Cobbett's Weekly Political Register

tlemen would be deprived of the opportunity | tice to allow further time to consider it, and

of delivering their sentiments upon them.

therefore he should not oppose it, but he should himself move for further time for that purpose.

Lord Folkestone obsersed, that several gent

present at the discussion of these amendments, hid gone away under an impression that these amendments were not to be proposed to be agreed to until to-morrow. His lordship said, he understood it to be the general practice of that House not to take amendments made by the lords into consideration until the next day after they were brought down.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer desired the Speaker to read, first the bill as it went up to the House of Lords, and then the amendment made by their lordships, which being done.

Mr. Secretary Yarke said, that if he thought 'there was any amendment which required much consideration, he should wish it to be deferred, to give every gentleman who wish-lemen who, he believed, intended to be ed it, an opportunity of delivering his sentiments upon it, but there really was nothing of that kind. It certainly was not difficult to understand the first amendment, as he had already stated it; and, as to all the rest, they were merely verbal. With regard to the idea of the amendments being material, and of its having so gone forth to the public, that was one of the inconveniences which resulted from permitting the publication of the proceedings of Parliament; under which, some persons had the audacity, in direct defiance of the standing orders of the House, not only to misrepresent the proceedings of the two Houses of Parliament, but sometimes actually to invent matter, which created great confusion in the public mind. A clause was proposed by a noble lord in the other House of Parliament, by way of amendment to the bill, which amendment was now before the House, and which went only to make up for an oversight of the House of Commons, by which it was provided, that if any volunteer should quit his corps, he should no longer be allowed to avail himself of the exemptions to which volunteers were entitled; that was all- a thing too plain for discussion.

Mr. Calcraft professed to have no wish to procrastinate this business, but he could not help thinking it was quite necessary that this amendment should be inquired into, which could not be done unless it was postponed until to-morrow at least. He was satisfied that a much more respectable attendance in point of numbers, would have taken place in the House if it had been thought that these amendments were to have been proposed to be agreed to to-night. He knew of no reason why the House might not take this matter into consideration to-morrow. He was quite sure none had been alleged.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, that all those gentlemen who had heard the amendment and attended to the bill, who thought that it only went to supply the defect of that bill as it went from that House, would agree to the amendment. But if any gentlemen in the House would have the goodness to attend to the amendment while it was read from the chair, and then would declare, as a member of that House, that he did not understand the amendment perfectly, not only would it be matter of jus

The Speaker took leave to observe, that although sometimes amendments made by the lords were taken into consideration on a subsequent day, yet it was extremely frequent for the House to agree to amendments made by the lords on the same day they were brought down. One of the amendments had been already explained: as to the rest, they were merely verbal. It was for the House to say whether it would consider them now, or defer them to a future day.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, that the substantial amendment now before the House was only to carry into effect the manifest intention of the House, but which intention had been imperfectly expressed. Here he went over the clause again, and observed, that the bill as it originally stood, only affected volunteers who should be ballotted, &c. but did not provide for the case of those who might have been balotted and exempted on account of being volunteers, but who ought not to have such exemptions longer than they should serve as volunteers.

Mr. Windbam said, that the importance of the subject was unquestionable. The propriety of adjourning the discussion of it was to him obvious. He professed himself incapable of understanding this amendment on the sudden, at least of being sure he understood it. Gentlemen had gone away under the idea that it was not to be discussed to-night, and he thought it was little more than matter of course to defer it until to-morrow. He was really ignorant of the possible effect of certain words being introduced into a bill like this, and his ignorance strengthened his argument in this case, for it was impossible without time to remove

it. There was no necessity of thus going backwards and forwards in a hurry with bills; and therefore on these grounds, with every reason for the adjournment, and none against it, he should think the House would not prooceed on this matter now.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, that by the word substantial amendinent, he did not mean that which the right hon gent. who spoke last, might suppose; he meant it. only by way of distinction from those amendments which were merely verbal.

Mr. Giles said, he considered the bill as now amended by the lords, to be precisely what the House intended it to be when they passed it, but from an oversight had omitted to express with precision, for which reason he supported the amendment, and saw no reason for delaying the consideration of it.

