The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1805-03-06 00:00:00

IMPERIAL: PAR LIAALEYI. • HOUSE OF LORDS —Tvt-o‘v, MARCH 5 The Bills upon the table, chiefly of a private or local description, were forwarded in their respeaive stages. One of the Masters in Chancery reported the an swer of the House of Commons to their Lordships' Message, desiring the permission of the House to the Right Hon. Sir John Stuart, Bart. one of its Members, to attend a Committee of their Lord ships, importing, that the House had granted per mission accordingly. Sir John Stuart was afterwards sworn at the bar, with respea to his proposed evidence before the Com mittee of their Lordships, to whose consideration the matters alleged in charge against Mr. Justice Fox are referred. Lord MULGRAVE, seeing a Noble Baron (King) in his place, on whose motion their Lord ships stand summoned for Friday next, for the dis cussion of a subjea of considerable importance, ob served, that it would tend greatly to the convenience of several Noble Lords, were the Noble Baron, should it m..k.t: no material difference to him, to post pone his intended mot :risi until the following Mon day. The Noble Sdcretary ads erred to some degree of inconvenience which might attacti to his own at tendance on that day, as well as that of certain other Noble Lords. Lord KING, in-reply, adverted to what had al ready taken place with respie to postponing the discussion in question ; it had beets twice postponed, end very lately, on the requisition of a Noble Lord, colleague of the Noble Secretary's. His Lordship alluded to the inconvenience it would be to several Noble Lords at his side of the House, were the discussion farther postponed. He was willing to make every reasonable concession to the con venience of Noble Lords; but, as the present case good. he should, unit ss some strong reasi s for a further postponement were assigned, adhere to his intention of bringing forward his Motion on Friday. Lord WALSINGHAM acquainted their Lord ships, that he should have to-morrow, a propubition to submit to the House respea . ng a power in the Committee to whom the matters alleged in charge against Mt. Justice Fox was referred, to report f ore time to time, &c. And moved that their Lordships be summoned on the occasion ; which was ordered accordingly. Mr. ALEYANOLR brought up from the Coin mons, the Additional Postage Duties Pill, and the New Loan Bill, which were severally read a first time. Earl FORTESCUE athlres-.ecl a few observa fons to their Lordships on the point of putting off his intended rsl-tion of this evening, relative to certain dismissals from the Dock Yards, until to morrow. Thi, proceeding, he was induce] t o adopt, in consequence of the absence of a Noble Viscount (we believe Lord Melville), who, he un derstood, would, to-morrow, be able to attend in his place, and from his wish to pay every reason abie degree of attention to the personal convenii.r.ce of Noble Lords. At the same tune, he wished to bare it understood, that the Motion was filed for tarnorrow, and to be broaght forward at as early an hour as the usual practice of the House would permit, which, he conceive.], would be at half past our o'clock. He concluded by moving that the Lards be summoned for to-morrow.—Ordered. After disposing of some routine business, the House adjourned. HOUSE. OF COMMONS. Mr. Baatft obtained leave to bring in a Bill, for enabling Mr. Bowysr, proprietor of the Historic Gallery, in Pall-Mall, to dispose of the same by way of lottery or chances. Mr. WILLIAMS, from the Board of Naval In quiry, presented a copy of the correspondence be tween that Board and the Admiralty, on the subj.A of the papers relating to the squadron under Sir Home Popham, with the dares ot the papers, arid the examinatioris taken before the C.munis.ioliet, of Naval Inquiry. o:sieved to lie on the table, and to be printed. Mr. MAY gave natice, that on Thursday next he should move for leave to bring in a bill fin the re peal of the duty of 61. per cent. imposed upon the imports of retail dealers in !rebind. Mr. DICKINSCiN brought up the Marine Mutiny Bill, which was lead a first, and ordered to be read I. second time to-tenorrow. Sir .1. B. WARREN Inntlght Up A petition from the town and corporation of Birmingham, praying tor the repeal of the late Corn Bill, which was ordered to lie on the table. Mr. Youso, from theiCustoms brought up an account of the tonnage and number ot ships em ployed in the West India Trade during the last year.