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

IRISH MARKET TOLLS.

Mr. S. RICE r ose. and pip snant to noti:e, called the
wtention of the fl.:use to the subject of the Tolls and
Customs collected at Marker Towns and Fairs in lie-
land. The Honourable Membei described the system
as being injurious to the freedom of commerce, opotes-
sive to the poor, and in many cases contrary to law.
He moved " that an humble Address he presented to
his Majesty, praying that he would he graciously pleased to direct a
Commission to issue for the purpose of inquiring into the Tolls and
Customs collected in the Fairs, Markets, and Sea-ports of Ireland.
Mr. GOULI3UUN alert, ined no disp,sition to pro-
tect abuses, and in re i,tiilg this iilotitsii he wishei to
guard himself againo that course be:ng considered as
giving authlrity to such abuses, if they did exist, wh ch
the Hon. Member had described. \Vile') the subject was
first mentioned to him by -his Hon. Friend at the be-
ginning of the Sessi in, he informed him that it had been
one of inquiry, and that although the Government were
not prepared with any measure at present, they were
nor unwilling to apply a remedy, if a competent one
could be devised. It was true that tolls were levied
in markets in Ireland, and that they pressed upon the
poor, and caused much vexation and inconvenience.
But this was tint particular to Ireland. Did his Hon.
Friend forger, that within a half mile of this House, in.
Covent Garden-m srket, one Nobleman possessed the
mkt 'lye right of levying t fills upon all produce brought
into the market for sale. This was a constant source of
dispute, and the tolls in this case pressed equally hard
upon the poor, and against that freedom of trade, for
which his Hon. Friend was so strenuous an advocate.
From the experience he bad of the collec.ion of these
tolls, he did not know that they !messed mote heavily
than many other charges levied in similar cases. He de-
prec iced the administering of oaths between the parties,
as illegal and highly injurious to the morals of the people.
If, ti-refine, he resisied this motion, it was not because
he wished to protect abuses, or to countenance illegal
exactions. Bur, if the Gentlemen resident in Ireland
would do their duty, in advising the parties to resort to
legal remedies, the law had provided them ; and the
punishment for administering an i'legal nob, or for
exacting an illegal toll, would put as e id to such prac-
tices,at once. The object of the mot on was to have a
Committee appointed, to inquire in.o the tolls taken in
the different fairs and markets in bel'ind. Now the
House had already before them tables of the tees re-
ceived in all market towns, as returned by the Clerks of
the Peace; and if these Commis'ioirers were to inquire
into the nature of all the various claims, in the shape
of Tolls and Customs, with their history and origin,
they might live to the age of Nestor, and yet never be
able to accomplish one half of their object. ails Hon.
Friend had thrown out that he intended to propose
compensation to the parties whose cl iims to these tolls
would be abolished; but he thought the House would
pause before it threw the burden of so large a sum as
would be required for such a purpose upon the general
pockets of the people, to relieve one • portion of them
from charges which would still remain. Upon these grounds he
should vote against the motion.

Mr. DENNIS BROWN said that in all cases where
an accusation was prererred against the owner of a
toll, ht,was compelled to produce his patent. It he
appealed to the Assiz s the Judge specially examined
the patent, and if it did not authorise the collection, a penalty was
inflicted upon the party offending. If an inquiry was to he instituted
into two thousand patents, he was sure the remedy would prove
worse than the disease.

Sir HENRY PA RNELL said, that it was absurd to talk of a
remedy by an action at law, to a poor peasant wholly unable to
maintain the expense.
Mr. PEEL said, that if it could be shown that the
existing law was not sufficient to if rd redress to per-
sons who had been improperly assessed for toll, he
would admit it N ould be a fair ground for calling upon
Parliament to consider the question. But to appoint
Commissioners to examine whether such a case could
be made out, was perfectly absurd. If the principle of
purchasing the franchises of individuals were pond, why'
not extend the application of it to England? The toll
which the Duke of Bedford collected in Covent-garden
market was, no doubt, -considered very oppressive by those who
paid it ; but nobody could dispute the right of the Noble Duke to
impose it. Unless it could he shown that the present law was
defective, Pediment could not be called upon to legislate on the
subject. The appointment of a commission he would decidedly
object to.
Sir JOHN -NEWPORT said, that whatever might
be the Honourable Secretary's opinion as to the defec-
tive state of the law relating to the collection of tolls,
he could assure him that the Courts of Law were inac-
cessible to the poorer class; and in that case they might
as well be without them entirely. The proceedings in
these Courts were too expensive to be entered into by
any person but by the rich man, and it was not upon
him so immediately that this grievance in the toll col-
' lec, ion fell. One of the most objectionable parts of tilt
pre,ent system was the admitfrering of illegal oaths by
the toll collectors. Ti.ose collectors took cieir station
at the " custom-gap" of a fair, with, a stick in one
hand, and a prayer-book in the other. They swore the
carters who broaght goodg to market, as to the amount
of their loads, and if they were not satisfied with accounts rendered,
they took summary vengeance with the stick—(A laugh.)
Mr. PLUNKETT remarked that the statements
which had been made of the abuses of the present sys-
tem of levying tolls in Ireland must be gteatly exag-
gerated, for if the tolls were so extravagantly high as
WAS represented the country Gentlemen, out of whose
pockets they must principally be paid, would not fail
to make the grievance known, so as to reach the ear of
'Government. The labours of a commission on the
subject•
in Ireland amounted to 2016, and each of them involved
a right to about twenty different kinds of t• 11. The
Commissioners, therefore, would have upwards of
40,000 cases to investigate. It would be the work of ge-
nerations—filii tiatorunt, et fui nawentur ab illis. He
must again express his bel;et that the charges of abuses
under the existing system were too general, and made
on too light grounds. The people would not submit
to them Gray's description of

