Star. — London, England, 1803-12-03 00:00:00

11 11 " - I PARLI4.IIEATI.iIir PROCEEDINGS. IHOU: - ;E OF LORDS, H:ID DEC 2, On the Math/11o( the Dake of NUR! JLK the Zouche Peerage was nrile-s ato be taken into conflderation on the Brit Tuefday in Febru:kry. On the motion of Lord W.etsINCHAM, the Roos Peerage was ordered to be taken into confideration on the third fuelday h nary. The ttukr c . hio It rot K gave notie:, that it was his intention to fuhinit to the connate:Moo of the HoLie a Bid fur preVennog the PtrnchettClergyracn while actually engaged its the chides ri their refpea.ve cures. A Bill for their relict had bnetu intro • iTot that Houle talt Seilion, but had not been entertainsil on the idea that it was to be 4:lb:ernes! a Money Bill —Such a Bill, how:isr, was maw pending in the other Houle,and he fhould avail • ..f the opportunity when that Bill cam. kshe confidered Dy their Lordfhips, to introduce one to the cited he had mentioned. Adjourned till Monday. HOUSE. OF COMMONS. Mr. SUM RR* having taken the chair at the ufual hour, Mr. WA I II: It, from the Batik of England, prefenttd at the bar, putfuact to the order of veiterday, the account of Bank Notea ilfued hetw, en the ilk of June and zid of November, 1803; th. , le under . 1.--Ordercd to lie on the table. On the motion of Sir Wm. ScuT I ,the Hoefe refolved id, If into a Connu.ttee or the Stip, ndiary Ceram' Bill, Mr. Robert Ward in the chair.—Nlade tonic prugref.. reported, and ordered that the Bill b. taken 1::tn farther etinfidei anon on Thurfday next. Mr. 110L.t1.,$E hrotOit up the report of the Seman'N Bill to prevent de:t :non and ecape. Report agreed to, and the bill or dered to he engtoffed. TESII ORARY RELIEF OF CURATES. The CHANCELLOR of Olt EXC HEQUER, porfuant to 1 the notice he had given yefttrday, role and moved, that the Houle do now refolve itfelf into a Commit tee of Supply, for granting a fpecitic fum to his Ma j city, for the purpole of providing fome temporary fclief to thole Curates, who, under the oper.tion of a Bill, palled in the lall Seflion of Pailhunent, for enforcing the t efidence of beneficed Clergymen upon their livings, were deptived of their cures, and, in hut too many instances, a namber of very worthy charaficts reduced to cut erne di Rrefs. Tothis purple, he trolled, the Houfe would have no objection ; and he moved, 1. that the Houle do now refolve itfelf into a Committee of Supply." Sir Rr. BUXTON, however difpolkd he was to re• litve the emharratrments of that very meritorious daft of men aliud , cl to by die Right Hon. Gentleman, Rill he thought the Rate of public exigencies fuch as to call for the moll rigid economy, and the ftt idcit application of the public money to the defence of the country ; nor could he conceive the prcfent a time for the difpofel of the public funds in ads of gene roifity, every guinea of which was called for by pub. lie neeeffiLy. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHFEVER felt, as feri oufly ait he Hon. Xiaronet could poflibly do, the pref. lure of the public exigencies at the prefent moment. But Rill he could lee no confideration that could be toged, upon the ground Rated by the Hon. Baronet, that thould Rand between that Houle and an aft of public geadotity, nay, of public juflice, towards a meritorious Oafs of men, who had, in tad, been de prived of their means of maintainance, and reduced to their prefent embarraffing fituation by the opera tion of an Aft paired by that Houle in the lag Sef• lion. In fall, fo fully did the Houk enter into the jullice and neceffity of fome meafure of provizion for thole worthy men, in confequence of the Aft which caplet' them under a new regulation to the privation of maintenance, that an Aft had been brought for ward by a very worthy and learned Gentleman near him (Sir Wm. Scott) for the exprefs purpofe of mak ing loch a provifion ; which Aft palled with the toia. Mmout content of the Houle, and was ultimately defeated, only by fome informality in the introduc tion of a claufe in the other Houfe of Parliament, for regulating the provifion under the direflion of the Diocelan. He trolled, however, that in the Bill now in progrefs through the Houfe, that regulation would be made the foundation for fome adequate elatife; and he had the &melt reliance, that die Houk, however urgent the claims upon its liberality, for the exigencies of the prefent critic, would not think that a provalou for the dittreffes of fo many deferving Clergymen of the ellablithed church, as were, in (aft, reduced to dithers, in confequence of an ad of its own palling, was to be abandoned ' • efpe cially as the whole fum, within the year , would not 'exceed