The Sun. — London, England, 1819-06-23 00:00:00

and, in addition to this, Ire bad to 'pay his nti7ll Solicitor Ss 5.1. After suffering this busi ness to sleep for two years, was it just that such a rum s h o uld he wrung from this individual ? This,„ it was to hr remembered, Was not a solitary case. Tilete were 760 prosecutions in a year, and he 'could not but think that many of them were in stituted, not for tire protection of the revenue, but for the sake of the costs. This seethed the 'More probable, from the fact, that proceedings were never attempted to be arrested while the costs were accumulating; and from the eagerness manifested• by the Officers of 11,e Crown to c om e to terms the moment the last 6s. Bd. bad been added to the B;11 lie 'then criticised the items of the Bill which had been delivered to Captaio Bryant,and point edlycoodemned the great expences to which defendants were sobjected by the manner in which Excise prosecations were at present con ducted. When he brought forward a mte , sure to correct tisk evil, as lie proposed to do in the next t.3es•icom of Parliament, he hoped - not only that he •Imoidd meet with on opposition from the Go vernmeut, b ut that (as economy was recommended in one of the late financial resointions) that act • leg such a p.trt, he s hould receive the support and the th a nks of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.— To show the spirit in Which these proceedings of Exeise were carried on, Ice referred Co a ease which had come to his knowledge at C o lchvster A person there ,?tart, lent his copper to a friend to brew a quarter of malt, who was to have the gr ains for the rise of the brewing utensils. He was yroceeded against, bot Ott writing to the Board the penalty was remitted, and he was directed to tay3ol. and time small costs incurted; after this he had a Bill brought in by the Solicitor for 461.. He concluded ti4anking the House for their ,indidge lice, and moving that the petition should ire brought up. Mr. R. CoLBoRN ti spoke of the Solicitor to tire Excise as being merely the Officer of tire Govern- Ment in the Court of the Exch , qtrer. lie de scribed him to he a most respectable person, and he understood the fees there to have been este bihdmed on a moderate scale. Mr. ELLIS dose& the Bonse must feel much obliged to the Hon. Member for bringing this im portant subject before them ; and, for himself, he be could not but express his abhorrence of the present system. The SoLICITOR•GENERAL complained of the at tack made on the Court of Exchequer, which 1)8(1 been compared to the Court of Star Chamber, and of that made on the Judge who presided on the trial of Captain Bryant.--(bear, hear, beat !) If that cheer had any reference to what had been said of, tire imiee, he would accept it, and say, it there was anything to complain of in his conduct, the more manly course would be to proceed by impeachment rather than by bringing, it forward incidentally, as had been done this night. He then deseaihed the law of the 26th of the King, which laW, tie contended, was merely made to prevent frauds, which were formerly common.— Now what was the present case 1-In, the mani fest it appeared that a certain ronribet / of bags of coffee were on board the said ship, and when the Captain had arrived it was foond that there was a diminution of quantity. This was exactly the case the law had been framed to meet. It had been said the contents of 145 bags had beets put in - 140 ; bait this change,' if it had taken place, might to be noticed in the log-hook of - tire ship. The Captain had been told to prodk.ee it, but he had never done so. Tire coin's. `:7l of tire Judge, ire miiutained, had . been strictly in conformity with tine law ; he had noanthority act but as h,e dirt. The Treasury, in remitting the penalty on the pe!ition of Captain "Bryant, lead not decided as the Hon. Member had assum ed, that the prosecrition might never to have , been commenced. They were satisfied of the contrary, but taking into their consideration the poverty of the defendant, and all the circum statices of time case, they had remitted tire penal-' ty, and thought it would he StitfiOCllt to cover the public from the costs of the prosecution, by directing hint to pay the espences, which amounted to 1601. The Hon. Gentleman had this night renewed tire attack which had on former occasions been made against that most re spectable person, the Solicitor of the Board of 'Excise, a-igmatizing . hin) with the imputation of commencing sni , s for the purpose of his private emolument. A snore tmlounded imputation never was made.