The National Register. — London, England, 1809-06-04 00:00:00

_,,THE NATIONAL REGISTER. ....WO, 0 • • offered, and at the sane time it was declared, that in virtue of t e v isting alliance with France, eery attack upon the pre• sent order of things would he considered as a violation of the rights stipulated by Treatie4 which ought to he maintained by the force of arms. —A.ustria not reicefin; the pacific insinuations made to her, pretended at first that her measures were only defensive. that they were occasioned only by the fear of the danger which threatened her; that her intention was not to un dertake an offensive war, and that she would not break do, pea( e.— Facts hale proved of how little value these assurances were. The measures Of defence which progressively increased have changed into offensive measures. in the room of the fear that was expressed, ambitions plans have been developed, and the war has broken out by the invasion of Foreign States, even before any declaration of war in the accustomed form.—Austria, who knew pirfectly the conduct tx hich Russia would hold unfitr the present circumstances, has determined tn. renounce her friend ship, and rekindle the of war even upon our frontiers:, ratly.r than desist front her projects.--In consequence orders have been given to the Russian Ambassador at Vienna to quit that capital immediately, and it has been declared to the Austrian Ainbassador at this Court, that from this moment his diplomatic fanctions have ceased, and that all relations are broken ow with lyitu and his Court. P.IIILI.4.IIEST. HOUSE LORDS. There was no business of importance before the House on Tuesday and IN eduesday. • ThursdaN, June 1. Paulet's Divorce Bill was rejected. Tat! Vau‘ hall Bridge Bill was returned to the Commons with amendmeas: • relief, and allow their mimes to be specially inserted in the PAIL One of those unfortunate person: , hod actually suffered already. 1.1 years imprisonment, and another 13 years. There was thing in their crime that must not have been folly expiated by, so long and severe a confinement and exclution from Society... No possible or good purpose could be itnsweret: :o their creditors: by the eontiouance of their miseries, as they were totally instill.. vent, and must ever continue. so while in prison. Inearreratioik Cur life never could have been contemplated by legal justice against anv man, for not paving a debt becane utterly incapa ble of so doing. He should therefore take tie liberty, in the Committee upon the Bill, to propose a Clause for the liberation cf all Insolvent Debtors, after tive years impr!sonment i for any sum not exceeding SUOOI. and all debtors confined for any sun), who shall have suffered in succession ten years imprisonment.-- Ile had some thoughts of extending the operation of those Clauses , . to Ireland, but found on _enquir, they were nqnecessary, as few of. none would require own'. Ile also hinted to his Nlajes tv's Chancellor of the Exchequer. the case of Debtors to the Crdwn, who were expre:•sly precluded from the benefit of every Insolvent Bill. Ire expatiated on the i;everity of inflicting im prisonment for life upon men for tines or penalties on evasions. or . frauds upon the Revenue, a species of frauds, not less criminal. than any other, although much trore venial in popular eAima tint), and to which the temnUilians were many and strong, and he trusted the Chancellor of the Exchequer would have no strong ohjections to a Clause for their relief. ' The Bill teas read the second time, and ordered to be com wilted. Mr. Straw LEFrvtir presented a Petition. from the Inokeep-. ers and Publicans of Kent and Sussex, compkiioing of the great hardships sustained by them, as yidl its many other Petitioners, by the frequent billeting of numerous soldiers upon them, in their progress through the country f and praying relief. The SIICIMrA R Y at WA R said, a plan was in the contem f platioa of the.. Secretary at' War, for limiting the allowance of meat to be given to the'soidier at the wot' price.