEXANDER. 18, Hanover-square, London, May 17, 1820. Mr. J. D. Alexander's Friends will meet daily at the City of London Tavern, where tommunications will be thankfully received. 6 • PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. HOUSE OF LORDS, MAY 19. The oaths were administered to the Bishop of OUGHT-STEN. Mr. BuLt.oeu, from the Treasury, brought up an Account of the net Produce of the Land-tax up to the .sth of January last. Mr. JoutcsoN, front the Office of Chief Secretary for Ireland, brought up a ltrtUrn of Grand Jury Presentments. Mr. Matmasn, from the East India House, presented an Account of the Charges and Revenues for the past year. Judgment was partly given early in the day in the important Appeal of the Marquis of QI'LLNSIIERRY against the late Duke of CICEINSBEIt RV'S Executors, the hearing of which has occupied the liouse of Lords for the early part of several days during this week. It is to be remitted back to the Court of Session in Scot land, with liberty to the Marquis of Queensberry to exhibit an additional Conde:emit:nee of facts in support of the conclusions of his Appeal. The farther judgment will be given on Wednes day next. The Earl of ASIIBURNII AM presented six Petitions from Farmers and Occupiers of Laud in different Hundreds and Parishes of the County of Sussex, praying for further legislative protection to the Agricultural Interests. The Earl of 11.11WWICKE presented a Petition from the Manufacturers and Traders of the Town of Visbeach, in the Isle of Ely, praying the attention of Parliament towards the de plorable state of 3lanufactures and Commerce. The Earl of MACCLESFIELD presented three Petitions, containing a prayer fur relief front the Occupiers of Land in Oxfordshire. Lord HOLLAND presented a Petition from the Protestant Dissenters of Newcastle-upor.-Tyne, praying for an alteration in the Provisions of the Marriage Act, as affecting them dif ferently from others of his Majesty's subjects in England and Scotland. Mr. DEN and others lirotOst up the Irish Administration of Assets Bill, wa• riatl a first time. _ _ _ The of 11.1'1'11 presented five Petitions from Renters cf Land ;: Farmer,: id the County of Somerset, praying for le gislatorial pron. ci ion. The Earl of SH .1 I:TP.8111:R Y, in the absence of the Mar quis of lansdow•n, mov , Al, pursuant to the notice given by the Noble Marquis, that there be laid before the House Returns of the Amount and Value of Imports and Exports between the United States of America and Europt, distinguishing the amount of each. —Ordered. Their Lordships wet it into Committees upon the motion of the Earl of SILIFTEsBUICY, on the South Sea Company's Patron Bill, the Irish Stock Transfer Bill, and the Stage Coaches Regulation Bill. The several Reports were brought up and re ceived, and the Bills were ordered for the third reading on Wednesday next. Mr. BROGDEN and others brought up the Civil List Bill, which was, on the motion of Lord LIVERPOOL, read a fist time, and ordered to be printed, and the second reading was fixed for Wednesday next.—.lljourned to Wednesday. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Two Members were sworn, one of whom was Mr. BEECHER, the Representative for Mallow. Mr. WARD moved for a New Writ, to elect a Representa tive for the Borough of Scarborough, in the room of Lord Nor manby, who has accepted the Chiltern Hundreds.—Ordered. Mr. JOHNSON appeared at the liar with the Eighth Report of the Commissioners appointed for Auditing Public Accounts in Ireland.—Laid on the table. Mr. MASON, from the East India Company, appeared at the Bir with the usual Annual Accounts relative to the Revenue.— Laid on the table. fieDunleary Harbour Bill was read a first time. bold A unfoßp, in consequence of the adjournment of the House, postponed the second reading of the bill for the Relief of Insolvent Debtors, till Friday, the 26th instant. r. FLEMING presented a Petition from the Occupiers and Owniss of Land in Dorietshire, complaining of the distressed ,tate of Agriculture, praying for inquiry into the Corn Law4.—litid on the table. „ Mr. ELLOW ES presented a similar Petition from tbe Oc cupiers of Land in the County of Lancaster.—Laid on the table. Sir W. GU ISE presented a Petition to the same effect, from Persons employing upwards of 20,000 acres of land in the County of Gloncester.—Laid on the table. 11 r. AXW EI.L presented a Petition of a similar nature from the Landholders of Renfrewshire. The Honourable Mem ber, in t::e clurse of a few observations, adverted to the subject of em:grat ion, stating, that the labouring population in the County which he represented kid not the mean, to emigrate, though in dined to do so.