The Sun. — London, England, 1822-03-06 00:00:00

TIIE LQNPQN. JOURNALS. E7-ri . IIACyS FROM THE D N'ILY. MORNING PAPERS, c!arch 6, 16'2'2.: [NEW TIMES.] The. Constitutional Association has obtained a foukh".verdict against the -dealers in Sedition and. ialasphemy. Let us only reflect • how • deeply' society is indebted to this most excellent Insti tutio'n, for opposing its efforts to the. progress of the- moral pestilence, which was making its way,. so alarmingly among the lower classes of so ciety ! The very circumstance that men had been brought up from .so. distant a, part_of the yountry as Yorkshire, to serve in. the avowed " Mart for Sedition and Blasphemy," is alone suillcient to show how the fanaticism of Impiety and Disaffection was. spreading. The offender has- been sentenced to hard labour ; which we mail as a most judiciotis and appropriate pu nishment. If Carlile himself had been so sen tenced-, the example Would probably have de terred others front continuing his detestable traffic. If Hunt had been so sentenced; it would perhaps have saved the House of Commons-some part of the trouble they have had in diScussing his petitions. By the bye, these two culprits have engaged in a quarrel on their respective merits, or rather demerits. Carlile, who con tinues in defiance of the law, to publish a most infamous paper, called The Republican, has ad dressed a letter to Hunt, in which there is one passage at least deserving of • notice. " Your assertion," says he to the Wiltshire Farther, " that your's is the heaviest sentence for a poli tical offence that has occurred since the reign of the. Stuarts, is not. correct. Mr. Henry White, the Editor of The Independent Whig, was con fined three years, in the room, from which I write to you, for one libel, as it was called, in his paper. Iu the'reign of George the First, one Matthews was hanged for that which' now ap pears trilling in:comparison to the sentiments you, have expressed- at public meetings, considering that you were instrumental in congregating the bodies of people whom you have addressed. I doubt not but there are many other cases on re cord 'Mich more aggravated' than yours, although I know none where so much cry and fuss has been made by the sufferer." We recommend! this passage to the ignorant and illiterate Mem ter of Parliament, who repeated Hunt's impu dent assertion, that his sentence was the severest passed since the time of the Stuarts: Mr. Carlile is better versed in English history. Within . ihe last century, persons have been hanged, drawn, and quartered, for offences not a jot more atroci , . ous than Hunt's conduct at Manchester. . . [THE TIMES.] It will have been seen that a motion is in con templation for instructing the Agricultural Com mittee to consider whether it would not be more beneficial to repeal the Salt Duty than the Malt Duty. A decision hi the affirmative on such a question would imply a double error in the pre v:ous proceedings of Ministers and the House— the repeal of a duty, by.which repeal - .no great good was likely to be effected ; and the reten tion of another duty,-which ought to have been repealed. Without calculating the ultimate - a& vantages to, be conferred on the agricultural interest by the repeal of the duty of 1 shilling a bushel on malt, we must say that farmers, malt sters, and brewers are subjected to an ntineces-• sary state of anxiety at present, from the want of sufficient explanation respecting the manner in which the repeal is to take place. The value of the boon is actually diminished by this Un certainty. If it be true, as was observed in the House of Commons some nights ago, that the importation prices being imposed during the period of a depreciated currency, have now mounted up with the increased value of money, it must also be added, that the taxes imposed upon the farmer, together with his rent and tithes, have likewise increased in value, in the same proportion ; so that the maximum still maintains its ancient relative position. How calmly every one talks now of the late deprecia tion in the value of money ; though, when the evil-existed,. a House of Commons was found capable of such an insult upon common sense, as to , declare before all the world, " that the pro " missory notes of the Bank of England were, ti on the 15th of May, 1811, and had hitherto 4 ‘ been held in public estimation to be, equi " valent to-the legal coin of the realm."— "' How could a House of Commons do this thing ..?"• If any one asks the question, the answer is prompt—that the House - , in that affair, obeyed the motion . given. it by a Chancellor of the Exchequer and his profound colleagues. We recollect a similar incident in the history of the,dark ages, when the Crusaders took a ,peronage or two equally sapient for their leaders. The affair is thus related by Gibbon : " The rear (of the Crusaders) was pressed by a " herd of '200,000 people : some Counts and " gentlemen, at .the head. of 3000 horse, at " tended the motions of the multitude, to partake " in the spoil; but their genuine leaders (may we credit such folly ?) were a GOPSE and a " GOAT, who were carried in front, and to whom " these worthy Christians ascribed the infusion "of ; the Divine Spirit. Fuit aliud scelus " detestabiie in hac cOngreetaticifie pedestris po " pull stulti et vesan levit his, unserm quen " dam 'DiVino Spiritu. ass'erebant 'afflatum, et " capellain non minus eodetti'rePletam,;et " sibi duces secanthe via! 