Star. — London, England, 1827-05-29 00:00:00

7`e It(ief of 1,9001. bad been paid ts. Preeifield ; and although the nom Member itenßd that Mt. FritahOeld 'pas employed it was impossible foe the House to abet it eaten of the fransaetion. According to the bee's own statement, he had slipped into union of a Cornish Borough in the most way that was ever before heard of.-' Without a soul, and without paying a singlegoines, he down to Penryn and obtained his return—(A laugh , cheers). He must declare his belief that the Hon. Member had obtained his place in that House by bri bery and corruption on the part of his agents. He im puted nothing to the Hen. Member personally; but if he were on hrs oath 'he could give no other verdict, and if the House desired to MoGetve the purity of election, this was a case in which it Vas imperatively called upon to take away the frascMss of sending Members to Parliament. Mr. DENISON said that he set on the Committee of 1819; and if there ever was a case of gross corruption proved, it was then. The Right Hon. Gentleman at the head of the Administration had said some years ago, that if a case for reform were shewn him, he would go along with the reformers,. he now called upon the Right Hun. Gentleman to redeem his pledge. if ever there was a case for reform by disfranchisement, it was the case of this borough of Perim ; and if the House did not now act upon it,there never could be a case in which they could afterwards interfere. He should vote for transferring the elective franchise to Manchester. Mr. O'NEILL rose to protest against the principle of visiting uphn the present electors the sins committed by those of 1807 or 1819. He thought it equally cyposed to the principles of law and of justice. Sir. C. BURRELL supported the Bill. When it had passed that House, the electors would be able to be heard in another place, where the evidence could be taken on etch. Mr. D. BARCLAY said this was the first time it had ever been proposed to that House to deprive electors of their privileges because their ancestors had been guilty of crimes. He did not mean to defend the con duct of the Borough in Hon. Extensive corruption WAS then proved, and it ought then to have 'been•clis franchised. But there was no evidence of it now, and they were called Upon to condemn upon hearsay evi• deuce alone. At Shoreham and Grampound almost every elector had been convicted of bribery, but the case of Penryn bore no resemblance to this. Wily did they not go to Appleby—(hear, hear !)—if they were determined not to tolerate any degree of corruption ? 'At Appleby pig-sties voted, and for many other Oa roughs the seats were openly and notoriously sold. Lord MILTON contended that the House had a right to look to the past history of the borough, and were not ,bound to confine themselves to the evidence now ad duced. Its character for corruption was established, and this ought materially to influence their decision. The agreement with Sir C. Hawkins proved the fact of habitual bargain and sale with all their formalities. He thought this an instance in which the destination of the franchise was justifiable, and he deemed it a fit oppor tunity therefore, not merely to extend the franchise to the adjacent hundreds, but to transfer the right to some populous place, and thus give a broader basis to the national representation. Cornwall was perhaps not over represented, for Penryn belonged to Jamaica full as much as to Cornwall, and the same thing might be said of many other of the Cornish boroughs. Ile rec im mended the House upon' this occasion to adhere to ancient principle, and not to be led away by new and theoretical devices. Mr. VAN HOMREIG Fl considered the evidence before the Committee to have proved that attempts had been made to bribe the borough of Penryn, and so have proved equally well that those attempts had failed.— He therefore did not see any reason for disfranchising landed interest was ;heir prosperity, and that its po verty was theirs also. Mr. PORTMAN denied he had aspersed his constituents. kithe ' cribed to do by his Hen: Friend; the Mernbc\r-for Co e Castle. If he did e not agreeksvith them in the view they took of tins sub- Iti,leeatkrd laid their opinions before the lilkse, and a done nothing which deserved the loss o their good opinion. If he had given his confidence to,ffie present Administration, be knew that there were any of the alines affixed to the Petition who would be disposed to do the same; notwithstanding the declaration which had been made at the Meeting. He had come into that House an independent man, determined to receive no favour from the GovernMent, so as to be able to give MX vote unswayed