zo,ood. and, in its utmolt extent, would not amount to above bo,oool. He did not mean that in -ovation was to be made for every curate difplaced, in confequence of the Clergy Aft, becaufe the duties of curacies were done, in many inttances, by Clergy men potreffing (mall benefices, and who, not being reduced to chard's, would have no claim to any pro vition. It was in behalf of thole only, who were ac teally reduced to dittrefs, that he appealed to the liberality of the Houle ; and relying on their juflice tend benevolence, he Ihould hope there would be no .4,jedion to grant a fum in advance, for the tempo rary relief of the perfons alluded to. WAYS AND MEANS. The Houfe refolved into a Committee of Ways and Means, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved towards railing the fupply to be granted to his Ma)eify— r. lhat the Duty on Mair, Afum, Cyder, and Perry, impaled by the 43d of his ',relent Majelly, which was to expire on the a4th of June next, be further continued till the 24th of June 1805. z. That the Doty on Petitions, Offices, and Per fimal Eames, which was to expire on the 35th of March next, b: further continaed until the 45th of March 18:4 ; and alfu that the duties on Sugar, To bacco, ald snuff, be farther continued from March next till the xsth of March 18 , 4. m,..ions were agreed to, and the Right Hon. C.:ntleman then rote, pu:Toant to notice, to move for the Ate of 5,0c,0,00cil of Exchequer Bills. He !fated that he had a fatisfaßion in mentioning, what he had no doubt the Houfe wrold feel a pleaftsre in hearing, that this, if agreed to, was the only applica firm that would be tm:de for any limply until a very advanced period of the f.::lion. He bad alto to ob. ferve, with pleafure, that there was tin outtlanding Exchequer Bills of the year :For, and that thofe only were in circulation, which were fund on the (mitt of the ferwices of 1801, 4.snc.cre4. of which re. mained to be paid off, and the oitiy addition to the Rock of Exchequer Biil. in the market would be . 53o,exael. the whole of which he WAS inclined to t 3 it,k would ow I e nrectfAry for the public Icrvice. The reafon he ailigticd for ;Jibing new Exchequer Billx iu lieu of thole now cn hands, was, that as there ap peared ix be a great &tire to in inch Bills, it was (killable ..;iat moue, litould be invelted lathe: in tl.ofe which wet.: new than in the old. He poi:I -f:4 aut, to be :41V41; that ay aticaioa would be Fxac:e L to this mntion,.and expreffed his readinefs to give fuch explanation as might be required. The motion, was agreed to, the Houfe refumed, the Report WAS ordered to be brought up to-morrow, and the Committee to fit again on Monday. Mr. lisricris prefented an ellimate of the expence of Guards and Gairifons, which was ordered to lie on the table, and the Right lion. Gentleman Rated, that he would move for their confederation on Friday ne st. STATE Or IRELAND. Mr. Secretary Yorrat rote for the purpofc nf ob taining leave, in conformity to the notice which he gave salt Wednefday, to bring in two Bills, the one tnr continuing the Sufpenfion of the Habeas Corpus At in that part of the United Kingdom called Ire. land ; and the other for continuing the powers relied in the Government, for the Suppreffion of Rebellion in that Country. He addreffied the Houfe in a (port but perfpicuous and impretlive fpeech, to the follow. ing effect :-6. Sir, in bringing forward the prelent motion for the continuance of the two Ads, to which I have in a former inftance felt it my duty to allude, I am re.tdy to confefs, that I entertain confiderable regret in calling the attention of the Houfe to the fubjea. I am as fully fenfible as any man can be, that thefe meafures mull conduce to impair, in a very material degree, the liberty of the fubjea, fecured a, it is by the Conilitution, and that they mull, fhould the exigency of the cafe require it, put a complete itop to the ufual forms and proceedings obferved in the Courts of Law with refped to the adminiliration of juntice. But however deep my feelings may be on this occafion, I have to attribute the caufe to the peculiar misfortunes of the times which In imperi tinily call for extraordinary meafures. Thefe mif fortunes, it would be fupertluons in me to acquaint the Houle, have been experienced by our ancellors; and however largely they have, on pall occafions, prelfed themfelves upon the attention of the Legifla ture, they have never been attended with fimilar ef leas, or with fimilar motives for exertion and pre caution, as in the aatial conjunanre of public affairs. It is a melancholy remark for me to make, that in the arlual crifis we are called upon to facrifice a part of