— . . The Petition was ordered to lie on the table. ' Mr. SA VI rd.c presented a Petition from . the Innkeepers and Publicans of Oakhainpton to the like purport. Ordered to lie on the table. FRAUDS IN THE IRISU REVENUE. Sir Jo IIN New PORT rose to call the attention •of.tlie Home to an appointment which had been made in dettnnee of , the ex press words of the Act of the 46th pa►r of the King s • and of every principle Nine which promotions and rewards should he conferred. By the Act to which he had alluded, nay oftieer of the Customs or Excise, who should, after the pulsing of that Act, take or accept.nf any fee, gratuity, or presents, from the Distillers whom they visited in the courssof their duty. should be thereby incapacitated from holding any office, civil or niilit~ry. Notwithstanding the express words of this Net, a Mr. .Benua champ H ill, who • had confessed before Commissioners of Err. ( - Fifty, that he had regularly received WI. per wet* from two Distillers who were in his district, was not only not dismissed, but was promoted from the situation of •Surveyor to be an In spector-General, which was a promotion in that very depart- Ment in which the frauds had been colnuit!ed 1 t n . :e; in Sep tember 1806, that he had coefessed hints - cif guilty of tho fraud, and on the Bth of March 180.5, he received his promotion. He thought it would he useless to endeavour to guess•at what sort or doreoce could be set iip, and concluded by moving a resolution, stating the words of the Act lathe 46th La his Airkiesty, con fession of Mr. Dill that he had acted contrary to it, and his sub sequent promotion. • • Mr. FosTea said, that certainly, owing to the inadequacy of their salaries, an universal system of corruption had formerly existed among the revenue officers of Ireland, and that out 432 Excise oaie-rs examined by the Commissioners of Enquiry, of ahem had confessed that they had received similar presents. They justified it from its being a constant practice, and known to he so by the Board who employed t heto, and who yet took no measures to stop it. The practice of receiving these gratui ties. was so universal, and so lo , g in a manner connived at, that it would have been unfair to select one or two inch viduals for. punishment, as almost every toner o!i;eer in the revenue equally deserved to be dismissed. Mr. 11111, however, was very ready to give ever:; information in his imwer to the Commissioners of Enquiry, and was in every other.respect a yer! , goad Aker. !Ie %vas . therefore promoted for A16..14190, althoti6ll he had i n . common with all other gxciseineu figne aahing illegal nog ha. proper. Ile therefore umved i the . Ivey ioo‘- question Mr. PL rya MOORNSilicythai..WlibOUt. pretending to those • , :_ <: -, 4 I HIS 14. t .1 F.';TY I S MESSAGE. The Earl of I.tv'tt t'oot. rose, and called their 'Lordships' at tention to the V es,age of his Majeit, , - relative to the state of the Clety,y ualer 150'. per annum, and the inadequacy of Queen Anne', Bounty. lie intended to propose the solo of 100,000/. to encrease tht- fond provided by Queen Anne's Bounty, this Session; and after wards to follow up the measure by Foine larger means, of a more suitable noi permanent nature. Be stated, that the returas at present n ere incomplete, as they did not itt dude the four dioceses of Norwich, St. David's, Ely, and Ito ete:ter. There are upward. of 8000 livings in England :god \Vales under 1.50'. a year, of which above '4)00 were under 100/. n year, anal up w - ads of 800 tinder 501. per annum. He conclud ed by movi:ig an humble Asidress to his Majesty, stating the concurrence of the !loose with his Majesty's mnit gracious Message. The Adiress was agreed to nem. con.—Adjaurned. Fri(lag, June 2. The further consideration of the Sankrupt Laws Bill was de ferred to Wednesday next. Lord Si ;un cm! moved for alp account or all the Licences granted to public Preachers from 1780 to 18t) s inclwive. Hi did not wish by any means to restrict Toleration, hot he thought the Act had been too frequently to screen men enpable of serving the country in active and efficient office:: from the exer cise of their duty by a lazy and disgraceful exemption, to be purchased at the ex pence of a shilling. The motion was carried without dissent.—Adjour ned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. rum Mi lt May 30. INSOLVENT BILL. Sir THOMAS TITIITON rose to move the Order of the nay for the second reading of the Insolvency Bill. and he felt it ne cessary at the same time, to submit to the House the case of some persons confined for debt, but the amount of the demand againet %Own), had excluded them from the benefit of every In solvent 14(11 which had passed during the loog period sot: their imprisonment, and left them no prospect but that of a severity which the Law of this country could never have contemplateo. pamely, incarceration for life; and such must he, in effect, citcii punishment for the crime of debt and insolvency, unless the Legis lature, in its mercy and benevolence ; should interfere for their r