The Chancellor of the Exchequer brought up another Clause, which was adopted, for limiting the duration of the Act to one month after the commencement of the next Seflion of Parliament. Mr. Carew wished to know whether it was meant to take any measure to cut off all communication with the difaffected and the people on fhore? The Chancellor of the Exchequer replied, that the Honourable Gentleman muft fee that fuch a claufe could not be introduced into the prefent Bill; but, after it was difpofed of, he expreffed his intention of moving for leave to bring in another Bill for that purpose. The Houfe being refumed, the Report was received; and, on the Motion that the Amendments introduced in the Committee be agreed to, Mr. Tierney faid, that he had yesterday thought it his duty to oppose the leave for bringing in the Bill, and having in that oppofition ftood alone, he felt himfelf called upon to lay a few words. The cordial fupport he had given to the Addrefs to his Majefty would prevent the poffibility of any improper conftruction being put upon his motives for what he had done, but having cheerfully joined in an abhorrence of all violence and diforderly conduct which might endanger the peace and happiness of the kingdom, he could not at the fame time but recollect that as a Member of Parliament he was bound to fee that under pretence of repreffing violent measures no unjuftifiable means were adopted. When Mr. Pitt opened this Bill, he propofed to punifh criminally any perfon committing any at tending to excite mutiny, and this Bill he did not state to be for any limited time. A Bill of fuch a nature Mr. Tierney thought it his duty to oppose. If it was meant only to punish perfons convicted of confpiring to ftir up the Army against their Commanders, the head of thofe Commanders being the King, he thought the laws of High Treafon at prefent exifting rendered the Bill unneceffary. If it was meant to punifh capitally men who, in the opinion of a Jury, had faid or done fomething tending to excite mutiny, he thought the Bill ought to be oppofed. Under fuch a provifion a man might incur the fevereft penalty for a fpeculative, or a loofe converfation. By the Amendments now made, the crime was clearly defined, fo much fo, that no man could be convicted unless he was proved to have maliciously and advifedly conspired to excite mutiny. He ftill thought the prefent laws reached that offence, but as the uncertainty of the crime was removed, and the Bill was only to continue for a few months, however unneceflary he might look upon the Bill to be, he would give it no further oppofition. To this he was particularly led by many Gentlemen, whom, he believed, to act from no party motives, appearing to attach fo much importance to the idea of an unanimous unanimous vote on the occafion. He fhould, therefore, having had his chief difficulties removed, wave any remaining objections. The Chancellor of the Exchequer finding the House unanimous in their fupport of the Bill, hoped that there would be no objection to its paffing to-night. The Bill, after its being ingroffed, was read a third time and paffed nemine contradicente. BILL TO RESTRAIN THE INTERCOURSE WITH CERTAIN SHIPS. The Chancellor of the Exchequer.--" I shall not detain the Houfe long in explaining to them the nature of another measure which I feel it my duty to propofe. When perfons bearing his Majefty's commiffion have committed acts of hoftility against other perfons---when they have feized and detained ships engaged in the commerce of the country, it is our duty not to fuffer them to derive comfort from the fhore, and from those whose authority they are in the habit of defying. Unquestionably the acts now committing would fubject the perfons affording the authors of them any fupport, to the penalties of treafon. But it is our duty to mark out and define, to notify and promulgate in the cleareft manner the nature of the offence; to facilitate the mode of punishment, and to expedite trial; but at the same time to leave open fuch an intercourse as may enable us to receive the wishes of thofe whofe returning loyalty may induce in them a defire to defift from fuch practices, and to return to their duty. The object of the measure which I fhall propofe is, that after a Proclamation in the Gazette, that fuch fhips as are in a state of rebellion, all perfons, excepting thofe licenfed by the Bill, who fhall furnish affiftance to fuch fhips, fhall be liable to the punishment of felony. I wish to make the offence felony, because it will admit of a more fimple mode of trial. Another part of the Bill is, that all perfons adhering to such a line of conduct as the crews of certain fhips, now in a state of rebellion, fhall forfeit all right to wages due to them, to Greenwich Hofpital, to the Cheft at Chatham, and to any other provifion which may have been established for the more comfortable maintenance of the failors. These are the general objects of the measure which I mean to propofe, and therefore I fhall move for leave to bring in a Bill for the more effectually reftraining the intercourse with the crews of certain fhips now in a state of rebellion, and for a more effectually putting an end to the rebellion." Leave was granted, and the Bill was immediately brought in and read a firft and fecond time. The following is a copy of it: A BILL A BILL For more effectually restraining Intercourse with the Crews of certain of his Majesty's Ships now in a State of Mutiny and Rebellion, and for the more effectual Suppression of fuch Mutiny and Rebellion. "Whereas the crews of certain of his Majefty's fhips, notwithftanding the repeated marks of his Majefty's gracious favour and condefcenfion towards them, perfifted and do ftill perfift in a most dangerous and criminal mutiny, and in the commiffion of divers acts of the moft heinous and treafonable nature against the Crown and dignity of our Sovereign Lord the King, and to the manifeft danger of the fafety of the realm engaged in war against a foreign enemy: "And whereas it is neceffary that immediate provifion fhould be made for the fuppreffion and punishment of offences of fo high and dangerous a nature, and for deterring all others from being guilty of fimilar crimes in future: "Be it therefore enacted by the King's most excellent Majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this prefent Parliament affembled, and by the authority of the fame, That it fhall and may be lawful for the Lord High Admiral, or Commiffioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral, being there to authorifed by order of his Majefty in Council, to declare the faid fhips, or any of them, or any other fhips whofe crews fhall be guilty of the like offences, to be in a state of mutiny and rebellion, and by fuch declaration to warn all his Majefty's faithful fubjects to abstain