Star. — London, England, 1817-08-09 00:00:00

•••''' REPOR7' OF Tql: LORDS' COMMITTEES 1)00I1 LAWS. By the Lord,' Committees appointed to consider of the Poor Laws, and rt.port to the House; and who were empowered to rerori ttt. Evidence fallen before them from time to time to t e Houle; and to whom several Petitions ou the subject hive been referted (Concluded from the STAR of yesterday.) Upon the stitijecr f the general mode of assess intent for the reio-f 41 the poor, the Committee are of opinion. up ti the fullest consideration, that nothing can tend to keep the present system of the poor-rates within reasonable hounds, but that the assessment should continue to be levied upon those who are im mediately interested in the disbursement; and who, from personril kn , :wledge.of the character and situa tion of the individuals, are best enabled to judge of the jticiiee of the•ir cl iiins and the extent of their want:, in eases of applicatio n t r relief. The Committee have tlougi.; it right to examine evidi nc.- respecting the management of the poor in Scotland ; uliese, though a power by Law to impose a cotopiii , ory assessment for the relief of the poor. recourse has seld , •rn Leen had to it, except un der particuiar circumstances, and in populous and m imilaet tiring touirs. Considerable sums are raised by regular colleen cs at tl,c churches, which are ap plied z.t the purpose of relieving the poor at the dis creth•t• ot the Minister 3nd Elders, composing (what is calted) the Kik By mean of Oleic col lectiia,s, awl of Riche r vuiutaary contriLltions on the p r: 0" the het itori ,n.. 1 other inhabitants, the ne cessity for comfit's •••,. ass,•sbatent is generally avaided, a xcept in tin.is o particular distress. Upon this subject a Retiort received tom the General As scrttl,ly of it , . Chord) of Scotland, on the rnanage• ro , 2nt of 0: poor in that p4rt of the United King door, ;,ten teferteil to the Committee, tone (her wi;t s. .1! i!aert-ain ; details contained in other c- - vcurnent, subj. in - them fcr )our Lordships' inform .00-1. It woool have Seer wallryiog to the Committee, in the trgt• ant; arduous duty imposed o ton zit:nt by yoor Lord:ado, it they could have stir gio . ted any tneasnres that wotsid have pro ciectt a dirniention of those burthens s,hich have pre .o-al se hoisoll ol•Otte years upoc the occupiers of land arii houses; itt:st iii this view they have eudea voured to collect the opt:linos of those witnesses, who from their general knowledge and experience, were moo 1 keiy to ..trord information as to any alterations Cs: it !r'' . ; ;l:f b: suegested in the present laws, as well with • view to the interests and comfort of the poor, as to ;.; levtat t o o of the pressure upon those who are liable to the rates. It must be evident to your Lordships that the sub ject is i!. its nature SO extensive and difficult, that n, re can be expected, especially in the first in stance, from any exertions that Can be made by indi. viduals, or pertoo s from the collective wisdom of Patliao, nt, than such alleviation of the burthens, as ma! ••e .!ertved from an improved system of manage mt. r alba front rendering the laws more simple in their execution. The great increase in the amount • of th . rates of late years, has arisen not only from the causes which have been enumerated, but from the general disposition to resort to that species of main tenance on account of the facility with oahich it has been frequently obtained ; which has tended to weaken amongst the poor that disposition to economy which formetly existed in many parts of the country, and which it is highly desirable on account of their com fort and independence, to enceuraoe and revive. Though there is reason to believe that the general amount of the expense of litigation arising from ap peals has been at all times rather exaggerated, yet it is undoubtedly desirable, not only in the view of les sening the charges, but for the sake of those who may be the objects of removal, to mike some altera tion in the Law of Settlements. The Committee, therefore, submit to the consideration of the House, whether it might not be expedient to provide that every person residing for three years in any parish yids( ut being chargeable (and who has been em rifled during the above, period in the said parish), shall obtain a settlement ; and that, in case that mode of settlement should be adopted slier a time to be fixed, ;to person shall acquire a settlement by hiring and se, vice, or by apotentiCeship ; and the Committee think they may safely recommend that no settlement shall be acquired in any parish by renting a tenement, unless it shall consist of an house or land, or of an Louse with land, and shall be held under one land lord and in the same parish, at an annual borsafek rent of £2O. and for not less than one year. The Committee likewise