Star.
London, England, 1814-11-17 00:00:00

P4RLMMENYIIIir PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, N0V.16.
The House met at ten o'cl.)ck in the en-irning, and proceeded
farther in the arp.c.ll " Robinton v. tint: Duke of AthoL"—Flr-
tber hearing on Fitlay.
The Earl of I.:eaaroot I on the table the substance of the
Treaty conelucleil with the. Allied Power. at Chaumont, a.id an
Additional Article of the Treaty of Stockholm.
In answer to a question from the Earl of DONOI7OIIMORE, the
Earl of LlTP:Rroaz. sated that no public question. (except merely
matters of form) woull he brought forward without sufficient
notice, and a des atteotion to tht cocurenietice of Noble Lords.
Adjourned till Friday.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Mr. MANNING obtained leave to bring in a Bill to an

the Acts reap •itig the London Dcek Company.
Mr. BROODBN brought up the Report of the Seanirn and
nirinee Pension Duty Bill, which way agreed to. The hill was
.ordered to be read a third time to-morrow.
Mr. SWANN gave notice, that on Tuesday next he would
stove for leave to bring in a ISO for the lo,tter prevention of bri-
bery and corruption in the 13orouzis of Helstone.
Mr. LUSHINGrON having stated the amount of tli•• pro-
petty, namely, :6'51100 in Old south Sea Annuities, £:;4; 00 in
3 per cent. Co:tsols, 3000 in 4 her cent. Navy Anntritiis,
'tome other smaller sums, moved fo- and obtained leave to bzirg
In a Bill to direct the application of the residuary personal es7atr
of the late Mrs. Anna Maria Reynolds, spinster, left by that
Lady to the use of the &Wog Fund.
IRISH GLASS ACT.
On the minion of Mr. Ws!. FITZGERALD (after a
few words from IgirD."Gtrittetthe House resolved
itself' into a Committee to consider of the Irish Glass
Act. • •
Mr. FITZGERALD.said it.would be in the re-
collection of the Committee that in the last Session
he had recommended Oat a duty, equivalent to that
existing in Great Britain, should be imposed on glass
manufactured in Ireland, and a countervailing duty
necessarily resulting on the same article imported
from this country. It was rather an extension than
a new measure of excise. There had previously been
an excise on glass in Ireland, not however embracing
those branches of the manufacture which were to be
affected by the Act he referred to. He had now to
explain to the Committee the grounds on which he
was about to propose the repeal of that Act. A
period of one month, from the passing of the Act,
had been allowed before the duty was to take effect.
Previously to any mention having been made in Par-
liament of such duty, he was aware that a large
stock had been imported into Ireland, the British
manufacturers deriving a considerable, and he would
say, indeed, an unfair advantage in the amount of
duty which he drew back on sending his manufacture
into that country. Owing to that Circumstance a
greater supply than the average annual consumption
was in store there, even before the szit of January in
this year. A still greater quantity was imported in
the month that intervened between the passing of the
Act and its coming into operation. N• 1 sitisfied
with the profit which would have resuited to then)
from the stock previously on hand, the proprietors
raised the price on the public as high as if the duty
had been paid. He, periiaps, was net called on to
state what he understood to be the quantity in Ire-
land. It was sufficient, he presumed, as a ground
fur his motion that a duty which he had calculated
upon as productive, must forfora considerable time be
unproductive, while the public were charged te) the
frill extent to which they would have been subjected
it die revenue had received the benefit which lie had
hoped. Whatever observation might fall upon him,
he felt that be owed an equel duty to the public :tad
to the Crown ; and lie should deem himself acting a
most unmanly pert, it rather than rescind a measure
'which he had himself recommended to Parliament,
he were to leave the people of Ireland subjected to a
heavy taxation, without a corresponding benefit re-
sulting to the State. • The necessities of the times
were sufficiently urgent. He trusted be ahauld be
a!,i to provide against the importers insteining any
loss of which they could fairly complain. Ho would
recemmend the :payment of the duty' in all- 'cases
where the high counterveihae, duty had been charg-
ed. The amount he cot.id state to b.: very ieconsi.
derahle. It wauld be incurnbeitt on him to provide,
also for repayments, where a greater nil valorem dutj
had bean charged, on account of the increase in value
of the article which was estimated at the price it then
bore, and if along with that a facility of reexport
Mere given, he apprehended that he should have
done all which they had a right to expect, while it
would not be difficult to prove that they had, by the
law under which they drew back the duty, as well as
in the profit cn the stock previously in Ireland, even
tinder the circumstances of this repeal, not a disad-
vee, .eeciis speculation. He concluded by moving,
that the Chairman should move for leave to bring in
a leh to repeal the Irish Glass Duty Act.
Mr: PONSONBY *could not possibly entertain any
chj:ction to the repeal of an Act, which, in conjunc-
tion with the similar Act respecting timber, had (al-
though he was persuaded the Hon. Gentleman, in
proposing it, had not apprehended such a conse-
(licence) been so injurious, that the best title which
could have been given to it would have been, an Act
to prevent further improvement in Ireland. The
adoption of such a measure by Parliament arritertorre
the practice of putting off Bills to a period of the
Session so late as not to allow sufficient time to thole
%chose interests were affected to point out their evil
tendency ; and lie trusted this example would deter
his Nlajesty's Ministers from similar conduct in fu-
ture. 'f he Hon. Gentleman had said, that the price
ct glass in Ireland had been doubled by this Act. It
bad not been doubled—it had been trebled! There
was one extraordinary circumstance which he felt it
his duty to notice. The operation of the Act in
question was fixed at one calendar month after its
passing. Having been passed' on the 14th of July,
its operation, therefore, was to commence on the 14th
of August. By a subsequent Act, however, passed
on the 25th July, the clause postponing the operation
of the first Act to the 14th of August was done away,
and it was directed that the Act should operate from
the 6th of July—that was eight days before, instead
of a month after it had passed ! He did not wish to
maka any harsh observations on this proceeding, but
h certainly was one of a very extraordinary nature.
Sir M. W. RIDLEY• confirmed the statement of
ho had just spoken, and added
the Hon. Gentleman w
that he understood the Hon. the Chancellor of the
-Exchequer for Ireland had written to the Officers of
the Customsln Ireland, subsequently to the passing
of the Aet of the 14th of July, telling them that ano.
;her Dili was in progress through kalliaments by

