The Sun. — London, England, 1819-04-12 00:00:00

BOROUGH OF FOWEY. _.~_ As the purity of Parliamentary Representation ;11 , of the utmost importance, we insert the, follow • ing Article, extracted from a Cornish Paper, ai•d if it should be a partial or incorrect statement, we hope that some of our CoFrespoutlents will favour us with a wore authentic ammo( " Perhaps it may be in the recollection o f some of our readers. that the late Corporation 01 Fo<<ey Itaving violated their Challer, it was de claret to be forfeited by the Court of Icing's Bench ; and it having been proved to the sa,is faction of the Lord Chancellor, that they had misapplied and mismanaged the funds which they held in trust for the benefit of the inhabitants. they were deprived of all authority over these . fiindi, and other receivers were a r pointeil to see that they weir duly admioistered. The Covpor44 7 tion being chits dissolved, .the persons who had composed it, determined, it possible, to Obtain• a new ClrArter, as the only smeaus of recover it.g their tot tuer acectltianev • Iwo.'ller to etteet tilts, they tepttsented to Gov, rumen', that ?dr. Austen, I Ile Grill throligh whose ex. r- !loos tilt practices of- these itortilc , ll47t• Corpo- orli Were exi,osed, and the rod o' t heir a u. thori'y broken, was a Reformist ; and that unless a new Charter was cranfed, Ie , V id ' return his as members for the boroogit, in the place or the de voted adherents of . Cr.verrtrirnt which the patron of Fowty had invariably seleeteU-, as fi+ persons to he elected by his obsegisnius re tainers. This species ot argtonent was telt to be conclusive, and it was Sono foot's! that those WhO had contended for the independence ot Fowey had no choice tie wren 'Alinistes ial Nlenthel s h a Charier, or Alinistetial Memberss-without oue. if they agreed to allow,such Members as Ministers approved to be re: toned, they here led to nelieve that no Charter would be granted ;—if they did • not. they were given to nintersttind ihat a Charter• w(n11(1 be granted, as the me.ins ot securing ilia( . . . . object. In this dilemma, kir. Austen and iris frig ntls subati fed kve do no. retell's to say) to th e te a . , of !he two evils nresen , ed to them ; • conceded ti•e p brit rewecting the fowl) Of rttein bers, in order to preserve the cope ot Fowey from the curse ot chartered tyranny and oppres• sion. Under these c;rcitinstances it was that the late geert4l election tottnd the horongh ot Fowey.. The patron had sold lys rights to one, who had dittposed of them to another—who, aided by the ex-corporators, attempted to . piocure the return of two n , embers, in opposition•to Lord 17,1letort a-nd Mr. G. Campbell. the eAtur dat es 'tnA toduced by Mr. Austen • The -Portre,)e, who is the le turning otfi , er, sin,e the dissolution of the Cur potation of which •he was .a to - t uber, is a tart friend of the new patron, - •o; rather; a violent op t one••t of . Mr. Austen, and, —ot course, the tettiflula•es of the' patron' were; returned. — This return was set aside by n .Committee of the Commons, and Lord Valletott awl Mr • Glynn Caotphell•were declared to be-duly elecfed. The pretn4ture death 'of his Lordship created a vacattoti which the late election -Was to supply. The present Lord Valletort came forward in the interest on which his late brother had stood ; 111(1 the intended patron. Gent ge Lucy, E.tl itrougi,t forward Mr. Att wood, do- London Banker. As the - right 'of election for Fowey is itt the inhabi t:ants p a yin g scot and lot, and in.pet_sons posv•ss ing freeholds in The borough. it was always a matter of importance ( - 0 keep off !lie rates as many as possible Of the inhabitants that sere favourable to the emaucipation of the borough; 'and, there fore, the parish officers, under the - influence of the ex - -corporators, had only allowed 'show eighty persons to be put on the rates. When called on, previously to the general election, they refused to make a new rate, making oath that they did not want money, though at the time they were bor . rowing hundreds of pounds to . pay the poor.