Star.
London, England, 1829-03-17 00:00:00

•
Lord Plunketes opinion, but he would not iikeive the.
characteristics of a question from an opponent Upon
it; and., f the opinion of that Noble Load had ap -
peered good to the Honourable Gentleman, the au-.
thority of the Member for Montrose must appear
better, and he had closed by saying th.t all he wanted
was inquiry, and that he was averse to any measote
that savoured of robbery. or spoliation. If the Hon.
Member for Colchester advocated robbery or spolia-
don, he should receive no countenance from him.—
Fortunately he bad also voted on another occasion
(in the year 1824) on the question concerning the.
first fruits, and he had then stated that he was as sincere
a friend to the Church as the Attorney General, and
that the best friend to it would advocate that species of
reform which advocated the duties of the Clergy. The
Honourable Gentleman bad employed himself in raking
up ten 'years of a public life, but he had not the candour
to refer to that speech which would have shown that
there was not a tittle .of evidence to substantiate his
charge. In 1825, also, the Honourable Member for
Montrose made that attack on the Church, which
drew forth the magnificent speech of Mr. Canning
in its defence. He then maintained that the property
of the Church belonged to the public, but he
(Mr. Spring Rice) did not vote for that proposi-
tion. nor did any individual in that House assent
to it, and it was negatived without a division. He
felt something warmly on the present occasion. He
was able to deal with open and generous enemies—arid
he had such—and he was sure they would not approve
of an indirect and tortuous opposition. He child cope
with those who said the measure was dangerous to the
Church, but be complained of him who approved of use
questioe,yet would let it go forth to the would that these
is that connected with it which will make it fail. He had
not the advantase of belonging to a profession which
quickened the intellect, and made min more acute;
but there were such Gentlemen in that H use; and
be would put it to the Members of a learned profession
if a Bill was introduced with a preamble that it was ne-
cessary to preserve inviolate the Winnur and dignity and
character of the Bar in England and Ireland, and when
the Bill was in progress, if an Hon. Member got up and
said be was in favour of the Bill, and thought it nicht
useful, but that he supported it with a view of defeating
its object, he would ask the Gentlemen attached to the
dignity, of the Bar if they would accept hi. assistance ?
For his part he supported the Catholic question, and be
did so because he thought the measure was not calcu-
lated to injure the Protestant Church. He had not
spoken with reference to himself, but the cause; and he
put it to the judgment of the House to decide between
him and the Member for Colchester, a hether he had
been guilty of the inconsistency which had been im-
puted to him.
Mr. D. W.HA RVEY did not perceive that the speed
of the Honourable Member lot Limerick contained any
reply to his.obiservatiens. .He had chose'', for the pur-
pose of display, to put himself on his defence; but he
(Mr. Harvey) had put no man on his defence; all he.
had done was to defend himself. The Honourable Gen-
tleman had stated, that.tets years of his public life had
been raked up by him, and that he had no right to do so
without making himself acquainted with what he bad
said in different speeches; to which he would reply that
he had imposed on him no slight task, and he would
add, punishment, in asking him to travel through all
the speeches made by the Honourable Gentleman for
The sp ice of ten years—(A laugh). He renounced ers-
titely having made a charge—whai he had said Was
that he would undertake to .how that what was anti-
holed to him was groundtes-, but applicable to the
Hon. Member himself. It had been advanced by him
that no individual could be sincere in advocating a
measure unless ha adopted it in all its bearings as the
best possible measure; an opinion with which be
could not coincide. He might be as friendly to the
measure as the Hon. Gentleman himself; but he still
thought it was not calculated to pacify Ireland. The
Hon. Member bad spoken of, miraculous conversions, as
if he had been opposed to the question.. He had never
impeached others to defend himself; and it, as the Hon.
Member had spoken of ten years, he made a motion of
inquiry for double that number, he was ready to meet
hien, though not fond of following his footsteps. Hr
(Mr. Harvey)'had never before voted for the question;
because until it was sanctioned and brought forward by
the clown it appeared to him to be a mrre patty, he
would add, a factious measure—(Hear). And he be-
lieved if the Hon. Gentleman and his party came into
power they would not have proposed so perfect a mea-
sure as the present. Ilecouldaot Issr,zet the time when
that party Went over in a stream Mr. Canning to
oppo.e the Noble Duke at tho headid the Government,
and the illusuious- individual opposite, upon whom they
were now exhausting very terns-of tisizorne panegeric
—(Hear). He believed in his conscious::: that before
many months the N ble Dike and tire Right Hon.
Gentleman would find in the Hon. Member for Lime.
rick and his friends their most formidaiile competitors
for place—(Hear, and a laugh). These might not be
very palatable sentiments to Hainaut able Gentlemen.
but be did not fear censuie, and he was not anzinus to
court applause. When the measure came regularly
before the. House he hoped to be able to show that it
was possible to be in favour of the Bill, and yet not
think it all that might be desirable.
Mr. P. THOMPSON repelled the ch urge that had
been made by the Member for .Colchester against his,
Hon. Friend, and disclaimed the dictatorial tone im-
puted to him.