by any ties of that nature. He had -acted with independence; and in so acting, as he bad isperead nobody, he expected that no one would cast aspersions* upon him--(Hear, hear). With . regard to the prayer of the Petition, after - *hat he had heard from the Right Hon. Geo&emati; - aid considering his great experience ins] information upon the subject, he was botmd to say that fie could never hope to come out of a Committee with the prayer of the Petitioners granted. Although he had declared himself disposed to support the present Administrition, he wished it to be understood as only intending to give them that inde pendent support which should result from an approval of th.ic measures. Mr. G. BANKES explained. • 'Lord MILTON said, he could not help thinking that the ipeech of the H mi. Member for Corfe Castle, al. 'dlotigh intended for that night, must have been in tended fa• another place—(A laugh—Mr. Bankes was leaving the House). He thought the statement of the Bight Hon. Gentleman so satisfactory that it must bring conviction to every impartial mind. He had that day received a letter from Northamptonshire, informing !Mtn that the price of wool was improving, and a de anancespringing up. Mr. WESTERN said, that the superiority of the Bri tish woollen manufactures was mainly owing to the superior quality of the British long wool. The intro duction of foreign wool must tend to diminish and de. • teriorate the production of that article, and consequently to rob tis of that superiority which we had always pos. •' iessed. It was well known that in France they were doing everything to encourage and improve the growth of wool; and he would ask, whether it was wise under• such circumstances to carry a general principle so far as to overlook all these peculiar conditions upon which our manufacturing superiority depended? He thought the Government and the House had not done their duty. by neglecting to institute an inquiry into the causes of the great depression under which all the interests of the country had been labouring. Mr. BARING said, that the facts stated by his Right Hon. Friend, the President of the Board of Trade, were so clear as to put the question entirely at rest. Ile thought . that going into a Committee after such a state. meet, would have been the most perfect waste of time. some Hon. Gentlemen Teemed to think the introduction of foreign wool a new tangled practice of political eco nomy. It was *no such thing ; it had been the old practice of this country to import raw material, and by no means a new principle introduced by the Board of Trade. Mr. WESTERN explained. Mr. DAVENPORT said, that he agreed with much that had fallen from the Right Honourable Gentleman; but he had neglected to state what that general agent was by which so many interests had been depressed. That neglect be would supply, by tooting that the cause of all the distress of the country . was the tampering with she country. As he had'given notice of a motion upon this subject, he felt it due. to the House to male some explanation in respect to that notice. He had been in duced to put off his motion before Easter, because he was told that every body had agreed that nothing 'should be attended to until .the Administration was the borough. formed. Since that he beal:fieed a day upon Which he Lord ALTHORP said, that the Hon. Gentleman gave way for the convenience of the Government, and who spoke last appeared to him to be inconsistent; for at the express solicitation of the Members of the New the Committee, of which he had been a member, had Administration. AU he stipulated for was another day, unanimously voted that corruption was generally preva and they gave him last Thursday. Then, indeed, I,e lent in the borough. Looking to past instances of had a day, but no House. bribery, and to the late election, us which the poll had ILIICTION SILL been languid up to a certain time, and then all at once Mr. D. BARCLAY rose to present a Petition from an' Elector had be come active, just utter Mr. Stanbury had pai d of the Borough of Penryn, stating that be was informed of the in tention of a eniber of the House to move that he should b e pro- the bills of which he s poke in his evidence, h thought It! M scented for Bribery. this the stron g est case %shish had ever be:n brought The SPEAKER interposed, to say that the Petitioner could not before the House. hive been so informed by the Votes of the House, and there was no other source from which he could have ob tained the informs. Lord J. RUSSELL said , that the safest wa y to eici ceed would be to let the Bill be referred to the Cum sion.