The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-05-07 00:00:00

STATE OF THE NATION.

Earl GREY said, it was probably in the recol-
lection of their Lordships that previous to the
holtdajs he hail given notice that he would after
them mike a motion for the relief of the dis-
tresses of the country by a reduction of taxation ;
at that time lie had also put • question to the Nis.
ble Earl opposite (Liverpool), whether it was his
intention to prupu-e any other relief hut what had
been stated by him in Ins opening speech. Out
that net:mita' the Noble Earl had referred him to
the then existing labours of the Committee of the
Douse of Con usi the subject of A;viculite-
nil Distress. The Report of that Committee hid
since come forth, and in his opinion it was inade-
quate to give the required relief, and he also consi-
dered it as contrary to sound policy. Ile understood
there were other measures in progress in the other
Howe of Parliament fur giving relief to the general
distress, and for this reason he would postpone
hi. notice of motion. Thera was one measure for-
ward in progress which did appear to him most
extraordinary, as coming from 'tensor's who said
there could be nu redaction of taxer, and the mea-
sure lie alluded to was lot the purpose of re-
ducing them. As anxious as he was for their
reduction, he could nut find language sufficiently
strong to reprobate the proposed plan. fie was
Of opinion the stoking fund ought to be suspended

. 1 -:e. . •
'for the relief of the paging distresses of *I coon-
try, instead, of goipyl into thetuarket as atipalitants
on cue hand; minims *
_other being the nevenie.
It woe only perplexing be subject, mid could his.ve
no effect but to cunce4 the distress of the wont:,
for a moment to gain *Majesty's Ministers a sop-
port winch they coral apt übtsiu without the
,stla-
tageru. It would be. if alerted into executiou. a
lop to the publit of tenendliuttal if airy took the
stoking laud they wog* take that lipoid from the
coniroctnr,lnd secure it to the petite. He trusted
the Noble Earl would make no contract until the
the subject cams before Ahem for discussion. de
knew it was cuatomary, * the Mitaister, of the de,
to cootnet for • Ise. end aftetwarda to omit t;
Parliripopt to pro**, te it : *Si'llee". elltig it
different. for they waNd called on to prom* f
a riew Unite/bath was already provided flia lie
threw this out, iji hopes it would have some effect;
if not, he would keep to ininaelf the right.of trying
to induce their Lordships not to confirm the con-
. tract. la this, as in every instance, fillinisteri
could not *cup the measure of reducing taxation
without taking from it all its advantages. He
must say. that all the projects of relief proposed by
his Majesty's Government were inadequate to their
objects. That of la sing the price aeons by taxation
on the consumers he would never agree to. He
objected to any alteration being made in the Corn
haws as they now stood ; they were about
to legislate on a subject on which the subsistence
of the country depended, and which was one of
most vital interest, and the measure proposed
was to give instability to the supply. He would
object to the plait of the country banks being put
on the same footing as the banks in Scotland, and
the ground of his objection was, that uo present ad-
vantage could be ohtsiord by it, so as to counteract
the disadvantage of extending the charter of the
Bank of England for ten years, and giving them
further power over the monies of the country, and
to do so without inquiry, when the Noble Earl bad
adtuitted, on a runner occasion, that it would be
very doubtful whether the charter ought ever to be
further extended. The Noble Earl concluded by
saying, that lie would not abandon his notice of
motion, but he would suspend it for the present.
The Earl of Ltireapoor. said, as the Noble
Earl had suspended his notice of motion, it might
be unnecessary for I . to my a word oil the
subject if it had not been fur the observations
which had fallen from him when the Noble Earl
asked him before the holidays whether Government
had any further measures of relief to propose. It
was trite that he did refer him to the result of the
Agricultural Committee of the other Home of
Parliament. He 'greed with him that he did not
look for any thing in the Report of the Committee
or the resolutions that would relieve agricultural
distress at present, but whether they would
,not
prospectively was another question. As to the intro-
ducing of a measure for the reduction of public
taxes, lie had no hesitation in saying now what he
had said before, that as fee as public frith would
admit it was desirable that they should be reduced.
He did not look to the relief of agricultural thirties,
by the reduction of taxation, without it could be
ahem that there was any one tax bore exclusively on
the agriculturists. He was convinced that Govern-
ment taxation bore less on them on any other branch
of the people. He had laid stress on the words
Government taxation, for he knew the poor rates
might bear more hard on the agriculturists than any
other class. Government had from the commence.
ment of the present Session reduced taxation,
for instance the reduction of the 5 per crate.;
although that measure tnight hear hard on the
holders of the stock, it went to the reduction of the
national deli', and of course of the taxes. As to the
preliminary steps which had been taken in the
other House of Pediment as to the dead expense
of the country, lie was ready to go into •
most minute inquiry whenever the subject was
properly brought before their Lordship., when he
would be able to prove that it would not retard the
paying off of the national debt one minute; brood
this, bearing in his mind that the suiltsug fund
would be preserved. lie would protest at all limes
against its being sacrificed. If it was the policy of
of th- country to keep a siiiking fund, the measure
proposed would increase it. security. This was ell
he‘considered himself at present at liberty to state
on that subject. As to the corn laws, he had
already stated his opinion that no measure at pre-
sent could give relief. Whether any measure that
was coming from the other lloose of Pediment
would give amelioration, was not for him to
say. As to the proposed measure relative to
the Bank of England and the country banks,
lie was surprised it the observations of the
Noble Earl, for the question as it now stood
gave the flank of Englund a monopoly over
all other hanks, as the 'mintier of partners at pre-
sent in them could not exceed more than six ; the
proposition was to give the country at large, at a
certain distance from i he metropolis, the opportunity
of having us many partners in their bunks as they
might think proper. by which meitur i he mono-
poly of the Bank of England would be dont away
with. He would rather !lave given this relief to the
country Wilke, without making the concession to
the Book of England of extending their charter; hut
the Barak had a right that the Goveriinient or the
Parliameut could nut do away with. The measure
had been extended to ',eland iu the las: Session, and
was Nowt to be beneficial. The hunks in Scot-
lend at the time of the greatest distress had rode
out the storm; there was scarcely all instance of
bankruptcy of ti Scotch bank. Government could
riot have adopted the proposed measure without the
curicurreuce of the Bank, mid the extension of their
charter fur feu years could not be thought iCIJ great
• sacrifice to carry s measure into effect which
would ultiaistely be so bat/iambi to the country
at large. The Noble Earl concluded by *eying he
would declimi going into further particulars now,
but whenever the questions were properly brought
before their Lonisaiint, he had no doubt but he

