3. That this House will immediately proceed to take into consideration their merits and grievances. The first resolution being put, Colonel Wood expressed the highest sense of the merits of the East India officers, but thought it would be improper for the House to take any step in the business, before the Court of Directors and Government had refused or delayed the claims of the Company's officers; so far from which, they were now in a state of negotiation to satisfy them. He paid many compliments to Mr. Dundas, for his zeal and exertion in favour of the East India Company's officers; and, as a member of the committee of officers, declared, that they had the most unlimited confidence in his intentions and success. Colonel Maitland admitted the subject to be of great importance; but at the same time conceived, that it was extremely delicate and intricate, and certainly improper to bring forward in that House, when it was in a train of adjustment elsewhere; he therefore moved, "That the House do now adjourn;" which motion being put was carried. 11. Robert Graham, Esq. took the oaths and his seat for Stirling. Mr. Lechmere suggested the propriety of abolishing the tax upon teas, and substituting in its room a tax of two guineas upon the hand carriages called trucks, which, he computed, amounted to 20,000 in London and its environs. He made a motion to this purpose, but no member seconding it, the Speaker informed him it could not be put from the chair. Mr. Dent called the attention of the House to a subject which he considered as deserving investigation. By the statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the opening of the budget, it appeared, that great abuses exist in the use of the privilege of franking, which the present regulations were intended to remedy. These abuses had, since that time, been the subject of much public obloquy, and, as the matter now stood, equally and indiscriminately attached to the whole 558 members of that House. In order, therefore, that the subject might be properly investigated, he moved, That there be laid before the House an account of the number of letters received by or sent from members during the last two years, distinguishing the members names, together with the amount of what they would otherwise be charged. Mr. Long conceived it would be impossible for the post-office to comply with the motion. The motion was put and negatived. Mr. Long then moved, That there be laid before the House the amount of letters franked by clerks in the several public offices having that privilege. Ordered. 12. William Lushington, Esq. for the City of London, was introduced and Sworn. 16. The Secretary at War moved, in a Committee of Supply, that a certain allowance be made to subalterns of the Militia in times of peace. The motion was agreed to, and the report ordered to be received on the morrow. Mr. Secretary Dundas moved for leave to bring in a Bill enabling petty officers of the navy, and non-commissioned officers of the marines, to transfer a portion of their salary, during their absence on service, to their wives and families, and those who were not married, in favour of their mothers. Mr. Dundas entered into many reasons to evince the propriety of the measure he proposed, and shewed that it went not much further than what had been already granted by former acts of Parliament. Leave was given. 17. Sir John Frederick moved for leave to bring in a Bill more effectually to prevent the stealing of dead bodies from church-yards and burying-grounds. Mr. Mainwaring thought the existing laws sufficient to prevent this crime, and therefore that there was no necessity for the present motion. Sir John Frederick replied, that the increase of the practice of late years demonstrated the insufficiency of the present laws, and that he did not mean that this bill should preclude the possibility of the faculty obtaining subjects for dissection. Leave was granted to bring in the bill. The report of the committee upon the Militia Officers Bill was brought up, and the resolutions agreed to. The Attorney General moved for leave to bring in a Bill for continuing a bill of the 330 of his present Majesty, commonly called the Alien Bill. Leave was given, the bill was brought up, and read a first time. The bill for granting a duty to his Majesty on certificates for using hairpowder was brought up and read a first time. The bill stated, that all those who were in the habit of wearing hair-powder should enter their names with the clerk of the peace of the counties, or the commissioners of the districts in which they resided, &c. The Bigamy Bill was read a third time, and passed. 18. Mr. Secretary at War, in a committee of Ways and Means, moved, That the additional pay to be allowed to militia subaltern officers in time of peace be defrayed out of the land-tax, which was agreed to. 19. Mr. Hobart reported from the committee appointed to try the rights of the Westminster Election petition, that the right lay in housekeepers paying scot and lot; and that the Duchy of Lancaster, St. Martin's le Grand, and the precincts of the Savoy, were included in the city and liberties of Westminster. Mr. Hobart having brought up the report of the committee of Ways and Means, and the resolution being read, that the allowance to be granted to subaltern officers of the militia in time of peace, be defrayed out of the produce from the landtax for the year 1795, Mr. Windham (Secretary at War) said, it was by no means his intention to trouble the