Star. — London, England, 1803-06-16 00:00:00

Ri• , I rAItLIAMENT.IRr PRuCEEDINGS. HOUSE OF LORDS, WEDNESDAY, JUNE is. Count 4 were further beard relative to the important Appeal, Thellueons, Phipps, Lubin, and others. -a. Woodford The Matrons and his Majelly's Attorney General, namely, the Solicitor Gene. ral. and Mr. Pigot, at very eunßderablekngth, on the part of the Rdpondenta, after which their Lordtbips adjourned the further bearing upon thin cafe till Monday neat. A Petiticu WA , prof need by one of their Lovellhips, on the part of Lady Mary Fitzgerald, relative to a claim to a certain Peerage in Abeyance, which wat ordered to lie on the 1 able. The Bi d s before the Houk were forwarded its their relpedive Rages; their Lordthays refolved a fecond time into a Committee on foote's Divorce Bill, in which tome Amendments, on the fog geftlin of the Lord Chancellor, were made, and with rofpeet to the fettlement elaute, a prapoiltion wad agreed to by the Committee tending to obviate the interest of biro. Foote thetein. The Houk was then returned, and the Export ordered to be received to morrow. T he Oaths of Fidelity, &c. being duly ad/Wallace! to Mr. I.euis Harrillon, tie bill for ltis Naturalization was read a fond time, and ordered zo be conuratted.--Adjourtudtill to-tuorrow. HOUSE OF COMMONS. The Set AIC CI took the Chair at half part three. The Port GLfgow Bill was reported, agreed to, and ordered to be rnrrnfred. Afrolye] into &Committee on the EhMoo Bribery Oath Bill Ordered to be reported to-morrow. Head a third time the Northampton Ordnance Landi Bill Veiled and ordered to the Lords. Reported the 11111 for transferring Seamen from the Militia to the Royal Navy.—Ordered to be enzroffed, and rcad the third time. Poftponed tin to-morrow the tunics couliderattoo of the Mill tia Pay Bill. Mr. Wioasoss moved, that the Houk mould to-morrow re kite itfelf into a Committet to confider the At, for regulating the Corn Trade between Great Britain and Ireland—Ordered. Mr. Coital' moved for leave to bring In a Bill, in order to in demnify certain perfons In Ireland, who have omitted to qualify themfelves for accepting of Public Offices in that cowitry.—Leave given. The Hoare refolved into Committee of Ways and Means for irriaod. Mr. COlllti moved, that the charge of paying and clothing the Militia of Ireland, as alto the expencc of paying certain Subaltern Officers, &sold lig defrayed out of the Confolidated Fund of that country; and that the charge of Adjutants and berjeant-Majors to the sth day of Much, tilos, acd of certain Ofkas In time of paw; Ihepold be fapplied from the money arifing from tbc land tax of frehod. Agreed to. The R;port war ordered to be received tomorrow. Mr. Coital' laid, that it was his intention to have fulanitted the Iris Budget to the confederation of the Houle on Friday oat, but as be cow found it would be impoffible to do to on that day, he begged leave to poftpene It till the Monday following. Mr. VANIIITTAII Is brought up the Twelve Millions lan Bill, and the Import and Export Bills, which were fret:rally read a Brit time, and ordered to be read ifecond time to-morroa. The Hoots in Committee wen. through the Bill for confolidat leg the Duties on Caloma, and the Report was ordered to be re ceived tmaiorrow. Ile Ma&icw Siseetiat BM was read a fecood time, and order ed to be read a third time to-morrow. Mr. VA II &I moved, that canal* account+, refpeding the income Doty, which were printed lett. year, Mould be reprinted, for the tife of the Members of the Houre.--Ordered accordingly. Ha alfo nursed, that there be laid before the Houle an account of the imports and Exports of Great Britain for three years, end ing*. sib or January, 1793; and for four years, ending the jth 1803..—Ordered. r. Com throned, that he would, at an early dry, take an opportunity of , that the like accounts Amid be laid before the lioufe relative to Related, and as he withal to admilate the Commercial Laws of both countries, as much and as Coon as pof ibk, Inch accounts were already in a Plate of preparation. The Bill fur Safpending the Navigation Ad, fo far as regarded Foreigners, was read afecood thee, and ordered to be committed ccimomow. avooLLLN et.oymiwa mi.. Admiral BeRIMS, moved that the Wool-trade Regulation Bill be read a third time to-morrow. Mr. Batlion raid, that this Bill went to the repeal of all ate prefent laws upon the fubjeet of the Wool len Trade, and he wifhed to referee his femirnents upon thatfubjed until after he bad read the evidence which had been given upon it before the Committee to whom this Bill had been referred. He did not Bate this heftily, or