The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-02-26 00:00:00

Sir R. VYVYAN said, that as yet he had not discovered from
ho noble lord whether they were to confine their inquiry to de-
iatiMlS from charters, or to attack the charters themselves.
le still maintained the opinion, that a committee of the House
f Commons was an unfit tribunal for conducting a general in-
uiry on the subject. He agreed with his honourable friend,
be member for Kent, that its appointment as one of the first
ieasures of a reformed parliament, afforded a strong indica-
ion of what might be expected hereafter. It would not sur-
lrise him to find patents of nobility treated with no greater re-
pect than charters of corporations.
Mr. 4BERcitoSiBY said, that with respect to the petition, it
would certainly be absurd to suppose that the committee could
Loed all the accounts of all the corporations in England,
„tla ritinil, and Ireland; but the difficulty that he felt was, lest
examination of the corporation of London might be im-
i'ued, if it were known that the committee had no power to ex-
into this or other corporations.
,!-..rne petition was laid on the table.
d' • ATTWooD gave notice that he should to-morrow move to
rescind the order.

Mr. 1.1:11 filE KING OF BELGIUM'S DEBTS.
.'arl (f;
(Monmouth) read a letter from Prince Leopold to
acome t, giving to the Exchequer the whole amount of his
parities row England, after certain provisions for servants,
etUrn, and the repairs of Claremont. He then moved for a
mit 01te monies paid into the Exchequer out of the an-
y Y granteo his royal hi hness as the husband of Charlotte,
incess of Wales,' g
'pi* c
er,,n had of the EXCHEQUER said the whole surplus
,hi-eille nad been applied to the payment of the prince's debts,
', as was usual in such calculations, were much greater
at ii had been supposed. (Hear.) He had himself shared the
Liinrosity felt by the hon. mover; and, on inquiry, the answer
(7:eilived was, that the debts were not yet paid. So great
,- he charges, that at first the trustees appointed by the
qiiitg ql3elgium refused to act, for fear of drawing responsi-
ies,Y,:,,ll themselves. (Hear, hear.) That, and other .difficul-
lefit 0i a now over, and the country would soon reap the be-
Mr his Majesty's yenerosit.
Englan',T-Rlimurox was astonished, and so would the people of
lee be, in England to hear that with such an income the prince was so
tate of debt. He wished to know whether, even in the present
iNt.t ,„„the King of the Belgians, he did not continue to de-
ind coin of his income from this country. ( "Hear, hear,"
Witt, "611,11 g.) He would maintain that the grant of the an-
lelf'. was itself dissolved immedietely the prince accepted the
at4lan throne, and became an alien to England, with opposite
... eats and connections.
Air. it
'4ALL withdrew his motion.
On the motion of Mr. SLANEY a select committee was
"to consider the best' means of securing open
ekes 'll the immediate vicinity of populous towns, for public
bitant s
5, calculated to promote the health and comfoct of the

hirPUBLIC ACCOUNTS.
b , pursuant to notice, moved for estimates of the
°, able receipts and expenditure of the year, urging that the
~ent system of accounts was very defective, and that there
gut to te estimates for the charges of collecting the revenue,
loft
to £4,000,000, the same as there were estimates for
alenY, navy, &c. At present the items of charge for such
I,ction could be in no way checked by the house.
e CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he had a bill to
prove the Exchequer department, so as to secure accounts of
iesimts
r and expenditure; and those items would enable the
aree to judge of the fitness of subsequent estimates and
The 'notion was eventually withdrawn.

