The National Register. — London, England, 1817-02-17 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL FEGisTrn. Baronet, ini-lt d the people, by iying that the House would not receive their Petitious. Lord Coettit ANL: called hini pa order. Ile luta no right to say that they inisleit *lie peropl Lord CAs•tua e Ask said, t o Petition contained iangnage not to be endured, as it acettd the Honse of tineon.titn tional conduct. 'llse Hon. amour had endeavoured to atone t', , r hie recent absence item 'ration; place:, and to re gain the good optatam of certain cittralla :Mike collotrY. — (1/ n”, lour.) FII , 3OIANTLIC thought the, House .deserved the good Opilli , ql of the ronntry : for everiatteininn had been paid by the House to the opinions (fairly cuilceteilo of the people. . CLOTH-WORKERS PETITION. Lord LASCV.I.I.LA said, he had tt Petition to presmit from certain Cloth-workers in Viirkshire, coloplaiseiog of de4tr,.., from being thrown ont of emploiment by the introduction of machinery in tini‘hing the cloth. Ho had had a commintiCi• Lion with the parties, and had lied out no hopes of the House doing any thing fur them ; but mold present their Petition. Mr. BROUGHAM said, that every thing which passed at public meetings chewed the pcople sound at botto:u ; for they em. , titationally looked to rdief by petitioning Parlia ment. But it would be out of at , question to restrain the oso of machinery. Still the subject Was one of great ditfi• eulty, and required much attettion. He reprobated the means taken to excite people to &still machinery. Lord CAsTLEV EACH! w is Ml%lOl/14 that every respectful Petition should be reeeis ed and a tended to. It' tic people were left to themselves, they would exert the right of Peti tion with propriety. What he resretted, wa , , the attempts made to render Ow people di.,,Atisied with IhAt. House. The Petition wa, ordemd to lie m the table. COVENTRY PUITION. Mr. P. Monne prescuted'a Pt ti from Coventry, pray ing i;ir Reform and Itetrenrl •nt. In that city there was hardly a house that had not a distress in it for poor•s-rates. % Gentleman had told him he hail travelled through 253 towns and vil ages, and Coventry was not worse olf than all of those places. Mr. Ilt.rTcewoltTtt agreed in what had been said as to the distress of the city or Cirventry. Mr. lateen %ItT said, he had understood Coventry to have a fund of 10 or 12,0001. a year applicable to the poor; and if a city so richly endowed was so distressed, it was high time that the Howe took the subject into serious considera tion. Tie,. Petition was then laid on the table. 11Ir. Ilitm; OF. N brought up the 21 Millions Eveheqtter Bine 11111.—Stead a list time, and ordered to be read a second timtt to•ntorrow.—Adjourned. WEDNESDAY, FED. 12. CHIEF AUDI FOR OF Upon the occasion of Mr. Lushington's bringing up the accounts of stuns paid for the maintenance of prisoners of war; and copies of all communications betwten the Trea sury and the Auditors of Public Accounts, Mr. Lushington corrected an answer lie gave to a fortnor question, by saying, that it was intended to till sip the office orChief Auditor of Matra. tinfortunate disappointment caused some desultory conversation bet Ween Mi. liruaghain and Mt. Luskiniton, and the matter dropped. REFOW'I. DEWSBURY PETITION. Lord MILTON U resented a Petition from Dewsbury, in Yorkshire, prayin4'for ratdical Refiorm. He was happy to say, that it would be seen, from the Petition, that it came from persons complaining of real grievances; and not drawn bp by clubs, nr taken tioni a copy sent down from London. lie praised the example which the Marquis Camden had set the higher orders; and lie trusted the people would see that the higher orders were not careless of their distress, not withstanding what had been spread among them to the con trary. Lord LASCFLLES agreed to the description given of the Petition and Petitioners by his Noble Oolieague. MARQUIS CAMDEN'S SINECURE. Lord CASTLEREAGH repeated what he had said 85 to the Noble Marquis giving up his large emoluments, on the ex ample set to him by the hig,hest quarter ; and which be em braced as soon as he could, without