The National Register. — London, England, 1817-02-10 00:00:00

After a few observations front Ciarwen, Sir F. Burdett, and Lord C wrlrrtine, the I louse ilisided, and the petition was rejected by a majority of 50 against 19. Lord COI Haase said, he had a petition to present from Macclesfield, which WAS couched in different terms from the last, and in which he knew ornotlikg, offensive. This petition was brought up and read. It stated, that the House did not sufficiently represent the people: and prayed, pith all becoming respect, that the House would take this subject into their consideration, as the primary ca use of all the public mitre' ings. It recommended jnittial Parliaments, and complained of the high price of provisions, of be general distresses of trade, of the weight of taxation, the falling off of conimerce, the large standing army, and particularly of the corn bill of last session. which it characterised as a measure carried against the opinions of the whole nation. It prayed the House to expel from it all placemen, pensioners, and sinrcorists, according to the spirit of the constitution. Or dered to lie on the table. Mr. J. SMITIt presented a petition from Nottingham, pray ing fur economy, and a reform of Parliament. Lard Ft ANCLIFFE observed, that the meeting which (rattled this petition had assembled without the smallest distm Mince, and had conducted its proceedings with the utmost propriety. This had always been the case in every meeting collected at Nottingham. The distresses which existed in that town and its neighbourhood were certainly almost unparalleled ; but he would venture to assert, from his personal experience, that it bail the very best police of any town is the country. lie felt it his ditty to state this fact, as many misrepresenta tions hail been circulated with respect to the conduct of its inhabitants. The petition was then ordered to Ile on the table. Mr. J. SMITH presented a similar petition from Beaston, in Nottinghamshire. Ordered to lie on the table. NEPALI, WAR. Mr. CANNING was COldidtill, however the operations of this short but splendid campaien might be comparatively different from those more important avid glorious victories which our arms had formerly obtained in the East, howsoever cattrasted it might be with those more recent and mat:ldeas exploits which had received the unqualified congratitlations of P irliament, there was nearcely any occas i on in which the thanks of that Honse could be more justly bestowed. It was regular. pet haps, in intioducing this svilijcet to the consider.' Con of the House, that lie should briefly relate the course of events which had to this war, more particularly as they might nut be getwrady known. The Ghoorka power, fioni gradual elieroctimeiits upon neighbouring states, had at length attained a degree of ortimee which n ndered it ex tremity lief : irs tertitortes extended o.er 700 miles, which we.• conterminous with the British ;ayssessinns in Ind.a. It was a Coalllry full of warlike n,e n, and had the induce ment of coliquest and the expel ii lice of <neves! to invade the adjoiniug e.aintries. It was, in fact, the only Hindu.. power that loud t.rw - r to wed its neck to a alahometan conqueror. In 1737, the British Gosersiment first became acquainted with it. la all the mans of old times, ant indeed of those withivi these twenty years. it was laid dow n a. consisting of a Val lei:: of small .talcs, as I as only of sufficient force to main tain itself against eta eneudes. In course of time, however, its aggressions w. re so imol anti daring, that the Bette.' Go ve was compelled to t..ke the most vigorous avid active ne•as es to restrain it. !lame the w ar, however, was volu me seed, Lord Hastings had rCCOM se to Val lOUs art:1111.11 .- 111..!Ith, ...al the lint.an army was allowed to take possession of the , bstv iras , tinder a tieaty which the existing roy..t owe'. • 'waged to ratify. But this promise was not faithfully otrAerved, and, in consequence, a campaign was tnifertaken, which ended with sit much glory and success. The Right Hun. Gent. thought it fit it:infield:Li ty to state, that although it was the determination of Governineut, if possible, to detach front the Goorka power its more recent possessions, no addition whatever to the British territories was coutemidated, except where there was no means what ever of restoring the former government. One third only of the Ghoi,rka doiniiiions had been ceded, and of this a very small part had been annexed to the British territory ; the rest hail been restored to the aucient Rajah, or to their im mediate descendants. The Nepatil power was now reduced Into a state iu which it holds out no temptation to other powers to look to it at a leader against us. The firmness of the Go vernor-General had carried this point to an issue; and he Mr. C.) 