The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1804-06-19 00:00:00

7 , ‘ L. T i • .4.\ 014 • ,r • - . L" . • • • .• . 74. • - 5 • EbX l •Xr tt tot refss4 _ _ _ . ----_-- TurAbAy, JUNE 19, 1804. (PRICY SIXPINCE. IMPERIAL. PARIAAMENT. . • HOUSE or T,ORDS—MoNDAT,,Trwa 18, To the caw cif the Diaz! of Quieniber rersur I\l•Aur.io, the judgintnt or the Coon be w was Ptirm:.i, the parties having previously . agreed ther , to. _ _ _ _ . In the case of Grieve rer.e• Lieutenant-Colonel Conningharti and others, the Lotto CHANCELLOR sad he would mention the matter to their Lordships ra-morrow, that the case should be sent back to the coon of Session, frir their further consideration. iiis Lordship postponed proncuncis•g judgment in it c caw: of Hog rrralic Lashley, until thitrse.av ,n•tt, Wren his Lordship win take the Woolsack, p at twelve Oclock at noon, forithat purpose. The several Bills' on the table were forwarded through their respeCtive stages, after which the Ileums adjo►rned to to-morrow. ROME CI! COUMONS. l.ord MARS "piesen retatan from Wi;liarn Pitt . , who had been committed into custody for improper and contemptuous condua towards the Committee of the Middlesex Eleaion. The petitioner expressed his contrition for his conduct. and prayed to be discharged. Lord Marsham moved that the pe itioner he brought to the bar of the Ilouse, in t rder to his being reprimanded and dis charges!. Wiliam Riff being brought to the bar ac cordingly, the Speaker addressed a stlita'lle admo nition to him, after which he was ordered to be dis c4arged, on paying his fees. On the motion of Lord Matsham, it was ordered that what the Speaker had said, in reprehending William 114, be entered on the Journals of the House, which was tendered ;•ecordingly. The Woollen Mannfaaurers' Sitspttrs;on Bill was Lead a second time, and committed ic r to-morraw: Mc. J. FITZGERAI.I) moved the Order of the Day for the second reading if the Irish Eleaion Bill. He then said, that on account of the Wetness or the Session, and the Bill's requiring sn much con sidevaticn, it appeared to him impossi b le that due attention could be paid to it during the present .Bcssion of Parliament. Ile thercfore moved, that the order be discharrecl, ar.d that the Bill be read a second time Qll that day three months; which was agreed m..._ _ _ • .. t Mr. S EURGESS BOLTILNE movl, tharleaie be given to bring in a Bill to permit the expesiaislo of Olackinery ne..es.ary for treZting a Km iAth'e dominions cf the king of Denmark : leave being given, the Bill was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second timetcomorrow. Mr. liesnisstas brought op Papers ordered on the Bth of April last, relative to the additions to the annual charge of inttrest on sand. y loans ; also an account of the gross amount and charges on ere t•• • per neell. dudes, whi-h were urde be printed. Oe the motion of Mr. Foss. ra, the Order t# the Day for the Committee on the Irish Revenue Regn htion Bill was postponed till Thursday nett. Mr. Alderman Comae pr•!sented a petition from sundry Merchants and others of the City of London, praying that the Liverpool East India Goods Eill might not pass into a law. Mr. ROSE observed, that neither the East-In dia C. ropany, nor the Board of Revenue, had made any ohjed:on to the R4l; on which account, as well as the delay whist it wottcl occasion, he objetied to Vie hearing of Couns:la,!ainst the Bill. Islr.AldermaaCOMßE said a few words inlaveur of the Petition . atter which, on the question being put, it was carried that the Petitioners should be heard by themselves or Counsel against the Bill. Mr. STURGES BOIIRNr, gave notice, that he should m ne to-morrow Ix leave to bring in a Bill to prevent the connterfeiting of dollars. ADDITIONAL FORCE RILL. The CHANCELibIi of the EXCHEQUER moved the Order of the Day for taking into consi. tit ration the Amendments made to the A dditios al Force Rill. Rut, previously to the House enteri,s into this consideration, Mr. PITT said, that he had sundry clauses which he meant to introduce; the sub -iince of which he stated. He then proposed, , •ron the Report's being brought tip, that the 'imendments with the Addiutl.al Clauses should Le received, after which the sense of the House 7,igl.t be taken as to the merits of the Bill, whoa t.ie qnestion should be put that the Bill with the ...amendments be engrossed. This arrangement agreed to, the Order of the DAy was :cads :`ter which the several Amendments were read a s ccnd time and agreed to. The Chancellor of the Lachequer then moved successively the introduaion `tine foilowing clauses: that when any vacancy • d': he ate...coned b♦ death, desertion, Forums maimed, t•T claimed as apprentices, DO* thereof be certified by the Commanding Officer, or.;er such vecanties hc•itoe tiled up aunts.' b 7 the levies on the cotintics and not on the Another Clause was that Hi. , Majesty be empow. ered to appoint certain places of