The Sun.
London, England, 1822-03-13 00:00:00

CORN IMPORTATIONS.

Mr. RICARDO moved for Returns stating the-amount of
monthly importations of corn into the port of London, distin-
guishing foreign from British, for the years 1819,. 1020, and
1821.—Ordered.

LAND TAX BILL.
The Order of the Day for going into a Committee on the
Land Tax Commissioners-names Bill was postponed to Thurs-
day next.

DISTRESSED LABOURERS.
Mr. BENNETT presented a petition from a number of
poor labourers of Stratham, in the county of Northampton,
complaining of the distresses of the times, which rendered their
lives a burthen, and death acceptable, and praying that the
house would devise some means of relief.—Ordered to lie
on the table.
EDINBURGII POLICE BILL.
-Mr. J. SMITH presented a petition from a body of indi-
viduals, incorporated by Royal Charter at Edinburgh, against
the Edinburgh Police Bill. This body was a most respectable
one, by the name of the Chamber of Commerce, and they re-
presented the sentiments of the great majority of the inhabi-
tants of this city. This Bill was considered universally as
most injurious and most oppressive.

Mr. KENNEDY spoke to the respectability of the peti-
tioners, and begged to say, he considered the Bill as a most un-
warrantable attempt to infringe on the ritybf.: -‘•
individuals. , _ ~t petitioners against his Bill
....VottO-6t very few numbers ; whilst he had received the assent
of the greater part of the inhabitants.
Mr. HUME begged to correct the Hon. Member, by re-
mindinc, him that every corporate body*in Edinburgh had pe-
titioned' against this Bill. It was most obnoxious ; and he
hoped the House would treat it as it should he when it came
again before it.
The petition was then ordered to be printed.
IRISH WINDOW TAX.'
._ • .

Mr. ROBERT SHAW postponed his motion for the re-
peal of the Irish 'Window Tax, from the 7th to the 24th
of April.

MALT TAX.

Mr. LUSHINGTON brought in a Bill for the repeal of the
Malt Tax, which was read a first time, and ordered.for a second
reading to-morrow.
VAGRANT LAWS.

Mr. CHET\VYND called the attention of the House to the
subject of a notice he had given for that day, to move for a
Bill to consolidate all the existing laws relating .fo the appre-
hension, punishment, and treatment of vagrants."-Of the ne-
cessity of having this class of offenders under the correction of
the law there could be no doubt, and the inefficient state of the
laws relating to them, chiefly owing to their multiplicity and
intricacy, too many instances had come under- the know-
ledge of the House not to shew the necessity of some new ar-
rangements. He had intended to bring the subject under the
consideration of the House last Session, and although he had
been prevented, he did not make it cause ofregret, having had so
much the more leisure for acquiring information and maturing
his plan ; and from the assistance of the Mendicity Society he
had derived the most important hir.ts. The object of the Bill
he desired to bring in would be, first, to consolidate all the laws
on the subject ; and next to define the precise offences which
were to subject any person to' the operation of the Statute. He
wished to separate the cases of the criminal from the idle and
disorderly—the dissolute and sturdy from those that were com-
paratively innocent, havirr, been driven to a state of vagrancy
from necessity, than betaken themselves to it from choice. Of
the utility of such arrangement and classification 'there could
be no question, when it was remembered that the law made no
distinction between prostitutes, ballad-singers, prize-fighters,
and the plate holders for a charitable purpose, at a church
door. It was highly desirable that there should be an unifor-
mity of practice among Magistrates throughout the kingdom,
and for that purpose it was that he wished to see the laws plac-
ed within a short compass. - The third object of the Bill would
be to specify the punishments for vagrancy, and to adapt them
to the present state of society. 'lle would not go.through the
old statutes to shew the different punishments enacted, such as
branding and burning vagrants, which being now obsolete, it
became necessary to change the nature of this punishment with
the-changes in society. In acting thus, 'he should lie guided
by the opinion of that enlightened Magistrate, Mr. Colquhoun.
He had this morning received a letter from a Magistrate, who
informed him that the simple expenecs of passing vagrants for
one year, for the counties of Berkshire and Wilts, was up-
wards of 20001. It was plain, therefore, that the interference
of legislation was required here. The next point to which his
Bill would be directed was, the common lodging-liouses for
vagrants, which swarmed in some parts -of the metropolis,
and were actually hotbeds for -vice. These he should pro-
pose to be put under the surveillance of the Police. The
Honourable Gentleman concluded by moving for leave to bring
in a Bill to facilitate summary proceedings by Justices of the
Peace, and others.
Mr. GIPPS seconded the motion, but hoped tp.. Bill would
not be hurried through the House.
Sir I. COFFIN thought such a Bill would be highly useful.
Leave was then given.
Mr. CHETWYND then moved for leave to brirg in a Bill
to regulate the form of conviction in all cases of delinquency
under the Vagrant Act. The necessity 'of such a Bill would-
be felt when it was known that it was a matter of difficulty
even with the greatest lawyers, to draw up the right form of
conviction in cases nearly similar. The object of his Bill would
be to entabhsh the same form, to meet all convictions cf the
same class.

