The National Register. — London, England, 1816-02-04 00:00:00

• VIE NATIONAL REGISTER. . . Address: that right he reserved no, partially, hit generally, He was nit to be understood avi supporting the general policy of Mi *lister,. His Loidship did not see his. way clearly : he might have oceasi-,n to say, in the words of Sir Andrew Mitchell, or Sir Civil - les H. Williams, his Lordship was not certain which, when he was asked by the Empress of Russia, how he admired the road to Russia? he answered, " After travelling two hundred miles neon a bridge, I fell into the water at last." Lord Holland concluded by expressing a hope that the Noble Earl would not fix the con sideration of the Treaty on a day too early. Earl GnosvEN on expressed a hope that Lord Liverpool would follow up the investigation of public accounts, and he was sure much benefit would be derived by the country. The Address was then agreed to, nem- dis. and ordered to be pre sented by the Lords bearing white staves. On the motion of the Earl of LIVERPOOL, the Earl of SHAFTS BURY was voted Chairman of Committees. —Adjourned. FRIDAY, FEB. 2. Lord Bradford took the oaths And h 6 seat, on his elevation to the rank and dignity of an Earl. Earl Bathurst laid on the table copies of the general Treaties concluded with Austria, Russia, and Prussia, at the Congress of Vienna ; together with Supplementary Documents ; also the Treaty with France. Thursday week was fixed for the discussion of the Treaties Adjourned till Monday. HOUSE OF COMMONS, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1. • :At two o'clock the Speaker too kthe Chair; and soon after the House was summoned to the House of Peers to hear the speech of the Prince Regent delivered by Commission. The SPEAKER informed the House, that during the recess he had received letters from the Duke of Wellington an d Prince Blucher, in reply to votes of thanks by that House ; also that he had issued various writs for new elections.—Several new Members, among them Mr. Brougham , were sworn in ; and new writs were ordered for Portarlington and Corfe Castle. The SPEAKER then read the Prince Regent's Speech, (for which see the Lords) v.hen, T. D. AceaND rose to move the Address. lie could not re- Gqin from expressing his regret, that the Prince Regent should have bet n prevented from opening Parliament in person, and receiving those et,ogratulatiens so eminently due to him. The Hon. Barons t then proceeded to take a review of the conduct of the Allies on the Contieent for the last two years ; and observed, that they had obtained the end which had been their only object—the restoration of Peace ; and he could not but congratulate the House, that in obtaining this end, due regard had been paid to the interests of FrAnee, aid no saci fires had been required of her bet what were absoitit, iv weessary to guard against tun ther disturbances of the peace *, - d ,n q upiity of - the world by that man v.lto had so Ire qujeittl) uistu brel it. The Hon. Baronet then adverted to the pre sent state .of this country, its manufacturev aed centeteece ; and obtepted, that before we expressed oar dissatisfaction at our pie- Sent situation, we should look to what we had been, and to vi hat we might hav e been. He then uttered an eulogium on the people at large for the patience with which they lied home the burihens which the necessnies of.tl:e times had thrown upon them; and on tie M inisters for.the manner in which they had applied those sums with which the Lherality of Parliament had entrusted three ; they teed applied those sums to the attainment of one great object; permanent! peace ; and having, as he hoped, attained that object, lie t - n•ted' they would no .v apply themselves with equal energy to ref eve the people, as the as possible, from the barthens under which they laboured. The Hon. Baronet coeclutleil by express lug his conviction, that toe House would agree with him, that no dap i °Enmity could possibly occur in which the House and the cuttittr - w mild feel itser more imperiously called upon to address reid col gtatulate his Itoval Highness than the pres. ut ; and eel:- eluded by moving an Address, which was, as usual, en echo of the Speech. 'i he %dllress having been read, 1. r P. MtemeeN rose to second it. IVe were not now called on to conecatulate his Roval Highness on the success of his Generals, or the bravery of his armies only; but we had to congratulate him en the return of Peace. He could not but pay a tribute of praise to that great Commander, by whose genius the fortune of Napo leon teid been ove•rt!irown; and to the Noble Lord and his col leagues for the meth.:, firmness, and perseverance they had tlis p.:4,) u, to Which, wider Providence, Europe was indebted for FEB. 4. 