The Sun. — London, England, 1820-05-20 00:00:00

1 3 A1Z,1,(A\lENF. HOUSE GIB LOrl Ds FRIDAY, MAY 19. Tl)e llourse proceeded in Appeals.--The Oaths were administered to the Bishop of Chichester. Mr from the Treasury, presented Ac'.7ounts respeetin t z the Land Tax ; Mr. Johnson, fmm the Office of Chief Secretary for Leland, Accounts re.pectiog Grand Jury Presentments ; pnd Mr. Maitland, Papers from the East India Lioi to lie 'upon the Mile. Veti!ions complaining of agricnitnral distress were presented fr9ln ()miters and Occupiers nt & c . ttl Osr.o , d•dvire, Socsex, and the Isle of Elv. by the Earls ot Macrlesficld, Ash bnroliam, the isiaHness of Bith, and the Earl of ll,tdvvicke.—Ordered to lie upon the table. As was also a Petition, presented by Lord HOLLAND, (torn Protestant Dissenters of New tastie-upoo•Tyne, against the formillary of Mar iat.te thrt-c!ed in the Chnrch Liturgy ; the object of the Petifioners hu ing, his Lordship stated, in 4ve the law respecting Mat riage placed upon the same tooting as it was before the IN.lirtiage Aut. The Administration of Assets (Ireland) Bin, end two Road Bills, ,sere hi o 'O,l op from the House of Commons. by Mr. Brneen, Mr. Spooner, anti other Members, and read H first time. The Riri of SHAFTFEBURY (in the Rhsenre of, end kit !tic rftliieqr of the MArgoess of Lg iv io n w n ) moved tor nn Arcollol of the Exonrrs nncl linpotts to Alot !row CAutoo, in vessels of European Srlites *lnd of lie (Joked Scot.! of America, distinguish ing rich Stare.-o:ciered, The South Sri Cot irinv tidl, the Triiwiter of Siotk (Ireland) 11,11, the Stave Coachta 13011, pii.seit through Commi'tees, and were reported tivicliout arnendnien.. CIVIL LIST. Affpr the Hoti , e ► , nd waited ‘ome time, the Civil Li-7 Bill kra9 brought op from the Howse of Coln- In"" i , v Nit". 11 , 7wien and oilier Members. "the Bill was lead a first time, on the 'nation of the Earl of LtvP:RPoot, who annotinced his iii tenlion of loosing the second readitig on Thurs ilay ilex', for which day the Lords were ordered to be summoned.—Ailiourned till Wednesday. FOUSE OF CONIMO:' , ZS, FRIDAY, MAY 19. NIISCELLANEOCTS. Mr. R. WARn moved. that the SpeArr should issue his Wkrrant co the Clerk of the Crown for R W Writ to the Borough of Scarhorouch, for the Election of ts Member to serve in the pre- sent Psrlioment, in the room of Lord Normknby, who, since his election, hod accepted the office of the Chiltern Hundreds.--Ordered. Mr. Jonnson presented at the Bar a copy of the Bth Report of the Cornmis,ioners for auditing Public Accounts in Ireland. Mr. 'Mason presented at the Bar certain Ac counts of the 11,venn, tho It.dio. Com pany, and t he chargrts thereupon. fUr FLEMING presented a Petition from a con siderable number nt Occupiers of Land in Dorset shire, praying that the distress of those engaged in ,grieulture might he taken into the setious con siderarion of the [louse. Tilts Petition was then brought up, read, and ordered to lie on the table. Lord A LTHORP stated, that as he understood the House at its rising' that night would adjourn till Thursday next, he should move that the or der tor a second reading of the Insolvent Debtors Bill on Wednesday he discharged, and fixed for Friday, the 26th.—Ordered. hlr. Facto.v Es presented a Petition from cer tain Occupiers of Land in the County of LaIIC3I - cotnulaining of the distfessed state of Agri- culture —Ordered to lie on the table. Sir W. Guise presented a similar Petition from certain Occupiers of Land, to the extent of 20,384 acres, in the County of Gloucester.--Ordered to lie on the table. Mr. MAXWELL presented a Petition from a large number of distressed persons in the County Itentrew, in Scotland. He earnestly wished to direct the attention of Government and of Parlia ment to this subject. If it should be deemed expe• client to encourage emigration, the petitioners were willing to conform, but had not themselves the means of emigration. _ _ _ Thi s p e ti t i on was brought up, read, and ordered to lie on the table. Mr, LAMB, in presenting a Petition to the same effect from the Agriculturists of the County of Hertford, deprecated any discussion on the sub ject, as tending to excite feelings of irritation in the country between two classes whose interests were inseparable. 51r. BESNNETT protested against the doctrine of the Hon. Member, for it was known that many Members in that House were induced to speak with great advantage to the public on this subject, who rarely delivered their opinion upon other oc casions.—The Petition was laid on the table. Jr.l‘ F. PALMER presented one of the like im port from persons residing in the vicinity at Read ing. This petition complained particularly of the injurious effects produced by the depressed state of the Agricultural Interest, and prayed that a Committee might be appointed on the subject, and witnesses :teard in proof of the allegations it contained.