Star. — London, England, 1822-06-15 00:00:00

T IM , • • -• Ireland, the i which existed THE 16th of NEXT MONTH (July) , the grand S u mmer Lottery begins drawing, and TEN CAPITALS must be drawn in the First Tan MINUTIA. The whole Ten may be pined for a Risk of Nineteen Pounds; for by the plat' adopted, a Whole Ticket will ultimately only cost £1.196. and a Sixteenth only Four Shillings, as is explained in the Schemes, which are given gratis. Tickets and Shares are selling by BISH, Stock-Broker; 4, Cornhill, and 9, Charing cross, London • and by his Agents, who, in the last .:1 Months, have sold T wo Prises of 220,000 1 and Thirty-fm. other Capitals. Pre3t rat price of a Ticket is £21.185. and if returned on or before 26th JULY, £2O may be received back, though it may be dr wn a Blink, Small Prise, or undrawn ; so that the most that can he lost is XI. 18s. after having had . a chance for all the Ten Capitals, which must be drawn, and those which may be sides ; and the moat which can be lost by a Sitteenth is Four Shillings ; other Shaves in proportion, after having had the same chance as the Whole Tickets.—The Scheme contains • TWO of £.3O,OOO!—TWO of 1:20,000! &c. Scc. Consols and Money. ilk' The - Prices of Stocks are affixed Rtan's Office, in Cornhill, by which the Public may gelle=dens. aind be melt , upon tea, sugar, the comforts of progress towards 'arose frees increased don, which prevailed s. judge of-the temptation —_ practice, when he told them that, according ciliation, for every nine pounds Mid out mei would receive twentrormit pounds. Leery Mick distillery became a spirit for disaffocdou; and the system Was encouraged by lasidlords, becihtse, by means of it, they 'Mao enabled to obtain higher rents for their leads. In consequence of this prac tice, the prisms of the country *ere filled with offenders. — During the last six years, 5152 persons were committed for illicit distillation; and of these, 5113 had bola convicted. Thus did bad laws generate a host of offenders, who were always ready to raise the standard of rebellion. He should next advert to the adadnistration of justice in Ireland. In the admirable work of Sir John Davies, he said there was no nation which would rest better satisfied with the just administration of the law than the Irish. Now, if there existed in Ireland a spirit of resistance to the existing laws, it was fit that an inquiry should be made as to the manses in which those laws were put in force. He did not mean to throw out any reflections agalast the Judges of Ireland ; 1 but it was well known that the Magistracy of Ireland was in a most imperfect state; that many men, almost without the means of subsistence, were in the commission of the peace, and that some of them were in a state to be sent to jail. Some time ago in application had been made to him to relieve the son of a Ma gistrate, who happened to be in distress, and he afterwards found this person to be so far an impostor, that although his father was a Magistrate he *as actually in a state of bankruptcy. It was then a subject of the most serious consideration for the Legislature to see that the execution of the laws should not ha l intrusted to such men. • He wished to know why there was not i a larger proportion of Catholic Magistrates in Irelaqd, in pro portion to the Catholic property of the country? This was not the fact, therefore impartial justice was not dealt out to,the people, and the Catholic population must necessarily be dissatis fled u nder such a state of things. Such was the effect of taxa tion- in Ireland, that it went to shut out two-thirds of the popu.' laden from the means of obtaining justice. One Of the greatest grievances was the enormous expense of stamps on law proceed ings, which bad increased two-thirds since the Union, and ope rated as a total exclusion of justice. To illustrate this, he would state, that in consequence of the impossibility of obtaining jus tice by civil processes, a singular and whimsical practice had been resorted to. In the west of Ireland, when a dispute arose about the poeseadott of land, a scene of riot took place. This became the subject of a criminal proceeding; the parties who dieted each other were trjed in the Court of the Assistant Bar rister, and the pr4erty wail adjudged to those in whose favour a verdict of Not Guilty was given. On the subject of absentees. he must say that be did net think the country could be much impoverished by the absence of landlords. But, unfortunately, the incomes of many Gentlemen were spent on this side of the Channel : but a plan should be adopted to make it the interest of Irish Gentlemen of fortune to live in Ireland, and that their safety should be insured while they were there. lie should next come to the subject of tithes, and he wished to remind their Lordships that the population lie had just alluded to was, in ad dition to all its other hardships, burdened with a tax the least congenial to