Roman Catholics, he did not indeed apprehend much danger from that quarter, but ftill he thought that fuch a measure as the prefent would open the door to farther applications, and to farther indulgencies. The elective franchife would next be demanded; the night to fit in Parliament next; the exemption from the double Land Tax, &c. With regard to the Protef tant Diffenters, the only definition he knew of them was, that they did not conform with the established Church of England; and therefore, Jews and Turks, and other non-conformifts, might be reckoned as well as the commonly termed Diffenters and Catholics; and he feared, that religious fcruples were too often made the pretext for factious principles. He had learned, however, that the Anabaptifts (or, as they ftyled themselves Particular Baptifts) were a diftinét body, and had a government peculiar to themselves. He wifhed, if the Teft Act was to be attacked, it might be done fairly, and not by a.fide wind, and pledged himself to oppofe its repeal at all times, and in every ftage. The Duke of Norfolk widely differed from the Learned Prelate, whofe fervid eloquence correfponded to the season of the year which he had referred to. It had too often been found, that when a religious party got the upper hand they oppreffed thofe who differed from them in opinion. His Grace faid, it had been found abfolutely neceffary to difpenfe with the oath, and to admit Catholics to ferve as common men in the Weit Riding of Yorkshire, which there were other Lords in the Houle knew to be the fact as well as he: if men of that defcription were allowed, what pofible reafon could there be for refufing to truft men who had property to defend. There were, no doubt, Catholics at this moment ferving in the army and navy, nay, to be found among the guards; and he thought it would be better to abolish a law, than every year pass a Bill of Indemnity for a breach of it. Without this Act paffed, Catholic and Diffenting Gentlemen, who were loyal, willing, and able to ferve their King and Country, would be excluded for a religious fcruple, and unjustly ftigmatized: what could be the tendency of fuch conduct, but to alienate and difguft them? He corrected the Learned Prelate by ftating, that the Roman Catholics were now exempted from the double Land Tax; had his Lordship been in Parliament, he fuppofed his eloquence would in like manner have been exerted against that indulgence; but he trufted it would have proved as fruitless upon that occafion, as it would in the prefent cafe. The Diffenters alfo were a refpectable and deferving body of men; they were friends to the Hanover Succeffion, and he thought them very illiberally treated by the Reverend Prelate, when he described then them as nurfed in faction. He concluded by giving the Bill his fupport. Lord Hawke ftated that he was Chairman of the Juftices in Yorkshire, where many Catholics and Diffenters were, and that it was the opinion of the Juftices, that it would be expedient to take off the reftriction from their ferving in the Supplementary Militia. He profeffed himfelf therefore friendly to the Bill. Lord Sydney avowed that he entertained no difrefpect for the Roman Catholics and Diffenters. He had repeatedly in Parlia ment ftrengthened their application for relief from the Teft and Corporation Laws; at the fame time he did not with the prefent measure to be preffed upon the Houfe at this late period of the Seffion; but he could not help thinking, however, that when it was better understood, the objections against it would be found not well founded. The Bishop of Bristol condemned perfecution, and thought reftraint only juftifiable where religious principles became dangerous to the civil Conftitution of the Country. He approved of the Teft Laws, and felt himself bound to oppofe the prefent Bill. The Lord Chancellor complimented the laft Speaker on the moderation of his fentiments. He feared, that the undue warmth which the agitation of this meafure might occafion, would be of more injury, than the object of the Bill might be ufeful. He certainly did not entertain thofe apprehenfions which the Learned Prelates did; he viewed the measure as totally distinct from a repeal of the Teft Laws, nor was it logical to argue, that if this Bill paffed, the principle would lead to make dangerous facrifices. The Bill went to call for the hands and hearts of all defcriptions of Chriftians, of whatever denomination, to repel an invading foe, who would dath all Chrif tianity to the ground. The fervices required would be only temporary, and fuited to the exigency of the moment; it did not affect the exifting Teft required of Officers of the Army or regular Militia. But though he thus far approved of the meafure, yet, for the reafon he had mentioned, he should vote for the Motion of the Learned Lord. Lord Auckland was for the adjournment of the Bill. Lord Carlile thought the rejection of the Bill would tend to irritate the Roman Catholics in Ireland, at a time when conciliation was fo neceffary. It was a Bill moderate in its nature, and useful in its tendency. Lord Grenville did not think it could have any effect of that kind, fince the Government of Ireland had made much greater indulgences to Catholics than this Bill went to convey; he adNo. 46. 10 F mitted mitted that it was a repeal of the Teft At, as far as it went, but he would not admit that many of the conclulions drawn by the Duke of Norfolk and Bifhop of Rochester, were warranted by the fact: he, however, had no objection to the Motion, being convinced that it was made with the pureft intentions. The Bishop of Rochefter faid, the Noble Duke had mistaken him when he fuppofed he meant any reflection upon the Prefbyterians; he knew them well attachment to Government, and that they were as much difliked by the Diffenters as the Church of England; as one of their favourites fays, "there is no more difference between Prefbytery and Epifcopacy, than between a kept mistress and a common ftrumpet that walks the streets." Upon the divifion the numbers were, For reading the Bill this day three months, Adjourned. 