Star. — London, England, 1803-02-12 00:00:00

REFORMATION IN THE CHURCH. Tills day was publifisei. Price 1;7 CI.E6IASTICAL DIGNITIES ECCLE A—a FC SIASTICAL GRIEVANCES. if not RADICALLY REFORMED; with Obfersations on Sir WILLIAM Scores Refidence Bill, and Estrada from SIAIPSON . I Plea for Religion: addreffed to the Right Hon. Lord GRENVILLE. London Printed for Jordan and Maxwell, No. 180, Fics.t.ftrrct—Of whom may be had, Price 31. The Controx‘rfy between Hannah More and the Curate of Blagdon, refpeding Sunday Schools. This Jay was publithed, a new Edition, handfomely printed in Octavo, price 71. boards, CYRONEDIA ; or, The INSTITUTION of CYRUS. By XENOPHON. Tranflated front the Greek, By the Hon. MAURICE ASHLEY. Printed fin Vernon and Hood, Codicil and Martin, J. Wal ker, Wynne and &holey, and R. Lea. This day *as publiChed, (Dedicated to the Honourable Mitt Elphinttone) handfomely printed in Odwro, and illuftratcd with upwards of 140 Iri des of Subjects in Natural Ham, peke pa boards, OLDSMITH's HISTORY of the EARTH, sad ANIMATED NATURE: abridged for the Uk of Schools. By Mrs. PILKINGTON. Printed for Verner and Hood, J. Harris, (Succeffor to Mrs. Newberry) and Dutton and Harvey. Where may ha had, by Mrs. Pilkington, The Mirror for Young Lack:a, ornamented with 24 Wood CUM 3s. bound. Mcntorial Tales for Young Ladles, 4s. bound. Aft Abridgment of Marmontent Moral Tales,3e. 6d. bound. this day was publifhed, elegantly printed to foolfcap Bvo. with four plates, engraved by Ridley. dm r ice p as. boards, T ALES of SUPERSTITION and CHI VALRY. che'n te fi vede, E do clic t:on fi ve 'e, o parli, o penfi, 0 vada. o mill, o pianga, o ripa, o cants, Tutto memgogna!— GUARINI. Printed for Vernor and Hood. No. 3r, Poultry. Where may be had, jolt publithed, The Peafarit's Fate, a Rural P.sem, with other rvlifcellaneous Pieces, by William Holloway, with four beautiful Plates, 0.6 d. boards. The Farmer's Bei, a Rural l'orm, by Robert Bloomfield, a new Edition, 41. boards. The fame, with four beautiful en graving, sa. boards. Reran's/es, by Robert Bloomfield ; new Edition. 41. boards hia day was publithed, Mandfontely printed on fine Vellum Paper, in Three Volumes Odavo, illultrated with Fiftecn elegant Plata, by Sharpe, Bartolossi, Fitter, Nagle, &c. price 11. ys. boards, THE WORKS of VIRGIL, tranflated into Englith Verfe. By Mr. DRYDEN. " Sequitur pattern :ion pafEhus zquia." Reviled and Correttd by JOHN CAREY, LL. D. Printed fur Vernor and Hood, Cuthell and Martin, J. Wal ker Wynne and Scholey, Lackington, Alen, and Co. Darton and Harvey, and J. Scateherd. Where may be had Pope's Homer's Iliad and Odiffey, a new Edition, in 6 vols. Royal Oaavo, printed in the Srft Rik of elegance, by Beaty, price Aria ►eards. The fame Work, fuperbly printed on Whatman's S per. Royal Paper, 51. J• boards. PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS. HOUSE OF LORDS, FRIDAY, FEB. it i. A meeting at an early hour took place, and their Lordihips hemediately refolved into a Committee of Privileges, on the Amick at the Union, and that part of the incorporated At whki relates to the fitlisig in the Imperial Parliament of the bid' Spiritual Peers.—Lord WALIINGUAIi in the Chair. AU Mangers being ftrlaly excluded, we are prevented from detailing what puffed in the Committee, which was very fully encoded; however, we underfland that certain reildetions mere adopted by the Committee, which were afterwards or dered to he taken into the cocideration of the Houre on Mon day. On Which «calm their Lordihips are to be furtummed. Aboutha/f pait three the proceedings of the Committee were doted. Prayers were read, and finnern admitted as ufual. The Earls of Northampton and Courtown, the Hilltop of Wbxhiafter, and Lord Grantley, were (worn and took their feat& The Naturalization Bills of Mcffra Datterlohe,Sehuts, Gref tam, &eland and Scheidmicher, were read a third time and rad. Lord PILUAX, by command of his Welty, prefented • copy et the recent Convention entered into between ids M•jelly end the United Stetes of AMMO., which was ordered to be on the Table. Some routine bands was then difpofed of, after which the Houk adjourned till Monday. HOUSE OF COMMONS. ILIRICURDINLIGHT PETITION. Mr. C Donna a role to move that the Order for tak ing the above Petition into confide:redo° on the sad init. be dif charged, with the intention, he Paid, of afterwards moving that the confuletadon of it be peftponed till the 34th of March. When the Petition was fir* prekuted, there were but few