The Statesman. — London, England, 1815-02-28 00:00:00

I ,ion of any Gentleman. Vas it to be supposed t h at Providence had intended to regulate the trade in corn among nations. more than any other species of commeice ?—Thrit a-gtiment would go the length of saying, that all things ought to be left in a state of s t ature, anti that legislative interference went to overturn the regulations of Providence. It might ap pear very philosophical to recommend the freedom • o f !ride in all circumstances, but this perfect free a„,„ 0r trade could never be extended upon such a suhj•ct, to a country that was so much of an arti. grist country as this, and when this unlimited free dom of unrestricted trade could lot exist with re. s port to oilier thitiga. If tho people that were now rop lored in agriculture could be withdrawn from country, and cooped u p in towns, to follow t onqulrnetures, he believed- that the change would be „,, we ans desirable. We should have no longer t h,t Ware and hard) peasantry which was the boast o f t his count," : Gen. imairns tperum. oto nine asperima r e ., :ry ke j,,stead of haring a peaceable easy governed society, t i, e , place the population of the country in a st t Art ilia peace of the community would depend bring constantly kept in employment.— H ▪ oe „hi m was illreollhi4l4/101111or ferment heard of in the con dry from the 4toppige of agricultural la bour! But how frequently and how recently (not with than a few years ago) had the peace of the o u..tr, been disturbed from Manufacturers being out 4 ,1 'l . ll ooyr...tit ? The Hoer. Gent. had said, that the cotton machinery in France was equal to that' of this country. 11 such were the case, it was quite evident that our cottons could not be received in Twice. however this question might be determined.-- As for the prima •of every thing falling in the same poportir;n that corn fell in price, it was well known, that whatever might he the ultimate effect, prices did not fall very rapidly. They certainly did not fall so eaphlly as to justify the House in leaving a great portion of the popelatinto of the country struggling with every kit d of distress, until the prices had so fallen. We know that there were many things that could net fall. Whatever might he said about the de preciation of our currency, or its chance of being restored to its original value, still it was evident that the interest of our National Debt must be paid in pounds sterling. Whether prices were high or low, all those lazes • hich were necessary to pay the in terest of the debt must he paid in pounds sterling.— It ass, therefore. evident that all other thpigs could not fall in the same proportion that corn might fall. Could any body suppose that the large and ex tensive class connected with agriculture, begin ning with day-labourer, and ending with the landholder, could all be seriously injured without the manufacturer feeling any evil consequences?— Ile knew already that in many small towns the tradesmen had suffered severely from the depression of agriculture; and lie believed that this would soon be felt in the large towns and cities. He did not be- 11 . ," that Great Britain alone could, by its agricul ture, support its population ; but was it possible not to preter being supplied from Ireland, to-being sup. phod from France and 'Flanders ? There the price of labour was cheaper than it was here; and he be lit.votl with proper encooragement, they could raise sufficient rotor at a moderately cheap rate, to meet any defiiiency in the produce of Great Britain. She, that was so good a customer to us, had a right to demand that preference. She had a right to demand it also from her connection with us as a sister king dom. The Honourable Member here referred to the case of Norway, to which an Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Baring) had adverted as an example of a country trusting entirely to importation, and asked whether the recent situation of that country, when • threatened by invasion, and contending against a superior force, did not furnish a sufficient illustration of the misery and danger of such a dependence. Mr. PHILLIPS explained. Mr. MARRYATT expressed his readiness to give an adequate encouragement to agricultural interest. The only question with him was as to the degree of protection which this interest required, and that this should' not exceed that fair proportion which be longed to ir, and which, if outstepped, Mould ope rate to the prejudice of the other classes of the com munity. The Bill in contemplation, it was said, would not increase the price of corn—to satisfy his (Mt. Marryatt's) mind upon that point, it must frost be shown that affixing the standard at 80s. was a lesser sum thou 635.