The National Register. — London, England, 1816-04-08 00:00:00

:0 itt tTT. Our Eitaa, Centitution atxli Aatuci. MONDAY, APRIL 8, 1816. glory of the British empire have attained the limits of earthly greatness. History,. that has recorded the course et so many nations from infancy to maturity, from weak ness to strength, has never graced her annals with so noble a theme, as the progress of our country to her present elevation. The wars of Rome and of Carthage shook the world, but did not change its fate. The con queror, whoever he might be, only held forth chains to mankind, and .he triumph of the Roman Eagle was the slavery of nations. Far above is the glory of England, and far above her power. F 7 he has conquered, and the world is free. Where her : ant has not smitten, her ex ample bas fired. But if i.e resign that power which has been found unconquerable,—if she suffer the spirit of life to depart from her councils, and niggerdly econo my to palsy all her faeultie:,—then may her Ministers he justly arraigned, and in the downfall of its guardian, the world may anticipate the revival of despotism. IMPERIAL . PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, MONDAY, APRIL 1. The Marquis of Bath preseutcd a Petition from the Wiltshire Agricultural Society, complakting of the Distressed State of I Agriculture, and praying relief. TUESDAY. APRIL 2. The Doke of Sussex presented a Petition from the Ward of Cripplegate Without, against the Stauding Army, and the enor mous Public Espenditure. The Earl of LAL ncRnaLP said, that Government must be aware that sonic speedy relief oust be given to the Agriculture of Scotland; for they must know that a defied in the Revenue, arising from that part of the cuuntry, amounting, he believed, to 97,0001. had taken place in the months of Dee. and Jan. Lord HOLLANn,in presenting a Petition from the Freeholders of Middlesex. agaiust the S:andme Army, congratulated the House on the increase of knowledge in the country displayed in this Petition. He also presented a Petition from Norfolk en the same subject; and also praying for relief to the Agri• cultural Interest. It was by the voice of the people that the Income-tax had been got rid of-, and it' they would only come forward in the &sale manner, they would also get rid of the enormous and useless Establislinvnts. Let theme not listen to what would he said by persons balding offices-ander Govern ment, that these Estaislislinseede . ere absolutely necessary. Let them persist in calling for ttgdiiction, and Government wonld soon begin to retrench. &ft believed Government had now reduced the Military Establistmeut 250,0001. in compli ance with the voice of the country. This was but little; but if the people of England called on Parliament for further re duction, Ministers would be oblteed to retrench still further their lavish expenditure of the public money.—The Petitions were then read. Lord Roeti wished the higher orders, who had been relieved from the Income-tax, to conic forward with a vulumitary sub scription to the amount of that which they would have paid to this tax, fur the relief of time haver orders. He also hoped, that the people would not be further burtheued on the Assessed taxes. STATE OF IRELAND. The Martinis of &CBI/WHAM rose to move for a Committee i to enquire into the State of Ireland. In doing so be felt cm , harrassed, because the picture was so large a one, that he hardly knew in what point of view to place it before their Lordships. 'Die grievances he complained of were those of the whole of Ireland—the rich impoverished, and the lower orders enslaved. if called on for documentary evidence, it would consist of immense mania from the history of Ireland, spewing Governments radically bed ; which, by attempting to govern by dk ision, had only united the whole population against themselves. His object, however, was not to enquire into the origin of this system, bit what the means were of cor recting the evil. To look to tit& past only for instruction, and to bid the people of Ireland la* to the future with Lope; to govern with mildness and conciliation. Be might, without stating any reason fur his motion, call on Ministers to show the House the present state of Ireland. But Ministers had ad mitted the existence of the evibi, when they called on Parlia ment fur so large a standing force in Ireland, and for the power of suspending the laws iu that country. The House was called on teeshew that there were ether means of protecting Ireland than by ruling her like a cenquered cousitsv, by placing over her a military garrison in time of peace. It was impossible to look into the state of Ireland without looking also at the pre scut state of the Catholic Question, and which was their duty to remedy. He would restore the Catholics to every office of trust, profit, or rank ; except that be would not Mew a Ca tholic Chancellor to be the keeper of a Protestant King ; that there shouhtbe no Catholic fellows of Colleges; nor would he be for allowing Catholics to stipem intend the education of Pro testant youth; but he would encourage the education of Ca tholic youth, that they might nut be forced to seek protection in other 4'lllllllNieS. The King too should have a controul over the nomination of Catholic Bishops. With these guards, and Win* others which alight be penned omit, the renwmly would be safe and easy of application. The es ii of •i - thes arose flow the mode of go , eiumg Ireland ; it was taken off the great lavillodder, and put un the poor peasant. The riches of Ire land tin merly consisted in pavan: lands, and consequently a t, the was put on cattle, until a ClattlLlllr was 'allied by the English patty in time country, winch was most powcrtnl. When that tithe was taken off the Protestant latolhoider, the Catholic peasant repined to pay a ty the to s44! , port a chard% winch in imposition to the religion he proiessed. 