House with any observations on the measure now proposed, the propriety and necessity of which were sufficiently notorious, unless he had been given to understand that gentlemen on the opposite side meant to oppose it. Not being able to guess at the particular objections they intended to state, he could not pretend precisely or directly to obviate them. In the present stage of the business therefore he thought it sufficient to observe, that his proposition was seconded and approved by the highest authority on this subject, the colonels of the militia, from whom it was natural to expect the best information; and he was moreover authorised to bring it forward by the general acknowledged deficiency of subalterns in the militia corps, a description of men on whom the country had much to depend in its present awful situation, and whom it was its obvious interest to encourage and recompence. He therefore moved, that this resolution be agreed to. Mr. Bastard, Colonel Sloane, Colonel Upton, Mr. Pitt, Mr. Stanley, and Mr. York, supported the proposition. General Tarleton, Mr. Fox, Mr. M. Robinson, and Mr. Sheridan, opposed it on constitutional grounds, as assimilating the militia with the army. After some conversation the resolution was agreed to, and the Secretary at War moved for leave to bring in a bill pursuant to the said resolution. 20. On the question being put for the commitment of the Franking Bill, several members delivered their opinions. Upon the clause for limiting the number of letters to be sent or received free by members. Mr. Long moved to fill up the blank with the number of fifteen. Mr. Burton proposed the number ten, as an amendment. After some conversation in support of each number, the House divided, when the original number was adopted. Ayes 34, Noes 31. Upon the clause restricting the privilege of franking by clerks in public offices, it being agreed that great abuses existed in the exercise of it, it was suggested, that a committee should be instituted to investigate them. Mr. Pitt moved, that the clause be left out in this bill, in order that the remedy should be applied by itself. Mr. Cawthorne moved, that the committee adjourn, and report progress. The House divided on this, Ayes 13, Noes 36. The other clauses in the bill were then gone through, and the House being resumed, the report was ordered to be received on Wednesday next. 23. The House having resolved itself into a committee of Ways and Means, Mr. Pitt reminded the committee, that at the time of opening the Budget, he hinted an intention of reconsidering the duty on Scotch Distilleries: from new information he had since gathered on this point, he was led to believe that a larger duty should be imposed on these distilleries, in order to proportion it more adequately to the duty in England. The duty he now wished to add would, he said, amount to four times more than his estimate at the opening of the Budget; for the produce, in his opinion, would amount to more than 90,000l. He would perhaps on a future year propose a further increase, in order to render the proportion of duty on spirits in Scotland and in England somewhat more parallel. Instead of levying that tax as he at first intended, he would levy it on stills, at the rate of gd. per gallon additional duty. The Chancellor of the Exchequer next adverted to an additional duty on insurances. This, he said, should not only extend to property on board ships, but was also to attach to all property insured on shore, in the proportion of 2s. on stamps for insurances under 100l. and 2s. 6d. on stamps for every 100l. additional. His motion was agreed to. The Order of the Day was read for the House to resolve itself into a committee on the Bill for obliging all persons wearing hair-powder to take a licence for the same; when Mr. Pitt thought it adviseable to propose two exceptions; one in favour of the subalterns and privates in the army, and all officers in the navy under the rank of master and commander. The other respected the clergy whose benefices or private property did not amount to 100l. per annum. He also proposed one alteration from his former plan, that of having the certificate taken out from the distributors of stamps, instead of being registered with the clerk of the peace, as in the game tax. The tax, he said, should commence on the 5th of May next, and all persons exposed to its operation should for future years have their names registered from the month of April to the same month of the ensuing year. General Macleod suggested the propriety of making some exceptions in favour of families where there were a great number of daughters; and that no more than the mother, and two or three of her daughters at most, should be exposed to it. Mr. Cawthorne proposed to exempt half-pay officers, and was supported by General Smith and others. Mr. Pitt opposed this amendment, as repugnant to the principles of the bill, but confessed himself inclined to listen to that of General Macleod, in favour of families where daughters were numerous. Mr. Dent disapproved of the Bill, as tending to increase the consumption of wheat flour, as a substitute for powder, and thereby increase the price of bread. He called the serious attention of the committee to the present state of the country in the article of corn, a scarcity of which was apprehended in all quarters. Mr. Pitt deprecated a discussion so alarming, and, in his opinion, altogether foreign to the subject. He denied the situation of the country to be such as described by the Hon. Gentleman. A very long conversation ensued, in which several members spoke for and against many of the clauses, when the blanks being filled up, the House was resumed, and the report ordered. 