Star. — London, England, 1803-03-03 00:00:00

FRANCE. sirr;Nc fit HE LEGISLATIVE BODY, Is. i•RFSIDINCY OF C. MLA TTItE. The Prer....lent :cad a letter from the %Secretary of State, announcing the nrriVal of lour 01 ators ot the Cover charged with laying befo , c the Legiflative Body eleven tr?jfts of d_ittercnt Laws. The ConnfOloi 5 of Sta , e,'lf EGN AULT, ST. JEAN ANGELI, PLTICIL, and TREILHARD, were accord ingly introduced. Of tlitfe projrii ten related to the regulation of matters of local intereft, and REGNAU LT prefented them to the hIembers.—TREILHARD fticcceded, and in the name of the Government prefcnted the fecond trj..l of the civil cede, relative to the en joyment and the privation of civil rights. The following ate the principal arrangements which it contains: . _ " The exereife of civil rights is ind:Tendcnt of the cha radtcr of Citizen, wnich io acquired and f. yr,ferved only by confor mity to the conliatutitmal law of the country. Every French man is :o enjoy civil rights.—Every horn in France of forcip: parents Oran has e it in his rwir, within a y or at. to the pi riot! of H,niajt rity, to 'clot the rights of a l'rench citiz n. Every born in a forei::: :out:tie of a French lattice, (hall have the mean. of recoverit , 7 :hat character. " Every foreigner (hail • IC:oy in 1': wee the fame civil rights which are graved to En reloneti, agreeable to the treaties of peace cs:ltiog with the odor to which he belongs. Every fe male hirsigner (hall ;alum the condition of her hulband. When a foreigner has been permitted by the Government to form his done;.:.'. in France, he (hall be entitled to the enjoyment of all civil rghts. Every foreigner, though not at that moment re fiding in France may be cited before the French Trihunals for the fulfilment of tins obligations which he has contra& d with a Frenchman. A Frenchman may be cited before a Tribunal in France for obligations contradicd by him in a foreign coin try, though this. obligation has been formed with foreigners In every other cafe but in matters relative to cc,mincrco, a fo reigner, who is the claimant, 'hall be compelled to give leen tits' for the payment of the capence, and the individual leis re lating boat the procrfs, in cafe he does not paid's fixed pro perty in France to an amount faficient for that purpofe. " The character of French citizen is loft—tit, By naturali• yetion acquired in a foreign country—idly, The acceptance of unauthorised public fundlions conferred by a foreign Govern ment.—...3dly, By connedlion with any foreign corporation which acknowledges the difiinetion of birth.—zthly, By every citablifhtnent formed in a foreign country without a view of re turning to Feiner. Commercial citablifhments Mall never be cmfidered as having been made without the profpedt of return Every Frenchman who (hall have forfeited his charadter of el- Nem, may recover it by returning to France with the pertnif- Alon of the Government, and by declaring that he has refolvtd to fix his refidence there, and that he renounces every difiinc tion contrary to the French laws. " A Freti...hman who full, without the permillon of Go vernment, accept of .any military command in the fervice of a foreign power, (hall forfeit his quaUty of a French Citizen, be fides fubjeilling himfelf to the peinifliments attached by the cri minal taw to thole who carry or &all carry arms againft their country. 4 Judicial condemnation capitally, places the individual who Is the objea of it, in a hate GC civil death. Other kakis' nu ntfliments MA no: involve civil death milers this is particui triy fpecified. By civil death the perfon condemned lofts all pro perty in his effeelb, and the fucedfion is open to his heir as if be were naturally dead inteflate.—He is rendered incapable of contra: ling a marriage entitling him to any civil privileges. His wife and his heirs may refpeEUvely en:relic the rights which his natural death would fardion. " Sentences veldt perfons guilty of contumacy Ball not in volve civil death till after an interval of five years after ereeuti , of the fentence in effigy. During this icterval, the goods of the perfon fo condemned &all be managed in the fame way as the property of pcnoos !Heat If the individual condemned fer obftitutney lull make a voluntary furrender, or [Call be appre hended within the five years, the judgsneut Dull be abrogated, and the undid (hall be put in full polleflon till the rtfult