in fo thin a House, he hoped he would not perfift in it at prefent, but that he would give further time for confideration, before he called upon the Committee to vote the refolutions. Mr. Rofe faid, that with refpect to thofe refolutions having met with the general concurrence of the merchants, he did not mean to fay that they had met with universal concurrence. He could not have been understood to have spoken in fuch ftrong terms. There were perfons, those for instance with whom the Honourable Gentleman was connected, who entertained objections. The doubt expreffed by that Gentleman, originated perhaps from his not having made himself sufficiently clear. All he faid was, that the Committee of merchants, who had confidered this fubject, had given their approbation to it.-As to the tarif of the duties, it certainly was not to be founded upon the prices contained in the infpector general's book. A valuation had been made exprefsly for this purpofe, by a Gentleman of great induftry and accuracy; this valuation had been fubmitted to the merchants. In fome inftances they had added, with the true fpirit of English merchants, to that valuation; in others they had diminished. The Honourable Gentleman had feleted the article of coffee, and had said, that if the duty was laid on according to the price in the inspector general's book, the duty would be double; but the Honourable Gentleman must know that coffee was the only article, the price of which was higher in the time of King William than at prefent. In anfwer to the queftion, whether goods imported and afterwards exported were to be fubject to the tax both upon importation and exportation, he replied, that they were, with the exception of fugar and coffee; they were not to be subject to it. And the reafon for excepting thefe articles was, that there was no danger of any other people being able to undersellus. Sir F. Baring faid, he was ready to confefs that he entertained a more favourable opinion of this measure, than he did when he first came into the Houfe. Some modifications had already been made in the plan, and he hoped that, in future ftages of it, other modifications would be adopted, if the propriety of them could be proved by fair reafoning. He had obferved that thefe duties would fall very heavy upon goods fent to America; this he thought rather impolitic, becaufe America was at present our best customer. He would not, however, detain the Houfe with entering into any detailed objections to the measure at prefent; he fhould only fay a word or two upon the general principle.-The trade of this country was now called upon to pay a very large tax; but before the Committee agreed to it, they should recollect, that when the Chancellor of the Exchequer opened his firft Budget in November, he he ftated what would be neceffary for the fupplies of the year; that when he opened his fecond budget, he stated that the eftimate of the army was fhort of the fum that would be neceffary by two millions and a half; that the estimate for the navy was fhort by 900,000l. Now it appeared to him as unfair to fall upon the foreign commerce of the country to supply fo large a part of that deficiency, as it would be to call upon any one town to pay a great deal more than its fair proportion of the general taxes of the country. With respect to the continuance of thefe duties, he wished to know whether they were to continue after the War? Mr. Rofe faid this was entirely a war tax, and confeqently would ceafe with the war. Mr. Peele faid he had heard what had fallen from the Honourable Gentleman with much fatisfaction. He had his thanks for having altered the outline of the Bill; at first the measure had given him fome alarm. He was a friend to the principle of it; but any thing tending to cramp our manufactures in the foreign markets would be unwife in every point of view; it would be unwife in point of revenue; for he thought he could make it appear that every article manufactured netted to the nation 75 per cent. If an article of raw material, fuppofing cotton, coft eighteen pence a pound, and afterwards, when manufactured, netted fix fhillings, the national profit was four fhillings and fixpence. If therefore it were cramped, it would be taking from commerce a larger fum in order to get at a comparatively small one. With respect to the manufactures for the home market, this remark would not apply. But he trufted that among commercial men there would be a public fpirit which would induce them to come forward, and if the meafure did not opprefs trade particularly, that they would fupport Government cheerfully. He hoped there was but one fpirit throughout the country, with refpect to the exertions we were now called upon to make; he hoped we should all act with one hand and one heart to prevent the enemy from making any impreffion upon us, and he was fure they never could make any impreffion upon the country while it was unanimous. He had the greateft confidence in the abilities and in the integrity of his Majefty's Minifters, he would willingly place the refources of the country in their hands, because he was fure they would be honeftly and judicioufly applied. Mr. Tierney faid, it was his misfortune not to have fo favourable an opinion of the King's Ministers as the Honourable Gentleman had; therefore he fhould be rather cautious how he trufted the refources of the country in their hands. With refpect to the measure now proposed, he would fairly fay, he was was not prepared at present to give an opinion upon it. He hoped the Honourable Gentleman would print his refolutions; and if he found that, upon full confideration, thofe whose interefts were affected by the measure were not hoftile to it, he certainly fhould not oppofe it. Mr. Rofe faid, that nothing could be more candid than what had fallen from the Honourable Gentleman; it certainly was his wish to have thefe refolutions printed, in order that they might undergo the fulleft confideration. The refolutions were then agreed to, and the Report Ordered to be received next day. MISDEMEANOR COSTS BILL. Mr. Wilberforce moved that the Houfe fhould refove itfelf into a Committe upon this Bill. Mr. Mainwaring oppofed it. The Gallery was then cleared, for a divifion, but there not being forty Members prefent, the Houfe adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. General Tarleton prefented a Petition from the merchants of Liverpool against the Slave Carrying Bill. He ftated, that in three hours the Petition had been figned by 2600 perfons. The Petition was ordered to be laid upon the Table, and the Petitioners to be heard by their counfel against the Bill upon the further confideration of the report. The House refolved itself into a Committee upon the Ship Owner's Bill. Alderman Lufbington propofed an amendment to the first claufe, to the effect that "no perfon fhould be entitled to bring an action, unless within one year after the accident which is the ground of it, fhall have been known to have arifen." A long converfation took place in which Mr. Peele, the Mafter of the Rolls, Mr. Brogden, and Mr. Burton, fpoke against; and Alderman Lufhington, Mr. Simeon, Mr. Rider, Mr. Elliston, and Mr. Jefferys, of Poole, for the amendment; after which the Houfe devide Ayes Majority The whole of the Bill was then gone through. 