Star.
London, England, 1801-12-09 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, TUESDAY, DEC. 8.
Mr. ADAM and Mr. GRANT were heard in be-
half of the Refpondent, and the Attorney General
in reply, in the Appeal Caufe Steuart o. Miller,
after which the Lord Chancellor in a fliort perfpi-
cuous fpeech- took a double view of the merits of
the caufe, upon each of which it might perhaps be
thought proper to decide it, the one the larger
and more comprehenfive ground, the other the
narrower or more limited one. After very accu-
rately difcriminating between each, and without
meaning to be underftoocl to have formed his
pion decifively as yet upon either, his Lordfbip
thought it advifable to poftpone the judgment
till the fecond Caufe day after the Recefs.
The Bills that pared the ComMittee yefterday,
were read a third time and pallid, and the four
brought up and read a firft time yefterday, were
read a fecund tine, and committed for to-morrow.
—Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The Wrought Silk Bill was mad a third time gpo pa/kJ.
FISH. _ _ . .

The Sheriff's of London prefented a Petition
from the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common
Council, of the City of London, timing, that at
the time the Al of George the econd, for regu-
lating the Pale o 6 Fifh, was palled, it was a necef-
Cary regulation, becaufe the fupply of Pith in the
London M.lrket was then•fnrall and precarious ;
but from tnat time to the piefent, in conkuente
of the execution of the Titheries, 'and the cotnpeti.
tion among thole who fupplied the Markets, thc
fupply was fo regular and abundant, that the re-
gulations under that a 0 were now operating rather
as impediments than as a plan of utility. The
Petition therefore prayed for the repeal of the aid
Aa.—Ordered to lie on thc Table. •

e0...m. ,

---
The Sheriffs practiced' another Petition, de-
feribing the late fcarcity that prevailed in the Coon-
try, together with the extreme high price of Pro-
vitioma fo oppreffive• to the midng and lower
orders of the community; the patience • and lau-
dable fubmiffion with which the people bore their
foricrings, and the manner in which Abele
ties were enhanced by the artifices of many of the
Dealers in Provitions. The Petition further Ita;ed,
that notwithaandtng the amazing abundance' of
the late harvefi, and the extenfive importations
which under the liberal encouragement of Parlia-
ment hurl tikin place, the like artifices fill conti•
anted to prevail, with the obvious view of creatiog
an artificial fcarcity S. that notwithtlanding the re-
elutfition of Parliament, for regular returns of the
quantity of Gmin in the Country, to be made on.
tier the interference of the Clergy, yet thefe re'
tbrns had been wholly withheld in dime &Inds,
and die-returns from other places were fallacious
and interred. It appeared therefore, that by loch
' attempts h was :Jitended to Withhold fifoar Partia.
me:A, and from the Government, a due knowledge
of, the adtual hate of Grain in the Country; with.
oat which knowledge it would not be in thc power
of Go .. ritment, by the cneoitragentenv 'of a t t mel y
importation frc:ii ;'.her countries, to prevent the
recurrence of calamities Aguilar to thofc lately ex-
perienced. • The Petitiowtherefore prayed for the
interferenze of Parliament, by the eliaament of a
law which fhould enforce due and regular returns
of the quantities of Grain from every part of the
Kingdom.—Ordered to lie on the Table.
STARCH.

•
On 11. c Order of the Day for the Honfe t re.
folve italf into a Committee on the Potat:te and
Rice evtarch
Mr. Alderman CURT I! willed to know what
advantage could accrue to the country from a Bill.
the objea of which was to appropriate to the Ma.
I.uf.ifture of Staich a cunfiderable portion
t'rovilions of the Poor; and that at time i%hen
the wifdom of Parliament was not only callc.l Iln
to prevent any unticceliary dccrcafe cf food by e::-
portation, but to guar) againfi the a-titlves
ithofc wha fccmcl '-.:cratcd i .0 aut.

564 fcarcity. The quantity of Starch made from
Potatoes was fo exceedingly (mall, compared to
the hulk of the article it was taken from, that it
went to the defiruaion of a large quantity of the
means of human fuftenancc, merely for the fake
of producing a thing which might at all times be
had from other countries, and-at a duty which the
confumer would chearfully pay.
Mr. VA xstrrsa r agreed that narch from pota-
toes was not fu great in proportion to the bulk of
the article it was taken from, as (larch from
wheat. But the objea of the preknt Bill was
the encouragement of the cultivation of potatoes,
as being the cheapen, the belt, and the moll cer-
tain remedy againft the return of fcarcity. The
quantity of potatoes produced this year was much
greater than the confumption of the people re-
quired ; and in his mind the ben means of encou•
raging a permanent cultivation of this nutrition'
vegetable, was to fecure to the cultivators a cer.
tain market for their ,produce. He then entered
into a flatement of the comparative produce of an
acre of led, as applied to wheat and potatoes, for
the purpofe of filming that the quantity of (larch
extraitable from the potatoes growing on a giver
track of ground was greater than that from wheat
which would grow on an equal (pace. As to mak-
ing hatch from rice, he mutt obferve that the
quantity of that article imported under the late
ARs of Parliament, created a confiderable furplus
of it in the market ; and it was only fair to open
to importers a fource of competition which fhould
be adequate to the furplusreznaming on theirhands.
Tb; Houfe then having refolved itfelf into 4
Committee on the Bill,
Mr, VANSITTART fall, that fo far from this mea-
lure giving any unfair advantages to the Menu-
faaterers of flare'', many of them who bad pur-
chafed large quantities of wheat, for the purpofes
of their trades, confidered it rather injurious than
beneficial to them. He thought it necelfary to
nate, that whenever the manufacture of (larch
from wheat Mould be thrown open, the old duties
would again be revived, and none would be free
from it but llarch from potatoes or rice.
The Bill then went through the Committee, and
was ordered to be reported to-morrow.

POPULATION.
The CiIANCELLOO. of the Excusuy se prefCnted
Abarads of Anfwers and Returns ordered by an
Aft paffed in the 4.lft of his prelent Majefiy, for
taking an account of the Population of the King-
dom, and the increafe and diminution thereof. The
Right Hon. Gentleman took occafion to mention,
though he proleffed to do it with regret, that Tome
of the Returns were incomplete : he adverted to
the Returns from Wiltlhire, and exprelfed his dif-
appointment at this deficiency, as it prevented him
from concluding with the motion which he wifhed
to have brought forward, that the papers row pre-
rented fhouhr be printed. He wifhed to alsßain at
prefeut from any farther animadvertioni in the
hope that the Officer who had in this inflance been
deficient in his duty would, before the dole of the
Recefs, be We to prefent corhplete Returns. But
if after the Reads tLefe full Returns were not made
he lhould then feel it his duty to bring the fubjea
More particularly before Parliament, and Parlia-
ment, he bad ma doubt, would fed an equal dif-
pofition to affect their'uivn Os, and to give efficacy
to their own orders. * '
The Bill for prohibiting the Diftillation of Spi-
rits from Wheat in Ireland paired through a Com-
mittee, and the Report being brought up, was or-
dered to be received to-morrow. • •
Mr. V ANSITTART fuggefted that, as no objeoffiou
was made to the principle of this laft Bill, it was
his ihtention to _move that it thould pals through
the remaining Rages to-morrow. He at the fame
time applied this remark to the other Bill refpec-
ting the nfe'of-Potatoes and Rice in the manufac-
ture of Starch) •No objeaion was offered to this
propofition.—Adjourned.

LUNDOIY.