"in fuch manner as the Parliament of Ireland should think proper, "of a fum not exceeding two millions, the intereft and charges of "the loan to be provided for by the Irish Parliament.''

The Meffage was referred to a Committee of Supply.

SWITZERLAND.

The Solicitor General moved that it might be an instruction to the Committee, to whom the Bill for preventing any communication between this country and Switzerland was referred, that the provifions of an act paffed in the thirty-third year of his prefent Majefty, relative to the United Provinces of Holland, fhould be extended to Switzerland.

The Bill then went through the Committee, and the report was ordered to be received next day.

Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS..
Wednesday, April 25.

Bryan Cooke, Efq. was fworn and' took his feat for Malton.

SUPPLY.

The House refolved itself into a Committee of Supply, when the following fums were voted:

For Out- Penfioners of Chelfea Hofpital for

1798.

For In-Penfioners at ditto for ditto.

For Penfions to Widows of Commiffioned Off

cers for 1798.

For Roads and Bridges in Scotland for ditto.
For Embodying Supplementary Militia for do.
For Provifional Cavalry for ditto.

For Volunteer Corps for ditto.

For Barrack Department for ditto.

For Foreign Troops in the Service of Great
Britain, for ditto.

For Service in Ireland.

Excefs for Printing Votes and Journals for 1797-
Excefs for Convicts at home, for 1797.

For Services at Somerfet Place.

For Eftimates and Drawings for Repairs at Winchefter.

L.116,167 43

26,547 17 6

On the question for granting a fum for the expence of the Provifional Cavalry,

General Tarleton rofe to exprefs his wifh that thofe corps might be put in the beft poffible state of difcipline, for which purpofe he would recommend the fending detachments of them to the nearest regiments of cavalry, in order to be trained by them. He was fure that many bodies of men which went under the denomination of corps of cavalry had no discipline at all, nor were even mounted. In many places he faw them walk

into the field, and leading horfes after them, to make an appearance of being on duty.

Mr. Secretary Dundas faid, that from the beft information he could obtain on this fubject, it did not appear that those troops were in that undifciplined ftate alluded to by the Honourable Gentleman. Officers were among them who had been in fervice before: great pains were taken to train them, and even the plan recommended by the Honourable General had been adopted. He would not, however, attempt to fay, that they were completely difciplined; but he hoped they would foon be fo, as they were affifted by non-commiffioned officers from different regiments.

General Tarleton explained.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer obferved, that the corps which the Honourable General had feen without being mounted, muft have been fome of the Supplementary Cavalry in the vicinity of London. It was true the corps in queftion had received no training, because no act exifted for that purpose ; but it was a part of the prefent eftimate to make a provifion on that fubject.

When the feveral accounts were brought up, Mr. Jolliffe complained that more detailed particulars of them had not been given, and for that purpofe he would move for them.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer wished that the difcuffion on that fubject might be poftponed till after the bufinefs of the Committee of Ways and Means was gone through, which he fuppofed would occupy the attention of the Houfe for the remainder of the day.

The Refolutions being all agreed to, the Report was ordered to be received on Friday the 27th inftant, and the Committee of Supply to fit again on the fame day.

THE BUDGET.

The Houfe having refolved itself into a Committee of Ways and Means, Mr. Hobart in the Chair,

The Chancellor of the Exchequer rofe and addreffed the Committee to the following effect: Sir, the Committee will moft probably recollect, that when I furnished, in November laft, an estimate of the total expenditure liable to be incurred for the enfuing year, I then ftated it at nearly 25 millions and a half to be provided for the exigencies of the public fervice. It is, I confefs, no inconfiderable fatisfaction to myfelf, and I truft it will equally prove a matter of fatisfaction to the Committee, that what I have now to lay before them differs but little from the estimate which I then made, and arifes from objects fo clofe and intelligible as to make it anneceffary for me to take up much of their time in explana

tion. The total amount of the estimate which I have now to offer is 28,490,000l. differing by a fum of no less than 3 millions of excefs from that which was at first ftated. This excefs has unavoidably arifen from the unforefeen and additional preparations on the part of this country, occafioned by the threats, and produced by the formidable exertions of the encmy against us. I fhall now proceed in the ufual way, and ftate the expenditure under each diftinct head, without troubling the Committee with any minute and particular details refpecting the former cftimates, which must have been fully confidered.

SUPPLY.

NAVY.

The first head of fervice which naturally occurs, is, the I ftated the estimate of this branch of expenditure, in November, at the fum of 12,538,000l. and the Committee have recently added to that head the fum of 910,000l. making a total of 13,448,000l.

ARMY.

