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and which, indeed, it would not be proper to communicate. He readily admitted that some such, treaty was called for by the claims which his Sicilian majesty had upon the generosity an honour of this country. At the same time, however, there were circumstances connected with the state of Sicily which afforded ground for much anxiety, and he was glad to find that precautionary provisions were inserted in the treaty; but he regretted that in addition to the two fortresses which our troops were to Occupy, that of Malazzo was not also directed to be risoned by our troops, the latter fortress being of great strength and importance, and kept up at a trifling ex

pence.

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The motion for the address was carried, and the address ordered to be presented to his majesty by the lords with white staves.

On the motion of Lord Hawkesbury, the local militia bill was ordered to be read a second time on Wednesday, and the lords to be summoned.

The Irish bank charter bill was also, on the motion of Lord Hawkesbury, ordered to be read a second time on Monday, and the lords to be summoned. Adjourned."

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MONDAY, JUNE 13.

}

Lord Milton presented a petition from the clothiers of Yorkshire.

The oyster fishery bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed on Friday next.

Mr. Huskisson obtained leave to bring in a bill for the better regulation of the warehousing duties on prize goods, &c.

A message from the lords acquainted the house that their lordships had agreed to the Dean forest bill, the Irish glebe house bill, and several private bills, without any amendments.

The order of the day having been read for taking into further consideration the pilots' bill, the bill was recom mitted. The house having gone into a committee, Mr. Jackson opposed the clause that vested in the lord warden the power of nominating the sixty pilots, on the ground that such power would increase his influence to such a

degree that he could command two hundred votes, and would be thus enabled to send two members to hat house or Dover.

neces

Sir William Curtis bore testim ny to the urge sity for pits, mom the great and general loss of ships upon the coast.

Mr. Rose not being inclined to yield to the objections of Mr. Jackson, the committee divided on the question, that the said clause stand part of the bill, when there appeared:

Ayes
Noes

75

12

Majority

63

When strangers were re-admitted, the Speaker was reading a message from his majesty relating to the usual yote of credit at the end of the session.

EAST INDIA COMPANY.

'The Chancellor of the Exchequer then moved, that the house do resolve itself into a committee of supply, and that his majesty's most gracious message, together with the report of the committee on East Indian affairs, and also the petition of the East India company, be referred to the said committee. On the question being put,

Lord Folkstone rose, and opposed the referring the report of the committee on East Indian affairs to the committee of supply. He did not think the report of the committee satisfactory or conclusive. He repeated his former objections to the state of the company's affairs.'

Mr. R. Dundas observed, that the objections of the noble lord would be better reserved for the committee.

Mr. Creevey was of the same opinion as the noble Jord; but would not object to the house going into the

committee.

The house having then gone into the committee,

Mr. R. Dundas shortly explained the reasons which induced him to submit the resolution he intended to submit to the committee, and which, he said, were amply and satisfactorily laid down in the report. He then moved the following resolution: that it is the opinion of this committee, that a sum not exceeding 1,500,000. be granted to his majesty, to enable him to pay the same to The united merchants trading to the East Indies, on ac

count of expences incurred by them in the public service.

Lord Folkstone repeated the objections he had urged before the house had gone into a committee, and then moved as an amendment. that instead of 1,500,000. the stim of five pounds be granted his majesty to enable him to pay the same to the East India company, &c.'

Mr. Creevey said that he was rather disposed to agree to the resolution, with the exception of one item, amounting to 160,000l. which he could not consent to vote.

Mr. Tierney stated it as his decided opinion, that if the claims of the East India company had been referred to a master in chancery instead of a committee of that house, these claims would have been reported as amounting to four millions and upwards, instead of the sum now moved for. He thought that it was but fair the company should be paid the debt according to the terms on which it was

lent.

Lord Folkstone said, he had moved the grant of 51. merely by way of matter of form, for that he still thought that no money should be voted to the company what

ever.

Sir John Anstruther said, that the money was borrowed in India, aud ought to be paid there; if so, the company was enti led to interest till the bullion arrived in India.

Mr. Creevey replied to sir J. Anstruther.