submit, particularly from the evidence which they received from Manchester and Birmingham, that a power should be given to remove persons helooging to c., robes not within the operation of the Poor Laws, who shall become chargeable to any palish, to their respective homes. It has also appeared to the Committee, that great advantage would arise (particularly in large parishes) from the appointment of permanent Overseers and' Surveyors of the highwa)s, with salaries, and from the union of small parishes for a similar purpose:— and that it is advisable to give a power to parishes, in certain cases. to occupy land with a view to the employment of the poor. It might likewise , be proper to regulate the tight of voting mi vestries, on all questions relating to the ma r..tgeniect of the poor, according to the proportion in e individual is assessed to the poor-rates. In edditioo to the above suggestion of the appoint r tent a permanent Overseer, the Committee are of opinion that great advantage would arise, in various ways, from procurirg, means of regular and perio. dical retorts to be male the Magistrates of coun ties, a clear and systematic account of the state of every , parish in !tape( t to the management of the rates imposed for the relief of the poor, and the employo print and raid of those who are eutitled to the care and attention of the Overseers ; such accounts to be • returned once in the course of the year to the Quarter Sessions ; to be regularly preserved, and accessible to, the inspvctionpf any person applying to examine them . It is unnecessary to dwell upon the advantages of publicity in all accounts of public concern, and par. titularly on the advantage that might be expected to arise from it,in accounts of this description, partaking both of general and individual interest ; and invol ving questions on which many of the persons to whose Observatiot they would be regularly submitted, *eV; not only competent to judge, but interested in for tning a correct and impartial judgment. The Committee are also decidedly of opinion, from every information they have received, that it is expe dient to recommend the adoption of Provident or Savings Banks, as likely to increase the comforts and improve the condition of the Poor, and to render them less dependent on parochial relief; which, under the best and most considerate administration of it,l can never be so satisfactory to the person who is the object of it, or so consistent with those honourable feelings of pride and independence which are im planted in tie heart of man, as that resource which is the result of his own industry and the produce of his own exertions. The Cimmittee cannot conclude this Repnrt, with out enleavottring to impress upon your Lordships, and upon all persons of weight and influence through out the country, tae great impottance of a just, cor rect, and vigilant administration of the laws relating to the po , r ; and of recommending, in the most earnest manner, to all who have the opportunity, the most unremitting attention to improve their ge neral management, and to correct those evils which may have arisen from a negligent or mistaken adult niatt ation of them. The advanced pyrind of the Session will, of course, preclude the possibility of any immediate alteration in the present laws ; but so far from considering this circumstance as a matter of regret, the Committee are of opinion, that more advantage will ultimately arise from affording time for deliberation upon the different suggestions which have been made, than from hastily adopting alterations, which, however u;etul they may at present aprear, might possibly liereoftes in the detail be tonna inconsistent I'6o - 4 a more general plan of improvement in the syoem itself GERMAN PAPER.s. VIENNA, WES '25. A private letter from Trieste say s—"" We have not had in the memory of man, such a hot summer as the present ; in the middle of t! , e day the heat is so oppres►ive that people almost fajta away in the streets." Tne prices of corn fall here daily. The latest accounts from S:c;ly and Apulia, state that they are reaping aliarvest which may be called threef dd ; and that the quality of the grain-is besides excellen.. According 10 accounts from Lemberg, the Russian General Ojarowsky is arrived there, to compli , rient their Majesties in the name of the Emperor of ltus. sia. Tie Court will remain some weeks at Lem. burg, and then go to Brady, on the extreme frontier of the Imperial territory, and after this return, pro. bably, through Transylvania, and by the military frontier of the Burma]. Their Majesties are expected at Vienna in the middle of Oztober. Toe II di of July was an unhappy day for that part of Lower Austria, which borders on Hungary. A terrible hail stoim destroyed the greatest putt of the standing corn, particularly oats and barley. The hail stones were so