The National Register. — London, England, 1812-06-28 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. be little doubt as to the part which they ought and would adopt, b he was unwilling to anticipate such a result, and therefore should say nothing on it. He hoped that the differences with America would be immediately settled. and that some attempt would be speedily made towards a peace with Frame. The Order fora Call of the House on Thursday next was then d ischarged. Mr. PARNELL moved that the House should, early in the next Session of Parliament, take into consideration the Tythe Laws of Ireland. A discussion followed, in which Mr. W. Pole, Sir John Newport, Lord Castlereagh, Mr. Barham, Mr. M. Fitzgerald, Mr. J. Smith, Mr. Tighe and Mr. Wilberforce participated, after which the House divided, For the Motion, 36—Against it, 39—Majority, 3.—Adj. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24. The House being in a Committee of Supply, voted 11.5831. for completing tfie New Hospital for the Reception of Lunatics in St. George's Fields; 78,3841. for the arrears of per centage, due to Mr. Palmer • and various other sums for miscellaneous serviLee. Mr. M . F iiiGER At D obtained leave to bring in a Bill for regulating the tithes of potatoes in Ireland. In a Committee of Supply, 50001. was granted to Mr. Crompton, as remuneration for his invention of an article of machinery used in the manufacture of cotton, called " mule spinning." The inven tion was stated to be so excellent, that the great increase of the Cotton Manufacture was entirely owing to it. Th e Riot Bill was reported ; and the Publicans' Pewter Pot Bill went through a Committee. The House having resolved itself into a Committee of Ways and Means, Mr. V A 'is :TART moved a Resolution for granting towards the supply of the present year, the sum of 5,000,0001. to he raised by xchequer Bills, which, after a few ob.ervations from Mr. Tierney, was ag I cal to —Attj o ied THURSDAY, JUNE 25. The Loan, the Unlawful Oaths, and the Riots Bills were read a third tone, passed, and ordered to the Lords. Mr. Ross obtained leave to bring in a Bill to ascertain the Expenses of the Maintenance of the Poor in England. Mr. VANSITTART gave notice, that he would to-morrow, in the Committee of Ways and Means, propose a duty on Stone Ware. On the question tied the Assessed Taxes Bill be committed, Mr. WESTERN objected to the tax on horses employed In husbandry, and to the principle of such taxation. It was a departure limn the true object of taxation—a fine on luxury ; and went to tax the implements ot trade. They might as well tax the plough. Sir MARK Wool) supported the Bill. It was then committed, and the report ordered to be received to inerrOW. Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY called the attention of the House to the pee tition ofThomas Houlden, a prisoner fin - debt in the gaol of Lincoln. This petition, which was read by 11:e clerk, stated, that the petitioner, I homas Houlden, was brought before a Magistrate, Doctor Caley Illmgworth, who, on a complaint preferred by the gaoler, ordered the petitioner to be removed from the apartment in the prison which he had hitherto occupied, and to be confined, though but a prisoner for debt, in one of the cells appropriated to common felons ;—and it fur ther appeared, that the petitioner was lett to remain closely confined in this cell for eleven days and nights succ.-ssively ;—that during that period he was denied t), use ot pen, in 4, and paper, and that no friend whatever was permitted to have access to hint. Sir S. Romilly said, that the cause ot this severity arose from the desire of the petitioner to provide his own bed, instead of having one at an exorbitant price from the gaoler, &c. and that this confinement in a cell for eleven days and nights, would not have even then been put a stop to, had it cot been far the conduct of the gaoler being under investigation in that House on 1 petition from Mr. Finnerty. But he could nut help asking, what was the authority under which the Magistrate meant to shelter such an act of oppression I—lle knew of none ;—the common law, he was conhilent, gave noee ; but it had been coetende I for, he understood, that all this auth o ri t y was d er i va ble t o th e Magistrate under the ope ration of the ;Jlet of the King; he had read the Act attentively, and had found in it no such authority ; —it did give certain powers in the control of Houses of Correction to the Magistracy, but such prisons as the Castle of Lincoln, County Gaols, were, he contended, the pri sons of the Sheiill's, and not of the Magistracy. The Learned Counsel thought that these c ir cums t ance s did l a y gr o unds fur suspecting both extremely cc r. opt motives in the gaola r, and most criminal connivance io the Magistrate, and on these grounds he moved, that " a Select Committee be appointed to inquire what has been, and what now is, the treatment ot Prisoners confined in Lincoln Castle, and the conduct of the Magistrates thereupon." Mr. CHAPLIN, Lord CASTLEREAGH, and Col. ELLISON, spoke in defence of the Magistrates of the C ount y o f Lincoln ; the latter Gen - tleman was of opinion, the observations.ot Sir Samuel Rontilly were calculated fa produce evil consequences, by bringing the Magistracy of the country into contempt. Sir F. Buaoiere made a - few remarks on the state of gaols tkr mgh• out the kingdom, and deprecated the present mode of solitary teoihne mom, a mode of punishing which had been grossly abused. It had 391 t 