The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-05-06 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS—MotcD*T.

Mr. CURWEN presented a petition from the Association
of Smithfield graziers, praying that a prohibition might be
put to the Itopoctation of toreign tallow.—Laid on the
taule.
ABOLITION OF SLAVEBT.
Mr. PELHAM presented a petition from Chiffnell, pray-
ing for the abolitiou of slavery.—Ordered to be printed.
Mr. LEGGE presented a petition from Bulibury, praying
tie abolition of slavery.—Ordered to be printed.
Mr. GOOCH presented a petition from Queenibery, pray-
og for the abolition of slavery.—Ordered to be printed.
Mr. HALDIMAND presented a similar petition from the
Clergy, Magistrates. &c. of the Borough of Ipswich.
Af.er a few words from Mr. GOOCH in support of the
petition, it was laid on the table, and ordered to be
printed.
Sir T. ACKLAND presented several petitions to the same
effect from Devonshire, which were laid on the table, and
ordered to be printed.
r. W. SMITH presented three petitions, one from Col-
liigton, another from Bury St. Edmund's, and the third
f^om Chelmsford, preying for the abolition of slavery.—Or-

dered to he printed.
tiir JOHN NEWPORT presented a petition from the Ro-
wan Cathode lehabitasts of thwiLaion of Tuna (Ireland),
complaining that, though they possess considerable landed
property within the district, they are excluded from any
elute in the voting of taxes at the vestries.
After a few words from Mr. GOULBURN, Lord A.
HAMILTON, and Mr. V. FITZGERALD, the petition
Was laid on Pt. table.
Mr. V. FITZGERALD presented a petition from Dennis
Sampson, Clerk of the Crown for the County of Clare, com-
p:Mating that his legal Meiotic of remuneration for the duties
of his office, were not adequate to his expenses, and pray-
in: for an increase of salary.—Laid on the table.
Mr. V. FITZGERALD presented a petition from the Ma-
gistracy, Gentry, and other inhabitants of the County of
Clare, praying for a repeal of the Leather Tax in Ireland.
—Ordered to be printed.
Colonel WOOD gave notice, that* on the rid of May, he
would propose certain Resolutions relative to the Law of
Settlement.
' Sir JOHN BOUGHEY postponed the second reading of
the Masters and Apprentices' /Jill to Friday se'nuight.
Colonel WOOD presented a petition from the inhabitants
of Staines, preying fur a repeal of the duty on coals.—
Laid on the table.
Mr. HUME presented a petition from Leominster, pray-
Jag ftr the abolition of slavWv.—Ordered to be printed.
EDINBURGH REFORM PETITION.
Mr. ARERCROM it if said he rose to present a petition
from 7,00k0 of the inhabitant householders of the city of
Ed nburgh, complaining of the state of representation in
tnat city. It would be necessury for lilin to call the atten-
tion of the House to this subject for a moment. The peti-
tioders. whatever °plutons they might hold upon that cities-
-tion, expressed no opinion upon the general question of
. Reform. They merely entered into a detail of the grievances
albeit own situation, an I re.ied upon the wisdom of the
House fur such measures as the justice of their case deserv-
ed. The population of Edinburgh amounted to above
100,000 inhabitants, and though since the Union it enjoyed
the privilege of sending one representative-to Parliament,
yet the number of electors did not exived 33, nineteen of
whom elected their successors, and in that number, there-
. fore, was vested the right of electing a Member for the city
.ofddieburgh. Resides these, there were a certain number
of persons called Deacons, who ought be popularly elected,
but the curt was the case. The petitioners stated, the
proportion of property possessed by the electors and the
other inhatituts who were excluded from that privilege,
out of 103,000 inhabitants, there were but 93 electors who
only occupied property to the atuount of 11,8001. a-year,
welt/the rented property of Edinburgh amounted to 3.i0,01.101.
a-year. Titus 311individuels, who did not pay more titan
UM hundred and fortieth pert of the whole rent of the city
,Edinburgh, bad the exclusive privilege of sending •
representative to Parliament. Amongst tne petitioners were.
comprised a great portion of the intelligence, morality, in-
dustry, end public spirit of Ediuburgh, and yet they had no
share in the election. Toe, knew just as much about the
• de e of electithi of the representative for Edinburgh, as they
• did about the day of eleetton-for the Member Air Corte Cam
k. The elesnio I took place in a dismal room, sodas usual
..on those etaaaitHia, ended iu a snot dinner. Reformers were
-charged with being ibeoreti:•, but never *as there a stronger
case of representation in tlreo.y.than that of his lion. Prised,
the Member for Eihinnrgh. He knew bat one ease in the
.kingdom which bore any analogy to the situatioo ot Edin-
' bomb, and therefore toe &else need not be alarmed, lest
'airy wending to the prayer of the petitioners, it would be es-
tebtishiey a precedent which would apply .to a number of
• eases, because it must be a city or town already pounsing
-•iss itself the tigisSof election. Neither could he be met by
• efting, that the state of representation in Scotland was al-
°ready too popular, for. in all Scotland there was not one
piece in which the people had the opportunity of constitu-
tionally expressing their opinion. And now that he saw the
• Right Hon. Gentleman, the great enemy of Reform take his
jaidet(fair. Oaniting), he would ask if he would stilt perse-
vere in kis opposition. if the state of representation were in
ai it is iu Szotitatl. fact, in the latter country,

