The Statesman. — London, England, 1815-02-25 00:00:00

...-,~;.t.. ......~ _~~=~ T. r -. m 1-o of the whop House on the Charter of the :i.,tvh Cempatiy.—Postponed to NI onday. CORN LAWS. Sr' J. SHAW moved for a return of the average ries.% el wheat, flour, and the quarters loaf, within the Bills of Mortality, from the years 1804 to 1813, 1 both inclusive. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER proposed to extend the return to a greater number of years. if it could be made later, it woold be desir- ahle, for the purpose of comparing the effect of the Act of 1804,0 a the price of bread in Landon ; and -preposed to carry it back to 1791. rit J. SHAW said, his chief object was to show, 41.:. t by the measure which was passed last night, now t i.eace was established, and Ibp public had a right 10 expect to set their bread eheiker, the inhabitants' of London, one-tenth of the population of England, W cid be paying dearer for their bread than they had dime in ten years of war. Many of the burthens on .agrltottere were about to cease in the extinction of the Property Tax ; labour, timber, and iron were cheeper, and yet the House were about to pass such a Bill as this. The Bight Hon. Gentleman might have. otherAljects in his extensiou of the return ; this was the only object for which he moved.—The return was then ordered. • The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER , moved the Order of the Day for a Committee of the whole Howe on ihe.Corn Laws. _ Ordered that the Petition presented to the House that (lay he referred to that Committee. Mr. CA LCRAFT said, that the subject having +nen gone into very mac at length, though by no tot ,•Is exhausted, he should not trouble them that even;u4,, but should feel it his duty, when the Re pnl t should be brought up, to take the senise of Idle llote , e on the reduced price which he had pro pesld. Mr. SIIEFNEIt said, he should hold himself in readiness to support the Amendment. The (louse then went into the Committee, and passed several Resolutions. Upon the questions to the mode in which the average should be taken, Mr. Alderman ATKINS said, that it should be aseertiitted only on Wheat fit for flour. It was now taken on flour. Ile thought the House should have the tetorn•of prices on which the average was taken. The weiebt and price sh..uld be stated. , Mr. RORINiON said, that the Committee had already voted that the average should be taken in such mairtier as by. law now required ; and if the Committee were to adopt the Hon. Ahlerman's sug gestion, a subsequent Resolution would contradict a preceding. If he thought proper to persist in his propsition, he bad better make it to the House upon the report of the first Resolution; but it might not be amiss to observe, that the proposition would have the effect of keeping up rather than of lowering 'the usual average.- If t..e average were taken by the • best wheat, tit - would always keep the average at the higher price. Ordered. that the Report of the Committee be re ceived nn Monday. Lord HAMILTON objected to this, as his 'notion ow the Bank Restriction Bill was fixed for that day. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER. proposed to adjourn that toTuesday, I. which day he would agree . elso to ptistporm the, very important Imminess of - Mince, se that the subject of the Corn Laws might meat with no delay. Mr. TIERNEY did not see how that subject pressed, whereas his Noble Friend's motion must come on before the Bank Restriction Bill went to another stage, and the Act expired 25th of March. The motion had already been postponed from There da if last. Sir S. NEWPORT urged the importance of the P tj ec t of corn, and that ir.hould not be postponed from day - to day, during which the public mind might be i n (131;1(.3 on a topic of aliotheis the most likely for roisit ,,, rescntatitiw to produce a ba,i ..lrect. There would hs. full time for deliberation till Monday ; for though many might say Sunday ought to be ofher s occupied, yet few people occupied that clay so entirely with religion as to exclude all temporal thought,. _ _ Alter some further conversation, it was at last flied, that the Report on the Corn Laws should be brought up on 7.:nnclay : that Sir Samuel Romilly's motion for the Militia skouldstaudfor Tuesdays that Mr. Whitbread's motion on the subject of Sir 'onset Dull and Gen. Smith should stand for Wednesday : and that Lord A. Hamilton's motion should have the preferencaoLall.natice on Thursday, and that the Mink Restriction Act should go into no cut Cher stage in the moan lime. Sir R. HERON moved for !cave to bring in a Bill to improve the situation of the poor by amending a former Act, the object of which we could not catch. Leave was granted, and the Bill was read a first time.