-The Pctitien was laid on the table. Mr. LAMB, in presenting a Petition to the same effect from the Agi iculturi,ts of the County of Hertford, deprecated any discussion on the subject, as tending to excite feelings of irrita tion in the country Letween two cl.sses whose interests were inseparable. Mr. BENNETT protested against the doctrine of the Hon. Member, for it was known that many Members in that House were induced to speak with great advantage to the Public on this subject, who rarely delivered their opinions upon other occa. -I:mi.—The Petition was laid on the table. Mr. I. I'A LMER presented a Petition of like import from persons residing in the vicinity of Reading. This Petition com plained particularly of the injurious effects produced by the de pressed state of the Agricultural Interest, and prayed that a Committee might be appointed on the subject, and witnesses heard in proof of the allegations it contained.—The Petition was laid on the table. Mr. JERVIS presented a Petition from certain Att.rnies, residing at Basingstoke, praying that unqualified persona might not be allowed to practise as Conveyancers.—Laid on the table. NEWINGTON NEW CHURCH BILL. Mr. 11. SUM NER moved the second reading of the New ington Church Bill. Sir R. WILSON opposed it, upon the grounds that it was in violation of an Act of Parliament, and contrary to the wishes of the great majority of the inhabitants. Sir W. DE CRESPIG NY said, there were 5,000 inhabit ants now preparing to send ura Petition against the Bill, and he had beard front his Steward that many persons had declared their intention to quit the parish, in the event of its passing. Mr. 11. SUNNLII, said, he was tam by surprise in the course pursued by the two Roo. Members apposite. He an- derstood it to have been mutually agreed that no oppodtion would be made to the SRI in its present stage, but that it shouht be retuned until it went to a Committee. Sir W. DR CRESPIGNY asked the Hon. Mover if he had any objection to postpone the second reading till after the holi days? and was called to order by the Speaker, as he bad spoken before. Sir R. WILSON was anions to protest against the Bill be fore it went into a Committee, as it might be said, in reply to his observations when in that stage, that the time for objecting to the principle of the Bill was put, and it had been already settled. The understanding mentioned had been stated to him last night, but he had not made himself a party to it. Mr. H. SUMNER explained, that when he asserted that an understanding existed that the Bill should not be opposed in the second reading, such an agreement was made between himself and his colleague, as also with the Agent of the Bill, and he did not think the gallant Member opposite had any interest in it. Sir R. - WILSON replied ; that one of the Agents of the Bill had told him there was no understanding, as far as he vias con cerned, and begged him to oppose it before it went into a Com mittee. Committees were expensive, and he wished to prevent I this Bill going so far, especially as it was a flagrant violation of an Act of Parliament. Mr. Alderman WOOD thought it would be much more con venient to postpone the second reading to a future day, when all parties might be prepared. Mr. DENMAN agreed in the propriety of postponing the further progress of the Bill. He thought they had all a right to protest against that sort of bargain between one or two Mem bers, and the agent of a Bill, which aimed at preventing all the other Members from freely expressing their opinions. Mr. H. SUMNER could not do otherwise than comply with the general wishes expressed on this occasion. He thought, however, the parties interested out of doors had reason to com plain that the agreement had not been adhered to. Sir W. DE CIIESPIGNY said, it was universally supposed, out of doors, that the second reading of this Bill would not take place till after the holidays. Sir J. MACKINTOSH said, his reason for wishing to post pone the further progress of the Bill was, that a legal objec tion to it appeared to exist. It had been stated, that one of the conditions required by Act of Parliament had not been com plied with ; and therefore it appeared to him that the House was not warranted in proceeding any farther until that objec tion was removed. He suggested the propriety of postponing the second reading till the first day after the holidays. Sir JA MES GRAHAM maintained there had been a perfect understanding amongst all parties that rho Bill should not be op posed in its present stage; and agreements of that description were usual in public as well as private business in that House. The objections might be taken on the third