The Statesman. — London, England, 1818-02-04 00:00:00

•Gommiesten - Po ols .whirl the -Iteltiiiction Act bid the,* several Heat beep passed, were war, the high price bullion, rate of iseelmusge, and , Centipede's war against our leoances 7 -shisse omenb..the pretexets en{ former etc pisirms; ,bit : her weft id venture to say that there were ties_ t.se girdle s be had almost said insultion l .to tie !le the olt e now set forth. What, beers* Mr. oschtld Is dear% in the .Funds of other. Slain, because France and Austria are,ahout to adopt ea. traordinsey meattores of fieence, must this evil •be slain inflicted upon this ceontry.[ Hear, heari]—t He would maintain that the renewal of the Baok Restrictioa would facilitate the financial policy of the Foreign powers alluded to; end if cash payments 'were to be resumed, not a shilling would leave thd ternary in constqueece of these measures which are iow to supply the pretext for continuing thiaeuinoest espedieot. He bad no wish to prevent British capitalists from employing their .money in foreign rWines; he wished the trade in mousy to bees e as other trades ; but it was not free so long as the Bank was to pay in nothing but paper ; and as long as the country bad a paper currency* which be, would call a fictitious currency, not convertible rash, the rate of Exchange weuld be naiad this country, and commerce would sustain the consequent miachief. The sooner, therefore, they returned to cash payment', which be might call the vestal sys. tem of currency, the better ; sod the mischief would encrease wills delay. If he were wrong iu these doctrines, every writer from Adam Smith down to the late Lord Liverpool, was in error with him. He would trouble the House no longer then, as there would be another opportunity of delivering his sen timents on the subject. He concluded by moving for a return of the total weekly amount of Bank . Notes and Hank Post Bills in circulation, during the last year, distinguishing those ander 51. and the ag gregate amount of each. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, he should not oppose the motion, nor detain the House with any observations en the subject, as* time would shortly come when the question might be regularly discussed. The motion was then put and agreed to. Mr. GRENFLLL then moved for a variety of other accounts relative to the Bank, which were enlisted. STATE OF THE COUNTRY. Lord CASTLEREAGII presented several Papers,. purporting to be communications from the Prince Regent, respecting the internal state of the Country; these Papers, he proposed, should be referred to a Committee, to be appointed on Thursday se'anight. DPISTIt UCTION OF THE INCOME TAX PAPERS. Mr. BROUGHAM—" I wish to ask the Right lion. Gentleman opposite whether he can now give me the information I sought for on Saturday last, namely, whether the whole of the Papers connected with the Returns under the Income Tas, in the dif. ferent parts of the country, have been destroyed ? As I conceive this to be a material question s I hope to receive a distinct answer." The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHFA/Uglier•- i " I Move the satisYaction to 'inform the Hon. and Learned Gentleman, that •a considerable time ago a person was sent from the Tax-office to the different' districts of the country to collect and destroy all papers relating to the Income Tax, except such as were necessary at the Receiver's Office to collect in and check the unpaid balances." Mr. BROUGHAM--.A 6 Were all copies of these Papers else destroyed ?" The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER— ' " I said alt the Papers." Lord FOLKESTONE postponed his Motion, which stood for Thursday, until to-morrow se'onight. MR. HONE. Mr. WILLIAM SMITH said, that at present he did not conceive it necessary for him to go into a I minute detail of the circumstances connected with the motion which he bad announced. He should content himself with perposing that a statement he laid before the House, of the sums received from Mr. Hone at the Crown-Office, for Copies of the various Informations filed against him, in order to form the grounds of proceedings which he was here. after to bring forward. He took this method of pro curing the necessary information, as he thought it best adapted for bringing that information before them with the greatest degree of authenticity. At the same time he thought it proper to mention, that the case of Mr. Hone was rather the incidental oc casion than the reason of the motion now proposed for their consideration. lie had for more than 20 years been of the same opinion respecting the es. pediency of Reform in this department; and he now took shame to himself that he bad been so re miss in bringing it under discussion. Had the sub ject been repeatedly agitated, it was impossible but some amelioration should have taken place. In con sidering the recent prosecutions instituted against Mr. Hone, he could :sot help admiring the intrepidity, sagacity, and skill, with which he had conducted his own defence. lie had since had an opportunity of conversing