—Ordered to be read a second time on Tuesday. Mr. W. KEENE presented ■ Petition from Lud low, agalust the Property Tax.—Adjourned to Woodsy. TO CoItR.LSPONDENTS. The Lever ..t J. D. %V. reipectis k ic The Admininirstio• of Law Ift Ottani, shall have an early iniertiou sod the further prutui.rd Cnmm•mic.ttian will be acceptable. pawl; OF STOCKS TillS DAY AT ()NB O'CLOCK Kik.sk Vsng. Ann. Ps) 5-18 •3 pr . Cent. Red. (44 India Bouds i 8 p 3 per Cent. Coro sid Exelsequer Hills 31 p 4 ;L... Cents. 81li ()maims i 9 d b per Celt. Nisr) 9910 Coax* for Aft. 6411 THE STATESMAN. LONDON: SATURDAY, FEentteny 25, 11415. The French Papers or IVednesday last, and Dutch and German Journals arrived this morning. They reiterate the previoni accounts of the conclusion of the labours of Congress, except some very subordi. ' i.ale affairs—that Congress which has so much iiiiaopcinted the wishes and expectations of the (fiends of liberty and justice. An article from states, that the King occupies himself nf:Hy in forwarding the views of Prince DJ. '~~ GENE BEAIMARNOIS, BONAPARTE'S near relative ; and the statement is' reiterated, that all the Imperial Powers are inflamed with a most virtuous indigna. Lion against the piratical States of. Barbary, and that they long to see England setting the example of commencing a war of extermination against these un licensed marauders, that they may therein the spoil I Virtuous and disinterested Princes ! England and Christendom is much obliged to them. The Course of Exchange continues to rise at Vienna. The last accounts from thence are of the 11th. The statement of the Dukc of SYLLLTNGTOY being seriously indisposed appears to be untrue. It was expected that the general pacification wouldbe sign ed on the 14th or 15th, when the clouds of uncer tainty which have so long hung over the affairs of ! Congress would be dissipated. No doubt but the whole of the mischief will soon be out.- Genoa, Po i laud, Saxony—we have beheld enough Dispatches have just reached Government from America, brought by his Majesty's ship Clinker, arrived at Portsmouth, in twenty-nue days from Halifax. The remainder of the Resolutions, moved by air. Roamsom, were discussed in the House of Cr mous last night, and the Report of the Committee was ordered to be brought up on Monday, when the Bill will be regularly brought iu tolerably quick march for such an important measure, it must be allowed, considering all the circumstances, Evidence, &c. on which it is founded. By proposing to lay restraints on the importation of grain, the Legislature agrees to tolerate an evil, for the purpose of balancing and counteracting the influence of other evils. Fatal necessity! and mast 'pernicious policy! Consider to what this prin ciple would lead—to the toleration of abuses of the most mischievous tendency,—to the adoption of a cure that may prove worse than the disease. This is another example of the indemnity system, which is giving one man the power and authority to convert to his use the goods of thousands, in despite of all the established laws of justice; and to draw the bond of slavish coercion around millions whom GOD and Nature have declared free. - The object of the plan which the landowners are , now precipitating with such earnestness through the Legislature, is neither to reduce the price of corn nor to encrease its quantity, but to enable them to desive the highest possible rent for their land. Does not I the manner iu which this measure has been hatched, and is now carrying into effect, sufficiently indicated,* motives and intentions of the framers? And whilst the objects of those immediately interested are not lettie be guessed at, by the declarations which they now make in the fulness of theca. strength—what is to be l thought of those guardians of the public interests, • who, in defiance of the tlwusen►& of Petitioal~ Inow load the Legislative Board; give the sessitlen . of authority to the sacrificing of nine-tenths of the population for the advantage of a frw, who have un feelingly lorded it over the poor for twenty years past? When we heard of the dark Divan at Fife. I House, we exclaimed in the prophetic language of the poet of mystery,— " Of daritargs •isibk en much be lent As Wry, show, half veil the dread intent !" We trembled for the honour and independence of St. Steplien's—we trembled for the few remaining comforts, the new born and fondly cherished hopes of the tens of thousands who in this land of boasted freedom and philanthrophy must continue to eat the bitter bread of sorrow, and ask in the agony of