Star.
London, England, 1801-05-15 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARr PROC.EEDWGS.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, THURSDAY, MAY re.
The Bills to permit the Royal Exchange and London situ-
nine Companiesto future Property on Rivers and Canals, were
read a third time, and paired.
Mr. Lowe moved an humble Addrefs to his Majefty, that
his Majefty would be graciosily pleated to order the Refolutions
of the Planters and Merchants of Grenada, in the months of
January and June, 1793, relative to the State of the Bland and
the Fortifications thereof, together with a Copy of the Letter
of General Hon* to the Right Hou. Henry Dundu, rdpedling
the State of the Fortifications, and the Expeuces for repairing
the fame, to be laid before the Haire • which was agreed to.
The Houk in a Committee went through the Fines and For-
fdtures Bill. To be reported to-morrow.
Mr. Bennet brought up the Report of the Committee of
Ways and Means, which was read and agreed to, and a Bill
ordered.
The Horfe Hyde Bill, the Dublin Foundling Hofpital Bill,
aqd the Bill to permit Portugal Wine to be bonded, were read
a Brit, and ordered to be read a fecond time to-morrow.
The Hair Powder and Armorial Beating tax Bill, and the
lith Members Duty Exemption Bill were read a fecoed time
and committed for to-morrow.
COUNTRY RAMC NOTE FOROERY BILL.
_ _ _

Mr. DENT objected to the firlt reading of the
Bill, and moved that it be poflponed to this day
three months. He Paid it was (welling the ilatute-
books with penal Ilatutes, to give to a defcription
of perfons a degree of confcquence to which he by
no means confidered them entitled. It was like-
wife giving a legiflative fans ion to the circulation
of Country Bank Notes, which had already arrived
to an alarming pitch, and rather demanded the
interference of that Houfe to fupprefs, than en-
courage it. He knew, he laid, of two very refped-
able Country Banks, one at Liverpool, the other
at Lancaller, who refuted to Wile their own notes,
and yet the bufinefs of thefe towns was as well con-
cluded as that of any other town in England. He
confidered the fyftem as mifchievous to the coun-
try at large, and to every individual in it—to it
may be attributed the prefent high price of provi-
lions, and until fomething was done to put a flop
to it, inftead ofencouragmg it, he feared every ef-
fort to keep down the price of every article of life,
would prove ineffetual. The country Bankers, in
order to attach a confequence to their own paper,
as foon as they get a Bank of England Note into
their poireffion, fend it to London immediately ;
and to prove the affertion, he appealed to every
Gentleman who was in the habit of receiving rents,
if they received one pound in ten in Bank of Eng-
land Notes. This was fo much the fyftem, that
he had adually been afked in the country, if the
Bank of England had ceafed to iffue notes ? He
thought it wrong that private individuals fhould
have been permitted to avail themfelves of a privi-
lege which the Legiflature had found it expedient
to grant to the,Bank of England, of iffuing (mall
notes inflead of cafb. He thought the Bankers
fhould have confined themfelves to their former
praßice, of iffuing no notes lower than five gui-
neas ; and that the (mailer notes ought to be cir-
culated by the Bank of England alone. If this
method had been adopted, it would have faved
many families from ruin. It caufed petty fhor
keepers in every little village in the kingdom to
become Bankers ; who after circulating their paper
round the country, fail, indebted to all the poor in
their neighbourhood. He knew an initance of once
of thofe houfes having failed for 800,0001. and paid
only ss. in the pound. He affured the Houfe that
he was aduatcd by no perfonal views in his oppo-
fition to the Bill ; he was by no means concerned
in its fate, but he conceived it would not be a be-
neficial meafure.
