The National Register. — London, England, 1817-03-24 00:00:00

pia months longer than they need to has e been, the assertion Was wholly unfounded. Now, with respect to the confine meta of General Buonaparte, and persons being prevented from s is' g him—so far from it, at the seasons when ships value in, any person who applied tbr a pass hail it granted to go to Longwood ; but to prevent any persons from intruding upon him front motives of curiosity, uo person was 'permitted to break in upon Win at Longwood, till permission was ob• tinned from Gen. Bertrand, or some other person about him. Nor was any restraint laid upon his cemumnicatiou with the inhabitants, except it was with such as were discovered going to Longwood in disguise. With respect to the limits 4.f his confinement, he was originally allowed a circuit of 12 miles; hut it having been discovered that he was tampering o ith SOM. Of the sentries, his limits were contracted to a space of fight miles in eirl'llniference ; and he was at liberty to go to any part of the island he chose, either in his carriage or on horseback, hating a British officer with him of a rank not inferior to a Captain. With respect to the interruptions given to Bnonaparte's taking the air in his garden after sun -set, eentinels were necessarily placed round the garden; and Buonapartv having objected to their looking al him, Sir 11. Lowe, allsliollll to accommodate his prisoner, immediately had the centhiels placed in such a situation that they could no longer see Buonaparte. Would the Noble Lord have had the sentinels entirely removed? Supposing that had been done, and Bunnaparte had effected his escapeotid Sir Hudson Lem e had been called to the Bar of the House to give an account of Oat eiremnstance, and had stated that his prisoner escaped after front his garden, the evutinels having been pre viously ed ; would it hate been any deflnee that Sir N. Lowe had said the centinels were removed at the request of Boonaparte? The Noble Lord then entered into a detail of the eiremnstances attending Butmaparte's residence at Longwood ; and said, every attention had been paid to his 414 ti.rts that eircnnistances would allow of. With respect to the allowance made for his maintenance, it was fixed at finoul. onion an estimate and comparison with the Governor's establishment. The Governor, with all his additional ex pellees, has no lucre than 12,0001.; and it is not necessary that General Buonapate should keep up that state which the Got ernor did, who was obliged to receive and entertain the commissioners of the allied powers, the passengers by the Company's ships, and the inhabitants of the island. It was also asserted in the documents to which the Noble Lord (Holland) had alluded, that only one bottle of wine a day was allowed to each person of Boonaparte's establishment. The fact was, that by the returns it appeared, that in a fortnight 336 bottles of Cape and superior wine were consumed. This, on an average, was 19 bottles a day, for each 10 persons of the establishment, besides 33 bottles of porter. The Noble Lord contended, that Buonaparte had, in every respect, beer treated with a liberality highly honourable to this country, and he, therefore, opposed the present motion. The Marquis of BUCKINCHAM said, The only question was, whether he had a right to imprison Buonaparte; and if %T had that right, whetht rwe were justified in laying a pro per degree of restraint upon him to keep him in captivity. Buonaparte threw himself upon our protection, because he feared that Austria, Prussia, and Russia, would recollect the tenfold injuries which he had heaped upon them ; and it in the mad career of his ambition he had not deprived any of those Sovereigns of their crowns, it was because they had been forced to submit to his views, and unite with him in his schemes against this country. Lord DARNLEY also did honour to the motives of his Noble Friend ; at the same time he trusted, after the able speech of the Noble Secretary of State, his Noble Friend would consent to withdraw his motion. Lord HOLLAND replied, he could not receive the praises of his Noble Friends out this oreasion, if they were to be pm - - chased by his compliance a ith the suggestion to withdraw his motion. He would take the sense of the hunse on his motion, if he stood alone. The Noble Lord refused to pro duce the documents for a Well he had moved, although the Noble Lord had read extracts from those very documents, which might be garbled. This was a new mode of proceed ing. The noble Lord treated the charges as light and un founded, yet lie had taken great pains to contradict them in a speech. Had he not better have produced the documents asked for? The speech of the Noble Lord, greatly as it had keen complimented by his Noble Friend, was not by any means so satisfactory to him, as the production of the papers would have been; nor wont() the Noble Lord's speech be half so satisfactory to posterity. The motion was then put and negatived without a division. Adjourued. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19. Witnesses were examined ou Bayely's Divorce Bill; the evidence was ordered to be printed, and taken into considt ration on Tuesday next. The Silk Bounty Bill, and the Marine Officers Indemnity • Bill, were read a third time, and pa , sed. Th:. Mutiny Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed to-morrow.— Adjourned. THURSDAY, MARCH 20. The army and marine mutiny bids were committed. SEDITIOUS MEETINGS. The order of the day fo• the second reading of the sediti ous meeting bill being read, Lord SIDMOUTH moved, that this bill be read a second time; which, alter some observations from Earl Grosvenor, Lords Holland, Erskine, and Liverpool, was accordingly read a second time, and ordered to be committed to-m3revr. Earl GdosvEnort then moved, that the committee be in• struetcd to divide the bill. The Ea rl of LivErteoor. could not conenr in that motion. -It was di likable that the bill should proceed with all l'Cilboll able dispati Lord HOLLAND thought that the bill ought to be divided as it oas a coidissed and awkward mode of legislating to use temp"rary and permanent provisions in the same lull. The motion was negatived without a division. SLAVE 'IR U) 1: AIIOLITION, SLAVE REGISTRY, &c Lord GRENVILLE rose to call the attention of the house to a subject whtrh had been under the consideration of the horse last session ; he alluded to the subject of the abolition of the slave trade and the registry of slaves. He wished to know, Ist., 1% holier there hail been any discussion by the le gislature of Jamaica, and by those of the other colonies, on the subject in question any bills had bet it pass ed ; and it' raised, whether any of them had been received by the ministers Of the crown ? Earl BATIILUSI Milli now able to state to their lordships, that intelligence had been received, that in Jamaica a bill for the registration of slaves had been passed; and also another bill fur giving gi eater effect to toe object of the abolition of the slave traffic ; that in Barbadoes an act had been passed for the registration of the slaves ; and that in St. Vincent's, and other islands, the subject had been under discussion ; and it Was expected that all the other legislatures would fol low the example of Jamaica and St. Yineent'4.—Ailjourtird. THE NATIONAL. REcIsTEn. FRIDAY, MARCH 21. ROYAL COMMISSION. The Royal assent was given by commission to the army and mnrine mutiny bills, the silk expo' mliml !town :. bill, and indemnity hill. (...miiinbsioners, the Lord Chancellor, Lail of Shaft , sbury, and Lord Retlesdale. The house having gone into a committee on this bill, In which some t echnical amendments, on the niotif , n of Lord Greville, were adopted, and -onto other alteration suggt•sted by different Lords, resitintd, and the report ordered to be received on Nlonday.--Adjonitivil. HOUSE OF COMMONS. NPICI)AIt, AIARCII 17. The Sheriffs of London presented a Petition from the Common Conned, praying for the abolition of State Lot teries. _ _ The Sherif f s then presented a Petition from the Common Council, against Mock Auctions, and praying for an act to abolish them. —Ordered to be laid on the table. Mr. Curwen presented a petition front Capping, in Essex, praying a revision of the Poor lAN/A.—Ordered to be laid on the table. Mr. Lyttleton presented a petition from certain needle makers in Worcestershire, complaining of distress on account of the introdoction of machinery, and pm) ing that a tax should be laid on it—Ordered to lie on the table. Petitions praying for Retrenchment and Itrforne, were pre sentee!, and hid on the [-.able, from Ipswich; and Ross, in Herefordshire. The Marine Mutiny fill was passed. The Naval Stores Bill went through a Committee, and was ordered to be ieported to-morrow. Mr. Brogden brought up the Report of the Committee of Supply, which was agreed to. Mr. M. A. Taylor brought up a for the better repairing the pavement of the metropolis.—Read a first time and ordered to be read a second time on Friday. Mr. Robinson, in a Committee on the East India Trade Act, moved a Resolution, that all the East India Trade, except that of China, be extended to the ports of Malta and Gibraltar.— Agreed to. ORDNANCE ESTIMATES. Mr. WARD stated, that the Extraordinaries of the Ordnance amounted to 520,0001. and the Ordinaries to 229,0001. ; which amounted together to 150,0001. less than list year. Conside rable reductions had taken ;dace in the Ordnance, such as a whole battalion of artillery, and half a battalion of engineers. There had also been a reduction in the corps of sappers and miners. He then moved fur a sum of 258,0001. for the office of Ordnance fur the year. After some conversation respecting the propriety of pre. venting map sellers from cops ing the large map which the Office of Ordnance was about to publish, the Resolution was agreed •o. Mr. %VARY) then moved, 25,0001. for the service of the Ord 'name, 25,05t1. and 24,0001. for the Land Serviee of the Ord nance, 10.;,000. bier superannuated and retired officers and men of the Ordnance, 350311. for a like purpose, 15,0001. for a like purpose to superannuated servants of the Awe, 72,0001. for the expect. of the Office of Ordnance in Ireland, 27,0001. fur pay of