the latter to their refidence. He took notice of the noble Duke's obfervations, as to taking the trial of penal fuits out of the hands of the temporal and putting it into thofe of the fpiritual powers, and faid, the bill did not do that in the manner or to the extent which the noble Duke conceived. With refpe&t to empowering the Bishops to exercife an undefined and unlimited authority, they could not defire it, but if he himself were afked, in what hands could that controul be moft conftitutionally placed? he would answer confcientiously, in none that he knew of fo fitly as thofe propofed by this bill; certainly under due restrictions, and with all that awful refponfibility which did, as it always ought, attach to every public department under the conftitutional laws of this country. As he had before declared, there were many claufes in this bill to which in their prefent form he had objections, which he fhould explain if the bill thould go, as he hoped it would, to a Committee of the Houfe. In one obfervation more, he hoped to be indulged; it was, that whatever might be the ultimate fate of this bill, the laudable motives which actuated the conduct of the right hon. Gentleman who brought it forward, and the laborious affiduity and zeal which marked his conduct, as well in the preparation of the bill as in his attendance and fupport through every ftage of its progrefs in another Houfe of Parliament, never would be obliterated from the grateful feelings of that order of men, for whofe relief it was intended, and muft draw down upon him the bleffings of every friend to ecclefiaftical difcipline, to public morals, and to the interest of the Chriftian religion. When the bill fhould have been matured in the Committee, and become a law, it would be a lafting monument of fame to its very refpectable author.

The queftion was put, and the bill read a fecond time. The Bishop of St. Asaph repeated, that he fully approved the principle of the bill, but was not fatisfied with its fabrick, and the frame of its claufes. Understanding that an opportunity was to be given for going into detail upon it, previous to the Houfe refolving itfelf into a Committee, he fhould then explain on what principles he fhould feel it neceffary to propose several amendments in the Committee; but thofe would not be mere verbal amendments, thofe of leaving out one word, and inferting another, but amendments. that would go as it were, to new cafting several of the claufes.

The bill was committed for Friday.

A private

A private bill, and a returned bill, were brought up from the Commons by Mr. Ifaac Hawkins Browne..

All the bills on the table went through their respective ftages. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

TUESDAY, JUNE 7.

Mr. Wickham obtained leave to bring in a bill to enable the Commiffioners of the First Fruits in Ireland to lend out certain fums of money, intereft free, in order to enable the clergy of that country to procure more convenient edifices, as parfonage houses.

ACCOMMODATION TO MERCHANTS.

The Houfe refolved itself into a Committee of the whole Houfe, to confider fo much of his Majefty's most gracious fpeech to both Houfes of Parliament, on the 23d of November laft, as related to mercantile tranfactions.

Mr. Vanfittart fubmitted to the Committee the following propofitions, viz, "That there fhould be a fmall duty laid on horse hair, amounting to the value of 201. imported into this country; that the drawback on the exportation of that article should cease, and determine ;--a duty of 4s. to be charged on every yard of thread-lace, exceeding the value of 20s. imported into Great Britain; a duty of 1s. 3d. on every fquare yard of damask table cloth imported into Great Britain from Germany, in order to give encouragement to the British manufactures, and particularly to thofe in Ireland; a drawback of Lod. on damask table-cloths exported from Great Britain; a duty of 6s. 6d. on every hundred weight of foreign barley imported ;-1s. 6d. on every hundred weight of pearl barley imported ;-2s. 6d. on every 120lb. of ftock-fifh imported;-641. 18. on every ton of Hungary wines imported; -541. 1s. 6d. of drawback on every ton of the like wines exported ;-681. 5s. on every ton containing 250 gallons of Rhenith wines imported ;-a drawback of 591. 6s. 6d. on ditto, exported from Great Britain to any of the British West India plantations. After demonftrating to the Committee the great advantages which would accrue to the commercial intercourfes of the country by thefe alterations in the duties on fuch articles, the Chairman of the Committee (Mr. Hobhoufe) reported progrefs, and the report was ordered to be received the next day.

ORDNANCE

ORDNANCE STORES.'

The hon. Mr. Pole flated to the Houfe, that great inconvenience had been found to arife from the want of a proper eftablishment for ordnance ftores in the centre of Great Britain, and that the Board of Ordnance had lately been employed in endeavouring to afcertain the fpot most proper to be cholen, in order to obviate the defect. It was therefore, he faid, the intention of Government to eftablish a large depôt of ordnance and fmall arms in the centre of the country, and likewife depôts of gunpowder in various parts of the kingdom, as great danger arofe from the accumulation of that article in one place. He therefore moved for leave to bring in a bill for vefting certain lands in the county of Northampton in truftecs, for the purpose of erecting buildings for the fervice of his Majefty's ordnance, and fo: enabling the Board to adopt any fuch other measures as they might judge neceffary for the purpofcs intended."

