The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-03-04 00:00:00

REFORM IN PARLIAMENT.

Sir S. ROMILLY rose to present a Petition, sign-
ed by twenty indivirtals, resident at Bristol, pray-
ing for a Reform to Parliament. The Petitioners
were of course aware, that he dissented from the
extent of their proposition, and could only mean,
that he should communicate the prayer of their
application to the [louse. He would avail himself
of this opportunity to state, ilia with reference to
this mode of presenting Petitions not signed by
more than twenty person, a great mistake had
arisen, as there was Ito hiw limiting the number of
signatures, but there was for preventing more than
twenty iversons
them. Indeed one %load hare thought the Peti-

Qom., themielvec must ha►e been .mare of ti.,
for they sunlit have observed that l'arliaineut was
in the mislaid tintetice of receiving Petitions with
thousoodo of signatures; and the very number. so
for front being a sourer of objection, was Urged ;IS
on argument: in that, suteport.—(hear.) - I'he amt.
tiriliastiost of the l'etituiv, and reduction of the
signatures to the:a to a small given smother, arose
entirely nut of a mistake as to the terms of a µarti-
cular law. •
The laid on the table, and ordered
to be printed.

Lord COCHRANE had several hundred Petitions
to present to the House nn the srobject of Podia-
Mental., Reform, a few of which he would now
bring up. He had four from St. Niargarei'+, West-
minster, 100 from Leeds, fire from Briptol, se-
veral from Newcastle-m -Tyne, Ashton-under-
Litre, and n number of other places. The Noble
Loh, prestnted a Petition from IVtatmitister, from
Bristol, and front Leeds.—They were ordered to
be printed.

TITHE CONT:tilitr.E.
Mt. JONES wished to know whether any steps
were intended to he token by Ins Majesty's doverst-
mint, on the Report of the Titlx Laws of last
Seision ?

Lord CASTLEREson Was not sit the instant pre-
pared to give an explicit answer 10 this question.

ARBITRARY IMPRISON Al
Lord COCHRANE rase to present Pettliona from
Robert Toms, a ‘VellVtr at Olasgaw, John
Buchatimaii, and William Inane, complaining
of the enmities tiny endured by a lung and arbi-
trary imprisonment. 811t1 praying fur a consider*.
lion of their respective cases, and that tin Bill of
'adenosine should be gavesi to Alinisters. The
Noble Lt.srd said it was tio answer to cases fraught
with so much flagrant injustice, to say that the
gaoler denied the cruelties imputed to him. Let a
Committee inquire into the fact, hear both sides,
awl then ►lute the result.
Mr. FINLAY said, he could not see how these
persons could complain of the Suspension of the
Habeas Corpus Act, as none of them were arrested
under it. As to their complaints of ill treatment,
all he would say was, that a person who bed sees
oil, rise Prisoners in gaol, assured him that they
• made no complaints, nor could have any to make.
On the subject of their ihhoeetioe, some of them
dared mit so roundly assert it in the place where they
were known.
Lord COCHRAN E gold, that one of the Petitioners
had appealed to J. P. Grant, Esq. M.l'. to whom
he said he was indebted fur the preservatiow of his
life, if that Honourable Gentleman were present
he might possibly be able to ambit to the ease of the
individual.—The Petitions ware laid on the table,

be printed.

POOR'S RATES.
Sir S. Roxtr.r.Y presented r Petition from Henry
Schulks, complaining of the exemptions of ems
parochial places from rates in !tarts of the county
of Somerset.—This Petition was referred to the
Committee on the Poor's Laws.
LORDS' JOURNALS.
On the motiton of r. F. DoVal.A., a Committee
was appointed to search the Lords' Journals fur in.
formation on the sulsjact of sealed papas. com-
mitted so their Lordships for inquiry.
FEES ON PATENTS.
On the motion of the mite Hun. Gentleman, ac.
counts were ulso ordered of all fees. taxes. Awl
other digs, paid on patents under the Great Seal.

