had communicated the substance of his intended motion to his right honourable friend, the secretary for foreign affairs, whose absence he had now to regret, because he was certain, that had his right honourable friend been present, he would have made no objection to the nature of the motion he (Mr. Sheridan) had to propose. He had so framed it, that it was imposible the entertaining of it could cause any public detriment, or expose ministers to any violation of that discretion and secrecy which it was their duty to obserye in matters of this sort. But if that right honourable gentleman was ignorant of the pur port of his motion, that was only a new proof to him of the shyness of communication which he had reason to believe existed between that right honourable gentleman (Mr Perceval) and his right honourable friend (Mr. Canning), otherwise he could not account for the disappro bation which the right honourable gentleman had now manifested of any motion of the nature he had intended to make, being brought under the consideration of the house.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer was not aware of any good that could arise from the agitation of such a subject, and must only suppose, that the object of the right ho nourable gentleman, in making such a motion, was mere ly to draw a speech from one of his majesty's ministers.

Mr. Whitbread was anxious to dissuade his right ho nourable friend (Mr. Sheridan) from stirring any inquiry into the affairs of Spain at so critical and perilous a moment. In his opinion, every matter of that kind, under the peculiar circumstances of the monent, should be left entirely and exclusively to the discretion of the executive power .

Mr. Sheridan was determined to persist in his motion. It could be productive of no evil, and it might give rise to much good. He felt the urgency of the business, and was therefore resolved not to leave it to the slow and skulking hesitation of ministers. As to the apprehensions of his honourable friend (Mr. Whitbread), he was confident, that not only he should be able to allay these apprehensions, but that he should morcover succeed in convincing his honourable friend of the propriety of the motion which he intended to make. Mr. Sheridan having thus persisted in his motion, it was fixed it should be brought forward on Wednesday next.

After some conversation between the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mr. Bankes, the latter gentleman postponed, till Wednesday, his motion for referring to the committee of ways and means the consideration of the question, why the property belonging to foreigners in the British funds should be exempted from the tax on property.

SUGAR DISTILLATION.

Mr. Perceval having moved the third reading of the sugar-distillation bill.

Mr. Western, Mr. D. Giddy, and Lord H. Petty, opposed the bill, not from any objection to affording protection to the West India planters, but on the ground that the principle of the bill was utterly subversive of our agri- · cultural interest.

The question being then anxiously called for, the house divided:

It was understood, that whilst strangers were excluded, Mr. Davies Giddy moved an amendment, purporting that the declaratory part of the preamble should be expunged. This was negatived without a division. The bill was then passed and ordered to the lords.

The house having resolved itself into a committee of ways and means, resolutions were passed, one declaring the expediency of raising a certain sum by way of lottery, to consist of 69,000 tickets, in one or more lottery or lotteries; the other, that 1. 9s. 8d. should be levied on East India sugar imported into Ireland.

The paymaster-general's office regulating bill was brought up, read a first time, ordered to be read a second. time on Friday, and to be printed.

The Irish malt and spirits duty bill was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time this day.

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

The Irish auction duty bill, the copper bill, and the sugar and coffee bill, passed through committees and were reported.

The land revenue bill was read a second time, and committed for to-morrow.

The Earl of Suffolk wished to be informed, when the returns would be made respecting the droits of admiralty. Lord Hawkesbury was unable to say when.

The loan bill, the Irish customs and excise bill, and the Paddington canal coal bill, were brought up from the commons by Mr. Wharton and other members, and read a first time.

The distillation bill was also brought up from the commons by Mr.Wharton and other members, and read a first time on the motion of Lord Hawkesbury, who moved that it be printed, and stated his intention of moving (when the prints were on the table) the second reading for Monday.

The Earl of Suffolk wished that some information on the subject should be laid before the house.

The Earl of Lauderdale, with the view of obtaining information, moved that a message be sent to the commons, desiring copies of the three reports from the committee on distillation. Ordered.

The Duke of Norfolk wished to be informed, whether there was another bill in parliament for permitting distillation from sugar; as, if there was, he thought it would be better that the two bills should be discussed together.

