Star. — London, England, 1820-06-01 00:00:00

With regard to the issuing of neik- Exchequer Bills, the Right Hon. Gentleman apprehended that the Honourable Member was led 'into a misconception regarding them, by confounding two separate sulfa, whieth_tletrghyery distinct in themselves, happened "t/5 Ne`of - the same amount. Upon the whole, the amount of Exchequer Bills outstanding and unpro .'tg for, for the present year, would be less by ten millions and a half than the amount of those in the preceding year.. Mr. MABERLEY complained that the questions • asked of the Right Honourable Gentleman were not distinctly answered. He would put-one to him in a special pleading way—What was the amount of the Exchequer Bills voted for 1819, unsold on the sth January, 1820? The Honourable Gentleman again repeated his statements, and contended that his cal-' colatiors were correct, and those of the Right Hon.' Gentleman erroneous. • Mr.MARTIN moved for an account of Exchequer gills paid in the present year, and the amount of those unprovided for. Mr. PEARCE assured the Honourable Gentle man who had complained of the mariner in which in dividuals had been admitted to the Subscription Book, that the Directors of the Bank had taken every pre caution in order that the utmost regularity and fair ness should prevail. • Mr. J. SMITH stated, that some years ago suspi elbus of improper conduct in the mode of funding Exchequer Bills having been entertained, a Com mittee bad been moved to inquire into the subject. He pat it to the House whether respectable persons could engage, in such manccuvres? Mr. GRENFELL stated, that by a former ar rangement, six millions of balances, in the hands of the`Bank, were to be subtracted and applied to the public service: He now understood,, that instead of it, the sum subtracted had been £6,600,000. The increasing deficiency in the produce of the Consoli dated Fund was a blot in our Financial Accounts.— hie confe,sed that there was somelhing unintelligible iu the mode in which matters were managed. Ile understood that every Quarter a certain sum was borrowed from the Bank of England, and that the Bank repaid themselves out of the growing pro. dace. of the Consolidated Fund in the ensuing Quar., ter. He wished that some light should he thrown' on those transactions. , Mr. ELLICE understood from the statement of the Right Ilonourable Gentleman opposite, that the amount to be borrowed this year would be one mil lion and a half, besides the sums raised in Exchequer Bills, and :bore taken out of the Sinking Fund. If this were correct, he xvi,lis.•d the house should look at the permanent system of Finance which the Right flowatrahle 6entlemao had promised last year. He had then unwisely raised three millions and'* half of Taxes. Those had proved insufficient, and the country was to go on from year. to year borrowing money, without any prospect of termination to her financial difficelties.l He wished tl.lChancellOr of the Exchequer would answer the question which had been put to him, std. would_state in what manner Eichequer.Bills alluded to had found their way to the . . The CHANCPLLOE.of the t xOtr4vtit.:aid tint know to what particular Bills the Honourable Member alluded, but he believed there were. some' Exchequer Bills carried into the market which could not be paid, and which were issued at the l tinte in parsuance.of a contract for the purchase of silvei. Mr. ELLICE was not flispdsed to disapprove of any arrangement made with . a view to benefit the Public Service. He only Wished that such arrange ments should be made known to the House. Mr. MABEILLEY again asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the amount of the Bills voted fur. tine service of 1819, that remained tutsoW in January, 1820? . • The CHANCELLOR of the EXtHEQUER could not give a definitiVe answer to the question. Ht could only state, that all the Bills that had been issued, were issued for the purpose of replacing others left Outstanding and unprovided for. Mr. M A BEILLEY wished to know why the Right Honour:6:e Gentleman did not fitly. state whe the r the Exchequer Bills of 181$ bad boen made appli cable to the service . of 1819, and tly*hat amount ?: The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that the true reason why he did not make that state ment was, that he did not recollect the amount. THE NEW NOTE S. .