des pair, why is it ever to be moistened only with their sweat and their tears? The late sittings of the Hones— till half after tizo on Thursday morning, and Milner on that of Friday, and the resumption of the ‘ diacus- Dion again last night, when so short a delay as only till Monday was given for bringing up the Report on the Bill, evince a solicitude either to discuss the point in all its possible bearings, or to take time so mush by the forelock that not even the Ides of March (if they may be supposed to have any influence on the next crop) shall be permitted to approich without being provided against. It was not with this provi dent celerity that legislative measures were adopted for the purpose of keeping down the price of Corn when Government were purchasing it, and sending it not of the country at a most exorbitant rate.— But we have entered on a new era. The pleasing novelty of tha new age. however, *will not efface the remembrance of that which is gone by. .'rbit hard ships imposed upon the manufacturers and tradesmen for the last twenty years—the patient, though pain ful endurance on the part of the labouring poor for that long period, of a situation the avast difficult and distressing—when between the farmer charging whatever he chose, and their employer allowing only, (because he could not afford more,) swelr wages as barely sufficed to sustain life, the sufferinis of these classes were grievous indeed, are too indelibly re corded to be soon forgot, and prove better than a thousand arguments the fallacy of that most 'unfair doctrine which insinuates that the interests and comforts of the majority of the members of the State ought ever to be at the mercy of st protected few, who have no other title to this4klasiee favour, than that which should make a Goversitletlitclutioert' of adding to their power,—having id ebeir holds' the sustenance of others. No Government Oughtlio . legislate restrictively, but in cases where It is clearly - 1 evident that the effect of such restrictions-meet be, the benefit of the whole.. Some proptictort tell us .c S.f. sl THE STATESMAN. " That bounty thou bast widely spread, " That bounty let me bhare." that the proposed restrictions en the importation of Corn, are devised solely for this purpose. .IVe hesi tate not to say, that that friendship 'which would deprire us of a present and attainable benefit on such a pretence must be deceitful. Allow the public to enjoy that•abundance which Providence has provided, and teach them not to look on that bountiful hand which extends the blessings of life, as if it presented a poisoned chaliee. Though it must be allowed the subject has been , fairly and candidly discussed, without any infusion of the baneful spirit of party, and that many of the specious sophisms advanced by the advocates of re striction have been ably exposed and refuted both in and out of Parliament, we do not think the (lan. 1 ger and injustice of the violent proceeding, which is again to subject the country to the severest priva- 1 tions merely because landlords and tenants cannot settle their respective interests, and claim indemnity at the public expence for what ought long ago to have taken place, have yet been made •sufficiently manifest. But the task of withstanding the strides of corruption and oppression is neither a profitable nor a pleasing one. We shall, notwithstanding, not desert our post, conscious that when the cause of justice and a people's rights are at Sake, he " who deliberates," or is silent," is lost" to every dictate of honesty and independence. Having said this, we revert to the claims whictrthe 1 agricaltinists make, like the rest of the great suf ferers by the late roar, to iiidemnity. And with 1 these modest pretensions ringing in our ears, and 1 knowing how many of their speculations which have I turned out ruinously, came to be attended with an I unfortunate result, WP would ask what greater reason is there far the Legislature interfering tin behalf of such persons, in order to pro vide fur them an indemnity at the public expecte°, than for its doing the same in favour of the adventurers to South America, whose speculations failed from a similar want of sufficient foresight ? Nd) body ever dreamt of legislative relief being af forded to these commercial unfortunates'. We canno help considering many of the persons who deserted the field of commercial adventure when their efforts in their own proper sphere were most necessary for the general good, and madly " entered on a field un known," exactly in the light• of such rash and unfor. , tunate speculators. It is well known that the num -1 bee of inexperienced persons.who wished to be