with him in private, and he must declare that he discovered nothing that could tend to give him an .unfavourable impression of Ms character, nothing unbecitming the manners of a Geutleman. As for the parodies •pablished by Bone, Ms opinion , perfectly .coincitled with that the Public in geeeral,, that they were highly cettsue. , able; and it was not the least honourable part of Mr. conduct, that immediately on finding that , such was the public impression respecting them, be , used every means to prevent the circulation. But those parodies, however censurable, won not a it subject to he animadverted on in a Court of Justice. it appeared to him, that the free operation of public opinion was the only adequate anti proper check to their popularity. Ile said he had little more to trouble them witkon the subject, and disclaimed any interx. tion of complaining of any party. He had the authre. , lily of Mr. Hone to state, that the conduct of the Attorney-General towatd,s hire was,that of a maw of urbanity, pulitenes, and justice. If any blame could attach to the conduct of that Gentleman, Mr. Honer conceived it was in not including the three informs,. lions in one; In every other respect he had shows himself a Gentleman and a man of humanity. It was, of the law itself, as it at present stood, that he bad tp, liatoelsin. From the Officers of the Crown be bad , according irewitre wise. It was in raw law Itself,'therefore, that te-e foetid*. wu Required, and the motion he was about to mebehed.oggneritd to him as the proper Parlia mentary mode of bringing the subject under their notice. He should therefore move that an account be Isidbefore (hit 'House of the rams received at the Crown-Office from Mr. Hone for copies of the In- forwse i tions •filed against him, together with the au thority on which they were demauded, and the nese to which they were applied. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL observed, that with respect to the fees elected at the Croton-office, there was no Cause of complaint peculiar to this iaie, as no fees bad been required from Mr: Hone bet such as would be required from any other defendant. It was, therefore, to the , shape in which the motion was brought forward that he objected, inasmuch es it seemed to imply that Mr. Hone bad been exposed to hardships peculiar to himself. Had the motion been directed to ascertain the fees required from de. *dents in general in the Croweifoffice, he could not object to such a motion brought forward on gene ral principles. In the present case, however, it sp. peered that such a motion would be onnecessaty, as it was in the power of any of them to satisfy them-, selves on this subject, by referring to the Records of Parliament. From these it would appear, that since the year 1503 those fees had ever continued the same as now. He saw no ground whatever for imitating an enquiry upon this case, unless it should appear that there was something to distinguish it from simi. ler cases. It did not appear to him that there was any such distinction ; and of this any man might satisfy himself who took the ordinary trouble to en quire. He would find that the same fees which have been taken for ages, are still taken ; that in the case el Mr. Hone, there was no innovation upon this int eseittarial law and practice; and that, on this ground, therefore, the present motion was completely uncalled for, and unnecessary., Sir FRANCIS BURDETT said, that if the doc trine edvanced by the Learned Gentlemen opposite (the Attorney-General) were to regulate the pro. ceedings of that House, they would have very little business to go through. Every Member knows per fectly well the subject on which he moves for papers previously to their production, but he calls for their production in order to lay a clear and distinct foots dstion for ulterior steps.—(,Hear!]—ln all matters of complaint or reform it was, if not in itself ne cessary, at least always required, that official audio. city be produced to prove their esistence. But the great grievance in the case now before them, was the absolute refusal of justice to the poor, by means of ' the enormous expence imposed on its administration. —[Hear, hear!] —Ile should like to know of what avail the best political institutions could be, if they were thus rendered inaccessible. The great pin toes therefore was, that the insatiable thirst of tu ition had made the administration of justice a cruel 'lseult and mockery to the People.—[Hear, heart] a--The Honourable Member proposed to bring for ward some legislative remedy for this grievance.