The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1806-04-26 00:00:00

ha. g v.l go' R a g rbt. w ~,~.t I.st :they tee 'conferred on others, ssd:ete reample ey have to imitate. The follutvii e then, Sir, is t! 'e scale on which I mean to proceed :--To ordinary seamen, bd. a week, or 2s. a month ; to able-bodied seamen, Is. • weeki• or Is. a month; to petty . officers ss. a month. 'lbis, I apprehend, mty by some be thought too few, compared with 11,e last class in .the scale ; hot considering whet their pay and Aussfion was already, it will, I Leficee, he esteemed a consider able addition to them. There ale in men of war a certain number of officet 4, called Captains—the 'Captain of the. forecastle, the Captain of the main :oast, the Captain of the foremast, and the Cap tain of the top, to each of whom I shall pro proe an addition of Ss. Sd. per month, which will be placing them, on board ship, in nearly lhe !,sine situ scion at Quarter -masters in the army. To Warrant-officers 6s. per month. This I conceive to he a sufficient increase for them, QS a considesable addition was made to their Tay dining the time that Lord St Vincent was in the Administration of the Admiralty. Besides, they have a very inateiial advantage over man) others. us they are left in care of the ship, whether in peace 'err war, ot whet! er in , rdinary or otherwise. With 'regard to the Masers and Surgeons, I betore st.ited. 'that they 'has) already received an addition of p ty so dispreportionate to that of their superior officers, that.' do not feel it necessary to propose any thing morefer them at present. I now come to that va luable ciao; of men, the Chaplains of the ve,s6s, whose situation the House must wish to make in every way paqqlOrtable and respedable, bat on their account I dri'net feel it necessary to call upon this House for any additional pay, and their emolu ments and re-pee ability would be sufficiently con sill.cd, by conferring on them the necessary and im p,* int department of Schoolmasters of the ships, to w!itcn is attached a salary of Twenty Pounds a year. in regard to t e Lieutenants, who are pecu liarlir entitled to the attention of the House, 1 have to t.hstivir, that their full pay is at this day precisely the same as it was in the reign of Qucen Anne (ss a day), and considering the rise in every article of contuniptioirs, at d necessary espence, it can be thought no amt.e than a very moderate addition, one shilii e per day more. Captains and Admirals are, in Tread to he time when their pay was serled, precisely in the same situation es the Lieutenants, for no difference bat taken place in it since the reign of Queen Anne. What I shall propose for the con sideration of the Committee is, ti allow to captains, down to the 3d rates, an addition of 3s. a day. The captains of the 4th rates being in a worse situa tion, in point of emolument, and obliged to keep a table, for the eiti-nees of which their present pay is to no means adequate, I shall propose for th em en at' -ion of 41. day. Coming now to the highest alas., !hie additional allowances I shall propose is, Is lit , Admirals . . 3s. Gdi Oa , day Vice lainitais . Ss. ditto • Adatit.ts . 7s. ditto Aidtatrals of a fleet . . les. ditto. • 1 have now, Sir, to enumerate the estimate of the •'I expence, as it will fall under the different heads s *• Total far Coisamisoioued Officers 1.. /4,353 Warrant Caw 7,0t0 Petty ditto 21.6e0 Lieutenants . 26.800 captains . 89,9 4 s Ahlsts.4ied Seamen . . MOO SSIMOSI . SIAN Maldive • swat of . L !ea r l% which will be the sum necessary to defray this encreased expenditure of future years, but have new only to require 193,0001. for • ght morels, from the Ist of March. In addition to this, the Heise will also be aware, that some consideration it due to persons worn out in the service. or die. abled iron wounds, infirmity, or age. The Chest of Greenwich, and that of Chatham. now transferred, it obviously well suited to the peculiar claims which may be made of this nature ; but in many in stances it will be found necessary that the al lawances they now gave, must be doubled. 