He was far from being inclined to bring any degree of ex parte evidence, so as to hurt the feelings of any person, and he was certain that the House were convinced of the impropriety of doing fo. He concluded with hoping, that the hon. Gentleman would now be convinced of the propriety of withdrawing his motion, or at least of delaying it, till he faw the effect of thefe proceedings in the commiffioners.

Colonel Baftard faid, that he could not agree with the hon. Gentleman, who had stated that the present situation of the country rendered this investigation improper. He thought that the more dangerous the fituation was, the more neceffary the inquiry, and that no time ought to be loft in inftituting it; the more especially, as the reports were fo contradictory, relative to the public fervice having been mifconducted. In order, therefore, that matters might immediately be fet to rights, he gave the motion his hearty concurrence; but, at the fame time, he begged leave, along with others, to state his conviction of the upright and commendable conduct of the Lords Commiffioners of the Admiralty. He believed them to be men who were neither biaffed by felf-interestedconduct nor improper views, but entirely guided by the confideration of their own honour and the duty they owed to the public. He was happy to think that by their exertions, and the exertions of the Houfe, many glaring abufes were now about to be redrefled.

Mr. Harvey obferved, that as the honourable Member who brought forward this motion, avowed as his object the vindication of the conduct of a noble Lord at the head of the Admiralty, against whom he alleged that unfounded obloquies had been circulated, and urged even within those walls, though he himself had high respect for the profeffional character and public fervices of that noble Lord, ftill he thought he had his faults, like other men. Whenever his conduct fhould be really brought forward as the fubject of inquiry in that House, he, for one, fhould confider it his right, and feel it his duty as a Member of Parliament, to speak his sentiments fully and freely on the fubject. If he was erroneous in fuppofing the noble Lord's conduct, as a member of an higher affembly, could properly come before that House, he hoped to be excufed as a young Member of Parliament not well converfant in parliamentary ufage. However, he did not feel difpofed to fupport the prefent motion, as being only for a part of the evidence before the navy commiffioners, and thinking that, whenever the Houfe thould think fit to go

into inquiry on the fubject, the whole of the documents fhould be laid before them.

Sir Francis Baring bore as fincere and profound respect and veneration for the character of the noble Lord at the head of the Admiralty, as any man could poffibly feel, and was firmly convinced, that neither the motion propofed by the hon. Gentleman that night, nor any other, was neceffary to the vindication of that noble Lord's conduct, on the propriety and rectitude of which, every difinterefted man in the country was already convinced; and equally perfuaded was he, of the zeal and integrity which actuated thofe refpectable characters who compofed the board of commiffioners for inquiry into the navy abufes. But the principal thing to which he objected was, the printing and circulating those reports of their preceedings, which so far carried public accufations of delinquency against men, who were thus prejudged by the community upon ex parte evidence. He was convinced, that a very few queftions put to the very perfons from whom this teftimony of accufation came, would bring out fuch anfwers as would totally change the opinions already formed on the fubject.

Mr. Sheridan vindicated the motives of his hon. Friend, (Mr. Whitbread) for bringing this motion forward, for the juftification of the noble Lord at the head of the Admiralty; and expreffed fome furprise at the extraordinary demand from hon. Members on the other fide of the Houfe, that those who were the panegyrifts of that noble Lord thould bring forward an inquiry into his conduct. This was a task much better befitting those who had been in the habit of cafting criminal infinuations upon him. Let them then thape their infinuations into fpecific charges, and bring forward the inquiry; and he had no doubts but the refult would redound highly to the honour of that illuftrious character. The object of his hon. Friend, in moving for those papers, was, that those who deferved honour thould receive it, and thofe thould receive punishment to whom punishment was due.

Sir Andrew Hammond and Mr. Harvey refpectively explained.

Mr. Whitbread replied, by declaring his readiness to comply with the feeming fenfe of the Houfe, by declining to prefs his motion, although, he faid, notwithstanding the arguments of thofe who oppofed it, he was not convinced VOL. IV. 1802-3.

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that it was improper. If motives exifted to render the compliance with his motion impolitic, if fquabbles existed between the admiralty and navy boards, they were none of his creating. He concluded by withdrawing his motion.

Mr. Whitbread again rofe, and obferved, that the right hon. Gentleman oppofite to him, when he first propofed the inquiry on navy abufes to the Houfe, propofed alfo to found upon it a strong parliamentary measure. He therefore wifhed to know, from the right hon. Gentleman, at what time he intended to bring fuch a measure forward?

The Chancellor of the Exchequer anfwered, he certainly did intend to bring forward a ftrong parliamentary measure upon that ground; but in the prefent stage of the business, it was impoffible to fay precifely at what time it would be brought forward.

MILITIA.

Sir James Sinclair Erskine presented the Scotch militia bill, which was read the first time.

