The National Register. — London, England, 1816-05-13 00:00:00

MI 7 s . !bt Oationat ti No. 495.—V0L. IX. POLITICAL DISQUISITION. CONSIDERATIONi ON THE ALIEN BILL. AN interesting subject has Litnly been started in Par liament, and has occasioned considerable discussion : it is the .proposal of an Alien Bill in time of peace. This measure, unknown for a long succession of ages in En gli;ll policy, has been censured and defended with equal vehemence ; and has, already, been carried through some of its stages, by majorities so triumphant, that little doubt can be entertained of its ultimate adoption. It is, how ever, one which opens a wide field for controversy ; and the effects of which may be too powerfully felt, not to re quire that it iho•ild not be passed without the deepest cum:) , ration. Th- - . the peaee Alien Bill stand on strong n:..: T l ,e. rual.l. these di. vs, when, con. :ms of end seea4t . . - , or too magnanimous to fear, Er.2;;and threw open her shores to men of all na film, of all creeds, of all polit*.es ;and flourished in the Midst of a fettered world,--the Eden of earthly freedom. Then, let the slave .approneh, rr) hand was put forth to repel him. He lighted on her strand, and he was free. Here, the fugitive found an asylum, which neither the wrath nor the might of f weign kings could violate. Let revolutions rend the Continent; let the flame of religious persecution blaze abroad, she was the universal refuge of the persecnted. Like the good Samaritan, she but saw the wounds of the wretched, and she healed them. She did not inquire whether they had offended and opposed such a monarch ; whether they regretted deposed gran deur, and prayed for its revival. She opened her arms, and all that rushed into them were safe. Then was her name blessed upon the earth. Then was her greatness secure, though unarmed ; because it was fenced round with the gratitude and the interests of men. For who would have attempted to pull down the holy sanctuary, opened to him at the hour of persecution and misfortune? All wishes, all hopes, all benedictions, rose towards her. She was the ideal land of promise to every man, when the days of woe should come ; and, secure of being received as children in her bosom, they felt for her the love and veneration of sons. This state of true and unparalleled grandeur, say the opponents of the Bill, England now willingly abdicates. By perpetuating a temporary measure, forced upon her by the lash of terror and of necessity, she sinks back into a common people. With ►acrilegious hand, she destroys the sacredness of her own soil. She dissolves all those spells which made her dear to the hearts of strangers, and rendered her prosperity, and her power, objects of universal interest and importance. She breaks down the ancient palladium of her safety, to erect in its stead weak and noxious defences. True, she is great among nations True, her navy commands the seas, and her military arm strikes her enemies to the earth. But these arc glories which she shares in common with ancient and modern States. The ocean has obeyed many lords ; and, even in our days, victories have boon gained by other swords than ours, that have decided the fate of Empires. —But England, hitherto, claimed exclusive and higher. honours than those of war and of conquest, more precious even than those which the arts and literature confer— England possessed a gem of inestimable value, which anti quity never knew, and which no other modern country ever held. It blazed in her crown and enlightened the world. It was the star of freedom. It marked her abode and her refuge out, earth. For England was not only the soil of constitutional liberty, but she extended the protection or her constitution and the enjoyment of her liberty to all.who sought her shores. This was a pie-eminence, indeed, in which she had no rivals. It made her an island in fame, as nature had male her an island in position. This exclusive pre-eminence, say the antagonists of the measure, is now abandoned; and England resigns that glory which no other nation ever possessed, without even the plea of necessity. • Dui• tling, Cottatt in /into %Mani. MONDAY, MAY 13, 181 b. Their oQter arguments against a Bill which allows no foreigner to land in Enghoid, even in time of peace, without leave, and males him liable to be sent out of the country without any trial, are of a less metaphysical nature. They assert, that tha rights secured by Magna Charta, even to strangers visiting this country, arc vio lated. They eat tend, that our laws extend the same protection to aliens as to natural-born subjects ; that by the present measure, foreign Governments will be en abled to exercise, even - within the sanctuary of our liber ties, the same tyranny and oppression over their fugitive victims, as within the sphere of their own despotism. Hence they augur the downfall of our national renown, and the destruction of that mingled love and veneration with which England and her liberal Constitution were viewed by all nations. They next employ a still more point ed reason, the a riunavatum ud liominrm. They rouse the fctrof retaliation. " Your peace Alien Bill ! they exclaim, will be felt by your merchants and your travellers abroad. —Hitherto the liberality of your laws towards foreigners has occasioned you to be treated with greater favour in countries where you are strangers. Hence your com merce has prospered, and extended itself to the ends of the world. But now, measures of severity and oppression will be adopted against you by Sovereigns abroad; and, should you complain, your example will be their excuse. Such are the chief arguments urged against this im portant measure. In our next, we shall examine those of its supporters. IMPERIAL PARLIA.3IENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, MONDAY, MAY 6. The St. Pancras Church Bill W 43 read a second time; and after some coils ersation between Earl Stanhope (who present. cd a petition against the principle of the bill) and the Lord Chancellor, it was committed for Weciesday.