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

Tempted by the specious offer of advice gratis, a person not long since applied to the "Medical Board," in Black fri..e's Road • ; but soon found, that however justly the Board had rated the value of the advice, the price of the furnished by them (13s. IQs. or Ss. per week, according to the appearance and probable circunestanecs of the parties) to be above his ability. This plan of the Board reminds one of having, in the days of youth, seen a niiitintebank on his stage, pompously lx.acting of his in tention to make a present of live s hillings to every one who would apply for it. The claimant had only to pay one shilling for a small packet of medicine, estimated by the mountebank to be worth six shillings, (probably not costing him a penny,) and the difference constituted the five shillings promised. - • It has been erroneously supposed hy some few persons, that Nit.. Astley Cooper, the eelehrated Surgeon, is commeted with the firm of C.:opet & Co. of ghiel,friars Road, tl.ose gen try olio arc so constantly obi rodiurtheir names in almost every daily X..wspAiwr in circulation. This is a great mistake. It Is not for a moment to he supposed that Mr. Asti( y Cooper would degrade himself ao far as to become one of the adratising tribe. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, MONDAV, MARCH 4. The Royal Assent was given by ('lnnuni , ciou to the Mali, lingar, and Tobacco Ditty Bill, 11 NHWaits Exchequer Bills Bill, and the Naval Courts Martial Bill. 'The Clergy Residence Bill WAS read a third time and pas,cd. 51ARCH a. Earl Stanhope presented a Petition from Chelsea aeainst the Property Tax ; as did Lord King one tient La:A Grinstead. Tilunsmtv, MOttll 7. sT.tTr. OF THE N.4TION. The Duke of BEDFORD said, the motion he had to propose was of so extensive a maitre, and of so much difficulty, that he should shrink under it, if be did not think he should receive their support and indulgence. Thv insoion he should conclude with would be—•" That the House should resolve itself into a Committee, to enquire into the State of the Country."—Such a measure was consistent with precedent; and if ever there was a time N hen it WJ necessary, this was the time. The Peace Establishment exceeded the whole of the American min, and also the four first years of the Revolutionary.—Cfbe Noble Duke was proceeding in his arg ttttt erns against the proposed Peace. Establishment, when 1w was seized with sudden indisposition, and obliged to sit down.) Tile Marquis of LA xshowxr: then imegested, that as the Noble Duke was so much in+sposed, the debate should be ad journeJ.—li was accordingly adjourned to Tuesday neat. HOUSE OF COMMONS, MoNo4v, MARCH 1. Petitions were presented from Monmouth, Litchfield, Mic ah soh Id, Bridgewater, High Wycombe, Belford, Caine, Hun- Virgtion, Mile End, St. Luke's (Chelsea), Oakingham, Lillie street Ward, South Motion, and Tewksbury, against the Pro perty-tax. A new writ was ordered ror Lewes, in the room of Thomas 1RC441 Kemp, Esq. who lots accxpted the Chiltern I lundreds. Mr. C. CAVA/ k:RT presented a Petition Irma the Per i sh of St. Geroge's, Southwark, against the Property-tax, and one from the Ward oil/owl:ate, signed by every individual in the Ward, w ith the exception of OW. This ward had, on all occasions, been ready to come forward in support of the Government, whatever Ministers directed the anirs of the Empire. Mr.BAKCLAv presented a similar Petition from Lambeth. Mr. VA PISITTART wished to remind the House, that with re- Jewel to the Property-tax, it hail been originally brought in by ]Y. r. Pitt, for the service of the then war, and pledged fur sti millions, or rather to continue for eight years. When the re 'serval of the war obliged Lord Sitimouth to resort to this tax, he proposed it, not on Mr. Pitt's funding plan, on which money nu ht be borrowed, but as a tax thr one year ; Parliament re net ving to itself the right of continuing, it or not, as seemed to then nest proper. It was thus that the tax was grautcd as a Var-tax, and the words" uo longer" were originally introduced into the Bill; the (lament' w hether it should continue in peace ls-ina. NA he benne, stated, vested in Parliament. In lea 6 rd. Orem' Vie and I,,msdowne were placed io similar circuits- Ala tee:; these t..vo Nohlc Lords, ssi!li respect to this tax, did not consider the f.ith of Government pledged to its (limn'• tintrince in the event of Peace, no more than