The Statesman. — London, England, 1815-06-16 00:00:00

4 w F `n I E STATESMAN. Y:oble Lord hurl availed himself of most unwarrant able measures. 511(1 had committed the most flagrant pets of spoliatien. It s..eni,4l to have been reserved for nil Ambassador of this country to take away w hat and other barbarians hind al wals 'lda sacred. It 14a4 the duty of the House to ascertain the truth of these matters; for otherwise, in case they should conseet to purchase the collection, they would evi dently sanction acts of public robbery. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER had conceived, that it would be more satisfactory for the price to be settled by the House, than in a pri vate bargain between the Treasury and the Noble Lord. It was certainly so late in the Se.saion, as not to afford the opportunity of any long enquiry; but a Committee of such Members as were best qualified to judge •of the value of those useful works of art might make • report, and adjourn to nest Session.— There were circumstances, indeed, that made it ex tremely irconvettient to defer the entire consideration of the subject ; but if the collection could he depo sited in some of the public buildings, the Noble Lord Might nor, perhaps, object to the postponement. — Ile was leaned to believe, that the Noble Lord w euld,conseni to such mode of payment as might he altisfactory to the House; he had made the collection an the laudable principle of securing models (or the artists of this country, but did not desire an exorbi tant rem uneration. Mr. ROiE bad very little doubt that the Trustees of the British Museum wield take charge of the collection, if the Noble Lord would consent to ac cept of such price as Parliasnoot might think proper to give. The CHANCELLOR. of the EXCHEQUER., bettered that this suggestion would meet with the •pprobatioo of the Noble Lord, as well as of the house. lAId Cr. CAVENDISH sa id , there was no ne. cessi , y for removing the collection before the neat Session. The Petition was then ordered to lie on the table. LOAN Ti. TOE CORPORATION OF LIVERPOOL. Mr. BIRCH rose to call the attention of the House to the circumostmes under which the Treasury had Patented tan sums of 30,00)1. and 20,0001. to the Corporation of Literpool. It ,appeared that this money %as lent without any communication to Par. !lament, and was secured on a tobacco warehouse, or rather, as the lion. Member believed, a mere shed. The Right lion. Gent. might, perhaps, look to the amount of the rent, which was stated to be 9000:. a year; but how was this rent fixed? It had bean settled between the borrower and the lender, anti ives greatly overcharged, as the utmost value was :10001. a year. Similar !onus had, at times, been josttAed ; but the Hon. Member conceived, that a particular enquiry ought to be made on this occasion. He, therefore, moved that an account should be laid J efore the House of ally sum or sums of money which had been lent to any public body for the last ten years out of the receipts of the revenue, without the authority of Parliament. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER did not intend to oppose the Motion, but maintained that the contract with the Corporation had beat concluded on terms perfectly justifiable. The to. bacco warehouse was very ample security ; and Go. vernment were so fully satisfied with it, that they bad not thought it necessary to call on the Corpora tion for any additional security whatever. The case was not of a clandestine nature; it had been a sub ject of enquiry before the Board of Treasury, who kept no secrets, and had also been before the Cor. partition of Liverpool, who were not very remark. able for secrecy. If Hon. Members contended, that the Treasury could not expend money without the eethority of Parliament, they must then be pre. eluded from building warehouses, and other neces sary edifices for the public service. Mr. W. WYNNE considered this loan one of the most unconstitutional advances of the public money that had ever been made. He did not know why Government should teed money to this Corporation more than to any other public body. He would not say that it was for the purpose of obtaining influence, but suspicions would naturally, arise, which he could not enr.sider in the same ridiculous view as the itiglit Non. Gent. had pretended. To sanction this loan, would Ire to open a door to transaetious of which no man could see the end. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER explained. Gen. GASCOIGNE contended, that the ware house was worth 50,0001. at least, and was per suaded that the Hon. Gent. (Mr. Birch) could never hive seen it, or he would net have been so incorrect its his statement of the value. It was not surprising that the Corporation should apply to Parliament for assistance—[A lassik)--but be had nothing to say as to the legality or illegality of the loan. Sir JOHN NEWPORT said, that it was evident t!)e Honourable General was not acquainted with the law or the Constitution, though he seemed to be perfectly acquainted with the most convenient way of getting money Air the town he represented. —The Honourable General had adverted to money granted for repairing the Holyhead road; this case was certainly very much in point, as it came before Parliament last night, and the money was voted by the House, whereas no communication whatever had been made by Government respecting the loan to the Corporation of Liverpool.