Star.
London, England, 1830-05-18 00:00:00

TUESDAY EVENING, MAY 18, 1830. PRICE 7D.

N°. 13,477.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDSMOYDAY.

Lord de DUNSTANVILLE presented a petition for removal of
civil disabilities from the Jews._ _ _ _

Lord RADNOR, a petition from a Constitutional Society, pray-
ing for reform in parliament.
Sir It. HILL, end other members from the commons, brought up
several private bills, which were read the first time.
Lord ROLLE presented a petition from Teignmouth, in the
county of Devon, for repeal of the law inflicting death in cues. of
forgery.
The Earl of RADNOR presented a petition, numerously signed
by mechanics, artificers, and others, praying for the :adoption of
Mr. Owen's plan.
Lord DYNEVOR presented petitions from Carnarvon and Car-
marthen, against the proposed alteration of Welsh Judicature.
The Earl of WESTMORLAND presented a petition from Bel-
fast against the stamp duties, and one from the newspaper proprie-
tors of Ireland against the proposed duty on newspaper stamps.
?he Duke of RICHMOND presented a petitton from Kent
against the poor laws.
The Duke of BEAUFORT, a petition from Monmouth, for
free trade to India.

sure brio effect. The clergy of all denominations were uniting in
support of the measure.
LAWLEY presented a petition from Birmingham in favour
of the Jew Bill; and a petition from the Chamber of Commerce,
Birmingham, against the Bill for abolishing arrest for debt under
1001.

Mr. LIDDELL presented a petition from the paper.makers of
Northumberland for a repeal of the duty on paper.
Sir O. PHILLIPS presented a petition from Manchester in fa-
vour of the Jew bill.

Mr. RUMBOLD presented a similar petition from Great Var.
'tooth.

Mr. COOTE presented a petition from Clonmell against the
proposed %crease of the tax on newspapers in Ireland.
Lori STANLEY presented a petition from the Chamber of
Commerce, Manchester, against the punishment of death for
forgery.
Lord STANLEY presented a petition from William .Langston,
licensed victualler of Greenwich, for compensation for the injury
he skauld sustain in the value of his house by the passing of the
beer WI.
Sir &WILSON precasted a petition from Southwark In favour
of the Jew Bill.

Sir R. WILSON presented a petition in favour of the Jews from
the irltabitants of Norwood.

Si 4. J. SEBRIGHT presented a petition from Royston spinal
the increase of duty on spirits.
Mr. O'CONNELL presented two petitions in favour of the Jews'
Relit. Bill, one from Dublin and the other from Clontarf.
11r. WO )KNELL presented a petition from three individuals,
friend of Parliamentary Reform, and members of the London Asso.
cloth): for Radical Reform, in favour of that desirable measure.
Lord XI LUEN presented a petition in favour of the Jews' Re.
lief 11111, from the Catholics of Dublin.
Mr. J. MARTIN presented a petition from the Roman Catho.
lics of the county of Worcester, expressing their gratitude for the
great measure of last Session, and praying that a similar bill may li
be 'based for the relief of the Jews.
11r. PROTHEROE supported the petition.
Mr. BARING presented a petition from the merchants, bankers,
traders, and other inhabitants of the city of London, signed by
14,000 persons, in favour of the Jews' Relief Bill. This petition
he thought of great importance, coming as it did from the very per-
sons amongst whom the great mass of the Jews reskie.—(Hcar.).—
Of those,who had signed the petition, 2,500 were merchants, a great
number were bankers, and opwards of 1,000 were professional gen-
tlemen, principally doctors of medicine.—(Hear.) He trusted the
house would show to the Jews the same degree of liberality and jus-
tice which they had already exhibited to the Catholics.---(Hear.)
General GASCOYNE said, that the reason there were no peti-
Owls agrinst the Jews Relief Bill, was because the public never
foe a moment entertained the idea that that house intended seriously
to take the matter into their consideration.—(Hear.) He heard a
noble lord say, that he would prove that the admission of the Jews
to seats in that house was for the purpose of benstidng the Chris-
tian religion. He should wait with great anxiety to hear this
curious proposition maintained.--(Hear.)
Mr. O'CONNELL said, that what was said by the noble lord
alluded to was, that their admission to that house would be in ac-
cordance with the principles of Christianity.
The petition was then ordered to be printed.
Mr. BROUGHAM presented a petition from the barristers of
the different courts in London, signed by members of different reli.
gloms persuasions, most of whom ranked very high in their pro.
fession.
Mr. NICHOLSON CALVERT objected to tbe bill on the
of Its being partial. He would not object tea bill ng p.
neral emancipation upon all classes. ' --(Hear hear, hear.) He
could see no reason why the Quakers, and all others, should not be
included.

