The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1803-06-11 00:00:00

s. , r _.' ?,~;~,^ biliii - Mil ~l~~iii to ft Clergyman Who promised to reside; the Clergy: man had, however, a living in Glamorganshire, and did not change his place of residence; of this he complained, but at length consented to admit of six months residence, which the Clergyman pro mised. Even this promise, however, was not kept, and he proceeded to enforce the Aft to compel resi dence, or deprive him of the benefice, but, by the connivance of his own court, the party slipped through his fingers, and remains to this very day in 'possession brthr laving, witlibut having resided upon it. This tale spews the insufficiency of the provin cial courts in this particular. It became, therefore, necessary, that a power should be placed in the hands of the Bishops ; and as this was done by the present Bill,. that part of it also had his approba tion. With regard to the other part of the ASR of I lenry VIII. which restrains the Clergy from hav ing any thing to do with the low pursuits of the world, he should beg leave to make a few observa tions. When he spoke of the Clergy being nothing but Clergy, he did not mean to be an advocate for that puritanical cant that would entirely cut them off from all commerce with the world. To ad vise his flock required- a knowledge of the world. The duty of a Clergyman could not he adequately performed by any but a man of knowledge and infor mation. To expound the Bible he should be ac quainted with eves science. The Clergyman, there fore, could not be considered' as misspending his "time, ss ho was studying a mathematiCal proposition, or calculating the proportions of a piece of archi teaure. No, the Clergyman should be restrained only from those things 'that degrade him. He should not be engaged in sordid pursuits. Agriculture, he admitted, was the business of the gods. It did honour to Ceres and .Eriptolemus. It was a busi ness worthy of men in the most exalted stations ; but when a Clergyman engaged in agriculture, he did not, like ' their Lordships, engage in it for amusement or from public spirit, but from sordid views. Now this was what he condemned. It was true, the statute of l 'wry VIII. prevented this abuse, but the provisions in that particular were extremely . severe. He feared, however, that the relaxation was carried too far in the present Bill. This, however, would be matter Ai consideration in the COmmittee,. when the clause should. come underdiscussiosi, and it might be propjr to see, if the defeat exists, whether it might nut he ratified. Adverting again to non residence, his Lordship said • there might se veral cases of abuses as the Bill then stood.— The Minor Canons of St. Paid, for instance, might, for example, set the Bishop at defiance, and exempt themselves from residence as long as they pleased, and yet there were, he fancied,, some good livings among them. There was also another clause which he considered a public ad vertisement for pretences for non-residence.—At tendance upon a sick child, or a sick wife, he ad mitted to be a very good excuse ; but as the clause was worded, if the Clergyman's wife wished to go to a watering place, she had only to affect a nervous complaint, and matters might •be easily managed to procure the apothecary's certificate of her indis position. The husband would thus he excused from non-residence, and might amuse himself for ;he season at a watering-pl..ce. To prevent this and such like abuses, he should • use, that no licence th )uld be granted by the I is op without specifs ing tie cause, and that he shouio make a return of the number of licences granted by him every year.— This, he said, would operate better than the provi sion in the Bill, as a restraint upon the discretion of Bishop in granting licences, and thereby prevent a improper issue of them. AVe had the same se curity for the good condua of Bishops as we bad fur that of our Judges. 'I he men and th eir conduft were public and before the eyes of the world. Al though he recommended that the licence should spe c.:fy the cause, he did not me..n the rule to be uni versal. It was obvious that in some cases it might be improper to assign the cause. The Bishop of OXFORD said, he agreed in most of the arguments of the Right Reverend Prelate, but he rose for the especial purpose of entering his Brotest against that part of the Right Reverend ishop's argument, which referred to the aepeal to the Archbishop, in cases of refusing to ordain those who were applicants to be admitted into orders. He thought the appeal a wise and expedient provision, because although it was true that the Metropolitan could not command hint or any other Bishop to or dain any . person, to whom front any public Or pri vate motive he should refuse ordination, yet the Bishop so refusing ought to assign his reasons in writing for such refusal, that they might be inserted in the circular letter sent round to the Clergy and Bishops, thereby affording them the means of as certaining the validity of the oblations, respeaing which they would be enabled to judge for them selves, and another Bishop might then ordain the person or not. His Lo r d s hip said, there were several clauses of the Bill, to which he felt much objeftion might apply, but not being in the habit of speaking in