The National Register. — London, England, 1818-03-09 00:00:00

'Of ARCII 9. PllE ESTIMATES. The Mune went into a Coinirsittee of Sopely. when Lord PALMERsTON rose to 1111 l ve the Arniy Estimates. It wonid be seen on reference to the Estimate:, that there %%mild t,.• a diminution in the amount of the EstahlisillUi'lit, of ~ fi3,00111. butt if a comparison was mad• of the total itinoun* nl• the charges of last year, the Estimates were less by 4!8,8661. 'ihe whole summit of force on every atatiow hors this year than :he last, would be 21,601.enen. The Noble Lord corclueltd with moving that the uumber•cf laud forces for the service of the year he 113,740. including the army in France,.Citc. Mr. CALA:RAFT c,,utul net think that su large• au arm% as t'3,000 men was requisite In the preservation of Great.Bri :tin and Ireland, when in 1792 15,000 were deemed compe tent. With respect to the Finances of the country, they were certainly. PM so flOtlrithing as to justify se large all Establish. knew, nor so far, as he was informed, was the state of Ireland so iin.ranquil, as to induce the Government to keep au army double in amount to the fore.• in larlia. At present ha. should abstain f or offeriog any motion for reduction, but in bring ing up the report, he should move to reduce the number or cct of 9,000. . . . Sir M. W.:RLDLeT agreed in thescpittion of his Honourable Friend. _ Lord PATANZRaTON• said, the 26,00 men proposed to be taken for home defence were not, in fact, purely for that de fence ; fur they.would be applied, in part, to relieve our re-insmits ; for upon a calciiiatteo, en the. average, about 33 00 watlld be sent out to relieve the Colonies annually, --To this might be ridded the non-effective who must be re placed, and also the stations in t h e Channel. Mr. Waxing could not see why so large an army should be kept at home, as well us in France. Mr. PEEL contended, that it was impossible to keep np an army in France, and reduce at the same time our Establish ments at home. - The people had suffered great privations, to they had submitted in a manner that reflected the greatest credit on their forbearance I and truly happy be wai to hear this testimony to their general character. Sir W. BUlthatiGHS maintained, that under a deficit of 14 millions it was impossible the country could go on keeping up large a military establishment, after !icing three years at peace. With respect to the-atate of Ireland, if the Right Jlonotwahle Gentleman's congratulations on the.trauqiiil con e.,tion of that kingdom were correct, what necesidty, he would ask, could there be fora yeomanry force of 41,000, and a re gular army of 20.0e0 men, to preserve a country, which, ac. conlins to the Right Himont:able Gentleman, was now so- very quiet. A. desultory conversation •then. arose betueen-Mr. Warre, Lord Palmerston, Mee Babington, Mr. Lone, Mr. Forbes, and it F. Flout. After which the Motion was Agreed to. The Noble Lord then moved the various sums, for the expenditure which were agreed tooth' the report was Otticrt.ct to be received to-morrow. Mr. V %MCI - CART then proposed *motion for granting a .anni, not rxereding 1,909,0001. for discharging the interest, . on Exchequer Bills, ou Iris's Treasury Bills, loud on Silver Notre. After some observations from Mr. GRENPIEtL, this Motion WO' agreed to. - - The Right Hon. Gentleman then moved for a grant of 1,0 1 4,6:5f:0 pay off Treasury Rills i4sued in Ireland for the service of the year 181&, and 500,091 t. for discharging some advances made by the Bank, which were agreed to. Mr. lfAnuc observed, that the Hight Hon. Gentleman had intended to move a grant of some meney in respect to certain works in the Netherlandsorisingout-of a treaty entered into at the niettoog at Paris. He wished to know.what.the 84111 u4s, aid why it was not tuoved this evening. Mr. VANAIITART replied, it would be moved on .Wednes- Liy. The suns thus stipulated for was .a part of the sum .;reed upon at. the Congress for completing the harriers of :he Netherlands,..aad the frontier of the Pyrenees. After some obseriations from Mr. Shaw, the 'deport was - .greed to. Mr. PM. obtained leave to bring in a Bill to abolish the ystein of taking prison fees in Ireland, which was read a first and ordered to bo read a second time on that day tarts and to be printed. Mr. VA%SITTART moved for kave to brine in a Bill to pre ent any inconvenience arising to the lower orders from too rapid a call of the silver tokens into the Batik. This Bill would peopm:e, that for a twelvemonth after the 2Lth March, tokens shookd he ree,cived.in tli2_ payment of postage' -ail :axes.