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HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Friday, May 5.

KENT ELECTION.

Mr. McDowall reported from the Committee on the Kent Election, that they had determined that Sir William Geary was duly elected, and neither of the petitions was frivolous or vexatious.

LOAN BILL.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, he had already ftated that it was his intention to propofe in the Bill now before the Committee, that provifion be made for the repayment of the advances that have been already made to the Emperor. But that it was not his intention at prefent to make any provifion for further advances to be made to the Emperor, according to the ground which he had for forming his opinion this moment. The Bill then paffed the Committee, and the refult was ordered to be received.

SUPPLY TO HIS MAJESTY.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer then moved that the House do now refolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, to confider further of a fupply to be granted to his Majesty.-Agreed to.

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He then moved that his Majefty's gracious Meffage be referred to the faid Committee. Ordered.

He then moved that the fum of 80,000l. be granted to his Majefty, to enable his Majesty to give a portion on the marriage of the Princefs Royal.

Mr. Curwen faid, he would not oppofe the refolution which was now propofed; but he could not help faying, that confidering the burdens which have been lately impofed upon the people, and the great neceffity there was to take care that they fhould be made to bear as little more as poffible; confidering many things which he need not enumerate, he would have been happy if, inftead of coming to the country, the King had provided for this marriage himself. At fuch a moment as this, when the fums impofed upon the people were fo great, there was nothing that could be done to fpare the people that ought not to be done. He was as willing as any other man to express all neceffary affection for the Throne, and for the different branches of the Royal Family; but at fuch a moment as the prefent, he muft repeat, he thought it would have a good effect if this expence was defrayed by his Majefty himself.

The Refolution was then put and carried.

Mr. Hobhoufe ftated, that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had held out the amount of the neutral cargoes, as amounting only to 800,000l. at the opening of the last budget--whereas

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the claimants made it out to be 1,554,8881. 4s. 9d. this would occafion a great deficiency in the Ways and Means of the year. Befides, it was the opinion of the Bank Directors, that these would infift on payment of their claims in fpecie, or bullion; this would be a great drain out of the kingdom.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer explained. He faid nothing in the budget about neutral cargoes. The Honourable Gentleman mistook the matter, and confounded the thing which he had alluded to with the Dutch captures to that amount; they were the property of his Majefty by virtue of his prerogative, but which his Majefty had ordered to be applied in aid of the public fervice. With respect to the claimants of neutral cargoes infifting on payment in fpecie, or bullion, he knew not of any right they had to infift on fuch payment any more than others, nor of any power they had to enforce fuch demands; they must be fatisfied by bills, like other creditors, while the regulation

lafted.

INCLOSURE OF WASTE LANDS.

Sir John Sinclair moved the Order of the Day, which was for the House to refolve itself into a Committee of the whole Houfe, to confider of the Report of the Select Committee on Wafte Lands.

The House in a Committee,

Sir John Sinclair moved, "That the Chairman be directed "to move the Houfe for leave to bring in a Bill for dividing, "allotting, and inclofing Wafte Lands in England, by agree"ment of parties interested therein, and for removing certain "legal difabilities in parties to do fo"--Agreed.

Alfo, "That the Chairman be inftructed to move for leave "to bring in a Bill for enabling any perfon or perfons who may "be entitled to Wafte Lands, to inclofe and allot the fame in "feverally."

The Question was then put and carried, and the House being refumed, leave was given to bring in the two Bills.

The other Orders of the Day were deferred.

Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Saturday, May 7.

The Report of the Committee of Supply relative to the portion of the Prince's Royal was brought up and agreed to. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.
Monday, May 9.

Received feveral Bills from the Commons, which were read

a First Time.---Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Monday, May 9.

PETITIONS FROM ARTIFICERS.

Mr. Tierney faid, he had Petitions in his hand from a clafs of men, whom he had only to name, in order to call the attention of the Houfe to their interefts; he meant the perfons employed in the Dockyards, on the River Thames, Ship-builders, Sail-makers, Caulkers, and Rope-makers, whom nobody should offend. They complained that a Claufe had been introduced into a Bill, now parking through the Houfe, which ftruck at the means they poffeffed of fupporting themfelves and their families, at the fame time that it would prove highly injurious to the interefts of the country. The Claufe was one, of which, he be lieved, very few perfons in the House were aware. It went to nothing fhort of a repeal of the Navigation Act, by allowing the Eaft India Company to build their fhips in India. He fhould now move for leave to bring up the Petitions, to which he hoped the House would liften with attention, and not without fome aftonishment, that Minifters, under all the circumftances of the times, fhould confider this as the fit moment for irritating the people employed in the Dockyards.

Mr. Ryder faid, that he had it in contemplation to move that the Claufe in the Bill, against which the Petitions were directed, fhould be left out, and he submitted in that cafe to the Honourable Gentleman, whether it was neceflary for him to perfift in bringing up the Petitions. He denied that the Bill had been carried in a clandeftine way through the Houfe, or, that supposing it to have paffed in its prefent form, that it would at all have the effect which he had reprefented.

