The Sun. — London, England, 1820-02-22 00:00:00

PARLI A M ENT, HOUSE OF LORDS, Fes. 21. The House met abort t►alf-past three o'clock. The Oaths were administered to the Earl Digby, the Earl of Courtown, and other Lords. The Marquess CKOLMONDELEY reported the Answer of the King to the Address of the House in reply to his Majesty's Message respecting call ing a new Parliament, expressing his Majesty's satisfaction at the sentiments contained in the Address. His Lordship also reported the Answer of the King to; the Address of Condolence to his Ma jesty, - on the Death of his late Royal Brother the Doke of Kent. The Marq►tess CORNWALLIS reported the AD. swer of her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, to the Message of Condolence to tier Royal High ness, on the Death of his late Royal Highness the Duke of Kent. Tbe Lea-bridge Bill And a Road Bill were liron4bt ujt froln the tione of Commons. by Mr. iloublon and other Al: miters, and read u first Rippon, front the Bank of England, 'pre bented the Annual ACCOut)t respecting the Iteduc ti,n of the NAtional Del t.—Ordered to lie on the Table. INSOLVENT DEBTORS. Lord Au CK-IA n presented a petition from the Prisoners confinid for Debt in the King's Bench Poison, praying for the continuance of the Insol• vent Debtors' Act. His Lordship expressed him self favourable to the prayer of the petition, as, unless the Act, which very shortly expired, was - continued, much private misery would ensue, and cmtsiderable public inconvenience. lie took the opportunity of giving notice of his intention to move, early in the new Parliament, for a Com mittee to inquire into the state of these laws. — The petition was ordered to lie upon thv The Marquess of LANSDOWNE presented two petitions for the continuance of the Insolvent Debtors' Act, from the Prisontri confined for debt in the 13otough Gaol of Liverpool Hod in the - Fleet Prisou. la is Lordship also expressed him self favourable to the object of the petitions, for though there were many objections to the provi sions of the Act, yet he was desirous it should be continued for a time, with all its inconveniences, were it only for the purpose ot.forcing the con sideration of the subject upon the attention of Parliament. The petitions w,ere ordered to lie upon the.table.—Adjourned till to-morrow (this day,) HOUSE OF COMMONS. THE DUCIIEsS OF KENT. Lord AlotapETtr teitoned the grateful Acknow ledgments of ber Royal Ilighness the Duchess ot Kent, to the Address of Condolence which the House had been pleased to present to her On the melancholy occasion of her Illuvrions Consort's deal h. Mr. W. WILLIAMS begged leave to wiihdravv the notice he had given of an intended !notion for to-tnorrow..... DIMITS OF ADMIRALTY, &c. Mr. (BROUGHAM, steing the Right [lon. Gentle man (the—Chancellor of the Exchequet) in Isis -place, wished to take that opportunity to call his attention to a illusion which he thought it his duty to bring forward at the present moment. Its the year 1812, he had made a similar motion, viz. for the production of Papers and Returns relative .to those Funds which were under the immediate and entire control of the Crown, without any of . the usual interference of Parliament ; particularly alluding to those Funds which arose from the Droits of the Admiralty, the Droits of the Crown, tee. lu the 'answer to the Resoltoions which he Lad at that time submitted to the House, it had been urged by Mr. licticeval, that an arrangement .having been wade with his late Majesty in respect of those Funds, by which his •Majesiy's control over them was abandoned, it would not be fair to bleak in upon the terms of that engagement ; bitt he at the same time distinctly allowed that Par liament had an undoubted claim to a knowledge of the at:somas and appropriation of those funds, and that the proper time to apply for suck infor- Motion would be when that engagement should. be at an end. All had agreed at the time belted last brought this questicn forward, that these funda ought to be regulatsal in a mote constitutional manner; and Mr. Perceval had pledged himself that the manner in which they were disposed of should always be within the knowledge of Parlia ment, as soon as the engagement by which - he was then bound should be terusinated. On that ac count it was that the motion was dropped, and as the time pointed at by Mr. Perceval had now arrived, its consequence of the demise of his late Majesty, he hoped these pledges would he redeem ed. He should beg leave to move, that an humble Address be presented to his Majesty, praying that he will be pleased to order accounts to be pre sewed to that House, co all the fonds under the control of the Crown, and not under the control . of Parliament, from the accession of his late Ma jesty to the present period ; distinguishing the amounts of the Droits of the Admiralty, the Droits of the Clown, the Four and a Half per Cent. West India Stock, and the Scotch Revenue.. The CHANCELLOR of the E:l,ctleauEn said, he should have no