Irish retired officers and widows, and 1,7401. for a like purpose. The Resolutions were agreed to, and the Report ordered to he received to-morrow. Lord A. HAMILTON presented a petition from the county of Lanark, against the tax on dwelling houses and cottages in Scotland (not paying a rent of 51. a year) of 4s. 611. Mr. VANSITTART could not consent to take off a tax of 4s. 6d. from Scotland, while England was to continue paying a tax of Us. Some alteration might be made in the mode of collecting this tax. The petition was brought up, and ordered to lie on the table. The Mutiny Bill was read a third time and passed. All?. BUTT. Lord COCHRANE presented a petition from R. G. Butt ; in which he stated that lie was afraid the 10001. fine would be exacted a second time, because the first had not been paid far the use of the Crown ; and because the receipt was nut signed by the person whose name was affixed to it. Mr. VANSITTART said, he had eimuired ; and found that the fine had been regularly paid for the use of the Crown. The petitioner laboured on this and other subjects under a most unfortunate malady. The petition was ordered to lie on the table. Lord CocuatANE gave notice of a motion for to-morrow, relative to the application of tines paid to Courts of Law.— Adjourned. TUESDAY, MARCH 18. LorI'ERTES. _ The chief business ofTinpo;t7Dlctl.tis day was that relating to State Lotteries. Mr. LIiTTLLToN rose to bring forward a motion for the abolition of Lotteries. The Hon. Gentleman contended, that this mode of raising money was improvident ; and stated that the people paid actual y the sum of RIO,OOOI. in order to bring into the Tieatiry Montt 570,0001. He objected to the present Lottery, on the grolind of its being a iblaey. Instead of 220,000. in prizes, the real value was only lOir,Onol. lie also objected, in strong terms, to the practice of sidieriog Moe-coat-boys to assist in drawing the Lottery, as it fami liarized them with gambling. 't he Lord Mayor and Corpo ration of London hail objicted to the Lottery, 41111 petitioned against it. The Hon. Gentleman we'd On to state various evils resulting from the Lottery, and coneltided by a motion expressive of its evil tendency, in a 11101 - .11 'Mint of view, and as actually causing a diminution in the revenue. Mr. V.VisITTART !float(' the ItoOse would weigh most se riously bciOre it gave op ally p..rt of the revenue of the eomitry, at a time so precarious a, the presctit. %L die re spect to the system of Lotte• tea iwallt: 11 1,1 aWfitt and unless ;la games of chance were held to be so, he et/11111 not • see how l.ottes ies could be so emisideictl. As to the scruples of the City of London with respect to Lotter its, they had only seized the city latety; thr it was not many yells ago that the city got an Act of Pat Hammitt fur a Lottery of it, ow n. of which the principal prize was a house valued at 29,0301, and he hail hero told, that home had been sold with aitlietilty for 70001. sir... Iton Im.y spoke against Lotteries, and said, if the Hight lion. Gentleman could go into the workhouses, prisons, and mad-houses, to see the persons now distressed and ago nized by the proved consequences of the Lottery, he did not petitiv that he could • till ltersevme in them. Mr. J. WARD thought we mild nut at present spare 5 or Gio,n itol. a year, witlbrit occasioning more evils than those Watch assoc Irons the Luttrrics. At the same tiNic, the Lot- MANCH '24. tery system was a shameful system, liable to destroy all in dustry, forethought, and morality. M.. WlLBErtortcE thought it very strange, that the last speaker should have admitted that Lotteries destroyed religi ons and moral feelings ; and yet that they ►hould be kept up to raise 590,6001. a year for the service of the State. ThPre was no other species of vice or immorality which might not be defended 00 a similar principle. c A sTLEitescii should have felt great satisfaction, if they could have given up this Tax wi•h justice to the laigt r interests of the State. The moderate me of Lotteries, like that of intoxicating spirits, would be productive of no esti; it was only the inordinate use of them that was pernicious. Lord A. l'Asitt.ToN, Mr. H. Mtitu.stru, and Mr. THOM. son, spoke in very strong term• against Lotteries. Mr. L%TTLETON replied. He was glad to fiud that the principle of Lotteries had been given up, even by those who advocate(' that measure for they hail admitted, that if money could be raised in another manner, the Lottery would be given up. The House then divided—For the original motion 26 Against it 7g—Majority 46. WEDNESDAY, 11l %Rini 19. Mr. lin , kisson brought in the New Street Hill, which wa s, read a first, and °nice ed to be read a second time on Friday next. _ _ Mr. Lushington presented an amount of the duties ou rice imported for the year ending the iq of January, I al7. The Naval Stores Bill WAS read a third that, and passed. On the motion of Sir M. W. Ridley returns were ou tiered of the number of pursers in the Royal Navy, on the list in July, 1814, and those subsequently removed. Mr. Dickinson moved for leave to bring in a fill to enable Justices