Mr. Tierney congratulated the Houfe on the Honourable Gentlemen on the other fide having learned to concede expeditioufly, but perfifted in his Motion for bringing up the Petitions with which he had been entrusted.

Mr. Secretary Dundas afferted that there was nothing farther from truth than the ftatements of the Honourable Gentleman. He contended that it was the Honourable Gentleman, not the Bill now before the House, who wished to repeal the Navigation Act. That Act applied to Afia as well as to America. Had the Honourable Gentleman never heard of the Britannia and the Sir Edward Hughes, fhips, both of which were built in the East Indies,, and which were now in the fervice of the Eaft India Company. Nothing was more clear than that ships according to the Navigation Act might be built in India as well as in Canada; how far it might be a measure of policy to comply with the Petitions of the people in the dock-yards was another queftion, though he was by no means of opinion that the allegations contained

contained in them were true, even in view of their personal intereft, far lefs of national advantage.

Mr. Fox declined going into any difcuffion upon the Naviga tion Act, but he contended that the queftion of the Company's right to build fhips in India could not be fo clear as had been reprefented by the Honourable Gentleman, elfe it would not have been deemed neceffary to introduce a Claufe into a Bill for the purpose of afcertaining it.

Mr. Tierney believed the Right Honourable Secretary would find it difficult to gain the affent of any Eaft India Directors to the position, that what were called the British settlements in India belonged to his Majefty. There was a manifeft diftinction between them and her colonies in refpect to the Navigation Laws particularly, which he thought it the more neceffary to bring forward in a separate difcuffion, as Gentlemen, while they renounced the measure, thought fit to defend the principle.

He then presented various Petitions from the Sail-makers, the Rope-makers, the Caulkers, &c. The Petitions were read, and ordered to lie upon the Table till the third reading of the Bill.

ADDITIONAL ALLOWANCE TO SEAMEN, &c.

The Houfe having refolved itself into a Committee of Supply, and the Eftimate being read of an additional Allowance to Seamen,

The Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered himfelf in fubftance, as follows:---"I rife pursuant to the notice which I gave on a former day, to call the attention of the Committee to the subject of the Estimate now before them. I feel myself on the prefent occafion placed in a fituation of confiderable difficulty and embarraffment. I am aware that it has always been usual, when any addition to the public expence, and confequently to the public burdens, was propofed, to enter into the grounds of the propo fition, and to explain in detail the particulars of the measure. I now, however, feel it neceffary to declare that I cannot, in the circumftances in which I am placed, confiftently with the duty I owe to the public, enter into fuch a statement; the propofition therefore which I fhall have the honour to move, I fhall fubmit to them without entering at all into its merits, trufting that they will pronounce a filent judgment upon it, conceiving as I do, that I fhould be departing from my duty, and that the Commmittee would be acting contrary to the most important interefts of the nation, to entertain any difcuffion upon a subject of fo much delicacy at the prefent moment. For whether I confider the occurrences which happened fome time ago, or the difficulties which now exift-the particulars of which I am not

prepared

prepared to state, but which perhaps may have arifen from mifrepresentation of what paffed in another place---this must operate as a motive for the exercife of additional caution to guard against the flightest misapprehenfion, while at the fame time they afford ground of hope, that the knowledge of the decifion of Parliament, upon the propofition which I am about to fubmit to the Committee, will entirely remove the difcontent which has prevailed, or which may at prefent exist. Under these circumstances then, I feel it my duty to afk and entreat the_filent judgment of the Committee on the propofition which I shall make, grounded upon the estimate now before them. The amount, which is perhaps the point leaft worthy of attention, will be,

For advance of pay

For additional allowance of provifions

Making a total of

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536,000

"I think it my duty to ftate, however, that the eftimate for the increased expence of victualling, was framed upon an cld rate, when provifions were confiderably cheaper than they are now, so that the actual amount upon that head will confiderably exceed the estimate. Making allowance for this excess of the actual amount above the estimate, the whole expence for the nine months of the prefent year I compute at 372,000l. I fhall therefore conclude with moving that the fum of 372,000l. be granted to his Majefty on account for defraying the expences of the additional pay and allowance to the Seamen and Marines for the year 1797.

Mr. Fox." I certainly fhall vote for the refolution which is now before the Committee; but I cannot do it in the manner which the Right Honourable Gentleman propofes, namely, to give it filently. I cannot do fo without betraying my conftituents. He feems to deprecate difcuffion upon this fubject at this moment, as being likely to increafe our difficulties. It is not to difcuffion, but to filence, we owe that difficulty. This House fhould not have been the confidants of the Minifter, and remained filent fo long upon this fubject. Had this House interpofed upon the commencement of this matter, inftead of indulging the Minifter with the fcandalous delay of a fortnight, for which I hope that at a future period Minifters will not only be confidered as refponfible, but will alfo be made feriously to anfwer, I verily believe we fhould not have heard any thing of the misfortunes which have recently happened. The Minister has said that much of what has recently happened was owing to mifreprefentation and confequent misunderstanding, and that debating the fubject is not the way to put off that evil; that it can

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