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matter of course. There were various petitions on the table, not indeed against the principle, but against various clauses of the bill; he thould hope, therefore, that the petitioners might be allowed to have counfel, to fum up fuch evidence as might be adduced before the Committee. The other Houfe had examined many witneffes, and had favoured their Lordthips with a copy of the evidence they had received. He had, his Lordship faid, perufed the evidence with great attention, but he was not quite fatisfied that it went far enough to juftify the doing away all the regulations which the wifdom of our ancestors had provided, refpecting the ' woollen manufacture. At any rate, the petitioners ought to be heard upon the allegations of their refpective petitions, and he thought the proper time for their being fo heard would be in the Committee. His Lordship faid, he was the more anxious to lay in this claim for them, because, although he hoped he was not to be confidered as a very lax attendant on his parliamentary dury, he could not engage to be prefent at the difcuffions which might take place on the fubfequent ftages of the bill, being obliged to go into the country. He thought the juftice of the cafe entitled the petitioners to be fairly heard, and their Lordships, he was perfuaded, would not refufe them that reasonable requeft.

The Lord Chancellor left the woolfack, and declared that he concurred entirely with his noble Friend (if he would allow him fo to exprefs himself) in the opinion, that the bill was a bill of the utmost importance, and well entitled to their Lordships' moft ferious attention. In the course of the laft feffion, a bill had been brought up to that House from the House of Commons, the object of which was to repeal no less than two and twenty acts of Parliament. On that occafion, he had felt it his duty to look to the purview and provifions of thofe ftatutes, and he muft concur with his noble Friend in faying, that many of the regulations enacted by thofe ftatutes were utterly impracticable at prefent; some impofed penalties, unlefs the manufacturers purfued a line of conduct which they could not now poffibly purfue. Many of thofe acts were dead-that was obfolete, and univerfally held to be fo. But ftill there were fome very wife provisions to be found in thofe ftatutes; and it became a marter of deep confideration, whether it was expedient to wise away, by a fingle bill, all that the wisdom of our ancelters had provided, as neceffary regulations to govern the

woolen

woollen manufacture; regulations, under which the woollent manufacture had thriven for fo many centuries. Where a bill aimed at doing fo much at once, it certainly ought to be watched with peculiar exertion, and almoft with unabating jealoufy. With regard to the petitions on the table, as far as he had looked into them, they appeared to be rather charged with complaints against particular claufes than against the principle of the bill. If, therefore, the petitioners wifhed to be heard against the principle, they must present a petition for that purpofe; but, if they adhered to their prefent petitions, they might either be heard before the Committee, on the report, or on the third reading. Certainly, with refpect to the exifting ftatutes, there were three lines of proceeding to be adopted-either they might be fufpended (but fufpending bills was an abufe of legislative conduct, and he hoped he fhould hear no more of it); the next was, the repeal of an act, found from change of circumftances to be impracticable, but that was a matter that called for the most ferious confideration, and fhould be clofely examined before it was decided upon; the laft was an act of indemnity, which his noble Friend had alluded to. In the prefent cafe, his Lordship faid, it was abfolutely neceffary that the petitioners should be dealt with fairly, and that they should be fatisfied that their cafe had undergone a full confideration, before the bill paffed, if it were to pafs at all. He should, most unquestionably, liften to all the arguments that could be advanced at the bar in their behalf, and keep his mind perfectly open to conviction, before he formed any decided opinion on the fubject.

Lord Rawdon (Earl of Moira) moved, that the bill be read a fecond time on Monday next. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORD S.

MONDAY, JULY II.

The judges delivered their opinions on the appeal, Lothian and Henderfon. The cafe briefly was, that Henderson and Co. Virginia merchants, infured a veffel, belonging to them, with the appellants, in this country. An agreement was afterwards entered into, by which the infurers agreed 10 take all risk upon themselves, provided the infured. proved that the veffel was captured by the French, who condemned her as a prize. The queftion was, whether the proceeding

of

of the French court ought to be conclusive in our courts, By a number of decifions it had been fixed that it was. The majority of the judges, however, were of opinion that the fubfequent agreement between the parties deftroyed the effect of this circumftance. The majority for the refpondent was

fix to four.

The Lord Chancellor thought that the Houfe ought to paufe before it came to a final decifion, and therefore propofed that the farther confideration fhould be poftponed till Thursday. Ordered.

The royal affent was given, by commiffion, to the Irish army of referve bill, the lottery bill, the Scotch militia families' bill, the Irish workmen combination bill, and fome others. The commishioners were the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor, and Lord Walfingham.

The Irish import and export bill were read a third time, and paffed.

The five million loan bill was committed, and reported. Three bills were brought up from the Commons, among which was the Bristol port bill, by Mr. Bragge.