--Laid on the table. NEWING TON CHURCH-811 L. Mr. H. SUMNER moved the second reading of the Newington Church Bill. Sir ROBERT WILSON objected to it, as directly contrary to the provisions of the statute, which required a consent ot the majority of inhabitants. He was instructed by his constituents to oppose it iri every way. Mr. H. SUMNER expressed his surprize at this opposition, as he had been given to understand that the contesting parties had come to an agree ment. It was not very obvious that the Hon. General's constituents had any interest in the question. Mr. DENMAN protested against the allusion to bargains or agreements amongst individuals, as reasons to guide or influence the decisions of that Houle. Sir J. MACKINTOiIi thought the objection 83- lived by the Hon. and Gallant General (Sir it. Wil.Fot4) %vas in itself 3r•il that mit; it tviis decided, the House emild not with propriett ;:o on to a second rending. lie apprehendel tha the better course would he to poopnne that stag of it% progress until after the holidays, The motion, after a few words from Mr. Wm' BREAD, WB5 withdrawn. STATE OF THE COUNTRY. Mr. BLACKBURN preserved a Petition from cr rain Merchants, Manufacturers, and Inhabit ats of ►he Town of Manchester, prayin i !, in conjoc ,i,n, fora ParliAmeutaty Inquiry into the cyst's of the disttesses at present prevailing its thelif ferent classes ; and expressing a cnnvictionhat the inferests of all classes were the same. Mr. PHILLIN hailed as a 11609001-y o trn a Petition of this Flcscripiion from R matitifactrin. place like Meotchrsier. It was, in his option, a remarkable example of the pro!zress of nfor. mation in the country, and a striking counts' to the part taken by some of the Alembeis c that House, who were still to he tumid adrcating opinions long e!splfiffed no the womentos sub ject of political economy. The Nerchafts and Manufacturers of this comotry were now oily sa tisfied of the deiriment.l effects of the ystem of estriclion on the commerce of the country, and 'hat the interests of the three chissesievere she sieme. They were now all aware that he corm rioence of discouraging importation, Nos to des troy the domestic matlset. ExportHion n t exist without importation. The werests of 'his country would he hest consulter by s free system of comirerre. If we were se adopt such a systeln, we shoulPl soon find forfign nations would follow the example, as they had done when we commenced a different course. Lnrd STANLUY would not trouble the House by going into a detail of his sentiments 01 this question at present, particularly after tht able exposition they had heard from an lionoartehle Gentleman (Mr. Baring) a few nights back. He rose merely to give his testimony as to the :igna tures affixed to the Petition, which contained, be was able to state, the name of almost every indi vidnal of enterprise or ability in Manchester. On a future occasion he would venture to express his opinion more folly on this interesting and im portant subject.----fhe Petition was ordered to lie on the table and to be printed. BOROUGH OF GRANIPOUND. Mr. Ros;HTs presented ts petition from crrtain Electors o' +he Borough of Gratnpound, praying that their Elective Franchise m;ght not be taken away from them ; that Parliament would rot de prive two-thirds of their rights because oned bird had been found to he guilty; and complaining of the great disgrace it would be io them to le de prived of what their forefathers had long en joyed, and handed down to theta—Ordered to lie on the table. CRIMINAL CODE. Sir JAMES AIACKINTO:H brolight rip his Bills relative to the Antendruent of the Criminal Laws, which were withdrawn on account of some formal Objections on the 9.11 instant. These Bill , , which were three in number, were for the Awei)4ine.nt of the Criminal Code with respect to offences which, either from the change in the state of so ciety, were no longer serious enough to merit capital punishment, or which were not it (heir nature sufficiently grave to come onder that c l ass of crimes. The third Bill was " For rniti t aiing the severity of the punishment in certain caies o f forgery, and crimes connected therevitti ; and also for more effectually detecting the forgery of Bank of England notes." 'these Bills were read a first time, soil or dered to be read a second time on the sth of June next. Mr. FREEMANTLE presented a Petition from J. N. Adams, praying tor a remuneratio n tar his labours in the public service, having been em ployed twenty-five years in endeavouring to im prove the roads in the different parts of the king. dom, in the prosecution of which he had expend ed mods money,—Referred to the Committee on Highways. ST. IVES, CORNWALL. Mr. CuavrEN presented a Pefitinn from Sir Walter Stilling, of Pall-mall, complaining of an undue Election for the Borough I.f Si, Ives, in Cornwall, and praying that the period for enter ing into recognizguees might be extended. Sir W. STIRLING appeared at the Bar of the Hol , se, and verified that the Petition was his.