Lord AIORPETH denied that the opposition had
been influenced by personal motives in joining the Ad.
enidistration of Mr. Canning. They had opposed the
Noble Duke !Wellington) send the Right Honourable
Gentleman (Mr. Peel), because the Noble Duke and the
Right Hon. Gentleman were opposed to the question of
Entancipatirii.
Mr. W. HARVEY then presented another Peition
from the-Dis.enters of Colchester, in favour of Conces.
lion; and a third petition lions two persons of Waltham
abbey, complaining of the undue means used through
the country to influence the people againi.t the measures
recommended by the Government, and praying that
the House would pay no attention to the petitions got
up in consequence of such inflammatory means.
Mr. G. DAWSON presented two Petitions ageism Concession
from the Lord Risher and Clergy of the diocese of Armagh, sad
Lord %M_and Clergy of the Masse of Ossory.
General GASCOYNIR a Petition respectably signed,
against Omission to the from the district of Radcliffe,
to the county of Middlesex.
. Alderman WAITHMAN stated, that the Petition, though
comlig.froin a Pads! containing 45,000 persons, was signed by
oak
1,400
.names. Several of the'names bad been wtitten in the
sante hand

General GASCOTNE admitted that six or seven names were
Written in the maw hand ; but then they were the names of per-
mits of the wine family. It was, no uncommon thing for several
rmo= resent at the place where the Petition lay to request a
Wsmd who was signing his own name to sign their names at the
aim dime. These petty cavils raised against Petitions would re-
coil on those who made them.—The Honourable Member shen
proceeded to present three ot►er reddens against Emancipation
from tbo Parishes of Bk. Peter's, &. Nolan, and St. Mary, abandon.
tkereoirr NULL presented Petitions In favour of Con.
tesilew free mode Protect mts et the town of Belts*; of Mo.
*bug ; and b. Andrea's, parish of Dublin.

. .
' After a. few words from Mr. VAN TIO3IRIG II in support or
the Nikko**. they wets.itiSon the talsk. .
Mr. MABlERLYPresenteda Petkiou from Abingdon in favour
of Concession.
Mr. Secretary PEEL gave notice, for Thursday next, of a Bill
toPea provide for the betturexecation of the Once of Justice at the
ce.
Mr. PYLER gave notice for some day in the present month of
a motion of inquiry into the present eats of the Silk Trade in this
country.
Mr. G. DAWSON, in answer to a queatioh by Mr. IL Colborn,
said, that he would give notice, in due time, whether or not the
Government would propose to renew the Act for the Composition
of Assessed Taxes, which was about to expire on the nth of ApriL
The sum of Z 422,9211 les. was voted in the Committee of
Supply for the expresso of the Commissariat.
On the meths of Mr. & WORTLEY, the Game Bill was
read a Second Time.

Mr. VAN HO 1l RIG H expressed a wish that the provisions of
the EMI should be extended to Ireland.
Mr S. WORTLEY declared his readiaeu to comply with the
Hon. Member's typist. if it were the expressed desire of the
Irish Members generally.