— By this 11)1'11111 they got over that period with the old rate. But being at length compelled to make a new rate, they all at once found that FOwey contained .2'2) persons liable to the poor's-rate, &c. This rate was confirmed by the Magistrates at th e Q:iarter Sessions, and we should suppose. statist he taken as the guide of the returning officer • in accepting votes. This, however, for re4sons which , he wilt be called on to explain, he declin. ed ; and, during the late election, persisted in ac cepting parole evidence of the liability of persons telotertug their votes, to pay the poor's rate. Co such a length was this novel principle carried, that a person tendering his vote for Mr. AttWood was accepted, though it was offered to be proved; that in order to entitle this elector to,iote, a bed bad been put up for him in a stable of which he had no occupation, on the second thy of the poll; The Portreeve refused to hear this evidence, and recorded the vote. llowever, he thought pro per to reject a number of voteathat were tendere., • • for Lord Valletort though a great part of them were actually on the confirmed rate. Many were rejected on the plea that they had not paid the • Assessed Taxes with which they were char t ;:ed. li l a as even the adoption 01 this extraordinary test of eligibility could not secure a majority of uot and lot voters, i• became necessary to multi- ply fictitious freeholders, or in other words, to create faggots. Two days before tine election, a Aleinor Court was held without previous 'nonce, and 49 persons, strangers to Fo , Aey, tor whom sham treebolds tsere created, were put on the roils. " The result of these proceedings is, that Mr, Au wood h►►s been returned. The numbers ten dered and accepted tv te tollokis FOR Lot f) VALLETORT. Tendered. Accepted. Scot. and Lot i s'; ll2 Prince's Tenants 53 2 -- 206 FOR MR ATTWoOD, Teridertd. Accepted. Scot and Lot lO5 99 Prince's Tenants.... 53............ 53 153 15'2 " From ►bis it appears, tl►at though Mr. Att wood has been retained by a nominal majority of 38, Lurd Valletort bs►t bn actual majority of` 48. S e t c!,l of the votes , endered for Lord Vailetor and rejected by theleturning officer, were allowed to J;L. legal by .the late Election Committee. liosv eVer, ac ilir toest s ion . %v;lj l,e . Bgll,l submit! e.l to a C-mtnittee of the House, if is utine , - , sity to 4. large,. art it at..pre,ent Put there is.tt circuit]. Stance Which deserves more partietill'ir attention, as . it invoke, a great constitutional question, and may he regarded as. one of the most ,Oatiog a:t 'ack, on the liberties of the people that has been matte since the Revoktion. ' gf Ever since the dissolation of the Corporation, no effort has been omitted, nor any influence nil resorted to, in order to obtain a new Charter.— Every speCies nt provocation has beets adopted by the tontler-agents of the ex-eorpoiators, to pro voke the inhabitants to acts Of violence ; arid if, at any dine, these manceiteres - prodoced a 1110- MellcarV ebullition of 'the poptil at- feeling, it was magnified to the utmost, as a pretext for demand ing a Charter in order to secure the peace of the boronigh. Qt the toundation on which hese representations rested,' we may judge from the fact, that even the counsel and agent of the tel Menifter,' Nlr. AttWood, (feels)led pobliely, that they had never seen soy people - con (fact themselves more I.raceably (hiring a contested election than the inhabitants of Fowey had done I n t a ct, tine inhabitants were aware of the snares that were laid to entrap them, and they carefally avoided tieing caught. However, it appears that Mr Lint had, by some rot-ant, contrived to satisfy the advisers of the Prince )reeent that it was ex peilientii) force 4 new Charter on . dr: inlidsitatos ForveY, and during the. I,or electioo, :Ind his triends boasted that they hail obtaioed one. Vtt tigers to a considerable amount were laid, that a new Charter would be produced and read in the borough betore tine Ist April. Though the friends of the independence of Fowey could scarcely slip poQe that Ministers would so tar commit themselves a . t o a•tempt to force unto; the inhabitants the authority of a faction the)/ detested, under the pretence of erantiog a Charter, it weas indeed ex• pedient to provide against tie worst. Two of the County Magistrates attended at the Town-hall of Fewey on the 24th of last month, wisest mote than t reo-thirds of the inhabitants of the borough, and whin ate rated for mote than two-thirda of the property within it and the parish, voluntarily came before them and declarer), that so tar front wishieg for a Ctsarter, they were deter ' unlined to refuse