reading with much more convenience, as the present practice would only tend to in crease and continue the ferment already raised in the parish. He should prefer going to a division, rather than postpone the se• coed reading. Mr. S. C. WHITBREAD was of opinion that the inhabit ants would prefer being kept in a state of irritation for a little time, rather than be put to an enormous expense. After a few words from Mr. 11. Suseira, the motion was withdrawn, and the second reading postponed to a future day. FREE TRADE. Mr. BLACKR URN presented a Petition from the Merchants and Manufacturers of Manchester, pray ing for the removal of all restrictions upon trade. . Mr. PHILLIPS offered some observations in sup port of the Petition, saying, he felt happy in doing I I so , as it proceeded from a most respectable body of men, who considered their interests as identified, in every respect, with those of the Agriculturists. The Hon. Member then proceeded to comment on the views taken on Agriculture, and other subjects of political economy, by Mr. George Webb Hall, who, he said, had been very industrious in circulating pa pers among the Members of that House, in support of his opinions. These opinions, however, were quite erroneous, and altogether at variance with just prin ciples of political economy. It was laid down as a position by Mr. George Webb Hall, that to encou rage agriculture, it was necessary to discountenance the importation of foreign grain ; but he (Mr. Ora lips) would contend, that if we discouraged foreign labour, we must also discourage domestic labour, and that to become an exporting country, we must also become an importing country. The Hon. Member ' now read some extracts from the opinions of Mr. Hall, wherein it was stated, that the prosperity of the country, in 1813, was entirely to be attributed to the encouragement given to agriculture. The House would hardly believe that so extraordinary a propo sition as this could be urged, when it wail known that our prosperity, in 1813, was the consequence of our being in full and almost exclusive possession of the trade of the world. That Gentleman had overlooked this circumstance altogether, and he had also over looked the depreciated state of the currency at the time. According to him, the present state of the currency had reduced the value of agricultural pro duceone-third ; and he (Mr. Phillips) was well pleased if it had experienced no greater reduction. Iu 1813, the currency was depreciated 25 per cent, which would shew, that considered in reference to commerce in general, agriculture had, in the improved state of the country, the decided advantage, taking it upon the statement to be reduced one-third. The Hon. Member concluded some further observations, with expressing himself, in eve r y instance, favourable to unrestricted commerce. Lord STANLEY entirely concurred in the senti ments of the Hon. Member who had just spoken, and professed his readiness, when the subject was brought fully under the consideration of the House, to give it his earnest support.—The Petition was then read, and ordered to lie en the table. DISFRANCHISEMENT OF GRAMPOUND. 'Lord JOHN RUSSELL having moved the Order of the Day for the second reading of the Grampound Disfranchisement Bill, next moved that the Resolu tions of the sth of July, 1819, in reference to this question, be now read.—The Clerk having done so, and also read the Order of the Day for the leave which had been obtained to bring in a Bill upon the subject, his Lordship proceeded to observe, that the facts he should lay before the House relative to the Borough of Grampound, would, he doubted not, justify to the fullest extent the proposition he was about to submit. It was known that a Petition had been presented against the return for this Borough in the last Session of the late Parliament, and the con sequence was, that the two sitting Members had been disqualified ; while many of the voters were prose cuted for bribery, and found guilty. It was from this event deemed necessary to take some decisive step with regard to the voters for Grampound, and a measure was proposed for going into a Committee on the subject, in which the Noble Lord opposite (Lord Castlereagh) concurred. It had been proved before that Committee, that sums of money had been given to the voters at different times on the part of Sir Manasseh Lopez, and a person was deputed by him to collect them, giving them at the rate of £35 each for their suffrage. With this sum, however, it appeared that many of them were not satisfied, and I threatened to give their votes to another person un less they got more money. One Elector got the names of 63 persons who had taken