of a pew trial is known. " If the perfon fo condemned fhall die In the interval without being reprefepted or without being tidied, he Chill be confider ed as having died in the full palatal of his rights, and the fen hence Mail he refeinded. The property acquired by the perhm enndtioned from the time of his civil death, and of which he is Ia polielliori at the time of his natural deeth,ikall belong to the ration. Government frail make for his family fuels arrange. Mans as humanity may fuggeft." After reading this projer. the Orator dilated on the motives which fuggeled the different articles which it contained, ilfutlrating and enforcing their propriety. in au clJquent and inteteillpg manner. charged to confer with the Swifs Deputies tr.-. 1 at Paris. Citizen BARTHELEMY, Prefident of the Com million, having received from the FIRST CONSUL the A4l of Mediation, figned aml fealed with the Seal of the State, gave up that Aft to Citizen Louts LI'AFFRY, appointed Landamman of wit :zerland. The FIRSTCONSUL converfed a good while with 'each of the Members of the two Commillions. On Monday the 2111, the fame perfons being prefent,. Citizen BARTHELEMY, Prelldent of the I Commillion of Senators, prefented to the Firft Con : fhl the 47 other Swifs Deputies. Citizen Louts d'AFFRT, Landamman of Swit zerland, fpokc as follows: " Citizen Roll Conful—Called by the mediation which you have pronounced to . ,the important but difficult fituation of Landamman of Switzerland, it is flattering to me in becoming the organ of the Deputation which my country has fent to you, to have in the firft in lance the oppertunity of telli l'ying to you the gratitude with which it is pene trated, for the benevolent attention you have deigned to bellow on this work, which confirms the independence of Su itzerland. " Your first benefit has been to below on the different people of Switzerland the Federative Government, which alone was fuitable to them. —The refult of your mediation will be to create afrefh thofe fuitable ties which united two nations accullomed to procure for themfelves reciprocal advantages, and made to elleem each other. The troubles which have agitated my country will ceafe ; the Powers friendly to Switzerland will ap plaud the means which the Fifa Conrail has em ployed to flop the dire effals of the fpirit of party. I owe it to my country to fecond your benevolent views, and I owe it to myfelf to be perfc&ly im• partial in the exercife of the functions allotted to me. I befeech the Fa Conful to receive with kindnefs the homage of our profound relpeet." The FIRST CONSUL having replied to Citizen d'AF FRY, the audience terminated. _ _ On the fame day, Citizen d'Arrior let off for Berne. Letters fi.om 'Vienna of the 12th of February contain the agreeable intelligence that the Arch duke CHAR LEN has completely recovered from his late fevere indifpofition. The bulletin of his health was from that day to be difcontinued. In letters from the fame place, the report of the propofed fale of the illand of Sardinia to England is contradiiled in the moll pofitive terms. It appears by letters from Rome, that on the arrival of Admiral De WINTER with his Riu.idron at Cagliari, he had Aced permitTion to land a part of the crews of feveral (hips which were unhealthy. This requell, after confiderable deliberation, was refuted. Various letters from Berne mention the preva lence of the greaten diforders in the Cantons of Zurich M.nd &N. In the former in particular, the fpirit of infurrdlion had proceeded fo far, that all the Sittings of the ordinary tribunals of juiliee were fufpended. . PARIS, FEB. 24. The Deputation of the Legitlative Body, con fining of twenty-four Members, waited yenerda., on the FIRST C 9,4 so t., who was furrounded by the Second and Third Confuls, by the Senators, Mi. TOM, and Counfellors of State. Citizen RA gaup, the younger, addreffed the FIRST CnwsuL in a Creech which extolled the eminent ferviccs he had rendered to the State ; and adored him of the concurrence of the Legit Wive Body in every mea lure that could tend to the general happiness of the nation. The FIRST CONSUL replied in the following terms :—.6 To the harmony exillin,g between the Covernment and the Legiflative Body is to be at tributed the fuccefsof the moil important and fa lutary meafure which diainguifhed your lad feflicn. " Labours not leis acid are referved for your relent Sefton, and the Covernment clpeets