for you, you cannot judge of the necessity by a reference to any thing which passes here. No more of the useless detail of the outrages and atrocities which have lately disgraced that unhappy country; for her crimes and her sufferings she has much to mourn; but the past cannot be recalled: in the name of mercy then, save her from again plunging into the guilt of rebellion, and incurring its heavy penalties."-I perfectly agree with those who consider the reenactment of the present bills as a most extraordinary exertion of legislative power; such a one, as in the judgment of a Briton may almost appear unconstitutional; but, Sir, the hon. gent. (Mr. Wilberforce) under the gallery, has given the true reason, why a measure, which in this country would be exclaimed against as most severe, becomes unfortunately necessary for Ireland; namely, that its state is not like that of England: no, Sir, there exists between the conditions of the two countries a melancholy dissimilitude, and it is only because I fear that the sad necessity exists for thus strengthening the hands of the executive in that country, that I am induced to give my consent to the passing of the bills before the House; I do so in the hope, however, in the sanguine expectation, that the wisdom and justice of the United Parliament towards Ireland, will, at length, confer upon her those blessings to which she anxiously, and I must be allowed to add, justly looks; and that, by devising for her a system of extensive and harmonized polity, such as will ensure for the future the happiness and tranquillity of that people, a recurrence to such measures as these before us, will be rendered unnecessary at any future period.-I will not rake up the ashes of the dead, for the purpose of accusing your ancestors of cruelty and impolicy in the system they had adopted towards Ireland; I am ready with my countrymen to forget our sufferings, and to forgive our oppressors; and I do most solemnly declare, that in looking wistfully to the future, I have no object but the prosperity of my country, and the consolidated strength of the empire. The proper subject for the consideration of Parliament is speedily to inquire as to what ought to be done to ameliorate the situation of Ireland. It has been observed during the debate, that "an improvement had taken place in the public mind, and that a better disposition was rapidly growing up there;" but I caution gentlemen not to allow themselves to be deceived as to the nature of that disposition : true, indeed; it was an increasing and imVOL. IV.

and his accursed satellites; but it did not, therefore, incline the more favourably towards a system truly vicious and defective, and approved by no honest, thinking man. The inhabitants of Ireland, when by the Union they joined their fate with that of Britain, were, indeed, taught to anticipate the blessings, as a noble lord (Castlereagh) has justly observed, which would result from such a connexion; but I positively deny, that in these their expectations, they have been satisfied on the contrary, they have not advanced one step towards their accomplishment; it would, therefore, be prepos terous to suppose, and most wicked to attempt to induce the House to believe, that there was a growing disposition of content and satisfaction, when there was every ground for the reverse; and I implore gentlemen not to be persuaded into any such most dangerous opinion.-We who are deputed on the part of Ireland to assert her rights, to uphold her interests, and to enforce her claims, appear amongst you in consequence of the most solemn engage ments made to us on the part of your King and of the Nation.-I complain of the neglect and duplicity of the present ministers, which, if not calculated to alienate the affections, have, at least, marred the hopes; but I trust not irrevocably destroyed the confidence of the Irish people. I trust it is not in the power of those who have proffered Union to be the cause of separation, and having sworn to uphold the throne of their Sovereign and Master, they will not, I hope, be suffered by their conduct to endanger the integrity of his empire. The responsibility they have incurred is possibly more than they are aware of. They are not to compare themselves with any other minister who had ever had to advise as to the

management of Ireland; and should they persevere in their neglect and indifference to the interests of that country, he should hope to see them one day at the bar of another house, where the penalties, however heavy, which they might incur, would be but a poor and inadequate atonement for the mischiefs which the prosecution of their present system is likely to entail upon the United Empire.-I venture to hope, that as so many gentlemen have so humanely adverted to Ireland, and have manifested a generous interest in her fate, that the House will speedily consider the means of relieving her; that while they give additional strength to the executive, they will, at the same time, think of administering some comfort to the people; for surely it is not *T t

unbecoming the dignity of any government, or the wisdom of any legislature, to prove that it combines the power to repress rebellion, with the determined disposition to remove all ground of complaint and dissatisfaction. Such is the course which any good government would gladly pursue, and which ministers, were they actuated by the principles of humanity, and an unnarrowed attachraent to the entire of the empire, they would not fail immediately to adopt --The question was then put and carried; the bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed to a Committee of the whole House to-morrow.

