weighty objections in its present ftate, they would abstain from making any oppofition to it, in the prefent feffion.

The report was ordered to be taken into confideration the next day, as were alfo the reports of the English and Scotch

affelfed taxes bills.

Sir William Pulteney moved, that the Houfe fhould refolve itfelf into a Commitice on the Bell Rock light-house bill, meaning, he said, to defer the report of it to Thursday, in order to enable Gentlemen to confider of it more deliberately.

General Finch, and fome others, fpoke a few words against the bill, upon which the Houfe refolved itself into the Committee, Mr. I. H. Browne in the chair.

On its being asked whether any counsel attended against the bill,

The Lord Mayor of London faid, that none attended, as the petitioners against it, who traded to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Ireland, were fatisfied with a clause introduced into the bill for exempting them from any duty.

The bill was ordered to be reported on Thurfday next; and, after difpofing of the other orders of the day, the House adjourned till next day.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2.

The Irish magiftrates' protection, and the prize captors bills, were read a third time, and paffed.

In the Scotch appeal caufe of Hogg v. Lafhley, the Attorney-General, on the part of the refpondent, replied at confiderable length to the arguments of the counfel on the other fide, after which the further confideration was deferred to Monday next.

The Eaft-India trade regul ation, the customs regulation, the Exchequer bills, the two millions vote of credit, and the woollen manufacturers penalty fufpenfion bills, were read a fecond time, and committed for the next day.

The property amendment, the auctioneers' duty, and the Irish tea exporation bills, were brought up from the Commons, and read a firft time.

Adjourned.

5 C2

HOUSE

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 2.

The receipt tax bill, the audioneers' bill, and the Irish tea exportation bill, were severally read a third time, and passed. The report of the ftipendiary curates' bill was brought up, the amendments agreed to, and the bill ordered to be read a third time the next day.

The report on the workmen's combination bill was brought up, and agreed to.

The report on the Tortola trade bill was brought up.

Mr. Vanfittart moved, that the bill be re-committed, and that it be an instruction to the said Committee to introduce a claufe to regulate the duties on foreign filks and velvets— Agreed to; after which the bill was ordered to be re-committed the next day. `

The report on the Prince of Orange's annuity bill was brought up and agreed to, and the bill ordered to be read a third time the rext day.

The report of the Committee of Supply, for granting 5,000l. as a compenfation to Ifaac Dubois, an American loyalift, was brought up and agreed to, and a bill ordered to be brought in accordingly.

In a Committee on the Irish navigation act,

Mr. Vanfittart moved, that it be an inftruction to the faid Committee to confider of authorifing the importation into Ireland of certain articles of commerce in neutral veffels, the property and produce of neutral states

Alfo, to prevent the exportation of copper from Ireland. Ordered.

Mr. Corry stated, that there were certain articles which had always been permitted to be imported into Ireland, and it was defirable that the regulations be the fame in each country, and by the fame bill; and the reafon why his right hon. Friend had not before brought them forward was, that he was not fo well acquainted with the affairs of Ireland as to do it fooner. The House refumed, and the report was ordered to be received the next day..

The Advocate General role to make the motion of which he had given notice, for leave to bring in a bill respecting the validity of affignments. He entered into a brief detail of the fituation of the fubjects of this country, relative to the awards made by Commiffioners appointed by act of Parliament to regulate all matters of dispute between this coun

try

try and the United States of America, and the doubts and difficulties which had arifen in confequence of the awards made in various cafes, and concluded by moving for leave to bring in a bill for removing doubts refpecting the validity of allignments made in pursuance of the 7th article of the treaty with the United States of America, and to enable his Majefty to profecute in thofe cafes in which awards have been given. Granted.

Mr. Fanfitiart brought up an account of places and penfions granted from 18co to the prefent time.-Ordered to lie on the table.

Lord Amherst's annuity bill, and the Cuftom-house officers protection bill, were feverally read a firft, and ordered to be read a fecond time the next day.

The bill to regulate the rights and claims of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Beaufort, the Duke of Grafton, and the Marquis of Bute, relative to certain duties on wine imported into feveral ports within the duchy and county palatine of Lancafter, was read a firft time, and ordered to be read a fecond time the next day.