—(Hear, bear, hear !)—Every prose cution that was undertaken was under the express ditections of a Committee of the Board.—(Hear, ),ear, hear !)—As to the costs, the Hon. Gentle man threw out an intitutation which he must know to he tomfoended. The Hon. Niember must know that no costs were taken on behalf of the Crown.—(l-tear, hear, hear !)—lt was the esta blished rule that the Crown neither gave nor re ceived costs. The only instances iri which cots became a questiott,' were those where the defendant, knowing his guilt, entered in to a compromise, of which one of the condi tions might he giving; a suns to cover time costs. Then the Hotmonrable Gentleman talked of the avidity manifested by the Solicitor of the Board with respect to costs, though he - knew that nO compromise ever proceeded from tire Crown, but mnst be ptoposed by. the defendant, Irons the consciousness that a verdict must go against him, and were entered into out of, mercy on the part of the Crown. Why then Was Such an imputation thrown out with respect to costs, when all this must be known 1—(1-lear, hear, bear.)—As to the number of Counsel employed, it was rendered necessary by the great 'pressure of business and the length of time that the Court sat—circumstances which rendered it-necessary that there should be a sufficient number of Counsel to relieve eaeh other. He was therefore sure that tire Hone would see that the case of this petition, was not made ont,'and no foundation for the imputations which bad been thrown out againo hononrable inett.e—(Hear, hear, (near.) Mr. N. CALVERT said he wek nor one of those swim leut a very ready ear to spell complaints. But there were some points on which t!te Hou. and Learned Gentleman bad not afforded sufficient ex planation. First, as to the length`of time that the prosecutions were suspended (two year), as its this case. Secondly, as to the number of Coun sel employed. It ?might be necessary to secure berviees of a sufficient number of Counsel, but there could be no reßeon why Counsel who really did not plead should be paid.—(Hear !) Mr. MINIVAN said, that when such a complaint as this was brought forward by a Member of the House on behalf of one of Isis constituents, he saw no reason why it should be met with so high a tone as on this occasion. And tie really thought that the delicacy of which his Hon. and Learned Friend had talked should have prevented him from treat ing the complaint as if it were one against the integrity of a most spotless Judge, seeing that •nn part of this complaint was directed against the integrity of the judicial character. As to the Solicitor of the Excise, it certainly was true that, not tvithstanding what had been said by his Hon. and Learned Ft iend, the great discretion ; of com mencing snit s was with that Gentlemeu, who laid the representations as to each case before the Board With respect to compromises, it cer tainly was tine that they never were proposed ,by (Le Clown ; but l►e must deity that they proceed ed front a consciousness of guilt. - Speaking from his Own exp:Hence he must sav, that in every case in the Exchever under the Excise Laws in which We had been concerned, his uniform advice to the de fendant had been to make a compromise, whether his case were good or bail. It was trite that costs were not taxed, but then tie cause of complaint was, that, in the Case oh compromises, every thing was settled in thi. Treasury, ti i hoot the prkity of the party, till the result was com municated, and tht4i it was alwitys - one of the cond. ►ons that - he should pay the costs, and this, ge,ierally, without his knowing' what,,the'aninnikt of them might be. lhe ttnth was, that in .the Court of Exchequer, by some !titans or other, there was soclicaly overwhelming - intluence in fa vour of - the Crown, that a defendant co►.dd scarcely be said to hsve a fair chance of conduillog his cause to a successf►-il issue: This -was owing to the system of our Laws of Customs and which, owing In the extent of our .taxiti ion • be ing more tha❑ the country could well hear.