Commons Sitting of 10 May 1815

TREATY OF VIENNA.
Mr. Whitbreadinquired whether any message was to be expected from the Crown, within the present or the next week, with respect to the late Treaty with the Allies?
Lord Castlereaghreplied, that the ratification of the Treaty alluded to had not yet been received from Vienna, and that therefore he could not answer the hon. gentleman's question.
Mr. Whitbreadasked, upon what day and to what extent the noble lord proposed to move an adjournment for the holidays?
Lord Castlereaghanswered, that he should move the adjournment on Friday, until Thursday in the next week.
Mr. Whitbreadexpressed his hope, that a subject of so much importance as the Treaty to which he bad alluded would

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not be pressed into discussion without due notice. He calculated, that if the Message from the Crown should be presented on Thursday se'nnight, the discussion would be fixed for the following day.
Mr. Ponsonbyasked, whether it was intended to lay before the House a copy of the communication from our Government to that of Russia, in 1811, including the letter of the Prince Regent to the Emperor Alexander?
Lord Castlereaghsaid, that be did not think it would be advantageous to the public service to present the communication alluded to by the right hon. gentleman; and he was persuaded, that if the right hon. gentleman were aware of the nature of the objection, he would be of the same opinion.
Mr. Ponsonbydeclared, that he was not aware of any objection to the production of this paper.

LOTTERIES.
In the Committee of Ways and Means the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that a Lottery consisting of 60,000 tickets should be voted for the service of the year 1815.
Mr. Whitbreadstrongly objected to this scheme of finance, as inconsistent with the principles of public morality. Indeed, the evils resulting from lotteries were so fully disclosed in the Reports of two committees of that House, that he could not help expressing his surprise at the proposed continuance of such a system by any Chancellor of the Exchequer, but especially by the right hon. gentleman opposite, who uniformly professed so much solicitude for the interests of morality. Some checks were, he was lord, imposed upon the evils heretofore produced by lotteries; but he was decidedly of opinion, that no profit could accrue to the public treasury, sufficient to compensate for the evil which lotteries were calculated to produce.
The Chancellor of the Exchequerregretted the necessity of resorting to this plan of finance; but he had the consolation to think that the evils to which the hon. member alluded, and which he admitted to have been considerable under former arrangements of the lottery, were now done away through the establishment of a variety of salutary checks, among which the shortness of the period in which each lottery was drawn, was perhaps the most effective, as it put an end to the gambling to which the length of that period hereto-
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fore afforded but too much temptation and opportunity.
Mr. Whitbreadwas glad to hear that the evil was diminished, but he should rather have heard that it was entirely removed. From the right hon. gentleman's character he was led to expect that be was not disposed to sell so much wickedness for so small a price.
The Resolution was agreed to.

BILL TO EXEMPT PLACES OF WORSHIP FROM PAROCHIAL RATES.
The Chancellor of the Exchequermoved for leave to bring in a Bill for exempting from the payment of parochial rates, churches, chapels, and other places exclusively appropriated to the purposes of religious worship, and the gratuitous instruction of the poor.
Mr. Whitbreadexpressed his entire approbation of the measure, which, in his opinion, ought to have been adopted long; since, for the satisfaction of those religious persons, who were, he hoped, very numerous in this country; but he could not forbear from saying, that he was sorry to have such a laudable measure preceded by a Resolution so subversive of morality as the continuance of lotteries.
The motion was agreed to, the Bill was brought in, read a first, and ordered for a second reading on Friday se'nnight.