The National Register. — London, England, 1816-03-10 00:00:00

MATWIT rn 'it IL ti C( II 5. Petitioner were presented from Eao Town, Ross, Kirkeuil. bright, Chippeilliam, I lorshain, 1 .IIfIiOVV, hingstonmpon-Thaines, Dartmouth, Lyining toil, Annandale, Southampton, Great Grimsby, Dim. Cambridge, and Deal, against any renewal of the Property Tax iindor any nioditientions what e v er . Mr. Wm. Dauilas presented one from Edinburgh against the Propurty Tim. Five others were presented from Edinburgh and its vicinity. Mr. S. Thornton presented ono from Clapham. Sir rl. !lope presented ono from Linlithgow, and stated that the nonortation of butter and cheese should be Mr a time sus pended. Mr. PoNsounv wished to know if the Noble Lord opposite considered this Petition as coining from some of those whom the Noble Lord called clamourers against the Tax. Did he soli eontinac to think there was only a partial opposition to this Tax, excited by . those who sat on his (Mr. P .' s) side of the Douse tie (Mr. P. ) !flitew ofno attempts which hail been Made to excite clamour against thy TAX ; but this he knew, that the ailiecilOti to the Tax was so general, as no endeavonr of any set of mon, whatever might has e been their situation, coo id Lase eNcio.d. It was the real voice of the people from one end of the country to the other, a voice to which he wished the N o w t . Lord would attend, . . Lord C.NTLHKE.tGit did not consider the thus discussing the subject partially as a fair or convenient mode if discussing the Property Tax, though he did not consider it as likely to excite clamour against it. And he had said, that those who were the first to agitate this measure, and who me it from 6.1 to im h er coo, when they were in power, were the last who slionld argue against the principle of the Tax. He last bight con ceded to Gentlemen opposite, that this was a different measure when considered in time of peace to what it was in time of war, and Gentle= n seemed sorprized at the concession. He would now concede something atm e.—He should now argue it still as a War Tax—( Ueer, hear.)—He should argue the necessity for its continuance whilst we were yet under the influence of the , late content. He had used the word daimon., and he would now repeat it, and upon these grounds; namely, that thus en deavouring to raise debate upon every Petition, before the me rits of the question could be gone into, was rather to clamour down than to argue down the Tax. . . - - Honrsun contended, that the Property Tax and the Establishim nts were so closely connected, that it was impossible to discuss one s about the other. Mr.l WAS sorry to lee the Noble Lord so sore as he appeared to be on the subject. The Noble Lord had the talent of blowing hot and cold—peace and war—in the saw., breath. 11Int the Noble Lord should has e known his omit 11111111 and de cided, whether he would has it it war or peace betere he put the Declaration of Peace. into the Prince Regent's Speech. Rut at that time it would appear the Noble Lord wanted a Speech and an Address, and therefore he would have Peace ; he had got his Speech and Address., and Peace had dune its duty: but now the Noble Lord wanted the Property Tax, and to get it the Noble Lord would have it War. -(lLne, hear.) — The Noble Lord said, there was only a factions opposition to this measure. lie (Mr. T.) w as really now, without a single word being said on the subj..et, to take the sense of the House, man by coin, Witte Noble Lord es cold sutler it to be takeu fairly upon the measlier. Mr. N's issivra nT Would take this opportunity of stating some of the modifications Inuit r which he intended to propose a rontinnation of the Tax.—He had, on a termer night, stated his intention to propose reducing the Tit% to five per cent.; and further, to repeal one million of that part of it which pressed sin the agriculturists. On consultation -.1 WI those best in tormed on the subject, it appeared to him that the best mode to be adopted would be, to make the greatest part of this re duction Schedule B. the Tenant's Tax. This part of the' Tax had heretofore been imposed in the proportion of three-fourths of tl:e rent. He should propose, on this head, that in thture it Flllllal.l 14 . taken at the third of the. value of the land. Thus u farm paying OUOI. a year reut, would be assessed at otial. and at the rate of five per cent. amounting to a charge of and lie should o propose, that even this reduced scale shonid not be brought low”r than to farms of Sal. a year. The Right Hun. Gentleman