The Sun. — London, England, 1819-03-19 00:00:00

PAR LI A %LENT. HOUSE OF 1,0'? D, MARCH 18. The (or hi were admiLisiered to the Earl of nn- Yli,killen and the Earl of Kingston. Hone proceeded in I)iiito's Divorce 811. Mr Warren appeared as Conusel for the peti tioner. Witnesses were examined, and i the f n r. titer proceeding %v.'s postponed till Thursday next. - The Mutiov Bill passed throu4h a Committee. and Wfl.4 reported witliont amend:neut.—To he read a third time to-morrow. The Royal Marine Mutiny Bill was read a Se cond time, a nt} coin mil Irri for to-tuorrom. A petition fur a Modification of the Insolvent Act %vas presented by Lord flolland trona Tower Ward ; also petitions against the Insolvent Act, or for a Modification of it, were presented by the Kati of Shaftesbury, from Spalding anti another place ; for an equalization of the Duty ots Coals, by the E.irl of Shaftesbury, from Cordwainers'. Ward ; and against any alteration in the Duty on C- ,114 . by the Eq . ! of Yowls, from Shrewsbury—. all id them were ori t .reo to lie upon the table. A short ctinvet sation took place between Lord Viscount Sidrnonth and Lord Holland, respec'ing a oetition presented by ,the latter yesterday nom. Pciftoed, the former stating that the •numbers meationt-11 in the petition as haying been capitally convicted. &c. were greatly exAg et atett (!laugh lie did not mean to sav intentionally), as appeared by tiie iloctinvelits upon the 'able. Lorif Holland said to. would inquire as to how the misconcep tion !rid arisen. ALIENS' ANT) DENIZENs' BILL. I.lotd HOLLAND , Xott , •st - (1 a vi !l ti,af the third ot tisis Bill mi l :lit be'postooned, HS it was i!+co!lvciiiefit for seyeral Noble Lards (0 attend il:ic .lad Lord Vi'iCollpt St DNInUTII acqoiesced, and trovcd the (bird reHdlog for .londay, wli;ch was oidered, rmd that 'he Lords be snoinnined. coNvEN rom ivrrti AMERICA. The of DAP NLEY whet t er it was the o f, t hp Noble Earl (Liverpool) to bring forward any motion respecting the Convention with the United States of America ? The Eli! of LivEarnot. said, it was not his in tention to m.lke any substantive motion respecting the Convene ion ; but as Bills must lie brought in to carry some of the provisions of that Treaty in to effect, as opportunity would be afforded, when those Bills came before their Lordships, to discuss the subject. The Earl of DARNLEY thought it would he a more proper and respectful course, and more con sistent with the importance of the interests af fected by that 'crew y, to bring its consideration be`ote the House by means of a specific motion.— Adjourned till to-mot row (this day.) - HOUSE OF COMMONS. Mr. Co , rit.it presented a Petition from Moo te:ter against the Gas Light Bill. Mr. KENNEDY presented a Petition from th e MA L: lsrtal es and Town Council of tire Bo rough of Irvine, in the County of Ayr, against any extension of the attics on Coals.—Read, and ordered to be printt-d. Mr. BENNET presented a Petition from Shrews bury against the Coal Duty. A similar Petition was presented from GniWord. Mr. M. A. TAYLOR I)l'i...elite(' a Petition from the Vestry of the parish of Mary-le-bone, pray in., that leave might be given to them to bring in a Bill for establishing a Water Company, or that some rev,tdations might he adopted as would se cure them a better supply of water.--Read, and referred to a Committee. Sir ROBERT WiLsoN presented a Petition from the Nlarshalsea Prison, praying that the pre sent Insolvent Act might not be rtpealed.—Or tiered to be referred to the Committee on that subject. Sir Wm. CURTIS presented a Petition from th e inhabitants of Tower Ward, in the City of Lon don, against the continuance of the Insolvent Act hilts present state. The petitioners had no wish to have the principle of the Act 'abolished, for, on the contrary, all they prayed for was that the Legislature would adopt such measures as would secure the public against frauds. MARRI.A.GE ACT. Dr. PutwmoßE brought in a Bill to amend the Act of the 26th of Geo. 11., commonly called the Matriage Act. Certain provisions in that Act were necessary to he amended, and feeling, as he did, the very great importance of the s►tbject, he should move that the Bill be read now a first time and printed. Motion agreed to. The Bill was ordered to be read a second time on Monday next. QT,ALIFICATION OF MEMBERS. Sir G. - WAttiteNDER brought in a Bill for regu. lacing the Qualification of Members serving in the United Parliament. He observed, that since the Union with Ireland, property in that country was taken as a qualification for Members in the same way as property in England, but that Scotland was the only place in which this was not admitted ss a qualification for English boroughs or coun ties. 