The National Register.
London, England, 1816-03-18 00:00:00

N.troLtox BUONAPARTE.

Lord CAST LE- It-LGII---r;(, pursuant to notice, to move for
leave to bring in a Bill Gtr the b‘lter securing the person of
Napoleon Buonaparte. The Noble Lord entered into a review
of the situations and characters which Buonaparte bad tilled
:Ind born• ; namely, of Emperor of France, mid afterwards of
Elba, both of which he bad forfeited. The Noble Lord said,
he would not now cuter into a particular detail on those heads,
but put the present case on the necessity of securing the per-
son of Boonaparte, to secure the future peace of Europe.
Having stated this necessity, he wished now to propose to
firing in a Bill to provide for the better securing the person of
Buonaparte; and to instruct those who had the custody cf him
in what manner they were to treat him; and here he should
propose to describe him us a prisoner of war; and iu this cha-
racter the law of nations would instruct thoye who hail the care
of him how he was to be treated; at the sante time taking care
that his treatment should be as kind and liberal as circum-
stances would allow. The Noble Lord concluded by moving
for leave to bring in two Bills ; one to secure the person of
Buonaparte ; the other to regulate the intercourse with St.
11 demi.

Mr. Itnoucwast did not intend to oppose the bringing in the
present bill, as now was not the time for doing so. He should
reserve any observations he had to snake till he saw the ar-
rangement contained in the Noble Lord's Bill. He was one of
those who thought that whether fluonaparie was considered as
a sovereign prince, or as a native of France and prisoner of
war not claimed by that Power, our Government had a right
to detain I without any specific Act of Parliament. He
trusted, however, he would be treated with all the lenity which
circumstances would allow. The time might come when it
would be possible to put an end to his imprisonment, but that
would be a subject for future consideration.
Lord NUGENT wished to know whether Buonaparte was to
be treated as a sovereign prince, or as prisoner of war.
Lord (.I.IMLIMAGU &aid, as a prisoner; but with reTect
and lenity.
Mr. Ott rwart. hoped no amendment to that effect would be
moved his HOU. Fpicud. Lideed, he was much astonished
at hearing him intimate any such intention.
Mr. Hiroo 0rr1,4 bad not declared any intention to move such
an amendment; his Hon. Friend bad entirely misunderstood
him. All lie had said was, that a time might anis* when the sate
of Europe would he 1111111 as would render the farther detention
of this person unnecessarv.
Gen. M.ttuisw wi,lied to ask the Noble Lord, whether
there was any intention on the part of this Government to keep
Gen. Her; rand and the other officers who were prisoners with
numiapartv. He could not discover any right we. hail to keep
these gallant men prisoners of war, now we were at ueace w ith
all the world.

TIIC GENERM. thonglit the Hill sußfrirutiy ex-
plained itself. It vas entitled a Hill Ow better securint: the
person of Napolcon Huonaparte, and alluded to no other
person.
Mr. BENNETT wished to know from the No:Jle Lord, if there
was any intention of detaining these persons, either as priseners
of war or otherwise.

Lord CI,TILEREAGH !Mid, it was rot In the contemplation of
Govermnent to keep them.
'flie Noble lA)rcts motion wrts then rut, and leave given to
bring in Bills accordingly.— *sfiljouructl at nine o'clock.

WrimEsuA,:,.llAncitp.

Several I'etitious against the l'ioperty fax and the proposed
Military Establishtuent were presented, and urdered to lie un
the table.

Mr. Robinson proposed Resolutions for equalizing the Ditties
on Good,, .n and es ported from and to America, iu
lititish and Auteriont vessels. Agreed to.
Mr. Gout it pre.ented a Petition front the owners and occn.
piers of Land in thy County of Sethilk against the Property
Tax. He ss A.; under the tweessity deciariog, though that
der In ratiott g..te him pain, that he clitkrtil from the Petitioners
respecting the proptiety of eontioning thi. Tax, which, with all
its sins upon its head, he considered as the best, under all the
circumstances of the times.
CALL OF THE HOUSE.

On Mr. W. Keeiie's name bring• caned over, it was found
that the Ilan. 211111 Venerable )teinhcr was absent; the ques-
tiou far his brine committed to the custody of the Sedestut at
Arias was then put.
Mr. 1t .WINNE Sucgested that he should be excused as be-
in: the father of the House.

The SPEAKER asked if the Hon. Member would move that
Mr. Keene be excie,cd in that character.—( luagils.)
Mr. WY NNE then moved, that the Hon. Mtmber should be
excused on account et his age. -Ordered.
Several other hlembers, who were absent, were ordered
into emaolly.
Mr. Tien re ev me% Ca, that a copy of the Order in Council,
dated the I June, 1;45, clireetiml that the salaries of the Se-
cretary and Under Secretary of the Admiralty should be per-
manent, dui ing peace and war, !Await' be laid betbre tlieHuute.
—Ordered. . .

Mr. litt(tionmw presented a Petition svinst the Property
Tax ; and observed, it was searcely to In credited, that Mist
the flume was urging the reduction of the clerks and others in
public offices, and the setting aside of two of the Lords of the
Admiralty, his Mkjioty's Mulistcm were employed iu increas-

in?, the salaries of some of the officers, at least in the Adm;ratty
Department. The Hon. Member then proceeded to repeat his
formi•r observations on the conduct of his Majesty's Ministers
in thus employing themselves in a mmientation of salaries whilst
they had economy and retrenchment in their months ; and
%%Mist they were wily urging the ne.•essities of the state as a
reason for thrusting upon the people that odious impost the
Proport% Tax. lie trusted that the Hoare of Commons %%mild
at leiketii awake to a due retard of its own character, and force
the Noble Lord and his colleagues to abandon that system of
wasteful extravagance of expenditure.
Sir G. WanttEnnve asked, if the House was to snspend its
judgment till the Documents ..iroul,l h•• before the Home, they
would then find that all which had been done, had been under
the advice and superintendence of the lievisional Board of the
Admiralty Department; and he had no doubt but the House
would be satit•ticd with what had been done.

Mr. Ttantk ev said, the ReviAional Board of Admiralty had
been established by Lord St. Vincent, for the purpose of re-.
form • but the same Board, it now appeared, constituted a
1)04 intended to overturn all

Mr. BAR,ao thought all ideas of economy were thrown
aside, and the whole business at present going on appeared to
he that of increasing and augmenting salaries.
Lord CACTLEREAGP. only asked, as his Hon. Frierd hod
done, that the I ionse should, tier a shot t time, suspend its judg-
ment. 1t the principle upon which this anis mice had taken
place was cornet, there was nothing in the situation of the
country, at present, more than there was formerly, which ren-
dered it improper to do so.
Mr. Ponsonay trusted the Right Hon. Gentleman's expla-
nation world be more fortunate than that be had given of Ida
sentiments as they existed at that time on the subject of the.
Property Tax. The Noble Lord had talked of clamour raised •
by certain persons in and out of th House. Was this a nay
in which the Noble Lord might to speak of the Petitions of the
People; and the unanimous, decided, declared opinion of the
independent part of the House of Commons? The clamour (Jr
any existed) was raised by the Noble Lord, and his friends and
adherents, against the voice of the people, as declared in the
numberless Petitions which had been presented 'o the House.
•Lord CASTLEREA:II thought that he had a right to complain
of the misrepresentations of the Right Hon. Gentleman, iu
imputing to him, that in what be had said on clamour within
the walls of the House he had included the Petitioners to the
House, or the Merchants and Bunkers of London, and the
country. He would be hold to say, that no man in the House
had a greater re spect for the opinion of the most humble in-
di% Wont in the count y, who might petition the House, than
he had.

