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

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

paid in foreign parts. Now, in addition to the enormous profits
which the proprietors of these lights extracted from the British
merchant, Government was obliged to pay to them out of the
Exchequer certain sums on account of these foreign ships. He
considered this to be a subject of greater importance than many
persons thought, as it charged a sum of £200,000 a-year upon
the shipping and commerce of the country. That was worth
attention at all times; but particularly now, when the shipping
interest was so much distressed. He concluded by moving for
a series of returns relative to the amount of revenue collected
by fees from lighthouses public as well as private, in England,
Scotland, and Ireland, from the year 1828 to the year 1831, and
to the appropriation of that revenue in each year.
Mr. ROBINSON seconded the, motion, hut proposed that there
should be an additional resolution stating how tar the leases of
lights granted by the Crown to
.private individuals were now un- j
expired. He likewise complained that all governments had
jobbed in the lease.
Mr. P. TuomsoN did not object to the production of these
returns ; on the contrary, he was glad that the hon. member 1
for Middlesex had moved for them. The subject deserved the
attention of the house, and when the returns were on the table,
it would be for the house to consider in what way it would deal
with the matter to which they referred. He was decidedly of
opinion that the rights of the trading community should not be
conceded to private individuals, when the concession, as in the 1
case of these leases, pressed heavily on the shipping interest ;
and the commerce of the country. (Hear.) He should be most j
happy if any arrangement could be made by which the present
pressure could be removed (Hear.) He was of opinion that
the leases which had been renewed since the delivery of the 1
report of the committee on foreign trade, ought not to have
been renewed; but that the lighthouses, so leased to private in- '
dividualS, should have been placed under the care of the Tri-
nity Board. He denied that the present Government had
jobbed at all in these leases. The only leases which had fallen
in since the present government was in office, were the leases
of the lighthouses on the Two Forelands. 'They had been pre-
viously held by Greenwich Hospital. Government had placed '
them at the disposal of the Trinity Board, with a desire that no
further charge should be imposed upon vessels passing them
than what was necessary to defray the expense of maintaining
the lights. By so doing, they had taken a charge off the ship-
ping interest amounting to £-.14,X) 01.'1.5000 a year. He could
assure the hon. member that the attention of the government
had been directed to this subject, and a measure was in contem-
plation for the purpose of investing the government with addi-
tional powers with respect to the private lighthouses, and for
placing them, (as we understood the right hon. gentleman,)
under the control of some responsible authority.
Sir R. PEEL did not rise to offer any opposition to the mo-
tion of the hon. member for Middlesex, in the principle of which
he concurred, for he thought it extremely desirable that the
control of these private lights should be given to some respon-
sible public body.. He rose to defend the late government from
the imputation cast upon it, that it had renewed leases of some
of these lights for party purposes. Now, it so happened that
the only leases renewed by the late government, of such_ino-
perty, were in two instances, in neither of which could there
have been the slightest shadow of hope that the renewal would
be beneficial to the government in a party view. The renewals
were of leases to Lord Braybroke and. Mr. Coke, of Norfolk.
(Hear, hear.) In both cases the lighthouses had been rebuilt
by those individuals,. and had been the property of their ances-
tors. Whether such renewals were politic or not was not the
question, all he contended for was, that there was no pretence
for saying that they were given for any corrupt purpose.
Mr. PEASE and another hon. Member rose at the same time,
but the cries for " Mr. Pease" were general, and the other
hon. gentleman gave way.
Mr. PEASE said that he could not but congratulate the house
that public attention had been called to this important subject.
it was one on which he felt an interest as being connected with
the county which he represented, but, still more, it was one,
which concerned the interests of humanity,—it related to the
interests of a class of men in whose welfare the public were