other Petitions before the Hoek., and ft was his with, at the time, that the Petition Ovoid fiend for the 38th of March, but it was than fuppokd that that would be too diftant a period. In deed, Gentlemen who were not acquainted with the mode m which the Scotch Elections were carried on, could form but a very inadequate Idea of the difficulties which attended th, 'we feat cafe; it was the conftant and molar praatee that the can didate who bad a majority of votes refilled the admiffion of there that were not toppled to be in Ma interell ; and the grounds of this refold could not be crammed into till after a erooaderabie time. The cafes cooneded with the prefent Pc t itioo were now under the conaderation of the Court of &llion, and it was not carded that they could be decided on before the lath of March; but the Houk mull be ft: Wilde that ft woad be impoffible for the Committee to proceed without hay ing thek &tedious before them. He was well aware that a asenpilance with his motion might be attended with fume lit , yet he ventured to hope that the nature and dr amatis= of the cafe would induce the Houk to overlook it. The Hossourable Gentleman concluded with moving, that the Order fur taking the Petition into confederation un the Isaiah! might be difcharget Mr. WILLIAM Duane. opprifed the motion. It was a dear and acknowledged principle with the Houk, that the trial of controverted Eiedions Scald take place as early as poffible - and the Honourable Gendemaa had not lardy made ow a ca fe that &Quid induce: them to depart from it. Notices had already bees given to the otiose*, who were to appear in behalf of the fitting Member, and counter notices could not reach them be fore the igth or tiitli hilt. &fides, It was well known that Courts of Judicature were flow in their proceedings, and be did nut believe that in Scotland they ufed more difpatch than (*- where. It was therefore very d.iubtful that the cafes alluded to would be decided by the rub of March. To what inenn wsicnee therefore would not the fitting Member be put ; while loathing might be gained by wafting till the it.th of March. li' whatever light be viewed the motion, he could not conceive that it would be entertained by the Houk. General Mast could not fee why the Petitioners had air (nought forward this matter fooner. At prefent an ae quidcence in the motion would needfully etpok the living Member to very great inconvenience and (-spruce: nay, it would be imp able for rnaby of hit witneffes to Lrend—few it mould be recolletted that they were not likely to travel in mail eosehes.hut in the manner molt fuitable to their CirclLAMlalmrs Mr. C. Du no ill nl•fervcd, to reply, that whatever aMitional tapence ought attend the delay would be cheerfully defrayed by the Petitioner. Alter a few words in explanation from General Nfaitland„ the 'gen um was put on the mocks, and the Houk divided—For it, 44—Ae‘in ft It. 12—Majorty agaioft it. all. Mr. Wit e•a it Du teo.e• pi...kilted a Petal. .n from the Cot ton 14. Watt .of Scotland, pr..ying for an Ail of Parka toltitdlat .(putte c rav a Mailers and flervaxi, E6 : 4) , : k .„,,,, c . 14 ! • 1... - - 0.-.....1 exited in ffinglandoe-Orskr :Seer:-.... / i t -..:-.! • t yro /. ... 51.:: ~/. • 'lv ( 0.. . ) - • ~ .1. ' Mr. %shirrs then appeared at the Bar with the Lilt of the Members chofen by ballot to try the Petition complaining of an undue eledion for the Borough of Great Grimfby. The Lift 'contained the following JUMP William Frankland, Efq. Sir Cecil Bilehopp, But. 1 Charles Moore, Lig. I. Willett Willett, Efq. Lord Vifcount Boyle Edward Hilliard, Efq. Charles M. Ormfby R. P. Dundas, Efq. Sir J. Frederic, Bart. Frederick J. Falkiner, Efq. 1 S. C. Rowley Efq. George Porter, Efq. Sir M. W. Ridley, Bart. John Cakraft' Eft. }Nominees. t owland Burden, Efq. Sir WILLIAM ELPOID gave notice, that on Monday fen night be should fubmit a motion to the Houfe refpetling the dif • miffal of Mr. /oarfhall, builder at the Dock of Plymouth. The LORD Mlivoß gave notice, that he intended Shortly to bring forward a motion refpedling Come improvements in the Port of London. MILITIA. The SICRITAZT at WAR rofe,plarfitant to &no tice which he had given previous to the recefs, to move for leave to bring in a Bill for training and exercifing the Militia during the period of twenty eight days, inftead of twenty-one. The Right Hon. Gentleman then proceeded to take a retro fpea of the inftitution of the Militia fine the time of Charles the 11. It was then appointed to