'the abiect of this Bill therefore was to correct dim, and to place Scotland on the Same footing with England and Ireland. Tie Bill wa.; read a first time, and ordered to he read a second time on Monday next. Mr. ABGRCR9mBy presented a Petition front the parish of St. Clement i)ancs, praying for the re peal of the present Insolvent Art.-11e also pre sented a Petition from Gloucester in favour of the Bill.—l(ead and ordered to be referred to the Committee. SALT DUTIES. Mr. CALCRAFT was not aware that there would be any opposition made to the motion he had I'lo%l' to mike, reipecting the Ditty on Salt. After the %trim's applications which had been made to him on that subject, he thought it his duty to• state the course he intended to follow during the pie sent Session. Of the impolicy and hardship of that tax he was sufficiently aware; but at the same time be felt it impossible not to look at the great loss which its immediate abolilion, io the present state of the Revenue, would occasion. When the produce of this tax, riz. 1,500,000 l was taken into consideration, 'he thought there ttal An absolute necessity of being criiiiiOira be fore any measures were taken fur its final aboli- He-therefore was convinced, that he dis charged his ,duty best to his fellow countrymen, to induce them to bear this tax a little longer. At the sante time .there wtte certain regulations ivhich might be adopted, and which would prove of the highest advantage. Among other branches of trade wbiCh had suffered from the effects of the tax, none had perhaps suffered 1110 re than the bleachers had done, tor in the evidence before the Committee one of them had stared, that no less a qaantity was to be issued than 50 bushels, the consequence of ,which was, that tt.e large manu facturer could purchase his salt at seven shillings, while others. were obliged to pay 11. 17i. for it It was therefore necessary that some alleviation should he granted, though, as he said before, it was not possible to lose sight of the deficiency which the abolition of the tax would occasion iu the revenue. Ile did not intend to make any too. tion this Session kit the repeal of the T a x ; a n d in stating this, he beg g ed to be understood as not declining that from arty dread of want of sup port, but solely tioln a sincere conviction of the duty being to cu nary in the preset!' state of the revenue. lie hoped, however, the time was not for distant when irs final reveal niiglir safely take place. lie concluded by moving for an Ace o , nt it the Quantity of Salt delivered free of Duty in England, specifying also the purposes for which such Salt was delivered. Mr. IVALLACH concurred with the Hon. Gen denial-) in considering that the present abolition of the tax would he highly injurious to the reve nue. The Committee appointed on this subject bad dilly investigated all the evils said to arise from the tax, and the objections which had been matte to it ; and they had found many of thEseeo be highly exaggeiated. Certainly salt was a very fair (Hee( for raxation; and he did not see how it produced any disproportionate weight on any class of the community. When a more favourable state of things took place, lie would sincerely re joice to see the tax lowered, especially as he was convinced of the great adviantage ising to cat tle twin the use of salt, and its equally great ad vant.ge to agriculture. Mr. Cu lin'eni must dissent from the statement of the Hon. Member vtho spoke last. Tie tax sho , ld be denounced as the most inequitable amongst all duties imposed by the Legislature, failing with equal Severity on the poor family in the