much concerned,—those who were employed in the commercial
and naval service of the country. It was well known that the
lives of this valuable portion of our fellow-subjects were often
placed in jeopardy by the state in which lighthouses were kept
at the mouths of some of our principal rivers, and it was there-
fore most desirable that some efficient control should be kept
over such lights by some responsible public board. To him it
appeared singular, that while the names of some of the
highest persons in the kingdom appeared to subscriptions of
1;50 and £lOO for different societies whose object was the pre-
servation of human life,—such as the Humane Society, the
Society for extending the benefits of Captain Manby's appara-
tus, and others of that description,—there should at the same
time exist a tax levied on our commercial navy for a purpose
that turned out in the gross more injurious than beneficial to the
safety of that large class of men who navigated our shores. He
had heard with much regret that the funds which were destined
to increase the number of lighthouses could not be wholly ap-
plied to such purpose, and that the number of lights must be
less in consequence of the claims on it for pensions to widows
and orphans of seamen. Now; that these were fit objects of
public commiseration no person would deny, but they were so
much so that he hoped other means of provision for them
might be easily found, without, any diminution of the
lights necessary for the guidance and security of the vessels
approaching our coasts. On grounds of humanity, on grounds
of the necessary protection of our commerce, he hoped that
such funds might not be diverted from their legitimate purpose.
He was glad that the motion had been brought forward, and he
hoped that the attention of the house would be directed to the
returns which would be made in pursuance of the motion. It
was to him a great satisfaction that after the rather desultory
discussions in which they had been engaged since the com-
mencement of the session they had at last come to something
practical. (Hear, hear.) By some of those discussions he had
been amused, by some instructed, and perhaps by some edified;
but on the whole, looking at them as far as their tendency to
practical results went, he would say, as a new member, that he
had been rather disappointed. (Hear, hear.) It was therefore
a satisfaction to him to see the house come at last to some
measure from which a practical good might be derived, and on
that ground he gave his support to the motion.
After a few words from an hon. member whose name we did
not learn,
Lord EBRINGTON, referring to the statement of the hon.
member for Middlesex, that the profits from the light-house be
longing to Lord Braybroke, exceeded £22,000 a year, one
moiety of which was paid to government, and the other was re-
tained by the noble lord, duserved, that he did not know where
the hon. member had got his intbrmation, but he could state,
that the profits received by Lord Braybroke did not amount to
more than half the sum named as received'by him. •
Mr. HUME said he got his information from the returns made
to government, from which it appeared that after deducting the
expense, the moiety returned by Lord Braybroke to govern-
ment was E.11,8;7 17s. Bd. for 21. mouths. ( Hear, hear.)
Lord EBRINGTON had understood the hon. member to state
that sum as the moiety of the produce of one year. (Hear,
hear.) •
Mr. H umE observed, that he thought he had said, and he
certainly meant, 21 months; but it was certain that the public
paid more than £23,000 for that light-house. What he com-
plained of was this—that after the promises made by Mr. Her-
ries and Mr. Huskisson that the leases would not be renewed,
and alter the report of a committee, recommending that, after
the expiration of the• then leases, the lighthouses should be
p. aced under the control of some public corporation, and after
toe strong memorial of the Trinity-house to the same effect,
some of those should have been renewed to the same parties, and
the puaac thus saud.ed with au anuual burden, from whichthey
aid not derive the.hetietit had a right to expect.
hl u
r. G. F. yoNG (we betteve) contillained that the comMerL
cial navy of the multi y was made to pay a large sum, far be=
I y wad that which was necessaiy, for keeping up many of those
i i,ts. lie hoped that au, cud might be put to that system.
ike Ord not see why the British navy, which derived equal be-
neti:.s Item those tights, should not be made to bear a part of
the charge. In one instance, that he could name, a lighthouse
was elected where none had been before, and where none was
necessary.