objection to the production of the accounts called for by the Hon. and Learned Gen tleman. He apprehended, howeVer, that there would be some difficulty its the production of Papers relative ht the Four and a Half per Cent. West India Stock, as nu accounts of allowances made out of that Fund had ever yet been before the House. Ile did not, agree with the Hon. and Learned Gentleman in thinking the present th e most appropriate time for his motioo : itt his opinion, the production of these accounts ivould only have the effect of bringing into one point of view a number of accounts of a peoplexing swore. BaouGuAsedeclared, that his intention in eallin for these Papers at present was solely for the purpose of saving time. The Civil List v‘ilhout doubt, be' discussed at an early parr of• the ensuing Session ; and he thought it necessary, therefore, that the House should be in pozsession, of ail the it it could obtain, every subiet t c,r►►Yecttcl •Will 4 it, as "et l.l L'S possible. ThelncitiOn Was then agreed to, and an Ad- Tess on the subject was ordered to be presented Del his Majesty. CAPE BRETON. Mr. BENNETT presented a Petition from 'cer tain inhabitants of Cape Breton, who, under an apprehension that they were about to be trans ferred to the domination of some . new 'power, prayed the British Legislature would not permit any change in their situation to take place.—Or dered to lie on the table. INSOLVENT DEBTORS. Mr. ABERCROMBIE presented a Petition from certain districts of Liverpool, praying for the con tinuance of the Insolvent Debtors' Act.—Ordered to lie on the table. LOCAL JURISDICTION BILL. The Order of the Day for the second reading of this Bill having been reed, SCARLETT entered into a detail of the pro visions of the Bill, previously to its being read a second time ; which having been done, and the question put for a Committee of the whole house, A MEMSBR, whose name was not known in the Gallery, suggested the expediency of postponing the farther prowess of the Bill till the meeting of the ensuing Pailiament. Mr. SCARLETT opposed this, and The House went into a Committee ; and the SPEAKER having resumed, the Report was brought 'up, the Amendment read, and the Bill ordered to be read a third time to-morrow. MALT DUTY ACT. Mr. PRIMROSE presented a petition from cer tain Distillers, Brewers, and Maltsters, in the county of Stirliug, agiinst the Malt Duty Act. The Honourable Gentleman observed, that the duty upon Malt in Scotland, which was formerly 2d. per bushel, had now advanced to Is. The petitioners complained that the Act had been passed without due notice being given, in rude, to afford an opportunity fur afull discussion of the subject, or allowing time for the paities inte rested to make any representations of the na ture of its operation upon.them. He (Mr. Prim rose) thought that the agricultnral interests of Scotland had a tight to be considered, and, as was declared by the petitioners, the original grounds of favour, viz. that a great proportion of the barley produced in Scotland was inferior to that raised in the other parts of Great Britain, still existed, he hoped the petition would meet with the consideration of the House. The petition was then brought up and read, and, on the motion that it lie on the table, Lord AacutßALD HAMILTON said, he was stir prised that the Hon. Gentleman who last spoke had made so forbearing a statement. The House would be surprised when he stated as a fact, which he did not fear any Gentleman in that [loose con nected with Scotland would contradict, that the amount of the duties upon malt in Scotland ex ceeded the price of the article itself. - A varie•y of other circumstances concurring to tnake the operation of the Malt Duty Act press heavily in Scotland, he sincerely joined rtbe Hon. Gentleman who presented the petition, in hoping the subject would meet with some-consideration. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, he should not object to an inquiry on the subject, but it should be borne in mind, that it was not surprising that there' should be a pOrtion of infe rior barley in Scotland as well as in England. SEIZURE OF ARMS BILL. Sir ROBT. WILSpN inquired whether the House might expect any accounts would be laid before it of the arms which had been seized under the late Act authorizing the seizure of arms, distin guishing those which had been seized during the night time and in the ddy rime. Mr. BATHURST Said, that Government was not in possession of any returns on the subject. . IRISH TREASURY BILLS. On the motion of the CHANCELLOR of the Ex- C11E4141,11, it was ordered that au account be laid before the House of all the Irish Treasury Bills outstanding and unprovided tor at the pie bent tio►e; MUTINY BILL Lord PALSISIISToN rose for the purpose of call ing the attention of the [-louse to rlie notice which hail been laid before it. lle would in the most brief manner possible state what he desired to propose on this subject. It would not be neces sary for Lim to bring in any recital