bribes, and of 58 individuals who were charged with-the fact, not fewer than 47 had sums of £35 each placed after their names. Of these persons 24 had bona found guilty of having, at various periods, received sums of money for their votes. Nor was this a practice of recent origin in Grampound, for it appeared to have been of long standing, and a sum of £5OOO had often been agreed up on as the price of the return one Member ; and was the regular stipulation for the return of two seats. These facts were noto rious, and a witness had proved in evidence that one of the Electors said, " he wished for the time when they should be feeding again !" which meant receiv ing money at a new election. Another witness stated, that bribery was quite common in Grampound, and when he was asked, whether three or four of the voters had received bribei ? he replied, " Yes, may be three or four." There was one circumstance more which he wished to advert to, which was, that £7BOO had been paid by two Members for their seats, as had been proved in evidence ; and the great majo. rity of the voters had participated of this money.— When, therefore, it was found that such sums had been given for such a purpose, 2nd that from £.5000 to £BOOO had regularly been paid in the same man ner, he thought there could exist no doubt whatever on the mind of any Honourable Member present of the grossest practices of bribery and corruption hav ing been carried on in Grampound. But there was another proof of the fact, which was not less con vincing, namely, that when an individual attempted to propose the Bribery Oaths, he was so maltreated by the others, that he found the greatest difficulty in escaping with his life. Having thus shewn a strong case to call for the interfeience of the House, he should next proceed to consider of the remedy which it would be most expedient to adopt, so far as the Borough in question was concerned. In doing this, he should revert to those precedents which had been established in similar cases. It was not to be ex pected, in a country like this, where the elective fran chise was so generally exercised, that instances of corruption should not occur; but they ought to be guarded against, so far as it was possible—(Hear).— It appeared, however, that the progress of such cor ruption had been very rapid; for we found, in the reign of Elizabeth, an instance of a penalty having been imposed for a bribe of £4 offered to the return ing officer to secure a seat for an individual; whereas Lord Shaftesbury asserted, that in his time L'7,100 had been paid for a similar purpose—(Hear, hear), To counteract practices of this description, which were now become too flagrant, a Bill was introduced in 1771, when the Borough of New Shoreham, in Sussex, was found to be notoriously corrupt. It was proved, in the instance of that Borough, that the re turning officer returned a man who was utterly unfit for a seat in the Legislature, and a scene of such cor ruption was disclosed, as perhaps had never before been exhibited. It appeared from the evidence upon the occasion, that an individual, who represented himself as a member of what was termed the Christian Society, assembled all the Burgesses together, and sold them to the highest bidder—(Near, hear).—A Bill was then brought in to disfranchise the Borough, though the Burgesses were allowed to be heard against it by Counsel. The Bill having undergone some modifications, at the suggestion of Mr. Monta gue and others, was sent to the Peers, where it met with the cordial support of Lord Camden and Lord Chatham. There is still extant a remarkable ex pression of Lord Chatham, with regard to the mea sure which the Bill contemplated, of transferring the franchise to a place adjacent. He said he was glad to see New Shoreham brought back from Bengal to Sussex. It was then thought advisable to place the rights which the Borough enjoyed in other hands; 'and theyconsidered, if such a measure were not adopt ed, that the remedy must be fruitless; upon which the tiauchise was transferred to the Rape of Bramber. Upon that occasion, 243 persons had been charged with bribery ; and out of 82 against whom the charge was proved, 43 had been indicted. The event °e ls-lured when Lord Rockingham was in power, and when an examination took place in the House of Lords, as to the different circumstances connected with it, the Chancellor urged so many objections against the proposed measure, that Lord Fortescue, old and feeble as he was at the time, stood up and said, that he no longer considered himself in the House of Peers, but in one of the Courts of Law, and that a Court of no ordinary description, but one where the Law)ers