public, he should leave what he had to say of that nature to abler and more experienced Lords ; and perhaps the most fit time for bringing forward such observations would h e , w h en t h e House came to the eismision of the dates. He would, therefore, only repeat, that his reason for rising was for the purpose of entering his protest against the part of the speech of the Right Reverend Prelate, who had just sat down, which referred to the appeal to the Arch bishop, and to the refusal of institution ; in both of which points he differed entirely from the Right Reverend Pi elate ; but he nos the more anxious to enter his protest immediatele, from a consniousness of the great 'authority, acknowledged talents, pro. found learning, and long experience of the Noble and Right Reverend Prelate, which could not fail to make a deep impression on die public mind, if his arguments went forth unobserved upon, which would imply a general admission of their truth and validity. Lord AUCKLAND rose and said, he was more and more convinced, Lira' a Bill upon the subjea of the present, would have originated with more ad vantage in that House than in the other, and more especially, when their Lordships might have had the assistance of the Right Reverend Bench. He felt a variety of objeaions to the clauses of the Bill as it now stood, but he did not think them incapa ble of being surmounted. His objections would properly divide themselves into two - classes, princi inii end secvnthtly. In many instancet he agreed with the Right Rev. Prelate who opened the debate, and partie@arly itethe Wen, that the suffering the Clergy to take ferns cif three or four hundred a year, and,. indeed, b 3 a much greater amount, was 5..41014 incompatible wishthe . dacency and decorum . • , • :.. • • . % lb , • lIIIC of the clerical character. A Clergyman ought to be the pastor of his flock, and it would not add to his respeaability, to become an overgrown fanner, to go to market like any other farmer to sell his grain, and to herd with ordinary farmers. He agreed also with the Right Rev. Prelate, that there was a dela in the clause, which stated to what description of Clergy the Bishops might grant a licence for non-residence. As the Bill to a ra Mi nister might, by a little ingenuity, contrive to be non-resident for sixteen months, out of every two years. Another great &feet was, that he did not find in the whole Bill, a clause to oblige a Curate to be resident in the parish in which the Reetor or Vicar was non-resident. With regard to the farm ing clauses of the Bill, his Lordship said, he had se veral objeaions, but he hoped when they came into the Committee they would be cured. His Lord ship stated a variety of points which required amendments, and was proceeding to explain them, when he was called to order by the Earl of CAERNARVON, who said, the Noble Lord had not said one word against going into the Committee, which was the sole question under consi deration. He was anxious to attend the Committee, but he wished to know, whether the House meant to go into it that evening or not ? Because he should be very glad to withdraw, if it was not meant to go into the Committee that night, as he did not wish to listen to arguments which he must hear over again in the Committee. 'the LORD CHANCELLOR left the woolsack to say, that he thought almost the whole of the Debate had been disorderly, but he must declare that he felt it to be a most useful disorder. He hoped, therefore, that it would be suffered to pro ceed. Lord AUCKLAND resumed, and said if the -NOble Earl (Caernarvon) had been present on Tues day, he would have known that it was agreed on all hands, for general convenience, that they should .explain the principles of what they meant in the. ComMittee to offer as amendments ; but he would immediately put himself in order by objecting to the going into the Committee on the' Bill. His Lord ship leaving thui established his right to proceed, went on in examining and commenting on the farm •ing clauses, when - he was again interrupted by . The Earl ofCAER NA RVON, who said, die Noble . Lord having . declared, that he opposed the going into a. Committee, ought to confine his arguments to that single object, and yet his arguments all went to the particular clauses, which could only be regularly discussed in the Committee. The LORD CHANCELLOR left the wool sack to say, that he thought what had passed, al though disorderly, was of the utmost utility ; and if their Lordships with concur with him in the mo tion he meant to offer. viz. that insteax of the question standing, as it was moved, in lieu of the word 4 , now" to insert the words "Monday next," he v.'s confident, that after due consideration of what be had heard, ne should be able to save the House a discussion in the Committee, NiliCh would, if brought on that night, last ten or twelve hours, and reduce it to three or four hours. • Lord AUCKLAND said, that in deference to the Noble Earl, who had relied him to order, he would profit by his example, and persevere no loager. The further proceeding in the Committee was adjourned to Monday. -CIIANDOS TTERAGE. ' The Yarl of SUFFOLI wished to .pospone the further hearing of this claim t' Tuesday next, as his Noble relation could not be present before. The Duke CUMBERLAND said, be under stood that it had