Star. — London, England, 1826-12-02 00:00:00

, t IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, Deczsass 1. 4. . 41g. The Earl of Locale and Viscount Mavnaan took the oaths and their seats. Nr. Coarse, iron the Treasuryepresented at the Bat an ac count of the price et Wheat, from 1646 doo n to thu latest time. Thli return was made pursuant tivan order of the House. Ot the motion of the Eat I of SBA rrusuar, the House adjourned at lauhaeali tan Foua o'Csoca to Monday. r HOUSE OF COMMON& Dr. Lossunorat and Mr. Jamas BROVOINAK, Members for the Through of Tregony, and Mr. Vnunas Samar, Member for the County of Waterfall, took the oaths and - their seats. Mr. FLERK presented Copies of the Raantions of the Court of.Directon of the Bast India Company as to Pensions.—Ordered to be printed. The Private Bills before the House were forwarded in their re. speetive stages. Petitions complaining of undue Flections for the Borough of Denbigh, the Boronghs of Crail, &c. the City of Kilkenny, and the Borough of Athlone, were beterally presented and ordered to be taken into consideration. Mr. SPENCE gaye notice of his (retention to move for an Ac count of the state of Business before the Law Side of the Court of Exchequer, on Wednesday next. Lord MILTON presented a Petition from Mr. Thomas Flana gan, of the County of Sligo, praying the House to take into its con sideration the situation of Irish Corporate Towns, with a view to Impose some check upon the growing impostures and abuses berein.—.Laid on the table. Lord MILIAN presented Petitions from BraZford and Kild wick, in the County of York, prayins for a Repeal of the Corn Laws.—Laid en the table. Mr. A BERCROMBY moved for a Return of Copies of any application made to the Lords of his Majesty's Treasury, and any Co rrespoadence thereon, respecting the circulation of One Pound Notes of the Banks of Scotland in the Counties adjoining Scotland. Lord FOLKSTONE said, that if there was any Member of the Government present who could answer the question, be wished to ask whether it was meant to have a Committee again this year upon the subject of the Currency ?—The motion was agreed to. Mr. Alderman WAITHSIAN gave notice, that on Tuesday • meat, he should submit a motion to the House, for an inquiry into ' •the Arigna Mining Company, and some other Companies with which sonic Hon. Members of that House had been et:inflected. Mr. SHOO DEN wished to take that opportunity of correcting a mistake which had been crude respecting what passed in the Houle last night upon this subject. He desired to ask the Hon. Alderman, whether a part of a report of those proceedings which had gone abroad to-day, in the way by which their proceedings were known to be made public, was not incorrect. It was repre sented that the worthy Alderman had stated. that he informed him (Mr. Brogden) that he intended to delay bringing forward the sobject until after the recess, and that such delay met his approval. .11e appealed to the Hon. Alderman to say whether be bad not ex-, ,pressed his disapprobation of any delay whatever. avow thanked m for having axed the business for an early day. Mr. Alderman WAITH nAN said be had not seen the report, buck* did not say that the Hon. Member consented to the delay. What be said was, that some Hon. Members bad wished him to postpone bringing futward the matter until after the recess, and that kr dial it to silt no convenience of his own. He should now ect upon his own judgment, and proceed on Tuesday next. Mt. HUME presented a Petition from Manchester, signed by wiveril thousand persons assembled at a public Meeting, the pro ceedings of which were highly decorous and orderly, praying for an alteration of the Corn Laws. He agreed with the Petitioners that an inquiry ought to take place without delay. It bad been said that the present was not the proper time for dealing with the ques tion, because there were not sufficient Members in town. Upon referring to the honks, be found that above 450 Memberehad been sworn, and he thought that half that number would be enough tis *conduct the inquiry, if they would give it their attention. Sir It. FE It G USSON supported the prayer of the Petition, and would oppose his humble protest against the conduct of Ministers in assembling Parliament at this period of the year, and then allow ing it to se/satire without having said one word upon the Corn Laws. When the Parli .ment was toseneded in the month of November, at a time when the country was suffering the must severe distress, the poor nisnuf 'cancers expected that the object was to do some. thing for their relief ; but instead of that, it appeared that the only object of Pslit.isters was to protect and indemnity themselves against the consequences of the only one -sf - their measures which ever had the unanimous support of the country. lie protested against the House being allowed to separate for three months without an investigation of this important question. Mr. W. HARVEY said that he differed front the opinion ex pressed by the Hon. Member, as to the conduct of Ministers in postponing a con•ideration of dus question of the Corn Laws for the present. If they had brought