Star.
London, England, 1815-02-10 00:00:00

HOUSE OF cp111114) NS.

The SPEAKER gave notice tkkt he had Issued a writ for the
Foroogb of Southwark, in the Mom of Henry Thornton, Esq.
sietess.:d.
Sir Was. Ltmos presented a Petition against the Slave Trade.
•Mr. SAVICOLOS brought up the report of the progress dodo in
the inve,ilgatton ut the Accounts of Mr. Wyatt.
litc.ttt, brought up the Accounts of the Commission
for the reduction of the National Debt, ending 04 the Ist of
February. 18'5.
Mr. CL,sa Kr presented the account of the names of the per-
Ws who had a? phed for relief under the New insolvent Debtors'
Act, billC‘ ita tvat enatuurut.
PROPERTY TAX.

Serieant ONSLOW presented a Petition from the
Mayor and Corporation of the town of Guildford, in
the county of S,irrey, against the Property Tax. It
was the work (4 met) who had cheerfully borne the
burdens of that Tax as long as it was necz:ssai y, and'
who only wished fur its removal when it was no
long. r so. • •
Mr. PONSONBY was desirous of taking, the ear-.
liest opportunity of calling the attentiao of the House
to the subject of this Petition ; a subject on which
such y numerous Petitions had been prepared all
over the eutintry to be presented to that House. He
now rrse to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if
his Majesty's Ministers find yet made up their minds
as to the course they would pursue ? He wished to
know, whether or not it was their intention to pro-
pose a renewal of the Property Tax, which, accord-
ing to. the existing law, would expire on the sth of
next ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, it this question had not been asked, it was his
intention to give notice that, to-morrow se'nnnight.
he would calk the attention of the Comniittee of
Ways and Means to certain important'financial mea-
sures which he should propose, and which, if adopted,
would relieve him from the necessity of rotosutuend-
log ,a renewal of the Property Tax.
rMr. PONSONBY was not sure that he rightly
comprehended the meaning of the Right'Hon. Gen-
%lsaias : he understood him to say that it was not at
present his intention to propose a renewal of the Pro-
perty Tax. He wished to know if he was right in ?bill-
:The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, certainly he did net mean to propose *,renewal
of-the Property Tax, if the House should prefer. the
War measures which it would be his duty to submit
to their consideration.
PONSONBY thought what bad fallen from
the Right Honourable Gentleman was quite unsalis-
factory be wished to- know what was his determina-
tion? He was aware the. Right Honourable Gentle.
man did not make up his mind hastily, nor always
ding pertinaciously to his first resolution ; but after
the ti .c which had pissed since the' House last met,'
he ought to have been able to make up his mind on
this subject; he ought to be able to give a decisive
answer to the question. Did he mean to propose a
renewal of the Property Tax, or not ? •
'the' CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER.
Tllaie already answered, that I do not mean to
propose a reneyear of the Property Tax Act.—(Hear,
latar).—ffut it will of course be open to the House to
- have reetatuse to any ether financial measure which
they may consider more expedient for raising the sup-
plies necessary for the public service."
'Mr. WHITBREAD oSserved, there was a' con-
siderable diifereace between the first statement which
the Chancellor of the Exchequer had made this day,
and the assertions which bad fallen from him last.—
At first he bad said, be should not propose the re-
newal of the hoperty Tax, if the House would
adopt certain measures of finance, which be intended
to bring forward on Friday the 17th instant. Now,
if the question were to be put on this footing, he con-
sidered the proceeding contemplated to be one of a
most alarming nature. He kneW how strong the
voice of the people was against this oppressive and
• most inquisitorial tax. It was known that it was
•atarnt to be petitioned against, from one end of the
country to the other ; and was the Right Honourable
Gentleman to hold such au impost in his hand, to
enforce the adoption of any other measures of finance
which be might propose ? Was he to be enabled to
say to them, on bringing forward the propositions
Which be had announced—You must admit these, or
the Property• Tat wiR be renewed ? This, from what
he had at first said, was that which they bad to ex-
pect; but,, after the lapse of a few minutes, he had
departed from what be bud said, and told them he
. -d,.t not meats to propose the renewal of the Property
- , Tv, but to bring forw.nd other measures instead of.
Which wtis the' tilieaissertion ? By which did
abuts 1..: Disl.-le.Anc.iii to say that, under
orrtAiirsusnssansasilss Rid sot mom to propose the
renewal of the tax in question ; or. was it to• be too
*raped, that if the pew mama to be submAttou