'ro enable what was Lerrtotore the chest of Chat ham to tree this, would not require a greater sum dumdum 14 to V0,9C01. and as to any additional catkins may be made upon Greenwich Hospital, I have the satisfacticn to state, its funds and reve nues are already adequate to every necessary pur pose, and will not require any farther contribu tions from the public. I shall, therefore, propose, that the allowance to out-pensioners, which is now limited to 71. a year, should br extended by gradations of deserts, services, or me.i•orions ac tions, to one shilling a day, to be defrayed by the chcrt ot Greenwich. To obtain funds for this additional expenditure, upon consultation with those whom I ri.ought best criahGed to give me information on t'.e subjen, I understand there would be no objec t..Al to deduct one shilling in the pound out of all prize-meney.to be applied to the benefit of the chest; :tvit I have authority to state, that His Majesty, frnas that paternal kindness and zeal which he has 'ref felt a:,d manifested for the advancement of the naval service, w:11 be graciously pleased to order, that a similar sum cf one shilling in the polled be deduded, for the saute purpose, nom the (emits of the Admiralty. There is, bit, another body of men connected with this service, who, from their naiforrnly brilliant and meritorious services, noon all °visions, have as strong claims as any of Goa, I have mentioned, to the attention and grail taue of their country—the marines ; but, as they stand more upon the footing of the regular army. and come more properly under that department, 1 must necessarily defer any propositions with regard tad:mi. until:het - louse decides upon the plan • :hich is shortly to be priposed by a Right Hon. Friend of mine, the Secretary of Sate for the War Depart ment. Having now, Sir, concluded all I have to say upon this subject, I have only tardier to observe, that, upon a proposition of this nature, I cannot ex nesft to obviate all obje.licno,er reconcile all opinions. What 1 have to request of tho,c gentlemen who may i el dispused to speak up :s this question. is, that they will avoid the invidiousness of competing one service with another, which, upon investigation, may have no fair analogy, but tend to create di'. utent and jealousy. I beg of them to let this sub /•a rest purely upon its own ground. :Ith branches C. the British service, naval and military. have, for their discipline. their courage, their perseverance, and acljevernents, sgntl claims upon the sr a 1' tile and ackoonlcdgrnents of their country 11 -. , I Inpe this question will be allowed to cast upon its own expediency; and. if I may be all-wA to off r an opinion, I should say, that the les; dis cussion it shall undergo, the mere likely will it be to produce that effeetfor which it is intended."— He' then concluded with moving, " !Fat the iiri 193,15:3 he voted for additinnal pay to the nincert and seamen of the fleet. for eight mouths. com mencing on the Ist of March, 130 ti." He said he wished further to explain, that 33 an addiiion had . . . - already been made to the hait.pay of Liectenants the Navy, the present encreaw was intended may tor I. eittenants in aaual service, or in other wor.ls, serving afloat. nr. FRANCIS said, he had only one general questiqn to ask, fcr ss;.ich, h,i , ever, be may find that there was no good found as he acknow ledged the subject to be entirely new w him. The question was, whetl.e.• at the time the pay of the navy was first fixed, the probalii;i•y of prize monry were taken into the calculation? The r eason why he asked this question was, that if Cie probability of, prize-money were not then calcuiated on, their pay was more adequate than it would othetwise Le. The Noble Lord deprecated any comparison be tween the two services.; but though they may there abstain from doing so, it by no means followed that it woold not be done out of doors, and the army miglit, perhaps, justly complain that their chance of prize-money was not the sane as is the navy. To this questionof Mr.Francis,rto answer was given Lord CiABLIES said, dna having rei y frequotr lv aad maturely considered this suhjett, he thou4ht great credit due to the Noble Lind, who, atter bong so short a time °thee, was Already peep Nrltti so desirable a measure. But though he highly ap proved of the principle of the Bill, he could not iiqually approve of the application proposed to be made of toe vans of nearly 300,00u1. in the classes in which it WAS mea it to be distsibuted. The war rant and petty of were known to all professional men, to be tht life scud soul of the Navy of Great Britain ; and even, according to what was now proposed, would be inadequately provided for. It was of