the lame harmony and the fame tefults. •' I receive with the greaten fatisfaeli , :n the ex prellinn of the fentiments which have been con veyed to me, and I (hail nrove how worthy I am them, by devoting myfelf to the interells of the cc:natty." • They write from Rouen, that three perfont, one of whom was a feller of lemonade, atmther Ciouan, oho had obtained t!.e benefit (,f t:.e am :lefty, and the third a Gendarme, were hit v. eel: arreiled at Pont Andemer, nod fent to pi :fon at Rormn,where thee underwent long irctrroi ; amr;•:., and t: ere f:ilt off to Park c.n the 1 , ; t:), it•. three private carriages. ef:rte:l by the tame numigr cf gendarmes. It does not appear that the of which trey were accufed w as known at Ronen, and the letters o hick contain the few particulars that we at: poffefied of, are written v:ith :much r:lerve. nit. 16.-1-ail S.ttor.lay Cithtns d'A)FRY, GLVTI, JAUCtf, Mow.los, Itioi!tmcr, j►lttCl. ER. S TA p irit , WATI'VVILLL,ond eninpnGt,g the two CrltlimifTnns , f tiee Meniber,, t..rnied i.y the tilty.fix Depucies, to take cogiti7ance of foe ilst p.fild by the PttlaT C;.aiSUI, L....wCf11 tr.e Divide SA ;t7lt ' 64nd, 1A tic : - ..dmitte4 to an a..:tlienze the 1111: Tl•e (*.wilt's, the Set,:-.tors, the t.7,10L1-6, the Cotk:lL (-I St ; , Tla 1:11peelor, ticreral of the At nlte: wet e precent. w.. Lz Ci.en, 0Ft.1,1601i, ;10.11.titr; a 0.4. PARLIAZIENTARr PRuCEEDIsGS. HOUSE OF LORDS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH s. A Naturalization Bill was read a third time and naffed. Mr. Bu P DON and others brought up iron] the Commons, and prerented two Road or Common Incloinre Rids, which were read A &ft time. They alfo retwned a Natu-alization &A, which the Com mons had agreed wand paffed.—Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Mr. Srea kt a took the Chair at an e.u-ly hour, for the lie eximmodat!on of Members having private or local bufinds, which being gone dm ugh, a . Mr. Luca, yurfuaut to leave given. prefaited the Bill for the better Regulation of Proceedings in the Courts of King's Bench, Exchequer, and Common Pleas, in Ireland ; Wile!) wa• read the fiat time, ordered to be printed, and read the fecund time on Monday next. Sir M. W. RIDLC• reported from the Committee on the Merits of M. M. lliat and Mr. Sewell'. Petition, that John Hall, called as a witncfs before that Committee, bad grofsly miibehaved, and prevaricated In his evidence; and that the Committee, purfuant to the powers vetted in them by law, had ordered him to the cuftotly of the Sete:int at Arms. He now moved that be be committed te Newlate.—Ordered accord hInCRO rrort, from the Treafury of Ireland, prefented at the liar feveral otEcial Papers, purfuant to order.—Ordered to lie on the 'f able. Mr.COARY moved that the Event Papers lying on the Table, reipedinglh Finance. be referred to the Commit. tee on Ina Revenue Bill,.—Ordered. The A: roamer (lex ellA L for Ireland obtained leave to bring in a Lill to prevent malicious cutting and wounding, by more eff, Chian) , punifh:ng perfons in Ireland, called Chalker. lie alfo obtained !core to bring in a Bin for more effectually presenting the Forgery of Notes and Bills of Exchange on the Bank of Ireland. 1 he PI ince of %Val , i s Annuity Bill win, on the Motion of tie Chanct llor of the Exchequ,r. mad a Leant! time ; and or dered to he conno4kd to.morti,ve. lbe hiutinyl.ll was re:.d a third time, and paired. On the Motion t.f . Mr. Bauwt Li., an order w..is made that tht Chr►s u! ;hr. Yecee in Ireland Would mate a return of the Fit ehultico u• the 41,17. otnt dilticgtoifhive, thof, who had aol. tol and to tth.old., togtther with the dates of the when they wtre re,..ittrred. Sir Wll.!i.vm Ccr. - I rs uht:Med leave of abfence, o account Mill Irea PERPETI , ATION Cr !RIM TATES. Mr. CGitR V moved the Order of the Day, and the Houle accordingly ref - trived into a Committee, for tit , porpok ofttLin:; into confideration Mr. Curry's intended Proposal for rendering perma nent it seral taxes usually [hare l by the Pao liament of Ireland from year to year,the produce of which, however, w.ts appropriated to pay the interell of pei mar.ent debts, ft urn time to time contraaed by the G aver nment of Ireland for the ufes of the Public ferr ice. 14:-. Corry then role and obferred, ' that has ing already, more than twice, (fated to Hoof,: the olaeii.t of the Prnpolition, wilt .:1; he tioirld this day have the honour of fubmitting to the C.:trim:tree, and the fith . ;ta• having b -en f. re. peatedly alicuiTed it, the lall and preceding Sorton of Parliament, it would ran now be necelfary for bira trefpac.,, at any great length upon the 4t• tea; ion of the Committee, in relaaion to this fills- J ed ; he meant only to recapituhite that the (*eve. Nil taxes I:.