The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1806-12-25 00:00:00

- P -Ai P . HOME or COMMONS, this. Lord HOWICK, pursuant to his notice of yid Wiley, rose for the porpose of moving, " That the Deputy Clerk of the Crown should appear at the Zar, with the return made by the Sheriff of Gal .way; , but,inconsequeoceof a second return having been made, whereby the Right Hon. D. B. Daly, and Richard Martin, Esq. were returned duly eleded, he felt inclined to desist from further pro. ceedings. Mr. CORRY observed, he should be happy that Gentlemen *ho were conversant in the busi. nets of Eleflions in Ireland, would take an oppor tunity of stating, not only upon this, but upon others, any regulations which might appear to them to be useful for the adoption of the House. CHAIRMAN OF WA'S AND MEANS. Mr. BIDDULPH, in consequence of the notice which he gave yesterday, rose for the purpose of moving " not there should be a Resolution of the Mouse,stating, that it was highly inexpedient that the Chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means should enjoy a salary." This he proposed as a first attempt to forward that beneficent objeft in Hie Majosty'sSpeech, on open ng Parliament, to diminish the public expenditure, and to thew that the public good should not suffer by any unnecessary extrava. Rance. He was anxious in taking up this duty, that it should not appear that be was standing up in point of hostility ag.unst those with whom he had had the honour of aging in the former Parliament. He was fully sensible •of their honourable motives in regard to the pledges given by them ; and was per suaded, that if such had not been their inten:ion, the House should not have received such an intimation from His Majesty. He had a high idea of the ties of those at the head of Administration, but so personal motives should prey, tit him from doii g his ditty. To the individual against whom his mo tion would operate, he preftaszd a personal attach. went, as a Gentleman whom lie had known in timately. The early period at which he took the liberty ofelaiming the attention of the house, he con sidered as being proper, on account of the adv An. lege likely to arise from such a motion being made previous to the appointment of a Gen tleman to that office. Ile had been panicu lady induced to tike up this hu.iness, on ac ermot of the paternal expressions contained in His Majesty's Speech, which, he trusted, would snake a deep impression in the country. These seri. laments, if not a.lrd upon, would be alluded to in the most unfavourable light, as containing every thing favourable on the part of the country, but nugatory on the pan of Parliament. ( Here the Hon. Member read the passoge in 'His Majesty's Speech, relative to the necessity of adding to the public burdens, and ratrenchiilgo as much as pos sible, from unnecessary expenditure, and observing the utmost economy.) The Chairman of the Corn taittee of Ways and Moans held an office most im portant, but not such as not to be attained by any Member of the House, possessed of common abili ties, dilig.ince, and industry ; and there was no ne cessity fur attaching a salary to such an office. He should put it to the House, whether that appoint ment could not, with great propriety, be wholly dispensed with. He never understood that the Junior Los ds of the Treasury were so overloaded with bu- Incas as not to be competent to that office themselves. An appointment to such an office was, in former times, wholly unusual ; and he might add, that the times in which we lived were also unusual, and would, at all events, justify a departure from ordi nary ways of proceeding. . While the country were rendered sensible of the public burdens being heavy, it would be attended with treat advantage that they should perceive that the necessary pressures upon them were rendered es light as possible, by the ado's. tion of the most rigid principlesolf economy. In the minds of all rational and discreet p...nons, he found, Cat a radical change of measutes was thought ab solutely necessary for the salvation of the country. The Hon. Member then concluded, with moving, That there be a resolution of the House, that the assignment of a salary to any Member of this House, ifor the purpose.of serving as Chairman of the Corn inittee at Ways and Means, is pettedly unneces • sary, under tin present circumstances of the country." Lord HOWICK then rose, and said, that he regretted exceedingly that the Motion of his Hon . Friend was of such a sort as placed him (Lord Howick) under the necessity of appearing to resist thatdispositsen, which had been manifested by His Majesty, with regard to public economy. He felt as strongly as any man, upon that cccasion, the necessity of applying all predicable means to aired such a desirable objet. k was undoubtedly the duty of the House of Commons to endeavour to confine the public expenditure to the narrowest pos sible amount; but still he could not think that it was His Majesty's intention to recommend to the Hunse to agree with such a proposal, or to limit. the remuneration attached to a most useful and laborious service.