the utmost consequence to attach that class of men so to the naval situations they held, as to take from them all %iris or inducement to go into the Merchant Service ; to Wiich, bet imentedtosay.that . _ many of them were at present strongly inclined. He had •to cbj'atim to the gradation made from Admirals tr. Lieute-ants, but very much wished teat greater attemion had been paid to the pay and situatiol of the First Lieutenants of men of war, wh., Id now no more rank or pay in the service, than sooog Lieutenants of a day's standing, though in action they were every moment Italie to have the ye/ant coreimand of the ship. He thought that, for the sake tut maintainiv•; a proper distin.ftion, they %honkd he allowed a further daily increase of St. pay, which, to the natl. n, Would not make an addi tional expellee of mot than 51. a day throughout tic whale navy. As to the warrrant and petty officers. he tt luld again repeat, that they were the tastier and strength of the navy of England, and amongst other teangs, had charge of the stores of t':e ships, which cost the ...bon so many millions. Ile thought is but reasonable that their pay slytuld be encreascd to 31. a month, which was what they could get in the merchant service ; a.;.1 as taete were but three of them in each ship. the rise could not be attended with any 'peat expellee. Is great ships, where there was mere duty, thereof county were inadeguately paid, though he would not say the same of them from 74 gun ships down wards. In his *Nies. the sitisatinn of petty . fh• ems should correspond with that of quo-per-wasters, and the situation of warrant officers with that of ac►jeants in the army. The petty officers, in time of peace, would get 31. per month in the sue , chant service, but if Government we:e to allow them the same, they would have no inducement to enter it ; and he thought it would be much better to do it now, during war, than wait till a time of peace, on Out arrival of which he feared a great num ber of them would quit His Maj •sty's service, for one in which they could find superior en couragement. Wore it done now, he thought it might produce the best rife& ; for though, per haps, no man would prefer submission to mili tary discipline, to being at his own liberty, yet, when accustomed to it, and already placed in a sati►faeory situation, he might feel no inclination to change it. As to the able-bodied and ordinary sea men, they were certainly deserving of every en couragement that could Ise given them ; but. meri miens as their services were, he would rather see the chest of Greenwich applied to the encouragement of the Wart ant and Petty Officers. The House would perceive, that the only difference of opinion between him and the Noble Lord wis respeaing the appropriation of the money. He would go far ther in his observations, and though the prattiee of impressing for the navy was one, no man could ever dream of giving up ; yet he would maintain, that it won'cl be much better to get as na my men as we could voluntarily, than to depend entirely upon that praaice. He also suggested the expedi ency, as a further inducement to the service, to grant the out-pension of the chest of Greenwich to the widows of such men as had bees slain in service ; and alca to All such petty and warrant officers as had served for a certain number of years, without incurring any punishment by Courts Martial, or by desertion, which was the bane of the set vice. He concluded with saying, that he should he sorry if these were only the singular opinions of him, an individual, unaccustomed to public speaking, and therefore the more diffident in addressin4 himself to the House ; but he had the satisfaction t., state, that his opinion was int.fiCd by that of the 'loble Lord (Melville) who, however he mig't: have late ly fallen under the displeasure of the II wsc. must be admitted on all siclesta he agreat pr44icAl states man ; and he felt himselt authorised to add, that had that Noble Lord remained oil this time at the head of the Ailmiralt tht siiglritkos wh ch he now humbly stitimi7ted, would have been car ried into effea. He h sped the .Hause would pardon him the slight dist vision, V he farther stated his perfea convialan, that it was to the measures adopted by that N0',14 Lord and excellent states. man, that we were indebted for all that extent rif glory, which the navy of England had acquired in the course of the last