24. A petition was presented from Lord Viscount Garlies, praying that they would not attribute to any improper motive on his side the delay that unforeseen obstacles had occasioned to the conveyance of the writ for the election of a member to serve in Parliament for Kirkcudbright. The petition was ordered to lie on the table, and Mr. William Dundas moved, That the Order of the day for his Lordship attending in the House be discharged, which was agreed to. The report of the committee on the tax for wearing hair-powder was brought up, and the clauses read, which went to exempt the subaltern officers of the army and navy; the clergy whose benefice or private property did not amount to 100l. per annum; the corps of cavalry and yeomanry, during the days they were called out to exercise, and when employed in actual service; and, finally, all unmarried daughters of every family except two. The Bill for making some provision in certain cases for officers of the militia in time of peace, was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on Monday next. Mr. For rose, agreeably to his promised notice, to enquire into the state of the nation. In a speech of near four hours, in which his usual powers of argument, eloquence, and perspicuity, were eminently displayed, he touched upon all the points in which the national dignity and interests are at present at stake, and concluded with moving, That the House resolve itself into a committee to consider of the state of the nation. Mr. Pitt answered Mr. Fox in a very long speech, and moved that the House do now adjourn. A long debate ensued, in which Mr. Sheridan and others spoke on the side of Mr. Fox, and Mr. Canning and others on that of Mr. Pitt. Mr. Fox replied; and the question being loudly called for, the House divided; for the adjournment 219, against it 63. General Tarleton moved, That an account of all the members who have certified their inability to the postmaster-general to frank their own letters, be laid before the House. Agreed to. The Chancellor of the Exchequer informed the House, that he had disposed of the lottery for the ensuing year, containing 55,000 tickets, at 131. 158. 10d. each, amounting to 758,000l. 138. 4d. which left a surplus of 258,000l. 13s. 4d. applicable to the service of the present year. After which he moved the usual resolution, that 758,000l. to be raised by lottery, shall be granted to his Majesty. Agreed to. Mr. Pitt stated, that the proposed tax upon life insurances, which was originally intended to attach to existing as well as subsequent insurances, and to be levied upon the premium and not the capital, had been represented to him as likely to be attended with some inconveniences; he now proposed that the tax shall only fall upon subsequent insurances, and that it shall be levied upon the capital, and not upon the premium. Agreed to. Messrs. Fox, Hussey, and Alderman Anderson, objected to the tax, as being extremely unprofitable, and tending to discourage a very laudable mode of obtain ing provision for families which might otherwise be left destitute. Mr. Pitt said, he would take the matter into farther consideration. The House being resumed, the report was ordered to be received on the morrow. 26. Mr. Pitt delivered a message from his Majesty, nearly of the purport of that delivered to the Lords, recommending it to their consideration to make provision for the extraordinary expences of the war. The consideration thereof was referred to the committee of supply. The House in a committee went through the Bill for imposing an additional duty on policies of insurance: the clause for imposing a duty on life insurances was withdrawn. Sir W. Dolben moved, that the Bill for the better observance of the Sabbath be read a second time. Mr. M. A. Taylor, Mr. Courtenay, Lord W. Russell, Mr. Jolliffe, and Alderman Newnham, opposed the bill. Sir W. Dolben, the Master of the Rolls, Sir R. Hill, and Mr. Elliott, spoke in favour of the bill, on which the House divided, for the motion 25, against it 21. The bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be committed. 27. In a committee of supply his Majesty's message was read. The Chancellor of the Exbbequer moved a resolution, that a vote of credit of 2,500,000l. be granted to his Majesty to defray the extraordinary expences for the year 1795. Agreed to. The House was resumed, and the report ordered to be received on Monday. M POETRY. WRITTEN ON THE COAST OF AFRICA, VOL. IV. R IN THE YEAR 1776. BY J. F. STANFIELD. EMOV'D from the temperate clime Where science first open'd iny views, I burn where the day-star sublime Points to scenes might awaken the Muse. But the glance of the poet is vain The Muse must her visions forego Can fancy renew the lov'd strain, When the heart throbs to accents of woe? In vain the rich scen'ry invites, Science opens in vain her full store, Nor the beauty of Nature delights, For, alas! desolation, I find, Loads with horror each object around; When we first spread our sails to the wind, Elated with hope, my young mind Out-flew ev'ry breeze that could blow. In these far-favour'd regions of day! Rash youth hurries heedless along, Nor sees till too late conscious shame. What shrieks strike the soul with dismay ! The sun in his genial career With horror beholds the dire plain→ Nn |