Star.
London, England, 1823-02-06 00:00:00

...
out Portugal adopted the Bathe Constitution, under
circummances which must hirve made .their coadta”
still more ot jectionable JO the Allies.' It was ins-.
HOUSE OF -LORDS. '
possible for Portugal tO leave Spain unasiaStaintheJ
contest. Every onO must see that thelf iatise was cite'
The House 44 .hot sit yesterday : the reason was, that after,
a
the division on Lord STANHOPE'S Amendment on Tuesday to • n icl'sol se. and i-. ibl
Portugal,
like Spaai, 'has not t i its
the Address, in answer to his NIA'S:Sr/et Speech, strangers were conteald with a foreign enemy only. Did not the
not again admitml ; and after the Address was carried, on the ;Right tfonourable 'Gentleman (Mr. Wel) !ake:—
motion of the Earl of Livaarotm., the House adjourned till Fri- for if he did not he would tell him—that a'. Re.
day, at three o'clock.—This proceeding took place in order to
give time for the Mover and Seconder, attended by the Lord ge"Ci of Portugal was now established in Franeasi
Chamberlain, the Master of the Household, &c. to go down to and that even some of its agents had already, ar-
Brighton.to present the Address to his MAarisvgat
... . rived in England:4purpose
m the of forwarding
HOUSE OF COMMONS, FEBRU4I4IIS.- their scheme to ekcite a civil war in that country also?
The SPELKZa took the Chair at four o'clock.
When Spain was attacked, and a civil war was etcited
' • -
The Members present who had not taken their seats were in Portugal, with a Regency appearing on its frontiers,'
sworn in the usual manner. supported by French soldiers and French money,
Mr. MARRYAT gave notice for to-morrow se'nnight of a would England be then able to afford her that effec-
motion relative to the Service on which his Majesty's ships Dot-
teal assistance which she_ could now, before either of
terel and Carnation were employed on the 12th August last.
The usual Sessional Committees, sou the Standing Orders of these events had taken place? Would she be then able
the House, were pti and agreed to. • to throwa sufficient force into thelines of Torres Vedrai
Mr. KEITH DOUG LAS moved foe Returns relating to the to resist the invaders and support the population of
amount of product, the number of ships employed, and their -
tonnage, in the Sugar Trade of the West India Islands for the rortugal, which would be obliged to fly for safety to
last fivt years.—Ordered. Lisbon? Portugal was now differently situated from
Mr. WOOLRIDGE WHITMORE gave notice that on what it had been at any former period. It was no
Monday, the 17th, he would bring the subject of the Corn Laws longer in possession of the Brazils, or the resources
under the consideration of the House.
Mr. CURWEN moved for an Account of the quantity of which that country afforded it—a circumstance
Irish Corn imported into this country from the year tau to -which ought the more to induce England to hasten
the year 1823, distinguishing the kinds; and also an Account to avert from k the calamities of a war. .Should Go-
of
the quantity of Barley, Oats, and Wheat, actually sold in veroment assist Portugal early in the contest, it
Mark-lane; and the quantity of Cattle sold in Smithfield for the
would cost but thousands, while if she postponed her
same period. -
Mr. GOULBURN gave notice that he would move for leave aid it would cost millidns—for he put aside altoge-
to bring in a Bill to amend the Irish Yeomanry Act. titer the possibility, in the event of a war, of this
Lord ARCHIBALD HAMILTON gave notice of a mo- country being able to stand aloof. Never did na-
tion relative to the state of representation of Scotch Counties, on liament do anything more creditable or more ho-
the 11th of March. nourable to itself than in giving utterance to that
The Annual Indemnity Bill was read and passed.