be exercifed by companies four times a year, and once by battalions—it confined at that time of 6o,000; nor was it thought nectfrary to call the men from their homes more than twelve days, eight of which were employed in exercifing them by companies, and four in exercifing them in battalions. That fyllem was purfucd till the end of the late King's reign. Some advantageous change was afterwards intri,duced by the Marquis Townlhend, and con. tinned in force till the year t 78.. After the Ame rican war, a war by which the country was much exhaulted, the Militia remained for fome time in a (Lite of uncertainty refpethng its difcipline and management. Indeed the fituation of the coun try did not then profs on Government or Parlia mcnt to make any material alteration in the for mer ()tem; their great objea was to attend to ceconomy. Since that time only two-thirds have been called out to exercife ; fo that one-third con tinued not to he cloathed or paid. But fince the renovation of peace, it was thought advifable to put the fyilem on a new footing; and that the whole of the Militia fhould be exercifed once a year, in order to obtain a complete Mufter.roll.— This, it was true, would create a great expence beyond that of former times, and Minifters, who were anxious for economy, did not with to pro trad the period to more than twenty-one days for training and exercifing. The addition he now wifhed to make was, that only of (even days more —nor would it be attended with very great ex pence. The whole of the expence amounted before to actoosool. and the addition that would refult ' fri m adopting the meafure he had to propofe would be only 18,0001. In that view of the fub jea, he ventured to hope that there would be no objeCtion to his motion. The Right Hon. Gentle. man then concluded with moving, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to authorife the Training and Exercifing of the Militia for twenty-eight days.—Leave given. BANE RISTRICTION PILL. The CHANCILLOa of the Exc.+ Kyle moved the Order of the Day for the Houfe to refolve into a Committee on the Bank Reftriftion Bill. TheATTOLNITGINsaAt. rofe to move, that the Committee be empowered to receive a claufe for the better regulating and afcertaining the legality of tendering Bank of England Notes in payment of debts, or for the difcharge of perfons in cuflody for debt. Applications had been frequently made to the Courts of Law, in complaint againfl Offi• cers for detaining perfons in cuflody for debt, notwithilanding a tender of the debt and colts, in Bank of England Notes. The claufe he meant to move for, was, that all perfons making fuch complaints to the Courts, (hould accompany them by affidavits, that litch tender was made.— Leave . given. The Houle then refolved into a Committee on the Bill. The Cnawczaaoa of the Excuanyta moved that the blank in the Bill, for the time of its du ration, be filled up by the words, " until 6 weeks after the commencement of the next Seffion of Parliament." He, at the fame time apprized the Houle, that there was a claufe in the Bill for enabling them to alter the period, if neceffary, at any time within the prefent Sefton. Mr. BA N It s oppofed the duration of the Bill for In long a period a► that moved by the Right Hon. Gentleman. He would not fay that fume further rellri&ions upon the iffue of calli from the Bank ought not to be necefrary ; but fill no grounds whatever had been laid before that Houle to war rant them in believing that rellrielion necefrary,nn lefi the affertion of his Right Hon. Friend could be confidered as a fufficient document. Some I Gentlemen might poffibly have had accefs to pri vate information on the fubjef, fufficient to fatis fy their minds, but this was by no means the cafe with the majority of that Houfe ; and, therefore, he thought the Houfe, in order to jellify them- Wires, as well to the community at large, as in the precedent they were about to lay down for the I proceedings of future Parliaments, on fimilar f cations, ought to appoint a Committee, and intli tute a fulemn enquiry on the ftibjelt,fo materially ti affecting the vital principles of commerce and Na. tional Credit ; an enquiry fuck as had been infli tuted upon the former occafions, when fimilar re. drietions were laid, and which, like thufe, he had no manner of doubt, would redound equally to the folidity and fecurity of the Bank ; and give new Rrength to the public faith in its (lability.