1 her &inv . ( ranee from a military despotism. The Hon. Gentleman then adverted to the depression of the agricultural interest of the country ; and observed, that whilst it could not but excite the commisseration of the country at large, the result of the late con test was such, as ought to prevent our falling into gloomy despond ency. Mr. BRAND said, it was not his intention to oppose the Address ; but he was astonished some sort of pledge had not been introduced into the Address, that the House would, at an early period, enquire into the distresses and hardships wider which some part of the public laboured. He had also to complain, that at a time when so many great and important Treaties had been entered into, by w hi c 4 it was provided that so large a military force should be kept up abroad, and which would of course call fur a large military lot ce being kept up at home, Ministers had so long delayed calling Par liament together, and taking the sense of the people, through their Representatives. He was also of opinion, that, by the adoption of a rigid system of economy, the country might be relieved from a great part of the butthen, of taxation under which the people at present laboured. He wished that an ant endment to this effect, and pledging the House to take the state (tithe coon. try and its distresses into immediate consideration, should be added to the Address, which, with this slight addition, should have his support. The Hon. Member concluded by proposing an amend ment to this effect. Lord J. RUSSELL agreed most perfectly in the Amendment pro . posed ; especially to that part which adverted to the distresses of the people, and the necessity of economy and reform ; as rumours had gone broad, how truly he could not say, that Ministers had it in contemplation to propose a continuation of that oppressive im post the Income Tax. He did not consider that the people at large would be contented with mere trophies and victories; NA bile such was the distress ofour situation at home, that the farmer could not pay his rent, or the manufacturer his taxes. The Chanctllor of the Exchequer said, Parliament had been convened as soon as it legally could, after the signatures of the Treaties with Foreign powers ; the ratifications of the Treaty with France not having been exchanged till the :20th of last month. He begged to state also, that it was not a single treaty, but no less than sixty or seventy treaties and conventions, forming an entire new diplomatic code, which would shortly engage their consideration. With respect to the internal em barrassments of the country, he could assure time House, that they bad not failed to engage the most serious attention of hi s Majesty's Ministers. The embarrassments which at present pressed upon commerce, appeared to originate in that interrup , tian of all intercourse with the Continent, by which the dread ' of scarcity became so prevalent, as to gip e a great encourage ment to our own tillage and agriculture. The positive scarcity in 1801 had increased those apprehensions, which were coati noel by the suspension of almost all communication with the Continent fur so long a period. -Peace naturally brought the foreign and home prices of grain to a level ; and it was impossi ble that the competition of the Continental grower should not de press the British market. To this cause were to be added, the large loans and foreign expenditure during the last three years, amounting to pot less than 113 million', of which about 43 milliOns may have been returned. The subduction of so much capital, and so suddenly, from the ordinary channels of employment, Must have deranged the course of commercial taansactions, and have made itself universally felt. Undoubtedly however, economy in the public expenditure, under such circumstances, was an object entitled to the utmost attention of Parliament. There was one point, however, that had been touched upon, and with r e s p ec t to which he Ara sdesro u s of giving the earliest explanation. He had no difficulty in acknowledging that it was the intention of his Ma jesty's Ministers to propose a Renewal of the Income Tax at Five per Cent. upon the conviction that there was no mode of raising the ne ce.sary supplies less oppressive, or so economical. (Giles of hear root the Opposition. Mr. Brougham supported the amendment, and described the ge ' nerai distress of the country, which was in a greater state of em barrassment than in 1812 and 1812. Bankruptcies were daily increasing.; and the home trade, the substantial ground-work of nitir nal industry, was at a stand-still. Shops were every where empty, and tradesmeus' books covered with debts of which not one per cent. could be collected. The property Tax was to be con tinued. 'this most oppressive tax, not upon property, but upon income—this burden upon the industry and the resources of th e country, was one oldie consequences of our boasted victories, one, of the symptoms of our national prosperity. None of the public biuthens were to be removed, not even the *ar mar tax,-whick ILd‘