'feteratit.'"=-Gibbow, ch. 58, vol. xi. . - [MORNING PORT.] We received, - by express, at alateahour last night, Paris Papers to the 4th inst., the contents of which are of considerable interest. Notwith standing the studious efforts made to diminish the importance of the late commotions at Saumur and Paris, it is evident that they were both of the most alarming description. Though the number of the Rebels at the former place is re presentee' •at not :More than one hundred and fifty, :of. whom thirty were cavalry, it is admit= ted' that they 4td • numerous paitizans in all . the iieWAn . /TinisktOwns, who were preparing to join . .. ~ . • them y in the event of their securing the artillery' and gunpowder kept in the castle of Saumur ; and, that several villages and'..cOmmunes took up arms: at the same time, and only laid them down-when. theyfound that the Conymander,inthief had been: compelled .to desist - from his .epterprize. It is also admitted, that die whole brigade of gendar merie of Thouars had . been made prisoners - by, General Berton on. his .firstappearance at that place ; which: would argue that his force was not so insignificant as it has . been represented, It likewise appears that most of the leaders are officers of rank in the army, such as Colonels, &c.; hut the most important consideration of the whole is the part of the country where the in surrection took place. That the cause of Napo leon 11. should find volunteers in . .the northern provinces of France, would excite no surprise, as the people in those parts. are still fondly attached to the memory and family of their late master; but that La - Vendee, the cradle and seat of Bourbon feeling, should suddenly teem with ad herents to Napoleon, is one of those political phenomena for which it is difficult to account, and which we contemplate not only with sur prise, but with sensations of deep and poignant regret. A regiment of cavalry was ordered on the 26th to proceed from Mons to Sautnur. It was reported on Saturday at Paris that insurrec tions.had broken out at Nantz and Angers, but this statement is contradicted in some of the Papers. [MORNING HERALD.) It is the interest of thirly millions a-year, payable on the debt, that causes the great weight of the taxation or burden under which the country groans, according to the opinion of great numbers of people, but which others, Judge Bayley and Lord Egremont, for instance, consi der a blessing. The taxation caused by the expen diture of the Crown, Navy, Army, Pensions, &c. will not, we think, be, for the year 1823, much more than one half of the taxation caused by the debt in question. If such a thing could have been possible, consistently with justice to the public creditors, we • would much rather have seen a lopping off of the interest of the debt generally, than of the interest of any particular part of it. Nay, we will even go further, and say, that if the question had been from which Stock a curtailment of interest should be made, the 3, or the .5 per Cents., we would, on the score of humanity, recommend the reduction of the three instead of the five per Cents. ; for, take it generally, the latter Stock, in comparison with the 3 per Cents., belongs to the poor and needy, to old and infirm people, to tradesmen who have retired from business with their little savings, after having spent the best part of their lives in laborious:industry, and to servants, wi dows, and orphans. On the contrary, we be-, lieve that the 3 per Cents., in general, are i❑ the j hands of the rich. • [BRITISH *PRESS.] The indisposition of the Chancellor of the Ex chequer prevented the .Right Hon. Gentleman from opening ter the House of Commons yester day evening his promised statement respecting the nature, character, and . extent„of the measures of retrenchment which.have been adopted by his Majesty's Ministers . : The Marquis of London derry apprised the .House that on Thursday they might expect to hear this important exposition, and postponed the Chancellor of the Exche quer's motion until that evening. —The Act im posing the annual malt tax was referred yester- day evening to a:Committee of the 'whole House.l The Resolutions. -of : the: Committee import that the existing duty of ono shilling a bushel- upon malt. shall be held to have expired upon the '2sth of February last. It is determined- to concede the. duty on all malt in the possession. of brewers, maltsters, and others, between the 25th of February;and the 3d of March, with an al lowance-of 4s. a barrel on ale, and 3s. a barrel on porter, brewed between these periods.