- bad become intolerably , oppressive. Limier stico cir cumstances, it was tanrenial►le that, by the .Bill which Passed in this House last night, the system of our Excise had been extended to hral.chcs of the Reve tine that it bad never been intended to include under t hat head. He trusted ilia► i n a future Session the whole system of Excise Laws would be thoroughly revised.. Atter a few words Nom Sir C. BURRELL, the Petition w,is brought up and read. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER Said, be considered the characters of- the taus: honourable and upri g ht -Judges who •prespled iu the C o urt of the Exchequer as so exalted that any attempt to cast. an 11111)mA:ion upon them sottld he instantly repelled. Entertaining this opinion, it was with much pleasure that he had heard his Honourable and Learned Friend reply to that part of the speech of Honourable Gentleman which seemed to contain such an imputation. It had been said that in the course of a year about 770 informations had been tiled. Rut was it strange that with a revenue of 35,000.0001. collected from so many .housand trader , , in so many various branches, it could he coilected with so few writs for otlences against it 2 Mr. It GottnoN said,thoneh be was no lawyer, he begged to say a few words on this subject. He denied that his Honourable Ft iend had cast any imputation against the Judges of the -Court of Exchequer, and he thought that the Solicitor General had not answered any one of the pointy in sisted on by Itis Holt Friend. It scented to him most improper that the Attoin,y or Solicitor- General : should receive fees in causes which they did nor plead. Mr. D. W. HARVEY said, .he must persist in thinking that the oppressions in the Court of Ex chequer very much approximated to those At the Star Chamber. He must also persist in imptit ing blame to the Solicitors of Excise and Gus imps, not personally, but whoever they. ?night he who now held or had held the offices. As to. what had been said of the number of informations by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it twist Dot be thought that, 770 was the total number of the persons who were brought before the. officers of the revenue for offences against the revenue laws. The petition was then ordered to .lie on the Ott the motion of Mr. D. W. nAuvrv, there were then ordered to be laid before the llotise, Copies of all Petitions, Memorials, and Pape's, presented to the Treasury or Excise, relative to the case of Mr. Samuel Bryant ; and copies of all records, legal proceedings, and costs, iu his case. Mr. KENNEDY, NtiVr complaining of the mode in which Scotch Bills were hurried through the I-louse, alluding particularly to the case of the banishment from Scotland Bill, moved an Address to the Prince Regent for a Return of all Persons banished . from Scotland for the last three years, distingnishing the offences and periods of banish= menc—Agreed to. On the motion of Mr. LusHINGToti, leave was given to bring in a Bill for transferring the duties of the office of Receiver-General of the Customs, to that of the Comptroller-General of the same Board : anti nisu a Bill to allow the same Draw back on Coal used lot melting lead, as was al ready allowed for that used in melting tin and other ores. Mr. LI;titNGToN moved for leave to bring in a Bill for the more effectual prevention of *mug gling. One of the objects was'to enable Magis stwes to punish sailors sun►rnarily who were brought before them for smuggling ; another to punish persons for lighting signal fires for assist ing smugglers.