with a view of confidering what part he fhould take in the matter, for he was determined to oppofe the principle of the Bill. He had made inquiry how loon the evidence given in this cafe could be printed, and he underflood it would take at leaft a week ; he ftibmitted therefore the pro priety of poftponing the third reading of the Bill for a period that might at leall citable the Houle to per sire the evidence on which it was alledged to be founded ; he thought the period for that purpofe could not be earlier than Friday fe'nnight. Admiral BEILKIL EY laid, it was abfolutely neceffary that. the Bill Should pars this Setfion. This was only the Second inflance in which the Houle had ordered the minutes of a Seidl Committee to be printed ; the former one was that of the London Dock Bill, fo that it was by no means of cow* for the Hottfe to have the minutes of a Committee before them. If, however, there minutes could be printed in a mode- rate time, he Should have no objection to defer the third reading of the Bill until they Should be printed; h it that was not to be expefted in the prefent cafe, and as it was efrential that the Bill Should pals in the prefent Seffion, he mull perlill in his motion for the third reading of the Bill to-morrow. Mr. BuasaNDohrerved that this was a Bill of great importance ; the Woollen Trade of this country de. trended upon it. The evidence given before the Com mittee to whom the Bill was referred, had been or dered to be laid before the Hours and to be printed, i• therefore Bruck him to be a very extraordinary ciicumflanco to defies that the third reading might take place before the Houle could have any know 11, dge of the fags on which the Bill erns founded. It would give him concern if the Bill did not pars this )ear, hut perhaps another week's time might bring the evidence before the Hoare, and therefore he Should wills to potipone the third reading of Bill for ten days. Mr. DICK rxsom (+reread, that the Committee to whom this Bill was referred. was an open CoMmittee. and the matter had been amply invelligated e for which reafon he was againft any further delay. Mr. Nooks Wit that this was a matter of great i e., and althoLgh it was raid to be in danger of • 101 l for the Sefrion if deleted another week in that oak, yet fo dangerous did it appear to him int to pats it without a fall perufal of all the evidence, that if it was put to him as a queftion. whether he ityould have the Bill read a third time to-morrow, or 1011, he had no hefitation in raying " loft." : The tetellion was then pat, that tini, rill be read a third time to-morrow, and the Houle divided—For the third reading 26—Agairal it tg. Mr. Benoit, then prefented a Petition f'nm the Cloth Weavers of Wilts, Gloucefler. and Soloed . ..L, graying leave to be heard by Coun&l againft the Woollen Clothing Bill. Admiral Bsa sssss could not conceive upon what Li-311nd it was that the reran retitle* could be war ranted, teeing diet Collard had already been folly heard again& the Bill before the Committee above (Lairs. Mr. &tools (poke in fupport of the Petition, and Paid, it was his hope the Houfe would not refute to hear the Petitioners by their Counfel againf a Bill which was now about to be precipitated to a third reading, without giving the Houle an opportunity of reading and duty confidering the body of important evidence which would prove the impropriety of pal fing the Bill in its prefent form. Mr. Drewz tasow oppofed the prayer of this Petition on the fame ground. There was no objeCtion to the Petition lying on the Table until the Bill thould be read a third time, provided that took place to-mor row, and further delay was quite unnecetrary. Mr. SHERIDAW alfo very ftrongly reprobated the precipitancy of palling this Bill, without allowing Members time to confider the important body of evi dence before the Committee, which the Houle had ordered to be printed for the very purpofe of due confideration, before the Bill fhould go forward to the third reading. He did not fcruple to fay, that fuch a proceeding would be moll nefarious : but as the Bill could not, in courfe of order, be read the third time this day, he trotted that if the Petition was allowed to lie on the table, Gentlemen would by to morrow fee the policy of pcdponing for a further reafonable time the third reading of the Bill. After a few words on the fame fide from Mr. Dickenfon, tenor, the Petition was received, and ordered to lie on the table. MIDGET. Mr. DENT rofe to obferve, that it had been MO. neouGy (fated, that he had, in the difcuilion on the report of the Budget yellerday, acceded to the prin ciple of exempting from the propofed new tax all Funds the property of Foreigners; that he fhould when that medure came forward again in the regu lar form, take the fence of the Houle upon it. HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND. The Order of the Day being read for the Houfe to refolve into a Committee of Supply, Mr. I. H. Baow II a moved, that the fecond Report of the Committee fur inveßigating the furveys of the Scotch Highlands, be referred to the laid Committee of Supply.