thereby leffen the capital. He hoped, therefore, the noble Duke would not prelift in perffing his amendment. The Duke of Norfolk faid, that he certainly fhould perfift, and if his amendment was not agreed to, he did not know but he should use the privilege of entering his diffent. He highly approved the principle of the tax, and on that account he withed to prevent it from being evaded. At prefent foreigners might be truftees, and great evations might follow in confequence of perfons in this country, in that way, making ufe of their names For infance, a perfon poffeffing 3000l. in the funds might appoint a foreigner his trufee, by doing which, he would evade a tax; for ftanding in another perfon's name, who is not liable to pay as being a foreigner, the confequence would be, that there would be an apparent deduction from his income of 15:1. per annum He was clearly of opinion that property of all kinds fhould be equally liable to taxation. Before the funding fyftem was introduced into this country, the land univerfally paid four fillings in the pound, which was an income tax to a fir greater amount than what we now have, which was always confidered as an income tax, and which had ever been borne with the greateft cheerfulness. He should, therefore, take the fenfe of the Houfe on his amendment. A division tock place--For the amendment-Contents, 3-non-contents, 7 majority, 4. The bill went through the Committee, and on the report being brought up, the fame amendment was propofed, and negatived without a divifion. The Earl of Weftmorland moved, that the Houfe be fummoned for Monday, on the ftanding orders. Ordered. The Earl of Suffolk faid, that as the noble Lord had moved that the House be summoned for Monday, he begged their Lordships would take notice, that he would take that opportunity of fubmitting to their confideration the motion he had fome time fince alluded to, relative to the appointinent of a military council, which he was certain would be very neceffary, and of the utmoft utility and importance. Sir Wm. Pulteney, and others, brought up from the Commons, the Bell Rock light houfe bill, and feveral private bills, which were ach read a first time, CURATES BILL. On the question that this bill be read a fecond time, reafon 793 reafon for oppofing it was, that the Bill militated against a ftanding order of the Houfe, which was of the greateft importance to their privileges. This order originated at a time when, unhappily, there exifted differences between the two branches of Legiflature, and the Commons of that day took advantage, when they brought in money bills, to tack other matters to them, which were altogether irrelevant, and of a different nature, in order to compel the Lords to pafs them, or elfe be the means of refufing to raife the neceffary fupplies. The prefent bill was intended to provide more amply for poor curates, and by it there was a power given to raise 80ccl. which made it a money bill. The fum, indeed, was but fmall, but ftill it was fufficient, if the bill was fuffered to pafs, to trench upon the Conflitution and privileges of the Houfe; and he warned their Lordships to avoid fo injurious a measure. No man could more anxiously defire to fee that defeription of worthy perfons better provided for than they were at prefent, who were the objects of the bill, than he did? but, as the prefent feffion was fo nearly on the close, and as the meeting of Parliament again would, doubtlefs, be a very early one; if the bill paffed early in the next feffion, it could be no inconvenience to any one, and would avoid that unconstitutional ftep, which he fo much deprecated. He, 'herefore, moved, that the bill be read a fecond time that day three months. The Lord Chancellor agreed with the noble Duke as to the origin and importance of the ftanding order he had alJuded to, and fated in nearly the fame terms. He differed with him, however, in opinion, that this bill did infringe or trench upon that flanding order; for the 8cool to be raised was not for fupplies; nor was the other part of the bill irrelevant to it, as it was for the better provifion of curates, and this 8oool, was to go in aid thereof. He did not know, however, how far their Lordthips might be inclined to pafs this bill, in the abfence of fo many of the right reverend clerical part of that Houfe, who were fo much interested in the subject matter of the bill, he could not fay. If any information could be had from the two right reverend Prelates who were prefent, he thould be glad to receive it. For his own part he thought it worthy confideration, whether it might not be as well to poftpone it to the beginning of next fettion--which, as the noble Duke had faid, would, in all likelihood, be a very early oue, and when the House would have the benefit of the advice of the whole of that right reverend bench. The Bishop of London faid, that he had read the bill with confiderable attention, and highly approved its principles and provifions; he fhould therefore be glad to fee it pafs as foon as poffible. As to the opinions of his right reverend Brethren, he could not fay any thing; but as the bill was to promote fo worthy a purpose, he thould be forry it should meet with any delay tat could with propriety be avoided. The Duke of Norfolk retraced fome of his former arguments, and preffed the Houfe to agree to his motion, as the delay would be so short. The Lord Chancellor faid, that if the Houfe did not pass the bill this feffion, and a bill of a fimilar tendency did not come from the other Houfe during the first week of the enfuing feffion, he would certainly bring a bill for the purpofe into that House. The Bishop of London faid, that if the House were inclined to poftpone the bill, it was by no means his intention to perfift in the opinion that he had delivered, but would acquiefce in the judgment of their