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HOUSE OF COMMONS.

THURSDAY, JULY 21.

A meffage from the Lords announced their having agreed to the Grenada loan and fome private bills.

The clergy farming and refidence amendment bill, was read a third time and paffed.

Mr. Vanfittart moved, that the bill for fecuring the duties on tea exported to Ireland, be committed the next day. Or dered.

Mr. Vanfittart moved, that the Houfe fhould go into a Committee the next day, to confider fo much of the Custom confolidation act as related to the regulation of the duties on quaffia, imported into the kingdom; the exportation of tobacco, and alfo the propriety of allowing the importation of cotton from New Orleans and the Western States of America. Ordered.

A Committee was ordered to fit the next day, for the purpofe of inquiring into the duties now payable upon the importation of lignum-quaffia.

Three inftructions were alfo moved to the faid Committee:

ift. To inquire into the duties payable on the exportation

of tobacco.

2dly. That it make provifion for compelling exporters of goods to deliver a copy of their cocket to the enrolling furveyors.

3dly. To make provifion for permitting the importation of cotton from New Orleans, or the Western States of North America.

The Chatham cheft transfer bill was read a third time and paffed.

Lord Hawkesbury then appeared at the bar, and delivered, to the following effect,

A MESSAGE FROM HIS MAJESTY,
G. R.

"His Majefty having taken into confideration the prefent fituation of the illuftrious Houfe of Orange, the bonds of alliance and affinity between him and that illustrious family, the important fervices it has rendered to this country on fo many occafions, and the loffes it fuftained in the courfe of the late war, recommends thefe circumftances to the attention of his faithful Commons, trufting that they

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will enable him to make fuch pecuniary allowance to that illuftrious family as may be warranted by its prefent fituation, and the juftice of this country.'

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Lord Hawkesbury then moved, that the meffage be referred to a Committee of fupply, which being agreed to, his Lordship gave notice, that on Monday next he should fubmit a motion on that subject to the Houfe.

COTTON WEAVERS.

The order of the day being read, for the report of the cotton weavers' bill,

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that as there was an order for counsel to be heard at the bar, on this bill, it would be impoffible for the Houfe to have time to attend to their pleadings, and proceed alfo upon the other important business before them. He therefore moved, that the report be deferred till Monday next, which was agreed

to.

LORD AMHERST'S GRANT.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, on the order being read for the Houfe to refolve itself into a Committee to confider of the grant of Crown lands made to the late Lord Amherst, and his fucceffors in the province of Canada, moved, that an abstract of rhe proceedings of council, relative to that grant, be referred to the faid Committee, which was agreed

to.

The Houfe then refolved itfelf into the Committee, Mr. Alexander in the chair.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that the propofition he had to fubmit was founded upon the meffage the Committee had now to confider of. It would be unneceffary for him to dwell on the diftinguished fervices of the late Lord Amherst, and it would be fufficient for him to obferve, that it was to his meritorious fervices, and thofe of the late General Wolfe, that we were indebted for the valuable annexation of Canada to the Crown of Great Britain. It would be very fuperfluous to attempt a detail of those glorious exertions to perfons at all converfant in the hiftory of this country; it would fuffice to fay, that his Majefty was willing to reward and did reward thofe fervices, by a grant to Lord Amherst of certain Crown lands, fituated in the province which had been conquered by his valour. When the grant was fubmitted to the Crown lawyers in America, a number of confiderations oppofed obftacles to the exe

cution of the grants. It was obferved, that the lands were only granted to furnish his Lordship with an annuity of 2501. whereas, by the grant, he had a right to demand the poffeffion of the whole, though fubject to account to the public for the remainder of the produce, after the deduction of the annuity. The ground alfo, confifting of a million of acres, was capable of very great improvement, for the equal benefit of the colony and of the revenue; and, after these improvements had been made, fhould Lord Amherst lay claim and make good his title to the whole, the fortune arifing from it would be too enormous for any fubject of this country to poffefs. In confequence of thefe difficulties, Lord Amherst failed in his applications for the reward of his fervices, and remained till his death in expectation of being enabled to avail himself of the favour of his Sovereign. As the first fortune, then, to which pretenfions may be made, was thought too exorbitant, and much more than could have been originally intended, the propereft way feems to be, for the Houfe to commute it for an annuity, commenfurate with the amount of the grant originally propofed. But as it should be confidered, that his Lordship and his representatives had been deprived of the benefit of the grant for thefe 40 years paft, the amount of the annuity fhould be fixed, with a view to that circumftance. He concluded with moving a refolution, "That it is the opinion. of this Committee, that there be granted to his Majefty, out of the confolidated fund, the annual fum of 30001, as a compenfation to the reprefentatives of the late Jeffery Lord Amherst, to begin from the 5th of July, 1803."

