Star.
London, England, 1826-02-17 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, Fpnoaar 16.

Mr. Limnos, front the Bank of England. presented Returns of
the Biliaket Price of Gold, and of the Exchanges with Hamburgb,
Lisbon, and Paris, for the last four years ; aud also Returns of the
quantity of Bank notes issued in the las: week of February, March,
and April, in every year from 1790 to 1319.—Laid on the Table,
and ordered to be printed.
Mr. CRAYS'S*, from the Treasury, presented Accounts of all
Bankruptcies fr.):n 181 S to 1629, distinguishing those of &oaken ;
and alto Returns of the" Licenses granted-for the Susepiqg of Pro.
iiillsory Notes in England front 1790 to 1796.—Laid on the table,
and ordered to he mimed.
The Duke of RICHMOND presented a Petition from Chiches-
ter, praying for the Abolition of Negro Slavery. Laid on the table.
Lord KENYON, acting for a Noble Lord, whom age prevented
from coming down to the House, rationed a Petitios from the
Mayor, Corporation, and Inhabitants of Talowettb, to the same
effect.—Laid on the table.

Lord BEXLEY also presented a similar Petltioa from Maiden-
bead.—Laid on the table.

CORN LAWS.
The Duke of RICHMOND presented a Petition signed by
06 persons in the Southern Division of the County of Basses,
chiefly Occupiers and Owners of Land, praying that the Importa-
tion of foreign Corn should not be allowed. The Petitioners stated
that the result of the admission of foreign Corn Into the country
would be their ruin, and chat of agriculturists in general.
The Earl of Lit UD ER DA LE deprerAtod any attempt to intro-
duce the discussion of the Corn Laws, at a moment when his Ma-
jesty's hlinisters were engaged in other important measures con-
nected with the commercial distresses of the country. This was
not the time los:addressing Parliament upon the subject, the more
so, as a pledge had been given oo the part of Government that it
would not be introduced in the course of the present Seuitsin
The Drike of RICHMOND stated that the Petitioners, reeling
they bad a great Ariake at issue, and that Dadra had been Overstay

The Earl of LAUDERDALE wrst,ed to call the'
attention or the House to the situation in which it stood
with respect.to the important discussion whi..ll was to
take place to-morrow. Several Noble L ‘rds had moved
for information which it was of great moment that they
and the public should have, acrd yet the greater part
of that information had not yet ben produced, or like
that moved for by a Noble Friend of his, , had been so
lately brought down that it was impossible it shoeldl
be ia its perfect state in the hands of their Lordships
before they came to the discussion to•morrow.—(Here
the Marquis of LatkinDoWS said that some of it would
be ready) —That for which he (the Earl of Lauderdale)
bad moved would not be on the table. Now he would
put it to the Nobly Earl opposite, whether,• in the fate
of the country, he could come to the decision of so important a
question before the House and the 'public had bad a decent time to
Famine and digest the information produced. He implored that
Noble Earl not to push on a measure with so much rapidity, which
would create disturbances throughout the country.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL. stated that a considerable
part of the informati n had been some days befo.e the
House and was printed. It was true that the &nu-
rne:nts moved for by the Noble Marquis opposite had
only been produced that day, but the reason of this
delay, was, as I e had anticipated at the time, the vo-
luminous Returns called for by another Noble Lord,
which had augmented the labiurs of the Bank in pro-
curing the whole. But the subject to be discussed to-
morrow was one of general notoriety. It had been treated
of in books and debated in another place. He could
see no ground, therefore, for putting off the question.'
The Noble Earl must remember, besides, that it was
not the ultimatedecision, but the opening of -the dis-
cussion, which was to come on to-morrow. There
would be abet stases where it might be repeatedly considered. He
was always ready to Live way to the House when it was a matter
.f personal convenience; but the more agitation prevailed epee
this subject, as the Noble Bari bad said, the more necessary was it
that it should be promptly allayed by full, and fair discussion.
Delay would create inuch greater inconvenience. It was not his
intention, besides, mirrors the '
progress of the measure with any
particular rapidity, or in any Manner which would not Ward the
fullest opportunity for discussion.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE, though, he had sat
for forty years in that House, had been taught this clay
a lesson by the Noble Earl which he had not known
.before. He hid been informed that the second reading
of a Bill was only the opening of a measure : now he
had always understood, and he had heard the Nubile
Earl himself declare it, that the sewnd reading was the
stage on which the principle of a measure was decided
upon, and that if it passed through that stage no further
opposition was to be expected. It war not personal
convenience that he was consulting, for he was equally
ready to commence the ctiscuulen this day as well as to-morrow;
but it was of great importance the public should 'know that the
House was well informed, and had well digested the subject on
which it was about to legislate. As far as he was concerned be
should take care that they should be wen informed. The Noble
Bad tileeght that nothing was more important than to open the
Mammies, and that agitation would be allayed. Now so far from
OWN gebildne be (Lord Lauderdale) was convinced that the
the mintiest would render the public ten times more
The Marquis of LANSDOWN should regret any
circumstance which would prevent the Noble Earl op-
posite from explaining the views of his Majesty's Go-
vernment to-morrow, as he and the country were anxious
to know them. He should now put a question to that
Noble Earl, leaving it to his convenience to answer it
at present or to embrace it in the course of his state-
ment tomorrow. He wished to know the nature and

