Star.
London, England, 1821-03-27 00:00:00

NOUSE OF COMMON&

Mr. LAMBTON said, that u several Honourable Friends
of his would not be returned to town front the Northern Cir-
cuit by the 10th of April, the day for which he had given
notice of a motion for Parliamentary Reform, be would post-
pone it to the 17th of April.
Mr. HUME postponed his motion (to disqualify Ordnance
Officers and others from voting for Members of Parliament),
which stood for Thursday, to Tuesday next.
Mr. CUR WEN postponed to Friday next kis motion for al
Repeal of the Agricultural Horse Tax, which bad stood for
this day.
Mr. JonssoN, from the London Dock Company, presented an
Actount of the Receipts and.Dishunensents of the Company,
from the 50th November, 1919, to the 13th November, 1820;
also a Report of the progreu of the works.
Mr. WESTERN presented a Petition from Great Cogger.
hall, praying a revision of the Criminal Code.--Ordered to
be printed.
Mr. WILSON presented a Petition from the Shipowner of
London against any alteration in the Timber Duties.—Ordered
to be referred to the Committee on Foreign Trade.
Lord HOTHAII presented a Petition from Leominster,
complaining of Agricultural distress... Referred to the Committee.
A new Writ was ordered for the Borough of Medan, in the
room of Mr. BALLRY, who has accepted the Chiltern Hundreds.
Mr. R. MARTIN brought in a Bill for the regulation of the
office of Coroner in Ireland.—lt was read a first time
._ _

Sir T. B. MARTIN presented a Petition from Plymouth,
stain st the Corn Average SR—Ordered to be printed.

PETITIONS AOAINST CATHOLIC EMANCIPATION.
Mr. DICKENSON presented tw•o Petitions from
the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and Clergy of Taun-
ton and Wells, against the Catholic Disability Re-
moval Bill. He concurred in the sentiments of the
Petitioners.

Sir T. LETHBRIDGE stated his concurrence in
the prayer of these Petitions.—Laid on the table.
Mr. GROSSET presented a Petition from the Bai-
liff, Burgesses, and Freemen of Chippenham, against
the Catholic Bill.—Ordered to be printed.
Mr. S. WORTLEY presented a Petition from the
Clergy and Archdeaconry of York, and the West
against the Catholic Bills. He was convinced,
however, none of the apprehended dangers would
follow the enactment of the Bills now in progress
through the House—(Hear, hear).
Mr. SYKES lamented that the Petitioners did not
point out the dangers which they apprehended.
Mr. J. SMITH wished to know whether, in order
to save the time of the House, the opponents of this
measure would chew how religious liberty was, in
any country, the parent of confusion ? If any Mem-
ber could state that such a consequence had occurred
in any country in Europe for the last twenty-five
years, he would abjure all his former opinions in fa-
vour of this measure—(Hear, hear).
Sir T. LETHBRIDGE thought, that what was
called modern liberality, was a very false liberality.
He referred to the Spanish Constitution, as contain-
ing a stipulation, that no Religion but the Catholic
should be heard of in that country. He confessed he
could not answer the question of the Hon. Member
satisfactorily. If the Bill should pass, however,
though he would oppose it while in progress—yet,
if it should pass, he would do all in his power to
conciliate the minds of the people in his part of the
country to the measure—(Hear, hear).
Mr. WARRE admitted that the Spanish Constitu-
tion might be as the Honourable Baronet had repre-
sented ; but this was no answer to the question of
his Honourable Friend. If the Honourable Baronet
went to Prussia, Russia, or Holland, he would find
that the effects of liberal policy were of the most be-
neficial character.

Sir C. BURRELL referred to the transactions at
Nisnies, in France, as an illustration of the hostili-
' ties that had been recently excited between persons
of different reli*ions.
11r. H. G. BLNNETT said, that the occurrence at
Nismes was entirely political, and had nothing to do
with religious feelings. The Honourable Baronet
.(the Member for Somersetshire) had said, that the
Roman Catholic religion was intolerant. He be-
lieved that was the fact ; but intolerance was not
confined to that sect—it was common to every sect.
As an additional instance of liberality, he referred to
Hanover, where, by the spontaneous act of the Bove.

.

reign himself, all persons, of 'whatever religion, were
admissible to office.
Sir ROBERT WILSON thought it right to in-
form the House of what had passed, between his con-
stituents and himself, upon the subject of the Bill now
in progress through the House. On a former occa-
sion, he had told them that he would vote for Ro-
man Catholic emancipation; and that sooner than
do otherwise, he would resign his seat in Parliament.
Anxious to know what their opinion on the measure
was (which might be taken, he believed, as a pretty
fair criterion of the general opinion of this metropo-
lis), he had sent printed copies of the Bill to the lead-
ing persons of his constituent% and to many of those
who had oliposed his election. From both parties he
had received letters, stating that they were quite
satisfied to leave the question to the decision of the
Legislature, assentins to the measure, provided it
would be attended with no danger to he Establish-
ment, and relying on the wisdom of Parliament for
obtaining such securities as would guard the Church
and State—( Hear, hear).
M. STUART WORTLEY said, that this was
the only Petition from the whole county of York—
(Hear, Uar). He could not but observe that, in his
opinion, there was a great change in the public mind
on this subject. He had not heard anything against
the measure from any person there, and he could not
but think, generally speaking, that they hacfno ob-
jection to .it—(Hear, hear).

