nected with that Rebellion, fhould be immediately removed out of Ireland to a place of fafe cuftody. And his Majesty has accordingly ordered that they be brought over to this country; and they are now confined in Fort George.

After the Meffage was read from the Chair,

Mr. Dundas moved, that an humble Addrefs be prefented to his Majefty, expreffing the humble thanks of the Houfe for his Majefty's most gracious communication.

Mr. Dundas alfo moved, that his Majefty's Meffage be taken into confideration on Tuesday next.

On the Motion of Mr. Dundas the Militia Reduction Bill was ordered to be recommitted on Monday next.

THE SLAVE TRADE.

The order of the day was then read, for the commitment of the Bill for reftraining and confining the Slave Trade to certain parts of the Coaft. of Africa.

Mr. H. Thornton obferved, that the order which stood for that day, for committing the Slave Restraining Bill, had been put down through mistake, as to-morrow was the day that it fhould have ftood for. He would therefore move that the order be discharged, and that the Bill be committed for Wednefday next, as feveral Gentlemen who wished to deliver their opinion on the Bill were then abfent.

Mr. Dickenfon, understanding that Counfel was to be heard against the Bill, wifhed that an opportunity might be afforded for that purpose, and therefore would agree to putting the Bill off to a future day,

Mr. Dent profeffed himself a decided enemy to the principle of the Bill; he would therefore amend the motion of his Honourable Friend by moving that the Bill be committed on this day four months.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer believed that if the Honourable Gentleman was determined to divide the House upon his amendment, he (Mr. Dent) would be found the only perfon who would vote for it. His Honourable Friend had moved that the Committee on the Bill be deferred for two or three days, and that principally, or folely with a view to accommodate thofe very gentlemen who were hostile to the measure; it was therefore natural for him to expect that the Honourable Gentleman would not prefs for a divifion on his amendment.

Mr. Dent feemed refolved to divide the Houfe, as he conceived the Bill to be highly injurious to the whole of the

Slave Trade.

Mr. Edwards faid, that his fentiments on this subjec

differed

differed widely from thofe of the Honourable Gentleman who just fat down. He wifhed the Sierra Leone Company every poffible fuccefs in their humane and virtuous endea vours to promote civilization and happinefs in thofe parts of Africa which bordered on the fettlement; and as the prefent Bill tended in a great degree to carry that object into effect. It would merit his hearty fupport.

The Houfe was then proceeding to a divifion, which however did not take place, and the Bill was ordered to be committed for Wednesday next.

Mr. Thornton's motion was then put and carried, without a divifion.

Colonel Gafcoyne prefented a variety of Petitions against the Bill; one from the Mayor, Aldermen, &c. of the town of Liverpool, and the other from different mercantile houses, praying to be heard by the Counsel against the Bill.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer exprefled a doubt refpecting the propriety of their being heard by Counfel; at least the petitions fhould not be brought forward before the Bill came out of the Committee; it would then be feen what the real tendency and complexion of the Bill was; if it went to a direct and total abolition of the Slave Trade, no doubt it would be just that the petitioners fhould be heard by counsel against it but if its object only was to devife and put to the teft fome means for diffufing moral improvement throughout certain parts of Africa, he was at a lofs to fee why the pecuniary interests of those who wished to monopolize the Slave Trade, fhould be put in competition with the establishment of fuch a system.

Mr. B. Edwards thought it but juft that the Petitioners fhould be heard.

Mr. Dent and Colonel Gafcoyne were of the fame opinion. The Petitions were then brought up and ordered to lie upon the Table till the Report of the Committee had been received.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved that the Committee of Ways and Means be deferred till Friday; and at the fame time obferved that he would not bring forward the intended Loan, an estimate of which he could not as yet fo accurately make, till he had feen the returns that would be made on the Income Bill.

The order of the day was then read for going into a further confideration of the Report on the India Budget, when the different refolutions were read and agreed to.

Mr. Secretary Dundas moved, That leave be given to bring

in a Bill for increafing the rate of Subfiftence to Innkeepers, on Quartering Soldiers.-Granted.-Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Thursday, April 4.

Mr. Long brought up a Bill for increafing the Rate of Subfiftence to be paid to Innkeepers and others on the quartering foldiers. It is precifely the fame as that of last year. -Read a first time, and ordered to be read a fecond.

Lord Hawkesbury moved, that the order of the day for the fecond reading, on Monday next, of the Bill for preventing the exportation of Copper be read, which being done, and the order difcharged; he moved, that this Bill be read a fecond time on Tuesday fe'nnight.-Ordered.