extent •f a most important arrangemement which he
understood kh Majesty's Government had entered Into with the
Dank ter the purpose of making future advances to that establishment
in proportion to the purchases which it was making of Government
Semites. He hoped that the Noble Earl would have no objec-
tion to state the substance of that arrangement.

The Earl of LIVERPOOL had no difficulty in stat-
ing it generally this evening, reserving the explanatioa
of the grounds on which the measure was founded for
to-morrow. Their Lordships must be aware that a
number of projects had been afloat to relieve the pre•
sent commercial distresses, but chiefly by the issue of
Exchequer Bills. To this he had thought it his duty
to give a positive refthal. Being anxious, however,
that relief should be afforded in the present state of the
money-market, his Majesty's Government had stated
to the Bank, that if it would M far come forward as to take a err-
tails proportion of outstanding Exchequer Bills, they would submit
to Parliament the expediency of relieving it to that extent. The
amount in view was two millions of Exchequer BUb, which Par-
liament would be called upon to repay to the Bank, in order net to
knee it exposed to any inconvenience.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE inquired whether the sum was
limited to two millions, or might be carried to a greater amount?
The Earl of LIVERPOOL stated that it might be for the con-
sideration of Parliament whether the sum should be carried further,
but that the proposition had only gone to the extent of two millions.
The Marquis of Lakustiowst—" And no more?"
The Earl of Livuareox bowed assent.

Mr. Breams Rice add others brought • Message from the Com-
mons requesting a copy of the Report of the Committee appointed
►y their Lordships last year to inquire into the state of Ireland,
and particularly Into that of the disturbed districts.
The question having been put by the blab CARA WILEOI4 and
decided in the afirmative, a copy of the Report was immediately
delivered.--Adjoarned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Mr. Alderman CROWIIIIIM, the Sheriff of London, pretested the
Petition of the Lord 'layer. Aldermen, and Corporation of the
City df London. praying for leave to bring in a Bin for granting the
sum of £42,000 fur enlarging the carriagrrendfoot-ways dons din
now London Bridge. now building over the name*.
Mr. Alderman WOOD presented a Petition from the same Cor-
poration praying for leave to bring in a Bill (or the erection of a
Bridge over Deptford Crack, for the purpose of connecting the pa-
rkltes of Deptford and Greenwich.—Both Petitions were ordered
to be referred to a Committee.

Colonel STRUTT presented Petitions front notate Inhabitants
of the Towns of Braionee, thezted, pocking, end -Weraebessaeld,
in &sex. against • the eurtinsanee 44 Slavery hi the West When
Colonies.