—Such were not the points of rigid economy which were in the view of His Majesty. —lt appeared, however, that he, the Hon. Gentleman, had fallen into some mistakes. He bad supposed that there was a regular appoint ment of a salary to the office. In point of fact, no ouch appointment ever took place ; the person so employed being only brought into office by a call of the House, and no stated salary affixed. A remu neration used to be paid for it out of the Civil List ; but some years ago, it was deemed unbecoming that any person, counts:led with the business of the House of Commons, should receive a salary from such a fund. At the end of the Session, therefore, it had been tonal to vote a certain sum to the pet son filling such a s tuation, in proportion to the labour it was thought he had undergone. He could not help thinking that the proper time to state such 09..elions, would be at the end of the Session, when the report be alluded to would be pro posed. He wished the House to consider what were the *dual duties wl.ich the person so sashed to the Chair of such Committees was bound to perform ; he was not only to be prepared with a knowledge of all the business that came before the House, but to preside over all Committees of other .'esertpttests that were appointed ; and, in short, to pettorm all the duties of the Speaker, when he was out of the way ; to explain the Orders, guilts, and Proceedings; and to be in at. i li* . inclines during all the. Lours the House *as sitting. It was, indeed, an, ofEee requiring a great degree of information .ind, he trusted, that the HoOkt would think that saline rereuneeation, fax the exertioas of the person so employed, would not be imptioperly . applied, The only question, therefore, that was left for their determination, *el, whether or not it was fir, at the end of the Session, the House. should vote the Chairman of • the Committee of Ways and Means any compensa tion for the duties so performed ?• Were the House not to appoint a Gentleman to fill that important situation he was persuaded, they would find the old proverb verified : " What is everybody's bu siness, is nobody's business ;" and that the business of the House, instead of being condueled with re gularity and order, would either be greatly retarded, or condueted with the utmost confusion. He slid not think h necessary to take up more of the time of the House, in stating objeetions to the motion the Hon. Gentleman had made t for it he (Mr. Rid dulph) still thought proper to plersist in hi, propo sal, and wished to bring it forward in a regalar manors, he had ohly to postpone it to the end of the Session. He concluded with moving, ".1 hat the other Orders or the Day be now read " Mr. BIDDULPH said, in reply. that he WAS not aware there was no stated salary to the Cha'rm in of the Committer of Ways and Meals , but still he did not think the Resolution he bail proposed WAS thereby rendered wholly unnecessary. He consi dered the country at present in the predicament of a' person that found it necessary to redact hie establishment: An individual, in such a situa tion, might have servants for every department, but should he find it necessary to reduce his expendi ture, would he not say, that one man might perf am the duties of another. He cons;dered that he him self had performed his duty in bringing this matter before the House, having dam: it from no motives of hurting the credit of His Majesty's Ministers.— He had been accustomed to observe many acts of their disinterestedness. Lord HOWJCK's amendment was then put from the Chair, and agreed to. - • ::__ On the Motion of Lord HENRY PETTY, the House agreed to the resolution of the Committee of Supply, that a supply be granteJ to His Majesty. wesT‘fiNsrEit ELECTION. Lord PO LIiSTON E rose in consequence of 0-4 notice he gave on Monday last. and moved, 6 4 That the order for taking into consideration the Petitian of 'qr. Paull, as a Candidate for the Coy of Westminster, which stood for the 19th of Ja nuary next, be rescinded, in order to be postponed to a (salve day." The circumstances which gave rise to this proposal were, that the Petition had been presented last Saturday, and being .ranked amongst the second class, an earlier day was ap pointed than was expelled. Although the Petition had been sent to him on the Monday preceding, he was not authonted to present it wit: out instrunions. He had been informed, that a great mass of evi dence was intended to be brought forward, which would prevent its being possible to consider its merits so soon as formerly thought repedient. On these :Ind othet grounds, not necessary to enumerate, 'the Noble Lord begged leave to move, "That ir•.