far.. mere at the time of the nation's greatest commercial difficulty, far exceeding the natural order, and the address with which land-holders and their agents, used ! to intlame their competition, provoked lessees to go beyond the bounds of prudence; and hence the greater 1 part of the mischief that has happened. But a dis ease of this kind finds its cure in the disorder it pro , i duces: and surely it is better that a fern of such spe. :minion who have adveneed the rent of land above its natural level should receive a check, than that the !public at large should he made to suffer indefinitely to repair the natural effect of such rashness. The general welfare ought not to be voluntarily sacrificed with the vain view of preventing this inevitable re. I suit. And here let us tell all those who think that high rent is a means or a proof of the prosperity of a country, that the wealth of society must increase before the rent of land can be fairly or permanently raised, and that the latter will always be the cer tain cause of the former. The country must be proved to be in an opulent, and not in a ruinous state, ' as it is at present, before landlords ought to com mence the screwing system. But this screwing and ' scourging method will not always do, though it has I lately, we blush to say, been recommended with all t the powers of eloquence in the British Muse of Commons. _ The consequences of this ' system are 1 not thwart so pleasingly obvious as have been de -1 pitted. When a farmer is depressed by an over ' stretched rent, his mind is embarrassed, his funds I are diminished, end his energy is paralized ; land being deprived of the ability, he scarcely feels the disposition to do justice to the soil, i and to draw the greatest possible return from ' it. A listlees despair accompanies all his opera tions, his labours are imperfectly executed, and in the end his circumstances are ruined, and he leaves the farm in a neglected and exhausted state. The landlord who, from avidity to augment his rental, puts his land into such miseraule occupancy, not only injures his own personal interest, but is an ene my to his country, by depriving the public of the more abundant product which a more liberal con duct and superior management would bring to market. It is the same with short leases, which the pro prietors too often grant, in order that they may have frequent opportunities of raising their rents,— But neither capital nor improvements are the fruits of such policy. Let the owners of land adopt those methods which are the natural,means of improving their properties before they attempt to throw the whole weight of cultivation upon the public. The public are accused of taking a narrow view of this subject, and of looking with an unfounded jealousy on the measures deemed necesssry.to in crease the nation's agrkalinal prosperity. We will reply to this by reminding such as think in this way of , a historical fact. We are told, that on the first carrying of the turnpike roads into the distant counties, such was the apprehension of the land holders in the immediate neighboarhood of London, that they petitioned against the measure on the grounds of the injury to their estates, by promoting such a concurrence in the supply of the Eendon Market. Yet by this very extension of its resources has London so increased in opulence, that its over tlowings have raised these neighbouring lands to a value infinitely beyond any thing they could ever otherwise have reached. So much for mistaken views of Nags! • Just such may not be viewed the present proceed ings of the Landed Tnterests•in their misapprehension and false alarm of the more extended supplies of Britain ? We will close these hasty, and at the present time not unnecessary remarks, by sa3ing the British pee. ple ought again to awaken from their lethargy, and in a firm and respectful manlier agnio humbly repro: sent tl:eir wishes to their Legislative Representatives. Let them remind them that they. are only met ' there to express the wishes of the people, anti to ac. gislate for the general good alone.