[BANK RESTRICTION BILL.]-Mr. Sargent brought up the Report of the Bank of England Restriction Bill. On reading the amendment, which makes the duration of the Bill six months after the conclusion of peace,

Sir William Elford called the attention of the House to an important alteration in this bill from that of the last year, which took place in a very thin committee on Saturday last. It was in filling up the blank for the duration of the bill, by the insertion of the words "six months" after the ratification of the Treaty of Peace, instead of "six weeks," which was the time expressed in the last bill. He did not mean to oppose the alteration, but felt it his duty to call the attention of the House, as it had been made in so very thin a committee.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer admitted, that the alteration alluded to by the hon. member, was certainly important; but he trusted the House would agree with him that it was also necessary. It had been thought inconvenient to make the bill continue only for six weeks after peace, because, if that should happen in the recess, and it should be found inconvenient to allow the Bank to pay off in cach so soon afterwards, Parliament must assemble for that very purpose; whereas, if Parliament should be sitting, and six months should appear too long, the time might be shortened, for there was power to vary or repeal the bill at any time, contained in the bill itself. After a few words from Mr. Vansittart and Mr. Swann, the amendment was agreed to. The bill was ordered to be ingrossed, and read a third time to-morrow, it then engrossed.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

Tuesday, December 5.

Counsel were heard in continuation, and finally, respecting the Scotch Appeal, Chrishe v. Proskoot, viz. Messrs. Romilly and

Nolan, on the part of the Respondant, and Mr. Adam for the Appellant, in reply.-At ter the arguments of Counsel were concluded, the Lord Chancellor moved for the Affirmation of the Decree, with 001. costs, which was ordered accordingly-Lord Walsingham moved the first reading of the Seamen's Habeas Corpus kill, which took place accordingly, and afterwards that the bill le printed for the use of their Lordships. Ordered.- Mr. Graham presented at the bar an account of the state of convict on board the huiks at Woolwich and at Portsmouth, from Christmas 1502, until Michaelmas last.-Mr. Rabinson, from the London et Docks Company, presented an account of the receipts and disbursements of the same for one yeas, being from the 1st of June 1802, to the 31st of May 1803, both inclusive: and also, a copy of a report of the Eoard of Directors thereon. These documents were severaly ordered to lie on the table, and at six o'clock the House adjourned till to morrow.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Tuesday, December 6.

[MINUTES.]-Mr. Graham, Inspector of Convicts on the river Thames, presented an account of the state of the hulks from Christmas to Michaelmas. Ordered to lie on the table.-Mr. Robinson, from the London Dock Company, presented an account of receipts and disbursements, from the 1st of June 1802 to the 31st of May 1803. Ordered to lie on the table.-Mr. Johnson from the office of the Chief Secretary in Ireland, presented an account of the distribution of the sum of 500,000l. voted last session to the Directors of Inland Navigation in Ireland, and of the different sums granted to Grand Juries, which were ordered to lie on the table.-Sir F. Burdett brought up the Report of the Committee on the Petition of the Parish of St. Pancras, which was read and agreed to, and a bill ordered. -The Secretary at War appeared at the bar and stated, that he was commanded by his Majesty to acquaint the House, that his Majesty had caused Major-General Napper Christie Burton to be put under an arrest, for a breach of military discipline.-He then moved, that an humble Address be presented to his Majesty, thanking his Majesty for his most gracious communication, and for his tender regard for the privileges of that House. Ordered. Mr. Secretary Yorke moved, in pursuance of an order of the day, that the House should go into a Committee on the Irish Habeas Corpus Suspension Bill The bill having gone through the committee,

