mittee; but he hoped the Houfe would meet at an early hour to-morrow, for the difcuffion of the Refolutions in the Committee, to make way for which, he should move that the Chairman do report, and afk leave to fit again.

The Houfe being refumed, and progress reported, the further confideration of the Committee was deferred till next day. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

Thursday, April 5.

WAILIS and TROWARD . the Duke of PORTLAND and GEORGE TIERNEY, Efq.

The public will readily advert to the particulars of this important caufe, which was heard in the Court of Chancery on the 8th of Feb. 1797. It was a demurrer to a bill filed by the Appellants against the Refpondents, calling upon them to ftate whether the Duke of Portland had not authorised Mr. Tierney to employ the Appellants to prefent a petition to the Houfe of Commons, complaining of the return of Sir George Jackfon for the Borough of Colchester, and whether his Grace. had not promised to defray all expences. In fupport of the demurrer it was contended, that the Duke of Portland w's not bound to answer; first, because if his anfwer was in the affirmative, it would fubject him to the penalties which attach. to a Peer's interfering in the election of a Member of Parliament; and, fecondly, would implicate him in the offence of maintenance. On the 7th Auguft the Lord Chancellor gave judgment in favour of the Defendants in the Bill, and allowed the demurrer. Againft this judgment the Plaintiffs appealed to the House of Lords, and yesterday the appeal was heard at their Lordships Bar. Mr. Fonblanque and Mr. M'Intosh, as Counfel, urged every topic ingenuity could fuggeft, to prove that fupporting an Election Petition in behalf of another did not fall within the defcription of maintenance. They trufted their Lordships would not, by what at least was a harth_construction of the law refpecting maintenance, enable the Duke of Portland to defeat a fair, juft and confcientious claim.

Their arguments having clofed, Lord Kenyon faid, his opi nion was decidedly for the affirmance of the judgment of the Chancellor. He conceived the Bill had been filed, and the appeal brought, merely with a view of publicly ftating circumftances, which might fix a degree of odium on the character of the Duke of Portland, by inferring, that his Grace with held the payment of an obligation, for which he had pledged himfelf. For this reafon, as well as from a full review of the whole of the cafe, he was of opinion, the judgment ought to

Their Lordships concurred, and the appeal was

be affirmed.

difmiffed with two hundred pounds cofts.
Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Thursday, April 5.

The Speaker attended by feveral Members went up to the Houfe of Peers to hear his Majefty's Royal Affent given by commiffion to several public and private Bills.

Mr. Tierney moved for feveral papers refpecting the nett produce of the taxes for the last year, and the consolidated funds.-Ordered.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that it fhould be an inftruction to the Committee of Finance to examine and report the grofs amount of the public debts and charges, as they ftood on the 5th of January, 1797, the amount of the revenue for 1797, together with the deductions incidental thereto, and the nett produce of the different taxes.-Agreed to.

Colonel Porter moved that there be laid before the House an account of the fums fubfcribed at the Bank under an A&t paffed this feffion, diftinguishing what part was applicable as voluntary contributions, and what to cover affeffed taxes.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that it would not be poffible until the amount of each perfon's affeffed taxes was afcertained, to ftate what was the amount of Voluntary Contributions, and what to cover Affeffed Taxes. A fum might be fubfcribed of 1000l.-700l. might be a Voluntary Contribution, and the remainder might cover the Affeffed Taxes, or it might be vice verfa. But the account might state what was the amount of the different heads of fubfcription.

Mr. Tierney faid, that certainly an account of the fums fubfcribed as Voluntary Contributions, and to cover Affeffed Taxes, could not be prefented: but he took it for graned, that the Voluntary Contributions much exceeded the fums given to cover Affeffed Taxes.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer repeated, that an account might be prefented, diftinguishing the different heads under which the fums had been paid into the Bank.

The motion was then read, as follows:-"That an account be laid before the Houfe, of the fums fubfcribed under an A& paft this Seffion, diftinguishing the different heads under which they had been paid, and the names of the perfons."

The Chancellor of the Exchequer objected to the production of the names. The Honourable Gentleman had not, in the first inftance, feemed to wish to move for fuch an account. Of the amount of the fubfcriptions it might be right to be inform

ed,

ed, but it did not appear to be neceffry to have an account of the names. It would not be cafy to diftinguish between the pofition laid down by fome Members on the other fide, that the names of perfons offering perfonal fervice, ought not to be published, and the principle which ought to prevail in the prefent inftance. He did not imagine any man to be more likely to withhold his perfonal fervice than his money. (Mr. Tierney fuggefted that a man might have no money.) A man, Mr. Pitt acknowledged, might not have money, and he might not be able to give perfonal fervice; but he hoped that the only reafon for not giving that fervice would be actual inability. In the cafe of an invafion, he felt that the State had a right to call for, and enforce, the perfonal fervice of every man; but that the reafon for not doing fo would be the eagerness and zeal of every man to give his perfonal fervice. But in this measure he thought it not right to pry into the names of the different perfons.

Mr. Tierney faid, that he had not the leaft wish to know the names; but there was one part which he did defire to be informed of. The Bank had fubfcribed 200,000l. of this he wifhed to have cognizance. No lawyer's opinion had been given upon the fubject, which did not state that they had no right to vote that money.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that if the Honourable Gentleman would enter into a difcuffion of the conduct of the Bank, if he fuppofed that any law exifted to prevent their fubfcription, he would be ready to meet him.