— flue only re.tfons, he laid, which he had heard affigned la) his Right Hon. Friend, for the conti nuance of the reftriatun, were fira, the unfavour able Rate of exchange with the Continent ; and, fccondly, the rifk that wonld be incurred of an embarraffing run on the Bank of England by the Country Barks, in cunfequence of the rapid de maids, which would be made on themfelves, for the amount of their notes in circulasjpn. With refpeit, however, to the firß of thole reafons, the , Right Hon. Gentleman himfelf bad Rated, that the exchange with fume principal places un the Continent was at par; and, with regard to the fecond, it had been exprefsly Rated, that the Bank fo far from being un a bl e to meet the public de. 1 tnands by an adequate quantity of cant, had ac tually increafed its cafh and bullion in a five-fold proportion. Could arguments fuch as thefe then warrant, for a moment, the meafure of further reftriaion for a period of near twelve months; and this too, according to the Statement of the Right Hon. Gentleman himfelf, without any with or application whatever from the Bank, or from any other quarter, expreffed on the fubjea.— Another Hon. Friend of his, on a former night, exprelfed his objations againft a Committee of Enquiry, becaufe he apprehended it might excite alarm : but he could undertake to fay with certainty, that never, at any period of the hiftory of the Bank, did its credit (land fo high, as it did immediately alter the former enquiry ; and fuch, he was convinced, would be the re- 1 fuk of fimilar invefligation on the prefent oc cation, more efpecially as it was known that her bullion, fo far from being decreafed, had im proved five-fold fusee the reftrietion was first laid on. Another reafon for fpeedily taking off the reftriftion was, that the Bank of England was by no means In much the mailer of paper currency in the country as formerly ; and the longer the re firiaion continued, the greater quantity of that paper would get afloat, over which the Houfe had not in much controul. Betides, even the Bank Notes Kited from the Bank of England, by the laft return, did not appear to exceed 15,160h0001. Under this circumfiance, with exchange at par, there was nothing, in his mind, to juflify the con tinuance of reftriaion beyond the ft of May next, which day he fhould move to infect in the blank, in lieu of that propofed by the Hon. Member.— There would be ample opportunity in the inter- mediate time for going into a Committee on the fubjea, and taking the opinions of Gentlemen who were moll converfant on commercial topics. The Right Hon. Gentleman had given on a for mer night, as a precedent of proceeding without enquiry on a fubjea of Inch importance,refpating the Bank, the renewal of the Bank Charter, upon a consideration of three millions to the State.— But this, he obferved, was a mere matter of financial arrangement, Rated in the Ways and Means for the year, and therefore, not a fubjea to neceffary for enquiry. Upon the whole, he was not averfe to extending the reftriaion as far as it could be reafonahly necellary : and this he thought, in the utmoSt limit, bad no occafion to exceed the r St of May, which he propofed. The CMANCILLOt of the Exca sew Etinggefed that it would be better for his Hon. Friend to move his amendment upon the report. Mr. PRIN.(' laid, he thought it his duty, as a Member of that Houfe, to give his fupport to the propofed continuance of a meafure from whence the greateft advantages had arifen. At the time the Refiriaion firs took place, it was confidcred as a revere Stroke to commerce, but increafed profperity had been derived from as event which every man at the moment of its happening de plored.—(The Honourable Member was proceed ing to difcufs the fubjea at some length; when he was reminded by Mr. Alexander that the only queflion was as to time.) He was of opinion, he (aid, that no time thould be limited for the dd . - continuance of the Rearieion. Many advantages had accrued from the Reftriftion, whilft no evil had arifen out of it. He thought that the reftrie tion did not offal the Courfe of Exchange, neither did the export of bullion. The Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Banks) bad not, he conceived, made a fit& cient diftinetion between coin and bullion. With refpeil to the confequences laid to refult from the rettriaion, what difference was share between a Bank note and a guinea as to the articles of every defcriptlon which it would porthole ? He conceiv ed that a great number of advantages hold arifen from the reftriaion, and therefore he Should Cup port it. Mr. Boom:mu its obferved, that we were jullified in looking forward to an increafed exportation, and a confequent influx of bullion, which would of courfe render the courfe of exchange more fa vourable to this country. The CHAN en.Loa of the E :cm any ea replied at tome length to the obfervations of Mr. Banks.