his being exposed to the imputation of having :riven up what Parliament hail alNays considered as a vested right, to an ill-fonuded clamour. This was the last office not already regulated by Parliament. Mr. BROUGHAM had expected that the example of the highest quarter, and of the noble Marquis, would have been followed by the rest of the Sineeurists. But it seemed as if the noble Lord wished to quiet the alarms of the other Sine enlists, without whom Government could not exists. He was sorry, and so would the House be, that this expectation had been so soon Ramped ; and that more attention was not paid to the wishes and distresses of the people. The Dews bury petition was then brought up, and ordered to lie on the table. COMMISSIONERS OF PROPERTY TAX. Mr. 11F.N!..Ert• said, he nal told the' e were two6nmis. sioners of the Property Toxin the City of London iceeiving 5001. a-year, without hearing any appeals, although them were many undetermined. Ile then moved for a retort; of those appeals, and of the salaries of those Colnitligsioliels. , . Mr. CunwEsi wanted to know it there was nut an in spector of the Property Tax in each County, with a salatv of ri-year. Mr. VaIkiITTART said, that the MTh. had been mishitineiled; malty of these inspectors had heel) none away. Ile had HO objection to Ivey OCCOMIte of those °dices bt fore the House, which were still kept up. The motion was then agreed to. RENEWAL 111: NAVAL & MILITARY COMMISSION 4 PoNsoNnv said, it was known that on the demise of the Crown all Cumuli.'ions in the Army and Navy insist he renewed, at a ;peat expense in the holdeis. Ile should therefore give notice, that on next Monday fortnight he would move for leave to living in a bill to enable all persons in coniinhoion to hold thuir offices, if the sari Nor of the Ci ow•n should not object to them 6 LASGU %V R EFOUMPETITION, A N D THE CAMDEN SINECURE. Lord CocitgAxE said, lie had a Petition to present from Glasgow . , signed by 14,00.1 persons, praying for reform. Ile read an extract of a letter, which stated, that the poverty in Scotland nas so great, that the people could not keep their children at school. The Petitiou hi rathcil language mod. r ate and re,ipectfnl; ;nit they attributed all their distress to a want of reform, and excessive taxation. lie MIA sorry It. hear a Noble 1,41:d say, that a Marl-113i, had waited nil h e No the example of the Ifrg, ut , b. flare he gave up part of his .4124 t he received le. FEBRUARY 17. oitimately from the people. There was no an-tiogy between use holder of a sinecure and the person at the head of the Government. if we had annual ParTainents, we should have no more selling of •cats iu that Honms. Mr. WILBERFORCE 010U:tilt the occasion on whirl. this siii..etire was granted should be considered, otherwise great injustice would be dear to Lord Camden. When tlrat was e,ranted, there was no tootle gratniug a retired salary to a „Lord Cianestlktr. If ever there was a man Atho disl•ttyed his splendid talents in support of the liberties of his country, it was the late Lord Camden. In memory of great service,., that place was granted; and let that be alwats kept in mind e. believer this bubjecl,lx4oiludc..l to. lie had Itiolsell vote/ for an enntilry Cato this very sinerare; bin an 111:10 of generous mind would rwlc.tvuur to run low rare for pope. tartly, by reflecting on men %Ito could not so easily give up their sinecures, because a pet son of large property W. 04 ab:e to do it, • IttiornlT %;11 /131;(1, flint if Lord Camden, Nvlio reel ivrd !him sinecure for sem tees witch nothing aiotost could coil permit°, had given it up, surely that consideration must .ink deep in the mind 4 of toe who had recei,, d for ,er vices whirls no one had ever heard uf. The I'etition was then brought up, and ordered to lie on the table. GAME LAWS. Sir S. R•)1111T.T.1( rose to nurse for the repeal of an Act late in the last Session of Parliament. Considering this an Act of estranriltnary severity, he was desirous that the idolise should be made acquainted with the nature of it, for It put the attempt to destroy game on the footing of a ft-Imq, which was not so in any nutter ease. The ,tet of Parlia ment enacted that any unqualified person being found, at night, in any inelcise:l or open place, with a net for the pur pose of killing game, should be transported for seven years. fie was as sensible as any man of the (Timers to which the destrtietion of game loll; but the question Was, whe ther the se-verity of !melt laws would not urge persons to go to the extremes of violence. 