one. if proffered to them On, the next ddy, the 25th, the Portreeve and re• turn i 7 ,,, z officer o f t he borough, who is also a County Magistrate, appeared at a window of th e Ship' Inn, at Po•vey, decorated with the coltentS of the intt'lnied Patron, arid informed the people who were assembled in the street; that Mi. Brown, the' new town clerk, was ahout to read tire new Charter Immediately Mr Brown cadre forward, :bet wet n two mace -hearers, who were also deco rated with party colours. an d attempted to read . the Charter.. As soon as he appeared, a cry of ' No Charted' was set up, and -continned with out intermission. Mr. Brown moved his lips ins if in the act of reading, but not a word could be heard. At length bomehody in the cr owd snatc h e d at the Charter, when the reader fled precipitately, and the rortreeve ordered tine Riot Act to be read Several Gentlemen present told him, if he, as '4 County Magistrate, would read the Riot Act the people wou4d quietly disperse, Ile said Ike new Mayor should read it : the multitude cried, We will acknoWledge no Mayor !"lhe 4mi:twat Air. Brown ceased readin, the people became quiet, and all pretext for reading the Riot Act ceased. I is certain that government must fill . Fowey with soldiers, it they aredeterm:Sied to forme the inhabitapts to submit to - this detested Charter, as they cats only (team it down the• pro ple's throat at the point of the bayneet. Th e new Mayor possesses inn propettY in the borough, in' which he merely_occopies an occasio . n . al lOdging the Recorder, Mr. Lucy, is a stranger, ivi,b has purchased the patronage; elevens opt of fifteen of the new Collimators are not" native s at Fowey ; four of them are nOn-residents, and two never paid any i'ate whatever within the b o rough. In tact, Ministers have ? Appointed as' ;*nitiers of tine new Corporation the very men Vieririte the Lord Chancellor hid 'decided hail 'used the charity pro petty, 'eutrusted to their mattagement; in f urt h er : iniZeof boroogh pairptetieS ; and vidin'ssatnee - tliat th; y had'not their accounts for rl. great • many years ; and that as tie charity. .prope r ty . had beet, used in the same nay for grerit'outne brit of years before, , lhey considered themselves authorised to act as their predecessors had done.. These are the 'pr;rsOni . who - ore to be constituted' the rulers of FoWey; to' the exclusion of the - County M •rKi.criates, in direct opposition to a' _decided maju rt y of all the adult male population of the place ! Can such on outrage on the aild liberties of the people be sup ported ? We should thiok it impossible. In all _Quo Warrant° ,pleAdings in Charter cases, it,most be set forth, tint only ihat'llie Chatter was duly granted, hot that it was accepted. The inhabi tants at Fowey have solemnly refused to accept the Charter attempted to be.throst on theta. Ministers succeed in this odious measure, there is) an end to the liberties of the subject. Any town may be forcibly ineorporated, on any terms ; and tine inhabitants may - be subjected to the Most otliosis tyranny, by giviog . rueexelosive local juris diction to the new AlagiOrat es, who may manage the rates as they please, and deprive all whom they do not regard as their obsequious instroineuts of the, elective franchise. This wos the case during the rule of the ex-corporation" of. Fowev, this will he the case agajn, it the infamous project of forcing the new Charter on the bo rough should succeed'. We trust there is yet suf ficient public spirit left in the country to put down this daring outrage on the constirtitioual rights of the people. The Charter is evidently _and avowedly intended to coerce the inhabi tants, and deprive 'them of the tree exercise of the elective franchise; and as such, is a viol a tion of Coustit of ion. The following Resohition of the Nurse of Corllllloll3, dated Dertember 10, 1779, sliews the Manuel' in which the Legislature ot that day regarded such proceedings \ • That it is highly criminal in any Minister or Ministers, or other Servants Under the Crown of Great Britain, directly or indirectly, to use the powers of office in I he election of Re preseotativys to serve in Parliament; and an attempt at such influence will at all times he resented by this House as ;tinted at its own honour, dignity, and independence, as an infringe ment of the nearest rights of A.eery subject throughout the