The Sun.
London, England, 1807-02-21 00:00:00

WESTMINSTER' ELECTION.

Mr..SHERIDAV rose to move, that the Ordet-
foi taking into Consideration the Petit ion coMplain- '
ing of an undue Eleation for the City of -Westmin-
ster, -should be - de.feri-Cd •from Tuesday tixt for a
further time. 'He was extremely surprged to -learn'
that . his Motion was' -to be opposed by a i'cobe
Lord (FOlkstime), whom,-.if he had• uot learn,(l`
from his own lips that he was to oppose-it, he would •
have expeeled to be the ,firA to second it. He
should be ashamed to ask the delay he wished for
on the bare statement that his Counsel would be
absent on Circuit. (in, a tbrmer day be had con-
-sented to• the delay of six weeks, to.
,accommodate
the Petitioners, and ,the Noble Lordpersonaliy, who
stated that he had ailed precipitately,'and contrary)
'to the wishes of the Petitioners, in expressing a de-
'sire that their Petition should be brought to trial as
early as Possible, though the Petitioners theinselvz.‘3
had since repeated their anxiety for early trial. . He
conceived that there was a perfect} 'express under-
standing that a further delay should take place, in
consequence of the proximity of the circuit,- which'
.would commence in a few-days after the day then
fixed. It could not be supposed that, without such an
understanding, he would have agreed to a Motion
which went to deprive' him of the aid of able Conn,'
sel, who had for 13 weeks beforre been giving their
'attention to the case. He had learned lately that
.the Counsel for the Petition did not go Circuit... It
was unreasonable that he . should be 'well. expeELd
to go on now, when the Petitioners were aware,. in.
making the appointment, that they would
_have the,
benefit of their Counsel, while he would be de-
prived-of his.
Lord FOLKSTONE.denied that there bad been
any understanding; of that he had given any pl;,,dge
for further delay. The Hon. Gentleman him elf
supposed, in a. jocular way, • that the Petiti fi-iy
would apply themselves for further delay, and that'

they would at length let the Petition fall to the ground.
With respeff to the absence of Counsel on Circuit,
he had said that would be 'matter for subsequent
consideration.

Lord HOWICk said, the jealousy with which
the House viewed any unnecessary delay of the
trial of Controverted -Eledions was very just. It
was most material'that every seat should, as early as
possible, be filled beyond dispute•by the' person en-
titled to it. The absence, of Counsel was not in
itself a sufficient ground-for delay; but, conpled,
with an understanding on zi former day that such
further delay would be granted and with the fad
that the Petitioners' Counsel would not be absent, it
wias a strong claim. From his recolle&ion of what
passed•on, _the former day, he conceived there was
such an understanding. •
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL contended that there
had been an understanding that farther 'delay would
be requisite. He hithself had suggested to his Hon.
Friend the Probable absence of his Counsel (Mr.
Serjeant Lens and, Mr.. Scarlett) on Circuit at the
time when fixed by the Noble Lord, while the
Counsel for the Petitioners; one of the ablest and
best conversant with. the Eleaton• Laws (Mr. Plo-
titer), never did go. Circuit. The Noble Lord him-
self allowed that the subje& of the Circuit was men-_
tioned. If it was, ,no other understanding con-
sistent with propriety or common sense could have
prevailed..
Mr. PERCIVAL conceived the idea of further de-
lay to have been thrown out by :the Right` Hon.
Gentleman .rather in a tone of triumph than as ,a
pledge or understanding. It was as if the Hon.
Gentleman meant to say the Petitioners would al-
ways put off the business, and•never bring it to trial.
Mr. SHERIDAN said, if he had not understood
there was a compaa, for further delay beyond the •
Circuit; he would not, in the former instance, have
consented to a delay of an -hour.
Mr. PETER MOORE said he had . advised his
Right Honourable Friend on the former occasion,
not to assent to the delay proposed by the Noble.
Lord on any conditions. It was impossible :he
Could have assented, t without the compaet now
claimed .

• Lord FOLKESTONE offered. some observations in
vindication of the
,charataer of Mr. Paull from the
imputation of intending to entrap Mr. Sheridan,. by
bringing on the trial with all the benefit of ,his own
Counsel's assistance, while.' the Sitting Member's
Counsel would-be on Crcait.

- After a few words in explanation between Mr.
MOORE and Mr. PERCIVAL, relative to the extent of
the delay now wished for, a diviSion took place,
For Mr. Sheridan's Motion, 167—Against it 12.
The day, for which the Petition now stands for
consideration, 'we understand to be Tuesday, the
21stAp;il.
On the suggestion of Lord Howrcx, the other
public business, not being likely to take up much
time, was proceeded upon, prior to the hearing .of
Counsel against the Bin for abolishing the Slave
Trade.

The SPEAKER informed the House, that, as Mon-
day se'unight would be the last day on which Peti-
tions for Private Bills could be received, and as two
days in the next week woulli betaken up in some de-
gree with Eledtion Ballots, &c. he would come down
to the House on Monday, and the other days, at
three o'clock, for the convenience of such Gentle-
men as tnay have Petitions to present.
Lord TEMPLE presented a Petition from certain
Persons concernt-d in the West India Trade, against
the Bill for abolishing the Slave Trade. •
Mr. MANNINO pres'ented a Petition from certain
Ship-owners, 'against the Continuance of the TOn-
nage Duty, atc:zrding to the new Plan of Finance.

Aiderntait COMBE presented a ,Petition from
certain Persons: concerned in the •African Trade,
against the Sierra Leone Bill.
A P‘ tiCon was also presented from the South-Sea
Compvny, against the South American Trade Bill.

All these Petitions were ordered to lie on the ta-
ble. •

IRTSE-I.BUSINESS.

