The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-02-24 00:00:00

• • •
nufacturent end impttrteir of tobacco of the town of Belfast, pray
I
for a reduction of the duties ortobacco. They also complained
the event to which smugglingiants carried in consequrice of the •
high duty, and stated that unliets the 'duty was reduced it would
he impossible for them to starry on their trade. The Honourable.
fi •ntletnan said nothing wad so desirrh we to put an end to smug.
glint.. The House would be surprised to hear. and he stated it at'
a fact well deserving their attention., that in e yam 11.110, 1811,
and 1812, forty-one millions of pounds paid .1 at 2s. per pound.'
while in the years 11121, Ht.. 02, and 11" only t t -three minims
of pounds paid duty • and why was( it so bersust44:ltity hat
been raised to 40. a ;mud. In Ireland' the /shwa was from
nineteseifillions of pounds to eight. fin the sante p .If the
duty was reduced to Is. 6.1. iraheptimul, smuggling wooly cease,
and the revenue would be benefited. Last year the dilty had.
been reduced from 4s. to 35., and the consequence was that an ad.
ditional quantity to the esfent of one million eight handfed mutinied
pounds. paid duty. There was no doubt that the eater on tobacco
would be thesame as it had 'been in the retitle of whisky, where
the duty hawing been reduced one-half, the amount collected was
greater than under the higher rate.
On the motion that the petition be brought up, •
Mr. HA frr DAV IS rose, and was utulerthood tO sty that where
there had been 18 stitamanufaeturersin Bristol. there were now
,„,ty eight ; dm! that, in 1811, nnly 2.000,010b0. pftid duty there,
while in 10115, under the seduction, the amount nab 6,riflO,oeilbs.
Sirsifiiit NSW POltT was fora short thus inaddible in the
gallery r he was understood to my that he higefy appMnitl of this;
prayer of the *titian for the reduction of the duty en totem*. It
would Jan vial_ title attiok as it had been with whisky., end hill
Muiretty's Government would find no reduction iii the than* by
towering the defy.
The Initiate* wallow litme.o Op. end-oreetol babe 0,014111.
Mr. HART DAVIS Wemented w petition from the enanatit.'
timer,' and dcalem in tobacco oral snuff of the City of Sristtd, to the
came 'fete..

• PRltefiNß.
Mr. E WODENOIISE brought up the r.in to atithable the
removal of unnecessary prisons in Eigland.--liesd a first time,
and conunitted.

l'E'f !THIN FROM W3l. CORHETT,
Colonel .1014 NSON said he had a petition to present ffcm Mr.
William (lobbed. of Kensington, Middlesex. In this petition it'
was stated that the petitioner. having been possessed ratthdy
bank notes to the amount of I'_ol., applied to the bank ut
front which they were issued, for the payment of them in gold.
The bankem it. question' homier, refusel to dye ativthimg but
(lank of England notes in return. The petitioner then procured
notes of another bank in Norwich, which he rend:wed for the pur-
pose of getting gold in exchange. This dollies.: was not only not
trom2lied with. hilt the proprietors of the establishment threatened,
that if the petitioner did not instantly 'milt the bank they would
send for a constable and have him taken into castay, or Moist out
al ihe house. If this course of procee/ing V'et.4 not remedied. it ap-,
peareil impossible to expect a return of the gold eirtuc:rt:on in the
country. The petitioner was prepared to verify the facts stated in
the petition at the bar of that House. The petition was moderately
drown up, and the object of the pedtionef was, that persons who
held country bunk notes might he enabled ut recover tlrereen by a
mine summary process than the present mode of action. The pe-
tition (as we understood the Gallant (: ilonei) proposed ar a remedy
that 14 hoots' notice to the respective banks by tne person holding
such country notes should be considered anflietent. The petitioner
prayed that a clause to this effect might be introduced into the Bill
for rrgulatieg the country bank currency. In this part of 'he petition
however, he (Colonel Johnson) did not coincide- The Gallant
Colonel then adverted to an inatarce which had occurred in Bir-
mingham. It appeared that notes were presetred fen payment at a
Birmingham Bunk, and that the bankers retired to eletrey,
stating that the promise th pay expressed that I,9nd,in wris the
place where the application shrield be made., and now:iere else:
The holder, who had taken tne notes under an inipres.irm that
they would alto be parable by the Bank at Birmingham, from
which they were issued, .emonstrated with the question—" Are
they not your own notes?" But though it was admitted that they
were, the huller was still Telerrnt to Iroedon, as the s.nly place
where they were payable. The 0 illant Colonel considered this
mode of treatment a grievous hardship, and hoped that some clause
would be introduced into the Bill mobviate the annoyance which
was at present experienced in this respect. Some remedy was ex-
tremely desirable, and he trusted that the grievance would not be
overlooked.
Mr. HUME thought that the stimerretimis of the Honourable
i and Gallant Colonel (1111nR,11) were importsr, tKd required atten-
tion. Unless some restrictive measures were auoptal. them tors
I greet cause to apprehend that there would be too great lasses. It
was natural to expect that bankers wonhl continue and perievert in
those praetict s from which profit was to he derived. It efts incrini
bent en the Legislatures however, to see that the community wad
notiirjudiced while they acquired pryer. He was of opinion that
the. lagin.rld r., 1.4 to pay aft...h..,
'lllPaft TWO Inull-easienwi-to be primed.