attempted to exercise a controul over the Judges. The Chancellor, he said, was made up of nothing but subtleties and contradictions. In quoting these words of Lord Fortescue, he did not mean to say that they could bear any relation to the present times, or to the question before the House, further than as they shewed how the subject had been treated at a former period by a Nobleman of strict constitutional principles. In the case relative to the Borough of Aylesbury, fifty persons had been convicted, and no less than 200 implicated. He now came to consider what should be done with re spect to Grampound. They had that day received a Petition from the Burgesses; but after what had been adduced against them, it was quite clear tbat the prayer of it could not be attended to. No, the glory of Grampound was gone for ever; the sun which ripened its money harvest had set never to rise again ! No more would they see among them a philanthropic Baronet, dispensing his cash trom motives of pure charity towards the indigent ; no more would the wealthy merchants of London contest that famous Borough, at the risk of the lives of those persons who should propose the Bribery Oath. The Free holders of the adjacent Hundreds could lay no claim to the franchise thus taken away ; and if there were any cases where it might be expedient to throw the votes into the Hundreds, it was only in Counties where there was but one Borough.— Cornwall, however, was not in that situation, for it had other Boroughs, and returned ten Members be sides the two for Grampound. The best course uhich appeared to him was, to transfer the elective rights of this Borough to one of those towns which had grown up in wealth and importance from various concurring circumstances. There were no less than five of them, which, though not represented, con tained an aggregate population of 400,000 inhabit ants. If towns of such magnitude and conse quence were not to return Members to Parliament, how had it happened that our ancestors, at a former period, gave Members to Chester and to Durham ? —Or did they suppose that our ancestors would not have conferred the elective franchise on the five Boroughs alluded to, had they been of equal import ance in their time ds they were at present ? McAt assuredly they would have done so, and that even in the reign of Charles 11. We ought to lose no time in gratifying the general wish for extending the re presentation. It might, perhaps, be said by some persons, that the principle he proposed to be acted upon would give all that was necessary for Parlia mentary Reform, but the difference would be, that Members would be sent to the House to ask for more, and urge the demand by other means, than those which of late had unfortunately been resorted hear).—But it was objected to this mea sure, that it would be of no use to disfranchise small towns, while the same practices of totriiption were carried on in the large ones. This, however, was no argument against the principle, and he was per suaded, that from the progressive spirit of improve ment, and the more refined character of the times. instances of sordid and base corruption at electiont would soon become extremely rare—{ Hear, hear . ). The Noble Lord then advt. ted to the public procee d- ings which had lately taken place at Reading, and he said, that if the Electors continued to act in the same manner, they would effectually remove the in fluence either of money or of the Government. In one of their Resolutions, they stated their determina tion to use every means for the purpose of discover. ing and extinguishing every mode of illegal inter ference with the Election of Members for that Bo rough, and he was happy to find that they had, in a very short time, collected by subscription 4 sum of £1,500, with the view of carrying their resolutions into effect. He would be extremely happy to see a similar line of conduct adopted in every part of the country, for he did not think Grampound a solitary or an extraordinary instance of corruption—(Harr, hear).—lt was not necessary to go into any inquiry upon that subject—all that was to be done, was to prevent such corruption, as far as the law allowed. If this were done, it would afford some prospect of a fair representation, and would materially tend to restore and to ensure the tranquillity of the country. An Honourable Friend of his (the Member for Northumberland) expressed his intention to submit to the House the propriety of transferring the fran chise, if it should be taken from Grampound, to the North and East Riding of York, instead of Leeds.