of the. Mu tiny Act in his explanation of the Bid he meant to propose. He situp!y meant to propose a Bill to continue front the '24th of March next till the 24111 of June following, the provisions of the Mu tiny Bill of last year. . Such being the object of his BA!, lie did not conceive himself called on to enter into any details oil the subject, as the same inducements which had operated in favour of the passing of the Bill last year, would still be suf ficient to cause ifs continuance for the present. On the question .being put from the Chair, Colonel aiVlas said, he could not allow a Bill of this description to pass in .silence. He bad hoped that befOre this Bill had been proposed, the Noble Lord, or sOme one of his Majesty's Mi nisters, would have given some explanation of the reasons of Government for maiutaining so large a military establishment. It was true, as the Noble Lord observed, it was only .the old Mutiny Bill they were called upon to pass ; but it was a slit ferent force, whose existence they would thereby sanction, to what it was when they had passed the same measure last year. Since that period Go vernment had thought St to-raise a large extra body of troops, at a time sou when we were in a state of profound tranquillity. It was . true discontents had prevailed in different parts of the country, but he would only ask whether such a wanton abuse of power was not calculated to increase these dis contents; and whether it was not in consequence of similar ill judged measures on the part of Go vernment that these discontents had ever shown themslves. At the time that these new levies had been made, the existing military establish ment,. be contended, was more than amply suffi cient. The execution of the laws should be en trusted as - much as possible to the-Civil Power• 7--- 'lt was generally alio wed't hat certain districts in the Vest of Scotland, such as Glasgow, Paisley, &c. were more opposed to Government than any others in that part of the Kingdom. Now, why 3twula a Lige ttilthdry T6rce be kept in the \Vest of - Scotland, when a respectable body of the in habitants of Glasgow had formed themselves into a corps of voluoteeis for :the 'express purpose of gneliing disturbaocis. It - was not his intention fo 'moire an atnendment, but he should certainly br'ing the queicion more fully tinder the considera tion of the House at another rime. 'Air.CALCRAFT followed his Hotr. Friend in the siew he had taken of the question before the House. He protested against the maintenance of a large armed force. He thought that if a mili tary power was necessary to keep the people in awe, it was all owing to the conduct of Minis ters. A deaf ear had been turned to all the prayers with which the table was loaded, when the House had lately adjourned at the conclusion of its sit tings before Christmas. In despite of all those solemn calls upon their deliberations, they had adjourned themselves till the 15th of February.— Before the arrival of that day, however, it had pleased the Almighty to take our late Sovereign from this world, and instead of their meeting the next day, and going into the bosiness which so loudly demanded their atte n tion, they had assem bled for a few days, and were int - muted that their dissol u tion was at hand, at the samtetitne that the day on which their existence was to cease was in a most unusual and extraordinary manner au-, nounced to them beforehand. Thus then it was intended that the new Parliament should go into all that business which they had neglected to do, at the time which he had attempted to show it was must proper that they should flare done so, viz. on the.immediate demise of the Crown. nom these coincidences heeeanneto the conclusion, that there was some latent feelitie it) Ministers which urged them on thus to play with the feelings of the country. lie could not - help thinking there was something to propose which would place in an awkward predicament Members who were on the eves of meeting their Constituents. lie did think that the present Parliameut, who were about to meet their Cooteilueuts, would not agree to pass the Mutiny Bill in the same state as when it was passed last year, and this was the reason why Ministers did not go forward with business in the regular manner, Lord PALMERSTON declared, it was not from the motive which the Honourable Gentleman imputed to hini i that he had not give!) all the information he seemed desirous of, but merely from a feeling that he should be intruding unnecessarily on the time of the House. He should content hinsself at pre sent with stating, that with regard to the aug mentation of the military force, that it Govern ment had not. made that aegmentation at the time they did, they would have been guilty of a gross dereliction of their duty—(hear, - bear !)—and he was sure that the people at large felt approbation at what Ministers had done on that •occasion.