The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-03-06 00:00:00

PRISON LAWS.

Mr. Wlll. COVtTCN•Y wished to COI the atten-
tion of the House to the motion of winch he had
given notice, namely, for the appointment of a
Committee upon Prison Laws. He thought there
could be but one opinion upon the necessity of esta-
blishing some uniform system of prison discipline,
which would be the general system of the country.
He should not at present detain the House by eis-
tering into details; but with a view to the proba-
bility of bring enabled to carry some such measure
inns effect, he should move—.' That a Select Com-
mittee be appointed to inquire into the present
state of Poison Laws." There was but one altera-
tion he wished to make in the Committee, and that
was, that the name of Mr. Secretary Peel should
be added,

Mr. WARRE said, that nothing could be further
from his intention than to give any opposition to
the proposition of the Honourable Gentleman;
but be wished to direct the attention of the House
Won branch of the subject, namely, the 'o-
val and corporate jurisdictions, which looked like
• Compromise of the corporate jurisdictions on
the one hand, and the county upon the other.—
He highly approved of the principle of the Bill ins
troduced by the Member fur Peterborough in Idly,
and wished that it might be extended to many other
matters of local and corporative jurisdictions.
The Committee was then appointed.
SCOTCH DENIZENS ACT.

The LORD ADVot:RTS obtained les,* to bring
in a Bill to continue the 58th of his lute Majesty,
for preventing Aliens from becoming Denizens. ea-
end in certain cases.
The Bill was afterwards brought in and read a
first time, and ordered to be read a second tune on
Thursday neat.

Lord NOIII4NRY give notice of a motion for
to-morrow week on the ruhjert of the ■ppototmeut
of the Joint Postmaster-General.

Mr. SCARLETT presented 14 Petition, praying the
relief of ogriculturr, from Norfolk. He coururied
in tho opinion of the Peiitioners, that the di►tress
was caused in • great measure by taxation. He
thought be could prove that by the alteration of the
curcency. and the measures concomitant to that
Act, there hid been a weight equal to nine millions
of new taxes added to the pre►sure of the former
taxation. The Member for Poriarlingtoti reckoned
the alteration of the currency at give per cent. so
Waif. This upon sixty 1134111014 of taw would he
equal to a new impo.•tauu of three millions. The

time Rot. Member 16001 file pet cent. *,t
the e •
rtol. .-toolteclien of the
is aim per•ceet. 6n the
resin' •
tir pit b the Bonk., There
were to elo,iewi 1061' re* take. The
Chance • f the gsobequer, in 1819, laid on three
million of really pew taus, making altogether an
rdditionsl pleasure of true 'quill to nine millions
of new tuxes. To Awry the effect of this on a con.
vertible produce, the House would hi." 110111)0,e a
cue, that all the charges on produce, for resit and
taxes, and as on, wpre paid in kind, the rate would
then be some adequate portion of the produce.
10 a very abenriaut harvest 011 the parties, the
grower, the landlord, and the Government, would
be so much better off by the augmentation of their
several sharer, and superabundance could never.
as nowt, be alleged as a ground of distress. But if
the produce were convertible. sod the charges were
find iu a 'stoney value (as there must be more sold
at low prices to meet the charges than at high
ones), the share of the profits of the grower dimi-
nished, as that of thus who received the charges
augmented. The sons that required one quarter
of the prodoce to meet it, might as now require
one half; and the greater the quantity of the pro-
duce, the more distressed the occupier of the soil
must be from the diminution of prices.
Mr. RICARDO contended that in the case put,
although up to r certain point the parties would he
all benefited by increase of produce, yet after
securing euough fur their families, and exchanging
as nisei, as the other commodities of the Comm..
filly might require. any ruperabundarice must pro.
duce very great distress to all the parties. This
case was no doubt much aggravated where the
charges on production were fixed and paid in
money. He contended, that beyond the 10 per
cent, which he had accounted for by the alteration
of the currency and the iiirliocreet contractions of
i.sues by the Book, agricultural distress was wholly
attributable to ouperabundant prcduce.
The Petition was ordered to be printed.
Mr. Pau. gave notice of a motion for Thursday
the 14th inst. for the revival of the Committee on
the Police Laws.