himself, and thereftwe left the question open thr the cousideration of Par taineut. lie would now state, whet had happt ned since. On the 2eth of February, iel4, he had made to the House a general stAttment of the- means to the hands ofGovernmcnt for defray ing the public expenditure, in which the Property-fist WAS not lire:'ude.i ; it being considered an inconvenient and unpropiti els mea!mre then, on the eve of the espiration of a war. Oa that occasiou he had stated, that the public faith was not pledged, andthe question would remain open for decision. He now tisum.dit that viremnstances were gi catty changed. Those re. sources to which Government tooled for assistance wire nowt. gaged ;and the only choice was, either to make a lirge addition to the Assessed 'faxes, or adopt the Propel ry•tax. Any addi!ion to the Assess e d Taxes mast he much more b rthensoure and trou blesome; and as Government must have one or the other, they judged it the most expedieat to call for a coutintiance of the P 1 operty-taN. Mr. PONSONDY maintained, that though the Right Hon. Ornt. slid not cons•der the faith of Pulliam-fat pledged, there were ninny in the House, and more out of it, who did. The Act ex pressly declared " that it should continue until the 4th of April following the d tlinitive Treaty of Peace." Where words were so significantly expressed, what other opinion conld the public have? 'the flight Hon. Gent. had talked oh' the choice oft ne or two thiugs ; namely, the Assessed Taxes addition, or Iltr Property-tax. To this, he ( Mr. P.) would say, " There is no need of either."--( Hear, hear)—He hoped the Bight Hon. G. o• Orman would attend to the suggestion of the Hon. Ilittooet, es the wisest course of proceeding, and abandon the tax. Mr. DICKEVIOM rest nted a Petition from the Freeholders of Sourersetslstre against the tax, which stated the distresses of the agricultural interest, which was Ma state of decay : farmers and labourers unemployed, caused by the 0% erwhelining in fluence of taxes, praying for a reduction of the military esti'. blishmerit, the atiolitimi of sinc:•nre places, &e. Ac The Hon. Oent.ctilleti the attention of Ministers, not only to the general solip-et of tlo petition, but to amither imortant feature Reed sio.:ed by the tiistress,-, atilt. country. lie stated, that est ry day the French Ambassador was iii the prac•iee of granting puopors to dist:cased per, , one, who were letVuil the couutry. THE NATIONAL REGISTER. Mr. Mf.TIMEN coma:Wed himself ImPerionsly called upon to speak, haviug seconded the address to the thief.', ohieh was so atmerally acceded to by the House, and to remind Ministers ••f the pledge of economy held out by the Prince Itegant in that address. He coraidered himself as sceurity for that pledge, and regretted to see extravaaance still persevered in—to see promises there held nut, stillmaulfdled.--(Hear, hear.)-4 was 'the ditty of Milli4MlS to go to the Prince Recent, and to tell him, as his faithful advisers. tlrd it was but just that he •houltl have no more exces,:es is the Civil List—ao snore lamella' cot tages, positions, and pagodas, or things of tied kind Hear, hear)—to tell him, that the cowl ibmions pall by France, for the maintenance of the army there, were not the esclusive pru perty of the erowa, but belonged to Parliament-- to recommend to his Royal Highness to ndel practice to his theory, ant: then he would win the people's hearts. Such advice might be 101- p:datable—but rematch:mitts Wells necessary.—( Hear, kw.) Such was the ditty of the confidential advisers of the Crov.n. If a deaf ear were turned to their remonstrances, he hoped it wonld not he lung before the House wont(' rise. with one ac cord, to approach the throne, and to coin ince the people( what ever might be said to the contrary by persous front malicious or designing motives) that public spirit was yet alive withiu the walls of Parliament.--( Load viaof hear, /ear.) — The HMI Gent. here noticed no error which had gone abroad, that he voted for the eitimatea going into a Committee, as implying that hr approved of them generally. The fact was not so. lu the Committee each item would be dismissed, and by . with holding his assent to the Committee be should have been rating against keeping up any army. Mr. LA:NO . I'ON observed, that the speech of the Hon. Se conder did lain great honour, and he congratulated the Howie and the country on the general manifestation of opinion against the tax. He also emuleled with the Ministers on the indisposi tion, the length of attack, and reeminnended profuse blreiline, either by a lancet or a leach—(a iough.)