Star. — London, England, 1803-04-05 00:00:00

editiLLIMENTART PituCE.LDIsGS. HOUSE OF LORDS, MONDAY, APRIL 4. The AT f OINILV Ott:rem. d hlr. ELSKINZ were heard in toe C handos Peerage mule. The caufe wa, then ordered to be further eonfidered to-morrow. Severlt prWate Bala were brought up from the Commons. an: read A firft tim-. The Roman Catholic Teft Bill, the Woolwich Tru ft Bill, and thc St. Giles's Burying Ground Bill were read a fecund Um*, anti c,immitted fur to-morruw. Mr BWNO brought up the PancrasWorkhoufe Bill from the Commons, which was read a firft time. THC MILITIA. The Order of the Day being read for the Houle to refolve itfelf into a Committee on the Bill for enabling the Lords Lieutenants of Counties to in creafe the number of their Officers, and to accept t .e fervices of perfons not qualified, &c. &c.; and, sin the motion that the Houfe do now refulve into the Paid Committee, _ _ Lord RONNE? rofe to exprefe his opinion on the tendency of the prefent Bill, which he hoped the Houle would indulge him in cluing, as he happen ed to be ahfent on the former lines of the dikut lion. He was much concerned to obferve that the original frame and fyllem of the Militia had ;sot been adhered to. It was his with that its original amount of men, and the principles upon which it had been conftituted had never beendeparted from. So late as the 'aft Sefton of Parliament, a Bill was brought in by a Noble Relation of his, the pream ble of which (fated that it was effential to the Con flitution and the interefts of the country, that the . Militia thould be officered by men of landed pro perty : where then was the continency of Parlia ment—where was the effential connexion of the Militia, as formerly intlituted, with the Conflitu tion of the country, if the prefent Bill, as it now flood, was permitted to pars into a law ? He was a warns friend to the Militia as it was originally inftituted : He could not endure to fee it converted into a drill corps for the army : Such a degrada tion of it difgufted men of rank and fortune from entering into it, or from taking a cordial interefl in its welfare. In fhort : with the alterations which were now made in its original principle and I'ol tern, it mull be felt by thofe who were formerly its bell fupporters, a teasing, vexatious, ungrate ful, and inglorious fervice. From the part which lie had aged in the Militia, he could not be fuf peaed of any inclination to (peak difrefpeafully of it ; but if the innovations now propofed to be made in it, were to be followed up in the fame fpirit, he fhould much rather, if other Noble Lords con curred with him in that opinion, move, or fupport a Motion to the fame effea, that the Militia Laws, as they originally flood, Ihould be repealed altogether. Marquis Towsts H IND obferved, that ash: might be fuppofed to feel a parental folicitude for the Militia, the Houfe he hoped, would allow him to offer a few words in its fupport. Without a Militia, wherevvere the means of our internal defence in time nflwar ? In time of war the regular army %%as on foreign fervice, or employed in the defence of oar colonies. The Militia was therefore the con flitutlianal and domettie garrifon to which th-_, country was to look for protection. The Houfe having then refolvzd itfelf into a Committee on the Bill, a flsort converfation en fued between Lords RADNOR, ROMNEY, and Ho. BAIT, upon the wording of Come of the Claufes. On the Claufe being moved to admit perfons un qualified to enter as Officers into the Militia, Earl C AAAAAA on rofe, and oppofed it with great warmth. The Clanfe went to (obvert the original intlitution of the Militia ; it tended to take away all diftinaion between it and the regular army— its tendency would be, under the name of a Mili tia, to keep up in fall a (landing army, in defiance of the Bill of Rights. But firong and infurmoun table as thefe objections mull be in the minds of thofe Noble Lords who were attached to the Mi litia in its connitutional form and original frame, yet to him they appeared to have but a fecondary force, when he refleffed on the light in which the Houfe mull be placed if their Lordlhips were in duced to affent to the prefent