rendezvous for the • of the new levies, and that such inspett .: %Leers shall Se authorised to reject or approve s :ell men as shall be offered by the parishes. MT. Pi rr proposed another Clause, which was o:terded en remove doubts respeatrg the situation t.t th e sive: and families of persons to be r lised un der this Rill. By the Arms , of Reserve AR, o:nerved that the - sane allowances *ere di. retied to be paid to the wives, &c. of the men V . ..Zn 50 to be raised, as were granted to the families " orly to be paid by the Itcctivers-Ge 'lai but, as this had occasior.ed difficul..es, and . tied to prevent such persons from tine Army of t•eseire from posing into the it e..:3lar s—the purport .1 'le present clulse wattc reir...ve such 4.l . :lic;;:tit', - •" 1 ro :Abolish such stipuLfed provisi m as mig:a i'er•lte as an inducement to prevent st.c s priers entering into the regular service. Ar.n.her clause related to the pay of 07-3:•!rs of this :1-atal force in time of peace. He o:Jsc;ved,tbat the objea of this Bill was to raise a permanent ad . litional .force in time of war ; but that in time of peace, it was proposed that this force should not be embodied for a longer period than six 2i-tenths, so as to render it capable of being disciplined, and drawn forth upon any emergeicy. Mr. GREY here inquired, whether it was pro posed that the officers, who were to be appointed by the crown, were to have permanent pay, seeing that the fo-ce itself was not proposed to be perma nent in time of peace? Mr. PITT replied, that this was only,preposed to be kept up as a provisional force, in time of peace, in like manner as the Militia ; and that the olfieers were only to be entitled - to full pay, when the torte was embodied. Tne clauses being received ; • The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved, that the Bill, with the =volute:its, be en r groased,_. A Mr. HRRISON et'...i.enc4 es the motion.. He . confessed, that the Bill was eew less ohjedlionablic than when first intredirced ; yet it.still appeaied in him to iretain so much of its native turpitude, that it could never obtain his assent. When the foundation was bad, no good so perstruaure could be raised upon it; but.it mug be deficient and fail, nut withatanding its professed purpor was to raise an additional force. He objedied to the Bill, ii being, in its nature, un-' constitutional, and so injurious to the liberties of the country, that he was surprised it should have been permitted to be brought in. The very principle of the Bill was to raise men by means of fines and pe nalties; but the objed in view could never be an swered by such means. The Bill c tiled upon Parish Officers to raise a certain quota of ride°, and at the same time told them they must not give above seven pounds ten shillings bounty-money, which was to require them to . do more than they could per form, whilst, at the same time, it levied a fine upon diem fci the non-performance, and, even after pay ing that tine, they were still liable to succeeding fines. He could never see an increase to the esta blished military force of the country, without jea lousy. It appeared that this was proposed as :a sus em for supplying the regular standing army, whether in time of war or peace. The Bill went to levy a tax on the country parishes, and in an uncon stiottional way. It should therefore meet with his decillettoppositiona • ELLIorr said, t!.-it as the Rill had fnen already so aisi . plj diseased, he should &din the [louse but a few minutes, whilst he assigned his seasons against adopting a measure of consider. able ma :rule. He viewed tnis Bill, as it was professedly brought forward, not as a tempo rary measure, but as laying the foundation for a permanent nursery for the Regular Army. The principle of the Bill had two ohieds ; the ors was the extinction of the eoalpethitvi for bounties, and WC :ecork,:. was to-prese-1 .nea'r beii.g raised by the influence of local exertiens. As to the latter, he considered thattherer.ught to beadltinaion observed between improper local ext repro I, and that which was lawful. Here the only stimialus to exertion was to avoid incurring the fine. Ile objected pat ticularly to that part nf'he Bill which went to impose the re cruiting service upon Parish Officers. These per sons, engaees.l np'm other business, would nature'ly plead their want of time, and refer the business to military and recritirino Officers. The latter would as naturally s-sy that they most be enabled to give greater bounties, and that they could not recruit a sufficient number within the limited bounds of the parishes; that they must therefore extend their ex ertions for a consirtarable circle around, and to some of the huge manufactui ing tow as, where they have been used to recruit with success. But, after all. I even allowing that all the e t ped e d benefit would accrue from ouch partial eyes-mon yet they must be made, after al!, in direst