----L Hear, hear I—A great Anli. Gallica'? feeling had been attempted to be excited, the danger our own landlord encountered in his own market, from his French neighbour, was put forth in the highest colours—the impossibility, with his superior weight o( taxation, was urged on the part of the English farmer against the certainty of his being met by the French grower, if the lower price with which, as was stated, tile latter's smaller ex petices enabled him to enter the field. But the ad vocates hart no idea (or seemed to have had none) of the taxation affecting the French agriculturist. The fart was, the French' farmer paid to the state one iflh of the produce of his industry, a n d souse well informed persons declared, the Contribution Fon ticre amounted to one-fourth. And if they roferred to the Report of the French Minister of Finance, in hi* Budget for 1814-15, issued last July, they 'would find, that notwithstanding forty-two De partments ceased to belong to the French Em pire, the thirty-two which remained paid to the. State two hundred and seventy-five odd millions of Eyre!, and this great revenue, under the reduced price which grain bore in that country.--tHeeel— Ae lion. Member opposite (Mr. Whitbread) on a former night, had made an observation, applying personally to himself (Mr. Niarryatt). It related to the profits which he may hare derived from his com mercial concerns, during the dearth of his agricul tural ones. Now he was the more serprized at this observation, coming from 011 P who invariably pro claimed the inquisitorial functions of the Property Tax, and who, in this instance, seemed to think, however unjust to the community, in his case it may be tolerated. To this observi , ' ion, he had only to reply, that if that lion. Gentleman himself was called upon to give an account of the profits of his brewery concern for the last half year, it would show the public, that while attending to their interest Ovid nn mats more ably did so), he had riot altogether forgotten his own.—[llear !] —Reverting to France, there was not also the same facility of colthation to e;,:ure the predominancy of that country over ours. thit STATESMAN: The ezpence and difficulty of procuring adequata manure was apparent, from the much smaller con sumption of animal food. The Hon. Member con eluded by pointing out the historical fact, that the French Revolution opened with the proscription of the manufactering and commercial interests, and ended with the subversion of the agricultural. The whole alreight of meeting the National Debt was thrown on the latter, until at length, from 25 1 years purchase, the value of land was reduced to 1 six or seven. Mr. DAVIES GIDDY declared his belief to be, I not that the effe:t of the measure before the House i would be to render corn cheaper than at present, but to prevent it ever becoming inordinately dear. If ' any unpopularity attended an opinion of this kind, I he was ready to meet it. Mr. BARING thought that whoever supposed the present question was one from which popularity might Ibe gathered would fi nd it very short lived, even if it should be attained. Every Gentleman had disclaimed t all insinuation about motives, and yet motives had been pretty liberally imputed on both sides. For his Own putt he had the highest opinion of the landed interest ; he looked upon their predominance in Par liament as a general advantage; he considered the liberties of the country as most safely placed in their hands. lie believed that in the kite run it would be found they were the class which acted with the greatest independence. The present question, how ever, as it affected merely the rent and produce 'of land, was to them a question more narrow in its . nature, and with respect to which they might natu rally be supposed to act under a bias. It was some what remarkable that he had not heard during the , whohe of the night, when the question was, of I bringing up the Report of the Resolution, affirming 1 80s. to be the minimum at which foreign corn should be imported, one word to show that 80s. was the proper price, or the looest price that could pay the expences,and remunerate the labours of the farmer. The manufacturers had been pretty roughly handled; they had been treated as the scum of the eartti—[Cries of \'o, no!]—but no reasoning' had been offered to convince him that 80s. was the fit and necessary sum. How this point had been overlooked, he could only account for by supposing that the measure itself was utterly indefensible; and that as it could not be carried by force of argument, it must be carried by clamour and by numbers.— [Renewed trice of Alo,no.]—lfe had himself no in terest in the issue of this question beyond that of any other person : he was not engaged in the trade of corn, and never had been. What he observed was, the result of his own free and deliberate judgmeut.— The Report of the Committee, partial as it was, did not justify the present measure: it did not even cor respond with the evidence on which it pretended to be founded. The Committee wanted protection against present rents and present charges, but had; forgotten to report accurately what their own wit. I nesscs had told them. Instead of its being true, as they stated, that only one person had thought a lower price than 80s. sufficient, one witness con ceived 725. in time of peace, and five others 765. up to 80s. as a full compensation to the farmer.