Mr. TTRANITT JONES (econded the motion.—
He had the higheft refped for the Hon. Baronet
who had brought.in the Bill, but he had not an
equal relpeCt tor the Bill itfelf. There could be no
doubt that its effed would be that of producing a
greater circulation of par currency than at pre-
fent existed. He Walledpe the Houle to revert to
the cattle of the Bill ; the caule was the Ad to in-
demnify the Bank of England for refuting to pay
their Notes in fpecie ; the cattle was the guineas
which Miniflers had fent out of the country to
fubfidize Vienna, Berlin, Naples, Peterfburg, Sar-
dinia, and La Vendee. Thank Gon! the grant-
ing fubfidics feemed to be pretty well over. He
hoped the Houfe would hear no more of them,
for it was by means of diem, and the Britifh gui-,
newt fent to the Chouans, to promote the relto-
ration of the French Monarchy, that the prefent
meafitre was the fubjed of difctiflion. He could
Rate it as a fad to be relied on, that thi Britifh
guineas fent to France to encourage infurredion
in La Vendee, had not only been received by the
Chouans, but by Republicans, who perfonificd
thole Chouans. He knew not why a meafure like
this, which was fraught with the greaten evil, had
been brought forward at all If it fhould be the
fenfe of the Houle, that the Bill to favour Country
Bankers &could be paired, it was his intention to,
bring up, a claufe for laying an additional Ramp
upon their Notes. t was a common obfervation
of the people now► that they never law the King's
• piatire—Goo he retired, the original was in a
(fate of convalefcence—this he declared he fpoke
from his heart as an Englifhman—he hoped the
public would again be bleffed with the fight of the
original and picture too. The latter, he was per-
(muted, would not be the cafe if this Bill paired
and. therefore, if his Honourable Friend's motion
was rejedcd, be fhould to-morrow move a claufe
to lay x tax by gradation on Country Bankers.
Sir WM. ELVORD defended the Bill. He Paid it
did not go to increafe the penal (lattices, it went
rot:rely to prevent the paper and water-mark ufed
by Bankers being made by any perfons without
the perminion of tome pertain authorifed for that
purpofc ; and likewife to prevent the engraving of
plates. He thought it a beneficial meafure,
in-
aiinuch as it encreal( .1 fecurity of the public;
and a humane meafure, mai-notch as it went to
prevent forgeries being committed. In anfwer to
the oblervat:on of Mr. Jones, relative to his inten-
tion of taxing Bankers, he begged to remind the
Hoc. Gentleman, that they were already pretty
heavily taxed. All re-iiihable notes of Bankers
for int. paid ,6d. duty. He laid, that the circu-
lation of County Bank Notes had been reduced
fint-e the war. denied that the Country Bank-
en aided the Fasiners io keeping back their grain:
the Farmers were the creditors iaftead of being

the debtors of the Bankers, in that part of the
Country where he refided, (the Weft of England).
He had fubmitted the plan of the Bill to the Go-
vernor of the Bank of England, and it met with
his approbation. For his part, he could fee no
reafonable objeaion which could be given to it.
Colonel BUXTON thought that attempting to
prevent forgeries encouraged the circulation of pa-
per currency, to the injury of the public. In
every little village in the kingdom might be found
a Banker iffuing twenty-(pilling notes. He did
not fee why he himfelf fhould not as well come to
Parliament for a Bill to prevent his own notes of
hand from being forged as any Country Banker.
He difapproved of the Bill, and fhould vote for
the amendment.
Mr. EL LI SON defended the Bill. He denied that
the Country Bankers tended in the fmalleft degree
towards the encreafe of the high price of provifions.
He thought it was to be attributed more to Lon-
don Bankers ; and laid there were many Banks in
the country as fafe as the Bank of England.
Mr. Rossoa fupported the amendment.
Mr. MARTIN (of Galway) approved of the Bill.