their feelings, the most oppressive, and one of the most revolting that could be conceived—a burden - which was the most oppressive in times of the greatest distress—an impost levied on land, when tot; land produced no advantage to the cultivator. Their Lordships' attention was imperiously called to this impost, with a view of adopting route remedy. lit; had no intention of casting any imputation on the great body of the Clergy; but he complained of the power they possessed, and of the odium which the system necessarily threw upon them. Ile knew that in many instances individual Clergymen bad se- ' nounced their actual rights in times of great distress, from mo tives of humanity, while the avaricious Clergy had the power of exercising extortion and oppression over the poor of the country. A return had been made of tithe proceedings in Ireland. The Noble Marquis enumerated the number of tithe causes tried in. Ireland in the last six years, the whole of which exceeded 14,000. Besides these, there were innumerable cases decided summarily before Magistrates. The Noble Marquis next took notice of the practice pursued by Tithe Proctors in setting valuations on the crops, and compelling the cultivators to abide by the same. The law was such as to operate most iniquitously and tyranni cally against the farmers; for if only three farmers gave notice at the same time to. the Clergyman that they would lay out their tithes, they might be charged with a conspiracy. Could any thing be mere shocking than this? The tithe was most unequally raised in Ireland ; for in some places potatoes were subject to it, while in other places they were not ; and thus was there a claim on men's labour which excited all that irritation and resistance so constantly felt in Ireland. Ile could not conceive a more salutary object for the consideration of the Legislature than the devising of a plan by which the commutation of tithes might take place. lie would not rest the claim of tithes on any Di vine right ; and the most respectable authorities of the Reformed Church held that tithes did not exist in virtue of Divine right. Pteteetant aeon tedlelk: )311 n 11 11) said be would now pro . Pc" his Roland°SWlM Jo km wisho, if any Noble Lord felt any dilleuky Mato tlettnersa be ought to pursue--If there 'misted in his mind Why dstatt as as the cameo which pissed Ireland in her present litanies, Ite bred that Nettie Lewd to transport himself to some remote comer -et that unhappy island, and see the state of society which 'slated between the governing and the governed—the bitter and basilic feeling which was engen. dered, and that under the laws of &gland. He would see one county gentleman drilled to seek an asylum in another county. —He would see another deprived of that legitimate influence which rank, character, and property ought to inspire. He would see the peasant deprived of that natural protection which the lowest and meanest individual in this country had a right to eipect from the Magistracy—a Magistracy of his own persua sion, whilst in Ireland they were chiefly of the opposkeone.-- He &hewed their Lordships how that country laboured under the oppression of the tithe system, and he asked them if a state of society so abandoned as that which he had just represented, and so remote from all those piards which kept society together in this country—be asked their Lordships if they could wonder Ireland advanced hi vice and misery ? Then, in such a state, did they mean to adopt a course which would shew they enter tained the same sentiments as Lord Bacon, that Ireland was south more dangerous civilised than savage? His Lordship hoped all the auspicious circumstances of his Majesty's visit— the bright splendour of that moment when his kingly foot first ' touched the land of Erin, augured better fortunes to that un- ' bappy country, and would remove all those prejudices which stood in the way of adopting a course of wise, temperate, and efficient legislation. His Lordship concluded by moving- O That their Lordships do resolve that the state of Ireland re *tires the serious attention of Parliament, and the adoption of such measures as would Improve its condition, and more espe cially insure its The Earl of LIVERPOOL was animated with a desire to discuss these important topics in the fattest and calmest manner. But he conceived that it would imply a censure on the Irish Go vernment, and especially on the Noble Marquis now at the head of it, if the Resolution were agreed to, and therefore he would negative it. They ought first to And out the causes of the evils before they attempted to cure them; for faction often attributed them to anything but their true causes. Even in these coun tries where the contest was between Democracy and Aristo cracy, and where liberty was in the mouth of every man, still, in ancient, and in some such modern States, the great port of the people were kept in a state pf interminable slavery. The evils