— Farther time was granted till Tuesday the 23,1 of May. Lord A. HAMILTON presented a Petition from the Borough of Stilling, praying for a repeal of the Malt Duty Act. CIVIL LIST BILL. Upon the Motion of Lord CASTLEREAGH, the Civil List Bill was read a third tion and passed. GRAMPO UND. The Order of the Day for reading the Gram pound Election Bill a second time having been read, Lord J. RnssaLL moved that the resolution passed on the sth of July, 1819, relative to the Borough of Grampound, be lead. The resolution having been read, Lord J. RUSIIILL rose for the purpose of call ing the attention of the House to this subject. For the benefit of those Members, who, not hav ing belonged to the last Parliament, were not ac (painted with the circumstances which led to the introduction of this Bill into the House, his Lord ship detailed the various circumstances which had led to the detection of corrupt practices in the Electors of the Borough of Grampound, and induced the Legislature to take the matter into their hands. One witness bad stared to the Committee, that there were not perhaps more than three or four Electors who had not re ceived bribes for their votes ; and upon the whole, there was as strong a body of evidence on this subject, as was ever brought forward at the Bar of that House. There was one circum stance in evidence, which was worthy of being mentioned in partietalat—that the two Members who had been petitioned against during the last Parliament, had paid 8,7001. to the petitioners not to prosecute their designs. So flagr4nt was the corruption in this Borough, that the elector s openly avowed that they were in the habit of re ceiving bribes ; and an instance was on record, that when a Gentleman attempted to put the Bribery Oath, be ,was scarcely able to escape his tir#, t:tiv;ng she wn the existceCe of pha, site set . ea ceded for the interference of Per liement, he would next proceed to the remedy meat proper to he adopted. lie was assisted in this by looking back to what was done in former cases. Its the year 1771, it would be found that sech a case of corruption was brought before the I-Tou , e of Commons, that it was thought fit to dis able those who had so ill-used their right of fran chise from a similar abuse ;—which was done by throwing open the Borough, and admitting a great number of neighbouring freeholders to the right of voting. This was the case of New Shoreham, and the practice adopted in that in stance had received the approbation and counte nance of Lord Camden anti Lord Chatham. The House on that occasion distinctly acknowledged that the right of sending a Member to Patliament was an important trust, and that the right of franchise was liable to abuse, which might be remedied, when it occurred, by placing the right in other hands. This ought to be done in an extensive manner ; for unless it was distributed amongst a great number it would evidently he. froitless. The next Bill of the description of the one before the House was int! odeced its the year 1733, for the Borough of Ciieklade. Its that also hi own open to the care the Borough was adj teen( hundreds. A precedent was also to be found in the case of the Borough of Aylesbury, where it appeared that out of tour hundred voters, fifty...seven were convicted of bribery end corrup tion. Hevieg shown what hail been done in three cases of a similar nature to the present, he came to the consideration of what was to be done with the Borough of Grampoutid—whe iher it was must advisable to throw it open to the hundreds adjoining, or to transfer the elec tive franchise to some other place not represented. The glory of Grampound was gone for ever ; it would no longer see Merchatus of the City of London contending for the honour of represent ing it ; nor the satisfaction of seeing hitn almo , t murdered who should attempt to administer the Bribery Oath. lu the cases he had stated it had been allowed that the freeholders of the 11 tn dreds had no right to the franchise of the Bo roughs ; but it had beets thought most expedient in those paricular cases to give it to them. It appeared to him there was a course more fitting for the House to take in the present ins . ance.— They saw that within the last 30 or 40 years thete had grown up large towns, having an immense interest in the country, but which did not possess the right of sending Members to Parliernent. Of these towns, five alone conteined upwards of four hundred thousand inhabitants. Now, he would ask, could that be a complete system of • representation, when large places of so much 1111. portance and such great population had no repre sentatives ? Could it have been in the intentions of our ancestors,who had give!) the right to such small petty towns, to deprive places of this magnitude ? The pieseut was it favourable opportunity, he thought, of giving to one of these important places what they had io long had a right to enjoy. It could not be said, that experience was against it ; for it would be seen that in times, of public dis turbance, those places were always the most dis- ; (tubed which were