should be read a second time, and after going through a Committee, pro forma should be transmitted to Ireland, for discussion.Mr. Foster also obtained leave to bring in a bill for abolishing custom-house fees in the port of Dublin, and for regulating the hours of attendance.

resolutions against the orders of council; which, on a division, were negatived by 53 against 25.

MARCH 31.-Lord A. Hamilton made a variety of remarks, tending to criminate the course of conduct of the Marquis Wellesley towards the Nabob of Oude. His lordship concluded with reading a string of resolutions purporting that the conduct of our India Goverment should be reconsidered, and redress granted to the Nabob of Oude, as far as was possible: that the treaty of 1801 should be annulled, and the Nabob restored to the same extent of territorial power as he formerly possessed. Mr. Dundas, conceiving that these resolutions were nothing more than repetitions of what the House had already decided on, moved the previous question; on a division, the numbers were ;-for the previous question 80 ;—against it 20; consequently the resolutions of Lord Hamilton were thrown out.

On the same evening in the House of Commons, Sir C. M. Pole moved that his Majesty be prayed to give directions that all appointments in Greenwich Hospital should be filled with persons who had served in the Navy. The Chancellor of the Exchequer proposed, that a corresponding_alteration should be made in the charter of Greenwich Hospital, and with this suggestion the motion was passed.

MARCH 28.-Mr. Bankes obtained leave to bring in a bill to prohibit the granting of offices in reversion for joint lives, with benefit of survivorship. He went at some length into the merits of the former bill, which had been negatived in the upper House, and described his intention of proposing in the present bill, that no office should be in future granted, but on a vacancy occurring. He meant also, in order to do away objections to this bill in another place, to move that it should only endure for a time to be limited. Mr. Perceval said he had no objection to the bill, but should in its future stages submit amendments; the object of which would be APRIL 1.-The orders in council bill was to prevent the improvidence of grants, by passed; on the 6th, Lord Grenville gava announcing in the Gazette the respective ap-notice, that he should move, after the recess, pointments; and that the place itself should that an address be presented to his Majesty, always be liable to the committee of Finance, for its repeal. and subject even to abolition, if that committee should so consider it necessary.-The bill was real a third time in the Commons, April 11; a first time in the Lords, on the 12th; and ordered for a second on May 9th. MARCH 29-In the House of Commons, lord Folkestone, in consequence of a notice formerly given, observed that considering the very critical situation in which this country was placed, he could not withhold his approbation of the measures adopted towards Den- APRIL 1. In a Committee of Ways and mark, but as soon as the emergency which Means, the Chancellor of the Exchequer dictated the attack had ceased, it appeared to brought forward a motion for the consolidahim to be great injustice to retain possession tion of the 10 per cent. duty on the assessed of the Danish fleet. He thought it only fair taxes, and for better modifying the collection and just that, on the restoration of peace, of certain of the assessed taxes. The first and when there was reason to suppose that subject to which he adverted, was the tax on the independence of Denmark was guaranteed, game licences, which he said was eluded to a her fleet should be restored to her by this very great degree, owing to the certificates country. The noble lord read an address to his being issued from the stamp office, and no Majesty, which he proposed for the adoption certain mode being established for regularly of the House, to that effect.-Mr. S. Thorn-checking the collection. His purpose would ton contended that it had been at first placed in the power of Denmark to deposit her fleet in the hands of this country, with the assi rance of its restoration at a peace. This offer, however, had been rejected, hostilities then ensued, in which England acquired all the rights of a belligerent to retain that fleet of which she had taken forcible possession. After a debate of some length, the House divided. For the motion 44.-Against it 105. MARCH 29-L. Holland, in the H. Lords, after censuring the conduct of Ministers, with respect to America, and contending that, since the Battle of Austerlitz, there had been no hope of successfully resisting the aggressions of France, moved a string of

therefore be, to transfer the collection to the offices of assessed taxes, by which it would come under the constaut notice of the assessors, and it would be more effectually known who were the persons who continued to shoot gaine. The mode in future, therefore, would be to pay the tax to the tax-gatherer, on producing whose receipt the person would receive his licence from the collector. Another regulation which he had found necessary, consi vel in subjecting to a gaine licence, those who carry guns under pretence of shooting only woodcocks and snipes. He next referred to the additional ten per cent., laid on last year, which he said had been done in haste for want of time, owing to the