forward measures in reference to that question during the present sitting of the House, they would have allowed no time for the country to have expressed Its opinion by Meetings and Petitions, either on one side of the question or the other. By the postponement they gained an opportunity of know. lag what the real sober 'opinion and wishes of the people were, and he hoped the time would not be allowed to elapse without all classes of the community giving their attention to the subject, and expretsing their opinion one way or the other by Petition to that 110 »L. Mr. HUMR had forgotten to state that, besides an alteration of the Gem Laws, the Petitioners prayed relief by an application of Church property to the wants of the nation, by a sale of Crown lands, and by a Reform in Parliament.—Ordered to be printed. Mr. W. HARVEY moved for a Return of the Number of Crown .Debeers confined in the d.ffarent Gaols, distinguishing the name of *each Gaol, site.—O. dered. Also for a lietwo of the Number of Petitions presented to he Commissioners of Excise for the return of Auction Duties within site last sevat years, distinguishing draw which had been disposed of. M. NUMB rose, and began some observations upon the Excise,' The SPEAKER said, "The 'notion Is not seconded; does Mon. Member mean to wood the motion r Mr. 1M131X.- 44 Yes, Sir, I second the motion." The Him. Member was proceeding with some complaints against the Excise, when Mr. W. HARVEY rose to order. The quertion of the Enloe, which be intended to submit, was not yet before the House— ( A laugh). The SPEAKER said, be did net stop the Honourable Member, because be !Ltd too much confidence in him to suppose that he would undertake to second a motion without knowing what it was. —Returns ordered. Mr. CHICHESTER presented a Petition from the Catholics of Wezford, praying that they should be relieved from certain dis abilities.—Laid on the-table. Mr. HRR It lES moved the Order of the Day for going Into a Committee of Supply. CURRENCY AND CORN LAWS. Lord VOLE - STONE repeated his question, as to whether it was , the intention of Government to have another Committee upon the Currency and Small Notes Act, or to take any measures upon the Report of the last. Mr. HUSICISSON said he was not prepared to give an answer. Lord FOLKSTONE then said, that he should take the present opportunity, which he had a perfect right to do, the question being one of Supply, of calling the attention of the House to the situation in which it was placed in respect to the question of the Currency. He knew not upon what ground the Government refused to enter into the great questions which the present distracted state of the country requited to be ex amined, or why the House were to sit there for no thing. He believed that Parliament had been sum moned at no time without being called upon to give their attention to some measure of the Government, or to remedy some grievances of the people.— The.present was a period when the people were avow edlyttn a state of the utmost distress, and i hen that distriss was accompanied by an alarming deflee of ex citation upon the subject of the Corn Laws, the Go vernment had expressed their determination not to declare whit measures they intended to adopt until after the tecess. lie believed they had so determined, and for a very good teason—they did not know what those measures were. He believed that the real cause of their silence W S. that they did not know what their measures would be. They had heard a great deal of blustering the other night, about a fixed determination not to be provokedinto discussion ; but although the Ministers said they had made up their minds upon the, question, he believed they said so untruly. One Hon Gentleman had said that the House ought to give the people 11 time .to petition, its order to ascertain their opinions. .• supposed the Hon. Member meant that when the petitions came, the numbers must be told, and Parliament be guided in its decision by the tesult. When the agitation which pervaded Vie whole country . was considered, and when it was remembered that the bitter animosities raised by this question would not sub side until its final settlement, it was trifling with the feelings of the country to say that it must be postponed because this was not the proper season. He remembered the time, although it was before he had a seat in that House, when Parliament met and sat in November and December, upon that very question; a d only a few years ago, when, many who now sat in the House were present, the Six Acts were discussed and passed in the same season. He begged now to recal the attention of the House to the state in which ie stood in respect to t • Currency of the country. The Right Hon. Gentleman said, that he was not ready to answer the question, whether the Committee which last year sat upon the Carrency and Small. Note Acts was to be re-appointed, or whether any measures were intended to be brought in by the Government, in pursuance to the report of that Committee. Now, he took it for granted, from the situation which the Right Hon. Gentleman filled, and from the 'important share he had taken in this queition, that it