of Ireland—nine-tenths of them--arose, not from the sys- tem of Government, bat from the unfortunate state in which the peasantry was kept, with relation to the property of the country. No one would say that Scotland was inferior to Eng land or Ire land in Internal regulation and prosperity ; yet she had the smallest share of the popular parts of our Government; and Ireland had by far the greatest of the three. Ireland had nothing to complain of as to the popular nature of her Constitu tion. She enjoyed the Trial by Jury, and the independence of her Judges, as well as we did. He would ask if the burden 'of revenue imposed on Ireland was unfair, or too heavy, when Great Britain, with a population of 14 millions , raised fifty mil lions of taxes; and Ireland, with a population Of seven millions, raised, according to the Noble Lord's own statement, only abuut three millions? Let it not be forgotten, that the debt of Ireland had been taken by this country upon itself, and it was still bur dened with its interest. He, therefore, contended that every fair consideration had been paid to the wants and feelings of Ireland. There was a Bill in progress to amend the system - of Magistrates in Ireland ; but the present system was called for by the whole representative body of Ireland. As to absentee ship be would discuss nothing of its pecuniary effects, because there was one pre-eminent effect arising from it, and that was the moral effect of it, but the blame would apply as much to the Scotch as to Irish absentees, yet the same effects were by no means produced in the one country as in the other by it. It was very difficult for the Lord Lieutenant and Lord Chancellor of Ireland to ascertain proper persons to put into the Magistracy in Ireland. He was sure that no person was put into the Com mission of the Peace from favouritism, or any other impropet motives. There had been every disposition to assimilate the law and practice of Ireland to that of England ; but there were cases which rendered them impossible to be carried into effect. Before the Rebellion of 1745, and the abolition of the herit able jurisdictions, Scotland was in as disturbed, and, per haps, a more unfortunate situation than Ireland is at present. The right of tithe Was as sacred a right as that of any sort of property whatever, though he would say nothing of its proceed ing from divine right. He would say also, that the resident Clergy of Ireland were of beneficial effect in that country; for they remained amid their flocks, spending their income among them, and giving numb to charitable uses. Ile believed, how ever;that they never received half their dues. A great evil was, that perhaps a living of £4OO a year was to be collected out of 1500 people. Let them consider what endless litigation must arise out of such a system. The only remedy would be to take the tithes from the proprietor. and not from the occspiers of the land. As to any general system of commutation, he was of opi nion that it would not be advisable. The sub-divisionl of pro perty into the 40s. freeholder was also a very great evil. A plan on this subject was proposed by a Right Hon. Friend of his in another place ; but that was not the only measure which Govern ment had in view for the amelioration of the state of Ireland.— There was also a measure with respect to the Police of Ireland, to which there were some objections; but he trusted they would wait till it came before them in its regular course. He defended the Noble Marquis at the head of the Irish Government from any Imputation. He had returned to Ireland with all the feelings of an Irishman, and anxious that the last acts of his public life should be beneficial to Ireland. For these reasons he should oppose the Resolution of the Noble Marquis. The Earl of LIMERICK threw no blame on the Noble Marquis at the head of the Irish Government, nor on his Ma jesty's Government in this country ; but he thought everything the Noble Marquis bad said shewed the necessity for inquiry into-the lamentable state of Ireland. There was no difference between landlords and tenants in Ireland more than in other countries. He was afraid there was a feeling in Ireland against the Laws and Government of this country ; and he wished to see the general right of voting abjidged, with a view to take away the strong means of barbarizing the people. He was strongly attached to the interests of the Church of Ireland; but it was very grievous to the Irish peasant to see the Church, into which he never entered, reared up by his money, and supported through that which was wrung from him by the Tithe Proctor. Tithes occasioned great evils in Ireland ; and he knew that the Proprietor and the Clergyman were willing to commute them. The Salt Duty would destroy the only remaining branch of trade in Irelarid, namely, the trade in previsions. He should support the motion as far as it went, but he did not think it went far enough. lie believed