The National Register. — London, England, 1816-05-12 00:00:00

'DtP No. 4.35.—V0t. IX. POLITICAL DISQUISITION. CONSIDERATTON9 OX THE ALIEN BILL. A N interesting subject has lately been started in Par liament, and has wee ioned considerable discussion: it is the proposal of an :lien Bill in time of peace. This measure, unknown for a long sucemsion of ages in En glish policy, has been censured and defended with equal vehemence ; and has, already, been carried through some ef 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 ends of which may be too powerfully felt, nut to re quire that it should nut be passul without the deepest consideration. The opponents of the peace Alien Bill stand on strong and elevated grounds. They readl those days, when, conscious of strength and security, or too magnanimous to fear, England threw open her shores to men of all na tions, of all creeds, of all politics ; and flourished in the midst ofa fettered world,—the Eden of earthly freedom. Then, let the slave approach, no hand wits put forth to repel him. He lighted on her strand, and he was free. Item, the fugitive fimnd an asylum, which neither the wrath.aor the might of fiireip kings could violate. I ,et revolutions rend the Continent; let the flame of religious persecution blase abroad, she was the universal reiage of the persecuted. Like the good. Samaritan, she but saw the wounds of the wretched, and she healed them. She did not inquire whether they lia:1 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 intLrests 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 hind of promise to every man, when the days of woe should come ; and, secure of being received -us children in her bosom, they felt for her the love and veneration of sons. This state of true and unparalleled grandeur, my the .opponents of the Bill, England now willingly abdicates. By perpetuating a temporary measure, hireed upon her by the lash of terror and of necessity, she sinks back into it common people. 11'ith sacrilegious hand, she destroys the sacredness of her own soil. She dissolves all thos..! spells which nude her dear to the hearts of strangev, and rendered her prosperity, and her power, objects ofuniversal 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 are glories which she shares in common with ancient and modern States. The ocean has obeyed many lords ; and, even in our days, victories have been 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— Englaad possesscd a gem of inestimable valee, 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 fre,:dom. It marked her abode and her rcr;lge on earth. For Englund was not only the soil of constitutional liberty, but she extended the protection of her constitution and the enjoyment of her liberty to all who sought her shores. This was a pre-eminence, indeed, in which she bad no rivals. It made her an island in fame, as nature bad made her an island in position. This exclusive pre-eminence, my the antag,inists of the measure, is now abandoned; and .I.•Oand resigns that glory which no other nation ever • without even the plea of necessity. atio nal( ;,iy tk tOttr+ Our Unto, tonfititution i n UJ nina36. SUNDAY, MAY 12, 1816. Their other arguments against a Bill which allows no foreigner to land in England, even in time of peace, without leave, and makes him liable to be sent out of' the country without any trial, arc of a legs metaphysical nature. They assert, that the rights Fe.:lirt.:l by Magna Charta, even to strangers visiting this ccuLtry, aro via latsxl. They contend, that our laws extend the same protectim to aliens as to natural-lx,rr subjects ; that by the present measure, fureign Governments will be en ablcd to exercise, even within the sanctuary of ei.ir ties, the nine tyrenny and opprcsion ever 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 hive and veneration with which England and her liberal Constitution were viewed by nations. They next employ a still more point ed reason, the wigumentum ad kominem. They muse the fear of retaliation. " Your peace Alien Bill ! they exclaim, will be felt by your merchants and your travellers abroad. —Hitherto the liberality of your laws towards threigners has occasioned you to be treated with greater favour in countries where you arc 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 argummts urged against this im portant measure. lu our next, we shall csandue those of its supporters. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. I:OUSE 01' LORDS, MONDAY, MAr • The St. Pancras Church Rill was read a second time: and alter some conversation between Earl St:admin. (who present• ed a petition against the principle of the bill) and the Lord Chancellor, it was committed for Wednesday.