Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

An account was prefented from the Navy Office, of the fums expended by the Treasurer of the Navy, in the way of encouragement for the difcovery of the longitude.

The friendly fociety relief bill was read a fecond time, and ordered to be committed for Monday.

Mr. Vanfittart moved for an account to be prefented of the net produce of the taxes of Great Britain, from the 5th of January 1802, to the correfponding day in the year 1803, which was agreed to. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

FRIDAY, JULY 8.

The bills on the table were forwarded a stage each. Mr. Alexnder brought up from the Commons, and pre fented, the militia adjutants and ferjeant majors bill, the militia pay and cloathing bill, the London port bill, and the five million Exchequer bills' bill, which were feverally read a first time.

On the queftion for committing the lottery bill,

The Earl of Suffolk rofe and faid, he confidered that the bill was a bill for the defence of the country, and for enabling Government to fupport the war, and therefore, what he had to offer, would be applicable to it. His Lordship alluded to the addrefs of the city of London, which was not, what he thought might have been expected from the firft corporation in the kingdom. It did not breathe that fpirit or energy neceffary to encourage a vigorous profecution of the war, but was rather of a pacific tendency. He was under the correction of the Houfe if he had stated, or should state, any thing erroneous, but could not think the proportion of men to be raised by the city of London for the Army of Reserve, by any means adequate to the number which might have been looked for by fo opulent and fo populous a city. By what he learnt from the public prints, no more than 800 men were intended, which was furely a very inadequate forc. Eight hundred then were no more in the prefent crifis, than a drop of water in the ocean, confidering the wealth and population of London, and confidering the great intereft it had at ftake in the conteft. The city of London would undoubtedly be a great object, it should take the lead, and give the tone to all the other places, instead of being behind most others. His Lordship contrafted it with the conduct of the city of Paris, when the Auftrians and Pruffians entered France; on that

occafion,

occafion, even the women flood forward and affifted in forming the fortifications. What he thought the proportion of men that London ought to furnish, under the prefent circumftances, would be 2000 at least, half the officers to be appointed by the city, and half by the Crown, and the appointment of the commander of them fhould remain with his Majefty. He could not help cenfuring the apathy of the city, on fo urgent an occafion; and what he had faid were his real fentiments, and he wished the confiderations should go forth to the city, who ought, as it appeared to him, to confider the great take they had in the way, and confequently fhould have felt the neceflity of holding out a more patriotic example to the reft of the kingdom.

Lord Rawdon (Earl of Moira) faid, his noble Friend conceived a moft erroneous idea of the fentiments and feeling of the city of London on the prefent occafion. He was confident, and would, from his own knowledge, affert, that the city entertained fentiments of genuine loyalty and devotion to the King, and felt the most ardent enthufiafin and zeal for the defence and honour of the country. He had, his Lordthip faid, held feveral converfations with fome of the leading men in the city, and was convinced that fuch were their fentiments, and the fentiments of the city at large. They would have come foward with an extenfive and powerful affiftance, were they not apprehenfive of embarṛaffing the measures of Government by fo doing; but he was fatisfied that the city, impreffed as it was, and confcious of the great stake it had, would in proper time come forward with a force commenfurate with its extenfive means, and proportionate to its numerous population. His Lordthip repeated, that the fear of embarraffing the prefent meafures of Government, alone prevented the city from doing more at prefent, and firenuously contended for its patriotifm.

Lord Hobart agreed perfectly in what had fallen from the noble Lord. His Lordship far, he had no doubt but that the city would act in a patriotic and exemplary manner in the prefent crisis of the country. One point mentioned by the noble Earl, he begged leave particularly to advert to. The number of 800 men was only the city's quota under one particular bill-the Army of Referve bill, which had lately received the Royal affent. The Army of Referve had no reference to another measure in contemplation. The city of London, he was convinced, would not be behind any part of the kingdom in its contributions of men and means, to

ftrengthen

ftrengthen the hands of Government, but would come forward with the utmost zeal, when necessary.

The Earl of Suffolk faid, he was happy to hear what had fallen from both noble Lords; but the proportion of London ought to be large. Its population, he believed, to be about a ninth of the whole kingdom. The county he belonged to, his Lordship faid, only confifted of about 100,000 inhabitants, and yet contributed largely to the supplementary mi

litia.

The Irish Army of Referve bill was read a fecond time, and committed for next day.-Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

FRIDAY, JULY 8.

The exchequer bills' bill was read a third time and passed. The Infpector General of exports and imports presented feveral accounts, which were ordered to be laid upon the table.

The Guernsey corn bill was read a fecond time, and committed for Monday.

The wine bonding bill was read a fecond time, and committed for Monday.

