HOUSE OF COMMONS.

FRIDAY, JUNE 20.

Mr. Lethbridge took the oaths and his seat for Somersetshire.

Mr. Shaw Lefevre presented a petition from the Sun fire-office company, against the bill for incorporating the Globe insurance company. Ordered to lie on the table till the second reading of the bill.

The deputy usher of the black rot appeared at the bar, and requested the attendance of the House in the House of Lords, to hear the royal assent given by commission to certain bills. The Speaker accordingly repaired to the House of Lords, attended by the members present, and on his return informed the House that he had heard the royal asscht given by commission to the Irish malt and spirit duty bill, the mutiny bill, the Dublin paving bill, and several private

bills.

Mr. Hobhouse brought up the report of the committee on the expiring laws, which was agreed to, and a bill ordered accordingly.

The assessed taxes bill, Irish mines bill, Duke of Grafton's butlerage bill, and the Gibraltar and Malta postage bill, were severally read a third time and passed,

On the motion of Lord Temple the American intercourse bill was committed, and ordered to be reported on Monday, On the motion of Lord Henry Petty there was ordered to be laid before the House a report of the comptroller of the army, relative to the accounts of Mr. Trotter.Also of the bills of Messrs. Pearce, relative to the clothing of the troops on the continent.

On the motion of Mr. Foster, the report of the grain interchange bill was postponed till that day se'nnight.

Mr. Meheux, from the India house, presented, agreeably to an order, a number of papers relative to the nabob of Arcot.

The Irish education bill, and the Irish spirit licence bill were read a second time, and ordered to be committed on Monday..

On the mo in of Mr. Vansittart the report of the committee on the Newfoundland fishery was referred to a committee of the whole House on Monday.

The committee on the Irish customs regulation bill, and

002

the

the farther consideration of the assessed taxes allowance bill were postponed till Tuesday.

The committee of supply was postponed till Monday, and Mr. Vansittart deferred the consideration of the army. extraordinaries in that committee till Wednesday.

The committee on the Scotch distillery bill was postponed till Monday.

The customs' fees bill was reported, and ordered to be read a third time on Monday.

MARQUIS WELLESLEY.

Mr. Paull moved, that the first charge against Marquis Wellesley be printed.

Sir Arthur Wellesley opposed the motion, and observed, that it was pretty extraordinary the honourable gentleman should now move for printing this charge, which, three months ago, the House had by its vote ordered to be printed, and afterwards rescinded that vote. The printing at that time, when there was a prospect that the charge might have been taken into consideration in the course of this session, would have been perfectly fair and reasonable, compared with such a measure at this late period of the session, when there was no probability this subject could be taken into consideration, and when the charge, if printed, would not be for the consideration of the members, but for the purpose of going forth to the whole country, as one of the most heavy and criminal charges against his noble relation that ever had been brought against any man in a public situation; when afterwards it would depend entirely upon the discretion of the honourable gentleman, whether he should move the House to take it into consideration next session or not. He objected to the motion also in point of order, as the honourable gentleman had not given any previous notice of such a motion,

Mr. Paull did not conceive himself under any necessity of giving such previous notice by the rules and orders of the House, and persisted in his motion. He disclaimed any such motive as that imputed to him by the honourable relative of the noble lord, and said, that he moved for the printing now, because it would be impossible to understand the subject with a view to its consideration, unless members were enabled to compare the evidence since laid on the table with the several particulars of the charge, in order to see how the charge was supported.

The

The Speaker explained the practice lately established by the sense of the House, and conceived that, agreeable to that practice, the honourable gentleman's motion could not be entertained. But it was for the discretion of the House to direct what should be done.

A conversation of some length, upon the subject of prac tice and usage on this point, ensued between Lord Folkstone, Mr. Paull, Mr. Rose, Sir John Wrottesley, Mr. Windham, and Mr. Sturges Bourne; the result of which was, that Mr. Paull withdrew his motion, and gave notice for Tuesday next.

Mr. Paull then moved for a copy of any application made by the nabob Vizier to Marquis Wellesley for a loan of 10,000 rupees, from June to August, 1805. Ordered.

Mr. Paull then stated, that General Sir James Craig, a principal witness in the charges against Marquis Wellesley, appeared, by the certificate of his physicians, to be at present confined to his apartments in so ill a state of health as to be utterly unable to attend and give his evidence before that House. According to precedents he then moved, "that the honourable Sir Arthur Wellesley, Mr. Hobhouse, and Mr. Paull, have leave to proceed to the house of Sir James Craig, to take his examination." Ordered. And "that a committee be appointed to prepare questions to be put to Sir James Craig; and that they take his examination, and report his answers to the House; and that the said gentlemen be the said committee."

