The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1806-05-29 00:00:00

- Tenn -nese _ i .. teiliseS lived in Ole Mika state of selendout and nieeniiliceece ; his jevls ;note, inneueting, in point cf value, to upeettle of Pile millions ; that he ap p eel Inequentlyeevith elle elephants in his train ; and that, previous to the arriv.tl of Merrinit'Welke.' ley iii India, the inaiiefeetures of his principality were very numerous, an' of great extent and gale lee, and that he freely . ..itemised all the Akins and privileges of an independent Prince *hat country. It then proceeded to state the several treaties en • tered into between Lord Clive, Marquis Cornwallis, Sir John Shore, and others, Governors-General, on behltlf of the East India Company, and the said Nabob Vizier of Oude, which had each and every of them been faithfully complied with, till the ar rival of Marquis Wellesley; and then charges, that he, without the knowledge of the Council of ben gal, without the consent of the Direetors of the East • India Company, and contrary to the express letter of an Aft of Parliament, had interfered with the government of the said Nabob Vizier ; had seized on his revenues, and reduced them to such a state, that they became inadequate to pay what he had . I. ' stipulated in the treaty ef 1798 ; and that in conse - goatee the said Marquis Wellesley had taken pos session of his whole territories, and stripped him of allhis lawful rights es an independent Prince. The article then concludes with an appeal to the House ; for redress. As seen as the Clerk had finished reading it, " Mr. PAUL moved "that the said article be printed." Lord A. HAMILTON seconded the Motion. . On the question beeng put, Mr. WHITSHEAD tS.LENE said, it was no• his intention to enter upon the subjeet at present ; but he must observe, that the Princes in Ind; i die not fel! their territory by the came rights of tenure as the King of Sardinia, the King of Naples, and r' other Princes in Europe ; there was no other power is India but the sword ; and therefore those Hon. Members of the House, who were not well ac quainted with India, should not suffer their minds to he prejudiced by the strong statements in the • article. . . Mr. FRANCIS said, he thought it his duty to ad dress '. a few observations to the House, in conse quence of what had fallen from the Hon. Gentle men who spoke last, in order that the Members of that Home should not receive false impressions, which their waut of a particular knowledge of the afters of India might otherwise fix on their minds. The Honourable Member who spoke laic bad stated, that the Princes of India do not hold by the same , tenure as those in Europe, and that there is no other power in India but the sword. He al lowed, that the power of the p. esent Nabobs, Vi - niers, and Rahs in India, originally accrued to them by the dissslution of the Mogul Empire in 1740; but whatever rights they then acquired, have repeatedly and from time to time been acknow ledged by the East India Company. As to the power of the sword, he feared it would be found that had been too often resorted to by us, and that oar rights depended greatly on that same power. 'the Princes of India, however, have had their rights guaranteed neer and over again by Treaties with us, and. therefore, let the origin of those rights he what they may, any Wrier:sent of them, on our part, Is a violation of them which as cannot justify. It is • crime against Justice and against the Legisla ture of this country. If the doarine of the Hon. Gentleman be true, and they are not independent Princes, why have we ever made Treaties with Clem ? Mr. Secretary FOX said. he believed the number of those in that House who thought the Princes of India were not independent, and that they held their rights by a different tenure from those of Europe, would be found to be Tiny few indeed. He agreed with Mr. Francis, that however their rights might originate s and whatever they might severally have eared by iiicroachments on one another. we balk by treaties with them, considered and allowed them to he independent Princes; and when power was, as stated, held so much by the sword, it would be more incumbent on that House to watch how that power was exerted by the sword of this country. Mr. BANKES said, he still continued of the same opinion he had expressed on a former occa sion, and thought the House not competent to take notice of these transetlions, and proceed by im peachment, while there is a distinft tribunal for the trial of criminal matters committed in India. The article was then ordered to be printed. Mr. PAUL said, it was his intention, on Friday, to move for the papers relative to the . Rajah of Sas neyewhich were but short ; and, he hoped, in about three week:, if those Paper; were produced, he e.o.ild be able to bring forward the whole of his tem gen Sir A. WELLESLF.Y thought the Hon. Gentle man need not make so great a delay, but might bring forward some of his charges before that time, as it was near twelve months since he bad moved for those Papers. Mr. PAUL said, the fault was not his that the Timers were