'I he einployouret of l'roctors was a.source of many woes to Iceland. The _rfrA `0 rie.Ty No. 431.-a—VoL. I X. POL TIC.I L DI SQUISITION. REVIVAL OF PUMIC ECONOMY. Wl. have reveral times intimated, that, considering the Properiy Tax in a financial point of view, we thought it might be so toodified, as to be rendered a productive stiurce of public revenue, and to reach only" the higher or ders of society. On that ground we should have felt dis posed to recommend its adoption, had not the faith of Go verutnent been pledged to suffer it to expire at the return of peace, anti had not the voice of the country, instead of giving up that pledge, imperiously called for its re demption. Financial advantage, we conceived, ought to be saeriliced to public faith. The one, even setting aside the morality of the Case, was but a temporary good: the other, a rooted rock, on which states and administrations might stand unshaken by the storms of revolutions and of ages. We abstained, therefore, from supporting the tax, and saw the triumph of the country with joy. Had we been aware, however, of all the beneficial consequences which result from the loss of that impost, our neutrality towards it would have been changed into hostility the most open, and the most active. These consequences are now daily unfolding themselves. The principle of eco nomy is not only recognised, but carried into effect with vigour and sincerity. Instead of creating new burthens to till up the clam left in their financial system, Minis ters seek fear resources where they ought, in wholesome retrenchment. With a degree of self-command which dots them honour, they introduce the pruning knife into. their own measures, and lop off every branch of expendi ture which may be spared, without impairing the strength anti the greatness of the State. They abandon their in tention of calling upon Parliament to defray the excess of the Civil List. They frame bills for the suppression of those offices which a Committee of Inquiry pronounced useless a year or two ago, but which were suffered to exist as long as there was a superabundance of revenue to sup port them. They court advice on every point in which reductions may be proposed, and whatever surplus of expenditure may still remain to provide for, they intend to do it without pressing on the people either f,r the principal or the interest. These are certainly important advantages. It may be said, that they have been wrenched from the hand of power, and that they are due to the spirit of the nation, and not to the wisdom or economical disposition of its Ministers. This may be true to a considerable extent ; but when it is considered, that although defeated in the attempt to renew the Pro perty Tax, they might (and indeed the Opposition expect ed they would) have shifted their ground, and so framed a new series of duties, or so modified the reduction of those in force, as to divide and foil opposition, whilst they in sured an undiminished revenue, some credit may be given to the uprightness of their intentions, and some praises bestowed on the mode of conduct which they have adopted. It is natural that men, who have lung wielded the vast resources of a country, exerting all her means in a contest in which triumph was the liberation of the world, and defeat national annihilation—it is na tural that such men, accustomed to an administration so enlarged beyond all natural proportions, should at the hour of peace, be still extravagant and yet sincere in their notions of economy. It does not always happen, however, that they should attend to remonstrance, or welcome instruction. It is more likely that, creatures of prosperity, and inured to power, they should feel in dignant at a repulse, and should endeavour to obtain by art anti intrigue an equivalent fin- what they have lost in open enterprise. This system has been disdained by Ministers. They have been sufficiently great to consi der that they must be wrong when the voice of the country opposed them. They have been sufficiently unprejudiced as to seek out their own error, and suffi ciently honest, to set about repairing it themselves. To deny their claim to respect would, therefore, be a wilful abnegation of justice. The trust placed in their hands is awful. It is under the influence of their coun cils and the exertion of their energy, that the power and ationai ..::,.+i PRIX! 9 1 ii. blame lay iii that system of division which rendered the pay. ment of tsthes in Ireland. From the evils 'tieing by the em ployment of Tythe Proctors, the interests of the Church mad its character was injured in the opinions of the people. The, remedy was easy in his opinion, by levy ing a rate in proportio ■ to the rent on the lands, in lien of tithe s, which ought only to be paid by the rich landholder. Another grievance was, flat power titan to the Grand Juries in Ireland on the presentment of roads, which 11 as often made a private job. Any one might swear that a road wanted repairs, and then the Grand Jon y had the power of ordering it to be repaired, the expence being, paid by a late ou the Barony ; and that money frequently went to pay a tenant's rent. Another evil was, the appointment of Hilt sheriffs in Ireland being vested in the Crown ; and these offices were under the sole controul of the Crown. Another evil too arose frnn the appointment of magistrates in Ireland; tor, owing to the pressure and inquietude of the time', the office of a magistrate had become very laborious, and, consequently, ninny cot into the magistracy who did not deserve to be there. The last point, but by no meanethe least, was the financial state et' Ireland. From time to time the revenue of Ireland had sunk below the charge due to the public creditor. He entered into a variety or nntantrieal ittatements to prove this. In 1791. 