contradidion to the monk ' inn' service ; for, when a recruiting Officer should happen to come into a parish to raise recruits, the parishioners would he found in arms against him, and would say, a This m in comes to prevent us front g-tting our quota, and so - making us liable to the fine which will be imposed for our deficiency." This competition of interests, and likewise the difference in the amount tithe sums to be advanced for the two 'ler,. c s, would operate notch against recruiting tar the regular army. He was also apprehensive that this Bill would occasion the revival of many of tho penal laws, which, though not necessary to be abolished, yet, upon the whole, it might be better not to awaken them into a dangerous :di. city. This he exemplified in the case of the Game Laws. which, if rigerously enforced, would, he was fearful, 4 o far to destroy the good neighbourheed mid happiness of the country. Thos, if a man werecorn 'lifted of the penalty of Si. for a breach of the Game Laws, and was unable to pay the fine, he would probably be told, there was a way in which he might screen himself, and also put money into his pocket, by accepting the bounty, and enteric g into this new additional force. This Bill appeal e d to him to be both inefficient, and vexatious ,n its eperitom ; and he was confideot that the recruitir.g officers would much object to it, for as the people have been taught to exped large bounties, they would be very unwil ling to enter upcit artes, without vexations causes of compulsion. With neped to the diminu tion of the Militia, he assented to that principle; at the same time, he wished to obtain some informa tion on the subjedt, with regard to the supplementary levies. He had been informed, that different ar raneernents had taken place in different Counties, respeding that body; the, in some, they bad been incerporated with the Militia regiment!, wtilo in other counties they formed separate battalions. He referred also to the increase of thqltish,Militia, than which no measure could be more prejudicial to the recruiting service. This Bill would also prove vexa ti•nis and oppressive, operati..g as a tax on the pa rishes, and increasieg the parochial rates, which would fall very heavy on those, many of whom are little able to bear them ; on all three accounts, he should give it his decided opposition. Gemmel MAITLAND said, that be concurred in much that had fallen from the !tight Hon. cling denten who had spoken last, and in his eonclOsion, that this measure would in sorties instanites . perive vesations.and oppressive. In a mili tar y po int of view, he considered that it would be ineomphent to its and would fall short of producing the nnmh-r of men that were expetted ;in a civil point of view it would be found to be oppressive, and in a financial respell it would impose a tar partially and unjustly. He had heard heavy accusations of the want 1 vigour, energy, and capacity, of the late Administration ; but he would appal to the impar tiality of the Honourable Gerr_rnan, whether the present Bill was really possessed of that vigour and energy, which were to be found in some of those Iheasures which had met *with so much . oppo sition (*err! hpar!). He considered the present as a mere milk end water measure ; it was, indeed, vigorous in oppressing the r,erople of this country ; but week in aecompiiihing the object wbich it pro fesrd to have is trays,. Ceenikaring theses! useasurrel of national defers/a., and the respeitive merits o: the two Bills which had been brought forward by the late and the present Administration, he had no hesitation to sayd that he gave the preference to the former. The former Administration pro , posed en addition to the regular force of the country. Armrest the various objeßions which were carted, one was that of raising men for rank ; but it was out the use but the abuse of this principle that generated the mischief Tomplained of ; for it anefi‘er was by his tank in life, his influeoca and abilities, fi tted for command, he thought it better to allow such an one to raise men for rank than by the mode of purchasing a Commission from a brother Officer. But it was said, that thr. present measure put a stop to the high bounties, and that to more than a limited sum was to be allowed to be given. But he did sot believe that this would cow.- teraiß the evil complained of—and it vas still a question whether any penalty should be levied if a greater bounty was paid. Upon the whole, he thought that the old mode of raising men was both more ptaßicahie and constitotionel than the present. But another consid-retton, as afFeßing the present measure, and which weighed in his mind, was this: we were at present placed in a most awful situa tion ; for, thou7,ll till enemy t.r.ke time for complet ing their mojeßs, he hid no doubt but that sooner nr later they would be put in execution. Ai d T.3%* it was proposed to raise men in a novel ofanner, and by mean., the cad of which was uncertain ; whereas, had the plan of the Right Hon. Gen tleman (Mr. Yorke) been adopt&, and allowed to have had its effeß, this country would now have had ten thousand meu for His Majesty's service. Ile likewise ebjened to the present Bill being brought forward as a permanent measure, ior he was afraid the foundation was most rotten is every point of . ar likely to be atsewseu. coosesineaeres, of which they were not now fulls( aware. 