—The Report of the Committee of Supply relating to• the Army. Estimates was brought up yesterday evening, when Mr. Hume again moved the reduc tion of 10,000 men. The saving proposed by this apparently slight reduction would amount to 500,00 W., but the motion was negatived without a division. It is not, however, in the numbers of rank and file, the effective strength of our army, that the House of Commons ought so much to look for reductions in the expenditure, as in the civil department of the military estimates ; it is in the immense army,within doors, with its enormous establishment of well-paid functionaries, that re trenchment ought to be effected. Those who struck off the two Lords of the Admiralty would not, perhaps, have willingly dismantled a single ship ; and if we may form an opinion from the amount of the Army Estimates, independent of the pay, we may presume that if the pruning knife were with a similar spirit taken into the several branches of the Civil department of the Army service, a considerable saving - would be effected. . In the Military Promotions which we published on Monday, we were glad to see some appointments from the half-pay to actual service.. This mode of proceeding ought to be pursued; it not only causes a large saving to the public, but it does substantial though tardy justice to brave and deserving officers. [MORNING CHRONICLE.] We will not now enter into a consideration of the arguments, either for or against prosecutions for blasphemy in general, or into the nature of the libels which formed the subject of the trials, as we happen to be totally unacquainted with them. Neither do.we mean now to combat the opinions . assigned to. the Common Serjeant, or to notice his mode of reasoning. If there are persons whom the logic of the Common Serjeant can gratify, we leave them to their enjoyment, which we confess ourselves unable to share, The. Learned. Judge is reported to have com mented in his charge " an the.several passages of the libel, in which theremas; nothing to be found like discussion or .dispassionate argument, but the whole was composed of gross abuse and en venomed revilings.. The Learned Counsel, by his address,. paid but. a poor corppliment to the understandings of the .Jury.- when he told them, that gush' matter . aa that: was harmless, and 'that • ~ ~ the propagators should be suffered to go on freely, for the Press ought to be free. The Press ought, undoubtedly, to be free to put forth opi nions with calmness and moderation, but not to send forth matter of the character which they had then before them." The sum and substance of this seems to be, that abuse is a much more power ful instrument of persuasion than argument ; that a cool and dispassionate opponent of religion is little to be dreaded ; but the man who does not argue, but revile, is sure to carry with him the suffrages of all who hear him. Those who prefer abuse to reasoning will be flattered, no doubt, by this tribute to its efficacy. Our busi ness, however, is not now with the subject of the trials, but the mode of conducting them. What we have to complain of, is the system of intimi dation pursued with regard to the Counsel for the defence. It would be much better to say, that in certain cases there shall be no defence, than to interfere in such a manner with a Counsel, that he cannot conduct a defence in a proper manner. An advocate ought to be al lowed the utmost scope of argument, and to urge whatever he conceives calculated to benefit his client. So far, however, from this liberty having been allowed by the Common Serjeant, it appears that he endeavoured to make the Counsel per sonally responsible for the opinions of the indi vidual whom he was defending.—The Bar are, in our opinion, particularly called on to stand up against this attempt to subject them to a most degrading thraldom. If they tamely submit to this treatment, if they do not resent every at tempt to deprive them of that freedom of argu ment which is essential to the due discharge of their duties on the most important of all occa sions, they must prepare to forego the estimation in which the Bar of England was formerly. held. We should regret this as a national ca lamity ; for we consider the reputation of the Bar as of essential consequence to the liberties of the People. But the spirit which has recently been displayed in so eminent a degree by Messrs. Cooper, Blackburn, Evans, and the Gentlemen engaged in the cases under consideration, inspires us with a confident hope that courage and firm ness will never be extinct in the English Bar. Front TIIE LONDON GAZETTE, M-kIiCIJ 5 Whitehall, March 2, 1822. The King has been pleased to grant unto the. Right Hon. George Gordon Baron Byron, of Rochdale, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, and to Anne-Isabella Baroness Byron, his wife, his Royal license and authority, that they may, in compliance with a clause contained in the last will and tes tament of Thomas, late Viscount and Baron Wentworth, of Nettlested, in the County of Suffolk, deceased, the maternal uncle of the said Anne-Isabella Baroness Byron, take and use the surname of Noel only, and also bear the arms of Noel only ; and that the said George-Gordon Baron Byron may subscribe the said surname of Noel before all titles of honour. L , rd Chamberlain's Office, March 5. The Lord Chamberlain of his ~~Majesty's Household has appointed Doctor George Roddam Naval Physician to his Majesty. • • Crown-Office, March 5, 18€22. -., 1 • . BMember returned to serge in this present Parliament.) orough of Dungarran.