was impossible for the Government to have any intentions in respect'to it, Without his know ing what they were. He thought, therefore, that after what passed last year, Ministers had treated the country and the House in a most discreditable manner. Let them recoil ct what were the circumstances of the country when the Parliament last met. It was in a situation which had been described by the Right Hon. .Gentleman himself, or One of his colleagues, as within 48 hours of returning to a state of bat ter, which was that state of things when no rights of property were respected, when no property was safe, and the strongest possessed themselves of whatever they chose to seize. And all that was attributed, and very properly, as he thought, to the state of the currency of the country. The Ministers lost no time in bringing forward a Bill for putting a termination, at a particular period, to the issue of one-pound notes. _This measure was proposed up'n principle, and suppoited by himself and many other Gentlemen who did not usually support the Government. But it had not passed the Legislature, nay, it had not passed through that House in which it originated, before it was so altered, that the principles on which it pro fessed to be founded were materially departed from.— The House should bear in mind, that the last being a Session preceding the dissolution of Parliament, all its business was hurried on with such precipitation, that not even the Corn Question could be entertained. Under these circumstances a Commit:ee was appointed to enquire into the state of the law nr,en the subject, and that Committee reported the result of its labours to the House. Flom the circumstances which he had men tioned, he did not think the 11;port had been well canvassed by the House. It recommended that the measure should not at present be extended to Scot land end Ireland, and yet one of the reasons which had been ad vanced by the Right lion. Gentleman for restoring a golden circu lation, and abolishing that el paper, was, that it would replace the labouring poor, as well of the agricultural as the manufacturing classes, to their former situation of security. He thought tile Committee had nut sufficiently imrestigated this part pf the vies. tion, and particularly with respect to Ireland, which had been left without any alteration of the law, which placed the poor man in a state of insecurity. Ile apprehended that bad as was the situation of this country, the people of Ireland were no more at ease, and no fteer from distress than our own population. And now it ap peared that this important question, upon which aU other questions. and panicnlarly the Corn question turned, was to be left in this imperfect state; that they were to be contented with this imper fect knowkdge upon the subject, and that his Majesty's Ministers were not prepared to take any further measuresin regard to it.— He did not see what reason there was fur this delay in the face of the sufferings and wants of the country, but he should detain the House no longer than to declare that he protested against it. Mr. HUSKISSON said, the Noble Lurd had assumed, from the answer which be had given upon being ques tioned as to whether it was the intention of his Majesty's Ministers to appoint another Committee to enquire into the state of the Currency Laws, or to props se any mea sure founded on the Report of the Committee which sat last year, a great deal more than that answer pro-' perly contained or at all implied. The Noble Lord I asked him whether it was the intention of the Govern ment to renew that Committee, or if not, whether it was meant that any steps should be taken upon the Report which it had made ? His answer was, that he was not in a state to inform the Noble Lord whether his Majes ty's Government did intend either to appoint another Committee, or to recommend any particular measure is the House founded on the Report. From this the Noble Lord chose to infer—and, as he thought, most unwarrantably to infer—that no steps whatever had been taken upon the Report, and that the Committee would not be renewed. He would say again, in answer to the Noble Lord'sciestion, that his Majesty's Govern ment had not had an opportunity of taking into their consideration all the matters connected with the im portant question of the currency of the oenintry t eand that he was not now prepared to say what steps they should hereafter take in regard to 'it.. It, as particularly with respect to Ireland, on which the Noble Lord had so particularly dwelt, that he was not prepared to answer such a question. It was necessary that they should first wait for the proper information to be supplied 6y those who were able to collect it, as to the state of the circulation of that country, and the effect of the new measures which had been introduced, before they could be prepared to adopt any further change. Again, when a Report had been made at the end of a Session, involving questions'of great public importance, was it so surprising that ten days after the nest meeting of and a Parliament called together fur a special purpose un connected with the subject, the Government should not be prepared to