been settled the preceding day chat it should posi;ively come on on Monday; and as many Noble Lords staid in town on purpose, and it would be inconvenient to them to continue in town longer, he hoped it would be attended to. The Earl of SUFFOLK said, he would yield to the wish of the Illustrious personage who had just sat down. • CLERGY. The Earl of SUFFOLK said, he be. mis represented, probably from havh• • :. .:.iscornt ceived, in what he had said on a cornier night, tea lative to the Tiers Etats of France. He had saki, that they, making a fourth part oCthe National sembly, had been the means of the revvlutioni and the ovelibrow of the monarchy, but be hid not said a word to convey an imputation against the Right Reverend Bench opposite to him ; on the contrary, he had expressly declared his eonvidion, that under similar circumstances the coneind of the Right Reverend Bench, whose virtue and piety were undeniable, would have been diredly the reverse. The Bishop of ST. ASAI'H said, the proper course for the Noble Earl to pursue would be to move, if any misrepresentation had been made of what he said in that House that the Printer be called upon to attend at the liar, and answer for hie misconduct. The Earl very liberally said no, that I do not chase to do. Lord A UCKLAND moved, that the proper C.- cer do presenito the House a Statement, to the latest period for which the same can be made up, of the Proceedings of the Commissioners appointed under the Great Seal, by virtue of an Ad of the 3;?th of , his present Majesty, for the purpose of regulatin g all sales and contraas for sale, made up by bodies politic or corporate, or companies, for the purpose of redeeming their Land Tax, with their dates, an.! the amount of the same, with a statement of the total saved to Government by such redemption, &c. .--Ordered. Lord AUCKLAND also moved an brunble'ACl dress to his Majesty, that he would be pleased to order an Account of the Revenue of the Post-Office, from April 5, 1782, to the sth of April 1803, with an account of the charges and pensions thereupon ; , and also of all the remittances from the Post-Office , in Scotland during the same period.—Ordered. One Bill was brought up from the Commons. The Bills on the Table went through a stage each. The Hotisc adjourned till to-morrow, when all the Bills that are ready will receive the Royal Al sent by Commission. m•••••••••• HOUSE OF COMMONS. FRIDAY, JUNE 10. The House went through a Committee on the , Northamptonshire Ordnance Bill, and ordered the Report to be received on Monday ; as was also the keport of the Bill to transfer Mariners, with their oan consent, from the Militia service to the Navy. Sir 1. 8:111SKINE presented a Report from • Iffall►.•kr • •• • 1 the Committee appointed to consider of the means of •providing for the wives and families of Militia Men in Scotland, when called into actual service, containing a regulation that they should be made from an assessment upon lands and houses in Scot land. He moved that this Report be submitted to a Committee of the whole House on Monday next, which was agreed to. Mr. VANSITTART presented several Public Accounts preparatory to the Budget on • Monday next. Ordered to lie on the table. SUPPLY. The Houk having resolved itself into a comma tee of Stipply, Mr. Alexander in the Chair, • Mr. VANSITTART moved (after. the. Irish Ran ack Estimates and other Accounts, had been referred to it) a resolution, tlvit 40,000 additional seamen, including 8,000 marines, should-be voted for the service of the year 1803. Colonel BASTARD expatiated on the services performed in the last year by the marine corps who distinguished themselves by sea and by land al so, even at times when the army could only look on. There were men enough always to be got for sailors, but in his opinion greater encouragement should be given to the marines, and their numbers augmented at a time so perilous as the present. Mr. VANSIT I ART stated, in answer, that no person could be more sensible than he was of the important services the marines had done their coun try, or of the glory they had acquired ; but the I lon. Member might have recollefled, that the num ber now proposed was much greater, in proportion to the additional seamen, than on former occasions. It must also be observed, that the Government was not limited bt this vote to the number demanded, but might and would augment the marine force, as far as would be found necessary and praCticable. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, to guard against any misconception which might happen, wished it distinetly to be understood, that the number of seamen hitherto voted was 80,000 men required for the ships now in ci,mmission, which complement was as yet incomplete by a deficiency of 10,000, as the last return was little more than ;0,000 men. The Resolution was then agreed to. The Committee proceeded to vote 5.10,0001. for tear and wear of the sliips now in commission. 70,0001. for the pay of the additional seamen and marines. 40,0001. for ordnance for ditto. 100,0001 for the line of transport vessels. 65,0001. for defraying the expences of mainte nance of prisoners of war. 0 , 00 I. for the maintenance of sick prisoners of war. And _ - 54,9001. for the ex pences of barracks. 