House of Commons Journal Volume 85: 8 February 1830

Luno, 8 die Februarii; Anno 11 Georgii IV ti Regis, 1830.

PRAYERS.

Papers relating to Charities (Dublin) presented.

The House being informed that Mr. Johnson, from the office of the Chief Secretary for Ireland, attended at the door, he was called in; and at the bar presented to the House, pursuant to their Order, - A Copy of a Letter from the Right honourable Lord Francis Leveson Gower, Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to the Commissioners appointed by the Lord Lieutenant to report on certain Charitable Institutions in the city of Dublin, dated Dublin Castle, 13th August 1829, together with a Copy of a Letter from the aforesaid Commissioners, dated 28th November 1829, transmitting their Reports; and also, of a subsequent Letter from Lord Francis Leveson Gower to the Commissioners, dated Dublin Castle, 15th December 1829, and Copies of the Reports of the said Commissioners upon the following Charitable Institutions in Dublin; viz. the Lying-in-Hospital; Doctor Steevens's Hospital; the Fever Hospital, Cork-street; the Hospital of Incurables; the Westmorland Lock Hospital; and the House of Industry;- And then he withdrew.

Ordered, That the said Paper do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Return of Posteas, ordered;

Ordered, That there be laid before this House,-A Return of the number of Posteas filed during the years 1826, 1827 and 1828, in the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, stating whether for the Plaintiff or Defendant; and specifying the nature and amount of the verdict and costs recorded.

presented.

The House being informed that Mr. Sherwood, Clerk to the Prothonotaries of the Court of Common Pleas, attended at the door, he was called in; and at the bar presented to the House, the said Return:-And then he withdrew.

Ordered, That the said Return do lie upon the Table.

St. Helen's and Runcorn Gap Railway Petition.

A Petition of several Owners and Occupiers of estates and Inhabitants of the several parishes, townships, hamlets or places hereinafter mentioned; and of the town of Northwich, in the county palatine of Chester, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the making and maintaining a Railway or Railways, with proper works and conveniences adjoining thereto, or connected therewith, for the passage of waggons and other carriages, to commence at or near to Cowley Hill Colliery, in the township of Windle, in the parish of Prescot, and to pass thence through or into the several townships, hamlets or places of Windle, Eccleston, Hardshaw otherwise Hardshaw-within-Windle, Saint Helens, Sutton, Bold, Widnes otherwise Widnes-with-Appleton, Farnworth, Appleton, Ditton and West Bank, or some of them, in the said parish of Prescot, to pass by or near to Toad Leach, in the said township of Sutton, and Bold Mill, in the said township of Bold, and to terminate at or near to West Bank, on the north side of Runcorn Gap, within the said township of Widnes aforesaid; together with the several branches from, and out of, or connected with such Railway following; that is to say, one branch to commence from and out of the said main Railway within the said township of Windle, and to terminate at or near to Rushby Park Colliery, in the same township; two other branches to commence from and out of the said main Railway, in the said township of Sutton, and to terminate, the one at or near to Dobson's Wood, and the other at or near to the Ravenhead Plate Glass Works, both in the said township of Sutton; and two other branches from and out of the said last-mentioned branch, and to terminate respectively at Messieurs Clare & Haddock's Colliery, and the Saint Helen's Crown Glass Works, both in the said township of Sutton; one other branch from and out of the said main Railway within the said township of Sutton, and to pass thence through or into the township of Parr, and to terminate at or near to Broad Oak Colliery, in the same township of Parr; and two other branches from and out of the said last-mentioned branch within the said township of Parr, and to terminate the one at or near to Sankey Brook Colliery, and the other at or near to the Ashton's Green Colliery, both in the same township of Parr; four other branches from and out of the said main Railway within the township of Sutton aforesaid, and to terminate in and to unite with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, at or near to Toad Leach, in the said township of Sutton; and one other branch from and out of the said main Railway within the said township of Bold, and to pass thence through or into the said township of Sutton, and to terminate in and to unite with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, at or near to the Elton Head Colliery, in the said township of Sutton; and also a Wet Dock or Docks, quays, landing places, wharfs and warehouses for the purposes of, and connected with, the said Undertaking at the termination of the said main Railway, so as to communicate with the River Mersey, at or near to West Bank aforesaid, all being in the said parish of Prescot, will be of great advantage, by opening a cheap and expeditious communication between the town of Saint Helens and the coal fields in the said several townships of Windle, Parr and Sutton, and the large towns of Liverpool and Northwich, and the Salt Works in the said county palatine of Chester, and by affording an additional mode of transit of coals, merchandize and other articles between those places, and will be of great public utility; and praying, That leave may be given to bring in a Bill for the same.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to a Committee:-And it is referred to Mr. Greene, &c.: And they are to meet To-morrow, in the Speaker's Chamber; and have Power to send for persons papers and records.

Kingston Bridge Petition.