'night venture to pronounce, without meaning to ox• aggerate the importance of our victory on this occasion, or to undel value the Fortner success and glory of our arms, that the head of the Indian Government had laid the foundation of permanent security to the British possessions in the East. The Hight Hon. Gent, then concluded by moving a vote of thanks to the Marquis of Hastings. Governor-General of' India, &c. &c. for his military operations, by which the war had been brought to a favourable issue, and permanent foun dations of peace established. Mr. 13nouonast observed, that this motion was merely confined to military operations; had it embraced any thing political, he shook certainly have felt it his duty to call the attention of the House to that part of the subject. He took it for granted that a vote would follow to the officers and army ; but he could not refrain from observing, that the officers in the Com;vany's service were most inifortimately he would not at that time say more than unfortimattly—ex eluded from the order of the Bath, with the trifling excep tion of those who succeeded to the command of battalions. It was certainly much to be regretted, that all the splendid triumphs of that line areiy, that those unparalleled services of the Indian officers in the destruction of Tippoo's army under toy Lord Welkoley, in I?tsU, should thus be rewarded. tic was fully persuaded, that if Lord Wellesley, or Lord IVel lington, had been constilted on th:s matter, they would nut have passed over and neglected the Indian army; but that they would have fdt it necessary to have stood, the one by his faithful servants, the other by his pliant companions ill arms. ( Hear, lc wr.) The motion was then carried. Mr. CANNING then moved the thanks of the House to Sir David Oe.iteriony. BANKRUPT LAWS. Mr. ImeartanT then [WC, according to notice, to move for the introduction of a bill to amend the bankrupt laws. He conceived this subject to be one of the highest importance to the honour, the honesty, and the toot als of the country. The bill which he proposed o as, in fact, foun.led on the principle of the Insolvent Art. which prevented fraudulent porsoo: from tsl.ing, the benefit of that actotnd remauded thent a bark to confinement fur a period of Jive yeapt. This was the penalty he proposed for the punishment of fraudulent batik raids, and a Melt had tills additional recommendation, that it Introduced an uniformity into our law in regard to fraudulent debtor,': 'lle concluded by moving ter leave to brine in a bill 0 mate filitter pi us Isiah fur the regression of frautilti.t bLigetytejs.°Vave grcutcd. -A,ljotirncd. THE NATIONAL REGISTER. FRIDAY Ftß.7. ►WAYS AND The house, oil the notion or the Chancellor of the Excite quer, haring' resulted itself into a committee of wads and lIAt All., hi Staled his intention to propose the usual annual taxes, and a grant of Exchequer bills to replace to those paid olf. IC(MIMON-BALL PETITION. Mr. Cat.vr:HT presented a petition from the Lord Mayor and Common Councilmen the city of London, iu Common Hall assembled. The petition affiliated the distress of the country to a want of adequate representation, and prayed a reform in the Common's House of Parliament—not an al teration of the roustitutio. : it disclaimed all wild and t ision. nry experitnent%, hut pr:” I'd fur a reduction of oar tint% it stitutional military establishment, foi• the ii:olition olsinecure places, the iii'l'ranebi•co.ent of cm rupt boroughs, ant.l the establishment of triennial Parliaments. The petition was (lieu read and received. Sir F. Butt Darr presented a petition from Alancliester and SaltUrd, on the subject of reform, which WM ordered to lie on the table, he then presented another from the town of Leeds, and complaining of wine obstructions that had been uttered to exercise of petitioning, of individuals having been ei.nimitted to prison Oct groundless chat _es, and afterwards liberated, insisted that the house alautild cc ince the most watchful jealousy on this subject. lie then presented a pe• tition lion. the town of Braill'orti. which voinidained that the constitution was subverted in the Parliament us ut pi esent assembled. Lord CASTLER EAGH observed, that the petition was in the same ?cooler as those which the house had already rejected, and that therefore this could not be received, it appeared to have been manufactured for the purpose of collecting signa tures. FINANCES.--REDUC LIONS. Lord CASTLEREAGH moved, that a part of the speech of Ms Royal Highness the Prince Regent, at the opening of the 3ession, particularly addressed to the House of COlllillOllS, he now read, and it was accordingly read by the clerk, as _ . • 4 The distresses consequent upon the termination of a war of such unusual extent and duration have been felt, with greater or less se ver ity . throughout all the nations of Europe, and have been consi derably aggravated by the unfavourable state of the season. 