furveyors and infpeétors would have of hurting the feelings of gentlemen.

The claufe then paffed in its original state.

The Committee went through a few more claufes of the bill, reported progrefs, and had leave to fit again. journed.

Ad

HOUSE OF LORDS.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20.

Mr. Alexander and Mr. Romilly were heard on the appeal, Syme v. Erfkine, when after a few words from Mr. Adam, on the part of the refpondent, the interlocutor was af firmed.

All the bills on the table paffed a stage each.

Mr. Alexander brought from the Commons a returned bill, and three others, which he and others prefented. Al derman Coombe brought up the London quota bill of the army of referve

They were feverally read a first time.-Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS,

WEDNDSDAY, JULY 20.

Sir William Scott obferved, that the word "benefice" had been accidentally omitted in one of the claufes of the clergy refidence bill, and in another claufe, the ftatute, it was made to amend, was defcribed according to the terms of the ordinary edition of the ftatutes, but upon looking into the Parliamentary roll it had been found incorrect; therefore, to avoid the poffibility of inconvenience, he moved for leave to bring in a bill to rectify certain miflakes in an act of this Seffion of Parliament, for amending the laws refpecting fpiritual perfons holding farms; and for enforcing the refidence of fpiritual perfons; and to remove doubts as to the ftatute of Henry VIII. therein inentioned.

The bill was afterwards brought in, read a first and fecond time, and committed for the next day.

The Attorney-General stated, that perfons in cuftody on civil or criminal procefs were often required to attend to give evidence before courts martial, commiffioners of bankrupts, commiffioners for auditing public accounts, and for that purpose the Judges iffued writs of habeas corpus; but doubts had arifen in their minds, as to their power to iffue 4 F 2

fuch

fuch writs. He, therefore, to obviate any difficulty, moved for leave to bring in a bill to enable Judges of record to award writs of habeas corpus, to bring perfons confined in gaol before courts martial, and the commiffioners therein mentioned. He afterwards brought in the bill, which was read a first, and ordered to be read a fecond time the next day.

The curate's bill was read a fecond time, and committed for Monday.

Sir Im. Pulteney faid, that the Committee on the Bell Rock light-house bill ftood as one of the orders of the day. That bill was founded on the refolution of a Committee, ftating the neceffity of erecting a light-houfe on the Bell Rock, and recommending additional duties to be paid. Unfortunately in the bill the latter part of the refolution had not been attended to. In order to remedy the omiffion, he should withdraw the prefent bill, and move that the House thould the next day refolve itself into a Committee to confider the report of the first Committee.

The Speaker remarked, that the courfe the honourable Gentleman had fuggefted was right. The bill was accordingly withdrawn, and the Committee appointed for the next day.

The city of London quota bill was read a third time.

MESSAGE FROM HIS MAJESTY.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer brought down the following meffage from his Majesty.

"G. R.

"His Majefty relying on the zealous fupport of his faithful Commons in the vigorous profecution of the war, in which the country is engaged, recommends to the House to confider of making provifion towards enabling his Majefty to defray the extraordinary expences incurred in the service of the present year, and to take fuch further measures as the exigency of affairs may require."

The meffage was, on the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, referred to the Committee of Supply. -The longitude bill was read a third time.

The prize goods bonding bill was read a first time.

The Committee on the Irish juftices bill-the Irish militia families bill-fupply, and ways and means, were deferred till Friday.

The Committees on the bill for granting lands in Canada

to

to Lord Amherst, and the volunteer corps bill, were deferred till the next day.

A metfage from the Lords informed the Houfe their Lordfhips had agreed to the friendly focieties bill, the New Foreft game bill, and the Guernsey corn bill.

DEFENCE OF THE COUNTRY.

The Secretary at War moved the order of the day for the further confideration of the report of the general arming bill. He obferved, that it was intended to propole feveral amendments, afterwards to have the bill printed, and then recommitted. He wished to fuggeft, that it would be more convenient to let the bill go into a Committee, in order to make it as perfect as poffible. If there was any doubt as to the principle of the bill, it might be debated at a future feafon. Mr. Sheridan faid, he agreed in the propriety of what had fallen from the right hon. Gentleman; it was his with there fhould not be the leaft delay, but, on the contrary, that the meafure thould proceed with vigour, firmnefs, and energy. Although the bill had been read a fecond time, yet he apprehended the principle was open to difcuffion; and in any future ftage, any Gentleman, if he objected to the principle, and thought the bill ought to ftop, was at liberty to state his objection. If this objection was only to the claufes, and not to the principle, then it would be proper to let the bill go into the Committee. For the prefent, he would not enter into the merits of the bill, or whether other measures ought or ought not to have been propofed. Many perfons might have matter to throw out as to the general principle of the bill. When the bill was engroffed he fhould be happy to deliver his fentiments upon it, but he thought there ought to be no oppofition to the re-commitment.

