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"of this country. He concluded by mov-
"ing for that which Taylor was unable to
"obtain, namely, a copy of the Minutes
"of the Court-martial.THE CHANCEL-
"LOR OF THE EXCHEQUER observed, that
" on a Saturday, and in so thin a House,
it was not usual to expect motions of
"such importance as to call for discussion,
"Before, however, he could consent to
"the motion, he should wish a fuller
"House, and some opportunity for in-
quiry. He therefore hoped the Hon.
"Baronet would have no objection to post-
"pone his motion. After some conversa-
tion the motion was postponed until
"Thursday se'nnight."This subject is
of much more importance than are the
battles in Spain and Portugal.It did not
seem, one would have thought, to require
a very full House, or much consideration,
to vote for the production of the proceed
ings of the Court Martial. The same was
done last session by the same member,
and the consequences, in the case of Jef-
fery, are well known. I do not mean to
insinuate, that there is, on the part of the
ministry, any intention or wish, to smo-
ther the proposed inquiry; but, certainly,
the sooner it is gone into the better; and
the more full and solemn the discussion
the more advantageous will be the effects.
I am very glad to see the thing en-
tered on with such temper. Why it should
create heat in any party, I know not; but,
certainly it has had that effect, in most
cases, hitherto. Now, however, we shall,
I trust, hear it soberly, coolly, and man-
fully discussed. The House of Commons
vote the money to pay the soldiers; it is
there where the laws originate for the
governing of them; and surely, it is
there, where inquiries ought to be made
into the treatment of them; for, I think, no
one will any longer have the impudence
to assert, that "the soldier is out of the pale
"of the Constitution."

WM. COBBETT.

State Prison, Newgate, Tuesday,
May 28, 1811.

ment by Viscount Sidmouth, relating to the Acts for Religious Toleration;

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SAMUEL MILLS, Esq. in the Chair: The Committee reported, That by great exertions, aided by the generous sentiments which were universally excited, they had obtained in 48 hours 336 Petitions from various Congregations within 120 miles of the metropolis, signed only by Males exceeding 16 years of age, (exclusive of many Petitions that have been subsequently received) that those Petitions had been presented to the House of Lords on Tuesday; and that in consequence of the number and respectability of the Petitioners, of the attention of his Majesty's Government, and of the assistance of many liberal minded Peers, the motion that the Bill should be read for the second time was negatived without a division, and the Bill was consequently rejected. Resolved,

1. That the Report of the Committee is highly satisfactory to this Meeting; that, loving religion, liberty, and their native land, they rejoice at the speedy rejection of a Bill which would have limited the diffusion of religious light, have enfeebled the energy of freedom, and by producing internal dissentions have inflicted upon their country a dangerous wound: and that they particularly rejoice that this ef fect has resulted from the zeal displayed by the friends to Religious Liberty of every denomination, and that complete success has conferred on their labours an adequate reward.

2. That this Meeting congratulate Mi-nisters and other friends resident in every, part of the empire, on this memorable result, on the just displeasure they have manifested at the first effort of reviving intolerance, on their consequent attention to the recommendations of the former Meeting, on their liberal promises of pecuniary aid, and on the pledges they have given of their determination to resist any encroachments on the Acts of Toleration, and every future attempt to restrict useful and pious teachers from disseminating Christian principles, and thereby promoting the salvation of men.

PROTESTANT DISSENTERS. At a General Meeting of Protestant Dis3. That anxious to vindicate Protestant senters, and other Friends to Religious Liberty, at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate- Dissenters, from the unmerited imputation street, on Friday, May 24, 1811, convened of having acted with insincerity or from to receive the Report of the Committee caprice, this Meeting declare that all appointed at a former Meeting, to prevent communications alleged to have occurred by every legitimate effort the successful between individual Dissenters and the progress of a Bill introduced into Parlia-Framer of the Bill, were unauthorized by

any body of Protestant Dissenters; and that any favourable opinions of the measure which such persons might avow have never obtained the sanction of general approbation.

4. That the inconveniencies which have long resulted from the want of union and co-operation among Protestant Dissenters for the protection of their Religious Rights, the necessity which has been demonstrated for the appointment of persons authorized vigilantly to watch against innovation on their privileges, as well as the constructions that have been put on the Acts of Toleration; the assumption by Magistrates of judicial authority in the execution of some of the provisions of those Acts, as to which their power is only ministerial; the recent violent outrages which have been committed against their Meeting houses and Preachers, in Suffolk and Kent; and the harsh revival of the intolerant provisions of the Conventicle Act in Berkshire, against persons guilty only of assembling to pray to God, induce this Meeting to recommend that a Society be formed of the Ministers of Congregations of Protestant Dissenters, and of other persons assembling under the Act of Toleration throughout England and Wales, to defend themselves against these evils, and that any balance of monies which the Committee appointed by the former Meeting, may eventually retain, be applied by them towards the formation, and for the purposes of such society.

cute all the powers with which they were then invested, and which they have so usefully employed.