64 Deeply as I lament the pressure of these evils upon this country, 1 ant sensible that they are of a nature nut to admit of an immediate remedy; but whilst I observe with peculiar satisfaction the fortitude with which so many privations have been borne, and the active bene volence winch has been employed to mitigate them, I am pur,uatied that Cie great sources of our national prosperity are essentially un impaired, and I entertain a confident expectation that the native energy tit the country will at no distant period surmount all the diffi culties in which we are involved." lwnd CASTLEKLAGH.—It was not his intention now to go minutely .'ugh the several heads of expenditure iu the several branches of our establishments for the present year. His only object was to give such a general description of the estimates for the present year, compared with those tor the last year, as would bring the difference in a general way under the , iew of the house. First, then, he requested the attention of the house to the subject of the army expenditui e, and, in comparing the expense for the present year with that for the last year, the best mode, perhaps, would be to con sider the troops in France and India as out of the question for the present, as these did not bear upon the estimates of the public expenditure of this country. His Lordship then entered into a comparative statement of the estimates and expenditure for the past and current years, which will be seen at one glance in the following scale. Numbers. Army last year. Ditto this year Reduction 23,743 Numbers. Army for Great Britain, Ireland, and Colonies •• • • 81,016 France India Charge. !ay last year, including all except Ordnance X 10,661,000 t)itto this year, ditto, ditto Saving this year Saving this ycar in Ordnance 430,000 1,1131,000 Ordnance last year Ditto this year 1,24' ,000 Numbers. Navy last year •• • • Ditto this year •• • • 19,000 Reduction Charge. Navy last year Ditto this year Saving 3,717,000 Miscellaneous Services last year, Great Britain 1,900,000 Ditto, ditto, Ireland 2,500,000 Ditto, ditto, this year, Great Britain 1,000,000 Ditto, ditto, ditto, Irela 1,500,000 Saving this year 1,000,00n RECAPITULATION. Army using Navy ditto Misctliancsius Total saving li,iololoo Si P PLY. Army 0)1.'11165 :via t and barracks, Great Britain Oit to, ditto, (relit t:d Extraordinaries 1,300,000 Ordnance 1,216.0U, Navy Misedlitneous, Great Britain and Ireland 1,500,000 4.0,373,0011 rEI3RITARY Having now gone over the subjer's to which pi oinised to advert, he (Lord C.) trusted, that the estimates would meet with the approbstion of the House. He was as little disposed to deny, as lie was ready to lament, that the country was suffering nutter the severest per sure in every branch of its industry and tesources. Whatever was the lot of other nations, out siftreringh were severe, (tor calamity was great ; but if it was weal, the ardour of tlwse in effluent circunt stances to relieve was likewise great. ( Hear, near.) In the highest quarter. in the head of the Govettlinent ee this coun try, the same feelings and sympathies were that ac tuated his people. •He nut only sympath.zed with their dis tress, out was pre paled to share their privations ; and, from the spontaneous movement of his own mint had extol ssed his determination to abstain front receiving, in the present state of distress. so much of the 61'11 :151 ;is he could refuse, consistently vs sib the iniintaining the dignity of his station, without doing sviiat Parliament would pausedisa: of incite ring. (Geheralchetring.) His Royal Highness had giver. his commands to inform the Hons. , that he nicer t to givi up tor the public service a hide pert of the fourth class of the civil list, which it ought to be oboe' vcel was the only brawl' es•a heeled with the personal expenees, or the royal -tale of the Sovereign; fur all the other beaus of charge isseltuled iii .be civil list, except the privy pulse, were as much for paying public set wires as the stints included its the estimates lie had this night mentioned. 1 Hear, hen ..) That liram•li of the • civil list amounted to ;e09,01.101. and his Royal Highness otter out of this and the privy purse, 50,0001. thew', ILar) for the public service. His Royal Highness had treeted and applauded the exertions of his people. he had shared in their glori• s, and now generously sympathized in 'heir sufferings, and determined to shot e their privations. (glee. hear ) His duty, however, more deist his wishes, limited his grant, even liberal a, it wits. The civil list, as fixed last year by Parlia ment, w as reduced as low as it could be. Parliament had seen the necessity of making arrangements that might pre vent the accumulation of debt upon any of its branches ; and after it had expressed its disapprobation of such repealed applications to make up deficiencies. as its uncertain esteem ii tine rendered necessary, the 111111`f• would not approve of any surrender of income which !nicht lead again to such a resu't. ( Her, hear.) His Royal Highness could not, there fore, make a permanent tender of this reduction without con tracting a debt which would render his liberality of no ad vantage to the country, and might lead to a degradation of the Cile.vn by repeated calls upon his people to pay it. He had, out of Ins disposition to assist his people, made a sacrifice which he (Lord C.) was sure they would appreciate. ( Hear.) It was not the saving, but the principle that was important. (Mar, hear, hear.) To the general distress the sum it-elf could bring little alleviation; but the feeling it manifested would be universally consolatory, and would be received as a proof of the warm sympathy which his Royal Highness felt in every calamity that affected his people. Enl n the sons itself, however, was not inconsiderable. 