not produced before ; they were, how ever of consequence, and he could not proceed with out them. Mr. R. THORNION said, he believed the tea eon why the Papers relative to the Rajah of Sanity had net been produced, was, they had not been re gularly sent to the India House. lie thought, hew , ever, they were very important. The SPEAKER asked, whether the lion. Mem ber chose to name any particular day i Mr. PAUL said, he would consider of it till Fri . day, and then fia on as early a day as possible. MUTINY SILL. On the second reading of the Mutiny Bill, and a motion beiag made for committing it on Friday, Mr. P.ERCIVAL submitted the propriety of de - ferriag it toittionday. as in this holiday week, many • 0 the Members had not yet come to to w n , a nd as t• 'i t I - estinfate of the additional expence bad hitherto • replied, that he new plan was admittei,that as this measure, both sub ' together ; bus, at e necessity of was nut yet to produce it yet ; and when it should be presented, the House ground, at lease. it would scarcely be contenJeJ, could expeft no more than a very general ones that fereignert were properly intitled to el ex !Mr. PERCIVAL theught it strange that a TTC3. einption. Coming. then, to the abuses, in the case s sure should be so long in cositempletioe, ante les of not tieing able to n isngeish what was featly and eeskmate yet made out of tee expellee of it. • freruluenly held the names of en:rivets, he Mr. WINDHAM again observed, that there was said it was stated to him, from vet y good authority, no occasion' to calculate on a measure which had that ther w e ere great sus, under that mask, ex ' not yet been ad prod. empted from the duty. m l'here was one eitcum- Lord CASTLEREAGI I thought, that an esti- stance which ought, in this case, to he attended to ; mate might be made out of the expence of such namely, that in the French Revelation there were men now in the service, as would be entitled to the several of the natives, who found it necessary to proposed pension at the expiration of their seven or remain in that here to counbetryi fornvested some mime Fe, who ds. renettFor - fourteen years. ed money ue The Bill was then ordered to be committed on that purpose French agents were employed, who Friday. bought in the stock in their own names, and when Mr. FOSTER gave notice, that on Friday next the real proprietors came to apply for it. they be should move fur an account of the export duties found that, legally, it i the n theiry were own entitled to noth kept g . paid upon foreign linens in Ireland. Those who invested names, The Irish Additional Force Repeal Bill was re- for themselves, as the transaetions, from the circum -11 pealed, and ordered to be read a third time on stances of the times, were necessarily confidential ; Friday. and surely such persons should rather be subjeeted TILE PROPERTY TAX. to a double or triple tax, than be thought deserv- Lord HENRY PET f Y moved the third read- hie of exemption. The next point was, to consider ing of the Bill for imposiug an additional duty on whether this was real and substantial justice ; but property• he could not find it in any compaet between the Mr. FRANCIS observed, that he had some se- Government and the Proprieters of Stocks. It was rims observations to make on one of the clauses true, that the At of the reign of Queen Anne sti which he before objefted to in the Committee, and pulated, that property in the Funds should not be wished to know whether this was the prop er o pp or- made liable to taxes, as far as regardrd that loan. tunity ? But if that was really a ccntrail, it was violated by The SPEAKER informed him, that if he in- this Bill; and by granting this been to foreigners, tee tended to ohjeet to the principle of the bill alto- House would be doing injustice to the English hold- Felber, tees was the proper stage fur doing so ; but ors. Why should taxes be it posed at all ?Of course if Ms objections went only to a particular clause, to support the Government. And why Was the Go he must wait till the new clauses were disposed of. vet nment to be supported ? In order to enable it to After some little conversation, Mr. Francis ac- protect our persons and our properties. In doing this, luiesced in this arrange:sleet however, it proteeted the property of foreigners, as M. V ANSIT rA RT proposed a clause for al- t well as °tilers, and, therefore, they had also a duty lowing the Commissioners acting under the act, to to support. "I be persons, indeed, of many of them, take out ce, tificates to exempt them from serving could not be prole led, because they were not here; on juries or in parish offices. but if a foreigner resided in this country be would till KOBER! . BUX lON wished to know the be liable to the tax, though had be resided wounds on which the exemption was proposed. abroad, he might claim this exemption.