́abandonment of the tax upon iron. It was found that, in collecting this additional tax, fractions constantly occurred in apportioning it on the various small sums on which it was assessed, in consequence of which much trouble occurred, with a loss to the revenue: to prevent which he proposed to add about onefiftieth part, which, with some other regulations, would produce 100,000l. a-year more, though the addition would be so small to individuals that it would scarcely be felt.-A resolution, consonant to these purposes, was moved and agreed to.

s. d.

On the same evening, in a Com- £.
mittee of Supply, Mr. Hus-
kisson proposed, that there
should be granted for the ex-
pences of the royal military ca-
nal, for 1808
He then proposed the following
grants, to repay the sums, is-
sued from the civil list, at the
receipt of the exchequer, for
the undermentioned purposes,
viz.

--63,393 60

To the magistrates of the Thames police.

-1,295 4 0

-3,500 0 0

On account of the audit office in the Adelphi

To the commissioners for investi-
gating the Prince of Wales's
debts -

For bounties on the exportation
of American fish to the West
Indies
To J. Clementson, serjeant at
arms to the House of Com-
mons, for rent of a house
To Dr. Thomas Brooke Clarke,
for his trouble respecting the
clergy residence act
For preparing an index to the
Lord's journals -

-5,597 6 0

219 14 0

0 For mathematical instruments
for the use of the public in
New South Wales

To W. Watson, serjeant at arms
to the House of Lords - -1,633 0 0
To Lord Walsingham, chairman
of the committees of the House'
of Lords...

To the secretary of the commis,
sioners of military inquiry, in
behalf of the commissioners,
&c. &c.

19 12 0

Resolutions to this effect were agreed to. APRIL 6.-Mr. Huskisson, in rising to move for the production of certain papers, shewing the surplus of the consolidated fund, - -2,693 13 0 for the present year, observed that this surplus considerably exceeded the estimated sum at which it had been taken in the ways and means of the year, and actually amounted to -1,560 16 0 near four millions and a half. Even in the last quarter, notwithstanding all the annoyances and depressions to which our trade had 127 1 6 been subjected, this surplus had exceeded by £600,000 that of the corresponding quarter in the last year.

To Dr. T. B. Clarke, for returns
respecting the non-residence of
clergy-

To Thomas Groves, for the re-
moval of monuments in West-
minster Abbey, &c. &c. -
To Thomas P. Courtney, for sta-
tionary for the use of the pub-
lic in New South Wales
To W. Chinery, for bills drawn
for the public service in New
South Wales

661 9 0

APRIL 8. In a committee of supply, the sums for the pay and clothing of the militia of Great Britain and Ireland were voted.

344 14 7 Also,

-2,175 17 0

For printing votes and hills, by order

.....

of both houses of Parliament..... 21,000 The sum of £30,900, for carrying on the works of the Naval Asylum, was likewise moved for; but it was at length agreed, that, for the present, only £5000 should be grant

ed.

to

respecting the stamp duties; previously to
which, he recapitulated the various itenis of
supply, which had been voted in the present
session, amounting, in the whole,
£48,653,170; from which was to be de-
ducted the proportion to be furnished by Ire-
land, £5,713,566; which would leave,
£42.939,604 to be defrayed by Great Britain.
With respect to the Ways and Means al-