4.9 millions of yards of linen were imported from Ireland Whiffing. land ; and in ISIO, only to millions were so Imported. Add to all this the increase of illicit distillation, and the picture was one of national bankruptcy. He trusted the House would be of opinion that he bed stated enough to lay a parliamentary ground of enquiry. They were now charged with the protection of a eouutry meant as a blessing to us in peace, and a source of as sistance in war. 1 k neglecting it we might emit those blessings far from us.—Our future rule in Ireland would consist of tim - e. miffing exertions to keep down her generous population, if en quiry were not made as to the hest means of soothing and con ciliating that country. He concluded by moving, that a Corn mitten be appointed, to enquire isle the state of Ireland. The Earl of Lie Fit POOL contended, that no practical good could result from sending this question to a select Committee. No case had been made out which called for enquiry; and, even if it were referred to a select Committee, it would be next to impossible to settle the mode of proceeding. He was ready to admit, that the r; stern of Government for Ireland, for many years, was radically wrong ; for it went on the principle of ad. crificing the interests of Ireland to the supposed interests of Great Britain. But, during the present reign, that system had been totally changed into a system of conciliation; and he re. membeie,l a noble Baron, in another place, had stated, there was not a Session but what some boon was grouted to Ireland by this country. He was tar, however, from wishing to be un derstood as meaning to say, that because much had been done. more, if possible, should not be done for that country. He so lemnly declared, that he, and those with whom be acted, had invariably laboured to throw every fair advantage into the scale of Ireland. Whatever evils might formerly have existed in Ireland, no country in Europe had made such improvement ift power, prosperity, and wealth, during the last SO years. The agriculture of I reland bad quadrepled during that period, while its trade had doubled since the Union with this country. 'rho prisaipal evils seder which Ireland laboured acre to be traced to the lawless and dissolute manner. of many of the lower ordeals of the people; and arose from uo religious feelings whatever. Catholics as well as Protestants were the objects of these tu mults And illegal proceedings. These were ouly to be corrected by extending the benefits ofeetucation. He read a horrible pic ture of the state of the lower orders in Scotland in IGott, whea there were 200,000 beggars in that country, living without re gard to the laws of God or man. How was it that the lower orders of the people of Scotland werenow so tranquil and obe. client to the laws? It was Out from the excellence of the consti. • tutiou of that country ; it was faun the general extension of eda catiois among all chases in Scotland. The Catholic thiestior was, in his opinion, a simple question; and if it should be ci ceded nt all, shonld be dune without qualification, except, a had beeu already stated, to the Catholics themselves. The Bp, tem of tsthes might become a question of fair commutation; but he could assure the House that every attention had bee ) paid to this subject by Government, but they had found no pine which was not liable to more blame than even the tythe eystee:t itself. On this point, unless some plan were laid down beforer hand, he would object to the going into the Committee. As to the question of Grand Jury presentments, be understood a BPI was now prepared to amend that part of the laws. The appeind. meet of magistrates could not be better than in the heeds of th Crown. As to the finances of Ireland, it was intended, after the recess, to bring forward a measure for the consolidation e f the finance, of Gnat Britain and Ireland. The greatest of Ireland were to be ascribed (next to the want of education . ) to the want of a resident Gentry ; a circumstance which might be lamented, but could wit be remedied. He felt It.. strongly as the Noble Marquis to be the duty olGoverament to use every means to make !rebind a source of strength, and not of weak nom to this country. But each of those topics, which the Neve Marquis had Minded to, might be separately brought belle a Parlsameet, without referting them to a Committee. The Earl ofitossi.ord said, that the Ndible Earl opposite would have f o und that the distresses of Scotland in 1111/1J arose from* trronnical Gov., ement endeavoaring to force than to a religidia which they in their consciences abhorred. Had ' the history or these times, he would have also fir evils were relieved by giving them the ebgiou ' mealy believed in, and she pastors in whom they Similar were the evils, and similar ought to be Were in Ireland. The Earl of STANHOPE considered the question ing the concession of the Veto f rom the Catliolica snit to injury. For his part, he had an excellent lieving the people futon the burden of tythea, ins the Church, which he had learned from a shrew' the late Mr. Dutolaiii, and that was, to leave the own poverty.--( .4 Naga! ) The Earl kits RDE erd opposed, and the Earl supported the motion. I. .! it r isestietr contended, that there never had been an effort t. Leg lac i. , :t•ple of Ireland into snivolot. to the hevie ; lad he eun.idta4 found that tliJoi - V 0 7 r71?\ 3 they eun , eie s ti y had con fi de 1/Iv. le the remedy 5.1 _..-- .7 ... .c ) 'lion of dema r --. - -7. -- Ito as adding . Ileiit plan for *. .- and tit seeur ' ' i.•.‘id Scotch+ , „„ ' ... 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