Empire, and temliag to sap the basis of this fro:. and happy Constitution." LrtEnAnY llEV;r:ilt. REPLY to the LETTER to the Right Honourable ROBERT PEEL, on the PERNICIOUS EFFECTS of a VARIABLE STANDARIi of VALUE. m.o. pages 63. • (Contluded from our Paper of. Satui day.) The Author, observing on the present State of the Paper Cut rency, proceed :7 ‘‘ But then, you ask, it the currency is at pre sent in so good a state, why shall Mr. Vansitlart and others, who think as lie does, express an anxiety to return to payments in coin, as soon as they think it can, without injury, he accomplished Theteason is, that though we ate goiog on very well, as .we - are, it would be more satisfactory to many. and more_ consistent with ancient usage, to return to such payments. An experiment has been made. It has answered in every respect. — It has surpassed, in its,success, what the moat sanguine political economist, it he was the Author of ir, could have anticipated. The exiirrinienr was forced upon the Gnveynment and the Court- . fry at a great and awful Troionctore. It was itustified by the exigency It has been continued doting that - exigency,. because the great advan tages and powers wt , iels it gave to this country were sitiloig and conspicuous. It has been con tinued so long, that it has ceased to be an expe riment, and iis safety and security have been, by the trial, decisively established. It would, there tore, be unwise to discontinue it, until it can he discontinued without risk or injury. That pet iod Is approaching rapidly, but not yet art ived. The great scale upon which the war was conducted, romthensurate with the great cause for which we were contending, has caused such an incr ease of our debt, together with such a consequent increase of our revenues, as added to the general increase wealth`during that period in this great country, demands a much greater currency than hereto fore; and, therefore, the Batik' must proceed with great caution and circumspection in returning to payments in coin. Many things are to be consi dered, even if at this instant, .r.",s two years ago, bullion was to be had for about the Mint pm ice ; and notch may be expected front the inquiries of the Committees now sitting in the two Houses of Parliameor, " In order, however, to appreciate more accu rately the advantages which we derived dialog. the war, from a pure paper currency, let ng take a view of the princip i al consequences which would have followed, if, at the time the great cry of de pieciation was•raised, the Ministry and the Par liament had consented to make the Bank revert to cash payments; At that time, on account •Of rite great expence of supportioa large fleets and armies abroad, and of the convulsed state - of the conti e neut. and the extraordinary measures adopted by the then Rider of France to exclude our commerce trout every continental putt, together witleothee operating occurrences, the ,exchanees were very nntavourable to us. if the Bank. had their issued guineas, there cannot be a doubt but theywool , ‘ ! have bectLimmedtately eepoeted, as every co unt ry would have been ready ter receive then), eowe , ver closed agoinst•our Other commodities. The Batik • must, therefore, have• . stopped its discouoEs ; must have contracted, in every ‘vayepossible, tee amount of its ootes in circulation. aiel, at the same time, continued issuing guineas,. which would. be rapidly disappearing, until nut etrett meolinnt should have . bOeu teduced. quaryity as to have been coto„iderehly eetrauced in value, and this 'must have been coil! 11111Cli * G11 . 00 at len'gl, the guinea %tooth{ have b eu A•Oi , 1; Si) much at home, that there would: tot lt o been an advantage in sending': it abfTtad. - tel (13 - • suppose, then, that, this•otteration, the mr renry remaining in eirculationieut been thus en hatter& 25 'per cent abovelesbetgotal ' valuea•you and others who hold the S'Atni''OpttiltillSi will per - Imps-say, that it would still , 'have auswered , sem y veil ; for 751., in this enhanterlf eurrew y, would • be equivalent 'to 1001. in the' fin , itter curre- ey, and perform every operation as 'a4 the 1001, did before:- But Mark the consegoences. do the firt' place, conld we have ventured, in that time ot war, to leave redneed the pay of our .army' v y onea fourth ?: Tbelieve no' nee Avillesay ;we co:I - W.