7. That the energetic and judicious exertions of that Committee, who have awakened with so much advantage a laudable spirit among Protestant Dissenters, and the friends to Religious Liberty, merit the highest approbation; and present an example for universal imitation, whenever the smallest infringement of the most extensive Toleration be hereafter attempted.

8. That the thanks of this Meeting be presented to the Right Hon. Spencer Per-1 ceval, for the politeness with which he at. tended to the representations of their Committee; and to every Member of his Majesty's Government, for withholding from the Bill their important support.

9. That this Meeting cannot adequately praise the Right Honourable Earls Stanhope and Grey, and Lords Holland and Erskine, for their manly and eloquent opposition to the principles and provisions of the Bill, and for their unanswerable defence of Religious Liberty-but that they be requested to accept of their warmest thanks.

10. That his Grace the Duke of Norfolk, the Most Noble the Marquis of Lansdowne, and the Right Honourable Earls Moira, Lauderdale, and Rosslyn, have, by their prompt and generous assistance, excited in this Meeting the most ardent gratitude.

11. That the Committee for guarding the Privileges of the Methodists in the connection of the late Reverend John Wesley, having essentially contributed to this important success by their concurrent efforts and cheerful co-operation, have increased the esteem which this Meeting previously entertained, and have proved themselves to be sincere friends to the best interests of mankind.

5. That the same Committee be requested to prepare the plan of such society; to invite the concurrence of every congregation assembling under the Acts of Toleration; and to carry any plan they may deem eligible into immediate effect. 6. That, as expences have been una voidably incurred to an amount certainly great, although unascertained, all Gentle men present at this Meeting be requested to subscribe such sums as their liberality may suggest; and that all congregations be requested to transmit their collective contributions, or individual assistance, to the Treasurer, Robert Steven, Esq. at 101, Upper Thames-street, or at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-street; or New Lon- 13. That the attentions of the worshipdon Tavern, Cheapside; or to Sir James ful the Mayor and other Gentlemen of Esdaile and Co. and Messrs. Robarts, Cur- Bristol, and of the Members of several Cortis, and Co. Lombard-street; and Messrs.porations, have made an indelible impres Down, Thornton, and Free, Bartholomew- sion on this Meeting, and are entitled to lane, without any avoidable delay; and gratitude, permanent and sincere. that the Committee appointed at the last Meeting be solicited to continue to exe

12. That this Meeting are also grateful to those Clergymen and other Members of the Established Church, who by their strenuous opposition to the rejected Bill, have evinced their unfeigned attachment to the cause of Religious Liberty.

14. That this Meeting are most happy to renew their grateful acknowledgments

to Samuel Mills, Esq. the Chairman, for the liberality of principle and the propriety of conduct which he has manifested on the present and on the former occasion. 15. That the able, unwearied, and disinterested exertions of Thomas Pellat, Esq. and John Wilks, Esq. the Secretaries to the Committee, have procured for them the respect of this Meeting, and merit universal approbation,

16. That these Resolutions be communicated to the Noblemen and Gentlemen to whom they relate, and that they be printed, advertised in the Newspapers, and circulated at the discretion of the Committee; and that they be also requested to collect and publish all the Proceedings which have occurred, that a Record may remain to gratify contemporaneous enquiry, and to excite and direct the efforts of future generations.

SAMUEL MILLS, Chairman.

BULLION DEBATE.
(Concluded from page 1312.)

He must resist, therefore, any innovation upon the last, as one of the three important links of society; and he was deeply impressed that on the event of this discussion depended the prosperity and the best interests of the British Empire.

Mr. MANNING defended the conduct of the Directors of the Bank of England, and denied that the Bank had any interest distinct from that of the public. In speaking from himself, which he had done in all that he had said upon this subject, and not as a person commissioned to state to that House the sentiments of the Bank, he was free to say that his situation as a Director, derived to him no advantage whatever, save what flowed to him in the channel of the public interests. He was no farther a stockholder than as holding that portion of stock which was necessary for him to qualify himself for his situation as Bank Director, and he had no connection with the stocks but as a Bank Director. In order to shew that the arguments which had been resorted to, to prove the depreciation of the paper currency, from the high price of guineas, he stated there was a Dutch gold coin, called the Ruyder, which was worth fourteen guilders, but which, by laws of Holland, was not exportable. It was well known that a piece of bullion, of equal weight and fineness, would in Holland sell for 12 per

cent. more than the Ruyder, because the Ruyder was not exportable. He repeated his vindication of the Bank, and contended that their paper issue was not regulated with a view to the raising of any excessive or unreasonable profit.