GENERAL TRAINING BILL.

Mr. Windham having moved the second reading of the general training bill,

Mr. Ryder stated it to be his understanding, in now reading the bill a second time, that after going through a committee, it was to be re-committed, for the purpose of enabling gentlemen, after it had come forth in the most unexceptionable shape, to state their objections to the principle of the bill. He urged this the more strongly as one honourable friend of his, formerly at the head of the war department, had gone out of town on this understanding.

Mr. Fox declared that he had never given any reason to suppose that he would consent to the delay of a measure like the present. If, however, any honourable gentleman had left town under such misconception, he should be sorry to press the bill forward more than was absolutely necessary.

8

Mr.

Mr. Perceval understood it to be by no means intended that the bill should be retarded, but that an opportunity should be given of going through the committee, pro forma, that night, that it should be recommitted on some future day, and be then discussed.

After some farther explanation between Mr. Fox, Mr. Perceval, and Mr. Windham, the bill was read a second time, and commited. The report was received, and on the motion for taking it into farther consideration on Tuesday, Mr. Rose suggested Wednesday, as being the better day, the American intercourse bill standing for Tuesday.

Sir R. Buxton thought it advisable that the bill should come forward as early as possible, many gentlemen being anxious to get to the country, which they could not do till so important a bill as this had received a fair discussion.

The farther consideration of the report was then fixed for Tuesday.

MARQUIS WELLESLEY.

Mr. Paull having moved that the House do go into a commitice on the charge against Lord Wellesley, for the purpose of hearing further evidence in support of the charge,

Lord Folkestone said, that before the Speaker left the chair he wished to be allowed to say a few words. The right honourable secretary of state (Mr. Fox) had stated how desirable it was that the charge should be got through this session. It struck him, however, that it would be impossible to get a final decision on the case, with justice to the subject itself, within that period. The honourable gentlenan who brought forward the charge would be greatly in jured by a premature decision of the case, and would be loaded with a degree of responsibility highly unnecessary. The noble lord would only have the disagreeable feeling of a charge having been made against him which had not been decided, a situation to which all persons in high situations' must be aware that they were exposed. But he could not see what injury he could thereby sustain. Every person who read the one part of the evidence would have the curiosity to read the other also; and so no more injury would really be sustained than where the public, even after a decision, were entitled to read the evidence on both sides, and to form their own conclusions.

Mr. Pauli said that it would be highly conducive to his

own

own ease, quiet and convenience, that the present charge was determined during the present session. He, however, declared that he conceived himself as having come under no pledge to conclude the charge during the present session, if the evidence should not have been completely and fully gone through. He was conscious that he had procee led with a degree of rapidity unexampled in the annals of Parliament, of course it could not be imputed to him as blame if the noble marquis found himself placed in an unpleasant situation. He confessed that one of the charges was of a very serious nature, being no less than that of murder. He held in his hand, however, a copy of one of the charges against Mr. Hastings, containing an unqualified allegation of a foul and atrocious murder against several gentlemen, and among others against Mr. Hastings. Yet that charge was allowed to lie on the table two years before it was gone into. There all the talents, probably great part of the integrity, of this country were friendly to and carried on the prosecution. Here, though he acknowledged, and should recollect with gratitude to the latest moment of his life, the assistance and countenance he had received from the noble lord and other, members of that House, the load of preparing the charges, and of maturing the evidence in support of them, had, in a great measure, if not altogether, devolved on him. If he had to receive blame on any account, it was for having given advantages against himself; and if any delay had taken place, it must be attributed to the noble lord (Temple), who, while he (Mr. Paull) had proposed to examine evidence on the 10th, had insisted on the charge coming for ward, as he (Mr. Paull) conceived it, then to be finally disposed of, on the 18th June. He declared it to be his earnest wish that the charge should be brought to an issue this session; but considering the state of the House, which it was his object to have as fully attended as possible, he could not feel convinced that such must be the result. It was his determination not to try the decision of the question in such an attendance as he now saw, without moving for a call of the House. The present charge was no more important than others which had been postponed, and which he had still to bring forward against the noble marquis.

Lord Temple and Mr. Paull having mutually explained, the House went into a committee, Mr. Hobhouse in the chair.

Mr. Paull then moved that Mr. Cooper be called in. It appeared that the witness had been a member of the supreme