Some additional claufes were brought up by Mr Pitt, enacting that the volunteers raised in any county fhould be deducted from the ftated number, &c. Nov. 1. The Houfe refolved itself into a Committee to confider further the Militia Augmentation Bill, the refult of which was, that the Bill should be read a third time on the morrow, if then engroffed. Mr Pitt, previous to the order of the day for receiving the Report of the Committee on the Provifional Cavalry Bill, fuggefted the propriety of dividing the Bill into two, and thereby diftinguishing between the infantry and cavalry; not with any intention, he faid, of relinquishing either, but for the convenience of the House. The Bill was ordered to be recommitted, and Mr Pitt moved, that it be an inftruction to the Committee to divide the Bill into two, if they think proper. Agreed to. The Houfe then refolved itself into the Committee, and the clauses were difcuffed feparately, and a number of amendments were made, report received, and the Bill ordered to be engroffed. 2. The Militia Augmentation Bill paffed, after claufes introduced to except from the ballot a poor man having three children, and making an allowance of one fhilling per week to thofe who ferved for each of their children under ten years of age. against the Bill, and Mr Nicholls, Mr Stewart, and others in favour of it; and the Houfe divided for receiving the report, Ayes 140, Noes 30. Mr Pitt then brought up four new claufes, for permitting perfons refident at two places to make their election for which they would be balloted, to exempt officers in actual fervice, to exempt perfons not continuing to keep horses, and to direct the mode of purchafing a horfe, where none in the clafs were fit for service, which were all adopted. The Gamekeepers Bill was read a firft time, and the Houfe adjourned. Nov. 3. The House having refolved itfelf into a Committee of the whole Houfe on the Bill for prohibiting the export, and permitting the import of Corn, Mr Ryder, in conformity to notice, propofed a claufe authorifing the diftillation of damaged wheat, or fuch as fhould be pronounced unfit for the food of man, after an infpection under the authority of the Commiffioners of Excife, or two or three corn factors who fhould be of the fame opinion. He next moved for the introduction of a clause permitting the manufacture of ftarch, under certain restrictions, which were agreed to. The Bill for raifing a provifional force of Cavalry was read a third time, and previous to the question on its paffing. Mr Pitt brought up feveral clauses, which were committed and agreed to. Nov. 4. The orders for hearing_the petitions against the elections for Tre gony, Cirencester, and Worcester, were difcharged, the petitioners not having entered into the neceffary recognizances. The Cavalry Bill, after receiving fome amendments, was read a third time, and paffed. The Navy and Army Augmentation Bili alfo paffed, after fome obfervations of Mr Frafer on the inequality, according to their population, of the number of men required from the feveral counties in Scotland. Mr Fox declaimed in a moft vehement manner against the Bill, and on the ftate of Ireland. He ridiculed the idea of an invasion of England, but an attempt upon Ireland might be proba ble, the people of which country were treated in fuch a manner by the English Government as to be capable of any thing the mafs of the people were treated like cattle, not like men-the country was infulted with a contemptible monopoly under the name of a Parliament with an image, but the mockery of the Parliament of Great Britain. Mr Ryder reprobated in indignant terms the fpeech of the Right Hon. Gentleman. He lamented that any Member of the British Parliament fhould labour to excite Irishmen to infurrection, by telling them they were treated like oxen or sheep; or that his political paffions fhould carry any Englishman fo far from himself, as to utter in the House of Commons a fpeech, which might have. Dec. 5. Mr Grey, preparatory to the difcompofed the manifefto of a French ge- cuffion to take place on the fubject of Finneral, after an invasion of Ireland. ances on Wednesday, wifhed that fome Lord Stanley and Mr Sheridan fpoke_ mode could be found of ascertaining the Ed. Mag. Jan. 1797. I 7. In the Committee on a Bill for Funding the Navy Bills, Mr Rofe brought up a claufe providing, that when holders of Navy Bills bring them to the office to be registered, they fhall then make choice of the flock in which they may choofe to fund them, and shall be bound by that choice. amount amount of the Navy Debt up to the 30th of November. He then remarked, that there appeared upon the difpofition paper the fum of 200,000l. paid as a fub. fidy to the King of Sardinia, for the year 1796. Mr Rofe faid, the fubfidy was voted under the general head of Army Service, but