Lordships. The question was then put, that the bill be read a fecond time that day three months, and carried nem. diffent. bill was therefore deferred to the next feflion. Adjourned to the next day. The HOUSE OF COMMONS. FRIDAY, AUGUST 5. On the motion of Lord Hawkefbury, a new writ was ordered for St. Edmund's Bury, in the room of Lord Hervey, now Earl of Bristol. The Tortola free-port bill, the warehousing and bonding bill, the Scotch affefled tax bill, the American treaty bill, the Bell Rock light-houfe bill, the confolidated fund bill, the Canada Courts bill, and the ftamp duties bill, were severally read a third time and passed. Lord Amberft's annuity bill, the Irish glebe-house bill, the wine prizage bill, the affeffed taxes bill, the Irish sugar importation duties bill, and the neutral fhips bill, were reported, and ordered to be read a third time the next day, An account was prefented of the increase and diminution of the public falaries and offices. A A meffage from the Lords informed the Houfe, their Lordships had agreed to the receipt tax bill, the Irish tea duties bill, the deal and Dover pilots bill, and the customs' duty bill. The House went into a Committee on the foreign notes bill. The report was received, and the bill was ordered to to be read a third time the next day. A petition was prefented from certain innkeepers, complaining of the hardships they fuftained by the billetting of foldiers. Petitions were alfo prefented from the debtors in the caftle of Cambridge, and in the New Compter. The Lords' amendments to the volunteer corps agreed to. DEFENCE OF THE COUNTRY. bill were The general defence amendment bill was read a third time, after which the Secretary at War brought up feveral claufes; namely, a claufe to allow commanders of volunteer corps to employ ferjeants to inftruct the volunteers in the military exercife, with an allowance of 2s. 6d per day; a claufe to exempt masters and mates of merchant veffels from the pay- * ment of fines; a claufe for allowing Lords Lieutenants to appoint officers in the room of those difplaced; a claufe for enabling the Lord Lieutenant to appoint the Deputy Lieutenants to do duty for him in cafes of ficknefs; and a claufe providing that all perfons enrolled thould take the oaths of allegiance and fidelity to his Majefty. Mr. Sheridan faid, that, before the amendments were introduced in the body of the bill, he withed to know, whether, by this and the former defence bill, the Lords Lieutenants and Deputy Lieutenants would be entitled to demand of the different perfons having horfes, and of the proprietors and keepers of public conveyances, to provide thofe means of facilitating the progrefs of the country towards the enemy, in cafe of invafion, which clearly Government might require. It was with fatisfaction he had feen an advertisement of the poftmafters, who had met voluntarily, and offered Government their affistance in conveying the troops to wherever they might be wanted; but he wifhed, in cafe of actual invafion, there fhould be a compulfory power lodged in the hands of the Lords Lieutenants. He had, however, no doubt as to the zeal of the volunteer fervices; but at the fame time he withed to fuggeft, that the coachmafters of this city should furnish They only required of him to do that which was abfolutely neceffary for our own fafety. Their views were bounded by felf-prefervation only. Ifever this important topic should come to be fully difcuffed, what he advanced would amply appear from the documents found at Seringapatam. That fuch an inquiry was in contemplation, he was induced to believe, when he recollected that there were orders of the Houfe then pending for documents to throw a light upon the fubje&; and this confideration called upon him still further to condemn the charges made against those two noble Lords, previous to the difcuffion being entered upon. Here Mr. Francis role to order. He faid, what had fallen from him on the fubject did not deferve the character given of it by the hon. Gentleman. If he thought his language improper and diforderly, he should, according to the regular practice in that Houfe, have had the words taken down, and then moved the cenfure of the Houfe upon them. He had no right to go on in fuch a ftyle of invective, but should have adopted the right course of proceeding. Mr. Burrowes proceeded. He was not confcious, he said, of having used the language of invective; but the hon. Gentleman fhould recollect, that he had spoken of the treaties with the Nabobs of Oude and Arcot, as treaties with endlaved princes. He had a right to comment on that language; however, he at the fame time meant nothing perfonal to the hon.. Gentleman. His zeal for the honour and characters of the noble perfonages in queftion might have betrayed him into an undue degree of heat and warmth; however, in the cafe alluded to, the charges made against thofe noble Lords, not only affected their own, but even the national character, which, in the prefent moment, it was particularly neceffary fhould be free from reproach. Purfuing the fubject farther, he obferved that, in his mind, the only queftion with refpect to the two noble Lords was, whether they had not stopped fhort of their duty, confidering the treachery to be fully proved, and whether they fhould not have gone farther? He then proceeded to a confideration of Lord Wellesley's financial administration in India, of which he spoke in terms of unqualified approbation, and particularly instanced the former financial diftrefs of the Company, which compelled them to borrow money at the exorbitant intereft of 12 per cent. This he contrafted with the prefent profperous and flourishing ftate of the Company, for which they were chiefly indebted to the able and diligent administration of the noble Marquis, under whofe aufpices their trade was improved beyond |