— He should tint refer to the wild opinion that rent did not at all enter into the price of corn ; but he wished to observe, in consequence of what had been said of the stimulus derived to the farmer by his paying a high rent, that the same stimulus to an exertion of his powers would be found in his ex perience of a declining produce. At all events ne he was quite satified that our modern improvements in agriculture had not tended to augment our agri cultural population. If measure; of the kind of that now before them were to he resorted to, and ertifi cial means adopted to keep up prices, it woul be vain to expect to see our money circulation return to its natural state, and they must make up their minds to Hank notes and Bank tokens for the future. Here the Hon. Member entered into a calculation to show that the whole quantity of cultit ated land in Great Britain and Ireland was 63 millions of acres, and that a bounty of 10s. to the landlord, in the shape of a tax on the rest of the community, already este- . blished by law, would allord the result of which was annually paid, nearly 32 millions sterling, ns stated by him on a former evening. The Hon. Member concluded, amidst considerable marks of impatience for the question on the part of the House. Mr. W. FITZGERALD replied, with much ani mation to the last speaker. Many of the topics of the Hon. Gentleman's speech were not adapted to the meridian of the House of Commons, but to other places. The House ought to meet public opinion feat lessly, and as to the discussion of the question of price, the proper time would be after the Report was received. On the subject of circulation of specie he differed so widely from the lion. Gentleman (Mr. Baring) that he thought nothing could have such a ten. dency to restore it, as the prevention of the importa tion of foreign corn, as the state of the exchange had become more unfavourable .for s since the went importation of foreign grain. Sir F. FLOOD stated, that the number of the ma- I i jority spoke strongly in favour of the 11111. lie had received letters from some of the chief agrkulturists in Ireland, that if some steps should not be taken for the protection of agriculture, there would be a 1 necessity for stopping the plough and the harrow.— I He trusted that Great•Britakt and Ireland would not prefer foreign aid to domestic support. From what !he had said, his vote might lie inferred.—[ Laugh.] —An Holt. Gentleman (Mr. Whitbread) having I misconceived him, had, in consequence of such mis conception, misrepresented him, and he trusted the I House would acquit him of the gross bull that • had been imputed to him.—[Laugh.] Mr. WHITBREAD professed Isis regret for hay ing turned the Hon. Baronet's bullocks into bulls; but as he had seen a bull drawing in the plough in England, he supposed that there might sometimes be six bulls so employed on the heavy lands in Ireland. Another Honourable Member (Mr., Marryat) seemed to feel extremely sore at an allusion to what he had said on a former night. What ne had then said on .the subject of land-owners being equally entitled to call upon merchants for an account of their profits, was merely as an illustratiou to show the absurdity of his reasoning; and . when the Hon. Gentleman chose to sneer at the supposed profits of his (Mr. Whitbread's) trade, he was only giving him credit for what that Hon. Member would pay quite as much attention to as may man. He meant no of- fence by the allusion he had made, though he was quite sure that it had been taken as such, from the Rour gravity or grave sourness of the reply which it lind produced. Mr. COURTNEY followed in favour of the Corn Laws, on the principle of general utility, but de clared, for the purpose of giving as general salisfac. tion as possible, he would have no objection to lower the average to 765. Alderman ATKINS said, he would be ashamed of his own judgment, did he not think the proposed laws Would materially enhance the price of corn. Sir G. WARRENDEIt argued at some length in favour of them. - - Lora LASCELLES spoke in favour of the mea sure. General GASCOIGNE thought they should 'go into Committee again, fur the purposing of reducing it from 80 to 72 shillings. After some further observations from Sir Thomas Adam] and Mr. Rose in favour of bringing up the Report, the House divided, when there appeared— For bringing it up . . 215 Against it . . . . Majority . . —197 - - Upon our re-admission to the gallery, we found Mr. BARING urging the House to consider the importance of • the subject, the lateness of the hour, and that they were now entering upon a new question. —[Loud laughing, and cries of Hear, hear!] Mr. ROBINSON contended, that the whole ques tion had already been discussed in reference to the price ; and,' therefore, it was not from any want of a sense of the importance of the subject that he was now determined to press it.—[hear, hear ! Mr. CALCRAFT deprecated any undue pre cipitation.—[llear, hear!]