'I hese Supplies were for seven lunar months, from the 12th of June last. The Resolutions having been agreed to, the Re port was ordered to be received to-morrow. Mr. WICKHAM brought in the Bill for allow ing the advance of money for the purpose of build ing Parsonage Houses on glebe lands in Ireland. Col. BAGWELL said, be should not object to the Bill, though he knew that it must be, in some CAWS, ineffeaual, as there were many parishes in Ireland which had no glebe land whatever The Bill was then read a first, and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow. . CONSOLIDATED DUTIES. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, previously to his moving for the House to resolve itself into a Committee on this Bill, thought he might save the HOttse trouble by some preliminary expla nation. Several petitions from the manufacturers of Nottinghamshire and other places, expressed ap prehensions that the home manufacture of thread li - lace would be injured by the provisions of the present . Bill, as originally framed. The fad, as well as he could ascertain it from diligent enquiry, was, that the duty, as it now stood, of per yard upon the importation of foreign lace, was nut a sufficient pro tedion for the home manufadures, which had in creased considerably during the war, but the con sumption and sale of which had very much dimi nished since the peace, in consequence of the easy introduction of foreign lace of inferior quality. The whole of the revenue, calculated on the importation, was only about 400,0001. ; and the remainder of the importations were concluded in a contraband way, for the benefit of smugglers and the injury of the fair trader To prohibit the importation would be in vain, as lace would lie in so small a compass • ai to elude the vigilance of the servants of the reve nue and the customs. It at first thought that a duty ad valortm would meet the necessity of the case, but it was found that the smugglers could ensure the delivery of those goods in any part of the king dom .0 101. per cent. in peace, and 151. per cent. in time of war, which made it thought more adviseable to prefer a proteding duty of 151 per cent. on the importation of all foreign lace, which it was believed would be a sufficient proteflion to the home manu fadurers, and enable them to meet the smugglers on more than equal terms. In fad, we had no in due..onent at present to encourage the importation of fere;r lace itianuradures, as we were not so situ , aced as to acquire reciprocal advantages. The ques tion in this case was, whether this measure would sufficiently proted the home lace manufaCture which flourished during the war, and lost 19 parts out of 20 of its consumption since the peace made an opening for foreign importations ! He had every reason to conclude that it would; for it was pioved by experience, that the surest way of counteracting the smuggler, was to deprive Irim of the interest he had in pursuing contraband importations, and every one knew that the trade of a smuggler when once put down, would not be resumed but with dan ger and difficulty. lle could sot, he said, dis miss this topic without doing the persons con cerned in the . home trade, and manufacture of this article, the justice to say, that in their inter course and conversations with him, they ailed •-with the utmost liberality; and while they repre sented the grounds of their apprehension, ad vised no captious or vexatious objections, and were, he undetstuo.l, now so well satisfied with the intended provisions, that they did not mean to persist in their petition. The second subject to which he thought it necessary to call the attention of the COmmittee, was the duty on foreign porce. lain, which h was proposed to reduce from the pre sent tax of 104 to 50 pc:r cent. That, he said, was his orizinal iuten.ion; but, as there was considerable s:nuggling in tha:. arid( fr^m China, and the East fo, dies, and as the horn• fatturers did not think 6'. per cent. would sr:' . proted them, he had agreed to add 30 pt ; .nore to it; and if the _ • --• 80 per cent. should, upon the etperiment being tried, be found an adequate protedion, he intended to submit that it should be raised to 100. The third object he had to advert to was, the petitions presented on the part of the silk manufacturers. It was notorious, that notwithstanding the prohibition, silk handkerchiefs continued to be clandestinely im ported from Bengal, and other parts of India, and conveyed, like porcelain, to this country, in false bottoms of chests of tea, brought home by the ships of the East-India Company. The gentlemen con cerned in the home trade, to meet this abuse, did not think a duty of 15 per cent. would be a sufficient proteftion, and it was therefore agreed to impose aft ad valorem duty of three shillings per pound, and 15 per cent. on the importation of East-India silk handkerchiefs, during the war, the trade to be con. finedto the East-India Company, and not to exceed their average sales of the same article for the last se ven years. These were the principal points of al teration propoted in the Bill, and its its progress he should be found ready to attend to any information that may be offered. He Concluded with moving, that the House should immediately resolve itself into a Committee on the Consolidated Duties Bill. Lord TEMPLE complimented the open and friendly manner in