Mr. BROUGHAM said, that he quite agreed with:the hon.
member for Hertford; but there was a way of regaining their con-
sistency, not by excluding the Jews, but by Including the Quakers
and othei..--(greet cheers.)
Mr. N. CALVERT said he had intended to move, se an amend.
meat, the appointment of a committee to inquire bow far oaths
might be dispensed with. He should not do that now, for he was
usually very unfortunate with his amendments. (Cheers, and a
Lugh.)
Mr. R. GRANT said that he should support a mote general
general measure at any time that the hon. member for Hertford
should bring it In. (Hear, hear.)—The petition was then ordered
to be printed.
Mr. BENETT presented petitions in favour of the Jews relief
bill, from Warminster and Woolwich.
Mr. 111 A %SHALL presented a similar petition from Leeds,
signed by 4,000er
Lord E. SOMERSET presented a petition from the parish of
Cone, hi Gloucester, against the sale of beer bill.
Mr. PENDARVIS presented a petition from Falmouth in fa-
vour of the Jews relief bill.
Mr. 0. CAVE presented a petition from Leicester against the
punishment of death for forgery. Also a petition from the same
place, praying for an alteration in the law respecting landlords and
tenants. Also a petition from Glassingtown, against negro slavery.

DISTRESS.

Mr. E. DAVENPORT presenteda petition from Birmingham,
signed by 25,000 persons. The petition prayed for an effectual and
speedy reform in the House of Commons, and went on to complain
that the effect expected to result from Mr. Peel's bill of 1819 had
not taken place. In answer to the expectations of the people on that
head, it had been stated that prices must come down in this country
to the level of prices on the continent. If that were the case, however,
how came it that at any time since the peace, a rise had taken place
in prices, and yet there was a period when such a rise was going on,
though the merchant did not expect that the rise would continue.
It was certain, however, that the rise in the value of money occa-
sioned by that bill, which many people estimated at double its
former value, had increased all the burdens of the country. There
was no doubt a difficulty in ascertaining precisely the effects of that
bill, but the extent of the rise in the value of money had not been
estimated by any person at less than 25 per cent. The member for
Callington (Mr. Attwood we believe) had, three or four years ago
estimated the rise in the value of money, and the fall of the price
of commodities at between 30 and 40 per cent. He was disposed
to divide the period of the alteration in the currency into two pot.
tions—before the bill of 1819, and since that time. He believed,
before Mr. Peel's bill passed, that the rise in the value of
money had been 15 per ant. and subsequent to that period, and
between 1828, that the rise had been 20 per cent. Since then
he believed that the rise in the value of money and the fall
in the price of commodities since 1828 had been 20 per cent.
which ought to be add 1 to the 90 per cent. difference in the value
of money between the' termination of the war and 1828. He had
received from the petitioners a list of 26 articles, chiefly made at
Birmingham, and all hardware, which articles confirmed in a
striking manner the view he had just laid before the house. The
hon. member stated that he would not read over the list,but he would
state the result. The sum of all the list was, that between 1818 and
1828, the price of all these articles on an average had fallen 36 per rent.
Since 1828, the petitioners stated, that prices had fallen 22, bearing
out, in a remarkable manner, the statement he had just submitted
to the house. The general fall in the price of commodities since the
period he had alluded to—since 1819, when the right honourable
gentleman's bill passed, and since 1828, when the small nous were
suppressed—showed the operation of some general cause, and the
effeas were such as might be expected from altering the standard of
value. There were other circumstance, noticed in the petition. The
petitioners complained that nothing had been done to)eliete them of
the burden of taxation. The petition, be should observe, had been
drawn up and signed before the Beer Bill bad been introduced into
Parliament, and before the government bad announced any reduc-
tion of taxation. The petitioners abeam of the little attention
that was paid to the petitions oldie rand nothing. he thought,
could be a greater aggravation of their sufferings than to find the
Legislature, which had Inflicted those sufferings by its own sets
refusing to inquire into the consequences of them. The hon. hart.
who had brought forward a motion relative to the Privy Council, the
other evening, bad shown that the ministers knew how to take care
of themselves. That motion had, indeed, been negatived by the
right hon. gentlemen opposite, who had no inclination to have their
own emolument, investigated ; but the benontable baronet hod,
by his own diligence, eetertained the important fact, that 113 of the
members of the Privy Council divided amongst themselves 630,0001.
the people's moray per year, or that each one had 5,700 L being
more than the salary oldie Bovoreigo of the United states of Ame-
rica. The petideales stated, that to arable them to wry ea
their busbies. there roust be a peat redaction at imolai.
They dated tbat at present the rates could set be Wait, and
tbat the taxes mid not be collected. Time, the petillsoes. shook

