Star.
London, England, 1801-03-06 00:00:00

►OOR RILIEF RILL.

Lord WILLIAM Rossatt. faid, that from the
Mite having been counted out lar, night, the Or-
der had dropped for the fecond reading of the nu
which he had had the honour to introduce for the
Relief of the Poor. He did not fuppofe, however,
that it was neceffary that the Order fliould be re-
newed—he then-foie moved, That the laid Bill be
now read a ferond time.

After fome oppofition from the Speaker, the
motina was put, when
Mr. Jot :IF, s role to oppofe i:. He allowed
that the objeil of the Bill was excellent, and
show.:ht the Noble Lord defervcd great praife for
Laving introduced it. His opinion was very dif
ferent, however, with regard to the means pro-
paf.td. The Honourable Gentleman then pro-
ceeded to canvals at fonne length the different
elaufes of the Bill, :Ind concluded by declaring
himftlf decidedly battik to the fccond reading.
Mr. Rolf laid, he differed crailiderably from
the llonourable Gentleman who had 'pit fat clown.
He, on the contray, was very friendly to the prin-
ciple of the Lill, and thought that it ought, by
all means, tog., into a Committee. He knew that
;hare were many quite unable to pay the additional
rater, and who, without relit r, waft loon apply
fOr aims themfelves. He had come deuhts as to
&e pra rficability of the meafures propofed, but
11•:J their end was fo deflrabk, they certainly
utould not be halfily rejecfed.
P•Tt raid, the laws as they flood were
fuSe•e:tt to af.,.er every ufeful purpofc. Magif-
trate ~ad how a power to withheld warrants el
*ltrret•er, t:•ey it erpedtent.

Sir W. atolls eoneeided the Bill to be aimed"-
fan', and that it would defeat its profeffed objeft.
• the. SOLICITOR GCNSRAL alfu objefted to the
Bill In many cafes the Relief propofed by it
was :177e:-,dy obtained. He alto doubted
the p. al,ility of it, cr.fifient with any
legal re,lulatic.us that could be introduced ; he
walled, therefore, that the fuhjed might not be
pufhed forward any farther.
Mr. Ait I:WRIGHT. laid, he w:flied to propofe a
Claule enabling ()veneers to grant Relief to per-
fons refiding in certain extra-parochial places; and
where Magiftiates at prefent had no authority.
Mr. Pier FIVAL thought that if the Noble Lord
had propofed his Bill to the Committee above.
Stairs, he would have heard fuch unanfwerable
arguments urged againft it, as would have pre-
v,mtzd him from ever bringing it in. He was as
anxious as the Noble Lord that the poor fhould
live comfortably ; but it was becaufe he had this
anxious with that he oppofed the prefent
He then explained with fume minutenefs the law
as it now (lands, and pointed out the bad effei!ts
which muff fallow from any alteration being made
in it.

Mr. WiLstßroacE raid, whatever might be the
final refult of the Bill, the public, and in a parti-
cular nianner the lower claffes of the people, were
extrem,:ly indebted to the Noble Lord who had
brought it in. The law at leaft would now be
accurately known, and paupers would know what
they have a right to expeNt. He thought that the
Bill ouht by all means to go into a Committee.
Sir C. BUNBUIY wifhed to know whether the
overfeers can now difobey the order of a Magi-
(irate ?