hrmblest cottage as in the houses of the wealthier class. Much had been done to assist the coasting fishery, and whatever had been the re sult of his - application to Parliament in behalf of the agricultural interest, had been adopted at the suggestion and by the advice of his departed but enlightened friend, Sir Thomas Barn ar d. Th e consumption of salt in agricultural experiments last year had not exceeded eight tons ; itt the present it had been stated to amount to 203 tons; and had been applied with considerable success to various branches of husband; y, viz, cattle, sheep, and horses, in which last class it hail al most completely extirpated a disease hitherto hut too fatal. He ho l ed next year it would he full 40 times greaten; than in the former year. Of the viitht tons delivered last year, five had beet) de livered to himself for experiments which he had successfully tried ; the remaining three tons alone bad been solicited by other al.:,,ricillturists. Mr.DivENPOaT stated he had the greatest pos sible interest, as Member for Cheshire, i n t h e proposed alteration, and was particularly happy to find the proposed change or modification in the duties vvas not about . to be abandoned by t h e Hon. Gentleman, who hats formerly taken so active a part in this business. Mr. Kk:NNEDY . stated as a fact, that the m eans resorted to for collecting the Duties on Salt, on obtaining it duty tree, were . so vexatious that the parties frequently preferred foregoing the advan tages resulting from it, rather than subject them selves to the expected inconveniencies. Dr. PHILLIMORE argued at some length, that the principle of this tax was directly in opposition to the primal prineipies of political economy, mi litating against the arts, manufactures, anti in dustry of a country posses-sing so considerable a trade in articles requiring in preparation a vast consumption of this article, and, above all, pos. sensing so extensive a military marine. He hoped that it would be shewn to the [louse, that in less than five years, a tax at present being a census of 21. a man, let him be ever so poor, might be by degrees diminished to a tax merely nominal, if not altogether abolished. Mr. Boekrrox in a very low tone of voice, sup ported (it was believed) the representations ant sentiments of his colleague for Cheshire (Mr. Da. venport.) Mr. (SALCRAFT had no idea of creating any thing like a premature discussion of the subject by the very few observitioos he had made pre facing his motion. He must, however, state; in reply, that the fi rst l,tes olution of the Committee had been a recommendation to bring in a Bill to repeal those duties altogether. In the ensuing year the Irish Duties would be a subject of re vision; it would (bet) probably be suggested to in troduce some measure more equable as to those duties now imposed in this respect, Salt bearing a duty in England of 131. per bushel, in Scotland of 65., and in Ireland only of 2s. Ile did not despair of something beneficial being then gene rally adopted. Mr.V. FITZGERALD regretted the allusion which had been so incatnionsly made to any increase of . Excise Duties in Ireland. The best hope of Ire land , consisted in her fishing, anti in the provision trade, and he should most strenuously oppose every attempt to impose upon a kingdom so em barrassrd in bet financas as Ireland had been for sometime--a tax so obviously tending to criple her resources, even if Parliament were compelled to impose fresh taxes upon the wealthier part of the empire in lieu thereof. Sir JOHN NEWPoRT hoped, that, at the period alluded to, all the Act of Union wonid be sub jected to an accurate and scrutinising revision.