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,;::.0:,.:-.0 4t.3r010i54b..t. i :-._ 0t!;0'fr.;10..,,..,iinf
,!p theme were not e ' be !would NiNf#l4llltne:
3111Z,11 110, •
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1.). tp4stc:i. .4.ihe EXCllitlett
pprol
r re'Afte Ouse' *oUl ntit'pledge itself iitOttd
~,adoitie thoie ineasutteWhicitatedtuation of thrOntin.
trymight make -necessary; ' They would rake infra
consideration the plan which he undertook to submit
to them. and of which the Property Tax formed no
part, and that which should appear to the House the
wiser measure would of course be preferred. The
Howe. would not refuse to make that prmasion which
the situation of the country called for, but would
exercise the right of determining in what way this
should be dyne.
Mr.WHI'rBREAD understood, from what he had
just heard, that the first assertion of the Chancellor
of the Exchequer WAS the true one—that no re-
laxation of it wits intended by the Right Honourable-
Gentleman.

The Petition having been ordered to lie Jathe
General GASCOIGNE'said be wai by nalts eaiis
satisfied with what had fallen from the Chancellor of
'the Exchequer. He held in his hand-a petition signed
perhaps more numerously than any other, .twit had
been signed, he•believed, by the whole of sec inha-
bitants of Liverpool, with . the,exception ad_ abouc
eight or ten. He had expected this tax woad have.
been at once given up—that id renewal undue
'circumstances would not have been thought of. .It-
must be remembered that the question was asked
before the recess, but that ,no decisive answer had,
been given. What had been, said today he tegartitedl
as not less evasive than.whaa had bean :Wed then....?*,
To him it did not appear than Ministers were at that
time at a loss how to make up their minds on the
subject, as letters had been. written twtheir friend., in
various parts of the country, fiorn which it was clear
that, contemplating thePeate with America, they
wished to continue the Property Tax for another
year.. Whether the communications to which he had
referred were public or pi ivate, •was not material:.-*-.
they had been acted upon..: A meeting had been
called in the town of Liverpool, on the suLjectuf.
the Property Tax, which he did not believe _would
have been called but for these letters. That meeting;
which was more numerously attended than any for-'
met meeting had ever been, had (with the exception
of two or three dissentient voices) declared unaoit,
mously against the tax, and he had been instructed
.to inquire what were the intentions of Ministers re.l
tweeting it at the earliest opportunity? This he now
did. He bad no right- to demand inforthatfoo of
Ministers, but he was justified in asking it, as it.
might regulate his conduct, and enable -tom to. de.
Ode whether to move that the Petition wbieh be
now presented should IL: on the, table; or laai it
should be ieterred to a Committee. lle WAS not
satisfied with the statement made. that day by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, and thought he would
have acted more consistcatly, and in a manner :rime
bonourable to his character, had he fairly and trii-
Conditionally given up the Tax.
No further reply was in tde to the gallant General.
,—The Petition he presented was read ainikardered
to lie on the table.'..' . .
Petitions against .01e renewal of the.Property.Tax
were presented from the Borowrit, of Oranthain and
Southwark, the inhabitants of 'Wigan, the towns of
Sandwich and Plymouth, and theWardriPOrtsoken.
Ordered to he on the table.

A Petition vas proented front the East Riding of
the County of :York, praying for an alteration in the
Coin Laws.—Ordered to lie on the-table.
Further Petitioni were presented against the re-
newal of the Property Tax, fiorn&kid, Isling-
ton, Lower Islington, Twickenham, Spitalfields,
Whitechapel, from the County of Essex, the Wards
of Aldgate, rArriugtion Within, Bridgeward, the
Lord Mayor and Livery of London, from Coventry,
Christ Church, in the County of Surrey, and a great
number of other places, which were ordered to lie
on the table.

COURTS-MARTIAL.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
took the- earliest opportunity of communicating to
the House, by command of the Prince Regent that
Lieuteennt-General Sir John Murray had bees put
under ala arras. in order to bring him to trial by a