—Ordered to lie on the Table. Mr. AL/I/INVER brought up the Report of the Resolutions of the Committee on the Expiring Laws, and obtained leave to bring in a Bill on them. CORN LAWS. Lord ARCNI II ALE) HAM/LION brought up seve ral Petitions from Larark, Ruther Glen, and va rious other places in Scotland, praying for the Re peal of the late Corn Laws, which were ordered to lie on the Table. Tile SECRETARY at WAR said he by no means meant to disapprove of the conduit ot the Noble Lord in bringi.'g up any petitims transmitted to him, but he could not help observing that the Petitioners from Lanarkshire, and the several other places, complained ot hardships which they never felt, as the price of corn in all par's of the kingdom was hitherto such as did not allow the Bill to coin into operation. He could not help thinking that the people a&ed under a delusion, praftised upon these by persons who persuaded them there were grieva minces, though they never experienced any. Lord ARCHIBALD HAMILTON said that upon the statement of the Right Hon. Gent. the Mt should be repealed, for a law ought not to re main upon the statute book, which was not fit to be brought into operation. Even at the time of the Hill passing, it was very well known to have excited considerable alarm ; and the people had a right to complain of the bad tendency of a Bill, even before they felt the operation of it. This, however, was not the case. for st was certain that the alarm soles eked, bad very mull tended to keep up the price at C.a•LI Sir*: ELFOR.D also considered the people to have been deluded into the persuasion of fancied grievances, for the objett of the Bill was only to al low the ezportation of corn after the consumption was secured ; and as it did not yet take effeft, the people felt no more than if the Aft had never passed at all. Mr. FOSTER brought up an account of the ordinary and extraord , nary Revenues of Ireland, from the Ist of January 1801, to ditto 1805, with Se• eeral other accounts, preparatory to the Irish Bud-1 get, which were ordered to be printed. Mr. HUSKISSON (after a former order to the same efTecet had been dis, barged, on account of some inaccuracies in the wording) moved that there be laid before the House a copy of the warrant for granting any rents, leases, or other grants of the Lordships of Fife and Strathern, in Scotland, to the Hon. John Hope, in trust for Lady Jane Mel ville ; as also accounts of the balances and arrears due from the rents of said lordships and manors by the late John Crawford, Esq. deceased ; which being agreed to, the account was presented, and or dered to lie on the table. He also brought up an account of the charges and discharges on the said rents, and a return to the order of the 12th of February last, giv ing an account of the balances remaining in the hands of John Hamilton, Esq. Receiver-G.. , tat of the Customs in Scotland, which were ordered to lie on the table. ()smelts ~F THE DAY. Mr. C. WYNNE, observing the House to remain for some time unoccupied with any business. said, he could not submit to a pra&ice that seemed lately to gain ground, of leaving a fell House waiting sometimes for an hour, , eithout proceeding on the business of the day. He herefore moved that the ether Orders of the lag be now read. 11r. FULLER said, if the public business was thus unnecessarily delayed, it would be difficult for a Member 0 get a dinner one day in the week. Mr. HUSKISeON said, he had no objeftion to proceed to toe Order of the Day, though, if the Hon. Gentleman had not moved it, he was about to present some public papers, put stunt to an order of the House. Mr. WYNNE replied, that it was the order of the House, that public business should commence at four o'clock ; but of late, Members were :Ws& to tie inconvenience of waiting till five o'clock, be fore it was proceeded upon. Mr. J. MAR rIN said, he long witnessed with pain the pratice that WAS prevailing, and which he could not consider otherwise than as diuespeflful, both to the House and to the Chair. The House then having, pursuant to the Order of the Day, resolved itself into a Committee on the Mutiny Bill; Mr. HUSRISSON, after observing that the complaint of delay came with a bad grace on this do, when the House was incessantly occupied Ifith business, since the Speaker took the Chair, wished to explain to the Right Hon. General (Fitz patrick) the reasons why he was not prepared to pro pose the two clauses which the Hots. General thought proper to suggest. The objea of the first he understood to he, that Regimental Courts Martial should have power to examine witnesses upon oath; and, of the second, to disqualify persons from sit ting as Presidents in such Courts Martial, if under 21 years of age. He stated before, that he cculd see no nbje&ion whatever to either of these clauses; but, in mentioning them to sonic Of fi cers of very high rank, know ledge, and experience. they ex pressed great doubts of the propriety of introducing such an tunny:46os into our military system. He owned, that he could see no great force in their ob jettions ; but a deference