had not been fo paid.. General Tarleton remarked various charges for erecting batteries along the coaft, and fupplying them with iron ordnance, amounting to 60,oool. Thefe batteries he afferted to be wholly inefficient for the protection of the coaft, and the expenditure altogether profligate and Houfe on the unexampled alacrity with which the loan was fubfcribed, and on the low intereft, confidering the long ftate of warfare, at which he had been able to obtain it-viz. at 5l. 12s. 6d. per cent. He wished, however, this item was the only one which he had intereft to provide for; but it happened, that in our favourite fervice, the Navy debt had exceeded by 8,250,00cl. the fum at which he had calculated it, and the probable excess of that debt for the prefent year might be 5,700,000l. To the intereft of thefe fums alfo must be added 140,000l. at which, in the Ways and Means of last year, the Collateral Succeffion Tax was calculated; but which, in confequence of its being too complicated, was obliged to be withdrawn. 10,913,000 1,623,000 2,222,000 378,000 350,000 200,000 3.000.000 Deficiencies of prior grants 1,023-000 To provide then for the payment of this intereft of two millions one hundred and ten thousand pounds, he should propole additional duties on Tea, Coffee, 410,000 Sugar, Spirits, Diftilleries (which had increated in Scotland to a degree alarm1,075.000 ing to the lives and morals of the peo18,000,000 ple) Bricks, Auctions, Stage Coaches, 5,500,000 Parcels by Coaches, &c. Poftage of Letters, Canals, and an increafe on the Affeffed Taxes 27,695,000 In adverting to the neceffity of immediately providing intereft for the money borrowed, Mr Pitt congratulated the He fhould likewife propofe a regulation in the Receipt Duties-viz. that the perfon receiving the money should be compelled compelled to find a receipt. This he calculated would produce an addition of 30,000l. per annum; but he fhould not include it in the following Recapitulation. Additional and New Duties. Rum rod. do. on Brandy rd. do. on Wash Scotch Distilleries-541. per gallon per fið Sugar-2s. 6d. per cwt.on Sugar imported Bricks.-38. 6d. per 1000 on' thofe imported Is. ditto on home made 5 per cent on Customed Goods, and ro per cent on Brimftone, Hemp, Iron in bars or unwrought, Olive Oils. and Staves(Prize Goods, Wine and Coals excepted) Auctions in the pound on eftates 3d. ditto on fur niture Coffee and Cocoa-9d perlb. Poftage-id. additional on three-penny letters, and fo in proportion Canals-a duty of oneeighth of the toll of goods carried by inland navigation Stage Coaches-id. additional per mile Parcels 2d. on all Parcels fent by coaches Drawback on Plantation Coffee Aleled Taxes new regula tions on Horfes, 1 2,000l. additional tax on Houses, 150,000l. and Commutation Duty, 128,000l. 36,000 184,000 fary to advance the Emperor 1,200,000!. and when the fubject came to be dif culled, and the whole fituation of affairs was laid before the Houfe, he doubted not that their refolution in this intance, would not only command the in emnity, but the approbation of a Briti. Senate. Mr Pitt alfo mentioned other una£240,000 vordable or unforeseen circumftances which had fwelled beyond expectation th year's accounts; but he perfuaded ,220,000 himself the Houfe would not regard any ptial expence, or be wanting in any efort to avert impending mifchief and 300,000 certain difgrace; they would always vindicate the character which had been 280,000 tranfmitted to them from their forefathers; they would look with confoled feelings to the profpect of a peace; but they would accept of no peace which was not likely to be attended with full fecurity. They must be happy to find that the tumultuous and unnatural efforts of the enemy had been met by us with the aid only of fober and regular industry, and that in the fourth year of an expensive war our credit and revenue had even gone beyond a peace calculation. It was with equal aftonishment and fatisfaction that he could ftate the exports from this country as amounting to the fum of thirty millions, and ex30,000 ceeding by four millions thofe of 1795The increase, he was alfo happy to ftate, confifted chiefly in articles of British 250,000 manufacture. He did not fay this to abate any regret for the burdens which they were now about to impofe, or to fubtract from the defire, which all muft naturally feel, of a peace. He ufed them as arguments to imprefs the Houfe' 60,000 with a conviction, that no peace was defirable, but fuch a one as would en60,000 fure to us fafety at home, and respect abroad. 