Mr. Bagwell expreffed his warmeft approbation of the bill, and his fincere with that a fimilar bill fhould be brought in for Ireland, which at this crisis would be not only desirable in a high degree, on the ground of humanity and benevolence, but extremely important to the public fervice. There had been a fimilar bill enacted by the Parliament of Ireland during the late war, which had expired, and which law, or fome other for the like purpofe, it was extremely desirable to revive. In Ireland more especially, where poverty fo generally prevails, and poor laws do not exist as in England (nor did he ever defire they fhould), the fituation of the wives and children of those men who devoted themselves to the public fervice, was truly deplorable. They had no other refource for livelihood, when the husband and father entered the army, and went on foreign service, but an appeal to public benevolence; and to this was it in a great measure owing, that the streets of every town were crowded with wretched women and children, begging for food. Even those militia foldiers, who in the last war had volunteered for foreign fervice, the very moment they had done fo, had the mortification to behold their poor wives and infants ftruck off the allowance to militia-men's families; and those who accompanied their hufbands with a with to go abroad with them, had the mortification, at the moment of embarking, to be torn from them, and left to beg their way home, when the

wives of English foldiers were fent, with the means of carrying them, to their respective parishes; and even to this moment, Ireland was crowded with the begging widows and orphans of men who had facrificed their lives in the fervice of their country. He fincerely wished that fome provifion could be made to alleviate thofe lamentable circumstances, and hoped the Gentlemen who compofed the government for Ireland in this country, would bring forward fome measure on the fubject.

Mr. Wickham faid, that certainly the extreme diftreffes of the poor in Ireland was a fubject which neither escaped the notice, nor failed to intereft the feelings of the Government in Ireland; and no man would be found more ready to concur than himself in any well digefted meafure that could be devised for their relief. If the hon Member, would him felf fay that he was now prepared with any eligible plan for affeffing upon his own country the means of relieving its poor, he would find him ready to fupport it. At prefent, however, he faw no immediate plan eligibly practicable for the purpose, though there was one in contemplation, which fo foon as it could be properly matured and digefted, would be brought forward for confideration; but he could not confent to entertain any plan but one which upon the fulleft deliberation fhould appear eligible.

Mr. Maurice Fitzgerald entertained an opinion directly contrary to that profeffed by an hon. Member near him (Mr. Bagwell) upon the fubject, and fincerely deprecated the revival of such a law as that to which he had alluded, the affeffments under which were felt with fo much feverity. He trufted the right hon. Secretary for the Irith Government would not bring forward any measure upon this fubject, until he thould have first confulted the general fentiments of the gentlemen of Ireland.

Mr. Wilberforce rofe, and was proceeding to speak on the fame subject, but was reminded by the Secretary at War, that the confideration was irrelevant, as not upon the bill before the Houfe.

The bill was ordered to be read the second time the next day.

IRISH SMALL NOTES.

Mr. Corry moved, that the Houfe do refolve into a Committee to take into confideration the Acts of the 39th and 40th of the King, refpecting the reftriction of iffuing finall

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bank notes and bills of exchange in Ireland. Refolved accordingly.

Mr. Carry then ftated, his motive for going into this Committee was, to take into confideration the pernicious practice which had long prevailed in Ireland, of iffuing bank notes for fmall fums under 20s. value, under a pretence of fcarcity of filver coin. The refpectable private provincial banks in Ireland had long difcontinued this practice, as one infinitely lefs lucrative than troublesome, and it had been taken up by an infinite variety of perfons in different trades, for whofe ultimate refponfibility the public had no fecurity whatever. So far from remedying the evil which this practice was profeffed to remedy, it was, in his mind, the true caufe of it. It had originated in confequence of the bank. restriction act, which stopped the iffue of cath from the bank of Ireland; and its effect had been to abforb all the filver currency, in those parts of the country where thefe notes were current, into the hands of the perfons who paffed them, which they difpofed of in fome mode that took it completely out of circulation. He was the more convinced of this, because in the province where he refided (Uliter) filver coin was as plenty as in London, and no fuch notes were in circulation; whereas, in the fouthern and western districts, there was no filver money to be feen, and the only substitute was, notes payable to bearer, iffued by obfcure perfons, for three, fix. and ten fhillings British, which they continually iffued, and took the difference of change in filver from their customers, until they had got all the filver of the country into their hands. Under the facility of putting thofe notes into circulation, they were iffued to fuch an extent, as to give ground for ferious apprehenfion as to the folvency of a great many of thofe perfons, and therefore he would move, as the fenfe of the Committee, that the Chairman be inftructed to move for leave to bring in a bill to restrain the iffue and currency of fuch notes after the first of January next. This, he faid, was to avoid the confequences which might be apt to refult from too fudden a stoppage of their currency, and to give the parties who had iffued them time for a gradual recal, as well as to allow time for the Gentleman of Ireland to examine and collect the real fenfe of their refpective counties upon the fubject, preparatory to the meeting of next Parliament, when, if neceffary, a measure might be adopted for extending the period of their circulation.

The