Star. — London, England, 1810-05-04 00:00:00

- TIC ; nys:em which: by firer..tinf fn 11/Merida! • resi , ect i ur she -.overtign, went directly to under *Mee the House ot Commons. ft was the trai . tr. ice.s otferers of the-last fifteen years now skulk . ing trade a new shape, and assuming a mot dan gerous and deadly form. There was no country which could bee.aid to he safe where the Legislative .resver was attacked with impunity, and daringly . branded in such base and profligate terms. M any tin; would be most dangeroui,„ but at the pre ens time the peril was doubly hasardo;rs; a time' when we were engaged in a most moncerions'and pi 0- tracted war, and necessarily obliged to incur the. most aggravated burthens, From such attempts no side of the House was safe ; no men in the country secure. They menaced not party, but Parliament ;, net Mi nisters, but the Constitution ; not any certain set of *nen, but all the inestimable tleisinis which time, and toil, and struggles, had secured to the country. The question now was, whether the House would lend itself to such attempts ; whether they would be come the servile ministers of their own . dishonour ?-1 The Petition had not only assailed their piactice, but their very motives, and asserted the " suspicion and jealousy with which'they viewed the imprisonment of Sir F. Burdett at a time when they expected so much from his efforts in the cause of reform." if they now Submitted to such language, they would infallibly 1 encourage the spirit to which he had before alluded. I The experiment of conciliation had been tried and failed. They had been persuaded to receive the' Westminster Petition, on the ground that such apps. tent tolerance in that House must tend to quiet the people, by sheaving them that their interests and re presentations were attended to. What had been the consequence ? Why the present petition, still more wrongly worded, immediately followed. If the House now submitted, it would be termed not conciliating, but pusillanimous. Thy were reproached with re- spiking an army to enforce their orders. Concession now would be only considered as 'an additional proof t &their weakness—another argument of their timidity. Mr. PONSONBY, in explanation, stated, that he said the House ought to favour the right of petition. 4bg ; •he :lever asserted that it was its duty to receive to affront ; chose who thought thii petition of such nature, were tight in voting for its rejection. Mr. M. FITZGERALD, in explanation, observed lint he had not vindicated the Petitioners. He only meant that from the general' purport they did not deny the power of the House for committing in case of contempt. Mr. BYNG rose to observe, on an assertion made by a gallant Officer, that the Vliddlesex Meeting was not respectable. • But as the Honourable Gentleman was not present, and had formed his opinion only on freer-ay, that in some measure accounted for his ob-1 nervation. The melting was respectable, and nine tenths thought as he did, that though the House ought in certain cases to have the right of committal, it did not possess it in the case of Sir Francis 'Bur dett. If it did, it should no longer possess it, for it might be used for the worst purposes. Sir MARK WOOD replied, that he had not said the Meeting was disrespectable; he had observed, it did not consist of Freeholders, than which number, if the Honourable Gentleman had not obtained more, votes, he certainly would not now be Member for Middlesex.— (Laughing.) Mr. MELLISH said that he certainly felt it his duty to present the Petition, which sentiment he ex pressed at the meeting ; at the sang time he declared it was not his intention to give it his support, deter 'mined, as he was, to adhere to the principles by which he had obtained his independent situation. It might I.ppear extraordinary if condemning such a principle, still he had seconded the motion ; but this Was merely a fulfillment of his promise. From what fell from an Honorable Gentleman (Mr: Ste phen) he seemed to condemn, him as having acted • tsrong ; the same course, however, he was still de termined to pursue.—With respect to what his Ho isourable Colleague had said, that nine-tenths of the ;netting were freeholders ; he would positively assert, . 'lrons the knowledge he had of his Constituents, that there were not freeholders to any amount assembled. • He felt it his duty to attend the meeting, but not to abide by its sentiments. If the Petition was rejected, 'another might be called, and he would again feel it • his day to be there—Vicar, hear.)