MIDUCTIMI OF MILITIA STAFF.
Mr. Secretary PEEL said that in the speech of hi,
Majesty, at the close of the last Sessi.in of Parliament.
an assurance had been giv n that a :eduction should
take place in the civil and military ebtablisenei is of the
United Kingdom. It being in compliance with this as-
surance that it was the inteution of his Majest)'• (Govern-
ment to reduce the militia.and the reduction of the militia
Staff which he proposed could be made without in any
way impairing the efficiency of that body. The object of
the Bill which he should introduce was twitold. In the
first place, to snip nd the making out of the list and
balloting for one year, and in the next to make a per-
manent reduction in the staff. The practice of ballot-
ing for men to serve in the militia had etown np and
extended to an .expense wh-ch was not at all available
or necessary to Supply the vacancies which occurred.
This could be beat deshonstra ed by instancing one
counti—that of Staff. Id, where the militia consisted
of 1,130 men.- Whatever vacancies occutted were to
be made up by ballot. In 1828, the number of va-
cancies was 21. It was necessary to have recourse
to a general ballot, as there was discretionary power
to fill those up. The expense of this ballet was
5001., thice hundred of which was at the expense of
the public, and two hundred at that of the county. In
order to fulfil the law it was necessary that all those
who should have any grounds for bei tg di,pensed with
should make their appeals in person. The number of
those a:peals last year was lions three to five hundred;
so that, in order to supply twenty-one vacancies, at
legit four hundred person* were obliged to appeal to
urge the cause of their exemption, thereby losing a
day's labour, and, if sickness was the ground on which
they rested their right of exemption. paying .fs.6d. to a
surgeon for a certificate. The tAM expense of this ballot,
as he before mentioned, was five hundred pounds ; and
while they wet e raising able bodied men toserve in the line
at three guineas bounty it coat them t wen. y-five pounds
each to fill the vacancies which occuited in a militia
regiment. It was to save this unnecessary expense that
he proposed that the ballot should be suspended; but
this suspension was only to last till the next Session of
Parliament, and if in the meantime the exigencies of
the State should requite it, Ilse Crown was to have
the power of having recourse to that system. By
adopting this plan there would be a saving in the
present year of 24.0001. The other part of the Bill
proposed a permanent reJuction in the Staff of the
Militia. It was found that three Offic.rs could be
reduced in each corps without in the smallest degree'
injaiing its efficiency, and this reduction would cot
be an innovation, but would merely restore the *Nip
to its original formation. There had been. lot instance,
originally 'no particular office of paymas er, and he saw
Ito reason why the duties of that office c'ulJ not be
pi:dimmed by the, adjutant of the regiment while the
.i.alitia remained in its piesent disembodied state. The
office of surgeon was aiso to be oi.pemed with, as he
considered that whatever medical advice should be
requited for the staff could be aff-irdeci in the pre-
sent state of the militia, without -kerpi.ig up the
office of permanent surge.m. The s' ff of the militia
on permanent pay in each corps wou•J then be,--one
adjutatit,one 4erjeala major.and in regiments comprising
two battalions,. a chum major. Ti.e .otal expense of
this reduction of the Staff would tr 65.0001, a year ;
hut as the pay of the pie,ent officer s was to be cootii.ued
up to June nest. the saving f die pies nt year w. uhf
be only 40,0001. on the ieJuct ~,,,, and 24,0001. on the
suspension of the ballot, making -in the . hole sum for
this year a reducono of 64 0001. Tile Right Honourable
Gentlemen concluded by moving fur leave to bring in
a Bill, the object of which was to su.pend the balloting
for the militia far a linked period, and to :educe the
Staff to a certain numb r of officers.
Co,cinel SIBTHORPE. coincided per'ectly with the
Sight Honourable tientlinian in that part of the
Bid which referred to the suyenonn of the ballotting
system; but with regard to the latter part, the reduc-
tion of the Staff, lie hoped the Right fin. Genii, man
would take a more satisfactory, and he would add, a
juster tuethod, and wait u:it I vacancies should occur,
either by cleath‘or other wi e. His object was that those
who were not q ialified to claim a subsistence in any
other way, and whetted ret ivied their situations, rest-
ing on the faith of the Government, should not be re-
jected.
Mr. S. RICE thought the Government•had com-
pletely redeemed their pledge, which was given last
year, in proposing the-present Bill. H:.:did not know
of a reduction which was more nee.* ary, or less inju.
nous to the force of the State than the pi e,ent. 'He
' wished, however, to be informed, whether the reduc-
don was likewise to apply to the Irish Staff?
Mr. PEEL thought, speaking of the application
'of the Bill, he used the tern, •• United Kingd m." The
reduction was certainly to extend to lielaud. With re-
gard to presaing hard tyros any, he must say, that it
there was to be • saving, it must necessarily press on
individuals. The question was, whether the allowance
'of supetaunuation was a just one? Of 325 officers who
should be reduced by the present Bill, 237 were to re.
ceive the allowance; and if the remaining 88 were not
to receive it, it was because they were not considered to
be entitled to it. Ile (Mr. Peel; thought, however, that
it would be better to postpone the discussion of these
matters until the Secretary at War should bring the
details before the House.

Captain MABERLY thought that a mote efficient
saving, without any injury to the military strength of
the country, could not be proposed. As a Member of
the Finance Committtee he had an opportunity of know•
ing that a reduction of expense in this partKular was
desired by all, but no one had proposed a remedy until
Isis Right Hon. Friend took the business into his hands.
Colonel SIBTH ORPE wished to know at whit rime the details
of the matter should be brought before the House, as he would
then take an opportunity of expressing his opinion on than.
Ilr. Secretary PEEL replied, that it was seemeary this Bill
should pass before any time could be appointed foe sewing on the
details of the reduction.