• inqUired whether the plan adopted. for making New Bank Notes had yet been brought to its conviction? - . Mr. COURTNEY stated, that the machinery had been erected for . some time past;, :that its, opera tim was considerably advanced; . ..thatevery means was taking to forward it, and, that 'there was reason to believe every expedition would continue to be . used to carry the intended bliject into . effect. • There re areiried no•uncertainty as tb the sort of got* to be e red, That point bad been. decided: mr.t:PEARCE said, that the machinery wasinow *holly in verition,,and Aat in afeyt:ilays the new notes might be struck off. 'A s it was necessary,hOw. ever, to have a sufficient quantity of those notes tor the ttse of the Public before they should be put into circulation,' and it would take some time to prepare the quantity required, it was impossible exactly to fix the period at which they would be issued, but that would be done as soon as it was possible. Mr. BARINO" knew too well the diligence of the Bank Director% not to be convinced that every ex pedition was used. But be did not see why they should delay the issuing of the new notes ou the ground stated by the Honourable Director, as it was not intended to make at once a general exchange of the old notes Tor the new, but the circulation of the latter was to be progreislVe, as the old ones came in. Mr. MARTIN wished to know whether the Right Ikon' ° t axable Gentleman opposite would have any ob jection to lay befOre the House a copy of the Con tract for S"lvbr which he had mentioned ? • 7 The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that he should :have no objestioh totirOdUce the do cument In que.stion.., The ResigOOns vre r rehen agreed to, the Reuse resumed, and the Report Was ordered to:be received to4norroW. scorat COURT& Ili . • ; i•le• rd A. II AMILTOg repeated the question which be bad put yesterday to the Noble Lord (Castlereagh) revecting the Commission appointed to inquire into JeT " ,• the Courts of La. in Scotland: He Wished-to k.. 1160py of that. CoMmission, in to -spew itebwo jecit„ and.a copy of the , Correspondeme which had taken place between the Conimulsioners ant the House, in order to ascertain the causes of its termina tion. If the papers were granted, he should name some early day for taking th into consideration.—, If they were refused, he shd state to the House the nature of the Copt mission; and should, he trusted, be able to prove theimpropriety of its termination. Lo'rd CASTLF AGH stated, that the Commis- I sion in question el terminated in consequence oft the demise of the Crown, and that it was r e quired that a fresh one should be issued to restore its acti vity. Now as only two branches of the inquiry re mained to be completed, it was• intended to issue another Commission for a twelvemonth only. As the Correspondence was called fOr with the view of rais - Commie- . should be • rd eta s Tani hod Ted 10544. Uri A r la **OA ...lei -He wished his Nnble #rien bad in Ni' itituation which would have given ifitn, a caritrsol 'toyer the Magistrates at the time this order Was made, for in that case he was sure that such a proceeding would never have taken place!_ Mr. %V; BOOTLE, till lately, was not aware of the existence of that order. It had been made twenty years ago, and he had no hesitation in saying that he disapprovyd of ki--(lfear, Near).--rßut• a strong proof that that order had not borne hard upon pri soners was, its beingnew complained of for the first time in twenty yeas.. He - then paid a tribute of praise to.the merits of the individual at the head d the Lancaster jail, _" The Petition was ordered to lie on the table, and on the Motion that it be printed, - • Mr. SCARLETT said, that there did not.eril ing the question whether the , iission . , _ ail •.. - . renewed, its production would, probably, no longer man in the kingdom who deserved better of therlrob-1 be deemed necessary, after the explanation given. Tic, and of prisoners themselves, than theleilor‘Of Sir J. NEWPORT could take upon himself to Lancaster Castle. 