—The Honourable George Lamb, of Whitehall, in the City of Westminster, in the room of Angustuc William James Clifford, Esq. who has accepted the Chiltern Hundreds. Couunissions signed by the , Lord Lieutenant of the County of Salop. North Shropshire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry—John Walmsley, Gent. to be Cornet, vice Andrew Vincent Corbet. Shrewsbury. Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry.--Cornet Chas. Lloyd to be Lieutenant, vice Bent, resigned ; the Hun. Charles Hervey Trevor to be tditto, vice Oakley, resigned ; Richard Emery, G e nt, t o be Cornet, vice Lloyd . , promoted, James Eysom Graham, - Gent. to be ditto, vice Broughton; resigned. BANKRUPTCY SUPERSEDED. __ 'l'. New•stead and J. 0. Cooke, Kingston-upon-Hull, soap manufacturers. BANKRUPTS. J. Thompson, South Shields, Durham, ship owner, to sut• render March 21, 2.2, and April iii,:at eleven, at the George Inn, Neweastle.opon.Tyne. Attorneys, Messrs. Bell and Broderick, Bow-church-yard, London; and Messrs. Bain bridge and Bell, South Shields. _ .1. - Froggatt, jon. Burstein, Staffordshire, druggist, March 20, at four, 21, and April 16, at eleven, at the Roe Buck Inn, Newcastle-under-Lyre. Attorneys, Messrs. Williams and White, Old Burlington Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, London ; and Mr. Preston, Burstein. K. Miller, 13rimscombe Port, Gloucestershire, banker, March 21, at six, 22, and April 16, at eleven, at the Fleece Inn, Rodhorough, Gloucestershire. Attorneys, Messss. Dax, Son, and Meredith, Guildford-street, London; and Mr. Stone, Tethury, Gloucestershire. J. Richards, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire, clothier, March 15; at four, 16, at ten, at the Old Bell' Inn, Dursley, Glou cestershire,- Attorneys, Messrs. Vizard and Blower, Lin coln's Inn, London ; and Messrs. Vizard and Buchanan, Dursley. _ Avison, Easthufn, Yorl;shire, bacon factor, March 9, 16,-Und April 16, at one, at the Court of Commissioners, Ba singliall-street,' London. Attorneys, Messrs. Stocker, Daw son, and Herringbam, New Boswell-court, Carey-street, London ; and Mr. Alcock, Skipton, Yorkshire. J. Steel, Eniscott, Warwickshire, timber merchant, March 12, 13, and April 16, at eleven, at the Swan Inn, Birming ham. Attorneys, Messrs. Norton and Chaplin,' Gray's Inn square, London ; and Messrs. Spurrier, biglrby, and Spur rier, Birmingham. M. Hembree, Lambeth-road, St. George the Martyr's, Southwark, March 12, 16, anJ April 16, at twelve, at the ,Court of Commissioners. Attorney, Mr. Chester, Melina place, Westminster-road. -DIVIDENDS. April 4, G. Evans, Aberdare, Glanorganshire, shopkeeper. —March 16, S. Garton, Wood-street, Cheapside, silk manu facturer.—April 20, W. Hailstone, Mildenhall, Sutfolk,gro cer —March 30. W. Cape, London-bridge-foot, grocer.—April 6, J.S.-Brickwood, Stoke Newington, brewer.—March 30, J. L. Studd, Kirhy-street, Hatton•garden, tr. rehant.—March 30, U. Dudiuttn and G. Winter, Jerusalem coffeehouse, mer chants.—March 30, J. Maherly, Welbeck-street, coach manu facturer.—April 2, A. Phillips and B. Loser, Saltere-hall court, me rchants.—March 30, J. Nowell and J. Burch, Jewry street, Aldgate, wholesale stationers.—March 30, G. Haywood, Birmingham, spirit merchant.—March 9, J. Bysh, Paterous_ ter-row, bookseller.—March 30, R. Jackson, Cannon-street, merchant.—March 9.5, J. Richardby, Durham, joiner. —March 30, J. H. Brune and F. Jordan, Bury-court, St. Mary-Axe, merchants.—April I, B. T. Gilbert, Stockbridge, coal suer chant.--April 9, .1. Whitehouse, Oxford, dealer in coals.— April 9, E. Allporf, Birmingham, silver plater.—April 9, S. Jerome, Birmingham, victualler. cmurIFICATES.—MAItoi 26. J. B. Player, Bristol, hostle-merchant. —S. Ayilon Elwell, Sliclf Iron Works,Thlsfax, Yorkshire, iron wasters. PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED. H. Shepard and F. Nlarkland, Norwich, brewers.—J., J., and P. Laing, South Shields, ship builders, so far as regards P. Laing,—T. Lupton and 'l'. Strangman, Prince's street, Leicester-square, cheesemongers.—W. and E. Castleman, King-street, Cheapside, warehousemen.—W. Holland and J. Johnson, Birmingham„-saa manufacturers.—G.• R. Corry, t. Cayme, and J. R. and J. B. Corry, Yeovil, glove nianufactr rers.—J. Ruscoc and T. Drazenor, Shrewsbury, satidlers.—W. K. Turner, W. Hughes, and J. Swayne, Old Barge-house wharf, coal merchants, so far as regards W. Hughes.—:;. Bracebridge and E. Downing, New Bond-street, milliners.— H. Orme and 'l'. 3. Thomas. Liverpool, common, brewers.—l. G. Marzetti, J. Price, and T. F. Marzetti, Langbourn-chatn bi•rs,.Fenchurclr-street, ship brokers, so far as regards J. G. Marzetti.—J. Money ant J. Gayler, Bridge-street, Weststin ster, hairdressers.—J. Aisop aml T. Henwood, Kingston-up on-Hull, woollen drapers.