1835.] Proceedings in Parliament. The His considered in Committee, and in so doing spoke of the inconveniences which had resulted from the resolution to hear counsel and examine evidence on the subject. The witnesses called to their Lordships' bar were entirely involved in the proceedings of the Corporations, whose reform was sought for by the Bill. They were the advisers of those Corporations, participators in all their acts, and their interest was materially affected by the provisions of the present Bill. evidence was entirely ex parte. Lordship then ably defended the Commissioners from the charges brought against them, and in conclusion reminded the House that the feeling in favour of this measure was diffused through the whole mass of the community. There prevailed throughout the whole of the towns, where the name of a Corporation existed, a deeprooted opinion that the present constitution of those boroughs was an usurpation --a deprivation of rights which formerly existed, and an encroachment on the more popular form of the Constitution.-The Duke of Newcastle moved that the Bill be read a second time that day six months, observing, that the present measure had for its object spoliation of property, deprivation of rights, and violation of good faith. The Duke of Wellington, although objecting to the Bill on many points, should certainly vote for going into Committee. The great points of the Bill to which he objected were the electing of persons for Magistrates who had no qualification, and allowing those individuals to exercise Church patronage.-The Duke of Cumberland, although strongly opposed to the Bill, could not vote for the amendment. After some further discussion, the amendment was withdrawn, and the House went forthwith into Committee. In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, the same day, the IRISH MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS Bill was, after some discussion, read a second time, and ordered to be committed. -The CHURCH of IRELAND REFORM The SLAVE COMPENSATION Bill was HOUSE OF LORDS. Aug. 13. The IRISH CHURCH REFORM Bill was brought up from the Commons, read a first time, and ordered for a second reading on the 21st. the House went into committee on the Aug. 14. Their Lordships again went into committee on the CORPORATIONS REFORM Bill. On the motion of Lord struck out. On coming to the 15th clause, Lyndhurst, the 10th and 11th clauses were Lord Lyndhurst moved an amendment to the effect that the voters in boroughs should be divided into classes according to property, and that those of the highest class should alone be eligible to hold seats in the Borough Council. The amendment was supported by Lords Wicklow, Devon, Wharncliffe, Haddington, and Ellenborough, the Dukes of Wellington and Buccleugh, and the Marquess of Westmeath; and opposed by Lords Brougham, Melbourn, Ripon, Plunket, Radnor, Glenelg, On a division, there Various petitions having been presented, and Lansdowne. appeared-for the amendment, 120; against it, 39. The clauses up to 23 were then agreed to, with amendments. In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, the same day, the Chancellor of the Exchequer brought forward the BUDGET. He stated that in the past year there had been a surplus of income above the expenditure of 1,205.000 a great part of which would, however, be required to meet the extra charges of the West India Loan; in the present year, he anticipated a surplus of 835,000/-a sum too small to enable him to announce any great reduction of taxation, more especially as a large portion would be again required to meet the expenses of the West India Loan. There were, however, two or three items of taxation to which he could extend immediate relief. With regard to spirit licences, it was proposed to reduce the tax according to the quantity of spirits for which the person took out a licence. The lowest quantity to be sold for which a licence should be required was fifty gallons. The duty on flint glass was to be reduced from 6d. to 2d. per lb.; and the duty on arbitration bouds in Ireland below a certain sum was to be repealed. The Right Honorable Member added that the great resources of the country, so far from suffering diminution, were increased so as to induce domestic prosperity, and bid defiance to foreign aggression. The national bonour was placed on a firmer basis, and the credit of England, as compared with other nations, raised to the highest pitch that all those who loved and respected her name at home and abroad could wish.A long discussion ensued, in which it appeared to be the prevailing sentiment, that, with the small surplus at his command, nothing could well be more satisfactory than the statement of the Right Hon. Member. A resolution to grant 13,000,000l. to his Majesty, to be raised by Exchequer Bills, and to grant 3,147,000. out of the Consolidated Fund, was then agreed to. not regard the amendment but as seriously injurious, if not entirely fatal, to the Bill. The amendment would divest it of that character of popularity which was its best recommendation to the country.-After a protracted discussion the House divided, when there appeared, for the amendment, 126; against it, 39.-Lord Lyndhurst proposed an amendment to negative the clause which limits the existence of the office of the present borough magistrates to the 1st of May, 1836, and no longer. Lord Brougham opposed the amendment. He was sorry to see the knife, with which the Noble and Learned Lord butchered the Bill last night, again in his hand.