—Ordered accordingly. The Houk then refolved into the Committee, Mr. I. H. BROWNe (aid, that as the Report now referred to the Committee had been feveral days printed, and in the hands of Members time enough for full confederation, it would, of coma, be unnecef fary for him to trouble the Committee at any length upon the fubjea of the Motion he was about to pro pole for their adoption ; namely, That a furn not ex ceeding zo,oool. be granted to his Majelly, for the purpofe of making roads and crating bridges in the Highlands of Scotland. One of the great objeas in view, was to improve the valuable filberies in the eaftern and weflern coafts of the Highlands ; the in terefis and improvements of which had been confi derably impeded and retarded by the want of that communication between both fides of the Country, which under the prefent Motion it was propofed to effett. No man felt more deeply than he did, the necerary caution which fhould at all times be obferved in voting awiy the public money, more efpecially at 1 fuch a crifis as the prefent, when the Country is in-' volved in an expenfive wat. But the exigence of that very war wa amonga the firongeft arguments, to prove that the grant for which he bad now the hononr to move, fo far from being improvident or unfeafonable, would prove, in fa& a meafure of the foundeß political economy; as by opening a commu nication between all the inhabitants of that part of the Empire, who hitherto had always, in the wintry months and rainy feafons which prevail there, been cut off for great part of the year from all com munication with each other, by the deep fnows and drenching rains , which lodge for months, or roll in perpetual torrents through the deep ravine that inter. feet the Country, and ifolate whole diftritts from the refl. By opening the communications with roads and bridges, not only the conveyance to and from the filberies would be facilitated, but the bufinefs of agriculture promoted; and the Country being thus rendered tolerable to its hardy and indufirious inha bitants, they would be no longer induced to emigrate, as for many years pall they have continued to do ; and thus one of the moll valuable (burets for recruit ing our armies with a hardy and valiant race of folliers, would be arengthened for our defence, which in the prefent Rate of that diftria, was hourly exhauf ted by a depopulating fpirit of emigratien. The objea in view was not to produce thofe improvements foie ly at the public expence, but to encourage the land holders of the Country to contribute at leall one half the amount of the climates for making loch roads and bridges, the other half to be defrayed out of this fund. No land-owners to be compelled to open a road through their own particular diflrias s but merely en couraged by an allowance of half the eflimate ; the exceeding., if any, to be difcharged by the landhol ders. He concluded by mowing a refolution, that a fum not exceeding ao,ocol. be granted to hisMajelly for the Paid purport. Mr. BASTARD was decidedly againfl giving away the public money at t' is cri.is, fur soy other purpofe than the public defence; and Rill more efpecially did be object aglinfl granting it for the purpofe now propofed, as he could not fee why the agriculture of the Highlands ofScotland, hich were exempted from the Land -tax, fbould be improved at the expence of premiums levied upon the lands of England. Sir Rosser Busron raid, that no man regarded with more ferupnlons jealonfy than he did all grants of the public money ; bat he really did not confider the fum now claimed fo much a matter of boon to the Land-Proprietors of Scotland, as of national policy in giving employment to the nil numbers of men in that Country, who were deflitute of any lucrative oc cupation for their fubfiftence ; and would nut fail, in rant of fuel; employment, to emigrate, as they were hourly doing,to the depopulation of that diariet from whence we had foconflantly drawn, and had Bill real. fon to expell, fo many brave foldien for the defence of oar Country, and more particularly at a erifis like the prefent. Air. W. SMITH (aid, that the porpofe avowed of opening the