--Aitiouraced. TUECI)ty, Al AY 7. Lord LIVIAP(IO4 rose, in pursuance of notice, to move Ad dresses of Congratulation to his Royal Highness the Prince Regent, her Majesty, the Princess Charlotte and the Prince ofSaxe Cobourg, upon the late marriage. After a few obser vations front the Noble Earl, in which lie expressed his fill belief that the I loose had a sincere and heartfelt wish that the late happy marriage might produce peace, happiness, and prosperity to the Royal Fancily, movril the several Addresses of congratulation to the illustrious personages before mentioned, which were put and agreed to, nem. dis.—.ldjourned. THURSI)kY, MAIC .. In a Committee of Pri% lieges on the Itorthwick Peerage, evidence was heard to prove the death of the late claimant, and that the present claimant was his son and heir.- -The Bilk on the table u ere read in their respective stages, without re mark or opposition.—Adjourned. _ FRIDAY, MAY 10. The Earl of MORTON, (the Queen's Chamberlain), reported her Maj. 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 Saxe Coboitrg. Lai I ST %rimier presented the Report of the Committee ap pointed to einutire into the hest means of classifsiii under proper and distinct heads the different statutes. The Report contained clay two Itesolutions--that it was highly expedient that statutes should be regularly e!assitied ; and that it person learned in the law. with a set of clerks, not exceeding 20, should be appointed to carry that object into effect. On the motion of Earl STANtriper, the House attreed with the Committee in that Report; and a con 111111 l iieation was or dered to be made of the same to the Commons, and to desire a conference with them on the subject on Tuesday next, in the Painted Chamber. fht .%It•••enger► returned, and qated, that the Commons would RC ild au answer by Itlessi....get La their °vett. —Adjultinvil till 31untlay. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Morin v, MAN' 6. Lord C toerkketEllill rose to move au Address to the Prince Regent on the late siospieious event, the lloyal 31arriaur. Ile felt cousin...eel that the House viewed the marriage with such feeling, as to render it unnecessary thr hint to sac any thing to to vide all interest ipe their minds; by the address to tlu•'l'hro:e —toy the liberal itilowatures vote il itt contemplation of such a union---they hail fully spoken their sentiments. His present motions were in the spirit of those sentiments, and the congra -01114.11 lie proposed were the necessary result of their t'ormer proceedings. He oroticluded with mos ing addresses— first, to tjle Prince Regent, eongratulating his Reval I liOntess on the happy nuptials of his daughter, her Royal ill line's the Princess Charlotte Augusta. Secondly, congratillating he r Majesty - on these nuptials -*awl thirdly, to congratulate her Royal flightless Princess Charlotte and George Leopold Prince of Sase-Cobosirg, 00 this happy occasion. These Addresses were seyerallY agreed to, Mill. con. Mr. Hutt hit UI gave outlet, that eon Tuesday, the 21st inst. lie should deem it his duty to mos c the destruction deal' papers relating to the ineonte ; so far as regal deel the names amt retideugge Mews who lead beets esseesed fur that Mao PRICE 9.1,d. CIVIL LIST Mr 'Timmy, pursuant to notice, rose to move for a Coni• mince to inotrir.: into the state et* the Civil List, with power to call tor, and eaatnine persons, papers, and records. He la mented that the Noble Lord should have deemed it right to ground his proceeding of Friday on papers not befit . , the I foto c. He bail since seen them, mad mode liiii.self tolerably well toaster of their contents; hilt it world 1w a go eat &sail antage to his us gnment that they were withheld from the House. But the Noble Lord not only chcoc to %yr:Mold papers. b ut h e h a d been tampering sttth the Jury. in the ernirse rf the morning Cuere hail been a rat sting it the Noble Lord's Muse of rertain :Members of that Noose, ensthistiii4 of those coiled ind.locrielent country Menthe rs, for the purpose of in. setter ire them in the vie ws of Government. ( 11,ar, h , ar.) He slid not einoplain of these things as decidedly irreemilar ; bumf he es plaiacil them to show the disadvantage* under Which he came to the erg amen, and the nrryousnevi of Got emelt tit upon this particular husiirees. When (he Noble )surd and his friends felt the private imerference of Government to be sit tit eessary—when they were so anxious to c•plain sod instruet at a private meeting at the Noble Lord's lonise, what else were sash circumstances but symptoms of nervousness and alarm. ( Hear, kite.) A Itboaali not irregular, it was very like an un fair endeavour to bias those who we re to determine neon the present occasion. f near.' 