The National Register. — London, England, 1808-06-13 00:00:00

JUNE is; E ez KEIL put the question, that the Bill should then p1%3 ; w hen M. n rr Am made a very long and eloquent speech, wherein he contracted the different provisions of his Bill with those of L a rd e a stlereagh's Bill, and maintained, that the new system was a complication of absurdity, and inefficient in its operation. Sia Ftwicts unrrr cousidered the Bill oppressive and harassing to the public, and incapable of producing any benefi cial effect. The Bill ought to be called a Bill of pains and pe nalties ; it enacted eleven new penalties, besides subjecting the people to imprisonment and transportation. When the House considered this to be a measure to secure the country against the Inflective of the Emperor of France, with a population of two hmelred and forts millions, a force double the population of the British Islands, the measure must appear inadequate. The v an . o f th e country required some Meat: F. of orgaiiiting the po puha ion, to give it a chance of defeating the danger that threat reed. It could not be safe to trust to a standing army, because such means of defence had failed in other countries. He did not Isnot% to what cause the lateaeinque-ts of France over the world were attributable; or the conquests of the Romans of old. unless they were owing to 10-s of public liberty ; and he eonetuted, t h at t h e a e sp a tlo a which prevailed in conquered countries, previous to sulking:oton, occasioned them to be easily -overcome. From these reflections it was obvious to him that we ought not to depend on military force. When he .13w tav-gatherers swarming through the land, and the pre sent Bill formed to make the people liable to further com pulsion, he was alarmed for the consequence. lie would put it to the House, whether any people could he placed in a sttuntion more oppressive and degrading than by this Bill, which placed a man in a situation where he could be flogged. This execrable mode of punishment, according to the best authorities, was incompatible with good discipline, and in the French armies it was nit known. It appeared by a recent pub• heation, that several French soldiers, for an offence, were ordered, as a punishment, to attend on parade with sticks in stead of swords. They were young men, and this punishment was re-ortcd to in order that they might he induced to wipe oil their dicerace. If they had been old men. they would have been dismissed the service. lie was sorry that he was compelled to make degrading comparisons with a foreign military go vernment, bet he was forced into such observations by the provisions of he Bill. By Ilse influence of this Bill, the poor emeervnten might he compelled to enter into the army, or the volunteers; hut his great objection to it was, that it would be ine:licient and uncoustiatiiiinal. To take men from the cottage end their families, to render them subject to flogging and pu nishment, was so cli4eusting in his it!..et, that he could not find terms to express his detestation. From the number of Officers, Clerks, Ike. to be employed in the operation of the Bill, he had great hope that it vi mild prove impracticable. One clause al-o appeared so ridiculous, that it was evident the Rill could not pas x i!itout some alteration. The clause which related to tines, enacted that persons should pee a tine not exceeding twenty shilliegs, or less than live pounds. With all the dread ful consequences to be apprehended from the measure, it was some comolatiou to the people of England to know that the draught was administered by those is Ito had administered simi lar remedies in Ireland--it came from the same chalice. The Noble Lord called the severities exercised in Ireland an un happy system of cohersion, The Noble Lord supposes that a delicate subject required a delicate name, amid the present Bill was softly termed ass strut of reeruitiog ; hut it was his duty to warn the people of the danger they stood in, and to tell the Noble Lord to keep his delicate hand oil the people of England. Tsu SErterr •nr AT Waft expressed a hope that the worthy Baronet would leave the people of England to judge for them selves. It was a fart acknow lolged, that armies under military discipline had gained great honour and victory, and the military punishments Inflicted in England were neither unjust nor impo lite., gone would believe that time punishment of French sol diets, as described ac the worthy- Baronet. vies confined to wear ing a stick. The Emperor of France was too well known, and t h''''ilAille'was more severe in the French army than in apy part Qf Europe. The question wits then called for, and the House divided on the qnesticiat that the Bill do piPs, the lumbers were—Ayes 14' —ljues VfieeAlajority 7S--e-The lall accordingly passed. The third readitic of the Distillery Bill was fixed for Monday. The other order., u 14, day y,fif Item ?avowed, uud the liouse .Niol•••.