the

the report was brought up, and ordered to be received to-morrow.-Mr. Secretary Yorke moved also, that the House do go into a Committee on the Irish Martial Law Bill. The House having accordingly resolved into the committee, and the clauses having been filled up, the report was brought up, and ordered to be received to-morrow.-The Report of the Committee of Supply of yestertay on the Transport Service, &c. was brought up, and the Resolutions read, and agreed to. -The Indemnity Bill, after a clause was eceived into it, on the motion of Mr. Corry, extending the provisions to Ireland, past a Committee of the whole House, and the report was ordered to be received to-morrow morning.-The Irish Sugar Bounty Bill went through the same stage.-The Bill to prohibit Distillation from Oats in Ireland was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow.-As also the Portugal Wine Bonding Duty Bill.-The Bank of England Restriction Bill was read a third time and past.-The Malt Duty Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed to a Committee of the whole House to-morrow morning.—The Irish Small Note Suspension Bill went through the same progress.The Five Million Exchequer Loan Bill went also through the same progress.- -The Irish Corn, Potatoe, and Provision Bills, in like manner, past the same stage.As did also the Curates' Relief Bill, and the English Sugar Drawback Dill.

[IRISH BANK RESTRICTION BILL.]—Mr. Corry moved the order of the day for the second reading of the Irish Bank Restriction Bill; and on the motion that the bill be now read a second time,

Lord Archibald Hamilton rose. He said, he did not see any reason why the restriction of payments in specie should be continued, either on the Bank of England or Ireland, to the protracted period of six months after the ratification of the preliminaries of peace. It must be obvious, his lordship thought, to every person, that the paper currency of Ireland was already carried to an alarming ex

tent.

It was his intention, he said, to move in the committee, that there should be a restriction of paper circulation in Ireland, and that the Directors of that Bank should be made responsible for the issues they should make.

Mr. Corry, in reply to the noble lord, admitted that it was, no doubt, a subject of regret, that the paper currency of Ireland was carried to such an extent. He was ready to admit this; but, at the same time, he thought the noble lord had better delay any motion

of that kind till a more advanced period of the session. Many of the members from Ireland were now absent, being engaged on account of the peculiarity of the times, and of the situation of their native country, in their military avocations. Their absence, from such ostensible and laudable motives, would be readily admitted by every man as highly to their honour. He had no objection that this subject should be brought before the House; but he thought it was only fair, that a discussion of this kind should not be entered into in the absence of those gentlemen, who were most concerned, and who were most likely to understand the subject. It was probable that, after the recess, many of the Irish members would be able to attend the House. The hon. gentleman, proposed, therefore, to refer the business till a distant period, when such gentlemen might be present, and when accounts might be produced for that purpose. The hon. gentleman also, he said, would be enabled by such a delay to make up his mind upon the subject.- He concluded by moving, that the bill be committed to a Committee of the whole House] on Monday, the 13th of February.-Agreed

ATTEN

[ORDER FOR COL. GRANT'S DANCE.-Colonel F. IV. Grant, who, on account of his absence on the Waterford Committee, bad been ordered to attend in his place to-morrow, rose, and expressed his regret that he had given any trouble to the House. He stated, that it had been his intention, notwithstanding his military avocations, to attend, if absolutely necessary, on his duties connected with that House. From corresponding, however, with a friend in London, he was led to understand, that election committees were necessarily dissolved at the termination of the session, and that consequently his attendance on the Waterford Committee was no longer necessary. The failure of duty of which he had been guilty had arisen from this misapprehension, and not from any intention to transgress the regulations of the House. The moment, he said, he had received the order of that House for his attendance, he had set out from Dundee, where his regiment was now stationed, and where it would be necessary for him to return immediately. His military duties were of an imperious nature. He relied, therefore, on the indulgence of the House, and hoped they would attribute his absence, not to any want of respect for the House, or to any tendency to neglect his duty, but to the misapprehensions he had already stated, and the imperious commands of military duty.