propofition. Parlia ment in its wifdom had but very lately fanaioned the propriety, nay, the neceflity, of having men of landed property, men who had a local and per manent iatere ft in a County, at the head of the Militia of that County. What then would become of the folemn pledge the Houle had given to the Militia and the Public, if they were thus lightly, inconfiderately, and precipitately to forego that pledge, and adopt a meafure altogether inconfif tent with their former opinions, with opinions fo recently pronounced and fo forcibly infilled upon ? The Englifh Militia, if fuels a conflitutional force was to be kept up, thould continue to have thofe at its head who were moll interefted in the-defence of the Country ; nor thould its fervices be called for elfewbere, as had been done on a former occa- Ann, not even to Ireland, as loch a change of its d ninsition was wholly incnnfiftent with the inten tion of thole who entered into it in the expeelation of remaining at home for the tole purpofe of inter nal defence. His Rol•al Higlinefs the Duke of CVSIEFRLAND was anxious to exist:A; his opinion of the Bill, if he could ventute to do fo in ippolition to the Noble Lords, to whom the Militia service was fo much indebted Ile could not agree with them that there was any thing unconflitutional in the claitle to which they appeared to be much averfe; did he imagine it to be tinconflitutional, he fhould be among the molt forward to join in their nppnlitinn ; but flit meaftire, in his way of view ing it, has no Inch tendency; it only propofed that in cafe a fufficicnt number of officers could not be found to El! up the vacancies in the militia of a particular County, that gentlemen from the adja cent Counties might he invited to accept them— and that fhould a fufficient number of that defcrip tion he not readily met ssith, that a choice might be made from among the officers of the regular at my. As far as the intention of the clank went, is a. perfetlly in the fpirit of the ennflitution ; an J .1, in cafe of a fuddea emergency like the pre fem, in times when the country was threatened wit:: an hofile invafinn, Mould not every means ►e rein: - ed to Or organizing and flrengthea ini the r means of oar interns Je fence? No man could entertain greater refpeft for the militia than he did: no man could more highly value their patriotic ardour and martial fpirtt as eminently evinced during the late war; but Cutely it did nut derogate how that opinion to exprefs a with that at a critivti junaure like the prefent, the Militia might receive come addition of military talent and experience from the regular army. As to extending their ler vices to' Ireland, he could pot look upon it as departing from the fpirit of their in tlitution ; fince the union the two countries tbould be looked upon only as one, and the Englifb Ihould be emulous to protect Ireland, as the Irith Militia &mid be eager to defend England, whenever either fhould be attacked. _ _ - Lord RD/4NET thanked his Royal Highnefs for , 1 his good opinion of the Militia, but he muft till 1 , perfill in his objeCtions to the prefcnt Bill. Lord RED f. s oat E thought the Noble Lords who oppofed the Biil, confined their notions of the kr vice of the Militia on much too narrow a ground. There was a diftiniftion which they wholly omitted to make, which to him appeared an effential one, viz. between the Militia as conflitined in time of peace, and the Militia as appointed in time of war. In time of peace it might be proper rigidly to adhere to its original inftitution; but in time of I war, and on fuddcn and great emergencies, there rules could not be fa aridly adhered to—any de viation from them might be called for and jußified by the imperious neceffity of the circumftances of ' the moment. As to the claufe being contrary to the Bill of Rights, the Noble Lord (Carnarvon) would recoiled that the Bill of Rights rerpeited a time of peace, and not the exigencies of a war— and when the Noble Lords ferioufly confidered the circurnftances in which the country was now placed, they could not well help acknowledging the propriety and neceffity of fome meafure fimilar to that now propofed; fuch at leaf} was the light in which he was induced to view it. The Earl of WESTMORELAND entered into a va riety of arguments in fupport of the Bill. Lord LIMERICK raw no reafon why the fervices of the Englifh Militia fhould not be extended as well to Ireland as to Scotland. They were both equally integral parts of the United Empire, and equally entitled to affiftance from this country.