that if the law wit& respect to the Irish peasantry were passed, almost every Magistrate of respectability would throw up his commission, and they would have nothing but stipendiary Magistrates of no character. The LORD CHANCELLOR said, there was no fault to be found with the mode of adnu'histering justice in Ireland. If some of the Noble Persons he saw around him would go and act as Magistrates in Ireland, for three months, he would undertake to say they would hear of no more complaints. The Clergyman had a right to tithes as much as the proprietor had to the other 9-10ths of his land, for he had bought 9-10ths of it, and no more. The Marquis of DOWNSHIRE was disappointed • and dis heartened by the manner ib which the Noble. Earl at the head of the Government had met this question, which was brought forward with much temper and moderation. The Irish farmer complained that tithes were a tax on all improvements; and he wished to see the Parliament and Government doing all they could to soften the system, taking care not to endanger the Church Establishment of Ireland. He recommended the ap pointment of careful resident Gentry to the Magistracy, for If the Bill of another House should pass, no respectable Gentleman would be of the Commission. Lord DONOUGHMORE was astonished to find the Noble Earl had from the first shewa that he would clap an extinguisher on this important and necessary inquiry. He denied that the motion carried either censure towards the Government at home, or on the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He did not think they were giving the Noble Marquis (Wellesley) time enough to ac ;:ithe isesibres whirls were expected from .him, for the d d s i p ill f his country. He did not. think the Irish Pace Bill, which had stolen into Parliament towards de latter end-of the Session, showed an, of the groat mind which presides over the —But at the same time, he would not attempt to take away from the Clergy the just claims they had to this source of in come, because it was one to which they were fairly entitled. With that disposition to treat the property of tithes with the respect due to it—a principle ,in any alteration which was to take place, it was necessary to keep distinctly in view. There was no fair measure of commutation, to which be, as a lay proprietor himself, would net give his assent. He was willing to leave the Clergy in that scale of rank and respectability which they now enjoyed; he would support no measure which would leave that body more dependent on the State than they now were ; and he could assure their Lordships, if he knew any measure which would make them less dependent on the State, he would be most glad to give it his cordial assent. In the discharge of the duty which he had undertaken, he did not think it fair to conceal from their Lordships any view which he entertained as to the amelioration of the tithe system, and he was therefore in duced to suggest to their Lordships, if any means of making some improvement might not be effected, by introducing into Ireland such a valuation of corn as was now practised in Scot. land. The corn was valued by a sworn Jury, and an ltverage taken fur one year, though he thought it would be better if it was taken fur five or six years. The introduction of a simi lar system, in Ireland would be the means of securing the Clergy against a change in tithes, and would support the Clergy in an independence and respectability equal to that which they now enjoyed. He did not mean to extend this view of the subject to England. The circumstances of both countries were different, and that which might benefit Ireland would not, perhaps, be attended with the same result in England.— A corn rent should be established and paid by the proprietors, and not the occupiers of the land, and the proprietors should have the power of exempting themselves from future claims by purchasing a portion of land, and settling it on the Clergyman in lieu of the amount of his tithes. To this system he could see no objection, and expected no opposition from the Right Rev. Bench, because a measure similar in its nature and principle was before under the consideration of their Lordships, and met with their concurrence. In 1811 a common of considerable extent,' in Clifton, County of Westtnoreland,was enclued,which becdme subject to tithe. These were bought up by the proprietors for ,f 9,000, and an estate purchased, which was nude over to the incumbent and his successors, which exonerated the proprietor from any further claims for tithes. This meuure me(with no opposition, and be now mentioned it to show the practicability of such a scheme. He did not contend that such a system ought to become general in Rugiand, but in Ireland he was convinced it would be attended with great and beneficial results. If the Clergy had a vested interest it would attach to them a respect ability,which would qualify them for the more efficient perform