Sir JOHN NEWPORT had in the last Session
drawn the attention of the House to the mode in which
the Parish and Church Rates had been collected in Ire-
land. A measure on this subject, which of iginated in
that House to correct the evils of the system, he was
sorry to see, had been stripped of every clause in the
other House, which could control the existing abuses
irs the collection of parish rates in het inf. Salaries
never, by possibility, contemplated, had been given to
Church officers, so as, in fact, to increase the rates..
The House would be surprised to learn that the sum-
mary mode of appealing against overcharges for
rates was entirely omitted in the Bill. The rate of
the parish clerk's salary bad been proposed to be li-
mited to ten pounds, whereas the average rate in most
towns amounted to twenty pounds. In one place a
house had been built for the clef k, and another for
the sexton, at an expense, of 4304 out of the parish
rates. This, it should be recollect d, was mostly
paid by Roman Catholics. Esven charges were made
on those persons for a throne for the Bishop, a dress
suit for him, besides his c atonic:its. Parish servants of
various kinds were charged agaiast the parishioners,
whether Catholics or Protestants, at 201. or even 301. a
year. Similar charges were in %tie for female servants
to attend on the congregation. In one instance they
voted 1491. to the clergyman for minor services, as lec-
turer andleacher, where the regular salary was not more
than Nei. a•year. ' This was so great a departure from
the object of the Bill which ' had gone through their
House, and so contrary to the spirit which prompted
the measure, that he thought it was necessary the Home
shothd mark its sense of the extreme impropriety and
neglig. actin the enactments of this Bill by a resolution
which Le should read at the conclusion in his speed:.
He was the more induced to make this application to
the House, because the Irish Government, and also the
Right Hon. Geodesist's in his place, had expressed
a de:ermination to regulate the imposition of the Church
rates according to a fixed and invariable rule through-
out all the parishes in Ireland, so as that they should all
have a commim standard by which they might be re-
gulated. He must confess he felt pleasure in admitting,
foe the sake of his Protestant fellow-countrymen in some parishes
in Ireland, that there were semi congregations of Protestants who
were perfectly indignant at the practice, and had insisted. on ex-
empting the Catholie part of the palish from any pan of the ex-
pense of maintaining either the Clerk or the S :tom And in some
instances the Clergymta himself had insisted on bearing the 'spent*
out of his own limited stipend of the Sacramental bread and wine.
The Hon. Baronet cooeluded his speech by moving as a Resolution,
A That from detailed returns which had been laid on the table of
the House, it appeared that large sums of money were kited on
account of Church Rates which were not warrranted, end that
salaries were granted thereout to Parish Officers, contrary to ind
prohibited by Statute regulation."
Lord ALTHOItP rose to second the motion. It had
been said by the Right Honourable Gentleman last
year, that it was the intention of the Government to
follow up the measure of last Session with a series of
measures which should remedy the defects still cont.
plained of. It was high time now-that Government
should have made up its mind as to its intentions, and
that the House should be made acquainted with there.
What the Right Honourable Gentleman might have to proptiae,
paudidy was very excellent; but there- might be something mg-
genial by other Members, which would be still more deskilkile. kno
should therefore beg the Right Honourable Gentleman to stair,
before he made his objections to the modon, what were the mea-
sures of relict resolved on by the Irish Gownsman& foe ameliorat-
ing the condition of that comely.
Mr. UOULBURN said, before he shr utd enter into
the reasons for his opposition to the press .t motion, he
should enter into a rather detailed consideration of the
different heads of recommendation contained io the
Report of the Committee which sat.on this subject. The
first recommendation be should have no otcasioo
serve on, further than td state his entire satisfaction mid
that of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, with the salutary
operation of the measure founded on the recommendation
of the arrangement fur the composition of ti hes in Ire-
land. So salutary and satisfactory had that been found by
the public, that last ) ear there were 259 comp nitiens
agreed on, while in the present there were not less ti.an
676 completed, forming one-fourth of the *hole
parishes of It eland. Nor were the effects of th-te compo-
sitions confined to these parishes alone, but t! ey had es-
tended themselves beneficially throughout other pat isles,
SQ as to occasion an amicable adjustment of tithe ques-
tions amongst themselves and the impropriat'rs. A
citconhtaace resulting from this fact was worthy of
mention, as a proof of its tendency to improve the cos.
ditien of the people, and secure the' public petc, . It
was the Growth of feelings of good will manikstcd by
the result of the last Quarter Sessions for the county of
Cork, where it was found this al:elation in the law bad
djusinished the cation fully one half of their former
number. The constitution of the Manor Courts had