•1111•.-_ THE NATIONAL REGISTER. 375 STATE PAPER. TREATY OF ALLIANCE AND SUBSIDY, ' BETWEEN HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE UNITED KING DOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, AND HIS MA JESTY ThE KING OF THE Two sicwss, SIGNED AT rA• 4 LERMO, ON THE 30TH OF MARCH, lsOB. His Majesty the King of the United Kinsdom of Great Br' tain and Ireland, and his Majesty the King of the Two Skil ice, heiog equally animated by a sincere desire of strengthening more and more the ties of friendship and good understanding which so hap pily subsist between them, have judged that nothing could cots tribute more efficaciously to that salutary end, than the omega sion of a treaty of alliance and subsidy :—For this purpinqs their said Majesties have named their respective Plruipotewiarics, viz. his Britannic Majesty, the Right lion. William Drieseiond, one of his Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, :aid his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of his said Sicilian Majesty ;—and his Majesty the King of the Two Sicilies, the Right Illustrious and Right Excellent Thomas de Somme, Marquis of Circello, his Gentleman of Cie Chamber, Field-Marshal of his Armies, knight of his Royal Order of St. Januarius, his Councillor of State, Secretary of State for the De partment of Foreign Affairs, and Superiutendant General of the Posts; who, after having communicated their respective full powers, have agreed upon the following Articles : Article I. There shall be a continuance of the sincere and con stant friendship between his Brim:lie Majesty and his Majesty the King of the Two Sicilies, their heirs and successors, tibias has always subsisted up to the present time. Art. I I. The two high Contracting Parties shall aford to each other, during the present war with France, every succour and assistance, in proportion to their respective forces, and shall prevent, by common consent, every thing that can cause them trouble or detriment. Ilis Majesty the King of the Two Sicilies engages to grant to the troops of .his Britannic Majesty, stationed in . the . fortresses of Sicily and to all British ships of war, an exemption from all duties belonging to him, upon every thing of w ilta British squadrons in the. Mediterranean, mid the troops of that nation may stand in need, and which the country can furnish, if; ,provisions, fond, and In military and naval stores. Art. IV, His Sicilian Majesty, being desirous of givine an ad s ditional proof of the sentiments by which he is anianrisl, .engages to exempt from all duties belonging to him upon such provisions as may be requisite for the British ships of aaeak Malta, as well as all military stores which are to be fetualln the country, on condition, however, that each vessel or sessela. of war be furnished with a requisition from the Governor of the: said island, which shall specify the articlos, and the quantity rti quired. Art. V. His Sicilian Majesty further engages, in virtue of the present Treaty, never to allow the enemies of Great Britain ID bring into any of his ports during the present war, any British ships taken by the enemies of Great Britaiu., Art. VI. His Sicilian Majesty also epgages re open the ports of the Two Sicilies, during the present war, to British squad rons, as well as to all merekant and other ships belonging to British subjects, without any restriction whatever, referring to the Third Article. with respect to exemption from duties. Art. VII. his Britannic Majesty engages in return, to de fend, during the present war, the fortresses of Messitta and Au gusta, and to maintain there for that purpose, at his charge and expenee, a body of troops, which, in the present war, shall roils sist of ten thousand men, and to augment their nowise!, if the case shall require it. The disposition of which troops in tho said fortresses, shall he in sush manner and proportion as the Commanding Officer (to whom every requisite facility shall be given,) shell judge expedient : and his Britannic Majesty stipu, lates, that the said General Officers shall have the potter of exercising martial law in the above-mentioned garrisons, with respect to their British troops, in the same manner, and accord , mg to the same rules, as are observed in other Ees:iish gars Hums. Quarters for the said trovs shall be provided in the above-mentioned fortressek by his Sicilian Majesty. Art. VIII. His Britannic Majesty flatter rugages to 111 V to his Sicilian Majesty, 'luring the continuance of the present war, an annual subsidy of three hundred thousand pounds sterling, (to commence from the 10th of September, Ibtrt, when the British and Rinsing troops landed is the Neapolitan tertitor:„) payable at the rate of t weet% e thousaud pou nds sterliw per !tooth ; which paymeot *;!i.dl :LH a‘s he made one m .nsh m ssts.nsc, ftlgillttli (twit 04ç Gate ui thp silgature p;-,:.seNt ti , .1P _ .~ ,~4r ,~ '~ u a ~