-.-A4,•reed to. ,Adjoura-rd. TUESDAY. HABFAS CORPUS susvmsion. ':Mr. RENNET wished to draw the attention of the 'louse to a Petition he had to present from an individual who had bezn spprehended and confined. , The Petition was from J oniollan Buckley, of Watrington in Lancashire. It stated he. was ....onfitied for several weeks at Praston.•and came np to court at a greatexpence. The Petition was laid.cn the table and • ordered to s be printed. Mr. lisotelET had also Another Petition to,present from one Famoel Billing, of Marringtnti,which made the same coin :aint as the former.. The .Petttion was then brought np and on the table. Mr. 13t3iNi.T. wished to ask the Attorney General, whether it waslis intention 10 bring.these persons to trial for the pub ot the parodirs., after the acquittals of Mr. Bone, the principal man who had been charged with the °deuce iu the nomniission of which they had been implicated, or whether he would feel it his iltity to.dischyrge them filial their recog. izauces. Ihe ArrottsrA.GEw..:;tab did nor think it his duty to an don the proseention.he•cause these had beris an acquittal :a the ease of none ; but whether in the individual ease he s:!nisld or not prosemite, was e•µtirely another question. ;dr. LITTLEIuu was glad that an opportunity had been ::tturded him of expressing his opinion of the subject of those setestable libels, fur which, though Hone had been acquitted by the. verdict of a jury, that ought not to alter the opinion of ruy man nit their nature. He would take the liberty of sub riitting whether the juries might not have been indisposed :awarits any, Efate prosecutions, 00 .sccount of the measure tuner which the people had been smarting (hear, hear,) and .the manner in which other state prosecutions had been cosh ducted : and it was question how tar such a state of mind :night exist when the Bill of Indemnity was going to be pro vosed to the House. Mr. UM/I:CHAN was pleased that an opportunity was also -.tiered to him of expressing his opinion on whu.t formed a nriuripal subject of the Petition they had lately heard. He :lad a most complete dislike of such publications themselves ; hut religion, he thonglis far its own sake, ought never to fur: mtana for the expression of political displeasure. Lord CALTLERMAriII tilepsht that for :o:sty to travel oat of !Felt way is find eut the notirs 2f prcncuiloa 9 ) was a do:- THE NATIONAL REEtISTER. trine so utonktrons, and so dangerous, that he could not but protest . a2airnit it. Bnovotihst said, that the doctrine which the Noble Lord had been reprobating was no doctrine of hie. His dooe triu 'had t h at a jury could do no other ibe, when placed in particular cireitinssances,lnati ache hail stated. Wlll,ll they 11.1t.1 folio() a conrse of libels of the *am, I,lad as the) were ti vine impittlisiletl, they h•ull no t.ther way but that of taking tlie line of conduct to which he had hinted. Mr: WILBERFORCE could not but feel gratefel to his Hun. Friends that they bad expressed st.ch sentiments on the sub. ject as he had heat ti front them, and he could ant but express it as his opinion Ili:tithe officers of the Crow ii would not have done their duty if they had not exercised the authority of the law nVlinbl the publications that had been mentioned. Lord CowiRANE said that the 'aligns of the grievances coin plaiiied of arose from political motives, though these motives were not stated. This rousenient bombe was laid hold of, fur the purpose of oppressing individuals who attempted to expose the conduct of his Majesty's hlinisters in the. manner which appeared to them most effectnal. He hoped the House would listen wills attention to the prayer of the Petition laid upon