Sir JOHN NEWPORT moved the Order of the
aty tin• going into a Committee of Ways and Me2ns.
House having resolved itself into. a Commit-
tee.

Sir JOHN. NEWPORT said, that as there was
business- of very considerable importance, which
would call foi• the consideration Of the House that
day, he was happy that it would not' be necessary
for hint to occupy much of "the time of the Com-
mittee, in explaining the nature of the Resolutions
which' he meant to propose, because he had only to
move the re-enadmeat.of:thOse :Irish Duties and
Taxes which were annually voted,.and which wonld
expire on the 25th of March next. There .were;
lowever, some slight alterations which he meant to
propose, and to which he wished to call the atten-
tion ( f the o)mmittee. In the first place he wish-
ed to state, that in consequence of an exemption
which he had the honour to propose last year, for
tne purpose of relieving the lower classes of people
from - the operation of a heavy tax' upon houses,
some very opulent farmers had taken advantage of,
this exemption, which was only intended for the re-
lief of yery poor persons, and had evaded the pay-
ment of the Tax. In order, 'therefore to prevent
persons who could afford it, from withholding their
c.ontributiOn from the public reve:me, by occupying
houses- of small. value, though they might- rent a
considerable portion of land, he should:propose that,
instead of a tax of 65. upon houses, above the value
of 51. yearly rent, all 'houses and theland held with
it, above the value of 41. and under 71, yearly rent,
should pay a duty of Is. 6d. ; those above 71. and
under 101: should pay 25. provided they did not pay
the Hearth Money Duty ; if they did,, then they
were to be exempt. All houses and land above 101.
and under 401. to pay 3d. in the Pound ; and those
front 401. upwards, to pay 4d. in the Pound, if they •
did not pay the Window Tax. By, this: regulation
he hoped to prevent that evasion which he, had
mentioned. He had also to propose an additional
Duty upon Jaunting Cars, and upon Hearths, and
also a small increase upon Horses, in cases were.
more than 4 horses were kept by the same person;
and he wished to state also, that he intended that
Batchelors, liable to. these duties, should pay half
as much
.more as Married .Men. the, duty Upon
Licences he proposed a small redudion, for the
purpose of pieventing some frauds and evasions
which had been pra6lised, particUlfirly in--large ci-
ties. Au exemption. as draWback had been allowed
in certain cases, which had been .fund to b. intro-

dataive of frauds, 'and to diminish the Ta ;. hz:
therefore proposed to take away the exemption, and
in some degree to diminish .the duty on the Licence,
There was no other article of moment to which he
wished to call the attention of the Committee, ex-
cept with respect to Paper. In Ireland the duty
was laid on the Mill, at a certain rate per Pound,
but some frauds had been pra6lised, which it was
the obje& of this regulation to . preVent. He also
wished to 'propoSe, in souse iastances, an increase
of the Excise Duties, and to diminish the Customs,
because it was found more.easy to prevent frauds in'
the colleaion of the inland Duties of excise than in
Custom Duties. These were all the points to which
it was necessary to call the attentic n of the Commit-
tee. He therefore.concluded with moving the usual
Resolutions.
Colonel BARRY said, the Right Honourable
Bart. bad mentioned an increase in the Tax on
Hearths, but he had not .stated the amount of the
proposed increase.
Sir JOHN NEWPORT. replied, that at, present four
hearths payed 1 os. 6d: he proposed that they should
,pay 3s. each, or 12s. ; five hearths, 17s. 6d. ; six
hearths, 4s. each ; and so going on at the: rate till
they came to fifteen hearths; from fifteen to twen-
ty he proposed that they should pay ins. each ;
from twenty to thirty, t6s. each ; and above thirty,
each.

Mr. ROSE asked, whether the duties which the
Right Hon. Baronet had proposed were all annual
duties.

Sir ,TOHN" NEWPORT said, he thanked the Rt.
Hon. Gentleman for having proposed that question,
because he had omitted to state that.it was his in.
tention to propose that these duties should in future
be' made perpetual instead of being voted annually,
from which considerable inconvenience had ensued.
When he, used the word perpetual, he of course
meant that they,should be liable to be altered Qr
repealed by Parliament, as the taxes in this Country
were.

,Mr..ROSE said, he did not see any objection to
these taxes being made permanent ; it was, how,
ever, a considerable change in the financial syStem
of Ireland, and he supposed the Right Hon. Baronet
had giien due notice in that Country of his inten.
tion to Make the alteration. With respe& to the
increase which the Right Hon. Baronet had men-
tioned in the duty upon horses, he did not see why
the increase should not attach at an earlier number
than four hordes.

Sir • JOHN NEWPORT said, that very ample
notice indeed had been given of the intention of
making these .duties permanent. *A Right Hon.
Friend of his, who had preceded him in the Office
he now held, (Mr. Corry) had three years ago stated
the necessity of adopting this measure, and last year
he had himself given express notice of his intention
to propose it this year. With respect to the duty upon
horses, he had not proposed 'the increase of duty
upon a less number of horses than four, because
there was in Ireland a stronger feeling with r6speet
to the pleasure and comfort of keeping a horse than
there was in this Country. This was a local Aetna,
and as the public exigencies did not require that die.
tax should commence at a smaller number, he
thought it was his duty to resped that feeling.
The Resolutions were then agreed to, and the Re-
port ordered to be received on Monday.
The Turkey Tobacco Bill was read a third time.
Sir JOHd NEWPORT moved the Order of the My
for going into a Committee of Supply.
The several Petitions from the different public
Charities in Ireland were referred to the said
Sir JOHN NEWPORT said, that having explained
the nature of the several Petitions when he present-
ed them, it Would only be necessary fOr him to 11,10ve
them„ He then moved for the folloWing saws.