communication between all parts of the Country was truly deferable : but it coold not be ex. petted to be carried into slat at the Cole expense of the land-owners, on difirkis where the whole fee- Pimple of the antes would fiercely defray the coll. I But it was shun, of as much national importance as any other, to opca a cinosuoicatiou bctWeta this fart of the realm and that inhabited by Co many va luable members of fociety, who, in a political point of view, ought to be wnfidered as conftituting a very eonfiderable portion of the bell wealth of the empire. namely, its population, its induftry, and its Rrength. He was as ready as may man to admit that the exi gencies of the public defence at this moment demand ed the molt economical hufbandry of our refources, the aloft fctupulous and vigilant faving of the public money; but while the houfe was voting fuch a fum as 3o millions for the firß year of the war, could it, he would elk, be called a wife or a politic economy, to refuge 20,0001. for the purpofe not only of keeping within the Country thole very men who were fo con fiderable a part of the army, for our defence, but for the perpetual improvement of thatdi ftriEt of the realm, which was to be the fcene of their refidence, and by rendering it tolerable to.themfelves, and advantageous for their indußry, to prevent their emigration, and irrecoverable lofs to the Country ? The objell, there, was, in his mind, not a local, but a national one ; and, on that ground, Ihould have his (uppers. Mr. W. DUKDAS (poke warmly and forcibly to the fame purport, and obferved, that if this meafure were delayed, it would come too late ; for if once the men were emigrated, they were for ever irrecoverable. Mr. WILBERFORCE alio firenuoufly fupported the Refolution, which palled, and was ordered to be re ported to-morrow. CONSOLIDATION OF DUTItS. The CHANCELLOR of the Esc :4 Lop Ea moved the Order of the Day for the Houfe to refolve itfelf into a Committee, for the further cordideration of fo much of his Majetty's Speech on the 23d Nov. lel, ac related to the accommodation of mercantile tranfaiions. The Houfe refoved into a Committee accordingly. The Csawc sums. of the EacHatZrla raid, he felt it requifite fhortly to tretpats upon the attention of the • Committee, upon the fubjeft of what he had now to propofe for their adoption ; namely, a propofition for confolidating the excite duties, by no means fo much with any view to the increafe of revenue, as to lim plify and facilitate its colledlion, and thereby expe : dite the bufinefs of the trader, fo far as it was con. netted with revenue concerns. It was fcarcely need - - fary to remind thofe who heard him, that there was no branch of the national revenue foveryicomplicated in its nature, or to which to many regulations were &reeled, as to that of the Excite Duties, or relatively to which to many Ails of Parliament had from time to time paired. Throughout the whole of its details, • regulation had fo accumulated upon regulation, and Ad of Parliament upon Alt of Parliament, that there was fcarcely an officer in the colleSion of this branch of the public revenue, competently acquainted with the extent and correct limits of his duty. The bufinefs of fimplifying a fyftem fo complex, had long been a dr/aeration anxioufly wifhed for; but the talk was thought to difficult, as to be deemed hopelefs. For tunately, however, two Gentlemen were found in the revenue department, whofe talents, perfeverance, and indefatigable induflry, proved competent to the talk. for the completion of which they were julily entitled to the public thanks. He alluded to a Mr. Burton, of the excite department, and Mr. Jackfon, who had fo fimplified and arranged the whole f; Rem, as to be of molt material advantage to the public. As he had before mentioned, no very confiderable augmentation of revenue was intended by the fyitern in general, the principal changes confined only, for the fake of dear nets in railing the duty, where it made a (ration, to the next integral rum above it. There were, however, tome points upon which material alterations were in tended, through the whole of which he would not now go, but confine himfelf to a Ratement of the principal heads :—and firft, with regard to the breweries, in which it w•as the intention to place the country brewer as much as poffible on a footing with the town brewer, by making his allowances the fame. It was intended alto to impofe a duty on what is called table•drink. —lt was alto intended to reduce the duty on cocoa nuts and coffee, coming from Btitifh territories abroad, and give them a preference (on the fame principle