Mr. Calcraft adhered to his former opinion upon this subject, on account of gentlemen having left the House under an idea that the subject was not to be discussed tonight. As to the amendment being only what the House intended to have expressed, he did not think it much to the credit of the House, to have sent into the other House a bill which did not express what was meant by its authors - an additional reason for not being so hasty a second time. He alleged that the House would have done more wisely by printing the bill, and giving more time for its discussion than it had done. The lords had ordered it to be printed, and wisely so, for such measures should have as ample a discussion as possible. In one word, unless some better reason than any he had yet heard, was given for agreeing to these amendments to-night, he should think it his duty to object to that course.

An adjournment was moved by Lord Folkestone, as the bill had not been printed, that members might have an opportunity of seeing with more. certainly what was the effect of the different amendments.-The gallery was then cleared; but we understand that his lordship was prevailed upon to withdraw his motion. The amendments were then read and agreed to; the bill was returned to the lords, and the House adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

Tuesday, Dec. 20.

[MINUTES.]-Mr. Romilly was heard on the part of the appellant, in the cause of Keighley v. the East India Company, after which the Lord Chancellor at some length delivered his sentiments respecting the case.

His lordship was of opinion, that before their lordships came to a decision, some time should be allowed for making up their minds on so important a case to the parties concerned. Their lordships being to adjourn for the recess this night, he should move that the further proceedings be adjourned to the second day of the meeting of Parliament after the recess. Ordered. -Mr. Milford presented an account of the expense of the northern lights, the southern whale fishery, and some other accounts, which were laid on the table. A message was sent to the honourable House of Commons by Sir Francis Molyneux, gentleman usher of the Black Rod, acquainting them, that the lords, authorised by virtue of his Majesty's commissior for declaring his royal assent to several acts agreed upon by both Houses, desired the immediate attendance of the honourable House in the House of Peers to hear the commission read; and the Commons being come thither, the said commission, empowering the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord High Chancellor of GreatBritain, and several other lords therein named, to declare and notify the royal assent to the said acts, was read accordingly; and the royal assent given to, An act to explain and amend two acts passed in the forty-second and forty-third years of the reign of his present Majesty, relating to volunteers and yeomanry corps in Great Britain and also one private act. -The House then adjourned to Friday the 3d day of February, 1804.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Tuesday, Dec. 20.

[MINUTES.]-A message from the lords required the attendance of the Speaker at the bar of that House, where the royal assent was given by commission to the volunteer exemption act.-Mr. Mitford presented an abstract of the account of the commissioners of northern light houses; also an account of the number of ships from Scotland engaged in the whale fishery. Ordered to lie on the table.-On the motion of Mr. Sergeant, a new writ was ordered to be issued for the election of a burgess for the borough of Dorchester in the room of the hon. Cropley Ashley, who has accepted the office of clerk of the deliveries in his Majesty's ordnance. Mr. Sheridan presented a petition from certain electors of the borough of Liskeard, in Cornwall, complaining of the decision of the Committee appointed to try the merits of the last elec

tion for that borough The petition stated the right of voting vested in all the inhabitants of Liskeard paying scot and lot, although the Committee determined that it belonged solely to the mayor and burgesses, and accordingly decided that the honourable John and William Elliots, the sitting mem bers, were duly elected; but in the opinion and judgment of petitioners, as Thomas Sheridan and William Ogilvie, Esqrs. had the majority of scot and lot voters, the said decision of the Committee was contrary to the law and usage of Liskeard. They, there

fore, prayed permission to oppose the resolutions of the said Committee.-Another petition of o similar nature was presented by Mr. Sheridan, from a Mr. Child, of Liskeard. Both petitions were ordered to be taken into consideration on Tuesday the 10th of April next.-Ordered, that the account presented by Mr. Vansittart on the 14th instant, relative to bounties given on fish brought to the London market, should be printed. On the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer the House adjourned to Wednesday the 1st of February 1804.

An Account of the NET PRODUCE of all the PERMANENT TAXES in the Years aud Quarters ending the 10th day of October, 1802 and 1803, respectively.

An Account of the Amount of the NOTES of the BANK OF IRELAND, in Circulation (including BANK POST BILLS payable after Seven Days Sight) on the 1st January, April, August, and October, 1803, respectively; distinguishing the Amount of the several Descriptions of Notes below the Value of FIVE POUNDS.