— The arguments of thole who oppofed this princi ple, and who contended for the propriety of con fining the fervices of the Militia, would operate with jolt as much force for the propofition of li miting their exertions to their rerpeCtire counties. This might anfwer very well for a police, but would form a very ineffeCtive army. After expa tiating for fume time on this point, the Noble Lord called the attention of the Houle to the conic quences which refulted from the voluntary atten dance and altivity of the Englifh Militia in Ireland during the late dillurbances—an aCtivity which tended more than any other circumstance to at tach the people of that country to this, and to ren der the Union popular. Lord RADNOR difapproved of any change in the Militia fyftem which fhould produce a departure from the original principles of the inftitution. • The Duke of CUMBERLAND, in allufion to the expreffion drafting, ufed by a Noble Lord in the courfe of the debate, and applied to the Militia, begged to obferve, that as the Militia-men, who entered into the army, and went to Ireland, vo lunteered their fervices, the term dreig was not properly applicable to the cafe. Lord Caamaavor maintained, that in transfer ring the Englifh Militia to Ireland, the contra& entered into with them at their enrolment was broken—in his opinion molt unwifely, and fuch he was much afraid it would be found, fhould we have occalion for the fervices of the Militia, in re finance to a foreign enemy on our native foil-- The bond of local attachment was broken, and the influence which heretofore arofe from the affec tion of the tenant-foldier to his landlord-officer was completely diffolved. Such at leaf would be the effeds of this Bill. Lord Bot.row Rated, that its the capacity in which he should have to execute the provifions of this Bill, he would not feel himfelf juilified in re ceiving Officers of the line into the Militia, unlefs in cafes when proper perfons qualified by property could not be found. The Marquis of SLIGO fupported the argument, that the Militia of England fhould be occafionally transferred to Ireland, and that no dillindion in this refpe& fhould exill between the two countries. He fincerely wi(hed that their interefls fhould be in all cafes confidered the fame, and that their in- Ititutions Mould be in every inllance affimilated. If not, the Union would appear but on parchment. He knew that an identity of interas and laws was the general with in Ireland. It was the fentiment expreffed by the Irith people fo far back as the well-known meeting at Dungannon, and he was perfuaded, that whatever the newfpapers might lay, it was (Lill the prevailing opinion. After Come farther convei cation, in which Lords RosiNEY, PELHAM, HOAAP.T, and GRANTLEY took a part, the feveral claufes were agreed to, the Bo o le refumed, and the report wa s ordered Co be received to-morrow. • • HOUSE OF COMMONA. A Petition was praented agalntt the Edinburgh Road Bill, complaining of certain Claufes, and praying to be heard by Conniel at the Bar. After a few oblervations from Mr. Wm nitrides, and alto front the Chair, at to the unarm! fort of applkatioa contained in the Petition, namely,a prayer to be heard by Counfel at the Bar, when they bad already been beard by Counfel before the Committee, the confident/on of the Petition was negatived without a divifion. Mr. Cover moved the Order of the Day for going Into Corn. inittee on the kith Revalue Cootinuation Ada—Refedved.ac. cot dit.;. , 11. And . . _ . kir. CO a R• moved refolut lons to continue for one year longer, the Ad of the 38th of thc King in Ireland, for rare* rer , tain Dude-son Audions and Glafs Bottles; an Ad of the 39th of the King, for contains Duties on Stained Paper and Paper bangings; an Adt for regulating the Exports and Imports of Cork ; and an Ad for the Regulation of the kith iflwdes..