Mr. PERCEVAL replied, it might not be eafy to
anfwer a queflion fo pointedly put, but he did not
hefitate to declare it to be his opinion, that an
overfeer is bound to obey the order of a Magi ftrate
in the moft unqualified and unconditional manner.
Sir C. BuNDURy Paid he knew many inftances in
which fuch orders had been difobeyed, and as it
was the object of the Bill to enforce them, it ought
certainly to be fiipported.
Mr. Burma raid he had aged as a magiftrate
for upwards of twenty years, and he never had
known an inflance of an overfeer daring to feize
the goods of a pauper, to whom a magiltrate had
ordered relief; and he was convinced that if any
overfeer fhould do fo, the pauper would have a
good ailion of damages againft him.
Mr. How Tooss laid, he was perfedly fen-
fible of the fituation in which he flood in that
Honk; but he fhould not be prevented by it from
delivering his opinion upon the fubjed now before
the Houle. After obferving upon fome things that
had fallen from Mr. Perccval and other Gentle-
men who had taken a (hare in the converfation,
he proceeded to urge feveral new objections to the
Bill. He Paid it would make the moll alarming•
alteration in our laws. It would create a rank of
paupers who had been hitherto unknown. There
would now be two forts, thole who received alms,
and thole who did not pay any. A molt fatal blow
would thus be (truck at the rights of the petty free-
holders. He believed it had been frequently de-
cided that any one who was excufed from paying
the poors' rates was to be confidered as a pauper,
and incapable of voting.
Lord Wm. Roust laid, he was lorry to inter-
rupt the Honourable Gentleman, but it was to re-
lieve him from a perplexity. Upon reading the
Bill, he would find a claufe providing that the
rights of electors dial not in any way be affeited
by it.
Mr. Flom Tooza raid, he would then advert
to another topic, to call the attention of the Houle
to which was his principal objed in riling. If he
was allowed to fit in the Houle long, he was afraid
he fhould be obliged to advert to it again. The
' fituation in which he flood was indeed particular.
One half thought he fhould be turned out of the
Houk, and there were the kindeß to him. There
were others who mirreprefented what he had raid,
and imputed to him fentiments which he never
uttered, and which he was incapable of uttering.
He fhould pars the matter over for the prefent, as
it was impoffible to fay whether a difporition to
rnif-Rate his fpeeches would be greatly prejudicial
to him. He entertained a fanguine hope, however,
of being able to convince the Noble Lord (Earl
Temple, with whom he had been for fome time in
dole converfation ),that he had a right to fit there;
and he trufted when his rights were at laft con-
firmed and recognifed, that he fhould be protected
by the Houle, if at any time he fhould call upon
it for proteCtion. Returning from this digrefrion,
the Honourable Gentlethan proceeded to adduce
additional arguments againft the Bill. He laid, it
was one of thole which palled from day to day,
reeking to keep down the price of provifions by
raifing a tax upon the higher orders of the com-
munity. This befides being a levelling principle,
was very pernicious in other refpcds. It prevent-
ed the falvation of the country, although it is in
our hands. That the country may be laved, the
price of provifions fliould be railed. The flock-
holder would Puffer to be lure, but the nation
would ,n-ain. He had formerly mentioned, that
you had leaned your debt by two-thirds. From
the late rik ix the price of the quartern loaf, we
had alnio:l diminiflied it by three-fourths. If the
quartern loaf were three-halfpence dearer, this
would certainly be the cafe.—Gentlemen might
be furprifed, but he was mad, or he had laid no-
thing which was not literally true. Money was
nothing—its value depended only upon what it
would purch:ife. Utile creditors to the nation can
buy only one half with the money you give them
of what they could have bought ten years ago, you
pay them only half chi fun you did then. When
the cpurterii loaf IVA 3 at as. siliich it probably
would be in a Ihort time, then we 'would give every
lioldv. of locl. 3 per cents. only ao loaves inltead
of iao, which se gave him firft when the fund
WAS ellablilhel Thus had the country thriven by
its misfortune, and now It owed its falvation to
what all prophefied would prove its ruin. If the
stockholder got much ler., he was at much leis
expence to the nation. Where then would be the
policy or the jußice of trying to keep down the
price of protitions at the expence if particular or-
ders of racier' . If he vas futtudiul its what be had

said, we should Attain from any fuel' attempts..
We Mould not mile up another race of paupers,
but enable all to fupport thernfelves by the fruits
of their labour,and obtain the fubfillence al a right,
instead of begging it as an alms. The yrice of la-
bour fhould be railed in proportion to the rife in
the price ()idle neceffaries of life. By pu rfuing loch
a fyflem the country would flourifh, ;lad no ma-
terial alteration would take place in the circum-
(lances of the different orders of fociety. We often
feem to be at reit, not becaufe we do not move,
but becaufe we do not change our relative fituation.
The Houfc then divided—For the fecond read-
ing, SS—Againfl it, 29—Majority z 6.
4 After fonie converfation between Lord William
Ruffen, Mr. Martin, Mr. Buxton., Mr. Johuflone,
Mr. Hobhoufe, and the Speaker, it was agreed
that the Bill fhould be committed on Monday.
Mr. SHERIDAN faid,feveral motions of very great
importance had been poflpnncd, and he believed
on very good grounds. A Nobk Lord (Lord
Caltlereagli) had given notice of a motion (ahout
the continuance of military law in Ireland )Iwhich,
on thefe grounds, ought above all others to be
poftponed. He did not then fee the Noble Lord
in his place, but he hoped he would of himfelf fee
the propriety of deferring his motion.
Mr. Rosa laid, that owinz to the Houle hav-
ing been laft night counted out, it was neceffary
to renew the Order for taking into eraifideration
the fecond Report of the Committee on, the High
Price of Provifions. He therefore moved, that the
Paid Report be taken into con fideration to-morrow.
Mr. Jos Es objeded to the motion in Ilrcng terms,
and (aid he was determined to take the fenfe of the
Houfe upon it.
Mr. JottiFFl entirely coincided with him, and
expreffed confiderable indignation at the manner
in which the Houfe bad been counted out. Juft
when the quellion was going to be put, feven or
eight Members, after converfing with the Right
Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Ryder), rallied out
of the Houfe, and the Right Honourable Gentle-
man proceeded to enforce the Standing Order.
Had the fenfe of the Houfe then been taken, there
was not a doubt that the Refolutions would have
been rejefted by a very great majority, and he was
not Pure how far it was decent to take this flep,
after the opinion of the Houfe bad been fo dcci-
liively
Several Members were riling to (peak, when Mr.
Pierrepont defired that the Houfe might be counted.
The Gallery was immediately cleared, and as
only 3s Members appeared, the Houle was ad-
journed.

LONDON.

FRIDAY, MARCH 6.

