The National Register. — London, England, 1819-02-15 00:00:00

IMPERIAL I'ARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS. MONDAY, FEU. B. tominess of importance was transacted day. TUESDAY PLACES IN REVERSIIN. rid Guosves in said, that he did not intend to propose any I. gislative enactment on the subject of places held in on ; nor even as he hail done on a former occasion, to s !spend that newea fir a limited time. Ilis sole object was, to obtain a return of such places as hail been granted in lever. .`an since the Ist of January, 1818. Ho !sniped and trusted l'iat a blank return would be made, atter what had already piaee in that House, and elseware, on the subject of i.; lees in reversion. Publicity was his object ; as nothing ten.leil so much to slimness abuses, as the publicity arising from the ilisciissions in two branches of the Legislature. From a regard to public opinion, no place had been granted in re version for some years back, with only a single exception a:alluding to the Ditches, of Glatice,ter); and that grant could only he ohjectcd to, on the ground of the principal. No doubt could exist but that many Offices would have been abolished, had it not been for grants of them in reversion ; and these Offices, of inconsiderable emolument, 111.1, ii/ con.. sequence of a state of war, and other casualties, risen to au *mount that could not have been conte.nplated at the time of the grant. The Noble Earl opposite (Liverpool) had in same measure given a pledge to the House,as to the abolition or the office of Lord Justice General in Scotland, Clerk of the Pleas in Ireland, and some others, the ditties of which wer e i ll s . e!..argeil by Deputy; and he trusted that pledge would be re deemed. The Noble Lord conelnded by moving an humble Address to the Prince Regent, for a return of all the Offiees iu Reversion, granted by the Crown, since the Ist ofJannary, 1818. Ordered. VEI)NE'DAY'. The Westminster linitinv Bill waif read a third time and passed ; anti ordered to be sent back to the Commons, with an amendment introduced into it by their Lorthhips.—Ad jourued. THURSDAY. NEGOCIATIONS AT AIX-L I-CH tPT:LLE. The Earl of Livt_AVOW. laid on the table various Deco. stems relative to the Negociat ions at Ai ala-Chapelle. Lord HOLLAND asked, if, among the Papers laid on the table, there was a copy of treaty of Holy Alliance among the live Great Powers, Great Britain, Austria, France, Movie, and Russia. The five Great Powels declared, on that Treaty, that they wont., never depart from the principles of intimate union, rendered still stro.i.....er by the of Christian fraternity. He wished to know distinctly if Great Britain was a party to that Holy Alliance. The Earl of Liveitoci rL stated, that in a few days the whole •f the Papers would be laid on the table of the House. Great Britain was no direct party to the Holy Alliance, though the British Goveriinii nt approved of the principles of it. That Alliance hail brim signed at Paris by the four So_ ♦ereiens them-elves, without the intervention of any suitor. dingle avid ; and, by the principles of the British Constitu— tion, which required the intervention of responsible agents, the Prince Regent cold not be a party in the same manner with the other Sovereigns. Lord HOLLAND enquired if the Noble Lord intended to lay a copy of the Holy Alliance before the House. Lord LIVERPOOL answered in the negative. Lord HOLLAND only wished to 'sooty what were the bonds of Christian fraternity among the allied Powers. Adjourned. FRIDAY. At half past three o'clock, the being in alien' dance at the Bar, the Ruyal ilonent %/ex given, by Conamis , ion to the care of the Royal Person Bill, i411(1 Else Weetnne6ter Hastings Bill.—The Comning,iuners were, the Lord Chan cellor, the Earl of Shaftesbury and Viscount Ale!alt.