—Of the liberality • and Impartiality . of that assembly, he had only to ob serve, that it might be appreciated by the manger in 'Which he was received ; he 'was heard with patience at first, but when he mentioned :.is intention the tu mult was so great. he would say ? that hd was not per pitted to proceed any further.—(Laud tries of Mar, Hear.) Mr. STEPHEN said, that he never censured the 'Hon. Gentleman's conduct ; he only observed, that it vias•the general opinion that a Member should act !)]. precedent. • Admiral HARVEY said, that he would giie h 4 decided vote for the rejection of the Petition': A division was called for, when there appeared. 'For receiving the Petition 58—Against it:ls9—Ma. lority 81.—The Petition was of course rejecf l ed. IRISH ACCOUNTS. • On the re-admission of Strangers, we found Sir JOHN NEWPORT on his legs speaking to promiied motion, on the subject of the Report of `the Commissioners of Irish Accounts. He exhorted • tbe Members for Great Britain to prnye themselves • in this lastance abciie the prejudices so unjustly • supposed Them indifferent to questions of Irish eco. norny,nOt Immediately involving their own interests. '24 thought that the • financial arrangemeats of the Internal departments of Ireland could not be too care - 'rully watched by that House, and the more particu. • larly in consequence of the system too prevalent in that country, of carrying on every thing in that way • fq books of - evidence—a mode so undefined' as •to . eOurt rather than' check abuses. The Honourable "Bato'net . then• proceeded to detail the abuses Om plained of by the•Commisstoners I the first was that if the case of Jnhn Croker, Esq. Surveyor-CC al of Oleo!. The 'Report of the Controisslonen had repro. bated this grant, and proved the culpable ignorance of the Board that had made it. The next case wag that of the Right Honourable Mr. Forward, late I •Treasurer .to the post-office in Ireland, who after eight years holding that office, the duties of which he never himself performed, had been superannuated' upon his lUD salary, though in middle age, and a Privy Councillor, of large and affluent private for tune.— The Worthy Baronet proceeded to the case ' of Sit George Shee : — That Gentleman filled the situation of Receiver-General, at a salary of RlOOO per annum ; since the year 1808, a sum of 81800 i additional was allowed as emoluments. The House would naturally ask, for what were these emoluments granted .?.--Upon no other ground but that, by a re gulation; that Officer was prevented from converting the public money in his bands to his private advan- I tage. But the management of:the Irish Revenue was not confined to such acts of aggravated impropriety. They were only a part of a multiplied series of pub lic spoil in that country: In all the departments the same gross and reprehensible system of jobbing and misapplication of the public means were to be found. The Worthy Baronet concluded with proposing two specific Resolutions, applicable to tho cases he al luded to ; and a third, condemning the practice of such undue and improper waste of eic public money. The first Resolution was read from the Chair, on which Mr. FOSTER rose and observed, that the Ho nourable Baronet should have knawn more of the nature of his office than his assertions seemed to war-. 1 rant. With respect to his statements respecting Mr. Croker, he would broadly and roundly say, they were not the fact.—(Loud cries of Ifear.)—The Honourable' Baronet says, the Eighth eport states that the money was paid for extra charges ; the Eighth Report says no such thing- ; but if the Honourable Baronet had read it through, he would have found that he was justly entitled to his demand ; and for which he was compounded with, and had received less than his right (Hear, heir.) He then proceeded to read the Bth Re port, which states-- ,, that in consequence of the fre quency of arrears, several informations were filed and judgments were obtained to the amount of .841,000. All these were remitted, excep t the fine of a person of the name of Edward', which was E2lO, this was exacted, and of coursen . Croker was entitled tohalfof it (hear.) This was not paid, but applied to the arrears. When he received it, it cannot be considered a reward, but his property, and a debt due; besides, the authority under