The National Register. — London, England, 1817-05-26 00:00:00

1W which employs front England mote than 240,000 tons of ship. piug, and from India nearly the salllV Amount—which takes from ns broad cloths to the auto nit of one million sterling, and cottons front Bombay to donble that value—which ena Hes, by its protits,•the East India Company to pay thed di:rids/ads, and brings amitially into the Exchequer from three to four millions which supplies an article, not merely of litsmiy, but now almost become one of the first necessity, and which no other part of the world ran supply —the preset vation of such a trade from capricious obstrue- Buns, and vexatious linpos.tions and delays, is well worth the risk even of Olen:hug his Imperial tiojetty, who is gene. rally contented with visiting his anger upon his on n subjects. if ao embassy prminced no other effect, as one of the Direc- • tors justly observed,' one hondred thousand pounds be %sell expeit.l4 every ten or twelve years, to savd our people fraiii.iikesilt and oar trade limn interruption,' iLittle mischief as we apprehend fioni the failure of the embassy, we arenot quite at ease with regard to the affair -of rite ‘ticeste engaging with fieyChinese lints. The Chinese have at all timer: :teen jealous at iimr men of war entering the river, and we believe complaints ou this setae have been made by the Company's servants of the Lick/ay, ho of Course can csareise no control over officers of the navy: but the Alec:tie wits placed under extraordinary circumstances; she had carried ant an Aiiihteounlor on a paeitic mission ; she sans ordered to Canton to refit and prepare for the reception of that ambassador ; hei eimpt,iiis had a kner from the viceroy of Pe-telie•lee, ordering the atilforities to supply her wants wherever she oriel,: touch. It %wild appear, therefore, that the Chinese admiral and the cosiimanders of the fort., in wantonly tiling at the Aleeste, had exceeded their orders ; and this euay.explaiti why no notice u hate ver laid been taken of the affair at Canton, where Captain Maxwell had been four days., when the last le.•crs came array ; at which time neither the prelim ations for the reception oh I mud Amherst, nor the leading of the t :wormy 'A ships, hail suffered the least inte,ruption. We until-v.:Mill, indeed, ilut our long Ibr. beat ante has had no other eticct than that of encouraging the Chinese war junks auil fiats to ti e on our ships of emu- coerce and their boats, on every frivolous per text, which, though genet ally hat niless, is a wanton and 11-plulteetsiblv ug A ression. This forbearance must hate its bounds; it is nut every man who can carry it to that 10.telt of endurance exercised by the late Admiral O'Brien Di ury. On the me morable expedition against Macao, this gallant ()dicer found the river near Canton blocked tip by armed junks, hat ing thousands °Minnow on board. • Apprehending (lie unserves Ina letter to his friend) • that they might tire their little pet/toils, I advanced in way barge to explain to their admiral my peaceable intentions. When within about a bundled yards, they fired a siu.t whicft passed Over the barge: I still 11tharieell ; IWO e r flit ee HAIM that passed over Us; I came laity yards; but in endeavouring to make myself beard, through my Chinese interpreter, all their junks opened their Mc on my boat, with stones, and God knows what, until OliP Of not marines was sill mek. The seamen in the other boats, seeing liar lined at SU furiously, were no longer under control, html pulled close lip, whet I saw the necessity of giving them positive orders to ke, p hark, wet. knowing that the total annihilation of I Lei poor janks, and of the city of Cillatin, must have beau the' inei liable conse quence, had 1 per aaa i , trd a single musket to be tired, which was impaticutiy looked 11. r by every one. I told the 'lnert& the siiiwicargues,' continues the brace Admiral, ' that I never wouirl consent to the slaughter of these defenceles. multitudes; bin that if Iheir commerce required to be sou ported b hostilities and that ifa single seaman of mine was killed, would level Canton to the t roun , i.' Whatever may be the lime oh' the untoward circumstances connected wi!li the