ance of their dudes. His Lordship said he had received a com munication in which it was alleged that the Clergyman received nothing like the proportion of tithe which was allowed by the the landlord, where the landlord did se In consideration Of what the tenant had to pay. The communication partkulerlY alluded to the county of Limerick; but this only proved the ' evil the greater, when the tenant, to exempt -himself from doll law of tithe, was willing to give the landlord a greater rem O.J ration than the Clergyman. There was another subject wail* his Lordship could not help noticing. It was stated, Mid he believed correctly, that the burden of building Churches chiefly fell on the Catholic peasantry. He did not examine this part of the subject with the attention it merited; but he was informed, if there was an examination hue the first fruits, there would be found funds suaciendy ample for that purpose, which would exempt the peasantry from a contribution that must be necessarily os.odious to them. There was no valuation of thlt first fruits since their first 'lndus: Po in file rely of Queen Mot and though they were little then, be believed t hey viers' now still less. He respeowd tits rights of the Church, and was wWiej . . , ' - . i'f•- • • . : • ,; , 1' - . , , , . . . :'. . • .. . I . •• ~ - • • .. . , . . . • • . • • • . . • • , o. . - • • . . : 1 . , . . • . . . rot I lannestation *of titlic4, , pelmet staarof the Irish Magistrze 7 . benbeld with "element of a ad. Thole things required Irrestigation. MIGH said, the present minion might dme of the bra conqgett of Ireland, at Revolution,. and at the Union. x o paid any attention to ameliorating th e present motion remaining unanswered, a his Majesty's Ministers. Many b a d laws pawed at wins times with respect to Ireland, h a d in , Amiga boss from time today repealed by them, bat their eff ect , long remained after they were gone. Geakmen ought to girt equal laws to Ireland as to England. It ]vas impossible thzt equal justice could be done in the prevent stated the laws r t . speeds.% Protestants and Catholics. It was not the justice ad. tniniatehd by the Judges in Ireland, that was complain e d of ; was that which was administered by the Magistracy that required revision. The great evil of tithes in Ireland, arose from th e i r cawing coatings' disputes between the clergy and their Hocks. The Earl of BLESINTON spoke in favour of a commits. don of tithes. Lord DARNLEY spoke in favour of tie ntollos. The vi s i t of the King to Ireland, and the appointment of the Nabie /threads to the bead of her Government, gave hopes that the case of Ireland would be irresdgated ; but no such tkiny. total revislem of the Magistracy of Ireland might be of muc‘. aurae( • but the measure now intended would only disgost e Oladkjiiiit in the Consmiseleta. if his Noble Friend's propcs:_ dos should Ise now re)ected, he hoped be would bring it (oi lman' in the next Sntden. If he did not, he (Lord D.) woulf!. Lord HOLLAND thought mach had been said which did not bear upon the question. The Noble Earl opposite had me; the motion by an eatraordinary harangue on the state sof society in ancient and modern times. The Noble Earl had told thee' on a former occasion that Government was considering the nave of Ireland. They were a very considering Administration, bet " &liberal Rena, et peril Sagiustuns." The 'Noble Earl wished them to put their trust and confidence in him and the Govern. ment ; but he (Lord Holland) knew him too well for that. Ali. senteeship was certainly a great evil, but it was the most foolisa thing that could be in one who bad helped to bring about the Union with Ireland to cast any blame on that which he hint sell bad assisted in giving rise to. The Noble Lord talked of our only deriving three millions of revenue from Ireland ; but 4e forgot that the smallness of revenue was a proof of the oppressive nature of the taxes. As to tithes, the Noble Lord had treated then as property. He had no intention of treating them other wise; but if the Noble Earl did not mean to snake his measure respecting them compulsory, he (Lord Holland) would give hint not a farthing for his measure. It was impossible to conc e i ve a better method of throwing discontent among a people than I y taking tithes from the great bulk of the community, :slid that t,t support a Church to which only a fifth part of them isersnge.:. He was attached to the Constitutiou and freedom of this c.ar try ; but he would not say that he would be a very good aul,je,-, if he had to pay out of his earnings for the maintenance of a Re ligion and a Church which his conscience disapproved of. 1V e had bound ourselves at the Union to give the Irish the hen-rt of the English Laws and Co satiation ; and we had no rigts: :r suspend them from time to time. If the, made the British Ctrr btitution a dead letter in Ireland, they would be attaching a rotten carcase to the English Government, which