- stead of the 13th of January, Fueslay, the 24th of February, be appointed for its consideration." Mr. SHERIDAN raid, that in consequence of a communication which had passed between the Noble Lord and him, he should not oppose his motion; but his lot henrance certainly did not pro- ceed from any tniog that had been said. The Noble Lord had alleged; that there was an im mense complication of evidence ; if witnesses were to be brought from i distance, there might be something at this ohjesltion to its early considera tion. Here all the witnesses were in Westminster. It Mai a strange mode of proceeding, first to bring forward charge', and afterwards to enter into the consideration of the witnesses to be adduced to "rove them. Although the i.e.'s. is assigned forwish: lag this delay, was that the Petition had been pre- Muted by the Noole Lord without Inetructfona, yet he (Me. S ) had been informed, that its presenta tion Upcm the earliest day possible was what was earnestly wished. Now, however, he was given to • understand, that the latest day possible was the one most relied upon ; which, according to the rules of the House, could only be four or five days later. Even under these circumstances he should not op 'pose the postponement desired ; but he certainly .thought, that the nest step that would follow would .be, that he and the House should hear nothing More of the Petition in question. He supposed the ; Petitioner would take the advice of his Counsel, and would choose a time when they (the Counsel) would be upon the circuit, as an excuse for fur ther delay. A Right Honourable Member op. posite (Mr. Perceval) had, in his absence on Sa ttirday last, charged him with having succeeded in his Eleftion by Ministerial influence, rt•itlh a great degree of wit and exercise of his candour. He should at present only tell that Right Hon. Gent he 'bad been highly mistaken. He had obtained no influence, and had accepted of no office. except that which His Majesty had been previously pleased to confer upon him. He was surprised that Right Hon. Gentleman had not thought proper to expatiate upon his acceptance of the Chiltern Hundreds, which report had already assigned to him. He should, indeed, have no objeflion to accept of thtm, providing that Right Hon. Gentleman would do the same, and try a contest with him upon the Hustings of Covent•garden, for the city ot West minster (Load lensgiter). Mr. PEACE VAL said,that the Noble Lord near the Right Hon. Gentleman who had just spoken, would do him the justice to remember that it was owing to his Me. Sheridan's) not being in the House on Saturday last, that he had expressly de clined saying any thing upon the subjeCt. He had merely then alluded to it, to reinify s•suie rnsappre hension which seemed to have occurred. It any thing had fallen from him, beyond that explanation which lie inteeded, as he had inadvertently touched upon a triumphal car, it was accidentally suggested by his recollecting having seen that Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Sheridan) drawn through Pall-Mail in a cart (4 This had put it into his mind, and had induced him to allude to a triumphal ear ; but he had statteal nothing, he hen's!, that would interfere with his chatader as a Member of P whamert. He was perfectly inclined to maintain toot opinien which Fe had enantaisetl before. • At 't'oe'etice the 11:gl.t Hon. Gentleman on the Hastings .at Wectminster, he should only say, ,that he still entertained a considerable degree of attachment to his fernier constituents, and whiake he b e lieved, was once the situation of that Rigla Hon. Gentleman himself, al:hough the matter was now considerably alterfd, if he could judge fl-om millet he saw in the newspapers as the speeches cf that Right Hon. Gentleman. After a few words in explanation from Mr. SHE RIDAN, the Motion of Lord Fulkstone was agreed to. On the Motion of Admiral MARKHAM, 'the usual Estimates of the Ordnance, and of the Army and Navy, were ordered to be laid before the House. Or. the Motion oF Captain FREEMAN 1 . 1.. E, the Order of the Day for considi.ring the Petition for the Burgh of &hash, on the 13th of Ja!s. WAS dis charged, and postponed to the I:7th of that month. Admiral M A 1M! lAM give notice of a Motion, for a vote for Seamen, on Monday next. Adjourned to Monday. THE BRITISH PRESS. • • LONDON, THURSDAY, DZCZNIBRII 25. • We yesterday gave some extras from the Letters and Papers, brought by the Husum Mail, which arrived on Tpeaday.