--Indeed, be cool.l not recommend a better operatorto then. than a Commission( r antler the Income-tax. With respect to the tax, he wished to remind country gentlemen, that tin. time had NOW arrived when it :;teat stood mist !IV 111:4,k to ward off protbsion and extravaennce in the public expenditure; for landlords could obtain no rents, tenants could not find a market fur their produce., labourers were out of employ, and the poor were obliged to abandon the work-houses to make room for their masters and former t an hlovers. —(Near, hear)- -This was the issue of a war, and the ennaing of a peace, for which the Noble Lord opposite had obtained a blue ribbon ana a Marquisiste, and the people no- Ulne but undimiaished taxation and a military despotism-- ( Thar, hear). Petitions were presented nainst the Property-tax from Ches ter and Beverley ; on preseuting the last. Mr. Foe DES expressed his hopes that the Chancellor of the Exclie.par would give way to the voice of the ' people, ma thus ocrerally expressed. If, however, that Right Hon. Gentlen should still persist in bringing forts aril the measure, lie trusted he %mild be eventually foiled in the attempt. Lord MILTON presented petitions front Yarm, Gishorough, and Leeds agaiust the renewal of the Property-tax. Ou pre senting the last, Lord LASCELLES, observed that some modifications were absolutely necessary to be made in this tax, if it was iudeesh to be pressed upon the country, particularly as related to the landlords and tenants tax, and commercial men. With respect to the distressed state of the agriciatural interests. %bleb were now invariably united with the property tax, he must confess he did not entertain any very sanguine hopes, that any thing the House could he, would Hindi relieve that pat t of the community. The (listless of the agriculturist arose mostly from the extensive failures of country banks, the increased caution of those which remained, and the consequent &Mau. lion of the circulating medi u m. In his opinion, the only relief which could be afforded, would be a d:minotion of taxation by an iutroduction of saving into all the departments, from the highest to the lowest. Mr. Pot:so:Nov said, a Noble Lord had stated his objection to the tax as related to the tenants, because few of then were able to pay it. He also objected to the landlord's tax, be cause he thought it bore hard on them in many cases; and he objected to its application to commercial men, because in these times of distress exposure of their eireumstances might be ruinous to them. After these three classes were exempt, he would ask the Noble Lord who won't! remain to pay the tax a--and what could be thought of the Minister who should press this unproductive and obnoxious tax upon the people. ARMY ESTIM,VERS. The Order of the Day for the House going into a Committee of Supply having been mud --on the motion for the Speaker's leaving the Chair, Mr. W. W NY. said, he believed that this was the period at eine!' he mint bring forward his motiou, namely, "'I it it be an instruction to the Committee to provide for the payment of the British army now serving in France." He moved this on two gronsids; fist, the extreme impropriety of having an army arving within three days march of this metropolis, wholly im dependent of i'arlturmut for m. And, secondly, that if any neglect should arise on 'the part uf France for pay in;: the army, hlinieters could .not,, without a breads of the Constitutiuu, issue any misery fdr that purpose. 'i lie metiers of Mr. V. I'N h I; was agreed to. Mr. PtioVIEROE then rose, not to object to the House going int) a Co ttttt :Mee, but to take the earliest opportunity of dis aruting the opinion ulna had been given by gentlemen on the other side, that the country was as well able non, as at any Mettler period, to support the expense of the proposes' large establishment. He also objected to the extensive I.l3lli !my eatabli‘lonceds proposed in these estimates on another ground ; one stated by the Noble Lord (Castlerear,h) uu tinnier night; when the Noble Lord said, It waslis wish to see the military spirit subside. He ( Mr. Protherik.) also willed to see that spirit suleride, as it was only by the civil power gaining the preponderance over the military, that the peace of Europe conk' tie permanently secured. But milk