—Agreed to, and ordered to be reported to morrow. A MONK from the Lords knitted their Lordedpe agent to the Royal Facet Rangers Bill; the Greenland Sailors' Pneec - tion Bill; and the Clergy Non-Ref.denee Bill, in which latter their I.ordlhips had made one Amendment, to which they re quelled the r worms. e of ibis Honk. Sir Junes Sawnarrz's Annuity and the Poor Million Each. quer Bills hill , were rod a third tits-, paled, aLd or tkral to the 1.0r.14. Mt. Coats pretested Petitions froncthe Guardians of the DubinLyiwg•in Hofpital; the Governors of the Dublin Female Orphans School ; and from the Sucierrinitituted at Dublin for dircoatstenancing Vice and promuting Piety and Chrialan Knowledge; praying the dual reliefs as heretofore granted.— Ordered to lie on the table. He then gave notice, that be mould on Wedriclday next, is the Committee of Supply, move for chore grants rt fpraively. Mr. CORRY moved, that the EMl:nate, of the Expenees for thole frveral Charities, for the enfuing year, b.: laid before the Monte, which was ordered, and they were p relented accordingly. On the motion of Mr. HOB HOU SS, the Order of the Day on the Grenada Luau Bill was deferred to Thurfday next. Mr. ActIAND ex reported from the Committee on the Ex piring Laws. which was agreed to. lAItT CIINSTFAD ELECTION. Mr. CAMFBILL reported from the Committee appointed to try the merits of the Eaft Grinftead Elation, that Sir Henry Sandie, Bart. was duly elated, and that the Petition of John Frog, Efq. was frivolous and vexatious. PANCRAS PARISH BILL. Sir F. BURDETT brought up a Petition from cer tain inhabitants of the Parifh of St. Pancras, pray ing to be heard by Counfel againft the Bill, on the third reading. On the quellion being put, that the Paid Petition do lie on the table till the third reading, and that the parties be heard, by themfelves or Counfel, agaialt the raid Bill, Mr. Bran oppofed it, on the ground that the parties bad been heard by Counfel before the Com mittee; be fhould therefore move an Amendment, that all the words be left out of the original mo tion, and that, inftead thereof be infected, that the Bill be read a third time. Sir F. Buanavr raid, no reafon bad been given why the praycr of the Petition amid not be grant ed ; no inconvenience had been (Fated to arifc from it, and he therefore appealed to the juftice of the Houk, to give the Petitioners leave to (late by Counfel their objections to a Bill, which had been fo altered in the Committee, fence Counfel was heard on it, that it could fcarcely be called the fame Bill. Mr. WU RST raid he fhould oppofe the 3d reading of the Bill. Mr. COURTENAY faid no reafon had been given in fupport of the Bill ; he would therefore give one or two that were incontrovertible againft at. That the body of Guardians fhould be allowed to elea themfelves was a principle fubverfive of all liberty, and favoured fo much of Jacobinifm, that he was afionithed it had met with the countenance of the Committee. They were alfo to he auditors of their own accounts—they firft expended the money, and then paired the accounts themfelves. He was con. ►inced the Bill was exceptionable in every refpea, and certain that. if Counfel were heard on the third reading of the Bill, it would be thrown out. Mr. ALSIAMDIa objeaed to hearing Counfel, and faid he fhould vote for the Amendment. Mr. HILLIARD fpoke in favour of the Bill, as abfolutely necelrary in fo extenfive a parifh, which contained from 32,000 to 34.,000 inhabitants. It had been faid that it was a novel Bill, but that he denied ; there were feveral Bills which had paired of the fame nature,aad as Connfel had been beard at the great& length before the Committee, be could fee no reafon why they Would be heard again. Mr. SHIM:DAM faid, the queßion was not whe ther the Bill was good or bad, but whether the Petitioners Would be heard by Counfel ? If the Bill has been fo entirely altered, the Petitioners ought to be heard by Counfel. Walt the quellion clean from all party-prejudices, and he thought the houfe could not refute the prayer of the peti- tion. If there were fo many perfons in the parilb, it was the