Summary of Proceedings in the third Session of Parliament. future, that a plan may be formed for the appropriation of a certain yearly fum as a finking fund, towards the diminution of the national debt: Right Hon. William Wyndham Grenville, Lord Graham, Hon. Edward James Eliott, George Rofe, efq. William Wilberforce, efq. John Call, efq. Henry Beaufox, efq. Henry Addington, elq. John Smith, efq. It was ordered, that any five of them should be a quorum, and that they should fit notwithstanding any adjournment. Mr. Francis (in the absence of Mr. Burke) moved, that certain papers, relative to the impeachment of Mr. Haf tings, be printed. After a flight oppofition from Mr. Pitt and Major Scott, the motion pafled. Mr. Marbam, agreeably to the notice he had given, moved for leave to Abring in a bill, to exclude from voting at elections for members to ferve in parliament, all thofe concerned in the civil departments of the Navy and Ordnance. The good effects of Mr. Crewe's bill, he faid, were obvious, and this he confidered as a proper fupplement to it. The motion agreed to. Friday, March 10. Mr. Francis moved, that copies of the letters relative to the affair of Benares, from the Court of Directors to Mr. Haftings, with his anfwers thereto, be printed for the ufe of the members. Agreed to. The Houfe then refolved itfelf into a committee on the militia bill, Mr. Neville in the chair: and, on the claufe being read for calling out the militia once every year, Mr. Pitt profeffed himself a friend to the principle of the bill, because it was exceedingly neceffary for the continuance of a militia. But it was his with to render it useful to the ftate at the least expence to the country. As it was known that, in time of peace, no regiment of the regulars mustered more than two thirds of their war complement, the fame regulation might obtain in the militia. He would. propofe that the whole thould be balloted for and mustered, and if two thirds of the com plement in time of peace were called out and difciplined, it would answer every necellary purpofe. In this manner, inftead of 130,000l. annual ex-. pence, 90,000l. only would be incurred: a confideration that merited attention, He coacladed with moving that a claufe be inferted for the above purpose. After 575 a converfation of fome length, in which the fame arguments were urged which had been used in the preceding stages of this fubject, the amendment was agreed to without a divifion. Monday, March 13. 7 Report was made from the felect committee to determine the merits of the Seaford election, that it was deemed void; and a new writ was ordered out for another election. Received and read a petition from the hawkers and pedlars of Kendal against their tax-bill. Alfo one from the pawnbrokers; and one from the attornies of the Marthalfea court, a gaiaft their respective taxes. Some other bufinefs having been gone through, the Houfe refolved itself into a committee on the mutiny bill. The Secretary at War moved, that a claufe be inferted, "that all officers by brevet fhould be subjected to trial by court-martials." Sir Charles Gould fupported this idea; and the question on the claufe being put, it was agreed to. After a fhort converfation relative to the affair of Mr. Haftings, and on the nilitia-bill, the Houfe adjourned. Tufday, March 14. This day the Houfe was to have balloted for a fele&t committee to try the merits of the Bristol election; but as only 46 members attended, and the law fixes the number at 100 on fuch occafions, the Houfe, by Mr. Grenville's act, was obliged to adjourn, without doing any bufinefs whatever. Wednesday, March 15. No bufine's done this day, for the fame reafon that none was tranfacted yesterday. Thursday, March 16. The felect coinmittee for trying the merits of the Bristol election having been ballotted for, Mr. Marbams bill, to difqualify the cival officers in the Navy and Ordnance offices froin voting for members to ferve in parliament, was read a firft time, and ordered to be printed. Mr. Beaufoy's bill, to encourage the turbot fishery, was read a first time, and ordered to be printed. The mutiny law, with certain amendments, was read a third time; when Col. Fitzpatrick objected to the claufe which fubjects brevet offic.rs to a trial by a court-martial: it was providing, he faid, for a cafe of which no precedent exifled, and of which it w fcarc 576 Summary of Proceedings in the third Seffion of Parliament. On this topic a converfation of fome length enfued between the Secretary at War and Mr. Pitt, in defence of the clause and Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Wyndham, Gen. Burgoyne, Mr. Francis, and Mr. Fox, against it. It was, however, on a divifion, carried by a majority of 60, there being for it 79, against it 19. Friday, March 17. Mr. Fox concluded a long fpeech re fpecting the conduct of Mr. Haftings, with the following motion: "that fuch extracts from the Bengal confultations as regarded the treaty entered into with the Mogul in the year 1783, fhould be laid before the House." Mr. Pitt replied to Mr. Fox at some length. Mr. Sheridan, Major Scott, and Lord North, alfo fpoke. On a divifion the motion was rejected, there being for it 73, against it 140. Adjourned. Monday, March 20. Paffed the Surrey coal-meters bill; and the Alloa harbour bill. Agreed to the report of the refolutions of Friday laft on the fupply. The bill for amending the India judicature bill was read a fecond time, and fome other bufinefs of a private nature transacted, after which the House adjourned. Tuesday, March 21. Mr. Grenule brought up the report of the select committee for examining the public accounts, and ftating the furplus of the taxes, together with their opinion as to the amount of the fum ariling from fuch furpius, that might be appropriated to the purpose of cicating an efficient and unalienable finking fund. After ordering, on the motion of Mr. Grenville, that the report should be printed for the ufe of the members; Mr. Dundas then rofe for leave to bring in his bill for amending the late act for regulating the jurifdiction of India. The amendments he propofed were, 1. It had been intended by the act to incapacitate fuch perfons as had been fervants of the Company in Europe from being elected members of the council; but as, by an indefinite conftruction of the claufe, an exclufion of the Company's fervants in India feemed to be implied, an explanation was rendered neceffary. 