it he contended, that keeping it; so large a military estaidisti meta as that proposed %wand have that effect? was con strained to admit, that the strong picture drawn by the Right lion. Gentleman of the state of Ireland, rendered a large force necessary; but the value necessity would not apply to the other parts of the estimates. .4 Noble Lord (Palmerston) had said, on a forater eight, that a reduction of 20,ettut men would only save ceo,oolll. a year, which was a trifle. no that sum might appear to the Noble Lord, he (Mr. P.) was anxious to serve it; and stronely recommended it to the Noble Lord to adopt that saving, and every other, however minute, which lie could adopt. The then resolved itself into a Committee. Lord Pat meitsrosi said, in i mipissing the estimate* he should not feel it necessary to go into detait, but to state the dine' ent heads, and reserve hinise.f to unswer the observations uf Gen tlemen as they ruse.--(llcar, hearo—lie must again premise, that the Estimates as now prope , ed was not a Peace Este Wish leen*, but one Mr the present year, something between a Itrar I!! ARCH 10. anti Peace Establishment; One itt Which considerable altera tions might be made, even 'luring the present year. If Gentle mers would look at the Estimates now before the House, and compare them with those of List year, they would find that a very material reduction had already take') place, and that much more was contemplated. Including the 30,00 men in Crania., which would not want to be provided for, there was a reduction in our military establishment of 147,000 men ; he coil sidereal the 30,000 men in France as a transfer, mid therefore sennid take the real diminution of force at 57,000, and the eat ing of expiate at 3,000,0001. 'flee Noble Lord theta entered into 4 detail of the principal items on ss hid, a diminution had taken place—the household troops were reduced 1,800, at a saving of expence of 33,0001.; the cavalry weir reduced 9,000, and a pa v ing made of 311,0001.; infantry hal been disclaimed to the amount of 1:1,000, and a saving made upon that head of expen diture of at least 1,3a9,0401. In the miscellanea''e department there was a saving, in fief, this year of 394,0001. though there would appear to be a saving of not more than 1114,0001. a stun of 200,0001. having been taken front that fund last year. This saying principally arose on the articles of additional pay, beer money, innkeepers' allowauce, and ceetiegencies. In framing the Estimates, the regiments had all been taken as (buy stood at the beginning of the year; and the whole force would be found to amount to 07,000 or 915,000 men. Under the head of Militia Eapentliture there would be found a diminution of espence of 1,186,6001. In the cAtaldislituent of General Officers there was a saving of Mead. la the Staff and Garrisons 173,0001. 'lke reduction of Officers on the scar at home was two Lieutenant Generals imp Major Generals, three Aides-de-Cauip ot, the Prince Regent's,e and two of the Commander in Chief. The saving in the foreigu corps would be 140,0001. The foreign Stall had been realacial one General, five Lieutenant Geixrals, fifty Major Generals; and a further redaction of two Major Generals, two Aides-de-Camp, and an Adjutant General ; and in Jersey anal Guernsey two Lieuttmaut Generals would he struck °IL lit Ireland there would be a reduction of two lieu tenant Geuerals and four Major Generals. The Commanders of the Forces at Ceylon, the Cape, the Mauritius, and Gila altar, wouid be removed, and Lieutenant Genet als put in their plata s. This measure would produce a sal ing of at least 1:1,91,31. the Supernumerary Office there was au increase this year of 19,0001. chiefly arising on pensions for retiring (Mice's. In the public departments of the Connuatultr il, Chief, the War Office, and the Ads ocate General's Office, there was a sitving of 16,00a1.—( Hear, hear.)—Gentlemen should recollect, that the labour of reducing the army was greater time that of con ductiag it in its perfect state ; and that reduction could not take place nil at once.—The Military Allowances bud increased 130,0001. The Chelsea and Greenwich pensiiais had increased. 3,8001. The out pensions on these establislinteats 10,0041. 'rite widows' pensions had increased also 6,4001. In the Vo lunteer Corps there was a diminution this year of 43,0001. In the Lucid Militia there was also a diminution M*203,0'401. 