—[A laugh]—His grand objection to the measure was, that it was an advance without the resist:4ot of Parliament. Cell. GASCOIGNE explained. Mr. LIANKES said, be had no doubt but his Uight Honourable Friend, In making this advance, thought he acceded to it for beneficial purposes; but the linu.‘e moat recollect that though it might he be. stefici II to the revenue, yet he could not but disap prove of the public money being advanced by the Treasury without the consent of Parliament ; and against that dnettine,he must protest, however necea. :tory the public W9lkg might he for which such ad. trance.) were made. 11P therefore hoped his Right /3onourable Friend would see the inconvenience of it, and take care that nothing of the kind should occur in future. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER in explanations tiilohat it 11;14 been the practice of late years to make ailrancps of money fur public pur poses, on receiving good securities. Mr. RENO N stiff, that with nn estate of the valve of a will anti a half, there mast certainly be a good security for thirty thousand pounds. The interest had been regularly paid, and he therefore conceived there could be no reasonable objection to the advance. Mr. W. SMITH objected to the advance they made. because, according to the mode of proceeding, the public money might be osed at the. discretion of the Treasury, instead of being wider the wholesome direction of the Parliament, without whose consent it could nut constitutionally be used. Ile did not, in the present case, attribute any blame further than mere inadver'encv, and had no idea that it proceeded from any political predilection, fur lie believed, if it bad been brought before Parliament, it. would have been acceded to; but to ;nevem the recurrence of such things in future, he thought it necessary to make these observations. Mr. BIRCH said, the interest had not been paid, and he had strong reason to believe that the Corpo ration did intend to apply to tho Treasury for a remission of the payment of it. The motion was then agreed to. Mr. WYNN F. ohtnined leave to brim; in a Bill to ensure the benefit of Vaccination for such poor per sons as are desirous thereof. The.CIIA NCI:LIAR of the EXCHEQUER gave ootice, that he would to-morrow wove for leave to bring in a 13111 fur the more effectually controuling the Accounts that were ki , pt abroad. The It eportof the Committee of supply was brought up, and after the Clerk had read the Vote of 09,0001. for the Barrack Service, Mr. ARBUTHNOT. said, that seeing a Right Hon. Bart. in his place who had put a question to him when the vote for this sum was proposed in a Committee yesterday, he should take the opportu nity of giving the information which at the time he had not the means of affording ; and he sTiould prove, be trusted, that Iptfore he had made enquiry i: would not have been poßrihle to have given any information. The Right Hon. Bart. had desired to know on what account and under what pretext advertisements for the sole of barracks in England had been lose:teal in Irish Newspapers. Ile had now to inform the Right tioh. Bart. that haring thought it his duty to enquire into this tirrumAnnce, he had received a let ter from one of the Barrack Commissioners, from which •it appeared that sin advertisements such as those alluded to had ever been inserted by their per mission or command, that there was no charge for such advertisements in their accounts for the sale of barracks, that they never advertised except in the London Papers, and in those counties where the bar rack to be sold were situated. and that the insertion of the advertisements in the Irish Papers must pro bably hare been the voluntary act of the editors of those Papers. _ _ _ Sir J. NEWPORT then said a few words, Upon the vote being read for the grata of 30,0001. for the African forts, Mr. ARBUTH NOT said, that when this vote was proposed yesterday in the Com mittee of Supply, much discussion took place re ! spectiog it. Ile had been questioned by an lion. and learned Gentleman as to the nature of the grant, for what particular purposes the grant was made, ho bad the management of the sums expended, end by whom the accounts were examined and audited.