SUPPLIES.
The Report of the Committee of Supplies was
brought up.

no the first Resolution for granting the service
of 68,802 men for the army—
Mr. Hums rose to move for • redaction of
10,000 men. lie was aware of the state of Ireland,
which had been before urged; bur allowing for
that, he thought that out of 86,000 men, com-
prising all the forces of the line for these king-
doms and the colonies, there might be at least
10,000 spared. He was the more of this opinion when
he considered that the estimates for the army, which
were now to be upwards of seven millions, were in
1792 only 2,300,0001. The difference was too great
fur the House to submit to it. The Colonial Secre-
tary had called this • petty saving, which ought to
be rejected with disdain by the House. He attri-
buted this feeling in regard toe ►eduction of no less
than 500,000/. to a sense of importance which the
new acquirement of office had raised in the mind
of the Hon. Gentleman. That .Hots. Member hid
appealed to the sense of chivalrl. in the House, sod
had used the words of Burke, " the days of chi-
valry are gone." He (Mr. Hume) thought that it
would be more honourable to cousider what were
the means which the country had to meet such
accumulated expenses. No proposition for reduction
ought to be nettled with contempt by the House.
Some allusions had been made to professions by the
gallant Member for Liverpool, who, he was sorry to
observe, was not in his place. His (Mr. Hume's)
profession was well known. If he were to ask the
gallant Member for what exercise of his profession
he gut his last regiment, it would puzzle him (ti •
gsilant Member) to answer more than any question
which could be put to him (Mr. Flume). He dis-
liked such personal allusions, which were put for-
ward for unworthy and improper purposes, and
not with a view to any public duly. The pay ex-
penses •lone of the 10,000 men he proposed to re-
duce amounted to 330,0001. He conclisded by
moving, that 511,000 be substituted for 68,000 men
in the resolution.

Mr. WILMOT thought the observations of the
Honourable Member for Aberdeen would have bten
more apposite in the Committee Isst night. He
denied that lie had treated a prOp4,llltloo kW saving
500,000/. as a subject which the House ought to re-
ject with contempt. His remarks applied to the
erroneous view taken of the number of forces, es-
pecially those for the colonies, by the Honourable
Member. It was in respect to that view that he
considered the proposition as one which ought to be
treated with disdain by the House.

The Reeolution w•s then re•J • first •nd second
time.

M►. Hums said, that the words of the Honour-
able Member were now sufficiently explained—hut
that certainly their import had been generally un-
derstood by his Honourable Friends as he had de-
scribed it. As to the error ascribed to him, it
arose out of the returns laid before the House, in
one of which the colonial forces were stated in to-
tal—in the other, the officers were kept distinct
from the rank and ale. Theie was no difference in
his statement, except that which lay between the
two returns.

The amendment to the resolution was then put,
and negatived without a division.
The resolutions were agreed in seriatim.
ANNUAL MALT TAX.

Mr. LUSHINGTON moved dist it be ao instruc-
110i/ to the Couflutttee to consider t•f the above Act.
—Ordered.
The House then went into the Committee.

Mr. LUIMINOTON mo►ed, that the Bill imposing
• duty of Is, per bushel on malt, should he held to
hove expired on the 45th Felowiry. slid the
said duty should cease from that day.
Mr. MONCK •eked for explanation us to the
allowances to be utude fur stuck on hand, to
which,

Mr. LUOHINOTON replied. that at first it was in-
tended to take the duties on stock un hand, mak-
ing ao allowance to brewers. distillers. and vinegar-
makers. It was found that great inconvenience
would result from that course, and it was now de ter-
unucat to give up the duty tai 311 malt which might
remand it; posvemion of brewer*, inaltattre, mid any
When, betwteu the 45'h ci fcbt uary sod the 3cl of

stet

with an ollootneetiatt n
'Ss. on porter, beewe4 pi Me , a,t' clauses soup 41114#4 es 11.. ne fir
AIM 'Mg to repeal, toe amyl dui, tis 1r led
baled. L :, r*t'
Sir Jong ?IMPORT thought the repeal of the
window tax would he a greater relief to Ireland.
The House was then resumes'. lid OW Report
of the Committee was ordered to be received to.
1110 T row.
Sir Joint NIWPOIIT moved for returns of all
sums levied in the last seven years in Ireland ender
the presentment of Grand Juries, and paid into the
hands of the Treasurers and Clerks of county
Courts; oleo of all sums levied in the sense tints
its consequence of defalcation of any of the reve-
nues in the same Courts.—Ordered.
MI. LUSNINOTON obtained leave to bring in .
Sill to amend the laws relating to the offices of
RecriversiiGeueral of Land and Assessed Taxes in
England and Wales. The Bill was brought iii,
read a first time, and ordered to be read a second
time on Friday next.
The other orders were then dispelled of, and the
House adjourned at half-past six o'clock.

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.

ki Dlet as. le Seellona the Sheriff. leer. dieted
by 'roellib fain tinjoyLit the her. atittifette tro-
ve, ilke pworgebt Notranettqc joiltierpt-
Int His bitaßliby's Advocate ditched ex
' vieif *Went, werel bOsight it to tiobaib to
the crliiiel trilBl6l4 of the country. la Mi.
...laud anis:its cambial *fifteen pawns. and 'here