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the-sight of duties was vested either is an ofigsrs4 ot'
bergesseeor heriters. Haled issorsimagy Orestkmeu, whim
opposing the general quake of Reform, say, show as a
specific cue where Reform is neeessary, and you shall have
car support. He would pot their sincerity to die test, as he
was determined, if possible, this Susion • but if net, tbs
next, to move for an extension of the elective franchise le
Edinburgh. He eoeld not despair or sages's, if those Oen-
dawn were slicers Is their profession of support where a
specific ease was pointed oat.
Mr. DUNDAS said, that It would be contrary to the
practice of the House to take.any measures in the present
ease. Wherever abuse was found to exist, it was punish.
ed by disfranchising it; but the petition without oialtir.lg
any such charge, called at once upon the House to in-
fringe upon the Charter of Edieborgb, and break down
those rights which bad been secured to it at the Union.
Even the opinion of Lord Hardwicke, which had been
quoted on a former evening by a Noble Lord opposite in
support of Reform, was decidedly against any such an in-
fringement.
Mr. KENNEDY said, be sincerely rejoiced in seeing
this petition presented. • It wu quite distinct from the
general question of Reform, and would put the sincerity
of those gentlemen to the test who professed themselves
ready to apply Reform to a specific case shown. It did
not surprise him that the Honourable Member for Edin-
burgh, should seem to have nothing to do with the peti-
tion before the Hones. In this- be has only shown his
consistency, because he feels that he is not the repiesen-
tative of the inhabitants of Edinburgh, hot of the 33
in-
dividuals who elect him.
Mr. CALCRAFT observed that the state of the repre-
sentation in Edinburgh demanded the serious attention
of the House. Out of 100,000 people which Edinborgli
contained, the Right Hoe. Headsman represented only
thirty-three, and that number was actitaliy reduced to
nineteen, for the remainder were permanent and elected
each other. It appeared that the Right Hun. Geode-
men had now closed his career by getting into a lucra-
tive sinecure worth, at least, 2,0001. per annum. The
speech he had made that evening oo a petition signed by
7,000 persons, was quite in character with a gentleman
representing only nineteen individuals, add those of the
different class from the general body of the inhabitants.
He (Mr. Ualcraft) hoped that the appeal made to the
House on this subject would not be disregarded. Was it
to be tolerated that 100,000 people, inhabitants of one of
the most important cities in treat Britain, should b.: suf-
fered to continue represented as they now were. He
trusted that his Hon. Friend would not fail to bring in a
Bill on the subject, and that it would experience the
support even of the Right Honourable tientleman, who,
it was thought, was kept from the Oovernment of the
Indies for the purpose of opposing Parliamentari ite-
total.