'As to Dewhurst, he had.heenc7on say, that the Commission for an Inquit y into the victed, to the full satisfaction of the Court, of having Courts of Justice in Ireland had not expired in con- attended..a Meeting where the people had come with sequence of the deMise of the-Crown, but was acting arms, and where, on hearing that the _ soldiers ap at the present moment. proached, pike-heads had been fixed upon staves, • Lord CASTLEREAGH said, that if that Corn- from which they had been afterwards removed on mission was still acting, as the Right Hon. Baronet, finding that it was a false alarm. . . stated, it eras acting illegally. Mr. BLACKBURN•E also added his testimony to /LOYAL FANIILL the meritorious services of the Gentleman who had Mn TIERNEY reminded. •the Noble Lord'oppo- the management of Lancaster Castle. - site, that the . Royal Family stood in an unprecedented Lord FOLKESTONE thought, that general testi situation. He did not wish to raise a debate on the mony to character could not prevail against particu subject at present, but he could not refrain from ex- lar charges. When the. Petition shiauld be printed, pressing his surprise at the slight which had been he trusted that it would again attract the notice of thrown upon them. Her Majesty's arrival nas not the House. It appearedthat Dewhurst had been con, now far distant, tint he should have expected that his fined two months under an accusation of High Trea- Majesty's Ministers would have, ere now, come down son. He had afterwards been tried .on an .inferior to the House with a proposition on the subject. He charge. He comitained that, although bail to the wished to know why such a Message had not yet amount of £lOOO had been accepted by one Magis been received, and when it was likely to be brought trate, the jailor had refused to let him go, In this, down to the House? as in other cases, the Lancaster Magistrates seemed Lord CASTLEREAGH apprehended, that the to him to set the law entirely at defiance t !—(Hear, Right Hon. Gentleman's own mind might suggest to' hear)—for he believed that one Justice of the Peace him satisfactory reasons why such a Message had not could not commit for High Treason. If so, the Pe yet been conveyed to the House, and that no slight' titioner had been illegally committed originally. . had been cast on the illustrious personage to whom The ATTORNEY-GENERAL had heard with he bad alluded. The Bill for regulatiug'the Civil much surprise the assertion of the Noble Lord, that List had not yet been presented to receive the Royal Magistrates had no power to commit for High Trea- Assent, and it was not till that had been done, that son. The Noble Lord would find in Burit's Justice, the Crown would be in ksituation to judge whether, that such a power existed' On the trial of this very out of die Civil List so granted, it might provide for man,. the Judge had stated that he entertained seri the Itoy'al Family, or whetherit should be Compelled ous doubts whether he had not been guilty of High to apply to Parliament. • Treason. This proved - the strength of the grounds Mr. TIERNEY observed, that there was not in. on which he had. originally been committed. the Civil List a single word about the Royal Family, . Lord FOLKESTONE said, he would not disput e and yet the Noble Lord knew not whether they were on legal points With . the Honourable and Learned not included within its provisions! lts ,fslajey Gentleman s-but.he had thought it was explicitly de alone was provided. (or, and all the Mercibers of the aired. in the book* which the Learned Gentleman :Reyal.Family stood for their incomes on the Canso- . had referred, that a Magistrate or Justice could not lidated Fund. for though the Civil List Bill hid commit for High Treason, and that felony was the not.yet received the Royal Assent, it was to. all put; highest crime within the Commission of the Peace. ! poses ; as good as passed,. and could afford a fair The Petition was ordered to be printed. ~ ,r oond for ascertaining- the point. which the Noble - A. Pelson from. the Penitentiary at Milbank appeared at the ( Lonfrepreseoted as a matter of doubt. Bar, and presented certain Accounts. LOrd GASTLERtAoII said, that whatever indi- CORN LAWS. i ',l44,tpti ac,quaintaneehe mighthave,with the measure, On the Motion of Mr. HOLUE SUMNER, the Order - of the Day for resuming the adjourned debate hay his Majesty's . Government could have no constitu tional knowledge of it, until it should have passed ink been read, the following names were -given in through both Houses, and should have received the b y .the same Honourable Gentleman, as the names of ! Royal - Assent. - Till then it could, therefore, afford no the Members whom he wished should compose his ground for proceeding upon, . . 