In the case of Cæsar, many of his troops might believe the pretences he held out, that they fought for liberty against tyranny and aristocracy. As to what was said of the danger of adopting this measure in time of war, if it was good to be adopted, it ought to be begun in time of war as well as in time of peace, and to do so was what his noble friend (Lord H. Petty) had wisely and truly said, to shew real courage and magnanimity. As to trenching on the prerogative, all he had to say was, that it was undoubtedly competent to the House to regulate any power it conferred; and to talk of the prerogative of the crown to levy men on any conditions, was very idle, since the concur rence of Parliament was necessary to pay and regulate the army raised by prerogative. And would it be contended that the impression made by the measure, in this shape, would not be much greater than if it had sprung solely from official regulation; and, therefore, was not its success on that account likely to be the greater? As to the effect of the offer of a seven years' service instead of for life, he conceived it self-evident that it would procure more men. As to the discontent of those now enlisted, he saw no danger of the kind. No ill effects of that sort had sprung from enlistment for a period during the American war, or in the instances in which it was adopted since. In a word, Ire conceived the present measure better calculated to give us a large army than any other; and such an army all men must agree was necessary, if we were determined to pre serve our greatness and pre-eminence as a nation.

General Norton was adverse to the measure, and in fayour of the amendment.

Mr. Rose jun. said, that the experiment of limited service had not succeeded in France formerly. In the seven years war, when France, with a population of twenty-four millions, had only 140,000 French troops on foot, it was found impracticable to recruit them. And in the beginning of the American war the system was abandoned, and the republic had been too wise to adopt it. Besides, desertion had been very great in the French armies.

Mr. Perceval spoke strongly in favour of the amendment. The House then divided.

On returning to the gallery we found that the bill passed without a division.

Adjourned at four o'clock in the morning.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

SATURDAY, JUNE 7,

Mr. Alexander and several other members of the House of Commons brought up the mutiny bill, which was read a first time, and ordered to be printed, on the motion of Earl Spencer, who gave notice, that if the prints were on the table on Monday, he should move the second reading on Tuesday.

The property tax bill, the Irish sugar bill, and the Irish additional force repeal bill were read a third time and passed, and a message ordered to be sent to the House of Commons to acquaint them therewith. Adjourned till Monday.

HOUSE OF LORDS,

MONDAY, JUNE 9,

The royal assent was given by commission to the Irish debenture bill, the Irish revenue collection bill, the Irish malt bill, the Irish spirits bill, the Irish butter bill, the franking bill, the Irish first fruits bill, and several privato bills.

The commissioners were the Lord Chancellor, Earl Spencer, and Lord Walsingham.

The Irish stamp duties bill passed through a committee and was reported.

Earl Spencer adverted to the notice he had given on Saturday of his intention to move for the second reading of the mutiny bill the next day; but understanding, he said, that business of importance already stood for that day, he should move that the bill be read a second time on Wednesday.

Lord Hawkesbury did not rise to object to the motion, but merely to give notice, that previous to the second reading of the bill on Wednesday, he should move that there be laid before the House the opinion given by certain military officers, relative to enlistment for a term of years.

The bill was ordered to be read a second time on Wed

nesday,

nesday, for which day the Lords were ordered to be summoned.

Strangers were excluded; and the consideration of the evidence adduced on the trial of Lord Viscount Melville was resumed.

The discussion continued till half past eleven o'clock, when the further consideration of the subject was postponed till the next day. The judges attended. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MONDAY, JUNE 9.

As soon as the House met, it was summoned by the deputy usher of the black rod to attend in the House of. Peers. The right honourable the Speaker, and several members accordingly proceeded to the Upper House of Parliament; and on his return, the Speaker, in the usual form, acquainted the House that they had been in the House of Peers, where they had heard the royal assent given by commission to the Irish debentures bill, the Irish customs and excise duties bill, the Irish butter packing bill, the franking regulation bill, the London docks bill, and the Irish first fruits bill.

Mr. Mcheux, from the India board, presented several papers pursuant to orders of this House, which were or dered to be printed, and to be laid on the table.

The Dunbar harbour bill was read a second time, and referred to a committee, consisting of the Lord Advocate, Lord Archibald Hamilton, and several other members for North Britain.