A petition, figned by twenty thousand perfons, was prefented against the principle of the woollen clothiers' bill, Ordered to lie on the table. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MONDAY, JULY II,

A meffage from the Lords intimated their Lordships' concurrence in the lottery bill, the Irish additional army bill, and Queen Anne's bounty amendment bill.

The Lord Mayor of London gave notice, that he would next day move for leave to bring in a bill to enable the city of London to raise its own quota of the army of reserve.

The Secretary at War prefented a bill for rendering fubfervient to military difcipline all ferjeants, drummers, fifers, and others who fhall receive permanent pay in any volunteer corps. Read the first time, ordered to be printed, and read the fecond time next day.'

A meffage was brought from the Lords, requiring the attendance of that Houfe to hear his Majefty's commiflion read, for declaring the royal affent.

Mr. Speaker attended forthwith, and being returned, reported the bills to which the royal affent had been declared.

CHEST

Sir C. Pole moved for leave to bring in a bill for improving the fund of the cheft at Chatham, for transferring the adminiftration of the faid fund from Chatham to Greenwich, and for ameliorating the fituation of the penfioners.

Sir W. Elford thought that all reports from the commiffioners on naval inquiry ought not only to fhew what foundation there was for this meafure, but alfo how far the matter in those reports authorifed the establishment of the Board of Commiffioners of Naval Inquiry. It appeared to him that other circumftances did not warrant that establishment, or that the Admiralty had not brought before the Commiffioners the cafes of the greatest enormity. He admitted that great impofitions had been practifed under the name of agency.

Mr. Sturges objected to the removal of the cheft from Chatham to Greenwich. It had been established, more than two centuries ago, by the feamen themselves, who wifhed to repofe the truft in perfons who fhould themfelves contribute to the fund. There had never before been any complaint made refpecting its management, which was indeed unexceptionable; for last year its revenues amounted to 75,000l. and the furplus, after all payments and deductions, was 35,000l. The whole administration of the fund coft only about 1000 or 1200l. a year. Could there be a better management than this? The report, it was true, charges the governors of the cheft with culpable mifmanagement: the only foundation for this charge was, that one of the eftates belonging to the cheft was let under its real value. This, however, was no reafon for removing the cheft; for it did not appear that circumftance proceeded from corruption or any wilful neglect. The circumstances of the cheft of Chatham did not escape the observation of the Committee of Inquiry, appointed in 1798; but though that Committee appeared to be convinced that the governors were too numerous, they defifted from recommending any change, from a refpect to the arrangements adopted by the founders of the inftitution.

Sir W. Elford explained.

Mr. Courtenay thought there were fome abufes connected with this eftablishment, which, though they implied no reflection on the governors, yet ought to be corrected. He inftanced the hardship to which feamen living at a distance were under, in being obliged to appear at Chatham to receive their penfions. Many were obliged to come from the North of Scotland for this purpose, and then spent more than they received VOL. IV. 1802-3. 30

in

in alehouses. It was alfo worthy of remark, that feveral estates left to the fund in the reign of Charles II. had only arisen 30 or 401. a year in value.

Admiral Berkeley was of opinion that this meafure might have originated at the Board of Admiralty itself.

Mr. Kinnaird had one obfervation to make, which he conceived to be of confiderable importance. He wished to know whether certain fums, stated in the report to be taken from the cheft at Chatham by order of the Privy Seal, were reftored. It appeared that there had been a deficiency to the amount of 28,ocol. in the accounts of a Mr. Jellico, the principal clerk of the Treasurer of the Navy, and that 24,800l. had on that account been paid to Mr. Dundas.

Sir C. Pole faid, that the lofs of the fum alluded to did not fall on the cheft of Chatham.

Mr. Rofe recollected the circumftance alluded to by the hon. Gentleman. The clerk of the Treasurer of the Navy had embarked in trade, and fo loft the fum mentioned. The only queftion was, whether the public or the Treasurer of the Navy fhould fuftain the lofs: the tranfaction, therefore, underwent a fevere investigation; and as it appeared that it was not owing to any neglect in the Treafurer of the Navy, it was not thought fit that the lofs fhould fall upon him. Leave was given to bring in the bill.

CAPT. BARLOW.

The Secretary at War delivered to the Houfe a message from his Majesty, "That Capt. Barlow, of a royal regiment of guards, and a Member of that Houfe, flood charged with improper conduct, contrary to the articles of war; and had been put under arreft, in order to ftand his trial by a court martial for faid charge." The meffage being ordered to be entered on the journals,

The Secretary at War moved an humble addrefs to his Majefty for his gracious meffage, and his regard thereby manifefted for the privileges of this Houfe.

Agreed to nem. con and ordered that the fame be prefented to his Majefty in the accustomed form.

ADDITIONAL FORCE BILL.

The Secretary at War gave notice of his intention to defer till Thursday the motion relative to raifing a further additional force, which he intended to have brought forward the day following.

LORD

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