'rite pream'ale of-the Act set forth that it was infended to prevent felonies and murders; row lie would ask the House If the sulkieetiog men to the same plinislintent who did not resist as those who resisted, was likely to prevent the com Mission of violence. All our Penal Laws, except the Game Lell%Vi, protected the little pro. pet ty of the poor as Weil as the rich; and sarely they would nut make such laws more seri re. Besides this Act made it night three quarters of an Moir after the auto rises on the Ist of Ootobnr; for even a filialitieJ tears might be transport ed, who, with a gum in his hand, entered mustily:: man's close before seveit o'clock from the Ist October to the Ist-March. Country Alagistrates were a very useful and re-p% etable body; but besides not trusting them, he would not trn•l the dodoes with inch a discretion as this Act gave. He hoped he should not be accused of a %visit to innovate ; or Le twitted with the wisdom of his 4111700015, siitcc this LAW was Of butt seven months standing. He tit a moved fur leave to bring in a Bill to repeal the said .‘et. Mr. F. Lewis looked upon lb..- neeeotre 1, 1 4 y ear , as merely a part of a system to be carried iti!o r fleet ditrizog this Session, to make Game be putt tin the ,:taue footia4 aith other property. Butt he only ron.o-weil to tint part of it which enacted, that persons found armed by night, for the purpose of kiliiug game, should be transported. lip thv former law, they were to he sent to the orals- or navy: but that was very unequal in its punishment, Its Well outfit hut Fite service could not he punished. Col. Wools said, he °Wet-tett to this Bill in the Committee, becanse he thee considered they were beginning at the wroeg end; and not going to the root of the evil. He was of ttpi• titan, that n• iltegal (lame was as notoridn , ly imaght . an,l sold. in lainulon as every thing else is, it would be much hetterosir bring in a till to legalize the sale of Game. Sir E. KNATCIIIIIULL hoibe,l, that there would he no ob . - jcetion to the repeal of this Act, provided it was understood another should be brought in its 'toed. 'ibis law had been acted oil, butt never to the utmost severity. Mr. Possresunv said, it was not the inteetion of his Hon. and Learned Ptiend to prevent any gentleman bringing its atiotiser Act, when the present was repealed. Mr. itANILE% moved, that the debate be adjourned, with a view of amending the Act, rather than repeal it. Mr. Cuiewssi thought it unnecessary to adjourn the de bate; for the Hon. and Learned Gentleman had strewn suffi cient reason why the Act should be repealed. The whole system of the Game Laws were must unjust, and he hoped some llon. Gentleman would bring its au Act to snake Game private property. Mr. G. BANKES said, he had allvisetl with an llou. and Learned Friend of his (Horner) who had made no objeCtiou to it. Sir M. Rint.cst thought that the legalizing the sale of game woiii.f diminish poaching, by diminishing the profits of the poacher. He also thought that farming the game licenses by making the collectors mare alert to the detection of poachers, would go far towards destroying. tint praetiee. He was against giving s•i much power to country Magistrates, who were for the most part .teo much interested in the pre servation of the game. Mr. LOCKHART Was extremely anxious to have the pre sent Act amended. Mr. WILIIIiRTORCE considered that much r:v (;..me Laws was iii the inzliest d. gree unjust. Bat he oojected to the leg.tlizing the ode of game ; for if it were punishable to kill game, it surely should he made also punishable to sell it. GIL WOOD explained. His ohject was to enable the Ma gistrates to liceost. persons to sell game. Mr. HcsaissoN would not have ;ego eel to the Bill if ii not had for its object to prevent persons armed from :Issue bling at night in large parties, to the iminitient dauger of those who had the care of the game. It was highly desirable that this Act should be amended, but lie could not agree to its being repeaii. d. Gen. NIITCHI.LL and Sir E. Bitync r.s spoke in favonr of a Bill making it punishable to carry arms by meld. Leave was they given to bring in a Bill to repeal the Art. Sir S. Roe:ILLY moved for an acimout of the number of persont in confinement since May last, for otleuets against. ihe Game Laws.