--A. Mosman and A. Graham, Li verpool, merchants.—E..Eunnerson and. E. Dews, Ossett, Yorkshire, clothiers; and N. Tolson, Pontefract, sehoolmas terr —W. Goodwin, %V. Owston, 'J. Thorp, and W. Owstoa, jun. erlamford-Briggs, Lincolnshire, corn merchants.—.l. W. and. H. K. Coiling, Olcehampton, attornies.—S..andlE: Coates, Loontinster, tanners.-M., W. W., and C. C. Deacon, and Ellis, Milk-street, factors, so .far-as regards W. W. Deacon. REVENUE ARISING IN IRELAND. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE_ THE LORDS COMMIS siobrsitS or 4119 MAJESTY'S TREASURTs The REPORT of ' the COMMISBIOERS of 'INQUIRY into the- COLLECTION and MANAGEMENT of the • REVENUE arising in. IRELAND. [Ordered •by the House of Commons to be printed 27th Fe. bruary, 1822.] In the Act by which we are appointed, it is directed that we shall from time to time make Reports to your Lordships, to be laid before the King and both Houses of Parliament, in which we are to " state such observations, and make such suggestions as shall occur to us, for assimilating the mode of charging, ma naging, and collecting the several branches of the Public Re venue of the Crown in Ireland, to the mode practised in Great Britain, or for otherwise securing and improving the due col lection thereof, by modification of duties, or in any other way which we may deem expedient ;" and although we are not yet prepared to suggest or recommend to your Lordships the adop tion of any specific measures in conformity with the above di rection, we feel it to be,our duty, at the present period, to submit to your Lordships, for the information of his M a j est y, an d t h e two Houses of Parliament, a statement of our proceedings, sheav ing the steps which we have taken, a nd th e course which we are pursuing, in order to accomplish, with as little delay as pos sible, the purposes for which we have been appointed. Immediately after the passing the Act, we assembled, and having taken the oath therein prescribed, we proceeded in the first instance to apply, through your Lordships, to the Revenue Departments in England and Scotland, for various accounts and documents necessary to the discharge of that prominent part of our duty, which relates to the introduction of one com mon system and uniform practice, in the collection of the reve nue of Great Britain and Ireland ; and we at the same time ordered such returns from the offices in Ireland, as we deemed requisite for exhibiting the existing state of the establishments in. that country ; into the extent, th e e ffi c i enc y, an d expense of which we were commissioned to inquire, as well as into the reductions of which they might be susceptible. The preparation of these documents, more especially those required in England, unavoidably occupied a considerable time; because, in addition to other details relating to the produce of the revenue, and the expenses of the management, we felt it expedient to call for statements of the mode in which by law, or under the authority of the several. Boards, the duties were collected in each department ; and with respect to the excise, under each head of duty. We next proceeded, after a careful consideration of the various subjects comprised in the extensive field of inquiry assigned to us, to determine the course which it might be most expedient for us to pursue with reference to what we conceived to be the intention of Parliament in our appoint ment. While we were anxious, on the one hand, to enter without delay upon the examination of the establishments of die several revenue departments, and to pursue it into those details wherein consists the bulk of the expenditure, and in which, consequently, the subjects of retrenchment would most probably be discovered; we felt, on the other hand, that all the subordinate parts of these establishments were liable to be ma. terially affected by any such changes in the general constitution of the departments, as we might find it our duty to recom mend, in order to assimilate them to those of Great Britain. It therefore appeared to us l that the possible misapplication of much time and labour might be avoided, by directing our at tention, in the first instance, to a review of the general regulations and management under which the revenue of Ireland, in its several branches, was administered, and in considering the measures by which the conformity required between the systems of the two countries might, as far as their respdctifie circumstances permitted, be attained. We, therefor; resolved to direct our earliest attention and inquiries to the state and constitution of the several Boards of the revenue in Ireland • the authority vested in each of them, and the manner in which it was exercised ; the functions of the principal officers immediately under them ; and the general method of proceeding in the charging, collecting, and securing the duties levied under each of the departments. In pursuance of this determination,, our first act ofter our arnval in Dublin was, to communicate to the heads of the several branches of the revenue, a general