The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-05-17 00:00:00

, car,
conserrences might meant. •
Mr. RICARDO shjerteri to the prsver of the peli•
tioners. lie would first set the Hon. Baronet sighing to
the exclianges.—(Hear.)—So far from thereheing &dif-
ference of 26 per cent. they were nearly at par. Indeed
they must be, as we were now returned to a metallic enr-
miry, for with that the exchanges could never vary be-
yond a very trifling difference. He should be extremely
sorry if the prayer of this petition were ever to he grant-
ed. But what most surprised biro was, that the lion.
Baronet should support such a proposition, and at the
same tins, support a system of legislature, which offered
the greatest possible temptations for prop's going
abroad. The system advocated by the lion. Ilsronet,
was that of making the necessaries of life and she price
of labour so excessively dear, as to drive people to other
countries.where they could he obtained cheaper. Br-
shies the core laws, there was another branch of our po-
licy which misted in producing the evil complained of
by the petitioners. He was convinced that this might
be the cheapest country of all others to live in, and that
the capital of the whole world would flow into it, instead
done going out, if we acted apes sound prinr;ples of
legislation. In addition to the system of our Corn
laws, ire meant the system of Loaos, and the enormous
National Debt we had accumulated. He might be ac-
cused of wild theories, hut lie saw no reason why the
National Debt might not he got rid of by a fair contri•
bution of the property of the country.—(Hear.)—lle
meant from the funded interests, as well as all others.—
(Hear, hear.)—lf this were done, be was persuaded the
coentry would rise to a state of prosperity fir beyond
what their imaginations could conceive.—(ilear, hear.)
Mr. DENNIS BROWNE concurred in the prayer of
the petition He thought absentees were the chief cause
of the p t mischiefs in Ireland ; and it was not the
least of the hardship, that the weight of the taxes fell
neon residents, and that the exemptions were generally
in favour of absentees. He called upon those trldse
dot, it was to watch over the interesti of the empire,
to bring.forward some specific measure on the subject.
Mr. H. GURNEY said, be thought the Chancellor of
the Exchequer would find it difficult to assess the tax
proposed by the lion. liaronet.—(A laugh.)—He (Mr.
O.) thought there should be general freedom of egress
and regress for all his Majesty's subjects, without dis-
tinction ; and especially he condemned any distinction
which gave a preference to the rich over the poor.—
(Hear, bear.)—He made this observation in consequence
of I labouring artisans having been recently ap-
prehended at Dover, brought up to Bowotreet, and
committed to prison for want of bail, merely because
they wished to go to Paris, and settle in the way of
their burliness. He thought the hot in this case was
extremely hard, and lie trusted it would be altered. It
would he easily inferred that be did not approve of the
suggestion of the Hon. Baronet, and that lie thought
there should be no restriction whatever.
Mr. DICKINSON thought emigration ought to be
discouraged.. • History had slaewn the mischief which
emigrants oecasioned the country they Irk
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER. said lie
should not have addressed the House on the present oc-
casion, did be not fear that the total silence of Minis-
ters on the subject would lead traa belief that they dis-
regarded the complaints alluded to in the Petition.—
There was, however, considerable difficulty in the way
of carrying the suggestion of the Honourable ilaronet
into effect; indeed, he trusted the Hon. Baronet would
give him credit for having exerted himself as much as
possible in the way of taxation.—(A laugh.) Ile bail
always thought that a tax upon Absentees would be a
very popular tax; but he never could think of one
-which was unobjectionable, aod at the same time prac-
ticable. With respect to the obeervations of a Right
Honourable Member (Mr. D. Browne) as to Irish abseil-
tees, he thought the Right Hon. Gentleman must be mis-
taken with regard to the operation of the law, as the
taxes paid in this country were heavier in proportion
than those paid in Ireland. Upon the subject generally
of loss of taxes by absentees, he bail directed calculations
to be made as accurately as possible upon Retarns from
tie several Tax Offices; and the result satisfied him
that the loss of lazes from absentees was not more than
'WOOL a year. Absentees is foreign countries might in
general he divided into two classes. The first was com-
posed of those who travelled for amusement, and most
of them returned in a short time having kept on their
establishments in their absence; these, of course, paid
taxes, and the loss from them was little or nothing.
second class might be found of those who lived abroad
for purposes of economy and for the arrangement of
their affairs. In this class were many noble and re-
spectable individuals, and it was from the absence of
them that the loss was principally occasioned. But be
would put it to the house whether it would not be mast
harsh, as well as impolitic, to pass any pleasure seeking
to compel them to return to this country, in which they
had already found it iuconvenient to live.—(Hear, bear.)
Addressing himself to the observation of an Honour-
able Member(Mr. W. Gurney) respecting tile Law af-
fecting Artisans, lie lead no hesitation io giving it as hie
opinion that the industry of English mechanics ought
not to be locked up.—(Hear, hear.)—As to those who
resided abroad with a view to economy, lie thought that
the best way to bring them back was to induce, rather
than to compel ; and that the inducement would be, the
making of the country comfortable and inviting.—
(Cheers.) Upon general grounds be was perfectly sa-
tisfied that England, as a place of residence, would al-
ways be preferred; and that when prices became equal-
ized, the absentees would return with increased re-
oartl for the institutions and the comforts of their own
country.
Sir J. COFFIN said he was convinced that every
Ilalfmay Officer who lived abroad was induced to do so
by poverty rather than inclination.
Mr. W. SMITH said, that after the avowal which the
Right Hon. Gentleman had made of lilt opinion respect-
ing the law which restrained artistic fru.n leaving the
country, he trusted that that Right Honourable Gentle-
man would bring in a bill to remove those tyrannous
restrictions. It was most tyrannical, when a poor man
attempted to escape from poverty, to seize and throw
him into a prison, while a rich man was allowed to go
where be pleased. The law itself, indeed, was absurd ;
fur it could not prevent any man who possessed capital
going to a foreign country, and rival our manufactures.
He perfectly agreed with the Chancellor of the Exche-
tmer, that England would be preferred as a place of re-
sideuce, and that the way to invite the preference would
be to reduce prices. In this respect he fully concurred
in the views of his Honourable i• rieuil the Member for
Portarlington.
M r. D. BROWNE explained; and the Petition was then
brought up, read, and ordered to lie on the titbit-O.W be
printed.