— The reason on which he wished to found this mea. sure was no reason, according to the Attorney-Ge nerdt because it was perfectly notorious to the whole world! The grievance was indeed notorious, end therefore the motion was not only retainable but ne cessary. Mr. W. SMITH said, Mr. Hone's case was rather the occasion than the reason of bringing forward his motion ; it was so, because it was the most striking case of this intolerable exaction that had ucccurred in his recollection. Mr. Hone informed him, that he was obliged in order to obtain information, accurate information of the crime laid to his charge, in order to be prepared to defend himself in a Court of Jus tice, to pay the sum of M. To obtain this sum, he was obliged to sell, at a great loss, part of his pro. perty. He was thus obliged to sell property belong ing to him in order to get a knowledge of the crime imputed to him. lie founded his motion on the case of Mr. Hone, because he tied been obliged to sell property greatly under value; the independence of hie spirit not suffering him to apply to his friends for the money exacted from him. If the information were given in consequence of an abstract motion, it would" not be the information he wanted. It would let them know how much was charged per sheet, but it would not show how many sheets a poor man must pay for, in order to meet an unjust eccosation. If the Attorney-General should move an amendment that would iu any other way procure this information, instead of moving the previous questioi ) be would willingly adopt it. Lord CASTLEREAGH confessed he would rather have met the motion with a direct negative,l than have resorted to moving the previous question. Ile was of opinion the motion, as it then had been moved, would not be consistent with the professed 'practice of thd House ; and was apprehensive, 'if granted, it would lead to a notion that the (louse bad attended rather to the case of alleged individual grievance s than to the general principle of the cape dieney of the general improvement of the laws as they stood. As to the conduct of the Attorney. General, it appeared on all hands to be uoimpeadi able, and perfectly consistent with the duties ins ' Posed on him by his situation. Mr. BROUGHAM defended the mode adopted by the Hon. Member for Norwich. His object was merely to obtain a foundation for a Legislative pro ceeding. He said, in effect, " Give me certain do cuments, end I will show you the foundation of such a measure." " No," said the Noble Lnrd, " but we will tell you that so much is charged per sheet." After such information should be laid before' them, they would remain quite ignorant of the suet paid by each individual. The knowledge of titiV could not be obtained' hut by such a motion as wad ' ,stated' by his Hon. Friend. if Mr. BATHURST thought the case el Mr. Heed was by no means one of peculiar hardship, for-he had opportunity of assertairring all that woe requisitd, ifor his defence et the Crown-Office. Lord:FOLKESTONE observed that when any • t complaisst-came from his side of the House, they were generally called upon to give a particular case. He was therefoch serprised to hear those on the other sido now, object to a sootio4 merely because-it teal founded on a Particular cote. Ile bad ) however, no oiebeti Bat tweedy or 'thirty Mit would form Mill. belie, , only reason of his rieitkg loekr logiitct was, the assertion of this ftig ht llotioerable Ai( Mr.' Bone hid a right to 'go into the Crown4offiee to feed the infetteli dons easiest bias. This, truly, was a very valteitidi right tol• *r. Ilene, confined es he was at that time in the King's Bench. By en Act of Parliament , in. ,traduced - by Sir 'Vicary Gibbs, the present Chief ;Natio: of the Common Pleas, when he was Mooney ' General the Attorney-Geneval was ontitled to cell upon any man to find bail, and failing to do so, tet, commit him to prison. Mr. Bone was, accordiog to this Act, called upon to find bail ; Ate did not, in. 'deed he atoeld not, find hail, and he was in cootie. quence committed to the King's'Bench by order of die Coati, and on the motion of the Attorney-General. Ho* could he iu this situation walk into the Crown. office to read the information against him ? Besides, even if be could go into the Crown-office, could a man, by the cursory perosal be could give the in formation there, prepare himself for his defence ?- 'Hear, 'hear!) 1 Mr. W. SMITH said he bad no objection to with draw his motion, if the Right Honourable Gentleman would bring fiirward a general one to the same par• pose. Mr. BR AC GE BATHURST mid, he could have 'ass Illijedtioo to a general motion on the subject. Mr. W. SMITH withdrew his motion, and gave notice that he would MAO again on the subject to• morrow. Mr. S. BOURNE postponed hi 4 motion for a Committee on the Poor Laws till to.morrow. Lord G. BERFAFORD reported that the Prince Regent had graciously received the Address of the House,land returned his Royal Highness's thinks for their condolence. . - - 11111- rt • tA 11 • •-7 _ ; before tbe'Rigbt VonoarableGentleinin asked the received every .atteotion. Neither did be alien to objection, 'indeed he .1 notrekegain to Legislate upon it, .that the affairs of 'reflect on the conduct of the Learned Lord on Ow cases were stated, as 408aelf valid be submitted to the same kind of Bench, in refuting to tarnish copies, as ho found foundation. But um of •Comestesion wetiappointed in 1/9?. gtoonds that, according to leteibe could net have acted ether. day thing on the iol LUNATIC ASYLUMS TN SCOTLAND. Lord BINNING obtained leave to bring in