Star.
London, England, 1808-05-05 00:00:00

MAR(''( :'.f;.

The day before yesterday a French cutter arrived
here with dispatches for the Governor-General, and
immediately afterwards such movements were obser-
ved as give reason to suppose that the small Italian
squadron which lies ready in the Arsenal, and all the
Russian frigates and corvettes which are here, will sail
to-day or to-morrow. The cutter has proceeded to
Trieste, probably to carry dispatches to tic three
Russian ships of the line and three frigates which lie
there. In all probability we shall soon witness im-
portant events in the Adriatic.
The combined Rochefort and Toulon squadrons
arc already off the coasts of Dalmatia, and there are
even reports of a loss which the English have suffered
near the island cf Curzola.

APit]L 2'.

_ .
Since the Ergli.li ships have been obliged to retire
before the combined Rocheford and Toulon fleet, a
number of sips and barks have arrived here with
considcrabk. cargoes from the' Seven Islands, the Ne-
apolitan territory, Dalmatia, &c- _ _

,
The twelve to thirteen thousand bales of cotton
xvhich were sr.ld by public auction at Ancona, are
going to France.
The Italian newspapers advise, from Zara, that the
French fleet commanded by Admiral Gantheaume,
which arrived in Corfu the '22d of February, set sail
again the day following, but left there the ship Com-
merce de Paris, to relit. The fleet consists of 19
ships of war ; it returned afterwards to Corfu, and
set sail from thence again the 16th of March, destined
as we understand for the Morea.
JUTLAND, APRIL 3.
. .

The head quarters of the Prince of Ponte Corvo are
now at Odell:ice.

PARLIZMENTART PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, MAY 4.

Tr. the R00)111%11 Appcal, CA RR e v. Lv was, Counsel were again
heard, and further proceedings postponed until to-mon-ow ; and
the further consideration of the important Banbury Peerage Cause
w as fixed Cur this .lay se'nnight.
Lord HAWK ESPURY presented further papers respecting
Vessel,, ike. which were ordered to lie or the table.
Mr. Wittorro x, Mr. PARNELL, and some other Members from
the Commons, brought up three private bills, which were severally
read a fir: t time.

After some further routine husiness, the licuse adjourned until
to-morrow, when their Lordships stand summoned upon the re •
commitment of the Scotch Judicature Bill.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

A ballot wl3 talern for a Committee on the Donegal; Elretion
Petition, viz.

Widiara Honeywood, Esq. W. R. Cartwright, Esq.
Lord Bruce Sir Thos. Mostyn, Bart.
John Hammer, Esq. bir John Ord, Bart.
Ro'.,ert Manners, l'iAcount Clive

Sturges Bourne, Esq.. Wm. Chute, Esq.
Hon. A. Hope lion. W. B. Lygon
Wm. Dudley, Esq. Sir Ceo. F. Hill, Bart.
. .

Wm. Bagwell, Fs+ Stephen Lushitigton, k:sq.
Mr. CAI.CRAFT gave not:ce of a motion on Monday respec-
ting the Rocht fort squadron.
Mr. BIDLULPI-1 renewed his notice of moving certain Finan.
cial Resolutions, fur Thurschy.
A new %Vrit was ordered for the election of a Knight of the
Shire for Rutland, in the room of JOSEY:I WRicur,,Esq. who has
accepted the Chiltern Hundreds.
Mr. Alderman SHAW presented a Petition frem the Butchers
of London and Westminster, against the Flaying Act now pending
—Ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. HUSKISSON presented sortie further accounts respecting
the Droits of Admirety.—Ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. HUSKIS°UN moved for an account of the disposal of
4,000,00 d. of Exchoquer Bills granted in the last Session : alao an
account of theExcliequer Bills of the last session now outstanding
and unprovided for : also an account of the Exchequer Annuity
Bills outstanding and unprovided for ; which were ordered. He
then gave notice, that he should move the necessary provision fur
the same in the Committee of Ways and Means.

COMPENSATION TO SCOTCH JUDGES RETIRING FROM THE

BENCH.