Mr. Whitbread obferved, that it was not in his opinion the great accumulation of gunpowder which created alarm, but that the greateft danger arofe from the mode purfued in what are called the mixing houfes, owing to the great number of workmen employed in the operation of mixing various kinds of that article together. He thought that bufinefs might be performed with greater, fafety at the place where it is manufactured, and that he could prove, to the fatiffaction of Government, that befides the additional fafety of the mede he propofed, it would be a confiderable faving of expence to Government. At prefent, he faid, it was only the vigilance of the fuperior officers which preferved the public from any degree of danger, though by habit people become infenfible of dangers which furround them; and as to the article of gunpowder, it was now looked on by many as being as harmlets as the fand on the fea-thore. He wifhed that the Board of Ordnance would take the trouble to inquire into the real ftate of the cafe, and they would foon difcover the evil, which originates from the manner purfued in mixing gunpowder. He himlelf, he faid, would be extremely happy, in affording any atiiftance which lay in his power. He could even at prefent prove various inftances, where the powder which was ufed in his Majefty's fervice was found greatly deficient in point of frength, which he could attribute to nothing elfe than to the improper mode purfued in its mixture.

Mr. Pele faid, that the Board of Ordnance would be extremely

tremely happy to receive from the hon. Member, any information upon the fubject in question, in order to remedy the evils he had alluded to, and that at any time he might think proper.

Leave was given to bring in the proposed bill.

Mr. Whitbread thought the greateft praife was due to the Lords of the Admiralty for inveftigating the abufes of the navy; and in order to fhow the public the labour and affiduity with which the noble Lord at the head of the Admiralty had attended to the investigation of these matters, he should now move that there be laid before the House a copy of the minutes taken by the Board of Admiralty on examination of the dock yards.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer hoped that the hon. Gentleman would delay bringing any fuch motion forward at prefent, because the attention of the Houfe would toon be called to that report, and others which were preparing by the executive Government for the prefent feffion of Parlia

ment.

Mr. Whitbread agreed to delay his motion accordingly.

The bill for raifing an additional fum by exchequer bills was read a first time, and ordered to be read a fecond time the next day.

The election bribery oath bill was read a firft time, and ordered to be printed and read a fecond time.

The bill for vefting certain lands at Charleton, in the county of Kent, in trustees, for the purpofe of further promoting the intereft of his Majefty's ordnance, was read a third time and paffed.

Mr. Alexander prefented the report of the Committee of Supply.

Colonel Vereker prefented a petition from the tanners of Limerick against the duty on leather, and

Mr. Corry prefented petitions from the tanners of Cork, Waterford, and Wexford, for the fame purpote; all of which petitions were ordered to be referred to a Coma are who were to report their opinion thereon to the Houz

Mr. Garththore prefented an account of the x eures attending his Majefty's navy, for the year ending December

31, 1802.

The militia pay bill was read a fecond trane, mitted to a Committee of the whole Hute The foldiers' paffage bill was tead a third and ordered to the Lords.

The Speaker was ordered to iffue a new writ for the election of a Member for Downton, in the room of the hon. Edward Bouverie, who, fince his election, has accepted the Chiltern Hundreds.

Mr. Fitzgerald moved for an account of the fums raifed by Grand Juries in feveral counties in Ireland, for the laft ten years, for the militia and other purposes, diftinguishing the fums levid each year, and each affize. Granted.

Mr. Carry gave notice, that he would, the next day, move for leave to bring in a bill for improving the mode of collection for the revenue in Ireland.

The county bridges bill was read a third time, paft, and ordered to the Lords.

A meffage from the Lords announced to the Houfe, that their Lordships and agreed to the bill for the improvement of the harbour of Allon, and feveral private bills.

The fecond reading of the Eaft India fhipping bill was poftponed till the next day. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8.

The Attorney-General was heard in reply in the appeal caufe, Lothian v. Henderfon, Riddell, and Co..

After which the Lord Chancellor entered very much at Jarge into a statement of the facts of the cafe, grounded on the capture and condemnation of the fhip Catherine, an American veffel, from Nottingham, in Virginia. The Catherine was made a prize, at fea, on the 17th of May, 1797, and condemned after trial in the Tribunal of Commerce, of the Canton of Nantes; and a question being raised hetween the infurers and the affured, whether the former were bound to pay their fubfcriptions or not, as fhe had been condemned, an action was commenced before the Court of Admiralty, in Scotland, againt the under-writers, who refufed to pay Meffis. Henderson, Ferguson, and Gibson, merchants in Virginia, and owners of the fhip, and for the tobacco with which the was freighted, being the plaintiffs. In this action two interlocutors were pronounced, and the prefent appeal was from them. The Lord Chancellor argued upon the feveral facts as he proceeded, and suggested the queftions of law that arose upon them. At length he concluded with moving a queftion, to be referred to the Judges, which was put and agreed to; and, after conful