The Sun.
London, England, 1819-06-23 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The SPEAKER acqu,,ii►ted the House, that the
Royal Assent had been given by Commission in
the House of Lords, that dayi to several Public
and Private Bills.—See Lords.
The Insolvent Debtors Bill. was read a third
time and passed.
The Southern Whale Fishery 13111 went through
a Committee.—Report to-morrow..

The House went into a Committee on the Pil-
charl Act.—Report to-morrow.
The Report of the Parish Vestries Bill was
taken into consideration.—To be read a third time
to-morrow.

Mr. C. WYNNE moved for leave to bring in a
Bill to indemnity persons giving any evidence re-
specting any bribery, or corrupt, or illegal prac-
tices, before either House of Parliament or Com-
mittees thereof.—Leave given.
The I'Veight of Bread Bill was read a second
time.—To be committed on Friday next.
The Report of the Assessed Taxes Composition
Bill was taken into farther consideration.—Or-
dered to he read a third time to-morrow.
FRAUDS IN THE COLLECTION OF THE REVENUE.

Sir W. DE CRESPIGNY wished to call the atten-
tion of the House for a few moments to a subject
which came home to the feelings of every man.
In consequence of a petition which bad been put
into his hands by a Gentleman of the name of
Wilkes, from the parish of Westerham, complain-
ing of Abuses in the Collection of the Revenue at
Seven-Oaks, he had been induced to look into
the subject, when he had seen such a system of
fraud and peculation was established as justified
him in calling on that House to look into it, that
the poor people there might not be oppressed—
that the revenue might not be robbed, and that
swindlers in office should not fatten on the pion-
der of the country. He had early in the present'
Sessions moved for papers on the subject, to
which such a voluminous retort' had been made,
that it became necessary to make a selection front
them, and this selection, with some additions
from the opposite side of the House, had been
sent to a Committee. A detailed account of the
proceedings which bad taken place had been ob-
tained froth the Board of Taxes, and this, though
not furnished by the party bringing forward the
accusation, but by the accused, was sufficient for
his purpose. From this paper he read some ex-
tracts, to show that through the connivance of a
person under the Commissioners, it had been con-
trived in almost every parish that assessments
should be returned to the Treasury below thoSe
given to the tax-gatherer.' This had opened a
door to abuses of various kinds, which, he main-
tained, now called for the strictest investigation
on'the.part of that House. Great deleiquency
and defaulters had been proved on the part of two
per'ons, whom he mentioned ; Mr. Austin be
could not regard as the respectable character be
had been described to be, and did not see that he
was entitled to the reward he had received. Mr.
Malcolm, the inspector, he considered to have
participated in the frauds committed at Seven-
Oaks, and for acting such a part he was now sent
as inspector to the four Northern Counties, that
he might abuse them in the same way. He wished
to know of the Right Honourable Gentleman,
whe►her any re-assessment was to take place in
the parish of Westerhain. The.case he regarded
as one of great hardship, and he hoped it would
meet with every consideration on the part of Mi-
nisters. A man of the name of Bankes, a Solici-
tor, had had the effrontery to say that the petition
which he bad presented to that House some time
back was a false petition. He regretted that he
had not brought that person to the Bar of the
House. Such an assertion, it appeared to him,
was that which ought to be punished, when it
could be proved that it was wholly void of founda-
tion. He then noticed the hardships experienced
from surcharges, and concluded by moving for a
report of the Receiver-General for Bromley,
Blackheath, and Dartford, for a return of the net
sum or sums paid into the Exchequer, on account
of the property tax, for three years, 1814, 1815,
1816, and also accounts of the sums paid to. Mr.
Rogers, for the four districts surveyed by hint,
and to the Clerks and Surveyors employed beside,
with a return of the number of surcharges made,
and the sums allowed es poundage, with the sa-
laries and emoluments received by each officer in
the last three years.
Mr. LusniNoTote said, •the scope of the mo-
tion of the Hon. Gentleman, was so much large►
than he had expected, that he was not prepared to
give satisfaction on evety point. He complained
that he had extracted from the papers produced
all the venom they contained, anti brought it to
bear on his object without bringing with it that
matter of a contrary nature which they presented.
He then proceeded to show that, if some abuses
had taken place in the districts referred to, mea-
sures had been promptly bad recourse to, which
made it impossible that they should again occur.
The remarks which had been made appeared to
him, in a great measure, uncalled for. He had
iequired into the private character of Mr. Austin,
and haul found, from all the information he could
collect, that be was a most respectable man. He
had no objection to the motion. To him it ap-
peared too largely worded to meet the object of
the Hon. Gentleman ; but this was no business
of his.

Sir W. CANSPI6NY very briefly replied.

An Hon. MENDER, whose name could not be
learned, said the country was much indebted to
the Hon. Baronet for exposing such a scene of
robbery as be had laid open. The evil complained

of haft 'arisen from a dtp:;c.i!e assessment having
beets sigued by the proper Wbrers iuste;oi of t,e
actual assessment, which Alone ought to ha.e re-
ceived their signature. It was .desitabic that this
should he txplaity2d, to guard against the poissi-
bili,y of the recurrence of such an abuse.

'rile motion was then a. recd to,
On the 'notion of Lord J. 110,stut, the second
reading of the Gt.arnpound Brihcry Bill was post-
poned till Monday next.

Sir C. Motipx. understood that the (Itomilri
Porte had acceded to the Treaty of 1813 r, qicct-
ing the lonian Ilands, and wi%;,ed to kw,* from
he Nohle Lord opposite (Castlertagn) the date
of the accession ?

Lord CASTLEREAGH Said it %VAS not in his power
to afford the Honourable likAronet the information
he sough:.

Mr. C. WYNNE brought hi the Witnesses on
Elections Indemnity litibery ; and after a tew.
%%or& from Mr. MARTIN, of tvay, who oppos-
ed the principle of the Lill, it was read a fiist
time, and oroered to be read a second time to.
morrow (this day )