Rrongell reafon why a Bill of disfran chifement, like the prefent, Would not pars. For thirty years there had been no fuch thing in the parifb as a parochial appeal ; which fhewed the old mode of governing its concerns was a good one, and that it Mould not be changed without proving that force inconvenience or mifchief had enfued from it. He denied that there were feve ral Bills which had paired like the prefent : no l inch arbitrary and oppreC fi ve Bill, as it was when &if brought in, had ever appeared in the Houfe. He then commented upon one of the daufes as it Rood in the original Bill (for he had not got fight of an amended , one), in which the body of Guar dians have unlimited powers over thofe under their management. The power of changin* their drefs and diet, he fuppofed, was to be whipping and ftarving ; thrice alto who were guilty of lewd or criminal behaviour." He did not know how there Guardians might judge of any St. Pancras Abelard, but he thought the power of punning ad nitwit was too great. He alto objeeed to a part of the claufe which empowers them to hire out poor girls in time of hay or corn harvell, with an overfeer to whip them home again. Mr. Hi LLIAID explained. Mr. Bran faid he fupported the Bill, becaufe out of the taco perfons who figned the Petition againa the Bill, a great many of them were in favour of it in its amended Rate ; many of them had never paid the rates, and many others whole names were to it were not to be found. He was confident a great majority of the parifh was in favour of the Bill. The claufe alluded to by his Hon. Friend (Mr. Sheridan) had been greatly al. tered. He had offered him an amended Bill, but he did not chute to have it. Mr. Salmon, faid, his Hon. Friend had not offered him an amended Bill ; he had only iltewn it him, but he had not another, and kept it for himfelf. Mr. Fox fait!, his Hon. Friend, who had juti fpoken, contended, that a majority of the parifb was in favour of the Bill; iffo, it was the ftrongell reafon for their naming the guardians, not the guardians to name themfelves, nor be named by the Houfe of Commons. Counfel had been heard in the Committee, but no names had then been given. It had been agreed, that the Petitioners ileould choofe 3o out of the 6o; but they hap- pened to choofe 3o Gentlemen, and were, there• fore, told they Mould have choice of none. He could not conceive bow, on the principles of equity and juflice, the Houfe can rehire to hear Conniel on the point of nomination. . . _ Sir W. Put. TTTTT faid, that even in the deareß times, and the greatell fcarcity, the ponr rates had never exceeded as. 3d. in the pound.—Was there another part& in England could fay the GA ! ••••• Not this tots a proof that the old government of the parilh was good, and therefore he was agouti,: the Bill. Mr. Hothouse Paid, if the Bill was the fame at in the Committee, he fhould vote againft heari ng Counfel; but as it was a different Bill, it fhould be confidered as if Counfel had not been heard at all; and he thought that in a Bill of fuch impor tance, Counfel ought to be heard. Mr. Be Low e.faid, that whatever the alterations were, Counfel had been fully heard before the Committee. and ought not to be heard again. After a few words from Sir FRANCIS Sit/ILDkT T and Mr. Bywo, a divifion took place.—For he ar . ing Counfel 5111—Againft it 124—Majority 6(). On the quake that the Bill be read a third time, Mr. Saimaa Paid, there was one part of it Which be wined to have altered, which was. that the fixty-one guardiasts Mould-not be in perpetuity. He was certain the meafure would be productive of great oppreffion, and mentioned an inflance of a man who had been Colleitor cf the Poor Rates for fixteen years, and had been this morning re moved from his office, becaufe he was again!' the prefent meafure. He allured the Houfe this was a faift, and therefore he propofed an amendment ; on which a divifion took place—For the amend ment 36—Againii it 72—Majority 36. The Gallery door was not opened during the remainder of what paired on this Bill, but we un. derflood it had been read a third time and paired. When hangers were re-admitted into the gallery, Mr. BIAGGI was (peaking in the cafe of James Trotter, and fcemed to infer from his arguments, that as freffi evidence had been adduced again(( him, he ihould be brought again to the Bar, have the minutes of the Committee read to him, and be afited what he had to fay in his defence ? The Sr sat ea informed the Hon. Gentleman and the Houfe, that he had looked into precedent., and found, that on the queftion of a perfon who had been at the Bar, being committed to Newkite, there as no occafion to bring him to the Bar again. Mr. Lauer Paid, that if he had been allowed to purfue the courfe he at firft Pet out with, the Houfe would have been Paved a great deal of trouble. He fhould at prefent content himfelf with moving, " That Mr. Trotter be, committed to Newgate. ' If he fhould petition the Houfe, and Rate that evidence had been adduced againk him on points which he could fatisfafturily explain, he thought he might be allowed to give evidence at the Bar to this effee, and be heard again; but then he fhould expee to be allowed to go further into the matter, and to try to trace it to the aiders and abetters of the meafure, all of whom were as deferving punilhment as this man was. He, there fore, moved, _ " That Jamas Trotter, having been duly furnmoned by the Speaker's Wammt, and the order of the Chairman of the Cont. mittee appointed to try the mats of the DanfermUne Beetles:, to appear as a whales before the Paid Committee. had abfewed !timid( and refold to obey laid Warrant and Order, and had thereby boas (way of a breach of the Privet:get of the Honk." Agreed to new. coa.—He then moved, " That the laid James Trotter, for his Laid We:tee, be com mitted to his 111aAy's Gaol of Nagar: After a Ikon converfation between Mr. Bs actor, Mr. Ti tu IT, and Mr. St, lamas, the queßion was put and carried nem. con. It was then ordered that the §P ['AIR do iffua his warrant aceordingly.,—Adjourned. LONDON. TUESDAY, APRIL s. PRICE Or STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK • 3 per C. Conf. money. 6st 6i f, 6s, 64j. Ditto. ter uc. 6s 0143 per Cent. Ott PRICK OF STOCKS YESTERDAY: _ _ _ 3 per C. Conf. 631 61/ 611 62 Omnium it} dif. S per Cent Ann. 97196} Ensialt Tickets -- Imp.; per Cent. 621 621 Cont. for May 64/1 631 63/ This morning we received the Paris journals of the ad init. the contents of which are important. We fubjoin the principal matters relative to the affairs of Germany, and alto an abftraft of a cor refpondence between the Britifh Commander at Goree, and the French Officer who was to have occupied the Bland, had our troops evacuated it at the time it was expeded they would. From this correfpondence our Readers will fee, that that Wend has been pretty much in the fitua tion of the. Cape ; and the probability is, that, like the Cape, it has lance been given up, in coafequence of frefh orders fent from this country. FROM THE MONITIOR OF APIIL 2. In the fitting of :he a4th ult. the Diet of the Empire adopted the aft of the Deputation of the 24th of February, which included the definitive dif tribution and regulation of the indemnities. The conclufum of the three Colleges was carried in great ceremony with the preavis of the Diet, by the Diredorial Minifter, to the Prince de la Toua sr.Taars, who immediately tranfmitted it to bis Imperial Majelly. No Conclufum of fo much importance to the Continent has been decreed fince the Treaty of Weftphalia. The arrangements of that peace put an end to a war of 3o years. The Conclufum of March 34, terminates one of ten years, which, by the importance of the events it produced, and the number of armies which maintained it, will be the molt memorable of modern wars. CONCLVSII2I Of THS TRW COLLIGIS OF THB GS- M* Or THU 114FIlt, •DOTTID IN ITS SITTING OF MARCH 24, 1803. _ . The Extraordinary Deputation of the Empire, nominated for the complementary regulation of the Peace of Luneville, and convoked here by the Decree of the Imperial ComrnifGon of the ad of Auguft laa year, having, after numerous comma• nications with the Imperial Plenipotentiaries, and the Minifters of the Mediating Powers, formed,on the :3d of November of the raid year n s principal by Its hi in Yi at that the a E Ron that trio is tl