Star. — London, England, 1823-06-17 00:00:00

a century, is -times of unexampled distress and in creasing difficulties, and even in the very jaws of famine, had proved that principle could not be shaken, and that loyalty could not be seduced. When it was asked, with reference to such persons as he now described, what were the objects of the Bill against which they petitioned to be heard, it would be discovered, .that this measure had not been brought forward at a period when, owing to local causes, the Silk Trade was in a state of depression, but when it was prosperous beyond all precedent, and the quantity of imported silk, and the amount of duties, had increased to a great extent. Here, there fore, was no proof that the trade itself had been re tarded.by the operation of• the present Acts. This lucrative branch of commerce, on the contrary, had • •never advanced so rapidly as in the course of the last twenty years. It was amongst the peculiarities Of the present Bill, that its operation was limited to within ten miles of the metropolis ; and this was a peculiarity not easy to be accounted for, as the pro posed alteration went only to relieve the delicate optics of particular persons, who vicinaged these unseemly sights. It never could be asserted, in de fence of the Bill, that the repeal of certain Acts would either be of advantage or benefit to the trade, when both masters and manufacturers had prospered under the operation of those Acts; and where men worked for fourteen hours in the day, which was labour more than enough for man, it never could be . argued that it would be proper to , employers to re duce the wages of workmen, when already those wages were not more than sufficient for the decent support of human life. The only change within the range of possibility for the better, through the ope ration of the proposed Bill, was to be presumed from the extension of our foreign exports ; but these he begged to remark, were both variable and uncertain, and ought never to be preferred in comparison with I . our home manufactures. With respect to the par ticular laws proposed to be now repealed, he had always looked at the Spitalfields Acts, not merely as forming a portion of , our domestic commercial code, but also as partaking of the nature af a con servative police, and providing most admirably for the casualties and the necessities of a peculiar class in society. It was superfluous to observe to their Lord ships, that wherever a number of persons were en . gaged in manufactures, there must • entire combi nations of men, sometimes of masters, sometimes of journeymen; on which occasions umpires were called in to decide the disputed points. Thus, therefore, the Spitalflelds Acts placed .he Magistrates in the situation of umpires, and for upwards of fifty years, among all the disputes that had at isen, the magisterial fiat had proved satisfactot yto both sides. lie was there fore not ft iendly to the total repeal of those Acts; but but there were certainly some clauses which ought either to be repealed, or amended, so as to accom plish that species of compromise to which neither the m asters nor the journey men could object. lie thought, . for instance, that although so much of the Acts might be retained as should affect the metropolis and its environs, the masters ought to be at liberty to eat • ploy their capital at from forty to fifty miles distance from town. Time was also wished for the masters, in respect to the bringing forward of informations for penalties; And lane, respecting the journeymen, from the communications made to him, he !Ltd no fear that the journeymen could wish to prevent the masters froth employing their capital out of London, or that, again, they would object to allow to the masters the space of three months for bi urging infor mations at law. What he understood the journeymen most wished and struggled for was, to preserve to them..elves that equitable appeal, which they had so long enjoyed and which was so wisely administered, to the Magistrate for the regulation of wages. He harboured no idea that attempts would hereafter be made to establish some Manchester or Somersetshire silk manufactory ; and, having now stated what oc curred to him upon the subject, it remained to pre sent the Petition, with the mention of which he had prefaced these remat ks ; and also a similar Petition from Bethnal-g leen. ...... Lord KENYON presented a Petition from the Silk Weavers of Mile-End New Town, against the Bill. TIM NEW MARRIAOR LAW. On the further consideration of the Report on the Marriage Act, • The Earl of WESTMORELAND opposed the new (la ise of forfeiture introduced by the Noble and Lean ed Lord on the Woolsack; not that he objected to the principle of the clause, than which nothing could be more just, but that the operation of it would be injurious, as the clause was at present worded. The LORD CHANCELLOR said, that if the Noble Earl referred to - the clause (p.. 5) respecting licenses, he would perceive how much the severity -of former laws was modified by the present Bill. He would propose, in