Star.
London, England, 1810-03-28 00:00:00

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PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS...

HONSE OF LORDS, MARCH 27.

The House, in a Committee of Privileges, beard Counsel in
the Banbury Peerage Cause.

ISISH DI-- --...
The order of the day being read for resolving into
a Committee on the Irish Distillery Bill,
Lord DARNLEY rose and expressed his satisfac-
tion, that in the Bill which had already passed the
House, for suspending still farther the Corn Distil.
lery in England, a clause had passed for exempting
Ireland ; but the present 'Bill, his Lordship observed,
was not only a Bill to permit the Distillation of Corn
in Ireland, but to give a bounty on the consumption
of spirits, already so generally and mischievously pre-
♦alent amongst the lower orders of the people in that
country. This unfortunate propensity was carried to
a length in Ireland, *which no man could conceive
who had not lived for some time in that country ; and
he verily believed it was the greatest of all obstacles
to the advancement of civilization, and the promo.
tion of industry amongst the lower orders of the Irish
commutity. This fact he knew, not only from his
Lordship's own experience and observation, but from I
the assurances of many Noblemen and Gentlemen
resident in Ireland, and from a Member of the pre-
sent Irish Administration. Nothing, he was con-
•inced, could ever remedy this evil, but some efficient
measure of decided encouragement to the breweries
over the distilleries, whereby the common people
sight be enabled to substitute a wholesome and.nu-
tritious beverage in place of a liquid poison, equally
ruinous to their morals, their health, and industry,
and therefore he sincerely deprecated the encourage.
ment given by the Government to the distillation of
spirits, unaccompanied by some means and check
upon the excessive consumption.
Lord BATHURST rose to set the Noble Lord
right with respect to the Bill now before the House.
It was not a bill purely for' the encouragement of
distilleries in Ireland, nor to promote among the com-
mon people the consumption of spirituous liquors ;
but a bill to put down the clandestine distilleries,
whereby not only bad and unwholesome spirits were
distilled, but the consumption more than doubled
amongst the people, by an evasion of the duty, and
to protect the licenced distillers who manufactured a
pure spirit, and paid the King's revenue thereon.—
The Noble Lord, however, must see that if the pro-
pensity of the common people in Ireland was so im-
moderate as described, for the produce of their home
distilleries, it was not practicable to meet the evil in
any way, without abolishing the distilleries altogether;
and then the consumption would be supplied by
foreign spirits. The present bill, so far as it went,
would operate to repress the present extraordinary
consumption ; because, by abolishing the private
stills, and protecting those that paid the duty, the
price of the commodity would-be considerably raised,
and the consumption, of course, greatly lessened
amongst the lower orders, inasmuch as their means
of purchasing would be less adequate.
The bill was committed, and ordered to .be repor-
ted to-morrow.
Lord HARDWICKE presented a petition from the town of
Wisbech, praying the repeal of the Corn DistiUery Prohibition
Act.—Ordered to lie on the table.
The same Noble Lord moved for an account of the quantity of
ems exported from the county of Ifforfoik for the last 30 years,
distinguishing each year.—Ordered.-Adjourned.

HOUSE OP COMMONS.
The Order of the Day being read, for the second reading of
the liotherhithe Dock Bill; after a few observations from Mr.
S. THORNTON, some opposition from Sir T.TURTON, and
a few words from Sir C. PRICE in support of it, the question
for the second reading was carried without a division ; and the
Bill was read the second time, and referred to a Committee.
The Irish Merchandize Warehousing Bill was committed, and
ordered to be reported to-morrow.
The second reading of the Irish Malt Bill was postponed till
to-morrow.
Mr. WHARTON moved for a Return of all Monies issued by
his Majesty on Address from the House of Commons, and not
made good by the House.
The House went into a Committee on the Irish Sugar Draw-
back Bill, the Warehousing, the Flax Seed, and the Militia
Completion Bills.
BREACH OF PgiVittnE.
Mr. LETHBRIDGE rose pursuant to the notice
which he had given when he last addressed the
House. In rising to address them again on this sub-
ject, he felt great pain and reluctance, more than he
had ever felt on any public occasion. He was now
to prefer a complaint against a Member of the Com-
mons of the United Kingdom, for a violation, a gross
and novel violation, of the privileges of that honour-
able House. He should not now go further, than
by laying on the table the ground of the charge as
admitted and authenticated by the author ; he had
Marked certain parts of the document on which he
founded the complaint which he had then the honour
so prefer.
The SPEAKER wished to know whether the no-
iOtirafile Member desired that the entire of the publi-
cation, or only the distinct parts, should be read ?
Mr. LETHBRIDGE regretted the necessity of
faking up the'dme of the House, when other business
of more, or at least of equal importance, was before
them; but the manner of reading was indifferent to
Ilim ; be had marked the passages, but had no ob-
jection to the reading of the whole.
Mr. H. SUMNE'R thought that the reading of
the entire was unnecessary ; the convenience would
naturally be best consulted by the paper being read
[only as connected withe charthe parts with which
ge. It rested with
the Honourable Mover to select
the House was concerned.
Mr. SPEAKER.—" The form of Parliamentary
usage must be that which the Parliament shall adopt
.that form is, in instances like the present, that the-
whole complaint be heard, and then the answers
which the accused has ready for his exculpation.—
The accused then withdraws, and the mover of the
charge brings forward his proposition, founded onsthe
matters which may have been submitted to the House,-
The 46 Address and Argument of Sir Francis Bur-
dett on the power of Imprisonment in the House of
Commons," published in Mr. Cobbett's Register of
the 24th of March, was read by the Clert of the
HoUse.
After the reading Lord FOLKESTONE rose to order.
The Honourable Mover (Mr. iLethbridge) on his
calling the attention of the House to the paper which
had been just read, had offered nothing of which
they could fairly fake notice. That paper, after an
hour and a half occupied in reading it, supplied no
peculiar charge ; it must be for the Ilona Mover to

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