— (Heat !) Mr. HOME thought that the House ought well. to consider of what they did, b? assenting to the passing of this Rill. They were about to conti nue a burthen of upwards of eleven millions on the Country. He hoped, on the second rtading of the Bill, some one would more for a redaction of this enormous sum of eleven of tveive millions, and he was sure the House ;could support the too tion. Leave was,,lben given to bring in the Bill. NAVY MUTINY bILL, Mr. CROKER observed, thßt the number of men had been already voted for the N3Vy, and !be therefore which lie intended to propo:e would be the same as the Army Mutiny Bill. WRITS SUSPENSION BILL. Lord J. RussuLL moved the second reading of this Bill. Sir CHARLES BURRELL observed, that as the importance of this Bill seemed to be allowed on all hands, and as the Noble Lord opposite (Lord Castlereagh) had himself 'acknowledged its pro priety, although he had suggested the prob:thility of many difficulties and delays being thrown in its way in the Upper House, he rose for the purpose of suggesting the expediency of the Noble Lord's using his influence in that House, to the end !bat no unnecessary delay should be allowed to cross its path in its progress through that House. _ Mr. CALCRAFT must take the liberty of saying that there never was any thing more disorderly than the Hon. Member's conduct. No one could be more willi than be was to support his Noble Friend in.the principle of this Bill.; but he could not join him in wishing that it should pass that House; in his opinion it was quite impossible it ever could pass. It would be imposing oo the nation, that all who had voted for that Bill had done so with the conviction that corruption had existed in the four Boroughs to which it referred, to an extent that required the Elective Franchise to be taken from them during the Election about to take place. Now, sufficient evidence had not been produced to satisfy Members of this. In the House of Lords, he alas convinced they were not in possession of sufficient information with re spect to the Borough of Barnstaple, to be . able to concur in passing the Bills. He, however, did not desire to see Members returned flour any of the 'four Boroughs ; but the mode which he should 'propose to be adopted in lieu of the unsa tisfactory one now before the House, wotild be to address the Crown, praying that it woi,ld suspend the Writs. His proposition seemed to have cre ated some surprise among Gentlemen, but lie thought this was an occasion on which they ought to throw themselves on the Crown. He was aware that in the best of times, with regard to the . issuing, suspending;, and susperseding of Writs, it bad always been held that that House ought to rely on itself ; but the present was altogether a new case. No sitfficient evidence had been pro (Need to one branch of the Legislature, and no evidence whatever had been offered to the other. They would avoid, therefore, by the Address, the inconveoience which the other branch of the Le gislature would be pot 'to i t coming to a decision, without a sufficiency of evidence. He begged to be understood as heiog perfectly ftiendly to the principle of the Act—it was solely as to the means he differed. Mr. %V. ‘VYNNB Wa3 of opinion, that such an Adthess as that proposed by the Honourable Gentleman who had just tpolsen, would tend to the total overthrow of the Constitution, and of the whf k le frame of Patliatnent. Jt would be a recog nition, that, the Crown ,could, at its will and plea sure, suspeoui the elections of diff, tent places, put ar, end at once to Parliament—(Hear, hear ....Al e wa s satisfied that such a measure would ba illegal. With aspect to the Borough of Barn . staple, he thought sufficient evidence was before- Parliament to e duce it to agree to the pre sent Bill, the sinp, circumstance of the voters hae ing been proved to have taken 31. and . 5/, a Mak for their votes. Mr. MARRYAT was averse to the Bill, becaUs° it confounded together four cases, in which Ii thought there existed strong distinctions. ga l the voters of Grampoond were at present in ga oll and there was no doubt, with the fate of tbe i C brother voters before their eyes, the remaitting voters would be ova aseir best behaviour, should tut election take place amongst theca $ C present. There were also two Members at Pre' sent in prison, in consequence of corrupt prae aces ; and really, if he were called upon to d e ' dare which were the Boroughs that would act 011 an Election with the greateit purity it the pre' sent crisis, he should lay his hands on those Yell ,Boroughs. Mr. BROUGHAM thought it was riot necessarY til be possessed of any great foresight to f iercely% that - at that period of the Session the minds (n Members were not in a state to discuss so impor t ' ant a question as this—a question involving i to less-ahan the disfranchisement of four Boroughs, and transferring the right of election to other tln represented places. The Bill said what was 11 118 en , .ugh, that they had not sufficient evidence for three out of the four, anti, therefore, their Elec' five Franchise should remain in a