" Some village Hampden, that with dauntless breast
" The little tyrant of his field withstood."
would not perhaps apply to Ireland. But if that
country was without village Hampdens. she was in no
want of legal Hampden:. The latter were a de,cription
of persons who were ■nt likely to acquiesce under the

implication of ail grievance, and to whom the eipel •.c
of procuring redress would not form a very imptnta:ii
objection. If the Hon. mover could suggest any plait
for rendering the mode of granting redress more sum'
mart', he would pledge himself to endeavour to catty
it into effect. It W 2! suggested that the patents for
tolls in-Ireland should be purchased by the publid.wev
At the lowest estimate the tolls in Ireland were *worth
500,0001. a yeer. Parliemont could not, surely; think
of offering the Gentlemen who held the patents lee.
than 20 years' purchase, which would amount to thei
ono lent te sum of 10,000,0001. He thought that hid
Right Bon. Friends the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Pre-:
siderit oldie Board of Trade would turn the matter in their mit*
a lung time before they resolved to part with such a sum for such a
purpose. With respect to illegal oaths, he pledged hi r self, that if
any case of that nature should be brought under his notice officially
he would direct the Crown st.licitor to institute a prosecution.
Mr. MAURICE FITZ ;ERALD felt the more in.
clin•d to urge the subject to an inquiry, becattse t w
Honour able Gentlemen had stated that these grievance's
were qa to new to them. When he refiectel on t!ie
active chit acter of these Gentlemen, and their igtoi ante
on the subject, it gave him an idea to tow great an
extent the evils would go .s ithont the poor people com-
[staining. In reference t! e te'n.i:k, made by the
lion. Act ones General for lrel itt,i, idaitt e zo t:.e w .nt
of village Hampdens, be beggei leave to &tier, lot to
his ()pinion there were plmty (lie would add, too in iiiy)
them in the shape of lawyers, Win we e always reaJy
to come forward as patriots, and defend the c iuse of
the poor man. But, tor his part, he would rather leave.,
them in the hands of the toll gatherers than the lawyers.
He should prnpise one remedy, in the shape of permit-
ting paupers to carry on any subject of complaint through the means
of a Grand Jury It was mere nonsense to propose means of redress
to paupers which were far toe expensive even for rich men.