—After a brief conversation , Mr. BROUGHAM suggested that the Petitioner should with- mittee, in which he would move, as part of the first draw the Petition, and leave oat the paragraphs alluding t o an y clause, that Penryn should b e disfranchised ; after which proceedings of the Home other than its votes. he would bring in a Bill to bestow the privilege on Mr. L. KECK moved the Order of the Day for the Douse going into a C 4 The Hnnmittee upon the Penryn Election Bill. some populous mercantile town. use then resolved itself into a Committee.—On the nest Mr. MANNING rose to oppose the Speaker leaving clause of the Bill being read, the Chair. He denied a part of the evidence which.had Lord JOHN RUSSELL moved as an amendment, been given at the former sitting of the Committee by. that the Borough of Penryn should henceforth be die Stanbury and other witnesses. He denied that Mr. qualified from returning Members to Parliament.— South was employed by him as an agent, or that Mr. Throwing the franchise into the hands of the adj ,ining Freshfield attended him at Penryn as Solicitor, or in hundreds would be in effect to subject it to the influence any ocher character than as his private friend. He of a few great landed proprietors. This would be to thought the House would be extremely misled if they aggravate the evil. Insteal of this they ought to look proceeded to take any harsh step with regard' to the out for some place now unrepresented where trade and *rough upon such evidence. He certainly thought commerce had greatly increased. He would deal with that when his Honourable Friend stopped the proceed- the case therefore in this way. As soon as the disfran •lngs of the last Committee, he had determined to giie chisement was complete by an Act of the whole Legit sac the prweedings, having no case. latine,he intended to come down to the House and pr o. Mr. L. KECW said, that his reason for stopping the Plse that the right of returning two Members to Partite perice•dings before the last Committee, without MO ment'should be given to Manchester. By this c .urse mining some witnesses thee in attendance was, that he they would avoid the imputation of taking the franchise Lad received information of their having been in corn- tram one place Mei elyfor the sake of giving it to another. munication with Stanbury in Newgate ; and having 1 ,„„ 1 mturox seconded the Amendment. pledged themselves to him to state certain facts of what Mr. LEG H KECK said, that he had followel almost they bad a perfect knowledge. If this was nut a case literally the Bill which had passed the House in 1819, which called lor the interference of the House, in order but was thrown out by the Peers. The present Bill to prevent a repetition of the disgraceful practice of would enlarge the number of votes from 400 or 500 to corruption, then 1* despaired of ever finding one at all. 1,700 or 2 000. He could not think Manchester and Mr. FERGUSSON said, that having the reports of the other manufacturing places were badly tepee ented three former Committees, in conjunction with the evi. while they had such advocates in that House on every dente now in the hands of the House, he agreed with occasicos as the Noble Lord. If the precedent plop° ed -she Hon. M mber for L icestetshire — that if this was were established, let the House be aware of the extent pot ye, they might despair of ever finding a case in of it. Ii it were desirable to maintain tee balance of which Parliament ought to go to the last ex•remity in representation between the landed and manufacturing dealing with the abuse of the elective franchise. From interests, he feared the plan suggested would overturn the Report of the Committee of 1807, it appeared that it. Tee precedent was dangerous to the Constitution, a written agreement was actually made for the corrupt and useless to those whom it proposed to benefit. The sale of the Borough, and in 1819 the same bribery was Honourable Member concluded by declaring that he used, only upon a reduced scale for each vote. The had endeavouted to discharge a very disagreeable and elective franchise was a public right and not a ptivate invidious dut y to the best of his ability—(Hear, hear)— oqp. It was placed in the hands of certain bodies of and all he hoped in return was, that no friend of his mien for a public purpose ; and when they found any of might ever be placed in a similar situation. those bodies sacrificing their trust for corrupt purposes r. C. BARCLAY recommended the Honourable of private advantage, that House was called upon to Member not to press the question to a division, as it interfere, and resume those privileges on behalf of the was evidently the opinion of the Committee that the people which had been so abused. It