our property for the prefervation of the remainder, that we are' required to flied fome of our blond, in order to enable us to keep inviolate that which we prize beyond all confederations—our excellent and invaluable Conftitation. But permit me, Sir, to ob ferve, that in following this line of conduit, we do no more than what our ancellors have done before us ; and that the only difference between them and us is, that they have been called upon lets frecoently to facrifice both their property and blood, when the happinefs and exigence of their country called for fuch facrifices. The relative fituatinn in which we and they !land, is extremely different ; and it is not too much for me fay, that they were never threaten. ed with invafion and deftrudion by fir powerful and implacable an enemy as the one with whom we have at this awful moment to contend. The boundlels ambition, and the uneximpled arrogance of France, force us to the involuntary adoption of extraordi nary meafures ; and however reluctant we may be in reforting to them, we can find ample jollification in that ambition and that arrogance. The Honk will recoiled, that the Ads, the continuance of which I with to have enforced, paffed the Legiflature at the conclufion of the laft Sellion of Parliament, in confe quence of a communication from his Kielty that a rebellion had broken nut in Dublin. It is not. 1 truft, neceitary for me to date all the beneficial confe quences which resulted from them. They were pallid with the general concOrrenco of the Mem bers of this Houle ;—they imparted a well founded confidence in the wifdom and energy of Government to his Majefty's loyal fubjeas of that part of the United Kingdom;—and they enabled both the So vereign and the people to aft with vigour, and to look with all the feelings of loyalty and patriotifm to the happy and triumphant termination of their ftruggles with infurredion and rebellion. The cir cumstances which attended the breaking out of the infurreiftion in Ireland, were marked with peculiar instances of atrocity. They have been fine deve loped by the evidence which appeared on the trials of the principals and leaders of the confpirators ; and it is, amid all the melancholy refledions which natu rally prefent theenfelves to the mind from fuch dreadful events, no (mall fatisfadion to me, that they were tried not by the extraordinary powers yelled in the Executive Government of Ireland, by the Le gifirtive power, but by the ancient and ordinary pro ceedings of the Courts of Law. The documents re lative to thefe trials, are (fill before the licufe ; and it would be fufficient for my ptrrpofe to refer Gentlemen to the matters which tranfpired upon thefe different events. Cut exclufively of the infor. mation contained in theta trials, which is undoubt edly very important, I have to Ra . ‘e, that Govern ment is in poffellion of other intelligence, from in. dubitable authority, that notvritliftanding the de clarations of the chiefs and reputed leaders of rebel lion, a dole and intimate conneaion ftibfilled be. tween the infurgents and the expatriated traitors in France. It is not, Sir, and I unit the Houfe will agree with nit, proper for me to difclofe the fources of this intelligence ; but I will, bower( t, nbferve, that notwithltanding the declaration of the ptinci pal confpirators, feveral of that ells were in the aelual confidence of, and bound by the clofell con neCtion with, the French Government. Some cf them came over from France haft fummer. in the hopes of propagating difloyalty, and fpreading in ever y quarter, by their intrigues and emissaries, the fpirit of difcnntent and difaffedion. They relied, in common with their fellow traitors at home, on the aid and proteaion of France, to promote their wild views and frantic Ichenses ;—and in all their projefis they combined and calculated on the allif [Ante of France to carry their machinations into died. It alto appears from the information which has reached Goveinnsent, that the great of of the Government was, and (till is, the encourage int.nt of infurreaion in Ireland. The details of the unhappy and deplorable events which took place on the 23d Poly, have been already fubmitted to the confideration of the Houfe; and it would nei. ther fuit my feelings, nor their deliberations, to enter into a recapitulation of them at preltnt ; but I Ilrell content m)felf with laying, that, taking the maffacre which was perpetrated nn that horrible occasion, and potting it together with other circum- Ilances. there never was a more atrocious confpiracy, a fyflem of iniurredion, with objets to accumplith SU= Jcfresatc ati.l wild, and leaders of ;claim more frantic