The Sun. — London, England, 1819-06-22 00:00:00

PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, Jutze 21. The Royal Assent was notifierl by Commission 1 0 the LOall Bill and thirteen other Bills. The Commissioners were, the Lard Chancellor, the of Montrose, and the Earl of &Jaffa- he Oaths were administered to the Earl of E The Lotteries Bill, the Warden of the Fleet the Silk Manufacturers Apprentices Bill, ,o,d others, were brought up by Mr. Brogden, Mr. Geo. Lamb, Mr. P. Moore, Mr. C. Harvey, it Edw. Kerrison, and other Members, and read first time. The Barnstaple Witnesses Protec tion Bhl was also returned agreed to by Mr. Brog t!eo an.: other Members. Another Message by Mr. Brogde►► and other Members,,reqUested a cony ot, the Report of the Lords Committee re. sl►ecting Cotton Factories 3 the reply given was, that the Lords would send an answer by Messen gers of their own. On the suggestion of the Earl of Shaftesbury, the Marquess of Lansdowne postponed moving for the second reading of the Madhouses Regula tion Bill till Thursday. The Bishop.of LTMERTC gave notice also of nutting the second reading of the Church Rates ; eland) Bill on Thursday. The Earl of Luidetztc expressed a hope that the Nil might be postponed till next Session, in or der iogive suffici e nt time for the consideration of 'a measure of this importance, Lord Viscount GRANVILLEVesented.a Petition fr,on Nottingham, in favour of the Nottingham Small Debts Bill (his Lordship not pledging him self to suprort the Bill), which gave rise to a con %ers.o ion on Bills of this description between the Ead of Lauderdale. the Lord Chancellor, the Lead Spencer, and Lout Redesdale, the chief ob it:et of which was, that doe notice slnhuld - be given of the intention to move the second read lug of either of the Small Debt Bills in the House. Lord Redesdale recurred to the Mea sure he had to iginally suggested, of establishing Courts for small debts similar to the Civil Bill Courts in Ireland, which he contended would be greatly prettA-ahlc to partial measures. The Cotton Factories Bill was reported by the Earl of SHAFTE: , BURY, and the Amendments agreed to, to ,, ,ther with an Amendment moved by the Lad of Rosstvst.—The Bill was ordered to he en grossed, and the Earl of SHAFTESBUILY gave no tice ot his intention to move the third reading of the Bill to-morrow. Petitions from the ptismicrs confined for debt in the Coyle of Lincoln, and the Four Courts Marshalsca, Dublin ; in favour of the Insolvent -Art from Gnisburough, Yorkshire, for a revision of the Laws and flout Moretonhampstead, in favour oi the Catholic Claims, were presented by Lord • Ilolland.—Ordered to lie upon the tathle, NEW STAMMNG ORDER'. The Earl of LAUDERDALE:, after some observa tions upon the neccgsity of having information re necting the numerous Bilis that came to that House, for the regulation of particular trades or branches of manuracture, gave notice,of his inten- Con to move a new Standing Order on Monday, to the effect, that previous to the second reading of any Bill for the regulation of any trade or ma nufacture, fur the stamping or marking of any manufactured articles, for the extension 'of the terra of any patent, &c., there should be laid upon the tai);t a Report on the subject from the Board of Trade, stating the reasons which had induced that Board to recommend the measure. It was olso his intention to move an Address to the Prince Regent, praying his Royal Highness to give directions to the Board of Trade, to make such reports as above. CASH PAYMENTS BILL. The Earl of HARROWBY rose to move the or der of the day for committing this Bill. The Noble Earl began by replying to the argu ments urged by the Earl of Lauderdale in ob jection to, the Mint Regulations. His Lordship said, that tholigh it might be true in theory, if there were two kinds of currency, one in gold, the other in silver, and the latter to a certain de gree depreciated, that the former would neces arily go out of the country, yet that this general theory was in this country counteracted by par ticular circumstances, by the smallness of the seignorage on the silver, and the limited sum for which it was a legal tender. The Noble Earl had endeavoured to prove, that the effect he attributed to the present state of the silver coinage had not before occurted, because the former depreciated coin was not a legal tender, but whether a legal tender or not was of no importance to the ques tion. It passed current while the intrinsic value was less than the nominal, and the effect must have been the same as if it had been a legal ten der. N person could take silver to the Mint and coin it at pleasure ; the quantity in circulation Was, therefore, limited by the government. Front the evidence which had been given before the Committee, it besides appeared, that the Mint prices of coinage in different countries had no in fluence whatever on the market prices of bullion. The Noble Earl then proceeded to describe the clauses of the hill, as founded on the recommen dations of the