was proved that Borough should be disfranchised—(Hear, bear.) His population a place it to the privilege of sending Members to Parliament ; but he deprecated the Aristocratical principle of the lion. Gentlemen, i which, however, they had on a for. mer occasion been foiced to adopt by the other House of Parliament. Let them .have no ingenious devices to exclude from influence in that House the most unpro tected class of society. But let them give the frAn chise to such numbers, that although their collective in fluence might be great, their individual votes should not be worth the purchase. This was the only way to place them out of the reach of corruption. Mr. PHILLIPS believed that the people of Man chester were desirous of the privilege.of representation, but desirous at the same time that the elective franchise should only be given to persons rated at 151. or 201. a year. This regulation would give a number of voters amounting to from five to seven thousand. • Lord ALTHO RP recalled .the House in the true state of the question, which was, whether Penryn should be disfranchised, not whether the tight-of sending Members should be transferred to Manchester or elsewhere ? Mr. Waasurrow and Mr. Alderman WAIT/MAN severally sup ported the amendment. Mr. CANNING thought it a better, safer, and juster course to extend the franchise to the adjacent hundreds. Different degrees of offence required different degrees of punishment. Enough had• been proved to make it imperative upon them not to leave the franchise in its fitrmer state; but there had been no proof of suck a proportion of corrupt voters as to justify total dis franchisement. Upon a case like the present, the mind of one man would f rm a different opinion from that of another; it was a case entirely for individual judgment. The House was engaged in a judicial proceeding, and every man's vote ought to be given'as it he were giving verdict. The unanimous vote of the Committee formed a strong prima facie case, which it did not re quire strong evidence to e.tablish, but which it should have required strong evidence to overturn. lie should be compelled to give a verdict of guilty, but not to the extent of taking the franchise entirely away from those who had exercised it innocently, on account of those who were guilty. He must therefore support the Bill of the Honourable Gentleman; but in saying this, be was very far from denying the power to create a new repre.entation in such a case, fur instance, as that of Grampound ; and he agreed with the Noble Lord, that if a new representation were created, the ancient landmarks ought to be attended to. If they weie , to assenkto the amendment of the Noble Lord, they wo uld ' get into a very inconvenient position. 'They could nor hope to conclude the business this Session. They ought, if possible, to proceed simultaneously, in creating she vacuity in the representation, and in tilling it up. Mr. 1-10BHOUSE took an entirely different vier of the subject from that of the Right Hon. Gentleman. He would rasher reject the Bill altogether than agree to it in its present state. Lord MILTON and Mr. llositsuu mutually explained. Mr Wyss supported the original clause. Lord Sauriou, Mr. Woo°, and Mr. hLaasnact., severally spoke in favour of the amendment. Mr. W. LAMI opposed it. Lord RA DiCIAFFE assured the -Right Hon. Gentle man that he was desirous of obtaining his g rod o e inion. He admired the liberal principles of the Right Hon. Gentleman, who had said on a former eccataon that he should be a friend to Parliamentary Reform when any practical good could be ribtained. This was a case in which practical good might be obtained, and his hope was that the Right Hon. Gentleman would vote fur the amendment. _ _ Sir J.NEWPORT thought there never was a stronger case of corruptiqn than that before the House. He should vote for the proposition of his Noble Friend. Mr. BROUGHAM was desirou. of calling theatten tion of the Committee to the main question before them, and also point out what it was they ought to exclude from discussion. They were compelled by facts to as sume the guilt of Penryn, and the only luestion was whether they should disfranchise the Voters, and give the Hundred the benefit, or disfranchise them generally ? If they had done no wrong, why let in, in add.tion to the 500 votes (who, by the way, had been increased to that number from two hundred), the two thousand from its neighbouring Hundreds ? The answer was, they had proved themselves unworthy to enjoy that privilege. if he voted for the Motion of the Mem ber for Leicester, he put an end to the question at once, and by voting for his Noble Friend's motion, he only prepared the canvas for a picture of Reform. The ne-' cessary sketch might be made at leisure, and the whole finished in a proper manner. He should vote for the general disfranchisement. Mr. S. BOURNE could not support the proposition of the Noble Lord. His idea of justice would not per mit him to take the elective franchise from five or six hundred persons, when it did not appear that bribery had extended to more than one half of that number of voters.