•urld now move to ender permanent, v.-ere tilde with h had been voted year after ye.tr by the P4rlrarnetit 21 Ireland, as ti r e for 1 ty irg the intereit "1 loans, borrowed from time to t:me, far tLc FuLdric fervice,::nel fur which intetell they were the appropriate feturitY to the Public Creditor, and mutt neceffarily continue lo to be, for the maintenance of the public faith, until thole loans !horrid be paid off, or until Parliament thould in its wifdom think proper to devife fame other fund. The objeCt of his propofal then would be, to render thole taxes permanent, which, as the law now flood, would expire on the z;th day of the prefent month. The intereft to pay which they were devoted, was that of all the debts contrafted in Ireland during the whole of his Majefty's reign, to which none of the Confolidated Fund of Ireland was liable, without recurring to Parliament. The taxes he would propofe to continue the fame as ultra', with fame very trivial difference, and the feveral Refolutions he had to propofe, he would clars under the feveral heads of Import Duties, Export Duties, Bounties, Drawbacks on Foreign Goods to be exported, Tonnage Duties on Foreign Veffels, and all Inland Duties of every defcription, whether of Excife or affeffed Taxes; and any trivial difference in the fchedule he had now to propore, from thole of the laft and former years, he thould be ready to explain, if any Member defired it. One point in particular, was Tome (mall rife upon the rate of licence charged to Grocers, Tobacconills, and other perfons trading in large towns, which he was confident would not be confidered exceflive, or in any degree incompatible with the circumatinces of thole perfons. With rerpeet to the drawbacks, it was a provifion made in favour of the Importer, enabling him to draw back the whole of the duty paid on foreign goods imported, for which, either he could not tind a market at home, or from a better market elfewhere, he might be induced to export, and this regulation was made with a view completely to anfwer the prirpofe of the bonding and warelionting fyftem, which it was in contem plation to extend in this country, in the courfe of the prefent Seftion. With refpeEt to the duties on home-made fpirits in Ireland, a fulaieet upon which there had been much of dirculßon, and much of erroneous apprehention gone forth, no al teration whatever was contemplated under the re folutions he had to propofe, and he wifhed, para. cularly, this circumftance to be noticed and fully undertlood by the perfons moll concerned in that trade, many of whom from Ireland, he underaood, to be now in London. It was a bufinefs Jib much importance, that thole concerned might rely no alteration was now intended, nor would any ever be attempted without due notice ; and he felt it ne• ceffary to make this declaration, in order to pre- vent thofe fpeculations,which men might be tempt ed to make in the article of fpirits, and the diffe rent materials connefted therewith, with a view to extraordinary gain, but equally probable of ruin to the Speculator. The only alteration which could be confidered in any degree material, was a rife upon the 4,icence Duty upon the Retailers of Spirits in three principal towns, in addition to the other great towns already charged with extraordinary - licences. There was a circum fiance, however,highly important to the merchants and Traders between Great Britain and Ireland, which would be adopted, and which would greatly difembarrafs the bufinefs of commercial men on both fides of the Channel, as well as materially fimplrfy and facilitate the colleCtion of the duties. There exitled a material difference in the particu -1 rr denomination of many commercial articles in the trade between Great Britain and Ireland, in the books of rates of the rerpeitive countries, fo that the article exported from one country, under one name, was received in the other by a quite different appellation, a circumftance produCtive of much contulion and irregularity ; hut fuch a re gulation would be made in this inflance, as com pletely to remedy