Star. — London, England, 1822-05-15 00:00:00

Z.., .. • \ *. 4. 1% ...b li k * • S . • left, • -... ' -•• .. . aNAF ii; ~~ .~ PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. HOUSE OF LORDS, MAY 14. Their Lordships at in a Committee of Privileges, and heard 1 Marchniont Counsel and witnesses, till five o'clock, on the Peerage.—The House having resumed, Mr. CAIITUZLL and others brought up several Private Bits from the Commons, which were read a first time. Mr. °maws, front the Commissioners of the Margate Pier, presented the Accounts of the Margate Pier Harbour, as or dered by the House.—Lid on tie table. The Duke of GRAFTON presented two Petitions front Landowners in the County of Suffolk, praying for agrictdtural relief.—Laid on the table. The Silk Lace Duties Bill was read a second time. The Marquis of CONYNGHAM informed thed Hou that vase, that his Majesty bad been graciously p leased to give orders - rious Returns should be laid before their Lordships, in conse quence of their HOUSE OF COMMONS. Mr. °spouse, from the Commissioners of Margate Pier, pre sented several Accounts from the Treasurer of the Company.— Ordere. to Ile on the table, Mr. CARTER presented a Petition from an individual, stating, that he bad discovere d a new and beneficial method of dressing Hides, and praying •that a Committee might be ap pointed to examine the truth of his statement with a view to his being remunerated.—Orderod to be printed. Mr. STOU RFIELI ) prese nted a Petition from the Town of H aver f or dwest, praying for a repel of the Duty on Salt. The same Honourable Member presented a Petition from the Farmers of flaverfordwest, praying for a repeal of the fro t Leather. Mr. CURWEN presented a Petitien from the Farmers, Tan ners, and Currien of Whitehaven, against the Leather Tax.— The above Petidens were ordered to lie on the table. Mr. BYNG presented a Petition from certain Freeholders of Middlesex, praying for a Regulation of the Office of Treasurer of the County. Colonel WOOD said, this Petition had originated in a defal cation of the County Treasurer, and any l eg i s l a tive measure for regu lating such an office shoulcebe extended to all Counties, and not con fi ned to the County of Middlesex. After a few words from the Srtaxes, the Petition was re ferred to a Committee. Sir JOHN BOUGHEY presented a Petition from an indivi dual in Staffordshire, praying for an alteration in the present law of tithes.—Ordered to lie on the table. Mr. BYN G presented a Petition from the Churchwardens and Trustees of the Parish of Sc. Pancras, against the Iron Coffin Bill.—Referred to the Committee on the Bilk Mr. LINDSAY presented a Petition from the Ship-owners and Merchants of Dundee against the Navigation Bill. Sir ISAAC COFFIN thought every encouragement should be given to the shipping of the country.—The Petitiou was then ordered to be printed. Mr. HART DAVIS presented a Petition from the Tobacco Merchants of Bristol against the Duties on Tobacco. Mr. BRIGHT spoke in favour of the Petition, which was then ordered to lie on the table. Mr. WODEHOUSE presented a Petition from certain Owners and Occupiers of Land in Norfolk, complaining of Agri cultural Distress.—Ordered to lie on the table. Mr. WODEHOUSE moved for a Return stating the quan tity of foreign Butter imported into this country since the year I 815.—Ordered. P4r. WESTERN postponed h is motion respecting the Cur rency until the 11th of June. He did so on account of the pressure of public business, and he did not regret this circum stance, as it would give the House time to consider this im portant subject. Mr. COURTENAY moved the second reading of the Pen sions Regulation Bill.—The Bill was read a second time, and committed for to.morrow. Mr. HEATHCOTE presented a Petition from the Owners and Occupiers of Land in the county of Rutland, complaining of Agricultural Distreas.- 1 0rdered to be printed. Mr. BENNET moved for leave to bring in a Bill for regu lating the system of Licensing Public-houses. According to the present system, an individual soliciting a license bad merely to obtain a certificate to his character, signed by persons resident In the parish in which he was about to establish the publicises*. (Mr. Bennet) proposed that the certificate in question &mid be signed by persons resident in the pariah in which the appli cant actually resided, at the time of the application. He pro posed to alter the present law respecting the offence of tippling; and to detail the duties which the publican bad to perform. — This would justify an increased penalty in the case of disobe dience. He intended to suggest that, in all cases of alleged in fraction of the proposed law, the charge should be submitted to the consideration of a Jury. The other objects of the Bill were for the purpose of discouraging the monopoly of brewers, who either drenched the Public with their bad liquor, or compelled them to take spirits as a substitute. To alter this he proposed