—He had now to wade through long Reports, and the country ought to know something of these discussions, that no part of the United Kingdom might have reason to com plain of having been taken by surprise. Mr. BARING rose (amidst loud cries of hear, hear! spoke, spoke! at length the Speaker deter mined in favour of the Honourable Member's right to address the Chair, he having risen before only to submit a question). He said he rose for the purpose of moving an adjournment, and if there were no other argument in favour of such a motion, he thought there was a sufficient one to be found in the violent impatience of Gentlemen who entered that House at midnight with nothing in their heads but the votes they were to give, and caring nothing for any argu ments that had been, or could be used upon the sub ject. (Cries of order! chair! hear, hear!) Mr. HORNER seconded the motion of adjourn meta, from a conviction that) the House was not in a tone of cool deliberation suitable to the importance of the question. Mr. MA RR YATT hoped the House would pause in their determination, that they might have the ad vantage of possessing the valuable information to be afforded by the papers moved for to-day. Mr. HUSKISSON expressed his surprise at both the Hon. Mover and Seconder of the Amendment, to adjourn a debate after so full a tikcuscion the ques tion had received. He could not suspect Gentlemen of such an intention, but the delay of this measure would give time for clamour and opposition to wotk coot offeors. Mr. CA LCRAFT thought the Right lion. Gen tleman ought to have spared his insinuations against the motives of those who differed from him. 111 r. lIIJSKISSON explained. Ile did not say that Honourable Members wished far delay with that view ; he only said, there would not be wanting those out of doors who would turn it to such an ac count. Mr. CALCRAFT said, he had not charged the Right Hon. Gentleman with saying but with insi nuating unworthy motives; but he would put it to the House, whether they would at that time of night entertain a discussion, which, if it was entered upon, must necessarily be . long. The question was called for, and the House di vided upon the Amendment, that the house do now adjourn, Ales 41.1 Noes - • • 212 Nl7ijority :igaim the Atlinurnment - —l7O The original question was then put, that the Re port he now read, upon which, after a few words from Sir JOHN NEWPORT, who thought limo enough had been already given, the House again di vided— Ales - - 193 Ntiti - . - ...9 Mainrity - —164 ' Strangers were not re-admitted to the gallery ; bat we understood, that upon the next question Mr. HORNER. moved an adjournment of the debate, when Mr. ROBINSON gave way, and the motion was carried without a division.—Adjourned at Two o'Clock. So that the debate is resumed this day. DECISIONS OF THE CONGRESS. [PROM THE ErRLIN PAPER 07 FEL 14.3 VIENNA, FEB. 10.—Accouutc which maybe re lied on state, that an agreement or convention has been unanimously concluded relative to the future Possessions of the Prussian Monarchy, between the Ministers of the great Powers deputed to the Con gress. • The negotiations have proceeded always upon the principle, that with respect to population, revenue, independence, and security, Prussia should be re stored to as good a situation as that in which she was at the beginning of 1805. This has been accomplish ed, by Prussia being put in possession of all the coun tries she possessed at that period. At the same time unavoidable difficulties occurred. It appeared ilesi rahte in times when the spirit of the people had shown I itself every where so powerful and respectable, that Poland should be placed in a situation more favours ble for. the development of her natural faculties, without howe►er violating the rights and securities of the contiguous States. Prussia did not hesitate on her side to second this beneficent design. In consi deration of sufficient indemnities, she renounced her claim to those parts of Poland which were not abso lutely necessary to the establishment of a direct com munication with her ancient possessions. In muse quence of this, Prussia will nossess none but her an cient Polish provinces—lsr,West Prussia, as she pos sessed it from 1772 to the Pelee of Dant sic and Thorn, with fresh te rt i.uries, w hi c h fill u p the space between West Prussia and the ports of the Nedst district lying near Thorti.-;-3d. part of Great Poland which haterally seperatiiii the waters along the line of the PAO) riser Wilezie, on the borders of the Nedst &strict, over Powitz, Stupre, Peissern, Grabou, as far at the Silesian frontiers, in the neigl , bourhood of Pil sen. Kalisch, with the adjacent territory, will re. main united to Poland. These bounds satisfy those claims which the Prussian State could not, consiii. tently with due attention to her interests, renounce, for she restores the relations in the administration of West Prussia, uhicb had been disordered by the loss of Dantzic, Thorn, the Bromberg Canal, and the Circle of Culm and Alickeleophen, and also esta blishes a close connection between Silesia and Prus sia. The trade of certain towns in East and West Prussia will receive, by means of special treaties, liberty and security favourable to all parts. Anspach and Bayreuth could not be taken back without disordering the internal relations of B tvaria and partly of Wirtemberg, and occasioning great difficulties and apprehension through the very ex tended situation of this country. Prussia could not refuse, in consideration of proper indemnities, to give tip her claims to these line provinces in order to Secure the repose of Germany. Finally; respect to the foreign Powers that have deserved .so well of Germany, made such an improvement in the relations I of the German houses connected with them desirable. This improvement can oniy take place through the