COPYRIGHT.
Sir gtiERTON BeetfOES would not detain the
House long in moving ter leave to bring iii it Bill
to amend the Copyright Act, of the 54th Geo.
c. 156, as lie understood no objection would
be made to the course he was about to pursue. He
would, therefore, only detain the House while lie
said that the grievances under this Act appeared so
great rod so severe, nut only as affecting authors
and publishers, but the best interests of literature
itself, that he saw no remedy but its repeal, and he
Could anticipate no fair objection to it. He con-
cluded by moving for leave to bring iu a Bill to
seseuti the Copyright Act.
Lord A. HAMILTON hoped that his inlenCe ee
the present occasion would not be colustrised into
any assent to the proposed measure; on the con-
trary, his sentiments in opposition to it remained
fixed as before.

Mr. Past. begged also to make a similar reserva-
tion of his opposition until the proper stage of
discussion—the second reading.
Lord PALMERSTON had to put in the same
claim for his opposition in due time to the measure.
MegA.)
Mr. Feasts would also, in a future stage, opr
pose the Bill.—(A laugh.)
Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.
CROWN LIVINGS.

%fro BABI NGTON mo•ed—

That an humble Address be presented to the Prince
Rest*, praldwg that hit Royal Highness would be gracious-
ly pleated to have laid before Ik House a list of all Recto=
Picarageti, Drmantives, and Perpetnal Curacies, in the
Rift or the Crown, now vacant, specifying the time during
which each has been vacant, and the counties in which
situalcir.—Ordered.

And after a conversation between Mr. Bahing•
ton, Mr. Brougham, Mr. Cimrwemo, Mr. B. Bathurst,
Mr. W. Wynn, and Mr. Jones,
Mr. BABINGTON also moved a similar Address,
to obtain a hat of the stripe, lowing fallen to time
Crown by lapse, now vacant, time period of vgc.rmicy,
and counties where situated.-01 tiered.

Sir C 14411.1.10 NiWICK moved—
That an humble Address be presented to the Prince Re-
gent, praying that his Royal Highness would be graciously
!dratted ist direct to be laid before the House, a Copy of the
political Conntittititisi of the lonian Wanda, ratified by his
Royal Nighties, in pursuance of the Treaty of Paris of No-
vember, 1815 ...Ordered.

Mr. WiLßEuvoites hoped that Dr. Philhmore
would pompom his motion that stood !Ur to night,
regarding the Spauirh Claimants, as an Hon. and
Learned Member, who wag deiorour to take a part
in the diacur.iou. was absent from

Dr. Put Lutioue expressed his acquiescence
on account of the very tuffi:ient reamin (dere(' by
the Host. Meinhrro hut lie wished the postpone.
latent would lie to as early a they ik4 1111”.1
Mr. W. IL lATTELTON helped the Learned
Member would proceed with his minims.
Mr. Wii.iiEturuttr:F. had ventured to say %lint he
111) only frosts au tli.it dune well actiscriterd

4,14 ‘uttj,ct, might be peewit at d:e cticus.
The motion Wd, then lioitponed till Tuvmhy
ilex,.

Ale. Gout:Buns moved for leave to in a
BM to indemnify errlalsi pefS1111! for re. 114114 tkr tltc
West Indies in foreign —Leave givro.
The American Tiude Bill was read to ...cam,
time, and ordered to I cummittcd ou Aluttilii)
next.