to give every man who complied with the previous requisites a power to demand a license, which might be taken away by the Magistrates in cases of misbehaviour. The Hon. Member moved for leave to bring in a Bill accordingly. Mr. CALVERT thought something ought to be done to pre vent the practice of serving be in t measures. Sir ISAAC COFFIN asse n ted t wo tie observations of the last speaker. Mr. R. COLBOURNE suggested the propriety of permitting the sale of table beer of quality suonger than that which was al lowed to he sold by the present law. Mr. GILENFELL thought the thanks of the country were due to his lion. Friend, for having brought the present subject under the consideration of the House. Leave was then given to bring in the Bill. Mr. W A RE said, that as a motion would . come onto-mor row relative to the Third Class of the Civil List, which involved the question on which he had given notice for the present even ing, he would wait the issue of that motion. If it were carried, his would be unnecessary. If it were negatived he would bring forward his proposition respecting the Swiss Embassy on Thurs day neat. Mr. COKE presented a Petition from certain Inhabitants of Maidenhead, in Berkshire, complaining of the monopoly of Beer. The Petition, after a few words from Mr. C. CALVERT Mr. C. IhreiDAS, and Mr. F. PAIANIZA, was ordered to be printed. Mr. MABERLY moved for a Return of the Amount of Three per Cent. Consols transferred to the Commissioners for Managing the Public Debt for the year 11121.—Ordered. Sir N. COULTH URST presented a Petition from the Mer chants of Cork, complaining of the present regulation of the Post Office of that City.—'fhe Petition, after some observations from Mr. S. Ries, as to the present mode of entering into Mail Contracts, was referred to the C,onunittee on the Holyhead Road 13W. . A Message from the Lords here announced their Lordships' assent to several Bills. The LORD ADVOCATE presented a Petition from the Landowners of Kincardine, complaining of Agricultural Distress. .--Ordered to be printed. Sir JOHN NEWPORT moved for certain papers relating to the Irish Excise Duties.—Ordered. Mr. KEN FELL gave notice, that in consequence of the Present negociadon between Government and the Bank for the removal of the Bank monopoly, he should avail himself of the a eliest opportunity to take the sense of the House on the sitb ne wished to know when the subject would regularly come before the House? The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that in a few days, certain financia/ arraogements would have been made with the Bank ; and the subject would then. be capable of &madam Mr. MABERLY said, be hoped that when the arrengemaite in question should be submitted to the House, it would considers' ably diminish the present large allowances made to the Ban* . Mr. PEIRSE hoped the House would not suffer itself to be prejudiced by these irregular conversations and eeporreremaks. 'Whenever the subject came regularly forward, the Bank would be able to defend itselL . . Mr. CURTEIS presented a.Petition from certain Hop Her.. chants in Susie: complaining of the present duty on hops, and pray i ng for relief. He wished to know what were the intentions at the Chancellor of the Exchequer so' the subject, as the Pal ticesseacomplained also of the mode of collecting the duty ? The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, he bad no objection coded any inconvenience which existed in the a node of collectio tom. bet he protested against being called upon to give any_opkdou as to the propriety of repealing a p ar ticular tax. The reition, after a few words from Mr. C. CALvear and Mr. Lusimeorom, and from the CMANCIII4OII of the Exuseausa and Ms. Comm. in explanadeo, was ordered to be printed. k. - . lONIAN var-III " Mr. HUME nee r and s a ;raldsk he undertaken was not one plealteirteltitnself. were anx i o u s to con sult his own Me he would have interfered with the question ; but he conside that the interests of 200,000 inhebitaats Of the Loin 'stands, and the character of the British nation, from tht protection it had undertaken to offer them, were at stake. It was from these motives that he engaged in a task unpleasant to his feelings--but one on which his opinions were most decided. It was not the first or the third time that he had called the attention of the House to the subject ; last year he had laid before it the situation of those Islands in a very detailed manner. He said that he would, in justice to him self and to the cause of humanity in these Islands, have to trespass on the time of the House at present, but he would endeavour to compress the subject as briefly as possible. He was anxious to state that he had no personal feelings to gratify against the indi vidual whom he found it his duty to arraign. He did not know him ; he had not any transactions with him ; it was solely on public grounds he attacked his con duct. He (Mr. Hume) had spent a