'I he Army of Reserve Bill had met with his approbation, not indeed abstraftedly considered ; but he thought that to raise melt for a limited service was a good thing, and that, under the necessity of the case, such a measure was proper to be resorted to, although, under other circumstances, better might have been adopted. "the Hon. General then pro ceeded to censure the general mode adopted fur raising our military force, and that it did nos pro ceed upon the sam.: principles which regulated the encouragements held out to men in other services. II maisufaCtumrs of wcrks of ingenuity, or pei-sons in hazardous emolnyrr.ents, were to have no more pay offered them than common labourers, there would be no inducement held out ; in like manner, if the same pay were offered to induce men to enter for unlimited service in the army, as vies offered for limited service, could it be expeded that men wculd cheerfully come forwards When he was called upon to consider of a permanent system for the army, he could wish to wait till a dine of peace, when new regulations could he safely brought forward, as to what future encouragement should be held for the recruits to enter the army. But to attempt to engratt a permanent system con:defied with a limited service, was, in his opinion, an er roneous idea; and, whilst it would prove most inef ficacious to carry into Oita, would also have an extreme tenclatcy to depreciate the duty cf the Re gular Army. Mr. OSBORN rose is defence of the Bill, and repelled the crbjeabm of its being a measure to pro vide money and not men for, if the stipulated nuns ber of men were raised in the parishes, nit one shil ling of fine would be Incurred. As to the cbjenion of its imposing a burden on the parish officers, be would ask what me Istu, there was of coercive ope ration but must occasson some inconvenience to certain individuals? Jr was true, the execution of the proposed sna.uure would engross some portion of the time of those officers; but he had no doubt cftbeir wdliagness so to do for the public good. General GASCOIGNE said, that in some lo s:lefts his opimm out quite dificre-o fr mu that of an Cebnd (e laregi) ; be repeated it, an Hon. Cabinet. licre Gencral Matti...too said a few words, which could not be distintilv heard in Ole gallery, respcOing the rank he held cf Rejneli r e-11,- neral.] Geri. Gascorost proceeded. The Hon. General had argued, that the system of raising men for rank was no grievance, and that, in erery in- Stance of service, abuses may creep in, and that new modes might procloce temporary inconve nience ; but lie world still contend, that this pLin would Always be attended with inconveoience. It had formerly been attempted under different ( our manders-in-Chief, and it had as often been rewind that abuses could not but follow thworgh the pre dominance of Interest and other causes. It mig'it just as well be sa:d, that ti).• Bribery Act prevented treating at elenions, as tl.at the regulations respetl ing officers raising meo for rank could prevent the abuses, which he considered would infallibly to pro- duced under such a system. lie was afraid that s oar the present Bill would nut be able to prevent highet bounties being given than teas here specified. He feared that great difficulties would occur in raisin; men. and that the remembrance of the high bounties which had beep given would not ; be soon forgotten. He hoped that the present Bill. would have a. tendency. to prevent the system of drier. don, which had so much prevailed, while such inducements were Lit byotten to desert for the sake or biking the high bounties. Thy Bill. taken as a uthote. met with his approbation ; at the samf time he could have wished that a certain pyrtion of the Militia had been taken at once into the regular serr „vice. He was fearful that, while so large a number of men were locked up in the Militia and Volunteer System. we should have no disposealle forces. He did believe that even the A-my of Reserve had hardly a.:ded one to the old Itesular regiments more than the usual proportion that was obtained , by the recruiting service. Mr. ELLISTON strongly chjeled ie the Bill, -.•ts being in is nature unjun, unconstitutional, and oppressive. He had formerly supported the Bill of his Right Hon. grind. against which this Bill aras now brought in. When that Right Hon. Gen- . tlerniin's measures of national defence were oh je3eti to as being inefficient, he thought the courtry had a right •to eine.