Lord BINNING did not mean to reply to the obser-
vations of the Honourable Gentleman who had just sat
down. He only rose to express his surprise that consi-
dering the long time the petition bad lain for signature,
there were not more than 7,000 names affixed to it
oat of a population of 150,000 souls. All sorts of expe-
dierna had been resorted to; even women and children,
had been called into request, yet not more than 1,000
names could be procured. For his own part he was nut
a friend to partial, moderate, temperate, in short, to Pir-
lianientary Reform of any kind.—(Hear, hear.) He dr-
precated this attempt to bring about Parliamentary Re-
form by piecemeal.
Mr. J. P. GRANT supported the prayer of the peti-
tion, and maintained that the suffrage of Scotland might
be extended without any violation of the Act of Union.
Sir R. FEROUSSON said that the petition was signed
by d,BOO resident inhabitants of Edinburgh. He denied
that the name of one womae or child could be found af-
fixed to ir. The Noble Lord said that Edinburgh con-'
taioed 150,000 souls. Such was not the fact, for the po-
pulation of the city itself has not more than 100,000, and
this petition did out include Leith.
Mr. HUME stated that the petition had affixed to it
the names of within 500 of all the male inhabitants whose
houses were rated at 51. a year.
Mr. H. DRUMMOND contended that the petition did
not speak the sense of the general body of the inhabit-
ants of Edinburgh. Considering the moans that lied'
been resorted to to obtain signatures, if any strong feel-
ings existed on the subject, nought to have been signed
by 40,000 persons.
An Honourable MEMBER, whose name we could not
learn, spoke briefly in support of the petition, which was
then ordered to lie on the table.
On the motion that it be printed.
Mr. ABERCROMBY vindicated the means taken to
procure the signatures, and said that individuals were
stationed for the express purpose of preventing any per-
son from patting his name to the petition whose house
was rated at less than W. Why did not those who were
connected with all the patrunsge of the Government
come forward with another petition, and say that the one
now presented did not sprint the sense of the people of
Edinburgh? No; they could not venture to do so.
Mr. KENNEDY explained.
Lord A. HAMILTON said a few words, upon which
Mr. GOULBURN rose and requested the Noble Lord
to postpone his motion respecting Scotch Burghs, in or-
der to afford him an opportnaity of bringing on a men-
sure of a more urgent nature—the Irish Insurrection
Act. The Noble Lord would consult the public interest
by acquiescing in the request.
Lord A. HAMILTON said that last year, when hehad
agreed out of courtesy to the Gentleman opposite, he
postponed his motion, he was afterwards disabled from
bringing it on during any part of the Seetion. He was
sot prepared to subject himself to a similar occurrence
again, nor would he agree to the postponement upon any
other terms than that all the motions should be post-
poned for three weeks, to allow the inquiry betors the
House to go on without interruption, leaving him, at the
same time, in the situation he now held on the list.
The petition was ordered to be printed.
COAL DUTIES.

Mr. B. COOPER presented a petition from the Severn
and Wye Rail and Canal Company against tl►e Coal Du-
ties, which, after a few words from Mr. Alderman
BRIDOES, was ordered to lie on the table.
Mr. V. PITZLIBILALD suggested to his Right Hun.
Friend (Mr. Ouuthorn) the expediency of postponing
the Committee on the Irish Tithe Commutation B►ll, as
there would be great advactage in allowing the Commit-
tee time enough to consider all its details.
Mr. UOULAIURN said that unless some progress was
made in the Bill it would be impossible it could go up to
the other House of Parliament in sufficient time to admit
of-its merits being f..irly discussed. It was on this ac•
count that l►e wished to make a beginning as aeon as
possible with some of the clauses.
Colonel CA VEN DI SD presented a petition from Derby
relative to toe duties uu East India Sugar.—Laid on the
Earle.

Mr. Mt.:ESTER presented a petition from the
inhabitants ut Shaftesbury, praying for the final abo-
lition of Slavery in the West ladies.—Land on the
table.
INQUIRY INTO THE CONDUC OF TIIR SIIERIFF
OF DUtsLIN.
Col. BARRY now rose to address the Chair, but was
interrupted by
Sir JOHN NEWPORT, who observed, that as it was
now nearly sis,o'cluek, the House ou.(ht tu resume the
enquiry into the conduct of the Sheriet of Dublin. The
Right Hon. (intim:an then moved the order of th.: day
to that effect.
Colonel BARRY complaihed of a want of courtesy on
the parte( ,the West Hun. Baronet in not allowing him
en opportunity to move for a certain paper cJouticted
with the invery. iThe Right Hun. Urattleman then