— If parts of it were broken through rashly, it would per h aps b e found out as a consequence that others must be broken, which would not be so accessible to the Legislature. Many ervoneotis enactments had characterised the acts of the period of the an nexation of the Irish to the British Legishttire, which bad been equally derogatory to the national as iniutiouA to the ft:l6ndl and industry. It a partial revision should be pro posed, he would submit theliropriety of a gene ral revision of the various subjects of cotnplaint to which he had alluded. Mr. CALCR4FT lead not made tie allusion tO Ireland with a view to propose hereafter any spe cific equalization of the Duties on Salt, or other articles in use in these different portions of the empire. Mr. GRRNFELL believed .the T►►x could not be given up without some substitute, in the present stare of the country. The motion was then nut and agreed to. MESSAGE FROM THE LORDS. A Message from the Lords was announced, re quiring the attendance of Mr. DAvid Ricardo on the Committee !respecting the I?esnittption of Cash l'Esyments by the of L'nglatiti. To be an swered in the nstial manner. IRELAND..--\4I\Do TAX. Mr. C. H. HurciArNsoN pleseuted a Petition from the Inhabitants of the Ciiy of Cork, ',rely ing for the total repeal or the Tax on Windwas. The petition • %yds most respectably signed, not partially, but universally, and by persons of every perstiA,ion. The prevalence of typhus fever, so long raging in that city, was in a great measure, he imagined, o‘siug to the exclusion of air, by shutting up the Windows, in order to avoid so odious and oppressive a Tax. As a particular tidy had been already fixed for the purpose of taking the general question into consideration, lie shonld not then further trespass ou the attention of the House. The petition was then read, and ordered to lie on the table. A Petition was presented from the Town and Borough Ipswich,against the Insolvent Deb:ors' Act.—Ordered to be referred to :he Committee on the Act. CONs'OLID.ATED FUND PRODUCE BILL. The CHANCELLOR of Ibe EXCHEQUER moved thilt C house should go into a Committee on the Consolidat e d Fund Produce Bill. Mr. TIERNEY ondertood the Right Hon. Gen tleman to have moved for a Paper to show the balance that had occurred. He desired to know it ot her Papers might not be given that would better explain his object ? The'Clias4caetma of tie EXCHEQUER was under stood to say, he had no objection to the produc tion of any paper that would give further infor mation nit the subject. Mr. GeeNeaLesaid theplan now brought forward by the Chancellor of the Exchequer with respect to the money in the hands of the Bank, was not what the House bad a right to expect from the declarations which he had made since the com mencement of the Session, and especially on the Ist of February, and on 'Friday in the last week. He appealed to the Right Hon. Gentleman hint self, and to every other person in the House, it he had not given them to noderstaml that it was his intention to take six millions .aut of seven that were in the hands of the Bank, consisting of ba lances o f public money, and apply them to the se , v i ce of . the coontt y. 4n one occasion he (Mr. Grenteil) had objected to the motion announced by the Right Hon. Gentleman, as being confined to one branch of the deposits in the hands of the Bank; a nd upon this the Chancellor of the Ex chequer had immediately replied, that his motion would go to take 6,000,0001, from the Bank, out of 7,000,0001. which were io their hands, leaving with them 1,000,0001. in conseleration of trouble they inclined iu tuanaajag the busi ness of the country. The present Bill, if he understood it, did no such thing. The utmost to be expect ed from it was, that it might give the co ue t r y t h e benefit of 3,000,0001. instead of 6,000,0001. This DUI would nut be mote beneficial to the public than time arrangement made by Mr. Terceira; with the Batik in 1808, under which the sum of 3,000,0001. was advanyed to the public without interest. This Bill only embraced one of fifty six points in the public expenditure. The other fiftylfive were left untouched. lie called upon the Right Ho n Gentleman to say if there %vas the least probability that the public would 'be henefitted by this measure to the extent of 6,000,0001. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER thought the Resolution he had moved respecting the ap propriation of the accumulating produce of the Consolidated Fund had successfully explained his plan., If he had only touched on one out of the fifty-six points of public expenditure, the lion. Gentleman knew how much the public balances in the hands of the Batik had been redneed.