the difficulty, and enable the hint Merchant to import many articles at a rt. tailable duty, for which he now pays a duty ad valorem. Having ea d laintd his purpore thus far, Mr. Corral' proceeded to move his firft Refolution, when— Colonel Veer Kea (Member for Limerick) rofe, l and espreffed his difapprobation of a meafure for perpetuating thofe taxes, which the Parliament of Ireland had only voted from year to year, and in la manner thus precipitate. The Hon. Member expreired Come apprehenfion of injury to the dil -1 tilleries of Ireland, which we could not didinaly collea, but in which we under loud him to fay, the propofition of the Right Honourable Gentle man would do away, on that ground, almott the ' only advantage which Ireland would derive in her commerce with this country, under the articles of ' Union. Mr. Coaev reminded the Honourable Member of his former declaration, that no alteration what- , ever was in:ended on that fubjell, under the pre fent Reinlotions, nor would any ever be made on a bufincfs of Cu much importance, without due I notice. Mr. Vacxuaw fupported the explanation of Mr. Corry, and deprecated delay in proceeding on the bulinefs, when it was confidered thefe taxes mull expire on the 2sth of March, and if not re enafted befi're then, the revenue of Ireland mull 1411 to the ground. Mr. LEIGH faid, the Right Hon. Gentleman, in his &It Speech, had courted enquiry, and pro. yoked obfervation, and that, for his part, many of his Conllituents had confiderable alarms on this fuhjea. Co:one' BACWFLL entreated that the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Corry) would not perfilt in put/l ing the bulinefs thus prezipitately through the Houle, without giving time to Gentlemen from Ireland to invettigate the papers on the table, for AL leall a day or two. There were many of thofe taxes which he now pmpofed to make permanent, extremely* obnoxious and oppieflive in their na ture, and filch as were avowed to be merely war taxes, to he abandoned immediately on the Tao. ration of peace : fuch was the Window Tax.— There were others again, which flood much in need of amendment: filch were the Tanners' Tax, and the Salt Tax. Ag4infl the former of thole two, there was the loudett, and, in his mind, the moil but complaints in Ireland. The tax on Hide Leatii.:r in England was bat id. per lb. whereas by a mod.fscation in the ce:lieainn, it amounted Ed Irelisad to two-peace halfpenny per potted. The 13iitifli Tanner expnrting to Ireland, Lad a dra back r,i une penny per pound, which was laid again, upon importation in Ireland. By dn. means, the Biitiflt Tanacr was let into the Trill: market upon only a tax of one penny per pound, whereas the native manufaCturer laboured tu.der an impolt of two-pence halfpenny; by which mean; he was underbid in his own market, and that in the very hides exported raw to England and re turned in a manufa&ured Rate. There were form of the many circumliances which called for (I.:libe ration, and the delay of a few days. Mr. CORRY, howev . cr &litmus he might be lc, accommodate the %%Mt of his Hon. Friend, Mr. Bagwell, could not fee the nectflity for delay, af ter the long and repeated notices he had given of bringiug forward this meafure. He repeated his former affertion, that there was nothing new in iliac duties ; that they had already been approved, and voted year after year by the frith Parliament; and that they were pledged to the public creditor, as the land for difcharging the intereft of public loans. His Hnn. Friend might fee by the papers on the table, that the produce of the revenues in Ireland for the lull year, was 3,320,0001. that the public charges for the year, including the Civil Lift, was 2,5 . 81,0001. and that the furplus would go as part of the fund for the fervices'of the per. fent year ; that the Military and Ordnance fervices of Ireland were now a joint expence, and that the taxes mull, in effed, be as permanent as the debt, for the interell whereof they were pledged. With refpeet to the affertion of his Hon. Friend, that the Window Tax in Ireland was propofcd as mere war tax, to ceafe at the peace, he utterly de nied that any fuck llatement had ever been made by him. He knew, indeed, that fuch, a remour was induflrioufly propagated by a defeription of men, with whom, he was very well convinced, his ' Hon. Friend could never hold intercourfe. • Thole were the Jacobins of Ireland—men, who . in