--Leave given. Mr. LusHINGToN tLen moved for leave to bring in a Bill to regulate Naval Stores. CAMELFORD ELECTION. Mr. HustF. observed, that in the absence of the Hon. Gentleman who had been Chairman of 'the Camelford Election Committee, he was anxious to communicate to the House the grounds on which ti c Committee had reported that Mr. Hal lett, one of the witnesses, bad wilfully absented himself. It was proved that he had taken anac tke and prominent part in the transactions of the election, and had subsequently left his own house, so that every effort to serve him with warrant for his attendance had been ineffectual. Of four princip;il -witnesses, three were a bsent ; but this case the Committee were perstmded that the absence was intentional. lie understood . that the individual was tioiV itl Cmtotly Upon the Speaker's warrant, and although it was not for him to suggest what coarse the House ought to pursue, he certainly thought such proceedings should be adopted as would soppott the authority of future Committees. Under these considera tions, he now moved that the indiVidual in ques tion be committed to his Majesty's gaol of New gate. Mr. STURGES BOURNE expressed some surprise at the motion of the Hon. Gentle Man. He knew nothing of the circumstances of this case, but onderstood that it was matter of suspicion merely, that this individual had purposely absented himself from his home. It seemed more consonant to the practice of other courts of justice it) cases con tempt, to call upon the party for his defence before committing him to Newgate. He might deserve the punishment, but he ought to be informed of the charge against hint. Mr. /fume observed, that he bad made the motion upon an understanding that it was not the mind course to move that the party should be called to the bar. He litt4,, been unexpectedly called on to bring the subject under considetation. The !-::reati.en wished to apprise the House, that it was its ancient course, and there were some recent instances of its porsited, to repose the fullest con fidence in its Committees, and to hear the statements of the parties who incurred their diiplea , tire by petition's only Oil the mot on of Ml'. CROK ER, the Repo'rt of - the Committee was read. It expressed the opi-' !lion of the Committee, that Mr. Hallett had . %Wilily absconded. Atter soinecouversalion, in. which Mr. Scar- . le") Alt Macdonald, Mr. Croker, ataMr. W. D. Harvey took a share, the motion was wi:hdraWn till Finlay, in order to give rime to the person in custody to present. a petition to the House. Mr. JuiliN SMITH brought tip. the Report of the Bankrupt Regulation Bill, which was recom mitted, and the Report ordered to be taken into further consideration on Thursday. rOMBINATION AcTs. Mr. Hu-mu presented a petition from a number of journeymen tradesmen and mechanics in Lon don and Westminster, complaining of the opera tion of the lawn relative t o ,cOMbinations .among workmen for the purpose of obtaining higher wae's, and praying for an ,amendment of them. The Hon. Member, after some observations on the hardships to which these laws subjected work men, and the unjust advantage which they al lowed to masters, gave notice, :that bo Tuesday next, he should move for ferrite to bring -, in a Bill to amend the Combination Laws. Mr. ELLica spoke in favour of the prayer of the petition, and said, he would give all the sup port-in his power to the principle of the Bill. Mr. WILLIAMS felt indebted to his lion hien(' for bringing this subject before the 1-10tise. It had been the policy,ot master manuftictuters and trade , ,rnett for some time back to reduce the price of labour, and he was convinced that these coin binatio,:s' were injurious to the best interests . ot' the coitonunity. Petition was then brotight np and read. On the motion that it he laid on the table, Lord EBIUNGTON said, he entirely concurred in the sentiments expressed by the lion`. Members who had preceded . ; and he hoped that some Inca sure to remedy the evil comnl o dued of by the Pe titioners would be adopted ill the course of the next Session of Pariiitutott. The Petition %vas laid on the table, and ortleri:d to he. Printed. Putg. presented a Petition front 13 Mann• faetorerso Lancashire so Y i d orkshire, in tavoor of the Cotton 'Manufactory Bill.—Laid ou the table. DANK ADVANCES BILL. On the motion of Mr. PEEL. the f-iqnse went into a Committee oil this Bill.