PRICE OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK :

PRICE OF STOCKS YESTERDAY 3
per Cent. Rod. lbut I Imp. 3 pa- C. 55i
3 PaC CoDE 5541. Imp. Ann. to/ '3.46
4 Per Coot. Cool 7.5 t 75 kink 5 per Cent Ulf
t or C. Nan, golfId& Dalmatians
Loyalty stzti I Cranium for Rcc. i ti
Confols 551--for Acc. 55{.
3 PQ Cent. 9off—Oronium 1i i Fero.

BULLETIN OF HIS MAJESTY'. HEALTH:
" gpszles HOUSE, MARCH 6.
" MIS MAJESTY'S fever, though not quite rub.
tided, kill continues to abate.
(Signed) "T. GISIORNE.
.-

" T. It. ItIYNOLDS."

We flopped the Prefs yeiterday to announce a
Report circulated in the City, and generally
credited, of Batavia being taken by the Britifh
Forces in the EaR Indies. The information which
gave rife to this report was received by a refpec-
table Houk in the City, that of Bt RD, SAVAGE, and
131 an, in a letter from New-York, dated the 4th
of February, which, after Rating the lofs of the
KINT Indiaman, and other events, concludes with
the following paragraph : " But, perhaps, though
in pofeffion of thefe faits, you may not haze heard
that the Englifh colours are now flying on the
Forts of Batavia."

This account is Paid to be corroborated by a let-
ter lately received over-land from Fort St. George,
which mentions a report prevalent there, of Ba-
tavia being taken.
Batavia was the chief Colony which the Dutch
poffeffed in the Indian feas, and almoft the only
one left to them. The acquifition of it muff be
valuable to this Country at prefent, and will be-
come Rill more fo whet the queflion of Peace !hall
come to be difeuffed. It appears that great con-
fufion prevailed in the AdminiftrAtion of it for
Tome time pal,. and that the troops by which it
was occupied had thrown off the authority of
Government. This circumilance, and tome others
of 1. fimilar nature, may have rendered the re-
dultion of Batavia a matter of po great difficulty
or espence. We confider it, however, our duty
to Rate, that no authentic information on this fub.
jet has been received at the India Houfe.

Yefterday morning the 4::/!!s Is, accompanied by
the Princefes ELIZAIITM and Maar, and Lady
Cuaatorra Falco+, took an airing in a coach and
four with their ufual efcort along Waroinfter-
bridge, and returned home through Batterfea.
Earl Sr. VlMcasr, it is Paid, does not mean to
make a fingle addition to the Lill either of Poll
Captains or Commanders, till all on either Lilt,
who arc capable of it, are brought into ferrite.
Lord Mims yefterday joined Mr. Tools on
the feat which the latter ufually occupies in the
Houle of Commons, and remained in conrerfation
with him for a confiderable time.

The TRITON frigate is appointed to take over
the OW/AUER drALseaum and his fuite to Por-
tugal, the Miniltes frau that Court.

NAUTICAL LVTZILICENCE

MAILS THIS DAY,-Wiud W.

ARTUrk,
o HamStrgh
D.,l)lin, Feb. 29,
o WALrbrd,
o amoaglia2oc

PLYMOUTH, MARCH 4.

Came in the Betfey, of Jerfcy, from
hound to Jerf.r7, laden with wine ; flit was taker
by the Grande Decide, French privateer, on th:,
23c1 ult. retaken by the DORIS, of 36 guns, Cap!,
LORIN, on the 27th following. The Grande
Decide is a very large (hip privateer, belonging te
Bourdeaux, has had a very long reign, and beta.
very injurious to the trade of this country, and U.
the prcfent instance particularly fo, as, in addl.
tion to the Betfey, fhe captured, the fame jay,
nine more of the Lithon and Oporto (lett, which
it fcems are much difperfed, and it is fear ‘:,! many
others of them will fall into the hands of tits
my, whole privateers are pretty numerous.—:l
veffel put in here the day before yelle:day, from
Falmouth, which had been chaced three hours
the courfe of the day, by a French lugger pr:va.
Leer, but, being near the land, escaped.—Came
in the Swedifl; Blip, Dolphin, of Wolgart, Capt.
MARSTON, from Alicant, bound to Swel!sn,
den with fait, detained by the New, uf 3R gt:ns,
Capt. BICILETE ; this is the veifcl which was yeller-
day Paid to be taken by the Norfolk privateer.—
The Maria, (Dana) Capt. OHLsow, from Salt.,
.was detained by the Norfolk privateer, and not
the Earl st. Vincent, as Rated yeilerday.--Cam;
in the Earl St. Vincent, and Ferret, privateers,
from a cruize.—Sailed the CHAPMAN, of a 4 guns,
Capt. BROWN, with a fleet under convoy to the
wcitward ; the LEDA, of 3o guns, Capt. Ho►F,
with Vi(luallers, for Torbay; the HELDER, of:A
guns, Capt. PHILLIPS, and the Scour, of a guns,
Capt. DUNCAN, on a cruize.

PORTSMOUTH, MARCH s.
Arrived the ELI? ihtiiv, man of war, from the
Channel Fleet. This day Admiral GRAVLS hoift-
ed his flag on board the DEFIA/!CE man of war.