A Petition of the Bailiffs and Freemen of the town of Kingston-upon-Thames, in the county of Surrey, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioners have, under the sanction of an Act of the sixth year of His present Majesty, built a Bridge across the river Thames, from the town of Kingston-upon-Thames aforesaid, to the hamlet of Hampton Wick, in the county of Middlesex; but, from the inadequacy of the funds granted by the said Act, they have been unable to complete the whole of the necessary approaches thereto, or to purchase certain houses and buildings requisite to be taken for forming the same, and which, by the terms of the said Act, they are restricted from purchasing, unless with the consent of the owners thereof, after the expiration of five years from the passing of the said Act; and that the necessity of the present application did not appear until a meeting of the said Bailiffs and Freemen, as Commissioners of the said Bridge, held on the third day of December last, at which meeting, the termination of a negotiation with the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners for the advance of a further sum of money, became known to the Petitioners; and that the term limited by the Standing Orders of the House, for giving Notices of intended Applications to Parliament having then elapsed, the Petitioners forthwith caused Notices of the present application to be given in The Times newspaper of the 9th, 15th and 22d, and The County Chronicle of the 8th, 15th and 22d days of the same month of December last; and such Notices were also duly affixed on the doors of the Sessions Houses where the general Epiphany Quarter Sessions were holden for the said counties of Middlesex and Surrey in the month of January last, as required by the Standing Orders; and that from the dangerous and difficult approach to the said bridge, on that side thereof situate in the county of Surrey, great inconvenience must arise to the inhabitants of the said counties and to the public at large, if provision be not made for completing the same in the present Session of Parliament; and praying, That leave may be given to bring in a Bill for the same.

Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a Bill accordingly: And that Mr. Charles Pallmer and Mr. Denison do prepare, and bring it in.

Foston Bridge Road Petition.

A Petition of several Trustees for repairing the Road from Foston Bridge, through the town of Grantham, to the Division Stone on Witham Common, all in the county of Lincoln, and for repealing several Acts relating thereto, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the money borrowed on the credit of the Tolls cannot be repaid, nor the said Road effectually amended and kept in repair, unless the term of the said Act be further extended, and the powers thereof altered and enlarged, and the Tolls increased; and praying, That leave may be given to bring in a Bill for the same.

Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a Bill accordingly: And that Mr. Charles Pallmer, Mr. Chaplin and Sir William Ingilby do prepare, and bring it in.

Whitesheet Hill Road Bill, presented.

Mr. Wyndham, by Order, presented a Bill for repairing the Turnpike Road from the top of Whitesheet Hill to the Wilton Turnpike Road, at or near Barford, in the county of Wilts: And the same was read the first time; and ordered to be read a second time.

Torrington Roads Petition.

A Petition of several Trustees for executing the Act for more effectually improving and keeping in repair the Roads leading to and from the town of Great Torrington, in the county of Devon, and for making certain new lines of Road to communicate with the same, was presented, and read; setting forth, That in the Plan which in the said Act is stated to have been deposited with the Clerk of the Peace for the county of Devon, two lines of Road, the one an entire new line, and the other an old line, with certain deviations between Great Torrington and Addlehole, are laid down or marked out; and the Trustees of the said Roads, at the time of passing the said Act, contemplated adopting the one entire new line of Road, as marked with a red line on the aforesaid Plan, but which, on account of the great quantity of rich and valuable land to be purchased and destroyed, and the very heavy expense and difficulty of purchasing and obtaining the same, together with the total absence of all materials for making the said Road throughout a great portion of the said line, they were obliged to abandon, and, in lieu thereof, to adopt and use certain parts of the other old line of Road so laid down in the said Plan as aforesaid, together with certain new cuts and lines of deviation from the same, part of which said last-mentioned line adjoins, and is, or is supposed to be, within the parish of Ringsash, otherwise Ashreigney, as is laid down and marked on the said Plan with a yellow colour; but the said Trustees were not at the time aware that disputes and doubts were had and entertained respecting the boundaries of the parishes of Beaford, Dolton and Ringsash, otherwise called Ashreigney, where the same abut upon and adjoin each other; nor that a certain lane, called Mousavin Lane, and that part of Ruddlecombe Moor adjoining the said lane, laid down and respectively mentioned in such Plan, were situated in the said parish of Ringsash, otherwise Ashreigney; and the same cannot now be ascertained without expensive litigation, which the said Trustees are not by law authorized to institute, nor able to bear; and that the whole of the last-mentioned line of Road, together with the new cuts and deviations from the same, has been formed and made, except so much thereof as is, or is supposed to be, situated in the parish of Ringsash, otherwise Ashreigney; and by reason of the omission of that parish in the said recited Act, the said Trustees are not empowered to adopt or form any line of Road therein, or to take Tolls thereon, whereby the intercourse between Exeter and Great Torrington, by the said lastmentioned line, is wholly suspended; and that since the passing of the said recited Act, it has been discovered that the mountainous hills between Great Torrington and Little Torrington, on the great turnpike Road from Ilfracombe to Plymouth, can be avoided, by making and maintaining a deviation of the same from Middle Broadpark, through Mutton Lane, into the said turnpike Road at the end of the said lane, and through Cocks Shilley to the river Torridge, all in the said parish of Little Torrington, across the said river into the first-mentioned turnpike Road from Great Torrington to Addlehole, in the parish of Great Torrington, at or near the new Mills in the said last-mentioned parish, which will be of great public utility; and praying, That leave may be given to bring in a Bill for the same.

Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a Bill accordingly: And that Mr. Bastard and Sir Thomas Acland do prepare, and bring it in.

Catterick Bridge and Durham Road Petition.

A Petition of several Trustees for executing the Act for repairing the Road leading from Catterick Bridge, in the county of York, through the towns of Yarm, Stockton and Sedgefield, to the city of Durham, was presented, and read; setting forth, That it is expedient that the term and powers of the said Act should be enlarged, and the Tolls increased; and praying, That leave may be given to bring in a Bill for the same.

Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a Bill accordingly: And that Lord William Powlett and Mr. Russell do prepare, and bring it in.

Worcester Suburbs Improvement Petition.

A Petition of several Owners and Occupiers of estates within and Inhabitants of the several parishes or places hereinafter mentioned, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the streets, squares, roads, lanes and other public passages and places, which are contiguous to and surround the city of Worcester, but are without the liberties of the said city, and situate in the several parishes of Claines Saint John in Bedwardine, Saint Martin, Saint Peter the Great and Saint Clement, in the county of Worcester, are of considerable extent, and contain numerous dwelling-houses, shops and other buildings; and the population thereof is large, and is greatly increasing; and it would be a great convenience to the public if the said streets, squares, roads, lanes and other public passages and places were properly lighted, watched and regulated, and if provision were made for raising money for the several purposes aforesaid, by rates or assessments upon the several Proprietors and Occupiers of lands, tenements and hereditaments within the said parishes; and praying, That leave may be given to bring in a Bill for the same.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to a Committee:-And it is referred to Mr. Lygon, &c.: And they are to meet To-morrow in the Speaker's Chamber; and have Power to send for persons papers and records.

Dorchester Road Bill, presented.

Mr. Bankes presented a Bill for repairing the Road from Wool Bridge to the Borough of Dorchester, in the county of Dorset: And the same was read the first time; and ordered to be read a second time.

Milton-next-Sittingborne Improvement Petition.

A Petition of several Commissioners under an Act for paving, cleansing, lighting and watching the streets, lanes and other public passages and places within the town of Milton-next-Sittingborne, in the county of Kent, and for removing and preventing encroachments; obstructions, nuisances and annoyances therein, was presented, and read; setting forth, That considerable improvements have been made in the said town, in pursuance of the powers contained in the said Act, to the great advantage of the public; but, on account of the insufficiency of the rate authorized by the said Act to be made, the necessary repairs to the said pavement have not been done, nor the powers of lighting and watching in the said Act contained been carried into effect; and that there is a certain Toll or Duty on coals and culm imported or landed in the hundred of Milton; the produce of so much thereof as arises within the Isle of Sheppey, in the said hundred, has, since the passing of the said Act, been applied towards carrying into effect the powers therein contained; and that it would materially conduce to the advantage, convenience and security of the Petitioners, and also of the other Inhabitants of the said town, and to persons frequenting the same, if the said Toll or Duty on coals and culm arising within the said Isle of Sheppey was vested in the Commissioners under the said Act, to be applied to the purposes therein contained, and powers given to the Commissioners to collect and recover the same; and if powers in the said Act contained to make a rate or assessment were repealed, and other provisions made; and that the long-continued and severe illness of the clerk, solicitor and treasurer to the said Commissioners under the said Act, which has of late prevented him from attending any of their meetings, or advising with them for many months past, is the cause of the Petitioners not having complied with the Standing Orders of the House; and that the want of repairs to the said pavement, and the frequent attempts of burglary in the said town, the safety of the Inhabitants and protection of their property, would be in great danger if the above provisions were not carried into effect before another Session of Parliament; and praying, That leave may be given to give the requisite Notices in the Newspapers, and to affix the same on the church doors of the said town of Milton, and to bring in a Bill for the purposes aforesaid.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to a Committee:-And it is referred to Sir Edward Knatchbull, &c.: And they are to meet To-morrow, in the Speaker's Chamber; and have Power to send for persons papers and records.

Petition respecting Poor Laws, Tithes, &c.