— In replying to these questions he had wished, as far as his memory would permit him, to quote accurately the Act which regulated the grants. It was in the recollection of those Gentlemen who had been in the Committee, that he had stated that the grant was for the repair of forts and settlements on the coast of Africa, for their support and maintenance, to provide them with ammunition, and to support and pay the. officers and soldiers of those forts ; and that the Afri can Company, or rather the Committee of it, to whom the grant was entrusted, were to lay their ac counts before the Cursitor Baron of the Exchequer, who was to examine and audit them. Mb was the explanation which he had first made, although he must fairly acknowledge that Gentlemen on each side . of the House having doubts as to the accuracy of his statement, and being borne down as it were both by friends anti foes, he had subsequently given way him ! self, thinking it possible that although the Act of Parliament was such as he had represented, a new tootle of audit might have beets subsequently eolith. lished. Having thus recapitulated what had passed in y asterday's . Committee, he would now with the leave of the Rouse read a few lines from the Act of Parliament.—[The Right lion. Gentleman read the provisions of the Act, which were nearly word for word such as he had state'.l Ws sole object had • been to set himself right with tt.e Muse, which he trusted he had done—[//our.]--That with the ac-1 ! counts themselves which were on the table of the i House he had nothing to do; 'hat the stores sent out might be judicious or otherwise , :'eat for the whole of this the African Company were responsible ; and , that his sole object had been to ;rove to the 11 ._ouse i that he had made no misrepresentats.... on the former , evening; and that both in the issuior •.( the grant., and in the to uditieg of the ac.uunts, the Act of l'ar- Bement had beets properly attended to. lie had only • further to observe, that the same audit as first eaf..ll. lished still existed, and that the accounts were regu larly presented to the Ilouse.—[//cer!] Mr. GORtION thanked the Right llon. Gentle. mats for the explanation he had dive'', which appeared to him to be an accurate one; bet there were some items in that account to whirls he could not by any means give his approbation. Mr. GORDON moved the recommittal of the re solution, which occasioned considerable conversatints between the Chancellor of the Exchereter, Mr. Cal. t vert, Mr. P. Moore, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Preston, Mr. W. Smith, Ac.; after which the resolution was recommitted for Wednesday next. The report of the Committee of Ways and Means was brought up. On a motion for printing the papers respecting the African Company, Mr. ARBUTHNOT had ■o ob jection to if, if it was desired; but remarked the the great increase in the eapence of printing public papers and account, which had risen from 7,0001. a year, ecen to 90,0001. Mr. WHITBREAD thought the public a great gainer by the expeuce. 'DIP printing of the papers was or,!err,l. Mr. HORNER. ow, rtntl,;r. for Sir J. Newport, that the lion. ihronet would to-morrow make a motion for in account of th nomber of mewls con fined for rl , •bt in Ire' , MUTINY BILL. The Report was brought up, nod several clauses moved for by Lord PALMERSTON were agreed to. An additional clause was objected to by Mr. HORNER., as not making a proper distinction in the case of forfeitures of arrears of ply by soldiers for misconduct whet( taken prhoners. It likewise threw too great a difficulty on the soldier, by call ing on him to prove that he way fairly captured, and had conducted himself properly till he effected his return. Cold PALMERSTON did not ohject to the sug gestion. Lord PROBY suggested a similar provision re specting Officers, which was opposed by General GASCOIGNE as unnecessary, and con veying some suspicion on the mei itorious character of British Officers. Mr. MANNERS suT lON agreed with the idea of Mr. Horner. Colonel WOOD observed, that in Sir J. Moore's retreat, and in the Duke of Wellington's from Bur g.,s, many soldiers were captured through their ex cesses and inebriety. Mr. WHITBREAD thought great allowances ought to be made for the soldiers in such cases. —The case was different from that of deserters, for whom there was a particular provision. The stoppage of arrears was not always tight to men who were placed by accident under suspicious cir cumstances. Colo.tel WOOD wished not for severity, but for a Niftier inrlur.•ment to the soldiers to avoid dangers re•ul'init fro•n their o.ln improper conduct. 