which the Minister made this communication ; but observed, that the measure now submitted, respeding home-manufaciuted lace. thread, had been proposed about '2O years ago is the House, which agreed to it at first, and the next day found it necessary to rescind the resolution it had, on the day before, agreed to. Lord George Leveson Mr. Egerton, and Mr. Al derman Coombe expressed satisfadion at the alte rations proposed. The worthy Alderman parti cularly commended the Minister, declaring that he never knew a man, who on every occa.ion delivered himself with so much frankness and candour, for which he thought him deserving of the thanks of his country. Colonel GASCOIGNE said, that he felt himself in a condition different from that of the Hononable Gentleman who lately spoke, as he had no thanks to offer to the Minister, not having received any answer un a question of great importance to the commercial interest. He could not approve of the principle for some time aged upon, of the chilies being partial in favor of one part (Jreland) of the united empire preferably to thc other. Fit: may be told that Ireland had a ciistinet revenue tea provide, and distind Ministers for its affairs, but be could not see why the trade and navigation of the two countries should not be the same in both. If in any peculiar circumstances the trade of Ireland appeared to require more encouragement, he should not object to Eogland behaving with liberality, but he would refuse it, if demanded as a matter of right. It could not be contended that the trade of Eng land gained any thing by the Irish Union, however the latter country might have been benefited. Great Britain had fairly and generously allowed it to par ticipate in all its advantages ; but in point of indul gence he could not conceive why Scotland was not as well entitled to it as Ireland ; the latter of which was exempted from export and import duties in its trade and intercourse with this country. He had a motion to make on which he did not mean to divide the House, should it be strongly objeiled to. As to his own particular constituents, they were not interested in it, as the coasting and carrying trade between England and ' Ireland was exempt from duties, but, on a prin ciple of justice, he wished the two countries to have equal advantages. Ile therefore moved, that it be an instrudion to the Committee, to extend tle tonnage duty to Ireland, which would be no more then putting the trade of the United Kingdom upon an equal footing. . •.•. •. • The SPEAKER informed him, that the purpose of his motion would not be effeaive in the present stage, as it went to impose a new duty which could nut, consistently with the rules of the House, be entertained without having been voted in a previ ous Committee. Colonel GASCOIGNE begged leave to submit that what he proposed was not a new taxi but en extension of the principle. • The SPEAKER replied, that the decision might rest with the House, but that, in his opinion, such a motion was unprecedented and irregular. Colonel GASCOIGNE said,he was ready to ac quiesce in the decision of the Speaker, and had now another motion to offer, the tendency of which would be, not to enforce new duties, but to save the revenue of Great-Britain. This proposition went to prevent greater duties to be laid in the out-ports, particularly in the article of wine, than in the port of London. As the duties stood now, I.ondon paid no more than six shillings on the importation of Port wine. whereas in the out-ports the duty was 31. 4s. per ton. If this was done on the principle of sump tuary laws, the expence should fall heaviest on the metropolis which was best able to support it, be sides which the out-ports had no regular wine trade, like London, but supplied their own consumption by the means of the captains of ships trading for other articles, and bringing home, occasionally, some pipes of wine when they may not have a suf ficient quantity of either burthen. He then moved that it be an instruCtion to the Committee not to lay greater duties on the importation of wines in the out-ports than in the port London. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that though the Hon. Gentleman seemed very anxious to bring on his motions while the Speaker was in the Chair, and appeared very fond of pecu liarly addressing him ; the present was not the op portunity, and it would be open to him to propose any reduction he might think proker in the Com mittee. The SPEAKER gave his sanetion to this opinion, as a dame to the effed proposed may be moved in a Committee, but there was no instance within his knowledge, of any such proposition being received as.a matter of instruction. Colonel GASCOIGNE, with leave of the House, upon this, withdrew his motion. The House then resolved itself into the Com mittee, Mr. Alexander in the Chair. Colonel GASCOIGNE expressed an opinion that the duties on the importation of indigo should be equalised. The duty on indigo was 12s. from America ; 12s, tid. f rom the West India colonies ; and 10s. lid. from the East Indies. This rate gave a great advantage to the Americans ; and if there was any preference, it should be in favor of our own colonies. Mr. VANSITTART replied,that on importa. tions of indigo from the East Indies, there was an additional duty of 2s. 64 over and above the duty