Star.
London, England, 1820-05-11 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Only six and thirty Members being present at four o'clock,
the House adjourned till to-morrow.

PETITION FROM NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE.
" To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled the
humble Petition of the undersigned Merchants, Manufac-
turers, Tradesmen, and other Inhabitants of Newcastle
upon-Tyne,
" Sum-Ern—That your Petitioners are deeply impressed
with a conviction of the impolicy of our present Restrictive Sys-
tempf Foreign Trade, which, .by cramping and excluding the
it pottation of foreign commodities, has necessarily the effect of
diminishing, in a proportionate degree, the amount of British
produce and manufactures exported in return, and of thus in-
, dieting a serious injury on the Manufacturing and Commercial
I Interests of this Kingdom.
" That to prove the pernicious tendency of a restrictive sys-
tem of commercial policy, your Petitioners humbly•beg leave to
submit to your Honourable House, that in consequence of the
present exorbitant duties upon timber, deals, iron, and kelp, im-
ported from the North of Europe, the Commerce of this Port
with Norway and Sweden (which so long as a more liberal in-
tercourse subsisted, was always very considerable) has declined
to almost nothing, and that by such diminution in this important
branch of our Foreign Commerce, not only the Revenue, but
also the interests of the Merchants and Manufacturers at large
are mast seriously injured. That in the opinion of your Peti-
tioners the trade carried on Kith Norway was peculiarly advan-
tageous to this country, inasmuch as our imports front thence
consisted entirely of raw produce, while manufactured articles
alone were taken in exchange.

" That the same erroneous system of policy has* in a great
measure, deprived your Petitioners of the lucrative Commerce
which they had been accustomed to cultivate with Holland; for
no sooner were the present duties Lid upon the importation of
cheese and butter from the Continent, than the Covertintent of
Holland, as a measure avowedly of retaliation, imposed such an
additional duty upon coals imported from this country, as ope-
rates nearly to exclude them front their markets; and thus, not
,only is the Revenue from the exportation of coals considerably
curtailed, but the interests of your Petitioners are uselessly
sacrificed.

That your Petitioners had entertained sanguine hopes, that
on the conclusion of a peaca with France, a most important
addition to their Foreign Commerce would be obtained by the
re-establishment of their connections with so rich and populous
a counts y. That in this expectation, however, your Petitioners
have been greatly disappointed, for owing to increased duties,
which during the war were laid upon articles imported from
France, and the continuance of those duties since, the importa-
tion of l3ritish commodities into France is subjected to such
heavy imposts as preclude the.pcssibility of cultivating any ex-
tensive conunetcial intercourse with a country, which, under
other circumstances, might afford the greatest advantages to the
Commercial and Manufacturing Intetests of the People of Eng-
land. That your Petitioners therefore, with due submission to
your Honourable House, cannot help deprecating the absurd
and jealous principle in legislation, of subjecting the importation
of articles of foreign growth or manufacture, to excessive duties,
while it is vainly hoped that the exportation of articles of our
own fabric or production will be unaffected by the measure.
" That to diminish our manufacturing employment, is, by a
short concatenation of causes, to add to an already oppressive
Poors' Rate, to increase the pressure of taxation, and to impo-
verish and depopulate the country. That such effects must fol-
low from an artificial elevation of the prices of Corn, and that
the permanent interests of even ti.e Landholders must conse-
quently pilfer from excessive. restrictions on the importation of
Foreign Corn.