a Bill for establishing district Asylums for Lunatics in Scot land. Lord A. HAMILTON said, two-thirds of the People of Scotland bad disapproved of the Noble Lord's former Bill ou this subject. He was connect ed with a part of the country where a Lunatic Asy lem was lately erecttd, which he considered a modol for such buildings. lie hoped this Bill would be subjected to the setae esamivatiou in Scotland as the former Bill. General FERGUSSON had several objections to the measure, but Le reserved them for a future op portunity. Lord BINNING admitted that objections to the former Bill were very generally eoteriained in Scot land. His object in delaying any proceedings as to the Bill till after Easter, was in order to give the People of Scotland time to examine it, and to cond. der the very material changes he had made in the, measure. The great objection formerly was to the appointment of General Commissioners, to carry the measere into effect. Now County Commissioners were sebatiteted, eacepting two Commissioners to be appointed by the Secretary of State, for the perposs of seeing that the objects of the Act should be gene rally effected. - Mr. C. W. WYNNE took that opportenity of massing his astonishment that any man could be able to read the horrors disclosed by the Commis sioners, who had some years ago reported on the state of Lunatic Institutions in England, without at. tempting to obtain some remedy for the evil. For three years the subject had been before them, and hitherto nothing was done. A Bill bad been brought forward every Session, but it was r•-gularly 1111oired to sleep till the end of it. If no ether abler person undertook this matter, he would himself, however inadequate, introduce a Bill on the subject. Leave given to bring in the Bill. PENSIONS IN TIM TAX OFFICE. Mr. BENNETT moved for an account of the Pen sions and Retired Allowances enjoyed by persons who bad been Clerks, or Inspectors of Clerks, in the Tas-office, distinguishing those who held soy other ,offices.—Ordered. PARLIAMENTARY REFORM. Mr. BEN NETT presented a l'etiiiou from certain Inhabitants of Liverpool, praying that the House would take an early opportunity of restoring to our beloved country the indispensable right of fair Re presentation.—Ordered to Ile on the table. USE OF THE MILITARY IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE IN IRELAND. Sir HENRY PARNELL presented a Petition from the high Sheriff and Grand Jury of the Queen's County, which he said conveyed the sentiments of the whole County, against the employment of the military in criminal eases. When the military were employed to apprehend persons charged with offences, death often was the consequence. When the person I. be apprehended attempted to escape, the soldiers fired and killed him. The office of constable in Ire land was totally different from what it was in this country. Mr. PEEL took the opportunity to say that the 'military were never more seldom recurred to thin dertieg the last two or three years. If the constables were inefficient in the Queen's County, it was the , fault of the very Grand Jury who sent this Petition. After some farther conversation relative to the al lowance, condo to constables in Ireland, the Pa- - Wen was read and ordered to lie on the table. Mr. CURWICN gore notice, that an Thursday nest it was his intention to move for the re-appoint ment of the Committee en the Laws relating to. Tithes. Mr. C. W. W YNNE gave notice, that he. should to-morrow move for leave to bring in a Bill for the regelation of Polls at the Elections of Members to serve in Parliament. Mr. ARBUTHNOT moved for in Account of the' Esebequee• Bilis issued by virtue of an Act of time 56th of the King, for enabling the Book/ to advancer the sum of 6,000,0001. by way of luau, and at pre.- sent outstanding and onprnsided for. This account was afterward' laid oo the tattle s • and ordered to he primed. Mr. B DEN brought up the , Report oft Committenr Supply, which was reed's first and _ ouud time. • The CIIA NCELLOR of the EXCIII4III3II, • snored for the production of the, Estimates for the •Extre•idicterySerelett of the Navy digitig the cirteut year, *Thellitilliftriffigitig till this nth tlessiOn Of Portion went ; the operation of an Axg pasted 'last Ssocion, with roost to thO * . lntwootatents Of Roads and - Tohlie -I/toad -.lssiow. la -baked, -was reod-• third flow and pa534.7-4kiljog.rged. .GERMAN.P.APBEV. Fa tusiort s Jut. 2r. —W e may hope to oeestiur military atitits Of 'the Colittdbratiun soon Strang:M. Tim resolution on thirsohjaref By the Diet; it thive .Skting, held en the, filth Of this vuonth,. deNftslrteo that the necessary iostrections shall be detosodied spectiug the proposal of Austria, in order, if possible, to mate 4 declaration on this subject, in the interest of foe, weeki. !Amu, JAN. 18.