Mr. M. A. TAYLOR thought the Hon. Gentleman was
entitled to the thanks of the House, for his praiseworthy in-
tentions and exertions. He feattd, however, he would not be
able to frame a statute for the proposed end, so thatsome roguish
attorney should not discover a lop-hole by 'which to evade it.
Leave was then given. •
PUBLIC RECORDS. •

Sir J. NEWPORT moved, that the Resolutions of the
House of the 7th instant, relating to the Public Records, be
submitted to a Committee, in order to carry the intention of
the House into effect. . •

After a few words from Mr. D. GILBERT-and:gir JOHN

NEWPORT, which were inaudible in. the gallery, a Con'''.
mince was nominated for the said purpose.
CAUL; or- THE HOUSE.
Sit. J. NEWPORT Averted to the notice he had giveh of a
motion for the Call of llie.HOuse on the .i4th Apßil. He hoi4
to ;with view teo, rdake-Honitiiiiblbt Members. se(' uabitett
Tittobe approach ' important Irish.", kotihriess,;c who might..
helh distant parts of the kingdom., H-e had•fet.ed
•
upon that time, because there were many other matters of deep
o, llAtezcst,saad,hnpori.latc.e.to, the welfare:of.tllatzbunt* pending
s'S, 'parsticular. period, and it: ~as his., intention.-lo
cialtdie;rittee.tion -connt4irieli and' thedouse sett
• °1015‘.-to 41i4 Ogitiark ..•af frelani%Ori that day.. 'He 'trusted
that.. illembess regard. anyjpeonvenienee
.• ' thej.ittit.,4.Ebrkabet"to ciinSequence :of this .course' as a
- l)OP' T4rited-to theiwiiifferingocountrkv. Arid-he' beggid to as-
sure th,em thf.-‘t nothig :could be, more satisfactorpth:the people.
of ihiittrantty, sand hotliitig more calculated to conciliate them,
thanithe attention of,dieir rulers and representatives to their
iaterAsts an4complaints. This:was the nbject of his motion,—
he deiired 'to eStabliSh in the hearts .of, the people of, Ireland
-thbrebtifilence 'in' the Rritish Legislattife which they would
40ye • orie-.01 their own. For this purpose; he 'begged to
-acne, that there be a call of -the House on,lgednes4ay the-
Th-e., CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER'ekpresgP4I
his eirtire coneurrence . itt the sentiments of -the.Hon,Baronet.
submjsted to the attention of the Rouse by
the, Hdn-13arbnet was= .one of the deepest'impOrtanee, which
waotidOltdesiralqA they should 'come Ito the -cohsideration
',-41-iliZthe Most deliberative and most authoritative planner.:
The question was then Tout, and tfl'e inoiiim agreed. to. :1, •
PO.OR.ItATF;S: • • - •