A Petition of George Gunning, of Frendsbury, Kent, was presented, and read; praying, That the House will be graciously pleased to amend the Poor Laws, by passing a law to oblige all parishes to keep their accounts in one fixed form, showing particularly the cause of the want of relief by the out-door poor; the accounts also to state distinctly under separate heads, the whole expenditure of the money raised for the use of the poor; all accounts to be passed in open vestry every month, and every three months an: abstract to be furnished to the quarter sessions of each county, for the information of Parliament, stating the numbers of houses, inhabitants and acres of land in each parish; the Petitioner is firmly persuaded, that by this arrangement the condition of the paupers in England would soon be amended, and that the Poor Laws might be immediately extended to Ireland and Scotland, with great benefit to the nation; the Petitioner also prays the House to amend the Corn Laws by a fixed Duty of not less than 2s. a bushel on all grain, to be paid immediately it is imported, by which means much fraud would be prevented; the high Duty on oats in proportion to wheat would give proper protection to the Irish farmer, and promote the general interests of the kingdom; further, the Petitioner prays the House to amend the Tithe Laws, by a fixed per-centage on all real rents, the present mode of payment being as unjust as it is unwise, and, on a due examination by the House, it will be found that it checks improvement, paralyzes industry, promotes pauperism, and tends to destroy the virtuous spirit and meritorious exertion of the labouring poor; the Petitioner is firmly persuaded, that by fixing a per centage on real rents in lieu of tithes, that it would soon decrease vagrancy, lessen crime, and promote the happiness of all classes of society; it would give no unfair advantage to the landholder, and give ample security to the tithe-owner, and add to the prosperity of the Kingdom.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Accounts ordered: Beer.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the total number of Barrels of Beer exported from England and Scotland to Ireland, and from Ireland to England and Scotland; distinguishing the number of Barrels so exported to each Kingdom, as likewise the number of Barrels exported from each Kingdom to Foreign countries, with the amount of Drawback paid thereon, from 5th January 1829 to 5th January 1830.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the quantity of all the different sorts of Beer, stated by barrels, made in each year, from 5th January 1825 to 5th January 1830; the rates of Duty per barrel in each year, and total amount thereof in each year in each Kingdom; showing, so far as can be done, the number of Quarters of Malt used in each Kingdom in each year in making that Beer.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the number of Barrels of Strong Beer exported in each year.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the number of Barrels of Strong, Table and Intermediate Beer, chargeable to the Duties of Excise, brewed in England, Scotland and Wales, from 5th January 1829 to 5th January 1830; distinguishing the number of Barrels brewed within the limits of the Chief Office of Excise, and within each of the several Collections; particularizing the quantity brewed by Public Brewers, Licensed Victuallers, Retail Brewers, and Intermediate Brewers.

Brewers.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the number of Brewers, Retail Brewers, Licensed Victuallers, and Intermediate Brewers in England, Scotland and Wales; distinguishing the number of them within the limits of the Chief Office of Excise, and each of the several Collections; and setting forth the number of Licensed Victuallers who brew their own Beer, during the above period.

Hops.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the total number of Acres of Land in Great Britain under the cultivation of Hops, in the year 1829; distinguishing the number of Acres in each Parish.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the Duty on Hops of the growth of the year 1829; distinguishing the Districts, and the old from the new Duty.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the quantity of Hops exported from, and imported into, Great Britain; distinguishing the Places, for the year ended 5th January 1830.

Malt.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the number of Bushels of Malt charged with Duty in the United Kingdom, and the amount of Duty thereon, separating each country, in each year from 5th January 1825 to 5th January 1830; distinguishing the quantity in each year used by Brewers and Victuallers, and the quantity used in the Distillery, so far as the same can be ascertained.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the number of Bushels of Malt made, and the amount of Duties paid in each Collection of Excise upon the same, in the United Kingdom, from 5th January 1829 to 5th January 1830.

Spirits.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the Wine Gallons of Proof Spirits that paid Duty, in each Kingdom, for the home consumption of that Kingdom, in each year, from 10th October 1823 to 10th October 1825, and from 10th October 1825 to 5th January 1826; and Imperial Gallons of Proof Spirits in each year, from 5th January 1826 to 5th January 1830; and showing for each Kingdom, in each of these seven periods, the difference of Gallons betwixt the whole that so paid Duty, and what Gallons Malt Drawback was paid on, under 4 Geo. 4, c. 94, and 6 Geo. 4, c. 58; as also the total difference of Gallons for each Kingdom, during the whole period, from 10th October 1823 to 5th January 1830.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the Imperial Gallons of Proof Spirits distilled in each Kingdom, exported from Scotland to England, from Ireland to England, and from Scotland to Ireland, and that paid Duty in each Kingdom for home consumption; the full rate of Duty per imperial gallon applying to these Spirits for home consumption in each Kingdom, and amount thereof at that rate in each quarter, from 5th January 1829 to 5th January 1830; and showing the Totals of all these for each Kingdom, and for the United Kingdom, for the year.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the amount of Money paid Distillers, in each Kingdom, as Drawback on Malt, under 1 and 2 Geo. 4 c. 82, from 5th January 1829 to 5th January 1830.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the total number of Gallons of Proof Spirits, of the manufacture of the United Kingdom that paid Duty, and the amount thereof for home consumption, in each Kingdom; also, the total number of Gallons of Proof Rum, Brandy, Geneva, and all other Foreign Spirits, that paid Duty in each Kingdom, the number of Gallons of each kind, and the Duty thereon for each Kingdom; also, the total number of Gallons of Spirits of all kinds that paid Duty, and total amount thereof, in each Kingdom, and total number of Gallons, and total Duty thereon, in the whole United Kingdom, in each year, from 5th January 1825 to 5th January 1830.

