for the rife of 15s in the price of fugar under all this mighty preffure, for the price was lately no more than 33s. whereas he understood that that very day it was as high as 48s. In the courfe of the laft war fugar had rifen fometimes fo.high as 8os. at the time that the neceffaries of life were at a most exorbitant and diftreffing price, and yet neither the export trade nor the home confumption of fugar had in any degree diminished. With regard to the ad valorem duty, he affured the Houfe, that feveral of the most intelligent people had been confulted on it, and that, on the most mature deliberation, it was found to be impracticable. The poor man, no doubt, paid as high a duty as he who bought fugar of the first quality, but then he did not pay fo high a price for it. This buying in fmall quantities always fubjected a person of limited means to pay more than he who purchased confiderably, on account of the number of hands receiving profit in a retail way before it came to the confumer, but this applied to every other article as well as that of fugar, except in articles of the first neceffity, which the poor could buy as cheap as the rich at market. As to the planters not being allowed fufficiently for their capitals, he could not well reconcile that with fo much British capital laid out in plantations. in Martinique and other iflands, and the numerous applications for other grants of lands in the ifland of Trinidada. He concluded with moving, that the other orders of the day be now read.

Sir W. Pulteney law no difficulty in levying an ad valorem duty on fugar. When the right hon. Gentleman (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) collected his information from perfons of oppofite interests in trade, he might expect to hear very contradictory reprefentations.

Mr. Manning declared, that if the hon. Baronet's obfer vations referred to him, they were unfounded. He never had used any influence with the right hon. Gentleman in any converfations with him. He was convinced that it was impoffible to adopt an ad valorem duty, without occafioning great vexations to trade.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer thought it due to his hon. friend (Mr. Manning) to ftate, that though he was certainly apprifed of his opinion with refpect to the tax under confideration, yet he had never preffed that opinion with violence or pertinacity; but had always ftated it with that moderation which was peculiar to his character.

Mr. Vanfittart faid, they could not fend the fugars to America, without being liable to penalties and confiscations.

Mr. Giles thought it would be conferring a confiderable benefit upon the planter or manufacturer of fine fugar, were the duty to be laid on according to the quality. He thought the prefent mode of laying on the duty according to the quantity, whether fine or coarfe, was doing an injuftice to the manufacturer of coarfe fugar.

After a converfation of fome length, upon this fubject, Mr. Chapman agreed to withdraw his motion.

CURATES.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that the House fhould go into a Committee, to confider the expediency of relieving, out of the public money, fuch temporary curates as might be deprived of their cures by the operation of the late bill for the refidence of the clergy. The House accordingly went into a Committee."

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, he fhould have apologized to the Committee, for what he was about to propofe, did he not believe that it was a measure which would meet with the general concurrence of the Houfe, from every hint which he had yet occafion to receive upon the subject. It had long been a part of the established policy of the country to encourage the refidence of the clergy; but the ftipendiary curate bill could not be faid to include every defcription of curates, or to entitle them to the bounty of Parliament. He was fure that Parliament, in its juftice and compaffion, would not admit of hardships being felt by the defcription of men he alluded to, when the fum of 8000l. would be fufficient in a great measure to prevent their diftrefs. It ought not only to proceed from a fenfe of justice, but it ought to be the established policy of the country to prevent the clerical character from being lowered and degraded, and he thought that it ought not to be a part of that policy, to admit the expediency of perfons entering into holy orders, who have no other means of fubfiftence than their clerical profeffion. There was hardly a church living for curates, which, confidering the prefent value of money, could be fufficient to procure a livelihood for themfelves and their families. It was not therefore too much for Parliament to expect that they fhould be perfons who had other means of fubfiftence than what they derived from their clerical functions. He thought that upon the principles of Queen Anne's bounty, fomething ought to be done for the poore

4S 2

clafs

clafs of clergymen called temporary curates. He fhould therefore fubmit the expediency of a fmall fum being lent out on intereft for their benefit; and he only mentioned this, in the hope, that during next feffion of Parliament, fome more effectual means fhould be adopted for their elief. He therefore humbly moved, that the Committee fhould confider the expediency of 80 ol. being granted to his Majesty, for the relict of fuch curates as have been difappointed by the late bill. He should alfo propofe, that the money fhould be applied by the Governors of Queen Anne's bounty, and that there should be a limitation in the mode of application. either by three-fourths or two-thirds of what the curate had fo been deprived of.

Mr. H. Brown concurred in the meafure.

On the question being put, the motion was carried. The House resumed, and the report ordered to be received the next day.