say what were the measures to be taken upon such sr Report? The Noble Lord, indeed, bad said, and great indeed was 'his surprise tu hear such senti ments from one who professed so high an attachment to the rights of the subject and the liberties of the people— that he did not see what the Parliament should have been assembled for at all, if not to discuss the questions of the Currency and the Cotn Laws. Why, he would tell the Noble Lord, that, in deference to the Constitu tion and the Laws, his Majesty's Ministers considered that having advised bis Majesty to break the law, it became them to lose no time in subjecting their conduct to the impartial judgment of the House of Commons. They had always understood—but perhaps his Lord ship would inform them if they were wrong—that it was their duty, when circumstances had induced them to break the law, to lose no time in calling upon Par liament to affirm or break down the state of things which they had substituted in its place. They thought they should have been wanting in their duty if, having advised his Majesty to break the law, they had not also advised him to call Parliament together at the earliest opportunity, to sit in judgments sposi an act so hostile ih its nature to the most sacred provisions of the Consti lotion? Whatever might be the Noble Lord's opinion, he thought it would not be a matter of surprise to the country, or to the majbri:y of that House, that Ministers .had assembled Parliament for such a purpose, and that they did not think the present time calculated for the consideration of a great and permanent measure for the settlement of the Corn Laws of this country. The pre sent was in no respect a convenient period for the dis cussion of such a question. The Noble Lord was aware that this was the first meeting of the new Parliament, and although they were assembled in the middle of Novem ber, yet there were forms and preliminary business in a new Parliament which occupied a considerable por tion of time, and many Hon. Members who had not been in the House before,requircd to become acquainted with the form and method of its proceedings. It would not, therefore, have been fair either to the country or to the Parliament, to have brought forward a question of such importance with any thing like precipitation. The Noble Lord had said he was persuaded that the assertion of Ministers, when they declined to state what their measures were, was only a pretext ; that they had , not made up their minds to any plan—and that their having no plan was the reason why they did not now .propose it. He could only say, on the contrary, that they were agreed as to what regulations would be pro. .per for st permanent system of Corn Laws for the coun try. As to what the Noble Lord had said about the divided state of the country, and his recollection of the time when Parliament sat at this season of the year to discuss the same subject—that he took to be beside the question altogether. Under the pressure of an irresisti ble necessity they had advised the Crown to exercise a power beyond the law, and Parliament were now called together to say whether that advice was pro perly given or not. Of all times for the discussion of the Corn Laws, then, he thought that that must be the most inconvenient when the question must be mixed up with another :growing out of an act of tem porary expediency. They were now properly sitting upon the latter question, but as to any measure for the final arrangement of the former, he again repeated, that the present was pot a time when it could be under. taken with any degree of propriety. He agreed with those who thought the question of the Currency one which must be looked at in its proper time; but he would ask whether two such questions as that and the arrangements of the Corn Laws, besides the common business connected with all the great interests of the country, ought to be undertaken in the first sitting of a new Parliament opened on the Bth or 10th of Novem ber ?—(Hear.) He would put it to the House, whether they were not acting much more wisely by deferring it to the usual season when business of such importance was entertained—(Hear). The Noble Lord had re proached him with not having restored to the labouring poor of Scotland that security, by the abolition of small notes, which had been afforded to the same class in this country. The Noble Lord had defied. him to shew that it could produce any other effects as affecting the agri cultural labourer of Scotland than those which it must produce in England. Perhaps the Noble Lord would allow himself to be asked how they were to get rid of the difficulty of procuring witnesses so •shew how the agricultural labouring interest of Scotland were affected by the withdrawing of a gold circulation, and the substitution of a paper currency: The diffieulty was to And persons old enough to remember the change. With respect to that part of the Noble Lord's complaints, he apprehended that be should have been very heartily laughed at if be had asked such a question in the Com mittee. He did not consider it necessary to go further into the sub jests which had beim adverted to by the Noble Lord urn this, occasion. He was sure that neither the country nor the majority of that House would consider that his Majesty's Minhters bad been wanting in their duty in not bringing forward the questions of the Currency and the Corn Laws, or either et these questions sepa rately. at this particular period-.