-6MadaoseKrudener ; the Gnve.rnavent treats her with • much •sigard ; ' true she has au Agent of the Police at her house to • hinder those from visiting bet , win, hate •not a VW , . mission from the President of the Police, bot she goes out at her 'Oeisure, and does what she thinks prover. , Baron Berkheim, her ton.in-law, strived .three days *joie from Moscow, but nothing his-transpired see specting the yews whist be has-brought. . Our fair is now ended. ft has- been in .getterat a gond one, particularly for English aleaufactores. The Sasuo cotton manufacturers were not so success; FRENCH PAPERS. CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES, Jaw. 90. amirs . • M. Delort, Counsellor of the Cour &Idiot Lis mom, petitioned against Article 12 of the L,aw eC the . 1 / 2 1d Flores!, year 11, according to which it air. posted that the Emigrants, although not reitistitull • in the possession of any part of their property, were nevertheless liable to their former debts. He desited the repeal of the law. M. MESTADIER observed, that even the relations of Emigrants were sued fur the debts of the latter, ' although they could derive no advantage whatever (rum the Tatter's former property. - that M. Cotavoiszest thought ti , these nastiest should be treated with much delicacy, to prevent est citing alarm. The Petition being for a law, it was decided to re fer it to the Secretariat. The discussion was resumed on the Recruitment Project. Art. 14 was father considered. Ara amendment moved by M. Morrisset, to Mono all only sons, was gut rid of by the previous question. Some other amendments tending to increase the guru , her of eietUptioUll, were also rejected ; and Ai t. 14 Was agreed to without amendment. in Article 15 an smendruent moved by M. Caro ' voi'ier was agreed to.ateading the easepti‘ni grant* ed to Ministers of the Church to the Mitri.ter s of an, public worship paid by the State. Anotl.or amend+ meat was also agreed to on the motion of M Roper Collard, atending the ramption to persons entsed in public education, who hail entered into an envigtv ' ment for 10 years with the Superior Council of Pub.' lic instruction.. Art. 15, thus amended, was agreed to. The discussion of Art. 16 was postponed till fna merrew.—Adjourned. PARIS, jaK. 31.—'fhe Tribunal de P. erriere stance at Montmedy has just finished n trial w hi c h eacited much attention amongst the inhabitents of Lorraine. Some young men, on a part, of pleasnro , in the Commune of Don, infused into the .ii a which was to be drank by the ladies of their party a certain *powder, of which probably the conjurers of ' the middle ages composed their love philtres. Two of the offenders, 'fbierry Pigeard, a brewer, and Louis Theodore Sauce, a law student, were convict. ed, after a trial which lasted three days, lad Fen. tenced to two years imprisonment, a fine of 300 - francs and to pay a compensation to the parties in terested amounting to 4,200 francs. The Duke of Welliugtou was hourly espeeted last a night. ~.~ TILE MONEY TO b'PAIN. It seems the parties who would be materially afa fected by the new arrangement far the 400,0001. which, according to the Spenish Treaty, are to be " paid on the 20th inst. to such parsons as his Cathy.' tic Majesty may appoint to receive the same." have taken the alarm, and ate now preparing a Petition to the douse of Commons against • compliance with this clause. The above sons, in the Treaty, is said In be " a full compensation for all losses sustained by the subjects of his Catholic Majesty engaged in this traffic, the Slave Trade, on account of vessels captured, previously to the exchange of the peotificitions of the presets* Treaty," consequently the major part of the said amount belongs to individuals, residing in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spain. and elsewhere, having their respective agents in England, who have pro. muted their claims in the Admiralty Courts, and had restoration ordered. In several important cases judgment had bee. already given, and other claims are Nandi% over till the issue of the first trials was ascertained. Thseiudividuals in question have given no powers to the Spanish Monarch to receive this _mosey for their account; and they are well *warn that, if it once enters his coffers ) they will never see a sixpence of it. It is an old fashion of the Spanish Government to assume the claims of individuals, and la several eases it has been done to the rein of the latter.. Not lon ago, a Royal Decree of King Per. dinand was brought forward to obtaiu money, be. longing to private individuals, oat of our Chancery toad, but the bearer of the order was told, the Sove. .reign of Spain had no Cotonou! there. Ito persons lobo have sentences in their favour from the higher Cando, bold the British Government reeponsible for damage they have sustained, and of thiceten the King of Spain give release? Would it be just, when It is evident they would never be reimlimeed, and elliesi) besides, the money granted for a*iiits par. pose la intend ed to be inisapplied •teentwerw K fire broke oat last week in the meleing.ireete of East of WICSIMOILLANO, at his laordship's soot, Apfliorp,lr irieculeshiso ; but, by the timely we at sbikelerineso(ways kept on the proclaims ) the dames 'te übiltetbiare they bad noel the 'WWI sod other out-buildiegs. ' "i ::~`;.~ fat.