Mr. Kinnaird begged leave to difer from his right hon. friend who had just fat down, as to the propriety of canvaffing the principle of the bill in the prefent ftage. With this opinion he fhould avail himself of the prefent opportunity of delivering his fentiments on the bill as it now ftood, before it was again fubmitted to the Committee. As to the fundamental ground of accufation against Ministers, fo far as this meafure was concerned, he had to declare unequivocally that it had been delayed far beyond the period when it was powerfully required by the extraordinary cir cumstances in which the country was placed. He had strong objections to the time which, as the bill was now framed, would be neceffary to reduce it even formally into effect. Be

fore

fore the bufinefs of railing the body which the bill proposed to difcipline could be completed, a period of upwards of fix weeks would elapfe, and he furely needed not to remind the Houfe how important it was that the leaft poffible delay thould take place in carrying into effect a measure fo materially connected with the protection and fecurity of the empire. It was not to be fuppofed that the whole complex machinery of the bill would be carried into effect in a moment. Was it to be fuppofed that as foon as the drum was beat, a body of foldiers was to make their appearance in the field? Was the fexton to throw afide his furplice, and take up the musquet ? Were the people, after attending on the exercifes of religion, to throw afide their prayer-books, and, taking up their arms, to be drilled in the church yard? To fuppofe that all this was be effected by the means which the bill propofed was altogether ridiculous, and could only tend to deceive the pub. lic. He felt it his duty alfo to animadvert on the time which was propofed to be allotted for training the men to be raised. Was Government really ferious in fuch a fuggeftion? Did they really imagine that fuch a period was at all adequate to prepare men for a live fervices in the field? If this was their opinion, he confeffed he was very far from being inclined to give them implicit confidence at the prefent perilous crifis, He had another important objection to the measure in its prefent form. The objection was, that the measure, fo far from being c'ear and fimple, was fo complicated in its machinery, that it would in a material degree embarrals the conduct of thofe appointed to carry the bill into effect. He had befides to fay generally, that as a Member of Parliament he felt it his duty to be jealous of the forefight of the Ministers of the country in providing for the national fecurity. But in the prefent inftance the degree of forefight to be allowed to Minifters was to be estimated by their previous conduct, and in that conduct he had nothing to justify confidence in this forelight, He begged leave to call the attention of the Houfe to the conduct of Minifters with regard to Hanover. In this inftance there had been no fort of forefight of danger, no adequate preparation to meet it with firmnefs and effect. The hon. Member was proceeding to defcant on this topic, when he was called to order by

The Secretary at War, who contended that this reasoning was totally inapplicable to the fubject before the House. Mr. Kinnaird refumed, and begged leave to contend, in oppofition to the fentiments expreffed by the right hon Gentleman,

611

tleman, that he was ftrictly in order. In introducing the fubject of Hanover, he had done fo merely with the view of thewing, by a particular inftance, what was his opinion of the general conduct of Minifters, and their claims to confidence. It did not appear to him that in this view his obfervations were at all foreign to the fubje&t before the House. He was aware that to the objections which he had taken the liberty of ftating to the bill in its prefent form, the ufual anfwer in fuch cafes would be given: propofed, able to offer one more effectual in its room?" In "Are you, who object to the measure reply to this, it was only neceflary for him to fay that he was entitled to rely on the wifdom and difcretion of thofe whose duty it was to bring forward plans for the protection of the country at this momentous crifis. True it was, that after' the measure was brought forward, every Member of Parliament was entitled to offer his opinion on its expediency; and in addition to the objections against the difficulty of the bill, he had one capital objection to the principle, and that was, that it did not give fufficient encouragement to voluntary offers of fervice, but depended on compulfory operation, a mode of railing a force for the defence of the kingdom, at all times to be avoided, if possible, in a free country. The bill appeared to caft a llur on the offers of volunteers, and it appeared the object of Ministers to difcourage them. He could ftate, on undeniable authority, that many offers of voluntary fervice had actually been reje&ed. of Minifters why, at a time when it was fo infinitely defirable He begged leave to ask to raise a large force for the defence of the empire, those means, formerly found fo effectual, were at the present moment altogether abandoned? Without being fupposed to be too ftrongly under the influence of national partiality, he might be permitted to say, that the experience of the last war thewed what numbers of our best and bravest troops could be obtained from the Highlands of Scotland, and at the prefent moment this great fource of military fupply appeared wholly neglected. He would not now ftand up as the advocate of feudal inftitutions, but when they could be rendered fubfervient to principles of patriotifm, they ought not to be overlooked by any Minifter who looked to the real fecurity of the country. The hon. Member defcanted a good deal further on this point, and concluded by expreffing a hope that in the Committee fome of thofe important modifications would be introduced into the bill which its prefent very imperfect form requires.

Mr.