their table ; and that, if the grievances complained of were found to be true, and supported by evidence, they would not screen the guilty from punishment. Sir S. HOMILLY ruse to pi e,eut a Petition from certain in habitants.el the city of Hiistol, proving for Parliamentary Reform, and yeeiied by about 30 individuals. An °pillion had become general that to present Petitions vetted by a greater tiumber,witil contrary to law as it now aloud. TiO4,lloWeVer, '5115 a great mistake. Thee( was, indeed, a law pas4dafter the restoration which rendered it penal for persons to go about to solicit signatures to A petisiou.. to a greater lumber than 20; bid there was none to prevent Petitions with signa tures to any extent, when she Petitioners t ante regularly for ward to de so. AThis was the state of the law, and it should be generally known. There were 44 other Petitions fur the sante purpose, all from the same place, and with the sa4e.number of signatnres. Lord COCHRANE presented a variety of Petitions fur Re form. He had a hundred Petitions from Yorkshire. torty-five from Leeds, fifty-four from L'iistiol, and five front Newcastle. upon-Tyne. Mr. ARBUTHNOT brought op the Report of the Committee of Supply. Mr. lATTLETON had no intention of objecting 40 the grants that had been made, but he wished to call the attention of the Noble Lord (Palmerston) to the practice of exacting from every half.pay officer all affidavit that he had held no other office or uniployment. He would Ask whether there was any cogent, reason of economy, or any general reason, fur so harsh a proceeding ? This appeared to lint] to he a very cruel and unjust regalation. Many officers were at much pains, and endured great difficulties and privations, its order to secure souse provision rut their families. . How very unseasonable and. unjust was it, that if they.4v.ere ssiecessful,their widows must forfeit the pensimota which they would have been othei wise.trititled. How very miserable too, was the saving that could be mode by those regulations. The whole charge of pensions was 90,0001. a year. lie hoped that the Noble Lord . would rhauge this tssisnaturd ectiutimy. Lord PALMCRSION replied, it was the consequence of a section in the Appropriation Act. Half-pay officers were not entitled to engage in civil offices, and to take the half• pay, which was a kind of retaining fee for the army. If they engaged in civil employment, they w mild loose their military .. character. Besides ►t ought to, be an object with them to be reappointed to active service. The smallness of their.balf. pay was a motive for desiring thisobject. If they were allowed toengage in civil employments, 'native might be removed, and they might become averse to the return of active service. The first resolution was then read, that-the army for the present year he 113,000 men. Sir. W. BURROUGHS insisted tbalso laree an army was in consistent. with the promises of Ministers, the expectations of the country, and the state of Europe. •Our.army was now proposed to be 113,000 men, the third year after ho►tilities ceased, and while we were at peace with all the world. The Eatablishments proposed by the Noble Lord were not only greater than the finances of the country would support, but than its-exigencies required. ..The Honourable Baronet alter some farther observations, concluded by moving as amend ment, that the nanilier of men voted for the service of the year be 103,640, instead of 113,540, as proposed by the origi_ cal estimate. Lord PALMERSTON considered it sufficient to reeal to their attention generally to the prodigious changes which the events of war and the operation of various calms had introduced into the internal situation of the counts y. t them look at the increase of our population, and the consequent increase of turbulence. The additional charge upon the Revenue was created by the increased pay and allowances,and he had not-understood that any • Honourable Member was prepared to recommend any reduction in those branches of expendi ture. _ . Mr. CALCRAFT had no hesitation in dctlairing his belief that the reduction of ten thousand .racti was practicable. 