The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-02-04 00:00:00

•Gommiesten - Po-
ols .whirl the -Iteltiiiction Act bid the,* several
Heat beep passed, were war, the high price bullion,
rate of iseelmusge, and , Centipede's war against our
leoances7-shisse omenb..the pretexets en{ former etc-
pisirms; ,bit :her weft id venture to say that there
were ties_ t.se girdles be had almost said insultionl.to
tie !le the olte now set forth. What, beers*
Mr. oschtld Is dear% in the .Funds of other. Slain,
because France and Austria are,ahout to adopt ea.
traordinsey meattores of fieence, must this evil •be
slain inflicted upon this ceontry.[ Hear, heari]—t
He would maintain that the renewal of the Baok
Restrictioa would facilitate the financial policy of
the Foreign powers alluded to; end if cash payments
'were to be resumed, not a shilling would leave thd
ternary in constqueece of these measures which are
iow to supply the pretext for continuing thiaeuinoest
espedieot. He bad no wish to prevent British
capitalists from employing their .money in foreign
rWines; he wished the trade in mousy to bees
e as other trades ; but it was not free so long as
the Bank was to pay in nothing but paper ; and as
long as the country bad a paper currency* which be,
would call a fictitious currency, not convertible
rash, the rate of Exchange weuld be naiad this
country, and commerce would sustain the consequent
miachief. The sooner, therefore, they returned to
cash payment', which be might call the vestal sys.
tem of currency, the better ; sod the mischief would
encrease wills delay. If he were wrong iu these
doctrines, every writer from Adam Smith down to
the late Lord Liverpool, was in error with him. He
would trouble the House no longer then, as there
would be another opportunity of delivering his sen-
timents on the subject. He concluded by moving
for a return of the total weekly amount of Bank.
Notes and Hank Post Bills in circulation, during the
last year, distinguishing those ander 51. and the ag-
gregate amount of each.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, he should not oppose the motion, nor detain
the House with any observations en the subject, as*
time would shortly come when the question might be
regularly discussed.
The motion was then put and agreed to.
Mr. GRENFLLL then moved for a variety of
other accounts relative to the Bank, which were
enlisted.
STATE OF THE COUNTRY.
Lord CASTLEREAGII presented several Papers,.
purporting to be communications from the Prince
Regent, respecting the internal state of the Country;
these Papers, he proposed, should be referred to a
Committee, to be appointed on Thursday se'anight.
DPISTIt UCTION OF THE INCOME TAX PAPERS.
Mr. BROUGHAM—" I wish to ask the Right
lion. Gentleman opposite whether he can now give
me the information I sought for on Saturday last,
namely, whether the whole of the Papers connected
with the Returns under the Income Tas, in the dif.
ferent parts of the country, have been destroyed ?
As I conceive this to be a material questions I hope
to receive a distinct answer."
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHFA/Uglier•-i
" I Move the satisYaction to 'inform the Hon. and
Learned Gentleman, that •a considerable time ago a
person was sent from the Tax-office to the different'
districts of the country to collect and destroy all
papers relating to the Income Tax, except such as
were necessary at the Receiver's Office to collect in
and check the unpaid balances."
Mr. BROUGHAM--.A6 Were all copies of these
Papers else destroyed ?"
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER— '
" I said alt the Papers."
Lord FOLKESTONE postponed his Motion,
which stood for Thursday, until to-morrow se'onight.
MR. HONE.
Mr. WILLIAM SMITH said, that at present he
did not conceive it necessary for him to go into a I
minute detail of the circumstances connected with
the motion which he bad announced. He should
content himself with perposing that a statement he
laid before the House, of the sums received from
Mr. Hone at the Crown-Office, for Copies of the
various Informations filed against him, in order to
form the grounds of proceedings which he was here.
after to bring forward. He took this method of pro-
curing the necessary information, as he thought it
best adapted for bringing that information before
them with the greatest degree of authenticity. At
the same time he thought it proper to mention, that
the case of Mr. Hone was rather the incidental oc-
casion than the reason of the motion now proposed
for their consideration. lie had for more than 20
years been of the same opinion respecting the es.
pediency of Reform in this department; and he
now took shame to himself that he bad been so re-
miss in bringing it under discussion. Had the sub-
ject been repeatedly agitated, it was impossible but
some amelioration should have taken place. In con-
sidering the recent prosecutions instituted against
Mr. Hone, he could :sot help admiring the
intrepidity, sagacity, and skill, with which he had
conducted his own defence. lie had since had an
opportunity of conversing with him in private, and he
must declare that he discovered nothing that could
tend to give him an .unfavourable impression of Ms
character, nothing unbecitming the manners of a
Geutleman. As for the parodies •pablished by
Bone, Ms opinion, perfectly .coincitled with that
the Public in geeeral,, that they were highly cettsue.,
able; and it was not the least honourable part of Mr.
conduct, that immediately on finding that,
such was the public impression respecting them, be,
used every means to prevent the circulation. But
those parodies, however censurable, won not a it
subject to he animadverted on in a Court of Justice.
it appeared to him, that the free operation of public
opinion was the only adequate anti proper check to
their popularity. Ile said he had little more to trouble
them witkon the subject, and disclaimed any interx.
tion of complaining of any party. He had the authre.,
lily of Mr. Hone to state, that the conduct of the
Attorney-General towatd,s hire was,that of a maw of
urbanity, pulitenes, and justice. If any blame could
attach to the conduct of that Gentleman, Mr. Honer
conceived it was in not including the three informs,.
lions in one; In every other respect he had shows
himself a Gentleman and a man of humanity. It was,
of the law itself, as it at present stood, that he bad tp,
liatoelsin. From the Officers of the Crown be bad