—The Committee then divided : For the Amendment Fur the Motion - 124 62 Majority against the Motion - —55 The Amendment WAS consequently cartted.—The Report of Supply was brought up, and the Resolutions agreed to. Mr.W. &MI l'H said he had abstained from opposing many of the Estimates, in the hope that next Session of Parliament a more rigid economy would be adopted. 1 ? I 1 1 1 t li / • ' I l i !i 1 ~ , t , I v .. . , I ilt ll t • isi . ' i l l:1 l' ' • ' it t . .6 V k r •2'l , s . , . .t . ..: \.. . , • - , . • •• ; ,;.....-1--.:..-5r...• s_ Sfanbory by Ur. object in•titki wee to give his issppisri.fsitissmnivid- ember for Panrin anent et , thiAoble Lord—(Hept)--whose taistenys Dyed as his agent, bad convinced hime kie hoped ;: however, ' th ' if:•th'e set its eyes to she proposiiion of the Nob& Liird was adnOted, ht'wkeld to the Hon. Mem. confßrylie elective fra t richive in-Manchester Lc/persons into the rapresen- rated at 201. for the poor rates. He had seen sufficient son extraordinary reason for this plan in Southwark, where the system' Without knowing worked well and fairly. mines, he had gone Lord MILTON thought they ought to look at the rn—(A laugh and wealth and population of a place before they admitted ELECTION EXPENSES BILL. Lord ALTHORIa moved the third reading of the Election Expenses Bill. Mr. CALCHAFT was under the necessity of opposing the Bill. He considered it a very extranidinari mode of disfranchising many persons, under pretence of spating expense. By the provisions of the Bill no Coun sellor, Attorney, Agent, Poll Clerk, Flag-man, or Musi-, ciao, who had taken remuneration for services could vote. Col"urs were tint to be used, and every election was to be carried on in a puritanical way, which must destroy all the gaiety, spirit, and independent feeling which had so long distinguished elections. It might be said that persons who acted as agents and poll clerks should not vote at elections, but it would be difficult to fiod persons ready to enter into the interest of the Can didates at Elections without a compensation. It was a reflection on Gentlemen at the Bar to say, that taking a fee deprived :hem of their votes. Mr. H. GURNEY strongly opposed the Bill. He did not wish to adopt hash Legislation. Ile considered g it nothing short of lolly to make an Englit'Election as kmtpe a a meeting of Methnd;sts. The N. n. 1t m. bey concluded by moving the Bill be read v third time this day Si: Months. . Mr. S. RICE supported the Bill. Sir R. WILSON also spoke to support of the Mt The sena of riot which occurred during the election at Coventry were ovra. sinned by carrying tags, colours, sad ribaads. Mr. GORDON opposed tie 13111. Lord ALTER/RP having 4efeaded the laeware, the H aw divided—. For the Third Beading , . . For the Amendsong • lo Majority for the BM . . • it was accordingly read the third tit h e sad passed. Mr. Hussies obtained lea's to bring in a BM to tarry It o t a t the Treaty with Brasil, on the subject of Trade. The other Orden of the Dap were ritipsesd, sod t i t , H ow adjourned at HALT-raw Ova (tail*. THI4I EVENING STAR. LONDON. TUESDAY, MAY 29, ISM KUSG CAA's... 11. Rerfoliza—Houpay Al 7111 EAn. STOCK EXCHANGE, TWELVE O'CLOCX Ms is a holiday, and the Bank and Royal Exclungeare sine, but, British and Foreign markets are open. C onsols oyeno thM aasaa g ag at 831 for the Account, an d f or money at ali ; nu e Mai data are buyers at the above prices, with little doin g at premstemaln the Foreign market they are making up their A t . counts for to.morrow, which is teeing day. CITY, FOUR O'CLOCK. There Ins been a rise in the Como! market of about per Cent. and (umols are at 1131 to 64 for the Account. YbRRICIN FUNDS, TWO O'CLOCK. rwomhbm Bowls, 6 p Ct. Gr. 11d5.11125.5 p CLIO{ Ditto 11d5,1824, 5t 1 Do. Acct. 16i 10. Act t. 31} Mex. f1d%11195,6 p Ct. 631 I I hnish lid.. 3 p et. Do. Acct. 631 Ditto Acct.6li Russ. litls, 1c52.5pC.91i a reek Bonds, 5 p Ct. Ditto Account 921 Do. Acct. Span. Bds 5 p Ct. Hi LIRITISH AND FOREIGN SH A RF-8, TWO O'CLOCK. MAIM Palo. Anglo Mexican iOO 80 7.0 frazilian • 100 Y 0 .221 Potosi La Paz & Perot. Awn. 15 5 aEI it,El Ils Piave Fusin, MAT t 6 The per Cents. 1001. 63c.--Tiree per Cents. 70f. 65c.—Baok Stock, 2,045 f. 60c.