Lord Balcarras; that Lord Teignmouth was not a Peer of Parliament, and was therefore liable to be called upon; and that unless this privilege was insisted upon, the Commons would be materially obstructed in one of the most important of their functions. This report was ordered to be further considered the next day.

The Master of the Rolls brought up the chancery solicitors' fees regulation bill. Read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time the next day.

On the motion for the second reading of the masters in chancery salary bill,

Mr. William Smith adverted to the fund out of which those salaries were paid, which was that of the suitors in chancery, which, perhaps, might be employed also for other public purposes. The allowance to masters in chancery was certainly very liberal.

The Master of the Rolls acknowledged this, and said, that they certainly ought to have more than was allowed them in 1765.

Mr. Tyrwhitt Jones would not oppose the bill, but as the sum alluded to, out of which such salaries were paid, was very large, he thought that the names of the persons to whom it belonged should be published, on the principle of the unclaimed dividends.

The bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be committed the next day.

The accountant-general's clerks' allowance bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed the next day. The Greenwich hospital bill and the Greenwich chest bill were read a third time, and after clauses had been added for allowing to the hospital and chest a per centage on the droits of the admiralty, by way of riders, the bills were passed.

On the motion of Mr. Robson, the memorial of Mr. John Pritchard, presented to the commissioners of military inquiry, and laid before the House, was ordered to be printed.

Mr. Fellowes, with a view to have a watchful eye on the residence of the clergy, moved, that copies of the returns of the bishops on that subject should be prepared, with a view to their being presented early in the next ses sion. Ordered.

GRANTS TO THE ROYAL FAMILY.

Mr. Hobhouse brough up the resolutions of the commit

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tee of supply, granting an addition of income to various branches of the royal family; together with sums for other purposes formerly stated.

The resolutions being read,

Mr. Ridley Colborne rose to make a few observations on the nature of the grants which the resolutions contained. He thought the House should pause before they voted away such large sums of the public money at a period of such peculiar difficulty. Some of the royal dukes were already in possession of regiments, and emoluments arising from various offices, and therefore there was the less occasion for this addition to their income. He did not allude to all the grants; some of them might be very proper, and that to her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester he considered as too small; but he thought the emoluments which different branches of the royal family derived from offices which they held, should be taken into account.

Lord H. Petty said, that though he gave the honour able gentleman full credit for his feelings of economy, yet he trusted, from what he had stated on a former night, that the House would not consider the present as a lavish expenditure of the public money, at a period which called for the strictest economy; and mentioned, with regard to two royal persons, that certain tables and other allowances had been lately suppressed, which had cost the public nearly as much as their additional allowances would do. After a few words from Mr. Rose, a bill was ordered to be brought in pursuant to the resolutions.

On the motion of Mr. Windham leave was granted to bring in a bill for regulating the rank of officers of yeomanry and volunteer corps.

Mr. Hobhouse brought up the report of the bankrupt laws amendment bill, which was ordered to be read a third time the next day.

AMERICAN INTERCOURSE BILL.

Lord Temple then moved the order of the day, for the third reading of the American intercourse bill.

Sir Charles Price said, that though he did not expect to make much impression upon ministers, he yet thought it necessary to take this last opportunity of re-stating his ohjections to the bill. He regretted much the thin attendance in the House, when a subject of such great importance was discussed, and thought it unbecoming to push on

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the bill at so late a period of the session, and in so thin a House. From all his communications with West India merchants and planters, and those engaged in the trade with Canada, and also with the ship-owners of this coun try, he thought the present bill hostile to the interests of our commerce. He had been informed by American mer chants that not less than one-third, and even one-half of the sailors navigating American ships, were British-born subjects. The present, therefore, was not the time to dis courage our shipping and navigation interests, and to drive still more of our seamen into the American service. For some time, after the first suspension of the navigation laws in 1793, the vessels and ship-owners were fully employed as transports, so that sufficient encouragement was given to the navigation of the country; but since this resource had ceased, the shipping interest had declined; and he could state that, in 1802, there were not less than 100 of these ships with a broom at the mast-head, which fully shewed the distressed situation of the ship-owners. On these and various grounds he moved, that instead of the word "now," the words "this day three months" beinserted in the motion.

Mr. Broderick seconded the amendment, and characte rised the bill as unjust, unnecessary, and impolitic.