FORGED BARE NOTES.
Mr. HOBHOUSE presented a Petition from an
individual, who stated that within the last few days
he had received three and twenty one-pound notes
which the Bank of England had returned to him as
being forged. Ten of these he had received in one
day—(Hear, hear).—He complained of the general
progress of forgery, which it was impossible for per-
sons in the hurry of retail business to detect on every
occasion. The prayer of the Petition was, that the
Bank should be compelled to pay the forged notes,
whilst their paper was to be imitated with so much
facility—( Hear, hear).
Mr. H. G. BENNETT stated that it was his inten-
tion, in a future stage of the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer's Bill, to lay before the House the real state
of the country as it is affected by forged notes.
Mr. CURWEN, seeing an Hon. Member in his
place, asked if there was any prospect of any plan
being adopted for the prevention of forgery ?
Sir W. CONGREVE said, that after the Second
Report of the Commissioners was signed, the respon-
sibility of the execution of their recommendation
rested entirely with the Bank. The Directors had
most liberally aided the preparation for the purpose,
and in consequence a most magnificent apparatus
was got up. Whether or not a note would be pro-
vided- that would satisfy the Public, be did not know;
but of this he was certain, that it was much less dif-
ficult to prepare a note that could not be imitated,
than to produce a coin that might not be forged.—
The subject was one upon which he had bestowed
some attention, and he was convinced that it was prac.
ticable to provide a species of note which would prove
very difficult of imitation.
Mr. BARING thought there never was an occasion
on which the House had so neglected its duty as it
had done in transferring this inquiry to a Commission,
instead of confining it to a Committee amongst them-
selves—(Hear, hear). —lt was at length found that
the question had been vainly turned over to the Bank
of England ; and, notwithstanding his clear convic-
tion of the respectability and talent pervading that
Corporation; notwithstanding his knowledge of their
zeal and exertions to prevent or diminish the evil
which they alike deplored, it was still to be regretted
that the House had not taken the subject into its own
hands—(Hear, hear).—He had heard of many inge-
nious schemes, and he did, on his own part, still in-
dulge the hope that it was practicable to frame a
new note which should obviate the inconvenience
now complained of; but that they had neglected a
most serious duty did appear to him manifest from
facts which were denied on neither side, nor on any
authority. The House, however, could not but feel
gratified at any explanation from the Hon. Gentle-
man opposite, which should hold forth a prospect of
some alleviating remedy to this evil. Perhaps, after
the remarks which he had already thrown out, the
House would be favoured with some further expla-
nation—(Hear, hear).
Sir W. CONGREVE explained—that although
the public functions of the Commissioners had for
some time past been at an end, individually they still
felt the same zeal and anxiety as ever on the subject.
Mr. D. GILBERT bore testimony to the activity
of the Commissioners, who lost no opportunity in
doing everything to promote the object for which
they were appointed. One Bank Director only was
in the Commission, thah whom no man could have
acted more zealously for the public benefit. He was
much afraid that those Gentlemen who were most
anxions for a recurrence to a metallic currency, would
have'reason to find that its substitution for an im-
proved paper currency would not be so very desirable
as they bad imagined.
Mr. J. SMITH stated, that in one district of a part
of the country with which he was connected, nine-
tenths of the forgeries consisted of one-pound notes.
He trusted that the time was not long distant from
that when the Bank of England wculd be enabled to
make all its small payments in cash, and to withdraw
a considerable part of the present circulating paper.
Mr. PEARSE observed, that it was certainly in
the contemplation and intention of the Bank to pay
in sovereigns, instead of one-pound notes; but he
could not at this moment state at what particular
period before May next.
Sir M. W. RIDLEY expressed his apprehensions
that the difficulty of preventing the imitation of coun-
try bank-notes world be found insurmountable.
Mr. HOBHOUSE said, that one thing was pretty
certain, viz. that a worse plan of a Bank-note, with
a view to the facility of forgery, than that now in
use, could not well be adopted.
The Petition was then brought up, read, and or-'
dered to lie on the table. _ _

Mr. GRENFELL asked some questions of Mr.
Pearse, as to the circumstances under which the Bank

intended to issue coin for their one-pound notes; to
which the Hon. Member replied, the first object of
the Bank was to study the public convenience, and
they therefore intended paying the one-pound notes
in sovereigns whenever they might be demanded.—
But he was sure it was unnecessary for him to state
to the House that the Bank had no power whatever