— The Hon. Member, he contended, had adduced his precedents of inquiry from periods very.mate rially different from the prefent. The examples quoted from the eondua of Minißers at the ori ginal reftriltion, did not all apply in the cafe now befote the Committee. The caufes which pro duced the reftriaion naturally fuggefted the :ma ture to a wife and vigilant adminiftration ; and the circumflances arifing out of it alto fuggefted the necelhity of an inquiry. The original Stoppage of the Bank produced a Strong (edition in the country, and therefore it was prudent and becoming to inStitute an inquiry to fatisfy the public of the objeas which prompted the proceed ' mg, and particularly of the complete folidity of the Bank. If a doubt were now entertained of that folidity in arty quarter, he would admit that it would be a good argument for inquiry, but as no fuch doubt appeared to exiSt, be would oppofe it. He was aware that the grounds of the reftric , lion had, on two occafions, been explained very fully by the Reports of Committees ; but the Houfe was alto aware, and Gentlemen mull re , coiled. that it was afterwards voted to continue until fix months fubfequent to the conclufion of Peace, without any inquiry at all, and fo it ado ally exi fled for upwards of three years, without any inveStigation whatever. Certainly, in the courts of the laft feffion, an inquiry was preffed for, but the unfavourable State of the exchange was confidcred a fufficient ground to justify the continuance of the regriftion ; and the fame ar gument, combined with other circumStances, pleaded for it now. For, as he had explained on , a former evening, we had at prefent no money to ewe from any quarter, and we had a considerable exit to apprehend, and that of courfe Strongly forbid , the opening of the Bank. It w a s material to can. I rider that before that opening Should be permkted, we ought not only to be guarded that no confide rabic amount offpecie Should go out of the mkt- try. but that we Should have reafon confidently to rely on a confiderable influx of bullion, to prepare the bank for the inereafed demand upon it, which was naturally to be a:patted. Would it, he would • ark. in the relent circumaances. be at all wife or difcreet to fuffer the l3ank to refume its Inneions ? Nothing could require more careful deliberation than the period and the circumflances in which that liberty Ihould be granted. Indeed the diffi culties attending the removal of this reftrietiun. were among the principal arguments urged agabilk its original adoption ; and though they were not fufficiently forcible to refill that meaftire, thty formed the fubjefl of rave and anxious confide. ration. They deterred the iitmoft attention, an d it was the duty of Parliament to guard agaiirt them. Imprelfed with a pill fenfe of that dins, he could not help oppnling the motion of his Ho nourable Friend. However ardently he walled, and however much he hoped, that it would be in the power of the Hurtle to take off the rellrielion before the tll of May, yet he did not think it would be fitting the wiftlorn of Parliament to le giflate upon a calculation that circumflances would be fo much more propitious by that period. There did not appear a very Wong probability of it.— He might entertain (rime hopes, he might indulge his wilhes, but he thought it wirer to look forward to the next feffifin, and fo to fill up the blanks.— He did not like to hold out any delulive expefla tion to the public that the Bank would be able to open by the ill of May ; betides, if that period Wl3 fixed, it would he produelive of very injuri ous confequences to the Bank. Feeling it to be their duty to prepare for the event, it would have the die& of obliging them to lock up their capital, or to apply it to porthole bullion. —ft had, indeed, been atferted by an Honour. able Gentleman, on a former evening, that they were bound to purchafe that bullion, even at a lots, in order to pay their notes. But fuppole they did purchafe it, would that materially increafe the quantity of fpecie in circulation in the coun try ? No; for the confequence would be, from the prefent Rate of exchange, that the