to their authority induced him to pause before he could venture to submit them to the House. As it was necessary that the Bill should be passed before -,:sth inst. it could not ad mit of much delay—hut he proposed to make a small alteration in one of the clauses, authorising the House to amend the Bill in the course of the piesent session, which would afford the Right Hon. General an opportunity of submitting Lis clauses whenever he thought proper. General FITZPATRICK said, that he felt a great repugnance to taking up the time of the douse_ in any manner. but most of all upon a subjeft in which he was happy to hear the Right Hon. Gentleman express his concurrence. Neither should he delay them now by stating the arguments with which he meant to support his proposal, but con tent himself with expressing a belief that they were such as could not easily be answered. In this House he had heard no objeftion made to Mom clauses, and what might have been urged elsewhere was no Parliamentary ground for getting rid of them. If the officers alluded to were. as probably some of them may be, Members of. this House they would no doubt gate their objeaions in their plums. At the same time, he confessed that, if called upna to bring forward his charges now. he should feel himself at a loss, for, the Right Hon. Gentleman having himself promi sed to bring them forward. he came in an unprepared state. But, as this was only the sth of March, and the Bill would not expire before the 25th, he hoped the Right Hon. Gent. would consent to delay the third reading for a cou ple of days. when he should be reedy to move the clauses by way of riders in the Bill. Col. STUART wished also the third reading to be deferred, as he hoped that the proposed clauses would be acceded to. lle thought there should be a limitation to the punishments inflitted be Regi mental Courts Martial, which ought not to have the power of sentencing to more than two benched lashes. He was also of opinion, that the number of all Courts Martial should not consist of less than five field officers, or of seven if of indiscriminate ranks. Sir EYRE COOTE spoke in favour of the Clauses, and went further, for he was of opinion that no person whatever should be qualified to sit upon Regimental Courts Martial, if under the age o twenty-one years. The Bill passed the Committee, and was then or dered to be read a third time on Monday next. Mr. WINDHAM wished to knew whether any inquiry had yet been made respelling the inaccuracy of the return of the number of men enlisted under the Defence AEI in the county of Surrey 1 The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied, that it was found, upon inquiry, that owing to an accidental mistake, the return of the men en listed for Mat meaty. ti nder the Defence Aft, was stated to be fifteen more than the aattal amount. which was no more than fifty-five. Lord W. RUSSELL said, he suspeaed this num ber also to be erroneous; thr, at a late county meet ing which he attended, the n umber s tated was only fourteen men. The CHA'gCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER answered, that his inf ,rmation was drawn horn an examination, made this morning, of the accounts in the Office of the Inspeaor General. The Hill for imposing an Additional Duty upon Pleasure Hot sea was read a third time and passed. MIDDLESEX ELECTION• Lord MARSH A M reported from the Committee appointed to try the merits of a Petition, complain in of an undue Election and Return for the County of Middlesex : tit That G. VI Mainwaring, Esq. was not duly elected, and ought not to have been returtivd as • Representative for the said County in Parliament. ed. Thu Sir Francis Burdett, Rtrt. wirkuly elected, and ought to have been returned Representative for the said County. S. That the Petition was not frivolous nor v , ..xatinrie ; and, 4th, That the defence made to it on the part of O. B. Main waring, Evq. was not frivolous nor vexatious. WAR SALT DUTY. When the order of the day was read for going into a Committee on the Salt Duty Bill, and the question put that the Speaker do leave the chair ; Mr. JOHNSTONE said, he could not suffer such a bill to pass, without entering his protest against it. N r wishiug, however, to detain the attention of the I louse for any ler.gth of time, he should con fine himself to one short argument, relating to the operation of the Salt Bill in Scotland, whicb, if to tally repealed, he thought would be very beneficial to the country. When the former additional duty was laid on, the tax in Scotland amounted to 6s. 6d. a bushel; but as it was found to be altogether rth produdive, it was shortly lowered to 4s. a bushel. He would then ask what reason there was to sup pose that Scotland, which was so lately declared un able to pay 44. should now be in a condition