Embassy to China, by what particulai point of exaction on the one side, and of resistance on the utlii.r, the failure may have been occasioned, in the abspere, of all information but that which his Chiliese Nlajesly Inis been pit .8 , 1. d so give, we can merely form conjectures: but, in the well known character of Lori Awherst, particillatly eibtili g itialletl as it is by a suavity of manners, an equal tem per, aid a mid dud conciliating ditposittion . joined to the able support of Sii George Staunton, who, is perfect knowledge of the language and the people, piwsesses that calm and steady if. lei inination whiela is best stilted w den. with this sithtly nation, we have the best pledges that the honour and the interests of the nation will Out be compi.... raised, but rentain safe in their hands. If the ticilaol buss mess Should ha found, which however we think out likely, to 'ave influenced the ei anklet of the Chinese, they are the veriest bunglers iii polities -that es er existid, since they might have UOtalltell something iiy conciliatory neguciation ;. whets as, if their army should, untOritinately for it, tome in contact with our fielieys, their miscratile soldiers with iii, tr paper hilinets, wadded gowns, quilted petticoats, and slotted boots, with be too happy- to compound fur their lases by a surrender at ettscsetion.—kQUill'itrlj Review.) Comssniva Hnusu Rzron m. —W Inv the question of Partin meuiary itct..r.nalio.l was discussed iu Nlay, 1812. the divi sion was 215 ill li!I•1 Ulf , ItlallJg n oriptily of 1;.1 against the motion ; tierces the division of Eliot rsday wa• 2dl In ii, fullaitig a ortjutry of Itl4 against it. Curviinmaiices have emit/alio:el to pro .lice ink accession to the Anti-Reformers. The country may - tau ly place, it to the ncemott of the orators and nuttr.. or the 2d of Wee/talker I.ast, that the .11.1 1 'arity in oppositioo to reform 1146 aupteute.tl 61 an almoners at tiaepre sent day. An os•La account, printed by order of the House of Cuinaais, states the amount of advances by the Bank to tiovernalent, on Land and Malt, Exchequer Bills, and other ir..curities, on the loth of October, 181 st I 2,79 2,P371. i ss. 41; ditto.sth of January, 1817, 10.078,4351. Its. Id. It is not unworthy of remark, that the Grin Bill which was brought into the MO) l'athatuent for the wild' ol his Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects, was moved and seconded by M. Gardiner, afterwards Lord Mountjov, an.l by Mr. O'Seill On the .sth June, 1798, Cord Ilmiatjoy was killed by the rebds at the Battle of Ross ; and on the Bth of the sain! mouth, L O'Neil was pikel in the middle of his tenantry, in t'ie .town of Antrim. These were the only parsons of distinction who fell in the Popish reheLion of that year. -How often dues it happen, that .those•who en. rii,Pe in injurious measures sulfa. by the no..eonduct of. the very persons from wh-nn they had the least reason to . arxisect enmity ! Such Az:, out lesiku4b it could 11164/i THIg: NATIONAL RIGISTER. IMPERIAL PARII.I2IIENT. HOUSE OF LORDS. AIONTJAV MAN 19. No business of importance took place tab day. TUESDAY, 114 Y 19. The Committee of Privileges reported on the claim of the Earl of liand an t o vote on t h c elect ion of represtatative Peers fur Irelaud.—Claim allowed. WEDNESDAY, MAT 21. The West bah a Tr ack, the Nett foundland Trade, and the Navy Mix' Interest Billy, vo te%erally read a third time and passed. TITURSMAY, MAY U. Notbine important oceurred to.:lay. The enlos.Rl dimen- BlOfl of the Metrupoli% Pavement while bringing tip from the event door of the House to the liar, unavoidably 'Provok ed the risibility even Of Z..)ilse of the gravelt spectators. 11{11)AV, :1141f 21. The Royal Assent \\ A% given by Coomigsion to the Lottery Bilk, the West India Trade ilia, the Navy MIL.' Bill, and the (ias Light Hill. Oa the 'notion of Lord Ey.kii,e, returns were ordered of the Ilemdier of persou% held to bail for Libel, by .Magistrates, front IC US to the present time. Vllll I •I A 1101.11)% N... Lord LIVER root. now tOO% VII. illAt th it Lordships do ad journ to Fl iday llVki, %%111 . 