In the course of a debate which took place, on a motion of Mr. Whitbread, for certain supplementary papers, relative to the corres-ready provided for covering these supplies, the pondence with Russia, Mr. Canning observed, House had voted, on malt and pensions, that the sentiments of the Russian court were £3,000,000; the advances from the Bank no secret to him. Before the signing of the were £3,500,000; the unappropriated surtreaty of Presburgh, a paper was put into plus of the Consolidated Fund was £726,870; Lord Gower's hand by the Russian ininister and, on a rough estimate, he took the war Soltikoff, desiring his acquiescence in perimit- taxes at £20,000,000. The duties to be leting Count Novoziltzoti to submit to Great vied under the Orders in Council were appliBritain an overture for changing her maritime cable to the war taxes. The lottery he should code. This would be found in his lordship's take at £350,000. £4,000,000 in Exchedispatches of April 7. To this proposition his quer bills had been funded in the course of lordship most patriotically refused his consent, the session; and it was intended to issue saying, that not even the preservation of the £4000,000 in Exchequer bills in their stead relations of peace, so earnestly desired by as part of the Ways and Means. By adding Europe, and by none more than his Britannic to these different items £8,000,000, which Majesty with Russia, should urge him to was all that would be wanted for the service comply. For this his lordship received his of the present year, the aggregate amount Majesty's full acknowledgments, communi- would be. £39,576,870; added to this the surcated to him by a letter from Lord Mulgrave. plus of the Consolidated Fund, 3,750,000, On the same day Lord Mulgrave wrote, in would carry the Ways and Means to his capacity of first lord of the Admiralty, a £43,076,870s, yielding a surplus of letter to the Russian minister the Count £137,000. The transaction of funding Woronzof, acquainting him with his Majes-£4,000,000 in Exchequer bills had been ty's approbation of Lord Gower's conduct, highly advantageous to the public; and he adding that nothing could induce his Majesty entertained an expectation at the time, that to forego an advantage that placed this country the contract for the future loan would be made in so eminent and glorious an elevation as her on much more favourable terms, than if those maritime code did, and which he could not, £4,000,000 were to have been borrowed on and would not yield. This was the conduct a 5 per cent fund. In the course of the last of that noble lord in that negociation; and he year, a principle had been recognised by Parcongratulated the country, he congratulated liament, founded on a suspension of all taxahimself and his colleagues that no compromise tion for three years, and for resorting to the so hostile to British interests, or so derogatory war taxes to cover the necessary charges of to its glory, was made. loans. The policy of this measure had met with the concurrence of all sides of the House. He stated this, though he had thought it ne cessary to depart from the principle in the present instance, by proposing to lay on additional taxes to the amount of about £300,000. The stamp acts had been consolidated in 1805. It was thought desirable to consolidate all the acts relating to the duties into one, as also those for the regulation and collection of the duties; but he should not be able to bring it forward this session: the business, however, was in such a train, that whoever might fill the office he held would have it in his power to introduce the measure next year.Another alteration would be made in certain duties now levied in Scotland. Towards the close of King William's reign, two stamp acts had been passed, to provide for the inte rest of debts incurred; one was temporary, the other permanent. At the time of the union with Scotland, it was stipulated, that

APRIL 11.-In the upper house, Lord Grenville presented a petition, signed by many respectable catholics of Ireland, similar to the catholic petition formerly presented It was received, and ordered to be taken into consideration on May 13. On the following day, the Duke of Cumberland presented a counter petition, from the mayor and corporation of Dublin.-Also, on the following day; in the House of Commons, Mr. Grattan brought up a petition from the Irish catholics. He expressed his intention of moving, that it should be taken into consideration on May 16, but in consequence of many names to the petition not being in the hand-writing of the parties themselves, it was withdrawn, to be brought forward again after the recess.

