propofe, that after it was reported it thould be recommitted fort he next day, and that it should then be amended, reported, and ordered to be taken into further confideration on Monday or Tuesday next.

The bill was accordingly reported with the claufes, and ordered to be taken into further contideration the next day. The habeas corpus extenfion bill was read a fecond time, and committed for the next day.

VOLUNTEER CORPS.

On the question for committing the volunteer corps bill, it was ordered, on the motion of Mr. Ormsby, that it be an inftruction to the Committee to receive a claufe to subject ferjeants, drummers, trumpeters, &c. in volunteer corps in Ireland to martial law.

In the Committee on the bill, the Secretary at War propofed fome claufes; one of which was, that volunteers fhould, in cafe of invafion, be compelled to march where they thould be ordered; and another was, for fettling the rank of the officers. These were agreed to.

The bill was ordered to be reported the next day.

BONDING AND WAREHOUSING GOODS,

On the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, an order was made for the Houfe to refolve itself into a Committee the next day, to confider of so much of his Majefty's fpeech as relates to the accommodation of merchants. The Chancellor of the Exchequer then gave notice, that he would the next day, in the faid Committee, propofe the fyftem of warehousing and bonding of goods; and he would make the motion at four o'clock, before the other public business was gone into.

Mr. Bernard called the attention of the House to a peti.ion on the table from the grand jury of the King's county, refpe&ting the tolls on the grand canal; he ftated, that a fum of 500,000l. was granted by the laft Irish Parliament for the purpose of making canals, opening navigable rivers on reducing tolls, and purchafing exorbitant tolls on canals. That part of this money was fo applied as to enable the Royal and Barrow Canal Company to lower their tolls very confiderably, but that the tolls on the grand canal, which ran through almoft the entire of the county which he had the honour to reprefent, had not derived any advantage from the grant, although the tolls were now fo very exorbitant as to materially affect the trade of that county to Dublin. The county of Kil

dare

dare and Queen's county are in fome meafure affected alfo by thofe exorbitant tolls. He had reason to expect that thefe Counties would have prefented fimilar petitions, other wife he would have brought forward the fubject at a much earlier period; at this late hour of the feffion, he fhould therefore only give notice of his intention to fubmit to the Houfe fome propofition on the fubject early in the next feffion, if in the interim fome measures fhould not be adopted by which thofe exorbitant tolls could be reduced; preparatory to which he thought it neceffary to move, "That there be laid before the Houfe an account of the manner in which the fum of 500,0col. granted by the last Parliament of Ireland for promoting the inland navigation of that country, had been difpofed of.

Mr. Carry obferved, that it was the intention of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to lay before the Houfe the fullest information on the fubject alluded to in the hon. Gentleman's motion.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

FRIDAY, JULY 22.

Sir C. Pole brought up from the Commons the Chatham cheft bill and the longitude bill, which were read a first and ordered to be read a fecond time.

The Highland canal bill was read a third time and paffed.

The feveral bills on the table were forwarded in their respective stages, and the House adjourned till half after two o'clock next day.

HOUSE OF

COMMONS.

FRIDAY, JULY 22.

The additional duty bill on tea exported to Ireland went through a Committee, and the report was ordered for the next day. Alfo the additional duty bil on quaffia, &c. &c.

PORT OF LONDON, &C.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved the order of the day for the Houfe to refolve itfelf into a Committee to confider fo much of his Majesty's fpeech as relates to the accommodation to be afforded to merchants. Previous to the House refolving itself into the Committee, The

The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that a copy of the fecond report of the Committee appointed to inquire into the best mode of improving the port of London be referred to the faid Committee. The Speaker having left the chair,

The right hon. Gentleman obferved, that in moving to have the report he had alluded to laid before the prefent Committee, his with was to fhew that the plan he thould now bring forward was grounded on that propofed and recommended by that Committee. Its object principally would be to adopt fome intermediate fyftem between that of free ports and the fyftem of drawbacks. What he should have the honour to propofe would, in his opinion, remove many of the inconveniencies to which merchants and the revenue were expofed by thofe two fyftems. The fyftem of free ports per mitted the importation of goods duty free, and left it at the pleasure and difcretion of the owners to export them. Hence a variety of frauds might arise on the revenue. It was therefore scarcely poffible that this fyftem could be followed without limitation or controul. The inconveniencies of the other system were obvious-they affected individuals and the revenue It was therefore defirous to adopt an intermediate fyftem that might, as far as poffible, fteer clear of the difadvantages which attended the other two-a system which would guard against frauds on the revenue, while it afforded accommodation to mercantile tranfactions; a fyftem that would protect the public revenue, without reforting to a rigour that was uncongenial to the fpirit of our free conftitution. Of the fyftem he had in view, the country had already fome experience, when two years ago it was applied to the articles of fugar, coffee, wine, &c. It then proved beneficial to the merchant, without injuring in any degree the public revenue, That experience afforded encouragement to extend the operation of this fyftem, while the moft perfect fecurity would be afforded, both to the revenue and to the articles to which it would apply. Thefe articles might be comprehended under five heads, and claffed according to them in the bill. Under the first head would be comprifed all articles of West India produce; the fecond would comprehend tobacco, wine, brandy, &c. the third, heavy and bulky articles, liable to pay a fmall duty; the 4th, fuch articles as required peculiar caution and care; the 5th, drugs, ingredients for dying, &c. which pay heavy duties: the whole to be depofited in warehoufes approved of by Government, and placed under the infpection of custom house officers. Some articles would be committed