— Ordered. The Exchi Bills Bill having !wen retail a second time, urtlere:l to be committed tomorrow; Mr. laishington ha; ing olliained leave to repeal the acts now in tine, re•prl 614 coffee; aid, lastly, the Gibraltar Trade Bill having gone thr,ingh a Committee, to report to-morrow, the Roast ad- 111UMW 11( FEBRUARY 13 Petitions praying fur a reva;Mr; of the Tithe Laws were presented from that portion of the city of London which is subject to the payment of Tithes, and also from the Connote Cotmed. l'he first was presented by Sir James Shaw, the stater by (he Sheriff of Londoe. Both Betitious were read anti laid ou Wt Table. cf , he Nln'tle Len!, or the Hull. HiitOnet. the tX4mple of the Iteritt, before he gave up pa 1. t;•4 r:vrt. , ArgAt.ii •ail, the Nob!e Lord, and the Hen. sitr:eute. The lie4o ut had giveu up whitt he rec After a few words from Mr. BENNETT, the motion wa• •greed to. TUY.::DAT, FED. 11. Mr. LOCKHART tinned fur an Account of the number of Unotimssioners of Bankrupt entered at Guildhall. in January last ; of the different lists of Commissioners : and of the days and hours appointed for Inectino.erell‘llikws, and for divi dends.—Ordered to be l.iid before the Uou a e. REPO Ft NI. SPA FIELDS PI TITION. Lord PoUterrosie stated, that he had a Petition to present for Reform, agreed to yesterday in Spa Fields. He was him self ignorant of all the persons at that Meeting, as tar as hc• knew, and therefore be was surprised that it shookd be offered to hint for presentment. Hat as it was perfectly unexcep tionable in language, and as he was anxious that no obstacle should be thrown in the way of the people's right of petition ing, h felt it his ditty to present it. He should have made !.(1111e farther observations had any of his Majesty's Ministers befit present; but lie understood they had issued a circular • no , iue that they would not be able that night to attend in their places. He had to observe, that the Petition professed to be that of the distressed and starving inhabitants of the Metro polis ; but as it was signed by only 20 persons, he was aware it could only be received as the Petition of those who signed il.—Tbe Petition was read, and ordered to lie ou the Table. PPRTSDOWN HILL PETITION. Lord COCHRANE said, he had a Petition for Reform from a Meeting, held yesterday on Portsdown Hill, to presons to the House. He was hams, to say that all the Meeting was quiet, and that it was very numerous, not withvanding the orders issued to every one in the employment of the dock yards not to attend. For wlnit reason he could not tell, but all the Yen. menu Cavalry were called out round about, and had ball cartridges delivered to them; as had the garrison of Ports mouth, w hich was drawn up nu v barren common seven miles from the spot. It was not for him to say that this was doce to intimidate the people from meeting to procure a redress of their grievances, Notices were stuck up on all the toll-bars, ec.., in the neichboui hood warning the people not to go, for there would be bloodshed and murder on Portsdown If it hid not been for that, instead of 20,000,01er° %soul 1 Ore been 10,090 persons there. The Petition di i not differ Ihnn some tha! had been already objected to, except that it prayed that suffr.ige should extend to all who had attained the age 21. Mr. CHUTE said, the Magistrates h.id issued those notices in order to warn the people against such meetings, some of which in other places had been productive of murder, or at least of bloodshed. The Petition WAS then brought up, nod ordered to be laid on the Taiile. THE TAILORS PETITION. Lord CoennAse said, he had a Petition to present from the Journeyrnf4l 'Cotton of the city of London, stating, that they hal never before ineol.Led in politics (e laugh), and that the dull state of their trade arose front the corrupt represen tation of that i Lome.