- 1a would he difficolt to make them understand, or to reconcile thew to •itetheory oft his kind; and to satisfy them . , if one-fourth of their pay was-struck off; that they' were really - paid as much as befOre.. Therclore,eas far as Mated - tO . a'considerahle . part. of one great military expenditure, our expellees, though nominally thesarneewonid, by this change in out - currency; have beeneincreased really One , tout:11, because they would then have been. paid in a currency of one-fourth more' vatute than the former. Could the nation have well borne this. increase ? or would it' not" have been obliged to diminish its Navy and its Army ? But let us look to the interest ..of our debt , at that period, and see what rtheet such a change in our currency Would have hail upon the payment of it. Though 751. Of, this enhanced currency would have been 'worth 1001. of the former currency, would the public creditor be satisfied with receiving but 751. instead of 1001. in payment of his interest ? Would tint such writers as you have told him, that the currency was not enhanced, but that the t r ater currency had been depreciated ? "tlTould not such writers have said then e as you say now, that it would he a fraud to pay the public creditor to a dieninished ,rate of interest ? Could we, have attempted to do so Without shaking the whole fa . - brie of our credit to its foundations ? We should, therefore, have been obliged to pay the public creditor the WI nominal amount of his interest itt this enhanced currency e---that is, almost in an in scant, by this operation, the interest of our debt would have been really increased one-fourth, and this, without any new loan, or any tithe, advantage?--Could the Nation have foone this ?—Would it have been possible for tee Na tion to have paid this ? See, too, the etiket in point of taxation, which it would have had on • the people :--our ,axes must have been le;lal by • them in a currency one-fourth more valuable than hbefore; that is, in other words, by this notable operation, the whole taxes paid by the peoior would have been at *once increased it value too - fourth more than they had been IVould they, 01 could they, have borne this ! I answer, no ; it s would have been impossiine—you could not ha .e gone 00. ; After some itroggling antr,great uni • trl s'ion woiN have been ohVge d reduce your . Elects and aimies—to reer.;l 4:ee' [mil of thetuand to abandon ;he contineot of the Captive tit Si. H e lena. What a reverse fortune thi•it would such a measure have eiree re ' ; ', ; He wonld, at this day, instead of alt our toils, he'treadiog on the necks of subj"g ale- , ) 1 nations —lie would be now is ieldtog, 165 sceptre, seated in all his worts, on the the Continent of Europe, I Will not add of tr'`, islands of Europe also, atilt we .shotdd tie aril on iler stroggling with him in war, or crouch io g hint in an insecure and capricious site Of Itr' re , worse than war ;—our gaVant troops gitard"'it our own shores,—and the old Soserelgns tit 1116 I 1 Continent, not Meeting at a Cot gross to estahli, with our negociator the peace anti happiness the civilized world, misting and ber lefia t tinder d cent system of policy, but, perhaps, repai riu r , Paris, violent mapclates, to tollow the eh!' riot-wheels of their oppressor and despoiler. THlst. is no overcharged picture ; the arroganc e 0111 1 nom, when,in authority, wairants ail I have So" and more." Anti then, in a very satisfactoty' manner' the h . Author discusses the numerous benefits Ich—ic . , the County derived 'from her Paper CurrencY timing the late way, in the following words " It is, therefore, to this pore paper-cnrrebeY' which you decry, that the people of EnroPe tel no small degi,er.intleb;ed for the tepOse w hich I" ) : now etijoy. It was this depreciated cor renc ' you call it, which enabled our rre at -11 Hero to cover their a- It it s with his I ° lllels i v Portugal, in. Spain, and France; and. ". 1)3-I i ii , to extirpate Inc Despot after his resnscita ti° "' '' consign hint to his ultimate sod inexrricab le aboiie. 