40,000 120,000 22,000 290,000 £1,132,000 -- Mr Pitt, before he fat down, took the opportunity to obferve, that our expenditure laft year had been confiderably augmented by the affiftance which Minifters had deemed it their duty to give a valuable, a faithful, and an hoBourable ally. They had found it necef Mr Pitt, after enforcing several obfervations of the fame tendency, concluded a fpeech of three hours and a quarter by moving his first refolution. Mr Grey declared, that most of the ftatements of the Minifter respecting the flourishing ftate of the country (which, notwithstanding fome fymptoms of profperity, was haftening to ruin)were moft fallacious. The Houfe would hardly believe, he said, that one-fifth of the boafted exports, confifted of coffee only. Mr Fox took the fame ground, declaring that his duty would not permit him to let the Houfe underftand he admitted the juftnefs of any part of the deI 2 Jufive lufive statements that had been made to them by the Minifter, whofe fyftem tended to the abolition of the privileges of the House of Commons, and the creation of a dictator in the perfon of himself who, during the war, was to expend and levy at difcretion. When he confeffed he had fent twelve hundred thousand pounds to the Emperor without the confent of Parliament, would he fay that any thing lefs was meant by this than that he was better entitled to judge what the people of England fhould give to the Emperor than the Houfe of Commons, in whom the conftitution had repofed that truft? If this was the fyftem of the day, the Conftitution was neither worthy to be fought for or cared for. As to Domeftic expences, it might be true, though lamentable, that accuracy was impoffible but then the principles of thefe expences were known; in the prefent inftance, Parliament had neither known the expence, nor been confulted as to the principle, and the Minifter deferved to be impeached for having fhewn a defign to difpofe of money without the authority of the legal guardians of the public purfe. Mr Fox drew a parallel between the King's Minifters of Hanover and his Minifters of Britain, in their respective conduct towards France, not much in favour of the latter; and he faid, the Chancellor of the Exchequer was now, after fpending one hundred millions of money, and innumerable lives, foliciting a negociation which he (Mr F.) had recommended, and which would have been effected with eafe, our years ago but at the propofal of which, the haughty Minifter then frowned indignant. Mr. Fox referving for a future day his remarks on the nature of the taxes, the refolutions moved by Mr Pitt paffed, and the Houfe adjourned. Advances to the Emperor. Dec. 8. On receiving the report of the Ways and Meaus, and on the motion, that the refolutions of yesterday be read a fecond time, Mr Fox rofe, and faid, that after he had reached home last night, he had felt himself uneafy in giving a filent affent to the granting of a fhilling more to an Ad miniftration who had applied an immenfe fum of the public money to effect their particular views, without the confent of Parliament-who had not only given in a moft unconfiitutional manner hundreds of thousands to a foreign potentate, but had given a great part of it during the fitting of the Houfe of Commons, who were the fole guardians of the public purfe, and the only power that could direct the iffues of it. He then obferved, that the firft of this money had been paid during the Seffion of the late Parliament, when Minifters were preffed on his fide of the Houfe to know if they meant to grant further fubfidy to the Emperor, and gave equivocal answers-and the major part of it had been advanced after the prefent Legiflature had been elected, yet Adminiftration had the criminality to conceal the business, and did not, until the laft moment, upon opening the Budget, when they were compelled to ask for the Supply, deigu to mention the fubject to the Commons of Great Bri tain. This was fo glaring an infringe ment of the Conftitution, fuch an ufurpation of the Executive over the Legiflative Power, that if admitted, without punishing the authors of the meafure, there was an end to our once boafted frame of Government, the Crown had completely fuperfeded the office of Parliament. For his part, he deemed the Minifter guilty of a high crime and mifdemeanor. If, however, the House fhould think otherwife, many with me will think, faid Mr Fox, our long-famed Conftitution a deteftable one. Even after all the attacks which have been made upon it, and all the wounds which it has received, we would ftill have fhed our blood in its defence; but, if this new defalcation is to be added to what we were formerly robbed of, I would wish to know what there is left to intereft our feelings, or to excite our exertions? This will, indeed, be an incalculable addition to all the woes and calamities which the war has induced; and if, after what we have loft in money, in reputation, and in blood, we are allo to fubmit to this op preffion, the Houfe of Commons is no longer to be confidered as a branch of the Conftitution; and there will be little in our