— Mr. V ANSIr I'AR I replied, that it was meant This he could not but consider as a most unreason as a relief to a set o' ge.elemen laboriemily em- able distinct' le The foreigners resident abroad played in the service of the pubic, without emo- drew an income from this country to strengthen and lumen% support the Government of a formidable enemy, Sir ROBERT BUXTON said. that he had no who, were he enabled to execute his projefts of in other objection to the clause, than a tear, that vasion, would, together with all ether property, de if that principle was introduced here, it might ten- eeroy also the property of foreigners, at present pro der magistrates andeithets, in similar circumstances, tefled by this Government. He had next to take discontented for net having the same advantages. n• tice of an argument that may be employed against The clause was then agreed to. him, namely, that these foreigners ought not to be Mr. VANSITTART then proposed another taxed, because they were not represen:ed.-- ceauee for rendering complete the assessments of Ile was sure that was a principle that former years, in distriets where they had not been would never hold in praetice, however well it made out. may appear in abstract or fine-splits theories. Mr. JOHNSTONE asked if this clause may not —!'he mass of the people in England, whatever have the effeet ot °likens.; some persons •o pay at mey virtu 41Iy be the case, were not actually repro. the rate of 16 and a halt p. r cent within one year ? seated in Parliament, as they had no votes in the Mr. VANSITTAR is replied, that a provisi .n choice of the representatives ; and if A foreigner re was made for obliging no per son to pay in any one sided here, he weed nut he so much as even vie quarter more than two quartets of arrears. After tually represented, though he would be held liable this. the clause was age.ed to. to this tax. C.. an occasion of great moment, in He then proposed ( third clause, providing, t!.at the dispute between this country and America, the same corrunissionels and assessor, who had ailed a mart of great weight, (the late Mr. George Gren under former hills, should also make out the assess- vale) maintained, that as the Parliament of England ' ments under this. has a right to make laws for this country, so Mr. JOHNSTONE apeeehended the effeA of had it a ript to impose taxes on America. For his this clause might be to compel some persons in the own part he was of a different opinion, and was course of a year and a halt to pay etl. per cent. glad the Americans resisted a claim of such injus and lamented that clauses ot so much impor tence rice; but after having mentioned the authority of had not been proposed at an earlier time, when Mr. Grenville, be did not expect to hear any of there would have been a better opportunity of des- his descendants or representatives in that house, as ee t• em. serting that this country had no right to tax the ' H. PETTY replied, that on so - property which it protected, belonging to foreigners, In -' • • -- he Lord ax.. _ compre hensive and voluminous a measure. a great vai iaty of suggestions must have been expecOed, which had not been thought of at an earlier period. The effefl of this clause, he said, would only be, that those who before contrived to evade the tax, should not be allowed to continue always in arrears. The clause was then added.—The only material amendment made in the body of the Bill was, that the statement of the East India Company should include the interest of bonds that should become due on the Ist of December. 1806. On coning to the clause which exempted from the duty any sums held by foreigners in the funds, Mr. FRANCIS said, that the first thing which suggested to him the idea of resistance to the clause, was an observation made by an Hon. Gen tleman, that if the exemption was toot granted, foreigners would be induced to withdraw their money from this country. The same opinion was also held by a Right Hon.Friesi (this (Mr. Foe); but as neither of them carried convidt , ion to his mind, he felt it his duty to state his sentiments upon the subjeCt- Between these two Gentlemen, he found himself placed between the hammer and the anvil ; but as his objet was to assist the Go vernment in the cone:lion of the taxes, he hoped the Ministers would at least give him some indul gence, and state his objeltions in a more forcible manner than he was himself capable of doing. It was one great quality of a Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Pitt) now no more, to state, with great force. the arguments of his adversaries, though he did not always refute them ; and he hoped his sac cesssors would, in that respect, follow his example. There were three points of view in which he should consider this subjeft. Fit st, as to its policy and po litical &feels ; Second, the inconvenience that would attend its operation, and the opening it would give to abuses; and, third, the essential justice of the case. To ascertain the policy, it would be right to know the amount of the sum that was proposed to be given up; and he found that, by the retain made on the 6th of the present month, it was stated to amount already to 40 or 50,00111. exclusive of several other accounts that wet.: daily coming in. Taking therefore the real and fr indolent property held in the names of foreigners, he thought it would sot he too much