-(Hear). Mr. DAVENPORT, jun. said, that if no Hon. Mem. ber of greater experience than himself should under take the subject, he should feel it his duty to draw the attention of the House to some particulars in the state of the Currency at an (early period. Colonel TORRENS apprehended that there would be a great scarcity before the Spring was over, and on that account he was not sorry to see the general question of the Corn Laws postponed, as the eyes of men would then be more open ts the great mischief accruing from the state of those laws. Mr. J. BENETT (of Wiltshire) objected to the postponement of the question for the very reason that the Hon. and Gallant Colonel seemed to approve it, namely, the probability of such a contingency in the I Spring as would raise the price of corn to an unnatural standard, and produce a clamour in the nation; which, whether It originated with the People—the House—or Ministers—was always Inimical to fair discussion. On the motion of Mr. Hume, the House then re- solved itself into a Committee of Supply, when the sums of 5,000,00 W. and 10,000,0001. were voted to his Ma jesty.—The low tone of voice in which the Vote was put from the Chair, prevented our catching the particular allotment of the sums. We conceive, however, it was the natal vote for pay. ingot/ Exchequer Rills. The House tbe•' resumed, and the Report was ordered to he re ceived on Mondry nest. Sir A. GRANT brought up the Report on the Corn Indemnity Rill. axeue PILOSICILITIONS. Mr. D. W. HARVEY rose, pursuant to notice, to bring forward his motion relative to prosecutions for a breach of the Excise Laws. When this subject had been brought by him under the consideration of the House many years since, these prosecutions suddenly decreased from the average of 700 to 250 per annum, making a saving to the revenue of SOOk or 4001. on each person. He now wanted to ascertain in what degree they had increased or diminished since 1820; for he should be much surprised to find that there was not, as soon as Parliament had ceased to inspect the proceedings of those individuals, a very considerable recurrence to old practices, more especially when two such strong in. ducements presented themselves to the informer as the ruin of another man, and the furtherance of his own in-, terests. He had also a second motion with respect to the practice of the Courts of Exchequer; it appeared to him that while the Courts of King's Bench and Com mon Pleas were overburthened with business, the Court of Exchequer was little more than a receptacle for legal sinecures. With respect also to the equity jurisdiction of that Court, he thought a good deal of the business with which tke Court of Chancery was burthened, might be given to that Court, and so remove muck of the public odium which at present attached to the former. He concluded by moving for an account of the total number of Informations filed in the Court of Exchequer under the Excise Laws, from the years 1820 to 1826; specifying the amount of costs in each case, whether they had occurred before or after the verdict, Stc. kc. :Aod another motion fir a return of the munber of causes tried in the Court of Exchequer during the last seven years. sped. lying those tried is the Equity Court, and what causes yet remained undecided. _ _ Mr. HUME seconded the motion. He thought it would be well if; when people wcte found guilty o offences ag tinst those laws, they should lie at the los s of the money they ha,' spent in defending tMem.elvt•t• but whets, as was frequently the case, they proved to be torito r innocent, let the Crown pay the eon', as was the cas'e its a similAt dispute betetern individuals 'Mr. LOCKHART agreed that this would he the fairest course s provided the Judge should Certify that there was n o cause for filing the information. Mr. SPNCE did not life the moti , n o f the Hon. Member with respect to the Cou r t of 4:chequer ; th e number of causes tried would not gi ve a per f ect i des of the practice of the Court, wi t ho u t stat i ng how lo ng t h e Court had been occupied in hearing interlocutory e l) , dons. He hoped at a future time to be enabled to an iko out gome mode of arriving at a more perfect conception of the business of the Court i but, In the Mean time, the only objection he had to the motive, of the Hon. Gent. was its imperfection, which at present be was unable to suggest a remedy for. The Motions were put and carried. ELECTIVE ERANCIIISE. Lord NUGENT said, he had given notice of a moti,-41 for a Return oldie different Q.illifications under Voters for Counties, Cities, and Boroughs, exercised their elective franchise; and that the return should distingiii.sh the non-resident voters, and the honorary, from the actual Freemen of Cities and l33roughs. Technical nb. jectic,ns had been made to the production of the Return, although it would have been a document of great