would L i ; :. mately destroy it.. It was throwing most ini-erable dust in the eyes of the people of Ireland, that after twenty, two years it IVZ, not time to inquire into their situation, though the time was come for suspending the Constitution, as regarded tbem, ar.t for cutting their throats. If Parliament should be reduced to the necessity of repealing the Act of Union, he might repeat the lines which he quoted when that Union was originally Mortua quin e.tiant jungebat corpora vivis, " Compourns manibusque mantis ;ague oribus or., " Tormenti genus! et•sanie taboque euerttes " Compleru in misero, longs sic morte necabat." The House then divided— For the motion - - - 60 Against it - - - - 108—Majority 48. Adjourned at Half-past Eleven till Monday. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Mr. WARREpresented a Petition from Tannton,apinst Licensing Bill.:—lteferred to the Committee un the said Bi:l. Mr. DEN !SON presented a Petition from two individvaN who exercised the trade of tanners, in the county of Surrey, r- - presenting that they had discovered an advantageous tn.hle of dressing hides, and praying for encouragement.—Ordered to is on the table. Mr. DALY gave notice, that on Wednesday next he shr?l,! bring forward a motion respecting the present "Piths Systc:;l tt Ireland. Mr. M. A. TAYLOR presented a Petition from the Gorr. nor and Company of the Chelsea Water Works, prayinz for com pensation in consequence of the injury which, they alleges'. would be done to their property by the London Bridge Wa:er Works Company.—Ordered to be referred to the Committee oil the said Bill. Doyle's Divorce Bill was ordered to be committed ; and it was ordered that all notices, in the progress of the hill, sary to be served on Lady Doyle, should be served on her dy strip's agent.. Mr. COKE presented a Petition from certain Landwvi.er: Norfolk, complaining of Agricultural Distress, and pray is e; ;Jr Parliamentary Reform.—Ordered to lie on the table. Sir It. W I LSON presented a Petition from a Mr. Lewis, confined in Oakham jail under sentence of the Court of Nint's Bench, for a libel, and for a penalty of XlOO, inflicted upon Ent for selling roasted grain, which was stated to be a fraudulent im . . ration of coffee. This the Petitioner denied; and be referred the opinion of the late . Chief Baron Macdonald, to prove that the selling of this grain was no fraud upon the Revenue. The Petition, after a few. words from the CNA/KC/LW/I of :he EXCHEQUER, was ordered to lie on the table. General GASCOYNE wished to ask the Chancellor of thz Exchequer whether he intended to persevere in his intention *f retaining the remnant of the Salt Tax? Mr. H. SUMNER wished also to know whether the Lest:ler Tax would certainly be repealed ? It was of consequence to the.e concerned in the trade to be distinctly informed on the subject. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that with respect to the Salt Tax he intended to propose nizny Re solutions, in alteration of those already agreed to by the House. The internal tax, it had already been said, would be reduced to two shillings. The other duties he proposed should be continued until 1885, that the Public and the House might see the effect of the present alteration. With respect to the export salt, he proposed to extend the duty free allowance to Ireland. He pro posed also that Ireland should be allowed to Manufacture set, without payment of any duty. The last observations would app:y to Scotland, to which it was also proposed to extend those al lowances. Should his plan meet the approbation of the House, he intended to persevere in his promise to take off the Leather Tax. But he was satisfied that the remission of taxation could not be carried any further. Mr. CURWEN said, the explanation of the Right Hon. Gee tleman did not satisfy him ; ha therefore trusted that the Right Hon. Gentleman would consent to the discussion of the measure on Monday. After a few words from Colonel Dams, the Cnanctu.oa of the EXCURQUILW, and Mr. D. litcaxar, the conversation dropped. Sir J. NEWPOR'r gave notice, that when the Irish Estimates came on, he should move that Mayuonth College should be raised to 8615,000, as It was in 1807. . . . , • s . . - . • . • ' , ereentegma been e~ b elow that' twooggit ttik *AO OM ill aloilieliiim. . of isle* lis I A w o ol y., to t h o 11. bye i mose d,. melt la iiiir VAN etieeth boom 40.! Welk dig as i gry by e eh, p St user to that the incedised were laid be tielleek *mild bellatiOdot **kids beisiiebdishilk ift l y d ia a V i a n d b e b ut t=ar, "and miter articles of a sitisd, by which ofetcwerstlng the Catheilitipmeastrt mask low. eitillidowilblo peediary Magistracy? Tht t e of the yew olden were sAlaillied and their as were. from a Chant from which ther Meer Leted ELLEN so !toe cards civilisation init d hoildbrirtlsat ' evil which hoped he receive any or other completion.T he tees- have been made at the don increased seitathoo, the fffte_ial Mick distilla- don of thlses would not OM. to pros, is every nt l'af-• the leforniallsa, at the I prevailed all the Me dip might Vainest, till some remedy was devised which would.rellive - the MO& Government had pi temptation We by he halm to pursue this Church from the odium now attached to it, and lay the &ea- out. or Wood; sad ells r her he told them that, amoral lo the common cal- dation cf that 'daimons intercourse which should mist between was the gramme stein on I ..._______.