year. The resolution was then agreed to. and ordered to ►e reported on Monday. st.ityr. RILL. _ _ The A frOR:NIL:o0:1,R A L moved the Orsler of the Day for taking into consid....ration the Report oh the ?slave Bill, which being read Mr. RGSE hoped the 1-lon. and Learned Gentle man would have no objeetion to delay the present Order for two or three days. Mr. FOX said, he could not see any reason why the Hon. Gentleman should wish to delay the re port If he had any thing to say against the princi ple of the Bill, tie would have an opportunity of saying it on tl.c 3d reading, and if he wished a de lay of a day or two, he had no douht but the At torney-General would fix Tuesday fur th.: 3d read ing. iostead of Monday. Mr. ROSE said, that what he had to say WAS against the principle of the Biil ; but be was pre pared to give his sentiments now, as there was an objedion to granting his request. What lie thought a very serious objeaton to the Bill, was, that it would greatly injure the revenue, and our cote merciel and manufaluring interests also. It pro vided, that no trade for slaves should be carried on with Foreign Powers. 'l%,e exportation of our ma nufiteures to Africa, amounted to upwards of two millions a year. and the traffic between the West- Indies and Africa, in our manufaftures, was also very great. Ihe interests of our manufacturers. ship-owners, and those of the East-India Company, would be very severely injured by the passing of the Bill. As this country receded from the Afri can trade, America has advanced into it ; and as they were under no restriftions, they had a great advantage over the people of this country. 'There was an instance of an Anne:can ship, last year, which buried Inslaves, between the evasref Afriew and the Havannah, and yet nude a profitable voyage. We should throw the *hole trade into the hands of America ; by which we should lessen our shipping, and, by that mea.ss, the number of our seamen, and the manufeeloters of Manchester, So.:kport, and Paisley, would he nearly ruined. The ATTORNEY•GEN ER AL said, these ob servations did not go to the detail, but to the princi ple; and in order to avoid two debates en the same point, he wished to know from the Right Hon. Gentle Man, whether he meant to make any further observations? and whether he were now to debate the principle, or reserve himself for the third reading ? Mr. ROSE said, be should reserve any further observations till the third reading. Sit J. NEWPORT said, he did not wish to pro long the debate now ; but as he might not have it in his power to attend the third reading, he would beg leave to deliver his sentiments at present. He thought the Bill eligible, in the highest degree. He reprobated the principle of the Slave Trade, in every part of it ; but, if it is not to be abolished, he did not see why this Bill should not pass. The oh jet of the Bill was to prevent the carrying of Slaves cur the benefit of our enemies, and surely that was a most important and desirable thing. It had been said, that great advantages were derived to our Manufactures. from this trade ; but, on a sohjeilt. of this nature, we are not to look to the interns, of particular parties, but to those of the country at large. The Bill had therefore his hearty cower. rence. General TARLETON, in the situation in erinah he stood, as Representative fl. Liverpool, the Merchants of which were so deeply interested,- begged tea mate view !Avon ttf'idi the title of the Bill, what did it import? \Vne, that slave. were imt to be imported in British Aim—Mitre was a direa attack on our navigation. The town.l of Liverpool had stated, by Petition, that they I,st, • last sear, for w int of convoy, ship; to the.arnoantil of tit)o 0001. The Africa,' trade was the support of Liverpool, which had risen to a very high state of. prosperity, within the last fifty years. The Afri:an. ships pro luced the best sailors in the service, from. the nature and lelgth of the voyage, and this trade . from Liverpool, furnished the principle source of reinforcements for our ships of war, on the West India station. Some people held, f• at the fis:ters and coasters were the best sailors ; hut he had heard very good authorities give the preference to the men used to long voyages. The Americans, of la years, have fitted nut ships in our ports, and insuretie them cheaper than the English could do ; and W. this Bill passes, we stand a chance of