- .
IMPORTATION OF 811.1.
31r.11A NEES presented •pethlein. from mesas Owe in the county
of Dorset, against the !reparation of Silk.
ABOLITION OF SLAVERY.
Lord JOHN RI7SSEI.I. presented apt dionfram Godmanches.
ter, raying Inc the Abolition of Slavery ; and another from the
borough of Tavistock.--Ordered to I e is' the table.
aILK TRADE.
Mr. BARING presented a petition from the master tnahnfee-
tutees in Landon, against the Importation of Silk. Ile believed
that the principle of the petition was unanimously approved by al!
of them. They had lent to examine particularly into the state ot
the silk trade in France, and it was ascertained that, if the foreign
silks were allowed to be imported here at the low rate which pre-
vailed, it would be impossible for the trade in this country to sus-
tain the competition. The petition, he believed, was signed b*
almost all the maater-manufaeturern, 1i1T0W9:9711, and dealers in
silk in London.lt was ordered to be rioted.
Mr. BARING presented a petition on the same subject from the
inhabitants of the Old A rtillery-ground.—Ordered to be printed.
Mr. GORDON presented a petition front the workmen spa ar.
tisane in the euiployment of John lioodyesr, of Sherbotne, Dor-
setshire, to the same effect.-0-dered to he printed,
PETITION FROM THE :MERCHANTS OF THE CITY
OF LONDON.
Mr. THOMAS WILSON, in presenting die petition, sajd
he never felt himself in a more embarrasstd situation than
the one in which he found himself at present. lie was called-on by
every principle of duty, however, to proceed on the MOM 00C19i061,
He did certainly regret that circumstances should have =wren,
to render it necessary for hint td purse the line of conduct which
he intended to adopt, but be had no option, for the duty which he
owed to his constituents urged him forward, and he could not re-
fuse to obey the impulse. He therefore hoped for the indulgence
of the House. (Hear.) He had never been fond of trespassing on
its patience, and be should in the present instance endeeveur to
compress the observations which he proposed to make into as small
a conpma as possible. (Hear.) His constituents during several
weeks, indeed he was justified in laying during several months,
had been enduring every species ot privation. The object of the
address was to procure some alleviation of the distress which was
so universally experienced. It appeared to the petitioners that this
effect would result from an issue ot Exchequer bills, fee which they
therefore prayed. lie knew that objections were made to the adop-
tion of this course, as it would constitute a bad precedent to telieve
those who, in many of the instances which occurred, bad been per-
sons who had contributed to bring about that state of things, con-
cerning the pressure of which they now complained and wished
relief. But when great emergencies occurred it would be found
to be s bad principle not to pursue that course of proceedings which
on former occasions of similar exigency had been adopted, and
found to produce the most favourable results. He therefore
deemed it to be the duty of Government to yield to the application.
(Hear, bear.) The Government had indeed at length discovered
that the Bank possessed, by virtue of their charter, a power of ad-
vancing money on merchandise. But the question was, edichet
such facility would be afforded in the present case as bed• been
previously enjoyed by the merchants who chose to apply at the
Exchequer-other. Formerly a merchant who posse-mod property
and could give security might have applied to the Commissioners.
and procured the requisite supplies won safety and secrecy. They
could not do so now, and were unwilling to rink the exposure et
their circumstances by an application to the Bank. It was also
said that if the Bank made such advances of Exchequer .bills,
that there would be an overplus in the market. He had spoken
on that subject before, but it seemed to him necessary to advert to
it again. It had been alto stated that all tradespeople had em-
barked In the speculations and schemes which had been so pre-
relent, and which so mainly contributed to that distress under
which the country was suffering. It was therefore concletieri that
as these visionary proceedings bad convulsed the country in every
part, It would be the better plan to let all things rind their
level, as must be a necessary consequence of the re-action of cir-
cumstances. When he had spoken formerly on this subject ha
cited the stringed case. Ile had adduced the case ot a speculator,
which he deemed to be the worst instance. But still he thought
that if such a man had embarked in such delusive schenns, with a
coital more than half fictitious, he was wovth saving, not merely
in respect to himself hut with regard to the train or mischief in
which his failure would involve other innocent parties. And it
should not be forgotten that these speculations were not the
only causes which conspired with the connexion between the
commercial and agricultural interests to produce the crisis. A
great deal of the spftallation had been superioducad by iiie Ma-
jesty's lilinisters. lie did not wish to ascribe any mischief to
the operation of the free trade system ; but when it was said ilia the
present eircumstences of commercial difficulty and trouble did not
ecact any extension of relief, he felt it to be hot imperative duty
to stand up in defence of the merchants of Loudon. Their conduct
was not such as to deserve those aspursions seinen had been Oung
on them. Ile thought it was incumbent on the Government to
explain why 3 per rent. Console were at one time at tirr. and seer no
very great interval down so low as 75. Thus the difference or: the
prices might be found not to be the result of the can't* aresignct
With respect to overtrading, he did not know, and should there.
fore like to elk, what was meant by thettetntst
phrase to a 4
T It wasiillip:rence
Sibie
to regulate trade so as to prevent what he understood by oveSavading.
How could they confine the meaning o
often or twelve iargoes Overriding dh id not depend on the cony
sideration of the operations at any one place or port ; it was pro-
duced by the complication of all the trading clmmuuttiss. kttrsis