2. It was intended that, instead of the fenior fervant of the Company's fucceeding to a feat in the council on a vacancy, the Gov. General fhould be empowered to nominate to the vacant feat one from amongst the fenior tervants. 3. That the commander in chief fhould not be officially intitled to a feat in the council, but be elected or not, as might be deemed most advisable. 4. That every advancement fhould be according to the fact gradations of feniority in the refpective ranks of the Company's fervants. 5. To enlarge the powers of the Governorgeneral, by authorifing him to reject or enforce any meafute, even though opposed by three of the council. 6. To difpenfe with the confeflion, required by the act, of gentlemen returning from India, of the manner in which they had difpofed of any part of their acquifitions; and also to dispense with making public the amount of their fortunes. And, 7. To prevent the tedioufnefs of the prefent mode of balloting for the count of judicature, by impowering every member to fend in his bal-, lot on any day, within a given space, The Houfe then went into a compreviously to that appointed for the de-mittee on the militia bill, and, after cilion. He then made his motion, propofing feveral claufes, fome of which which, being feconded by the Chan- were agreed to, and others rejected, celor of the Exchequer, was carried adjourned. without a divikor. Mr. Francis fuggefted another amendment, relative to the trial by jury, which was rej.Яed. The report of the committee on the fhop tax bill was then received; after which the Houfe adjourned. Mr. Pitt gave notice, that on Wednefday fe'nnight hewould fubmit to the Houfe certain propofitions founded on the faid report. He then introduced a petition relative to the Bourbon Eaftindiaman, among the crew of which there raged a contagious fever, as already ftated in its place (fee p. 263). -So ftriking a trait of English humanity deferves to be recorded, to induce all other nations to follow an example which they cannot but admire. Wednesday, March 22. A The Houle went into a committee on Mr. Dundas's Bill for explaining and amending Mr. Pitt's India Bill. debate of confiderable length enfued, which lafted till two o'clock in the morning, and was then adjourned by agreement. Summary of Proceedings in the third Seffion of Parliament. agreement. It turned principally on two claufes; the one, that which divefts the prefent commander in chief in Bengal of the privilege annexed to his office of filling the fecond feat in the council; and the other, that which gives the Governor-general a power of acting, not only without the confent, but even contrary to the opinion, of the majority of the council. Thefe claufes, though ftrongly objected to, were, however, carried by great majorities; there being for the former 151, against it 65; for the latter 123, against it 36. [By the decifion on the firit, General Sloper's falary will be reduced from 16,cool. a year to 6,000l. his pay as commander in chief; the other 10,000l. being his falary as a member of the council.] Adjourned to Friday, March 24. In a committee of fupply, came to the following refolutions: That 192,792 15s. 6d. be granted to nis Majetty for deftaying the charge of the in and out-penfioners of Chelica Hofpital for 1786. That 173,cool. be granted on account of reduced officers of land forces and marines, for 1786. That 638,6621. 125. 4d. be granted for extra expences of land forces and other fervices, incurred from the 25th of December, 1785, not provided for by parliament. That 52,502l. 175. 2d. be granted upon account of commiffioned officers of his Majefty's British and American forces, for 1786. That 3535. be granted on account of feveral officers late in the fervice of the States General, for 1786. That 3331 95. 7d. be granted for defraying the charge of allowances to the feveral officers and private gentlemen of the two troops of horse-guards reduced, and to the fuperannuated gentlemen of the four troops of horieguaids, for 1756.