which the duty was to be imposed from the 6th of
July, and directing in consequence that no glass
should be allowed to land without the payment of
the duty. The dealers in glass were, in his opinion,
eutitled to great consideration, for unquestionably
they wocld not have imported the quantity which
they had done except on the faith of the first Act.
Sir C. MONICK censured warmly the want of skill
which had been manifested on this occasion by the

Irish Treasury.
Mr. W. FITZGERALD defended himself from
the charges adduced against him. The original Bill
had been drawn at a time when he was confined by
indisposition, and prevented from instructing the So-
licitor who had drawn it, and who having mistaken
its character, had inserted the clause by which its
operation had been delayed. As soon as this was
discovered the other Bill had been prepared ; and if
he (Mr. Fitzgerald) bad written to the Officers of
the Customs to apprize them of it, he conceived that
he had done only his duty. As to the dealers, he
did not conceive that they were entitled to much con-
sideration, after their conduct in charging duties
which they had never paid.
Mr. PONSONBY repeated his hope that this oc-
currence would warn his Majesty's Ministers against
putting off Bills until it was too late to ascertain
whether or not they were such as ought to be passed.
Mr. STEPHEN wished to know whether the
Right Hon. Gentleman meant that Parliament should
sit three months after passing Bills, in older to dis-
cover whether or not there had been any errors com-
mitted in them ? Such appeared to be the argument
'of the Right Hon. Gentleman ; and it was equally ap.
plicable whether Parliament rose in April or May, or
sat till the Dog-day sin July.
Mr. PONSONBY observed, that the Honourable
Gentleman, with all his knowledge of almanacks,
had mistaken the time at which the Dog-days oc-
curred. They were in August, not in July. What
he had said was, that there had not been time given
to the Irish people to make any representations as to
the Bill in question ; and his wish was that Parlia-
ment would not be induced to hurry the public busi-
ness, but to go through it in a way that would admit
of due deliberation and correction of error.
Mr. STEPHEN said that he did not know when
the Dog-star raged in the latitude of Dublin, but in
the almanack which he had in his pocket, the dog-
days were stated to commence on the 3d of July.—
(411augh.)
After some farther conversation, in which Mr.
FITZUERALD, Mr. PEELE, and Alderman SMITH par-
ticipated, the Resolution was agreed to ; and the
riouse having resumed, Mr. BROGDEN, the Chairman
of the Committee, obtained leave to bring in the Bill.
The House having gone into a Committee on the
Custom-duties on Timber, Deals, and Staves, in Ire-
land,
Mr. W. FITZGERALD said, in consequence of
the plan recommended by him last year, for equali-
zing and assimilating the Custom Duties of Ireland,
to those of England, certain duties had been imposed
on timber. These duties had certainly put a stopfar
some time to building in Ireland, but the amount of
them had been very greatly exaggerated. It had
teen said that they raised the price of timber no less I
than 100Q.per cent. but the fact was, that. Swedish
timber sold in Dublin last rummer for £9. 10s. per
ton, and Memel timber for £lO. 10s. per ton, which
was not an increas: of above thirty.five percent. The
price of timber wis not higher than that during the
five preceding years, under the interruption of the
Baltic trade. He concluded with moving a Resolu-
tion, that the several Custom duties now payable on
timber in Treland, do cease and determine, and that
certain other duties be granted in lieu thereof.
Mr. PONSONBY observed, that it was the ditty
on deals which principally pressed on the people of
Ireland, and with -a modification of such duties on
deals, he had no objection to the plan of the Right
Hon. Gentleman.

Mr. FITZGERALD said, it was merely meant
to make that law which was now acted on under the
authority of the Treasury in Ireland.
The Resolution was agreed to, and leave given to
bring in a Bill accordingly.