110ILNE1t's amendment to this clause was •greni to. Mr. BPNNETT spoke at considerable length in rather a low tone of voice respecting Courts-Mir till. It was naturally to be espected that martial law should he clearly and distinctly specified in all its forms. "The Rules and Regulations" composed a lar_te book, and there were also other books on the suhj"ct. It would well become the Noble Lord (Palmerston) and the Learned Gentleman (Mr. M. Sutton) to employ their summer leisure in consider ing them, so that all might know and understand the Mutiny Act as a general guide and rule. He wished to propose a clause to explain and limit the power of the Crown, in dismissing officers without a Court-Martial. He then adverted to several cases which he considered as showing the necessity of some measure, particularly to one of the officers of the Ssth regiment, who had lived together in harmony. An officer had given Rt)001. for his company. Ile had a quarrel %%NI the Major. The officers were ordered to prosecute, and the clauses were prescrib ed. He also noticed the case of a Royal approval of a Court•Martiel, when, by the evidence of Doctor Willis, his Majesty was too much indisposed. He dwelt at length be the case of a Lieut. Risdale, of the IVexford Militia, who harl a quarrel with an other officer, ‘s hich came to blows, when the Com manding Officer entered, collared him, and put him under arrest. For challenginz another officer he was tried by a Court-Martial and found guilty. lie was however, previously dismissed the service ; while be was desirous of explaining and setting right hislconduct. Ile then stated the case of a Captain Tooten, who was dismissed the service, after having failed in a prosecution before a Court-Martialagainst a Captain Mac Arthur. Ile then read the lettet'of a most respectable solicitor, employed by Captain Tooten, who complained of the iile;ality of the pro ceedings of that Court-Martial, and stated that they appeared to have a strong prejudice against Captain Tooten. He then mentioned the case of a Lieut. Blake, who had been tried for conduct certainly very outrageous, but who had no sufficient notice of the trial to prepare for his defence, or to call his wit nesses. The last case was that of Ensign Cowell, who had been dismissed in consequence of the sen tence of a Court-Martial, for not having fought a duel et Bourdesux with a person with whom he had quarrelled at the Theatre. The more he considered this case, the more he wondered at the conduct of this Court-Martial •, and he wished to know of the! Right lion. and Learned Gentleman, whether he authorised or approved of the sentence ? After some more observations, he concluded by moving his clause, which went to limit the power of the Crown to dismiss officers except upon the sentence of Courts- Martial. Sir F. FLOOD bore his testimony to the conduct and character of Colonel Phayre. He had himself attended the Court-Martial which Lieut. Risdale had linstituted, and be never saw any proceedings con- ducted more regularly. Mr. MANNERS SUTTON hoped the House, could not expect him to he prepared to go at length into all the cases stated by the Hon. Geutleman, some of which he had never heard of before. As for. the first case, it had occurred many years before he come into office, and he did not at all know the mi. nutim of it. As to the case of Colonel Pnayre and • Lieutenant Wartale, the Court-Martial had taken place in Ireland, and the proceedings had never come. , to his office. As to Captain *rooters's case, the as sertions in his memeriat had been flatly denied by the Members of the Court-Martial. Lieut. Blake had been guilty of great outrages at. Windsor, and lafterwards sent in his resignation to the Horie Guards. It was not then thought proper to accept it, and he had been brought to trial at Harwich, and found guilty. The Honourable Gentleman must have been misinformed reapecting the notice of trial, as , copies of the charges were invariably sent both to the prosecutor and the prisoner, before the day of trial was fixed. Ile next came to the case of Ensiga Cowell, and it gave him great regret to find this case so often alluded to. He was aware of the great dif ficulty cud delicacy of the case respecting fighting duels, and was sensible of the inconsistencies in the Articles of War upon that head. He, however, ap prehended, that greater evils would result from an alteration of them. He believed the case of Ensign Cowell was much misunderstood. lie believed the facts of the case to be these:—Ensign Cowell got into a personal quarrel at the theatre of Bowlines, with a man that was pressing into the box in which he sat. He then turned about to some officers near, and asked what they advised hir6 to do. Their an. swer was—" Take no notice of him, we suppose t hat lie is stet a gentleman." Ensign Cowell, however, shortly after asked the man whether he was a awl ) mai obtained his address ' Ensign Cowell Irt some days elapse without taking any further notice, and the gentleman (a Mr. Hurley) then began to look for him. Ensign Cossetl then asked for an apology, which was positively refused, and afterwards the I plavation came from Ensign Coed', who said that Ito Lad not known him to be a gentleman. The Or'Azers, upon hearing of this, refused to inv . , with him, and sent him a letter intimating to him that he shobld resign. He actually did send in Isis resigns: tin's, but afterwards retracted it, awl called for a CJurt-Martial. As to the complaint of otficert being dismissed in consequence of failing in theii charger, it must he observed, that Courts-Martial were always grrrited when one officer wished to bring charges er, , .lest another. The freedom of granting those tries could only be restrained by the of (lie persons l:!ioging the cltarge. It was not fur merely failing to prove charges that an officer %%is dismissed, but for bringing forwlrd clorgps without any reasonable foundation for them. As to discre tiornry power, it was always liable to abuse, vrher.. ever it was vested ; hut the advanoges to be derived from the honest application of a discretionary po wer were often found considerably to out eigh th.