The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-03-15 00:00:00

PROCEEDINGS IN PARLIA!

i:NT.

In the Loans there was nothing done bat the present-
ing of petitions ; not of a public nature, with the excep-
t'.on of one Wakefield, is Yorkshire,against the Insolvent

Debtors' Art. Prom the numerousness of these petitions,
the Lord Chancellor said that some attention ought to be
➢aid to the snitject. In the COMSONS several subjects
came before the House, of Which, towever,wu shall hive
more opportunity to treat at length on Monday. There•
sag a pretty long debate on the Mutiny 'Bill, previous
to the House cuing into a Committee; on which Col. Da-
vios mcveil " that the Constnittee be instructed to insert
a clause in the Bill to prevent " the dismissals of officers
..." from his Majesty's service without the intervention of
" a Court Martial." He was supported by Mr. Hutchin-
son and Mr. Hume. The amendment was negatived
without a division. Upon this subject, at present, we
reed only observe that our opinion, which always has
been, that so long as this standing army is proper ; so
long as se are to haves standing army of 70,000 men in

time of peace, .it is perfectly consistent for the King to
lave the privilege of dismissing officers at pleasure I that
this opinion of ours is pretty well backed we think, by
the fact,that the mover of this clause votedfor the Army
Estimates.' We can see, at any rite, in any arguments
brought forward by the gallant Colonel or his support-
ers, none, which arc not anseered very satisfactorily by
Sir Francis Blake, who said that " the King oueht to
" have that power over superior officers, which superior
officers bad over inferior officers." The benefit of this
power of dismissal in superior officers he spoke of from
his own experience; why, therefore, not have the same
salutary power in the King himself? Forour own parts
we confess we do not see the answer to this very clear.
Both these officers are for the standing army ; only ore
of them would have thecommandersof it ; a sort of in-
dependent chiefs, subject to no controol, and the other
would hare them remain as subject to arbitrary power
an they are absolete themselves in their respective com-
mands. Between the two our choice is taken at once.
No, thank yon, gallant Colonel : we think this standing
army rather too large in time of peace, to be left to it-
Fall, and shall ha very well content, so long as we have
to maintain it, to leave the King his " sound discretion"
with regard to its affairs !—After the Committee on
the Mutiny !hll, the Hauge went into a commit-
tee on the Navy Estimates. Nothing transpired of
much ronsegeence; bat it was stated by Sir B.
Martin, that " at no period of our history could England
boast of such a feet." Giving the gallant Admiral due
credit in matitrs of fact, we do not suppose that this
was said by way of braggadocio; but one cannot help
°Decrying, generally speaking. the pride which is
evinced by our officers of both army and nary (and GOD
knows they are numerous enoligh), put in a stir, sett
were, by movetuents of the Bonrbons. This pride, how-
ever, we expect, wail go unsatisfied, for any thing that
our prAty fellows will do, or can do. Let our gallant'
and numernus generals, said not less numerous than gal-
lant adtnirels., bid good bye to any more glory; let
them he coved/ with their present scars, unless,
indeed, they have the courage to face a more
fGrtnidahle army than they ever yet have had to
encountei, the Host on the Stock-Exchange. Sir
James folack!eosh gave notice that he should
bring forward again something about the Criminal Laic,
on the MO May, We believe Sir James is on the Game
Law Committee; ard we hope that at any rate he will
do something to " ameliorate " that code. His time
cannot i.e better vent. and until this shameful ahnie of
Law he done away, we shall continue to regard all talk
al out "-amelioration " as worse than by
Monday, according to a notice given by Mr. Evans, Mr.
Wilberforce will present it petition from thoQuakersefor
the " gradual abolishment of negro slavery." Th'egra-
dual, abolition, of ne:,^ro slavery! We hare not time
now to cheer upon this phrase of the Qualcrrs; but, we
Lace no doubt, that it will be found to lave a
meaning favourable to somebody, though it be,uot
to do any thing eery effectual, or, at least ininee.iate,
for the lienefit of the negrors themselves. Mr. S. Rice
gave notice of a motion for an account of the business
perfkirmed by certain subordinate officers connected with
the Grand Juries in Ireland. There were some of
these, he said, whose allowances were greater than
the salarg of a Secretary of State, and that these al-
lowances were raised directly upon the poorest
ekt,ses of the people. From what he said, these
-subordinate officers are cot of a character consistent
with their appellatiat, and he seemed rot to ex-
pect the aid of their good will in getting the return he
wanted. We hope, at any rate, that whatever does come
out, the whole truth will be brought out, in any return
or whatever else is made as to Ireland; so many lies are
imported from that country !

Paris papers of Wednesday morning have arrived
with private letters of Wednesday night, and the Pifote
bearing the date of Thursday. The latter cont tins the
following intelligence:—A courier had arrived from Ma-
drid, which place he left on the nth instant.. A Procla-
mation, signed Ferdinand VII. had been published
throughout Madrid, announcing. that war was defini-
tively revolved upon; and that the Spanish Govetninent
was about to take all possible means to repel aggression.
Another Decree, also signed by the King, ordains that
the Government, the Cortes, and the King's Royal Per
son shall all hr removed to Ila lajos.—Sir W. A'Conrt
had notiiied to the Minister of Foreign affair% the special
orders he bad received from the British Cabinet to ful
low his Catholic Majesty to whatever residence his Ma.
jetty might choose for the seat of his Government. A
BOURBON WAR. . private letter, however, of Wednesday afternoon asserts
. P!enty of lies both from France and Spain. The parties that the accounts contained in the journal of th .t morn-
seem to be trying to out-lie each other, at any rate. The ing of transactions which aro said to have taken plain.
Morning CAronicie (the best part of the London Press) at Madrid subsegnently to the 4th instant, are founded on
trite us about the inteittions of the Spanish Government ,no authority. No courier had arrived from the Spanish
with just as much confidence as it told us of Mr. Car. capital since the 3d: therefore, there could be no intel-
ning's laving thrown his shield over the Peninsula I It ligence of What took place on the 4th and sth. By
svelps.hoirever, that all ambassador, Sir W. ATourt, has i private accounts we also learn that the English papers of
declared to the Spanish llovernaien% that his Sovereign Saturday last, containing the report of the dinner pro-
bes ordered him to go pith the King of Spain, in orde ceedings of the London Tavern on Friday, end the pro.
r . •