The LORD ADVOCATE of SCOTLAND
having' moved that the House go into Committee to
consider further of the propriety of providing for
Judges of the Court of Session, Lords of Justiciary,
and Barons of the Exchequer, retiring from the Bench
in Scotland, in consequence of old age and infirrni:y,
Mr. ABERCROMBIE had no objection to make
liberal provision for the Judges of Scotland, as well as
for those of England and Ireland, who, after a long
life of arduous and laborious services to their cotuitry
in that capacity, should find it necessary, from age or
infirmity, to retire from the duties of office. But he
particularly objected against any such provision for '
the Scots Barons of Exchequer, whose duties were so
trivial as to render their places nearly sinecure, not-
withstanding the ample salaries attached to their situ-
ations. The report of the business done in the Court
of Exchequer in Scotland, though ordered by the
House, was unaccountably withheld ; it it had been
produced, it would have shewn that the House ought
rather to diminish than increase this expence, as it
would appear from it, that they only tried four
causes in a year, or a term ; he was not sure which.
In fact, so trivial and insignificant was the business
of that Court considered, that its Judges were not
selected from lawyers most eminent for their talents
and full practice, but rather from persons of the con-
trary description ; and even the very last appointed
Baron, Norton, had never appeared in his bar gown
and wig for twenty years preceding his elevation to
•

the Exchequer Bench. Instead, therefore, of
viding lieesiOns *fox' such nien,. On their at-teat
sinecure places, it worild better become the Roan,.'
Commons, the guardian of the public purse, as
matter of economy, to abridge the salaries at phi_,„:
annexed to their office.

The LORD ADVOCATE ~f SCOTLAND eel.'
plied to the last speaker, and though he admitted the
the duties of the Exchequer Barone W 33 not letav;
still he thought that Scotland had a right to cap::
that the liberality of this country (so liberal ia
question more immediately concerning Scotland
•
Ireland), would not deny to a Supreme Court of
dicature in Scotland what they had already greet e
their own. He thought, too, that the less the Baru::;
had to do the less temptation they would have tot:.
tire from such light duty, and that consequently ee
public money would be the less encroached upon,
Mr. H. MARTIN said, that the Honourable ai;d
Learned Lord had industriously avoided answering
' his Honourable Friend's argument. The question
simply was—had those Exchequer Barons any the*:
to do, or what service did they perform, to eritiUr
them to this dale; upon the public money? &le
that was not made cut, he could never consent to ply
those worthy Barons lx retiring from retirement. It
had been stated, tuid that statement had not been
contradicted, that for two-thirds of the year they hie
nothing to do. lie could not see upon what grouel
this compensation was called for.
The Hon. Mr. BOYLE ( Solicitor General if scee
land) said, he could not help expressing some sta
prise at the opposition which had been made. The
' measure was brought tarward to the House not ac 2
matter (3f favour, hut of justice. These lodges formed,
a supreme Court in Scotland, as much as ,thy ie Eng.
land. To state thd number ot ceptscs that had core•
before them, from any return node, was not a ler
way of meeting the question. The House wen t,
look to the real nature of the import ant businecs
that Court was in the practice ot performing, wiit‘.tht•
in term time or not. Previous to the Ihrior, teen
were Judges of the Court el Exchequer in Scetlani,
who were acknowledged by the law of Scotia:el ;_
but it occurred to those who brought aUent that in-..
portant measure, that a Conn framed upon. English
principles should be established in thet country. Ac-
cordingly soon afterwards an act pa :ed, which :hewed
that it was only following up the articles cf the [drier.,
by leaving them as constituting a Supreme Cote ,
and as such he contended that it a:• as entitled to
great respect as any Court in Westminster Hall. Be
that Act it was provided that the Cent: t cf Excheque.
in Scotland should have the same poeers as the Court
of Exchequer in England ; that it shauid be a etti,.
of Record, and then speciticd the nature of the dutie
to be pet formed. Having this before them, he would
ask the House of Commons, whether it was possiblr
for them to withhold their protection ? lie cof,trueed
with his Right Hrnourable Friend v-lto had subrae-
• ted the proposal to them, that it was a mere omissien
in the Act which granted annuities to the Englisi
Judges. But what he wished the llau cto at: -id to
was, that the Judges in quection had must importam
duties to perform, although they might not have so
many revenue ca.:ses to t:-y as those in England had,
a circumstance that was el eatly to the credit of the
country in which they presided. They she-Jinten-
tended the collection of all the revenues in Scotland,
and passed all public accounts of monies. In pant-
: cular, they had of late had the additional duty of at-
' tending to all the accounts regarding the militia.
Mr. ABERCROMBIE, in explanation, said, that
although he had s:a:ed they were not persons of great
eminence at the bat, yet he did not infer they were
improper appointments, or that they were not highly
I respectable characters. He was not, however, dispo-
• sad to alter his opinion, from any thing he had yet
heard.