__a".-,..... CPL. t ...1.1.1... ..IA Ito urnaad mum. imp.- _I. ...1 at rinaza dm PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. HOUSE OF LORDS, Jun 14. Their Lordships met at ten o'clock, to bear Appeals. Vans Ammer, Appellant; Dirstre, Respondent. This was an appeal from the Court of Session, Scotland. The ATTORNEY-GINEKAL and Mr. Soon= were heard for the appel lant ; and Mr. Wirrutraux was heard, in part, for the respondent. Further hearing postponed to Monday. The Recognizances Bill was read a third time and passed. The Marquis of DOWNSHIRE presented a Petition from an individual complaining of the injury done to him by the Com missioners for examining the Public Records in Ireland. The Noble Marquis hoped that his Majesty's Government would inquire into the great expenses which the nation had been put to by the Commissioners in question.--The Petition was or dered to lie on the table. The Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND presented a Petition from Newcastle, against any alteration in the Navigation Laws. The Bishop of ST. DAVID'S presented six Petitions against the Catholic Peers' Bill, from bodies of Clergy in his diocese. The Annuities Bill was committed. Sir JAMES GRAHAM and Sir T. ACLAND brought up some BUIs from the Commons. The Earl of DARNLEY observed that before he entered into the discussion of the important question which stood for that evening, he wished to call the attention of their Lordships to the subject of the Stationery Office in Ireland ; upon the enor mous expenses of which he hoped to receive some information from the Noble Earl opposite. The Earl of LIVERPOOL said, that since the subject had been last noticed, inquiries had been made respecting the nature of the contract that hall been entered into by Government, with an individual in Dublin, and some correspondence had taken place ; the Noble Lord might Move for the correspond ence if he chose. STATE OF IRELAND. The Order of the Day for summoning their Lordships being read, The Marquis of LA NSDOW N rose to bring forward the motion of which he had given notice. After all the assurances that had been held out at different times, on the part of Govern ment, that the affairs of Ireland shoull be fully considered— after the faith of Ministers had been pledged to that object— after the visit of his Majesty to that country, which had held out promises of immense advantage—after the discussion which took place on the meeting of Parliament, when the pledges of Ministers were repeated ; and after the subsequent change of Adniinistration in Ireland, which held out the most sanguine hopes of an amelioration in the state of that country ; after all these things, which bad not as yet been followed by any prac tical result, he felt that he should stand acquitted in the eyes of their Lordships and of the Public, if he called their attention to this important question; respecting which no plan of amelio ration or relief had yet been proposed. In addition to the dis tress suffered by the agricultural and manufacturing interests, Ireland was now suffering unmitigated evils. He should, how ever, on this occasion, omit the powerful recital of distresses which were common to both countries, and conhne himself to others that were peculiar to the Mate of 'lreland, which were accompanied by misfortunes that did not belong to any other country. He could appeal to the Statutes in corroboration of this statement. During the last twenty years, the Legislature had repeatedly suspended the Trial by Jury, and in fact, the whole Constitution of Ireland ; and given a degree of arbi trary power to Magistrates which was quite inconsistent with the happiness of any People. On all the occasions of pan. ing such laws as these, encomiums were passed on the Con stitution, and the Trial by Jury was said to be a very excellent thing; but still that it could not be suffered to exist in Ireland. —ln short, the cup which conveyed the salutary draught to others, was always held to be pernicious to the unfortunate people of Ireland. When all these things, which must be well known to their Lordships, were considered, he would ask whether they did not feel it necessary to go into an inquiry respecting the state of that country? Would not their Lordships be anxious to as certain why it happened that its natives were the most wretched people in the world? Was that calamitous state of things owing to her insular situation? Was it owing to her temperate climate, and to her possessing advantages, in point of navigation, the most favourable to man? Was it because she was blessed by Paose breCti with so many physical advantages that she was miserably poor in the midst of surrounding wealth?