liberty to contradict his assertions, for the sake of his principles; even were he so situated, with his pride and property interested in the existence of the religious esta blishment, and with himself sworn for the conservation of that establishment, it would be impossible that he could exert the political power he possessed to the subversion of the opposite religion, either by violence or by legal means. The Irish catholics did not petition for these trifling cons cesssions, but thence it did by no means follow that they would not wish to receive them. The very meaning of the act of 1793 conferred upon them the offices in the bank; for if that parliament denied them, it would be the most nonsensical that ever existed in the annals of legislation. To the argument of the other right honourable gentleman (Mr. Foster), I shall only say, that it amounts to this that because one hundred years ago, the catholics of Eng land were excluded from such offices, therefore a similar restriction ought now to be imposed on the Irish catholics. I shall not deign to make any further comment on such a position.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer and Lord Henry Petty explained, after which the house divided on the motion of lord Henry Petty:

Ayes
Noes

Majority

83

96

13

The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the house adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

FRIDAY, JUNE 3.

The royal assent was given by commission to the mili tary inquiry bill, and some other bills; in all, public and private, nine. The commissioners were the Lord Chan cellor, the Earl of Darmouth, and Lord Walsingham.

Several bills on the table were forwarded in their re spective stages.

Some bills were brought from the commons by Mr. Wharton, Mr. Barlow, Mr. Greenough, Mr. Graham; and other members, and read a first time.

VOL. III,-1808.

2Z

The military inquiry revival and con inution bill was also brought from the commons by Mr. Wharton, and other members.

Upon this bill the Lord Chare or made some observations, in consequence of the similarity of its title with that of a bill which had received he royal assent this day by commission. His lordship said a rumor had reached him, that it was supposed that the latter bill had gone through i's stages so as to be ready for the royal assen on Wednesday: whilst the fact was, that it was only on that day read a third time. In order to show that no unne cessary delay had taken place in the progress of the bill, his lordship moved the reading of the minutes of its dif ferent stages, from the day it was brought up from the commons, namely, last Friday; which were accordingly read by the clerk.

Mr. Irving, from the customs, presented an account of exports and imports from and into the port of London, for the quarter ending the 5th of April. (SOS. Ordered to lie on the table. Adjourned ill Wednesday.

HOUSE OF

COMMONS.

FRIDAY, JUNE 3.

The Speaker, upon taking the chair, was summoned to the house of lords to hear his majesty's commission read. On his return he acquainted the house that that house had been in the house of peers, and had heard the commis-ion read, whereby the royal assent had been given to the military inquiry commissioners bill, and several private bills.

Mr. Richmond, from the commissioners of the cus-. toms, presented a copy of the memorial relative to the woollen goods belonging to Messrs. Mahony and Company, of Cork, from Messrs. T. Simmons and Company, of Liverpool.

The land revenue bill was read a third time, passed, and ordered to the lords.

The hare shooting bill was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on Wednesday.

The Irish glebe house bill passed through a commitee. The report was then received, and the bill was ordered to be engrossed.

JUNE 3.]

MISCELLANEOUS.

The ananity bill was read a second time, and ordered to be conni ted on Thursday.

Mr. Huskisson brought in the ten millions five hundred thousand pounds 1n bill, which was real a first time, and ordre 1 to be read a second time on Wednesday.

The eaque ports bill was committed, and the report received, on ordered to be taken into further consideration on Mon by fort ight.

The oxymura ic acid, drawback bill was read a first ti me, and ordered to be read a second time on WedResday.

The pilchard and copper bills were reported, and ordered to be printed.

Mr. Fuller brought in a bill for preventing the spreading of small pox infection. Read first and second time, committed and ordered to be printed as amended. Lord Folksose thought the bill ought to stand over till the next The bill. session of parliament. Mr. Fuller acceded was reported, and ordered to be read a third time this day three months.

Mr. Huskisson, having given notice of a motion for leave to bring in a bill to regulate and restrain the issue of promissory notes reissuable, state 1, that on consideration he was dis osed to coincide generally in the representations of those who were of opinion that this credit, as well as every other, ought to be left as free as possible. But much mischief and confusion arose from the frequent issues of very small notes to the amount of fifteen or twenty shillings, the abuse of which was very general. To obviate this evil, he moved for leave to bring in a bill to prevent the issue of promissory notes under the amount of twenty shillings.