Mr ccIiAtiTEN4Y.; ,after.a few,obs.gmations,,notaistinctly!
iir the gallery,: moved that a Committee be appointed,
togOsider of the Gitital Retints 'which' hadlicenlaul 'on the
'-•tableXtbat Hotasollitrink the yearilBl9, 1820, 1821, relatirf
40+10-,Aitesum's .assmsed for rates in Great. Britain i; and ep.-fir.s
ztheir observttiong to the House.—ComMittee
„appointed,
• - IONIAN IS7LANDB. ' :7
Mr. 1113:1IE, in compliance with the request of Lord J.
Buten, postponed his "motion on the sitbject of the lonian
Islands from the 19th to'the 21st init. ' • •
•
COLLECTION OF THE REVENUE:, •

Colonel DAVIES 'said, that hi directing'the attention of
the flouse-to•this,Subject, pursuant to notice, it was not hi,*
'intention to go into the det,ails connected with it; -but merely to
-In4cavenr.lotonvirlee ' thesn of the' propriety of taking ,:this'!
-branch .of the expenditure of public-money more particolattV ;
under the- cognizance-of 'Parliament. When they-considered-
. that ,it'.ititolved- the queStiein of a shin- of four Millions;::in the
expenditure of which those who managed' it. were 'accountable-
_only! to themselves; Ire thought they would' see, that, in this'
season Of ,distress; it Avis their bounden duty to take the same
salutary care of it at.Of -the other- smaller-sums. He need not
-remind-the -House that it was alWays considered as owing to the
patronage attached tiithe disposal of this sum that the Minister
Tossessed the power. of regulating the • votes in that House.-
his gave it a peculiar claim to their attention. All that he in-
tended to trouble the House with was, to come to certain Re-
solutions which he should- submit to them. One of these was
to spew the increase which had taken place in the charge for'
collection since the yeas 1310, as compared with. 1820. It
- would be found that in the Collection of the Customs there was
an increase of 11. 15..-sd. per cent. • the duty on hackney
coaches, 31. 10s. Bd. per 'cent. ; in` the Post Office upwards
-of 21.:-per cent. ; and' on the hawkers' and pedlars' duty
:neatly the same increase. 'He took all these statements-.
,: -nem the account laid on the table 'of the House. He had
'not gon; to 1792, .or--1797, but taken the comparison 'with!
• -.,.a. - year,. when y the:::depreciation Of the currency -*as at
:is heights:- 181.1. --Be neat 'wished to pledge-the 'House-
to -an -opinion 'thatarirmal accounts--of this branch -of eifiendi-
tare should be laid before Parliament., He did not call for re-
trenchment, but that the four millions thus disposed of should
be subjected to the same scrutiny as the other branches of ex-
.penditure. It would; Pipbably, be objected to him that such
a motion aa thiS 'did tiot deserve support after the statement of
:' the Right -Hon. - the Chancellor of the Exchequer.. But he 1
should'Ontend that that statement was a reason for supporting
it, as they had 'so- ;frequently before heard that all public de-1
partmentaheereOn their IMvest' footing. They had, however, !
• since that -been been reduced-lower; . and ' probably the expenditure
•waX &lOUS, capable. of- being curtailed. The charges i for
-the collection of the Customs in 1320, as compared with - the
year '1783, shewed an increase in the ratio of 71.. per cent.
They must not allow themselves to slumber, or nothing
mould be done in the way of lessening the public burthens. -The!
Hon. Member then -stated the case of some individualis. who !
--were in the receipt 'of -salaries for two situations connected
--'0••• •ba C;ustcinis, the duties of which they could not perform..,
who, althougn a tio.A.a..avat. they would find a Mr.Trewin;
• sassed of - another situation, frOin both of worunvhalio pos-
• large salaries. 'Another 'Gentleman, a Mr. Dean, had -held Ihr
• : many years a situation which gave him 10001. per annum. If
—he did-any thing trirn'aiit'imch an: income, he shoUld think he
- could Kive not much of his time to the performance of his duty as
: Cotninisaioner or the customs.. The Commissioners of Custonis
!--• were,-in his opinion, unnecessary. Their number might'-be re-
duced from nine to six without 'throwing any impediment in
'the way of the public business. But the.. same principle
was acted upon there as every where else. Poor wretches re.-
. ce:;44- about half-a-crown a day,- and tide-waiters, might be re- '
• al'ece;.i a but the higher officers were never touched, and it had
not been recommended - that the number of Commissioners
• 1.,0u1d be diminished.. He then read a minute from the Lords
C the Treasury to the Commissioners of Customs, in .which
• --t Leir Lordships declared that they would consider it highly im-
per in the' Board to appoint any one to a- situation in the
ix,
= Castorns, without first ascertaining that. he • was in all respects
.well qbalified.: Nothing could be better than this re_gulatiott ;,
.the precept was admirable. But how had their Lordships
actod4n it. They had taken seven out of nine Commissioners
appointed from other departments; and plaCed them in their
present situations, though
.they knew nothing at all of the
Cuttoms, The last-:appointment was that- of an Honour_
a!,l trdieer, • who formerly had a seat in that House.. ' But
.hc,- as •an ' Army Officer could 'not be sup posed to have
had- much insight into . the business of the. Customs. .Ife
-noticed the unnecessary
.expenses; incurred on account: of
-the Comthissioners, and prdeeeded to .anew that the.superan-
.nuation list had been -so rapidly increased, that from 1810
the annual charge on it had risen frOm. 10,0001. to 86,0001. It
-had been declared that. auperannuation.should only be.allow-
ed in conaideration of 'length of service, age,_ and, infirmity ;
but he could not turn
-persons bad been saperannuated; who had served but: fifteen,
442, - tire ' years, -and some even' who had only served three
years. All who had completed twenty years of service were
,npmethately placed on thelist ; and it. was remarkable,that all
those 'Gentlemen immediately that they had served twenty
years, became so infirm that they must.be immediately super-.
aunuated: In defiance of the regulations which had- been-
framed,'2,7oo appointments had taken place since the year
lillfi. - He complained of the Manner in which certain. patent
offices, recommended to be inunediately abolished in 1784„ by: .
the Commissioners of 'Public Accounts, had been kept up. till
;1131.1, and :theticinferred the necessity which existed for Par..
Aliment keeping its eye 'constantly on what. was.paasing in: that
department. In -the Solicitor's department,
.the law charges.
31,:`1'03-4,•'. • ' - ."
- •