Lord Hawkesbury said, he had not heard of such a bill; but if any such bill came up to that house, it would of course become a subject of discussion.

The bill was ordered to be printed.

On the motion of Lord Elliot, a message was ordered to be sent to the commons, desiring a copy of the report of the committee respecting Mr. Palmer's claims; and also a message desiring that leave might be given to the right honourable Charles Long to attend the committee of their lordships on this subject on Thursday.

On the order of the day being read for taking into consideration his majesty's message,

Lord Hawkesbury moved an address of concurrence, stating, that this being the usual message every session, and the address being the usual address, he thought it unnecessary to make any observation on the subject.

The address was agreed to, and ordered to be presented to his majesty by the lords with white staves. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

TUESDAY, JUne 14.

Mr. Villiers gave notice of a motion for Thursday, for leave to bring in a bill for amending and extending the laws relating to copyrights.

Read a third time and passed, the hares'-shooting bill, the barrack commissioners franking bill, and the Irish malt bill.

Read a second time, and ordered to be committed tomorrow, the subdivision clerks bill, the post-horse duty. farming bill, the prize goods warehousing bill, the spirit duty regulation bill, and the ale licences bill.

Committed, and ordered to be reported to-morrow, the Brazil trade bill, the reduced stocks bill, and the promis sory notes bill.

Mr. Jenkinson gave notice of a motion for to-morrow, for leave to bring in a bill to indemnify certain persons in the Tower hamlets, in regard to violations of the militia volunteering act of last summer.

Mr. Huskisson moved for leave to bring in a bill to amend an act of the 46th of the king, respecting M'Dow al's loan, so as to place the claims of the parties in the same situation as if the act had not passed. Leave given.

Reported, and ordered to be read a third time to-morrow, the smuggling prevention bill, the hackney coach bill, the exchequer bills bill, the Irish permits bill, the pilots bill, M'Clintock's compensation bill, and the Írish

loar bill..

Mr. Wharton obtained leave to bring in a bill for the suspension of the intercourse in spirits between Ireland and Scotland, for a time to be limited.

Mr. Wharton brought up the report of the committee of ways and means as to the lotteries: resolutions agreed to, and bills ordered."

Mr. Wharton brought up the report of the committee

UNE 14.]

KING'S PROCTOR. ·

of supply as to the Sicilian subsidy, the East India company balances, the Westminster hall improvements, the Roseau relief, Margate pier, Palmer's dues, &c. Resolu tions agreed to.

The Dublin police bill was read a third time and passed.

The house went into a committee, on the duties on Welch coals, when a duty of 1s. 6d. was agreed to be imposed on every ton of coals carried coastways within the principality of Wales. Report to-morrow.

Mr. Huskisson brought in a bill to repeal the excise duties on coffee imported, and to substitute other duties in lieu thereof. Read a first, and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow.

KING'S PROCTOR.

یه

Sir Charles Pole, in pursuance of his notice, rose to call the attention of the house to an important subject, which he had submitted four years ago, when he had proposed that seamen should be at liberty to employ more than one proctor. But he begged first to state, that be knew no persons more correct than all those who were employed at Doctors'-commons, from the judge down to the lowest person employed there. What he had now to propose, therefore, could not be construed as any reflection upon any of these gentlemen: There were at present three thousand causes pending in that court, and it was impossible that the king's proctor could attend to them all. The object of the address which he was to move, was, that his majesty would be graciously pleased in fu ture, to allow his navy to employ one or more, to the amount of three proctors. He therefore moved two resolutions: the first, that the duties of the king's proctor are so extensive as to require the appointment of three or. more proctors to perform them; and the second, that an address be presented to his majesty that he should be graciously pleased to order three or more proctors to be appointed, &c.

On the question being put on the first resolution,

The Advocate General felt it necessary to oppose these resolutions, as injurious to the interests of the nation, and of the navy itself. If the honourable officer felt so strong án impression upon the subject, it was rather matter of surprise that he had not persuaded any one of the various Vot: III.-1808.

3H