11 he 5i1 , 1111.1 I/1011414y bring don ti 4444 haunt the Ihtne. Ue.eut: 111)011 Clllll - 10 be• .1;11)0jiltell 110 hi)))lt MI the lion of thr r tr, and tit& to be pnuucd with rus pert to the safety of the Stab.. Their Lordships, atter a tell irinarks from 1:::“ I Grey, then adjuut tied to Friday next. HOUSE OF COMMONS. MONDAY, MAY 19. Sir S. SHEPHERD, the new AttOrney Orneral, And Mr. Gif ford, the new Solicitor Geueral, took ti,e Goths and their Sir. J. NrIVPORT brought up the It i , ll Savin% Banks Bill. ?Sir. HUSK ISSAS. obtained leave to bring in a Hill to triable his Nlajesty's Commissioners Crown Lands to make a Road from NJ illoank•row to the Penitentiary House, on Nit '1 he We.tieilister Coal Meter's WU, was read a third time, and The Lottery Bill, after a renewed opposition, WAS read the third time, amid passed. THE COMPENSATION On the second reading of the Bill, slier a speech from Sir R. Ht run in opposition to it, Mr. littot..4,:wsst rose.—His objection was to its systematic and prospective sww, the Bill placing at the disposal of the Crown about 42,0001. per annum, in addition to the Pension List. It hail been said that the Crown, by abolishing these offices, had been stripped of certain patronage. Now he wan prepared to contend, that Bic aigh the Bill passed, the Crown still had ample power of rewarding services. He was ready to admit that there were meritorious persons on that list, whose pensi•ans were not only an honour to themselves, hut also to the country. This fund was increased by the grow ing produce. attn. West India finial, to idiom 240,0001. he present Bill, under these circion lance!, Might to he called the Pension HAI, and not a Compensation dill. The Hon. Gentleman went ass er the list of Sinecures,. and contended, that 110 far hem others being conferred for meritorious services, they were ton oft n the reverse. The I'i ivy Seal of Scotland was tilted in a similar 'simmer. He wish( al to know what had come over the age, when men woe taken, its it were, by lawyer-craft to tin t h e ; and the Liehcnt offices its the ad ministration were not fitted as in the time of the Godolphins anal Somets's. Were the House ready to tell posterity that men entered into Parliament as into trade, for themselsi P, for their own interest, not for the good of their count}'. What had heroine of the high-minded high-principled men whom the tecords of former times hall 11i11111C11 doss 11 10 us thy of imitation ? He should oppose the Gill for the rea , oos betore stated ; and, lastly, ',remise it went to declare, by Act of PAr lialorot, that polities vi as a II adv. . . :11r. B %NKES CUECCI%I•III the }lon. Gentleman had ()vet...sated the means of senarduse civil services, as vested in the Cs OA Air. Burke, in 171 4 2, was of opinion that the Civil List was overburdened. 't ith respect to the Irish and scotch Pension Lists, the form , ' was within 11,11091. of that of England. lite lion. Gentleman contended, that it was rest and eggilialgle to Mill tilt' Crosso With the power of rewarding Civil servants ; it WUS the inducement lot men of abilities to t a ke offi c e t o r the Iwnetit of their country, as in (lie rase of Mr. Pitt, whit the lion. and Learned Gentleman had admitted to Le one ur point. . _ - - - ord A. HAMILTON opposed the Bill. Mr. J. lose In dtlelld the collSiSteltey Of his CUII• duct, having voted for •flit Rill in 1812. He ilia not think that money ri numerate the servieesOf great "qatesini II; hut he considered it politic in Parliament to take Call' 211. it 11111/4e hery ants were not iejnied in lhl it private these reaming lie stinted vole tot du... Bill. The Holm thou divided—Fur the Bill 1o5; against .13— Majority in EAVOI4I' of the• Bill 60. AtUonrutu at detest o'cloelL TUESDAY MAY 20. . - General Titonsreots I.sit on till That silay, the sth of June, his motion for abolishing the puoisliment of whippitig Mr. C. EN pre.enteol a petition from the p.tri.ll of Trow-htidge for relief aqainst the pres.u te of the Pour Nines. ltefmerl to ;he Committee on the four Law,.. Ake one from 11 i;lioni Lister, requesting the Hone to es aI ii ii e lite loco pertien of an important invention of his. Older* dto lie on the tattle. An Account of the Parliamentary Grants ontlor Queca Ague's Bounty was prcwvu, d ut the bar. Geis. MAil Ew said, he held hand a petition signed by a et