The National Register.
London, England, 1817-02-03 00:00:00

FRIDAY JAN. $l.

Lord COCIIRANE gave notice, that on the sth of Mardi
he should move for leave to bring in a bill for the abolition
of sinecures, and the reduction of salaries in offices that had
lately been raised.
Sir W. Lustutv presented a Petition from the county of
Cornwall, pra)ing for a Reform in Pat liament.

POOR LAWS.
Mr. CURWEN stated, that lie had intended to make n motion
on the subject of the Poor Laws: but if the /tom Gentle-
man on the other side intended to take up the subject, lie
would leave it in his hands.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, on some future
day he should give notice of a motion on the subject.
A Petition was preseilled front the inhabitants of Rochester,
complaining of an undue return of it member to set.% e in Par-
liament.—Ordered to toe taken into consideration on the
20th of February.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCIIEQ►'UR moved, that a mes-
sage be sent to his Highness the Duke of Gloucester, and
.ter Royal Highness the Ductless of Gloucester, to congratu-
late them on their marriage.—Carried, aeni. con.
Air. BROUGHAM ow% cd for au account of the amount of all
monies received during the war as Droll:. of Admiralty,
and of the manner in which the same have been disposed.
Sir F. BuitnErr presented four Petitions from inhabi-
tants of the town and neiglihourhood of Halifax, two of them
praying fur universal suffrage and ammal Parliaments, and
one for annual Pariiaments and sutkage co-extensive with
direct taxation. They were ad read and diieeted to lie on
the table.

Mr. Bitounium observed, that after hearing these three
Petitions, and many others that were offered to the House
with the same prayer, he could not help making a few t marks
to counteract the absurd and pernicious doctrines that they
contained, and to call the attention of Parliament and the
count+ y to one of the ridiculous blunders or wilful misrepra.
sentations, on which they all proceeded. He had the great-
est respect for saute of the petitioners; he gave than eikt
for the best intentions, and he could find apologies tut all
their errors; hid what excited his displeasure was, Ora
those who must rcad the history of their countr, who
were nut ignoi ant men, who bad reflected long on wh..t they
were doing, urged the uninstructed and illiterate to demand
universal suffrage as their birth-right, to place it in the smile
lank with personal liberty or sectithy of ortepel ty, to declare
it die ancient imprescriptitile rights of Englishmen ; and toil
tto sit si hose opinion they directed, as a matter of histrasy,
th..t it was far this right their uavezturs fought and bled.—

FEBRUA

Y a

ar, hear, hear ! ) —The men who made these statement 4
Lia..t know they were propagating delusions, and that trolls
asst fact were against them. He was not unacqe..inted wills
the history of his country. hot he had never read in any his-
torian, nr in any Reesman of the Constitution of England, that
our ancestors fought and bled for universal suffrage (h..ar,
hear); or, that in the struggles between the Crown and the
People, on two very important occasions, whets our rights
and Ii bet ties were the subject of contention, in the time of
King John and Charles I. this political doctrine was ever
thought of by our brave will patriotic forefathers. In the
former of these periods, so far were our ancestor's from alio W.
lug universal suffrage, or every man who had attained the age
of 21 to vote, that the great holly of the people were not
sepresented at alit or it' represented, were represented in a
way very different from that now contended for, or as the
property of their masters. They were, in fact, in the state
of the most degrading villanage, and treated rather like
b;:asts of burden than as beings capable of political right.
(hear, hear). Those who spread the delusive cry of universal
suffrage cannot be ignorant of these things, and must Weill
to mislead those over whom their influence extends. Post
though the people are misled in the present times, their opi-
nion.; ,hotild be treated with gentleness, and their errors cor-
rected with solidness. If, instead of shutting the doors of
Parliament to the petitions of punlic meetings; if, instead of
taking any severe methods ofpreventing these meetings from
assembling to petition, an attempt were made to convince
then by sound reasoning and rational argument, much would
be Jane to conciliate their minds, and allay their irritation ;
nitwit would be done for the cause of good order and consti-
tutional liberty. (lhor, hear, Iran all parts of the House

The Report on the Addre.s was brought no and agreed
to; ordered to lit presented by the whole House, and the an•
ewer to be taken into consideration to-morrow.

D. kTURDA Y, FED. I.

The SPEAR F.R entered the !louse at two o'clock, soon after
a messa,c W4S broitzht from the House of Loul., intimating
that leaf past two was the time agrt ed upon to carry the
Address to the Prince Regent; and that they, the Lords,
were now going. The House accordingly proceeded to ac-
company t 11,2 Lords. The cavalcade arrived at Carleton
House at half-past two, and presented the Addre,s, to which
the Prince Regent returned a must gracious answer.

THE DRAMA.