considerable time in the lonian Islands, and had attached himself to the inhabitants. He would, therefore, be blameable if he did not give his attention to their present deplo rable state. At that time Corfu was held by France —he passed through all the others ; he found the name of England hailed as the harbinger of peace ; its protection was supposed by the inhabitants to bring to them *same libertythey had heard England herself enjoyed. They regarded this country with feelings of devotion and affection, which we had ill repaid. These Islands belonged to the Government of Venice in the year 1797 ; they followed the for tunes of that State, and in 1801 they became subject to Russia. By a secret article of the Treaty of Tilsit they were next conveyed from Russia to France, in which situation they remained until 1810. At the Treaty of Paris they were declared free and inde pendent, and placed under the special guarantee and protection of Great Britain. There was an article in the Treaty which stated that the Government then existing in the lonian Islands should remain till there was time to form a Constitutional Government. This Treaty was agreed to on the 2d of May, 1816, and was signed on the 11th of July following by his Bri tannic Majesty. He would view the question under two heads : first, as regarded the expenses which Great Britain incurred . % consequence of the posses sion of these Islands; and, secondly, as to the treat ment which these Islands had a right to expect from Great Britain. He could refer to a speech of the Noble Marquis on the subject of the Treaty of Paris, 'in which he explained the jealousy of the Russian Government as to these Islands, and also said that they expressed a wish to place hemselves under the protection of England, in the expectation of receiving a Constitution framed on the same principles as that of this country. A Noble Earl expressed a similar opinion in his place in the House of Lords. But, if these Islands were to be placed under the protection of England, it ought not to be at the expense of any additional burden to this country. However, he would be able to shew that, if the resources of these Islands were properly managed, they would be quite sufficient to defray all the expenses necessary for their administration. It was expressed, in the Contitu tional Charter, as agreed upon at the Treaty of Paris, that the Government of the lonian Islands should be carried on in proportion to the revenues derived from them, except when the garrison exceeded 3,000 men ; then the Islands should not be subject to the expense of maintaining them. By this article, then, Great Britain, was obliged to defray the expense of keeping a garrison of 3,000 men in these Islands, when their own revenues would be sufficient to defray it, if they were frugally managed. In 1816, after the conclu sion of the Treaty, Sir Thomas Maitland was ap pointed to succeed General Campbell. Sir Thomas Maitland went to his new Government, and returned in about two months, for the purpose of consulting on the new Constitution to be given to these Islands. He then went back with a Constitution framed ac cording to the agreement contained in the Treaty of Paris. By the 12th article of the second chapter of that Treaty, all the expenses of quartering the troops of his Britannic Majesty, and all the expenses of sup porting 3,000 men, were to be defrayed out of the treasury of the united States ; but, instead of that, this country had still a very large annual sum to pay towards the expenses of this Government. Now, when the people of England were suffering so much from distress—when economy was so much to be desired in the expenses of Government, for the purpose of alleviating the evils arising from a lavish expendi ture—at such a moment, ought it to be tolerated that these Islands should entail an expense on this country? He had no hesitation in saying, that the Noble Mar quis had neglected his duty, an not taking care that the States should pay all the expenses of their own government. According to the Returns which lie had moved for, it appeared that this country paid to. wards the government of the united States of the lonian Islands, in the year ending the 24th of De cember, 1817, £145,203, exclusive of the transports, which were kept there for three years. Now, he be- lieved that only two were employed in conveying troops. In 1518, the sum which was paid for the same purpose was £120,000. In the beginning of the present Session he moved for a continuation of these Iltethrns, but they were not laid on the table. He rsupposed those in the offices connected with this do partment would be able to account to the House; but so far from the expenses being diminished since, he had every reason to believe they were increased. The troops, on the 23i of February last, amounted to *op, exclusive of the artillery and commissariat. Since tile Treaty of Paris, now seven years, the go vernment of the Islands