ARMY ESTIII AT CS.
On the Order of the Day that Mr. atiuriiNof
have leave to make the Repo t of the Coin.iitt ;Le
Supply,
Mr. LYTTtA.Tow said he ha:l intention to Op.
pose the Resolutions, but he rose to call the atten-
tion of the House to one or two points that he had
urged last Session. The first related to a practi,e
long established, of exacting from offict r-,
on the receipt of their pay, an oath din they did not
hold any other office of (-minion-tent in the gift of the
Crown. He bad ventured to state, last S....shot, tie
would now state again, that the half-pay of
an officer wits by way of remuneration, Gra
quently a very inadequate one for 1.34 services ;
that there was nothing 111 the nature of it of Ms-
qualification for any other office; and that if the
Noble Lord persevered in imposing this harsh con.
ditiou, he was bound to make out to the House
sotne very cogent motive for it. The reasocs bcfoie
alleged were, that there was something in the
holding of other situations which 'night degrade
a man from the tank lie should maintain 1111 a
British officer ; or that by the habits of another
kind of life, he would be detached from military
views, and that it (night be difficult to command
his service with the promptness requisite on Ha
emergency. Both these reasons were inadequate,
and gratuitously assumed. The first sestet-1y called
for an answer ; with respect to the second, it was
easy to remark, that if Government had the &sere.:
tiou of bestowing an office or not, whenever they saw
a likelihood of the gift detaching the object from
his proper and military visas, they might Withhold
it. fie had conversed with several dillinguished mils.
hey characters on this subject; it wee their Uniform's
opinion that they could see 110 good reason for the
regulation. One in particular, whose mane, if
mentioned, would probably dim sonic respect,
said that lie had meditated very closely on this
head, and was obliged to conclude that Government
utast have some very strong official reason for the
provision. It was galling and severe. It should he
borne iii mind, that many of those brave men who
had fought the baties of their country were now
so. limited in their means, that even a trifling
addition to their incomes was a matter of great
importance to them. The abolition of this reg..-
Wiwi, rind allowing half-pay officers to fill civil
employments, would be no addition to the bur-
den' of the country; it would inertly cause a
slight change in the holders of offices, or eligibility
to hold, und %%mild be a mean of rewarding many
a brave and gallant officer. Another point to which
he wished to advert was the withdrawing of pensions
in certain cases from the widows of officers. tie
understood there was a circular billet now
pared to be seat to the officers, directing the cases
in which this withdrawal was to take place since die
45th of last Dec. He must call this regulation in
the highest degree oppressive. The a hole charge
of pensions was something above 90,0001. a year;
by this regulation a saving of 20 or 30,000/. might
be made. He would oppose unnecessary expense
as much as any man but when the country would
see these paltry savings mode at the expense of those
who had the strongest claims on its gratitude, and
the enormous sums lavished on those nearer in
favutir—fut instance, the Comillissary-General, it
could not forbear making invidious contrast!, in
which lie thought it justified. He hoped the House
would compel an alteration iu the regulation to
winch 1:e hid Alluded.

Lord PaLuintaTON said, that the half-pay of an
officer was bestowed both as a means of support in
the interim, and oho as a retaining fee for his
services when become necessary. The power of
soddedg providing good officers depends on the
chance they have of being restored to full pay ; ur
the stimulus to this was diminished, in proportion
is diminished the likelihood of procuring valuable
service; rendering them eligible to any other eiu•
ployment in the interim between service, would ob-
viously cool the ardour of their military desires, and
render them less available. The regulation was a
general one—officers receiving retired allowances,
are obliged to make the same affidavit—and it was
not new ; it had existed many yews. The reguls-
lion respecting widows' pensiont, had been adapted
in pursuance of ■ tecomMendation of the Finance
Committee of last year.
Sir C. MoNCK understood that the expense of
providing for the protection of the lonian Islands,
was to be settled by a convention between Deputies
from them acid from this country, he was desirous
to learn what were the agreements come to fur this
purpose
Mr. Gow.suam replied, that the Hon. Member
would see in the Copy of the Constitutioir of there
Weirdo, which he had moved for, that they bail
agreed to maintain garrisons to the summit of
15,000 men at their own expense.—[The Hon.
Member made son►c further explanation inaudible
to us.]
Mr. LYTTELTON, in reply to Lord Palmerston.
said, that the analogy between the regulation ie-
ppecting the holding of offices by ball-pay officers,
and those in other parts of the service, war tio valid
allotment in favour of the former,
Tile SPEAIiEIt their procveded to put the Iles°.
lutionr.

Sir IVIII. fit:ROM:OHS opposed the first Res‘do..
tiosi, respecting the number of guess to be wanted
to his Majesty lin the service of the year. Ile coin-
pared the slumber with that voted for the year 1792,
a time of great danger, when the French Revolution
bail made a great progress, and the poison of French
principles was widely diffused, and %hewed the cum-
ber proposed for this, the third year of peace, was
r!toie than double what it was then. The ex-
pense for land forces only was nearly triple of what
it W**ili 1792. The net revenue of lust year w:l4
but 51 indiums, the expenditure was 65 ;
PO that there was a deficiency of income compared
with expeuiliture. of 14 millions. He would allow,
however, that the Sinking Fund had been going
on with its operations. The redaction this yesr for
Great Britain, Jersey, and Guernsey, was hot q 79
nit lie coin lulled by mot ing, us en amcoulnicut.