and contemptible. With refpea to the tranfatlions which have fince happened, I, have merely to obferve, that the leaders have been puniffi ed according to the ufual forms of law ; forms . which the partizans of confpiracy had themfelves deltroycd in the dreadful affaffination of one of the beR and molt venerable Magiflrates that ever adorn ed the feat of Mice in Ireland or any other coun try. The fate of that good man and worthy judge, mutt ever be the fubjed of the deepeft regret with every one who admires and willies for the upright adminifiration of juffice ; and I hope my Right Ho nourable Friend near me (the Chancellor of the Er chequer) witat no dittant period, have it in com mand from his Majcßy, to lay before the Houfe, and call the attention to, the flare of that Magiftrate's family. It is now my duty to propofe to the Houfe the continuance of thofe mealures which have been found fo very (Amory in their effects ; and I have to exprefs my earnest hopes, that they will experi• ence no oppofirion, more particularly, when it is re colleded that they have nut been employed in any inflance, with the exception of one folitary occafion, when it was found necefisry to try, by martial law, a perfon who had attempted to feduce from their loyalty and duty, fume of his Majefty's forces. After the terrible tempelts and Dorms which have been vainly talcd to (hake and convulfe Ireland, and know ing, as we do, that it is the enemy's favourite ob jed, and the main policy of France, to divide and feparate that part of the &kith Empire from this, we are now called upon to arm the Executive Go vernment, if not with any new powers, at leap with thole powers which have already conduced to its fafety, and to the permanence of our united inter efts. That thin is the great aim of the French Go vernment, no man who confiders its threats and pre parations of invasion can fur a moment doubt. It is no longer doubtful that France knows the is inade quate to contend with the whole force of the Britilh Empire ; and the therefore endeavours, by every poffibk art and intrigue, to divide our Rrength. By thefe means the confeffes her inequality, and allows that, tingle-handed, the cannot hope to cope with us. But whatever her machinations may be, allow me to fay, it is at molt heartfelt fource of fatisfarlion to us all to be convinced, that the great mafs of our population will unite with - zeal and cheerfulnefs against the common enemy. Of thole unhappy and miferable men who may Rill be affetled with fenti ments inimical to the Britifh Conftitution, I (hall, Sir, trouble you with but very few words. I believe there arc indeed few of that defperate dais remaining in Great Britain. Thcre may be fume, I grant, and in Ireland there are certainly more; but I contend that they are by no means fo numerous as they have been. But be they few or many, it thould be known that this Houle is prepared and ready at all times to truth rebellion wherever it breaks out, and to put it down wherever it continues to lurk. I have to apo logize, Sir, for troubling the Houfe at any length upon a fubjed which I conceive to very unobjedion. able, and I beg leave to conclude with moving for leave to bring in a Bill for continuing the Bill for the Sufpenfion of the Habeas Corpus At in that part of the United Kingdom called Ireland." Colonel Hoectrrason rote and fpnke to the follow ing effed " With moll of the fentiments expreffed by the Right Honourable Gentleman who has jug fat down, 1 am happy to declare my cordial concurrence, and Rill more happy to feel jollified in alluring the Houfe that the conduit of the Government of Ire. land fence the infurredlion of July loft meets my per ten approbation. Their firrnnefs and humanity, their activity and attention are, in my judgment, entitled to the utmoft praife. They have in a great meafure purfued that line of policy which the wife and jtift would always recommend to be obferved towards Ireland. They have endeavoured to cultivate the good opinion of the people, which was precifely the comic which, at the dole of the left feflion of Par liament, I exhorted them to follow—an exhortation, by the bye, which teemed to have been much mit conceived, and for offering which at that period I became the fubjed of fevere and unmerited cenfures from particular quarters. I remember, indeed, that feveral paragraphs, I hope not from authority, were infected in fume Irilh Papers, and alto in thofe of this city, tending to decry the individual who upon that occaliun attempted to call the attention of Par liament to the affairs of Ireland. I was quite uncon fcious of having given any provocation to the parti fans of Adminiltration by