—Adjourned. TUESDAY, MAY 7. Lord LTV F:l2 POOL rose, is pursuance of notice, to move Ad- dresses of nngratulation to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, her Majesty, the Princess Charlotte and the I'rinee of Saxe Cobourir, upon the late marriage. After a tew obser vations from tlfe Noble Earl, in which he expressed his full belief that the House hail a siucere and heartfelt wish that the late happy marriage might produce peace, happiness, and prosperity to the Royal Family, moved the several Addresses olcongratulation to the illustrious perAnnays before mentioned, which were put Will agreed to, neon. dis.—Adjourned. THURADAY, MAY 9. In a Committee of Privileges on the Borthwick Peerage, es idenee was heard to prove the death of the late claimant, and that the present claimant was his sun and heir.—The Bills ccri the table were read in their respective stages, without re mark or opposition.—Adjourned: FRIDAY, MAY 10. The Eat' of MORTON, (the Queen's Chamberlain), reported her Majt sty's gracious answer to the Address of that House, congratulating her on the marriage of the Princess Charlotte of Wales to the Prince of &Ise Cobourg. Earl STANHOPE presented the Report of the Committee ap pointed to en q uire into the best means of classifying under proper and distinct heads the different statutes. The Report contained only two Resolutions—that it was highly expedient that statutes should be regularly classified; and that a person learne4: in the law, with a set of clerks, not exceeding 20, shonld be appointed to carry that object into effect. On the motion of Earl STAN mom the House agreed with the Committee in that Report ; and a communication was or dered to be :wile of the seine to the Commons, and to desire a conference with them ou the subject on Tuesday next, in the Painted Chamber. _ • . ..... ...... .. The lkle:.tengera returned, and stated, that the Commons would .cod au answer by .Nleabetigera of tlit ir or. n.—Adjout oed till Monday. HOUSE OF COMMONS, MONDAY, MAY 6. LOT(' CASTLEREAGH TOMe to move en Address to the Priam , Regent on the late amminions event, the Royal 'Marriage. He telt convinced that the. House viewed the marriage with 51101 feeling, as to render it nauecessary for him to say any thing to create an interest in their minds; by the Address to the Throne —by the liberal allowances voted io contemplation of such a union—they hail roily spoken their sentiments. His present motions were in the spirit of those sentiments, and the congia titlatie.is which he propoee•d were the necessary result of their former proceedings. lie colictuded with moving addresses— first, to the Prince Regent, rongratMating his Royal Higinte.s o❑ the happy nuptials of his demiliter, her Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte Augusta. Secondly, congratulating Majesty un these nuptial , ;- -and thirdly, toeongr,ttnlateline Royal Highness Princess Chariot Wand George Leopold Priem: of Si te -Cushottre, On this happy occasion. These Addresses were severally agreed to. non. eon. Air. llttotninvm gave notice, that on Tuesday, the 21st hut. he sitnuld deem it hi, duty to myelin destructuots of all papers rclatiout to the Income has ; far as regarded the Haw's and r_xidences of ail persons who had been iLibtfiStil lot that tax. tittT+ PRICE 9,3 d. CIVIL LIST INVESTIGATION. Mr. TIERNEY, pursuant to notice, rose to move fur a Com mittee to inquire into the suite of the Civil List, with power to call far, and examare persons, paper:, and records. He nue:deal that the Noble Laud should ha ve de emed it right to ground his pi (weeding of Friday on papers not before the House. He had since seen them, and made himself tolerably well master of their eon tents ; but it would be a peat disad vantage to his argument that they were withheld from flue House. But the Noble Lord not oily chose to withhold papers. tint he had been tampering with the Jury. In the course of the morning there had been a alerting at the Noble Lord's house of certain Members of that House, consistiag of 'base called independent country Members, fur the purpose of in. structine them in the views of Government. ( blear, hum.) He did not complain of these things us decidedly irregular; but he explained them to shoo the disadvantages under em Lich lie came to the argument, and the en rvoustiees of Government upon this particular business. When the Noble Lind and his friends tilt the private interference of Government to be so necessary—when they