The National Register.
London, England, 1815-03-12 00:00:00

161

of it inigtst be securott 1,, Moving; thirt he Chairman do rerun pro/trees,
and ask leave to sit Aiello. when the motion of ailjaurninenumight be
submitted to the House ; but before the Hor. Member took suth a step,
he would do well :o intorin himself, whether the military force bid
been ttrtiii ondrr the dtrectina of the sittitig magistrates (Hear,
hear I) ii it had been hrtniAt in consequence of a tumultuous and in
suiting mob, win had assembled to niPliate Parlianiel.t, (heat, hear !)
and if ll a House could sjhmit to be itsfluenced in any measure by such
an assembly, they would soon he degraded to ,a level with the mob it-
self. Before the Han. Gentleman would give his name to sanction the
radii snly lt, lie hoped he would inquire into facts, and then he
would ItothlT respect the Magistrate who had brought out such s force.
to pv..teet P.rliaiiient rn the discharge of its iasportatit functions.
Mr. L arum said, that in coming to do his duty in that House, he
found the avenues of the II .use filled with so/niers, and lie thought the
menace of a military torte was as bad as that nt a mob.
Lord CAB r GIJ t h-erverl, the military force N 26 under the
conduit of a civil officer, who was amenable for his conduct.
Mr. Firzo ERA! D said. that he was insulted and abused outside the
doors. Under these circumstances, he consmunicated with the Speaker,
or the first authority in that House, who caused steps to be taken,. by
which a military force was brought tinder a sitting Magistrate, upon
the Mandate of the Speaker.
Mr. WIIITIIRKAD said, it was certainly the duty of the civil power
to protect the House, and the House would consult its dignity, by
agireing that the Chairman should for a short time leave the chair, to
inq ire how and under what circumstances the military force had been
Collected.

L ird CA STLEREAG u expressed his perfect acquiescence in this sug-
gestion.
The Chairman of the Committee was then directed to report progress,
and 9sk leave to sit again, and the Speaker rimmed the Chair.
Mr. CROKEII said, that in coming w the House the doors of his car.
tinge were forced open; he was seized by the collar, dragged away,
and several blows struck at hint. He was then assured, that unless he
told his name, and the side on which he intended voting, he would
11,4 be silo ser to enter the House alive. He refused, and after a long
struggle, in which the mob finished by. hehting with each other, he
escaped throthlt ,the Cotfee-room of the House of Lards, and at last
reached the House of Commons.

The SPP AKER said. it became him to put the House in possession of
what had come t his knowledge, and of the steps I.e had pursued.
Seeing the possibility of some popular tumult, he had sent to the Ma-
gistrates, to assist in the preservation of the peace. Be,ides that, he
sent to the High Bailiff of Westminster, to be ready to discharge the
duty enjoined upon by the resolutions of the Hume at the commeace-
ment of every Session of Parliament, in keeping the streets and avenues
to and from the Howie free from interruption. He had also given in-
structions to the Serjeant and his messengers to dist:ibote themselves
in the lobby and stone passage, that, with the.assistance of the officers,
they might keep the approaches free. About an hour ago, a Noble
Lord informed him he had been insulted by the mob, (rum whom he
had e,capsd with the greatest difficulty, and had reached the House
only by ceiniug through his (the Speaker's) house. Upon this he sent
out to say, that if the peace officers were nut sufficient they must call
in others, far that Parliament must be uninterrupted in its deliberations
at all events. After that, Members had informed hint, what be was ,
very glad to hear, that a military force had joined its protection to
Members coming to the discharge of their important duties in that
House. (Hear, hear I)
Mr. WHITIREAD thought enough had occurred to make it necessary
to cull to the bar the civil officer, to render an account of the steps he
had taken for the protection of Members, and he should accordingly
move that the High Bailiff of Westminster do forthwith attend at the
bar of the House. -
The ATreeway-Gawenai said, he was the lost Member who had
entered from without. He had thought the most convenient way, to
dri, e was to the great. Hall door, and before he had reached it he
found his -carriage pursued by a mob, insisting to know who he wits,
and whether he was a friend to-the Corn Bill or rm. He toW them he
had never been ashamed of his name, but he would nut deceive them
upon the subject of his conduct in Parliament. He then remonstrated
'tad reasoned with thereon' the measure before the House, and at length
extricated himself with the assistance of some of the populace.
Mr. FiNtitate said, he had been assaulted with sticks; such an as-
st mb!age could'not have been dispersed withont a military force.
(An Hon. Member here exhibited his coat, the skirts of which had
been tern off, and which excited considerable risibility.)
Sir B. Heeota rose to show visible marks of the treatment he had
suet with. Ha had sot met so mild a mob as that which was fascinated
with the eloquence of the Atiorney-Generat. After being roughly buf-
tatted like a shuttlecock between two battledores for five miaUtes, he
teethed the goal watt ircatest difficulty. Ile bad sot lateudetl to II
• ... ••.