cession of some of the provinces which Prussia re ceived in 1802, to indemnify her for losses on the left bank of the Rhine, Red which remained only a short time in her possession. She, therefore, did not hesitate to make this sacrifice, in consideration of a complete indemnity. Hanover has renounced her claim to Hildesheim, and the remaining cessions wilt be immediately settled by special agreement. For the foregoing sacrifices, Prussia will now receive the following indemnities : That part of Saxony which is indispensable to st, better connection between the M ar k an d Sil e si a , t o the security of the open country before Berlin, and • to the maintenance of the Seale, the importance of which was evidently shown by the last evenful years. This part is separated by a line by which the towns of Feidenberg, Reichenbach, between Gor litz and Bautzen, Wiltenclinau, Ortrafid, berg, with a direct road •between Mertzdorff and Gruben. ' Schelde, Entenberg, Sackenditz, Alt Ranstaedt, Lateen, and the Circles on the other side of the Elster, are ceded to Prussia, which en closing the Bishoprick of Keitz, end at the town of Lucitaw. The whole Circle of Neustadt, Saxon- Henneberg, and the Saxon provinces included in the Prussian territories, will fall to Prussia. Consi derations for the welfare of the Saxon nation made it desirable that that country should belong entirely to one master. Nothing was left but this division, in order to unite the claims of Prussia to better se curity in future, the justice of which could not be des nied. Berlin will, in future, be covered by the fortresses of Wittenberg and Torgau. The whole line of the Oder will be in possession of Piassia. The limits of tfit territ 'ries of Buntzlau, as far as Halle, which were hitherto irregular, will form a compact terrie tory, and the parts of North Thuringia, adapted to cultivation, will he now, for the first time, in a pro. per state of connection. The passes of the Seale, and the fortress of Erfurt, will cover the Prussian State on that side. Besides, Prussia will receive in West. phalia, Coney, Dortmund, the Dukedom of West. phalia, for which Darmstadt will be indemnified on the left bank of the Rhine—the Dukedom of Berg, with the ,Cologne possessions formerly, inclosed within the ancient States of the Prince of Orange, Der, Hadamar, Belsheim, Dillenburg, and Siegen, for which he will receive new possessions hetweert the Moselle and the Rhine on the Belgian frontier. These countries are very conveniently united into one mass with the whole Prussian territories in West. phalia, as well in respect to situation as to the in dustry and skill of the inhabitants of the county of Berg. -Lastly, Prussia will receive a large tract of territory on the left bank of the Rhine. At the distance of half a German mile the line of the, Prussian territory proceeds upwards from Gennep to • Sittard, both which towns are without the Prussian frontiers; then it follows the boundaries between the Dukedom of Limburg and Falesch as far as the vici. pity of Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle), yet in such a man. ner that the points projecting near Hertzogenrah wilt fall to Prussia,—Aachen continues subject to Prussia. The Cantons of Engen, Maimedy, and St. Vith, be. come Prussian, and form the frontier on this side.— The Oure, Sure, and Moselle, the Saar, as far as Contz, distinguish the former department of the Forets. The towns of Via mien and Echternach are on the other side of the department. From the Saur above Contz the boundary line crosses the Undruck as far as the Glen over against Lautreck, so that Her meitzkeil falls within the Prussian line, and Better'. fell remains without it—then it follows tit@ course of the Glan, and runs by Nahe, Mersenhem, and Kreutz. nach, and ends at Bergen sin the Rhine. 'f his tract of country forms a compact whole, with the posses. sirris of Prussia on the right hank of the Rhine op. pnsite. It contains theconsidernble towns of Cologne, Bonn, Creveldt, Achen, Triers, and Cohlentz, and is defended by the fortresses of Fulcsh and Ehrenbreit. stein, which last has now been restored. The Ger. man fortresses of Luxembourg and Mentz will serve as a bulwark; in this manner Prussia will be come pletely indemnified, which she well deserves for her noble efforts. After the negociation with respect to these terri• tnries are concluded, the relations of the different German States with each other will be decided with impartiality,anda convention on that subject may soon - he expected. The defence of the common country will be completed. The . mediatised Prinoes wilt thereby be united to the greater States, and the power of Prussia may in this manner expect a cotisi- derable accession of strength by being united with Princes who will thereby connect their security with her independence. Thus, in the improvement of the German Coast's tution which has become possible by the co-opera. tion of Prussia, the military strength of Germatty will be increased. If, however, the expectations • of the true friends of Prussia have not been fulfi:lad t it will now appear evident to them how very import• jut it is towards the security of that State, which they admire, to possess no village without the cou.