of the Peace to ascertain and settle tables of the fres and other allowances of the clerks of the peace in their re spective counties. The Bill WAS brought in, and read a first time. LUNATIC AsyLums, Lord Ilirrsltvc, pursuant to notice, addressed the Home for the purpose of obtaining lease to bring in a Bill, providing for the establishment ollimatie asylums in Scotland. The question was put and Carried. The Exchequer Court Bill was committed, and the Report ordered to be received to-morrow. WINDOW TAX BILL. General GAstovxEiMquiretl, on behalf of Isis constituents, into the nature and objects of 'lli, Bill. The CHANcEt.LoR of the EXCHEQUER exp►essed his hope that the Bill might be printed before Easter. He perceived that it had created a went unnecessary anxiety in some classes of the community. %ilia had supposed , that its object was to extend, whilst it was in fact to curtail, the application of the law by which the tax was imposed. It was introduced in consequence of a decision of the Jock( s, that, by the con struction of the act, such houses as lia4l formerly been dwel ling houses, although now applied to other purposes, were liable to the assessment. 'file principle of the new Bill was to declare, that this construction should prevail no longer. SI , %NISH ANIENICA. Mr. Itnnt Guist, pursuant to notice, nuwed. " That an humble address lie presented to the I'riace Regent, praying, that tittle be laid before the House copies of any treaties or conventions relative to the cession of Monte Video to Por tugal; and of any correspondence respecting the same, so far as such corrtspondence could be consinunicated without in jury to the public service." Lord CASTLEREAGH said, that this Government was in no degree party to any foreign treaty on this subject; bet had reatainell quite neutral. As to Marshal Iteresfurd, h:s duties ought not to be confoowited rho... officer. While he was in the service of the Crown of Portugal, he must not be considered as acting for this country. He should de precate the discussion in its present shape; anti could not think it consistent with his public duty to lay any docitinenta before the House. . . . Mr. PONSONBY asked, whether it were true, that this Go verntnent haul interfered with the United States, as to the conduct ss hich its citizens ought to pursue towards the Spa nish prov; nee , ? He had asked this question yesterday, but the Noble Lord was not then in his place. Lord CASTI EREAGII said, the measures adopted by North America had been taken solely and exclusively upon a view of what became her and her ow n power. Mr. Poissosinv then desired to call the attention of the House to a treaty of alliance between Spain and this country, dated sth July, 1814. The Noble Lord haul said, that our relation with Spain was one of strict neutrality ; but, by the third article of this treaty, it was stated, that his Britannic Majest, being anxious that the subjects of the revolted pro vinces should return to their lawful Sovereign, engaged not to furnish arms to them. This treaty, it appeared, was signed by Sir H. Wellesley: he sheold, therefore, move for copies of ail instructions sent to Sir H. Wellesley, under which he was authorized to sign it. Lord CASTLEREACII was astcnished that the Right Han. Gentleman had not brought forward this question sooner; the treaty had been on the table nearly two years. Ile would merely state, therefule, that the principle of mediation had been taken up and acted upon; but not having succeeded, it was the wish of' this Goverment to void ribute to the restora. ti (((( rit the provinces, provided it could be done consistently with the ri tattoos esistiog between swain and this country. Mr. lielitGllAM observed, that, by the second article, his Cathohe Majesty espressed his concurrence with the senti. moo ., of bia Ile 0 8 ,, hav m aj e.i v, as to the injustice and Wm. 'nano) , of continuing the African slave trade. But how had his Catholic Majest acted ? In what way had he shown his abhorrence of this unjust and inhuman traffic? Truly, by im porting 20,tf00 slits u s into Luba, and 4.e000 into i'mtie: 1. (lbw.) He now wished to know, whether any correspondence had taken ',lace het wet it this Government and Old Spain re lath e to these proceedings. Lord CASTLERLAGII said, a negociation was now pending, and therefore he was unable to cise a final answer. Mr. W. SMITH bronchi up the Report of OW Committee on the Highland Roads. Ordered to be pointed. WINDOW DUTY. Mr, LUSIIINGTON in ,vetl for lease to bring in a Bill to ex plain anti am: lid the 4Sth the king, relative to thew inflow (1,11:4. The object of his ihttlidill Bill MRS to c‘einpt slich houses as may be used for the sole purposes of track., or as WarV11011$1.•. - - - ...... The 'Sill was brought in, and read a first time.. The other orders of the da) nere then disposed of, and the House adjourned. TIIUR•DAY, MARCH 20. A sari( ty of papers were pi csewted .It the bar by diferent prrso.ts, porNuaot t,) the order of the house. Suitdry bliSillesSOr a multifarious character, nmetigst whirls erg* le..rd Cochrane . * prvuutml motion reapecting hues paid