'flue servants of the Crown (as we understood the noble lord to say, for he apiike so low as to be inaudible in the gallery at this particular time) had resolved to foliow the example of their Royal Master, and to surrender that pat t of their salaries wlsieh bad accrued to them since the abolition of the properly tax (hear, hear,) and he trusted that the whole of whist would thus be given up might amount to a sun) not unworthy ofthe acceptance of the country, nut unbecoming their situation. (Hear, hear.) The only other branch of the subject which be had to Wing under the attention of the house related to the lot 'native' of a com mittee for the purpose of inquiring into the income and ex penditure of the country. As th ere was nothine, which he inure deprecated, on an inquiry of such vital importance, than a want of liberality on either side, as it was a subject not in his opinion of political contest, but of deliberate and solemn investigation ; if by any admission on nit part lie could avoid a contest, he was prepared to du it on the present occasion, and to nominate the committee open] iti die house, (Cries of hear, Furor, from all aides). He should cooehtde by proposing the appointinent of a committee, to consist of gl members. " for the purpose of inquiring into the revenue and expenditure of the comet, tOr the years ending 5111 January, I 81.5,rstli January 18Iii anti int 7, atid also fur the years ending 5111 January, ISIS and Witt, with a view to the investigation of measures for affording relief to the country, without detri tnent to the public service ; 01111 to report thereon, from tune to time, their opinions to the House." Before he sat down it would be right to mention, that he proposed the committee should be invested with full powers to send for persons, pa pers and records.--(hear, hair); —that they should possess all the 111C3113 of pursuing their insiMries to the bottom. The Noble Lord concluded with reading the following list: . Lord Castlereagh, Mr. Frankland Lewis, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. finskinson, Mr. Ponsonhy, Mr. N. Calvert, Mr. Banks, Mr. Davies Gilbert, Mr. Long, Mr. Cartwright. Mr. Tierney, Mr. Holford, Lord Binning, Mr. Edward Littleton Sir .1. Newport, Lord Clive, Mr. Peel, Mr. Gooch, Mr. C. Wynn, Sir T. Adam!. Mr. krhtithnot, Mr.'flEß\ear said, that he had often taken the liberty of suggesting, that his Majesty's Ministers were called upon to advise a reductiou of expellee in the office of the State ; be cause it was fitting that, in times like these, examples of eco comy should begin in the highest situation. It was tine, that this example had conic late, but it was well that it had el;111t. at u t all. In say ing that it hail come late, he meant that the recommendation of such a measure by the Mi nisters had come late, and not that the disposition of his Royal Highness was of recent standing. There could be no doubt that the Regent had all along been equally disposed to snake this sacrifice to the ssdierings of the people ; and it must sorely be ever a matter of deep regret to his Ministers that they had not sooner ailsisvil so honourable a step, when they considered with what readiness his Royal Highness had met the srcuttuneudation as soon as it was made.--(hear.)— • He was glad also to leans from the Noble Lord, that a reduc tion was to takr place its the salaries of the principal officers of the Crow 'fists was a measure which he had olive re commended, and he could snit but think it wonderfal lh.it it had not been sooner adopted. He must, iu Itot.csg y, led the Home, that one greisit ewject with him, respecting the ei.ni istittee, was the reduction of the influence of the Crown. Was it intended then, that die state of the Civil List was to he objected to the e%ilinillat it'll of the cot 1111 l ittee, with a power to send for persons, papers, and tecordlior were they nett' Chi tourtli et iss of the Civil be under shod to be the only Les in which the Prince Regent had a direct per- us ual inteirgt. NOW he visited to esannue the third class, mud to sift used roue into the various recent us retirements cone,' swig lee Foreigo Ministers, and their Pensions.- heur.)— He wished the uonunittee to look into the various elq.lontiatic arrapge meuts which ministers had wade , lie wished to know wit.*