House, not being Peers of Parliament, which being a matter of privilege, strangers were excluded.

AMERICAN INTERCOURSE BILL,

The discussion lasted for upwards of two hours. When we were re-admitted, we found

Lord Hawkesbury speaking on the 3d reading of the American intercourse bill. His Lordship deprecated any departure from those principles on which our navigation laws were founded, and to which we were indebted for our maritime superiority, and our greatness as a nation. He did not mean to contend that there might not be cases in which, from necessity, the general principle of our navigation laws must be departed from, but the present was not such a case; and if an investigation was allowed to take place, he pledged himself to bring forward merchants of the highest respectability, who would declare that such a measure as the present was wholly unnecessary. He objected that this bill was brought forward, and all investigation refused.. He thought also, that the measure was rendered worse by enacting it for an indefinite period; it would be, in his mind, much better to limit the period of its duration to the 1st of July 1807, as in the mean time an investigation of this important subject might take place, and Parliament become acquainted with the real state of the question.

Lord Holland contended that nothing more was meant by this bill than to yest that power in the privy-council which had heretofore been exercised, contrary to law, by the governors of our West India islands. That the power of allowing our West India islands to be supplied from America, should be lodged somewhere, was demonstrable from the fatal effects which a contrary policy, that of restricting our colonies to a supply from this country had produced in those islands, when resorted to soon after the termination of the American war. This power, he contend. ed, could no where be better lodged than in the hands of his Majesty's privy-council, who were responsible for the exercise of it, and who were more likely to be influenced here by British interests, than the governors in the West Indies, who, from their situation, were necessarily subject to be ope rated upon by local influence. He was astonished at the opp sition this measure met with in all its stages, particularly from those who had sanctioned the governors in the West.

Indies,

Indies, in continually violating the law from necessity, for the purpose of admitting a supply into the West Indies from America, and who thought this of so little conse quence, that they neglected for three or four years to pass any bill of indemnity.

Lord Eldon maintained that there was a material difference between indemnifying the governors in the West Indies for those acts, and passing an act of Parliament to legalize the principle. The great object of our navigation laws was to preserve our maritime superiority, and they should not lightly be departed from, as it should be remembered that when our shipping and mariners were decreased, those of other nations would be increased; and that if, in the event of a peace, there was not employment in our mercantile shipping for the numerous seamen who would be discharged, many of them might enter into foreign service.

Earl Spencer defended the bill, which, he contended, had nothing to do with the general principles urged on the other side, it being only to give a power to the privy-coun cil, to allow the importation of certain articles from Ame rica into our West India islands, in case of necessity, and in order to prevent any ill effects arising from the precarious nature of a supply restricted wholly to this country. It did not, however, prevent supplies from being sent from hence in British shipping.

Lord Hawkesbury moved an amendment to limit the duration of the bill to the 1st of July, 1807.

The Earl of Lauderdale thought the amendment ex tremely inconsistent with the arguments urged on the other i side, as it went to acknowledge a principle of supplying the West Indies from America, whether in war or in peace, whilst the bill, in its present shape, only went to the ne cessity of doing so in time of war.

After some further observations from Lord Eldon and Lord Holland, the amendment was negatived, and the billread a third time and passed.

The remaining bills on the table were forwarded in their respective stages, and the House adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

THURSDAY, JULY 17.

The right honourable T. Grenville took the oaths and his seat for the borough of Buckingham.

Mr. Woolford, from the treasury, presented an account of the addition to the public fanded debt, subsequent to the act of the 25th of the King. Ordered to lie on the table.

The London additional force repeal bill, the malt duty amendment bill, the royal family annuity bill, the Irish post roads bill, and Lord Nelson's annuity bill, were read a third time and passed.

The printer to the House of Commons presented an account of the expences of printing all the papers relative to Indian affairs, with the exception of those relative to the nabob of Arcot's debts and the budget, during the present session, with the dates of the orders and the time they were delivered.. Ordered to lie on the table, and to be printed.

Mr. Meheux, from the India Board, presented papers relative to the charges against Marquis Wellesley, pursuant to order of the House. Ordered to lie on the table, and to be printed.