were the eottoequeucce of the bill for regulating the currency. To
these present calamities was to be added the appreheaslon of scarcity,
for we had a corn law which kept the produce of other countries from
twining into this country. The petitiaters stated that it was the duty
of the house to intend to the grievances of the peopie before it voted
away the people's money, and before It ordered taxes to be levied ; for
nobody prospered in the country but those who lived. on the taxes.
The petitioners not only prayed for a great reduction of taxatioa, but
also for a reform of parliament, and they said that they could not
expect any attention to their grievances, till there was a retort,, In
parliament. The petitioners also noticed one circu pstance, to
which the right hon. gent. had referred on a former aces* on. The
right hon. gent. had stated that Birmingham was in a state of pre.
sperity, and he had quoted as proofs of this, the traffic on the r..asis
and canals, and particularly the increase of traffic on the Worers•ee
and Birmingham canal. The reason of this was, that the canal had
been. as we understood, extended to Olosoester. [The hen...4:1116er
stated some other reasons for the increase of the traffic on this canal,
which we could not hear' owing to the noise in the house, and to
low tone used by the boo. member.] He next referred to a stated ens
of the right hon. gent. that some ground rents had sold in Binning.
ham for one hundred years' purchase. But the fact in this case
was that by the purchase the ground was converted into freehold,
and the purchase its value was considerably augmented. Tile
contract price, as we understood, was 3,5001. while the profit de.
rived from the purchase was 5001. a year. The right Iron. gectle.
man had also quoted the number of four-wheeled carriages in use in
Birmingham, but he believed that the four-wheel carriages refer-
red to by the right honoerable gentleman were only pony-chaises,
which the people had taken to use instead of gigs. The real four.
wheeled carriages, such a gentlemen use, and such as arc renerilly
understood by the term, had increased, he believed, in Ilirmitsg.
ham since 1818 about one.fortieth. In 1818 there were thirty.eight
such carriages in Birmingham, and in ins there were twenty-ni1....
But a different sort of proof might be derived from the state of ti:c
poor in Birmingham. In the last year the out-door poor had in.
creased 445, and since 1818 they had increased full I,4oo.—Sumo
impatience being here manifested by the house, the hon. member
observed, however impatient the members were to give relief to th,..
Jews, perhaps they ought to think that tome attention was due to
the complaints and sufferings of 23,000 Christians. The honourable
member then adverted to the state of the iron trade, and stated that
of the Staffordshire and Worcestendlire furnaces no less than 43 out
of 107 (we understood) had been blown out ; while of the 43 fur-
naces in Shropshire 14 had been blown out.
Mr. THANT here rose to order. The lion. member objec:ed to
the hon. member entering into so many statements on prescntirg a
Petition [cries of " Order!" and .4 Chair, chair r.] The lion.
member might content himself with an impromptu speech on such a,
subject. . _ _