to state it at i 00,0001. The fear of foreigners being induced to sell nut, or withdraw their property, he treated as chimerical. They' invested it in our funds from motives as well of convenience as security. Many of them also did it upon speculation ; and people in France and at Amsterdam, vela known to deal in our funds, in the same manner as jobbers in 'Change-Alley : They bought in, in time of war, when the stocks welt low; and sold out, to great advantage. oe the conclusion of a peace. it was, besides, no trifling consideration, that the interest of all this money was yearly remitted, and spent in C. acme and Holland, in support of Ute government of tionapaite; and on that a support of this part of his obsirvitions, ad verted to the petition of the " Friends of the People," of xhom. he said,, he was the last. That petition stated to the House, that 11;e majority of the people of England were not fully represented in Parliament, and that they were ready to prove it, if the House would allow it. To thew this was no mean authority, he stated, that those who were most Olive in the formation of that society, at the /Irmo of the Etrl of Lauderdale. and afterwards, in drawl-.g op the petition, were sonic of the persons now highest in His Majesty's Coun cils ; such as the present Lord High Chancellor, the present First Lord of the Admiralty, the present Treasurer of the Navy, as well as his predecessor, the present Attorney-General, &c. Mr. Pitt also, as likewise the Right Hun. Sectetary of State (Mr. Fox). were stretiuous in promoting a reform in Parliament, on the pound of the people not being fairly represented ; but so far were any of them from saying that the people had not therefore a right to pay taxes, that they all declared the legis lature was as much entitled to their obedience, as if the House of Commons was constituted in the manner they wished it to be. He then assured the House, that if he was not serious in his o'- position to that clause, he should never have put himself in his present situation. if he had satisfied them of the injustice and inconvenience of the mea sure, he would next exhort them to look to the situ ation of the country in respect to taxation. The first tax of the last budget, upon pig iron, though estimated at 400,000 i. being neatly half the inte rest of the loan, was, from necessity, abandoned, and he apprehended the substitute for it would not prove much more acceptable. He lamented, that on this occasion he could not recoiled the eloquent language of Mr. Whitbread, on the close of the proceedings upon Viscount Melville's impeachment, where ha represented, how every sum diverted from the public services by Viscount Melville or Mr. Trotter, must be made up by pence and farthings. daily deduded from the sustenance of the poor ; for surely an exemption to so great an extent, must contra& the pittance of the indigent, while it was given to person. who had nn claim whatever to it. He concluded with moving, " that the clause be omitted." Mr. FOX sail, he would endeavour to follow the points of his Hon. Friend's speech as closely as he was able. He stated, that the great in ducement to foreigners to purchase m our funds, was the security which was given to their propeTty. That was no doubt one, but ought not to be stated as the whole oftheir inducements, a great part of which con• sisted in the assurance that they would have the same security against taxes, as they had for their principal. He also objeded that foreigners dealt upon specula. tion ; but was not that desirabil ? It was, no doubt, a great encouragement to every purchaser, to be sure of the facility which the English fun2.s al. • forded him, either of bueieg in o:r :oiling cat, as lie might find his advantage in it. He cow came to the main point on which the I einou t oe, Gentleman relied so much—he meent, ti.e l a of justice, and he, tar his part, could not help [bloc. ing, that there was no justice in Failiament toe', any kind of property, unless it helonge I to s ett who were represented irePerlienscro. It weule • a tax on property which was n t spent here. j;,, the Hon. Gentleman asks, is it not provoker; that foreigners should receive their here, and then, perhaps, which they creed do with the greatest facility, carry the money e re , France, And contribute part of it to the support a our enemy ? This question was calculated melee doubts in the mind of any man at first, but to t e e it in another way. would it not be more hutted :a this country, if Foreigners did not lend us mover, by purchasing into our funds ? Certainly he tliougle it would ; and, therefore, it was not only jirstee, but policy, not to tax this property in their hands. The Hon. Gentleman need not be afraid, th at t ee money would be pocketed by the individeei, out being subjeel to any tax; there was, be liellevol, a property tax in France, as well as it Engle:d; Ind in every country in Europe there was some klia Of tax which would seize on a portion of this mernee. Another argument might be made use of agairist the justice of the measure. The money Resale [ from this tax was expended in