Captain DUNDAS was understood to say that he had that day'
received a letter from a shipowner bearing testimony to the au-
vanti.:;se &lived by the commercial navy from these lights, and
from the one to which he (Captain littudas) uuderood tife;
Mai. member (Mr. Young) to allude,• and he could even cite
ie:tlineny of the hon. member's father, who was a good
t.o the same point.
;Si;, G. 1'; 1.-oi.NG said that the trawl off the Start-point was
iU:;t.liouse to which he alluded.
iNoToN bore testimony to the importance of the
iitht:uu in question. ' Many of too private lighthouses were
of peat benciii. to the vessels appioaehing our coasts, but it.
wou;(1 not be advisable to increase • itwir number, owing to the
diliteu.tv mten found in distinguishing one froth tne other.
'llie n.otiou was then put and agreed to.
PUBLICATION OF DIVISIONS.

Mr. D. W. H;R;;;;;d ``that Mr. Speaker be requeFtcd
to make the necessary arrangements for the taking of the div-
sions, and for the insertion of them in the • votes, giving the
name of each member in the majority and minority,—menabers•
pairing off to leave their names in the vote-office."
Lord STORMONT opposed the-motion;—Lord ALv'aoße said
be thought the hon. gentleman could not be serious in making
this motion;—Mr. WA RBURTO?i • supported the motion ;—»

Colonel DAVIES and Mr. HUME could not vote for this motion,
although they thought it desirable, if any practicable means
could be found of doing so with accuracy, that the names of
members voting should be published;—Sir ROBERT PEEL and
Captain BERKELEY were decidedly opposed to the scheme.
The gallery was then cleared for a division, and the house
divided, when the numbers appeared:—
For the motion 94
Against it 142

Majority 4B
FRIDAY.

PETITIONS were presented :—for the better observance of the Sab-
bath, from the Scotch Church in St. Mary's Abbey (Dublin), from
Hampstead, and from Harrogate, by Mr. SHAW ; from Salisbury, by
Mr. BRODIE ; for the repeal of the House and Window taxes, from
Bath, by General PALMER ; from Worthing, by Mr. Gomm} ; for the
abolition of Negro Slavery, from Rumford, by Sir T. B. LENNARD.
Mr. O'CoNNELL presented a petition from the chandlers and soap-
boilers of Dublin, praying for a revision of the. Soap-duties in Eng-
land. The petitioners stated that, owing to some peculiarity in the
imposition of these duties, the English soap-manufactureres were
enabled to undersell (the Irish in their own market. He thought the
complaints were entitled to the consideration of government, and he
hoped the noble lord would he able to take off .the duty altogether.
Lord ALTHORP admitted that, by the present scale of duties, the
Irish soap-manufacturers were sufferers, and unjustly so. There ap-
peared' to him but three modes by which they could be relieved :-
Ist, to take off the duty altogether; 2nd, to alter the drawback ; and
3rd, to impose but one-half of the present tax on English soap, and to
lay a tax of equal amount on the Irish. He hoped shortly to be able
to bring forward a measure which should embrace one of these propo-
sitions, and to effect such an alteration as would be generally bene-
ficial.