Lord PA LbIERSTON tboasht the present erase most desirable
reduction. and, at the same time, one which would not he at an
injurious to the efficiency of the militia corps
Leave was then given to, bring in the BUL It was read a first
time, and ordered to be read a second dose so Thursday nut
The other Orden of the Day were disposed of, and nth Horns
adjourned at a Qualms' To Times °Twat.

•

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS.

•a. •

•
ABSTRACT. - •
The number of persons committed for trial to the varies. gaols
of Ragland and Wales, during the seven years ending 1822-86,530'
males and 16,758 females. total• 103.1 W were comiskted. It.
1822, 10;69 maks and 1,872 females were committed. In 18231
10,542 males and 1,921 females In 1824, 11.475 emirs, and 2,223
females. In 1825, 11.889 males and 4548 females. In 1826,
13,672 males and 2,692 lemelvs. In 1827, 55.151 males and 2,770
females; and in 1828, 13.832 males and 2 732 ternales. Also, in
1822, 8.209 persons were convicted. In 18-3. 8 204 persons. Its
1824 9,425. In 1825, 9.966. lii 1826, 11,107. la 1847, 12,564;
and in 1828, MM.
Tutal number of conv.ctions in the sines jean. 74196. Of
these, 7,980 received sentence of death, 1,139 were trot.nced to
transportation for life. 1,386 for fourteen years. 11.776 for sow
years. 2.860 to two years and eighteen months imprisonment,* 366
(tom six to twelve months imprisonment. 36,269 frontons to de
months Imprisonment. In the year 1822, 97 p• nuns were gee-
cuted ;In 1823.54 ;in 1824,49; in 1825, 501 in 1826 137 illgt
TO; and in 1828, 79--total number of executions, 456. Of these,
93 were for murder. 104 for burglary and lbou.elsre.iktng, 7i for
highway.robbery, 37 for burse•steaiing, 31 for attempt■ to murder,
27 foe rape, Arc. 23 for forgery, 12 fiat coMing ; the tefehtiUder tor
ether offences. The number of extortions for uflences c. tttttt duck%
in the city of London and county of Niddsesca wa, 115.

PUBLIC MEETING AT EDINBURGH. IN
SUPPORT OF THE CATHOLIC CLAIMS.