speak, bet when rev
his approbation pf tl►e Bill-.
Sir F. Ftoon said, he had been hoisted en men's shoulders, and car•
tied like mackerel from Billingsgate; lie thought himself quartered.
{Loud laughing, and cries 11011:kr I )
The High Bailiff being now called in, was examined, as well as Mr.
rßiride and Mr. Kinnai►d, the Magistrates, as to the tiumbers of the civil
force employed to keep the peace, and how they had been distributed.
At the conk union, it was agreed to by Mr. Larubton,, Mr.lVhitbread,
and the House generally, that a military force had been properly called
iu ; and these proceedings were ordered to be further considered on
Monday next.
The House again went into a Committee on the Corn Law., and se-
veral Members spoke, including Lon, Castlereagh, who supported the
highest price. The House divided—Fur the Amendnseut 77—agaiutt
it t 08—Al ajo ri y 131.
After some further conversation, it was agreed to receive the report
on Wednesday.— Adjourned at tour o'clock.

TVISDAY, 'LARCH 7.
Petitions were presented from a great number of places against the
C..rn Bell ; arid from Newport in the Isle of %Tight, the counties of Suf-
folk and Norfolk, and Dudley. in its favour.—Ordered to lie on the
table.
Mr. BENNZTT moved for the appointment of a Select Committee.
to inquire into the state of the King's Bench, Fleet, and Warshalsca
Prisons —Agreed to.
Tim Bank Restriction Bill was reported, and ordered to be read a
third time on Thursday. •
The Mutiny Bill passed through a Counuittce.—Adjourned.

WILDNUDAY, ~ARC/1 8.
Petitions against any alteration in the Corn Laws were presented'
from IVisbeach ; from Donley by Mr. H. Sumner ; from Margate,
Drr-
Isston, Christchurch, Durafernoline, Lewes ; tiora Ealing and Old
Brentford, by Mr. Mellish ; from St. Mary, Islington, and St. Paul,
'Sbadwell; the Ward of Farringdun Within, signed by 9,000 persons in
a few hours; from the borough of St. Alban's, by Alderman Christo-
pher Smith, who stated nine out of ten of the inhabitants of the place
• were against any alteration in the Corn Laws ; from St. Mary Mag-
dalen, fivrmorlsey; the Ward of Walbreok; signed by .1,700 persons,
by Mr. Alderman Atkins, who expressed Isis wish that the attention.of
the House should itie particularly directed to the !mother wt petitions
against the Curn Bill, and the immense numbers, amounting probably
to little short of 500,800 persons,. by whom they were signed ; from
Worcester, signed by 6,000 persons, by Mr. Tierney ; front Ather-
stone. and from Horsham, by Mr. Hurst. These petitions were laid
ou the table.

Mr. BA n 'NO presented.. petition against the Corn Bill, from Carlisle,
signed by Shoot 6,000 persons, forming about two-thirds of the whole
population of the place. The petition, he ought to state, in additiors
to the prayer against the bill, contained also a prayer against any fur-
ther advances to the board of agriculture, which the notitionera eocsi-
dered only as a public nuisance. The petition lik.ewise, though it did
not directly pray lot a Reform in Parliament, yet mentioned the opi•
nion of the petitioners, that if this bill were to pass in opposition to the
decided—to the known wishes of the great body of the nation, it would
then clearly appemr, that the state of the representation was such as in
be altogether insufficient to afford protection to the great bulk of the
people:
Sir JAMES Gn.s II Asr said, he had spoken to many persons connected.
with agriculture in most parts of the country ; and this he would state
to the House, that (ruin the greatest proprietor. of land downward!, he
found they would be satisfied with no average price of 72e. the quarter,
so as to have 30s. ov 83s. for the best wheat at mai ket. Be had heard,
from the best• Surveyors, that if the average pi ice was 7'2a. the best:
market wisest would he 80s. or 855.; and he was astonished that Par.
Hareem should think of fixing 80► as the importation prke. This was
nut only the language of honest Surveyor, throtighont the country, but,
of the greatest landed proprietors, persons who possessed more landed
propetty than most cousumers.
On the Order of the Day for bringing up the Report on the Corn
Bill, a long debate again took place, in which
Sir GILBERT HE•TtIiCOTE misted, that it be broUght up this day six
months.