the language I employed. I meant not to offend any defcription of men in power. Such was not my objedt, as it was, and is, matter of indifference to me by whom the high offices of Go vernment are held, provided that Government be well adminifter ed. In the mode of that Administration I am,fo far as relates to Ireland, particularly interest ed, becaufe with that kingdom I am conneded by all the ties that can be created by the natural love of one's native country, firengthened by a refped fur the talents, a regard for the virtues, and a warm fym pathy in the wishes of its inhabitants. Therefore I mull deeply lament, though I admit the neceflity, which calls for the meafure propofed by the Right Honourable Gentleman. I am ready to give Kni tter, full credit for the veracity of the (tater:rents with which the proporoion of tills mealure has been pre faced, and truft I firall nnt, in the few obfet vations I am about to make, fubjed myfelf to the imputation of willing improperly to obtrude the dilcuffion of the Rate of Ireland. Of mifieprefentation alone do I feel the least fear; upon a very late occafon I had inop portunity of adverting to the fituation of my unfor tunate country. I mean when the motion was under consideration for an Addrefs to his Majcßy, but I abllained from any allot - ion whatever to that fubjed, becaufe I ss jibed not todifturb the rinanimity or damp the zeal wh:ch prevailed in the Ulnae, and liecaule I felt that at (itch a period, whet attaelsd by the molt inveterate enemy and the molt ambesons Govern . merit which this country ever had to encounter, no man of loyalty or common fenfe fhould hefitatc to de dare his refolotion, unhurthened by conditions and unalloyed by expreflims of diliontent, to fupport his Majesty in the profecution of a war in whirr., in my opinion, the empire is steediarily engaged. I was fincerely glad to /icor from my S.,reteign on the day I have rciarred tn, that rebellion was put chiwn in Ireland k and moll cordially joined in the hope ea ;sidled that my deluded country men I,d returned to their allegiarice ; but I cannot help olocrving, that that hope was coupled with tome remark., of which I highly difapprowe ; that it was grollatiA upon a molt illegitimate companion, which man cyclic the Write of evert laison who knows the 114.t..Ny of • his country or values its charader, and it mull pro. yoke the indignation of every What, I would afk, can the Mini(ler mean by comparing the Rate of Ireland to that of thole unhappy countries which are fubje& to the dominion of Bonaparte Does he mean that becaufe the fituation of Ireland is preferable to that of Holland, Switzerland,and Italy, that therefore it is happy; that becaufe it is lefs lefs petfecuted, lefs wretched, the People of Ireland ought to be completely reconciled to the conduit ofthe Britilh Government and strongly at. tached to the bleflings of the Britilh Conflittition ? Is it poflible•that it can be ferioully dcfigned, from a confideration of the difference in.degiees of human miter) , which are alluded to in hi% Majelly's fpeech, to decline entering into the inveßigation of the af fairs of Ireland with a view to devife Coyne plan foe their improvement, to contrive a radical change of the fyftem fo long obferved towards that unhappy country ? If fuch be the purport of this infinuation, it cannot be too Rrnngly condemned. It is fnme thing new in the hißory of this country to denies an argument againli any projeft for ameliorating the condition of its people from a comparifon with the Rate of other nations, and particularly with fuch as may be fultjeft to arbitrary Government. Such an idea is not to be endured. Would the Irifh people in 1782, when demanding in the bold tone of freedom and the irreliltible language of reafon the eflablilh ment of their tights, tamely lillen to any objection to their claims, drawn from a reference to the compa. rative depreffion and poverty of their fituation but a few days before? Would net the Barons of this coon-, try, who, in the 13111 century, fo nobly contended for that charter which forms the balls of Britith li berty, have indignantly fpurned at the man who Ihould have recommended to them to withdraw their pretenlions and abandon their rights, becaufe they would even then be better off than perfons of the fame ads in France, and under feveral of the other Governments of Europe ? It is impoffible that fuch an argument would have been lißened to by any of thofe illuftrious perfans who have fttuggled to im prove the condition, to eftablifli the freedom of Eng land. Let it not then be reforte:l to as a reafon againli confidering the bell means of reaming tran quillity by