—Rupnut to-Morrow., CUSTOM I /4?CONSOLIDATION BILL. The !louse resolved itbelf into a Colninittee on this Mr. iluma proposed. fis an Amendment to the cl au3e which fixed the D*uy on cotigh Hemp at 94. 211., that the blank slimild be tided up with 4s. Gd. Mr. Roßrtr , cN said, that the duty of 9,. 2d. now proposed had continued frr many years, and .eould see no reason whatever for reducing it. The Amendment was necatived, and the blank filied up with the stint originally proposed. The other Clauses of the Bill having been agreed to, the House resumed, and the Report was ortle►ed to be received to-morrow. IRISH MALT BILL. Thi s Bill was tend-a second time, and ordered to be ComMitred 10-morrow. IRISH TOBACCO DILL. This Bill passed through a Committee.-11c port to-morrow. ' HUSH cusToms BILL. This Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed to-morrow. CHURCHES IN. SCOTLAND BILL. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved the Order of tbe Day fur the commitment, of this Bill. After some observations from Lord A. Hamil ton, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Mr. Hume, the Bill WWI reported, and the report or dered to be taken into further consideration on Monday next. PENRYN BRIBERY BILL. Sir Co ARLES BURRELL moved the third reading of this 1:11. Mr. Hot,Font) contended that there was no proof of general corruption, and moved an Amendment, that the Bill be rend a third time this day six months. Sit CH tiIITOPHER HAWKINS seconded the Amend - went at some length. Sir CHARLES BunnELL entered into details of the evidence in order to show. the justice of the Bill. The Hon. Baronet said, that a case had been thus made out against the Bor.-ouch sufficient to indnce doe House to extend the elective fran chise. which it had abused, into the neighbouring hundreds, though lie eOnld not agree with a pro. posal that had.been,made to transfer it to another place. He was sure, from the Members that the county returned, that the privilege ;bus .con terred on the hundreds in question would not be AranciloYST cnnetorred entirely in the principle of the Bill, but witbed . it tp be post • pOned to another Session, as, if the other 1105 e examined evidence for its own satisfaction, to•k i ,l House of Commons had done, the meas ure co' 11( trot pass . at this late period, and might be lost. ; Resolution niiL7lit be entered.on the Journals t" the Home would . take the subject into consider at: tion early nest Sc'st , ion, and though the Bortog; would want a Representative till then, the ca us of the vacancy would j-ustify the delay. Mr. MANNING made some observations ofttali' We in the Gallery. Mr. DENISON thought that the corruption this Borough was sufficiently proved, And to see it disfras,chised. In support of the jot ic of the principle of transferring the representA tic)ri ~. of a corrupt But ough to a County or large unrepresented, the Hon. Member appealed to a t authority of Mr. Fox and Mr. Pitt. . 4 Mr. ELLISoN Saw no reason tor deptivin 'II ,:, Borough or the elective fraochise. The evidev" was too vague to justify such an interference Wi t h its rights as this Bill sanctioned. Mr. MARTIN id, that no man more than self abhorred corruption ; but after having r e lj the evidence with great attention, he really c" not think that there was any general corr upd°, l ‘ in the borough of Pcuryn. If the bribery-of all, had been forced quill every elector, he was e o ° vinced that th , se would scarcely have been anir corruption Id he coMplained of. Ile, tberefOsei, noted tor the aniendinent. Lou! EtittINGTON thought. that ifthisß'll~t t, not passed, there would be nu hope of returtit airy corrupt borough. fJr.. COURTENAT supported die amendment,. Mr. GEORGE LAUB was satiz.ficd, upon a Pe r i sisal of the evidence, of the entire Cortuptiun ° the borough. Mr, WILLIAMS_ spoke to the same effect. „.,,g Mr. CHATiLKS HARVEY was decidedly cpr— e to such a sweeping measure as this, when by tit; evidence it'apprared, that only a few individo Bsl . had been goilty of corruption. Mr. V. WYNN recommended that the a mend' Went should be withdrawn, awl tire Bill its ° postponed, and HIM some Resolutions should b e now moved expi essive of the Opinion of ' bc House. Sir C. BURRELL expressed his willingness t (1 ; adopt the course proposed, and to postpone t il° passing of this Bill until next Session. Long aud Mr. V. Fitzgeriild said a Wit words. Mr. HOLFORD would not comet to withdrs it the amendmeot.