greater dint ,- by sending English capitals to America. All AM"- chants, who have estates in the West bodies, area{-- tacked by a side-wind, by this Bill ; for it was eari virtual abolition of the Slave Trade, and wine* attack the property of his constituents, in a very insidious manner, as they have fitted out ships for that sertice, at a great expense, acid cannot employ them to any other purpose. He saw the House was not inclined to listen to his arguments. and would therefore only say, that the trade of Litters pool must be resigned to the Americans, for the Merchants there could not carry it on. He implored the House not to destroy the maritime strength and greatness of the country, by destroying so great a nursery for seamen as the Liverpool trade to Africa; and therefore hoped this pernicious measure would not be carried into executinn. Mr. Aiderman PRINSEP spoke shortly arida, the Bill. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said, the ope ration of Cite Bill seemed to him to be mist a ken ; this Ad gave a sanction to the Orley in Caute:ii, only as to the Colonies surrendered to this country. From August, 18 )5, this order had existed, and no complaint had been made against it, which skewed, that those whom it concerned most were satisfied with it. and they could be no worse by the operation of tha Ad, than they were by that of the order. Besides, during the existence of the war, there was a proviso in the Aet, to enable Its Ma jesty to modify the regulating. in Any manner he may think proper, or even to abolish them al together. The °hien of the Bill was to prevent those surrendered settlements from being enriched by Bs itish capital and British industry, during the war, so as to be tat mote valuable, in case it should be necessar v, at the end of it, to give them back.than they were when surr,ttiered to us. General GASCOIGNE thought this debate pre mature, as all the papers relative to the island of Tobago were not on the table ; when they were, he thought he should be able to shew, that the Bill, if passed, will be a violation of the capitulation made by the people of that island, saich must prove very inju7i.,us in any future war ; and he thought it w ,utd be better to put tb.. question fair ly and open:y, than I. deceits those who had r.:. l.: • placed themselves under our meet:Hon. Ai the principle of the Bill was to be :trebled nn the :hird reading, he would not trouble the House further at present. After a few words from Sir W YOUNG resolutions were read and agreed en, and t ordered to be read a third time on Tuesday: r • eitiweare TAX 1 pi Lord H. PETTY moved the Order of the ,Day I . for the }-incise to resolve Itself into a Cetemittee on , I the Property Tat Bill ; which bt ;tee read—he 'aid, that several votadmetits had Been mete, which would ,ender it necessai / the Bill exude be re-printed ; hot before tee SPeeket lel - ter:Se dbairs he wonti beg leave to sate the nature of :h.rin amendments, and how far they trfroed trans the I . 13•1 in its otiginal state. The tirst emendnieSt he had tc empose, was respecting ,hat class of persons who, having coneellefable weekly Wages, arising from profits aremiest from mantra leloom,econlei not easily ascertain whore eir yearly income w a s, He proposed, that such pe-sons not having snore tti in SO.. a week, or ss. a d ty, shettle be exempted at. •! together. The next was income, from Oat. t 1501. and those he proposed stinted gee ogee o same regular state of eradetion, as in the Bill i its original state, the sums hom snl. to 100V,414 12 Those, his Lordship said, were the oily mettle-- resents or exemptions he had to pi opese. Sir It. BUXTON expres.ed an op•noto that these amendments were by no means such as woteel be necessary to preveet the Bill from being highly in jurious and oppressive ta e meny daises -ofpetSple, and particularly the landholders. Mr. W. SMITH slid, that viewing the state ref embarrassment in which His Maj•sty's present eli sisters Were placed, be WAS desirous to gave them, in respect to taxes, as little opposition as possible. tie should, however, deliver his sentiments .an this suleeff, when it was again br neigh: terward ; Mn is • to the extession of the tax to 10 per cent, he could not say he had any objection to it. Sir C. PRICE, hoped the Noble Lord wettitil itt the intervel between this day, and the matter being again brought forward, endeavour to introduce some exemptions or moditicatioos, io favour of the smaller cies of ueilesmen, who, in the Metropol•s e in pa: titular. stood as much in seed of it, as the workmen he had ex:mpted. Mr. WILBERFORCE confessed he had enter tained hopes be should have heard from the N o bler Lord, several career exemptiens. He wooed tot e however, detain the Ilotwe by any further °Mete ' rations at present. Colonel RAS CARD said a few words to the Gamer effect. • After a few Ann °ban vations from Mr. VAN SI rrA RT. the (louse resolved itself into a Cem mittee, in which the ev loptinn and .