After a few words from Mr. Lalor, Mr. Ruthven, Sir F. Burdett,
and Mr. Lefroy, the petition was ordered to lie on the table.
DISTURBANCES (IRELAND)' SUPPRESSION BILL.
A message from the Lords brought up the above bill.
Lord ALTIIORP said, the usual course was to move the first
reading immediately on a bill being. brought from the other
house ; but in compliance with the wish of several members to
have it printed before passing through any of its stages, he now
moved " that the bill be printed, and that it be read the first time
on Wednesday next."
Mr. H. GRATTAN said, that without wishing to enter into any
debate, he would enter his protest against the bill.
Mr. HUME'wished to know when the house might expect the
remedial measures whiCh the government had promised. He
hoped that the 'Muse would not pass the present bill until the
others were passed, or, at least, until they were satisfied that
they would pass.
Lord ALTHORP said, that he'had stated a day or two ago that
he hoped to be able to introduce the bill for church reform by
the end of next week, and the bill for amending the grand jury
system by the middle of the week. It was for the house to de-
cide whether they had sufficient confidence in ministers to be-
lieve that they were in earnest When they said they would carry
through the remedial measures. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. O'CONNELL said, the members of that house might be
disposed to place the fullest confidence in the intentions of minis-
ters,' and to believe that they had the power of carrying their
remedial measures through that house, but ministers would not
insinuate that they could- control another assembly. (Hear.)
Could it be said that in another place any measure advantage-
ous to Ireland was certain of passing ? Any- thing disadvan-
tageous to her was, he knew, sure to pass,—any measure spring-
ing from malignant hatred of that country. (Hear, and mur-
murs.) No more on that point. He rose on the present occa-
sion principally for the purpose of apologising to his constitu-
ents for permitting one vote respecting this despotic bill to pass
without discussing it; but, as the noble lord had postponed the
first reading till Wednesday in compliance with the suggestions
of ;persons opposed to the bill, he would content himself at pre-
sent with giving notice that he would move a call of the house
for Wednesday, and would repeat the call whenever he thought
he perceived any relaxation of its effect as long as the bill was
before the house. There was a time when the phrase " the
madness of slavery" was cheered in that house. He felt the
madness of slavery coming over him then. He would say no
more, at present.
Mr. STANLEY complained' that two matters had been con-
nected which were independent of one another, and an oppo-
sition had been raised before it was known what was coming.
The ministers had always intended to give their attention to
acknowledged grievances. They were anxious to show that
they had acted up to their professions. The measures which
they had already announced
,had extorted a reluctant approval
from the hon. and learned gentleman himself, to the position,
that from them great and substantial good was likely to arise.
They had acknowledged their conviction that some alterations
were necessary; they. had pledged themselves to bring them
forward, and it was impossible for any administration to go on
which could not carry its measures. Whether he sat upon
these benches or the opposite, whether in office or out, he
should equally have supported the present bill, which he con-
sidered not a coercive, but a protective one. He would have
the country to knoW, that there was no intention on the part of
government to evade or elude the fulfilment of their profes-
sions; but he did not see, that to convince the country of their
truth, it was at all requisite that the remedial and the other
bill shouldyaripassu. The honourable and learned gentleman
said that the government could not carry the measures for the
benefit of Ireland in the House of Lords. He (Mr. Stanley,)
said that to the remedial measures, as to the coercive plea-
sures, his Majesty's government was pledged. If they could
not carry both the coercive measures and the remedial mea-
sures they were not a government. (Loud cheering.)
If they were unable to carry their measures through both
houses they were unworthy to retain their offices, and he should
hold himself disgraced by continuing in the situation which he
had now the honour to fill. (Cheers.) He said that his Majesty's
.government was pledged, as a government, to all its measures,
whether remedial or coercive. Tell him that they could not
carry their measure! Then they were not—they dare not put
themselves forward as—the ministers of the country. On the
faith of their character, their station, their honour as gentlemen,
that they would not hold situations which they could not fill, he
called upon the house to give his Majesty's ministers its con-
fidence. (Cheers.) They had announced certain measures as
the line of policy, which they intended to pursue. They could
not stop to inquire which of those measures were to be carried
first in either house, but he again said that if they could not
carry their measures they ought not to continue as the govern-
ment of the country. The two sets of measures were independ-
ent of each other, but, at the, same time, the failure of the one,
or the failure of the other, would equally imply this—that they
had not the confidence of the two houses of parliament, and,
therefore, ought not to continue iu office. (Cheers.)
D. BALDWIN, Mr. FINN, and Mr. F. O'Coeson., stated their
firm determination to resist the measure of coercion, whatever
might be the nature of the remedial bills.
Mr. SHELL said the rightlionourable gentleman had declared
that no government ought to continue if they did not carry their
pledges into effect. He would ask, with respect to the. passing
of bills through another house, what had become of the Jury
Bill of last session, which passed taat house ? The Chancellor
of the Exchequer had been questioned by him (Mr. S.) on the
subject, and the reply obtained was, that the government were
•pledged on the subject, and he might trust them. Was not
that a remedial measure ? What had become of it? It had
been referred to a committee, and where was their report ? Had
the pledge been redeemed in this instance ?
Lord ALTUORP said that he had given the pledge with per-
fect sincerity of intention ; (cheers;) the bill had certainly not
been carried into the other house, but that circupastance was
owing to the lateness of the session. He was prepared to show
that the bill could not be proceeded with. tie acknowledged
that the pledge was unredeemed, but he might fairly say, that
he did not consider that he would have failed in it. 'This being
the case, he thought it right to admit that the pledge he had
given must .be redeemed in the course of the present- session.
Leheers.)
Mr. O'CONNELL said the right hon. secretary quite mistook
.him if he supposed him to say that his opposition to the coer-
cive measures would be in the smallest degree mitigated by the
success of the remedial ones. He did not expect, because he
had yielded to an impulse of gratitude towards those whom he
considered to be the enemies of his country, to be Mooted with
.the approbation he had bestowed upon some of the measures of
go.verninent, and to have his expressions of satisfaction with
those measures flung back at him in the way they had been by
the right hon. secretary.
The bill was then ordered to be printed, and to be read a first
time on 'Wednesday next.
.. Mr. O'CONNELL then moved that the house be called over
on Wednesday next—Ordered.
On the motion of Lord ALTHORP, the committee of supply
was pus:polled to Wednesday.
Mr. Cueeleir gave notice, that on the motion for going into
a conanittee of supply he would' propose a resolution deciaring
that the rich should pay for stamps and auction duties in the
same procoi tion as the poor.
ill answer to a queStion from Mr. GOULBURN,
Mr. STANLEY stated, that it was his intention to bring in a
bill respeCting the deaneries of Down and Raphoe, unless lie
found that. he could effect his object by a clause in the bill for
the reformation of the Irish church.