A message from the Upper House of Parliament, announced their lordships' assent to the property duty bill, the Irish import and export regulation bill, the Irish additional force act repeal bill, and two private bills.

On the motion of Sir John Newport the Irish and English corn interchange bill was read a first time, and, after a few words from Mr. Foster, it was ordered to be read a sccond time the next day.

Ordered that an account of the amount of assessments made under the assessed tax act for a certain time therein specified be laid before the House.

Sir Arthur Wellesley gave notice that he would move the next day for additional papers relative to the Oude charge. Mr. Paull presented his third article of the charge of im

peachment

peachment against the most noble the Marquis Wellesley. It was read at the table by the clerk, and was relative to the transactions which had taken place in Furruckabad, which it stated to contain 100,000 inhabitants, and to produce a proportionate degree of revenue. At the conclusion, the noble lord who is the object of the charge was alledged to have been guilty of a breach of faith, and of tyranny and oppression towards the prince of that division of oriental territory. Ordered to be printed.

The charge was ordered to be taken into consideration on Thursday, the 19th instant, in a committee of the whole House.

It was then ordered that John Lord Teignmouth do attend on Wednesday the 18th, to give evidence on the Oude charge; Gore Ouseley, aid-de-camp to his Highness the Nabob Vizier of Oude, was also ordered to attend; and it was ordered that George Johnstone, Esq. a member of this House, do attend in his place, on Thursday, the 19th, at the consideration of the article relative to Furruckabad; the two former witnesses were also ordered to attend on the same day.

An account of the net assessments under the 43d of the King, up to the 5th April, 1806, was presented, and ordered to be laid on the table.

A statement of the amount of the duty on foreign linen for a limited period was presented and ordered to be laid on the table.

Mr. Wilberforce gave notice that after the motion of Mr. Fox should be disposed of, the next day he would move that an humble address be presented to his Majesty on the same subject.

Sir John Newport moved, that the report of the Irish militia volunteering bill be taken into consideration on Thursday next. In answer to a question from Mr. Foster, he stated that his reason for the delay of a few days was, that he might, in the interval, have an opportunity of consulting with some of the Irish militia colonels who were now in town.

ASSESSED TAXES AND EXEMPTIONS.

On the motion of Lord Henry Petty, the House resolved itself into a committee of ways and means. The Speaker having left the chair,

VOL. III. 1805-6,

M

Lord

Lord Henry Petty observed, that after what had been already said on the subject to which he was now to call the attention of the House, it would be unnecessary for him to trouble the committec at any length. He need do nothing more than state, that, according to the intimation which he had given on a former occasion, it was proposed to raise 10 per cent. on the amount of the assessed taxes He would accordingly now move a resolution to that effect. With regard to the other motions which he had to submit to the House, it related to the exemptions which it was in contemplation to allow to persons having small incomes and large families. The object of it was to allow a deduction of four per cent. for every child, in cases of assessment under the amount of 401. As far as the ratio extended, this would apply to incomes up to the amount of one thousand, or between one and two thousand pounds. This would embrace the whole of the exemptions that could have been claimed on this account, under the property-tax, and besides, it possessed the advantage of being more full, general, and permanent, the exemptions under the property-tax be ing necessarily temporary. By this means he avoided all the inconveniences which would attend the granting of such exemptions under the property-tax; and when he resisted the exemptions in that forin, he had something like the present plan in contemplation. He concluded by moving, That towards raising the supplies granted to his Majesty, there be an allowance on every assessment made or to be made, by virtue of an act of the 43d of the King, after the 5th of April 1806, of an additional rate of ten per cent. on the amount of such assessment.

Mr. Huskisson expressed some doubts as to the produce of the tax. He rather apprehended that it would not turn out so productive as might be at first expected. There was a difference between the sum that might be calculated on the assessment and the sum that might be received in the exchequer. It ought to be recollected that the propertytax had been raised from 64 to 10 per cent. and the effect of this certainly would be to induce people to reduce their establishments, so as to be liable to a smaller portion of the assessed taxes.

M. Francis having before expressed his opinion that no new taxes were necessary for the service of the present year, and having pointed out a mode (taxing foreign property in the funds), by which a large sum might be procured, it

could