On the same evening the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in a committee of ways and means, stated his intended arrangeinent

and to raise it in proportion on higher values. In all cases where the consideration should not exceed £150, the duty was to be one pound; between that and £300, one pound ten shillings; between £500 and £750, five pounds; between £750 and £1000, seven

exceed 1 per cent. on the consideration: upon these instruments, and the re-issuable promissory notes, he calculated an addition of the stamp duties of £200,000. He had brought this forward before the recess, in order that gentlemen might have the longer opportunity of considering the different parts of the measure, by referring to the schedule which they would have in their hands.

neither should ever be levied in that couutry. The temporary act had now expired, and the duties were now legally leviable in Scotland, but duties under the permanent act could not be levied there. Much inconvenience was experienced in the collection of the duty, and by the persons on whom it was levied, in conse-pounds ten shillings; but in no instance to quence of fractional differences between the amount of the duty there and in England. But this was not a ground for depriving the Scotch of the advantages of their articles of Union, and therefore, in proposing to equalize the duty of both countries, he meant to remunerate Scotland, by a reduction of the duty on all legal instruments used in Scotland. The addition to the duty would arise from an application of the ad valorem principle to other instruments, than those to which it is at present applied.-The duty is now £20 on all offices of the courts, without regard to the amount of the income; but he proposed to reduce the duty on the lower offices, and to raise it on the higher. He proposed that the same duty which applied to indentures solicitors in chancery, should also apply to proctors. He also proposed, that the duty of £55 should extend to indentures to writers to the signet in Scotland. In the duty on collations and donations, a small alteration was to take place, for where they gave the right as fully as induction and institution, the duty, which did not at present attach, was to apply. With respect to the enrollments a small addition was to be made, the duty being at present only 1. 16s. it was proposed to raise it to £5. An addition was also proposed to the duty on grants of honours and preferments. It was at present but £20 in all cases. In Ireland, the duty on the creation of a duke, marquis, or earl, was £200, on creation of a viscount, £150; of a baron, £100; and he could see no reason why this country should not adopt the same rates. Some slight alteration was also to be made in the duty on grants of leases of crown lands.-A duty was to apply to policies of insurance on lives, which had been exempted in 1804. Another head was the case of promissory-notes re-issuable; notes issued by persons calling themselves bankers. He proposed that every person is. suing such re-issuable notes should pay £20 a year for a licence. The duty on such notes was at present 3d. each, he proposed to raise it to 4d., but when the notes were payable only in one place, to 6d. each. Another alteration intended concerned the manner of transferring shares of joint stock companies. At present the duty was collected in proportion to the nominal value, but it appeared to him that it should be in proportion to the real value. The duty at present was 30s. on all conveyances of land. This duty he proposed to lower on conveyances of smaller property,

APRIL 12.-Lord Castlereagh, in stating the outlines of his plan for the internal defence of the country, [Vide Panorama, Vol. IV.p. 229] called the attention of the house to the regular and militia force. By a late regu lation 40,060 men were added to our regular establishment; and, by ordinary recruiting, and high military discipline, we could support this branch of the public force. With respect to the volunteers, his opinion always had been, and still was, that they were fully entitled to the applause and gratitude of the country. The arrangement, distribution, and maintainance of this great and gallant body was, however, a subject of vast importance. The call on them for service depends on their view of the times; and, therefore, the security of the realm could not be risked by reckon ing on the volunteers in any other way than as a subsidiary force. Looking at the present state of Europe, and considering the temper, the character, and policy of the enemy, our only hope of meeting him on equal terms would be, our having a force not only able to oppose him successfully in war, but a force capable also of securing our rights, independence, and property, from sudden or unexpected attacks in time of peace. Parliament would feel that the volunteers were not a force suited to the latter purpose. He next called the attention of the house to a plan which he had in contemplation, previously to which, he stated that the training act, from which so much was hoped by the right hon. gent. (Mr. Windham) was not complete. Although he was convinced that this measure of training would be quite inefficient, under the general system of the right hon. gent. yet it might be useful in another way; he meant, by making it a medium for supplying the deficiency of the regular force. Instead, therefore, of having the whole population trained, as intended by the plan of the late ministers, he would have only such a proportion as might be incorporated into the regulars. The regular force for home defence amounted to 200,000 men, independent of the artillery corps. This in itself was a very considerable and powerful