Mr. Tierney faid, that as a Bank Proprietor had objected to the grant, and as he was a Member of the Houfe, he would, no doubt, bring the fubject forward, and it would come with more effect from him.

Mr. Hobhoufe faid, that he would contribute his perfonal fervice to keep out the enemy, but that he would not fubscribe money to keep in the prefent Minifters.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer replied, that whether fuch fubfcriptions were for the purpofe of keeping in Minifters, or for refifting the enemy, would be for the Houfe and the country to determine.

The motion was then agreed to, with the omiffion of the part refpecting the production of the names of the perfons having fubfcribed.

LAND TAX.

• The House refolved itself into a Committee upon the Refolutions refpecting the Land Tax.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that having already opened the detail of the meafure, he did not feel himfelf called

upon

upon to go into it at large at prefent. But he had entertained expectations that thofe perfons who had made fuch strong objections to the. Refolutions might be likely to enter into a more deliberate difcuflion. He particularly regretted that he did not fee in his place an Honourable Gentleman who fo earnestly defired delay. He certainly did not mean to reply to the objections then stated, after an interval, especially in the abfence of the Honourable Gentleman. His intention was, to propofe to have the Refolutions reported as foon as poffible after the Holidays, on Monday fe'nnight.

Colonel Elford faid a few words.

Mr. Hulley faid, that the meafure would produce no effect or facility in railing a loan. His opinion was, that taking out 80 millions of ftock, and buying them into an annuity to the same amount, would have exactly the fame effect, and that the price of the funds would be the fame. It did not tend to increafe the riches of the country, or what was called the cir culating medium.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, in reply, faid that he was happy to find that the Honourable Gentleman had got rid of an obfervation made by an Honourable Baronet, that taking stock out would not tend to raife the price of the funds. The general • effect which he expected to be produced by the meafure was, that it would diminish the quantity of ftock, without diminishing the number of perfons likely to purchase. The confequence therefore muft be, that it would produce a rife in the value of the funds.

Mr. Huffey declared, that notwithstanding all the arguments he had hitherto heard advanced by the Right Honourable the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the very confident idea he had on every difcuffion of the bufinefs held forth respecting its efficacy, he could not, after the most mature and deliberate confideration he had been able to give it, avoid thinking on the fubjest totally different from the Right Honourable Gentleman. The taking fo large a fum as eighty millions of ftock out of the market, might at firft fight indeed appear to be a considerable thing; but when it was recollected that at the fame time and by the fame measure a new kind of stock, to an equal amount, was created, which would become an object just as tempting to monied men; it was clear to him that no advantage to the public could accrue from it, and he was well fatisfied that the propofi tions, if carried, would be a mere piece of waste paper. No man in the Houfe, or in the country, would be happier than, himself to forward any financial measure which he thought would be of real and effential fervice to that country in which he had his property at ftake. It was of little confequence to

him who was Minifter, or what particular fet of men formed the Government of the country; fo long as the measures they brought forward appeared to him to be for the intereft of the country, they thould have his fupport; but in that light he could not look upon the prefent measure. As a landholder he could not boast of poffeffing fo large a property as many others, but, according to what he did poffets, he thought the propofitions were most unfavourable. The greateft part of his property was in the funds, and, as fuch, if he thought the meafure would be favourable to the funds, he fhould, of courfe, with it fuccefs. He was convinced, however, that it would not ferve the funds at all. He exprefied himfelt extremely happy that the delay of one day had been obtained by the oppofition that was made yefterday to a Houle going into a Committee, by which means the report could not be gone into till after the Recefs. The Right Honourable Gentleman would in that time have leifure and opportunity to contemplate the various objections which had been urged against the meature, which he hoped would induce him to relinquish it. Mr. Hulley then noticed the time in which this fum of forty millions was to be fold, which he faid was five years, which made a grofs fum of eight millions a-year, a thing in his mind utterly impracticable and impoffible. One of the throngeft objections he had to the meature was, that it could not be carried into effect without altogether cutting up the landed eftates, in producing great ill-will, and, by its vexations, putting the whole country out of humour, a circumftance which at the prefent moment was greatly to be deprecated.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer repeated most of the former arguments he had urged upon the fubject, which went to prove. his confidence in the efficacy of the measure if adopted. He differed entirely with the Honourable Gentleman who spoke last, and affured him, that though the House, by the oppofition made to the Committee yesterday, had not done what it had before agreed to, that is, to get through the report before the Holidays, yet he looked upon the prolongation of the time as a kind. of pious fraud which had been exercifed upon it; and though the Honourable Gentleman chofe to flatter himself that fuch a delay might occafion an alteration in his fentiments, he was certain he was mistaken; for, as he had not brought it forward lightly, but had given it the fulleft, moft minute, and accurate investigation in his power, in all its points, and in all its bearings, he was thoroughly confirmed in his opinion of its propriety and efficacy, even by the various objections which in the feveral difcuffions had been urged against it. He looked to the measure as of the most important confequence, and fuch as would, if carried, do more than any other to convince the enemy of our power