—Move all let it be represented, that now is.the period for taking off burdens and restaictions, instead of increasing and perpetuating them—that the country is already orer taxed—already bound toe much in the * fetters of in• jorious restrictive laws, and suffering already too sc. verely under the baneful influence of overgrown mono. polies ; and far gone as the nation is in erroneous policy, and d rai nedas are its resources to the depth that we shudder to behold, by a scandalous and wisteria expenditure, the vox 'populi will yet prevail, Aid, Imply, our country may yet " flourish great and free, i the dread and envy" of the world. We understand it is settled• that previous to the Dike of CUMBEIV.ANo'S marriago, a Message is to be brought down to the House announcing to Portia. meta the intended event, and desiring to make an ad. ditinnal establishment on his Itoyul Highness. Lord WHITWORTH is certuinl) coming to England, but, we understend, will, if his health permits, turn to his Viceroyalty, in Ireland, the foaminess( which important office will, of course, be dischmol, cluring'his absence, by Lords Justices, created for the occasion. The Princess of WALEs has. asked fora skip of war to convey her home to Great Britain from Naples, and has been informed that no vessel could be conve niently spared at this time from the Mediterranean station, to accommodate her Royal Highness. By he immense swarm of Knights n Welt, like my riads of gnats on a summer evening, the prolific breath of a late Gazette has hatched into new life and unex pected dignity, a Correspondent says, he is reminded of a curieus-Anectlote in the history of CLIA !ILES the FIFTII. Passing through Fenn, the Emperor Was complimented by the Podesta, the Mayor and Alder men of the City, who tarried around his horse in ex pectation of some mark of Imperial beneficence. Ea. compassed by the crowd, and impeded in his progress, the Monarch, playing right and left IrMi_ his sword, dubbed the entire populace, and eackused-; "Oesnes estole Equitea !" r , The East Middlesex Millitia are oft ftsdritarth from Liverpool, and may be expected isktisioridnity of town, early in the nett week, tts ps •In the 'cleentru•of Barcelona the In quM ' • a bey, and lately some of the Inquisitors bring at the play, observed one of the lady dancers with very short petticoats. The next duy they sent their bailiff to fetch the poor girl to their prison, and possibly she may now have to dance epos de cerde. In the melancholy procession which accompanied the remains of the late lamented Duke of Dorset from the Castle of Dublin to the sea side, for embaikation on board the yacht for England, Lord Airmen, Co lonel INTssrponr, and the Rev. Dr. SpAnt, were chief mourners. The pall-hearers were, the Duke of LEW. STER, Earl of WESTMEATH, and Viscount POW Eng. COURT. The prime of the (pattern loaf at Exeter is Did. —in London it is 114 d.—and yet both wheat and flour are sent to Devonshire from Mark-lane. Flour rose last week ss. per sack at Canterbury, and a proportionate rise in bread was expected ; but the Mayor having fixed the assize from the average price of wheat, instead of flour, bread fell on Thurs day, in that city, sd. in the peck loaf. This pro duced a general consternation among the bakers, who affirm they are now considerable losers by every sack of flour they hake. A Continental Paper says, " The Austrian Go vernment has just issued an Ordinance permitting the importation of foreign beer and ale, which had been hitherto prohibited. The mischiefs arising from the monopoly of the Austrian brewers gave rise to this measure." The Bank of Amsterdam, formerly so celebrated in the commercial world, is about to recover from its long misfortunes. The Burgomasters of that ca• pital have lately published a notice, in which they declare, in the name of the Municipality, " that the city of Amsterdam guarantees the fonds deposited in the Bank, under the security of all the property and revenues of that city." The following is an eztrect ef-&-leiter from Rnole• received through France :—" Spies and &mania. tors traverse Rome in whole troops; but nei her these secret agents, nor the POWs Bulls, are able to defend his Sacred Majesty against his enemy Mu' RAT, who has made him tremble on his throne. The inhabitants are under constant apprehensions that the Neapolitan forces will, by a rapid march, enter the gates of Rome; and what must be our confcsiou. when ropes and Cardinals, Preachers and Friar. Monks and Mendicants, fire all huddled tcrOlicr r:i the gaols of the city." Counr-MAnzt.i.z.—A General Court-Martia' ‘3“ . held at the Horse-Guards, Whitehall, on the 2 0 'h December, 1814, on Seijeant Thomas Sandalv, the Ist Regiment of Font Guards, for dcsertien. embezzling the sum of Vitt. I Go. with which he wa' intrusted to settle the arrears of pay due to the col , • pany to which he belonged. lie was found volt}, and sentenced to be transported for seven years, GS A felon. The sentence has been confirmed by 0 " PRINCE REGENT. Before a Lady resolves to show her bad log to , s man of honour, she should recollect what Sir .• Falstaff says--" Honour bath no sicifl in surg, ...-~- t fl; st LI • 1, rr it s, n h - re IS r. [• 1• 1, rs IE tf sl !- If 1. d la 0 e • ;