stated, that in respect to incomes of MI per nun. the relief which would be awaited was intended to be very considerable. nil possessing income below that sour would, according to - the ste.cuient Ire bud before made, be exempt from the operation of the Tax. It had been said, that in the remoter puts of the country, the agricultural and trading part of the community were incompetent to pay any of the Tas, however :modified it might be. This was a subject for the con. arderatiem of the Committee; and he propose, in the de tails which he should give iu the Cenniii , tce, that a distant pe riod be Iris en them fur making their pay incots. There would be sonic other points of relief for the agricultural part, which he would also state. On the subject of the trading part, there was no mode of assessing traders, without requiring them to matt' returns of their income. This mode had formed u pow cipal gromid of objection raised by the opposers of the Tag, und ou which much misrepre•enmtion had gone abroad, as to the le sv Mg of tin' Tax, and the hardship collo' ed by' traders, He bad formerly said that it would fall On them equally, but to this it was retiorted, that it fell on the poor, and Het on the rich, The fact was, that by fetal us le, it appeared that not more than one-fourth of the very low description of traders were charged with the 'lex. But, however, the subject would be more properly discussed in the Co 11111 l Mee, and if any plan could he devised, or any new mode of le vying the tax on trade be proposed, he should be happy to lend an car to it, and if feasible, to carry it into effect. Mr. !Snot. on 4.M thought the modifientioos, however, wire of so insidious a nature in respect to trade, that he trusted no rooms y gentleman would agree to the tax; ter, in his opinion, it was a moat dishonest mode to relieve one part of the commit. nity at the expenee of the other. lie th , ri obsersed that tour years ago the diseussious on the Or ders iu Council lasted near a month, and convinced the Petitioners that their Petitions were attended to. It had the etiret of alloyiug the ferineut in the public wind, and produced a sneeusstill opposition to the measure then in question. Much hail been said by the Right Hon Gentle/nail about the modifications ; he warned the coun try against being dccclved by a semblance of modifications. Nio doubt, as hue had said, he was glad to take the 'Fax on any terms, but he trusted the Right Ilan. Gentleman would be driven from mod,featien to modification, until at length he wou!d be obliged to ;we it up, The Tort„ it' now agreed to, was too large---too tempting a bait—for Ministers es er to Fire sip. The time to oppuse it snecesslidly was now, or the oppor theity was log, and therefore he called upon the House and thu country to make a stand. CIIIKGES AGIINi'r LORI) ELLENBOROUGII. Lord CortinAM►: rose to bring forward his Motion on the ci as u e co , iiiitet of Lord Illonborough in the trial of 1)' gerenael. The Noble Lord e‘prisseil the state of his feel lags to tia;o:t.t to ha trial; the intaulows sentence pained spun trtr, NATI6NAT. REGISTER. him; his expulsion from this liOUrte, and bis being deprived of the Order of the Bath —all pressed so heavily on bis recollec tion, that they s•otnpletcty overpowered him.—[The Arable Lord was hn•r much afrcote:l]-.He should, he observed, merely propose to lay the Charges against laird Ellenlsorotigh on the table : As sm ing the House, that lie should be able to prove, that he nei ther directly or indirectly had moy s'• ire in the Conspiracy. Indeed a proceeding was now gOitle, on, %%lila he hoped would establish his innocence. lie proposed to lay the Charges which he held in his hand on the table ; reserving to himself a fnture day for submitting a Motion on them. The SPEA K Lg. --If the Noble laird has articles of charge against any person, he will deliver those charges in at the table. It is his right so to do, and is not the subject of a motion. The Noble Lord then brought up the Charges, and delivered them into the Clerk's hand. The Clerk was proceeding to read ; but the Noble Lord observed it would save the time of House if they were Out read at present, but merely laid on the table. The Sraaattn.—The House will not do its duty unless it bears every word of the Noble Lord's Charges. The Clerk will proceed to rend them. LOrd COCIIRANE.--Tu the case. of Sir Elijah Impey the Charges were merely laid on the table without being read. The SPEattEß.