Page images
PDF
EPUB

moft pleafing would be that there was no foundation in any of the rumours upon either of the subjects; but if there was any foundation for any of them, their Lordships ought to be in poffeffion of fome facts, and they should be laid before them in such an authentic manner, as that they could regularly deliberate upon them, and proceed upon them in discharge of the duty they owed to the state. But by neglecting to give the neceffary information in thefe important particulars, and in this critical time, Ministers fanctioned, as far as they could fanction, the afperfions which had been caft on the dignity of the Houfe, and encouraged evil difpofed perfons to repeat, that their Lordships met in that Houfe merely for the purpose of forming a court, as it were, to enregifter the Decrees or Edicts of the Executive Government. It was to refute fuch flander that he wished for the information which he was now feeking. Should their Lordships fuffer public affairs to be conducted by Minifters as they pleafed, and withhold information, however important and neceffary, as long as they pleased, that Houfe and its proceedings would foon, he feared, fink into public contempt. He therefore could not help expreffing a hope that fome information would be given without delay upon thefe important fubjects.

The Lord Chancellor faid he did not queftion the fincerity of the Noble Duke in defiring information upon the matters to which he had alluded, and which were certainly as important as the Noble Duke had stated them to be. He could not give all the information that was called for. But he could ftate, that as to Ireland, he knew of nothing of any important nature that had occurred fince the laft authentic account with which their Lordships were already acquainted. That with respect to affairs on the Continent, a mail had, within a few hours of the moment he was speaking, arrived. The contents of which their Lordships would readily fee, from the nature of the thing, he could not now be prepared to communicate to their Lordships in any way whatever; and the late arrival of which was the caufe of the abfence of his Majefty's Minifters. With regard to the Fleet at Portfmouth, he was happy to have it in his power to fay, that the failors had all of them returned to the regular and ordinary discharge of their duty; a communication upon which would foon be made to the Houfe, perhaps in the shape which the Noble Duke himfelf defired.

After a few words from the Duke of Grafton upon the neceffity of a speedy and ample communication, the House proceeded to private bufinefs.

Adjourned.

HOUSE

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Monday, April 24.

The Speaker communicated to the Houfe the anfwer of Sir John Jervis to his letter, notifying the thanks of the House. Mr. Fox faid he rofe to inquire of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when it was his intention to communicate information to the Houfe relative to certain very important tranfactions which had lately taken place at Portfmouth, and which had attracted fo much attention. Of thefe he knew no more than what the public papers contained; but it was a fubject upon which the Houfe ought to receive, as foon as poffible, the fulleft information.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that the question had anticipated his intention of intimating to the House that some information upon this fubject would very fpeedily be commu nicated to the Houfe.--At prefent, however, he had no commands to make that communication now. Owing to the dif tance from Portsmouth, it was impoffible to fay when circumftances would allow the whole of the fubject to be laid before the House, but certainly it would take place early, and he fhould, as foon as poffible, give notice of the precife day.

SUPPLIES.

The Houfe being refolved into a Committee to confider of the Supplies neceflary to be granted to his Majefty,

The Chancellor of the Exchequer rofe, and faid, it was not his intention to anticipate any of the subjects which stood for difcuffion on Wednesday next; but barely to ftate, that the heads of fupply to be voted were three: first, an additional fum towards defraying the expences of the navy; next, a fum to make good the charge on the growing produce of the confolidated fund for 1796; and, laftly, to make good the Exchequer Bills which had been advanced on the Vote of Credit of 1796.--The largest of them was the navy. The fums voted for that service already amounted to feven millions fix hundred thousand pounds; befides which, the Houfe would recollect, he had laid before them an estimate of two millions and a half more, which was not yet voted or raised; the fum then, which he had to call for, was not all to be confidered as a new demand, fince that two millions and a half were to make a part of it---circumstances making a larger fum than was then eftimated, neceflary. Un der thofe circumftances, the fum he propofed to vote, was five millions, which, added to the 7,600,000l. already granted, would make a fum of 12,600,000l. He therefore moved, that that fum be granted.

Mr. Fox afked, whether the 2,500,000l. alluded to, was ef timated for the navy, befides the Vote of Credit?

702

The

The Chancellor of the Exchequer anfwered in the affirmative. Mr. Fox then afked, if, befides this on the fupply fide, 2,500,000l. was to be added?

The Chancellor of the Exchequer again answered in the affirmative.

The fupply was then voted.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer then moved, that 1,110,000l. be voted to difcharge the Exchequer Bills advanced on the Vote' of Credit of laft year.---Granted.

He then moved, that 2,177,000l. be voted to make good the 3,000,000l. charged by Act of laft Seffion on the Confolidated Fund.---Granted.

[blocks in formation]

The Houfe refolved itfelf into a Committee of privileges, Lord Walfingham in the Chair, for the purpose of taking into farther confideration the fubject matter of the Earl of Lauderdale's Petition, complaining of an undue election, &c.