Conimittees of both Houses. ,In the result of the inquiry which had taken place, it was thought necessary that the principle of a nfe tallic standard should be adopted. There were different modes in • which this recommendation might have been carried into effect. Some considered the subject as theorists, others ex amined it practically. Those who are of opi nion that the Bank, by the power of limit tiig their issues, poss, ; .ssed a controul over the exchanges and the price of gold, could not be inaensib:e to the difficulties and alarm which too sudden a contraction of those issues. would create, and therefore must approve of a gradual return to cash-rayments. Those, on the con trary, who thought that the abundance of the paper circulation - vas not the cause of the diffi culty, 811(1 that gold and the advantage of the ex -0,,,,ges would return when the operations of ti.i'de produced a halanle - in favour of the coon= try, %%ere, doubtless, anxious that time should lae affurtla ins producing this effect. Besides, if 7 a sudden return to cash-payments bad been pre scribed, the Bank would have been obliged to make great increase of its treasure, in doing; which the price of gold would have been still fur ther augmented. The Bill, therefore., provided for a progressive return to cash payments, by pay ments in bullion at different prices, at several...siic cessive periods. It had been thoUght, -ehat.'be ,' tweet,. May, 1821, and M a y, 1'823, it . would be advisable to !cave to the Bank the option of making some payments in coin. 'Upon the whole, however, it appeared best to see how the mea sure would work, and - a proper opporronity for that observation was afforded by the Bill ; for the first step towards the great object in view would be taken before Parliament met again, and the second. during the next The Noble Lord concluded with moving that the Bill be now committed. The Marquess of- LANSDOWNE addressed the House at some length on the occasion, not so much in reference to the particular measure be fore their Lordships, with which, generally speak ing, lie cordially concurred, as upon certain im portant topics which he deemed not unconnected with it. The Bill itself, he thought, would go to extricate the country from one of the.most ar duous and difficult situations in which it was ever placed ; and further, he thought it would consti tute a land-mark, pointing out the safe course which we should in future pursue, and th a t pe rilous course which we ought to avoid ; aud he hailed it as an auspicious omen,ithat the principle of returning a' soon as practicable to a metallic cur rency, inet,with almost unanimous approbation. He then referred to the nature of a provision or clause, which he had 1111 idea of proposing, though not to press, if the sense of Noble Lords seemed in the least 'against it. The Noble Marquess then passed on to a general review of the present financial situation of the country ; and, in the out set, he chiefly adverted to . the Sinking Fund, with respect to which he thought, if Mr. Fox's clause was acted upon so long since as 1803, a coPsiderahle saving would have accrued to the public J I and he approved of the Noble Earl's conduct, in re cently making that Fund available instead of a larger loan. On this part of the financial sys tem his LiirdShip dwelt in some detail, and he seemed to doubt the policy of continuing, tinder the present circtunstances of the 'country, that provision, which directed the speedy or immediate payment of one percent. out of all loans con tracted, as it in effect amounted to a taking, from one quarter what was immediately to be paid away in another, which, in fact, operated no real diminution of the public debt. In jostler to the plao- to be effected by the Bill, and in justice to the Country, be shout(' have wished that the operation of the plan was left unclogged With any addition to the present burthens oftaxation Upon the Country ; and that no recurrence of the kind shold take place as long as the plan was in opera"- lion, as such would doubtless tend to put the Country in a situation which would enable it bet fur to bear such additional hurthens, if the( found necessary. After several farther observa Lions on the financial circumstances of the Coot try, the Noble Marquess cordially concurred i present motion. Earl of LIVERPOOL also spoke at consider able length upon the occasion. Their Lordships, be observed, were 'generally aware that he. had uniformly and repeatedly declared his opinion and desire that the country should return to a metallic currency as soon as possible. He bad always considered that arrangement with the Bank as a temporary expedient. At the same time they should consider that the extraordinary circumstances of the late war, a war singular in its character us well as extent, called for that ex- traordivary exertion which gave facilities to tho system which enabled us to bi lug that arduous and eventful contest to a successful issue. The long duration of the struggle alone caused the pro tracted