LIGHT HOUSES.
11-_ HUME said that he had now to submit to the house a pre-
keia of a very different nature, to which he trusted that no
'lion would be offered. The subject was one of consider-
e ine-,
tits leiJ.rtallee to the shipping- interest, as it related to the
qlth vied noon it to defray the charges of public and private
e °uses- In the year 1821, when he first brought this mat-
‘soidtewrar.d,', he hoped that his exertions would be followed by a
ei_,..,n,3.tarba.deereduction in those duties. He had, however, given
[
r.tject up, because he understood that the committee upon
• ttllil had taken it under. their care, and had maue a
ie e report full of details upon it. In that report, which was
Seate(' in 1823, they pointed out in a very -able and distinct
finer the injury which these duties inflicted on the shipping
seesstofpuThhicicyl(igidhtnsot question Ihe right of the Crowh to grant
lattstts theto private inuividua_ls;• but they proposed
present leases fell in they should not he renewed,
blichoulili be granted to the Trinity Board for die benefit of the
1 havin ~e was sorry to say that instead of that rheornme.nda-
vii ,.
I,tieae,tnoadri(.otprtdende,sst,he Duugeness leases, for the lights
arWlell
and at V4ter.ton; had been re-
ed,v to. ~ r. Coke, and other private- inuividuals,—a proceed-
t7fe which a tax of £30,000 had been inflicted Upon our tiler-
-4 b 'lan% He would read the amount of the-expense which
kos,ee.n. incurred by the shipping interest since the renewal of
ene'l7ttbese leases. The leases of Winterton Lighthouse, in
iet;e4hee with an order of that house had made a return
oa,._e, that in 21 months after the renewal of their lease, they
e(iiurt:,
notv.etr2a2Nta),bove the expense of maintaining the lights,
of which £ll,OOO went to Lord Bravbroke
d ,isi family, and 1:11,000 to the Commissioners of Woods
,(I.l_ rests. Now that tease had been renewed in spite of the
Q'‘..ilof two ministers to the contrary. He contended that
ti:,tg, had no prerogative to tax a portion of his subjects
le t
j'e henetit of another portion by means
.of these leases.
4 4, was imposed for the purpose of maintaining the lights,
isrenught hot to exceed the expanse of maintaining them,
1,- eas ni the last 40 years the lights at Winterton and Or-
iet, ss had produced no less a sum than £22,000 a year to
I,,tei, individuals. It. would be his duty, when the returns
re""ich he was goings to move, and to which he believed
le, was no objection, were laid upon the table of the house,
ier;'tvel for a select committee to see how far these charges
)i,, °e reduced or otherwise altered. At present the light-
ousee at Dungeness produced £BOOO a-year, and the light-
Ii at Harwich £lOOO a year, whilst that- at Winterton,
is b 44(1 thready stated, produced a much larger suns. . He
Itle''lPX to state, that since the year 1822 the 1 unity-
leo uao reduced the charges for the lights under its
klejt, full one half; but he was of opinion that a much greater
lippil°ll was required by the- present depressed state of our
fie sit, ug interest. The hon. member then proceeded to state
!theoeht. of sums levied upon the merchant service by means
qestehuties• In the Year 1828, when the last returns were
%,i;e.liniount of rafes levied for lights was, in England,
t, e t 7), in Scotland, £3-I,oooe and in Ireland, 1.:36,000 ; mak-
'e tie. tal of £I39,(XX). If to this sum were added £29,000 for
Wee tee Private lights which he had just mentioned, it would
ion a total of £IGS,OOO thus levied upon the mercantile ship-
eit'e There were seven other private light-houses, from which
lee,' hot obtained a return of income, but, reckoning it upon.
1111:,.ea1.c, he thought that he might estimate the entire re-
kieda„"ed by lighthouses at i:18.),000 or £190,000. He con-.
'?,•111(1,„`"at the whole of this system wanted revision. (inc
ilee.l,PPose that in selecting individuals for the management
'se eXuses, care would be taken to select individuals who
EtllC'es oequaiWed with their management, or conversant
teh, e bland naval affairs. This care the Trinity-house in
'ot•e"„liea generally exercised,. but such was not the case in
,kkte‘ 47; and Ireland.- He had got a -list of the managers of
lere e"ghts who were all of them either halides or lawyers.
0 Shwas the' Provost of Glasgow, the Provost of Inverness,
t. tl e"fr Depute of Lanark, and others of a smaller kidney ;
~ • ler, e,
rtligii it as nut one naval man in ail that management, ;li-
me°, 'tau ra31,000 a-year to epen4 in the maintenance of
kr, b se'4 They had a very able man under them as engi-
[pm.!.it to suppose that they- knew anything of. lights was a
4w Vption too preposterous to be entertained for a moment.
411.::Seottand was bad, Ireland seas still worse. There was::
"'oard at Dublin, which had the power of erecting iii:-
ueichl the coast of Ireland, and of spending £3,5,061:1- ear
I bael, maintenance and erection. '1 he members, ‘‘.'ee wale
'll4l et's, not one naval man acted with them, and thus there
ineb cut be over the shipping interest that suhefinteneence
, sela,t required. He felt that it was the duty of Goveilment.
oreo"er these duties as light as possible, because they adected..
taleitiunerce very rigorously. Ile was aware that the I i 'hit y
k), w were fenced round with charters, but he understood that
Le co:sr!' not unwilling to meet Government upon fair terms.
uotle,Ouded that the Trinity Board was comphsed of Inca
%,'„ 3ustice to the charge reposed in them, but he «nee
Itle e'e the same of the Scotch baillies and lawyers, who Leese,
robef,7,°.ut lighthouses, nor of the Irish bankers, who, in ad
se ,eItY, knew less. 'lshe lights ought to be taken rim
. ite,„9ll-liies. (A laugh.) he was quite sincere, he woula
t k'sh those northern lights entirely, (a laugh,) and wow.
la °„w the Ballast Board to exist any longer.. lecture any
vo'Hi,e was done upon this subject, he was (I; sit ous (.:f
treet.l6, Vnit had been done since the report of i 823. lie
.S",'IS
te.'-'l' '.ware of the improvements effected by the linietv-
s.rnt whet he wanted to ascertain was, the amount et
.i.ia:
Trinity-
-I`' by these private lights_ hi what he must vali an
eie,:-:zercise of the prerogative. There was another point
esti
~1/1' which lie looked upon this matter
.as important. Be-
e, t.i`• siltas thus paid by the owners of our mercantile ma-
c'
toe country was obliged to pay every year a sun]. I,i hard
et t, the tehe proprietors of these lights..
.Sinc,e the es.ablish-
tei the reciprocity system, the British Government was
4,1 ,Y treaty to efiay all the extra charges . which foreign
i'B uo-'1 to pay ind our ports, beyond those which ou vessels