DUTY ON LIME. feeling of indignation which it entertained against
Mr. BROUGHAM presented a Petition from the Laud- the Allied Powers and their Notes; for never was
owners and Agriculturists of several places in Cumberland, there in history a more unjust, a more wicked, or a
praying for an amendment of the Acr imposing duty on Lime. more unprovoked attack upon the rights .of nations
The Hon. Member observed, that this Petition was applicable than that which these sanctioned. Unprovoked, he
to the four Northern Counties, where certain Magistrates, for
the purposes of jobbing, no doubt, had chosen to put a con- said, because if Spain was disposed to extend her
struction on the Act different from what was the unanimous opi. Constitution to other countries, would she have suf-
Mon of some of the first members of the legal profession. fered her army to be so small, that even on the 7th
Lord LOWTHER said, he hoped that an early day would of July, the day on which the guards attempted a
be named to move for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the Act
al question. counter-revolution, it did not exceed 22,000 men ? In
Mr. CURWEN bore testimony to the hardship of the case order to spew the unexampled moderation of the
upon those parts of the country which were under the jurisdic- Spanish Government,. it would be only necessary to
tion of the Magistrates in question. revert to the massacre of Cadiz, into which no in-
Mr. LTTTLETON concurred in the same sentiment.
Isir. F. LEWIS, after a few words in explanation of the quirt' was ever made, and to the murder of a Con-
views of the framers of the Act, gave notice of a motion to stitutional Officer of the Guards in the Palace, for
amend it, for Friday next.—The Petition was then read, and which only the ,two assassins who committed the
ordered to be printed. deed suffered. If the Spanish Government were
MARRIAGE ACT. sanguinary, they had many opportunities of' shewlng
Dr. PHILLINIORE rose to call the attention of that they were, if they pleased to take advantage of
the House to the Act passed in the last Session of them. Even those who, on the 7th of July, capitu-
Parliament for the regulation of the Law of Mar- lated with arms in their hands, were protected. The
riage. The House would well remember the cir-
Allied Powers have told the Spaniards that they were
curustances under which it had agreed to pass the the spoliators of the Church. Ought this language
Bill originating with it on that subject into a law. to come from those who were the greatest of all spo-
It had been drawn up with the greatest care, and the liators-L-not omitting the Pope himself? But he
provisoes and enactments it contained were the work hoped that they themselves might become liable to
of persons in all parts of the kingdom best qualified the same charge; and that, before the Session was
for a task of such nature. The other House, how- over, they would become the spoliators of the Church
ever, had thought proper to make considerable altera- by correctir6, its abuses. So far from Spain having
tions in it; and in the oillnion of all who had taken provoked the aggression of France, the latter was the
an interest in it, the only remaining otiginal clauses first which used every means to irritate and sow dis-
left, came down to that House clogged with many sension among the Spaniards. Last year, when he
difficulties. In the dilemma in which the House was at Paris, he knew that General Quesada had set
was thus placed, it decided upon rather inflicting out from that capital to Bayonne; and on the way,
some inconvenience, with the power of repealing his carriage having broken down, it was found that
them in a subsequent Session, than lose altogether a he had a great quantity of French gold, which he
principle which had cost it so hard a struggle; and, was conveying to the frontiers, for the purpose of
accordingly, from this Bill inconvenicncies were felt waging a civil war in Spain; and yet while all these
which nothing but actual necessity could have jets- efforts were made by France, M. de Montmorency,
tified the House in passing. Amongst these he would declared that the only object in keeping the cordon
mention the unnecessary introduction of oaths not sanataire on the frontiers, was to defend the French
before requisite. Next was an extract from the Re- territory. With regard to the Allied Notes, he fully
gister of Baptism, which was not necessary to the concurred in all that had been said of them yester-
main purposes of the Act. Another inconvenience day by
his Honourable and Learned Friend, the'
was, the stamps required in marriages by banns, an Member for Winchelsea: - However, as to France he
expense which was oppressive, without being in any wished to observe, that the great object of Its. inter-
way useful. He would further enumerate the hard- Terence with Spain was not so much to ptit down
ship of the Clergy being obliged to read this volu- Spanish liberty as to do away with the Charter, re-
sinous Act from the pulpit. The Act also went to store the Church domains, and crush whatever of li-
take away from many peculiar jurisdictions the power berty was remaining M France. The Note of M.