—The House will not (Ate step in the hnsiness, nor for an instant hsten to the rubject, without tlrst hearing the contents of these Charges.—( Hear, heir.) The Clerk then read the charges, which mere of much lenth, and consisted of 13, Substantially charging Lord Ellenhorough with pm:coding at mid. night with his trial. agates: the repres4ntatiun of his Counsel (Mr. Fr.T. jeunt Bent), who stattd hit in:apt...4 to proceed, at that late hour, a ich justice to his clients, having heed engaged for 14 hours; heariLg a Fart of the evidence that night, anti adjourning the Court for un artificial reason : hasterintt on the defence fur the tame mean; that in so doing he had been guilty of impartiality, injustice, and orprevlion. . . '1 he 2d charge inculpinvei him with confounding the CIISCi of the de. fentlant , 4 Thin charge entered into a comprOwn,ive view of the, stock transactions between the parties, to alitw that Lord t:oclintne, on the morning of the conihracy, was not a stockholder to any amount, suf= lit.ier.t to make him a party in the funds. The 3d charge w•a :that there wai no evidence to trace by whom the draft fouhd on Dc IL:rover, was given. The 4th charge was for asluning that the note found on De fhrenger camc from Lord Coeliriuw, and evading evidence to account for that note. The sLit charge was for injuriously stating to the Jury, that Lord Codirane, in using the name of De Ilerenget, was influenced by an opinion that he Nod quitted the kingdom. The 6th chargot was for unduly and unwarrar.tably insinuating to the Jury, that Lots' Cocbranr's obtaining kat/ of alt•encc, in February, 11;14, wit: for the iturpos.: of drawing their attention from other iiiattcri. The 7th ch , trge was for misrepresenting the confession voluntarily made by Lord l'och7ane. of his being in company with 11.. C. John stone, and oth..rs ii,xplicatcd in the conspiracy, un the Iran:ling of the ist of February. The lath cbarge, way for unwarrantably controverting the statement. on oath, wule by Lord Cochrane, that the name on the note ut tip• Ist of February was written so near the bottom, that he could rut read it. The fith charge was for tit:warrantably stating to the Jury, that the statement made on oath by Lord Cochrane, as to his returning the note ut the Ist of Febrie.ry, yes unworthy of credit. The loth charge was far unw.trrantably treating Lord Cochrane's declaration on oath. that lie had rived a!etter from his brother, Ai i.jor Cochrane, apprising iii:n of the dangerous state of his health. The Ilth charge w:l4, for unjustly representing the evidence. on tho part of 1...1 Cochrafef respeetin,.. • his application that 1)e lltvengtv shoul.l go out as an off;er on board the Tounant. The 12th charge way for injuriously passing over i,onl Cochrane . 4 affidavit rtvpeeting his refusing to take Dc lit renger to America with out the leave of the Admiralty; ford his aflerwards recollxting tl , a; he had seen certificates of He Berenger's services signtsi by Enid Yar mouth, and others in office and also misreprearnor.g the evidence of the lion. A. Itiurray, as to the way Lord Cochrane beciune acquainted with de Iterenger. The 15th charge was for pawing over the solemn declaration of Lord Cochrane on oath that 1w had nut been De Ittrenger in a green coat, butt, and epaulets. lc. 'rhe Set AIiFR wished to know what the course was which the Noble Lord wished to purrme with regard to these elear:. , es Lord Coenn NE proposed that they should be printed, in order that every number might form his opinion on them, which it would he ible to do after once healing them read. lie then moved that the charges should be printed. General M MIEW set muted the motion. 'Cite motion was then ug,reed to, n COO. The SPEAKER then wished to know if the Noble Lord would appoint ally day for taking these charges into consid,lr ation. Loral C'octinANE said. that when the Charges should be printed, and id the bawls of 31enitiers,lic would appoint bOlll4/ day for discussing them.—Adjuurtied at uuc o'clock. WEnsEnDAV, MARCH G. Petitions were presented from the county of Gloucester, 31arslatield in Gloucester, La., cock in ‘Vilts, Plvinont ti, 14 iutou, Nlarlborongli, Bedford, Peterhoromeh, Aston 'Abbott, and va rious other places ag ainst the property tali. 'file Shop-tieing Gill gent through a Committee; in which Sir S. 'Unfitly :dated, that provision Win.; made fur transportioz persons found guilty of stealing privately in a shop under the value of Sir W. Gra nv presented a Petition from Clan:Lam against tlu• property tax. Sir 12. mu: presented a Petition from the tenantry of 3(id-Luthian stgainst the ',mistily tax. The 11..12. Gentleman admitted the dist ; esses of the farmers of that and every attics. !girt of Scotland; notwithstanding which, he considcred it as a good measure., stud should vote tier its continuance. 