Mr. CORRY laid, th 4 private Bankers in Ireland
had gone to fuch an extent, that fomething mutt
be done for that part of the United Kingdom, be-
caufe he was fure they would not be able to pay
the notes they had iffued. He was anxious to get
fuch information as would enable him to ground a
meafure to correlt this evil, but he was afraid no-
thing could be done this feflion. However, when
he vifited Ireland this fununer, he would endea-
vour by every means in his power, to procure fuck
information as would enable him to come to that
Houfe early in the next feflion with fome fpecific
meafure. He hoped the hint he then threw out
on the fubjeet, would have the effeet of inducing
the Bankers in Ireland to get in as much of the
paper they have afloat as poffible, and be the
means of checking a fyilem to which, if no bounds
were put, the confequences may be molt injurious
to the community. As he did not fee the Bill be-
fore the Houfe could tend to encreafe the circula-
tion of Country Bank Notes, and as it avowedly
went to prevent forgeries, and thereby give a
greater fecurity to the holders of notes, it fhould
have his fupport.
Mr. BURDON was glad to hear what fell from
the Right Hon. Gentleman who (poke laft. He
thought if a meafure was to be adopted to limit
the circulation to a certain extent throughout the
United Kingdom, it would be beneficial to the
country. He thought the Hon. Gentlemen who
oppofed the Bill had not read it, or they would
not do fo. The Bill went to protea the water-
mark of any individual who might think proper to
adopt it, as well as that of Bankers. All ranks of
people in bufiners who wifhed to avail themfelves
of it might do fo. He was perfuaded the circula-
tion of Bank Notes was of very great utility in
Scotland, and he did not think them by any means
injurious in this country ; on the contrary, he
thought they gave a facility to trade which it would
not have without them.
The SPEAKER Paid, in confequence of what had
fallen from the Hon. Gentleman who fpoke laft,
he had looked into the Bill, and found that it did
not agree with the leave given by that Houfe, or
with its own preamble. The leave and preamble
both fisted that it was to prevent Forgeries on
Bankers; and it would be found that other perfons
were included in the Bill.—The Preamble and
Bill being then read, they were found not to agree.
—The Bill was therefore withdrawn.

--.... ..._._
Sir Wm. ELFORD then moved for leave to bring
in a new Bill, which was agreed to.

MESJAGE FROM THE Eitta•
Lord HAWIESIBURY brought up the following
Meirage from the Kama
G. R.
o His htsjirry taking into csalideration the danger with
which his faithful Ally the %ern of PORTUGAL is now threat-
coed by a formidable kwatiou on the part of France, and eon-
Odering the very great advantages which the esmmcree of this
country derives from its connection with Portugal ; and relying
upon the zeal and attachment of his faithful Commons, His
MAJESTY recommends to that Houfe to confider the pro.
piety of granting an aid to the gu at et of P , to CM-
be her todefend her dominions apinit the threatened Invafion.'
Lord HAWKESBURY Paid, that he Mould on
Monday next, in the ufual form, move, That
this gracious Communication from the Throne
Thould be referred to a Committee of Supply." He
meant to propofe a Refolution in that Committee,
that a fum not exceeding 300,0001. be granted to
his MAJESTY, by way of advance, to, be applied
in fuch manner as circumilances may, in his MA-.
parry's wifdom, feem to require. He, therefore,
moved, that this gracious Meffage be referred to
a Committee of Supply.—Ordered.

SALT. _
The CHANCELLOR of the Excnaiwza faid, that
in purfuance of the notice which he gave yefter-
day, he rote to move for a Committee to inquire
into the Law, as it regarded the Duty on Salt,
and the inconveniences wiring therefrom. and that
they do report the fame, with their opinion there-
upon, to the Houle. He Paid it was not neceffary
for him to fay any thing on the nature of the arti-
cle to which this motion referred, the importance
of it was felt in our agriculture, in our manufac-
tures, and in almolt all the neceffaries of life, and,
perhaps, at the prefent moment, nothing was more
clearable than that of effefting a reduftion in the
price of this article. The Duty on it was high,
and there were not many articles on which the
duty bore a higher proportion to the original value
of the article etfelf, and perhaps there were not
many articles in which there was fo large a di!