A meffage from the Lords informed the Houfe, their Lordships had agreed to a bill to render justices of the peace more fafe in the execution of their duty upon fummary convictions, in cafes wherein it fhould appear they had a reafonable ground for convicting. The bill was read a first, and ordered to be read a fecond time on Monday, and in the mean time printed.

SEAMEN.

Sir W. Scott faid, that in confequence of the prefent hoftilities between this country and France, he rofe to bring in a bill for the encouragement of feamen. The bill was partly of the fame nature as an antecedent one he had introduced, and therefore it was unneceffary to fay much upon the fubject. It was founded on the ancient rules of the Admiralty courts, and the Vice- Admiralty courts, difperfed throughout his Majefty's dominions. It was his duty, however, to enter into fome explanation of the meafure that gallant body of men, the feamen of Great Britain, had an irrefiftible claim on the Legiflature of this country, for every practicable attention that could be paid to their intereft. It was a known mark of their character (he fpoke

of

475

of the lower claffes) that they were not equal to the task of taking care of themselves; his Majefty's courts had been long in the habit of thinking for them. This arose from their improvident indiscretion, against the effect of which it was in view to provide, at the fame time breaking in as little as poffible upon thofe principles which left men free to difpofe of what they confider their own. To the present time, they had appointed their own agents and trustees, and revoked the appointment as they thought proper. They had the power of transferring the whole contingent intereft they might be entitled to during the war, within a week after its commencement, for any confideration, however inadequate. With regard to an intereft like this, which must be confidered as flowing from the bounty of the Crown, and to which the party had no antecedent right, any regulations that might be neceffary could not be confidered injurious encroachments on the rights of the feamen. In the regulations he propofed to fubmit to the wifdom of the Houfe, he hould confine himself as much as poffible to that which was most desirable in all matters of legislation, namely, to depart no further from the prefent ufage than was abfolutely neceffary. It had been propofed that there should be a public office erected, with powers for conducting the whole bufinefs of prizes on one general fyftem. He could not deny that a principle of this kind would be attended with advantages, but he was not fure that many of thofe advantages might not be obtained from the modification of the fyftem which at present prevailed-a fyftem which left the parties to the nomination of those in whom they confided their intereft. Such a fyftem was inore natural, because it was more acceptable to thofe for whofe benefit it was intended.' It alfo recommended itself because it was calculated for the. exifting interests of thofe who had hitherto acted as agents, perfons whom he could not admit had forfeited their claims o the juft attention of the Legislature. He muft honestly avow, that as far as his attention had been directed to that clafs of men, the navy agents, it was his opinion a very large portion of the odium excited against them, arose from mifreprefentations, not properly confidered by those who concurred in them. The adoption of that fyftem, which left men to the nomination of their own agents, was not all he propofed. He wished to guard the nomination by regulations; it would be a great improvement of the plan, if, after agents were nominated by private individuals, they

were

were clothed with a public, legal known character, which rendered them amenable for their conduct. For that purpofe, one regulation he fhould propofe was, that on the no mination of an agent, the power of attorney should be immediately registered in the Court of Admiralty. At prefent he did not regifter the power of attorney, till fix months after it was granted, confequently, till the arrival of that period he was not known. By registering his power of attorney, he would be known to the court, and liable to its authority during the whole time. A fecond regulation was, that at the time of regiftering the letters of attorney, the agent fhould give fecurity, in a confiderable fum, for the execution of his truft. At prefent, no fecurity was given, and confequently a feaman might pick up the most needy man he could find, on Portsmouth Point, to be his agent. When he confidered this, he thought it surprising that the men ufually employed fhould in general have acted fo honourably as they had done. The great evil was, in the other parts of his Majefty's dominions. The mifconduct of these men abroad were the rocks on which the feamens' fortunes were fhipwrecked. He could not help thinking the provifions he had introduced, two years ago, would prevent the recurrence of those mischiefs which had taken place during the late war. The effect of giving 'this purity to the fyftem would be, that of confining the profeffion of agent to men of property and credit, or whofe conduct had engaged the confidence of thofe who employed them. The next regulation was, that the letters of agency being registered, fhould not be revoked, but upon complaint to the court, and an order for that purpose. As the matter ftood at prefent, the agents were liable to be removed on the fuggeftion of the loweft claffes of the law, to whom the feamen were particularly expofed. Queftions frequently arofe as to who was the legal agent, and confiderable fums of money were spent, in deciding that point. Such was the bafis of his plan. He fhould propofe that the agent hould be invefted with the permanence that belonged to a public character, fo long as he exercifed it with propriety. Another regulation was, that, upon the inftitution of any appeal, it should be lawful for the Judge of the Admiralty to order in the proceeds, and inveft them. With refpect to the navy, that queftion stood in a lamentable way. The money, during the whole time of the appeal, remained in the hands of the agent; in confequence of this, he had an intereft

adverfe

« ZurückWeiter »