communicating fomething like happinefs and profperity to Ireland. If fuch be the meaning of the fuggellion I allude to in his Majefty's fpeech. I cannot hefitate to fay that it mud have originated from extreme weaknefs or extreme wickednefs. In giving my fupport to the nreafure before the Houle, I contefs that my difpolitiolito do fo is confiderably damped by obferving that Minifters manifeft no in clination whatever to cake thofe Reps which c;n alone prevent the recurrence of that calamity againft which this Bill is intended to guard, namely, by fitting the Rate of Ireland to the bottom, by deliberating upon it week after week, felEon after farm, Until a proper fyftem be fixed upon and arranged for the well-go. vernment of the bills people; fuch a fyftem as &all be found to fuit their willies, and promote their in. terefts. Unlefs Miniders (hall &riot* let about this necelfary and glorious undertaking, they will not, I ' contend, have done their duty to their country, be caufe they will not have enabled their Sovereign to avail himfelf of the united energies of his people in s conteft which involves the fectinty of all their dare& rights. Ido call the Rizlit H Gentleman on the Treafury Bench that he cannot confidently reckon on the warm and effectual fupport of the empire in this great ftruggle, unlels he be tuft to the people. It has indeed been laid by a high authority, that the cry of grievances ought not now to be railed, and that it would be extremely improper to prefs the difeurron of Irifh claims under the prefent circumftances. If it is meant by this obfervation that the confiderstioe of theft claims Ihould be pottponed till after the con. clufion of the war, I affert that fuch an idea is an in fult to the magnanimity and good fenfe of Parlia. ment. What ! !hall it be faid, that at a time when all the Ilrength which the empire is capable of afford ing may be neceffary, that one important part, which is known to be difeafed, (hall go on without any re medy, much lefs an emollient, until it may become rotten, and irrecoverably 101 l ? But with refped to this cant about the time and circumstances proper for a full enquiry into the Rate of Ireland, I Ihould be glad to know when fuch circumftances are likely to aide in the eflimation of Minißers, for from their conduit heretofore it feems import - 161e to calculate ? They have been Minifters during peace and during war, during rebellion and after rebellion has been put down. They have, in fad, been nearly three years in power, and have gone through every variety of change and circumitance, and yet to them the time for confidering the means of improving the con dition of Ireland has never yet come, nor, indeed, is it likely to come; and of murk under their aufpices the beneficial confeqnences promifed by the advocates of the union cannot be looked for by Ireland, el though a very high authority, who fupported that meafure, Rated at the time it was under dikuftion, that it could nut be toe fools accomplillied, in order that all the grievances tibial a ; ided the country might be impartially examined and radically remov ed. Such a removal, I would have the Houfe to underhand, cannot be effefled by one, two, or three meafures, but by a great and comprelienlice fyftem, the result of a fair and full view of the whole fubjell, adapted to the wants and calculated to have a per manent operation on the interefts of the country. I feel deeply impreffed by the liberal indulgence 1 have always, as well as upon the prefent occalion, experienced from this Houle. As I have been but a (hot t time a Member of the Imperial Parliament, and am but little acquainted with European , palitics, I do not take the liberty of declaring any opinion upon fiihjeds which require filch general knowledge, bat whenever any allulion is made to the affairs of Ire land in this Houle, I cannot perfuade myfelf to fit !item ; and from the fentinient delivered by a truly great and jultly telp<ded charader (Mr. Fox), on the lira day of the lotion, I feel happy that I have ' , canna to hope for a full confiderati.m of this fubje& at a very early period; and let me he permitted alfo to hope, that the refult of fuch confideration will be jutlice to much injured Ireland, and relief to its un fortunate inhabitants." _ _ _ f:encral Lorrus rofe to give hie atoll petfea fop pi-rt to the meafures intended to he brought forward by the Right Hon. Seereiaiy. They were certainly Rrong mcafurea, but they were the only ones that would site fecurity :o th loyal inhabitants of Ire land. He. Arith tvtai I. station to the early part of the fpeech of the Hon. Gentleman who had jilt Lit down, becaLife he knew kb:re was one