The consolidated fund surplus bill, the public harbours bill, the customs regulation bill, and Macdowal's estate bill, were reported, and ordered to be read a third time the next day.

The oak bark penalty suspension bill was reported.

Lord Folkestone, notwithstanding the lateness of the pe riod at which this bill was brought forward, wished to make a few observations upon it. The object of the bill was to suspend the operation of certain penal provisions respecting the management of oak bark. The interests of many persons were concerned in this, and they had been allowed no op portunity to examine it, and state their objections, ou account of the suddenness with which this bill had been brought in and carried forward. Had it not been for this, the table would have been crowded with petitions against it. There had been no prosecution under this penal statute for 40 years, and the origin of the bill was this :-A person in the county of Hants who dealt largely in this article, had managed the concern in a manner that gave offence, and occasioned inconvenience to certain rivals in trade. They commenced a prosecution against him for those penalties, so that the bill might be called a bill to protect him from this prosecution, for this appeared the real reason of its being brought before the House. Now, he thought that

the

the House should pause before it passed a bill upon such a slight ground as this, for supending a penal statute. He hoped, therefore, that the bill would be delayed, as the persons who brought it in were not present, or that some member would feel himself authorised to put it off for the

session.

Mr. Byng said, that the noble lord who brought in the bill being absent, a satisfactory answer could not at present be given; but if the noble lord on the other side would state his objections on the third reading, he would, no doubt, have such an answer, as the nature of the case required. The bill was then ordered to be read a third time the next day.

The pilots' regulation bill was committed and reported. The report ordered to be further considered that day se'nnight, (put off till next session.)

The crown lands lease bill was ordered to be read a third time the next day.

An account was presented, pursuant to order, of the of fices and salaries annexed thereto, which are held by certain members of the royal family; of which account, as far as we could collect, the following is a copy: The Prince of Wales, as colonel of the 10th dragoons The Duke of York, as ranger of Windsor Forest, rated at

Allowance for fire-wood, &c.

For New Lodge, &c.

As Commander in Chief

The Duke of Kent, first regiment of foot

As Governor of Gibraltar

The Duke of Cumberland, as colonel of the

15th regiment

As Lieutenant-general on the staff, &c.

The Duke of Cambridge, as colonel of the
Coldstream regiment of guards

£1,085 17 G

40 O 0

The Duke of Sussex, as lieutenant-general

on the staff

The Duke of Gloucester, ditto

1

The account was ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. Moore brought up the report of the Committee ap pointed to examine the minutes of the evidence taken in 1804, upon the subject of a petition from the journeymen calico-printers; and the following resolution of this Committee was, according to motion, read by the clerk at the table:

"That it is the opinion of this Committee, that the matters in dispute between the masters and journeymea in the calico-printing trade might be amicably adjusted, inasmuch as they possess the means amongst themselves, as will be found amply and circumstantially detailed in the report, and that time be allowed to effect the same, with a view to preclude those legislative provisions, for which, otherwise, it will be indispensably necessary to apply in the next session of Parliament."

The report was ordered to lie on the table, and to be printed. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

FRIDAY, JULY 18.

In the appeal Charnley. Lord Dunsany and others, Mr. Richards was heard for the respondents. Further hearing on Monday.

Strangers were, for a short time, excluded, whilst the House again discussed the matter of privilege, which was under discussion the preceding day.

On our readmission we found

The Bishop of Winchester speaking on the third reading of the philanthropic society bill. His lordship objected principally to the enactment in the bill relative to the appointment of a chaplain to officiate in the chapel of the institution without the consent of the rector of the parish. He concluded by moving to postpone the third reading of the bill for two months.

A conversation of some length ensued.

Lord Eldon and the Lord Chancellor supported the ob jections urged by the Bishop of Winchester, and maintained that the rights of the rector as established in a general principle of law ought not to be invaded.

Earl Spencer entered into a description of the nature and objects of the institution, which he contended was an esablishment calculated to produce the mest beneficial effects VOL. III. 1905-6.

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