statement of the objects to which we intended to -direct our inquiries in the commencement of our investigation, and of the manner in which we expected their co-operation and assistance. We were the more induced to prefer the general course we have described, from knowing that the subordinate and execu tive branches of the several departments had so recently as the year 1819 undergone a careful revision by a Commission ap pvicitcd by .your Lorclahp3, compQaed of g,ontlimacn, celoctad on account of their practical knowledge and experience, upon whose suggestions various salutary reforms and important re- 4 trenthments had been made, and whose presence and inquiries in Ireland appeared to have produced an increased attention and ac tivity in the conduct of the business of the principal departments. We had also the satisfaction of finding, that in the department of the Customs in Ireland, the attention of that Board had been directed to the Reports of the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Customs in England, referred to them by your Lordships, which‘had led to some material improvements in the mode of transacting the business of that department. Although in this stage of our proceedings, according to the line which we had prescribed to ourselves, it was not our inten tion to enter upon any detailed investigation, either of the con duct of individual officers, or the propriety of maintaining par ticular offices, we felt it not consistent with our duty to post pone such investigation in any case which should incidentally come under our notice,- and appear especially to require-at tention. Amongst other matters of this description, the office of Re ceiver-General of the Customs and Excise (which happened then to be vacant) came under our notice ; and having satisfied ourselves that it would be practicable to provide for the dis charge of the duties assigned to that officer, in a mode equally secure and effectual, and which would admit of a saving to a considerable amount, by the abolition of that appointment ; we addressed a representation to the Lord Lieutenant, apprizing him of the impression entertained by us,. and suggesting that the vacancy should not be filled u p, u nt i l we h a d the opportu nity of laying before your Lordships a full report on the sub ject. We experienced from his Excellency the most ready ac , quiescence in our suggestion,, and the appointment has accord ingly been suspended. e had notproceeded far in our inquiries, before a' most im portant subject presented itself to us, which we felt must be decided upon previously to our being able to recommend to your Lordships and to Parliament, any definite reduction of the extent and expense of the revenue establishments in Ireland : we allude to the duties affecting the commercial intercourse be , tween the two countries ,•- as by far the greatest part of the import trade of Ireland consists of goods brought directly from England, the prin c ip a l occu p at i on o f t h e o ffi cers o f the c ustoms ' in the several ports ofireland arises either out of the collection of those restrictive duties on certain articles of British produce d _ which, by. the Act o f U nion , were i mpose d, an d continued for a period which expired in the year 1820, or of those which, in the Act of Union, are distinguished as " Countervailing Du ties." Essentially connected as the further maintenance of the first mentioned of these duties, and the extent and arrangement of the others, must obviously be with the objects of our in. quiry, we should have felt ourselves called upon to look fully into the question, even if your Lordships had not drawn our attention to it, by referring to us the memorials of several mer cantile and manufacturing bodies in England, remonstrating against the recent extension, by the Act of 1820, of the period fixed at the Union for the duration of the restrictive duties ; and which Act, in the course of last Session, the House of Com mons solemnly pledged itself to take again under its con sideration. We. felt at the same time, that, in consequence of the union of the two Exchequers in 1816, and the termination of the com pact by which Ireland was bound to contribute a fixed portion of the revenue of the United Kingdom, an opportunity was af forded of altering the system, and simplifying the operation of the countervailing duties. Our course of proceeding being determined by these conside rations, we were assiduously occupied, during the period of our residence in Ireland, in the collection of evidence applicable to the heads of inquiry above referred to ; by the examina tion, as well of the several members of the Boards of Cus toms and Excise, their Secretaries, and the officers in im mediate communication with them in the exercise of their functions, as also of a considerable number of respectable merchants, manufacturers, tradesmen, and other individuals, whom we thought it necessary to call before us, and from these persons we obtained information relating to the state of the commercial intercourse between the two countries, and the