Fo 1t313
roi, 4320

^

••• .433.800
- 29,400

43.,'e17149tteductiori of"' . - . - X 9,400
Whiellf•--Tednetion was stated to have been ~eFeeteel conse.,
tintoce of the recommendation of the ,Comunssionere This:
again proved the necessity of keeping a watchful eye -an all
that was passing. .He noticed the expenses 'connected- -with'
the:erection of the Custom, House, and maintained that blr.'
Laing,the Surveyor, had been paid twice•as nineties Ife•had-ra:
right.to teceive; and that 7,8101. ought to hive been dediCted
"Ercipa,..theetum paid for his .30-vices. • The expenie of• the-Ctiast
lifeeknAe '.4ed the preventive, •-service considere& ,t.b •be
"Jeasly fiiinnered. Strthp,gling continued to great extent,' lend'
"he .svould shew how it could be' seetirely,:carried" On Witle'id--`1
-vanfagevin spite of all the:measures • which 'had -been ailOted.;
Supposing,•te cam) of 500 :casks of foreign spirits to be got to-
gether, which would cost about 2501. on the other aide of the
water, thesplygglet had onlyto give inforination againit hitinfiff,
that the cargo would reach:a certain point at such a tirne..- The
reward fotj.llo-teizure of foreign•spirits was 11. 3s. the.gallon-;
-In tht4oo casks-there might be -200 gallons,. • Half the Cargo-
was conderimed• to the King; the' remainder,` which, in the case
1
~- supposed, wePid seneunt to ~eon- was to be'shared between
the eiffiEer and the informer—two-thirds going to the furrier;and one-thirst; to the latter. ' This would give' the lath-Mir
;igainet hittee'lf 4001. for w.hathad cost him but 25t1., and thin
he might gain in this way 1501., without running any riske
present greateniunbers :were: engaged in smuggling.,.- •ItfOr-
neaticos neulttpl.leel,, and the 'demoralisation growing on the
habitual violations of the , law were slaicking to "contemplate:
A Magistrate at Brighton had told hilt that a man had Laid an
infOrniation•agaiost anotheran oitth,'' The next day Ire'denied
that lie pact clone SQ.. mnd erideavoared-to ',persuade the 'Magi::
strate- against, the evidenez of his '-intnees4 that lie was tide:the
man.• rorethis this; hr. waS committed;: and being Subse-
queritly intereogated as to his'inotives for•acthig such a part;
his reply was would if had he not done so ould have been
in danger,. Nuelv.was the effect of the system now acted upon:
Were the duty spirits reduced, from!, 193.3-to 12s. the
temptation would' be in ' a great degree remotted, and the FA-
venue, far frorn-beinkinjuretleWonjd be benefited ley enc Change.
His atiovs On. this subreCi were horne out by it,
.sviious
ment which lie This was a return ortheAtien
eity of foreign spirits on *Aid' ditty was paid in MI6. ,The
siumbez.of theh iniPiitted• was 2;ool,ooo,*and.the dutY
I•