'Committee : GRORGE DEWHURST. ' 'Right Hon. J. Foster Mr. S. WHIT B RE AD presented a Petition from ' Right Hon. G. Conning Btg4t.xion. F. Robinson George Dewherst, confined in his Majesty's jail of Ri g ht n o w V. Fitzgerald Lancaster; stating that-he had innocently attended Right Hon.. W. Huskisson the Meeting of the 15th. of Nr.vember, and corn- Ike Lord Mayor plaining of having been ptie•to hard labour, and L!'rd Mikan Sir J. Newport clothed in a prison dress since his confinement. • Mr. Westsrn Lord STANLEY did not intend to' Opfloo . the Mr. t. Dundu . bringing up and receiving of the Petitien; but 'sashed Mr. Bright • LO do justice to the, character of the individtiarto The first ten nameshavL • whom the management of Lancaster Castle was en- and agreed to, misted, and who had been hardly dealt with in the Mr. - BARING did not object to the ronoation of the Committee, but he could not allow all the names Petition. All thatthat individual had done was an tifa- piss without expressing his Conviction that the therised by an order issued by the Magistrates. a copy of which th e Noble Committee iras iormed in a manner which left no gave a discretionary power to the Lord produced, and which doubt respecting the nature of the Report that would he jailor of imposing be made..--(1-lear, hear). —. He. therefore entered his soli tai-y confinement, and other restrictions, on those • prisoners who refused to work, or comply with the Protest against such a Committee being thought other regnlations of the prison. - . , likel y . to produce anything fair towards the country. Mr. BENNETT contended, that no set of M'agis- The formation of a CoMmittee of that description grea traces bad it in their power to make an order iitHict- could nick fail to excite t alirm—(Hear). ing the penalty of hard labour on any individual Sir JOHN NEWPO tT stated, that he should ' go into the Committee with the conviction that it was whose sentence did not order that it should be done.; his duty sieve pout suds . Measutes alone as, while . To compel him to wear the prison dress was equally' imPrep• ere, in his opinion. they . iiniuld're Agricultirists, ' ivotild not throw the Within upon othei-branches of the community. ~. .Dr. LUSHIN'GTON stated, that the, grievance if he 'did not conceive that tosbe the sole object in i‘timplained din the Petition was an offence-tit which all the Magistrates who were parties to that . order nom' , he iiopid not go into such a Comm i t tee . Mr. HOLME SUMNER sontended, that the Ho= participated. What did the order Stlich the Noble , Lord. had brought in, justification of the jailor say ? pourable Member far Taunton had no right, in ob itr said, that, A' as it appeared that certain persons jetting to the fOrmation of the Committee, to endea had refuSed to labour, and therefore given bad ex - your to stigmatize its proposed Members, and to re ample,".present them as a mire -for alarm to the country. sc. ' Now, were these persons individuals He -believed, that among • the.iiidividuals whom he i.who hid been convicted for'offences Or. crimes? Nol they were only charged with them, and yet they were had proposed, there were some as honourable as the treated as men on whose criminality t h e vert yk t of .a Honourable Member himself. As far as he had' an Opporttinity of knowing, he had only taken care to Jury had Been passed ! Here was an order Which _ obtain for himself, what he thought any man pro applied to all of they% whether political or cifof Posing a . CoMmittee would be very foOlish if he did pro fenders. Could any bbmber of that House say that Pr' he might not be committed to jail himself ; aye , • and not, a fair majority—(6enerai 'weeder, mixed with on the most trifling pretexts ? . How would •he - ap .. cries of O ".Name, nainer)—Whatt . was a man to Pro prove of such treatment towards himself? The po se a Committee to provide a mej rityigainsthim iunwisely. In jailor was directed to punish neglect either by soli - self? If he did so, be would act very unwisely. confinement, that worst of all inflictions, from deed, if this mode was unreasonable , it was consistent which the human understanding could hardly escape , With the p ractice of the House; for, both oh his side and that not for a fortnight, a, week, or a - clay, but and oil that of the Honourable Gentleman Opposite, for the time which .he might think proper , or he he never recollected to have seen a different course adopted—(Hear! • and laughter). Mr. W. SMITH declared, that, though he had on might do it by withdrawing his provisibns, and scary-. night voted in favour of a Committee ing.the uefortonate prisoner. And, this was the or der which had been brought forward by his Noble the preceding still, that he never intended to sanction any measur e I Friend in defence of the Lancaster jailor !