EDINBURGH, Masco 14.
, This forenoon there was a Meeting held in the A•sembly
Rooms, Gecrge•stie t, Sr WILLIAM ARBUTHNOT B the
Chair, tor the purpose of petitioning both Houses of
Parliament in favm.r of the measure, now in ',fogless
for the removal of all civil disabiiities from our Catholic
fellow subjects. In paint of numbers, rank, respec'a.ility,
and talent, no Meeting of equal weight and tenpin ance
was ever pet haps convened in this city. To the honutio
of our great Metropolitan Universi-y, no less than ten
of her Professors, secluding the most distingui•heti
names a which she can boast, a tended the Meetiag ;
for, besides by,. Chalmers. we observed— •
Professors Leslie, Wallace, Jameson, Bell, Napier, Pinar%
Alison, Undid!, and Sir William Hamilton. Among the other die..
tingoisbed persons present were—Sir James W. Alontriefr, Hari.
Dean of Faculty, Sir William Vette., Bar•met, Sir William Ar-
buthnot, Bart. Sir Robert Lista!, lint. the Solicitor General,
French Jeffrey, Eq. Thomas Thoinson, Eq. J. A. Murray. gaq
James Ferguson, RI Hobert Janileson, H.q. Thomas Maitland
Esq. Archibald Alison, Esq. A.D. Alexander Wood, Esq
A. E. lgoiiteith, E.q. Anse. Fletcher, Esq. the lion. Charles
Hope, J. J. Hope Johnstone, Esq.' It. Clem Itattray, 14
Ile
Carnegie, El. of Craig°, Francis Walker Drummond, Esq. if
Howtboroden, Mr. James Mackay. jeweller, Mr. Adam thick.
bookseller the Rev. Dr. Morehead, the Rev. Dr. Ritchie, Putter.
row the gee. Dr. Hunter, the Rev. John Brown, Ruse.street, tbi
Rev. Henry Grey, St. Mary's, ice.
The principal speakers on this occasion were Sir Wm.
Arbuthnot, the De in of Faculty, Dr. Madigan. Sir
Alexander Maitland Graham, Mr. Jeffrey. Mr. Cock-
' bum. the Solicilor Ge,er al, and Dr. Chalmers, whose
, speech formed one r f the most strikilig feetu•es of this
Meeting, and is briefly as follows:
Mr. CHALMERS.-1 understand that the present meet.
ing would not have been called, had it not been for ter.
tam anterior efforts male in this city, and the object of
which was to obtain signatute. for a Petition against
the Catholic Emancipatioe. We should have remained
quiet, and this perhaps would live been as significant
en expression.as we could have given of our cot.tidente
ia the 'measures oposed by his Maj. st)'s Government.
Had there been no public exhibition oh their past. I
understand that there would have been no public exhi-
bition 1,11011 ours. And I advert to this simply foe the
. purpose of remarking, how delusive the isidira inn often
is of the state of public sentiment, in as far as it is grounded
either on the majority of petitions or in the ',Amity
of signature . The trues is, that they are the non.
contents, the alarmists, who are in motion. Ald
contents scarcely ever think if moving but in the ca-
pacity r f counter-alarmists. Meanwhile, it at iihnietical
deduction were to be made of all the prittimser s on bath
sides of the questi •n, it would be found that the great
body of the public, the great body of the rim: arm,
were in a state of rest—(Cheers)—and they count with
us, tint with our opponents—([,nod cheers). We have •
read r f expressive silence; and this is what their merle*
espresse.—(Cheers). Th. to may have been a it rI etiv.
vesce ce here lad there, but mai ly and tlfrouJh ,uX
• the land, there is a general attitud oqi s e —per.
haps the strongest demonstration that cowl be given itf
the reliance which the people cf Scotl.nd have on the
• 'adorn and the safety of the me &sures now in aAitation.
But I would scarcely have adverted to the exi•tence
of another petition, and of other petit o ;era, had it not
been for the designation which they have assumed of
Anti. Catholic, kitting tons, t' en, it m•,.ht appe,r, the
goodly designation c f Pro Catholic. Never was a
grosser impu.ition practised on the public, and the po-
pular mind, than by means of these two words. We.
, are rent Pro Catholic. We are no. hosite, neither are
we indifferent to the holy cease of Protestan•istn. I
cannot answer for outsets,: but in vindication of myself
can at least say, it is in the genic of devoteJne s to
that cause that I come here, and b cause in this eman-
cipation of Papists I see for Prot( scants a still gie.ter
and More glorious emancipation—(l,nm' the che:ting).
The truth is, that the,e ditabili les have hung 411 a
dead weight around th • Protestant cause for mote .han
a century. They have enlisted in opposition to it some
of ti e most unconquerali:e principle. of nature— resert-
mem because of injuf y, and the psi e of adlierei t 6 lo
.suff.sing cause. They have transtnimed tie whole
nature c.f the contest, and by to doing, they have
rooted acid given tenfold obstinacy to ertm—hood
chetrs.) They have given to our 'jar the hateful a 'pct.
of tyro ny, while on theirs we behold a generous and
high-minded resist .nee to what they deem to be
oppression—(Tremendous cheering.) They hate trash.
formed a nation of heretics into a nation of heroes.
We could have refuted and shamed the heretic cut of
his errors, but war cannot britsg down the hero from his
alctude; and thus it is, that lions the first introduction'
of this heterogeneous element into the qu'stion, the
cause of troth has gone backward—(Lord cheers.) It
has ever since been met by the unyielding defiance of a
people irritated but not crushed, under a sense of in•
dignity. and this notable expedient fOr keeping down
the Popery of Ireland, has only compressed. it into a
firmness, and closed it into a phalanx, which, till
opened up by emancipation, we shall find to be ins-
penetrable.—(Prolonged. cheering.)
Gentlemen would draw arguments from history
against us, but there is one passage in history which they
never can dispose of. How comes it that Protestantism
made such triumphant progress in these realms when it
had pains and penalties to struggle with, and how came
this progress to be arrested hods the moment it laid on
these pains and penalties in turn?—(Enthusiastic
cheering). Mutt have all the enactments of the statute
book done for the cause of Protestantism in Ireland ?
(Cheers) and how is it that, when single-handed wash •
walked through our Island with the might and prowesra
of a conqueror, so soon as propped by the authority of •
the State, and the armour of intolerance was given to.
her, the brilliant career of her victories was een:ed t--
(Enthusiastic cheering for several seconds).' It was WI en
she Wok op the carnal and laid down the spitituat .wea.,
pon ; it was then that strength went out of her.. S e
was struck with impotency—(Chser.)....ois the instant, .
That from a warljre of principle it became a wa.lare of

.?
Jai.;