effect produced upon their particular interests by the seve ral duties in question, as well as by the execution of the revenue laws in Ireland. And we think it our duty to state that, in the progress of these examinations, we experienced from all persons to whom we had occasion to apply, a prompt obedience to our requisitions, and a general readiness to afford us information. In the prosecution of our examinations in Ireland, under the above-mentioned heads of inquiry, having arrived at a point at which it became necessary to obtain information in England, from the corresponding departments of the revenue, and from individuals connected with the commerc.eand manufactures of this part of the Empire, we transferred the sittings of our Com mission to the office which had been assigned to us in London, where we are pursuing out investigations, in. the hope that we shall be enabled to lay the result of them before your Lord ships, 'for the information of his" Majesty arid the Houses of Parliament, at a period sufficiently early to admit of some prac. tical measure founded upon them, being submitted to the Le• gitaiture before-the close of the'present setsidn. " • ' (Signed) T. WALLACE. (1,. S.) T. FRANKLAND LEWIS. (L. S.) J. C. HERRIES. (L. S.) W. J. LLTSHINGTON. (L. S.) HENRY BERENS. (L. S.) Office of Irish Revenue Inquiry, February 21, 1822. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF KING'S BENCH, MARCH 5. HARDY V. BLACKBURN. This was an action of ASSUMPSIT to recover 3401., the amount, principal and interest, of an acceptance and a promis sory note of the defendant, Mrs. Blackburn, which sne execut ed to the plaintiff as security for part of a considerable sum of money alleged to have been lent to her upon her representing to him that she was the widow of a Naval officer, who had, be fore his death, commenced a suit in equity to recover a large property, to which she was now entitled, had she but money to pros ecute the suit. In the defence it was stated, that Mr. Hardy, having met the defendant in a st a g e - coac h, b ecame very muc h i nterested by her 1 appearance and manner. This interest led to,a connexion of a tender nature between the parties, in consequence of which he took a house for her near Staines ; and having met by appoint ment at an upholsteier's, in Wimpole-street, Cavendish-square, they ordered a quantity of furniture which was sent to this house; and as a security for the amount of this furniture, the defendant handed Mr. Hardy the bill and note in question : notwithstanding which she had since been arrested for the price of the furniture, and thrown into the King's Bench prison, where she remains at present. Previously to her arrest, she had found a fresh protector, and had ceased to be an object of in terest to the plaintiff, who is an old man. A BILLET, written by the pl a intiff; un d er th e name o f J ones, was then read, making an assignation with his " dear Maria," (the defendant), at an hotel in Fleet-street, and congratulating her upon having found a protector, to whom he begged her to offer his thanks for his goodness to her, he himself being now too old to have the pleasure of seein ,, her often. Another note, addressed by the plaintiff to the defendant's attorney, was read ; but its contents were unintelligible to the Court, which circumstance was subsequently explained by the testimony of a Mr. Morgan, who stated that the plaintiff's mind had been in a state of imbecility for some time past from palsy. Mrs. Lawson, a female servant who had lived with Mrs. Blackburn, spoke to the fact of her having seen the parties at the upholsterer's together, ordering the furniture ; but she knew nothing of the c on s id era ti on f or w hi c h the blls were passed. The Loup CHIEF JUSTICE having read over the evidence to the Jury, said that it did not support the statement made on behalf of the defendant. The Jury therefore found for the plaintiff--Damages 3401. CHILDERS V. BOULNOIS. The plaintiff in this case is a slopseller, and sought to r e . cover 6501. - as money alleged to have been lent by him. to the defendant, who , is a sugar-baker. He produced two I 0 U's signed by the defendant, one for 4001. the other for 2501. ad. dressed to nobody, and without a date. The SOLICIT OR-GENERAL objected to these documentsbeing received in evidence, upon the ground that they were account able receipts, and, as such, ought to be stamped, according to the provisions of the last stamp act. The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE said he [had always seen such aocuments received unstamped, but would reserve the point for the decision of the Court above. Little or no other evidence being given of the existence of the debt, and the I 0 U's not showing when, to whom, or for what they had been p asse d, t h e j ury, w i thout requiring the defendant's Couniel to g o i nto hi s case, found a. verdict for the defendant. OLD BAILEY: THE CONSTITUTIONAL ASSOCIATION. Yesterday the London Jury having been sworn, the person who has hitherto refused to give his name was put to the bar. Mr. PRENDERGAST