Mr. Grant, leading Counfel for the fitting Peer the Earl of Errol, was heard at confiderable length in behalf of his Noble Client. He adduced a variety of precedents and cafes in fupport of what he advanced. The leading pofitions of the Learned Counsel feemed to be, that in many inftances of the ancient ufage and cuftom of the Scots Peerage, the deed of nomination, without the fubfequent confirmation of the Crown, was in itfelf of fufficient validity, and that the Nominees held the titles, fat in the Scots Parliament, and enjoyed every other privilege appertaining to the Peerage; and of this he adduced feveral cafes in point; and that from the long and uninterrupted poffeffion of the Earldom of Errol, the rights and privileges thereunto annexed, and particularly the office of High Conftable of Scotland, by the ancestors, and in the family of his Noble Client, it was ftrongly to be prefumed, that the title under which they derived, was originally complete in all its effential points; and the circumftance that no fort of objection had been offered against the tenure of the Earldom by the ancestors of his Noble Client, though they notoriously, for a series of years, enjoyed the dignity, and fat in Parliament, either by the State Officers

Scotland, to whom the whole bufinefs must have been perfectly known, or by other perfons, who might be interested in depriving them of it--was a ftrong additional argument in favour of the validity of their claim. It had been alto contended, on the part of the Noble Petitioner, that in one of the inftruments, under which it was faid his Client derived, the fucceffion

was

1

was limited to the heirs male. But this objection, he contended,
was obviated by the mention of heirs of Taillie and provifion, in
Earl Gilbert's Charter; and as a proof of this, the fucceffion of
the Countess Mary to the dignity, clearly applied. No fort of
objection was made to her title, though fhe held it, and was
known by no other defcription for a long feries of years. A
convincing proof of this appeared in the circumftance of her
claiming to act, by deputy, as High Conftable of Scotland, at
the coronation of George II. which claim was allowed, and the
then Duke of Roxburgh officiated on the occafion. To her
fucceeded her grand nephew (the father of the prefent Earl),
who was elected one of the Sixteen Peers of Scotland, and actu-
ally fat in their Lordfhips' Houfe, under that defcription, with-
out the fmalleft objection being offered to his title.
The fame

perfon alfo acted as Lord High Conftable of Scotland at the Co-
ronation of his prefent Majefty. Thefe, he thought, were
ftrong and convincing circumstances in favour of the validity of
his Noble Client's claims; and, he doubted not, but their Lord-
fhips, in their wisdom and juftice, would decide that he had
been duly elected one of the Sixteen Peers of Scotland.

When Mr. Grant had concluded, Mr. Anstruther brought forward a variety of documentary evidence in fupport of what had been advanced by his Learned Friend. Thefe, after a few obfervations from the Counsel on both fides, were ordered to be printed, as far as was material to the cafe. confideration of the bufinefs was adjourned.

And the farther

The Lord Chancellor communicated to the Houfe the Anfwer of Sir John Jervis to his letter, notifying the Thanks of the Houfe.---Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Tuesday, April 25.

Whitchurch and Mollington Inclofure, Haffel's Eftate, and Promiffory Notes Bills were read a third time and passed.

In a Committee of the whole House it was moved, that an allowance be granted for goods imported from the Levant in British or foreign veffels; and that the Chairman be directed to move the Houfe for leave to bring in a Bill pursuant thereto. The Report of the Committee of Supply was agreed to by the Houfe. The following are the fums voted:

£. s. d.

796 19 6 for money for Sir John Farhill, Secretary to the Commiffioners for the reduction of the National Debt.

110 31,000 0

o to the Clerk for American Claims.

o for French Clergy and Laity.

3,033 0 o for fupporting Convicts on the Thames.

9,628 12 6 for fupporting Convicts at Langfton and Portsmouth.

[ocr errors]

4,515 8 for repair of the Fleet Prifon. 5,672 3 3 for repair of the King's Bench. 1,461 15 6 for profecutions relative to corn. 2,806 8

693 15

31,825 14

1,740 9

13,000 O 3000 O

1345 O

[ocr errors]

o for money iffued for the profecutions against Mr. Haftings.

o for the falary of the Chief Juftice of Newfoundland. 1 for money iffued for New South Wales, and not provided for.

o for expences and allowances under the Alien Act. o for fupport of the African Forts and Settlements. o for the Board of Agriculture.

o for certain fecret fervices between the roth of Oct. 1796 and 10th of Jan. 1797.

1,800 0 o for extraordinary expences relating to profecutions refpecting the corn.

32,000 O

7,000 O

2,000 O

30,000 O

46,120 0

o for maintenance and employment of Convicts at home, for 1797.

o for printing Journals, Votes, Reports, and Papers,
for 1797.

o for fuperintending the Alien Act, for 1797.
o for New South Wales, for 1797.

o for American Sufferers, for 1797.

Leave was given to bring in a Bill to enable the East India Company to pay two Regiments of Volunteers for the protection of the East India Company's Warehouses, and for the protection of the kingdom.

Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Wednesday, April 26.

A new writ was ordered for Scarborough, in the room of Lord C. Somerfet, appointed Comptroller of the Household.

COUNTY RATES.

Mr. Mainwaring moved for the fecond reading of the Bill to empower the juftices of the peace in Middlesex to make a more equal County Rate.

The Marquis of Titchfield objected to the Bill, because the Parifh quotas had been fettled 60 years ago by Parliament, according to the ancient contributions, and perfons who had fince made purchases would be fufferers thereby.

Major Metcalf thought the Bill required deliberation, and thought that every county would have a right to expect a fimilar affeffment, if it paffed. He therefore moved, by way of Amendment, that the Bill fhould be read a second time on that day three months.

Mr. Mainwaring faid, he had hoped to have the Bill read a fecond time, and afterwards difcuffed. He conceived a more fair rate to be extremely neceflary: and if, by the statute of the 12th of George II. the ancient contributions enacted by the

« PreviousContinue »