raising aid supporting an army and navy, the principal ole pet of which was to destroy France; in that the foreigner might exclaim, that a part of his pro petty had been seized on ter the purpose et c abling England to take posses/ion of the remainder. Much had been said with resfea to the :refuel as-I virtual representation in Parliament, out he wcule not now enter into the conside: ation of it ; he, ler one, fhotight a virtual representation necessary, for which reason he way always 41'. enemy to the tat. ation of America, they not Leing represented Parliament. He never could agree with the Hon. Gentleman, that Parliament had a right to tax des property, because they had e power ; and confessed ' that he was of the same opinton with Lord Thurlove [ who said, that he did not understand that species rf [ right, which, the moment it wan done, was a wrong. It was impossible that the House could vote and, money that did net belong to them ; and this ao peered, from the Ad itself, the words of whee were, " We give and grant to His Majetry, so muck money," which nteeesarily implied, that it betting [ to the donors ; and His Majeites Answer in r ceiving it, is, s‘ that be accepts "it from E faithful suhjeels." The Government could no tax the country, it was the people that text themselves ; by the constitution they had a right: give their own, but not that winch beloneed t others ; or, in other words, they had to right to gi away any part of the property of those who e , not represented in Parliament, and whose into: were not only not the same, hut totally different There was but one opinion in the House; conceived, that the point of taxation they h come to was truly lamentable ; he also co/active that it was the opinion of all, that the burden shoe be lightened on the poor as much as possible ; however, conceived, that to attain this end in degree, they should not be guilty of an irjusti they should keep their hands clean. and not de them by giving away that which did cot belong them, for the purpose of lightening the lead on poor. The Honourable Gentleman, he concoiv had not made out a case by his arguments, wh• could raise any doubt in his mind, for which Ns he thought he might conclude by saying, that Majesty's Ministers would not be very apt to tete money, if they thought they could with propriti accept it. The SPE A KER called the attention of the Hoa to the sithjtel of the present Debate. He wa: opinion that the Motion could not be received r at :he third reading of the Bill, as it went to i pose a tax on a particular kind of property, oh' the Bill said should not be taxed. Such a mtris he conceived, cculd only have been made w propriety in the Committee of the whole House. Mr. ieItANCIS said a few woods, which could not hear. Mr. BAN feES said, it was his intention to ha delivered his sentiments on this measure. H.• I examined the Bill minutely, and he did not e • single sound or solid principle in it. Lord HENRY PETTY spoke to order. A the very clear statement on the sulajea, which th had heard from the Cheireie did not think it coy to go into any farther discussion at present. •1 only mode he could see for Gentlemen to at their object, and have the matter fully conside. was for some Member to give notice that he w• on .1 future day, move that the House should rese itself into a Committee, to consider of the prop: of subjesling foreign property to this tax. Mr. VANSIT TART then moved as anu. mem to the Bill, which was carried without op mime By it, all stock belonging to His Maj. and also all stock belonging to foreign awe Ambassadors, was exempted from the tax. The question being then put on the third r of the Bill, Sir ROBERT BUXTON rose, and Lai. would enter his protest against it, as it was in en the landed interest. Thirteen per cent. was by the landholders, and only ten by persons • sed of other property. If it was to aft as a tax, lie thought the country should have the of its being, as heretofore, only annual ; so th people might. if they pleased, not subjeet theta to it a second time. Mr. V ANSITTART and Lord 11. PE spoke a few words; they did not think that its an annual tax would make it more palatable. Sir R. BUXTON explained. Mr, WM. SMITH said, nothing could c concile him to the principle of the Bill, as sessed so many unjust inequalities. Mr. HUDDLESTON E lamented that the Lord had not allowed an exemption to fun• petty, held by individuals, under 501. a year regretted it the more, as be had for ad, on nation, that the injustice would be eetieneive, being not less than 220,000 risen. who property in the funds, which did not yield year. Lord DE BLAQUIERE did not think it; give these parting blows. 'Thee:- was no coald h. brouelit forwet d , elthent pridecir Ifs estinfate of the additional exper.ce been presented. .. •*, The SECRETARY at WAR repl ..1 44 not conceive an estimate of the t►e let necessary. Mr. Secretary %%INviJAMadtnitte , Bill was a part of the general rneasuri jells might properly be considered toge the same time, be could not atlow the basins an estimate of a measure which in wutence. it would be impossible I I k. I. i r.