immediately rose, and said, that he should advise his unfortunate client to withdr aw hi s demurrer,- as be did not think it would be admitted. Prispner—l•won't. • Mr.'l 3 nEi'i'nEncliS4 then begged permission of the Court to withdraw'the.plea, which teas assented to, and the prisoner was ordered froth the Bar. Wm. Holmes was then called forward; and arraigned on an indictment, charging him with having published a certain work oontwining e4artain passages against the Christian Religion and the King, &c. The prisoner was one .of the shoptnen .of Carlile. Mr. Anor.puus again conducted the pro'seeution, and the same evidence was- adduced as in other cases. The prisoner said; " My Lorcl'and Gentlemen, I beg to ob. ject to being tried by the names in which I stand indicted." COMMON SuJEANT—This is not the time for you to make. any objections ; you have already pleaded. The prisoner declared that Purton, the officer,•had said that he, the •prisoner, was not the man who had sold him, the pamphlet. This was denied by the officer. The prisoner then begged that one of his fellow prisoners might be examined 'as to the fix4t.. The Co 23440:c SERJEANT said he was certainly .at liberty to call any person whose evidence was admissible, and if he named hint he - should - be called.—Prisoner—the person I mean is the man whose name is unknown. COMMON SERGEANT—The Court will not take the evidence of any man who will not give his name. If he likes to state what his name is, the Court will take his evidence. Mr. Bnaww, the Keeper of Newgale, after a few minutes' absence, said the man whose name was unknown was present, but said he would not give his namill• Susannah Wright was, after some farther observations, called: She deposed, that when she went into the shop she saw Purton, the spy, in the shop, and he said, " That is not the man." COMMON SERJEANT—What do you mean by a spy? Wit ness. A person who gbes about entrapping persons who sell political pamphlets, which they think fit to call seditious.—Mr. ADOLPHUS. Have you ,the misfortune to be indicted for the publication of these works ? Witness. If_yoU call it a misfor tune, I have.—Mr. ADOLPHUS. Well, I have used the mildest term.—Witness, I should like to have mwn opinion. Mr. AbaLrnus, Do you beli eve i n the Gospel:-Witness, I shall not answer that question. CoaimoN SEaJEANT, Do you believe in the Go s p e l on w hi c h you have sworn shall :, not answer ; when put on my trial, I may give my ppimon orb. that subject. Mr. AnoLrnus. if you do not answer my question truly, you may hear of it hereafter, for if you do not believe in the Bibl e; you are still answerable for perjury.— Witness; I have not said I did not believe in the Bible, yet— COMMON SERJEANT. Attend to me; on your oath was not the person who i s ca ll e d " a ma n unknown , " called. by some name ?—Witness, Yes. COMMON SERJEANT. Did the pri soner call him by the same name ?—Witness, Yes, hedid. Harrison was then examined as to the caption of the pri soner, and stated that the warrant had no name in it. He saw the pamphlet sold, and took the prisoner into custody. The man without a name immediately took the place of the pri soner.—Purton said, on his taking the prisoner into custody, " that is not the man," alluding to the person without a name. ISIr. ADOLPHUS declined making any reply. - One of the Jury (to Harrison)—ls the pamphlet produced, the one signed by you ?—Harrison—No, it is not. Purton„ the officer, proved the identity of the pamphlet.— The one he bought on the 27th was at home. He was certain as to the person of the prisoner. The COMMON SERJEANT summed up the evidence, and. the Jury found the prisoner —Guilty. The Commow SERJEANT immediately sentenced the pri soner to be imprisoned in the House of Correction for two years, and to be kept to hard labour, and at the end of thatpe, nod to enter into a recognizance o f 5 0 0 1 . for h i s good behaviour for life. From the lateness of the hour, the Court declined going into'. the other cases, and adjourned to this day. BIRTHS. On Saturday last, in York-place, Mrs. Benjamin B. Williams, of a son. On Monday last, Mrs. Hopkins, of Love-lane, Alderman. bury, of a daughter. • MARRIED. Lieut.-Colonel Perceval, C.B. to Alicia Charlotte Palmer, eldest daughter of Sir William Henry. Palmer, Bart. . DIED. On the 26:h August last, at Denuar, in the Deccan Country, aged 40, Thomas Alarshall, Esq., Surgeon in the Service of she Hon. East India Company, and son of John Marshall, Esq.,- Litt ofßedlington, Northumberland. On Monday evening last, in Pall-mall, in her 60th year, the Lady of Sir Scrope Bernard. Morland, Bart., daughter of the late William Morland, Es 9. M.P., for Taunton. On Friday last, at Workington, in the County ofSiiiiblk,ltice James, Es 1., in the 79th year of his age. On Friday last, at Kennington, Mr. IVm. Bonner, late chy. rnical accountant at Apotheacries' Hall, aged O. On the 4th instant, Mrs. Green, widow of Aaron. Green, Esq. of Ware, Herts, in the 83d year of her age. Printed and Published, for the PROPRIETORS, •8t the Saw- OFYIGE, 112, Strand, by J. B. CA&SIAIRS;