—Ad journed. HOUSE OF COMMONS. MONDAY, FEB. 8. Mr. CaLcitarr rose to move the addition of Mr. Brougham to the hank Committee. The fitness of Mr. B. would not be d.sputed. He had been asked if he had any pr,:cedent fur ouch a motion ; in answer to that he could say he had ; fur, in L7Bl, the Marquis of Graham was appointed to a Committee, after it had been filled op with 21 Members. Lord CASTLEALAGII did not at all Mall to dissent from the competence of the individual; but it was destructive of the principle on which the Committee was chosen, which was by ballot. The Hon. Gentleman had not informed the Hoase whether the Committee be bad quoted was a secret ono or mot. He thought the best way was, to adhere to the original mode of election—by ballot ; and not to add inure to the .sober of the Committee. Mr. TIERNAV said, there was sot a single man in the king dom, who, in matters of politieal economy, could throw so mach light, and was so likely to lead the Committee to prac tical results. This amounted to a determination that Mr. Brougham should not be of the Coow.ii!.tee, because lie sat on the seine side of the House with hm. Alderman WA1T11,14.• said, that when a Coin:lli:tee was elected by ballot, and a Gentleman was propoi.ed - whose would be of essenti4l service to the IL ..trit:iltee, the l'ul.he would not bel:eve that this Cumulate.: was !i,i . spiry, but one to repress all enquiry. He thought the I louse would have done better even if intro , had been in. precedent for electing another t, aleusar of talents, to have broken throu: 4 :l the punctilio. Hr hall no expection that the pub lic be satisfied r. itu thus Committee, since they knew what set t of Conuniaces those elected by ballot were. 11.tnnA s. Vti.l, these Committees were elected from u given by Miniviees, and servilely followed by Members. It was inown to the ecunr:.l to be a juggle ; and in all his experieuz.r, he never kue.e the Opposition lists of any use. Mr. MARTIN email conceive a Lawyer learned and mmte, yet still not tomb as to be appointed to a judicial situation. lic could conceive 411 eminent Divine, yet not such a man As the CIOAII would be advised to make a Bishop; Government would not be dole to induce him to vote fur the appointment of Mr. Brougham. . . Mr. MastastaTt• agreed that the praises bestowed oe Mr. Brougliani C just; hot this was a waiter as mash of a practical as of a theoretical nature; and as Ito thought there wcre too many theorists uo the Committee airtady, he Should nem quiet the addition of Mr. Blvngbipzi, THE NATIONAL REGISTER Tue Howse divided -For the motion 133—Agawam it 175 Alatority at. Lind CasTLaa EACH rase to move for a Committee similar to that o 1• last year, on the sobjeet of Fluance. He thonglit lie owed it to the House to explain the general view of es. pence which Government meant to lay before die House during the present Session ; but these would lie in a very narrow compass. Ile did nut think it by any means a mat ter of cotorse that a COIII.IIIIICC of Finance should he appointed in every Session. But he had thought the last Cominittee necessary, in order to sliew to the country that there would he it surpliis revenue applicable to the liquidation attic tleht. Upon this groomd he had moved fur the last, and evoulii move fur another Coinoittee ; ruin he hoped it would be able to lay before the house a report on the January quarter, which would citable the House to form a judgment as to the im provement of the revenue. 'Eke income of the year ending January 1818, was 51,2e1,0001. and that ending January ISI9. was 54,002,00d1. In the account of the 51 millions the 181,8, there were to be taken 2,313,0001. • rrears of Property. tax. and other War.taxes ; and only '163,0001. of those metals %me to lie found in the 31,052,0001. for 1819. 'l' eking the whole into consideration there was an improvement on the gross receipts of the freeman:tut taxes fur the last year, over that which preceded it, of 4,616,0001. ; and if, as in fairness the excess of the sugar ditties should be laid to the account of 1519. there would be a surplus on the permanent taxes of 5,3*.!8,0001., being 10 per cent, advance nit them more than in any preceding year. iiterease was npun the whole of our tares, sac .pt two, so trilling that they both a:non:lied only to 1.',00111. Evcu on the article of bricks and tiles there is an inert ase of tri ic half ; and like inc. ease on all the articles which wt re likely its show the Met eased property and re sources of the countty. The Finance Committee had as ►umed, that the arcount would stand at the end of last year 1,132,0001. better than the close