—(Hear, hear). The people were not only wretched, but they were discontented and rebellious—while under the sanction of a Constitution whose boast it was to afford protection and tranquillity to all the sub jects. Ile felt that in taking this view of the state ef Ireland, it would be in vain to throw any stigma upon particular classes of society ; for the evils could not be attributed to the conduct of any particular set of persons, however improper their conduct might have been. In viewing the state of Ireland, the first thing their Lordships ought to consider was, the rapidly increasing pp pul- don, and the consequences resulting from it. In the year 1695, the population of Ireland was no more than 1,0.34,000 per sons ; in 1811, it was 5,400,000 ; and in 1821, it was 6,546,000, an Increase almost unparalleled in thelhistory of any country. — Out of this enormous amount, it was calculated that no more than 1-14th part were of the Established Church, the rest being Dis senters and Catholics. It was not merely for the purpose of pointing out the physical strength of the country that lie called theirattention to this increase of population ; but in order to shew that, contrary to the political maxims that had almost always prevailed, this vast increase of inhabitants was no indication of Wealth. On the contrary, it was, in this instance, unhappily true, that the population of a country might go on increasing, while its wealth was decreasing. It was owing to that very circumstance that the people of Ireland, moving on in a state of perpetual degradation, were forced down to such a wretched state of existence, that potatoes constituted their principal source of life throughout the year. Individuals, after being driven from all the comforts of life, thought themselves justified in contracting marriages when they had no other than a pre. carious means of support. It was on account of the state of degradation into which the peasantry of Ireland had fallen, that scenes had been witnessed which had been so faithfully an ticipated by the Poet : , t While scourg'd by famine, from the smiling land The mournful peasant leads his humble band; And while be sinks, without one arm to save, The country blooms—a garden and a grave !" Indeed, all the circumstances which could degrade a people in their own estimation existed there. In other countries there existed an artificial bounty on population; but here it became a source of political slavery—(Hear, hear!). The object of owners or holders of land had been to encourage the number of wretched 'voters by the mockery of pretended freeholds, and afterwards to convert them into slaves, in order to answer electioneering pur poses. 'This system was adverse to all essential improvements. A practice, for instance, 'of letting lands in common to several joint tenants, existed to a degree beycnd all calculation • and tin object was, that all those persons might swear that they held 405., freeholds; and then they were bound to go and vote at elections as they should be ordered by the persons from whom they held the lands. He had known an Instance of no less than ninety persons having freeholds on one farm, and twenty was the com mon number on one farm. With all the respect which he enter tained for the privilege of the elective franchise, he thought that the sight of voting should- be confined to one person upon one farm. lie should next advert to the nature of the buedeas - which' the population of. Ireland were suffering. Here Coble Marquis entered intarcalialations ti shew that in pro as increased taxes had hag imposed on the people of the the Ni portico KENT PETITION. Mr..HONEYWOOD presented a Petition from ele County of Kent. The Hon. Member said this Petition was adopted at a highly respectable Meeting, held at Maidstone, on Tuesday last. The Meeting was con vened for the purpose of taking into consideration the distressed state of Agriculture, and in all parts of the Petition which related to that subject, he fully agreed ; but with respect to the last part of it, which prgyed for Parliamentary Reform, he must confess he regretted that it should have been introduced, though, in the present state of the country, he could not be surprised at it. Sir E. KNATCH BULL could not, connected with the County of Kent as he was, remain quite silent on the subject of this Petition. He fully agreed to the respectability of the Meeting, though he must dissert from many parts of the Petition. He agreed fully in what was stated of agricultural distress, but he doubted extremely as to the necessity of Patliamen tary Reform. That allegation of the Petition had been most unfairly introduced. The Meeting WO ~. f I