" That your Petitioners feel at this time more particularly
anxious for an abandonment of the present restrictive or protec-
tive system of Commerce, because they perceive with alarm,
that the pretended advantages of the system am brought forward
by the Landholders as a ground for their obtaining a more com-
plete monopoly of the home market for Corn—a measure which,
if it were accomplished, would infallibl?complete the destruc-
tion of the nadirs interests of this kingdom, and eventually
cause the rein at the Landholders themselves; for in this country•
the prosperity of Commerce is essential to the support of Agri-
colture, and Commerce could not ads antageously exist if fettered
by more rigorous restrictions.
'That your Petitioners never can believe it can be consistent
with sound policy to deprive this country of any of the advan-
tages which result from her insular situation, or from the skill,
industry, and et:terprize el the people.
" That it appears to your Petitioners, that a prohibitory sys-
tem of intercourse with Foreign States, is prtgaant with dan-
ger to the 31anufacturing Interests of this kingdom; for not only
are the various products of our own manufacturing industry ne-
cessardy diminished, but other countries are driven to manu-
facture for themselves, in order that they may become as inde-
pendent of us for articles of our manufacture, as we could wish
to be of them for the raw produce of their soil; arid conse-
quently our prohibitions answer no purpose but to check indus-
try, and to deprive both ourselves and our neighbours of the
common benefits of art and nature.
" That to our impolitic restrictions on Foreign Trade, your
Petitioners cannot but attribute much of the distress and dis-
content which at present unfortunately prevail in this country,
and that in their opinion a gradual amelioration of the system.
and particularly as it affects the country it. a supply of foe d, is
become indispensably necessary, as well for the preservation of
public tranquillity, as for the maintenance of our commercial'
and manutacturing superiority over every other nation.
" Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray, that your Honour-
able House will be pleased to take the foregoing circumstances
into your most serious. consideration, and to afford such relief as
to your wisdom shall seem meet.
" And your Petitioners shall ever pray, &c."

We recommend to the attention of our Readers the
new Work of Fifty Years' Chronology, as a compa-
nion, almost indispensable, to the due understanding
of the passing occurrences recorded in a Newspaper.
The Editor has judiciously adopted the period of
Fifty Years, because s ithin that time events continue,
' more or less interesting. For half a century, there-
fore, the Work has condensed every material fact,
and it may be considered as an epitome of all the
Newspapers, as events have occurred from day to day.
THE MOTHER'S MEDICAL ASSISTANT.—The Pub-
lic are certainly under great obligations to Sir
AR-
THUR CLARKE for this valuable little Manual. There
are few Mothers who are not competent to assume
the office of physician to their own offspring, in a va-
riety of cases ; and especially in all those rapid fluc-
tuations of health, so peculiar to infancy and child-
hood, but if properly directed in their observations,
they all doubtless possess advantages which may at
least render them competent to afford the most use-
ful hints to the Physician. It is of the first importance,
therefore, that Mothers should be acquainted with
the probable causes of sickness and mortality in their
children : the prevention of disease being an object
peculiarly deserving their attention, and often so
much witltin the scope of their power, as the cure of
it may be in that of the Physician.

THE EVENING STAIt

LONDON.

THURSDAY, MAY IL ISM
ASCINSION-DAi.—llOliday at the Stock Exchange.

We insert in our Paper of to-day, a copy of the
Petition to Parliament agreed upon by the Chamber
of Commerce of Nervcastle•upon-Tyne, in favour
of a relaxation in our present Prohibitory Systeni of
Foreign Intercourse, being similar to the Petitions
already presented from London and Edinburgh.—
On the subject of a Free Trade it may not be ill-
timed to quote the opinion of Dr. Jon NSON, who, in
all his political notions, was sufficiently Aristocra-
tical. BOSWELL. relates of the Doctor, that Sir Tito-
MAS ROBINSON having observed to him that permis-
sion to export Corn from Ireland to England might
be prejudicial to the English landholders, " Sir
Thomas," said he, " you talk the language of a
savage—would you prevent a people from feeding
themselves, if by any honest means they can do it ?"
We understand that similar Petitions are preparing
at Bristol, Birmingham, and indeed in all the prin-
cipal towns, and we have no doubt of their being
very numerously signed.

An Address from the British Catholic Body, pre-
sented yesterday to his MAJESTY, is given in another
part of our Paper. It is more numerously signed
than any former instrument from this truly loyal and
valuable portion of his MAJESTY'S subjects.