uncommonly large, that many sheep, ike. were killed, and sever al persons much hurt. This partial misfortune will oot cause wiy unplea sant coniequences to the public in gent...l, because the harvest is every where most abtidant. Our trade which has been so long stagnant, becomes rather more active. Our silk arid woollen m inufactuters have received many orders; at Trieste, where during the winter little was done, large speculations are now makin4 in colonial goods. One article has fallen here which one would not have expected to do •o in the present state of the Brazils, via. diamonds, which used to be sold ■t 300 florins per carat, and are now at 70. One cause of this dint:dation is said to be the large quantity of diamonds sold at priportionably very low prices by Madame Murat. ' Suicides are here unhappily so frequent, that they are hardly spokt:n of. This week there have been two ; it is mostly young persons who have got into debt that have recourse to this desperate step; but unmerited distress from want of employment has car ried off many victims. it is to be hoped that the re turn of bitter tirn,:s will at least cop the source of this last motive. • 1 FROM THE ELBE, JULY 20. According to statements lately inserted in the pub. lic prints. the Prussian army has pretty nearly an equal number of Officers of unb:e birth, and such as are not of noble families; but as the difference of birth did not cease till 1807, to be :mended to in the promotion of Officers in Prussia, the Officers of Bur ghers' families ate mostly in the inferior ranks, the higher bei:q; still mostly filled by Nobles. Time still of course change this to the advantage of the Bour geois. It is well known that Frederick the Great was the first %rho began to give Officers commissions to nobles M preference, and then exchried the not noble entirely, or with very few exceptions. Oa the other hand the difference ot birth has never' been considered in Austria of any importance in mi litary promotions ; and the Austti in army has had, in latter times, mmy examples of Lieutenants Field Marshals, and other Officers of rank, win: were not only not noble, but had been private soldiers—nay, there is even a ►aw in Austria, by which a patent of nobility is given to an Oiiicer as a reward after thirty yeas service; so far from nobility's being considemd as an indispri:soble qualification for an Officer. rhe Order ot Matia Theresa ton, certainly• use of the highest distinctions that military ambition can desire, is tnstawed, with out difference of birth, solely upJn mutt, and that too after a very strict inquiry ; and it :s impossible for the greatest Prince to obtain it by any other aledlls, As it is possible for the meaaest Eosign to acqcire it in the regular way. S 11:TCARD, JULY sci. Their Majesties returned the day before yesterday in good health to this city, horn Erns, where they bad passed a week, after leaving Baden. On the 26th her Majesty the (leer: Dowager, with her whole suite, arrived at Louisburg from Wilsbad. The Royal Gazette and Bahama didvertha , contains the following Article : " NASSAU, MAY 28.—The transports which arrived Isere on Satusday last from the Downs, are intended to Lowrey to Hon duras a detachment of his Majesty's sih West India Regiment, nuvi in garr.sou here. We state Item information, which we believe to be corn CI, that the West lAta 'Regiments are to be teduced to tour of Mk men each." THE EVENING STAR. LONDON. SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 1817. PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY Al' TWELVE O'CLOCK Reduced 811—Consols SI H—Consolg for Aug. SI i 4 per Cent 9s i—S per Cent. Navy, i 0.541 India Bonds 114 116 pr.—Exchequer Bills 33g. 365. pr. ••• The farther development of Mr. Oweses Plan, which was promised to be Oven in the STA& of this eveuin,:, is defer red till Monday, having been disappoiuted of the Cut of. a Plan which Is intruded to acct.miony it. The Paris Papers of Wednesday arrived this mor ning. An arrangement is stated to have been made by the Minister of the Wilt Department, :red sanc tioned by the Kixn, by which a certain number of Officers on half pay are to be attached to each corps of the army, and to receive in succession ball of the commissions which become scant. In the pre sent state of politic..l feeling in France, this concilia tory measure canni.t fail to be attended with the besi effects. The discontent which has been hitherto but too strongly manifested by the retired Officers of the old army, will doubtless be much allayed by the pro. spect which is now opened to them of obtaining ho. nourable employment in that ciao se a lif e to w hi c h, in times of hart danger, the voice of tt.rirluuntr y had called them. Letters tr:,nr Rome, of the 17th July, are said to announce that there will thortly be a new promotion of Cardinals, and that