31r. LAM trvoi presented a Petition from the city of Dur ham; as did Sir R. Fergu,sos from the Burgh of I)vsart. Lord :\ t LNT presented a Petition from the inhabitants of Aylesbury, representing the tax stn property as uneonstitution 4—the I.eeping sip a standing army ay dangerous to the liber ties of the country, and praying for the repeal Of the LIN. The Noble Lord stalest, that the petitioners were toot who would sutler any privations, if needful ; but they felt now, that they wort• taxed for the support of a profuse mautary eAtui.lishmunt s tu_keep up • military taste, sold a system altogether dangerou: to theyrmeiples of the Constitution. _ . . Sir (.. 111.:111ICOTE presented a Petition from the inhabitants of ,cveral districts its the county of Rutland, on the same subject. Sir N. Now. thought the tin, proper!) modified, oti:;ht not to be gi‘rii up. The treat griessuce ono, the manner of mil let-tine the tt; slid he recommended that Government should not b e too r4t.rons in collet-tin; it. blr. Vaascrexter noticed the ohjection4 Liken to the rc nevrrl of the tax, ichielt lie contended, mine I..rraed upon nar row sill coal-Anted %gems arise siatiect. 't he tax was intro. ducal upce tie Wes, originally , of raising ivithin Ilk! year ff sudic;ent for the purposes of war, and as a means of relief to the public in time of peace. By this IneilinA the public were relieve , ' from a burthen of between 'nue and ten millions— [Kr.. lioge here said trqre millions.l—W ell, it might be twelve millions; lie was not exactly prepared to slate the precise sum, bat they were relieved 4oineu heft. to east amount by the ope rations of thi4 tax. Wilma he consideied how large a portion was drawn from the country to stipport the expenditure in 'time of war (upwards of 170 millions), he was far from think. itie our situation, as bottle gentlemen iina*iiwd, hopeless or desperate. Si hat was our present situation e had a lar ger surplus of the Consolidated Fund than in 1:101, when the measures first began to opei ate. It was then calculated at one only;willimi there was now an increase of Y,600,0001.; and the real situation of the ceentry win; improved by 10 millions. This eras Fulikient to destroy the assumption that see at re iu a state of ileeay. Lord MILTON had authority, in reference to the Commis sioners tinder the tax, to say, that some of them would not, is time of peace, collect the tax ; of course the tiovernumns must have to pay the Commissioners. Mr. MAKRi ATT had listened to the various diumssions, and was sat:sf:ed that the property tax englit not to lie continue:l The intermediate spare of time, as it was called, wm. a time in which it could not he born►. the nubblc felt so much pressure , other respects. He thonght the tax ought to be kept 41 4 brie of demarcation between %Nil!' and peace. The elanionr of Th.:. country, as the Noble Lord hod stated it, was nut so, but cries of distress.-- f Hear, hear. Mr. Cam-mut/Jur admitted the tax ought to be a war one; but it w 4.1 necessary to have a limited 0110 time of peace, in order to wind np the expenses. The country would find relief from the plan of the modifications isiMpted by the. Eight Hon. Geutlemaa. Mr. Titomesos was of opinion, and that opinion was sanctioned by pi 11011 A of competent skill, that the money re ipeted might be raised without affecting the fnds, sad the iutet est tar two years might be easily repaid. The Hon. Cent. maintained that the distresses of the country were so great, that lie hail applications (iii consequence of having sent cut, thruteM the means of the Under Secretary of State, a poor %101I1:111 and her two children to Botauy Bay, to her husbaud. who was trausported thither) to send many of the poor fatmees Holderness out ; the poor woman had given. in a letter to a. friend, such a flourishing descriptiou of the place. The for mers of Holderness could get no work, no money nor could poor-rates be collected to give then, relief.