APPOINfME,NTS UNDER THE CEOWN.

Mr. Ilumm moved fur the appointment or "a select commit-
tee to examiue and report the number of members of both
houses of Parliament who hold. office, place, and emolument
under the cro►vn or public offices, and the amiunt of salaries
and allowances, present and in reversion.." 'I he hon. member.
exptessed his opinion 'that. no' incliNidual holding Office at the

pleasure of the Crown should sit and vote in the House of Com-
mons, and he would even carry his principle so far as to exchsa,'e
officers in the army and navy. He had stated that opinion be-
fore, and it had been considered a very extraordinary one, but
it was founded on experience. On referring to documents he
found it somehow or other happened that the great majority of
the military and naval officers in the house had always been in
the habit of voting with the government in support of measure s
which were prejudicial to the interests of the country at-large.
That was the case in the unreformed Parliaments—what might
happen now he did not know. The number of persons 'sitting
in that house who held appointments under the Crown he a.
latterly diminished. in 1714 there were 200 persons of this
description in the house; in 1717 there were 207, and in 1822,
148; but this number required to be further reduced.
On the suggestion of Lord ALTHORP, the motion was so
amended as to require an account with respect to antecedent
periods.
An hon. MEMBER thoughtthat the people ought to be allowed
to send whom they pleased to represent them in the House of
Commons. Although he was an officer, he believed that he
should conduct himself with as much temper, judgment, and im-
partiality, as the hon. member for Middlesex himself. (Hear.)
Officers who were receiving a small pittance of half-pay, the only
reward of services performed for their country, were as likely to
act as independently as persons who were endeavouring to court
popularity by appealing to the passions of the people.
Mr. HUME said, that the last speaker was mistaken if he sup-
posed that he meant to calumniate any person. All members of
that house were honourable men, and though he found member*
voting in one particular way on all occasions, they were still
honourable men. He could not suppose that officers would act
otherwise than as honourable men, but he knew that they stood
in a different situation from himself in that house. Th'e King
could not deprive him of a commission, but he could an officei-,
consequently he was a dependent man. (" Oh.") There was
on the table of the house a return which showed that upwards of
1000 officers had been deprived of their commissions without
being tried by a court-martial, and without any reason being It,
signed for their dismissal. It might be recollected that a gallant
officer of high reputation, formerly member for Southwark, was
deprived of his commission without any cause assigned, and
when he appealed to the House of Commons he could obtain no
redress. The hon. and gallant member had insinuated that he
was courting popularity. He despised popularity (" oh") in
the sense in which the hon. member had employed the word.
He would not court popularity for any unworthy Object, but he
would court it in order to enable him to do a good act, and to
promote the interests of his country. (Hear, hear.) He begged
it to be understood, that in what he had said respecting ofileers,
he meant nothing offensive to any individual.
Captain BERKELEY said, that if the honourable member for
Middlesex had not on former occasions cast imputations oa
those members who were in the habit of supporting government
he might have felt indignation at what had fallen from hips
with respect to the officers of. the army and navy, of the latter of
whom he was one. The hen. member could not know what the
word honour meant, or he never _would suppose that an office:
would sell his constituents for the sake of his paltry half-pay.
Every officer would throw back upon the honourable member
the imputation which he had cast upon them. From his sup-
posing that officers could be actuated by such motives as he at •
tributed to them, he could not help thinking that if the hon.
member were in their situation he would himself be actuated by
those motives.
Sir E. CODRINGTON said he would not condescend to reply
to the imputations which the hon. member for Middlesex had
cast upon the officers of the army and navy ; but he wished to
say a few words as to the hon. member's general proposition.
He (Sir E. Codrington) considered half-pay not as a, retaining
fee, but a reward for past services. He was ready to maintain that
proposition either on the principle on which pensions were granted
or by a reference to the opinion of the twelve judges delivered
in the case of the former Duke of St. Aiban's, when a lieute-
nant in the navy, in 1793. It was proposed to deprive the duke
of his half-pay on account of his not having offered himself for
service, but the twelve judges gave it as their opinion that it
could not be taken from him, because it was the reward of past
services.