The Speaker stated, that it was usual, in

such cases for the House to say whether they were satisfied with the apology or not, and then either to discharge the gentleman from attendance on the committee, if satisfied; or, if not satisfied with the gentleman's apology, the House would order his attendance to-morrow, as formerly.

Mr. Plumer rose and moved, "that, in consequence of the hon. gentleman's apology, the order for his attendance to-morrow be discharged."-The motion was agreed to, and the order was discharged accordingly.- -Colonel Grant returned his sincere thanks to the House for their indulgence.

[EAST INDIA BONDS.]-Lord Castlereagb moved the order of the day, for the House to resolve itself into a committee on the bill for regulating the rate of interest on the bonds issued by the East India Company. On the motion, that the Speaker do now leave the chair,

Mr. Dent rose, not to oppose the committal of the bill, but to call the attention of the House to the principal feature of it, which. he considered rather extraordinary, as giving an indulgence to the East India Company, which he thought extremely partial, and one from which every individual and corporate body in this kingdom, was precluded. A few nights since, the hon. Secretary of the Treasury, in answer to a question put to him by an hon. member on his side of the House, respecting the tax on property and income, amongst other things had declared it to be the intention of government, to go through with the assessment of the tax, during the present year, in the manner prescribed by the existing bill. Now the present bill introduced by the noble lord, was calculated to affect, by a side wind, an exemption of the bonds of the India Company from the law to which every other species of public stock was liable; and, consequently, to give those bonds a considerable advantage at market, over Exchequer Bills and every other species of stock; for the whole of the interest payable on Exchequer Bills, amounted to 51. 6 s. 3 d. per cent. per ann. payable yearly, and he could see no reason why an exemption should be extended to India Bonds, which would give them a preference at market over Exchequer Bills, seeing that they engaged a preference by the interest thereon being paid half-yearly. At least, if such an exemption as this was given to the public funds of the India Company, with a privilege of borrowing at such an extraordinary advance of interest, he could see no right in precluding other corporations from a similar advantage,

Lord Castlereagh rose, and, in answer to that part of Mr. Dent's speech which referred to the Income Tax, said, that the declaration of his hon. friend neither had, nor ought to have, any reference to the affairs of the East-India Company; and he trusted that the House would not consider, at the present crisis, that any regulations which his Majesty's ministers might deem necessary in assessing the Income Tax upon the property of individuals, ought to stand in the way of an important and necessary regulation, most materially interesting to the funds of a great commercial company, with the success of whose concerns the public revenues of this country were so deeply interested. He begged to call the attention of the House to the annual amount of the revenue paid to this country by the East-India Company, amounting, on an average, to £3,226,000 annually; and he trusted the House would feel too sensibly the import ance of that concern which the country must have in the welfare of a company yielding such important aid to the state, to refuse, on light or trivial grounds, its assent to such regulations in the management of their funds and capital, as should be absolutely necessary to carry on their commercial concerns, under the present circumstances of the empire, without material disadvantage for it was the province of the East-India Company, even under all the vicissitudes and disadvantages of war, to promote the commercial prosperity of the country in the most distant quarters of the globe; and this was not to be done unless they were enabled to keep a certain quantity of their funds afloat, and prevent them from returning back to their treasury, whereby their capital would be most material y diminished, and their means of trade consequently cramped. This could only be ef fected by enabling them so to regulate their rates of interest, as to maintain that respec tability to their bonds, at market, which would prevent a decided preference of other funds, to the depreciation of theirs. The hon. member had said, that the bonds of the company stood in no need of such aid, for that they at present enjoyed an advantage at market over Exchequer Bills, on account of their interest being payable half yearly. The fact, however, was otherwise; for Exchequer Bills were now at a premium of one shilling above par, whereas India Bonds were at a discount of two shillings, The noble lord then went generally into some financial statements of the company, in support of the bill: and contended that the increase of interest on their bonds was

necessary to give them currency abroad. He concluded by expressing a hope that the House would not refuse this indulgence to a great trading company, in whom the revenue and the state were so materially concerned.