addition, that no information should be filed except within one year alter the mar riages of minors; and also that the patties so filing an information must make an affidavit that they had not at the time been apprized of such marrial4e or marriages mote than three months. With respect to marriage by license, the Bill would operate as one of mitigation; and the same obtained with respect to marriages by banns : but where, in either case, the marriages of minors were proved to have been so lemnized by the connivance of parents or guardians, such marriages were exempt from the voidability clause altogether. The Earl of WESTMORELAND wished to have the clauses so proposed by the Noble and Learned Lord printed, that they might be seen altogether. Lord ELLEN BOROUGH was of the same opinion as the Noble Earl. Clauses in addition were then ordered to be printed, and to be taken into consideration to-inorroa..—Ad journed at seven o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS. The Bill for extinguishing Tithes and customary Payments in lieu of Tithes, and demands for Easter Offerings within the Lon don or City Liberty of Sc. Andrew, Holborn, and making com pensation in lieu thereof, was read a third time and passed. Mr. S. RICE moved the third reading of the Limerick Local Taxation Bill. Colonel DALY had strong objections to the Bill. Mr. GOULIIURN opposed the Bill, as it bad for its object the erection of Courts for determining causes of which the ex isting Courts had cognizance. Mr. Dawson; and blr. CaaaoL also opposed the Bill; which, after a few observations in its defence by Mr. Rica, was read a third time and passed. Mr. Secretary PEEL presented certain Papers from the Ofkce of the Treasurer of the County of Middlesex. LONDON DRIDOD BILL. Mr. Alderman WOOD nairrearthat the London Bridge should be conatted,itbich was agreed to. In the Col mittee Mr:Artlemists WOOD moved , . that in the clause relatipg to the Plan. of the Bridge, the word " specification" should. be omitted; upon ,which the Committee divided, when there appeared, For the Amendment . . . 4 Apiost It • . • SO Najority T — 7l On the clause for advancing the sum of i.:150,000 from the Consolidated Fund, /44 HUME bbjectecl to thit grain. He saw no reason why the people of England and Ireland should build a bridge for the City of London, especially as the present bridge was strong enough to last six or seven years, at the expiration of which time there would be sufficient funds accruing from the Bridge Estate. He did not think this Bridge 'a work of ne cessity ; and if it were, lie would sooner adopt the plan by which the cost incurred would be £250,000, rather than that which would incur an expense of £400,000. Mr. H. , SUMNER avowed himself the author of the clause objected to. He contended, that the inte rests of the persons tiading on the River required this clause, which *ould be the means .of saving many lives on the River Thames. • The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER was indeed at first unwilling, to consent to this advance, but he did not think this Bridge ought to be consi dered a local benefit. When he considered how con nected the trade of London was with the interests and commerce of the Empire at large, he was *finally led to conclude that such an advance would not be a misap plication of the public money, especially when he found that the City of London was anxious to make great sacrifices by mot tgaging the Bridge Estates. • Mr. MONCK did not think a public grant neces sary. He thought die money ought to be raised by the imposition of a sixpenny toll upon four and two wheeled carriages. The LORD MAYOR thought the expenditure of £lOO,OOO on the present Bridge would answer every national, and useful purpose; and in this opinion lie was supported by eminent architects. He should, therefore, oppose the grant; and move, as an amend ment, that the Chairman do report progress.—On the Amendment being put, Sir G. COCKBURN opposed the Amendment, and defended the propriety of the grant. • Mr. G. BENNET objected to the general principle that Government ought to give money for the build ing of Bridges ; but he thought the case of London Bridge formed an exception, and he should therefore suppoit the grant. After a few observations from Sir H. PARNELL, the Gallery was cleared for a division, when there ap peared for the Chairman's reporting progress—Ayes 12—Noes 81.