-To be reported on Monday. Report was made from the committee on the Briftot election, in favour of Mr. Cruger. Several motions having been made, and agreed to, for the production o papers relative to Mr. Haltings; and a motion, from Mr. Sheridan, for divide ing Mr. Dundas's India Bill into two bils, being made and carried, the Houfe refolved ittelf into a committee on the bill, when the remaining claules of the bill, fo divided, were read, the blanks 577 filled up, and the House refumed. A debate enfued, concerning the propriety of receiving the report the fame night, which ended in a divifion, when the numbers were, ayes 89, noes 24. The report was then received in the ufual form, and the Houfe adjourned till Monday, March 27. Agreed to the report of the refolutions of Friday laft, on the fupply. Mr. Jenkinjon recalled the attention of the Houfe to the bill which he had laft year introduced for regulating the Newfoundland fisheries, and which, after having been twice read in the lait feffion, had been delayed merely from an idea of its great importance, in order that gentlemen might have an opportu nity of fully deciding on its merits during the recefs. He expatiated on the great national utility of this branch of commerce, and concluded with moving, that a committee fhould be appointed for the purpofe of drawing up certain refolutions, to be laid before the Houte previously to the introduction of the bill. The motion was agreed to, and the committee appointed. Mr. Dundas's bill for regulating the jurifdiction of India (in which fome alterations were propofed, but rejected,) was read a third time, and paffed. Counfel were heard on the fecond reading of the bill for making a navigable canal from Stourbridge to Worcefter; after which the Houte adjourned. Turfuay, March 28. The Speaker attended, but no bufi nefs was done, a fufficient number of members not appearing, from which to ballot for a committee to try the merits of the contefted election for the county of Nain. Wednesday, March 29. Agreed to the report of Monday last, ! for regulating the Newfoundland fishery. Ordered in a bill thereupon. A felect committee having been ballotted for. and fwors, to try the merits of the Nairn election; Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered a written mcffage from his Majetty, which was read by the Speaker (the members hitting uncovered). Its parport was, that his Majefty, with great concern, acquainted the Houfe of his not having been able to prevent the expences of his civil lift from exceeding' its income, and that confequently an arrear had been incurred; for the dif charge of which he relied upon the zeal and affection of his faithful Commons. -Mr. t 578 Summary of Proceedings in the third Seffion of Parliament. -Mr. Pitt then faid, he would lay up on the table, the next day, fome papers relative to the arrear alluded to in the King's meslage; and that he intended to move, on Wednesday next, fome propofitions on that fubject. The Houfe went into a committee on the report from the felect committee, to whom it had been referred to ftate what furplus might be expected upon the grofs produce of the taxes. The Chancellor of the Exchequer then opened his plan for the redemption of the national debt. Our limits will not allow us to follow him into a detail. ed report of a speech that he was two hours and three quarters in delivering: we shall endeavour, however, to ftate briefly the fubftance of his plan. The report of the committee ftates, on one fide, the produce of the taxes for the prefent year, and fets against it the expenditure, not of the prefent year, but the probable expenditure of the year 1790; and between these two statements there is a furplus of taxes to the amount of about 9c0,000l. In the navy eftimates for this year, and for 1790, there is a difference of 600,00cl. Mr. Pitt endeavoured to prove, that, .though the naval eftablishment amounts this year to 2,400,000l. yet that of 1790 will not exceed 1,800,000l. The difference, he faid, was owing to the extraordinaries of the navy, for furnishing fhips now building upon contract; and when they are finished, the expence, being temporary, not annual, will not occur another year. The taxes, he said, would also produce much more in future, when evafions would point out new remedies to enforce the payment; and trade, by finding its level, during the peace, would be extended, and confequently the receipt of the customs increafed. New regulations might alfo be framed to prevent the fmuggling of w ne, which had increased to to aftonishing a degree, that, though the confumption of that article had been doubled and trebled of late, yet the duties on the importation of it produced annually, 30 years ago, 200,000l. more than they do at picient. From thefe different circumstances he concluded, that the revenue might be fo improved as to keep up, and even increate, the furplus of 900,000l. He admitted, that if the public expenditure for and after the year 1799 was to be estimated from that of the prefent year, there would not be fo great a furplus, as the difference between the two amounted to three millions; but this difference he would provide for, without breaking in upon any part of the actual receipt of the taxes. The means he would have recourse to were thefe: he would call upon the public accountants, who had been entrufted with money during the war, to pay in their balances. This, he expected, would produce one million in the courfe of three years between this and 1790. A lottery, which, like that of the prefent year, would produce 140,000l. per annum, would in four years give 560,000l. and the money payable from the non-effective fund of the army would amount to a prodigious fum, as the committee might well imagine, when he informed them that the perfons employed in paffing those accounts had the accounts of 118 regiments of foot to go through, and that they had yet gone through no more than one regiment, from which the fum of 22,ocol. was due to the Exchequer, and would be paid by the agent. These fums, as they came in, would be applied to public demands, and would antwer the difference of three millions, that would arife in the courfe of three years, between the estimates of this year and thofe of 1790; fo that the furplus of 900,000l. or thereabouts, would remain untouched. To make this furplus up one