of the preceding. He he I already stated that the income of the last year was 54, 062,0001. which made it 1,500,0001. better than the kiptiice Committee anticipated; and there was a prospect lllht the total surplus would stand at 3.3.538.0001. applicable to the reduction of the public debt. There wet therefore no intention of proposing any addition to the taxes, as long as such a stint was applicable to tier service of the year. As far as the present sear had gone it wits not likely to fail, but on the coutrary „to be even more prodoclive thou Sept year. For, in the last month, Ow* was an in. crease of 830,0001. over the corresponding month itr the preceding yeiti, which had, beside an addition from the re venue of the year 13E7. of 300,0001. Since the smitten sum applicable to iii.• service of the current year. sod. 3,538,0001. we hail succeeded in bringing the expenditure telt kin the income or the country. He hoped the Committee of Fonanee would he mudded to make a report on the quarter ending next April, before Path:starlit should separate, by which he trusted it would be still snore clearly skews', that the whole object of the Committee hail been brought to bear, astutely, to tiring the expenditure within the yearly r. venue of the kingdom. It the counts) , remained quiet, which there was every reason to believe it would, there was in it 11141 degree of vigour and energy that we might hope to. see every year a progressive state of improvement. 'Elie Ilutute would now notarially expect him to touch upon the principal points oldie Estimates which Ministers had snide the subject of re. duction. He could assure the Right Hon. Gentlemeu op posite (Mr. Tierney) that notwithstanding all that had been done, he (Lord C.) was disposed must sincerely and rigorously to tooth by all his good advices in the way of economy. Many circumstances at home and abroad had ocunrs•ed to in spire confikleoce iu the general tranquillity, and which bad enabled Ministers to adopt measures of wholesome and prii. dent retrenchment, The Finance Coininittee had assumed, that on the reduction of the Al ins 8,967,0301. woad be re , gilded ton the A. my, besld'•s a sum tit 300,0001. for half-pay and pensions. 11e was happy to itifirrot the Hoose that the estimate of Monsters was 8,700,00.1. for the Army, nulling a dill rence of 567,0001. The teilitc, Oritotauct- Departinems would be 100,0001. for each: total of diminution 767,0001. But to get at these reductions, a swat of 300,0001. would be required, instead of the suns of 700,0001. voted last year for the like lauriouNe. This was au expence always incident to a reduction ; nut not to be expected after wards. The total of the troops reduced from France was 20,126 ; at home and in the colonies, 9,4.13 ; artillery, 2,035 ; grand total reduced, incluihng Officers, 35,130. He had shown l'ae great prospect of our increasing prosperity, and too teach praise mould not be bestowed on the firmness, energy, and industry cf the people of the country.—The Noble Lord then proceeded to read extracts from the oft ciat returns, Mating the official value of British commerce for the last tour years, and he was happy to say, that the last year bad *acceded any preceding one. even the extraordinary year 1813. lii milking this statement, he could ualy take the first three quarters of the year ending in October, as the last quarter of the last year was nut yet made out. lit ISIS, o u r exports amounted to 35,231,0001. greater by nine ur ten mil lions than had been known in the finaler year. In 1810, the amount was 28,537, 1 )001. 1111 1817, it was 32 millions, and in ItiV, 35,335,0001. at least 100,000!. more titan any former year. This statement would, he trusted, operate to expel all gloomy passages. The Noble Lord said, having thus en tered into such a detail as he thought the subject called fur, he would conclude by proposing the re-appuuttinent of the Finance Committee of last year. Mr. Tisstrsev had only expected from the Noble Lord's notice a lion for the re-appointment of the Finance Com mittee. He was not aware the Noah! Lord intended to open a Budget, and therefore he was nut prepared, as lie would otherwise hive been, to answer the Nubile Lord. He was