'Pip Noble Lord did I only justice in saying that he most be d e siers, of supportin g ono proper splendour of the Co wn—the question between them was, what was the proper splendour of the Crown? It by - the splendour of the Crown. the Noble Lord meant outside ACM and extravagant expenditure, there they must differ; but if; by the splendour of the Crown, he was to understand that course which contributed to character, and the best interests of the country, the Noble Lord would have his support. But hitherto, notwithstanding the Noble Lord's insinuation or aneer about calumny, lie must say, from the accounts of the Civil List which had been laid before the House, the country had every thing to fear from the extravagance of the Lord Chamberlain's department. Alteration alone could cure the evil. Time Noble Lord, however, arged, that the extent of the expenditure was rather owing to the circumstances of the country then to the expence of the Regent, as not one-third upwards of 100,0001. S of the expenditure was in the MaildellatlCC of the personal. spleottour of his Royal Highness. What made this part of the market more remarkable was, the Noble Lord's coniparisoa.• between our Cit it List and that of France. The Noble I oril was 81176011 S to have it kept in mind, that he had travelled butt, like most yonng travellers, he seemed to have brought home with him nothing lint the vices of other c .l laa k. )—As the Noble Lord had chosen to make such compari sore, there was one thing further which he might have observed, how the King of France laid out the sum grunted to supply his Civil List ; for had the Noble Lord gone thus far into his rela tion, he would have bad to tell the noose, that the King of France, br consequence of the distresses of his subjects, ace teally gate back to the people part of the sum with which they Iced so liberally provided biro. He wished the Noble Lord could profit by the example. All the difficulties %Odell the country laaoureil under were in emrsequence 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 hut niggardly supplied : he would detail what they received from the nation. The Windsor esrablishment was pro?erly sepa rated—for that there was granted 110,0001.; namely, 100,0001, for his Majesty; her Majesty 30,0001, and the four Princesses 130,0001. If there were an honest desire to promote saviegs, this expenditure might be considerably curtailed. There were lour Lords attic bed-chamber, Groom of the stole, &e. Wlter v.as the necessity lilt them, since such splendid appendages were useless to his Majesty and the country? To the Prince Repent there were granted a privy purse, perfectly unencum bered, 60,0001. ; additional allowance, 10,U001.; Duchy of Cornwall, 1.i.0001.; consolidated fund, 43,0301.; en the whole 128,0001. The whole detail amounted to 1,030,UVU1. ; and could that sum, which was wholly set apart front the Royal Fae mily, be called niggardly? But now the 00 List charges were annually increasing enormously. For the present year. the charges were 11,180,0001. but that stint si as lessened to 1,360,0001.; the estimated cape:nee of Iro I was 079,03411.; so that in those few years there was an excess of 381,0001. The averaze expenditure of the seven years preceding 181 I was but that for 1816 was 1,360,0001. so that there was an excess of 255,0001. According to the hest calculations which he could make, and he challenged the Noble Lord to disprove his statements, there hail been an animal excess of '.!5a,0001. since the Regency. This evil brine likely to continue, he saw no hope of remedy, except the House could discus es wh:•re it lay; and, therefore, he moved for a Committee. The motion was opposed by Lord Castlervasdr, Mr. Long, and Mr. N'ansittart ; and supported by Mr. Caleraft and Mr. C. W. 11 yaue. House divided--For the motion, 122—Against it 213—s Majority In favour of :Minister% el. Lord C tenet:FAG/I brought up the Civil List negotiation Bill which was read a first, and ordered to be read a second time me Moarlas next. On the Report of the Bank Restriction Bill being presented, - Lord Folkstone moved air adjournment. The Gallery again clear. ri for it division. For it, 65—Against it 183--Mnjority 118. The other business being d isposed of, Use House adjourned. TLESiv%Y. MA V T. GOVE:UNNI ENT OFFICI.S. Lord Arxitunes: moved for a Committee to examire what increase and diminution had taken place in the salaries, C. of the several Government offices since 1795, and what pro gress bad been made towards accomplishing all possible re trenchment. That all possible reduction was necessary, be believed no one world deity ; and thtt considerable retrench ment might stilt take place, he believed, few %%mild question. Sayirws, althatiOi the might he small, would eoarin.•e the people that Government and that Howe did not impose :I ,