Mr. WHITBREAD stated, that in his opinion no
principle could be more wise or considerate to act
upon, than to grant a liberal remuneration to all per-
sons in public, laborious, and responsible offices, ex-
chiding at the same time those that were mere jobs.
The judges of the Find dcs2rve to be well paid ; and
were the duties of those in Scotland equally arduous
with those in England, nothing could be more wise '
than making an adequate provision for theta in their
old age. A comparison had been made between the
salaries of the English and those of the Scotch Judges,
and from that Comparison he could not help thinking
that the salaries of the English Judges were even yet
too small.—(Hear Hear! Hear ! )—He should wish
the present question to be postponed till certain re.
turns were made which were formerly ordered. Frog
what had been stated in the description of these offices,
they appeared to be of a nature which would not in.
cline him to grant any remuneration beyond the ac►
tual duties specified in these returns.
Mr. ROSE said, that while he agreed that it might
be proper for the House to haiie more information
upon this subject, yet he could not help ob . rving,
that if the House should make a provision by way of
annuity for the Judges of the Courts of Session and
Justiciary in Scotland, it would not only be injudicious,
but be thought invidious, not to include the Barons
of the Exchequer. It would tend to prevent the
country from getting men of high character to fill
these offices. It might be awing to the upright judge.
ments and respectability of the Judges, that so fey
causes came before them. If they were men of a dif.
ferent stamp, probably the number of causes might
be increased.
Mr. HENRY MARTIN, in explanation, said, he
did not mean to speak unfavourably of the presen:
Barons, nor detract from their professional cha.
meters.

Mr. MACDONALD observed, that he never could
consent to make additional grants, merely for the
purpose ofTreventing any invidious distinctions I-eing
created. The Court of Ses,:ion in Scotland, he might
say, adminstered the whole of the justice in that c
try, the Court of Exchequer did not, And the:,:fore
the Judges cught not to be put upon the same footing.
When it was asserted, that thei; .-intie ....no, to
the trial of only four causes in the y hale was
performed, and therefore little should P •
Mr. DUNDAS could not think it necessary in
such a question to wait for any rev:mils beng made,
as the duties of the Barons of the Ex,:!.eque; were not
confined to the exercise of their judicial functions.—
They frequently had to controul the Governme of
the country, and had the power of advising the trea-
sury not to grant certain disputable salaries, and to
declare they would not pass them through their
courts ; and it would be recollected how nobly sad

w_ _

00,040arialy, east recent occasion, thiy diechiied
or duty to their country, by solemnly remonstrating
,nnst the grant of a pension to one of their brother
'b • the Court of Session, a measure which the
Llicsruililisteii were so ill advised as to force upon the
kar.f—The Barons ought, therefore
obe ram singled out, for their impartiality and judge.
ore, from amongst those practising at the bar, ac-
oja to the express provision in the act. The
• of Scotland are persons taken from the bar,
ca nits: important duties to perform, and this
especially the case with the Sheriff of the county
adinburgh, which office the present Lord Chief
wen formerly occupied. He might, therefore, take
itrier granted, that they must be men as fully compe-
fill such situations as the Judges of any other
gn't to

The ether clauses were severally agreed to, and the
Bill repoittri

LOCAL MILITIA.
Lord CASTLEREAGH nioved the order of the day for going
into a Committee on this Bill. He stkted that it was not his in-
tention to discust it in this stage, but to go into the Committee
Pro forma, and fill up the blanks. He found it would be conve-
nient to have separate Bills for England and Sisotland, and he
would therefore move, that it should be an instruction to the
Committee to divide the bill into two.
The House then went into the Committee, and Mr. WHARTON
brought up the separate Bills, which were ordered to be taken into
further consideration on this day se'nnight.

DARDANELLES.
Mr. W. TAYLOR postponed his motion relating to the expe.
dition to the Dardanelles, from to-morrow,until that day se'nnight.