duration of the system ; and he must again say, that, even front his own knowledge and expe rience, that system be believed to be the great instrument which brought us safely, nay, triumph antly, through the unparalleled contest. He al _ ways felt it was the duty of Parliament, on the return of peace, to resume a metallic currency as soon as practicable, and on that principle his Ma jesty's Government had most sincerely acted. The Noble Marquess, - he observed, had made a very candid and temperate statement of his ob- . jections ; but he (Lord Liverpool) could not think that a more proper °ppm Nulty for revising or ameliorating the whole financial system of the country could present itself than that furnished by the very measure. Chen under their Lordships' consideration. In viewing the subject, it should be recollected, that not less a sum than 18 mil lions of taxes were remitted since the conclusion of pence; though, iftlle reduction beyond S or 10 mil lions had been postponed for a time, it would have operated since much to the financial advantage of the country ; but, as it was, Government were necessarily thrown upon a temporising sys tem. The present, he thought, was the best op portunity to look the situation of the country fully in the face; and that view rendered the pre-• sent exertions necessary. A liquidation of the demands of the Bank was necessary in the first instance to a certain extent, and tt►e feeling of that portion of the public who were at all capa ble of judging, he must,say, was in favour of the _ _ / measures determined upon by his Majesty's Go vernment. A comprehensive and adequate sys- tem to meet at once the financial difficult lea of the country was in every way the wisest and safest policy that could be adopted. In that view it was determined to establish a really effective Sinking Fund, by creating an adequate surplus revenue. This was a point, whatever opinions may be, held as to the other parts of the subject, which he thought could not be denied. And lie thought they would not do their duty to the country, or to posterity, if they took no advantage of this period of peace, anti act so as to establish an efficient Sinking Fund. This policy was now adopted by every great country in Europe, and which, he repeated, could only be effected by means of a surplus revenue. By the steps which were adopted, and (he arrangements proposed to be made, he trusted that at no distant iteriud this country would be in possession'of an effective Sinking Fund of about eight millions, by which means they would be enablol progressively to relieve the buttlicri4 of the conwry. Wizti suci, a system they could look forward without much anxiety, either to a continuance of peace, or even to a renewal of war. In the mean time,. said the Noble Earl, the country would gradually get rid of its fi►tancial difficulties by a progressive re duction of Debt. Such an addition-as was now proposed to,be,made tothe,Revenue, could. at to time be done vitliout some presat►re ; but a time was chosen when that would be 83 little felt as any at ht:r 'which could be hoped for ; and it was so calculated as to setWernecessary very little or no rise iu the prices o► the respective articles; the whole amoutrt of three millions proposed to be raised, was little in proportion to that of eighteen millions not long 'since relinquished. It was deemed the safest policy to bring the whole sub ject at once to the view , of Parliament, and lay ing► aside all halt or partial measures, to tell the country at once, what was necesstkry, to be done. This cause would give to the public a fixed and permanent system (as far as may be) jor the future financial concerns, and upon those grounds it was held advisable to submit the pending system at once to the view and deliberative wisdom of Parliament. The Earl of LAUDERDALE also addressed their Lordships at considerable length. He disapproved of the proposed extent of taxation, and its evident object, the establishment of a Sinking Fund for the benefit of the public creditor, whom be re garded as already in possession of sufficient secu rity and advantages, and who of course ought not to be benefited further at the expence of the latyled and .manufacturing interests. Cbeir Lordships then resolved into a Com- I mittee, and after a short farther discussion, the wa's agreed to without any amendment, and subsequently reported. The third reading was fixed for Wednesday, for ‘rhich stage Lord HOLLAND reserved his right of deliverintr his sentiments neon certain parts of the measure. The House then adjo,,rned till to-morrow. HOUSE OF COMMONS. The [louse was summoned to hear the Royal Assent given by Commission to several public and private Bilk, for which see the Lords. The i third reading of the Bankrupt Act Amend ment Bill was, on the motion of Mr. J. SNirTH, postponed till Thursday. Mr. Holmes, front the Court of Requests in the City of London, presented a Return of the 11119 paid - into that Court;pursuant to an order of the 110u , e.