—(Hear; hear).—He could not repress his indignation. He beyond an inquiry into the state of • Agricultural dis knew nothing of the merits of the Petitioner , but he tress which he thou g ht due to so im p ortant and re knew that the humblest subject of his Majesty ought sped able a body as the Petitioners. there ivete some Gentlemen in the House who we r e to be protected—(Hear, keor).—Let it not be thought Mi.IOLME SUMNER, in explanation, said that he was hostile to the, system of employing pea- t ' sonersz. far from it ; he wished them to be employed diverted. to any inquiry . being instituted ;ot h ers were in a manner which would add to their comf o rts whilst willing to believe that distress did exist whichcalled _confined, and he regretted, on looking_ at the system for the attention of the Honk, though they were not of our jails, that a provision to that effect wa s but determined'upon any particular mode of relief. It . _ was of these he had formed the majority of his Com: fib.iinion.vas confident thete would be. • dif toolaoroftdenbaneleiegN,ed.in adeeetiaz to the .arbitror mime; •en the question,. as to what relief should be degrading t r eatment to whrcl the prisoners were a subjected by this order; expressed a . with that if (cream of opinion. he p Sir T. Aeland Sir J. Payne• Mr. Bantus Mr. Brougham Mr. J. Beams Mr. Irving Mr. Coke Mr. Gooch Mr. F. Lewis hir. Irolme Sumner. lg been put from the Chair itt re CALCUArt, wfietiiievoteaagainst theeeett. settee, did so not because he thought the Aw. kill , tural classes felt no distress, but because he differelf froth the opinions avowed by those who called diens 'selves the advocates of the landed Interest. An Ilo nourable Gentleman, for whom be had the greatest res .. pect, had said, that nothing but an increase of ( price _could protect' the Linda from those who entertained .t etest. Dar:lnc 1 Views; it; he had A done for many years, he head , ught it right £n vote , against going into the Committee altogether, at the t c he ini cz . request of those to whom -he alluded. %%hen the Honourable Member for Surrey had Carried his point, ' try — br il a ia m m e gh , as .) it he .w: x r p e ec , tee (as he had stated had always 4een e deite by others) so as to Make in include a majority . pf hose, who were I t h e e d G ba elli tor m or e tn nt i v ii f s tarottrabk M the object which he felt, it his dety tcl prop6ie; suid on that veri ground - he tMte•Calciaft) had felt that it could not but create, 'itmitcsa . hi,nt id h itraitic the country.. He was convince l tof.t . ... e oF Agticultural distress, but he sinctalict. '4.40 thac that distress had been extremely exaggecitteitie-Fram all he had heard, from all that had etditiliviitiin his own view, incl. from -thenfortnation - witichefie had received,. and from what he leifrued from his -inter- , - course with Gentlemen inanany pans of theCOantry, be 'was satisfied, that that extreme Agticultuial disi tress. of which they had now beentoid, had neiirteen heard of till it was mentioned within the williiifthat House—(Near, 'heart and murmurs ofilisaryfrobiiioit,. He would repeat it, that extreme distresehad tifeitte been heard of till it . was mentioned within the wins of that House! Some years ago, he remembered, his Hon. Friend, the Member for Essex, had made 'a most admirable speech on this subject. On that occasion, he had detailed to them the distress eipe rienced in different parts of the country—had de scribed the number of executions issued—the farmers broke, and the rents in arrear in particular places. In the course of the debate of yesterday nothing of this sort had been said.' No Gentleman had stated such to be the case of his tenantry, or of the tenantry of any Gentleman with whom he was acquainted: It had not been shewn that any farms were to be let— thafr there was any want of tenants to fill those that becathe vacant. In fact, it was not proved that that extreme distress existed, which he, if it were really felt, should be as anxious as any man to ameliorate.