1 hough we have.lived in eventful 1 , 111 1 : 5' vet we have seen nothing, perhaps., so n ove ",' - i e ( ; thing so wonderful, as the colossal powers to rt► this country has displard in its financial sy s during the last war. The abandonment 011", e; titer of a metallic currency, Tice sibstito"°ll6 of one of paper, siaudiw4 npoo basis of ant national credit and p,tood 13 ; 1 1e performing it 3 mighty operations upon a. ,; 1 1 hitherto nnknovvn and uoconceived by the wind ; moving our viciorious old 811 Wh with all the impetus of the most, solid ttel g ; and keeping, at the s'arne time, all the sr):-, ofindustry in the Most 'active exertion at is a phenomenon which has formei a nevi eP i)k " o f not Only in the histoty of this country. taut man. It has pry:o what liberty cao push, whe n under the contront of a well-te„ti••• tiered constitution of government ; wr it ere'deuce and what security it giv,:s ;- a nd er 1) ;" v a in di:, so tstablisited, is able to pertottu• • ••`" world the manda.ory edicts of an ab solute n.irch, in vain would the capricious ordi n ", uc t,i;sll a detnocrin-ie gi , vernment' attempt •to such a system of . credit -n•I confi , k't' ec ' t • titit iIIUS I,er that our financiafvo' ver imitate c—r couvituii„„. mon,ircb, iims tilt of 1V 'their h4, , „11 authori!y by impartiog a bet-trio their enthralled subjec s ; tin't EeP`l3,,,c.A .. most add (Ire stability of monarchy to (he ll ' ; ,lusting, and, Licentious councils'. - before tile Y eStattllll any portion of tmal•confideoce the foundation of our fivaocial supremacy. „ s Sovereigns, who were ASToniAled at. the po's tlyic3 of this country,during the w tr, and ,si n ' it ititerWards, may have p-treived, tat ' e ; of our strength is in our well.reguk [e d f r ed"' il ,, 1,10 some gradual approxinta• ion in the°. 'l;,ine countries to Mir inS' itrliS !wit,/ he pertu'r s . lo , • btot fi,i4l result. But whaieverelfec t otis ex ': a t tv proditee among other !itellt:S. I hope that it have a lattiiir,.; out own ; .that It will make us sttil more and venerate that equipoised consti' ton)" :tei,,ol vernuivnt, - ••••Iticli• not onlysvcatres .0 1 . 1 r happiness and peace, but which gi ves mighty umllls, untitiown in all t o rmer influencing the destiny and tipholt,ing 10's e ne ves ', t peLdence of the adjacent na! ions. ; o t, Or 10 get, that it is, to the m Y magical ag e e , for * p ,'sent currency, which could not m under a government that was nt )t . ltd vc3 reguliped and balanced as ours, Ilia . 1 been indebted- for the powers which we e i t ' dispiayed. Aiatl whoever attempts to dr i-i‘gin so and make its dissatified with it, coutributcs.oo.o far as in him lies, to make us contemn 0 0 .1. 11 t h oae of the most stupendous a dvanta4.es Of' character ot our nation and of our con stil o r. t be fords us, for rendering us mighty ativj l "' w heo' nations of the.earth. We might, thFrvf" re ' 1 bye ever we are aboutw ' to'recede ho the prc ., " tent, .by,establishing the old older tbiogi:i'iog take care to do so, not as it we were fet r i e , kl front an evil,which we are glad to escAtio laying by a great and potent in to te) ,set red us well the time of exigencY , al"lete`e 1;0r ti we put op to he employed by us ag"" '' r r , ll , the circumstances of the times shall CM. 10° 0,09 to pia forth extraordinary powers. (-) V. it e "' a t ' adopted such a Curl'Clicy; dusting parlif . 0 l t ' may havtt proceeded partly front ac ct' have lia from necestity.. Butt, however it roil actit'lL pen-ed that we were induced to 11' 1 ", ' ll „kfid 1113 c „ this mighty engine, we should we have made the di covert'. teeth Dtrwhicii• safety with which it can be used , the I )°%' , e , be enr. it col , ters, and the extent to which "" in tin. pioyed. We now. know our superiori'Y, coon"' tespeef, over other nations; for no ot,ie oe't.xter, try out earth could, to any consi d 1 ciab .01 % co faitupt. the same means. We k n ow, t- 00 . 1 4. , 10 orvis uao recur to it, w believer the o.ccasioo . And in..iead d ecry i ng an d 10 . ~1 , „„, ; i t , Nve..,;f oor .1vg41(1 satisfaction and pride ay ur l moat potent Vesonrces„ whenever we tuaY ell 6 gicat and OTisvolita ,!Xertiori. C re d A young man of the name of Vir r ood" lar6 : o , eit , sidcnt of Exeter, who was pres,eut tti , jog !ion of Ilietwo eetpirul coovicis el'Y roc , es-k, was shocked at the sight v• be" l la ' lie 1 " i des were ed eft:, that he complained e nof a 6.il"' 1)"") 615 b ".".; when he reurtied hom `niate , y, mud died a tew boars -dter• fi tiac' LONPON: Prinwl hy3. CrI::STAIRS, No• ual-streco. Q:eca-satiart, and published hv Oruh - ' SCIOPPN, N. , . 7, Sualb Nbiltoutr , - s eet. 4:" !,,..fip Mier tin.. 11-2, Straw! ; li Adverti.ementA; Letters, Csc, (yezt.-pait3) triazt, i