to pay a tax of 9s. a bushel, to which the present addition would raise it ? The SECRETARY at WAR replied, that the reason why the former duty had been reduced in Scotland, was, that tuel was so much dearer and scarcer in that country than in England ; and as to the unproduaiveness of the salt revenue, it was very well known that it principally proceeded from the facility of smuggling from Ireland, against which very great precautions were now provided. The House then divided, when the numbers were —For the Speaker's leaving the Chair, 126 Aga;nst it, 56. Majority 70. The Bill then went through a Committee, and WAS ordered to be reported to-morrow. PROPERTY TA X. The House having resolved itself into a Com mittee on this Bill, Mr. ALLYANDE R in the Chair ; Earl TEMPLE said, it was his intention to move a clause for exemping officers of a certain rank, and having no other dependence than their pay, from the operation of the Tax. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, he should certainly objea to a clause, which would open a door for undermining the whole of the system. Sir JOHN NEWPORT adverted to the princi. ple of the MI of Union between this country and Ireland, which established that each country should keep •ts own separate resources, applicable to its men separate purposes. In respell to funded pro perty, the rule was to take the amount of the tax here, though the proprietor of the funded money should be absent in another country. This tax went upon the principle of that upon income, and ex empted foreigners from the payment of the tax upon whatever property they might have in the English funds. If such encouragement to deposit their money in our funds was hrid out to fore,gn ers, he did not see why the same encouragement should not be given to the people of Ireland ? Irish proprietors, resident at home, were ohlige.l to pay severe taxes, to which they would not be liable if resident in this country ; and for that reAsmi he should move that, in the exemption to persons not subjects of Great BriSAiP, shou ld be added the words, « DOT to any suhjea contributing to the hearthorioney and window taxes in Ireland." Mr. ALEXANDER (Chairman of the Commit. tee) acquainted him, that, in the present stage, hie motion was informal. Sir JOHN NEWPORT replied. that be had mentioned this sub§eit in an earlier stage. and was then toga, that the proper time for making his.mo. lion would be is the Committee. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, this was not a renewal of the income-tax, but a measure which added to it new duties, under the same regulations : but he could not withhold the expression of his astonishment, at the Hon. Baro- net's drawing an argument in favoitr of his propo sal, from ilie principle of the A& of Union, which was, that the two countries should sink or swim to. gaiter. The principle of the Hon. But. on the contrary was, that when a tax was proposed for the general support of the empire, the English Proprie tor was to pay it, and the Irish Proptietur to be ex empted. It would be just as fair to contend, that if a land-tax was propesed separately for Ireland, the Proprietors resident in England should be exempted from the payment of it. Sir JOAN EWPORT then expressed his de termination to move for the repeal of the exemption to foreigners, it it should not be equally extended to the people of Ireland. Mr. BANKES brought up a clause, to exempt from the payment of this tax all lands, money, or other property, vested in trustees for the use of almshouses, or other charitable purposes only. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that he should shortly have occasion to move for leave to bring in another Bill, relating to regu lations which would give his Hon. Friend an oppor tunity of submitting this exemption ; but, if he thought proper to offer it now, he did not suppose it would meet with any opposition. The clause was then brought up and agreed to, and the bill, having passed the Committee, was or dered to be reported to-morrow. Mr. HUSKISSON brought in the Bill for im posing an additional duty on horses and mules used in husbandry, which was read a first, and ordered to be read a second time 'on Thursday next. — Adjourned. A.