proportion between the produce to the Revenue
and the burthen to the public, as this article of
fah. it mull be the with of the Honfe that as
large and as free an ufe as poilible (hould be made
of this article, and as low an expence as could
praCtically be deviled; in this the conveniences of
trade would be much confulted. Indeed he knew
there were fame who thought that the duty on
this article ought to be done away altogether.—
The whole of that matter, however, would be for
future confideration. Some Gentlemen were of
opinion, that a commutation of this tax ought to
be adopted, and that it ought to hay: been adopted
long ago. That matter alto would be for future

confideration ; and all that he fhould obrerve at
prefent was this : if in the wifdom of Parliament
tt fhould Teem fit that a commutation of this duty
fhould take place, no argument could be made ufe
of on the renewal of the duty, by the motion he
was now about to make, becaufe it was for a Com-
mittee to inquire into the fubjc&. Nor was the
cafe now the fame as it had been on that article.
The great objed of the commutation formerly,
was to prevent fmuggling. The prefent objet
was to reduce the price of the article. The Houfe
would perceive that his idea was, that true policy
in this cafe, was to keep the price of the article as
low as poflible. The fiffijed was one which had
long occupied his attention, and he had the plea-
lure of concurring in fentiment upon it with a re-
fpeftable body of Gentlemen who defired him to
bring forward the meafure in that Houfe ; many
Members of that Houfe had intimated that with
to him, and among them Lord Sheffield, of whom
it was impoflible for him to fay too much in praife.
He then moved, That a Committee be appoint-
ed to inquire into the law relating to the duty on
falt, and into the means of remedying the in-
conveniences arifing therefrom, and to report the
fame with their opinion thereon to the Houfe."—
He added, however, that this was only a prepara-
tory ftep, in a fubjeet to which much inveftigation
belonged, and that he had no hopes of concluding
the matter this Sefton of Parliament. He hoped,
however, that the labours of the Committee upon
it might be printed, and perufed during the recefs.
The Qieftion being put,
General GASCOYNE ezprelred great fatisfaetion
at feeing this fubjeft thus taken up. It was much
wanted. The part of the country from which he
came, were fuffering much, and fome trades had
been almoft annihilated by the duty on this article.
In a word, Salt was a neceffary of life, fo eaten-
five in ufe, and fo effential, that he would no more
make it a fubjeCt of taxation than flour.
Mr. JONES was glad the Right Hon. Gentleman
had given earnest of his intention to do away fo
odious a tax as this, and which was laid on by the
Right Hon. Gentleman's predeceffor in Office.—
He only hoped that this was an earnest for the
Right Hon. Gentleman purfuing a different line
from that of his predeceffor.
Mr. VASIDELESIR afked, if it was intended to in.
elude Ireland in the proposed meafure i and was
anfwered in the affirmative.
Mr. Lea raid, that this would be a very benefi-
cial meafure to Ireland, one half of the Fifheries
of which were loft, becaufe the perfons who caught
the fish were obliged to throw one half of it away
on account of their not being able to buy falt to
cure the fish. He knew that a drawback was al-
lowed on falt ufed for the curing of fish, and for
certain Manufa&ures, but the large Manufadurer
only could really avail himfelf of that drawback, the
poor map could never buy a fufficient quantity at
a time, tocome within the benefit of that drawback.
Mr. WILIISEFORCi expreffed great ratisfaftion
at the meafure now propofed by his Right Hon.
Friend. It was almoft inconceivable how much
the Agriculture, the Manufadures, and alma all
the articles which were emphatically to be called
the neceffaries of life might be affeded by this, and
afieded in a way molt advantageous to the mars
of the public. He had never thought it a good
tax; but with regard to the policy of a Right
Hon. Gentleman Pin Pitt) in taxing it, his objed
chiefly was regulation of duties'aftually in being.
Mr. Jones infifted, that the former Minifter (Mr.
Pitt), had doubled the duty on this article ; and he
(Mr. Jones) raid, at that time that he fhould after-
wards move for the Repeal of that odious gabelle.