'the only causcassigned for not te4 king larger reductions was the present system of ieliels ; but against this, which he admitted ta.-be an advantage, it was tint fair to set the opera lion of the recruiting service. With regard to the increase of pay and allowances, the charge thus ereated was only an additional reason for scrutinizing the establishment, which could nut be separated from the consideration of our fi rm: es. Mr. BROUGHAM Mid, it became the Commons of England —as many, at least, as were then assembled there—to instst, that the untidier of troops to be maintained, especially in this counts v, should uut exceed what it was in 1794. ar of permanent pear( , and %%lien all danger of internal commotion Was allowed to have erased, it was fur ministers, and not for ihose who silt on his side of the. House, to ►how why the fir cc s'aulild be increased bm y mid what it was at that period. Having staled thus much, he should merely add that he felt it his duty to oppose so large a standing army, and lie moat heartily approved of the amendment of his Honourable Friend. Lord CAsn.gitxe CH observed, that this was a subject of great importance, mid deserved the mast set ions coniiiiera lion of the House ; :nit he was confident that, if .tkie House were not sittistiett that esery possible reducziou had been made, there wont(' have been on fuller attendance of Mem bers on thin s•ccasiun. Arguti.cnis bad been nrged which could not be 7(untradicted, and them fore it was lIIIIMCCFSary that they shcild be repeated. He mast protest, ittivresei, against the.y: ar !NY as the standard tut- the present Vicar. Pbcre 0 ‘ , 0 4 nu , instance iu V. inch Mr. Pitt took a mule mt. sound vILW of the state of the country : in the very next year the country was at war, not merely for the put pose of opposing tbra danger of French principles within, but from the necemity of coping with French priociptes from without. Mr. Pitt bud certainly failed in his calculation, and he (Lord Castlereagh) tbounbt that Miuis.ers could not make any fur ther reduction with safety to the eosin' ry. Mr. BoOliG it AM, iii explanation. slated that he had fixed on the year 1792 a+ the standaid t"r oar present establiAlsincnt, not on account of the war which had followed, but of the in ternal regulal lout of the country. Lord Cas'fi.tamAGll baid, that Mr. Pitt was as much disappointed in his domestic policy as in his external regula tions. Mr. RAMLE6 observed, that iu the year 1792, circumstan ces so extraordinary had occurred av could never hav e be t a contemplated. Some reduction might he made in the her of troops to be maintained in Oreat I.lritaiu, and a gradual reduction should be Mad(' iu Leland. The House then divided upou the amendment of Sir Win, Surto The utimbers vrece—Ayeii, 27--Noes, jority, 23. WEDNKSDAY. Mr. ARBUTHNOT moved, that the Einose Itottlcl go into Committer of supply, when the non. Gentient.to proposed 4 Resolution for graining to his M.tjesty 300.0001. to provide fur charges on the Civil L,talishineut, nut pinviiled.tor is thy Civil List. Mr. TtentsgY thought this method of voting 500.0n)i. iu one litltU, took array the coutr,ol of PAriiameutops throe iiilgbt be several items included ill this vote, which, if submitted to Pet Moneta, would be opposed. Mi. VAL:wing: . Gine' veil, the Right Hon. Gentleman must be aw ire that it wa, impossible to comply with the course lie reiNnimientled ; since many of the services to be provided for by this vote, could out be made the subjeciel' Estimate. If there was any which could be esunt.tted, hr had nu objection to their being submitted to the Committee of Finance, and to take for the present 230,0001, no ac count. Mr. WM:CM objected to the large stun charged this year fur the leitair of public Works, wh i ch had increases' front. bOOOl. to 17,0001. lie alio uhjeeted to the vote of 100,0301. to the GOVerllUr of Sierra Leone ou account of Black Slaves wade tree. Mr. ARBUTHNOT said, considerable sums bad been ex pended this year in providing a place fur the reception of the C.lgiir Marbles at the Bi dish Mosconi. A considerable tom had also been eapeuded at the Mint, in consequenee of the extensive coivage of gold and silver which had taken place in the last year. After a few words from Sir C. Moack, the amended Resole.. tion for 250,0001. was agreed to. Mr. A itauTuNoT,then proposed a vote of YO,OOOl. for Hig'..