% betters whereas, in comparison with that me/sure. the present Bill he con.;!dered as weak and inefficient. It held nut a promise to our ear, but broke it to our ltopo.' It abandoned the method of ballot. on which the country had hitherto proc.reded; and threw off twenty thousand of the Buopfementary NI,- laia, who might have been laid &ILI of at once its aid of the national defence. He meint no refleftinn on the Volunteers at large, when ne expressed hit belief that many had entered pnonz that body for fear of being drawn by ballot. New this being remove .I,hefeared would grratly read todis minish the Voiuntrer force. The Bill now iendercest• sideration professed to ;et mar. but he v.-as Of opining' that money was the Miles% It called into its :ud the machinery of Deputy Lieutenants and Parish 01. fixers, who were thew put into situation., to realer thero onpopulari and disliked among their neigh bours. Nor would it he found possible for parkhri ; in agricultural parts of the country, to isinctose their stirlated gootas of men. Vas this then a - thod to be resorted to which c:uld be justifeci Tile county of Lincoln. *which lie resided, woulii. upon a calculation, to raise 50,0001. by 'gay of fine, which was, in faft. a dire.l double lard tax on the landed or Tery of the country ; and lie believed he was t 4 oht in calculating that it would raise the sum of 1,500.00tg. on the landed interest of the several counties of England. This pia. , s no mints than a roond about way of inereasinv, ne land-tax. Thvre were fats which, he trusted, ...solid have moves:eight with the House than flour. -01 s Timone. The Bill went to impose a ia•try surf upon the Deputy L-eutenants and-parish officers. It would harrass them, and put them to the gr...eest inconvenience, whilst it wnold, at the Lune tone, put the whole country out of humour, and go to raise a standing army, and convert civil cnfic is into recruiting officers. Its effete would he that of le vying heavy files on the several ccrart• y pai.hes, and the landed interest of the country. In every view he was led to take of this measure, he was de termined to give it his decided opposition. Colonel MI TFORD, in like tatanta_ir, ohjelfed to the Bill, on iccoont of the task w.cich it imposed upon the Deputy Lieutenants and Parish Officers. He could not help entertaining apprehensions :hat it might be found absolutely neceasary for goverr.- ment to send officers, paid hn pureoses. into every subdivision of England, to do the business which Is now required of tho Parish Officers ; who are to re ceive no salary for their extraordinary services, and who cannot be expeCted to devote any considerable piwthtn of their time in addition to their privets and paeochial concerns to such a bu<iness. View ing the Measure in this point of view, it be, AT t 7 with him a serious consideration, as he wished the House to consider whether its tendency mint not be to produce some alarming alteration in t constitution. (The Hen.Gert.vaufreq uei inter: - ed by the torghing of other Members). He coiicliid wfth docianng his opposition to the Bill, at measure that went to establish a permanent with all the danger to the constitution of a stan army, without the isrotedlon which a standing army would afford ; and he particularly objeCted so it as doing away the Militia of the country. Mr. SOMERS COCKS said. he was ready to confess that since this Bill was introdhcesi, he had twice voted in favour of it ; and he would now state to the House the reasons why he did go. He did not mean to detraft any thing from the last Administration, when hc pmeounced those who composed it, as persons wantin•± iliac degree of ta lent and energy which he cone absolutely ne tessary in the preqnst extraordinary state of ;I country. It wagon t!htt ground tl. it he hid senile.' fot a change : he hi.? withed to .-e at tl e head of the state men who wore the most capa'ule of consfite ing its affairs with vigour, energy, and wis drnt. And when he desired such a change, there eras no man he wished to be placed at the head of pnblk afTeirs, so mach as the Right Honourable Gentleman, who was the atonor of the present measure ; because he had for many years wrtnessed the manner in which hehad concluded the affairs of the country, and the dats,- 5 -ers trout which he had rescued it. Although be was much dhappointed in the Administration which that Hon. Gentleman formed—yet, from old habits, I o entertained such a predileetion fur him, and ha•i such confidence in his ahilities, in his ea rgy, and the innumerable resources of his great mind, that. however disappointed he might feel himself with rapid to the appointment of others ; be still fixed .`..is hopes on the K:ght Hon. Gentleman t and. in the strength of these hopes, voted for the present Bill in one or two stages. But he entertained great doubts upon the measure; he doubted whether there was any energy in it. He•hed many ol•iec_