fion. He wished the difcuffion to take place on as early a day as poffible. The next day the bill could not be proceeded upon, because the clauses which it was intended to propofe in the Committee were not yet framed. He had no objection to the arrangement for Friday, if the hon. Gentleman who had given notice of a motion for that day (Mr. Fox) concurred in it. But he conceived it to be moft material, that the confideration of the fubject to which that hon. Gentleman's notice referred fhould not be put off to any diftant day.

Mr. Adair ftated Mr. Fox's confent to defer his intended motion from Friday till Monday.

The Secretary at War expreffed a difpofition to favour the arrangement, by putting off his intended motion on the army eftimates from Monday till Wednesday.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer found it neceffary to put off from Wednesday next, the confideration of the ways and means of the year. Information was expected from Dublin, as to the part of the loan contracted for in Ireland; and it was neceffary that what had been done there should be known, before any thing could be done here as to the fum remaining to be contracted for. This information was expected the nextday; and if it arrived, he fhould be ready on Wednesday to fee the Gentlemen who were difpofed to contract for the fum that would be wanted here. Three or four days would then be neceffary for confideration and arrangement. He would therefore defer his notice from Wednesday till Monday fe'nnight. His right hon. Friend (the Secretary at War) had already fignified his willingness to accommodate the arrangement of the difcuffions which it was wifhed to go into, by putting off his motion on the army estimates till Wednesday. On that day it was meant to move the army extraordinaries. Alfo, he thought it neceffary to ftate at the fame tine, that it was defirable that the motion of which notice had been given for Friday (Mr. Fox's), fhould be brought forward as early as poffible.

Sir Robert Buxton rofe, not to go into any argument on the merits of the bill then, though he declared himself decidedly an enemy to it; but he withed to ask a question with regard to one of its principles, namely, the mode by which the money was to be affeffed, for defraying the quotas claimable under the bill. If the affeffinents were to be on counties at large, he had no objection to that part of the principle, but if on parishes merely, he had strong objections.

Mr.

Mr Secretary Yorke faid, if the hon. Baronet had looked into bill, he would have found the affeffinent was intended On påhe es, in the nature of poor's rates.

The bill was read a fecond time, and committed for Friday.

EXCHEQUER BILLS.

The House refolved itself into a Committee of Ways and Means, Mr. Alexander in the chair.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer ftated that, on a former day, he had apprized the Houfe of his intention to move, in the Committee of Ways and Means this day, a vote for eleven millions, to be raised by Exchequer bills, to difcharge the outstanding Exchequer bills not provided for, and to replace thofe that would by fuch means be withdrawn from the market. Since that notice, a conference had been held with perfons on the part of the Bank; it was propofed by the Bank to defer the payment of a million and a half till next year, towards the renewal of the Bank charter, which had been agreed to, fo that it would be neceffary only to raise nine millions and a half. This he would propofe to do by two bills: the one for railing eight millions, and the other for a million and a half. He felt it neceffary, at the fame time, to ftate, that there was no intention of funding any part of the outstanding Exchequer bills, and to fay alfo, that there were no Exchequer bills now outstanding of an older date than of the 5th of April 1802. He concluded by moving two resolutions, agreeably to his ftaten.ent.

Mr. Johnftone thought the fum propofed was much greater than was neceffary; as it appeared from the papers on the table, that of the eighteen millions of Exchequer bills that had been iffued, only 1,400,000l. had been paid, which left a balance ftill extant of 16,600,000l. which, with some other fums he stated, made up the fum 24,600,000l. raised last year. Of the extant fum it was proposed to pay off eleven millions; and now it was propofed to iffue eight millions more, and leave a million and a half in the Bank. There were feven millions befides, he would admit, in the Bank, under different acts, that would not come into the market; but still, he contended, there would be fixteen millions afloat, which he confidered a great deal too much. Befides, it was much too early in the feffion to refort to this mode of railing money, and contrary to the precedent of laft year, when the right hon. Gentleman did not propofe his Exchequer-bill loan till the 13th of July, at which time it was only proposed to iffue five millions. It was neceffary for the House to be acquainted, in the first instance, with the budget for the year, in order to judge VOL. II. 1803-4. whether

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whether the ways and means were likely to bear out the propriety of the prefent measure. By voting fo large an issue fo early in the feffion, the public would lofe a great share of the advantages which would otherwile arife upon the negociation of the loan, which he thought fhould be much larger in proportion than the Exchequer bilis, which ought to be narrowed in their iffue. He owned he had not had time to look accurately into the papers upon the table, but those were the obfervations which ftruck his mind at the moment. The Chancellor of the Exchequer replied, that the hon. Gentleman not having accurately examined the papers accounted for the error into which he had fallen; for if he had accurately examined them, he would have found, that out of the whole outstanding fum, 10,663,600l. was provided for upon the malt tax of 1802,1803, and 1804; the property and perfonal tax of 1803 and 1804; and the wartaxes of the latter year; leaving fourteen millions to account for, of which three millions were locked up in the Bank, provided for upon the taxes of 1806, and thus leaving a refidue extant of only eleven millions, of which one million and a half was to be held back by the Bank, as already ftated; and confequently the fum to be raifed was only nine millions and a half, for that amount of Exchequer bills actually afloat. He muft.entirely differ from the hon. Gentleman's argument, that the loan fhould be great, and the iffue of Exchequer bills finall; for the latter was a very important refource to Government, and fo popular at market as never to have been at a discount. The true proportion must depend entirely upon the quantity at market, and the preference the public gave. This he conceived an answer to the hon. Member; and with refpect to the period of the year at which it was proposed to make the iffue, he conceived the hon. Member equally in error, when he afferted that it differed totally from the precedents of former years, as on the 5th of April 1801, there were two millions of Exchequer bills more afloat than at the prefent moment. This very day too the Bank had iffued 700,0col. for the purpofe of difcharging outstanding Exchequer bills of 1803; and it was therefore neceffary to keep up the fupply at market upon a branch of the public fecurities fo much in the public prefe