e;:t number of persous tesidin 4 iu littlAits, a City ooh a Welt he had no cootie/stoat, except that of being the coon• tri mot of tee petitioners : tlaey had requested kiln to pre,, nt the petition. and lie was lat,ppy to obey their call, and attend to their wishes '1 he petit tuners were Well aNat e that, after re tent decision in P. , rliametat, •any appl:cation they coeld make to that House must be needless ; still they coat slanted a hope that smite tolaiiCe sea, left them, ►n rase there von ii he .a full and eiptai repre.a•otalion of the veople meat. They stated it tube •heir opinion, that the Hooxe was' 'dray s Wile bidet &ewe ur tlw weed, the kir reireseittetive MAY 26. the people in Parliament ; and they stated that taxation, s‘ithunt representation, was a state of slavery. lie cotended, that animal Pal hamenta were the only means for remedyli.g th e great evil that had grown up in our Constitution ; that it was by them only that the people could be Sa Ved from min. Nothing hot a complete leprescntation of the people could enable Britons to live in a state of security. A great state.. man had said, that if the !louse did not reform itself from ishin, the people %%mild reform it floor without. Let the Boma!, then, recollect that remark particularly oil the pre• sent evening, when the great question of Pariiaineulary form was to be discussed, and when the question would con to this issue—whether the people were to he restored to their rights, or should be the obedient slave of Ministers. the petition was then brought up and read by the clerk; and it was ordered to lie on the table. Sir ROLAND FLNGLSOs presented a petition from a town in Sem land, stating the great distaes.es and hardships which the petitioners, as well as others, laboured under, declaring, that they considered these mi•furtuues As arising fruw the imper fect representation of the people, and requesting a Reform in Parliament. Sir Fits.sais IitAtoETT presented a petition from several persons in the city or Cork, complaining of the weight of dis tress under which they antlered. The Hon. Barunit stated it as a peculiar hardship on those people, that they could not leave the country it they a ished it. The pet iti.m was sit,netl by great ttttt niters of person•, whit he omit rstood had iLSMIU• bied in a very quiet and mode' The petition nag urdt led to he on the table. PARLIAMENTARY REI'ORM. Sir FRANCIS BIJRI/F.T'r rose to brief( forwarel the motion of which he had given notice. Ile was certain that more peti tions against grievances, and in favour of parliansentary re form. had been presented that session than were ever before presented to that House on any forint r OredX,iloll. of any de script' whatever. Formerly, when motions of Ibis kind mete made, they used to lie resisted on the ground that the people of the country dill not ask for sellout; and that there was no necessity to give them that which they did not call for. 'flit, practice of amitial parliaments was much older than the time of William the Conqueror. One of the first laws of the country was to have annual pat liameats. Every year the King called a new parliament, which met for the pitrpose of redressing the grievances of the day; and sontotinses the par lit .nt met twice a year. During the long and glia ions reign of Edward 111, parliaments weltr awutal , and the King had not a right tc proro,we them from one year to another; but was bound to has e a new parliament every year. It was thereto' e agreed on all hands, that from the earhest times to the time of Henry VI. parliaments were annually elected. Ile should 110 W COOIC 110W0 to the period of Henry VIII. when the practice aas changed. At the time when that King quarrelled with the Pope, Wlo'llllo Willited to get rid of his wile, and wished to bring, about time Heforinati6ll, he saw that all those things were hostile to thew ill of the tuition; and in order to carry theist into effect, he kept the parlia ment together fur lice years. Afterwards iii the reign of Dimes' Mary, although she was called a bloody queen. short parliaments were resorted to, not ft 0111 any merit on the pelt of the Queen. but because she knew such a measme would please the Catholics, Who wished to halve restored