proceedings of the law courts, in which alone a punishment could be awarded for not obeying the fummons of the Crown. The bill provided, however, that if any district should give voluntary affiftance, fuch diftrict fhould be relieved. I decláre I do not like the word relieved any more than the right hon. Gentleman (Mr. Fox), but that may be modified in the paffage of the bill through the House. Government has been arraigned, Sir, in two or three inftances, for the tardiness with which they have brought forward the several meafures in defence of the kingdom; and the right hon. Gentleman has, amongst the reft, obferved, that his Majesty's mellage was delivered on the 8th of March, and that it is now the 18th of July before the prefent meafure is introduced; but, Sir, I can appeal to the Houfe that Ministers have not been tardy in all that time. When that message was brought down to the Houfe, it was pending a very delicate negotiation, during which, armaments were carrying on in the ports of France, not to any very great extent indeed, but large enough to call forth caution on the part of Minifters. The metfage produced the immediate calling. forth of the militia. After that, in a very thort time, the fupplementary militia was ordered to be embodied; and directly afterwards, the army of referve was provided. Volunteer corps have alto been known to have offered, whofe numbers in Great Britain alone, amounted to upwards of 60,000 men; and now on the heels of all, the prefent meafure is brought forward: fo that I am confident there is no real ground for acculing Minifters of tardiness and unneceffary delay. There is one point, Sir, to which I must beg leave to offer a few obfervations, and that is what has been infinuated as to the danger of arming fo great a number of the people. I know, Sir, there have been periods whenthere were perfons in this country who would have overturned its moit excellent Conftitution; but, thank God, thofe times are paffed; and I do not believe there ever was a minute when the people were more univerfally fatisfied with their Government, or more unanimous in their determination to fupport and defend it; and it is with fome degree of pride. I can fay, that the chief caufe of this is the fo much reprobated treaty of peace. There had for fome time prevailed" an opinion, though an unjust one, that the war might have. been fooner terminated; but though that was not the cafe, the obtainment of peace gave the people time to reflect; and now, though it is fo foon renewed, every one is fenfible of

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its injuftice on the part of the enemy, and the whole people are ready to join heart and hand in defence of their king and country, and to die, if neceffary, rather than become the flaves of an invading and infolent foe. I know, Sir, it was neceffary for the fecurity of the kingdom to continue for fome time the fufpenfion of the Habeas Corpus Act, and fome others, which the neceffity of the times had produced; but I know that to the peace we owe the restoration of those vaiuable bulwarks of the Conftitution, and they are not amongst the leaft of its bleffings. I have the fatisfaction to reflect, that in adopting this measure it will be found one that is fingularly adapted to the genius and fentiments of the people, as it makes with them a common cause; and their zeal, enthufiafm, and love of their country, are too well known to doubt for a moment of their most active and vigorous exertions in defence of their common rights and common country. My right hon. friend propofes, with permiffion of the House, to bring in the bill, to have it read a first and fecond time, and then to be printed, and a day fixed for taking the report into confideration.

Dr. Laurence contended, that the terms of the late peace had humbled the pride and depreffed the fpirits of the country, and, had it not been for the rumour of an invasion, it would have been no easy matter to revive them. The accounts received from France gave room to imagine that a spirit had been raised there on which but feeble fymptoms were yet to be discovered among us. Such a fpirit, no doubt, did exift in this country; but it differed from that which animated the enemy theirs was a reftlefs, turbulent fpirit, ours was fteady, folid, and perfevering; our fituation, no doubt, was fuch that we should be found equal to and worthy of ourfelves; but nothing, however, fhould be omitted and left untried to rouse our energies, and rally every man round the ftandard of the country. The learned Gentleman concluded by expreffing a fear that, fhould ever the British laurel wither and die, it should die at the top.

Sir James Pulteney had always been of opinion that regular force was abfolutely neceffary for the defence of the country, but at the fame time he was equally forward to affert that, fuch was the spirit of the country, that no real apprehenfion fhould be entertained from an invafion. In his mind the refult of fuch an attempt could not but prove useful and honourable to the country. As to volunteer corps, he hoped that fome provifion might be introduced into the bill

for fubjecting them to the fame conditions which were to be impofed upon those to whom the provifions of the prefent bill fhould extend.

Mr. Alexander and Colonel Vereker made a few obfervations in favour of the bill, after which leave was given, nem. contradicente, to bring it in.

The bill was then brought in and read a first time.

The Secretary at War then expreffed a wish that no objection would be made to now reading the bill a fecond time, committing it pro forma, and receiving the report that the bill might be taken into further confideration on Wednefday.

Ordered to be printed.

On the fuggeftion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who adverted to the late hour of the night, the further confideration of the property bill was deferred till four o'clock henext day.