Bank would be at the expence of bringing the bullion into the country, and it would quickly go out of it again by means of interefled exporters. He, therefore, looked forward to the day when the exchange would become liable, and when no danger could arife from allowing the Bank to refume Its opera tions, and he tirongly exhorted the Houle patient. ly to wait for that clearable period ; for if die re. ftridion were previoufly allowed to ceafe—if it were taken off too loon, he was confident that Parliament would be compelled to retort to it again ; therefore, he deprecated any Firth or pre. mature proceeding. He repeated his objetlions to a Committee of Inquiry; but he declared that if any doubt prevailed among the community, as to the fufficiency of the Bank, he would not only not oppofe, but would be forward to anticipate the motion of his Hon. Friend. If opinions only were defired, they could be fully as well obtained from the obfervations of Genklemen in the Houle, as from their report as a Committee. It would, in fee, in his Judgment, be quite an anomaly to appoint a Committee, merely to declare an opi. nion. If it were wifhed to inftitute a Committee for general purpofes, to inquire into the nature and tendency of our paper fyttem, Gentlemen might propofe it, but it had no necetfary connec. tion with the fubjed now before the Committee. The Right Hon. Gentleman took notice of the obfervation of his Hon. Friend, refperffing Ms al. lufion on a former day, to the opinion of the Bank I Dire ors, an allnfion which was not corredly quoted, for he (Mr. A.) did not fay Ithat he had never confulted Bank Direflors on this meafure ; 1 he had had a converfation with thole Gentlemen, and their anfwers were candid; he had heard their opinion very fully, but what he (fated on a for. mer day, and what be now re-Rated, was, that they exprefed no with for this bill, and that he did not Rand up to propofe it in confequence of any requeft from them. The refpe& to which their opinion was entitled, his Hon. Friend ad. mitred; indeed the concurrent teftimooy of the country was in their favour, and the accounts oe the table chart?' (hewed, that they had not ufed the difcretion with which this Bill originally invea. ed them in an unbecoming manner ; that they did not Sue more notes than they had ample property to anfwer. The -country was aware of this, and grateful for the important benefits it derived Cross the inftitution they fuperintended, particularly in the year 1793, when the increafed commerce of the empire rendered our fpecie Co infufficient as to call for a new circulating medium. In order to judge of the prudent management of the Bank IDireaors, he had only to Rate to the Committee, that with the exception of two millions of (mall notes, ifued for the indifpenfible convenience of the public, the quantity of Bank Notes now afloat is almoß exaftly equal to that afloat in 1793, and exceeds only by one million the amount outland. ! in; at the period immediately preceding the re . Rriaion. The paper fyftem, in faa, which was commenced and patronized by the Bank, wan lemons the primary caufes of our commercial ' profperity. That this fyllan might be carried to extreme, he admitted, but did the Hon. Gentle. man imagine, that the opening of the Bank would prevent that extreme. or that it would tend, without any influx of (petit, to increafe the clan. tity of gold in circulation? The Right Hon. Gen tleman replied to the arguments of his lino. Friend, relative to the analogy which the ren e w a l of the Bank charter had to this Bill. and he infra- I cd, that if the wifdom of the inltitution had not been generally approved, that meafure, which errs much more than a mere financial arrangement, as his Hon. Friend termed it, would not have been adopted, without any inquiry; and he, therefore, inferred, that that aft was a very appropriate pre cedent to cite upon this occafion. To the remark of his Hon. Ft lend, that ton clofe a cotinellion Ihould not exift between Government and the Bank, be was ready to fubferibe, but he confelred that he was at a lois to know to what circuits. Rance his Hon. Friend meant to refer, or what 1 tranfaaion gave rife to that fentiment on this oc. cation. He (Mr. A.) knew of no intlance in ! which the Bank had given any material credit to Government. He remembered that. when a fol. pinion of this fort was hinted at on the original leans:lion. one of the great and prirfed objells of the inquiry, was to afsartain the faa ; and tba IMI