Lord Caftlereagh brought up the report on the East-India budget. On the question that the refolutions be read a fecond time,

Mr. Prinfep rofe, and apologised to the Houfe for taking up their time, when fo much of it had already been expended on this very fubject; but as he had fome apprehenfion that the speech of the noble Lord might make an impreffion on the Houfe, contrary to what the true interests of the Company really required, he hoped he should be indulged with their attention, till he delivered a few obfervations, which he thought he was imperiously called on by his duty to make. As a proprietor, and one who was deeply interested in the profperity of the Company's affairs, he had given the fubject now before the House every degree of confideration, and the most minute attention in his power, and the result was, a thorough conviction in his own mind, that, if the Company perfevere in paying their debt in the prefent circuitous manner, the confequences could not fail to be, in the end, very ruinous and fatal to their best interests, and mult inevitably and totally preclude any expectation the Houfe or the country may have formed, of receiving any of that participation in the refources of the Company, which had been fo long and fo repeatedly promifed them. He had, he faid, taken the liberty to make out statements of

the

.

the refults which lay on the table, and from thofe he was fully convinced, and confirmed in his opinion, that the statements made by the noble Lord, and the right honourable Gentleman his predeceffor, were extremely unfatisfactory and fallacious. The right honourable Gentleman who was the predeceffor of the noble Lord, had stated, that the debt of the India Company was 10 millions; whereas on comparifon of all the papers, and a minute investigation of all the fums taken from the papers, produced by that right hon. Gentleman, the amount is 15 millions fterling, which fum had been taken out of the revenues of the Company, by means of loans, and other improper methods of managing the Company's finances. Had that fum been applied in payment of the debt, it might have been altogether extinguished in the courfe of five years, and in that cafe, instead of the prefent exifting debt of nineteen millions, the Company would be in poffeffion of three millions, with a debt of no more than two millions. He therefore thought himself ftrictly warranted in repeating, that if this fyftem be purfued, of paying off the debt in the fame circuitous way that had hitherto been perfifted in, the confequences would not fad to be highly injurious, and, he feared, would in the end prove fatal and ruinous to their interefts. With every care and every defire to avoid the fmalleft mifreprefentation either of the affairs of the Company or the intentions of the noble Lord who brings forward this measure, he felt himself called upon by the imperions dictates of his duty to protest against it, as one that was fraught with fallacy, and which would be found to operate in a manner very different indeed to what the noble Lord expects from it. He faid he had the fulleft confidence, that what he was then faying could not by pol bility create the smallest doubt in the mind of any one, either as to the credit of the Company, or the conduct of the Directors, for whom he profeffed the greatest respect and regard, and for whofe talents, integrity, and induftry, no man could have a higher opinion than himself; nay, he could even contraft this statement of the noble Lord's predeceffor with the actual adminiftration of the Company, and by dry figures he would prove to the Houfe, that it appears upon thefe papers, that, communibus annis, bills to the amount of 500,000l. have been drawn, and that the expences of various Linds have amounted to full as much more; whereas, had the trade been limited according to the act of Parliament passed for that purpose, we fhould have had no India debt at

all.

all. In thus attaching error to the plan of the right hon. Gentleman (for certainly error was all he meant to attach to it), he begged leave at the fame time to bear full teftimony to his talents and integrity. The right honourable Genleman had his warmeft thanks for the unwearied attention and diligence which he had uniformly paid to the affairs of the Company, and he believed he had faid no more than the truth, when he had declared in his place in that Houfe, that whenever he contemplated the bufinefs, either on his rifing in the morning or going to bed at night, he found the weight of it too heavy for him.

Mr. Prinfep faid, that the right honourable Gentleman had exercifed all thofe concerns very much to his honour, he was free to confefs; yet he thought he might be allowed to th the fallacy or infufficiency of his plan, and to say to his fucceffor, read, compare, and reflect, and avoid, if poffible, falling into the fame delufion. If the noble Lord, or the right honourable Gentleman who now fills another department of his predeceffor (Mr. Tierney), or any other Gentleman in the Houfe, would give him the honour of their company for one fingle hour, he would undertake to prove to them every word he had faid. He was forry that he did not at that moment fee any Eaft India Director in the Houfe to whom he could addrefs himself on the prefent occafion; on a former one, the Houfe had been told by one of its Members not to attend to the fatement of fuch an honourable Gentleman (meaning himself) because he was of a fervent difpofition, and apt to state and colour things too warmly; he affured the Houfe, however, that he never intentionally stated any thing as a fact which he did not on the fulleft investigation believe to be fo. A plan had been produced, he said, in that Houfe, which had coft the Company 20 millions. The noble Lord feemed by his look to deny this, but he was fure of it, if you do but keep the clue in purfuing it, which was abfolutely neceffary to be done; for in India accounts, the clue, if once loft, could not be easily found again, nor in a very short time. If that plan be purfued, he must once more repeat, that it would be highly injurious, and in the end fatal to the Company's interefts. That Company was, at present, managed by very able men, but it was not abounding in ready money-the whole capital was obliged to be employed; ftill, however, if this meafure was not adopted, he was one of those who looked forward with a firm and steady eye to profpects the moft flourishing and profitable. There were other refources alfo relative to private trade, which were