-if Ministers would take off the horse and property . tax, much relief would be afforded to the agricultural interest, which was every where suffering alike. Mr. 1..re50 WELLESLEY entered his protest against the tax, after mature deliberation', conceiving it to be most injorions to the azricultural and trading interests. To doing this, be was aware he spas setting up his opinion against blinisten, for w Mon, and especially for one 01r. Polc), be must entertain sentiments of respect and affection. But that Night How. Genit r•ni.m would despise hint if he did not publicly state bin sentiments. The Iluu.c then went into a Committee of Supply, and re sailed the adjourned debate i n the Army Estimates. Mr. S. IV ORTLEY considered our force in the Colonies na too large. With Respect to the force proposed to be kept up in England, he considered that the state of helms(' required a larger three to i.e kept up in this country than we shoal otherwise require, as it was nneertuin how soddenly en ad ditional force might be called for ; nod, therefore, it WAS. ! highly necessary a force should be kept up in this country, ready in case of emergency.—Upon the whole, however, he was (diation, a reduction of 1903 in the guards, and Indu ra the hoaeleal troop., might safely be mode: this would Ir ate 20,000 fur England, a number, in hi. opinion, by no means (14 large. Ho considered that a further number of .;000 'night be► taken from the other ports of the proposed stablishment„ making in the whole, a reduction of 10,00 u ma it; as large a reduction as could, in his opinion, with safety to the public service, be made. If Ministers should fail to convince hint that his opinions were erroneous, he %wild wove a reduction in tin different points he had stated. Lord C.IifiILEREA6III said, the Government Caine to this creation with every disposition to economy ; and he felt some satiptaction that the diderences of opinion between Member* and the Covet anent were not so errata+ at first sight apacared, He wished himself to be pledged to no greater reduction of force for the nest y ear than 72,000 num. The House then divided on Mr. S. Wortley's Auteuil:tient, for a redaction of 10,000 teen. Fur the Motion, 130—Against it 101--Majority in favour of Slinisters 7,. Tile cunt ideration of the other Resolutions was then deferred, mid thu !louse adjourned at Three o'clock. THLRIDA.Y. MARCH 7. Tho House was occupied a cousideraLle lenntit of time in re. Petitions from various plaices apinst the Property Tax. On the motion of Mr. M..\. Taylor, a Committee of twenty one Gentlemen was appointed to enquire into the present slat* of the P.l‘ , enient of the Metropolis. TILE sT ATE OF AGRICULTURE. 'WESTERN 1110V0 for the appointment of &'Committee of the w hole House to enquire into the present distressed state of .Igticulture.- Since he had given no.ice or los uwire.h, uu received communications from it 3 parts of the country upon tee subject, thou' poisons well Allot - rued. 'the re4olt ot s all these communirations bail satisfied his !Mud, that the distress was im. paralleled. 'fie first accoitut related to the simetion of the atoicultural interest iu Norfolk, viLich. to be sure, was not a elir average of the digress felt in other counties. The nomadic, of writs issued lion! the Sheriff's Mee in ISI I , 0.. s Is 1815 the number h•ad hien:used to 007 ; the t at•t•nti..lt un ;2 0 0 ds had increased in the saute period from e 6 to 174. In Worms. tershire, in the limner year, the writs were MU; in 113, tcpZ. The number of 1 - arishes under process from the Escheyster for errears of takes, was lee. In Suffolk, the writs hail increased from 450 to 807. In SUSACV, It CO 11111 l b.ioUer, from INhOla lie had received the infiirmation, statt d, Olt in °tie of the lino. died. which emitaint tl 32 parishes, tei of those parishes se , de undcr process for arrears; and in another bombed, out of 20 parishes, 14 Lad experienced a similar fame. In the Isle of Ely, taking the two years of 1/412 and lel 3, compared to those of ISII and ter., the eseentions in die two tetmer veer. were seven, Ili the two latter they had increased to liJ.—the armies doe itl 1812 wi , e, hut. ; w 181 i, ib r e.;;A.; and the amount of thr debts of the farnicts at that period ;2, AWL of which dobtt the e r osiito s ty to thus moment hail net rev (..Lv cti ally ilivideod ; there were now 19 taro.. to De dispute d et: He ,ht,ultt go on f ar th er as t o t h e e x t e nt of the calamttte.. The eitestiou was, now had they arisen It VW* eiC;ll' aka, Itit la the yeas . Jtc agricui!nre of the country was NI a *Waiving stale; sobs*, queen to whisk, distress hail tooted; tOti aurh %,!11 its exedat, that the coentry 'weld nut hear the.Smithen of taxatimi, our the it 'll 17 and untnso►e pressure of ttcpvery rates,. which was lie. youd Mkt; The PreSegre of Whej Was :334: “IlVtai,:i6o4l{:t of .\ ~_~