— He (Lord J. Russell) did not think that the Public would be so much benefited by giving the franchise to that part of the country as to the populous 80. rough of Leeds. However, that question might be discussed at another stage of the Bill, and he Should now conclude with moving, "That the Bill be now read a second time." Lord CASTLEREAGH rose, for the purpose of stating shortly to the House, the view which he en tertained of this Bill. Upon the original principle with which the Noble Lord set out, there was no difference of opinion between the Noble Lord and himself. Both were agreed upon this, that whenever a Borough, in the exercise of its right of election, is proved to the satisfaction.of the House to have acted corruptly, it is the duty of the House to punish that Borough, so far as to protect the purity of election. The point on which he and the Noble Lord differed, was not as to the propriety of making an alteration in the elective franchise of Grampound, for it would be recollected that he had concurred with him in going into an inquiry upon that subject. He had concurred also in the Resolution, which emanated from the Committee on the Grampound Election, that further measures were necessary, and up to that period he thought that himself and the Noble Lord perfectly understood each other as holding the same opinion. He agreed then that Grampound had mis• conducted itself, and that to such misconduct an adequate remedy should be applied, pnd now the ouly thing that remained was to see what the nature of that remedy ought to be. The Noble Lord stated to-night, what course Parliament had formerly taken with respect to three Boroughs, New Shoreham, Aylesbury, and Cricklade; with those Boroughs, he said, the House had dealt, and applied a corrective by opening them to the adjacent districts; but he (Lord John Russell) did not think that the same re medy which was applied to them was sufficient for Grampound ; and he thought it more adviseable to depart from the established practice of Parliament s and to adopt upon this occasion a new course, by transferring the right of election altogether from Grampound to Leeds. The Member for Northum berland differed with the Noble Lord upon this part of the question, and wished to transfer the right of Election to the North and East Riding of Yorkshire. He (Lord Castlereagh) would now shortly state his own opinion ; and he would at once fairly say, that it was different from that entertained either by the Noble Lord or the Member for Northumberland.— It seemed to be the Noble Lord's object to effec tuate, pro tante, a general principle of Parliamentary Reform. • Now he (Lord Castlereagh), only wished to look at the subject for the purpose of getting an effectual remedy as to the particular Borough of Grampound. He did not look so much to the expe diency of the remedy sought for by the Bill; he ra ther contemplated the remedy which he thought the most likely to succeed, and to be carried into a law. It was the object of the Bill to establish a principle, now he looked to a practicable result ; de did not, like the Noble Lord opposite, seek to avail himself of any advantage which the circumstance of this Borough might afford, in order to establish a favoured theo retical principle; but he looked upon that circum stance simply as an evil that occurred in the working of the Constitution, which it was necessary to correct. When the question was before under the considera tion of the House, it might be recollected that he ex pressed a wi s h that a Bill should be brought in ap plicable to a particular case, not going into a gene ral principle, and he admitted that there might be lo cal circumstances connected with Cornwall, which would prevent the Borough of Grampound from being opened to the adjacent district. The Noble Lord, at that time, opened his case, as he did to-night, upon the ground of departing from the established prin ciple, and of removing the right of election elsewhere. But he (Lord Castlereagh) then said, that his local knowledge of Cornwall did not enable him to state exactly whether such a measure might, or might not, be necessary. The present was the first case that came before them for opening any Borough in Corn wall, for the case of Penrhyn waited until this should be disposed of, and the question now was, how it should be dealt with ? He could now say, that he saw no insuperable difficulty which Mould prevent Grampound from being opened to tinf adjacent dis' .7 rail I rend objet and preft that ti hl That stanc poun, svoulo trusti voul4 as to Mr Lord grat last I have FT O Pc victec that it panic typos lution Hem it Wa s Lord Lot ruptin thong himse desire, from 10 rerr Mr. or thn come ;Isamu explan and he others. ceded founde and es forded hed. 1 were c heal, se some d