cost this country £1,000,000. IThis was not only an intolerable burden to England under its present circumstances, but he mould s hew it was a lavish expenditure, and that there Was no occa fofit, as the revenue df the Islands was amply sufficient to defray all expenses, if they were properly administered. According to a Return laid bn the table last year, it appeared that the revenue of the Islands amounted to 391,000 dollars, or £87,000, which, added to £145,000, made the expenses for one year £232,000. The Revenue of the States themselves would have keit' quite sufficient, were it not for the number of appointments made by Sir Thomas Maitland, and the enormous salary he had himself. He had £5OOO e-year as Governor of Malta, £3509 a-year as High Commissioner, £lOOO a-year :ir •• F-T9r , - . . , -:~ ••• Secretary , There were several other offices, from £2OO to 1.:250 a-year. attached to them. The Members of the Council of Justice bad £2OOO it-year; and, besides these, there was an Agent to the Islands, residing in London, Sir Alexander Wood ! ' who had 4:500 a-year. What this Agent, resident in London, bad to do, be could not conceive. The whole sum annually paid to these different Officers amounted to £11,767. Then the Chief Officer so the Island of Corfu had £lOOO. Sir Thomas Adam held a situa tion, for whick he had 10001. a year. There were four other O ffi cers attached to the Government in this Island, who had 3831. a-year, half-pay ; and there were six Sub-Inspectors, with salaries of 1811. each besides these there was a Chief Inspector, w ho had a large salary, though he had not one day 's duty to do during the year. There were also ten Staff Of ficers, among whom was Major Thomas Fem. ! Mem ber of that House. Major Stuart and Captain J. L. White, too, were promoted to posts which had con siderable salaries attached to them, though no duty was to be done. These appointments were made for the purpose of patronage, and should these expenses be tolerated when this country was called on to pay the balance? There was a long list of 350 indivi duals, who were remunerated for performing the duties of Magistrates, and this, be s upposed, was clone only to sanction the enormous sums paid to 'other individuals. When he was at t he lonian Islands no salary was paid to the Magistrates, and so far from expecting any, he knew they considered at an honour to have the office of Magistrate conferred on them. It was said they took bribes — t hat he denied, and he believed assertion at one side was just as good as it was at another. The President of the Council, when they were under the dominion of Russia, had a salary of 1515 dollars, which was quite sufficient, when the expenses of living were taken into considera tion. Everything was then very cheap, and one could live for one-fourth or one-fifth of the sum it would cost him in this country ; and such was the simpli city in which the inhabitants lived, that they pos sessed every domestic comfort at a moderate expense; but Sir T. Maitland increased the salary to 6222 dollars; The Senators received now 3,111 dollars. The whole upper department, which, during the 'Russian domi nion, cost but 12,271 dollars, now cost 26,117 dol lars. The 39 Members of the Senate received 19,500 dollars, though there were only a few days on which they had to perform any duty, and they were thus paid a permanent salary, instead of paying them ac cording to the duty they performed. - Instead of 98,000 dollars, which was the expenditure of the Islands during the Russian Government, it now amounted to 221,000 dollars, being an increase of 27,0001. There were one or two items more, to which be wished to call the attention of the House. Those , seho were intrusted with the administration of justice in the island of Malta filled so many other offices, that he thought it quite impossible that justice could be administered as it ought to be in that island. In the Army Estimates, charges—and he could not con ceive why snch charges should be brought under the Army Estimates—appeared for passage-money in curred for conveying Sir Thomas Maitland to dif ferent places. For one year, 1819, these charges amounted to 7741. He ought to have been otherwise employed ; what had he to do at Venice and Ancona, if he meant to discharge conscientiously the duties of his office? and if his health did not permit him, he ought to have resigned his office, and left it to some other individual who could attend and perform its duties. The merchants of Malta had petitioned this House, and complained of Sir Thomas Maitland having neglected his duty, and- he (Mr. Hume) re gretted that the Petition was not more attended to. The passage-money paid for Sir Thomas for four years amounted to 5,2901. and exclusive of this, the salaries attached to hii other offices amounted to 10,5001. a-year. Would the House tolerate such a profusion of the public-money ? He wasaure it would not, and he hoped to have its