Petitions for promoting Footpaths.

A Petition of James White, of Plymouth, one of the Freeholders of Devon, was presented, and read; praying, That the House will be pleased to have inserted in all Turnpike and other Road Bills, Clauses compulsory on the Trustees to make and maintain a Footpath of the breadth of five feet at the least.

Another Petition of the said James White was also presented, and read; reciting an Act passed in the 41st year of his late Majesty, for consolidating certain Provisions usually made and inserted in Acts of Inclosure; and praying, That the House will be pleased to direct, that, on setting out and appointing public Carriage Roads and Highways over any lands intended to be inclosed under the said general Act, or under any special Act of Parliament, there shall be set out and appointed a space of at least six feet in breadth by the side of each of the said public Carriage Roads and Highways, or any other Road crossing any moor, forest, common chase or waste, and of the whole length of such Roads, for the purpose of erecting thereon respectively a Causeway or Footpath.

And the said Petitions were ordered to lie upon the Table.

Calne Writ.

Ordered, That Mr. Speaker do issue his Warrant to the Clerk of the Crown, to make out a new Writ for the electing of a Burgess to serve in this present Parliament for the Borough of Calne, in the room of the Right honourable James Abercromby, who, since his election for the said Borough, hath accepted the office of Chief Baron of His Majesty's Court of Exchequer in Scotland.

Report on Expiring Laws.

No. 6.

Sir Alexander Grant reported from the Committee appointed to inquire what Temporary Laws, of a public and general nature, made by the Parliaments of England, or Great Britain, or Ireland, or of the United Kingdom, are now in force, and what laws of the like nature, passed by the English, British, Irish or United Parliaments, have expired between the first day of the last Session of Parliament and the first day of the present Session; and also what laws of the like nature are about to expire in the course or at the end of the present Session, or on or before the first day of August 1831; or in the course or at the end of any Session which may commence during that period, or in consequence of any contingent public event; and to report the same, with their observations thereupon, to the House; and who were instructed to report their opinion from time to time to the House, which of the said Laws are fit to be revived, continued or made perpetual; That they had examined the matters to them referred, and had directed him to make a Report thereof to the House; and the Report was brought up, and read.

Ordered, That the Report do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Resolution respecting Private Bill Committees.

The House was moved, That the Resolution of the House, of the 20th day of February 1827, relative to adding Members to Committees, might be read; and the same was read; and is as followeth;

"Resolved, That after any Committee on a Petition for a Private Bill, or on a Private Bill, shall have been formed according to the new distribution of counties, individual Members may be added thereto upon special application to the House; and that no Member shall have a voice in any such Committee, unless he shall have been originally included within the new Lists, or have been so specially appointed afterwards."

Leave of Absence.

Ordered, That Mr. Henry Maxwell have leave of absence for a month, on urgent private business.

Clonmell Writ.

Ordered, That Mr. Speaker do issue his Warrant to the Clerk of the Crown in Ireland, to make out a new Writ for the electing of a Burgess to serve in this present Parliament for the Borough of Clonmell, in the room of James Hewitt Massy Dawson, Esquire, who, since his election for the said Borough, hath accepted the office of Steward or Bailiff of His Majesty's three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Bonenham, in the county of Buckingham.

Petitions complaining of Agricultural Distress.

A Petition of Farmers and Yeomen of the parish of Wetheringsett-cum-Brockford;-of Yeomen, Farmers and Peasantry of the parish of Benhall;-of several Owners and Occupiers of land in the parish of Mellis;-of Farmers of the parish of Rougham, in the county of Suffolk;-of several Owners and Occupiers of land in the county of Cambridge and Isle of Ely;-in the hundred of Ely, and south part of the hundred of Witchford, in the county of Cambridge;-and, of E. W. Hasell, Sheriff of Cumberland, were presented, and read; setting forth, That the distress which, to an unprecedented degree, pervades every branch of the agricultural interest of this country, demands the immediate and serious attention of the Legislature; that this distress, although more directly affecting the Agriculturist and the Labourers dependent upon him for employment, operates indirectly upon the Manufacturer, by depressing the home market; and that unless the distress be speedily relieved, it must produce the most disastrous effects upon the country in general; and praying the House to take into their consideration, at the earliest period possible of the Session, the present state of agricultural distress; and to repeal the taxes upon malt and beer; and to make such an alteration in the system of licensing public houses as will remove the present restriction upon the sale of beer.

And the said Petitions were ordered to lie upon the Table; and to be printed.

Answer to Address.

Mr. Secretary Peel reported to the House, That His Majesty, having been attended with their Address of Friday last, was pleased to receive the same very graciously, and to give the following Answer:

I thank you for this loyal and dutiful Address.

I rely with confidence on your attachment and support, and you may depend upon My unwearied endeavours to maintain the National Honour, and upon My constant and anxious disposition to watch with equal care over the interests of all classes of My Subjects.

Paper respecting Slaves, presented.

No. 8.