—The clause was agreed to. The LORD MAYOR brought in a clause for em powei ing the City to build and erect walls and dams to protect land from the overflo+s ing °ldle tide when unusually high. The clau s e was, after a few observations from Sir Geontie CocKnonN and Mr. CA LVERT, rejected. The House resumed, and the Report was ordered to be received to-morrdw. recess, and if they did not themselves originate any measure on the subject, they Would give notice in sufficient time during the Session to allow any other Member to make a proposal. Whatever then might be the merits of the Bill, no chat ge of delusion could be supported against Government. He thought that it would ben strange and inconsistent sort of conduct on the part of the House, if, after consenting to a second reading, the Bill were got rid of by this Amendment. Mr. ABERCROMBY considered the Bill as lost, and therefore, though he had come down with a view of watching the progress of the Bill, he was now dis heartened. The question of the compulsory clause had been lost, and that brought them to the question of whether they were prepared to add largely to the large possessions of the Church ? The principle ap peared to hiM odious every way, but espeCially as ap plied to Ireland. Without, therefore, the compulsory clause, be conceived that the Bill was rendered ut terly useless. With this feeling, therefore, and re gretting deeply the failure of the Bill, he did not see Mat any good could arise fiom supporting it. Mr. CANNING said, that the • Hon. Gentleman had justly observed that no Bill would be worth any thing tirat had for its object a considerable augme.n•.' Cation of the Church revenues of Ireland. -1-Io ,was perfectly of the same opinion ; but were we to con trast an accidental increase with the disadvantage of introducing a compulsory spoliation without a pu in ciple of compleie indemnity ? he could not support the latter alternative. The Right Hon. Gentleman, after some general remarks on the Bill, called upon the Hon. Mover of the Amendment to consider whe ther, if his Motion were carried, it would not render entirely hopeless the chance of the subject ever being brought forward again with effect? It did strike him as strange that this, which had always been consi• acted as the most important subject with regard to Ireland, should be thus thrown away in despair. He was sure that the rejection of the Bill in the manner now proposed, would leave this impression on each party —to the one it would hold out the idea that the con sideration •of the subject was hopeless, and to the other that the subject was one on which it would not be expedient to enter. On the,e grounds he hoped that the Amendment of the Honourable Member would be rejected. Mr. V.. i'ITZGERALD, as he was understood, spoke in favour of the Amendment. Lord EBRINGTON thought, that by taking away the compulsory clause, the measure could not possibly be one of relief.—He would support the Amendment. Gen. HA ItT spokein favour of postponing the Bill. Mr. ItICARDO supported the Amendment. Mr. W. WYNN believed that in all legislative in terference of this kind . this principle had never been deviated from ; viz. that a fair value ought to be given for the property of which any class might be deprived. Ile thought that to introduce the principle of compulsion without giving 4 reasonable valuation, would be a most dangerous principle. Sir J. STEWART thought that a valuation for the last seven years would not be an unfair measure to wards the Clergy. It was better at once to put an extinguisher on this Act, than to send it to Leland, where in not one solitary parish could it be carried into execution. • A Message from the Lords announced that their' Lordships had agreed to the Prison Laws Consolida tion Bill, and some private Bills. IRISH TITV ES COMPOSITIOI4 GOULBURN moved the going into a Corm mitteeon the Irish Tithes Composition Bill. • 1 Mr. AGAR ELLIS said, he felt that the rejection of the compulsatory clause had put it out of his power to give his assent to the Bill. Ile moved that the further consideration of the Bill should be post poned to this day six months. . Mr. GOULBURN said, •theconrse of proceeding which was now adopted was anything but regular. The House had been suffered to mature the Bill in its details, and now, because the compulsatory clanse was left out, and the arrangement substituted of a voluntary adjustment of claims on the score of tithes, the Hon. Gentleman, directly in the teeth of senti ments delivered by him on a former night, proceeded to oppose their proceeding further in this Bill; already the Bill in its principle had been sufficiently discussed, and he only added, that he hoped the house would for consistency sake support the proposition for the', Speaker's leaving the Chair. Mr. ‘VETHERELL felt there were very objec tionable clauses in the Bill still to be discussed, and' he considered the Bill was rejected by anticipation. Mr. CALCRA FT said, he believed the Right lion: Gentleman opposite would be very glad to get out of the measure of the Tithe Commutation for Ireland by the House rejecting it in this manner. He wished the House to remember this was not the' Tithe Bill that Ireland called for or required. He should, how ever, support the motion for the Speaker's leaving the Chair. Colonel. BARRY thought this would be the fittest periqd to put an extinguisher on the Bill at once, in a lull. House, if the Right lion. Gentleman wished to force the Bill into operation this year. But if the Bill were only intended to be now committed for the pur pose of filling up the blanks in it, and the Right Honourable Gentleman would consent to let it lie over in that state until next year, he should support the Speaker's leaving the chair. Mr. G. BANK