The National Register.
London, England, 1816-02-04 00:00:00

•
VIE NATIONAL REGISTER.
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Address: that right he reserved no, partially, hit generally, He
was nit to be understood avi supporting the general policy of Mi-
*lister,. His Loidship did not see his. way clearly : he might have
oceasi-,n to say, in the words of Sir Andrew Mitchell, or Sir
Civil-les H. Williams, his Lordship was not certain which, when he
was asked by the Empress of Russia, how he admired the road to
Russia? he answered, " After travelling two hundred miles neon
a bridge, I fell into the water at last." Lord Holland concluded
by expressing a hope that the Noble Earl would not fix the con-
sideration of the Treaty on a day too early.
Earl GnosvEN on expressed a hope that Lord Liverpool would
follow up the investigation of public accounts, and he was sure
much benefit would be derived by the country.
The Address was then agreed to, nem- dis. and ordered to be pre-
sented by the Lords bearing white staves.
On the motion of the Earl of LIVERPOOL, the Earl of SHAFTS-
BURY was voted Chairman of Committees.—Adjourned.

FRIDAY, FEB. 2.
Lord Bradford took the oaths And h 6 seat, on his elevation to
the rank and dignity of an Earl.
Earl Bathurst laid on the table copies of the general Treaties
concluded with Austria, Russia, and Prussia, at the Congress of
Vienna ; together with Supplementary Documents ; also the
Treaty with France.
Thursday week was fixed for the discussion of the Treaties
Adjourned till Monday.

HOUSE OF COMMONS,
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1.
•
:At two o'clock the Speaker too kthe Chair; and soon after the
House was summoned to the House of Peers to hear the speech of
the Prince Regent delivered by Commission.
The SPEAKER informed the House, that during the recess he had
received letters from the Duke of Wellington and Prince Blucher,
in reply to votes of thanks by that House ; also that he had issued
various writs for new elections.—Several new Members, among
them Mr. Brougham, were sworn in ; and new writs were ordered
for Portarlington and Corfe Castle.
The SPEAKER then read the Prince Regent's Speech, (for which
see the Lords) v.hen,
T. D. AceaND rose to move the Address. lie could not re-
Gqin from expressing his regret, that the Prince Regent should have
bet n prevented from opening Parliament in person, and receiving
those et,ogratulatiens so eminently due to him. The Hon. Barons t
then proceeded to take a review of the conduct of the Allies on
the Contieent for the last two years ; and observed, that they had
obtained the end which had been their only object—the restoration
of Peace ; and he could not but congratulate the House, that in
obtaining this end, due regard had been paid to the interests of
FrAnee, aid no saci fires had been required of her bet what were
absoitit, iv weessary to guard against tun ther disturbances of the
peace *,-d ,nqupiity of- the world by that man v.lto had so Ire-
qujeittl) uistu brel it. The Hon. Baronet then adverted to the pre-
sent state
.of this country, its manufacturev aed centeteece ; and
obtepted, that before we expressed oar dissatisfaction at our pie-
Sent situation, we should look to what we had been, and to vi hat
we might hav e been. He then uttered an eulogium on the people
at large for the patience with which they lied home the burihens
which the necessnies of.tl:e times had thrown upon them; and on
tie M inisters for.the manner in which they had applied those sums
with which the Lherality of Parliament had entrusted three ; they
teed applied those sums to the attainment of one great object;
permanent! peace ; and having, as he hoped, attained that object,
lie t- n•ted' they would no .v apply themselves with equal energy to
ref eve the people, as the as possible, from the barthens under
which they laboured. The Hon. Baronet coeclutleil by express-
lug his conviction, that toe House would agree with him, that no
dapi °Enmity could possibly occur in which the House and the
cuttittr- w mild feel itser more imperiously called upon to address
reid col gtatulate his Itoval Highness than the pres. ut ; and eel:-
eluded by moving an Address, which was, as usual, en echo of the
Speech.
'i he %dllress having been read,
1. r P. MtemeeN rose to second it. IVe were not now called on
to conecatulate his Roval Highness on the success of his Generals,
or the bravery of his armies only; but we had to congratulate him
en the return of Peace. He could not but pay a tribute of praise
to that great Commander, by whose genius the fortune of Napo-
leon teid been ove•rt!irown; and to the Noble Lord and his col-
leagues for the meth.:, firmness, and perseverance they had tlis-
p.:4,) u, to Which, wider Providence, Europe was indebted for

FEB. 4.
1

her &inv.( ranee from a military despotism. The Hon. Gentleman
then adverted to the depression of the agricultural interest of the
country ; and observed, that whilst it could not but excite the
commisseration of the country at large, the result of the late con-
test was such, as ought to prevent our falling into gloomy despond-
ency.
Mr. BRAND said, it was not his intention to oppose the Address ;
but he was astonished some sort of pledge had not been introduced
into the Address, that the House would, at an early period, enquire
into the distresses and hardships wider which some part of the
public laboured. He had also to complain, that at a time when so
many great and important Treaties had been entered into, by w hi c 4
it was provided that so large a military force should be kept up
abroad, and which would of course call fur a large military lot ce
being kept up at home, Ministers had so long delayed calling Par-
liament together, and taking the sense of the people, through their
Representatives. He was also of opinion, that, by the adoption
of a rigid system of economy, the country might be relieved
from a great part of the butthen, of taxation under which the
people at present laboured. He wished that an ant endment
to this effect, and pledging the House to take the state (tithe coon.
try and its distresses into immediate consideration, should be added
to the Address, which, with this slight addition, should have his
support. The Hon. Member concluded by proposing an amend-
ment to this effect.
Lord J. RUSSELL agreed most perfectly in the Amendment pro-
. posed ; especially to that part which adverted to the distresses of
the people, and the necessity of economy and reform ; as rumours
had gone broad, how truly he could not say, that Ministers had it
in contemplation to propose a continuation of that oppressive im-
post the Income Tax. He did not consider that the people at
large would be contented with mere trophies and victories; NA bile
such was the distress ofour situation at home, that the farmer could
not pay his rent, or the manufacturer his taxes.
The Chanctllor of the Exchequer said, Parliament had been
convened as soon as it legally could, after the signatures of the
Treaties with Foreign powers ; the ratifications of the Treaty
with France not having been exchanged till the :20th of last
month. He begged to state also, that it was not a single treaty,
but no less than sixty or seventy treaties and conventions,
forming an entire new diplomatic code, which would shortly
engage their consideration. With respect to the internal em-
barrassments of the country, he could assure time House, that
they bad not failed to engage the most serious attention of his
Majesty's Ministers. The embarrassments which at present
pressed upon commerce, appeared to originate in that interrup-
, tian of all intercourse with the Continent, by which the dread
' of scarcity became so prevalent, as to gip e a great encourage-
ment to our own tillage and agriculture. The positive scarcity
in 1801 had increased those apprehensions, which were coati-
noel by the suspension of almost all communication with the
Continent fur so long a period. -Peace naturally brought the
foreign and home prices of grain to a level ; and it was impossi-
ble that the competition of the Continental grower should not de-
press the British market. To this cause were to be added, the
large loans and foreign expenditure during the last three years,
amounting to pot less than 113 million', of which about 43 milliOns
may have been returned. The subduction of so much capital,
and so suddenly, from the ordinary channels of employment, Must
have deranged the course of commercial taansactions, and have
made itself universally felt. Undoubtedly however, economy in
the public expenditure, under such circumstances, was an object
entitled to the utmost attention of Parliament. There was one
point, however, that had been touched upon, and with respect to
which he Ara sdesro u s of giving the earliest explanation. He had
no difficulty in acknowledging that it was the intention of his Ma-
jesty's Ministers to propose a Renewal of the Income Tax at Five per
Cent. upon the conviction that there was no mode of raising the ne-
ce.sary supplies less oppressive, or so economical. (Giles of hear
root the Opposition.
Mr. Brougham supported the amendment, and described the ge-
' nerai distress of the country, which was in a greater state of em-
barrassment than in 1812 and 1812. Bankruptcies were daily
increasing.; and the home trade, the substantial ground-work of
nitir nal industry, was at a stand-still. Shops were every where
empty, and tradesmeus' books covered with debts of which not
one per cent. could be collected. The property Tax was to be con-
tinued. 'this most oppressive tax, not upon property, but upon
income—this burden upon the industry and the resources of the
country, was one oldie consequences of our boasted victories, one,
of the symptoms of our national prosperity. None of the public
biuthens were to be removed, not even the *ar mar tax,-whick