Mr. P. HOWARD said that some instances of officers being
dismissed from the service occurred iu the early part of the:
American war; but such cases had rarefy occurred, lately. The
ground on. which Sir R. Wilson was deprived of his com-
mission was one strictly military.
An Hon. MEMBER complained of the manner in which naval
and military officers had been slandered by the lion. member
for Middlesex. He considered that no restriction ought to be put
on the choice. He had studied the constitution of his country,
and he had yet to learn that it was inconsistent with its princi-
ples for a soldier to enjoy all the privileges of a British citizen.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. ROEBUCK did not think it was a good principle to restrict
the choice of the people with respect to their representatives.
The existing law declared certain persons ineligible to sit in
Parliament. His hon.'friend (Mr. Huine) had only followed
out that principle, and by so doing had shown that it was bad.
Mr. COBBRIT said that by the Act of Settlement all officers
under the Crown, civil and military, were excluded from that
house. For his own
_part, he would rather see military officers in
that house than the landowners, who had pocketed so much of the
public money. (A laugh,) He agreed with the gallant admira!,
that the half-pay of officers ought to be regarded as the reward of
past services, and that they ought to be subjected to the same
sort of treatment as Sir Robert Wilson had received. (Hear,
hear.) He was sorry to say that there were in different parts
of England several old soldiers and sailors who- had been
maimed in the service of their country, and who had had their
pensions taken from them without any cause assigned. (No,
no.) He had a petition to present from an old soldier, residing
in Oldham, who had been wounded in the battle of Waterloo,
complaining that his pension had been withheld, in conse-
quence of his being unable from illness to go out, when called
on to do so.

Lord J, RUSSELL said, that it was a regulation with respect
to Chelsea pensioners, that if, when called upon to serve in a
veteran battalion, they did not answer the tail, they were nu
longer considered as pensioners. The 'same-rule applied, lie
believed,tonfacers on half-pay. If, however, a sufficient reu-
sou was given,for their absence, they were reinstated in the list
of pensioners. He had written a letter to the hon. member for
Oldham respecting the pensioner to whom he had alluded, and
had directed it to Mr. William Cobbeft, as he unuerstood the
hon. member disliked the title.of "esquire." The hon member
returned an answer, stating that the letter was unsatisfactory,.
for no other reason that he (Lorti John Russell) could iieagiae
than that the hon. member hail, in this instance, as in ethers,
changed his mind, and was dissatiElied with the mode of address
which he had himself prescribed. (Laughter.) •