sevei.l French Prelates vtiit be decor aka nWI the purple. The relations cf Spain with Russia, arc particu larly noticed in an article bozo Madrid, :if, presenting the most favourable aspect—:,n enunciation which SeeMS to give some countenance to the rutuour [At ly in circulation, of the Spanish Minis►ry having enteied into a negociation to obtain a•si•taoce from the Ent peror ALEXANI;Eit to reduce the Colonists of South America. A Convention is reported to Lave been signed at Baden by the Ministers Plenipotentiary of Austria. Bavaria, and Baden, by which certain terriwrial ces sions and exchanges between the Contracting Parties have been made. The Cities and Principalities of Passau have bees ceded to Austria; f‘lanheiin, and some districts of the Rhine, to Bavaria ; but it is not yet known what the Grand Duke of BADES has re ceived.—French Funds sth August, GS Ir. 70 c. AMERICA. The following are extracts from American rapers to the 16th ult. received this morning : ritoNt r0v..1. WILLIAM. We learn that the lllitourable William 114‘Gil tient'', with the first brig ide of North NV•tit traders, had arrivet4 &tidy at Fort William; in which were found Mr. Spencer, formerly Sheriff of the Red Rivtr Colony, and three or tour other individuals.— We lean they v:ere immediately taken into custody, and ordered t.t Sonwich, where the Western District Coo. t is holdva. g‘ It is said that Mr. Smelt, Under Sheriff for the said District, attended by others clothed with hlagis tetial authority, had g ,, ne in quest of Lord Selkirk. The Commissii.ners had :strived at the Sault Saint Marie, and wouhl soon proceed over Lake Stipetiir (or the celebrated Foit NVilliam."— (Montreal Herald, July 5.) LL TIFR FROM MEXICO. " NEW ORISAN3, JUNE 30. " Further accounts from General Mina have reach• ed town. They state that the General and his Army on the ISth May were at Soto 14 Marina, in high spirits, and would march 1,500 strong to attack the Royalists on the .20th. We have been politely favoured with Bulletin No. 1. el General Mina's Army, as also his addresses to the Spanish soldiers of King Ferdinand, anJ a patriotic song. On his land ing they went on shore for the help of Samuel Barry '4 parties to the auxiliary division of the Mexican Re public at Suto la Marina."—(Dosics dldveriaer, July N ) .. Sir Gregor M.Gre7, , or, with the farce under his command, took pos,essu it of Amelia Island, on the ''24th of June, u about ( Nuticnal Adro cale, Joily QUEBEC, WIX 3. A difference has arisen between the Atherican and British Commissioners, under the Treaty of Gl:ent, which intimately interests this province. The Ame. ricans pretended to establish their boundary within a taw leagues of the River St. Lawrence, at Matane, carrying it up, still within a few leagues of the St. Lawrence to the Lighlands in the rear of St. Thomas. On sailing up the St. Lawrence, on walking on the citadel of Quebec, we might see the American flag waving on American territory! We should no longer have any land con;munication with onr sister colonies of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Nay, we could not send A ccurier, in winter, to Gaspe or Chaleurs Bay. Insulated, laid open on all sides But we shall not continue the subject. We trust cur Corn. naissioners will be firm and circumspect. We have reason to believe that the Americans will adhere to their pretensions to the very last. It they can get by the pen what they could not get by the sword, the world perhaps will not blame them. The British pretensions go only to preserve what we have, what we have always possessed, and which forms the true boundary in America between countries under sepa rate Governments, viz. ' 6 the height of land, between s the waters emptying within their respective terr:t ries," and which was, without doubt, the limit in tended by the framers of the Treaty which rthte. this bout.dary. FBOl,l FOIIT WILLIAPJO—Last Monday rooming, we understand, dispatches strived in this tit% frcm Fort William. According to rumour, the f.clle‘ I ng are the occurrences which took place at the rort ori in the interior. It is said that Captain D'Orsenners, with a considerable patty, left Fort William in :I'"e Autumn, and reached Fort a , u,s_las in Red River Settlement about the 10th of loran'''. Report state!, that he and his patty had made prisoners t,t • Mr. McLellan and a Mons. MailAcille, two persons stir posed to have been abettors in the murder pt Kevei;ey ; it is also reported that several 13-ales had been made prisoners without resistance. About the I t of April several of the settlers had returned tc Red River, and it was believed that ph-nty of seeds had been preserved to produce considerable crnl,s ti,ii season. ..lout the of May, Lord Sdkirk kft Post fur Itcd River, leaving Mr. Spevekr and other ptri;::ns in picessicin of the place. We give these lain:its as we