- Viscount Melbourne said that the present amendment was only a continua. tion of the series of amendments which had been from time to time brought forward by the Noble and Learned Lord, and which effectually took away the saving character of the Bill, and rendered it entirely insufficient for the purposes intended by the framers of it. It was not his intention to offer any opposition to these amendments; for seeing how their Lordships' House was constituted, such opposition would be altogether useless. It was indeed with him a matter of serious consideration whether he ought to go on with the Bill or not, now that it was so mutilated by the amendments of the Noble and Learned Lord. The amendment was then agreed to.-On clause 36, having reference to the division of Boroughs into Wards, being put, Lord Ellenborough objected to it, inasmuch as when the Parliamentary boroughs were formed under the Reform Bill, it was declared that no further division should take place without the interference of Parliament. He proposed that in towns with a population of from 6000 to 9000, there should be two wards allotted-in towns having a population of between 9000 and 12,000, three wards-from 13,000 to 18,000 four wards, and so forth, in order that a town having a population varying from 50.000 to 60,000 might have eight wards. The object of his amendment was, that numbers and property, as in the town of Manchester, should be fairly represented. The amendment was then agreed to without a division-On clause 65 being put, which related to the licensing of ale-houses, the power of which by the Bill was to be vested in the town council, Lord Wharncliffe said he thought they would agree with him that it would be much better to let the law remain as it was, than to transfer the power to the council. He would, therefore, move that clauses 65 and 66 be omitted, which, after some opposition, was agreed to. The remainder of the clauses were then proceeded with; and after several amendments had been adopt ed, the House resumed, and the Bill was ordered to be printed. The PEACE PRESERVATION Bill was then read a second time. Aug. 19. The WEST INDIA SLAVERY COMPENSATION Bill was read a third time and passed. Aug. 20. Several Bills were brought from the Commons, presented, read a first time, and ordered to be printed. The POLLS at ELECTIONS Bill called forth some desultory discussion; but it was eventually read a third time, and passed. Lord Melbourne moved the second reading of the CHURCH of IRELAND Bill, and supported it at considerable length. Lord Fitzgerald maintained that the Bill was calculated to destroy the reformed establishment of Ireland, and rather than consent to recognise a principle having such a tendency, he would submit to any consequences. At the same time, he hoped that their Lordships would go into the Committee, and there amend the Bill so as to improve the Establishment, and FRANCE. not disappoint the wishes and expectations of the people on this subject.-The Earl of Ripon said that he could not support the Bill in its present form, though he should not resist its going into Committee. -After some further discussion the Bill was read a second time without a division. In the HOUSE OF COMMONS, the same day (as well as the three preceding days) the Members were chiefly occupied with the subject of ORANGE LODGES having been established in the army; his Majesty having stated, in reply to the resolutions of the House, that it was his firm determination to prevent the formation of such Societies in the army. On the motion of Mr. Hume, Lieut.-Col. Fairman, the Deputy Grand Secretary to the Grand Orange Lodge of England had been called to the bar for having refused to produce the letter-book of the Lodge to the Select Committee appointed to investigate the subject; and this day it was moved and carried, that Mr. Speaker issue a warrant for his apprehension and committal to Newgate. The House was afterwards informed that Col. Fairman had absconded with his books and papers. FOREIGN NEWS. All France has been thrown into consternation and sorrow, by a traitorous attempt having been made on the life of the King, attended by the most horrible and fatal consequences. It occurred as the King, with his two sons and a numerous staff, was proceeding to the grand review, which took place on the 28th of July, preparatory to the Three Days' fetes commemorative of the last revolution. This diabolical attempt was made on the Boulevard du Temple, by means of an infernal machine, placed behind a window, by the explosion of which his Majesty's horse was killed, but his Majesty, as well as the Princes, escaped unhurt. Marshal Mortier, the Lieutenant-Colonel of the 8th legion of the National Guards, Colonel Rieussec, and several general officers, were killed on the spot; and on the opposite side several inoffensive citizens, some of the National Guards, and even women and children fell victims to this flagitious act. The Boulevard was streaming in blood, and several horses were laid dead on the scene of carnage. It was soon discovered that the shots proceeded from a mean-looking house, occupied by a wine-seller of the lowest class, situated at the corner of a narrow alley. The room in which the machine had been constructed was very small, its dimensions being only six and a half feet by seven. The machine was made of wood, with iron braces, and extremely solid. Two uprights supported two cross bars of