rence.

A converfation arofe between Mr. Rofe and Mr. Vanfittart, in which the former withed for an account of the various iffues of Exchequer bills fince 1801, with the aids on credit on which they were voted; and Mr. Vanuittart ftated thofe iffues with the aids.

The

The refolutions for granting 8,000,000l. and 1,500,000l. to be raised by loan on Exchequer bills were then agreed to.

On the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was agreed, that the charges of the pay and clothing of the militia of Great Britain for one year ending the 5th of March 1805, be defrayed out of the monies arifing from the confolidated fund. Alfo, the allowances to adjutants and ferjeant majors of the militia of Great Britain, and the allowances to fubaltern officers of the faid militia, for the fame period. Similar refolutions were agreed to relative to the pay and clothing and allowances to the officers of the Irith militia. The report was ordered to be received the next day.

Mr. Vanfittart prefented an account of all the additional charges on the national debt, loans, and annuities; and also an account of the estimated produce of the duties for defraying the charges of the fame for the year ending the 5th of Jan. 1804. He stated, that the difficulties created by the confolidation of the duties had impeded the making up of this account, which was ftill imperfect, as the account from Scotland had not been received, but every exertion would be used to complete it. Ordered to lie on the table,

Mr. Rofe obferved, that from the accounts before the Houfe, it was impoffible to form an opinion of the exact state of the revenue, particularly with refpect to the produce of the taxes poftponed in 1803, and paid in 1804. The right hon. Gentleman had adverted to this point in the early part of the evening, and not being fatisfied with the explanations then given, now made a motion for additional accounts to elucidate this point, but being affured by Mr. Vanfittart that every account that was ufual, and fome that were not prefented in any former year, were now either before the Houfe, or in preparation, and to be laid on the table probably the next day, he withdrew his motion.

Mr. Rofe then moved, that there be laid before the Houfe, an account of all Exchequer bills, iffued from 5th April 1798, up to the prefent time, fhewing the amount in each year, and diftinguithing each iffue, and the funds on which it was charged. Ordered.

Mr. Dampier was heard as counfel on the fecond reading of the Aylesbury election bill. The bill was lead a fecond time, and committed for Friday fe'nnight.

The Marquis of Titchfield, by affenting to the commitment of the bill, wifhed to be understood not to preclude hi:nfelf from oppofing it in a future ftage.

It was ordered on the motion of Sir George Cornewall, that

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no new writ be iffued for the election of a member for Aylesbury, in the room of Mr. Bent, till Monday, 14th May. The Dublin police bill was read a third time, and paffed. Mr. Vanfittart prefented feveral accounts relating to his Majefty's foreign fettlements. Ordered to lie on the table. Mr. Calcraft put off till Monday, in the Committee of Supply, the motion of which he had given notice for Friday, reJative to the pay and clothing of the volunteers.

Mr. Kinnaird put off till the fame day a motion relative to the half-pay of officers engaged in volunteer corps, of which he had given notice for Friday.-Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

THURSDAY, APRIL 19.

Counsel was heard in continuation for the appellants in the chancery appeal, Richardfon against the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Poftponed till Wednesday. The bills on the table were forwarded.

MOTION FOR DISPATCHES RELATING TO HOSTILITIES, SENT TO INDIA.

The Earl of Carlisle obferved, that as the fate of the country, as connected with the conduct of Minifters, muft, at no very diftant day, be brought under their Lordfhips' confideration, he would not then trefpafs on their time by any obfervations on that fubject. He rofe merely to make a motion for certain papers, to the production of which he did not apprehend Minifters would oppofe any reasonable objections. He fhould therefore move without further preface, That an humble addrefs be prefented to his Majefly, praying that he may give orders that the dates of all dispatches tranfmitted either by land or fea, by Government to India, previous to his Majefty's meffage of the 10th of March 1803, be laid on the table for the information of their Lordships; and the dates alfo when they were received by the perfons to whom they were feverally addreffed and that the dates of the difpatches tranfmitted between that period and the commencement of hoftilities, together with the dates of the receipt of fuch in India, be alfo laid on the table.

Lord Hawkesbury thought it his duty to refift the motion of the noble Earl, not that there could be any great objection to grant the information he feemed anxious to obtain, but that it was contrary to all precedent, and the conftant practice

of