concurrence in the nu> tion , which he should soon have the. honour of subs mining. He begged now to-call the attention of the House •to the treatment these Islanders received, in which the character of Great Britain was deeply in volved, and in which he was sorry to say it suffered much. There were many Englishmen there, where he (Mr. Hume) was, who could bear testimony how much the English character was respected ; and he believed there were many Englishmen there since they received that Constitution, from which they ex pected so much happiness, who could equally bear testimony how much that character was now de tested and abhorred ; and he believed they were now only anxious to seize the moment when they coal.) free themselves from the thraldom 'of England. Never was there a country which, under the sem blance of liberty, suffered so much oppression. In November, 1816, there was great rejoicing at Corfu, on the arrival of Sir Thomas Maitland, in expecta tion of the promised freedom ; but his very first act soon undeceived them, by the appointment of a man of very doubtful character to the Presidency of the Senate. Some attempts were then made to make the Senators accede to certain regulations, but four of them, in consequence of their opposition, were dis missed for inert and corrupt practices (this was the literal translation of the Italian words), without a single charge being proved against them, and that dismissal was sanctioned by the Coimcil—(Hear)i— This proceeding struck the public mind with terror, and gave the inhabitants to understand that they were to consult the will.of an individual. On the 17th'of January, 1818, a most extraordinary circumstance took place : the drams were beat, .the garrison was immediately under arms, as if the island was on the point of iseitig attacked ; the frigates•-on the stations were ordered to moor, so as to be in readiness; and all this, done under , the pretence of a conspiracy, was really done for the purpose of preventing the inhabit ants from expressing their opinions. It was rather singular, that two months.before this pretended con spiracy was got up, it was talked of at the Govern/. meet House in Malta ; which circumstance clearly proved that it was got up for the pdrpose of striking all with consternation. Several of the most distin guished persons were arrested, priests, noblemen, and lawyers; but not finding this serve their purpose, they -A a • liberty, only with a caution that their should be watched. On a complitint mad* those individuals thus treated, Lord Ba ote a letter to him, expressing his regret should be placed in such a situation. fhe this pl. was, that from that day no indivi. Aught himself at liberty to express his senti __ freely. Addresses from the different islands then followed, praising the Governtnent of Sir Thomrs Maitland. In Corfu it was intended to erect a tri umphal arch in honour of him. In Cephalonia there was to be a statue of him in bronte. In Zante he was to have been honoured with a bust of large size, by Canova. At Santa Maura also, a triumphal arch was to have been erected to him. These addresses were got up, and these honours were proposed, by interested Sycophants. The Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael could explain how far loyalty could be purchaied fox a particular purpose. If ever there were any means worse than another for procuring in:. fiuence, they were these of conferring honours. Ile compared these addresses, and he could say that the greater proportion of those addressing were such as were rewarded ; and he never saw an Englishman or Italian who travelled in these islands who did not agree with him. The whole patronage was thrown into the hands of Sir Thomas Maitland, since he had the. power of nominating and dismissing every indi , vidual from office. He said before, that the Scotch Borough system was nothing to it: they were a self elected few, who treated the opinions of others with contempt; but according to . the system of the,e islands, while they professed to treat public opinion with respect, they really treated it with palpable con tempt. In effect, the Lord High Commissioner had the appointment of the majority of the Legislative Body. * There was an instance where a Member had been returned, although against the expressed voice of the Electors ; for in that case the negative vote was construed into an affirmative, and the Member returned. In this way was the Legislative Body as. sembled, to whose acceptance the Constitution was offered. Sir Thomas Maitland's first step, after their meeting,' was to make the Members take an oath not to disclose anything of what had happened at Elec tions, or what was about to happen in the Assembly. Having thus cleared the way, he then presented the Constitution for their acceptance. This was only three days after they first met; and, without any delibera tion, this important Constitution, this Magna Charta of the lonian Islands, was