Mr. HUSKISSON rose merely to make one or two observations upon what had fallen from the Right Honourable Baronet and the Hon. Gentleman who had just sat down. He apprehended that the Right Hon. Bart. had in his zeal for the paper cause let out considerably more than the advocates of paper could wish to have disclosed. He seemed not only to deny the evils of an excessive paper issue, but to hail it as another and most promising system of finance; and that, as for the vulgar prejudices in favour of gold and silver, that they ought to be at once exploded or left merely to those modern Midasses who would ruin the country in the fury of their speculations; this glorious paper system was to rescue us from all the horrors of gold and silver which the Right Honourable Baronet had proved by a quotation from a French pamphlet must inevitably make "the poor miserable and the rich wicked and powerful." With respect to the Dutch coin mentioned by the Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Baring) the Ruyder, he believed, was the oldest coin in Holland. It was certainly prohi bited from exportation by one of those absurd laws which were allowed to continue in many countries without one rea son to warrant the continuance of their operation. But the instance put by the Honourable Gentleman, could not apply unless he was prepared to state that the Ruyder had not become deteriorated. It was certainly a very old coin; and the coin to which the Dutch directed their attention chiefly was the ducat, which was exportable, so that the probability was, that the Ruyder had become deteriorated -with regard to the 3rd Resolution, he wished to know from the Right Hon. Gent. the meaning of the word "equivalent" in that resolution; was it the denominations were the same-of this there could be no question; was it that their intrinsic value was the same, or was it that they had the same exchangeable value? Are the two commodities interchangeable? No; then what was the meaning of equivalent?" standard was the measure of equivalency, If the Assaymaster, the favourite witness, Mr. Meale, was called and asked as to this point, he

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(Mr. Huskisson) should wish to put him two questions only;-first, "Are the dol lars and the crown-pieces equivalent?" and this he would certainly answer, no. The second question would be, By what process can you make them equivalent?" the only reply he could give to this, would be perhaps, a laugh-because the thing was impossible--they could not be made equivalent. It was absurd to talk of a standard when it could be traced only to a penal law. An equivalent in such a case could only be compared to the story of the Scholars, who complaining of the diminution of their commons, were desired to get a pair of magnifying glasses, through which to view their allowance. Such was the case with the dollars-Gentlemen had only to view them through a different medium, and they would perceive them to be larger one day than they had been the preceding.

Mr. MANNING explained, that the Proclamation as to the rise in the value of dollars would put the Bank to a loss of 6d. upon every dollar then in circulation, amounting to several millions in number -a sacrifice of no trifling amount, for the convenience of the public. The Bank was not desirous of continuing those is sues; but, on the contrary, would be anxious to withdraw from them whenever the Executive Government found itself enabled to dispense with the Bank's ser vices. He regretted the resolution as to the rise in the dollars had not originated in that House. To the Bank it would prove a loss of 50,000l. or 60,000l.

Mr. HUSKISSON explained.

Mr. S. THORNTON stated, that within these two days a banker had put into his hands 500 guineas in gold, requesting to have in exchange for them, from the Bank, tokens to the amount, at the rate of 5s. 6d. each; and a similar application had been made a few days before for an exchange as between guineas and tokens, to the amount of 3001. This was better than any reasoning as to their value could be supposed to be.

Mr. WILBERFORCE was satisfied the effect of the present discussion would be gradually to lead to true and just principles on the subject; and he was also satisfied that they would be found to be the best friends to the country who advised, that even in a state of prosperity, the present system should not be pushed too

far.

Mr. BARING contended that the country

was in such a fictitious state as to every part of political economy, that she could not go on with a circulation adapted to legitimate purposes. At the present, however, such was the state of the Continent, and of our trade, that it was impossible for us to bring back the precious metals into circulation. To talk in this situation, as a Right Honourable Gentleman (Huskisson) had done, of the Theories of Locke or Newton, was not more absurd than the reasoning of an Honourable Gentleman last night, who carried the House back to the days of Moses.

Mr. HUSKISSON explained.-The House then divided,

For the Resolution...
For the Amendment ...
Majority in favour of the Resolu-

tion ........

76

24

Mr. HORNER then proposed his several Amendments to the Resolutions of Mr. Vansittart, not with the view to any dis cussion, but that they might be entered on the Journals.

Mr. VANSITTART denied the facts asserted in Mr. Horner's Amendments.

Mr. HORNER was content that the matter should now rest on their counter. assertions, which would thus appear opposed to each other on the Journals.

Mr. Horner's Amendments to the seve ral Resolutions were then put and nega

tived.

Mr. TIERNEY proposed his Amendment, as an addition to the Sixteenth Resolution; but this addition was also negatived.

The whole of the Resolutions being put, were agreed to.