The papers which were prefented the day before refpecting parfonage houfes and churches in Ireland were ordered to be printed..

Mr. Alexander prefented the report of the Committee on the expiring laws bill. The feveral refolutions were agreed to, and bills ordered accordingly.

The report of the East India fhipping bill was prefented, and ordered to be taken into further confideration the next day.

The Irish juftices' bill, the Irish militia families' bill, the prize goods bill, and court-martial witneffes's bill, were feverally read a third time, and passed.

The Scotch army of referve amendment bill was read a fecond time, and ordered to be committed the next day. The other orders of the day were poftponed.

Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORD S.

W.DNESDAY, JULY 27.

The royal affent was given, by commiffion, to the Irish treasury bills bili, the Caledonian canal bill, the general defence bill, the fhip burning bill, the Thames police bill, the Grenada loan, and clergy refidence miftake bills, the Guernsey corn bill, the Irish revenue and malt duty bills, and a great many others,

The

The Commiffioners were the Duke of Roxburgh, the Lord Chancellor, and Lord Walfinghain.

Mr. Alexander brought up feveral bills from the Commons; among which were, the Irish justice bill, the court martial habeas corpus bill, the Irith militia fubstitute families bill, and the yeomanry and militia ferjeants bill, which were read a first time.

The Chatham cheft bill was read a third time and paffed. Judgment was given in the appeal Anderfon and Caddel, by which the decifion of the Court of Seffion was affirmed without cofts.

Judgment was alfo given in the appeal, Irving and Houfton, by which the decision of the Court of Seffion was reverfed. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27.

A meffage from the Lords informed the Houfe, that their Lordships had agreed to the Irish treafury bills bill, the general defence bill, the Caledonian canal bill, the Irifh militia completion bill, the longitude bill, the cheft of Chatham bill, the Dublin port bill, and feveral private bills.,

An account was prefented at the bar, of the different public fecurities and funds in the hands of the Commiffioners appointed to manage the finking fund of the East India Company.

The Scotch cotton weavers' bill was read a third time and paffed.

Mr. Addington moved, that the Houfe do refolve itself the next day into a Committee of the whole Houfe to confider of the falaries to be allowed to the Judges of the Vice Admiralty Courts of Malta, Bermuda, and the Bahamas. Ordered.

WOOLLEN MANUFACTURES.

The order of the day having been read for confidering the Lord's amendments on the woollen manufacturers' bill,

The Speaker informed the Houfe, that this bill appeared to him to be in fome degree connected with that clafs of bills which it was the peculiar privilege of that Houfe to originate, and in which they never confen:ed to any amendments, in as much as by its enacting punishments by fine in certain cafes, it fo far went to the levying of money from

the

the fubjects of this realm; it was the custom of the Houfe, on thofe occafions, to poftpone the confideration of the amendments for a long time, and bring in a new bill altered accordingly, if the Houfe approved of the amendments in themselves.

Mr. Vanfittart moved the poftponing the confideration of thofe amendments for three months, which was accordingly agreed to. He then obtained leave to bring in a bill agreeable to their Lordships' amendments; which having obtained, he brought in the bill, which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time the next day.

JOURNALS OF THE HOUSE.

Lord Glenbervie ftated to the House, that no more copies of its journals were now printed, than when the Houfe was compofed of fewer Members; that the number actually printed was too fmall to fupply the demand, and that many very valuable reports, which had been prefented by different Committees to the Houfe, had been in a manner loft, from want of the means to obtain printed copies of them; he was of opinion, that there ought to be printed not lefs than 1200 copies of the journals and indexes, and 1500 of the reports of the different Committees; he concluded by moving, that a Committee fhould be appointed to inquire into the fubject of the printing of the journals and reports of the Houfe. This motion was adopted, and a Committee accordingly appointed, confifting of Lord Glenbervie, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Hawkefbury, and the Law Officers.

Lord Glenbervie then moved feveral inftructions to this Committee, which were agreed to; namely, that they fhould present an estimate of the expence of printing the number of copies he had mentioned, and of procuring a fit place to depofit them, and also that they fhould fuperintend the arrangement of the reports and journals fo to be published.

ALIENS.

The Attorney General brought in a bill for repealing the act paffed in the laft feffion, refpecting aliens; the bill which he prefented, and in which there were feveral additional claufes, was to be fubftituted in the place of it.

The preamble of the bill stated, that, "Whereas in the prefent circutustances, great danger and mifchief might arise from the refidence and refort of foreigners in this country," and the provisions of the bill, befides empowering his Majesty's Secretary of State to remove fuch of them from the

country