Sir George Murray presented to the House, by His Majesty's command,-An Order of the King in Council, for consolidating the several Laws recently made for im proving the condition of the Slaves in His Majesty's Colonies of Trinidad, Berbice, Demerara, St. Lucia, Cape of Good Hope, and Mauritius.

Ordered, That the said Paper do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Accounts ordered:

Half Pay.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the several amounts paid in each year, since 10th January 1826, for Half-Pay and Retired Superannuated Allowances; distinguishing the amounts under separate heads and separate departments.

Bank of England.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the amount of Advances made by the Bank of England to Government, on Exchequer Bills, and all other Securities, including Exchequer Bills, Deficiency Bills, Navy Bills, Victualling Bills, &c. at the undermentioned periods: August 26th 1826; February 26th 1827; August 26th 1827; February 26th 1828; August 26th 1828; February 26th 1829; and August 26th 1829.

Grain Import.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of the uantity of Foreign Corn, Grain, Meal and Flour imported into Great Britain and Ireland in Foreign Ships, from the year 1827, inclusive, distinguishing each year; and showing the number of ships, their tonnage, and the number of men employed in navigating such ships: And, a similar Account of the Importations in British ships.

Address respecting Silver Coinage.

Resolved, That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, that He will be graciously pleased to give directions, that there be laid before this House, an Account of Silver Coin coined since 14th June 1828 to 31st December 1829, both days inclusive; distinguishing crowns, halfcrowns, shillings and sixpenny pieces; also, an Account of the quantity and value of Silver purchased for the purpose of coining during that period, and of the price paid for each purchase per ounce of Standard Silver.

Ordered, That the said Address be presented to His Majesty, by such Members of this House as are of His Majesty's most honourable Privy Council.

Address respecting Droits.

Resolved, That an humble Address be presented to His Majesty, that He will be graciously pleased to give directions, that there be laid before this House, an Account of the total produce of all Funds at the disposal of the Crown, and usually deemed not to be under the immediate control of Parliament, since 1820; distinguishing the monies arising from Droits of the Admiralty and Droits of the Crown; Four and Half per Cent West India Duties; Scottish Revenue; and from all other sources not hereinbefore specified, so far as the same can be ascertained.

Ordered, That the said Address be presented to His Majesty, by such Members of this House as are of His Majesty's most honourable Privy Council.

Petition for abolishing Slavery.

A Petition of several Inhabitants of the city of Cork and its vicinity, was presented, and read; praying for the abolition of Negro Slavery.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Cork City Election.

Petition of Electors.

A Petition of Electors of the city of Cork, claiming to have and having a right to vote at the last Election of a Member to serve in Parliament for the said city of Cork, was delivered in, and read; setting forth, That at the last Election of a Citizen to serve in Parliament in the room of Sir Nicholas Conway Colthurst, Baronet, deceased, Gerard Callaghan, of the city of Cork, Merchant, and Sir Augustus Warren, of Warrens Court, in the county of Cork, Baronet, were Candidates, being duly put in nomination; that, before and at the time of the test of the Writ directed to Samuel Perry, junior, and James John Cummins, Esquires, Sheriffs of the said city, to return a citizen to serve in Parliament for the said city, and during the execution of the said Writ, and at the time of the Return hereinafter mentioned being made on the same, the said Gerard Callaghan was a person who directly or indirectly, himself or by some person or persons in trust for him, or for his use or benefit, or on his account, had undertaken, and did then hold and enjoy in the whole, or in part, a certain contract or agreement made or entered into with the Commissioners or some of the Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, or of the Navy or Victualling Office, or with some other person or persons for or on account of the Public service, and had knowingly and willingly furnished and provided, in pursuance of such agreement or contract, wares and merchandizes, to be used and employed in the service of the Public, and was at the time of the said Election subject to the terms, conditions and provisions of the said agreement or contract, or some of them; by reason of which premises the said Gerard Callaghan was rendered incapable of being elected or chosen a Member of the House of Commons of Great Britain and Ireland; that, after many of the persons entitled to vote at said Election had given their votes, the said Samuel Perry and James John Cummins, Esquires, the Returning Officers, were duly and publicly apprized of the incapacity of the said Gerard Callaghan to sit in Parliament, for the reasons aforesaid, and a protest to that effect was tendered to the said Returning Officers, who received such protest, and placed the same on the poll books of the said Election; that several hundreds of the electors of said city did not poll at all at said Election, being aware of the ineligibility of the said Gerard Callaghan to be returned as such representative for said City for the reasons aforesaid; that after such notification of the ineligibility of the said Gerard Callaghan, the said Returning Officers returned the said Gerard Callaghan by a certain indenture as duly elected to serve in Parliament for the said City, in prejudice of the rights of the Petitioners as electors of said City, and contrary to law; the Petitioners therefore humbly pray, That the said Return may be set aside, and that the House may grant to the Petitioners such other and further relief in the premises as to justice shall appertain.

Ordered, That the said Petition be taken into consideration upon Thursday the 25th day of this instant February, at the same time that the Petition of several Electors of the city of Cork is ordered to be taken into consideration.