—Reotes de Naples, 77f 80c. AUSTRIAN FUNDS, Vitinct, MAY ft. Metalliqua 90 7-16.—Sank Shams 1089.. We have received New York and other Americus Papers to the 9th inst. They contain no news of gnus% interest. The appointment of Mr. CANNING as Prime Minister was already known, lent :we cannot discover what sensation it had produced. A Philadelphia Paper of the 2J inst.bas the following remarks : " Our trade with Pens has for some time past leen corroder• able, under circumstances very disadvantageous to both merchant' and manufacturers, as higher duties are Imposed on American cat• ton goods than those of European. By the Proclamation, it ty. pears that after the first week in September the dudes are to tit equalized, and that American merchants will be entitled to eatu mato fair competition with the British." Extract of a letter from Caracas, of the Stb April:—"A Spode handbill, dated April 2, has been published, under the bead d White. Flag, and signed One of Slay; in which it states tie adoption of the Bolivian Constitution given to Peru Is attempt* recommended, as the only refuge of Columbia from political ship. wreck.—Bolivar is aiming plainly at the Dictatotsbip—say,thal he is already Dictator, making laws and ptoelainations to 'Mkt own views, and the Constitution appears to be laid aside. Tie troops in the interior are deserting daily with their aneroid fox ming themselves into small parties. •* In the neighbourhood of Barcelona theNegroca are reportedn be in open revolt. The tonnage duty, which bentofore was ali a real per ton on Colombian, American, and Bnglesh vessels, ban been raised to two teak per ton." stow Tilt NEW TOLL DAILY •D7lillTlSti Of *AT & " We learn from a Gentleman who has just arrived Imes Es Janeiro, in the Manorve, that tharplace is in a most deplersils condition. The brig Spark, of this port, was seized by the Gone► meat, all her armament taken out, and thee permitted to sail. 71st night previous to her departure, a steatn.hoat was dispatched telly wait, and on the succeeding day, attacked and captured her, code the Piratical Laws. Mr. Baguet, the American Consul-Geocrd4 upon expoetulating with the Minister of Marine, was cm* insulted. He had demanded ►is papers and passport, and esPectcd to have taken passage on board the U. S. frigate United States, bat missing het, be is now waiting for the corvette Cyan , . C4 OlO Meows, of the Buenos Ayres squadron, had captured nine eat oil Sett of sixteen Mexican vessels, and the remainder would !mohair share the same fate." We received this morning Hambargh Papers to the 26th instant, their contents are devoid of political ie. terest. It appears front an article undei the head of Stockholm, that extreme scarcity, with its usual coact. askant sickness, prevails in some parts of Sweden. At a place called Wenersberg, to such a state of starratios are the inhabitants reduced, that they are obliged to - • use ground bones and chopped straw, with a Mil' cure* of elder flowers, as a. substitute for bread CO.ra The fare of a Swedish 'peasant' is generally very hard, not from morals causes, but from the sterility of the greater part of the soil, and the rigour of the climate alone; yet,no where is the peasant more patient, and,apoa the whole, more contented. The bread he eosin the best of times, consists of a mixture of rye, straw, and the bark of a tree ; yet the peasantry are a fine race of melt, and their patriotism, in the more confined, as well as the more etslarged,acceptation of the word, is proverbial. Their present sufferings (because they must be of an intense kind La .extract from them a complaint) ne well worthy of active sympathy—particularly as the, ar e threatened with a repetition of the present famine, ba t ' ing been obliged to consume their seed corn. Susedo , intellec tualarticle, 15 2 wants, L.nca notwithstanding her poverty, is not indifferent t o ti' dren are instructed. Some notion of bee trade may b e s h te a l v i tg “ ,a h s oo w l e s, learn from the rot obtained from the following accoun in t o w f h t i ls c e h iron exported for the last four years : Ship lbs. stir! 1823. 1824 373,892 1828.... lA , e It sar observed for some time past, that a done • the per:mend of the Russian Administration has bee e oing on without noise ; but whether this be an cod istion of a chang • of policy we cannot say. We air q97antitcly9oll‘ .....sst,so - I ,TeT do Pal Sem A bon, item . Pa -WOW' rail sots xo ! the the Tte eet stai 'oh its ccc pot any WOI .101 0551 etia, wei, ceiv from G.O Diet date eilve bun a ti are mg 1 the 1 of C four, ?rasa Marl Deb stalk After =am Yak Dak dinar WAI *0 di by 11 to di Mar, teed, Very iiket the 26 Itti the the Pet tie ofl