which he received it is cited in the warrant empowering the Commissioners—(Hear, Hear.) It was a moiety to which he was entitled by law ; it was to be paid out of the fines and seizures at large, or else from the revenues. He would next go to the Case of Sir G. Shee ; but while he was in Parliament he never liedrd any thing so rnistated ; the Honoura ble Baronet was ignorant of it from beginning to end ( Laughing, and cries of hear.) When Sir H. Caven dish died, he was under large arrears to the amount of C 378,000; this he received in a reversionary grant. IWhen.he came into office, he wished to recover that sum for the public ; is :he course of the succeeding year, he received 42700. The Right Honourable Gentleman defended the Government of Ireland from the insinuations of the Right Honourable Baronet, a 4 3,.1 contended that each department was conducted under the auspices of the present Lord Lieutenant with the greatest attention to the public interest, and upon the strictest principles of ceconomy ; that the charges which the Right Honourable Baronet had made would recoil upon himself, and upon investiga tion turn out unfounded. Mr. W. SMITH censured the report of the Com missioners, which, if not true, must be taken as a libel I on the Commissioners of Excise, because it was therein stated that the duties of Mr. Crcker were defined, and therefore to allow him a sum of £lOOO for extra official services was extremely wrong. The question however, was not one affecting the merits of Mr. Croker as a Public Officer. With respect to the as sertion of the Right Hon. Gentleman that his Right Hon. Friend had been misled in bringing forward the charges, why the Commissioners had misled him, for their report justified him in so doing, and on them the blame must rest. It had been stated, that half the fine of Edward's arrears was remitted. He did not know what was the practice in Irel..nd ; but in England, he knew the King could remit his part of the fine, and it might be so in Ireland ; but then what became of the other half—Mr. Croker's share. The Honourable Gentleman contended, that Mr. Croker was bound to do his duty without receiving extra of tidal pay. - Mr. FOSTER, in explanation, stated, that the re port proved what he had stated, viz. that the claim of Mr. Croker, made in his memorial, was only re muneration for money illegally withheld from him. Mr. CROKER trusted the House would excuse him for rising to offer a statement in explanation of the transaction, which he trusted would satisfy the Right Honourable Baronet that he hail mistaken the subject. In 1802 Mr. Croker was appointed to the office of Surveyor-General of the Port of Dublin, with a salary of £BOO per annum (being £4OO per an num more than other Surveyors). From the first entry into office he conceived it to be his tounden duty to do every thing which could contribute to the public interest, and with this view he directed that the distillers should pay their duties weekly instead of monthly, a proceeding which he was justified in adopting under a salutary Act of Parliament, which provided, that if the Distillers were in arrears after such notice, they should be liable to certain penalties, one half of each penalty to go to the Informer. Before, howeier, he filed any one information, he imparted to the Distillers his determination, that in case they paid up their arrears he would forego his share of the penalises, his object being to get in the duties and to hold the clause ót the Act for levying the penalties ever them in terrorem. Penalties were in fact incur red to the amount of £41,000, his share of which he remitted, and signed an acquittal, although tfre House would observe that the duty he had been performing was strictly extra-official, his duty be ing that of the officer of the account, and not of wreck. With respect to the £lOOO, a distiller of the name of Edwards had very frequently gone into arrears for'duties, and the fines had been remit ted, but he at length incurred a fine of something more than £2OOO, which he did not pay up. Mr. Croker being absent in London, the legal officer got the proper warrant, and recovered the money, which the Collector paid into the Treasury on account of arrears, instead of to die account of &tics old teizures; tote eonsfeinertee Wag, that Mr. emitter having thr legal right vested in him, drew up a memorial, which was presented to the Lord Lieutenant, setting forth the f