Mr. COBBETT said that the part of the letter which was un-
satisfactory was the inside, and not the outside. .(Laughter.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that with respect to the quest,on, whe-
ther it was desirable that persons in .particu.ae situation;
should be excluded from that house, he was inclined to concur,
for the first time he believed, with the lion member for. tiath
(Mr. Roebuck). He thought it a bad prideiple to restrict the
choice of the people. if a brave and gallant officer, acquainted
with the interests of his country; was chosen as the representa-
tive of any constituency, he fur one was disposed. not to put a
veto on that choice. (Hear, hear.)
Colonel ToititEas could not concur in the principle which,
had been laid down by his hen. friend (Mr. Hume). - if that;
principle had been acted uppn, Lord Chatham. never could have
been a public man. - He could not consent to,subject
to the discipline of his hon.o friend, and he therefore thought it
right to leave the camp as quickly as possib:e. (The hon. inem-
ber, who occupied a place near Mr. Flume, here took up his hat,
and immediately moved off to a distant part of me house,
amidst shouts of laughter.)
• Mr. HOME said he was very giad his hon. friend had left the
camp, for he was of very little service iu it. (Laughter.) With
respect to the insinuations cast upon him by an hon. member
opposite, he begged to say that he threw them back with cmi-.
tempt.
The.motion was then agreed to and the committee appointed.
CORPORATION " REFORM."
Mr. M. ATTWOOD rose to call the attention of fhe horise
pursuant to notice, to the petition of R. H. Franks, and. to
move that the order for referring it to the committee on intini-
cipal corporations be discharged. He contended that that eust-
nuttee could have no jurisdiction in this matter, inasmuch as
the Merchant Tailors' Company, to which the petition referred,
was a trading corporation, and not a municipal. one. He knew
not by what ingenuity it could be attempted to be proved that
this corporation. possessed anything of a municipal character.
He found by the records of the company that it always had
been considered a trading corporation. In' proof of this, he
would state that the company sent its officer on the day of Bar-
tholomew fair with a sliver yard iu his hand, to see that all
measuies used at that fair were good. It was not an original
privi;ege of this and other•similarcompanies to have the power
of voting for members of 'Parliament; it was long after their
institution that ,the. elective franchise was conferred on the
-liverymen of these companies by an orderof the corporation of
London, which was the only municipal corporation in that city,
It would be much better it 'ministers consulted the ianblic in-
terests by. confining. themselves to the immediate business of
the state, instead of mstituting.experimental inquiries like ,that
with respect to corporations, to which the people were no par-
ties, as not having demanded them. That reformed house was
• - Concluded on page 221. •

siv ~.v• . For DUBLIN AND BELFAST:
THE CITY OF VUBLIN
1.,',' STEAM-PACKETIOMPANY,
'. - '-t- INCORPORATED BY ACT F PARLIAMENT.
The above Company sail their Vess s, (with or without
Pil4ts,) taking Goods and Passengers t the following ports,
namely,__
To DUBLIN Daily.
To BELFAST, the HIBERNIA, every Wednesday, from the
Clarence Dock.
Apply, for Dublin Line, to .
. - SAMUEL PERRY, 27,
for Belfast Line, to Water-street.
JOHN MTAMMON.

On THURSDAY, the 7th March next, at One o'clock,
.4„,.„ at JER BROTHERS and LATHAM'S Office, Hargraves'-
buildings,
The American Ship GOVERNOR STRONG,
Lying in Prince's Dock; about 270 tans' burthen, lately con-
demned at this port; and afterwards thvimaterials.of the Ship;
consisting of Baats, Sails, Rigging, Anchors,, Plain Cables,
Chains, &c. &c.—Apply to Messrs. WA DDIN6TON, Hoar, and
Co. Merchants, or to
.TEE BROTHERS and LATHAM, Brokers.

By Mr. SYERS.
By order of the Illortgayee,—On MONDAY, the 4th of March
next, at One o'clock in the Afternoon, at the Clarendon-
buildings, South John-street, Liverpool, in
,one or two Lots,
as may then be agreed upon,
A Piece of LAN-D, with the Two DWELLING-HOUSES
1-1.. thereon erected, situate on the east side of Wesley-street,
in Toxteth-park, containing in front thketo, and in breadth at the
back severally, 13 yards or thereabotitS, and running. in depth
backwards on the north and south sides severally 21 yards and
6 inches or thereabouts; bounded on the north by a House
belonging toMessrs. Fletcher and Parry, and on the south by
Land belonging to Messrs. R. and J. Russell.
The Tenure is Freehold of Inheritance.

Part of the purchase money may, if required, remain on
mortgage.
Apply td Mr. THOMAS-HOUGIITON, Jun. Solicitor, Chatham-
buildings, South John-street, Liverpool.