from all communication or intercourfe with the crews of the faid ships; and fuch declaration fhall forthwith be published in the London Gazette, and fhall alfo (as foon as the fame can conveniently be done) be proclaimed in his Majesty's dock yards. "And be it enacted, That, from and after the date of fuch publication in the London Gazette, it fhall not be lawful for any of his Majefty's liege fubjects, or others refiding within this realm, to have any communication or intercourfe, whether perfonally or by letter, meffage, or otherwife, with the crew of any fhip fo declared to be in a state of mutiny and rebellion, or with any part of fuch crew, or with any perfon who fhall remain on board the faid fhip, or in any manner to fupply and comfort or affift the faid crew, or any part thereof, or any perfon fo remaining on board the faid fhip. "And be it enacted, That any perfon who, after the date of fuch publication as aforefaid, fhall wilfully and advifedly have any fuch communication or intercourfe with fuch crew, or with any part thereof, or with any perfon remaining on board any fuch fhips, or who thall in any manner fupply, aid, comfort, or affift fuch crew, or any part thereof, or any perfon fo remaining on board the faid fhip, fhall, on conviction thereof, be adjudged and shall suffer "And "And be it further enacted, That from and after the date of fuch publication as aforefaid, all wages and other allowances payable to the faid crew, or any of them, fhall ceafe and determine and be no longer payable, and fuch crew fhall refpectively from thenceforth forfeit and lofe all benefits or advantages to which they might otherwife be entitled from Greenwich Hofpital, or the cheft at Chatham; and that all perfons voluntarily remaining on board any of the faid fhips, after having had knowledge of fuch declaration, fhall be "Provided always, That nothing in this act fhall be conftrued to extend to fuch communication or intercourfe as may be carried on with the faid crews, or any perfons remaining on board the faid fhips as aforefaid, by order or authority of the Lord High Admiral, or the Commiffioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral, or from fuch officers as may be authorifed by them to grant permiffion, or to give direction in that behalf: Provided alfo, That nothing in this act contained shall extend to fuch inter courfe or communication as may be carried on with the crews of any fuch fhips, or any perfon remaining on board the fame, after the fame fhall have been declared by the Lord High Admiral, or the Lords Commiffioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral, to have returned to their duty; and that it shall and may be lawful to the Lord High Admiral, or to the Lords Commiffioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral, or to any officer or officers authorised in that behalf by the Lord High Admiral or Commiffioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral being thereto authorised by order of his Majefty in Council, to declare any perfons belonging to the crews of any fuch fhips, who fhall, in confequence of the publication of fuch declaration, depart from the faid hips and furrender themfelves, to be exempted from all the pains and penalties in this act contained. "Provided always, and be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That any offence committed against this act, whether committed on the high feas, or elsewhere, thall and may be profecuted and tried before any court of Oyer and Terminer, or Gaol Delivery for any County, in that part of Great Britain called England. "And be it enacted, That this act shall be in force until the ex-. piration of after the The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that it was his with not to go into a Committee upon the Bill now, but to have it printed and committed on Monday next. He was aware that it was not ufual to tranfact bufinels on the day when the anniverfary of the Sovereign's birth day was to be celebrated, but he thought that the Houle could not prove their loyalty better than by proceeding even on that day in a measure calculated to ensure the tranquillity of that Sovereign, and to promote the fecurity of his kingdom. In order, however, that the Bill might be com mitted mitted as early as poffible, he fuggefted the propriety of the Houfe meeting at eleven o'clock precifely, on Monday. This fuggeftion feemed to meet with the general approbation of the Houle. Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. The Houfe proceeded to bufinels at half paft eleven o'clock. Upon the Order of the Day being read for the Houfe to refolve itfelf into a Committee, on the Bill for reftraining intercourse with certain of his Majefty's fhips now in a ftate of mutiny and rebellion. Mr. Jefferys, of Coventry" Sir, I fhould be extremely forry if any Gentleman fuppofes I rife for the purpose of objecting to, or throwing for a moment the fmalleft impediment in the way of, measures which have for their object the restoration of order and tranquillity on board his Majefty's fhips at the Nore. I rife, Sir, for no fuch purpofe; convinced that without order and fubordination no Government can exift, fuch measures fhall have my firm support. Sir, I am in poffeffion of a fact of which I think the Houfe ought to be informed. A perfon is now in cuftody at the fort of Gravefend, on the oath of two foldiers, pofitively charging him with being a delegate from on board the Sandwich, now and for fome time paft, and that they knew him originally to be a broken lawyer. Sir, to my knowledge the perion alluded to is a manufacturer of very good character, who by his diligence and induítry is the fupport of an aged mother, and I can almoft indifputably prove that, previous to last Monday, (when he went to fee a relation at Chatham) he has not been abfent from London for the space of nine months." The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that if he rightly underftood who was the perfon alluded to, he could affure the House that he had been apprehended in circumftances which would have rendered it highly criminal in any part of the Executive Government not to have detained him. If he had been apprehended unjustly, the laws were open to him, and he might fue for his Habeas Corpus. But individual cafes furely did not belong to the present difcuffion. Mr. Jefferys." Sir, I rife merely to ftate, that I have afferted nothing relating to the perfon alluded to, which I cannot prove; if it should turn out that he is properly detained, the House I truft will acquit me of any intention to stand forward as the advocate of a Delegate fupporting rebellion. My motive is to defend injured innocence, and to caution the Houfe in their ardour to preserve the Conftitution, not to forget the liberty and happiness of individuals.” No. 43 9 U Sir |