accepted. There was no debate, no discussion upon it; .for one Member who stood up to make an observation, barely escaped being put under arrest. So soon is the sth of May following, a Deputation was sent to England to ob tain the Royal assent, and thus was this important instrument foisted upon the people of the lonian Islands. After this, would the House wonder that the Constitution was so full of contradictions and in consistencies? But it was said that there was a part of the Legislative Assembly which the Lord High Com missioner could not influence. This was not the fact; there was no part of it over which his influence was not felt; and it was a fact beyond contradiction, that Sir Thomas Maitland had the whole controul over every department of Government and act of legislation. It was incumbent on the British People, for their own character's sake, not to mention the safety of Cie islands, to put an end to this state of things, and to remove that obloquy which attached to the Briloh name for its treatment of these islands, and still mere especially of Parga—( Hear, hear)—throughout every Court in Europe. The only answer to all this was the disturbances which took place some time ago.— But could these disturbances, even if they were of a more serious nature, justify the cruelties which bad been resorted to to suppress them ? He asked, was It necessary to hang up two Greek Priests in their canonicals, in order to deter the inhabitants of Santa Maura from entering again upon insurrectionary courses? He asked, was it necessary to drive the in habitants to madness and despair by the open insults whichhad been put upon their Church, alai the gross injustice exercised towards the holders of Church lands, by a. resumption of these lands by the Govern ment, although they had been, some of them, for up wards of a century in the hands of their late owners? The Hon. Member then alluded to the Act of Parlia ment, by which Colonel Robinson, an Officer of Ma rines, was declared Head of the Church of the lonian Islands. It was true, he was not called Head of the Church, but he was intrusted with such extensive powers over the Church property, the appointment of Priests, Abbots, and Abbesses, that he was, in effect, supreme Head of the Church there ; and from his decision, too, there remained no appeal to the Legislative Body or the Council. One case only lie would cite, to shew the injustice and rigour with which the holders of Church property were treated. A person named Battalia, being cited, was adjudged tolose his property. It had belonged to his family for more than a century, and he remonstrated. A Com mission of four Judges was appointed to hear Ole appeal, and two gave judgment for the appellant. — The Court was divided, and in the denier resod, the Lord High Commissioner was referred to. What was the decision, and on what grounds was it made?— Against the appellant, on this ground, that in 1443 the Doge of Venice made a law by which it was pro hibited to alienate the property of the Church. But here was property obtained from the Church nearly a hundred years ago, therefore it was alienated, and therefore it ought to be resumed —(Hear). —lt W4S by such acts as those that the people of Santa Alaur.f were driven to insurrection ; for what people wortht not be put out of patience by such means? The people, it was true, did commit some excesses, which he (Mr. Hume) deplored ; but did that justify 1.:.e unconstitutional treatment with which Alartenengo: who was taken up on suspicion, was exposed to?-- Martenengo was not only tried upon a frivolous charge, but was tried in an illegal manner, before .1 tribunal which the Constitution did not recognize. He was however tried, and sentenced to what ?—to twelve years' close confinement in Santa Maura!— The sentence was begun to be put into execution, when the Government at home, rightly ashamed of these excesses, interfered—remitted the sentence, ant limited the.punishment of Martenengo to duce or four years banishment to Venice. These repeated acts of injustice, he contended, were sufficient to di ive tae inhabitants into open revolution, and to stimulate the most indulent. But, as if this was not enough, another act, though not of the same nature with regard to in dividual rigour, yet more dangerous as it was an in fringement ou the Constitution, followed upon ICI • Pp aledhsioti. *ad 11 000 alear as ftoloael of et Re a. ve t e set at e bad gimps. Thus Sir Thomas Moithed had £lO,BOO conduct sho if he a-xear, without including the prolessites attached to' by one of tl d not 1 these offices, which would king* it nearly toil 5,000 therm w rote Idered: a-Year. At all events , £13,000 altar of the public that he sho Lonian 'inoney was wasted. Then he had a Secretary, and e ffect o f t hi s , from lAssistant Secretary, at salaries of £3OOO a-year cich. dual thougi words ftVer2l other offices, which had salaries tents freely ~„4 G "I ~: ~j ' ~;i ~. . I *.•