Mr. Courtenay bore ample teftimony to the high character and honour of Lord Amherst, of whofe eminent fervices no perfon could be more fenfible than he was. He had many opportunities, while he was in an official fituation, of obferving on his conduct, and never knew a man in his life who was lefs actuated by any thing like felfifhnefs or perfonal confideration. Indeed, he lamented to find that his Lordship had, till the time of his death, good reason to complain that his fervices had not been rewarded. He now rejoiced to find that his representatives had been more fuccessful, but he could not approve of the intended commutation. The reafon why juftice had been fo long delayed, had never yet been fatisfactorily explained, for he knew himself that the former Lord Amherft prefented numerous petitions, which had been fent to the law officers

in Canada, and by them referred back again. The revenue difliked making this perpetual charge upon the consolidated fund, which had in it nothing fimilar to the original grant, and, whatever may be the fate of Canada, would remain for ever chargeable upon the public. He conceived it would be much better to let the annuity intended for the Amherst family, come from the revenues of the lands themselves.

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Mr. Canning obferved, that as all were agreed refpecting the merits and important fervices of the late Lord Ainherit, the only difference of opinion that could arife was on the queftion, would the public confent to purchase the grant of lands for the proposed annuity? Upon this fubject he had no hesitation. He would not reduce the noble Lord, the prefent reprefentative, to the neceffity of becoming an accountant for the produce of thefe lands over and above the grants, but fhould prefer this annuity as the mode moft convenient to his Lordship, and beneficial to the public. Mr. Courtenay and the Chancellor of the Exchequer explained.

Sir William Dolben was in favour of the annuity, as he thought the dignity of the peerage, and the fervices of the late Lord Amherst, required that any reprefentative of his, having a feat in the other Houfe, thould be fecured in an income of 3000l. a-year for ever.

Mr. Courtenay faid, that if this grant fhould, as proposed, be commuted for a penfion, he hoped, that the House had reason to expect, that the fame lands would not be granted away again. The refolution was then agreed to, and the report was ordered to be received the next day.

NORTHERN LIGHTS.

The House having refolved into a Committee on the report respecting the northern lights,

Sir William Pulteney moved a refolution for impofing duties to fupport the establishment of a light-houfe on the Black Rock in the north-western coaft of Scotland. What he propofed, he said, was a mere trifle, being no more than 3d. per ton on every fhip that paffed and entered any of the ports of Scotland, allowing an indemnity to veffels employed on the Greenland whale fishery; which was agreed to, and ordered to be reported the next day.

NATIONAL DEFENCE.

The Secretary at War moved the order of the day, for the Houle to resolve itself into a Committee on the bill for

the

the more effectual defence of the country; and on the queftion for the Speaker's leaving the chair,

The Marquis of Titchfield called the attention of the House to a circumftance upon which many gentlemen confidered their character and honour to be involved. On a late occafion, when he happened not to be present in the Houfe, he understood that the right hon. Gentleman (the Secretary at War) had faid, fpeaking of the deficiencies in the numbers of the militia, that there was a scandalous and difcreditable neglect in the enrolment of the regiments in the counties of Middlefex and Surry, and that it was owing to the misconduct of those who were appointed to carry the measure into effect. So far, the Marquis faid, was this from being the cafe, that it entirely proceeded from the difficulty, as far as regarded the Middlefex militia, at leaft from the great difficulty of finding perfons in this metropolis fuited to that service. So fenfible was he of this circumftance from former experience, that previously to the militia being ballotted, he had himself told the right hon. Secretary that the general laws of the militia fyftem were quite inapplicable to the metropolis. He hoped the right hon. Gentleman would have the goodness to explain the ground upon which he made that statement, in order that, if well-founded, his Majefty might appoint perfons better qualified than thofe that were now employed. He affured the House that he felt fo much reluctance to address them, that if his own character only, as Lord Lieutenant of this county, was at ftake or implicated, he thould feel rather difpofed to pafs it over in filence, but he could not act in the fame way, feeling as he did for the honour and charaċter of others. He conceived the public intereft to require the explanation he requested, as nothing, he thought, could be more injurious to the public fervice than undefervedly to hurt and wound the feelings of an honeft and meritorious fet of gentlemen.

The Secretary at War expreffed his regret at its having been believed that the expreffion of his thus alluded to, was meant to convey any reflections on the characters of the noble Lords Lieutenants of the two counties. He certainly did, and was well-fonnded in faying, that there were great frauds and mifmanagement in the militia departments of the two counties of Middlesex and Surry, but he could never mean to impute these frauds to the Lords Lieutenants, or those who were higher in office. He recollected very well

that

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