'lliere would this year be no charge for training, and the regiments were reduced one half. The whole reduction on the Foreign Corps would be .055,0001. On the Military College 3771. In the Military Asylum there tuts an increase of 11,0201. lo the incidental expellees there was a diminution of 1311,0001. Ou the Compassionate Fund, an increase of about 7,0001. In the Commissariat of Irclandithere was this year a saving of 100,0001. and in the barracks 31,0001. 'flue Noble Lord then N ent through the other heads of expenditure, and observed, that compar ing the expenditure fur the present year with that of 101 l there would be found a saving of s,ao 1,0001. and as compared ith last year six millions ; and he (Sather anticipated a saving of at least one usiilion, in the peemeht year, IMsides widelt 2,000,0001. included in the present estimates were pei mamma charges not attached to the arsuy. The expense of nutiataining the :10,000 men in France would be I:90,0001. ; and if that army were redeye'', the amount of hall-pay and pensions to the officers and men would he 206,0001. He would not then trouble the House with more calculations, recommending the discussion of each Resolution separately. Ili then moved • Resolution, that 1iC,1;14 men be maintained fur the service of (treat Britain and Ire:and, including the armies in France and the colonies, but exclusive of the troops kept up by the. East India Company. • • Mr. ANA Es contended, that it - nos the proper function of the 'louse to curtail these Estimates Wilkey thought lit, nod get to address the Throne for their reduction. Fur the present year he thought there ought to be no reduction in the force in Ireland but he hoped a better system wochl he adopted for the benefit of that unhappy country. No sack case ofnecestay h u d been made out for the amount of the other parts of our force as had been shcwu for Ireland. If !lire had, he would not have hesitated to ha% e vote•! fur it, on the declared necessity of the case. He considered the late Treaty of Peace as being more likely to secure to us permanent thinquillity than any Treaty he could refer to ; and taking that, together with the repnta- Con and quality of our army into con , ideration, there could be shewn no necessity for maintdiniug so large a Military Eqa bliliment. Lord Caert.cnemitt said, that having been prevented by indisposition from delivering his opiiii n on this great epic-rico, he was anxious now to take the earliest opportunity of express ing hiS sentiments on it. He was p:t pared to admit that they could do nothing in the way of savin, which 'they Ad nut owe to their constituents, without compromising *lick real interest, by breaking deon a system of security. whirls would invoive us in enormous expeitee to re-estaklisb.—He„ trusted the Com mittee w mild not steer .Ministers ;a be clamoured down la) a cry that they were adverse to economy. There was no set of own whose interest and duty it more was to adopt or to reCI.III. mewl economy than his Majesty's Ministerr.—ltut be to dispel that cloud of prejudice raised agsir.st thew. Last year the 11 0 .i.e soted the greatest suns ever pot tinder the contretil of any Government ; for the whole amount, including the &tit, was 120 millions. We were then engaged inn roost tremendous which had been brought to a fatieurilile conclusion; and with every attention to econou:y, for the (mutest was finish ea, leaving a sum of .11 millions un-expended. The present was not a perfect return to a Peace I•stablisliment ; hot lie Loped that return would be sooner sheeted than after may former war; for atter the American war we had an inalaul rushed Establishment for several years. The reduction of tha army of the line haul been very considerable ; and our cs pen diture would he reduced from 80 millions to YU. /lc felt MID. vinced, after Government were idiom to throw eight milliona of Property tasmisni Tutu the laps of the public, that they t c the public) would not feel much regret that it shook' be emainned for a year or two, in order to preserve the character el the na tion. He trusted that the British manly spirit which bud sup. ported them throuchotit a long and aruluens war, vroited Imre (uphold a system of e.doblisliment for their country which V. 0 Ilid preserve Unit country entire. Mr. Cs t.crtarr proposed an adjournment.— (Cries of Qin*. glob, (herniate ! Go on, tio tut !) .tfter some eomersarion ; AIP was Agreed that the Committee should sit again on %tscitnis. (.1n . Adjourned at past two In the wornius.