OFFICIAL PAPERS. PORTUGAL. THE WAR.-Downing Street,

May 25th, 1811.-Dispatches of which the following are copies, were this day received at the Earl of Liverpool's Office, addressed to his Lordship by Lieutenant General Lord Viscount Wellington, K. B., dated Villa Formosa, 8th and 10th of May.

Villa Formosa, May 8th, 1811. My Lord;-The enemy's whole army, consisting of the 2d, 6th, and 8th corps, and all the cavalry which could be col lected in Castille and Leon, including about nine hundred of the Imperial Guard, crossed the Agueda at Ciudad Rodrigo on the 2d inst.-The battalions of the 9th corps had been joined to the regiments to which they belonged in the

other three corps, excepting a division infantry battalions belonging to Majorconsisting of battalions belonging to regi- General Picton's division, supported by ments in the corps doing duty in Anda- the light infantry battalion in Majorlousia, which division likewise formed General Nightingall's brigade, commandpart of the army-As my object in main- ed by Major Dick of the 42d regitaining a position between the Coa and ment, and the light infantry battalion in the Agueda, after the enemy had retired Major-General Howard's brigade comfrom the former, was to blackade Al- manded by Major M'Donnell, of the 92d meida, which place I had learnt, from regiment, and the light infantry battalion intercepted letters and other information, of the King's German legion, commanded was ill supplied with provisions for its gar- by Major Ally, of the 3d battalion of the rison, and as the enemy were infinitely su- line, and by the 2d battalion of the 83d perior to us in cavalry, I did not give any regiment under Major Carr. These opposition to their march, and they passed troops maintained their position; but the Azava on that evening in the neighbour- having observed the repeated efforts hood of Espeja, Carpio, and Galligos. which the enemy were making to obtain They continued their march on the 3d in possession of the village, and being aware the morning towards the Duas Casas, in of the advantage which they would dethree columns, two of them, consisting of rive from the possession in their subsethe 2d and 8th corps, to the neighbour- quent operations, I reinforced the village hood of Alameda and Fort Conception; successively with the 71st regiment, under and the third consisting of the whole of the Honourable Lieutenant Colonel Cadothe cavalry and the 6th, and that part of gan, and the 79th under Lieut.-Col. Camethe 9th corps which had not already been ron, and the 24th regiment under Major drafted into the other three. The allied Chamberlain. The former, at the head army had been cantoned along the river of the 71st regiment, charged the enemy, Duas Casas, and on the sources of the and drove them from the part of the vilAzava, the light division at Gallagos and lage of which they had obtained a moEspeja. This last fell back upon Fuentes mentary possession.-Nearly at this time de Honor, on the Duas Casas, with the Lieut.-Colonel Williams was unfortunately British cavalry, in proportion as the ene- wounded, but I hope not dangerously, my advanced, and the 1st, 3d, and 7th and the command devolved upon Lieut.divisions were collected at that place; and Colonel Cameron, of the 79th regiment. the 6th division, under Major-General The contest continued till night, when Campbell, observed the bridge at Ala- our troops remained in possession of the meda; and Major-General Sir William whole. I then withdrew the light inErskine, with the 5th division, the pas- fantry battalions and the 83d regiment, sages of the Duas Casas, at Fort Concep- leaving the 71st and 79th regiments only tion, and Aldea D'Obispo. Brigadier- in the village, and 2d battalion 24th regiGeneral Pack's brigade, with the Queen's ment to support them.-On the 4th the regiment from the 6th division, kept the enemy reconnoitred the positions which blockade of Almeida; and I had prevailed we had occupied on the Duas Casas river, upon Don Julian Sanchez to occupy Nave and during that night they moved General D'Aver with his corps of Spanish cavalry Junot's corps from Alameda to the left and infantry.The light division were of the position occupied by the 6th corps, moved in the evening to join General opposite to Fuentes de Honor.-From the Campbell, upon finding that the enemy course of the reconnoissance of the 4th, I were in strengh in that quarter; and had imagined the enemy would endea-" they were brought back again to Fuentes vour to obtain possession of Fuentes de de Honor on the morning of the 5th, Honor, and of the ground occupied by the when it was found that the 8th corps had troops behind that village, by crossing joined the 6th on the enemy's left. the Duas Casas at Poya Velho, and in the Shortly after the enemy had formed on evening I moved the 7th division, under the ground on the right of the Duas Major-General Houstoun, to the right, in Casas, on the afternoon of the 3d they order if possible to protect that passage.attacked with a large force the village of On the morning of the 5th, the 8th corps Fuentes de Honor, which was defended in appeared in two columns, with all the caa most gallant manner by Lieutenant-valry, on the opposite side of the valley Colonel Williams, of the 5th battalion of the Duas Casas to Poya Velho; and as 60th regiment, in command of the light the 6th and 9th corps also made a move

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