paid at the rate of 151. per gallon, amounted to 1,359,0001. The
next year the duty was raised to nineteen shillings. It did not
come into full operation tilltW, when the quantity imported
was 199,000 gallons, Orle-terthe former amount ; anjl the,
duty, which. Va-18104troou
.-toiltoXool- was.feduced to
477,00012 fie co. ", - 'thel6ang iif Ille•iati chargcs,
_aid of' 'The.delay.i. . : ' 'aretdri tOints motiOn,of' the Bth
Feb.' A,` laige hook ..: 1 telyjbeelvflaid on the table, but
td
this,wat: tto answer.-ingtis inotion, 6542 contained Initthe guar-
terly returrit,, The aellitiltbf billgets*Ont% seerned;linwilling
to give 114 account-or hilli3noluit4 ;:l
lie
cared not,which sum migyr be4fie true one :,but if that amount
was but tb,oool. he was prepared to contend that this was too
much, and to insist that this Was not.the way in whickthat
officer shciuld, be paid. lit diet' tibtictd- the heavy expellees
attending ';Eicrige, prosecutiohsr:pointeil out various reduc-
Alois* which ought to be tarried into:effeet, and 'concluded by
,moving R-esolution A, declaring thaf.the
.sum of 4,102,1451.'175•
id. had been applied 'to' the service of the ':year ending
•Jarmary.ti, 1822 to' defray- the :expellees of managing 'anti
,colleeting 62;882,15Q the gross oidinark revenue :of the United.
Kingilom,..afivrate of Ca. 10s. per cent. The Cesollition:s then
set forth the: smaller pmeenti!ge formerly paid on the collection
w the revenue; and deslared it to be desirable, in Order to en.
.abk. Parliament to controtil this branch of the expenditUre, to
lay before the House an ,annual estimate of the expence to be
di:lean...Al in the managethent and collection of the revenue. '
31r. LUSIIINGTON would not accuse the Hon. Officer of
any improper motives, but he thought he should prove, before
,he sat down,.that he had grossly deceived himself .'• In his very
Aist.itecdtherewas a mistake of 3,000,0001., and, in the next
there was an error of more than 5,000,0801. ;: and the House
would therefore see that it could come to no conclusion on cal-
enlations so erroneous and fallacious. The error into which
:the 'Kon. pflicer had fallep grew on nix having compared the
',le-rmaner4 ..Alidie,,! of 181 A dvith the temporary and permanent
ditties ef1820: ... . y . ,". , I'. ,
„I% his:Arit herd . , • - • •-,:ii...ts .:::-
The 11 On.' Officer ought.to,add: i, ; - . -,..

Which gave a tatal:of