Lord Hawkesbury then moved, That a Committee be appointed to enquire into the ftate of Copper Mines, and the Copper Trade of this kingdom, and to report the fame as it fhall appear to them to the Houfe-Ordered. The Committee was nominated immediately.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer obferved, that a petition was lately prefented on behalf of the owner of a Wharf, against the Wet Dock Bill.-It happened that he was not in the Houfe when this petition was prefented, and therefore he was not aware of the grounds on which the petitioner expected that his petition fhould be allowed to delay this meafure. The Committee upon this measure had already been very much delayed, no lefs than for three feffions of Parliament. It was a fubject in which the public were too much interested to fuffer it to pafs over another feffion without having at least the Report of the Committee. He had attended to thefe circumftances, and he faw no ground for delaying this subject much longer on account of the allegations of any individual or petition, and that the more efpecially, as this petition was prefented at a time when the Committee was within a day or two of making its Report. This matter had already been too much delayed, and therefore unless fome fpecial ground was laid out for further time to be taken for the hearing this petition, it ought to bd difmiffed, and perhaps he fhould hereafter move that it be an inftruction to the Committee not to proceed on this petition.

Mr. Tierney faid, that the Solicitor who prepared the petition in queition, and who asked him to prefent it, informed him, he had but lately received his inftructions for preparing it. The party, on whofe behalf this petition came before the House, apprehended that no delay was created by this

petition,

petition, as there was other evidence remaining to be examined by the Committee on the Wet Dock Bill. He was forry to hear the Right Honourable Gentleman fay, he thought no further time ought to be allowed for the hearing of petitions on this fubject, as he understood there were fe veral petitions about to be prefented. This was all the information he could give the Right Honourable Gentleman

now.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid that the Honourable Gentleman had explained, fatisfactorily, on behalf of the Solicitor who prepared the Petition, why he did not do it fooner, but that was not a reafon why his client had not given him directions fooner. He really did not fee any reafon why this Petition might not have been prefented fooner. The Bill had indeed been much too long delayed.

Mr. Rofe then moved the order of the Day for the fecond reading of the Bill for warehousing Eaft India Goods, &c. Read a fecond time, and ordered to be committed to a Committee of the whole Houfe on Friday fe'nnight.

Read a third time and paffed, the Scotch Diftillery Bill. Mr. W. Smith moved the order of the day, on the Bill for regulating the fpare, according to the number of Negroes to be carried as Slaves from the Coast of Africa in British fhips, &c. The order being read, Mr. Smith faid, that underftanding that the Counfel employed by the Opponents of the Bill, were actually on the circuit, and would foon return; and alfo understanding that the oppofition to the Bill was fincere, and not merely for delay, he fhould not oppofe the defire of his Honourable Friend (Colonel Gafcoyne) for poftponing the Commitment of the Bill until to-morrow le'naight.-Committee on the Bill to-morrow fe'nnight.

Colonel Gaferyne then prefented a Petition against this Biil, referred to the Committee on it. Deferred the other orders of the Day.-Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Friday, April 5.

Mr. Hobhouse moved that there be laid before the Houfe an account fhewing how the money granted for the year 1798, had been difpofed of, under different heads (enumerated in the motion) as far as it can be made up.-Ordered.

On the motion of Mr. Pitt, the House refolved itself into a Committee of Ways and Means. In the Committee, Mr. Pitt moved, that the fum of 1,500,000l. be raised by Exchequer Bills for the fervice of the prefent year. The motion

was

was agreed to, and the report was ordered to be received on Monday.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer alluding to a remark he had made yesterday upon the fubject of the Wet-Docks, faid, he was relieved from any difficulty upon that fubject, as he understood that the Committee were to present their report speedily.

The Committee upon the Copper Mines had leave, upon the motion of Lord Hawkesbury, to fit, notwithstanding any adjournment of the House.

SCOTLAND.

The Lord Advocate of Scotland rose to make the motion of which he had given notice fome days ago. He began by defiring the 11th of Geo. I. chap. 26. to be read. After it had been read, he said, that he fhould now move for leave to bring in a bill to make certain alterations in the law of Scotland, refpecting bail. The law of Scotland refpecting bail, which refembled the Habeas Corpus Act of this country, providing that all perfons taken up upon charges not of a capital nature, fhould be entitled to bail; not at the difcretion of the magiftrates, but of right by the ftatute. The fum required for perfons of inferior condition, was originally not more than between fifteen and fixteen pounds: upon finding bail for the payment of which fum, any man whatever his offence was, provided it was not a capital one, might be difcharged. But this fum was fpeedily found to be too fmall, and perfons were enabled to evade public juftice. Another Act was therefore paffed in the 11th year of the reign of George I. The Act enforced the neceffity of large bail, and gave power to the Magistrates to demand bail to double the amount required by the former Act. Seventy years had paffed fince the making of this fecond Act; and as Scotland had fo increased in profperity during that period, it must be obvious to every one, that 32. required by the 11th of George I. was much less in point of value now, than 161. before the paffing of that Act. This might then be urged as a fufficient reafon for altering the law refpecting bail; but there were other reasons which would juftify the motion he was about to make. No perfon, he believed, would contradict him, when he afferted, that the fum now required as bail was not fufficient to compel perfons to attend and take their trials; for by railing the fum of 321. they might quit the country, laugh at the laws, and set them at defiance. There were many inftances in which the bail had been forfeited, and confequently the purpofe of taking it entirely loft, for the object was not to levy a fum on the bail,

No. 33.

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