icts of the case, and the money was ordered tc r be testor.d. • The Right Honourable Baronet would see, therefore, th-it in one instance Mr. Croker re witted a fine of £`11 ; 000, and in the other had restor ed r ) him £lOOO, which legally belonged to him. Sir JOHN NEWPORT disclaimed any idea of 'wishing to throw blame on Ms. Croker, whom he ad- I mitteJ was a highly meritorious officer. Being now apprized of the circumstances just stated by the Hon. iGentleman, which. were perfectly satisfactory, he should withdraw the two first resolutions. At the same-time he must still consider the Board of Excise as very negligent. _ _ Mr: W . ...PoLE, referring to the report, observed, that if the Right Hon. Baronet had taken the (rouble to read it, he would have found in the appendix that Hr. Croker stated in his memorial that his claim was proper and legal, and the Commissioners in their Re. port beat him out by stating that he was entitled to a moiety of the sum in question by law. . Mr. M. FITZGERALD considered the giving of a moiety of the fines to the informer not as an equi table principle. He bore testimony to the merits of Mr. Croker as a public officer. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER thought that Mr. Croker had great ground of com plaint against the Commissioners for having made so incorrect a report, which had been suffered to rankle in the public mind to theprejudice of that Gentleman since February, 1309. He thought the Right Ho nourable Baronet before he brought the charge would have done as well to have lookedinto the report, and I not have taken the word of the Commissioners. The two first resolutions were then withdrawn. On the question being put on the third resolution, Mr. W. POLE defended the grant of a pension to Mr. Forward, the Treasurer of the Post office in Ire land, on the ground that the office which he held was a patent sinecure office—that it being judged expe dient_to render it an efficient one, persons were ap poiated to it competent to discharge the duties, and Mr. Forward received his salary which he was enti. tied to holding a sinecure office. The term super annuated" was a wrong term. The Right Honour able Gentleman comended that in so doing the Go vernment of Ireland had done no more than - what they were bound to do, and what was usually done in cases of sinecures. Sir J. NEWPORT made a short reply. • He read a letter from Mr. Forward himself,. in which it ap-, peared that that Gentleman did not consider his situ: ation a sinecure. Mr. H. THORNTON observed, that *bat he had heard upon the subject :Would make him more than ever solicitous for the abolition of sinecures, and more especially of those secured by patent. Mr. PONSONBY remarked that the word patent Appeared to carry' in the Honourable Gentleman's apprehension some magical power. It was merely the evidence of the Great Seal to a Grant, and could not secure that which it was illegal to bestow. • A division then took place, • For the Resattion 26—Against it 83—Majority .57. [Strangers were not re-admitted, and at Half-past One this morning the House adjturned.] • Of the case of Jonn L.roicer, .c.b 4 ..,3 111 VCy LIT.A...TCIICritII CIL tie Nit and District of Dublin, who, it appeared, , : • bad been awarded the sum of £ lOOO i n remuneration , k . or what the Board of Excise had termed to be extra li. 'bfficial services. Those services were nothing more --' ithlh enforcing the 'arrears of duty from the Dublii; • :distillers- they were, of course , not extra. official `; tibut, on the c o ntrary, within the strict con fi nes of his duty as surveyor' general of the affairs of the revenue. . --Here Sir J , itui proceeded at consider le length td prove that the services of Mr. Croker were not: extra bfficial, and not emitted to the compensation given to L . ._ • . LONDON. FRIDAY, MAY 4. !MICE OF STOCK*TMS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK g. s per Cent Con*. for money 704—aec. 74. Reduced 614.1-4 per C. 84C-5 per C. Navy 190 i;. This day three Mils arrived from Gottenburgh. The following are the most interesting of tht commu nications received by this conveyance : GOTTENBURGH, APRIL 23. This morning appeared off this port the long ex pected convoy from England, under protection of the British frigate Alexandria : several ships have already come in. This arrival is ve r y o pp ortune , as to-mor row the Decree of the 24th of March, prohibiting the entrance of British ships, begins to take effect. Our Government had previously given directions for any ships which may arrive subsequently to the 24th instant, to bring up below the castle, and to wait for further orders from Stockholm. Several ships of war accompanied the convoy, but it is supposed they have proceeded to the Belts.