Star.
London, England, 1821-02-28 00:00:00

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1821.

STOCK EXCHANGE, ONE O'CLOCK.
This is Settling Day at the Stock Exchange, and
notwithstanding the great difference in price during
this Account,• no defaulter of consequence has been
declared up to the present time. Consols for this
Account have been done at 69% and 73%, a nuc-
leation of four per cent. This morning Consols for
money have been done at 731/4 % %8, and for the
Steil Atcount at 73% % Even bets have been
made that Consols will be done at 76 before.oext
Settling Day.—The current prices at this hour are
Desk Stock i26%-3 per Ct. Reduced 73% 7/8

!'~'..

Per CL Qoi 1.5 S ti 72 %a—? per Cent.ll3l/4

♦ per Cent. 91% 92 9134

iper Ct. Navy 106% % 14—Long Anns. 191/4
IMP. S per Ct. 7254—Ifidia Bonds 425. 435. pr.

Exchequer-Bills Ss. 6.. 3s. pr.—Omaiuni 6WI pie.

side of
,the House to keep up the notion that the
scheme had not failed, but was still -proseOtihk with
every-hope of success! gr. DAVIES GILIgRT, who,
is one bf the Royal Commissioners for investigating
this subject, said, he had reason to believe that the
Bank were still employed upon the achievement of

. ,
the measure in question; but he, at the same time,'

candidly confessed, that he had had no communica-
tion with the Bank for the last three weeks.
Mr. CALCWT asserted that " unless there had
been a revival of the plan since yesterday, it had dis-
appointed the Bank, for yesterday U had entirely

failed." To this explifit statement no contradiction

was offered.

If the Bank Directors have really abandoned the
idea of any invention for the prevention of forgeries,
in utter despair, they should openly confess it. For
a long time past there has been a most indecent
trifling with public humanity. Although the Bank
Directors, embarrassed by particular connections, and
misled possibly by studiously inculcated' misconcep-

dons, may not be able to discover a modeof rendering
the forgery of Bank Notes sufficiently i mpracticable ; it

is probAblt, nay we may safely say it is quite certain,
that were the Legislature to take the matter into its

own hands, the science of the country would, under
its liberal auspices and straight forward direction,

speedily vindicate itself from the reproach under
which it at present lies—the reproach of not being
able to produce a note beyond the power of any
engraver's boy to imitate! The obligation is im-
perative on Parliament, either to check the still
enormously increasing crime of forgery, by ren-
dering its commission as difficult a thing as art
can make it; or, at all events, to correct the horrible
anomaly of shedding blood for an offence tiii9CCOM-
panied by violence, and into which, in most cases, a
famished wretch is tempted, not merely ST the secrecy,
but by the unexampled facility of its commission.
A discussion of some length subsequently took place
on a Petition introduced by Mr. MARRYAT, from the
Merchants, Ship-Owners, &c. of the Port of London,
against renewing the Charter of the West Indic Dock
Company. The Petition, which was signed by 6000
persons, complained of the heavy dues imiiosed by
the Company ; it was supported by Mr. BARING,
who said, that though the Company had confined
their dividends, as restricted by their Charter, to ten
per cent. yet they had accumulAteJ a fund of five
hundred thousand pounds. Mr. GORDON had heard,
that this £500,000 had been offered to Government,
for the renewal of the Charter; but Mr. ROBINSON,
the President of the Board of Trade, said, he knew
nothing of any such offer; and in reply to an ob-
servation, that the Petitioners could obtain no pro-
mise from Government that they would not renew,
the Charter, the Hon. Gentleman observed, that it
had two years still to run, and as the Company had
not yet applied for its renewal, Government delayed
giving any assurance till they had heard both sides.
The Petition was ultimately ordered to be laid on the
table, and to be printed.
The Catholic Question is to be brought before the
House of Commons to-night by Mr. PLUNKETT,
and, as may well be supposed, great interest is very
generally felt with respect to the result. The cir-
cumstances under which it is now agitated are con-
sidered, by the friends of Catholic Emancipation, to
be peculiarly favourable to its success. It comes
before a new Parliament, who have not, as yet, corn-
-mined themselves in any-shape on the subject ; it has
the open support of some of the most efficient Mem-
bers of his MaJaarv's Administration ; and, should
it ever reach the length of being submitted to the
Royal pleasure, will have the advantage of coming
under the consideration of a Sovereign whose opi-
nions are not, as his father's were, avowedly and
invariably hostile to it ; but supposed, on the con-
trary, to be open to whatever the sense of Parliament
shall declare to be just and right.
We subjoin, for-the information of our Readers,
a statement of the former divisions on this subject :
In 1813 the Bill for Catholic Emancipation was lost, after
several divisions in its favour, by the celebrated opposition of
Mr. Aaarriv, thi Speaker. A motion having been ca ried
that Gentleman, that Catholics should not be allowed to sit in
either House of Parliament, tlf a majority of 251 to 247, Mr.
Pomo/tar declared the Bill with this clause to be nugatory, and
gave it up.
In 1916 Lord Cavrclazatin supported the Bill brought in for
the relief of the Catholics ; Mr. Peat., the Secretary for Ireland,
opposed it; and the question was negatived in the House of
Commons by 179 to 141: in the Lords by only 73 to 69.
Mr. GRATTAN'S motion the ensuing year, in the House of Com-
mons, was negatived by a majority of 44; and that of Lord
DONOCOHItOII, in the Upper House, by 149 to 90. '
On the 3d of May, 1819, the motion for a Committee was ne-
gatived in the Commons by a majority of two; the numbers
being 943 to 241. In the. Lords, the numbers were 147 to 106.
From this abstract of the several divisions,. it ap-
pears that the fairest prospect of succeeding with the
Bill was in the year 1813, when, in fact, Petitions
were most numerous against it.

The Paris Papers of Sunday arrived this forenoon,
' An erroneous report bad spread, of an attempt to
assassinate the Duke D'Asootaassz. It appears to
have had no other origin than in the ravings of a sol-
dier of the Royal Guard, who must have been either
inebriated or mad. He went to the Bois de Boulogne,
and brandishing his musket, declared loudly that he
waited for the Duke, for the purpose of killing him!
This is a new way of taking off Princes; it beats the
petard story all to nothing.
Accounts from Madrid of the 14th February state
that the KING will indisposed. He had been