• land roads and bridges; which, alter a few words 1 . 10111 Mr. Gordon arid Mr. Arbuthnot, was agreed to.—Slaty. thousand pounds was then proposed for the Polite:atm/ House at Mill-bank. Alter sane convemition, the Resolution was agreed to,; as were rexoltitioto for grunting .C1).000. for expences of the Peoitemi P 5,000, for Law Charge.; for the year. 39,000, fur Canyzas t home. n:000, for E%peuces of Prosecutions on the subject of the Coin. On proposing a Resolution for granting 48951. fur Superin tentluuLe of Aliens, 'Sir M. W. Ridley objected to tint stliu„ as too large; mod declared if the.Vute was persisted in, he would take the. sense of the Committee omit. Mr. ARBUTHNOT said, he *mild for the present withtirno it ; when the fullo,sing Resolutions were agreed w £17,000, for printing Acts of Parliament. 437, for printing the 71st Volume of the Journal& 4,655, to ,Rite Trustees of her Royal Highness the Princess Char• late, which would have bean due at the time of her Royal Highness's death. 4,400, for punting the Votes of the House of Commons. 6,844, for defseiency,,o( 1613 for printing Journals. • 1,969, for 1150 copies of General Index to the Journals of the House of Lords. 9,777. for Maintenance of Criminal Lunatics. .18,500, fur American Loyalists. 1,750, for retired Clerks in Public Qffices. 15,450, for the Civil Establishment of Sierra Leone. 36,440, for Nova Scotia Establishment. 12,653, fur New South Wales, ditty. 10,800, for Upper Canada ditto. 6,757, for New Brunswick ditto. 5,485, for Newfoundland ditto. 3,750, for the Isle of St. John ditto. 6,301, for the Bahama Islands ditto. 2,190, for Cape Breton, ditto. 600, for Dominica ditto. 80,'J00, for Bills drawn fur New SoutlyWales. 1,093, to discharge Exchequer Hills, according to th" Act of Queen Anne, now iu the chest of thek.xelaquer. Mr. VANSITTART then lose to propose his vote fora *WTI to defray expellers of the fortresses in the Netherlands, namely, 721,6251. in part of the 2,000,0001. voted by this country to the King of the Netherlands for the construc tion of fortresses, pursuant , to the :freaty between the iwo countries. 111 r. Wwnnu wivhsd to know the speceic ground, of this vote. Lord CASTLEREAOII said, by the Treaties _between the Allies it was nerved that 6u,0001. was to be contributed by France towards this work ; the _fortresses st ere to toe erected under the superiutenilance of the Doke Welling ton ; the estimates to be made out by two engineers ap• .proved by his there, and the sums paid by France to be .ar • plied to the work-as they were paid ; this country ,ani tie Netherlands to pay each a sum of Y,000,u001. iu tuck pro portions us required,—The Vote proposed .by his Right lion. Friend to-night was proposed of ;that Treaty. The Resolution av aI; agreed to. --The Hanse resumed, awl the Report was ordered to be wctireil iu-aiorrew. Lett . LAIMV:LLSII pretested a Pei ition, signed by a mime roils Is;Aly of, the inlishitants of Yorkshire,complaii.- ing of the mode adopted in collecting the Assessed Tium, and ellitictihkrly in collecting tlic ditties on inhabited houses and vtittd•t‘s ; that they were fated to Unstick lent of Hies:. whole altl.ongli their dwelling ,Ininses ' Pell:ter%l-11 iiiei'rti r titi rcraolaisted of tho . heavy buriliesin of th,. country rates, and n!:-.0 of an attempt which had been made by the colle ctor'. to cluirci• thimi, in casts in it Wel t indiy e . dusk hatt employed their SOH% niece children, to carry out pre e s , w:11: the Jolty for Nittli children sailor hared *erten', Mr. V4N9!'ZIAIiT jail oth;lst. be tatittectury to the Howie to be iiitorintd pfrlat. hteaotuvs bad ,Oten utultr cooWderation, and %timid speediay be ot!opted-for. the cent: of Oise percns..—Ortleted lobe on the table. CALCRAFr, in dames to at question pot to him , said , be should bring ton, .ii hit Motion for the repeal of the Lawson the 10th inst. th e ronaii,l:r the tt Mt 37.214.1.1agt: