The National Register.
London, England, 1811-06-16 00:00:00

''l'U NATIONAL REGISTER.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 13.
PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.
Mr. WitmT•aitEAD presented a Petition fr(an the isiabitants
of
the County of Kent, praying a Parliamentary Reform, and
moved that it be laid on the Table.
Sir EDWARD KN AIC it HULL had some doubts on his
'lliad as-to ille iegalitv f that Petition. It had been voted by
the inhabicaots of Kent, and not by the freeholders, as on other
occasions, co:isequently many gentlemen were precluded from
atteoding. It was nut therefore the general expressions of the
county, no: (lid he think it was the prevailing °pinto i of the
c ,tiny of Kent that Reform was necessaty ; and many of the
names had been sitned by the same hand. lie did not, however,
object to the Petition, but merely ruse to state that fact.
Mr. C t caw FT contended that the Petition contained the
sense of several thousands of respectable persons in the county of
Kent It had been said that many of the names were signed
by the same hand ; he did not know that this was irregular, as
he had seen the same thing in petitions from ether places. He
himself was a ln•iend to Parliamentary Reform, and he believed
it was the prey opini,ni in the county of Kent, that a Re-
form was necessary to the welfare of the country.
* Lord octc expressed himself friendly to Parlia-
mentary Itc•form, and 1w then gave notice that it was his inten-
tion to move, early in the next Session, for have to bring in a
Nu for waiiin.; regu:ation for lessening the enormous
expellees attendant on contested Elections. If he were fortu-
nate enouzli to cairy this. it was his intention to follow it up
b/ mOviog for the repe-A of the Septennial Act.
Mr. Slit!: ro:..—So far as be was acquainted, it seemed
not to be the general wish of the county, and those gentlemen
who hod prcsid, d at the Committee wished that some specific
plan should be adopt( d.
Mr. Wei USN n.--The Petition was deposited in his hands
by us respectable a gentl._ man as any in the county, and he felt
assured trial the Committee would tot have ordered such a peti-
tion unless that it proceeded from a legal meeting. It was a
1. gal assrmbly by the Sheriff, and he co; hi not give up the privi-
it ges which as such they right to claim. The I lonia-able
Baronet (Sir E. Knatc.ibtal) had asserted that the newspa-
per accounts of that County Committ:e were ver) correct; did
die Baronet rt collect that he was at a loss to tell whz.ther 1w had
voted with a certain motion (we prestone he meant the charges
again it the Duke of York) or not ? (Some Imighier.) The prayer
of the Petition was, that the House would take the subj,et of the
complaint into mature consideratton. The lion. Gent. (Mr.Wort-
ley had talked of men being actuated to sue for Parl'amentary Re-
fol 01 by " fits," rto-N he could i(ssure the lion. Gent. that his (Nil..
Whitbread's) " tiC' had lasted for many years. Will he be told
that there was no need of Parliamentary Reform, when 11. k• sitw
tl:e descendants of their Ancien. Patriot—Lord Russel, join them-
selves in approval to the numerous band who wish for salvation
to tit it comas y. There were men as honourable out of the
House supporting the cause of Reform, as any of those Hon.
()entlem. II who in the Parliament were opposing it. He he-
li.•ved that the chief part of the inhabitants of the country were
i..us fir a Reform, and without it, ttere could be no salva-
ti (n to the country.
Sir L. KN yren no et. replied, he would interfere about
Petitions whenever he deemed it proper, %vithout consulting
the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Whitbread) on the subject.
IRISH TITHES.

Mr. PARNELL stated at considerable length, and with
sonic bigoted: y, his cipittions concerning the itL-ct ssi v of ame-
liorating' the burthen of Tithes in Ireland. The Counties of
Care, Wicklow, Armatll, Kerry, and the King's County, had
girrn a colour to his assertions, by declaring against the op-
p.-esi.)ti of 'Tithes; and he was convinced every other county
avou!el express tlw sant,' sense were they consulted. ft' w:ts too
lat:. in the present Session of Parliament to sw.t,.in his oriinal
motion; at:d he would propose another founded on it. lie
wit>h«l th.r Ilouse to consider the prooerest me aus of removing
the national p;rievaticr. It was nut for the Catho;ics he com-
plained, they were ;!enet-ally more quiet than the Protestants in
p;tynlctit of Tizhes. 1-te calculated the population of
Ireland at 5,0;V,cr0, of which the proportion of the Catholics
was as four to one—only one half of the Protestants were of
the Est ab!Lhed Church ; add therefore only one-ninth of the
Irish population belonged to it. He showed the distreis to
which the labouring Irish wet e reduced for want of a perma-
nuocy of employment ; i,h live counties 1421 distrtess warrants
had been issu. d on the retention of Tido a. He hopeO the House
w•iuld consider the subject, and he therefore moved," That the
House, on an early'day in the ensuirt; Sessions would appoint
it Committee to exAmine into remedies to be applied on the
Tithes of Ireland."
• Mr. Su Ka:DAN gave his hearty concurrence to the motion.
Mr. W. Pta.r.---The Hon. Gent. had laid down no plans to
proceed by, and fur his opinion, ho assured the Hon. Gent.

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