ES said that nothing would reconcile him to the measure. He could nct help believing that the Gentlemen who represented the interests of Ireland in that House had taken a proper estimate of the value of the Bill and its tendency, and they were for the most nart opposed to its principle and details. Mr. S. RICE thought that although he differed en tirely from the details of the Bill, yet some thanks were due to Government for taking up the subject at all. He wished to correct a misrepresentation which had been given to the Public respecting his opinion on this Bill. He had been understood to say that the income of the Clergy ought to be fixed at. the rate of the receipts of the last three years. Now he had not said so, nor could he have done so without speaking against his own opinion. Mr. HUME complained of the grounds an which this Bill had been introduced. He thought that the Bill would do no good to Ireland. It appears by a Return to an Order of the House Mr. GMAT:IAN and Mr. PEEL severally gave some .of commons, that, from Ma 3, 1813, to May 3,1823, 370 Ap explanations as to the course which Gove rnmen t had pea l s were presente d t o th e House of Lordi; of which 426 were pursued, and denied that any pledges had been given Scotch, 56 E oath, 84 Irish, and four Wash. Of these Ap were heard, and :67 decided. The number of Writs as to pursuing any particular lioe•of conduct. The I.l7p.rrWorrl need during the , a n d period, were 242, of which only pledge that had been &iven ha been this,, that two were &cock 235 F f ng li sh, and 12 Irish. Of these 114 were they would consider the subject of .tithes during the .4 . tioa-pros'cl:, 76 beard, and 78 decided. Mr. CALCRAFT gave notice, that if the Amend ment was negatived and the House went into a Com mittee, he should feel it his duty to move the re-in. troductiou of a modified compulsory clause. Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the House divided. The numbers were— For the Amendment Against it - 36 - 51 . - Majority for going into a Committee —l5 -On the re-admission of strangers to the gallery the House were in a Committee. Colonel BARRY was desirous of knowing if it was /intended that the Bill should be recommitted ? Mr. GOIJLBURN replied that that .would be a question for the House to determine when the Bill was reprinted. Mr. CALCR AFT said that be understood that a principal clause, relative to the attendance of voters, was postponed. Mr. GOULBURN replied that the Hon. Member was quite right in his supposition. It was the third clause of the Bill, and it was understood at the time of its postponement that it would not be discussed until the reprinting of the Bill. Mr. FITZGERALD said, if the Bill was recom mitted there would bean opportunity of reconsider ing the Bill ; its objectionable clauses might thus be amended, and he should offer no further opposition. Mr. GOULBURN replied, that though some slight amendments, mostly of a verbal character, would be introduced, there was no disposition again to discuss the measure. Mr. D. BROWNE said, he thought it was right to proceed at once, since Irish Members were every day leaving this country. He was disposed to support the Government in every measure they introduced into Ireland for its benefit ; but he was decidedly of opinion that this measure would not answer its in tended object. To the clause which made personal service neces• sat y upon 'the impropriator, Colonel BARMY objected, that the impropriator might be absent, on the Continent for instance ; and this clause must therefore prove extremely inconve nient, since, if the service .were not properly executed, the Churchwardens were liable to considerable pe nalties. He proposed that service upon the agent of the impropriator should be considered a valid service. Mr. WETHERELL said, that not merely would a word, but a regiment of words be required in this clause ; the trustees of property, for instance—the guardians of infants—and a whole levy en masse otrght to be introduced to give anything like a just' efficiency to this measure. After a few words from Mr. GOULBURN, the clause underwent the change suggested by Col. Barry. After several clauses, with some verbal Amendments, had been agreed to, the CuLuiimix, on the motion of Mr. Secretary reporfed progress, and •obtaloed leave to sit again on Wednesday next. The other Orders of the Day were then disposed of, and the 'House adjourned at Half-past One. ..., -, THE EVENING STA R. LONDON. TUESDAY, JUNE 17. !ps i Tur...