The further confideration of the report of the cotton manufacture bill was deferred till Thursday, after which the other orders of the day were difpofed of.-Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORD S.

TUESDAY, JULY 19.

Counsel was heard in the appeal, Anderfon and Caddell. The farther hearing poftponed till Monday.

Queen's Anne's bounty bill was returned from the Commons by Mr. Hobhouse, without any amendment.

The bills on the table were forwarded in their respective ftages. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

TUESDAY, JULY 19.

A meffage from the Lords stated their affent to the Portugal wine bonding bill, the Irish malt duty bill, the poorhouse bill, and fome private bills.

The militia amendment bill was read a third time and paffed.

COURT PRIZES BILL.

Sir Wm. Scott moved, that the Court prizes bill be com mitted on Friday next.

Mr. Burrowes wished that the learned Gentleman who had introduced this bill would agree to infert a claufe for

establishing

establishing prize courts in India, with the right of an appeal from those courts to the Court of Admiralty here., An admiralty jurifdiction had been given by act of Parliament to the Supreme Court of Judicature at Calcutta, but it was the opinion of high authorities, that that jurifdiction did not extend to prizes. During the latter part of the laft war, there was no prize court nearer to the Indian feas than the Cape of Good Hope, and all the prizes taken on the coast of India were obliged to be fent there or to England for adjudication. He faw no reason, however, why the power of deciding on prizes fhould not be given to a court which poffeffed almoft every other judicial authority. The fame powers ought to be extended to Madras and Bombay.

The Speaker thought it his duty to interrupt the honourable Gentleman, as it was quite irregular to enter into general arguments on a claufe to be moved, when the queftion was merely, whether the bill should be committed that day or on Friday.

Mr. Burrowes then faid, he would move a claufe for giving the jurifdiction he had alluded to, when the bill was in the Committee.

Sir William Scott obferved, that no bill for regulating captures had ever contained a claufe for eftablishing prize courts, which were always formed under the authority of the Crown. He deprecated any claufe fimilar to that propofed by the honourable Gentleman, as it would be an improper interference with the Royal prerogative.

PROPERTY BILL.

The House refolved into a Committee on the property bill.

Several of the claufes were agreed to without any amend

ment.

Mr. Alderman Coombe objected to the part which authorifed the Commiffioners to reject the nominees which the party to be taxed might appoint, in order to examine into his affairs, without ftating any reafon for it. He urged fome other objections on the fame point.

The Attorney-Gene al replied and faid, that it might happen that the Commifioners might think that the perfon appointed was not one that ought altogether to be trusted. It would be hard for them to be put in a fituation to be obliged to tell any perfon that they did not think him a perfon of integrity. Several amendments were to be made, however, in this part VOL. IV. 1802-3.

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with

with refpect to Commiffioners and referees, which he hoped would meet the hon. Alderman's ideas.

Mr. Wm. Smith spoke upon the fame point, and withed that the amendinent fhould be mad: on the report.

The Lord Mayor faid, that he agreed in the objections made by his brother Alderman; but after the elucidation of the Attorney-General, he believed they might calily be done away.

Sir Francis Baring objected to any perfon infpecting the

accounts of another in the fame trade.

The Attorney-General thought that, unlefs in cafe of rivalfhip, this would be the moft cffeQual mode of proceeding.

The Chancellor of the Ercheur faid, that it might meet the honourable Baronet's objection, that the perfon whofe accounts were to be inspected should have the power of ob-, jecting to the perfon appointed by the Commiffioners, and be allowed four peremptory challenges.

Mr. Pitt faid that they had this power already.

Mr. Smith withed that the power of challenge fhould be final.

Mr. l'anfittart propofed that none fhould be employed as a referee, to infpect the accounts of another in the fame trade, unless approved by the parties; which was agreed

to.

The Attorney-General added a clause, by which the Commiffioners were enabled to procure payment, in cafe any perfon thould refuse to pay the fum at which he thould be affeffed by his own referee.

Mr. Wm. Smith faid, that the profits of the land on which manufactories (tood, as in fact the intereft of the capital funk in that manner was loft, fo a lofs was fuftained, and not a profit gained, by fuch land.

The Attorney-General agreed with the hon. Member, and fuggefted an amendment.

Mr. Wm. Smith then objected to furveyors and infpectors having the power of calling upon parties to verify the amount of their income, in cafes for examining which they were in every point of view totally unfit.

The Attorney-General faid, that it was not poffible to come at a verification of income, in doubtful cafes, in any other way. The infpectors and furveyors, he contended, were the moft proper perfons to discharge this duty,

Mr. Wm. Smith, in reply, adverted to the power which

furveyors