Star.
London, England, 1828-02-05 00:00:00

could, but that relief was not sufficient—it did not Jo'
them jAstice, for, it was well known that the laild tax,!
'.raking it throughout the 'Ly don!, dial art amount to
t
Vis, .irkshe pound sterli .at st* oadent, thereforte,;
chst the lase did not fill 1 *e idielit'Ots expressed by:
the Legislature in 1796, ae,J.heektistetl that the nr.ee
sary amendment would be accomilishid. - .

Mr. DAWSON started with\ the Hon.-Member who
had just sat down.• The measure rropored by his Hon.
Friend was an act of justice, nothing more. He felt i.
his duty, unfortunately, to oppose most strenuously
what were someti•res called the Roman Catholic
Claims; but he trusted that in cases like that before the,
House—careesin which they evidently suffered injustice,
he should he ever ready to give them such a .sistance as
he was able to afford. He certainly could not agree
with the Hon. Member for &me: in thinking that the
Roman Catholics were not suffering an unjust heathen;
but he must also say, that he did not think their 1, sse,
were so great as his Hon. Friend (Mr. G. Menke%) ap-
peared to regard them. It was true, that when assessed
at upwards of 4s. in the pound. the Roman Catholic
landlord could procure redress by appeal; but how drat
that appeal operate? Why, it threw a fresh burthen on
the rest of the parish, and the Protestants became th.--
sufferers. But that was not all : there were parishes
which were wholly possessed by Roman Cetholics and
therefore, whatever their double assessment might b ,
all appeal must be in vain. He looked upon the pi
posed measure as desirable; but he could not conct 1
from himself that its execution would be attended w ith
very great difficulties. S.nce the year 1798, the e
been a great change in the proprietorship of the land,
which was then 'held by Catholic-, and the land tax
was made perpetual in Mr. Pict's time. Not AlllhstAnd-
in the difficulties, however, which there cir urinstances
presented, he was desirous that the slit ject should be
fully gcne into, and that justice. as far a, was pr ectica
ble, should be done to the aggrieved. The case of Sir
Richard Beddington was oue of peculiar hardshi,.. That
Gentleman possessed the whole of a, parish-and these
fore be could not belie& from an appeal. The Legii
lature alone could do him justice, for it was smarty
impossible for any thing short of an Act of Parliament
to assimilate the asse-sment on his land to that on
others. Whatever alterations might be effected in the
way of doing ju tice to the Roman Catholics must of
course occasion a corresponding diminution in the re
venue; but hr was confident that even if the sacrifice
were much greater than he anticipated would be re-
quired, that not only that House but the country in
general would most willingly agree to it, and find ample
satisraction in the consciousness that an act of justice
had been performed. He feared that ii Would be im-
possible, such were the intricacies of the detail of the
question, to do justice to all the parties concerned, but
even if a single individual now suffering were righted,
that would be an ample reason to induce him to sup-
port his Hon. Friend's motion, and he should take great
pleasure in rende:ing him all the assistance he could—
(Hear, hear).
Mr. G. BANKES gladly and thankfully accepted of
the offer of his Hon. Friend ; and supported, AS he ousted
he should be by Lim and others, he did not at all de
spair of overcoming whatever difficulties might present
themselves. He would just state, to show that, although
the sacrifice on the part of the public might not be
considerable through the alteration be proposed, great
relief 'w 'old be afforded to individuals; that Lord
Shrewsbury considered that, in consequence of the
double assessment, ha :had. paid 20,0001. since )798
more than he ought to have daces.--Leave was then
given to bring in the Bill. ..5 ;
THR eoava AND till
Mr. BANKES said, that having read an article in a I
French Paper, stating that a Supplementary Treaty,
relating to the Treaty made in London in the preceding
July, respecting the Pacification of Greece, had been
signed in London in Dsrcember last, he was desirous of
learning from tEe Noble Lord opposite (Palmerston),
whether it oas the intention of Government to lay that
document, if any such existed, before the House, with
tho.e already penmised ? Should such Dot be the in-
tention of Iris Majesty's Ministers, he should certainly
make a motion for its production'.
Lord PA LMERSTON said be perfectly remembered
tf e article to which the lion. Member had alluded. It
was an extract from tl.e. Augsburg Gazette,. and- was
copiel into a French Paper. -'tetras, however, a total
misconception to suppose that any supplemenrai y treaty
respecting the Ottoman Porte and. the Greeks, to that
of London, made in July list, had been formed. No
such document was iriesi,tence, It-was true that several
conferences bad been hell by the Representative, of the
Centrac ing Powers, since the signing of the L alders
Treaty, and that there were to cords of those conferences,
to one of which he believed the articlp Doti- ced by the
Hon. Member had reference, but no Treaty, either Sup-
plementary or not, had been agreed to. And he was
sure the Hon. Member would concur with him in think-
ing, that as it had been considered aderLeable to withhold
the other Papers respecting the negotiations still pend-
ng, it would be highly indecent to give publicity to the
records to which be had alluded.
Mr. BANKES assented.

ARCHITECTS '1 PVILIC.WORKS.
Mr. BANKES thought
.that there wasinuch to be
censured in the present system respecting the erection
and repairing of public buildings.- There, were three
Architects attached to the Board of Public Works, and
they ought to he strictly under the controul and super-
intendence Of. the• G neral surveyor; but they were
in fact no such thing: Th; Metropolis wit divided
into three districts. tit each of which one Architect
was app inted, and in his district he held despotic sway.
The whets ci,uld not interfere. and thus instead of
having the benefit of the talents of three architects as
to the buildings _erected. the public was served only
with those uf one, which might hs a great measure ac-
count for the minus taste .10.1 often exhibited in our'
'
public ed fices. He was desirous csl learning.what•Were
.the sums paid by the public for the services of those
architects. and he should therefore mco e for an Atcotint
of the Salaries and' Commissions granted to the thtee
Architects attached to the Board of Works, pursuant
to the 64th of-Geo.lll, chip. 87, together with an sc-
ams el all their emoluments.
Mr. HUM E seconded the motion which was agteedtml
.. •
Lord PALMERSTuN brought up some Reports, by
the direction of his Majesty. which had been humbly
requested in an Address adopted on Friday lasts—Laid
en the table. • - •
Mr. G. BANKES brought in the Double Assessment
Land Tax Bill. which was read a flitt time and ordered
'to be read a second time on Monday next.--It was or-
dered to be printed.
The House then adjontaed at TIMMY MtNtrraS
PAST SIN.