heard them; but it is ex r. Tied further plrtieulars will arrive in a few e.: . ; s, ~ . sing a more detailed nas!ative of the several mot 11..ve It OM F.. tXTP.IcT o.trzn JULY 9. - - " I bar Igt :.urne my friends, r.fhl the half hour I thus pass is always the most ag : ee . aLle t f the day, and I d .re say will be arn: - .e.,6 the happiest of my life. greater part of the Engin!) have kit us : the (z. 91 of Jane, St. P,:er'a trac:ed th,. gleanings of the S. c.f L a l y , ; ,f te a : which they have roo;tly departed, This IV:nit-al is eziebratrd fur the iliamination of the dome, aid firr.wor ks of the Castle c.f .lagcro, whi c h a re p er . i.,rio ;Av., et.enitt:i.s, en the and the fe..tival. wt nt with Ilayter and a Mr. Urr:eliart, a ; . c nratlical e':tn of talent, who is of oar ratty ; ne lowtd the dome alr.aly illuminated with la urns, and were absAit u &pat t, lttit sir, v ere inf:)rti.ec; Br at (lily ;reparatc,:y ; in fact', at out. &cluck, (the P.tra.u.s coto.fang time at so lst::), on the tc II of the Le f.!, the ev!tole appeared, in very f!t7 seeonr:s, in a bl as vrcll as the facade a.orf colonnatl..fs; a r: • 1.!...ry band per:tam:Ai, and the elf;:ca . was very ir":l , sir.g. "I am told that tyro cf: Or•fe the u•aed snn } are engaged :it this ivAnt.t.trieitits ton. Au Frier after the iirt-works take place at the castle of St. Angelo (formerly t'.e nra.urnlittrin of iladriall), called the pir.aid,l.l; the nrst and last flight of . rockets an I fire whica issues for sorn.l secoria , nem the summit u 1 di:: castle, I can c 'top ire to tiothirg but a volcanic eruption, wh•ch I have n doubt Nia chacl Angelo had in view, who they say desiAtied it; the whole certainly, in the class of fireworks, greatly surpassed any thing I had seen rlsewhere, even our renowned rejoicings on the peace. " The mass at St. Peter's was very grand ; the tomb of St. Pe:et was unaglaticchtly decorated with flowers; and thin bronze statue of St. Peter was it vet.ted with the Pope',, tiara and 1°6,1. 1 peicrivt r 1 a magnificent diatur.nd rind on the finger. The crowd that kiss the foot of the statue (already worn awl by this pious tune inn, formed by many generations) was };seater than usual ; guards werestationed to keep order, but whit most interested me was, service being per fut rued in the vatil:s and church underneath, which was magnificently illuminated : here are the tombs of the Popes, and the pretenders to cur Throne, as well as monuments very interesting in the history of the revival of alt, removed horn the cathedral de stroyed to make way tut the present. A few days since I saw the Pope enter Rome, on his return from his Velleggiatura, at St. Albino; nothing could cecd the enthusiasm of the people who filled the streets as he pas...etl, kneeling to receive his benedic tion. He is, I brlirve, af:setvedly venerated, w::ich feeling was heiginctitei from the precarious state of his health. At his p:tl::ce at Castel Gandolfo he was to d. denly attacked 1%01 a paroxysm, and fell from bed ; :tnd the • Sovcr.i (If :lovereigns' remained three hours in agony on the liar, no one coming to his aid, or hearing his call, the persons of his anti-chamber having gone for a diversion to Albano. At last a Swiss Guard, hearini; his czie:;, ventured to cuter his apartment." Yesterday aftcrocon, about five o'clock, the PRINCE REGENT lett Carlton.l:oure !cr. trighton. Yesterday morni.lg, about unc o'clock, her Ma nsTv and Princess ELlzAni:rit arrived at her Palace from Windsor. The Duchess of NlAntzortouna left town on Wed nesday, for Blenheim, Oxfordshire. The Earl and Countess of JERSEY, and Earl an!. Countess CV‘VPER, 4:C expected is town on the 2./t'l January, from Paris. The Earl and Countess of fl_tnniNcrom entertairmd a select party yesterday, at their house in the Stable yard, St. James's. Lord CLIFTCN is much indisposed at his father's (the Earl of DAnNLEy) scat, Ccbham Hall. Lord LYNLOCCc ant: nephew, ROBERT GRAHA Ur, Esq. left town ~.--tet,Ly, for Brussels, where they intend remaining a bl.ust time, on their way to the German Spa. In consequence of the death of the late Earl of lto:commoN, TrioNIAS Drums, Esq. A ughAdigonam. in the county i f Longford, the no..v representative ct the Dillon claims the title and 'amours c that nobiLnrrn• Lord CasTixttE.scit was walking in his grounds at Footscray, when he met with his late accident. A large Spanish dog had fallen upon that from %VII:- temberg and got it down. His Lords:lip pulled the former or. The smillet dog flew et his antagonis:, as the latter was taken from him, .and in doing s:, fastened upon his Lordshi?' s fingers, which he graspe so strongly, that Lord CAsTLEBEALaI Was obliged t employ his other hand in opening the dog's moue:, and the fingers of OIAL !Laid Loo Are somewt:.:: WQuackd. I 1 ~, :o I t~ t 1 ~ ie r- f DE 3. re i• a r is 1. , 5 1, at •-k i :; f -