- THE BRITISH PRESS. I.ON PON. WEDNESDAY, MaacH 6. The Irish Delegates, recently arrived with the Citholic Petition, have very full and precise in struClians ; but they have no discretionary power. In case, then, of any new matter arising. in which their line of condu.t has not been clearly defined, they must correspond with the Committee of twcnty one Members now sitting in Dublin. At a quarter before two, yesterday, Lord MAI. SHAM, Chairman of the Committee appointed to try the merits of the Middlesex EleiStion Petit; 11 , read the Resolutions of the Committee, as foil( .. • That Gdurge Soultott Maiunwiring, Esq. was i.at eleetett. That Sir Friineis Bolden, Bart. Mil duly eleitted, ought to have been returned. " That the Petition again.t the said return Wein% fr:lll'nit nor veuatiOu:," The passages to the House of Commons wets crowded soon after eleven o'clock, And contnlced so till after the decision was given. The tumult was so great that Lord MARSHA it was obligees to inform tee crowd, any person behaving amiss would be commit ted; but they could scarce tastraiu themselves t:2 they got clear of the room. Earl Foe rescue's motion was postnened night, in the House of Lords, un:il 1.:.i• evenly., it consequence of the absence of Viscount Met v It appears to have excited great expeacio, , s •he number of Peers who attended was consider..n • , and a crowd of Commoners, including Mr were behind the Throne. A proposition from Mr. Justice Fox's Lo ..- mittee will be also agitated this evening, respaling the power of reporting from time to time. It now appears that the House will entertain tlr. ga 1• tion, and not send it to the H use of Commons. 'This determination must prove very gratehl to Mr. Justice Fox, as relieving him from the ex. pence, anxiety, and delay, that must attend a cr-1. trary course, and affording an eaily opportunity rr that full, public, and minute investigation, am became so essential to his happiness and his fame. The public attention being a good deal drawn to the Wrest Indies, by the probability of one of the en-my's squadrons, which lately sailed from France, being destined for that part of the world, we thought it our duty on Monday, to take a brief view of ti,e military strength of our possessions in that quarter. The Morning Chrome& yesterday, commenting upon our statement, makes the follow ing observation : " A Paper of yesterday (Teo nett 1511 Nuts) says,"-a' Is Burbasl es, Dominique, St. Lucir., innithi, Surinam, and their several depeuticrients, there is an &le • hie f .fett of law than 14000 ass, well appointed, and ably ronsmandua; and this force Mahout to be segment 11 l y neerte 3,000 .34n1 new on their pease to the West lach•rs '--', Wes venture t" aced that there ere net 5,000 elfective mall in me Itlanaa *hoer menioned Inriaed, lamer were our Was India Settlement' in a more unpesteltesi sate. Should t're French squashes hum rm.! Ova We wUI be bur too fatally preyed." When the strength, policy, and prudence of tit British Government, are in .4uestiun, the public have learned tolerably well from experience, how to appreciate the assertions of The Marais; Chrevicis. If, however, it preserves the slightest regard tor truth, it would have become it to have made some inquiry into the grounds of our statement, b fore it hazarded so dire& a contradiftion. But, lest it should sot have any sources of intelligence of its owns we assure that paper, upon the credit of ours, which are original and authentic, that so far from 111 Islands of Barhadoes, Dominique, St. Lucie. 'lris niJad, Surinam, and their several dependencies, met having 5000 effeaive men, the three Colonies of Barbadoes, Dominique, and Su, imam, contain an ef fedive force to full that amount. If then, as is the facll, Great Britain po7;:esees eight other settlrm:nts , some of them very extensive, rad all of them pits of the Winiwnri and Leeward Islands, The Araid Ch-onade will feel less surpriseat the number of rrraeu spread over the whole, being as great as 12,0C1, and will learn perhaps tomake another assertiou that may beinearer to the truth. Had our Contemporary ad. vanced any thing but a bare general amertica, ire should hive thought it our duty to enter minate.l into the subjedl ; but as this course would ansNti es purpose, at present, except that of exposing the ignorance of others, we shall only observe that there arc eighteen regular battalions in th e settlement', exclusive of garr ison companies, ti tillery, &c. aad that of t hese ei g hteen, two c sist of 1850 effeitive men. Doe, 'l'ke M l rnl Chroviele mean to say that the other sixteen bas taboos are in such a depl orable state, that they * not contain, upon an average, 200 men each ! We shall ba anxious to see how that paper will o vert , 111 this statement, and account to its readers hil its attempt to lead them into error. It is sterpeisiel th It its E Dot hasat mos: imp Surely th stiee as d asserted, had only It xrai HAM, Bi, See of F Bishop ( RAPHOE which, it that Dr. that Lor that Sec ron el' Eat'. We st Smox Dublin. MGM to TreaSl l T' at Inlt I I the rem, pet; tors, We ut birongh Mr. iLo F. nself ion's I. rely Ix Ti)e S one ‘4 ;hat the, Mmd tended i. renew anon ay which di Adwural Mr. ( (0 St. C 0. read He G..) At' low • M4j Lien, hi. .om Ilauvrc We h ap drat T.'e titer tmi L. &nisi cpm7-lis I . .00114 Lund of gene I kw I:) ti Itl , l ••• C'e