Star.
London, England, 1812-04-02 00:00:00

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the burthscs ought to be equally borne: Probably,
the reason of the Minister led him to refer the 1
proximate cause to his favourite Crders in Councils
and his Pride would not allow him to concede any
question which demonstrated the deleterious effects of
that mistaken measure. Yet what are the conse-

qucuces rit that pride, misconception, selfish reason-
ing, or s‘hatever may have led to his conclusions, and
to the acquiescence of the House of Commons ?
Need I name Seventy Thousand starv:4 families—
the ruin of hopes as fondly cherished, and as dear to
the parties as those of the Minister himself—modest
plans of domestic happiness, blasted by no vice, or
fault of the victims of war and public policy—una-
vailing labour during sixteen hours in the day, by all
the bran;hes of a wretched family, for the pittance of
a few shiltingc per week—or, as a last resource, an
appeal to exh gusted Parish Funds for a species of
I), if-, t as galling to honest industry as the
orst privations it could endure ?

44 I -forbear, my Lord, to draw pictures of all I
.have heard on this subject, because they would har-
row up feelings less sensible than those of your Lord-
ship ; and it is unnecessary to state more than broad
facts, to a mind like yours, which will readily seize
on the minute.particnlars resulting from such a con-
dition of many populous districts. Had your Lord-
ship the power, I am persuaded, that a very brief ac-
count of such distress would suffice to induce you to
do your best to relieve it, and then to justify what you
had done. You would, in the first instance, have
followed the right impulse of the heart, and at your
leisure have defended it against the selfish sophistry
of insensibility, and the calculations of cold-blooded
politicians.
" What, however, could be the arguments opposed
to national justice on this occasion ? Would the enemy
exult in the obligation to which he fancied he had reduced tu,
of relieving a part of our population from the common stock ?
No ! he would rather find matter for exultation in
the starving and riotous condition of those districts,
occasioned by neglect; and of mortification on find-
ing that the actual opulence of the landed interest,
and of the public finances, was able to relieve the po-
verty of the Manufacturers ! Would such relief hold
out rwouragement to false speculations among Manufactu-
rers, or engender and foster idleness ? No ! the general
principle is paramount to particular exemptions, and
its application can never be false, when real distress
arises from public causes ; the relief should, however,
be applied with discretion, and the wants of idleness
and vice distinguished from those created by circum-
stances not within the controul of the sufferers. The
mode, and extent of relief, should also correspond
with actual circumstances, and be administered un-
der the direction of Commissioners, frequently chan-
ged to prevent the ascendancy of intrigue and par-
tial interests.—Would not Me relief of districts, really
starving, be urged as a precedent by ether Ifistrict: not prev -
eel in an equal degree ? Certainly not with improper
success, because every case would stand on its own
merits, and every district which was proved to require
relief, ought of course to receive it, the obligation be-
ing paramount as soon as its distress is ascertained ;
but no phblic obligation exists, where the distress is
not proved to exist, and also to arise from acts of the
GoVernment, or of the public enemy.
" I conceive it, therefore, to be the incumbent and
unquestionable deity of wise Legislation, to equalize
those public burthens, which are created by public
' exigencies ; and to relieve manufacturing districts
from distresses arising from circumstances or mea-
sures which are supposed to benefit the whole com-
munity.
44 In regard to these conclusions, I apprehend there
can be no well founded difference of opinion, and
consequently, that, measures ought to be instantly
,taken, for relieving out of the public stock, the Pea-
' toning Manufacturing Districts; not as matter of
Bounty or Charity, but as a concession of justice,
and as the payment of a Debt due from the public, to
those who are unequally suffering in a national cause.
" These arguments and cceiclusions, appear my
Lord, to be so evident, that it might seem unneces-
sary to adduce them, were it not that the practice of
Administration has been in direct contradiction to
them, and that the silence of both sides of the House
of Commons indicated a want of due attention to
them so that to this hour Half a Million of Soul*
have been left to suffer all the miseries of want, unas-
sisted by the Government, and without receiving any
public manifestation, even of the sympathy of their
less affected fellow-subjects.
" I hope, however, my Lord, that I have herein
said enough to call forth your characteristic benevo-
lence, and active patriotism ; arid that further argu-
ments will be unneoess try to convince the Govern-
ment, and the opulent, benevolent, and public spirited
part of the nation of their incumbent duties.
" I have the honour to be, my Lord,
" Your Lordship's devoted and obliged
" Humble Servant,
44 It. PHILLIPS."

" Ludgate 1-1111, March 25.',

GUILDHALL.--J. Smith and Mary Brown were yes-
terday re-examined, charged with having been ex-,
tremely active in their attempts to pick the pockets
of the company, going to and ft cm the Lord Mayor's
Ball, on Monday night; when Smith was commit-
ted to Bridewell, as a rogue and vogabond, and the
woman discharged.
H. Chilton was also re-examined, charged with em-
bezzling 4s. the property of Mr. Radford, the cheese-
monger, in Jewin-street, to whom he was shnpman,
and, from the confidence placed in him, was a!,owed
to have access to the till, from which he was disco-
vered-to have taken the money in question. Being but
a young offender, at the instance of his master. and
in compliance with the prayer of his father, he was
sent on board the 'fender.
A poor old woman, whose looks betokened the
poignancy of her distress, was charged with having
stolen a pound of bacon from the shop of a cheese-
' monger in the neighbOarhood of the Office. As,
however, on enquiry, it appeared she 'acted, by the
strongest of all incentives, “ hunger," she was as.
charged.
HATTON-GARDEN.—Yesterday a young man was
fulty committed, charged with snatching a watch
from a gentleman's pocket in St. Martin's-le-Grand.
On being seized by the watdimin. he was seen to
drop the property, which was restored to the owner.
MARLBOROUGH-`.STREET.—J. Longford was comficted
in the penalty of 40s. for stealing shrubs out of Mary-
la-been park.