—lt farther appears from them, that, according to advises from K-mingsberg. which come down to the 27th ult. the King of Prussia still has an_ army of 510,i100 men, and his head quarters are at Osterode in East Prussia. Deltaic has a garrison of 14,000 men, and at the time these aiviees came away, not a single French man was in that neig!ibourhood. The French had bomhardsd Thorn, but without success; and the bridge at Thorn, over the Vistula, had been completely destroyed by the Prussians, who had also stopped all the navigation of that river. Two Hamburgh ships frorts-Bourdeauk have en tered the Elbe, which shews that the blockade is not vcry The French garrison at Hamburg, which ei,•eed ed 16,000 inen, under General MOICIA la, broke up on the 2,5 th of Novicnber, suddenly, leaving only 50a) men, and, in the mostdreadful weather, took the road to Berlin. Marshal MoireiLlt was to have fol lowed them on the 26th. The 3000 men left in Ham burg have since been reinforced by as many more. It is privately rumoured that the French artny has suffered a considerable defeat, either in the vicinity of Posen, or near Stettin, and that this occasioned the sudden and abrupt departure of Marshal Mor tier and his corps from Hamburg. Should things continue in their present state, two thirds of the city of ilatnbur:z will be reduced to the greatest misery, as the French will not sufl'i.l - thing to go out of the city gates : all the heavy post-waggons with parcels are stopped as tb,e gat's, and sent back to be examined, in order to ascertain whether any British property be concealed in them. On the Motion of Viscount Foxxsrotfe, last night, in the House of Commons, the consideration of Mr. Pauts's Petition against the return of Mr. SHERIDAN far Westminster, was postponed from the 13th of January to Tuesday the 24th of Fe bruary next. His Lordship appears to have prayed for Almost the longest possible time, con sistent with the rules of the House. Lord Huri`eiesose and suite arrived at Copen hagen tin the Scl, and they immediately set sail in prosecution of his mission, on board the Alert. The Anrre frigate; which conveyed Lord HUT CISINGON to the Con:incnt, arrived at Fistneur on the Ist in:tani, with the loss of her main and mizen masts, and very leaky, having been on shore on the Anis.%lt Reef, in the Cattegat.le Astrea expe rienced, throughout her passage, the most boist-r -ous weather, and with difficuliy escaped being wrecked. The Right Hon. Lord BORTWODOM is going to lay down mooring chains, with buoys, west of Farm-Chapel Reach, neat Mr. lILACEBURM'S Dock, in eatwater, Plymouth, for the accommodation of ships and vessels coming into that arm of that port, either to moor their ships during their stay in Cat water, or when they are driven its there by stress of weather. On Saturday and Monday, the left and right wings of the Id Old Buffs came into Canterbury, from Deal, on their route for Paddington. This regiulint completes Gen. Witt.t.zscer's Brigade. At the same time, the 6:h and 13th regiments of , Infantry moved from Dover, to occupy the Bar racks at Deal. 1 The transports destined to receive Gen. Hitt's brigade, being now assembled in the Downs, the embarkation was ti take place yesterday and to• day, at Dover ; detachments from the several corps, with the heavy baggage, arrived there on Monday. The troops were to be put on board the small craft, to be conveyed to the transports, immediately on their arrival at Dover. - The brig .lekfs,d, laden with coals, and the Si. ►'..ueee transport, were driven on sh Dle at Gibraltar, oa the 3d tilt. A Danish schooner is arrived in the Downs, and reports, that an English MAD of war brig, mounting Id guns, WAS (mutely wrecked Cie 9th inst. on the French coast, near Catigean, a port between &est and norlais ; all the crew were saved, hut made prisoners of war, and marched i:ltn the interior. the 11411114 of the brig the Captain wav una:lle leave. but rays. she sailed horn Torbay on the (kit instant. Admiral Mouraou having patronised Mrs. D FI . MAN'S benefit on Wednesday taut, left the p arr given by Sir ISAAC COFFIN on that day, at an rail, hour, and repaired to Portsmouth Theatre: th e whole company broke up sooner than usual, and di went to the Theatre, in compliment to Admiral Moutaou, and from respect to the generous occa. sion. The house never was so crowl?.d before, numbers weal away that could not be accomuin. dated. The lower boxes were wholly filled wit!, persons of dictinnion. The receipts were abu t 1241. independent of presents sent to Mrs. DENMAN. An excellent Address, horn the pen of Mr.Cwri ar . was spoken by Mr. KALI Y with much effefl, aid was rapturously applauded. The Pettreest's apartments in the Qt.tr-.,t*s lace have undergone a thorough repair and 4 ', terations, under the direalons of the Duke rf KENT. HIS ROYAL HIGNMISS has considerable pretensions to meciranic:. Recesses have been made for the beds, which are in the couch style, with very superb canopies, and the whole have