Mr. Thompson-represented the propriety of guarding against the issue of checks by one partner of a banking house on his fellow-partners for ten or fifteen shillings.

Mr. Huskisson was aware of the variety of shapes in which the abuse existed, and had taken proper advice pre vious to the framing of this bill, as to the best means of covering every species of abuse.

Sir John Newport represented the variety and extent of frauds for nerly practised by the issuers of no es under one pound in Ireland; and was therefore desirous that a remedy by proper restriction should be applied in this country as soon as possible.

Mr. Parnell said the circulation of these small notes

was owing to the deficiency of silver coin, and wished ministers to apply the only effectual remedy, which was a new silver coinage. Leave was given to bring in

the bill.

Mr. Huskisson rose to move for leave to bring in a bill for the better regulations of the fares of hackney coaches. According to a former act it was provided, that when the price of oats was above one guinea a quarter, an increase of twenty per cent. should take place on hackney coach'' fares in some cases, and thirty per cent. in others. The price of oats had of late years been almost uniformly above one guinea a quarter; but the uncertainty of the calcula tion of the advance on all fares, had given rise to great abuses, without providing sufficiently for the interest of the coach-owner. In order to guard against these abuses in future, and to give the coach-master a fair and certain profit, he proposed to introduce fixed regulations in the present bill. It was also meant to include a provision to guard against the practice now very prevalent, and very injurious to hackney coachmen, of stage coaches belonging to the villages near town, taking up passengers in one part of the town, and setting them down in another, within the proper and exclusive limits of the hackney coachmen. Leave was given to bring in the bill.

The Secretary at War obtained leave to bring in a bill, to compel parish officers to account for fines paid to them under the militia acts.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved for the adjournment of the committee on the curates bill till Wednesday, which he proposed should be the day of reassem bling after thie recess. Ordered.

Mr. Wharton brought up the report of the Scotch judges provision bill. Ordered to be read a third time on Wednesday.

The resolutions of the committee on the American trade were reported, and a bill ordered accordingly. The bill was afterwards brought in by Mr. Rose, read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on Wednesday.

COURTS MARTIAL.

Mr. Lyttleton rose to make his promised motion with respect to the royal right of revising the sentences of courts martial. He was fully aware of the great importance of

the subject, and wished it had fallen to the lot of one more capable of doing justice to it. The honourable member then entered into a history of courts martial and their origin. He shewed that the power of the sword was first committed solely to the crown in the ar bitrary reign of Henry the Eighth. God forbid he should ever submit to hat house any proposition that tended in the slightest degree to restrain the constitutional power of the crown over the army; but he would contend that, from history, it was evident that the house had a right of interference in the general controul of the army, and the mutiny act was a proof of that right; that there could be no necessary connection between the right of revision and the good government of the army, was sufficiently obvious from the consideration that such a right was not acknowledged, and did not exist, in the navy, a branch of our defence that was not inferior in discipline or in any other requisite qualification to the army. He admitted, that if no abuses had existed in consequence of the right of revision, it would not have become him to propose any alteration in a system of things so long established; but he feared too many instances had occurred, that would go to justify the proposition he had to submit to the house. When he first had the honour of a seat in that house, a paper was laid upon the table, relative to the proceedings of a corrt martial, whose sentence had been changed from a sentence of acquittal into a sentence of censure; another case had occurred, which had excit ed a considerable portion of public animadversion; a gallant officer had been honourably acquitted, and yet in consequence of that right of revision, that gallant officer was passed over in a course of general promotion, and all his professional prospects and hopes closed and blasted for ever. The honourable member next adverted to the case of captain, now sir Isaac, Coffin; this gentleman had been tried for making a false muster, and was sentenced by the court martial to be dismissed his ship; but the act requiring that all persons convicted of such of fence should be dismissed the service, the admiralty, in conformity did accordingly dismiss him the service; whereupon, he petitioned the king in council, who referred his case to the twelve judges, who reported that the sentence was not legal, and the captain was subsequently restored