wood, placed parallel to the window, and in these were formed grooves, in which were laid 25 gun-barrels. The front cross bar, placed at about a foot from the window, was rather lower than that behind, so that the balls might reach the body of a man on horseback in the middle of the Boulevard. The charge was so heavy, that five out of the twenty-five barrels burst, notwithstanding they were very substantial and new. By the bursting of some of the barrels, at the moment of the explosion, the assassin was wounded in the forehead, neck, and lip; and owing to this circumstance he was taken into custody, while endeavouring to effect his escape by means of a rope from the back of the house. He gave his name Girard; but it was afterwards proved that his name was Fieschi, a native of Corsica, who once belonged to the guard of Murat, when King of Naples, but was subsequently condemned to ten years' imprisonment for stealing a cow. He has declared that he had no accomplices in the affair. The official lists of the killed and wounded since published, present a total of 41, the deaths being 14; and the number of wounded, many of them so severely as to have suffered amputation, amounting to 27. Of the 14 killed, 4 only seem to have formed part of the Royal cortège Marshal Mortier, General de Verigny, Colonel Raffe, and Captain Villatte; and of the 27 wounded, also 4-General Heymer, General Colbert, General Pelet, and General Blin. The National Guard has had five of its members killed and six wounded, including, among the former, Lieutenant-Colonel Rieussec, of the 8th Legion. Among the killed also are a Receiver-general, aged 72, a merchant's clerk, 54, a labourer, 35, a married woman, 20, and a little girl, 14. In consequence of the above melan. choly event, the public fetes were suspended; and on the 5th of August a public funeral of the victims, according to royal ordonnance, took place at the Hotel des Invalides, at which the King and his two sons were present. The most restrictive measures are now in progress through the Chambers, in consequence of this attempt on the life of the King. In the detail of the first measure relative to the press, a variety of formalities are prescribed in regard to the shape, language, subject of discussion, and publication of articles, by the neglect of any of which the paper itself will be liable to suppression, and its responsible conductors to fines and imprisonment. The second measure is a modification of the jury law, under which the jurors are to vote by ballot, effect being given to a simple majority, instead of the two-thirds prescribed by the present law. The third imposes restrictions on the sale of caricatures, lithographic prints, and engravings; and the fourth creates a penal settlement, by which political offenders may be transported, instead of being subjected, as at present, to fixed terms of imprison ment. The Court of Peers, in their sitting of the 13th of Aug. finally disposed of the cases of the Lyonnese insurgents-seven of whom were sentenced to transportation (imprisonment) for life; two to twenty years' imprisonment; and the others to terms of imprisonment varying from one to fifteen years. Nine of the prisoners were acquitted; and on the cases of 28, who had not surrendered to take their trial, the Court has not decided. SPAIN. A general spirit of insurrection, displaying itself in the indiscriminate slaugh. ter of monks and the destruction of monastic establishments, together with demands for a more popular form of Government, has broken out in several provinces in Spain. Madrid, Barcelona, and Saragossa, have been the scenes of violent commotion, and in many places the leading authorities have been obliged to go with the movement, which they At Barcelona, were unable to control. the disturbances commenced at the bullfight, which took place on the 26th of cause was the July. The apparent disappointment of the populace arising from the pacific dispositions of the bulls, but the real origin was doubtless political discontent. In a moment, the benches were torn up, the balustrades forced out, and the enormously massive rope, which forms a barrier between the inner ring of the arena and the front seats, was cut in various places. Chairs, benches, and parts of the balustrades were hurried from all parts into the plaza, and property to the value of upwards of 7,000 dollars was wantonly destroyed. The cries of -"To the Convents, to St. Francis's, to the Carmelites,"-were soon heard; as also "Death to the Friars!" and in less than half an hour, they had set fire to one of the gates of the convent of St. Francis, Liberty-Kill them" amidst shouts of " The crowd now separated (the friars). into various divisions, and each headed by leaders with their features disguised, proceeded towards other convents. Those of the Augustin friars-of the order of the Trinity-of Carmelites, both shod and barefooted-of the Minims and Dominicans, were soon in flames. The magnificent churches of St. Augustin and St. Catherine, have nothing but the bare walls standing, and the splendid libraries and valuable paintings have been reduced to ashes. Nearly fourscore of defenceless friars were also inhumanly butchered. Many were stabbed even whilst under the protection of the military force. The greater part of the Franciscan friars made their escape through a sewer which leads from the convent to the sea, and were received by the military stationed there. Fresh disturbances broke out on the 5th of August at