been fitted us in a more elegant style than any part of the Palace can boast. Mr. I'. Gnaw/m t.! sported a most superb new service of plate, at his late Dinners. It cost up. wards of 3,0001. and was furnished by Mr. Ga. ETAT, goldsmith to the KING. The following subjeets Cr. proposed for the CHANCELLOR', Prizes at Oxford, for the year Sc. suing, viz For Latin Verseq-i-P:ate For an fngliih Essay-04 A Morning Print, equally offensive and disgust. ing in its praise and censure. ofiserves, in its ctititrae upon Miss Ra Amelia Wildenhenn, that iser plicity "was the aleffatian of those boisterous effer. vescences of simplicity which mark a Dairy-maid." Siga ua Psis tr a is last from Florence, where she was in much repute. His Royal Highness the Prince of WALT, ho noured the Opera, on Tuesday evening, with his presence. Yesterday evening, there was a general rehearsal of the new Pantomime at DruryaLane Theatre. The transformations occasioned by Harter:hit ma gic wand, were admirable, and the scenery is va. riots' and beautiful. Mrs. SHARP was the Cotarra. dine; MONTGOMERY the ClOl7/1; and H•RTLAND the Hartrgain. There is a new Musical Farce in preparation a: the Belfast Theatre, called The bah Inc. We should suppose that Irish Boys ara no novelties at the Belfast Theatre. The net receipts pf Drury-lane Theatre, last tea sop, Rae 60,0001.. and. outgoings 37.1.50 L Tbe Wandering Melodist, arc replaced, at Glou cester, by The Wandering Carnlireenq they consist of Miss RAMBLES; aannsic al prodigy, of seven years of age ; Mr. RANl:it's, her father, who performs on the pedal harp; and Me. PERRY, who plays on three flageolets at a tame. An extraordinary instance of the mildnest of the eeasedipresent; itself in en eiposed part of the ehr üb fiery of Sir GA Bair L Ptp• at. L. At HCA! . PIit near Swansea, Where there is a Toss io all the in - . Mews beauty of summer. On Monday, the Eceesialtica Court sentenced Mr. CURTAIN to perform penance, hp not:ding its a sheet, neat Sunday, in the Parish Church of St. Matthew, Bethnal Greet", for very groothd ablative language to Mrs..fertts IN os, a mart.ed and retina able woman. Mr. TUOM AS'S Concert, on Thursday evening, at, Portsmouth, was well attended, and would have been more so, but for the unfavouraWe weather: The performance was much admired, perticulatlt the following pieces—a new dnet—Gity &bif born to flutter and dreg; song;: -The glad trumpet saved , vats ; new sung—Th e soldier's dretrn ; acccrr panted on the prase-forte by Mr. Siam The last was rapturously appended. The glees were finely executed ; particularly the glee, tour voices —sl..ifily from Me nieustain'e Ircesii sung by Messrs. THOMAS. PIODELL, CHAIN ZY. and Ktrer. Mr. H. Jontoroe was to have plarted the part of Cacialie, to Miss . WA 1-$l * LiN ' S Morinsia; and Mr. Hot stases Chamassf, in 'the Tragedy of il:• ► happy Marriage, on Wednesday lA.I, ;t the Du' Theatre; but, from his sudden indisposition, a Mt. Reit t. Y took the part •of Carte/i4. Tie Ads ire given him by one of the Gods, " t 1 go Acute cud pay Cu more," was certainly the advice of a fri-nd.— Mr. Hot. 14 AN'S Chassioni was highly respeetable, " TrAen our dear prints did, they died li:ether,: and several other passages, were given with cons:- likeable effea. His Royal Highness the bake of Gicsocarrea and su;te arrived on Tuesday evening at Trinhr Lodge, Cambridge; on a visit to the Rev. Dr. MANSI t., the Master ' when the whole Society woe invited to meet His Royal Highness at a very ele gant dinnet. On Wednesday, being the Commemo ration-day at Trinity-Cillege, His Royal Highness dined in the College Hall, where neatly 300 persons. among whom wert many of the Nobility, sat down to a m-ist splendid dinner. On Thursday morning His II iyal Highness held a Levee at Trinity Lodge• which was attended by almost every Member of the Senate resident in the University. ‘Vednesclay and Friday se'nnight, and Monday last, the pupils of the Rev. Mr. Os man, of NIO• denhall, Suffolk, afforded high gratification to their friends, and the principal inhabitants of that own and neigliboarhooii. by the performance of ha A it• aaaaaa s admired play of " 7 be Merrheut of Veri";" in which the several chArailti-rs were sus/aimed by these juvenile odors (scarcely any of wham exceed ed 12 years of age) is a manner that did great he none to their tutorage ; as they nut only evinced a very just c•lnception of the inimitable author. b)' went through their respective parts with the sinless co:reams and propriety. The Iticl•cr - airTarce of Cieespoia...iie.:Atagss followed, which they burlesqued I in unison with the original de.itn of its whiossieal writer. The Asse.nily-Rnom, at the Cock los:, was fitted up in a very neat ryle. with apple/14i , " sze::ci;•, kc. formiog a conviletv prht theatre.. • At; A r MKS. DENAL4N'S BENEFIT.