—Dur lug the war they had held on the average about 11,000,0001.; now on the average they held little more than halt that sum. A much smaller sum was now reserved by the Bank to satisfy the public creditor than that which it was formerly necessary to leave in their hands for that purpose while the war continued. In time present Bill there was nothing .that could prevent the Government from reducing the balances in the hands of the Bank to time smallest sum that would suffice to carry on the business of the country. For this purpose the House knew that it was necessary to have something in hand before it was actually wanted, but on this account there was seldom left with the Bank more than was soffic:eot to Carry on the public business for one week. After a brief stateereut of several of the items which gave the slim total now in the hands of time Batik, he showed the present measure went to give the public double the benefit obtained for them by the arrangetnent of 1808, while the Bill gave the Bank no security that the balances still in their hands should not be further reduced. M. TIERNEY remarked, the first observation of his Holm. Ft lend had been, that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had announced it to be his iu tentidn to reduce the balances in the hands of the Bank from 7,000,0001. to 1,000.0001. by applying 6,000,0001. to the public service, and the answer, or rather the no answer, which the Right Hon. Gentleman had given; served to confirm the cor rectness of his Hon. Friend's statement. Instead of acting on the promise he had made, the Right Hon. Gentleman now brought forward a measure which only benefittetrthe public to the amount of 3,000.0001. For his own part, he believed the Right Hon. Gentleman had meant what he said when lie first spoke on this subject, but that he bad subsequently been forced to take the part be Was noW taking Ly the Ban.k. Tine 3,30 0 . 0 ? ( 1 arrears of the Consolidated Fond, which they as been given to understand was to be paid by mean ° . of this Biii, was provided for by a further A ct of Pal Ihiment, which declared, that any deficiency occurred in the Consolidate,' Fund, the Bank should issue ExcheVeri Bills for the amount, which shOuld Pt out of the fit st pr ocee d s o f th e next rpOr te " The explanation given by the Chancellor of th e Exchequer was very well for those who und er. " stood the subject, but it was impossible for and person who was not v er y conver sant with it follow him through his statement. He &w it ._ therefore wish the question referred to a C ° : l i mittee, arid the forther pr o c e eding on the mi. „ postponed. The' Bill to him seemed framed ore principle of delosioti, to make. the House believ.6 they were leg( laving to give the public the bell e : tit of 6,000,000!. when in truth it only went 17 apply to their service half that sem. 'Die Itig i b o lion. Gentleinao sail he proposed to tak e growing amount o f t h e C onso lid ate d Fowl 8 ,, 5 : should accumul ate . T o t hi s b e h a d n o objec f; " l " lie had observed too, th a t thi s Bill co uld not pr e : vent the Government f rom reducioa the hal t ' hi the hands of th e Bank farther. That, true, but would it no t b e b etter t h at the soor c . should now be referred t o a Cononitiee.of c. natice ? "I' he inquiry could 'tot to to them !Dore as the accounts.wete alre.oly made tort, awl i t " I , f ht hope that this cou r se wou ld b e ta k ers , he f o re now move au amendment to th e motitto.b— them, that the' House should resolve io-elf Committee on the Bill on Monday se'linigh t I, it Tine CHANCELLOR of the ExCHEOUSH s A ,', 4 wa s was admitted, that as t a r as it went this D ili pia good. Int his opinion it went as far ai n te onc li ought to go, embraciug as it slid il one g reat "t r no a of Inct subject. He could not consent to p" s ' 1) : - e . tine Committee on the Bill, b ut b e had no ob i e r e Hon to refer tine p a p e r s connecte d w ith 1 10 : t F art of the subject whi c h was not comp rehended 01- 1 Bill to a Select Committee. bets e! TIERNEy observed, the qoestion them was, as to the e ff ec t o f thi s Bill. Th e C" i n va cellar of tire Etclpequer told them it woola giie the public the benefit of 6,000,000 1 . 