23 Majority against the Bill, 17 HOUSE OF COMMONS. Tuesday, July 11. RESIGNATION OF THE CLERK. The Speaker informed the Houfe, that he had received a letter from Mr. Hatfell, the Clerk of the Houfe, which he should not be able to read to the Houfe without experiencing feelings of great regret and confiderable pain. He then read the letter, which ftated, that he had diligently ferved the House in the capacity of Clerk during the term of thirty-feven years, and that it was now his wifh to retire from that fituation. He was happy in acknowledging, that during all that time he had invariably experienced the indulgence and kindness of the House, and hoped they would now agree to his requeft, that John Lee, Efq. the prefent affiftant Clerk, may be appointed his Deputy. The Speaker begged leave to decline reading the remainder of the letter, as it chiefly confifted of the expreffion of acknowledgments and favourable fentiments relative to himself. An order was made appointing Mr. Lee, Deputy to the Clerk, purfuant to Mr. Hatfeil's request. The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that every Member then in the Houfe was fo weil acquainted with the great merits of Mr. Hatfell, both in regard to talents, affiduity, and indefatigable exertions, that it would be altogether unneceflary for him to enter at large upon the fubject. He should therefore content himself with moving, "That Mr. Speaker do write a letter to Mr. Hatfell, inform "ing him of the high and juft fenfe which the House entertain of his "his diftinguifhed and exemplary fervices, and returning him. "their thanks for the fame." The Master of the Rolls feconded the Motion, and the fame was agreed to nem, con. Mr. Serjeant Adair presented a petition from a Mr. William Wilkinion, now and for three years paft confined in the King's Bench Prifon. The petition ftated, that he had been a merchant in Antigua, and had there been relieved by a Colonial Act of Infolvency from the very debt he was now confined for. That he came over to England on an invitation from certain commiffioners of accounts, in order to give information, where he had been arrefted for the fame debt, and fo long confined. That the fum was above the limitation of the prefent Act, and therefore, as his health was very bad, he humbly fupplicated to be relieved by the Bill now pending in favour of Infolvent Debtors, on account of confiderable fervices rendered to this country. Ordered to lie on the Table. The Bill to perpetuate an Act of the 5th year of his late Majefty, to prevent the committing of frauds by bankrupts, was read a third time and paffed. The Infolvent Debtors' Bill was read a third time and paffed. The Southern Whale Fishery Bill was read a third time and paffed. DUTY ON WATCHES AND CLOCKS. The Order of the Day was read for the Houfe to resolve itfelf into a Committee of the whole Houfe on the Clock and Watch Duty Bill. On the queftion of the Speaker leaving the Chair, Mr. W. Bird oppofed it on the ground that the Bill would not he beneficial to the revenue, and would, nevertheless, be highly injurious to the interefts of a great body of manufacturers, not only of Watchmakers, but of others who were concerned in articles which were attached to them, fuch as feats, chains, &c. which would be entirely left off if Watches were not worn, as he contended would be the cafe if the Bal paffed. He faid alfo, that it was a great hardship upon the Watchmakers, as they might in fome fort be faid to have been taxed already during the prefent Seffion, a duty of eight fhillings an ounce having been imposed on the kind of gold of which they made the watches. It also impofed on the mafters of families a fort of inquifitorial power, and rendered them liable to a difagreeable refponibility for those who were their fervants and inmates, and who might not tell them the truth as to their watches, unless they had also the ftill more odious talk affigned to them of making a fearch to know who did not wear watches, as well as thofe who did wear them. Mr. Jolliffe faid, the tax had not the leaft chance of being 10 F 2 productive productive, and wifhed that inftead of having been propofed as a fubftitute for the tax on turnpikes, that the latter had taken place. He conceived that it would be a confiderable hardship on Gentlemen who kept fervants, to be obliged to inquire which of them kept watches; and in cafe of their denying that they had watches, to be under the necefiity, as it were, of rummaging their pockets. It would alfo be extremely fevere on fervants, who had no intereft in fupporting the war, to be forced to pay half-a-crown a year for that which they had acquired by the favings of years. The tax would affect the hufbandmen, whofe fituation made it neceflary for them to know the hour of the day. The Chancellor of the Exchequer wifhed that the Honourable Gentleman had waited till the Bill had gone into a Committee, when he would perceive that his objections were partly removed by exemptions being made in favour of many of thofe defcriptions of perfons he had been mentioning. What was the severity, he would afk, which mafters of families were to labour under? It was no more than that of putting questions to their fervants and inmates, on whom a penalty was to attach if they gave an untrue anfwer; and the mafter was refponfible in nothing else, except in giving in a falfe account. He did not expect to hear fuch a propofition advanced in that House, as that there was any one clafs of fubjects who had no intereft in the welfare of the country; and he could not fee that it was any great grievance to make a livery fervant contribute fo fmall a fum as half-a-crown yearly to the public fervice. With refpect to thofe who might part with their watches, he knew very well that there were many perfons who felt fuch a degree of peevishness at being called on to contribute any thing towards the public fervice, that they would at firft refufe to pay this tax; but their perfonal convenience would foon oblige them to do it: and he did not fuppofe there was any man, who, for the fake of 2s. 6d. a year, would lay afide his watch. With respect to a stop being put to the manufacture of new watches and clocks by this Bill; he did not conceive fuch a thing would take place, as he had reason to believe the manufacture for exportation to be much greater than for home confumption. As to the panegyric paffed by an Honourable Gentleman on the tax lately propofed on turnpikes, he supposed, that if the prefent Bill was relinquished, a fimilar panegyric would be paffed on it alfo. In fhort, there could be no tax which fell lefs heavy on the public than the prefent, and a certain defcription of perfons was to be exempted. General Tarleton faid he had a letter in his hand from a body of his Conftituents defiring him to oppofe the Bill, on account of the great injury it would do to a very numerous clafs of men in and about the neighbourhood of Liverpool, who were makers of |