PassinOn
once to the oisl
`ir attention.,

, the papers which hid beet.
threttagsgeo it appoare4l, that
from the year . iStt to 1783, there were four Minister'.
Plenipotentiary •to the Swiss Cantons, at a salary of
abaat•l.4o‘. Frain 1783. to 179!. tie ditties of the Em
hasty were disch.,rged by Mr. Braun, a gentleman usen•
tinned in last night's debate, In quality of a Charge
d'Affaires, at a salary of 250/. spar. He tbanot it sia-
, eessary to assure the Howse, that the object of his mo-
tion was not to have an Ainhoesatlnr nose at that salary.
In 1786, they would Lind that things were conducted
extremely well, at the small ,slaty of 25W. He could
the Noble Marquees, that if hr alluded to Awe.
ries, he had no notion of snbvertiog the Monarchy ia
this country I nor dill he wish to set aside the two,
higher branches of the Legisistnre, on which the Noble-
Marquess expressed such fears in his speech last night.
—(Wear, hear.) Beat whet, Doctor Franklin was Am-
bassador from the United States of America to the 00-
vernmeut of France, hr actually ontwitted our Ambasuo'
dor, Lord Stormont, although bt. Franklia had a selseg
of only MU a•ye.ir. The fact coohi Rot he denied, fir
Lord Stormont had complained to his Government of
the reception which Dr. ,Finiiklin got. He could see]
nothing improper in citing the example of America,
because it was a Republic. In the next period. which
‘.as from 1792 to 1791 tile scale of the Embassy
was changed, and instead of a Charge d'Ajlitiree
a Minister Plenipotentiary was appointed. But from
1799 to the year 1814, there was no Embassy at ail.
During all the wars with the D•spot of Europe, when
the French Generals and the French armies were over-
running every part of the Continent, there was no mis-
sion at all. The next period then was that which be-
came the immediate subject of Iliseassion—namely, from
1914 to the present year. It appeared by some perm'
which were laid on the table, that Swltserlasd begone
the subject of much diplomatic discussion I. the year
1815. Notwitaataniling that settlement, the territorial
situation of Switzerland was the same which it had been
in 1792. The Noble Lord, in his speech last night,
asked if there could be pay objection to send an Envoy
to Bavaria, whose extent of territory had so such in-
creased. But it did not appear that there was any in-
crease in the extent of the Sr. in Cantons. The Noble
Lord also asked if the House could undervalue the im-
portance of the place, or the quantity of basin( s done
there. He (Mr. Warn) could not see the importance of
Switzerland. lie dill not see why any communications
from the Swiss Cantons could not be addressed directly
and immediately to the Court at home. He eottld not
're the advantage to this country of having a person to
watch and preserve the neutrality of the Swiss Can-
tons. But it might be asked, why the house did not
before object to the arrangement of these foreign mis-
sions? He would answer. to show the consistency
of himself and his friends, that when that subject
was before the House in 1916, they dish object to
it. lie would say farther, that the Noose was sot so
engrossed at that period, and every Session einem
with questions of such importance, that it was oat
possible to bring Honourable Members to direct link
attention to those matters. He would ask, while the
subject of the Liturgy was before the House, whether
Honourable Menders could meet any other question in
that house. In the years 1816 and 1817, the house was
debating on the treatment which Bonaparte was to
receive. The Corn Laws also, and the Property Tax
had been under the consideration of the house. He