The Paris Papers of Monday arrived this forenoon.
An event, to which great importance is ascribed,
• took place on Saturday night. Count ANGLES, the
Prefect of Police, having been informed that a new
explosion had been prepared fin- that night, near the
windows of her Royal I lighness the Duchess of BERRY,
repaired, at ten o'clock at night, to Marshal MAC..
DONA LD, the Major-General on service at the Tuil-
leries, in order to take the necessary precautions to
surprise the delinquent, in flap-anti delicto. At a
quarter past 12 at night, a man approached, in deep
' silence, to the wicket of the Rue de fEchelte, and placed
the& e a petard, containing one or two pounds of powder.
He was proceeding, with the aid of a lighted segar,
which he had in his mouth, to set fire to the fuse,
ss hen the Police Officers, who were on the watch,
rushed forward and seized him. On being conducted
to the guard-house, the wretch exclaimed, " 1 am
undone !" and fell senseless on the ground. As soon
as he came again to himself, he was interrogated.—
He said that his name was Graviers.; that he had
been Paymaster of the .sth Regiment of Lancers. His
person is little and deformed. Some copies of " sue
horrible quatrain" against the Royal Family, were
found upon him.
At six o'clock next morning, in consequence of
certain disclosures made by Graviers, three persons
were arrested. One of these is said to be a Post-'
office courier, of the name of Banton.

We received this forenoon American Papers to the
15th of April. The Washington Gazette states it as
a report, that General Yu-Es, the Ambassador re-
cently arrived from Spain, had brought the Ratifica-
tion of the Treaty for the Cession of the Floridas,
subject to some explanations which are unimportant.
—The Bill for extending the restrictions of the
existing Navigation Acl of the United States to the
British West India Islands; continues its progress
through the House unopposed. An Amendment has
been moved and adopted, for including also the ports
of Lower Canada.—When will this inter-national
war of restrictions have an end ?

A series of Madras Gazettes has been received to
the 10th of November, from which the following
are extracts :

" MADRAS, OCTOBER se.

" A Quarter-Master, with twelve European seamen, and
seven Chinamen, contrived in the night watch to make their
escape from the Hon. Company's ship Warren Hastings, lying
at Penang. They took with them all the muskets and ammuni-
tion that were in the cuddy, and an ample supply of provisions
and water. ft was supposed that they intended to turn pirates,
or, after getting possession of some small vessel, to proceed to
South America!
" Accounts (tom the Westward mention the rebellious con-
duct of the KilLila of KURAIILIA.

" We learn by a letter from More, of date the 20th Septem-
ber, that Lieutenant-Colonel DOVETON, with the Russell Cavalry,
and flank companies of the Russell Brigade, marched from
Ily-
drabad on the lath ultimo, against the fort of Kurmilla. The
line companies of the Brigade, with two 18-pounders and some
field-pieces were to follow on the Ist instant, which is the ear-
liest day the guns can be got ready. The whole of the force
from Hydrabad was to march at the same time, on the Ist; but
the cavalry and Rani companies have been sent in advante, in
consequence of information that the KILLADAR was collecting
troops and plundering the country. The force from Hydrabad
is to be joined by a battalion of infantry and 1000 re-formed
horse of the Berar division of the NIZAH'S troops.

" lurmilla is about 230 miles to the west of Hydrabad, on
the Poona frontier of the Ntzast's dominions. It is said to be
a stone fort, of a circular form, with bastions and ditch, but no
glacis. It is spoken of as the general opinion of the natives,
that no opposition will be offered; but that the KILLADAR, con-
vinced sit the folly of resistance, will surrender the fort on the
approach of the troops. The KILLADAR is a son 0f.1140 RUMBA.
lle has been for some years past in rebellion against his father,
whom, in conjunction with his mother, he expelled from his
lands. His father resides at Hydrabad.
" The same letter speaks of great apprehensions being enter-
tained of a famine, and that a subscription has been set on foot
at Hydrabad by the European Gentlemen, to buy grain to distri-
bate amongst the natives."—Calcutta Government Gasette.

Letters received yesterday from Batavia, of the 2d
of January, state, that the whole of the Cotton Crops
have been destroyed by the locusts, and business is
exceedingly dull, as English manufactures, excepting
fine qualities, sell 30 per cent. cheaper than they can
be purchased in England, but the fine articles sell at
a good prices and for which there is a good tuarlet.