Lord Hobart explained, that the claufe meant to ho'd out to all who volunteered, or acted as fubftitutes for those ballotted for militia men, that no more should be exacted from them than was originally contracted for.

Lord Rawdon (Earl of Moira) moved an amendment, which was negatived.

The Committee then went through the other clauses, and the bill was reported without amendments.

Lord Hobart moved two verbal amendments on the report, which were agreed to, and the bill ordered to be read a fecond time the next day.

Lord Mulgrave rofe, he faid, to move the fufpenfion of two ftanding orders, agreeably to the notice he had given on Friday laft; but, as the prefent bill had been reported without amendments, it did not conie within the purview of thofe orders. There were feveral other important bills now pending, confeffedly of a preffing and urgent nature, upon which he fhould move the fufpenfion of thofe orders, which direct that no bill fhall be paffed two ftages in one day. At a future opportunity, it was, his Lordship faid, his intention to call the attention of the Houfe more particularly to the ftanding orders, and move to refcind them.

The Lord Chancellor made a few obfervations on the importance of the perfon who fat on the woolfack, not putting two queftions in one day on one and the fame bill. But a motion to refcind the two orders was a very ferious confideration. There were precedents of the Houfe's having agreed to pass them over, of which inftances they had repented them heartily in lefs than four and twenty hours. On the other hand, there might occur cafes of fuch importance and emergency, as to juftify to pafs a bill through all its ftages in one day; one had occurred recently, in which every noble Lord must have felt it to be his duty to accede to this line of conduct. All he meant to fay was, that it ought to be a cafe of imperious neceffity that could alone juftify the departure from the neceffary caution, which ought to be preferved in respect to the violation of the ftanding orders of the Houfe; and for his own part, he thought it the most prudent part to preserve the standing orders, as it always was, whenever deemed neceffary, in the power of the Houfe to fufpend any standing order, pro hac vice, or for any given period.

Lord Mulgrave moved to fufpend the ftanding orders in queftion, on the Scotch army of referve, or additional militia bill. Ordered.

Lord

Lord Grofvenor then faid, he should not be able to be prefent next day, and readily gave up the obfervations he had meant to have offered, if he had not been called to order in the Committee, and which, he had then faid, he would make at another opportunity.

Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MONDAY, JULY 4.

The Speaker, attended by feveral Members, proceeded to the House of Lords, where the royal aflent, by commiffion, was given to the exports and imports duties bill, the Highlands roads and bridges bill, the excife duty bill, the Iith fhip burning bill, and the bill for establishing a fund for the writers of the fignet.

FRIENDLY SOCIETIES, AND POOR.

Mr. Rofe brought in a bill for rectifying mistakes in the regiftry of the rules of friendly focieties. It was read a first time, and ordered to be read a fecond time the next day.

Mr. Rofe then proceeded to make a motion, of which he had given previous notice. The meafure he had in view comprehended three objects. Ift, The comfort of the poor in old age; 2dly, employing them, efpecially youth, in useful industry; and, 3dly, the prevention of crimes. If the House fhould give him leave to bring in the bill, for which he was about to move, it was his intention to fuggeft a much more fimple meafure than any that had hitherto been propofed for the amelioration of the poor laws. The measure he had in view, was nothing more than fupplying materials for fchools of industry, and ftimulating the minds of the young to fober induftrious habits. Plans had been adopted in fome diftricts, which he knew, in confequence of which, the children of the poor not only maintained themselves, but affifted in the fupport of their parents. In one diftrict in Lincolnshire, where pains had been taken to create a fpirit of induftry among the poor, children at the age of 13 or 14, earned five and fix fhillings a week; but in the fame diftrict, in the year 1777, out of 80,0001. of poor-rates, 50,000l. was applied to the fupport of the poor, and the remainder spent in journeys of the overfeers and other parish officers. However wife it might be to get rid of the workhoufe fyftem, it was neceffary before that was attempted, to fall on fome means of employing the poor. He hoped the time would arrive when it would be found neceffary to maintain none but children who had

been

been deferted by their parents in workhouses; and there were not wanting examples that even fuch children might be better managed than they were by the parishes. Another object he had in view, was to afcertain the number and fituation of the friendly focieties in this country. Wherever there were friendly focieties, a great proportion of the poor were maintained by themfelves. The money thus raised was laid out in the moft advantageous manner for the state, as it was almost always invefted in the public funds. Five or 600,000l. of stock belong to the labouring poor of this country. It was his opinion that those societies should be entitled to fome affiftance from the parishes in confequence of their preventing fo great a proportion of the poor from becoming a burthen upon the rates. The money fupplied by the parithes he would propofe fhould be laid up by the focieties to form a fupplementary fund for the fupport of their aged members; from which a man, whofe earnings in old age fell fhort of what he used to receive in the meridian of life, might have the deficiency fupplied. If a man had been accustomed to carn 10s. 6d. and now received only 8s. or 9s. a week, he fhould be allowed 2s. or 1s. 6d. from this fund. He concluded by moving that leave be given to bring in a bill for procuring returns relative to the expence and maintenance of the poor of England,

EAST INDIA DOCKS.