to them that property which the long parliament of Henry VIII. had taken from them. %Whatever might be said respecting the character of Mary, there were tree parliaments in her time. • Under the Stuarts, that storm burst which had been gather. ing so many years in the political horieuti. But Vim parlia ment which batelit so manfully . for the liberties of the it coun try, lost its purity by the length of its asistemue, and passed an act fur rendering itself pet yenta!, and tWilided upon ex actly the same principle as one of which he should have to speak, nano ly, the Septennial Act. Though Charles 11. * 4s g uilty of many violations of the laws, lie i i collected the fate of his father and did not she% any open contempt of the power of Parliament. Let any one read the declaration of the Prince of Orange, dated tium the Hague, coataintrig the remonms why lie hail resolved to come Wier to the assistance of this nation, and stating the articles of accusation against the King, and he will find, that although many heavy griev ances are alleged, such as sanctioning the 41.6'1r:11'y proceed ings of the Judges, and hide' tering in the impaeruelling of juries, yet the greatest stress is laid upon the King's having taken 111C41111 to 110(.111e an undue return of inciiiliers to par liament, and to torrupt them when assembled ; and these ice :tees can only lie lemedied, says the I'. ince, by a lice rept eseulation in Parlianii nu. For awl-pries ices wills tespect to piti liaments and their prelogativ es, he might say !hat three Kings had lost the crown. And shad it be hurtle, that what lots 'tee er beim allowed to the Crow 11 11111 A by suriciidered to individuals He , could wish to base had the veleta ated pe titions/flit/3 read, but as it had long been in phut, and much refi:rreil to of late, he hoped every Member had it in Iris • eceilieelion. By this petition It Was 0110 Cll to be proved, that eighty-four Peers ' , turned a !Handled and fifty seven 'itemisers to that house, fltlf two-tliiids of the number he was then achlsessing. It was also slated, that one hitiolied and !jay divintorld were CCtlll'lled 1101 by the voices of those whin* they appealed to represent, but by the imiumsee of 14 TIME. 301 menthe's, a 1101 . 10111) Cr that house, were -t nt by 231 persons, who 111118 claimed die right of disposing Of the lives, the libel hes, and the property; ul this ie Irlluwr subjects, and became theniselv es the Ger el 1111iClIt of the enutitry. '1 he statute of the Ist of IVestniiiistee, declaring that 110 great man (millets *won, Inn's) shah inlet fere Su elec tion., stands mirepeated at this day. By a statute of Charles 11. an with ma. imposed upon meinuers, that they w. nal re drive 110 gratuities front the Crown while iii that Home. So that even the courtly times of Charles 11. were not sasootli e to tilrnish precedents to the Bight how opposite for its minden' of the necessity of cut mown. It had beets said by Mr. whe appeared to him to lie ay Ilir the most ingenious 111.111 0110 1140 ever opposed parlia mentary reform, and who at once defended and awn,' red cos/Nihon, that it was the people who were cut mid, who stood w need of refuel'', and he put Ins case thus : A itatsut goes to his landlord, saying, I want my eon, who is its the nave, made a Illildtti and commander; die landlord makes the 114111 C iqiptication to his patron ; and here', says lie, the corrupt is Orally traced to the people. (wanted %%hal is the Cxcilus this eorrupt expeclatiens tie 4 man, that his son shah. he promoted over the heads of his fellows( Bad, undoubtedly —and the Mutt es 111 the system, nut in Ilie mew who is only fallowing the Illehliatioi.s of Ili, tine, ruclinationo %illicit would be linlowt.tl italic cat %cue a bind of saints. (Blur, hear!) It was not hnsnw.Ps of any individual to ',Mist out a spet ial 'enmity ; all twit could fairly be ca l .eh el was, that he sinned hotly putid out the •evil. Ile world nut go into the :dish:act questo ii, Whether orrtot the ay seem of timatitteeslim was had ; the. e. were eces how 100 self evil. lit to be dilated Nom, and this was one Of them. The state of affairs was nuts irmy aiaribwg, and .4,y .au weans the least dangerous feature Ju thew was, that