• -edger:es above mentioned, were moved Arei agree a to. The Report was received, and ordered to be takenioto farther consideratior e on Frday wet ; and, in the mean time, the Bill to be printed as amended. • M. eV. Sell e.l gave not;- hat he would, on Monday se'nnight, move, ti ' tie . Report-of .the Commute to whom tee Petition of Ceelentresonil Cowie bee been eefei red. to tee's into asealiter atien in t h e Committee SaPPIT• • . 31We:eat-eel eUnATES. b The-feeder e f eiewLeirior the vecructrataili of the Seirediwy Catalos &i 1 he:1174 read.' . •• e Sir JeirlY WiteerteeSLlel• r•e io weicne it. i4erhoutzh: the B shops %Wield hove a ;wear of examining .to the situation of the Curates ; hot he did not think it, necessary to place eon fihn • f • •e propeny.of the Church ire their hands, which eould have no other egret than to extend their patronage, and cOnsettesentlf their power. This. as math' as • eossible, should be 'void d, as experience plaiely demonstrated how fond ecclesiastics were of pewee. • 'the cbjed of the Bill was to better the state of -the Curates; het so for was it from being likely to do the, chit he had authority to state. it was the intemenn of many of the Curates to fitment a Petition against it, as they coesidered the effed of the Bill would be , to make the Reates Poi& on their livings, in i re ference to paying 2501. a year. He then expressed some surprise that the Learned Gentleman (Mr. Percival ) had nut brought in this Bill lest year, when, being in power, he wouid have had a b etter' chance of revising it. and cm: larded, by mesene. as an aa.endn et, that the Bill be read a second time this day six 'maths." , Mr. PERCIVAL was sorry to tee that a Bill of this nature excited so little interest in the House. He wished the Right Hon. Gent. who sat op i 2.• site him (Mr. Fox) would take it into considerate n. and after contrasting the benefits which would reee from i:. with the disadvantages, deteimitie wine-et it ought or oeght not to pass. lithe Hon barn et who had just spokes. would himself move to hoe e in a Bill to amend the present state of the Cereie , he wouid find, that, instead of Petitions ageesst a - , every post would bring him letters ca thanks, an-i fresh iastences which wend teed to prove the ne cessity of passing the Bill into a lass-. He then ad. vetted to the Notermidele teeny Bill, passed last Session,which gave the rectors a liberty of being absent there months in the year (rue their livings. He conceived a chaise might have been acted to that, which would have le: ! the same elect as this Bel. and that the rectors vt:l not have complained against it. Why, then, should not this ihll be now passed ? The rectors would have the choice of re. siding entirely on their benefices, or of taking the benefit of the non-resident. Bill, and employine a curate. It was impossible, he said, that etwacies could be regulated on that trading principle. i f letting them find their own level, as it conle sot he sappased, that an indigent curate wined contend for salary with a wealthy iniousbeso— The (steed o! the curate was to gain a oak-- sine/we, and that of the metier to get a tu. rate fur as small a stipend as he possibly coati, Without any reverence to the object of the prove. which was net merely to have a sermon mcielied (tbough he did not mean to undervalue that p..tt ..t . the Minister's duty), but to have the cliwitame sere vices of the parish performed. In the present Bel. the highest Ware proposed was 2501. a year; and be confessed. he would wish to see every resident in the coon ry with such an allowance; but as that could not be done, some of the livens not beii.g able to of erd it, he did net think it soy argenteet against the eel, to say. that it would not have universal effect. His objea was to procure a re.s. dolt on evety tiring ; and he wished the elec. ,A