Mr. S. Bourne deprecated the passing of a bill which went to suspend the navigation laws of the country, in so thin a House, and at so late a period of the session. He then took a general view of the arguments for and against the bill; and contended, that the discretionary power of suspending the navigation laws was best vested in the different West India governors, the meanest of whom had more local and immediate knowledge than ministers could pose sess, even with all that superior ability and information which they had ascribed to themselves. The bill, he observed, had now been two months before the House, and yet, during all that period, ministers had refused a delay of four days for receiving evidence in the committed against the bill. Not even a road bill was denied an advantage of this nature; and yet it had been refused in the case of a bill affecting the most important interests of the country, It allowed the exportation of West India produce in American bottoms to all parts of the world, this country excepted, and thus effectually discouraged the navigation in terests of this country. He contended that a right ho

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nourable secretary had been guilty of a gross violation of the law in acting up to the provisions of the present bill while it was not in existence, by suspending the operation of the navigation laws. He then took a view of its effects on the shipping interest, and on our North American colonies, which were nearly able to supply lumber and provisions to our West India islands. The ultimate tendency of the bill would be to place this country in a state of dependance on the States of America,, with whom we were not, indeed, in a state of war, but who seemed to have forgot every feeling of amity towards this country. It was not, indeed, likely that we should ever quarrel with them, if those principles were acted upon which were supported in publications coming from the ministerial presses, and which went to allow them all those demands which they claimed.

Mr. Maincaring considered the silence of the ministers on the present occasion, notwithstanding all that had been said against the bill, as an insult on the House and the country. He declared, however, that it was not his wish to attack men, but measures, and proceeded to enlarge on the importance of our West India islands, as contributing to the wealth and prosperity of the country. He then concluded with expressing his expectation, that a debate of so much importance would not be gone through in the indecorous manner which the House had hitherto witnessed..

Sir Wm. Young supported the bill, and contended that the different governors in the West Indies had permitted the importation of lumber and provisions without any exception, while the right honourable secretary had made an exception in favour of Irish provisions. These governors being surrounded and besieged by the planters, were much more likely to make concessions unfavourable to the provision trade of this country, than the privy council, who would guard and protect that trade He contended, that if the principle of the navigation laws were strictly adhered to in every instance, the wealth and resources of the country could not be supported. Our manufactures, to the amount of nine millions, were almost wholly transported to America in American bottoms. Three-fourths of the sailors employed during war to navigate our merchant ships were foreigners; and these might be consi dered as relaxations of the severity of our navigation laws,

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which necessity compelled us to adopt for a time. He confessed that it was too true, that nearly one-half of the sailors navigating American ships were British subjects, and this it was not difficult to account for, when a certificate of their being American subjects could be obtained at five shillings a head.

Sir Wm. Curtis opposed the bill.

Lord De Blaquiere considered the present bill as affording but a slender proof of that extensive understanding, and those distinguished talents which ministers had been supposed to engross. He would ask gentlemen, and young gentlemen in particular, if this was a time to prostrate themselves to America, when that country had done every thing but spit in their faces. There appeared in ministers a superabundance of ingenuity, but a great want of good sense. He considered the present bill as another display of their disposition to introduce wanton innovation into the established system of the country.

Lord Temple said it was incorrectly stated that the supporters of this bill had prevented the petitioners from be ing heard by counsel; the opposition to this indulgence was given by the other side of the House. Neither was it just to assume, that because our commercial marine had been reduced, the trade of the country was diminished. The increase of a hostile navy necessarily involved the lessening of the former, but the augmentation of the commerce of the nation had kept pace with the wishes of every friend to the British nation. It was confidently asserted, that our merchants could supply our West India colonies so completely as to render all extraneous aid useless. He was sorry to observe, that the very first dispatches from Sir Eyre Coote gave a very different representation of the circumstances of the islands. Under date of the 6th of March last, that officer wrote to extend the time of importation of articles of subsistence, particularly fish, until October. The truth was, that addresses were poured in from every quarter, indicative of the existing necessity, and he trusted gentlemen would no longer deny what was so obvious and palpable.

Lord Castlereagh-Sir, I cannot permit this bill to be read a third time, without stating the strong objections I feel both to its principle and its provisions. In proportion as both have been discussed, my repugnance to both has increased. Indeed it is impossible to compare the futility of

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