—The House then • For the third reading 44 I , ot-the Ainetidinent Majority- for the third reading —4o On Strangers being re , aumitted, 111 x. Wl's • . was limn& proposing the following Ite-solutiosr:' " , " That it appears to this House, from the 11(1 7 raced period of the Sessiim, th a t i t is not ti dvis' able to proceed farther with this Bill in tile W I. sow Se.4sion." Mr. V. FITRGERALD could see no essential di f ' :terence between this proposition and that of 0 , 4 c minority, which • had just been negatived. I ;would be someilling like an absurdity to a gree " 7 this the moment they hail deciticd ta,lzainst 33 -amendinent like that of which they hail last alts' posed. Afrer a few farther-remarks frnm wyo' Mr. V. Fitzgerald, Mr. Abeierotuby, Mr. Bkodot nod the Speaker, the Resorntion wbs:withdraw" The riin was then passed. The Irish". Grand Jury Presentment Bin we n ,, through li - Committee, the ittport brour,l'" up, and ordered to be hike!' into consideration -(4 L'tidav next; and the Bill to be printed. - The other Orders Wiere then disposed, and t" House adjourned at Halt-past 'Four .till Morning. COURSE OF'EXCIIANGE, Ty 'r.... mity, JUNE 9-2. Amsterdam ' ll 11 e. F' I)itto, at Sight ' 11 8 Rotterdam Antwerp II It)Ex.A lo " ei4 Hanikurgli . 15 0 IA t ? . Altona .1 24 i '?" Path, 3 I)ay's sight Ditto 24 6(1 0 i 1: : ISourileaux, ditto Fraith fort on the Main' . .... 144 F.x. i't"..a Madrid '6:l P: tie' ',jot Cadiz [Whoa ai; E.r" L ' Sevin, t;ilsraltar - B:if Barcelona Li 4tiorn . .. Genoa... 4t. -Venice, Ital. Liv. 2f Nlalta... '..'50 --Naples 404 Palermo Lisl,on Oporto Rio Janeiro 1)ii1diti......... kii.....C0r1i..... 14i per Cent. Agio of the Bank on Holland.... 2 per Cent. _di BIRTHS. On the 21st inst., at NtO•th Hyde, the Lady of Freder i Chapma, Esq., of a son and eir. On Mo n nday, the 2 Ist inst , !' at her fat ht r's house in 1 4 1 ford-street, the Lady of Major Enwvd IVilthnan, of the i)ra;;,o Guards, of a daug-hter. mArtmED. On Monday evening . , by special license, at tile house of t h i f Earl of Sefton, in Arlington-street, Charles Pro.eue Grenfol,° Esq. son of PascoeGreiifell, .Esq. M.P., to the 'tight 1 tr Lady ticorgiana Isalyella Fraiices Molyneux, eldest daug h .. _ . of t O he Right Hun. the Earl of Sefton. • 5 11 4 n he 21st instant, the Per. It. M. Miller, M. A. Donl.. e 13. Chaplain to the 11ononrable Lard Beiesford, G and Vicar of Itedhain, Essex, to Mary, second daugh", s o the late Itee. John Harrison, L.L 13. Rector of Wral) , " in the game county. th e Ohl the Hit h instant, at the Chapel of his Excellency British /Ambassador at Paris, Heap, Peters, jun. EA' Sarah, daughter of,General Christie Burton. C. On Sunday last, .at Si. George's, Hanover-square, FilltlCS, ESC]. of the The:itte lima; Drury lane, to Miss Iveis, sinter to Nlrs. Orger, of the saute Theatre. lED. On Monday last, at his f D ather's house, in P o rtland-P l3 f e r: aged 17, Wiliion,.tourth son of John Vivian, Esq. of C lay " ton, Somer.,eiiv. ag ed Or, Frotly last, at Pichmond,'Mrs. Anne White, ag e ; 4 i daughter to illy late Ta)lor Whit , , Esq. formerly One 'a Jodktais of Chester, and aunt to Sir Thomas W. White, 123" of d Waliingweils, in Nottinghamshire. icOt . esterday inionille, at the house of her mother, in NI - 8-- ; „g place; Lambeth, in the 19th year of her ;me. after underg ° „ll, the painful over:trim, of trepanniinr, Miss Eli z a I;ic•bt , ' lef whose death was occasioned blow from a broken botillo wantonly thrown from the Gallery of one of the P 1 ' 4 , 1 0 Theatres, about two years i,go, a ild 'fruit' which time she been in a lingering state of health. 1111=010•••••••••••••••••••- , LONDON: Printctl by .1. B. CARSTATBS, of No. r'9, r4 ,A. Ormond-oil:et, Queen-squßre; mill , published by 1; 40 1 SCRIPPS, of No. 7, South Moltou-street, at 011ic„ Nft. 1 1Q. Strand ; where Advettisen , erkti, c. l “ . Letters, &c. (pest-paid) must bcrldresscd. • 1 1