unrepresented. If they looked at the History of Liverpool, or Bristol, they would find that they did not present so many dis turbances as the tint epreseeted places. By grant lug to those the right of sending Members, he had ho doubt it would be the means of allaying iu great measure the danger of their political feel ing• And if Perliatnentary Reform were the great object of their desire, by having a Member in that House to advocate it for them, they might consider their claims as partly granted• If this Bill should pass, he should also hope that Parlia meta would take into its consideration the pro priety of adopting some means to insure the purity of election its many of the smaller boroughs ; fur he could not think that Grampound was the only example of misconduct. He wished for no sweep ing measure, but merely for a law to prevent the recurrence of such practices as had been detected at Grempoued. The town which had struck him as most etritled to the elective franchise was Leeds. His Hon. Friend, the Member for North umberland (Mr. Beaumont) had stated to hint that he meant in the Committee to propose that the franchise should be given to two of the Ittdiogs of Yolkshire. This, however, he thought, was not so advisable as giving it to a large town, where so much more considerable a number of 'lew per sons would be admitted to the right, Lord CASTLEREAGH thought, that between the Noble Lord who had just sat down, and himself, there was no difference of opinion on the nature of the remedy to be applied in this case. They both agreed that whets it was distinctly proved to the satisfaction of the House, that any place had abused the grant of the elective franchise, inert sures.shoulti be taken which should so far punish: the Electors as to secure the freedom and purity of Election. Up to this point the Noble Lord and he had always understood each other—they were agreed that Grampound had so misconducted it self ; and therefore the consideration sees not whe ther a remedy should be applied, but what remedy was the most efficieet. The Noble Lord had stated to the House what had been the course of legislation in former instances. lie had called the attention of Parliament to three cases in point, irs all which it was to be observed that the elective franchise had been extended to the adjacent dis tricts. In the Noble Lord's proposal, however, to transfer the elective franchise to Leeds, it was fair for him to state that they differed. It appear- Ed to him that the Noble Lord looked at this question as an opportunity by which he might be able to effectuate pro tanto part of a scheme for Parliamentary Reform. He confessed that he (Lord Castlereagh) did not look at it its that point or view. In choosing a remedy, lie did not en tertain a wish to change the present mode of re presentation.—But he looked to what was the remedy, which, upon the whole, was must likely to succeed, and to be eventually car ried into a law. He looked at the practice! result of the remedy more than the theoretical He looked at it rather as au evil in the nature of representation, to which they were called on to apply a remedy. He had asked the Noble Lord (Russell) to bring forward a measure on this par ticular principle, but he objected to any partied lar place. When the case was last bOUre Parha. teiii Coif there vrl3 in Elie state of representation in Co1 11 " 11 operated in favour of carving it out nf County, in the case of Grampoond. Last t33103' whet; this case was hetore the House, there wg 9 Bill also going throng), for disfranchiiitmg Peti r Y l) ; lint that bad lapsed, and this cpittiriliteollY became the fist. It did not therefore appear to VI"- ' that there was any bar to thy Borough of Grtitlii: pound being thrown open to the fo her Distric"' f this line of remedy they had th e experienc e o 3 cases on the Statute Books, in which the tin Houses of Parliament had concurred. Unless great necessity were shewn to exist,he thotight that t h i e 7 should not travel out of the beat en track thought it desirable that the measure should u° so trained as to unite all opioions, and shook{ b° sent to the oth,r House strengthened by pre : c. " dents, rather than ! „ , ,,roundi-rt on a litigated Ito''' cipte. The Noble Loud wished the House to 1. " cord in the preamble to his Hill, that wherees Borough of Leeds had increased in wealth soil population, ; but the [louse enn id !icor O ft ! to this %; ithout recognizing the pri n ciple, 1 " . wealth and poptflat ion tot tied a t ioe to refs Vitt' ; and that the places, which did not cfj` ) / the Elective Franchise, were f Ib4C which thf y had a light to have. titich a privi' ple it would be improper and itnlioSstibie to "('' umit. Neither was he prepared to approve of I :' e conditions on which the able Lord proposed 'ram the right of voting. He though , it 4,voidii t7e tar too great art ex'cosiou of the eleeiive Ira t iet , i' e to iittpait it to all pettso s paying Scot a ,d with a tenement ••:)Ith five powids a veal / le apprehended that there was no InStaiCe in , Vb iCrl the tight of voting had been cieated by he'll''' meat. It had hill), foto origoottrd to gratos o f t" Crown. This would therefore he opening a oe' d principle, though he did not mean to say, [tot i 3 'time cases it might not prove expedient. H o t 1 14 more the Noble Lord travelled away !corn prrce , dent, the more he ran the riik of assuming a ciple which would be reisted, and ti,Z3rd .