utility. He should, however, beg leave to postpone the notice of the motiot., and he would bring it forward on the earliest opportunity. RETURNS OE PURFION CORN. Mr. HUSKISSON said, that it was always his desire to afford the House every information which its Mem bers might require; but he was under the nece,sity of moving to discharge the Orders of Tuesday last, fir producing the Accounts relative to Foreign Corn. That motion involved a principle entirely novel, and very in. convenient to the business of the House. It had n t only called for information and documents, but it went to pledge the House to certain statements and inferences which might not be fairly deducible from the docu ments, when they were obtained. Either the informa tion already before the House warranted the proposition which these Resolutions involved, and the docunie its were unnecessary, or the proposition should not be made till the inform stion had been produced. One Return was of Wheat and Flour exported and imported between certain dates, " being the period of our greatest export." This involved the proposition that the period in ques tion was that of our greatest export. This mielit or might not be true. Another Return was for Wheat, Rye, Barley and Oats, imported into England between 1806 and 1813, 44 being the years in which the trade with the Baltic was abolished. In fact we had a very considerable trade to the Baltic in those years, although that trade might be more or less as the different ports happened to boor not to be in the bands of the enemy. One Return was to extend from the years 1766 to 1796. • ..th inclusive, " omitting the years 1795 and 1796." What was this but a Return to the year 1795 exclusive? The whole mode of calling for information pursued in this motion was irregular, and most inconvenient. Mr. E. WODEHOUSR assured the Right Has. Gentleman (Mr. Huskisson) that he meant not to ire puce to him any thing like a desire to withhold in. formation from the House; en the contrary, he had found that Right Hon. Gentleman, and those engaged in 64 department, most ready to afford the greatest assist ance to these who applied to them—(ll•Jr, hear). But, in making that declaration, be hoped he should not in. car the chArge of taking unfair means of obtaining information—(Hear, hear). He had many reasons fur introducing his motion, not the least important of which was, that he was in the habit of acting with a set of Gentkmen who possessed. such a vast dr. gree of constitutional laziness, that unless a point was placed before them in such a clear and tangible shape, that it covld not escape them, it was almost impossible to make them attend to it—(Hear. and a laugh). The Hon. Member, after some further explAna deo of the grounds upon which be made his motion, concluded by observing, that in consequence of a communication with the RI& Hon. `Gentleman, he bad now that motion in his hand in a amended form and ho hoped it would receive his (Mr. Hinkle sean'conslderlitloa between this and Monday, when, if not op posed, he should again propose it. Mr. HUSKISSON said he should be most happy to read over the Hon. Member's Resolutions; and he as sured him, that if he made any alteration in them, it would be with a view to extend rather than to curtail inform**. (Hear). The order was discharged, and The Howe adjourned till to-morrow (vats nay). THE EVENING STAR. LONDON. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2,1826. STOCK EXCHAgGR, TWELVE O'CLOCK. Consols, which left of yesterday at $3l fir the Account, opened this morning at an to 64 for vise Account, with a steady muter; dace *hick they may be quoted at 64 to 1, and $3l for Money. — The reports that the French and English Ambassadors are gobs to leave Madrid, has a sensible effect on the Canso' market, or so doubt Consols would have considerably improved. _ _ . In the Foreign market, there has 'bee; a panic in Colombian Bends this morning, and they have fallen live per Cent. yesterday they were done at 423, and this morning at 371 1, caused by the dreadful state of Colombia, and no money easing over. Currenfprices : Old Spanish 1311. Mexicans 011, Colombian SS 1, Minds 37/ 34, Russian S 7/, Greek 15$ IP. Bissau Shares 15 )5. PRICE OF STOCKS AT FOUS O'CLOCKs Bank Stock 202 1 4 3 per Cent. Red. 82% % 3 per Cent. Cons. 83 % 34 sh 31 per Cent. 88% 31 per Cent. Red. KM 34 4 per Cent. New 98 3 / 4 3 / 4 4 per Cent. 1826, 97 3 / 4 Long Ann. 19 3 / 4 V it India Stock 249 248 £l,OOO Excheq. Bills IS 19 £5OO ditto 18 19 ClOO and £2OO ditto 19 91 Coos. for Ditto 837$ 84 3 / 4 Accounts from Paris state, that the Cabinet of Ma drid have received information that the English Gavel a- ment are going to prepare a naval force to take pos session of the Islands of the Canaries and Balearics, 10 detain them until the Spanish Government repays the debt due to England, in the year 18211 ; in consequence of which, orders have been given to put these Waists la state of defence. The following articles are from the Germ's ral'e n received this morning : ST. PgTLItSBUItGH , NOVICKSIS 4. We have before mentioned an Imperial decree of sbc l7th August last. which abolishes that branch of Tbe I