Sir J. NEWPORT would leave it to the Petitioners to form
their own opinion on the sentiments of the Noble Lord toward•
them. Ihe would only refer them to the Noble Lord's own
words,' ho had accused them of au ignorant impstieuce of
taxatiou.

Mr. V. F,TzoFRAT.O denied, that his Noble Friend had used
the words mentionail in the way imputed to him ; neither The
matinee nor the tom' in which they were uttered could have
bei it fairly construed as intended to insult any, the most hum-
ble individual.—( //tar, heorjectin ho!!, sides of the Horse.)
Mr. CHOKER entered into a history of the circumstances
which led to the appointment of the Board of Revision, at the
Admiralty, under Lord Spencer, and stated that the Board had
come to a resolution that the salary of the Secretary should, I.
times of peace, be three-fourths what it was in time of war.
This regulation was to have been exteaded to all other offices,
but, on enquiry, it was found impracticable to extend it to any;
and in Act it never was applied to any except to the office
which he held ; under these eireumstances, the Prince Regent,
in Council, considering, it unjust to the individual to make this
office an exception to all the others, especially as it was an
office of very considerable labour, made the Order in Council.
which lie understood the Hun. Member for Taunton had
moved for, placing the Secretary t.f the Admiralty in the same
situation which the other officers of the Admiralty, Navy, and
Victualling Offices were.
Me. Foanas considered this as the most inexpedient time
winch conld be choseu, tbr increasing the salaries trimly public
Officer, unless tinder circmustancet of the most absolute neces-
sity. 1 iis lion. Friend had given notice of a motion relativ eto
the salaries of ptiblic Officers. He would suggest to him a
paper, which, it' he would move for, would prove most useful
to him in the conduct M. the motion—that wus, for a return of
the 'lumber of persona who had given notice of tlo-ir intention'
to resign, iu conaequeuce of the reatoratiou of the peace.—(4
taveh.)
After a fen words from Mr. Locanaar,
Mr. BoutoriAli said, it was nut to be expected that he
should answer all the arguments which had been brought
against him. The time would arrive w hen the Noble Load
would be put upon his trial, and when recrimination would nut
atail Lim. Till that time, he would leave the Noble Lord to
prepare for his defcace.
Lord I:oat:sigma took occasion to state a grievous case re-
specting the Property •tax. A Right Hon. (kin. had denouue.
totted the tax. as affecting the rich, and not the pour; but he
should show, that it affected not the Lich, but the poor,or rather
that description of persons just abut a the class of paupers.—A
Clergyman, of inthlemiaheit character, lately died, without hav-
ing the imam' of making provision fur his family. Ile lett two
daughters, welt educated, but destitute of support ; their caae
attiacted the attention of sumo respectable Gentlemen in the
neighbourhood of their late father's residence, urn) they sub-
acribed a sum sufficient to purchase an 'annuity of 401. Wlra
this annuity came to be paid, the agent deducted 41. for the
Property-tax; and, on' a 'monstrance being made by their
friends, the young Lathes were referred for redress to the Com.
mitsioners of the Tax Office; the mate of their case was tbr-
warded accordingly, and it My tour mouths at tile Office un-
answered. At letieth a circular letter was addressed to the
Comity Commissioner, Under the Act, 'dating, that their an-
nuity was not within the awaiting of ac Act." The Noble
Lord observed, that here was a plain refutation of the Right
Hoe. Gentleman) assertion, that the tax would not press tie
persons having incomes under a!d. per ammin. These Ladies
bad been deluded of their property; um' ft to them was a ae-
rious loss. He might be told of nioihticatious; but the public
would get no good front them—the allegations against it, aa
being unjust and inquisitorial, were correct: for if you guard-
ed against the injustice, you then made it inquisitorial.
Mr. VAT:et/TART admitted the case just stated by the Noble
Lord ought to have been relieved ; but without enquiry into
the circumstances, he could not say any thing further.
The Petition was ordered to lie un the table.