- As it was contended that it was necessary that Corn should bear a high price, he would wish to ask, if those who :were called - stock armers were included in the general distress complained op He thotiell it a matter of alarm to the country, that, at- a time like the present, such a Committee as had been prc posed should be sanctioned by the vote of that.Hothe. . Mr. iiß9vqukm suggested, tiatit:it Might be kr the convenience of the house if Honourable Members would confine themselves strictly to the question for the appointment of 'the Committee, without antici pating a discussion on a measure Whichlt appeared .was to be re introduced to-night. He contended that the Committee was formed on. the fairest-principle imaginable, as there was only a bare '.Majority of the Members favourable to inquiry - , and none of them, as he understood, disposed to sanction any specific mea sure, while a large number were decidedly hostile to it. Mr. BRIGHT (the'Member for Bristol) said, that his objection was so strong to the manner in which the Committee was constituted, that he should put it to the courtesy of the Muse to excuse him front serving on it should he be named. The formatina of that Committee had taught him a lesson, as a new Member, which during his life he should never forget. Mr. BARING appealed to the Speaker to state tt.e point of order its the proceeding before the House. The SPEAKER said, that the question being pet for admitting Mr. C. Dundas on the Committee ? it was competent to the House either to adopt or reject it; in the same manner as any other. In this respect, Honourable Members must be guided entirely by their own judgment. Mr. BANKES deprecated discussion on -general topics not connected with the question under consi deration. .There was no Honourable Gentleman, in his opinion, whether from knowledge or experience, better qualified to serve upon such..a.Commktee than . Mr. Charles Dundas. Mr. SPOONER thought the , formation of the Committee objectionable, as it. id not ineltide hlem hers who were connected 'With teime4reit.inanufac turing Counties, such as Stafford Ad' Warsirick. - Mr. MAXWELL said, he had been named as a Member of the Committee, hot prevailed on the Ho ,nourable Member who had the appointment to ex cuse him, not choosing to serve upon it, as he enter tained views on the questiOn, which,' however unpo pular they might be, would induce him so grant further protection to the Agriculturist. Under this impression, and as he was not disposed to alter the averages, he thought it right, - - while actuated by a feeling of delicacy, to avoid being-put into nomination. The SPEAKER next put the question for adding Mr. Bright's name to the Committee ? Mr. H. SUMNER said, he had been induced to propose that Gentleman, of whom he had the honour of knowing nothing more than that he was the Re presentative of Bristol, a great' commercial town; and as for his character, hennderstoothim to be well qualified to assist the labours of the Committee. it would, perhaps, .chew the Impartiality with which the Members of it were selected, that the Honourable Gentleman now proposed had voted against the Kno iion last __ night. - • Mr. BRIGHT consented to serve, understanding now that the interests of the commercial and mann facturing bodies were not to be lost sight of. General GASCOYNE said, that the objection did not lie_ against any one individual; but against the COmtilittie generally. The prejudices of the People ought not to be lightly tampered with. Men Ira 3 religious prejudices, which could be easily e:cited— (A Members might laugh at A connexion apparently so extravagant as that betas! Agriculture and Religion but they did as from a' want of'reading- - -tLoui laughter). Yes, he main tained it was from a want of reading ; for a distin guished philosopher observed, that no two causes were more likely to call forth prejudices than con tentions about,' food mid religion. The Honourable and gallant Member concluded with moving, as "a Amendment--'A That the Committee be appointed 1 1 ballot, instead of by nomination ;" but the motion net being seioided; . cduld not, of course, be entertaine. Str M. W. RrDLEY exiSresied his satisfaction t:::t 4 4= motion of the Hon, and Gallant General ... Pr , 4 ,rr-per ~, _,.