—The Cabinet Courier Lund guise, goes to England by this packet, with dispatches for our Minister in London. COPENHAGEN, APRIL 17. A letter from flyvanig of the 11th instant, states, that two large English ships have lately been cap tured off the coast of Norway, by our brigs of war, one of them was loaded with masts, and the other with wheat, Four Danish gun-boats, commanded hy Lieute nant Skelstid, are also said to have taken an English gun boat stationed off Anholt. STOCKHOLM, APRIL 21. The Prussian General Listoy is expected here in the course of a few days. It is known that he left Berlin on the 10th. After remaining here a short time, he will proceed to England. His mission gives rise to a variety of conjectures. M. Pesaugers, the French Charge d'Affaires, has had several conferences with the Minister ; and it is now known that M. Brinckmann, our Minister in London, is recalled. Governme►tt has suddenly given orders for the re inforcement of the Garrison of Gothlancl. A Hamburgh Paper of the 24th ult. has arrived, but its contents are uninteresting. Private letters have been received from Amster dam to the Ist instant. They express much alum and anxiety for the future fate of Holland. Not Wit hstanding the regard professed by NAPOLEON for the independence of that country, French troops are pouring in in great numbers. The whole of the Coast from the Northern banks of the Maese co the Sou thern shores of the Elbe, are occupied with French Soldiers and French- Custom-house Officers. Their whole number is about 20,000 meu, and their head glue:ten are at the Hague. ArAra INMLIVINCE. with Ttoe R AT ail TI. R sloop . of war has arrived at Celt from Orr; 2:La usdrr couvOy. • PLYMOUTH, MAY e. Several °Beers, who had been' absent on leave, cc sickness, sailed yesterday in the Caocos brit, fog the;r relective corps. The CROCL I also t 4 diva: chess. Lord Vir V. I. L I NOT u :4.--Arrived the E NCOU.2. T f ro% Scilly; and the ,ItOTALIST sloop, of 18 tun s ; fi otn the DOW Sailed the As sow schooner, for ithcliefort;• t h es N, p Ae , gues PD-brif... ON acres ,. sloop, on a cruise; and file MA RI NI zit POIL rsxtou ru, MAY $...- Anived his Majesty's ships Ili—J.:spat, sad IA NAICA, fro m t h e Mediterraaean, ..nd are put under quarantine, 2or S G ( o w , convoy aru in sight, bat no particulars respecting th e s ouk* , are knowu; the Paocuzz from Plyinoueli b 'aud the Dann, trom Guerusey.—Sailed his Ala:testy'. re.iz STANDARD, the former for the Da wns, the later ic l o t h e Baltic.—wind N. E. ISLANDS OF SCILLY, APRIL ts. Came In the sloop Betsey of London, Ty bE .IX Master g wa the African coast, viz. - Prince's Island, with r2lni oil , eleplisz t e teeth, and coffee, bound to I.ondon. The lict.cy hseaent ear on her Massage three months, and the greatest pa: of th e taken in tow by the Dauntless sloop of war d wbo parted on the !SLL of Scilly. DEAL, MAY 3. Arrived the PODAROUS andZtPIITI from a maize; :113 mss Grenville Ras:-Indiaman, front the River. YARMOU MAY 3. Yesterday, P. M. arrived from the Downs the FIIMMAILt. NI gnus, to juin the Grand North Sea l'ivet in the Bnltk.—S a il e d to protect the Greenland Fishery, the Name sts sad BELVIDER4 frigates; and the Demme frigate, and Ca J.Lio et gi.o-brig, cruize off the Coast of Holland; also the ALZET cutter, with dispatches. The. DILLIGiNci sloop and E :Aar gun-htig, with their conioy for Gottenburgh, is now gettin g n u d e , w „ (t 2 o'clock), hut there bring little wind from S.F. and ebb t ia r. 7 . I think they cannot all get out the Cockle. Two large din, are now in the Offing, making for St. Nicholas Gatt.—shi s i n th , Roads Mara, Stately, Africa, Roebuck, Reynard, Buhl , and ore cutter. FROM LLOYD'S LIST. . GIMILSINII MAT 3 —No arrivals .-- Sailed , it Sailed, Jack, B urc h :, for Malta ; Al wander, Sands, for Newfoundland ; an d the Gomm, fur Gea daloupe. The Friendship, Nautest, from Liverpool to Gottealitrill,•.