Mr. Wilberforce avowed it as his opinion, that the claims of the company had been unanswerably made out, and were founded in justice.

Lord Morpeth said a few words, but in so low a tone that he was not audible in the gallery.

The amendment was then negatived, and the original resolution carried.

SICILIAN TREATY.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved a resolution, that 300,00. be granted to his majesty, to enable him to fulfil his engagements with the king of Sicily.

Mr. Whitbread desired some explanation as to the lateness of the time at which this treaty was laid before the house; and how this sum came to be paid so long by government without any former communication to parliament. Policy required, that when we gave away such large sums we should know wherefore. He also observed,

that returns ought to have been laid before the house, of the proper application of this money. He observed in the treaty that a particular number of men was mentioned, as that which it would be necessary to provide for its defence. He did not approve of this. It was certainly enough for us to say that we would defend it, leaving the number to our discretion."

Mr. Canning entered into a detail of the circumstances by which Naples had been drawn into the war with France, and stated that it had been done by a Russian commander who had landed troops there. But the king of Naples being drawn in o the war, Britain was bound by every consideration to assist him in his defence. The engagement to pay 25,000l. a month, or 300.000l. a year, had been entered into by the government before, the late one, and part of the money had been paid. In 1806, when the change took place, the Sicilian ambassador applied to the ministers, and it was resolved that a regular agreement should be drawn up, but in the mean time, the payments were made. The regular engagement was not drawn up till the close of that administration. The instrument arrived here in July or August last; but from some mistake of Mr. Drummond, there was an article in it to which we could not agree, It was therefore necessary to send it back, and be hoped it would appear that they had laid it before the house as soon as possible. With regard to the returns mentioned by the honourable gentle man, these could not very easily have been made previ ous to this period; but Mr. Drummond had declared, that the greatest exertions were making in Sicily; and he might be the more readily depended upon, as he went out with an inclination to think that they would scarcely act with all the requisite energy. As to the number of troops, it was judged necessary to fix the minimum, which was ten thousand men, but there was nothing to prevent us from sending more if that should be judged proper, and more there actually were at this moment.

Lord Henry Petly thought the answers satisfactory. He was of opinion, however, that the specific provisions for the defence of the island, ought to have appeared on the face of the treaty, in a manner more full than they actually did.

Mr. Whitbread admitted that the answer to the first question was satisfactory, and he was glad that a Russian

and not a British commander had been guilty of that most impolitic, absurd, and pernicious act, the forcing of Naples into the war at the time she had concluded a 'reaty of neutrality with France. He, however, saw no reason why we were to have the controul of two forts in the island and not of the third and most important He thought we should have had an option of putting our garrisons in whichever of them we pleased, or in all.

Mr. Canning stated that we had, and should have, the controul over the third; but that the provision respecting the two was adopted with a view to the number of troops we could furnish. He also observed, that the duties paid by our soldiers on certain articles of provision in Sicily were to be drawn back in the payments to be made under the freaty

Mr. Windham had heard a great deal more importance attached to the third fortress than to those of Messina and Augusta, as being more directly in the line of the place where an enemy from the opposite coast could soonest reach. He certainly thought, therefore, that the stipulation ought to have been express for our occupying this fortress.

Mr. Wilberforce said there was a provision in the treaty that appeared to bind us to restore Naples to the king of Sicily at a peace. He was sorry for this: because, as we wished always to perform our engagements, we ought rather to promise less than more than we could do. This was not, perhaps, the meaning intended; but it might bear that construction.

Mr. Canning stated that there could be no doubt as to the construction of this article, as it was the amendment of that one which had last year been objected to, precisely on the ground mentioned, that it might bind us to more than we could perform. Still, if we could restore Naples to the king of Sicily, we should be glad to do it, although we could not enter into any engagement to

do it.

Mr. Whitbread understood it so. He thought that this country might issue a mandate that might restore the inhabitants of Sicily to that state of happiness which they once enjoyed, instead of the misery under which they at present groaned.

Mr. Canning said that there were many things which one might wish to correct in the continental governments;

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