Mr. WALLACE thought the protest an extremely IDCOn•
venire' time for discussing Du impartial a measure; but he
hoped *ben the proper opportunity arrived be should be
able to state suflirieut grounds to the House to your., is
the propriety°, peeling the proposed Bill.
Sir %V. CUNTIS comrade-red the Navigation Act the key.
moue of our conausierci prosperity. If that was eskers est,
the whole fabric would fall to the ground. Whenever the
queetiur came to be discussed, he should give it his strenuous
opposition; and he wished he had the voice of a Strntur to
make his opinions known to the whole country —(A laugh.)
Mc. 1.411181VN perfectly ■creed with the Honou►able
Harikari's architectural simile ; fur he thought the Navigation
Ant was dos key-stone of the commerce of this country.
NI,. ELLICE expressed his surprise that his Majesty's
Ministers bad nut untrodoced some measure for correcting
the evils to which the British skipping was subject, arising
from this collector's fees is every fort Igo port, besides which
they were mottled to pay compiler fees. lu the four punts of
Sicily they were compelled to pay fees to our own Consuls.
There was wo subject of mile importance than reducing the
charges to which our wavicition was subject, and ',teeing it
on se (avowable terms as the shipping of any other country
is Europe.
. . _

Geiser's' GAACOYNE wished to know on what day the
gueviun would be discimged
Mr. WALLACE mid it wag big intention to move that the
Bill be read a second time this day pro.formA, age, on the
qumlion that !be dpeeker do leave tic Chair, they might
take the discussion on the principle of the masers.
Mr. LAME:FON bed no ohjictioa to the arrangement ;
bet he wished, whilst they were upon the subject, to suggest
to the Right Huu. Gentlemen the propriety of imintating to
the Committee upon Foreign Trade how neeessery It wag
to make wee regulation as to the enormous and disproper-
hoes', h... 5 to wh.ch the British shipping was ankj.ct.
Mr. M ARRYAT f expressed a hope that due notice would