were so anxious to explain and instruct at a primate meeting at the Noble Lord's house, what else were such circumstances but symptoms of nervousness and alarm. ( flew, lo ur.) Although not irregular, it was very like an un fair endenvonr to bias those who were to deten JJ ll e upon the present oc-asion. (Mar.) '1 he Noble LoVel did vim only justice iu saving that he mast bs desirous of supporting the proper splendour of the Crm wn— he qnestion helms en them was, w hat was the proper splendour of the Crown ? If by the splendour of the Crown. the Noble Lord meant outside show and extravagant expenditure, there they must differ; but if; by the splendour of the Crown, he was to understand that course mm hieli contributed to character, and the best interests of the country, the Noble Lord would have his support. Bet hitherto, notwitledunding the Noble Lord's insinuation or sneer about calumny, lie must say, from the accounts of the Civil List which hail been laid before the House, the country had every thing to fear from the extravagance of the Lord Chamberlain's department. Alteration alone conk' cure the evil. The Noble Lord, however, urged, that the extent of the expenditure wa► rather owing to the circumstances of the country than to the expenee of the Regent, as not one third (upwards of 400,0001.) of the expenditure was in the maintenance of the peisonai splendour otitis Royal Highness. What made this part of the subject more remarkable was, the Noble Lord's comparison between our Civil List and that of France. The Noble Lord was anxious to have it kept in mind, that he had travelli d— iner, like most young travellers, lie st erred to have brought home with him nothing but the vices of other countries.—( .4 laugh.)—As the Noble Lord had chosen to ntake such compari son, there was one thing further which he might have observed, how the King of France laid out the. sum granted to supply his Civil List; for had the Noble Lord gone thus far into his rela tion, he would have had to tell the House, that the King of France, in consequence of the distresses of his sulijeets„ ac. titally gave back to the people part of the sum with which they had so liberally provided him. He wished the Noble Lord could profit by the example. All the difficulties which the country laboured under were in consequence of the people having supplied the Crown so long and so liberally, that they could now scarce keep themselves. As endeavours seemed to be making to impress the idea that our Royal Family were but niggardly supplied : he would detail what they received from the nation. 'flue Windsor establishment was properly sepa rated— for that there was granted 280,0001.; namely, 100,0001. for his Majesty; her Majesty 50,0601. and the four Princesses 130,0001. If there were an honest desire to promote savings, this expenditure might he considerably curtailed. There were four Lords of the bed-chamber, Groom of the stole, &e. Where was the necessity for them, since such spleudid appendages were useless to his Majesty and the country i To the Prince Regent there were granted a privy purse, perfectly unencum bered, 60,0001. ; addAional allowance, 10,0001.; Duchy of Cornwall, Ib,oool. ; consolidated fund, 43,0301.; on the whole 1138,0001. The whole detail amounted to 1,040,0001.; and could that sum, which was wholly set apart from the Royal Fa mily, be called niggardly! But now the Civil List chargers were annually increasing enormously. Fur the present year. the charges were 1,180,0001. but that sum was lessened to 1,360,0001. ; the estimated expeuee of 1804 was 919,0001.; so that in those few years there was an excess of ;031,0001. The average expenditure of the seven years preceding 1511 was 1,10e,0001. hut that for 181 G was 1,360,0001. so that there was an excess of 2:is,0001. According to the best calculations which he could make, and he challenged the Subic Lord to disprove his statements, the-re bad been an SMOU4I excess of Vis,oool. since the Regency. This evil being likely to continue. he saw no hope of remedy, except the House could discover where it lay; and, theretime, he moved for a Coineet lee. 'the motion was opposed by Lord Castlereagh, Mr. Long. and Mr. Vativittait ; mud supported by Mr. Calcraft and Mr. C. W. Wy ime. The House his Wed For the motion, 122—.Againtit it 213 Minority in favorer of hlinistere 01. Lord CavrtrreEsen brought up the Civil List Regulation Bill which was read it first, and ord-red to he read a second time tin Mirada,- next. On the Report of the Bank Restriction Bill being presented, Lord Folkstone moved au adjournment. 'The Galleiy ag.uiu cleared isir a division. For it,f,;— against it 183—Mnjunty I DI. The other busiuess being deposed the House Adjourned. TbPSDAY, MAY 7. GOVERNMENT OFFICES. Lord ALTTIOR PE moved for a Committee to examire ileivase and diminution had taken place in the val.+ rev, N". Of the Reveral Croveinment offices vinee 17Itta, and what pio -4 re-v hail in en made towa - ireuellittent. 'fltat all pos.sibie reduction was iteeevvar, he I ,dieyed nu one vrottli ; and tit it eiustd. rabic test emr. cent might viol take place, hr believed, few would ‘lue•-tioit. Savingv, they might he stmal, would cehviace• the litorie 1114 liovernitioin and that timbe did um. lanyobe novo