Barcelona. General Bassa, who had arrived on the 4th at the head of 2,000 men, was attacked in the very palace, thrown from the balcony, dragged through the streets, and his dead body thrown into the flames of the edifices which had been set on fire. The hotels of the civil government and of the police were broken open. The troops did not dare to interfere; the town was delivered up to the most complete anarchy, to which an end was only put by the creation of a new municipality. At length the militia succeeded in subduing the anarchists. A provisional government was eventually established, and their first act was to declare General Llauder a traitor. They also declared their intention to separate Catalonia from the kingdom of Spain, and to offer the throne to the infant Francisco Paulo. An insurrection also broke out in Saragossa on the night of Aug. 10. The Constitution was proclaimed, and the Captain General, who refused joining the people, was barbarously murdered. All the civic authorities were driven from the town, and a municipal Government established. The military were compelled to retreat into the mountains, leaving behind them all their baggage.-At Tarragona, the Queen's Lieutenant and the Major of the garrison have been massacred. Disturbances have also taken place in Cadiz, Alicant, Valladolid, and Valentia. In Cadiz the tumult originated in the refusal of the authorities to allow Riego's hymn to be performed at the theatre. In Alicant the people cried out in favour of the Constitution of 1812. In Ciudad Rodrigo the monks were brought out of the convents, and ordered to walk out of the town, but were warned that if they returned to Ciudad Rodrigo, under any pretence, they would certainly be put to death. In the mean time the Spanish government have been adopting vigorous measures with regard to the church, for the double purpose of conciliating the people, and adding to the receipt of the Exchequer. The Madrid Gazette of the 29th July contains a decree for suppressing nine hundred convents in different parts of Spain, the property of which is to be applied towards the payment of the debts of the State! Thus, there have been suppressed 40 monasteries of different orders, 138 convents of Dominicans, 181 of Franciscans, 77 of barefooted Friars, 7 of Tiercaires, 29 of Capuchins, 88 of Augustines, 17 of Recollets, 17 of Carmelites, 48 of barefooted Carmelites, 36 of Mercenaries, 27 of barefooted Mercenaries, 50 of St. John of God, 11 of Premonitaries, 6 of Minor Clerks, 4 of Agonisers, 3 of Servitors of Mary, 62 of Minims, 36 of Trinitarians, and 7 of barefooted Trinitarians. The Spanish Ministry have also suppressed the Jesuits, and confiscated their property. A royal decree to this effect was signed on the 4th of August. The Regent has also published a decree for the abolition of the Juntas de Fe, or diocesan tribunals for the punishment of heresy-the last remnant of the Inquisition. Meanwhile the civil war still rages in the northern provinces, without any immediate prospect of being terminated. Communications of the 14th of August state that the Carlists have commenced operations, no longer in the mountains of Navarre, but on that sacred or rather forbidden ground, Old Castile. Don Carlos, who commands a small division of six battalions of infantry and five squadrons of cavalry, on the 10th of Aug. was at Puerto Larra, and in the course of that day he was joined by the cavalry of Villalobos and three battalions of Catalonians. About mid-day Don Carlos, at the head of his column, crossed the Ebro and entered Old Castile, with the intention of attacking the Christino division, commanded by General Bedoya, who occupied a strong position in the immediate vicinity of the fortified city of Pancorbo. After a slight skirmish, the Queenites retreated under the walls of Pancorbo. On the 11th the Carlists had made the necessary arrangements for attacking the town. Don Carlos, it is said, avows his determination to shoot all prisoners from the British auxiliary force, notwithstanding the convention with the Commissioner, Lord Eliot. TURKEY. On the 10th July, the garrison of Scutari surrendered the fortress into the hands of the insurgents. Hussein Bey, the chief leader of the rebels, ordered the garrison to be put to the sword. The Albanian troops under Haslan Pacha refused to act against their countrymen. In Bosnia also insurrectionary movements have taken place. SOUTH AFRICA. The war of the Caffres and the Colonists at the Cape of Good Hope is now brought to a close. On the 29th of April, Hintza, the chief of the tribe, with fifty of his people, went to the British camp, and, after a conference with the Governor, signed a treaty, whereby he engaged to deliver 50,000 head of cattle and 1000 horses, half immediately, and the other half at the end of twelve months-to command, as chief of Western Caffreland, all the tribes under his authority to cease from hostilities, and to deliver up to the British all the ammunition in their possession. The Kei River was to be, in future, the Western Boundary of Western Caffreland. Intelligence to the 30th of May, however, mentions the death of the chief Hintza, who was shot in a daring altempt to escape from the escort, which he had requested to attend him in search of missing cattle. The Chief had endeavoured by every means to misguide the detachment from the districts where the cattle were concealed. His son Oreili, and his wife Nomsa, have been recognised as his successors. |