1.71 come recommended under the name of Howard, a man who bad de. voted his whole life to the happiness of his fellow-creatures, but as generally enforced, It was not the species of punishment which that Gentleman recommended ; and, hutted, one more liable to aim ;e it was impossible to devise. lie hoped, that the old salutary system of the country would be reverted to, being convinced, that nothing but the admission of friends and relatives to the prisoner could prot.ct him from the wanton oppression of the gaoler. In solitary egifirie went the most afflicting torture might be inflicted, which it might be impossible for the prisoner even to express. Mr. WILBERFORCE said, that Mr. Howard had often observed, that solitary confinement had, in some instances, produced good etli-cis ; but then it ought not to be left at the pleasure of the gaoler, but sob jeered to proper regulations. Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY replied to the various arguments against the motion, and urged the necessity of appointing the proposed Commit tee. Adverting to the subject of solitary confinement, he said, he had attended Quarter Sessions, and he certainly never knew sentences of solitary confinement passed by a Judge of Assize, in the same man. • • ner as they had been passed by those tribunals. Sir T. PLOMER and Mr. H. SUMNER vindicated' the. cowttry Mae' gistrates from the charge of Sir S. Romilly, and atter sothe flintier debate, it was agreed, that a Cotnmittee should be appoitafttl,, and the %,cs. • _Z.. same was nominated accordingly. •i• Mr. LUSIIINGTON brought up the Report of the Committeeeci( Supply. On the resolution for granting 78.0001. to Mr. Palmer, ash remuneration for past services, being read, it was objected to by Mr. ..,;:141;A Bankes, the Solicitor-General, and Mr. long; while Mr. W. Smith, is Sir F. Burden, and Mr. Whitbread, supported the resulati-n.—The House then divided,—ales, ; noes, 11.—Majority in favour of Mr. Palmer, J7.—Adjournzd. FR:DAY, JUNE 26. EXCHEQUER BILLS. In a Committeeon the Exchequer Bill Act, the CHANCELLOR of the ExcnEQUift naval a resolution, that the Chairman should be instructed to r•lt leave to bring in a Bill for allowing subscribers to Exchequer Bills of the last year six amt.:tits longer to wake good their payments.—Agrecd ASSESSED TAXES. Upon the bringing up the Report of the Assessed Taxes Bill, Mr. BROUGHAM objected to the imposition of the increased Taxes upon Horses, Servaias, and Leather. Ile stated that the tax upon leather would be severely felt by the lower order of people, as the ar ticles upon which the greatest stress was laid were of that heavy qua lity used by the labouring men. The injustice of such a tax was ob vious. This tax was also a tax on husbandry, for a set of harness which onlv lasted five years cost '2Ol. and the raw material was only valued at GI. It was a heavy tax on farmers. who were not taxed in proportion to other classes of people. It was inauspicious, and in every respect as bad as the poll tax. Lord A catioaP objected to it on two grounds ; first, thegreat pres• sure on the lower order of the people ; and, secondly, the great con. sumptioo of the article of leather by Government. He stated the rise on poor men's shoes to be from a shilling to eighteen-pence per pair. It was at a time when bread was dear, and aumbers of labour. ers and manufacturer-, were out of employment. He proposed, as an amendment, that the report should be brought up this day six months. General TA R L ETON said it was not becoming an Officer to oppos taxes, but it was his duty to state, that it would materially atltlct this army. There was scarcely any part of a dragoon's dress, except itte jacket anti shirt, that did not consist of leather, and therefore it %you'll press on Government. The resohnioas were agreed to, after some observations front the CHANCELLOR of tilt EXCHEQUER and others. BREACH OF PaROLF.. Mr. N. CALVERT moved that the paper lately presented from the Transport Board should be printed, and took that opportunity of calling the attention oldie House to the great encrcase iu the num ber of French Officers who had broken their parole. Ile could n t help alluding also to the extraordinary millibar of aliens at reseal ie the couutry . He ifid not mean to infringe the rights of hospitality, he would have us still continue to atfcrd refuge to those wit() wear driven by nusfigtune to seek our protection, but such as had come among us since the peace of Amiens, oui,ht, he thought, to be illllllClo diatcly sent away. He should even prefer something like the sysratta of positive non-intercourse adopted by the Government of japan te the indiscriminate admission of all strangers. • Lord CASTLEREAGH expressed his thanks to the Hon.. Gentleman for calling the attention of Parliament to this subject. Me looseness ofanorals displayed by French Officers of late, had grown• to a pita!, unknown in former wars. The frequent breaches of parole were unexampled. It was grateful to exercise not only the rights of hos. !Malay, but of general benignity towards those -.4.6!t0 were placed is our power by the fate of war ; hut if things went on in their present state, and bleaches of parole continued to b so frequent, the Britisla Government must impose additional restraints upon those who tH not acknowledge the restraiot of honour. Goveroment ha l ev•.. disposition to cousi ter this subject, and to five egret and the police, in order to prevent the eyilsl 031 tha i. 444 of aliens. JUNE 28. F7crrv7 ~~f. ;..~.,