‘ totally lost off Orfordness. The Francis, DUNSTON, frina Fayal to Liverpo o l, was :1 1,, the lath ult. retaken the 23d, by' the Ilzacz JoILL lugger, aud is Arrived at Scaly-. • - . The Middlesex Petition, after a long discussion it the Mouse of Commons last night, was - rejected by a majority of 139 against 58. • n o t e ao n r e mts i anAcalißnodditers that, r ) t1 n s a f ° e r l h r o ee e m e : t Yesterday, at a Court o obpe f lo e ldtui o ott o J stfi . ca J a.t . i n S tgo et , l b e tch i: ac p ta re ltlhe se td n y t t al e : d ee a La if the intended removal of the Hide and Leather Markets, from Leadenhall, should take place, a lease of the gracinuunedvmeda thatbe tghriasnpetetdititohnembe:.teTeltiteedwtoorththye CoMmittee of City Lands. This was objected to by Mr:Meintrere, as the bill for the removal of the Market cotlld not be brought into Parliament till next Session . ; He . 'therefore moved, as an amendmeut, that the Petition• do lie on the table, which amend m'ent was agreed to. Mr. We tumor presented a Petition from the Mar. shelmen, praying an increase el salary. He also gave notice, that he would, on an early day, Call the attention of the Court to Theepower lately assureed by the H. ise of Cternmons..of imprisoning. British subjects, for offences cognizable by the established law of the Find ; and also to the inadequacy of the Parliamentary Representation. He, therefore, mot. ed, that thee Lord Mayor should, at an early day. call arvespeciai Court for those perposes. A Petition, signed by several persons, vas react and referred to the Committe e of General Purposes, praying the appointment tea a Fire Coroner in the City, on the ground, that the great increase of tires arose from a desire to defraud the Insurance Com panies, or other fraudulent purposes. The Report of the Committee of City Lands, re lative to an exchang e of ground in St. George's Fields, for the scite of Bethlem Hospital, was aeierel to, and a Petition ordered to be presented to Pariie meat for that purpose. Mr. GRIFFITHS said, it was his intention to move, that all those who have not qualified, by takag the oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy, shall not be eli gible to vote upon any election, or be upon any Corn mittee or Commission. He did this, because he etas sorry to find, there were no less than 78 Members, who had not qualified. He assured the Court his intention was extremely liberal—(a laugh.) —He that moved, that the Clerk of the Peace, do lay before the Court, the names of the Members, who have nut taken the above oaths. Mr. WAITIIMAN hoped the Court would be unani mous (except the Gentleman himself) in rejecting such a motion • and he wished that Gentleman, with all his boasted liberality, would have some regard to the scruples of others. He (Mr. Waithman) spoke this with more boldness, having himself qualified, but he liked to see a man with scruples, it chewed he had some conscience l , After a few words from Mr. MAwMAN and Mr. GRIFFITHS, in reply, • ' Mr. Box moved the previous question, which was carried without a division. Mr. WAITILSIAN then put the original question, '.reiedering unqualified Members ineligible to vote, &c. in order to have the opportunity of expressing his ne. • gative. The question being put, was carried in the negative without a division. Mr. QUIN asked the Lord Mayor, if any steps had been taken in consequence of the Coroner's Jury hay ing found a verdict of Wilful Murder against a Lite guardsman, to discover the assassin ? The . LORD MAYOR answered, that an inquiry was on foot, and he hoped in a day or two to be able to lay the result of it before the Court. , I•LA N E.—The supplies of Wheatthisdayareagalawme what considerable; fine much in demand, met general salts tram tarn last prices—in Barley little alteration—Malt, heavy sea — Very !ew Peas of the two kinds—Beans of the two kinds septct their prices—New Ticks 365. as 425. per qui trr — oa rb are middling supply, and flue samples are quote.' rather ti.arrr Flour remains at late prices. Wednesday se'nnight, at North Shields aandTynett iP v l b Fair: the shim of cattle was small, fat rather lower, anti 'tam scarcely saleable; soma hackneys sold well; but dtah:.• Lit at ordinary Prices • swine were dear, yet con 4 dcrz bi > at the November fair. Servants' wages high BIRTHS. ' Wednesday, at Knightsbridge, tip- Lady of Mho rsrw. / 0 .1 of a son. Yesterday, of a daughter, being her fifteenth cbild, the - of G. Ward, Esq. of Soho-square. LONDON : Printed and pubb4hell by LEVEL ti.F' 1 terburypPlare .Lambetit, at the S 3 AK -Otitcs, No . Wu& Pu.laialis4 thy a tlar 1 NAV? tics) USIA' •