of granting licenses, by which many districts were
Jouffry, which was in some degree an expose of the
depraved of the same facility of marriage possessed opinions of the French' fanatics, lamented that the
by others ; whereas all should have the same power Christian religion had been substituted for the Pagan,
in that respect. With this view of the question, be because it unsettled men's minds. It would, he was
assured the House that, with its permission, he would persuaded, be on principles consonant with such doc-
do his best to remedy all the evils he had complained trines that the French Government would wish to
of. The House had done wisely in adopting the establish a Constitution. Let Spain not fear to ap.,
principle of the measure. They now saw none of peal to this country. Whatever sacrifices it would
those suits which before had so frequently disgraced be necessary to make, this great country was still both
the Consistory Court, founded upon persons coming
able and willing to make, whenever the Government
forward to take the benefit of their own perjury. stood forward as the champions of European liberty.'
The Hon. Member then obtained leave to bring in a Mr. CURWEN said, that he did not wish to ex-
Bill to amend the said Oct.
press any opinion upon the subject at present, pre-
THE ADDRESS. (erring to postpone it to some future and more ap-
Colonel CIIILDE brought up the Report of the propriate period.
Committee on the Addi els to his Majesty. Colonel DAVIES said, that it appeared -to him
On the motion that the Report be now read, being most important that Europe should know the senti-
put from the Chair, ments of England upon this subject; and whether,
Sir ROBERT WILSON rose. He said, it was not in the event of an attack upon the liberty of Spain,
his intention to disturb the unanimity with which the that country would receive its support. He there-
Address to his Majesty had been met on all sides of fore felt it necessary to say a few words ; first ob-
the House, but he felt that he could not suffer this serving, that he entirely concurred in the sentiments
opportunity to pass without making a few observa- expressed last night by his Hon. and Learned Friend,
tions, which those who heard the luminous speech of the Member for Winchelsea. He also agreed with
his Hon. and Learned Friend Last night, would not the gallant Admiral (Sir Joseph Yorke), that it was
be surprised that he had forborne to make on that oc- impossible for this country to remain neuter when
casion. He was anxious to offer himself to the atten- once a cannon was fired at the other side of the Bi-
tion of the House, principally on account of an es- dassoa. He could not conceive upon what principle
pression which had chopped from the Right Hon: of policy England could observe a neutrality. He
Gentleman, and with a view to caution the House could not help thinking that if that mad fanatical
against being lulled into a sense of security by the party, who, after twenty-five years of exile had
professions of neutrality now held out by our Go- learned nothing, and forgotten nothing, and who had
s ernment. If the French party who had counselled awakened from their lethargy still surrounded with
the King to undertake a war, had been once assured all their bigotted prejudices, had been told' by the.
of our neutrality, they would not hesitate to pass the Government, "If you persevere you will certainly
Pyrennees to perpetrate their premeditated crime, call down the vengeance of this country upon you
for such he would op
„.it, against the Spanish na- —he could not help thinking that, wild and besotted
Lion. But if they list the seas 'from Dunkirk to as that party were, they woold still have yielded, if
Bayonne occupied by our, fyieese they would soon the Government of this country had used such lan--
• resolve to abandon their .Seaschieeous project. He guage. The French Government must also be aware
would undertake to assert, that in case a war broke that this was far from being a popular war amongst
out between the Powers of France and Spain, neutra- the French nation, as they looked upon it as an • at-
,
lity oft our part would be impossible—(Hear).—He tempt to destroy the remnant of liberty they enjoyed
believed, that when the Right Hein. Gentleman gave themselves; beside that, it would stop that tide of.l_l
the. pledge of neutrality, he did so with a conscien- English travellers which was constantly flowing kw°
titaus persuasion that' the Government would be ena- France, and causing the expenditure in that, country'
bled to render it valid. But they must recollect that' of a great quantity of English wealth. If. thesese-
this
is not.o war fur a town, of with respect to a I presentations werentidr to*.the Preach Government,Government,
new boundary, but for a 'Coastiitition, which had hi was satisfied that-they could not failzo4nake. an
becn already denounced at Laybach, where the So- I impression which would be likely to avert the cals-
tmeigns declared their determination to put it down.!mities of a war.

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