51 30 19 Mr. Lushington brought up several additional claufes, which were agreed to, and the Bill as amended reported. Adjourned. HOUSE HOUSE OF LORDS. Lord Auckland took the neceffary oaths with refpect to qualifying himfelf for the Office of Joint Poftmafter-General. The various Bills before the House were forwarded in their refpective stages, among thefe was the Election Treating Act to which Lord Grenville thought it neceffary to call the attention of their Lordships. Though it was one, he faid, that refpected the election of members to the other Houfe of Parliament, yet, from its nature, it rendered the serious confideration of that House highly proper and neceffary. If indeed legislative measures could be confidered only with refpect to the characters of the perfons with whom they originated, the measure in queftion would have every claim to their Lordships' approbation. But it was the duty of the Houfe to decide upon it, as well as upon all other objects, from their intrinfic merits. It was not his intention, however, then to enter into the merits of the Bill, but merely to obferve, that he confidered the provifions of the Bill as militating against the general tenor of the laws to which it referred-to every principle contained in these laws; and including a system of complete injunction, he was forry to be obliged to exprefs fuch an opinion of the Bill, but fuch he really deemed its provifions to be. His with was then to appoint a particular day for the fecond reading of the Bill, when its merits could be regularly difcuffed; but he thought it proper to acquaint their Lordships, that he should deem it his duty then to move, either that the Bill be rejected, or its fecond reading deferred to a diftant day. The Order of the Day was then read, on fummoning their Lordships upon the commitment of the • MILITIA OFFICERS AUGMENTATION BILL. The House accordingly refolved itself into a Committee on this Bill, Lord Walfingham in the Chair. After the Preamble, and fome part of the Bill was difpofed of, The Earl of Carnarvon addreffed their Lordships. He expreffed his regret that he fhould feel it his duty to oppofe any of the measures of the Executive Government in the prefent fituation of the country. At a period when the patriotic zeal of its inhabitants were at the height, and when Government difplayed more vigour and activity than was ever known at any former period, he regretted being obliged to throw out any thing that might tend to damp the zeal of the people, or to clog the efforts of Adminiftration; but he felt it his duty to oppofe, to the beft of his power, certain provifions in the Bill before their Lordships. His Lordship entered into a view of the the nature and formation of the Militia of the kingdom.-Ho faid it ftruck him generally, as a part of a system, and strongly marked with that character, of affimilating the Militia Force of the country to the regular ftanding army. The former he confidered as the permanent Conftutional Force of the country, and lefs connected with, and dependent on the crown, than the ftanding army. It was originally placed by Parliament under the command of Officers of Landed Property, who were fuppofed to be men of more independent minds. The provifions of the Bill would operate as a fort of fraud upon men of this defeription, and the Conftitutional Officers of the Militia Forces. They felt themfelves employed, and paid for par- . ticular and limited duties, and not for the regular and uniform military routine to which the troops of the line were destined. By this Bill, a fet and defcription of men of whom they were totally ignorant, might be placed as Officers over their heads. (His Lordship, in this and the fubfequent part of his fpeech, dwelt particularly on the claufe in the Bill which authorised, in cafe a fufficient number of qualified Officers could not be obtained in fourteen days after the paffing of the act, the appointment of Officers who ferved in the East-India Company's troops, &c.) The provifion had his decided difapprobation, as likely to produce the worst effects-it militated against the old and established principle of conftituting the Militia force, namely, officering it with men of landed property; it muft alfo eventually change the established mode of trial of fuch Officers, which is, by perfons of their own defcription.-A latitude was left by the claufe, of appointing even Enfigns in the Eaft India Company's Service, to the highest fituations in the Militia, the great and conftitutional check of landed qualification being fet afide. He could not help obferving, that by the provifion which renders it unneceffary that the Officer fhould fwear himself a proteftant-perfons of all religions were admiffible into the Militia, even of every defcription of religion that ever ferved in the Company's Seapoy Troops, Gentoos, Mahomedans, &c. He was aware this was not the intention, but ftill, as the Bill stood, it might be fo; and fuch perfons may fet on the Courts Martial of Militia Officers This he conceived to be a direct infringement of the Militia Laws. He begged their Lordships to confider the effect fuch regulations must have on the minds of the old and refpectable Officers of the Militia. He was for the rejection of the claufe, above ftated in toto-jealoufies would refult from it at the moment when unanimity fhould be moft wanted, for which, and the No. 28. ** 60 other |