, according irewitre
wise. It was in raw law Itself,'therefore, that te-e
foetid*. wu Required, and the motion he was about
to mebehed.oggneritd to him as the proper Parlia-
mentary mode of bringing the subject under their
notice. He should therefore move that an account
be Isidbefore (hit 'House of the rams received at the
Crown-Office from Mr. Hone for copies of the In-
forwseitions •filed against him, together with the au-
thority on which they were demauded, and the nese to
which they were applied.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL observed, that
with respect to the fees elected at the Croton-office,
there was no Cause of complaint peculiar to this iaie,
as no fees bad been required from Mr: Hone bet such
as would be required from any other defendant. It
was, therefore, to the, shape in which the motion was
brought forward that he objected, inasmuch es it
seemed to imply that Mr. Hone bad been exposed to
hardships peculiar to himself. Had the motion been
directed to ascertain the fees required from de.
*dents in general in the Croweifoffice, he could
not object to such a motion brought forward on gene-
ral principles. In the present case, however, it sp.
peered that such a motion would be onnecessaty, as
it was in the power of any of them to satisfy them-,
selves on this subject, by referring to the Records of
Parliament. From these it would appear, that since
the year 1503 those fees had ever continued the same
as now. He saw no ground whatever for imitating
an enquiry upon this case, unless it should appear
that there was something to distinguish it from simi.
ler cases. It did not appear to him that there was
any such distinction ; and of this any man might
satisfy himself who took the ordinary trouble to en-
quire. He would find that the same fees which have
been taken for ages, are still taken ; that in the case
el Mr. Hone, there was no innovation upon this int-
eseittarial law and practice; and that, on this ground,
therefore, the present motion was completely uncalled
for, and unnecessary.,
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT said, that if the doc-
trine edvanced by the Learned Gentlemen opposite
(the Attorney-General) were to regulate the pro.
ceedings of that House, they would have very little
business to go through. Every Member knows per-
fectly well the subject on which he moves for papers
previously to their production, but he calls for their
production in order to lay a clear and distinct foots-
dstion for ulterior steps.—(,Hear!]—ln all matters
of complaint or reform it was, if not in itself ne-
cessary, at least always required, that official audio.
city be produced to prove their esistence. But the
great grievance in the case now before them, was the
absolute refusal of justice to the poor, by means of '
the enormous expence imposed on its administration.
—[Hear, hear!]—Ile should like to know of what
avail the best political institutions could be, if they
were thus rendered inaccessible. The great pin-
toes therefore was, that the insatiable thirst of tu-
ition had made the administration of justice a cruel
'lseult and mockery to the People.—[Hear, heart]
a--The Honourable Member proposed to bring for-
ward some legislative remedy for this grievance.—
The reason on which he wished to found this mea.
sure was no reason, according to the Attorney-Ge-
nerdt because it was perfectly notorious to the whole
world! The grievance was indeed notorious, end
therefore the motion was not only retainable but ne-
cessary.
Mr. W. SMITH said, Mr. Hone's case was rather
the occasion than the reason of bringing forward his
motion ; it was so, because it was the most striking
case of this intolerable exaction that had ucccurred in
his recollection. Mr. Hone informed him, that he
was obliged in order to obtain information, accurate
information of the crime laid to his charge, in order
to be prepared to defend himself in a Court of Jus-
tice, to pay the sum of M. To obtain this sum, he
was obliged to sell, at a great loss, part of his pro.
perty. He was thus obliged to sell property belong-
ing to him in order to get a knowledge of the crime
imputed to him. lie founded his motion on the case
of Mr. Hone, because he tied been obliged to sell
property greatly under value; the independence of
hie spirit not suffering him to apply to his friends for
the money exacted from him. If the information
were given in consequence of an abstract motion, it
would" not be the information he wanted. It would
let them know how much was charged per sheet, but
it would not show how many sheets a poor man must
pay for, in order to meet an unjust eccosation. If
the Attorney-General should move an amendment
that would iu any other way procure this information,
instead of moving the previous questioi) be would
willingly adopt it.
Lord CASTLEREAGH confessed he would
rather have met the motion with a direct negative,l
than have resorted to moving the previous question.
Ile was of opinion the motion, as it then had been
moved, would not be consistent with the professed
'practice of thd House ; and was apprehensive, 'if
granted, it would lead to a notion that the (louse
bad attended rather to the case of alleged individual
grievances than to the general principle of the cape-
dieney of the general improvement of the laws as
they stood. As to the conduct of the Attorney.
General, it appeared on all hands to be uoimpeadi-
able, and perfectly consistent with the duties ins-
' Posed on him by his situation.
Mr. BROUGHAM defended the mode adopted
by the Hon. Member for Norwich. His object was
merely to obtain a foundation for a Legislative pro-
ceeding. He said, in effect, " Give me certain do-
cuments, end I will show you the foundation of
such a measure." " No," said the Noble Lnrd,
" but we will tell you that so much is charged per
sheet." After such information should be laid before'
them, they would remain quite ignorant of the suet
paid by each individual. The knowledge of titiV
could not be obtained' hut by such a motion as wad'
,stated' by his Hon. Friend. if
Mr. BATHURST thought the case el Mr. Heed
was by no means one of peculiar hardship, for-he had
opportunity of assertairring all that woe requisitd,
ifor his defence et the Crown-Office.
Lord:FOLKESTONE observed that when any
•
tcomplaisst-came from his side of the House, they were
generally called upon to give a particular case. He
was therefoch serprised to hear those on the other
sido now, object to a sootio4 merely because-it teal
founded on a Particular cote. Ile bad) however, no

