The National Register.
London, England, 1816-03-10 00:00:00

Tempted by the specious offer of advice gratis, a person
not long since applied to the "Medical Board," in Black-
fri..e's Road • ; but soon found, that however justly the
Board had rated the value of the advice, the price of the
furnished by them (13s. IQs. or Ss. per week,
according to the appearance and probable circunestanecs of
the parties) to be above his ability. This plan of the
Board reminds one of having, in the days of youth, seen
a niiitintebank on his stage, pompously lx.acting of his in-
tention to make a present of live shillings to every one
who would apply for it. The claimant had only to pay
one shilling for a small packet of medicine, estimated by
the mountebank to be worth six shillings, (probably not
costing him a penny,) and the difference constituted the
five shillings promised.

-
• It has been erroneously supposed hy some few persons,
that Nit.. Astley Cooper, the eelehrated Surgeon, is commeted
with the firm of C.:opet & Co. of ghiel,friars Road, tl.ose gen-
try olio arc so constantly obi rodiurtheir names in almost every
daily X..wspAiwr in circulation. This is a great mistake. It
Is not for a moment to he supposed that Mr. Asti( y Cooper would
degrade himself ao far as to become one of the adratising tribe.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, MONDAV, MARCH 4.

The Royal Assent was given by ('lnnuni,ciou to the Mali,
lingar, and Tobacco Ditty Bill, 11 NHWaits Exchequer Bills
Bill, and the Naval Courts Martial Bill.
'The Clergy Residence Bill WAS read a third time and pas,cd.

51ARCH a.

Earl Stanhope presented a Petition from Chelsea aeainst the
Property Tax ; as did Lord King one tient La:A Grinstead.

Tilunsmtv, MOttll 7.
sT.tTr. OF THE N.4TION.

The Duke of BEDFORD said, the motion he had to propose
was of so extensive a maitre, and of so much difficulty, that he
should shrink under it, if be did not think he should receive
their support and indulgence. Thv insoion he should conclude
with would be—•" That the House should resolve itself into a
Committee, to enquire into the State of the Country."—Such a
measure was consistent with precedent; and if ever there was
a time N hen it WJ necessary, this was the time. The Peace
Establishment exceeded the whole of the American min, and
also the four first years of the Revolutionary.—Cfbe Noble Duke
was proceeding in his arg ttttt erns against the proposed Peace.
Establishment, when 1w was seized with sudden indisposition,
and obliged to sit down.)
Tile Marquis of LA xshowxr: then imegested, that as the
Noble Duke was so much in+sposed, the debate should be ad-
journeJ.—li was accordingly adjourned to Tuesday neat.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, MoNo4v, MARCH 1.

Petitions were presented from Monmouth, Litchfield, Mic-
ah soh Id, Bridgewater, High Wycombe, Belford, Caine, Hun-
Virgtion, Mile End, St. Luke's (Chelsea), Oakingham, Lillie-
street Ward, South Motion, and Tewksbury, against the Pro-
perty-tax.
A new writ was ordered ror Lewes, in the room of Thomas
1RC441 Kemp, Esq. who lots accxpted the Chiltern I lundreds.
Mr. C. CAVA/ k:RT presented a Petition Irma the Perish of St.
Geroge's, Southwark, against the Property-tax, and one from
the Ward oil/owl:ate, signed by every individual in the Ward,
w ith the exception of OW. This ward had, on all occasions,
been ready to come forward in support of the Government,
whatever Ministers directed the anirs of the Empire.
Mr.BAKCLAv presented a similar Petition from Lambeth.
Mr. VA PISITTART wished to remind the House, that with re-
Jewel to the Property-tax, it hail been originally brought in by
]Y. r. Pitt, for the service of the then war, and pledged fur sti
millions, or rather to continue for eight years. When the re-
'serval of the war obliged Lord Sitimouth to resort to this tax,
he proposed it, not on Mr. Pitt's funding plan, on which money
nu ht be borrowed, but as a tax thr one year ; Parliament re-
net ving to itself the right of continuing, it or not, as seemed to
then nest proper. It was thus that the tax was grautcd as a
Var-tax, and the words" uo longer" were originally introduced
into the Bill; the (lament' whether it should continue in peace
ls-ina. NA he benne, stated, vested in Parliament. In lea 6
rd. Orem' Vie and I,,msdowne were placed io similar circuits-
Ala tee:; these t..vo Nohlc Lords, ssi!li respect to this tax,
did not consider the f.ith of Government pledged to its (limn'•
tintrince in the event of Peace, no more than himself, and
thereftwe left the question open thr the cousideration of Par-
taineut. lie would now state, whet had happt ned since. On
the 2eth of February, iel4, he had made to the House a general
stAttment of the- means to the hands ofGovernmcnt for defray-
ing the public expenditure, in which the Property-fist WAS not
lire:'ude.i ; it being considered an inconvenient and unpropiti-
els mea!mre then, on the eve of the espiration of a war. Oa
that occasiou he had stated, that the public faith was not
pledged, andthe question would remain open for decision. He
now tisum.dit that viremnstances were gi catty changed. Those re.
sources to which Government tooled for assistance wire nowt.
gaged ;and the only choice was, either to make a lirge addition
to the Assessed 'faxes, or adopt the Propel ry•tax. Any addi!ion
to the Assess e d Taxes mast he much more b rthensoure and trou-
blesome; and as Government must have one or the other, they
judged it the most expedieat to call for a coutintiance of the
P 1 operty-taN.
Mr. PONSONDY maintained, that though the Right Hon. Ornt.
slid not cons•der the faith of Pulliam-fat pledged, there were
ninny in the House, and more out of it, who did. The Act ex-
pressly declared " that it should continue until the 4th of April
following the d tlinitive Treaty of Peace." Where words were
so significantly expressed, what other opinion conld the public
have? 'the flight Hon. Gent. had talked oh' the choice oft ne
or two thiugs ; namely, the Assessed Taxes addition, or Iltr
Property-tax. To this, he ( Mr. P.) would say, " There is no
need of either."--( Hear, hear)—He hoped the Bight Hon. G. o•
Orman would attend to the suggestion of the Hon. Ilittooet, es
the wisest course of proceeding, and abandon the tax.
Mr. DICKEVIOM rest nted a Petition from the Freeholders
of Sourersetslstre against the tax, which stated the distresses of
the agricultural interest, which was Ma state of decay : farmers
and labourers unemployed, caused by the 0% erwhelining in-
fluence of taxes, praying for a reduction of the military esti'.
blishmerit, the atiolitimi of sinc:•nre places, &e. Ac The Hon.
Oent.ctilleti the attention of Ministers, not only to the general
solip-et of tlo petition, but to amither imortant feature Reed-
sio.:ed by the tiistress,-, atilt. country. lie stated, that est ry
day the French Ambassador was iii the prac•iee of granting
puopors to dist:cased per,,one, who were letVuil the couutry.