would ask them how it could be expected the house
would then pay any attention to 'the present subject ?
They were taken up in 1918, 1919, 1920. 1021, with
other question,. After a lapse of several months the
new mission, which was the subject of complaint. was
made out by an arrangement, or bargain. concluded
with the new allies of Ministers. He said that, without
+Moffat= to the Hononrahte Gentleman opposite (Mr.
Wynna He wished to avoid all personal allusions, and
he hoped lie would not be charged with any. He would
beg to remind the house of the address of last Session,
which was voted to his Majesty for retrenchment and
economy. He would put his motion on the ground of
that address, and if a good ease were made out for dis-
pensing with this mission, of which he had no doubt. he
did not see why it should not be agreed to. The Noble
Lord would say that the objection should have been
made while the arrangement was before the house.
But the situation of the country, as he said before,
did not allow the houw to attend to it then. The Noble
Lord himself, carried up to the Throne the Address
recommending retrenchment, and he could not now act
in the face of that recommendation. The diplomatic
business of Switzerland was done by a Charged Affaires
for twenty months. The Noble Lord bad said that there
was no addition to the salary of 1792. But it was not
only in the sam allowed he differed from the Noble Lord
but he objected to the principle. For the twenty
months before the new mission was arranged. Mr. Die.
browe discharged all the diplomatic duties at a salary of
1,595/. per annum. The new mission WAS to cost the
country MOO/. per annum. Deducting from that the
deduction of 10 per cent., it would still remain nearly
2,8001. more than Mr. Disbrowe had. That wassertato-
ly in the eyes of some persons a trifle, but the Noble
Lord himself had told them that any saving however
small was not beneath their notice. The difference be-
tween the expense of the present mission and the salary
allowed to the late Charge d'Affaires exceeded the id.
lowance of the Lords of the Admiralty, or the allow-
ance of the Postmaster-General. The Noble Marquess
reverted to the arrangements of Ihl4 and ISIS with pe-
culiar pleasure, because these were periods when the
glories of the country bad risen to such a pitch as
that Parliament could scarcely withhold its assent
from any proposition of the government. But were
it possible that the opinions of the house could now
be expressed upon some of the
.questions that were
then assented to with acclamations how differently
would they have been disposed of. It was probable
that we would not vote now with the same faci-
lity as we did upon that occasion, grants for the mainte.
nance of Dwelt fortresses and for itussian loans. Had
Parliament but given a cogent hint to the Government
on the subject, no doubt the Noble Lord would have
found it convenient to have Mr. Disbrowe as the Mi-
-1 nister there. He would not now follow up the allusions
of an Finn. Friend of his last night, as to what might be
done in Switzerland by the United diplomatic confedera-
tion of Europe. lie had endeavoured to state his obser-
vations temperately, without alluding to persons indeli-
cately, and wonld conclude by moving his Resolutions.
The first eight Resolutions were merely declaratory of the
following facts: that the charges of the Missions from
this country to the Swiss Cantons, from the year 1750
to 17,e3 was 1.5721. per annum; from 1;33 to 1793,
2501.. from 1792 to 1795, 1,5751. The other Resole-
tioos embraced the remaining other facts, which have
been detailed in the documents already laid before the
public. • The rein tining resolution titian which any dif-
ference, he said, world arise, was the fellowine : That it
appe .reti that, without detriment to the public service,
tile charge of the Mission from this country to the Swiss
Cantons might 1w reduced to what it was in 1792. to
17d5, when Lord Robert Fitzgerald fulfilled the duties
of that Minister Plenipotentiary—namely, 1,5731.
Ble. TIERNEY seconded the motion.
The first Resolution being read from the Chair,
The Marquees of LUNDONDEItRY said that bay-
ing stated at some length last night his views of the
general principle that ought to govern the Meuse upon
questions of the nature now before them, he woe

lonian petitioners they *healed at sal by this Otos*. *itolrollotrrltiilak?' urine.
to the ntlhe "tat swereltakhotAtteits4 ret been !Cp.'s. ;h it af: tpleterwron otnlt at ow
ford relief. He wonirl not he re *that .there were aTtie4w t direct their
officer means of atTortlingk, but he was sure the Ministers boa IVAI necessary to %avert to
hated nwtOviso VitArillprepivij.to the subject. .0 amnia- laid on the tL• lge. tly thus
thing were not done, it•was impossible to calculate wbst from the year 17.50 to I7s
di • Plenipotentiary •to the Ss