oiebeti Bat tweedy or 'thirty
Mit would form Mill. belie,
, only reason of his rieitkg loekr
logiitct was, the assertion of this
ftig ht llotioerable Ai( Mr.' Bone hid a
right to 'go into the Crown4offiee to feed the infetteli
dons easiest bias. This, truly, was a very valteitidi
right tol• *r. Ilene, confined es he was at that time
in the King's Bench. By en Act of Parliament, in.
,traduced -by Sir 'Vicary Gibbs, the present Chief
;Natio: of the Common Pleas, when he was Mooney-
' General the Attorney-Geneval was ontitled to cell
upon any man to find bail, and failing to do so, tet,
commit him to prison. Mr. Bone was, accordiog to
this Act, called upon to find bail ; Ate did not, in.
'deed he atoeld not, find hail, and he was in cootie.
quence committed to the King's'Bench by order of die
Coati, and on the motion of the Attorney-General.
Ho* could he iu this situation walk into the Crown.
office to read the information against him ? Besides,
even if be could go into the Crown-office, could a
man, by the cursory perosal be could give the in-
formation there, prepare himself for his defence ?-
'Hear, 'hear!)

1
Mr. W. SMITH said he bad no objection to with-
draw his motion, if the Right Honourable Gentleman
would bring fiirward a general one to the same par•
pose.
Mr. BR AC GE BATHURST mid, he could have
'ass Illijedtioo to a general motion on the subject.
Mr. W. SMITH withdrew his motion, and gave
notice that he would MAO again on the subject to•
morrow.
Mr. S. BOURNE postponed hi 4 motion for a
Committee on the Poor Laws till to.morrow.
Lord G. BERFAFORD reported that the Prince
Regent had graciously received the Address of the
House,land returned his Royal Highness's thinks for
their condolence.

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•-7 _ ;
before tbe'Rigbt VonoarableGentleinin asked the received every .atteotion. Neither did be alien to objection, 'indeed he .1
notrekegain to Legislate upon it, .that the affairs of 'reflect on the conduct of the Learned
Lord on Ow cases were stated, as
408aelf valid be submitted to the same kind of Bench, in refuting to tarnish copies, as ho found foundation. But um of
•Comestesion wetiappointed in 1/9?. gtoonds that, according to leteibe could net have acted ether. day thing on the iol