as that adopted lag year upon fugar) over all fuch articles coming from other parts of the world. Alto, to raife the duty on cyder and perry now paying tBs. 7d. to 201. To impofe a duty on mead, manufaftured for tale, the fame as on Britifh wines. To grant alto a duty of as. 6d. per cwt. on Salt in Scotland, in order to countervail the advantage of falt pros ifions coming from that country.'The whole of the fchedule lie meant to be printed, in order to give Gentlemen an opportunity for a full, and he trufted a fpeedy confideration, in order chat it might pats into a law with as much expedition as poffible, antecedent to another great meafure to be brought forward, namely, the land tax, time enough to pars into a law before the dote of the teflon. •DIJ LL AA TION OF MALT LICVOIII. Mr. Wm 'mita]) felt himfelf indifpenfably called on to vindicate himfelf, and many other refpeaable perfons concerned in the Brewing trade, from a ge neral, and very injurious charge, Rated to have been generally and indifcriminately thrown upon the trade by an Hon. Gentleman oppofite to him, on Saturday bill (Mr. Vanlittart), in propoling an additional duty upon Opium; on which occafion, the Hon. Member was Rated to have raid, that the only motive for im pofing an additional duty on that deleterious drug was, that Government had received authentic fug gellions, that it was ufed by the Brewers as a noxious adulteration in the compofition of their liquor. If Government had received information that any per. font in the Brewing trade had been guilty of fo cri minal a conduit, as that of ufing noxious or delete. rious ingredients to adulterate their liquor, they owed it to the Public to bring fuch individuals forward, to fubftantiate their guilt, and punilh them as they de ferved. The fair traders, unjuilly and illiberally im plicated under a general and indifcriminate charge of this nature, had a right, in their own vindication, to challenge the profecution and puniflament of the guilty individual, that they might Rand exculpated from an imputation fo unfounded, as to them, but fo feverely injurious to their intetefts and their charters. He nowiPoke not only what be himfelf felt to be his own due, but what was the fenfe very acutely felt by many very refpe&able perfons in that trade, with whom he had this day converted upon the fubjea. Mr.Vll N SIT TAR r rote, and obferved, that the Hon. Member mull be aware, that fuggellions very often were communicated to Government refloating the mal.prailices of many parties, which they had not the means of bringing home to the convitlion and pit. nilinnene . of delinquent:, which certainly . it would Ls their 'ditty, if is their power, to do. The lion. Member, however, was milinformed in flating•t} , 4 he had made any general charge of this mal•praaice againft the perfons concerned in the brewing trace for he had exprefsly exculpated the refpeelable Ni t of the trade in town from any concern whatever in fuch mal-praCtices. The pre lice alluded to obtained with certain Brewers in the country, againfi whom, though the circumflance was too well known to trill for the entertainment of doubt on the matter, yet the circumflances could not be maintained fo as to con. Neverthelefs, Government felt it their duty to ufe the belt means in their power to break down the inducements of thole who ufed that deleterious drug as an ingredient in their liquor, by laying upon it filch a duty as would deflroy all advantages from its ufe as a cheap ingredient. Mr. Lamont AD laid, that the indifcriminate term of Country Brewers went to implicate a number of refpeetablz perfons, as innocent of the charge, and as incapable of incurring it, as any Brewer in town, however rcfpeaable. He was himfelf concerned in a Country Brewery, where no noxious or deleterious ingredient was nfed. Mr. Vett litre ar could allure the Hon. Member he did not allude to any of the Breweries at Plymouth. Mr. Sri bR,Daw obferved, that if a predict fo mif chievous was known by Government to exift, fo den germ's to the health of the community, furely, it was the duty of Government to punifir them under the exifting laws, or to bring forward more efficient laws, if the prefent were inadequate. But it was in vain to expera that fuch crimes were to be deterred by excite duties. The attempt to prevent them by fuch means was like taking half the profits for the liberty of poi toning the people. The CHANCELLOR of the Excescgree fnpported the argument of M:. Yankton, and laid, the heavy duty was the only means by which the Government could at prefent counteraft the delinquency of men, who found means to elude the