however, prepared to say, that former Finauce Committees had greatly disappointed his expectations, and he hail only to look fOr equal disappointment from the lailutirr or the Com mittee now to be appointed. He expected that the Finance Committee would have enquired iota the expenthime, and have recommended the heads of aetrrnu•auts, tit where re trencloneut was practicable. Instead of doing t his,howeeer, all wthuli die Reports tit this Committee had gives to the House tin former occasions, and all which► it was probable we should have from it in the present Session, would be a recapitulation of the Noule Lord's Budget. With respect to the thy tering picture which the Noble Lord had now thaw') of our commercial situation, lie cowld only say, that the Noble Lord's divot efical opinion dares ed entirely from the practical expel knee of the Inta chant. Slam Ilse Nu.)l:. Lard's slat • - inetit it appeared, that there would be a surplus of rucuun•, at tan• dtsposal uI the Chancel:or of the Exchequer, tit oboist 2,1t0rt,0001. and the Noble Lord said, now no mint be gum; 011 Wl'll, since not only had we raised our income to our ex• pearditure, but we hail 2,400,0001. to spare i but the Nubile Lord, whilst talking at this sittplus, fat gut Nat there was a debt of upwards of 3,000,0001, due to the Consolidated Fund, as well as other arrears of upwards of 1,000,0001. So that the utmost we toald expect to do, 11111c33 oar feYCAUC increased FEB. 15 &iris g the present year, wtmlil he to cry quite with the CITn. S'ltidated rand in J 41111611 1, i 826. A. far se lie could see, the only snot really applicable to she set vier of tlw present ye.ir, was 7,009.0a01. unless indeed we were to have the I .otro,ouoi. from Frame, w hick on hornier °erosions we were told ue were to have ou the withdrawing of the troops. The Right Him. Gent. made no mention of it, he tlwretore feared all hopes of that sum was aime fur ever. The Noble Lord bad heel) pleased to say, that lie had profited by his (Mr. T.'s) aileice. He was ftirenwly happy, Indeed, in hear that any advice of his had been of service to the Noble Lord: but lie could not (latter himself that hi. advice would have horn at all attended to by the Noble Lord ;sad not teal advice been hacked by a General Election.-11e 1.'1.011' Lind %%ben he la.t year proposed to nattier the Arno 5300, the Noble Lord cried um in alarm, What? reduce the Army SOW) Men in these (1311C(.100.1 ! mut it W as nu t d one ; b ut here again the Gowen' Election had meld is to aid his (Mr. T.'s) advice; mot although no eiremnstance had happened to abate the Noble Lord's alarm, yet the Noble Loirl emir down, oust of his own secure, proposed a 'eduction or nine tliensand men. With respect to the Noble Lord's Hourishisig picture, lie worth) again repeat the coloar; lug was false ; for with a disposable reveuue of 7,0001. we should, including the Sinking, Fund, have an expenditure cf 20,000,0001.; dins there would be a detkiency o 13,000,0001, which no dotted the Chancellor of the Eseherpier mould r a i„e by an issori of Exchermer I%llls. The Right Hounnrable Gent, could mat deny this was bib DitSl44l4/14, or that he vivid this night propose a vote for 21,000,0001. Exchequer Rills: nod there was at this moment, he believed, 41,000,0001. of Exchequer Bids floating in the mark' t. Yet at this time there eft a t:U111111iner bitiing above stairs, to settle o ne paper circulation. Such a Committee sunder such cis cum sumer% was a !leery on the Pahlie, as was the whole Finance System of the Right. Hon. Gent. Whew Ise said the Right Hon. Gent.'• system, he did not loran the Right llon. Gentlemen individually, but Ministers collectively ; for the Ri g ht Nero. Gentleman was' no route than the faithltil organ of the Prince Regent's as regarded FinfillCe. besotted Ad ministration. 