The next article of fupply is the army, which the Committee will recollect amounted to 10,112,000l. and with the particulars of which I will not at prefent trouble them. It is, however, neceffary to obferve, that feveral additions have been fince made. Among these additions is the charge of 1,315,000l. for defraying the expence incurred by the Supple mentary Militia, and 130,000l. for the Provifional Cavalry. There is alfo a fum of 350,000l. for the Volunteer Corps, I mean the expence incurred by the different Volunteer Corps of Infantry, and I have the effective happiness to remark that the body thus raised amounts to no less than 40,000 men. The next article is that which relates to the Foreign Corps, and makes an expenditure of 226,000l. I formerly ftated that the extraordinaries incurred in 1797, were likely to amount to about 1,300,000l. and they have only exceeded that fum by 61,000l. The original eftimate of the charge for Barracks was 400,000l. to which I must now add the further increase of 120,000l. and this addition is easily accounted for. It naturally arifes from the expences incurred in con fequence of the additional troops which it has been found neceffary to keep on foot, and in a state of readiness for action. But here I must observe that the debt fo created would have been equally caused in another way. It would have been al lowed to innkeepers for quartering the troops, and for the for mation of temporary barracks, and the advantages refulting from employing it in the manner in which it has been laid out, must be obvious to every man who confiders the state of the coun

try;

try; as we are enabled by that means more effectually to concentrate our force, and to put ourselves into a more capable fituation of repelling any fudden attack. Thefe, Sir, are the whole of the articles which refpect the army, with the excep tion of 700,000l. for future extraordinaries. The extraordina ries I had formerly calculated at 2,500,000l. but I fhall take them now at 3,500,000l. Thefe items, taken together, will give a total fum of 12,857,000l.

ORDNANCE.

The next head of fervice which prefents itself is the ordnance, which, with a small addition to what I ftated in the month of November, amounts to the fum of 1,303,000l.

MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES.

There are very few additions to be made to the charge for mifcellaneous articles, and the total of the fums appropriated to this branch may be taken at 682,000l. Then, Sir, are the different additions which are to be made to the former eftimate, which I had the honour of submitting to the Committee. There are alfo, it is neceffary for me to notice, one or two trifling articles, but there appears on the whole an excess of 3,674,000l. beyond the fum ftated in November; but in that eftimate I muft obferve, was included an eftimate of deficiency of grants, and which it is now unneceffary to provide for from two material caufes. The Bank has been paid the fum of 500,000l. by the early product of the land tax, which otherwife would have gone to the confolidated fund. Befides, in the diftribution paper it appears, that of the whole fum of money granted to the Ifland of Grenada, 150,000l. has not been fent, and therefore the deficiency will leave the grofs fum of 2,994,000l. as an excefs.

Confidering this fum in every point of view in which it may aid the public service, I cannot fee any article with respect to which I fhall be under the neceffity of calling for any future aid. But Gentlemen must be perfectly fenfible that in the particular fituation in which we are placed at this moment, and when every ample provifion is to be made, we can do no more than provide, with all poffible prudence, by specific eftimates for the whole of the expence that is likely to be incurred. It may, unqueftionably, be neceffary to meet any fudden exigency of the moment, and it will therefore be proper to be enabled to have recourse to a vote of credit, which I fhall think it my duty to propose. I, however, mention this in a cursory way, as it is not my intention to submit it to the Committee at present. I only lay before the Houfe the expenditures likely to be incurred, and the probable estimate of them, referving to myself the liberty of making that propofal at any future period, when it may be deemed expedient. I have only to remark, that a measure of that nature will be reforted to at as late a moment as poffible. What I have in contemplation on that subject, is an eventual liberty to iffue 2 millions.

WAYS AND MEANS.

My next duty, Sir, is to inform the Committee of the Ways and Means to which I intend to have recourse for the discharge of this expenditure. There is no material alteration in the articles that conftitute the Ways and, Means. The first which occurs is the ufual vote of Land and Malt, in which there is no variation, and which, at the customary statement, is taken at 2,750,000l. The next article of Ways and Means is the Af felfed Taxes, upon which Gentlemen are aware, from the various modifications that have taken place, modifications certainly highly proper and falutary, the probable produce must have been reduced much below the eftimate originally made. I cannot undertake to form a prefent estimate of the probable product of thefe taxes throughout the kingdom, because we have not had fufficient time to judge of the effect of the measure; and a great number of diftricts have not been yet productive, as time has not been given to make the appeals; but, from the returns already made, and more particularly from the refult of the meafure in the metropolis and the principal and moft confiderable towns, I am warranted in faying that it will afford a large fum. The proportion at which I think I may take it, is likely to be that of one half of the original affeffment added to that affeffment, which is 2,700,000l. and therefore valuing it at a moderate computation, I may fairly state it 4 millions and a half, which is the only fum on which I mean to take credit in the Ways and Means.

Another