Mr. HUSKISSON said he hail been intrusted to pretest
■ Petition to the House, which be felt it his duty, •Ithossio
he could not pledze himself for all the statements it contained.
The pet iiiimer was • prison of the named Churchill, residing
at Whitehorse-plat e, Commercial-Yowl, • considerable builee-
iu the cue ty of Middlesex, who had built about two hundred
' ileums In the neighbourhood of the docks. Great incoimeoi.
ON was sofered for want of a public-house in the neighbour-
-141111114, and he was at length oblized to build core at the e
ref MU. He Mew applied its the %Brainiest*. a licenae,aust
his application was sepported by the names of the rekpect.
able inhabitants, but the license was refused. He again ap-
plied, but •ithoul enema. Therefore finding (us be stetter)
that be had nut sufficient interest, he contracted with • pub.
limes of the name of Brune to take the house, aod Brows.:
told him that he bed always dealt with Perkins sod Co. hot
that now it would turosne sou-salary to change to Hooke ,y
and Co. as they Ind the most ialluence upon the Matt.-
Irate, of that district. Alter some vote he inertia:led boa
buildings, and the umber of houses •nionoted to Or, and
it th.n became necesm. y to build utiliser public.huum; a ,d
in like twatiner he applied for a licesse, and was re fuse d a'.
though, almost on the same site. s license was greeted to ',N-
ether prisms. Now, these were them otemeete of the petal° e
He 'outmost-el the VISO of • house which had been astrlsse..l
M 'ohm by the granting of • license from 1,1001. so 2 Tl(4.
He admitted the great difficulties which belonged to the quern -
thin, and which were in so light degree annwiented by the
diversity of the law he regard to dement portlier the count. y.
He wished again to rector M • subject which he teed fromerly
mentioned to the Hon. Member for Weymouth, who list
undertaken to aisswer for the brewers of London lewerinz the
price of beer. He would, seers& IbM Him. Member prclicut,
take the opportunity of asking, first, if the brewers intuded to
lower the prier; and secondly, at what tint. they proposed
to carry the seduction into effect heosuiee, if not .ono, rt
might b.: ..me neceiwas y for the Government ei h... -4 ;i.e.&
vaemosee of consitlersbie importance, without •aitsog
for their determinati a.

Me. F. MIX rON said that he coocurred with itiiee
sapporteil the Petition, that if all the •Ilegstione could he
verified, there was proof that great •beseee existed. Ile
was glad of the oppurissity which enabled him to conteLlict
the whole of P.e allegation . The het* were realty these:-.
Is 1617 'he Podium.' trek a piece of grouted for heti:erne,
sad in the Ranee year made application (we a licentie. 'fbe
Magistrates thought it pressatisse, and the lest ply the
application was trimmed. The heaver ass still within-hi, be-
calm the Inatiee ••• sot yet ready, the slate of Ow ground
scarcely allowing the tesidiegs to fie habitable. Time •h eat
year she become was granted, so that the testy rtmemiag
charge wee, that the Magistrates granted it on Cu,.
rept motives. As to the assertion respecting the trap-f
of the interests from the house of Renelay and Cu.
to that of Truman, Hasbnry, sad Co. lit. trans/Okla
was of such frequeut and well-ksown °rewire nce, that
he declined touching o• It. The hosaie was in fact so morn
hound to him this was the Right How. Gestlemao buoud
always to Site his bread of the baker with whom he at pre.
sent dealt. The individual in (localism seemed to have it
very great idea of difficulty in dealing with thew Magi-
strates; be applied for licenses for two more new house..
One was retuned beessie it WWI withis a hundred yards or
the house first licensed for hien, asd a petition was put is
.004 it by the keeper of the oely public house before su
the seighbourhood, is the same street. The other was dif-
ferently eircurugtaseed.-it was out is the Sallie vices,: ,t
was more than three hundred yards off, and to i;iie
Cr IK was rattled. Having shewu that the f‘t-ts Irene 111..