committed to the care of the proprietors, upon their firft entering into a bond to fecure the payment of the duties; and in all other cafes where the articles to be warehoused required no particular attention, they must be depofited in the warehoufes appointed by Government, and placed under the fuperintendance of cuftom houfe officers. Such a distinction the Committee would, no doubt, feel the neceffity of. To the principle of this measure he could not imagine there would be ftarted any objection; at least he did not think that a mode could be devifed lefs liable to objection. In framing the measure, every fource was applied to from which information could be derived. The molt intelligent merchants had been confulted, and the opinion of the revenue board and of the board of trade had been taken upon it. Thefe propofi tions neceffarily required much time and labour, and there fore prevented him from being able to bring forward the meafure as early as he expected. The bill would, in the first inftance, confine the benefits it held out to the city of London and the Weft India Docks, but it would veit a power in the Privy Council to extend the licence to other ports on certain conditions. The licence would be grantedonly to fuch ports as carried on trade in the atticles already enumerated to a juft and reasonable extent, and which had docks, wharfs, &c. to afford the requifite accommodations, for landing and warehousing fuch goods with fecurity to the owners and to the revenue. From this power and difcretion given to the Privy Council, no undue partiality or favour could be apprehended. The Privy Council would act under the infpe&tion of Parliament, and any other check or guard that could be fuggested for preventing any undue partiality, he thould cheerfully attend to. Under thefe limitations and checks, it would be competent for the Privy Council to grant licences; nor hall it be neceffary that the port foliciting fuch licence fhould trade in all the above mentioned articles. To trade in fome of them to any confiderable extent would be fufficient. Indeed, it may become neceffary to extend the advantages of the bill to many articles which have not been enumerated. But the Lords of the Treafury have not the power of making fuch an extenfion without the previous approbation of the revenue board and the fubfequent fanétion of the Privy Council. Neither should any extenfion to other articles affect the accommodation that has already been granted to fome merchants in fome particular articles: that accommodation will remain as before. Should the principle be not VOL. IV. 1802-3objected

4 L

objected to, as he ventured to hope it would not, he trusted the Houfe would allow the bill to be brought in immediately what objections might be urged against it would come beft in the Committee. He hoped, therefore, the bill might be permitted to pafs as rapidly as poffible through its first stages; that it might then be printed; and after the interval of a few days, to be again confidered and difcuffed. By limiting the bill in the firft inftance to the port of London, a variety of ufelefs questions and difcuffions would be obviated, which would naturally be indulged in by thofe Gentlemen who were more particularly connected with other ports; but that limitation would be no obstacle to extending the benefit of the bill to thofe ports alfo where it fhould appear that they poffeffed the claims requifite for obtaining that indulgence. The right hon. Gentleman concluded with moving, that it is the opinion of this Committee, that it is expedient to permit certain goods to be warehoufed without paying the duties.

General Gascoyne did not rife to oppofe the measure, as the right hon. Gentleman feemed to expect. On the contrary, he approved of it highly as far as it went. He was only forry that it had not been brought forward fomewhat fooner, and he feared that fome alarm might arife from applying it exclufively to the port of London. Something of that alarm did exift in his mind, but came rather from the apprehenfions of those who might be affected by the measure than from any opinion he entertained that it would operate to their prejujudice. He trufted fufficient time would be allowed for the parties whom it may concern maturely to examine it. Until the out ports were acquainted with the nature and tendency of the bill, he should withhold any obfervation upon it.

Sir IV. Elford anxiously hoped that the benefit of the bill would be extended as fairly and as generally as poffible, and that even the appearance of partiality might be ftudiously avoided; it would benefit not only the public, but also individuals, whom it would enable to extend their capital: ail he fhould now afk was, whether Government was to furnish the warehouses to which the privilege was to be granted, or whether they were to be provided by the individuals who folicited the indulgence?

Mr. Vanfittart obferved, that individuals were to furnifh the warehoufes, which fhould be approved of by Govern

ment.

General Tarleton expreffed himself fatified with the meafore.