Sir J. BRYDGES regretted to have heard from the
Honourable Memb?r for Waterford., that there was
one law in Ireland for the rich and another for the poor. He would
not wish that such an insinuation should go forth to the world, as
he was satisfied there was but one law for both parties.
Sir JOHN NEWPORT did not 'say that tin 1 taus
actually existed ; but he 'aid, and he now repeated his
asserti n, that an expensive law has effecatally debarred
the poor man from prosecuting his claim, as if there
were no law at all. In effect, therefore, and in practice, t:,ough
net statutably, there did not exist in Ireland one law fur the rich
and another for the poor.
Mr. It. MARTIN (of Galway) knew that is the
county he represented, gross abuses existed in levying
tolls; and the greatest abases of all in the town of
Galway itself. Nothing could equal the atrocity of the
abuses. They existed to such a degree, that the land-
holders round Galway found the value of their lend
reduced two, thtee, and four shidings an acre, through
the exorbitant tolls. lie appealed for the truth of his
assertiln to his lion. colleague, who had been a de-
fendant in a suit, where the corporation had been
clrarged v. ith exaction of illegal tolls, which suit had
been some years in the Court of Chancery. He (Mr.
M ,r tin) was ctsposed to agree with the Attorney• General
:or Ireland, that reTted es did now exist, the greatest
abuses being in cases where the toll was ex icted against
the law. Though the law might be eqtyilly adminis-
tered in Ireland, it was not accessible, any more than
the City of London Tavern, to those who had no money.
As the Attorney-General for Ireland had declared he
would direct the Crown• Solicitor to prosecute where abuses were
discovered, he recommended that the motion should not be pressed.
The Hon. Member reverted to the subject of the abuses in Galwaj,
and observed that tke Court of Chancery had decided, in the case
he referred to, that the tolls bad been exacted illegally, and illegally
applied.
Mr. DALY (the other member for Galway) defended himself
with considerable warmth against the statements of the Hon. Mem-
ber (Mr. Martin), to which lie gave the most decided contradiction.
Mr. M A RTIN.—(Who had come from an upper bench and
placed himself near Mr. Daly)—Do you ?
Mr. DA LY.—I do; I give it the most decided contradiction.
Mr. M A RTI N.— Yes, you give it here. Don't give it here.
(Order, from the Chair.)
• Mr. D A I.Y.—The tolls are collected in Galway according to the
strict letter of the law. The Honourable Gentleman said, tlia: I
was defendant in a Chancery suit.
Mr. MARTI N.—l do say so.
The SPEAKER.—I trust the lion. Member will not Owe me
a second time in the disagreeable situation of calling him to order.
Mr. MA RTI N.—l humbly and most penitently ask pardon of
you, Sir, if lam out of order. To the House lam ready to otr:r
the most humbly apology.
Mr. DALY continued.—As the Representative of the Corpora-
don, he had been made a party to a suit in Chancery, but upon his
making oath that he was not a party to the expenditure of a single
penny of the funds, he was immediately discharged from all con-
cern in the suit—(Hear, hear). He defied any one to say that he
had ever taken one farthing of the public money—(Hear, hear,
hear). He did nut believe any illegal tolls were taken by the cor-
poration. He had the opinion of a respectable Solicitor, that the
tells were ant illegal; and the House of Lords was yet to be
appealed to, to protect the rights of the Corporation, and as the
illegality of the tolls had not yet been finally decided upon, he
thought the Honourable Member ought to apologise for what he
had stated.

Mr. MARTIN explained. He had not charged the
Hon. Menthes with any offence, and therefore he could
make no apology. He had not charged him with
receiving illegal tolls, nor had he charged him or any
tier individual with a misapplication of the money.
lie believed the toUs to be illegally exacted, and he did
not feel c filled upon to apologise for statin4 his ()pinion.
Mr. C. WILSON thought it would be errone tus to
comet') the conclusi to that the evils complaiaed of did
not exist, merely because they had not come under the
cognisance of the Right Hon. And Learned Gentleman,
the Attorney General for Ireland.

Air. 8. RICE then withdrew his motion.

I
. 7 'rt, ,
nginconsistent With the provisions of their charter.
!oppose that in a mere matter of speculation they
;:;re to proceed as in a matter of course, was unreason-
,;,ir. This *as a subject requiring much consideration.
so. N. PARNELL, said his principal object was to call the'
Attention s( Ministers to the subject.—=Agreed to.
Mr. BRIGHT. moved the second reading of his Debtor and
tedttor Eilt.
WAYS AND -MEANS.
On ll report of Ways and Means being brought lip and read,
Mr. HUME desired to •ash the Chantellor of the Exchequer
•vhether it was his intention to propose any reduction of taxes
during the present session?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that, as his
-general. exposition would come on at an ealy day, be must decline
nnswerine that question.
Mr. HUME hoped, then, that the Right Honourable Gentle-
man would. also decline asking the House, In the mean time, to
vote any taxes.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, the reso-
lutions before the House did not go to any vote of money.
The report was then read, and agreed to,
WEST INDIA CLERGY.
Mr. HERMES moved to bring in a bill to amend the set of
last Session, making provision for the salaries of bishops and other
clergy in Jamaica, Barbadoes, and the Leeward Islands ; and also
enabling the Crown to grant annuities to Bishops retiring. The
lion. Gentleman intimated that no new expense to the public
would are out of the measure.
Mr. HUME asked whether any adlitional charge had been
made, with reference to these salaries, upon the four and a half
per cent. 11Jrhadoes duty.
Mr. HMI RI ES said that none had.
A Bill was broligitt in to give effect to commercial treaties with
the states of South America not yet,provided with national shipping.
Read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on Monday
next.

The Annual Indemnity Bill was also brought in.—Read a first
time, and ordered to he read a second time to-morrow.
The House then adjourned at Pleven o'Clock.

'IIIE EVENING STAR.