31r. Tierney proceeded to comment at hap on the mistaken system ander which the Government were acting. which. he said, so far as regarded nsakitig 0611 income meet one expenditure, was an illusion ; and would ue me till his Slnjeety's Government would meet tite• evil boldly iD the faro. Lord CASTI.ER ISAG T 1 and Mr. TIERSEY Mr. VaNsITTART defended the statement of his Noble- Friend, and justified the conduct of the former Fmmutt•e Committees, to whose suggestions mid advire„ be said, the Government and the country were gri »rly indebted. Moen still leavatuied for them to du; and, in parti •nisi, their I tbOllrS would be utast usefully devoted to the ins estigation of the present mode of collecting, the public Revenue, and snz_ resting regulations and retrenchment in I hat branch of one expenditure, in which they would find his slajesty's Go. vermileat ready to go hand in hand with them. The Right Gentlemaii then proceeded to take a review of the Consolidated Fund of Ireland, on which, he said, during the preseut year throe would be a surplus uf• tidO,Oujl. On the whole, lie contended, as great a I eitacti.,is ufloldit debt as possible had taken place since the teriniliatioo of the war. At the teraninatiou of the war • it was open for Yarliatocut to adopt one of two measures--either to continne a vigorous taxation, and a rapid disninutiou of debt or to reiliice to‘g and to suspend for a 1111le the reduction Of our debt.— Pailiament, lie would not now say whether wisely or not, had adopted the hitter coarse ; bat whilst we ►elieved the Piddle from 16,04.1U,0301. of taxation, we could not expect to find a rapid reduction of debt at the sable Right Hoe. Gentleman supported the coarse which had been adopted ; but he seemed now to have changed his opinion, and to be in favour of vigorons system of taxatiosi. If end+ was his )))) ion, let kiln l•uldly and openly avow it; and in Inat ease lie should net %sant his as.i,tartce to a plan, which lie had always cunsideied as the most beneficial which could hose been adopted. 'flit Right Ilotiourable Gentleman had again urged WIN to a strieuient uf , hls inteathms for the pt picot y ear at present he could only give the Right hon. Gent. the sane answer as out a former night, namely, that he euttlti not at present, consistent with his sense of his duty, state chat Iris plans were. Mr. contended, that the statement of tire Noble Lord, as to um• commerot. was delusive; there was nut a market in Earope, to which America had accesl, is which British manufactures could not be procured at a lower price than in England. The difficulties of the countly, the ben. Gent. contended, were great andwei v x4l brought on by a bad system of Finance, which could not, he said, continue. Yet, if the question was fairly net, and openly CilliVelsqld, lie bad still so coutidence in the resources and blind of the• country, as to remove all doubt from his mi nd, tbat trey were fully equal to meet and overcome all those claim:hies. Mr. alaellowal,D strongly recommended a revision of the present mode of collecting the publicrevenue, by which lie was persuaded a sating of 2,000,0001, aught he etude. Sir J. SE:BRIGHT COUld not agree that the Exchegner afloat in the market was At all AO t%il. He was peraa.►Jed sons wince was necessary for the employment of casual capi tal. He was pessnatled that all which was wanting was, that alibetal support slsoistd be given by the Haul to our agri cultmalists and out manufacturers. The motion for the appointment of the Committee was agreed to, and Um following peraous were appointed nem^ tires : Lord Castlereagh 1 ord Clive Mr. Vansittart Mr. 11. Davies Mr. Bankes Mr. Gooch Lord Binning Mr. Wilford Mr. Ilusitisson Mr. Courbay Mr. feel Mr. Trema)n4 Viscount Jocelyn I Mr. Lewis Mr. Littleton Mr. J. Smith Mr. D. Gilbert M. Caleraft Sir G. Clack 1 Mr. Cartwright Sir G. Hill Mr. N. Calvert Mr. B. Wilbra!:ain COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY. _ -- The House then resolved itsi.dint;;Corninittee of Sappry ; and, on the nruion of Mr. VANs:TrAiIT, a itt!Olilli011 for raising 24.000,0001. by Exchequer Bills, toward, the Sttitifly of the year, was agreed t o.—The Report eras ordered to of ieceived to-morrow.—Adjourned. TUESDAY.' 'PIE CRIMINAL CODE. Mt. %Srit enFOttcß►aid,that be had been intrusted sr; th a Petition which he cOiroderell I au honour to hold; and yrtiteli, but tur ittilispoattion, he should have laid before the House mt an earlier day. It came from a input resiteet.tttic hotly, the Society of Friends, commonly called Quakers; :MI It called upoa the ilOttse to take into its ecrivas considetatilts 4