Mr. Johnson said, the statement of the noble lord thi, night was in perfect consistency with the conduct adopted uniformly by him respecting the affairs of the company. In the last session, he amused the House with a pompous statement of the flourishing situation of their finances, and the brilliant prospects of their prosperity: but what is the first illustration the noble lord gives in this session? Why, a new plea of embarrassment, and a new appeal to the indulgence of the House, for the privilege of borrowing money, to answer their exigencies, at a much higher interest than any other corporate body, or individual in this country, dares venture to offer. Such was the conduct he should ever expect from the noble lord, so long as he presided over the conduct of India affairs; ever complaining of existing embarrassments, and ever holding out specious promises of future prosperity.

Mr. Vansittart said, that the present bill purported no more than a temporary relief to the India Company, from a species of embarrassment which in time of war must more or less affect all borrowers, public or private.

The government of the country, at such times, always filled up its loans up. on worse terms than were to be had in times of peace; and no company or individual could expect to be exempt from similar disadvantages: there was nothing, therefore, unreasonable, or unfair, in this mode of enabling the India Company to meet the terms upon which only their demands could be supplied.

Mr. Charles Grant said, the object of the bill was not to place the company in a better situation, but to prevent it from being placed in a worse situation. India bonds were coming in every day to be paid, and if the Property Tax was to be deducted at the India-House in fractional parts, according to the number of weeks and days upon which it might be necessary to calculate, it would create endless confusion and embarrassment, and must tend to depreciate the bonds.

Mr. William Dundas also supported the

bill; and denied there was any truth in the arguments of the hon. gent. opposite him (Mr. Johnson), that there was any proof in this bill of any embarrassment in the cireumstances of the East-India Company, or

any thing which could found a fair opinion against their prosperity. After some further conversation, the question was put and carried, and the House having resolved itself into a Committee upon the bill, went through the same, and it was ordered to be reported to-morrow.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

Wednesday, December 7.

Lord Hawkesbury presented the papers relative to the Convention entered into between Great Britain and Sweden, on the 25th July, which were laid upon the table. -The Seamen's Desertion Bill was read a second time, and committed for to-morrow. -The Bank Restriction Bill was brought up from the Commons, read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Wednesday, December 7. [MINUTES.]-Sir John Newport, return-. ed by the Committee member for Waterford instead of Mr. Alcock, took the oaths and his seat.-A private petition was brought up respecting the widening of the Canterbury Road. Ordered to lie on the table.-Mr. C. L. Dundas brought up the report of the Waterford Committee, which stated, that the Committee had found the election of Mr. Alcock illegal and defective, and that consequently they had declared Sir John Newport the legal member.-- Mr. C. L. Dundas also in pursuance of this report moved, that the Deputy Clerk of the Crown be ordered to attend to-morrow morning, in order to erase the name of Mr. Alcock, and alter the election. Ordered.-Mr. Sargent brought up the report of the Qualification Indemnity Bill. Ordered to be read a third time to-morrow.-Mr. Corry moved the order of the day for a Committee of the whole House on the Irish Sugar Drawback Bill. The alterations adopted by the Committee were purely verbal.-The House being resumed the report was ordered to be received to-morrow.-Mr. Corry moved the order of the day for the Irish Distillery Bill. It was read a second time, and ordered to be committed to-morrow.-Mr. Corry mov ed the order of the day for a Committee of the whole House on the Irish Promissory Note Bill. The House having resumed, the report was ordered to be received to-morrow. Mr. Corry moved the order of the day for a Committee of the whole House on the Irish Provision Bill. The House hav