Memorandum:-In pursuance of the Act 9 Geo. 4, c. 22, to consolidate and amend the laws relating to the trial of controverted Elections, or Returns of Members to serve in Parliament, Notices were sent to the parties, with orders for their attendance by themselves, their counsel or agents, at the time on which the said Petition was ordered to be taken into consideration.

Ordered, That Mr. Speaker do issue his Warrant or Warrants for such persons papers and records as shall be thought necessary by the several Parties on the hearing of the matter of the said Petition.

Wexford Town Election.

Petition to be considered.

The House was moved, That the Petition of Charles Roper, of Rathfarnham Castle, in the county of Dublin, Esquire, Andrew T. Montgomery, of the city of Dublin, and William Goodison, of Garryduffe, in the county of Wexford, gentlemen, Freemen of the town or borough of Wexford, in that part of the United Kingdom called Ireland, who were entitled to vote and did vote at the late Election of a Burgess to serve in Parliament for the said town or borough of Wexford, which was presented to the House upon Wednesday the 24th day of June in the last Session of Parliament, might be read; and the same was read.

The House was also moved, That the Act 9 Geo. 4, c. 22, s. 56, to consolidate and amend the Laws relating to the trial of Controverted Elections, or Returns of Members to serve in Parliament, might be read; and the same being read;

Ordered, That the said Petition be taken into consideration upon Tuesday the 2d day of March next, at three of the clock in the Afternoon.

Memorandum:-In pursuance of the said Act, Notices were sent to the Parties, with Orders for their attendance by themselves, their counsel or agents, at the time on which the said Petition was ordered to be taken into consideration.

Ordered, That Mr. Speaker do issue his Warrant or Warrants for such persons papers and records as shall be thought necessary by the several parties on the hearing of the matter of the said Petition.

Minutes on Coal Trade delivered. No. 9.

No. 9.

Mr. Tennyson reported, That he had carried to the Lords the Message of this House, of Friday last, requesting that their Lordships would be pleased to communicate to this House, a Copy of the Minutes of Evidence taken before the Select Committee appointed by their Lordships in the last Session of Parliament to inquire into the state of the Coal Trade; and that their Lordships had been pleased to communicate a printed Copy of the said Minutes of Evidence, as desired by this House; and he delivered the said Copy in at the Table.

Ordered, That the said Minutes do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Petition for repeal of Malt Tax.

A Petition of Maltsters and others at the Corn Exchange, London, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioners, in common with every other class of His Majesty's distressed subjects, are suffering under the pressure of the national load of taxation, the principal cause of which appears to be a most enormous national debt contracted in a plentiful paper currency; the interest of which debt is now exacted in a contracted currency, principally metallic; the expenses of the Army and Navy are increased from 3,700,000£. a year to upwards of 14,000,000£., the Civil List from 900,000£. to 3,500,000£, a year; in fact, the whole expenditure of the country is increased within the last thirty-eight years from 15,000,000£. to about 60,000,000£. a year, during a surplus issue of Bank paper, the whole interest of which is now demanded in a limited currency, principally gold, while all places and pensions, and all sinecures and grants, remain undiminished; and while the price of land is advanced more than doublefold, no adequate reduction, or no reduction at all, has taken place in rents, though paid in the same limited currency; and they hope and trust that the House will never again consent to a re-issue of Bank paper, which could only be attended with uncertainty and embarrassment in all transactions of trade, with new schemes and bubbles and panics, and ultimate ruin to the nation; and praying, That the House will take into their most early consideration the only permanent and substantial relief, a large reduction in the public expenditure, which the Petitioners are fully aware is practicable and absolutely necessary, and a reduction of those taxes which press most heavily upon the labouring classes, but more particularly upon the farmers and agricultural labourers, which they consider now to be the most distressed and oppressed people of all His Majesty's subjects; and that the first Act of legislative intercession will be the total abolition of the Malt Tax, the immediate relief of which would be instantly perceptible and permanently durable.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table; and be printed.

Ireland-Accounts ordered:

Tithe Compositions.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, a Return of the name of every Parish in Ireland in which an agreement has been made under the Tithe Composition Act, stating whether such Parish is united with any and how many other Parishes, and also whether such other Parishes have entered into similar Compositions, together with a Statement of the amount of the Composition in each Parish, and whether with the clerical incumbent or lay impropriator, and of the cases, if any, in which the agreement has been annulled by authority of the Diocesan.

First Fruits.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, an Account of all sums received and paid by the Commissioners of First Fruits in Ireland, during each of the last ten years; specifying the sources from which these receipts have arisen, and the manner in which they have been expended, under the head of Glebe-houses, Churches, Glebes, and Incidents of Management; together with an Account, for the same period, of the sums remaining due to the Commissioners, and the advances made by them.

County Hospitals.

Ordered, That there be laid before this House, a Copy of a Report made to the Irish Government on the state of the County Hospitals or Infirmaries of Ireland.

Lords Commissioners Speech, considered.