—FuNDs. STOCK EXCII A KG E, 'MELTE (mock Consols opened this morning • at. 801; e, at which prite they remain steady. . A private letter wai rectified yesterday from Seville, a i k 7th, which states, that the King of Spain had hot on tliv ; departed for Cadiz. A report prevails this marring th is r „„.. D/NAND had get into the bands of the French, bu t ttri , nltisti‘ a mere conjecture, for the two columns dish retched try thrt f ry for Seiiitle;could not have reached it in so short a period. - FOREIGN FUNDS. Spanish Bonds opened this morning at .30.1, f. but again irr a i .loon to 301, continued fall is thus arcounted to Commissioners from the Cortes have been in Laudon tqr . time past, the object of whose mission was to arrange, if pc , Bible; fur the payment of Bills which had bete refused ccc ev . ance by Messrs.Renitetaca, by the sale of insctiptions in theme book of the Spanish National Debt. These ' , wee:Ants- 0a t b o part have met with much delay and frequent !Inert:Tom ; • much so, that the Cortes at Seville have, it appears,•p:t.',4, 'resolution by which Spanish Stock is to be peremptorily suyst a certain price, in order to satisfy immediately the clainis•Sl a s bill-hollers. . the early knowledge of this resolution, hy ../ c, j4 it was foreseen that an immediate pressure would Like /dace „,„, the market here, has induced many of the holders to sriftheir bonds, with the • expectation of replacing them shortlia t a lower price. Current Prieest—Yew Spanish 51, New Pressian R as . sian 79a ;, Dar!sh 00, Neapolitan 763, e . olotaisill 53. PRICE OF STOCKS AT ONE O'CLOCK. . • Bank Stock 219 1 X 2 -3 per Cent. Reduced SOJA% 3 I/ 2 per Cents. 92.Yi 4 per Cents. Old 97% 98 97% Fig Bank Long Anus. 20 1 4. India Bond s 43 5 , Etch. [tills (t:1,(A)0) 20s. 225.-- Small 206. '24-1,..7 Bank for Acct. '22o—Consols lot do. 81;y8 The French Papers of Sunday have reached us, together with such of those of Saturday as did not yesterday reach us by express. They contain no 'la ther intelligence as to the reported dissolution of tl.e Cortes at'_ sbon, which still restson a Telegi aphic patch ; and that Dispatch is founded on an inter cepted letter said to have been addressed to General LOPEZ BA:cos, but where, or by whom written, is not stated. It is not long since an intercepted letter in the Fiench Papirs. announced • the desperate situation of the Constitutionalists In Catalonia, aad prepared us to expect the total annihilation of MINA and all his host by the. next . Dispatch ; instead cf which we found him successively beating every divi sion of the enemy with whom he has come in contact. This General, whose inevitable destruction has been so frequently announced, who is one day represented as closely , shut up in Barcel ona , at anot h er t i nt taking refuge in Seo d'Urgel; who descends flight. ful precipices and climbs mountains inaccessible to any man but himself and his warriors, is now clot on the French frontier, if he has not by this tine transferred the seat of war from the Spanish to tle French soil. That he has the means of doing so n evident from the dispatch of Marshal MoxcLy, which fully skews the desperate situation of the French is Catalonia. This dispatch, as well as that of General Gutctr• rotator, of which we gave the substance yetterd4y, we now subjoin at length, as they contain some teresting particulars of the movements and situation of two of the principal divisions of the French' army. The following are extracts : FROM TUB MONITRUR OF SUNDAY.--OFFICIAL) TELEGRAPHIC DI S PATCH. " PARIS, JUNRii. The following has been received from the army : " The Major-General to his Excellency the Minister of War. " Ste,—The van-guard of General Bourdesoult overteek m the Bth a division of the enemy, consisting of 1,500 me* he dispersed it, took 600 prisoners, a standard, and two canswids. , " The Constitution was abolished at Lisbon ou the Wiry" MADRID, JUNE 9. (nv AN lITIACMDINART COURIZI.) Since the commencement of the campaign, I have not had the opportunity of transmitting you any news more interesting than that of which we are just informed. Yesterday the Prince Generalissimo received dis patches from General Bourmont, stating that there had come to him a courier from Lisbon, from whom General Zayas had taken his papers, but allowed him to continue his route. This courier stated, that the letters of which he was the bearer, announced that the counter-revolution was acccomplished at Lisbon, on the Ist of June. A few moments after a courier, dispatched on the 7th by General Bordesoult from Manzanares, arrived, and brought Seals Gazettes of the 3rd, 4th, and sth. In the acsounts of the sittings of the Cortes of these three days, there is no question of the departure of the King for Cadiz. LISBON, MAY 28. The supplement of the Diario de Gotnrno contains what follows: " It was reserved for the present epoch to experience !mei. Hatton, and to witness that infamous event of which &degene rate Portuguese, am.=•relative of those. vile factions, the &l veins, is the author. The Government has long distrusted Eli. gadier Lampayo. For this reason he was dismissed the devise, and on the morning of the 27th, his regiment, No. 23, was dered to leave the capita for the province of Beira, whew was to form a part of the Army of Observation. This orderless executed ; but at some distance from Lisbon the Colonel harm sued his troops, seduced them, and marched back with thew Having halted in the neighbourhood of the city, he wrote le following letter to the Governor:— se dear General and Friend--The disposition of the re sent Ministry and the formation of a new ooe,a Sing V lkikro ~i stur tni!t Dai and RO) DION