Mr. E. DAVENPORT, in continuation, said he did not know
whether the lion. member's interruption was au imptemptu sugges-
tion or not, but a more disorderly one he had never witnessed in that
house. The Petitioners prayed for Reform in Parliament, a:al in
that he cordially concurred. He had been a Reformer since the ti:ge
of the disgraceful expedition to Walt-heron. The Parliament a :is
not • fair representation of the people. (Hear.) As it was R Se.
lection from the mass, it ought to be better than the mass
of the people; but it was not. He did not think it was a fair
men of the ge talent of England. If he threw a net acro-s th•
Strand, he believed that the first 658 men he caught would const:-
tute a House of Cotnmomi which would obtain the confidence or the
people,and be more worthy of it than the presentliouse of Conimuns.
A reform might be obtained on constitutional principles, which
would satisfy him. He would have the septennial act repealed, and he
cordially concurred with the petitioners in desiring to see the ex-
penses of elections diminished, so that talents and character might
haves fairer chance than at present against money. If any person
should propose the vote by ballot, it should have his consent—u:g
that he thought that mode of voting good in Itself, but it would
operate, in the mascot state of society, to check corruptive intiu
ence. Property ought, indeed, to have its legitimate influence ;
but at present it had a very unjust end improper influence, tend-
to controul everything like freedom, and this influence migh.,
probably, be corrected by the ballot. It was a statement of the
petitioners that all the industrious classes were suffering greatly,
because the money was taken out of their pockets to go into
the pockets of the receivers of taxes, and they stated that
for all these evils there was no remedy but a reform of par.
Bement; and he called on the house to attend to the prayers
of the petitioners in time, before the house lost the eon&
dame of the people altogether, and before they took the means of
reform, and, perhaps, of avenging their own wrong into their own
hands. The Reform Meeting at Birmingham 'had been followed
by similar meetings all over the countryeand reform was becoming
a favourite topic with the people. For the rest he had never been
slow to express his opinion either in that house at elsewhere, and
be should still have the courage to do ao without entertaining as y
apprehension that the societies he had 'alluded to could meet the
fate of other societies across the water, or that he should be afflicted
with the " Sennett" fever. The hon. member concluded by moving
that the petition be brought up.
Mr. Secretary PEEL said that he understood the hon. member
had gone to Birmingham for the purpose of getting information, to
contradict 'the statement made by him (Mr. Secretary Peel) that
Birmingham was not in the distressed state represented in that
house by himself, during a discussion upon a former evening.
How had the bon. member succeeded ? He had not disproved a
single statement made by him on that occasion. He (Mr. Se.
Weary Peel) had adverted to the increase of gigs and o her
two-wheeled carriages, in order to show the increased cornfon
of the middling classes of society, knowing, that if he quoted
the four-wheeled carriages, he might be met by the argument
that the wealth of the higher classes was no proof of gem's!
prosperity. The hon. member, however, adverted to the four.
wheeled carriages, and said, that since the year 1819, there was
en imam of only one four-wheeled carriage. Now he could not
toll ka• what source the boo. member drew his information; but
bkhad OD objection whatever to tell the hon. member the source
from whence his (Mr. Secretary Peel's) information was derived.
He was aware that an increase of taxes was no proof of increasing
peeperity generally, but he did think that the increase from a tax
spa amides of luxury, such as gigs, which were principally used
by drooling desses, did afford a fair specimen of increasing ann.
feet in that shoe of the community.—(hear, bear.) With this ins.
he applied to the excise, or ratha•tax.office of C Birmingham,
iawhenee be got the following returns, commencing lhawithatrie
year 1819, before the passing of the bill, which was called by his
name, and tenshsating with the year 1828. The number of four.
wheeled carriages in Bhmingham in the year
1819 was
1820.......
1821
1822
1823 • • 55
1824
1825
1826.
1827 ...
1828 ....
Thus the number bad risen pogrtssively from the passing of this
bill, which was to have reduced the country to a state of insolvency
from 38 to 167.—((drat cheering.) The hon. member, in order to
account foe this increase, says, that the people converted their gigs
into four-wheeled pony chaises. If so, there ought to have been a
dame use in the number of two-wheeled carriages; but the facts
would not bear out the argument of the hon. member, for, by the re-
turn which he held in his hand, it appeared that the number of two-
wheeled carriages was, in
1819 . .... 361

1818

leaving an increase of 108. (Cheers.) He (Mr. Secretary Peel)
had stated, on the occasion alluded to, that Birmingham war not
in the depressed state io which it was represented to be ; and he
then begged leave to reiterate that assertion, and to state that since
the year 1819 that town had been, up to the present moment, in a
progressive state of improvement. (Hear, hear.) Property had
increased in 1830, as compared with 1819, in a ratio of 30 per cent.
and taxes and poor-rates bad never been collected with less diffi-
culty than in the last and present year.
Mr. DAVENPOKT.—The petition means generally collected
with great difficulty.
Mr. Secretary PEEL said he was then to assume from the hon.
member that Birmingham was the exception which completely
proved his argument.—((treat cheering.) The pans-rates' arrears
were, in the year 1819, 3,9001. They subsequently rose to 5,0001.
but in the last year there was an arrear of only 1,0311. and this in
the absence of any thing like rigour in their collection. Neither had
there been any increase of rigour in the collection of the taxes, for
in the whole of last year %berthed been only ail cases in which they
were levied in Birmingham by distress, and yet the returns stood
thus :—ln 1819, out of 18,000'. due, only 7,0001 was paid, leaving
for the year an arrest of
In 1820 the arrear 10,000
1891
•••••••••••••••••••••Mai• NO 10,324
1823
1821 7,899
lab
1828 5,871
1828 ... .
1829
And for these last years he might thy, that them nevenwas &peeled
when the taxes were paid with less of pressure en the labsbter.
In the saving banks of Biniiingbisni also, there waver, no km a
sum than 30,1801. and there were 3,547 acesents opined. In the
last mouth, there bad both days est if these leeks the stun
of 1,11921. and there bad bows* in 2,1031. leaving an increase
paid in of 1.1301. l one irleilli-'4Cheers.) Then bad eke been
an increase from wintlitiik ssstaiti, urns* Iron, dogs,—
'in fact, with two exceptiebs, every. dthig, bad, *leased, and

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