- the fate of the whole measure. lie thfirefore sobinitted, whether the safer course would 11 ' 4 he to throw open the borough of Grampot ol. This had not yet been dune with any hiliough the county of Cornwall, and if after that a net' case of corruption arose in any of the (,oral"/ borongt,s, time mode of proceeding bq trs,o4er might b e adopiedi He silolll , l 111 , 7etoce rejoi c6s if the Noble Lott! would alter the torn) propo.,ition, and ground it on greet dents lust& of new principles. Uc shoul o d however offer opposition to the second reading of th e Bill, an''' it would be for the }louse its the Committee it t decide what course it would be most advaots' geous to pursue. TIEHNE? had heard the Noble Lord n nt , only with surptize but with great 're e ret. F 4 l he had conceived that when his Noble Ff' ie'' (Loud J. Russell) had introdnc,d his resolotio' . respecing tba Boroughs provcd to hive heel: guilty of corruption, although the Nohie had objected to a sweeping measure agattnn whole, be had encouraged the belief that if ' C I were confined to the case of Grampound, it 3 1)0 0 '"• meet with his support. Ile recollected this ,lid more perfectly, as he hail eagerly recommended 1° bit Noble Friend not to be too diiiietW.btit so Ili k p c whatever lie could gct—(llere Lord Cottl , re4g: explained in a low V , tee across the table, that had at fist expresseda decided opinion with l e : ripest to tile other Boroughs, and considered w ' ll % of Grampound as open tor discussion ; bar ("; he had alerwArds clearly stated Its wish that franchise should he extended to the if tturtrcd" instead of being transferred to any other place•V It was Certainly true that two or three days atl 4l : wards the Noble Lord had come down and C O % tended fir the extension of the Fratichi-e i n O fr e Hundreds. If, however, any thing had or. given satisfack,ion, not to violent liefotene r " for they considered it of no importance, lint (‘' those reasonable and dispassionate persons %c hi : thought that something should be done, it '" At , the idea that Government did not in end to 4 6 pose the present measure. They pointed if ( l i t j d as a proof that there teas a disposition in " I f Hoots to entertain something which savooredfil the spirit of improvement. Nov it appe" re o they were to be disappointed, and to he gtve n b a understand that all that would be dune wo ul4 l to throw the Borough of Grampoohd Ope l ' the Hundreds. The Noble Lord said that ' 1 ' 4. 4 was a precedent for this, and that by keepingod tittle would be a better chance of SUCCef.S for ( O r.' measure in another place. licit that precev 4 had be*n formed only a few years since, and ' 4 , f od time when there was no precedent tor it, l e i same argument might therefore have then bee'l urged against it which was used against the P r o , sent measure. The Noble Lord had referee /. what might possibly be done in another phice'd Such references were improptr. This House apt to perform its duty; let . the other ski) its O o s and the pnblic.would judge which had acted ..‘ ( O 4 more propriety and wisdom. There might l ,; i e, be a ditect rriognition on the part of the _ O l that when a fair opportt , :nity should off' t t h og amending the state of the Itt-prestntation, re/ House would do it. The old state of the It e P,V , sentation had been reduced in numbers by corruption proved toirave existed in a Bor°' lr o d and the first question was, whetlrer the should go on with a smaller number or ° V o lt' keep op the old. His opinion was, that should he kept up; but 'bete remained to be' 5 1, of bow that was to be done. When ;he Botooi,topt) Grampound should be disfuanchised, it tryonltt se r e' to exist, and have nu mute to du with the rev el' senta:ton that Canada or any other of our C0 1 ' 1 ( 1 / It was entirely struck out of the Constho li° % Now the course of time had always warred woo the ingenuity of Man, and in a commercial c`,lol try tirade produced great changes in place s ' o oo l 4 l fluctuations in popolation. Suppose the c 1. 1 ,P of the elect use franchise was now tieginningt'io any man choose Grampound as a place 6 ( ILI ill represented in preference to Leeds ? W° l3 ,,rer ' Crown hesit ate in graining is charter to the 'ideli Ile thought hot. The House were now P ree in that situation. Gianipotord having 0° 1 , cal existence, they were now to cooside. 0.101, u other place should be reptesented, ci "robbed manner, with the least disadvantage to ills , ocr -I t „nr and the most satisfae:ion to the conotrYt C l a on , to bestow the elective traucbise. 1