- Ordered to lie on the Table. THE MARQUIS OF CAMDEN'S SINECURE. Gen. Fencusos oivhrel to kiiow if the report was true that the tre ttest siitt.eurist in the country had given up all 16,4 salary exrept 25U41. a year. Lard CA.TLERFAGIIII4III, the Noble Marquis had express ed his deteruunat' that his office should he put on tlie re gulated establishment for the present. He had considered it us a ve•ted right, and had only waited for the highest exam ple in the State to give it up for the present. (Hear, hear.) Gen. Fa•tovsoN conpatillated the House on it; and trust ed the example would be followed by all those who had sine- cures. LYMINGTON PETITION. Lord COCIIRA N presented a Petition from Lyrnington, praying for Reform. Lord CARTI.EREAGH objected to the Petition,as containing disrespectfa language. Lord A. illAmturoN trusted the Noble Lord would suffer the Petition to be presented, and not drive to madness tht great bulk of the people. The object , niesble passage was, that all their evils originated in the corruption of Parliament ; which, instead of being the guardian of the people, was a contrail over them. Thr House then divided—For receiving the Petition, 43 A gainst it,72—M.tjority against it, t 9. Lard COCHRAN? contended, that this very proceeding skewed the necessity of Reform. He hoped there would be no more such proceedings. If it were not contrary to the rules of the House, he would take an early opportunity of bringing something before the House on this question. Sir F. Ilcuurrr said, so unlike was this House to a fah representation, that when a Minister chose but to nod, he obtained a majorhy without their taking the trouble to en quire what they were voting about. This House then, which which was called the Commons House of Parliament--- The SPEAKER rose to order. He apprehended that lan guage was not to be endured by the House. Sir P. Br nncar said, whether that language was to be endured or not, the conduct of that House would be the best reproof to him. But after that disgraceful avowal, which called for the Speaker's reprobation—after the Noble Lord opposite hail been detected in that moat abominable wactiec of selling seats for places under Government, be thought they might be alloaed to drop a little of that rigid etiquette and extreme delicacy, which might well have prevailed in better times. Utile Petitioners were not allowed to de , crine that transaction in terms as decent as .0 indecent a business could lie conveyed in, it seemed a new mode must be adopted : They must use adulatory Thous in their Petitions ; and no Pe. 'Woos would be received, but what were drawn up at offices arppoMfni for that purpose. He complained of the calunmi • inyntations cast out by :Nlagistrates against the people; for riots were not occasioned by any of the persons assem bled to petition Parliament. Reside.; every piddit in Eng hand ha I been made to ring with the impious falsehrod there were treasonaole against his Royal Hi g hn ess the Prinre Regent. They had insinuated that nu outrageous :attack had been made premeditatedly on his Royal High ness's person. There had been an outrageous insult tittered hi:n, which he regr. tied as much us any man; but he was persuaded his Royal Highness would not base natired it, had he been lel, to tae n tinial magnanimity of his own heart. Dissatisfaction hv. , l fonii.l its may into the conntr ; hut, in his opinion, perfectly well founded in reason ; and it atten tion were not paid tc the prayers unit wishes of the peop'c, such peones would n'e acted in this conntry, its would strike the boldest heart u ith (Lenly and terror. alt. THORNTON gave his vote as he had, because he could ✓ approve the language. of the Petition presented by the N o:rle Lard. lie was indifferent to the applause ur censure • NoMe Le rd, or the Hun. Baronet. wi Ito l't i, yC. I