million, he would propofe three taxes: an additional penny per gallon on fpirits in the wath, which would produce from 50,000l. to 60,000l. per annum; a regulation of the duty on deals, beams, and battens, imported, which he estimated at about 30,000l. a year; and, laftly, a duty on perfumery, that would bring in 10,000l. perhaps 30,0col. yearly. He would propofe to manage the furplus in this manner, viz. to appoint the Speaker, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mafter of the Rolls, the AccountantGeneral of the Court of Chancery, and the Governor and Deputy-governor of the Bank, all for the time being, commillioners, to whom the direction of it thould be intrufted: that 250,0001. hould be issued to them at the beginning of every quarter, commencing on the 5th of July next: that they bould divide this fum into as many parts as there are transfer days in a quarter; and that they should lay out the allo.ted fhare on each of thefe days in the purchase of ftock the interetts of the debt bought up to be applied in aid of the furplus Summary of Proceedings in the till there fhould be a clear revenue to the country of four millions, which would be procured in 28 years; but, after that period, to fink into the mafs of the fupply, and be applied in relief of the fubject. He juft obferved, that on Wednesday next he would move, that parliament fhould redeem the mortgage of 50,000l. of the civil-lift, which now amounted to 180,000l. that the Crown might have a clear revenue of 900,000l. a year. And concluded by moving, that the fum of one million ought to be unalienably appropriated to the redemption of the national debt, and be charged upon the furplus of the taxes. Sir Grey Cooper approved of the priniple of the reduction of the debt by an unalienable finking fund of one million; but it did not appear to him, from what had been stated, that we had the means of accomplishing this great meature. With refpect to the furplus which the Right Hon. Gent. would have to produce when he opens his budget for the prefent year, the outline of which he had just given, he had only to remark, that the whole of this computed furplus feemed to him to depend on a very fingular operation of finance. In the laft year the Right Hon. Gent. increafed the unfunded debt by raifing an additional milInftead of lion by Exchequer bills. 2,500.cool. as the account flood in 1784, the unfunded debt in Exchequer bills is 3,500,000l.; and this fum is a demand against the public for this year, and actually voted as part of the fupplies, without being cancelled; fo that this million of additional debt, if placed against the 900,000l. pretended furplus, leaves 1,000,000l. balance in arrear. Mr. Fox objected to the statement of the Right Hon. Gent, as well on account of the deficiency of the taxes that had lately been laid, as on the fuppofed increafe of revenge, founded on the future extension of trade. He would ask the Right Hon. Gent if, by the extenfion of trade, he meant the increate of the tea trade, by which more money than ever was fent to China for that article? and whether that was any folid fatisfaction to him? Mr. Fox, like the former fpeaker, approved the principle, but objected in 1010 to the plan for carrying it into execution. This motion, after a very long debate, in which the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Grey Cooper, Mr. Fox, and Mr. Sheridan, were the principal fpeakers, and in which it was proved that many of the tira sejjin vj J17 grounds on which he built his hopes of a Mr. Gilbert, chairman of the committee which fate the preceding night for the purpose of taking into confideration the ftate of the revenue, brought up the report, which was read a firth time, and, on the question being put for a fecond reading, a converfation enfued, in which Mr. Pulteney, Mr. Jolliffe, Mr. Dempfer, Mr. Pye, Mr. Pitt, and others, took part; after which the queltion being put, the report was read a second time, and agreed to. A motion being then made for the fecond reading of the bill to difqualify the civil officers in the Navy and Ordnauce departments from voting in cafes of election for members to ferve in parliament; after a debate of fome length, in which Mr. Marbam, Mr. Fox, Mr. Honeywood, and Mr. Courtenay, fpoke in favour of the bill; and Mr. B. Gaf coigne, Mr. Drake, Mr. Pitt, Lord Mulgrave, and others, against it, the queftion was put, and the bill loft by a majority of 76, there being for the fecond reading 41, against it 117. Friday, March 31. Ordered out a new writ for Carlisle, in the room of the Hon. Edw. Norton, deceafed; and for Newton in Lancashire, in the room of Sir Thomas Davenport, deceased. Alfo a new writ for Hants, in the room of the Hon. H, S. Conway, who had accepted the Chiltern Hundreds. Mr. Dundas then rose, and obferved, that as he had an important clause to expunge in the India judicature bill, he would now move, that the order for the further confideration of it be difcharged and that leave be given to withdraw the bill which he had propofed. This being confented to, he would next move fo leave to introduce a new bill, in orde totally to refcind that part which relate to a difclosure of fortunes acquired i India. Still, however, he meant tha the fame furety fhould remain for check ing peculation and plunder, as that which parliament had wifely affente. He was happy to inform the House, th the intelligence recently received fro India rendered it unneceffary to enfor fuch a measure, the principal defec which it was meant to rectify havi been happily remedied. Leave was giv to bring in a new bill. T |