The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-06-01 00:00:00

131P..11TATION OF CORN.

.....
Sir T. LETHBRIDGE presented a Petition from
the Owners and Occupiers of Laud in the County of
4!ornwall very numerously signed, praying that the gill
SOW in the House for regulating Foreign Corn way nut
pass into a law.—Ordered to be printed.
lie also presented a Petition from the Silk Manufac-
turers of 'reunion against the Warehousing Bill.—Or-
tiered to lie on the table.
Sir T. LETIIBRIOGE then put off the motion of
which he had given notice for the sth, to the I Ids of
June.
Mr. I:F.II'3IONT presented a Petition from the Tan-
ners and Corder% of Ilexham, on the subject of the pro-
posed alteration in the Leather Tax.—Ordered to be
printed.
Sir. CIIETWYND presented a Petition from the
Tanners and Corners of the Borough of Stafford on the
same subject. Dr for one could nut refrain freoi ex-
pressing his satisfaction at what Government bad done
to relieve time country ; and he did not think that they
' ought to be pressed fur a further remission of taxes at
present. If it were said that much had not been done
that went directly to relieve the Agricultural Interest,
he would say be knew not what measure could have
been adopted that would give them the relief they want-
ed. Ile had conversed with several farmers on ills sub-
ject of their distress, and they boil all declares to him
that the worst burden of which they eiroiplainetl was
their rent. Ile had little doubt that the question on
Agricultural distress would shortly resolve itself into a
question between landlord and tenant. The next sub
ject of complaint was the Poor,' Kates. If the rent
were lowered and the poors' rates reduced, which be
, thought might he looked for from the measures already
I proposed to be adopted, he thoight in another year the
' situation of the farmer would be very different from
! what it had lately been.
I The Petition was ordered to be printed.
COVNTRT HANKS.

Mr. GRENFELL had a petition to present on a ets-
post of some importance front the inhabitants of Wind-
sor, Reading, Marlow and other places within sixty-five
miles of London. lie was sorry to present this peti-1
tion in the absence of any Measlier of the Government,
as his Alojesty's Ministers were parties to that proposed
arrangement which these petitioners thought objection-
ahle. 'The Petition referred to a negociation entered
into, and now understood to be in progress between the
Government and the Bank, the object of which was,
now in lb:12, to extend the duration of the Bank Char-
ter, which by law should expire in 11433, to eleven years
beyond that period with all the monopolies, privileges
and advantages now enjoyed. The subject was so import-
ant that he should go into some detail, and in the ab-
sence of Ministers hr was happy to see an Hon. Dien-;
tor of the Bank in his place. The House was aware
that it was proposed the Bank should relax that rule
which at present restricted Banking compauies feoni
consisting of more than six persons in favour of those
who did not reside within sixty-four miles of the metro-
polis. In consideration of the Bank giving up this
point, their charter was to be extended by eleven years,
during which period these who resided within silty-fivel
miles of London, would pay the price of the advantage
conceded to those who lived further off. Up to the year
lal•1, a partial difference would thus he made to the pre-
jiidice of those situated within sixty miles of Landon.
There was one point in this Petition to which he parti-
cularly wished to call the attention of the Noble
Marquess (the blareness of Londonderry having just en-
tered.) The Petitioners represented that no district
had suffered so severely from the failure of country
hanks as that in which they resided, six banks having
failed within twenty miles of each other within the last
-20 Years, plunging the inhabitants in all that distress
which was usually attendant on failures of that descrip-
tion. The Petitioners now prayed that the monopoly
now enjoyed by the Bank might not continue beyond
the year Iscgi, or that they might be permitted to enjoy,
the privileges now to be awarded to those who live at
the distance of fill miles from London. Whenever the
measure in cuestion should come before the House it
would be his slaty to oppose it, and he should seize the
earliest oppor!nnity of taking the sense of the House on
the subject. He felt called upon to do this, when lie re-
collected tile sort of tyranny which the Bank had exer-
cised over the Government; the manner in which they
had over-stepped their duty, by writing letters as they
had done to a Committee of that House in lal9, and
when lie recollected the enormous profits which they hail
made its the course of the last twenty-five years. Those
profits weer of a magnitude that was perfectly unprece-
dented. After psying the proprietors a dividend of 10
per cent, the bank had realised in the period hat had
named, no less than :13,000,000/. This had beta the re-
sult of the Bank Restriction Act of 1707. After this he
had hoped that no Government would ever have been
so unwise as to propose the further exteneion oldie pri-
vileges which the bank had enjoyed up to this time.—
He bad hear) a rumour that on farther consideration,
this had stew. k Ministers as objectioisable, and that in
coliseqiiene.e the uegociation was at an rod. Ile hoped
both eras the tact: hut it It were not so, sli.wo wonkl be
further op oat tunities fur ‘ll..pal‘lilg the echeino, and he
would thetelwe say no more at iiresont.
'Mr. A::NING would out have I►iswo .he present
occasion had the i ton. Lieatleendi confined himself rol
the petition wht.fi he presented. But h► had accused
the teirectors of tyranny and of overstepping their ditty
by writing letters to a Committee of that lloase, and of
lied :;new what beside. He denied that the Directors
bad acted the part described. He b;al nail the honour
of sitting. at toe Board for the last thirty years, and in
all that time lie was not aware that they hail travelled
out of the line of their duty. They had never acted with
a political WAS, but always with perfect impartiality and
disregard of party. Mr. l'ox in 1797 had accused them
of acting less favourably- towards Gut ernment than to
any other party, but he believed the proofs brought fur-
ward to sliew that such was not the fact had convinced
that Right Hon. Geutleman of his error. There was no
ground for the charge that they bad remised a sort of
tyranny over the Bank, and lie would bo!dly say that in
the last thirty years there had been no instance of their
over-stepping their duty. In this they bad nut imitated
their predecessors. If the Hon. Gentleman would look
to what had passed iu the reign of queen Anil, he would
be satisfied of this; as lie would find the Governor and
Deputy Governor of the Bank remonstrating with her
3lejeaty on the dismissal of a Secretary of State. Would
any man sheer him interference like this on the part of
the Bank in the course of the lied fifty years With
respect to the negociations that had been spoken of, it
would be seen that all the Directors had dune was to
couseot to the proposal made to them by the Chancellor
of the Exchequer. They hail not petitioned for an al-
teration in their Charter, but the business had origi-
uated with the Executive Government, who had brought
it forward fur the public good. It was urged that the
Bank had made great profits. Was it expected that the
Company was established to carry on business without
profit ? I t they were to have no profit, wby were they
to lend three million to the public Iridium interest at
one time, and five or six suilliou at another; besides