The House, according to Order, proceeded to take into consideration the Speech of the Lords Commissioners to both Houses of Parliament; and the same was again read by Mr. Speaker.

Motion for Supply;

And a Motion being made, That a Supply be granted to His Majesty;

to be considered.

Resolved, That this House will, To-morrow, resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, to consider of that Motion.

Knaresborough Writ.

Ordered, That Mr. Speaker do issue his Warrant to the Clerk of the Crown, to make out a new Writ for the electing of a Burgess to serve in this present Parliament for the Borough of Knaresborough, in the room of the Right honourable George Tierney, deceased.

Tithes Exchange Bill, ordered.

Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to enable Rectors, Vicars, and other Incumbents of Ecclesiastical Benefices and Livings in England and Wales, to exchange their Tithes for Corn Rents, by agreement with the owners of lands: And that Mr. Greene, Sir Thomas Fremantle, and Mr. Robert Grant, do prepare, and bring it in.

Journal to be printed.

Ordered, That the Journal of this House, from the end of the last Session of Parliament to the end of this present Session, with an Index to the Eighty-fifth Volume, be printed.

Ordered, That one thousand seven hundred and fifty copies of the said Journal and Index be printed by the appointment and under the direction of John Henry Ley, Esquire, Clerk of this House.

Ordered, That the said Journal and Index be printed by such Person as shall be licensed by Mr. Speaker; and that no other person do presume to print the same.

St. Giles Vestry Petition.

A Petition of the Rector and of several of the Vestrymen and Inhabitants of the parish of Saint Giles-in-theFields, in the county of Middlesex; and also of the Rector, and of several of the Vestrymen and Inhabitants of the parish of Saint George Bloomsbury, in the same county, was presented, and read; setting forth, That the parish of Saint Giles-in-the-Fields, in the county of Middlesex, is an ancient parish, the affairs whereof, for a long series of years, have been managed by a Select Vestry of such parish; and that the Commissioners acting under the authority of certain Letters Patent, granted by King George the First, and by King George the Second, and issued under the powers of the several Acts passed for building of new Churches in and about the cities of London and Westminster, and the suburbs thereof, did, according to the directions of the said Acts, set out, appoint and declare a certain portion of the said parish of Saint Giles-in-the-Fields to be a new, separate and distinct parish for all ecclesiastical purposes, by the name of the parish of Saint George Bloomsbury; and did also appoint the Rector, Churchwardens and thirty-six of the Inhabitants of the said new parish, to be the first Vestrymen of such parish; since which period, the affairs relating to the church of the said new parish have been managed by a Select Vestry of such parish, constituted according to the directions of the said Acts; and that under the powers of an Act passed in the third year of the reign of King George the Second, for providing a maintenance for the Minister of the new church near Bloomsbury Market, in the county of Middlesex, and for making more effectual an Act passed in the fourth year of his late Majesty's reign, for empowering the Commissioners for building fifty new churches to direct the parish church of Saint Giles-in-the-Fields, in the said county, to be rebuilt, instead of one of the said fifty new churches, the Churchwardens and Overseers of the said parishes of Saint Gilesin-the-Fields and Saint George Bloomsbury have jointly made the rates for the relief of the Poor of the said parishes; and by an Act passed in the 14th year of the reign of his late Majesty, for the better governing and employing the Poor, and making and collecting the Poors Rates within the parishes of Saint Giles-in-theFields and Saint George Bloomsbury, in the county of Middlesex, the Vestrymen of the said parishes of Saint Giles-in-the-Fields and Saint George Bloomsbury, together with the Churchwardens and Overseers of such respective parishes have, since the passing of such Act, exercised the power of making rates for the relief and maintenance of the Poor of the said parishes; and the said Vestrymen have, in pursuance of the authority vested in them by the said Act, exercised the powers of employing and managing the Poor in the workhouse of the said parishes, and of making rules, orders and regulations for applying the said rates, and for the maintenance, employment and government of the Poor of the said parishes, and have executed the several other powers granted to them by such Act; and that some of the provisions of the Acts hereinbefore recited have been found insufficient for the purposes thereby intended, and difficulties have occasionally arisen in the management of some of the affairs of the said parishes, and it is expedient that more effectual provision should be made for the election and regulation of the Vestrymen and Officers of the said parishes, and for the making of rates, and for the general control and regulation of the affairs of the said parishes, and of all matters connected therewith; and praying, That leave may be given to bring in a Bill for the same.

Ordered, That the said Petition be referred to a Committee:-And it is referred to Lord John Russell, &c., And they are to meet To-morrow, in the Speaker's Chamber; and have Power to send for persons papers and records.

Tithes Exchange Bill, presented.

No. 10.

Mr. Greene presented a Bill to enable Rectors, Vicars and other Incumbents of Ecclesiastical Benefices and Livings in England and Wales, to exchange their Tithes for Corn Rents, by agreement with the owners of lands: And the same was read the first time; and ordered to be read a second time upon Friday the 19th day of this instant, February.

Ordered, That the Bill be printed.

And then the House adjourned till To-morrow.