The Eaft India docks bill was committed.

Mr. Calcraft propofed a claufe for limiting the powers granted under the bill to 21 years. After fome converfation this claufe was adopted, and the report of the Committee was ordered to be received next day.

INFERIOR CLERGY.

Mr. Buxton rofe to move for leave to bring in a bill for the relief of the inferior clergy. The object of the bill would be to give, or rather reftore to the Commiffioners of Queen Anne's bounty the power of augmenting the revenues of poor curates, and to open a door to private benevolence for that purpofe: this was the original intention of the act of Queen Anne, and fuch was its operation until it was altered by the act of the 9th of George II. The ftatute of Queen Anne, after the appropriation of the firft fruits, invites her Majefty's fubjects to follow her example by will or deed. The number of livings under fifty pounds a year, he was well informed, was nearly fix thoufand. This charity, therefore, ftood as much in need of private aid as any other In the debate on the clergy refidence bill, the Chancellor

of

of the Exchequer had expreffed his wifh that formething fhould be done for the relief of the poor clergy, even in the prefent feffion; but confidering the burthens which it was neceffary to impofe for the defence of the country, he thought it would be better to refort to private benevolence, than to any public meafure for that purpofe. Impreffed by this fentiment, he moved, that leave be given to bring in a bill for rendering more effectual certain acts of the 2d and 3d of Queen Anne, for maintaining poor clergymen. Leave given.

WAYS AND MEANS.

The Houfe refolved into a Committee of ways and means, in which Mr. Corry called to the recollection of the Houfe what he had ftated, on Saturday, refpecting the Irith loan. In case it should be found that the one million, which was the proportion of the loan for Ireland, could not, from the circumftances of that country, be borrowed with advantage, it was thought advifeable, that the Lord Lieutenant fhould have the power of raifing the fame fum by loans on treafury bills. Thefe bills were precifely the fame as exchequer bills in this country. He moved a refolution for raifing one million in this manner, which was agreed to, and the report ordered be made the next day.

An account was prefented of the amount of the falaries and emoluments in the feveral public offices in Ireland. Ordered to be laid upon the table.

A meffage from the Lords informed the House their Lordships had agreed to the additional excife duties' hill. Their Lordships alfo requested a copy of the minutes of the evidence on the woollen clothiers' bill.

Sir William Pulteney obferved, that the Committee upon the petition for erecting a light-house on Bell Rock had reported, that it was their opinion the fame fhould be erected. He therefore moved for leave to bring in a bill to carry the refolution into effect.

Mr. Speaker fubmitted, that as the Houfe had ordered the report to be printed, and it had not yet been delivered, it would be better to poftpone the motion till after it had been printed.

The report of the additional army of Ireland bill was received, and ordered to be re-committed for Wednesday.

Mr. Wickham gave notice, that he fhould the next day move for leave to bring in a bill to enable the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to raife volunteers for the additional army of Ireland.

The

The House went into a Committee on the Irish faltpetre duty bill, and the report ordered to be received the next day.

Mr. Vanfittart brought up the five million loan bill, which was read a firit, and ordered to be read a fecond time the next day.

Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORD S.

TUESDAY, JULY 5.

The excife laws bill, the Birmingham church bill, and the Widmore drainage bill, received the royal affent by commiffion. The commiffioners were, the Lord Chancellor, Lord Walfingham, and Lord Alvanley.

The bills on the table were read a third time.
There were feveral fecond readings of bills.

CLERGY FARMING AND RESIDENCE BILL.

This bill paffed the Committee, and alfo two others. The Earl of Suffolk faid, he found the clergy farming and refidence bill had paffed the Committee. He muft fay, it did not come up to the idea which he had expected, in regard to creating the better provifion for the inferior clergy. He had on a former day fuggefted one mode of creating a real additional income, viz. by all the beneficed clergy contributing an actual tenth or firft fruits, to be taken in aid of Queen Anne's bounty. He had heard, that a measure was in contemplation in the other Houfe of Parliament; he hoped it was not the repeal of one of the moft beneficial acts of Parliament that ever had paffed (we prefume his Lordship meant the Mortmain Act). The noble Earl added, that he had anxiously felt the neceffity of making fome better provision for the inferior clergy, and had hoped, before providing for granting licences for the non-refidence of the beneficed clergy, the prefent bill, which had juft paffed the Committee, would have begun with enacting fome mode of provifion for the inferior clergy.

The Lord Chancellor faid, the present bill had not done what the noble Earl fo anxioufly wifhed, under the belief that another bill, formed with a view to the object of the noble Earl's anxiety, was in contemplation, and would foon be brought before both Houfes. It did not, his Lordship faid, become him to fay more upon the fubject, or to under

take