tbci: views of revolution, had taken every pains to em barrafs the Government, by endeavouring to ren. der the public taxes unprodudive, and damp the eirculatipn of the Bank Paper of Ireland. Theft men, indeed, falfely alert the Window Tax to be a war tax ; but it was a tax adopted to pay the interea of the greateft loan ever raiLd for the fa vice of Ireland. There was, indeed, a war regu lation adopted to render its produce the more ef. fedual; for many of thofe perfons who wilbed to render it unprodu9ive, in many parts of thtking. dom had Ropt up the greater part of their win dows the very Ern year: to counterad which,and t - ) throw a fair portion of the public burthens on theythoulders of thole men, a claufe was added to the Bill in the following SefEon, rendering all windows liable to the tax which were chargeable in the firfl inflance, although (lopped up. This was the war regulation, which ceafed with the warp and every man was now at liberty to flop up as many windows as he chofe, and thereby avail himfelf, by privation, to lam bfs portion of the tax. Mr. tamest-I. exprefred his thanks for this ex. planation upon a point which he did not before underhand. _ _ Mr. Lsio II clearly recolleded the circumflance; and underftood it as Rated by Mr. Corry. Mr. CORRY Rated, that he did not mean to in. elude the Malt Tax among the permanent ones, but to make it the fubjed of a feparate Bill, an.l to continue it annually as in this country. Mr. BAGWELL again wifhed for a few days de lay for confidering the fubjed, and faid that the objedion was not to much to the taxes themfelves, as to the mode of colleting them. The Leather Tax, for inflance, intlead of being colleted as it ufed to be, at td. the pound, was now colleted at aid. the cubic foot, upon the contents of the I tan-pits, which hail the tired of making the 'duty 24d. per pound. His only objet was to prevent difcontents and murmurings In the country, where they were already but too prevalent. Mr. LaroucHE (Member for Dublin) obferved, that although the Right Hon. Gentleman attri buted the murmurs againil the window-tax, mere ly w a let people, whom he called Irifit Jacobins, he believed that he himfelf had the honour to re prefent a city not lei's eminent for its loyalty, than any other other in his Majefly's Dominions, and by his Conftituents he was inftruded to oppofe that tax, which they confidered as extremely oppref' five. He too wilhed foie few days delay, Mr. Costar difclaimed every idea of throwing even the molt dillant imputation of ilifloyalti, nylon that refpedable city, for whofe interelt and ac commodation be fhould always entertain the high eft deference ; and could allure the Hon. Member. that if any mode was preferable to another for the ! accommodation of himfelf and his fr;ends on this occalion, he walled it to be adopted; at the fame time that he deprecated delay, after having al. i ready deferred the bufinefs fo long for the cowl aience of Gentlemen, who did not much earlier appear in their places. As to the Window Tax, he could readily conceive it to be like all other taxes —obnoxious. However, before he could abandon one, in his mind Co eligible, his Hon. Friend mutt fliggelt Cane other lefs objedionablit. With re fix& to the modification adopted in colleting the Tanners' Duty in Ireland, by a tax on the tan pits, intlead of by the pound weight of leather, it was a modus adopted after the fulleft coafultatios with the Tanners of Dublin, to which confultation the fair trader in every part of the kingdom W3' invited. It was adopted as an alternative to ref cue the fair trader in the metropolis, and all great towns, from the grofs injury they fullained Through the illicit pradices of the nbfcpre tanner in remote parts of the country ; who, aided by the eollufloa of fraudulent Revenue Officers, were enabled Dot only to defraud the revenue, by almoft wholly eluding the tax, but were enabled to beat the fair trader out of the market by underfelling him. The new regulation, at full extremely obnoxious to the fair Tanners, as Coon as it was undertiood, tad their warmeß approbation ; it had the effea of liberating them from the vexatious vilits of thc Excite Officer, and his extortions for attending cc let them tell under his infpedion their own manti fetures. ilia it brought the fraudulent Tarim! (tidy forward to the tat, and placed him on the (ante footing with the fair trader; and it produced