On a division, the numbers were—For the Amendment, 50; Against
it, 168,--Majority, 118.
The Report •iras brought tip.
Mr. BA ZING then moved, that the farther consideration of the Re-
port be postponed till the first Monday after the Easter recess.
The House divided—Fur postponing the bringing up of the Report,.
57; Auninst it, t206.--Majority, 149.
The Berra 'so tits* brought up.

loam .14
41114 acit

On the motion for ilgreeieg to fill up the blanks with the sew of 80s.
Mr. Car.ca.try observed, that all who wished for a lower price,
whether that price was 72.. 745. or 765. must of course vote against the
.
amendment of the Committee.

A division immediately entned--For 801. 184; Against it, 78.
v, 106. .
VANIIITTART, immediately after, our re-admission, moved, that
the Bill should he read a third time on Friday nest.
On this the Mouse again .4ivided-.--For the third reading on Friday
net, 227 ; Against it, 46.- Majority, 181.
.t long conversation ensued on the subject of the • riots; Mr. Whit-
bread thought the Civil Power had been remiss in their duly on Monday
nigh( ; Mr. C. Yorke saidiif such proceedings were allowed to continue,
there could be no Government or Parliament in the country, unless
the Parliament was withdrawn from the 'metropolis; and Mr. Iluskisson
tleclared,tlust the danger now throaleniug.the metropolis had arisen eut
of the imputation of motive, in which some of the Gentlemen opposite
lad so liberally iathdged.7-This assertion was indignantly repelled by
Mr. Ilsring, and a warm alteration ensued, which was put an end to
by the Spiker.
The House went through the other Orders of the Day, and then ad-
journed.

TRUTOPAY, MARCTI 9.
Petitions continued to be laid u❑ the table in great numbers against
the Corn Bill.

Tice Gaol Chaplains' Bill was read a third time and pased.
The motion for the third readiag of the Bank Restriction Bill, gave
ride to a conversation of some length.
Mr. lloti NKR proposed an Amendment, with the view of compelling
the think to take steps preparatory to the re.nmptinn of cash payments;
:his bring opposed as likely to cause a rise in bullion, was not persist-
ed in.

.
Alr. B niNr, suggested the issue of a silver cotnage,•lo or 11 per
rem. wider the legal standard ; he also recommended u coinage of gold
of 11. io-trad of pine's.
fhe Hill was r<ad a third time and passed.
AIr.VANSITT ar postponed the twitter consideration of the New Taxes
till Monday. lie stated his intention of sisodifyitig the tax on the win-
Liow, of manufactories ; and with respect to the rent of warehonses, to
impose a duly of 2s. in the pound only, instead of the progressive ScalC
rr fist Proposed.—Adjoprited.

FRIDAY, MARCH 10.

• PETITIONS AGAINST THE CORN
Petitions against the Corn Bill were presented from Birmingham,
signed by 50,000 persons; from New Windsor; from 'Wolverhamp-
ton; from St. Lake, Chelsea; from Bradford, Yorkshire ; from Ali-
gale Wail; from Lambeth, signed by 10,100 persons; from Canter-
bury, signed by 3,000; from Evesham: from the Town of Lanark,
and other places.—They were read, and ordered to lie on the table.

WESTMINSTER 'PETITION.
Sir F. BuRDETT presented a petition from the City of Westminster,
r•igned by 41,270 persons, praying that uo alteration might be made
in the Corn Laws. In moving that it be received, lie wished to say
a few words respecting the extraordinary misrepresentations which
had gone forth respecting his sentiments on the Corn Bill. He bad
been represented as the friend of the measure, but he was not. iHe
thought it a most obnoxious act, and expressed the wish that it might
be left with the govermnent, with whom it had originated, because
he considered it neither more nor less than an effort to bolster up an
unsupportable system of taxation. He had told the meeting what he
beheved—that there was no other way of getting out of their diffi-
culties than by a curtailment of their expenditure. He devilled it a
pity that the public mind should be inflamed by such a measure--it
was greatly to be deplored that the cause continued• which bad led
the People wantonly and indiscriminately to disturb the peace ; but
,
had etmtended that the people ought not to waste their energies
an opposing a minor evil. The great evil was the corrupt state of
cps representation, and he urged the necessity of laying the axe at
the root of the evil, by obtaining a reform. But a variety of pub-
-I.c• prints bad inditstriously perverted his sentiments. representing
bin as the friend of the Corn Bill, as an individual whose patriotism
f',lJ disappeared the moment a question arose which was calculated
to promote his interest. He was not interested by the pretended bc-
►aa its held out by this most obnoxious measure—it would not make
one sixpence difference to him. His little estate, or rather his little
world tatill continue the same, whether the Bill passed or
not, for it had been during the war, and it continued so Atill, on a
pace establishment. ‘Vbether the protecting rate was 80s. or no

r ,
i

40141r*0