feverity of penal law by the privacy of their praCtice : but whole guilt it would certainly be the duty of Government to pun& if they could effeaually prove it. Mr. %%Tema:an thanked the Hon. Gentleman for his explanation, whith he confidered as exculpating the brewers in London from this charge. He under flood, however, there were fome individuals conviited and-fined upon (=dor charges in London. There was one advantage the Hon. Member had over him, in his appearing to know how opium was ufed ; for his part he did not, nor was he acquainted with the ufes or properties of any ether noxious ingredient, in the bofinefs that he was concerned. Mr. Hosuouse Paid, the truth was, the Hon. Mem. bees apprehenfions as to any charges implied as againft himfelf, were influenced by mif.ftatenaent.—. , His Hon. Friend near him (Mr. Vanfittart) certainly made one general charge, but particularly excepted the refpglable brewers ; and unlefs the Hon. Mem. ber was difpoled to deny his name was amongft the lift of thole, it could not be properly allumed by him. He (Mr. Hobhoule), as being concerned in the fame bufinefs with the Hon. Member, certainly did not fed the charge as any way aUallve to him. Here ended the converfation, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer's refolution for the expediency of eonfolidating the Excite Duties, agreeably to a faze. dule for that purpofe, was agreed to, and ordered to be reported to.morrow. EAST INDI♦ IHIPPINO BILL. On the qneliionbeingitii for bringing up the Re port of this bill, Sir Wawa, PULTIN BY role and Paid, he con. ceived the mecum to be merely a contrivance to en able the Direitors to thew favour and partiality under this appearance of competition. It was well known there were teak (hips enough unemployed to carry home as much tonnage as the Company wanted (hips for. Thole (hips were ezprefsly built for the purpofe, and there was no occafion of advertifing for a com petition among Proprietors of old Indiamen that had gone fix voyages. He therefore entirely difapproved of the expedient propofed. Lord CASTLIRIAGH obferved, that on the prefent occafion, the Company to adhere to its rept. lar fytiem of employing in their fervice regular (hips. He confidered, however, that it was a queftioa well worthy officious confederation at a future time, whe ther (hips, built in India might not be admitted to a fair competition with fhips built in England, for the Company'slervice ? But however this queftion might be decided on a future occafion, the Company, at prey fent, would with to adhere to their old eliablifbedfylkem. Mr. PRIN:sv conceived that the Admiralty and thofe who advifed this Bill were completely =Makers in their idea of Caving timber, by Bopping the build ing of veffels of 1200 tons and upwards for the Com. pany's fervice ; the fad was, that (mailer veffels took more timber in proportion to their tonnage. The calculation was, that a veffel of no° tons took a load and a quarter of timber to a ton, while a veil of goo takes a load and a half of the fame kind of timbers he confidered it an unjuß and mißaken po licy in the Eaft India Company to rejea the offer of the teak (Lips now lying unemployed. The fad was there (hips were built on a pledge given to him, that they Ihould be ufed in bringing home the Bind's trade, which he was lorry to fay bore a molt con temptible proportion to that which foreigners carry on in thole poffelEons. The Company, however, to defeat this tibial, took up that year a much greater quantity of dipping than they could pofEbly make ufe of. He the(, read a letter which he had received yefterday from Calcutta, mentioning that foreign veffels drove a confiderable trade, and that the coun try built ( hips were beginning to be fold to foreigners. This he conlidered as a national lots. He thought they would be better employed in bringing borne pro duce tothis country. Mr. WAL LACI fupported the eftabli(hed fyftem, and did not confider the opinion of the late President (Lord Melville) as a pledge binding on the Company at all times, and under all eircumftances. Mr Gaa;r vindicated the Direaon of the Com pany. This Bill did not originate with them, but with the Admiralty. He concluded by expreiGag his approbation of the Bill. Mr. Jomusroa 'spread his approbation of the fentiments moved by the Gentleman who had jut% fat down, and combated the arguments adduced by the Noble Lord in favour of the Bill. After a few additional obfervatioos front Mr. JoNNsrowa and Bir Wee. Putransv, the repute wit ordered to be brought up; the amendments were agreed to, and the' Bill ordered to be read • third time to•morrow.•Adjourned.