Lord HAWILISBURY obferved, that with regard
to what had been laid on the policy of his Right
Honourable Friend the late Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer' he muff obferve, that he had not been
treated fairly to-night on the fubjed of the Duty
on Salt; it was true that the duty was increased,
and an Hon. Baronet (Sir W. Pulteney), had ob-
jeded to the increase, and Rated the advantages
that might arise by taking off the duty altogether.
His Right Hon. Friend raid, at that time, that
although he did not fee the applicability of the
reafoning of the Right Hon. Baronet, to the then
condition of things, lyet he faid, that at a future
period it might become fo, and he himfelf Mould
be glad to fee the tax on fome future day conimut-
ed ; but at that particular moment it might wt.)].
out material inconvenience, be made an article by
which a confiderable aid would be given to the
Revenue. He did not treat it as a permanent
tax, but on the contrary confidered it as a tax to
which, at fome future day, he fhould be glad to fee
a commutation applied.
Mr. Colter expreffed great fatisfaftion at the ef-
fees this meafure, (which had been to his know-
ledge long in the contemplation of its Right Hon.
mover,) would have on the fiffieries and other
trade of Ireland. It would be hailed in that coun-
try a blefling.
Mr. NICHOLLS raid, he heard the Motion of the
Right Hon. Gentleman with great pleafure ; the
advantages to be derived by all cla&s of people,
by a redulion of the Dutyon Salt, were indefcrib-
able,' but he wished not to flop here, for a number
of the molt effential articles of life were taxed to •
high that the lower daft:: were almolt crushed,
and fome of them fhould be taken off and others
fubaituted ; Coal, for inflance, as well as many
other articles, was in this situation. The Right
Hon. Gentleman, by attending to there points
would deferve well of his country and of mankind.
Mr. Asaxasola faid, that this was a meafure
which was aufpicious to the beginning of the la-
bours of the United Parliament, and one of the 'f-
leets of the Union, for it would have been very
• difficult to make it general in the way it now may
be, if each country had a diftinft Parliament.—
There were tome vac's, as he underftood, felted
on an allegation that they were employed in fmug.
• gling Salt into this Country. He hoped care would
be taken to promulgate the meafure now about to
be adopted by the Houfe, and efpecially in Ire-
land, for there it would be particularly hailed as
bleffiag. At the fame time he was forty that a
niobium like this fhould produce any acrimony
when there was no difference of opiniolur
should
it—
it mild be regarded as a boon, not a rub-
'
jed of contention.

Mr. BAGWELL raid, he did not how another np.tb.
lure which could be fo beneficial to Ireland as th,—
Mr. W. SMITH could have almoft wifhed, he
laid, that his Hon. Friend had not alluded to any
body who had propofed a Tax upon Salt, becaufe
the bufinefs of to-day was a butinefs of agreement
and mutual fatisfaetion, not of difcontent or drift;
but as he had done it, and as it had been anfwered
that the objea of the late Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer was to regulate the Duty on Salt, it mutt
not be forgotten, that the Right Hon. Gentle,
Man did lay on Salt a double Duty, if Ten Shil-
lings were double the amount of Five. However,
he was very happy, that the meafure now pro-
poled was brought forward.--The Motion was
then put and carried, and the Committee nomi-
nated immediately, and powers were given to them
in the ufual manner.

PERSONS UNDER SENTENCE OF DEATH.
Mr. Josss adverted to the number of perfons
now under fentence of Death, which had accumu-
lated for a confiderable time, becaufe the Recorder
had had no opportunity of making Reports. His
Majefty's happy convalefcence now removed that
barrier which occafioned the delay; he, therefore,
wi(hed the Chancellor of the Exchequer to inform
him when there would be a Council held for the
purpofe of receiving the Report He hoped he
(hould have credit for his motive in afking this
queffion. If improper, he (hould not perlift in it.
The CHANCELLOR of the ExcHt.gyEß faid, it
was impoflible for him to hold any conference in
the Houk on that fubjed.
The SPEAKER raid, he had not the leaf[ idea of
doubting the purity of the Hon. Gentleman's in-
tention, but this was a queftion which could not
be put.