Government to diftinguish it from that of abfolute monarchies. Mr Pitt faid, that thofe who were ig norant of the Right Hon. Gentleman's command of inflammatory language, and who had never heard him deliver his opinions before, would, from the fpecimen they had juft now heard, have conceived that he had on this occafion, for the firft time in his life, difcovered the Conflitution to be really in danger, and from the earneftness of his tone, and vehemence of manner, would have thought that he was was really alarmed and in apprehenfion of danger. Far otherwife, however, were the impreffions with which he and many around him had listened to his harangue. They knew full well that it was not the firft, fecond, or third time that he had declared himfelf at the laft dyke of the Conftitution, and in the utmoft confternation and dread, when thofe meatures were propofed which the real friends of the Conftitution knew, and have fince found, were the most effective means of preferving it from decay, and from the mischievous machinations of its moft dangerous enemies. They were by no means unaccustomed to thofe fpecies of alarm and unsparing affertion, which fought to convert to its own views every act and opinion of its opponents. After having faid thus much on the conduct and views of the Hon. Member, he came to the subject itself. Every article of expence, he obferved, ftated to Parliament under the head of Extraordinaries, was a fum paid without its previous confent, and submitted to it after wards for its judgment and decifion. No war could be carried on without fuch a power in Minifters; but in all cafes they are refponfible for the money fo iffued they take the meafure upon themselves; Parliament is to judge of the policy or expediency of it, and will cenfure or approve their conduct as it may think fit. The principle upon which this is done is, then, not only not new, but has been repeatedly recognized by Parliament, and fanctioned by the neceffity of the cafe; the beft and wifeft Minifters this country ever had have adopted the measure, and it was fomewhat fingular for the Right Hon. Gentleman, that the principle was acted upon by the two Miniftries of which he made a part. Mr Pitt moreover obferved, that the House had given his Majefty a vote of credit laft year (of 2,500,000l.-more than double the fum advanced the Empero) for fuch purposes as the exigencies of affairs might require. If then Minif STATE Official Documents of the Negociation for Peace between Gr. Britain and France, as prefented to the two Houses of Parliament. (No. 27.)-NOTE. HE underfigned is charged to tranftiger fairs the inclofed memorial, containing ters thought, that under the authority of Parliament money fo given could not be more beneficially applied than in fuccouring a brave ally, they would have deferved punishment for fearing so to apply it. Mr Pitt farther remarked, that at the beginning of the year there was an alarm which, however false, was general, of an almoft total want of fpecie; had it at that inftant been increased by a public propofal to send out of the kingdom a large fum of money, no one could caiculate its terrible effects; whereas by remitting small fums occafionally, and as the country could bear it, no inconvenience was felt, nor defpondency occafioned. Mr Pitt concluded by obferv ing, that the falvation of Germany was in great measure indebted to the aid afforded by this country-that in what he had done he had endeavoured to act beft for the welfare of his country; and, added he, "I am ready to meet the Honourable Gentleman now, or at any time, confident of the rectitude of my conduct, and the ultimate refult of his enquiry.➡ If I could doubt it, arrogant as it may appear to put my opinion in hoftility to the collective voice of this Houfe, I folemnly declare, that I would rather feel the confcioufnefs of having produced the benefit I have by this measure, though I fhould thereby incur the imputation of guilt, than owe my acquittal to that injurious remiffness that would have occafioned the worft of evils to the country I am bound to protect, at every risk, and whofe welfare is the earneft and unremitting ftudy of my life. Some further debate enfued; in which Sir W. Pulteney, Mr Bastard, Mc Grey, Mr Harrison, Mr Curwen, and Mr Fox spoke warmly and earnestly against the measure as unconftitutional; which was defended by Mr Wilberforce, MrYorke, and Lord Hawkesbury. But when the Houfe divided on Mr Fox's motion to put off the Ways and Means, the majority for the Minifter was 106-Ayes being 58, Noes 164. PAPERS: the propofals of his Court, with refpect to th application of the general principie already eftablifhed, as the basis of the negociation for peace. He will, with the utmoft readiness, enter with that Minifter into every expla negociation will allow, and he will not fail to |