Star.
London, England, 1801-02-23 00:00:00

INCREASE OF POOR RATES.

Sir. GEORGE SHUCKBURGH EVELYN prefented a
Petition from the Parifh of Tolthill in the County
L.f Warwick ; but before it was read,
Mr. WILBERFORCE BIRD took occaf ion to obferve,
that this Petition exhibited but too fiithful a pic-
ture of the cliareffed (late of a great part of the
manufafturing Dittrids of this Country, of which
the neighbourhood of Coventry was a (Hiking and
lamentable example. The Parifh, on the behalf
of which this Petition was offered, contained 641
houfes, only 86 of which were inhabited by thofe
who were able to pay the Poor Rates, and there were
near 1300 Paupers. There perfons, paying thefe
Rates, prayed Come relief, for that otherwife
they will themfelves be thrown upon the very
Rates which they are contributing to pay, and
which are already twenty-four (billings in the
Pornd upon a rack rcnt. He believed the objet
of the Petition was, .4 That it be referred to a Com-
mittee above [lairs," and he was Corry that a right
Hon. Gentleman (Mr. PITT) was not prefent.
He was apprehenfive that this Parifh, milers it
had Come Relief, would be, as the Petitioners ap-
prehended, entirely deftroyed.
The Sr IA K t Paid, that what the Hon. Member
had obferved, made it neceffary that there fhould
be a recommendation from the Crown, before this
Petition could be read or received, fince the object
was to raife money from the public.
. .

Here a doubt being fuggeded,
The Sp clot CR Paid, " If it is the objea of this Pe-
tition to raife any public money, I apprehend there
fhould be a recommendation from the Crown be-
fore it can be received."
Sir GEORGE SHUCKBURGH EVILYN. "I do not
know that this is the objea of the Petition."
Mr. HORHOURE obferved that the words of the
prayer of the Petition being for" Such Relief as to
the Houfe fhould teem meet, or think fit," or to
that effea, lie conceived to be perfealy unobjec-
tionable, and teemed to require no recommenda-
tion from the Crown.

Th..: SPEAKER raid, the Hon. Members appeared
to have milLicen the praCtice. He underftood the
praCtice of tit: Houle to be, when a Petition was
couched in ambiguous terms—
Sir GEORGE S UCK VKG H EVELYN. "They are
the common terms."—

Mr. SPEAKER.-" Order! The common prac-
tice has been to afli the Member who prefents the
Petition, whether the objed of the Pctition is to
raife public money ?—The Honourable Member
Paid nothing when he prefented it ; but another
HonourableMember got up before the Petition was
read, and, as I confidered, took the Petition upon
himfelf.—lt then became my duty, as I conceive,
to afk Whether that was the objet of the Petition?
It teems no longer under the adoption of that Ho-
nourable Member."
Sir GEORGE SHUCIESURGH EVE LYtt.-•-" I did not
fay—l do not know—that it is the objet of the Pe-
tition to pray for Public Money—l have fees the
Petitioners, and they did not tell me the Prayer
of the Petition, or the objet of the Petition to
be any other than is espreffed. You know, or
ought to know, that praying Relief in general
terms, requires no recommendation whatever."
Order Order !
Sir GEOROI SMUCRIORGH EVELYN-..." Order!
who is out of it r'
The SPEAKS R.—Ji The Honourable Member will
not fit down. It if the duty of the Houfe, as I
underfland it, to receive the Ratements from the
Chair, with a degree of refped, not as due to me,
but to the. Houfe, becaufe, while in the Chair, I
reprefent the Houfe; and, therefore, want of re-
fped to me in that fituation, is want of refped to
the Houfe. I know.the Honourable Member did
not mean to flew any difrefpet to the Houfe but
it hecame me to take the notice I have done of
what has happened; and the Honourable Member,
on refledion, will, I dare fay, be lorry for any
interruption to order which has happened."
Mr. WILDE arose' Bran proferfed great ref-
pet for the SPEARSR. What he Paid on the Pe-
tition was only as an Individual, and he lhould iay
no more at prefent.
Mr. Loma Lid, that not a word had fallen from
the Hon. Baronet himfelf, which called in quel-
tion the general pradice, as Rated from the Au.
thority of the Chair. It was %dual on prefenting a
Petition,sfor the Member prefenting it, to open
the nature of the Petition, and to Rate diftindly,
whether the objet of the Petition was to obtain
Public Money or not. That the Hon. Baronet
did not do, but another Hon. Gentleman proceed-
ed to Rate the futillance of the Petition. Under
there cii eumfiances, the queflion was, whether
the Petition could be brought up and laid on the
Table, according to the rules of the Houfe ? If
the Hon. Baronet faid, u that the objet of the
Petition was not pecuniary relief," he knew of no
objeflion to the bringing it up, and receiving it,
and it might be heard.
The Petition was then read, and it contained
what Mr. W. Bird had Rated in fubftance, and
concluded, " That this Honourable Houk may
take it into confederation, and grant fuch Relief as
in its wifdom &all be deemed proper."
Mr. SPEARER." What would the Honourable
Baronet Move 1"
Sir G. Sit octant's Evatyrra That this Peti-
tion be referred to theC.ommittee appointed to con-
fider of the High Price of Provifions.'
The2pireftion was put and carried. At ten mi-
nutes ter five o'clock the Hoofs adjourned to
Monday.

LONDON.