The National Register.
London, England, 1809-05-28 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

"••
UESSAGi FROIC Hti'mAsEiTir.

GrORGE RE X,
Ills Majesty having directed returns to be made and certified
by the Archbishops and Bishops of England and Wales, of the
number of livings under the value of one hundred and fill)
pounds per annum, and perceiving from those returns, that not-
withstanding the operation of the Act passed in the second and
*bird years of her Majesty Queen Anne, for the making more
effectual her Majesty's gracious intentions for the augmentation
of the maintenance of the poor Clergy, by enabling her Majesty
$o grant in perpetuity the revenues of the First Fruits and
Tenths, the maintenance belonging to the Clergy divers parts
of the kingdom, is still mean and inefficient, his Majesty has di-
rected an abstract of the returns as far as she same have been
completed, to he laid before the Haute of Commons ; it the
House of Commons can find any proper method of enabling his
Zblajesty to accelerate the operation of the said Act, it will be a
great advantage to the public, and very acceptable to his Ma-
jest y. S G. It.
The Mes-sage was ordered to be referred to the Committee of
Supply on Wednesday next.

MA Y .294

. .
extraordinary' of any that Iran ever been known in'the ;nulls oT
the House of Commons. They were not only accused of corny.
rlon nut of doors. hut the charge was acknowledged ithin the
house; and by the confession if its own members, the House
could no longer be considered as the free represeutatives of the
people. All delicacy was done assay with, and what would
formerly have drawn down t!-.. heaviest displeasure of the House,
was now unblushingly acknowledged from alt quarters of it.
The times of Sidney and Russel had been quoted, and it had
heen said that those illustrious men did not scruple to become the
pensioners of France. He pitied the understanding of any man
who conld lead his belief to such a calumny. Such stories mixht
suit the taste of the 'Alacphersoos and I.)::lrymples of the day,
but he would never consent to sully the fame of those inflexible
and steady patriots, who had cemented with their blood the li-
berties of the 'people of England, on melt authority as the pa.
pers of Barilloo, the French A oroassador, which was the sole,
authority on which that posthumouz charge against the memory
of Russel and Sidney wns: supported. After the memorable ac=
know ledgements we have heard, it is impossible that we can
continue to call ourselves the representatives of the people of
fireat Britain. (here the Han. Baronet was loudly called to or-
der; and the Speaker interposed, and said, he conceived the lion.
Baronet tear disw-drrly.)
Lord A. id Asti urns contended, that after what passed in the
House, he thesught it impossible that they could be considered
any longer as the yepresentatives of the people; and, therefore,
he did not see how the Hon. Baronet had been disorderly.
Sir F. ButtnETT resumed, and said he conceived it a mere
mockery of terms, after what had passed in the discussion on the
.I`..!th inst. (the motion respecting Lord Castlereagh's proposing
to barter a Writership for a seat in Parliament), to call the
llonse of Commons the representatives of the people. Never
till that period did ally Minister of State, or any Member of cage
House, venture to avow what had then been uobloshingly ac-
kuoisledged. The misfortune was, that the confetfsion then
made, disgraceful as it was to the House, did not rest with Ilse
party accused alone, but• was freely acknowledged in every qoa'r.
Li. of the Honse to he a long existing evil. ft wits conended
that a Reform in the Commons House of Parliament would he
arischievous, becanse it would separate property and political
power. But he contended that it would do no such thirsg„ Het
did mint complain that property. commanded poli!icikl powers
hot that political power was derived from What was not substan-
tially property, namely, from rotten boroughs. W ita regard to
Cie present 13111, it was not that kind of reform which he wished
fAr. Ile could not conceive any good effects that could result
tom• it, .and he thought it might be attended with some very in-
jurious con4'quences. It would take the traffic in seats in Par-
liament out of the publie market, and 'throw the whole mono.
poly of that trade into the hands of the administration fur the
time gains;. If the evil could not he got Hi of by a radical re
form, the'best course to pursue, he thought, would he to make
sits saleable at a public mart, and the money so raised, instead
being paid into the Treasury for unknown purposes, might be
applied to alleviate the public burtheus. •In no respect did he
conceive the present measure likely to answer airy good end. It
appeared to him a sham remedy, and therefore he. objected to it
altogether. He could not, however, help doing justice to the
motives of the lint'. Member by whom it was !nought forward,
and whim) he believed to be aetuated by the best intentions. But
conceiving the Bill altogether inadequate to meet the evils coops
plained of,' and rather likel). to inCrease them, he should vote
against it.
lir. FULLER was astonished !hat the lion. Mciiiber Ifho h d
spent 1'0,001: in elect ion:, j 'war ! hear ! ) and 'who had got
people to vote, for him and some of whom n ereatat In Botany
Bay, should talk as he did of coree ot too. and reform. Ile never
gave a bribe to any man for his vote, and he wished every. of e
could say the same. With respect to the Bill, i,e did not think it
would be 'effectual, for there' were. many things besides money
which a mail mi;zht give to procore votes, such as a puncheon Of
ruin to wee (loud laughing), a horse to another, and a pipe of
wine to a third. lie, however, should vote for the Bill going
into a Committee, but would not pledge himself to support•it
further.

The CIIANcEI.I.on of the ExcticQuErt declined saying nny
thing upriii the principle of the Bill at preseti a he had delivet-
e.d his sectimenti at length ,upon it on a former -occasion. Ile
w6heti it, however, to go into a Committee, that the4lifkrrot
clauses tn;glit be separately discu;sed, ;led that the House should
exerrisa its jodgment upon its w 14.de tnerib:.
The Bill vas ordered to he rommitiNd on Tuesday next.—Ad-
jonntd.