—Ordered to lie on the table. The Northarnron Small Debts Recovery Bill was read H third mime and passed. The Court of King's Bench Bill, after a con versation.betAreen Mr. DrioNtAN and Mr. SCAR LETT, in which the former Honourable Gentle man declared it to. be his intention to bring the Bill forward in the ensuing Session, was order ed to be read a second time on that day six months. On the motion of Mr. BENNET, the third read ing of the Publicans' Licenses Bill was postponed till Wednesday. The Court of Sessions in Scotland Bill went through a Committee ; the Report was received, and the Bill read a third time and passed. The Barnstaple Witnesses' Protection Bill went through a Committee ; the Report of which was read, • and the Bill read a third time and passed. The Parish Vestries Bill went through a Corn. mit tee, the report of which was ordered to be read td-morrow. Mr. D. W. HARveY presented a petition from the Dissenters of Lewes, in SuSsex, in favour of the Marriage Act Amendment Bill.—Ordered to lie on the table. Sir R. WiLsom presented a petition from cer tain Debtors in the Marshalsea Prison, praying, that in framing a new Insolvent Debtors' Bill, the House would be careful to protect the interests of the bonesi debtor.—Ordered to lie on the table. INSOLVENT DEBTORS' BILL. The Report of the Insolvent Debtors' Bill was taken into further consideration. Several new clauses were proposed, and among them a clause providing that no debtor, who had obtained goods on false pretences, should be entitled to the benefit of the Act, without the consent of his creditors, till alter a n imprisonment of five years ; and one, making a similar provision, to punish Attornies for appropriating to their own use money entrust ed to their care, was agreed to.—The Bill was or dered to be read a third time to-morrow. CLERKS OF THE PEACE IN IRELAND. Lord CARFIAMPTON said, it WAS notoi ions that Ireland was shamefully plundered by the Clerks of the Peace. , They set the law at defiance—they were great men in their counties ; they had great connexions, and nobody cared to affront them or go to law with them, as most of them were At tornies. He was convinced that the House would not encourage rapacity and peculation, and he therefore anticipated no opposition to the nip tion lie was about to make, as the abuses which lie was anxious to see corrected, were really great, and as one of the Officers, to whom his motion referred; bad, by multiplying his fees, brought the emoluments of his office up to from five to six thousand pounds per annum. He moved for an account of all salaries, fees, perquisites, and other sums of money, received by each Clerk of the Peace in Ireland, for each of the last three years, distinguishing for what the same had been re ceived. Mr. C. GRANT reminded the House, that a 'Commission was now in progress which would inquire into the situation of the Clerk of'the Peace in Ireland. But for this, be should hare brought the subject before the House himself. As matters now stood, he thought it might be safely left to the Commission.—The motion was agreed to. Mr. BLACKBURN presented a petition from the Merchants and Manufacturers of Manchester, against the Foreign Enlistment Bill. Mr. PHILLIPS read a letter, which he had re ceived from some of his Constituents, strongly protesting against the principle of the Foreign Enlistment Bill.—The petition was read, and or dered to lie on the table. WOOL TAX. Lord LOW THER presented a petition from the 7.faeufacturers of Ker,tiail , agalott. 17e.e `las nil Foreign Wool. After a few words from Mr. BannonAsi, the petition was ordered to lie on the table. A petition' was presented from Newcastleallt‘ri ing for a prote c ti ng Dutiinn 4e - IrrrAt .05 ° Corn.—Ordered to lie aktisptaNe: The Report . lof the ColohliA Clergy Bill WO e i ceived, and the Bill o rdered t o b e r ea d 3 thi ll time to-morrow. • rdO The Slave's Registry Bill, after a few words from Mr. B BRNALL , Mr. G OULBURN , i'v' tc r. ; BARHAM, was read as second time, and ordered tit be committed on Wednesday. Mr. LUSHINGToN moved the second reading n" the Passengers' Regulatihn F the Mr. BENNET hoped the s eco nd r ea ding 1) Bill would not be pressed • till the House shn it ' be better lammed of the subject of it. Mr. LUSHINGTON briefly explained the objec t of the measure. The Bill was then read a second time, and coal' witted for to-morrow. The Colonial Accounts' Bill was read a saca l time, and committed for to-morrow. FOREIGN ENLISTMENTS' BILL. Lord CASTLEREAGH moved the third reading 4 the Foreign Enlistments' Bill. Sir W. SCOTT defended the principl e of th ea Bill, and showed, from a reference to Vaud se c other writers on the public law of nations, the present measure was imperiously demaotl e • from us in the situation in which this cowl stood at present. He did not say case s might "° arise in which a third party w ou ld b e f u lly just' s fled in interfering in behalf of the oppressed ; 1) 1' be contended, this, when done at all, ought " P he openly done. While a country professed ne n ' trality, it was bound ,to abstain from all inte r : Terence from all me a sures of h os tility towar d' either of the Belligerents. It had been a rgued tha t other countries as well as our own h a d fortnel permitted individuals to enlist in the service n foreign countries, and the present, it w a s attic ( ' Was a case in which Great Britain was b ou nd t° take a part. To this be would reply, that a c ; course pursued in former times had b ee n ptirsu fi e in utter co n te m pt o f. a ll p u bli c aut h or i t i es . r te then referred to the law of nations, such a 4 it sr peared to have been from the time of the RI mans down to the present p er iod, to s h o w 1" that sort of interference on the part of this coon' try between Spain and South America, which son s thought desirable, would be in violation of that neutrality see had pledged ourselves to ma intain' It was perfectly well known that it had been tb• c practice of the Swi ss an d o f ot h er S tates to let oat their troops to. tak e a p ar t i n d ie quarrels of foreign nations ; but from the course they pot' sued no defence could be found for the line of con' duct which it was said 'this country ought t° adopt in favour of South America. It was 8 " serted that our commercial interest was touch b e " . nefited by the connexion now kept up betwe ea . individuals in this country and South Amer'cf • Supposing this to be proved, it furnished no jo° li ; fication of a departure from neutrality on the piq of England. Our true interest would be found tf, consist in honour and good f a ith. H e roceedeti at great length in an argumentative speech, 'cool' preheuding much learned research, to combat tl i ' s sentiments of those wh o o pp ose d t h e B i ll. Id a knew of no appli ca ti on f rom a f ore i gn powe r in' , the passing of a law, like that now under (fiscal sion, but Spain, u n d er th e ex i s ti ng treaty ; u l igh s reasonably make such a demand, and he knew 0° on what grounds it ought to be resisted, f Mr. SCARLETT hoped nothing th a t would 11 front him would he regarded as personally &are; spectfitl to the Ri g ht H on . G ent l eman w ho be' just sat down, but at the same time his doy t° his Constituen's, 'and to !!.e country at Wee' forbade hint to make any coocession on the r e ' sent occasion. The argument of ti•e . Right Gentleman seemed to hint to suppose that wale ° body had proposed that assistance should be give : to the Spanish Patriots This, hoWever, 04 not contended for on that side o f th e H ous e, on ,l the Right Hon. Gentleman arguing, as it apPe 3r ; ed to hint, on this erroneous supposition, had 0° , 4 ,• been distingoished by that felicity which usuoly, marked every debate in which he p art i c ipote" , ; If the Right Honourable G e ntl eman h ai l het — called upon to consider merely what the G o eetn; . ment had a right to do, his argument w ou ld hn / .4 been unanswerable ; but now the quest i o n yr w- g , not what the Government might d o , b u t w heth e or not they were called upon to take oil sures to prevent the subject from doing vib he had a right to do by law. That whi ch the subject might do without the consent, ad' thority, particip a tio n , or . p r i v ity o f t h e G° l verment, could ever compromise it with al belligerent, and no foreign pow e r h a d a r i g ht, . 1 . 1 such a case, to call upon the c o u nt r y t o a lter t laws. The question, i n fa c t, n ow was , w hetbo ' or not the House should pass a law to controls; the will of those who went out as voluntee r , without the sanction of Government, exeetpd. ° l, where they were permitted to serve the SpanP r i Government. He thought such a law ought 0 , ° 4 to pass, unless indeed it were called for by lu d safety of the State, which no man had asserted to he the fact in the present instance. He denied that there was any thing in the treaty of 1814 tt'''.• 11101 e it incumbent on the Government to po i , the Bill. No existing stipulations proved 511 % a measure necessary. That treaty bound tr h country to abstain from supplying the Span's,' provinces with warlike stores, but did not hi n , d , it to prohibit its subjects from enli s ti ng into t' j c , service of one party or the other. Here were t n : ii things, only one of which was contemplated the Treaty of 1814. It he could show that of these could be done by the prerogative of t'' t Crown, and the other only by an Act of tn House, he thought he should show a substahinte difference between that Treaty and the preol e measure. He then adverted to the Acts of t i n . 12th of ClAtries H. and the 29th of George / to show that arms and warlike stores alone shou ld not lawfully be furnished ,to Belli ger ents b ug with license of the King. Su c h was the 18 4 with respect to warlike stores ; but in these 1 0 01 the subjects of En g la n d w er e n ot p ro hibited & n og entering into the service of these Powers n at war with this country. But the Right fin o o f Gentleman said we should look a t the claims ht honour and good faith, whatever interest wig lu Vi It t