b e y a nce lil t Pariiament should be able to carry on the quiry, and, being in possession of more lament': lion, decide at once on their punishment. lie di d not see how it would affect that discussion, evert it the Members returned from those places shoh l " be si.tiug in that . House. His Hon. Ftieotit (Mr. Calcraft), in - proposing an Address t u the Crown, had totally overlooked,- that if 'b e , Crown was put in possession by that Address, o' the power of suspending the units of one or 0 1° particular Boroughs, it could also extend th ° power to the whole of the 44 Boroughs; for th A g Address of the House could confer no power, a n , owed not only its continuance, but • its existenc e to itself. lie entertained no ouch sanguine pectation respect to the pure conduct the Boroughi in case they should be allovs'e" to exercise their Elective Franchise at lb a present moment. In the present crisis of affair . he should not do his duty, and should be Ke ll) ; of an act of injustice to his feelings, if he did use his endeavours to engage the clemency (P t the House in behalf of a person who was aE present sufferine in consequence of the deciae that House. He alluded to Sir Manasseh Lor i : and he could not help thinking that two ye -, '", imprisonment was a penishment too severe for offence, the existence of which was so notorioo" in that House, and which had seemed to him to its commission by the impunity with whi t :: it bad been so long suffered to pass. He outtv'; to say that he had no communication with NI Lop: z Out the present occasion; and, in& Y":, to little did he know of him, that were he to YYBI 7 'into that House At that moment, he ,should ad" he acquainted with his person. lie could o,c, help feeling a hope that that [louse w o uld tio a `, / : no impediment in the Way of the Rov a l c letne o F; in the case of that outortunate individual, vv b° , 4 punishment was the more severe, as he ev - ki of „ age, he believed, of G 8 years. lie hoped it evoi ll ' t not be thought that he meant to palliate 060 11 1 grave and set ion s o ff enc e. 'lbis was not an or" ' nary- case, becauie, though the'CroWn weld ror,ff don, it woald in the present instance stand ill flit, way of that House. Mr. SCARLEVT expressed his surprise at soli (1t bad !allot from his Hon. and [.earned ieutl ‘ 14 . 1 -. t had just spoken. Ile begged to remind him , ' ll6 , the individual he had been pleadiug,for had lt ee! e awarded his present punishment by a dectee of Court n; King's Bench, an d -i t was not o e lica t , t for the House to iutertere in the decisions r;it liti , Court. For his putt, he did not think the Su i t tence was at all too severe. le.his opiniot'' r was one of the gravest offences that any Meth s le of Parliament could be found guilty of ; and b ° ' - 0 ever leniently that House erupt be disposed , think o , it, it was au offence which the itlagi4 of the Land, he trusted, would also be found fe l° to visit With the utmost rigour. rt Mr. BROUGHAM explained, that he dui think lightly of the offence, any mote than "; Honourable and Learned Friend ; and he b; Bever! he had expressed himself to that effic l what he said. Sir JOSEPH YORKE was dellirOllS of decia- 1 his sentiments on the subject which the Hon• $ 0 1 ) Learned Gentleman opposite (Mr. Brough il , p had introduced at the leiter end of . his spee ch He assured him that his sentiments perfe fly o corded with those of' the Hon. and Learned Gen t „ e man. But he wished also to put in it wor d in ✓ half of Mr. Swan—(a leoAO—who was suffer i : for the same offence as Sir Manasseh. HO t a s s the more disposed to commisserate with t",„ Gentletuao, because what had principally c° : - o f duced to tutu the scale ae,,ainst him on his ti l i a wes an tmeaueelled draft, which he had lef t 0 0 d the hands of a man who bad used it as a we against hits.—(A laugh.) Mr. D. WHITTLE LIARYfft spoke in favour the Bill. $ a Lord CAsTLEnsacn conceived that there w 9 130 prima facie case made out for affecting these' th e roughs. ile had given his vote in favour of i c e, Bill, but he certainly'thought it a strong mea llti g if Th e Ku ~,,e nt t o place th e question in prec is it the same situetiou iu the new Varliament es ,e stood at present ; but Parliament had the 55 •06 power over Wiits as the Crown had during dissolution. Sir 3: MACKINTOSH was of opinion, tm --t once to procced to disfranchise the Boroug h l I ; qut.stion would he ro deal with 'them t o o haisb`l r ti " hot under ali the ciremostances he was of opin, i° ,b; that noshing woula be so well as to suspellt, issuing of new Writs for Boroughs against cv oih -c t o so much corruption had been ir.oved ) .in ord er 0 1 ketT the question in its present state, and g Uil ij g effectually against its beinc interfered with by 10 ensuing Election. Thu Bill, iu fact, Went t° no-w Ore than had previously been done in of %gall bttal Aid e , The Hi dad tor, binc 'hat r ow iron ( -Pop and ‘in t Loll . 1 10 t sery tor , A `1133 tier( that tot "I of '5 9 3el Alc NV