• ev il s apprehended from its abuse. He thought thole was no species of discretionary power wife, might niths greater safety he left in the hands of the Crown.... Every act of it was done in th; face of d iy, a n d open to observation. Lord PALM ER'.i'cON bore tes'io.o , y to flip seat and exemplary cond..et of Sir H T.. , ren . I , id fhe had written a letter to Lieutenint It; d dew ng no further correcpondooce mt thlt .uhj et, it was very natural for a man who had such arcat basines to attend to, to decline hear:og the SAM'. arguments incessantly repeated on a surje:l that had been regu. lady decided. Mr. W. :411,11T11 argued at some length on the case of Captain Orr, %a hose petilion had been pre. sented at an early part of the evottiog. Some farther conversation took place between Mr. W. Smith, General Gitscoigoe, Mr. Wynne, and . Mr. M. Sutton, after which the clause was negatived without a division. Mr. BENNETT then gave notice of a Bill for neat Session, limiting the power of Courts-114AM in the infliction of corporal punishment. Mr. PEELE moved the second re►ding of the Irish Master of the Rolls Bill. Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY ohj'cted much to a Bill of this 'description at this late period of the Session. It had been too much the practice to intro. duce such measures at a lgte period of the Session, or at opportunities that precluded the possibility of a close and proper investigation. Mr. ABERCROMBIE said a few words, after which the question was carried. The other Orders of the Day were then disposed of, and the House adjourned. FRENCH PAPERS. EPROM THE JOURVAL DE ?ARIL) PARTS, JuNE W.—The Council of State yesterday • met at the T;luilleti...s. The Prince Arch-Chancellor presided. Three thousand cannon of various calibre from 4 to 48-pounders, with all the shot necessary for 200 rounds, hare been brought from Rouen to Paris by water carriage. Many of them have been already landrNl. They are the superfluous artillery found in the different maritime fortresses. Prince Jerome commands a division of infantry, under the orders of a Lieutenant-General. It is said that Marshal Ney Kili haves a command of great importance. After the departure of the Court of King Joachim, the Lazaroui of Naples maltreated all the French whom they met. Since the Sth inst. in consequence of strict orders from the Governer of Lille, the Ghent, Tourney, sod Bethune gates of that city have been shut. Alt persons who enter or leave the city are closely es. ✓eined. Information had been received that sows from Ghent had introduced themselves into the city : search is making after them. There daily arrive at Bayonne Spanish deserters, who apply to go and serve in the North, against the English, who would not secure to them the liberal Cuustitution of the Cortes! ! FILCNCII ruNos, 31f. loc. PRICE "o.' . :TOCKB THIS NOVA 220 19 18 2 per Lent. den. 5311 per Cent (:”rm. kut 4 jr-r Cab. 69{ 4 per Cant. Miry shut DAY AT oNv. fErtAu;K. L.o i r. Ann. 131 13 16 India Bond. 6 1 I Bieheqfter Bio3 4 1 d Omnioaa Consols for Ace. Sad THE STA TE SMA N. LONDON: PIU JUNE Id, ISIS. Dutch and F!anders Niails nrrived this forenoon. It is not through these channels that we evp;ct the most veracious accounts, but they are aletost the nifty mediums we now have of receiving Continental intelligence, and we most, as events thicken, de r Ile attention to them, and guess as near the truth as possible. The movements of the enemy and their Chief take precedence in interest even to those of our own countrj, men, for it now appears that the latter must depend upon the former. Nothing is said the Brussels Papers of the arrival of the F:enr% EtIvEROR on the frontiers. The 9tb of ,liay was the last day of the month's delay granted by him to the Officers who had followed King Louis, and sash military persons as were absent from his standard anal their country. Those'who did not return after this date were made liable to the penalty of death and the confiscation of their property. Policy and justice tvneld dictate the poopriety of not throwing the bar of hostility in the way of the return of these persons titl the period of ititVgence expi-ed. Tho Bros,se/s Oracle, wl;i01 in mendacity and bomhact rival% the celebrated G.tzellf• of that city. whirl L'uore l in his comedy Cf the Liar ) re; resents 1 l' I Y I' i O