'i bis ,'" c\lr. Tierney) must deny ; and if the whok s l o Jett were referred to a Committee, he pledge his existence their report woodd oot out the assertion of the Right Lion. Gentlenl3:be Mr. LUSHINGTON declared the Bill g aye r T of Public the benefit of 6,000,0001. It woold lit o f to their service 3,300,0001, to cover arrears the Consolidated F un d ; and 2,700,00 01 . to reP of former advances of the Bank. The [louse divided, when the numbers wer e'''. For the Motion .......................... 164 For the Amendment ..... ' ................ • So .Maj0rity........... . • 0056 When the Gallery was reopened, the was Mr. i a Commiltee. Pao ° Mrs' TIERNEy wished to know distinct'', ofo much of the money advanced by the Bank v be repaid under this Bill ? as The CHANCELLoR of the Excusiotc .-r, 581 1 1 , far as he could judge, about 3,000,0001. or 34 Mr. TIERS:Ey replied, that ,per kg wardiinani of I .1,., e 1 0 : 11 Adii Anaai t judge, did nut o ut —( l it.A !moth.) e " or n 5 " it ..v'.vasa tact, that fo r tire ExcheTtet I).l':ibije were lately advertisrit to be p il io off, th e P eoe r, received interest only at th e ra te of "" I— o vo' :virile the Bank received a t the rat m e ihi ol. c i ) 0 1 4 pence h6llpetiny for the same Bills told ? sa id D° The CHANCELLoR of the ExottlaTirg s • t ins had no (balcony its replying tl'e w hich Hon. Gentleman. Ti re _Bank, for the bills, they held, received exaetly the rate of 1 _ 1 (1 which it had been agr ee d to grant them, a" o .set its this respect no better treated (ban w ' Y ee t rai n patty who had advanced money at rate of interest, and was paid his interest rate. °e exactly Mr. MABERLEY said, it nppeared con e ict as he had stated, and that the w" ,peo ce, with thei r Excheqtier Bills, got on l y "„. 0 ( i 0 " 7.. while the B a nk, w h o did not come in, 7 pence halfpenny. • to hette 6t Mr. GRENFELL observed that the a nte which the publi c would derive front th is vl rea 6o l ; Confined to 3,000,0001. '!'here . w"' I“o Ottec ti ' why it should not extend to the whole 1" 1 " r c ow' (lie Consolidated Fund. '1 e only reo" 'o,eot ri filling it to the thr ee m illi ons , was to r e R, from interfeting with tine profits of the i l-33 : o pet tr :' Mr. MARERLEY thought it now, plainiY " i 'd too' ed how much m o r e a dv antageo us it wil o k been to have ref erre d t h e affairs of th eL : e o e t;til u the Finance Conimittee. That Conyni fß igor et most easily and accurately h a ve fixed the rate of in:cr e st. P " l fit Mr. LILISKIssON said, that so far t nOl3. to creditor was c oncerne d, t h ere was 11 ° complain of the present arrangerneo t • ere 01 r t e The various clauses of the Bill s w aive ( ' to, and the Report ordered to b e re mortow. BANKRUPT LAWS. to l e t s noti tielce ' Mr. JotiN SMITH rose, pursuant to submit to the House a motion relAtivedroittea Bankrupt Laws. It was on all han ds e pa ces' that some amendment these laws weL ke ont o sary. It was only necessary for hitt) totte r to in' _ observation on th e i r p re sent state, i n °r llll ,ly, sure the House to agree to his mo tiost :3 salt that it was at present almost itoitoss ible , „, • oi l wino was, and who was hot subject to tne beoe fiC the ground that it was necessary, .for the w e. of tine commercial world, as f or the 1 0 1 as • s ho rests of morality, that the 13ankrupt Laws tore° Inc amended, he called tonsils t he !loose to o t r i - iie e to his morion for leave to hying in a Bill t and look's(' the Laws tektite to Baukrui" Agreed to. LONDS OF THE ATr ifit * f hi§ Sir M. W. ii.tpi.hy vole, in (;ol.Sequence o notice, to move an Addles, to the Prince 34'11; praying lor reductiun the number of the 1 )'" . .1 of ae Admiralty. [le could n ot bring torwal( this gik.s.ion without feeling the great di tl" s of h s si:untion ; to strike out any new lights on a subject wdlic3 had been .alreddy so often dis Cussed. BOt th"l was one consideration from which he der i ' i c ; ' ,. some satisfaction, and which much tiuhleoed `", duty, namely, the iwitoutance. of the question for it "as tar beyond his poceri 'ibi tra r cid fo r Sur 41„ iit' l 11,