lecting the tax, by enabling holders of India bonds to include the interest thereof in the general statement of their income. He was the more confident of this, as the modifification would not interfere to any considerable amount with the income duty. The gross amount of India bonds, issued by the company, did not exceed 80,000 or 90,000l. the duty upon which, would of course be under 5000l. and not of sufficient weight with the house to induce it to with hold a facility to the operations of a great commercial company, particularly as the just amount of the dut would not be eventually affected thereby. This was one object of his measure; the other regarded the rate of interest which India bonds bear, with reference to the interest payable on Exchequer bills. The company was by law prohibited from giving more than five per cent. on their bonds, whereas Exchequer bills bore a rate of interest per day, which amounted annually to 51. 6s. 6d. per cent. This circumstance rendered the property in India bonds, less desirable than other property capable of producing a higher rate of interest, and was of course injurious to the company; besides, it was material that in time of war the bonds of the company should not be ousted from the market. Though the rate of interest had been limited by law, the noble Lord was sure it had never been in the intention of the legislature to place India bonds under disadvantages, to which no other public securities were liable. He was aware that it might be urged, that there ought to be some distinction, between the interests of the public and that of a commercial body, but he was confident the legislature would not look upon the India company as a body wholly mercantile. Their interests were so closely interwoven with the interests of the public at large, which was to enjoy a participation of their resources, that the public could not be a gainer while the company was a loser. His object, therefore, was, to enable the India company to give an interest on their bonds, not exceeding the rate of interest which exchequer bills may bear at any time, in order that they may enjoy their fair proportion in the market for the circulating medium. He did not see any necessity to trouble the house further, he therefore should move for leave to bring in a bill to regulate India bonds, with regard to the rate of interest and duty payable thereon."-Leave given.

[BANK RESTRICTION BILL.]-The Chansellor of the Exchequer after moving," that the several acts imposing a restriction on the issue of cash in the payments made by the

Bank be read," stated, that it was not his intention to preface the motion he meant to submit to the house with many introductory observations. There had, on a former occasion, existed considerable objections to the measure for confirming the order of council by which the restriction of the issues of cash from the Bank had been imposed. le was himself of opinion, that the measure was a wise one; and whatever doubts might have existed, in the first instance, as to its expediency, had been fully and satisfactorily obviated in the discussion which had taken place, on the subject's being brought before the house. But though doubts had been entertained as to the propriety of the measure, during a period of peace, he had never heard its policy questioned during a period of war. Under the impression, therefore, that no doubts existed on the subject, he should take it for granted, that no objection would be made, in the present instance, to a renewal of the measure. It was satisfactory to know that the credit of the Bank had remained firm and unshaken, during the past experience of the measure, and that its sufficiency to make good its engagements, both was, and is, unaffected by even the slightest suspicion. It was highly to the credit of the Bank, too, that it had not availed itself of the dispositions of the act, to issue a quantity of paper exceeding the amount of its capital; or abused the discretion, which a measure essential to the public welfare, necessarily left for its own private ends. It was, however, expedient, that the house should, from time to time, be made acquainted with the quantity of paper in circulation, and he proposed to move for an account of that which was actually in circulation at different periods during the last year; but he should first move, "for leave to bring in a bill, to continue, for a time to be limited, the restriction on the issues of cash by the Bank of England."

Mr. Jekyll.-Sir; I do not rise to oppose the motion of the right hon. gent, but to direct his attention, and that of the house, to the lamentable state to which the public are reduced by the want of circulating specie. The shameful practice of hoarding up cash, has been carried to such an excessive pitch, that it is with great difficulty, specie can be procured for the common purposes of life. I am sorry to observe the prevalence of this ungenerous feeling, at a crisis, which calls for every possible exertion; and, I am assured, from the respectable authority of a principal banking-house, that, if the practice be not put a stop to, bankers

*

will in a short time not be able to procure specie for the fractional parts of change. I have seen too, in a newspaper of this morning, some resolutions of a respectable corperation, calculated to meet the evil, and recommending the acceptance of dollars at a certain rate, and of French crowns and half crowns, in change. These observations have thrown out, Sir, merely, to call the attention of the right hon. gent. to a grievance, which loudly calls for legislative interference.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer agreed with the hon. gent. that the evil of which he complained, but too certainly existed; and assured him, that it had been under the consideration of his Majesty's government. He admitted that the hon. gent. had commented justly on the basene-s of such a practice, at such a crisis The remedy, however, rested with individuals, who might easily correct a practice, that was as inconsistent with public spirit, as it was with the duty of a good citizen.-The motion was then put, and leave given to bring in the bill. After which the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that there be laid before the house an account of the amount of Bank of England notes in circulation on the 1st of June, 1st of August, 1st of October, and 25th of November, 1603; distinguishing the amount of the value of those below 51." Ordered.

[WATERFORD ELECTION COMMITTER.] Mr. Deverell moved the order of the day, for renewing the debate on the motion for excusing Mr. Pedley from his attendance on the Waterford committee.

The Speaker said, he conceived it to be his duty to state to the house, that affairs of an urgent nature having called the hon. gent. mentioned in the motion, to the island of Jamaica, and that the gentleman having long since taken his passage, it was moved that he obtain leave of absence from the committee on the Waterford election, on

* The following is the circumstance to which the hon, member alluded:-In consequence of the great inconvenience experienced at Portsmouth from the scarcity of cash, a meeting was held, pursuant to advertisement, at the Guildhall of that place, on the 22d of November. The mayor presided; and, after some discussion on the means of alleviating the difficulties and inconveniencies so seriously felt at Portsmouth and Portsea, for the want of gold and silver for the purposes of trade, it was unanimously resolved, that dollars should be admitted into tem. porary currency at 4s. 9d. each, but that no person should engage to take more than four in one payment; and French crowns at $8. and half crowns at 2s. 6d.

which he was appointed.

being put,

The question

Mr. Deverell rose. He recapitulated what he had said on the preceding evening. He stated farther, that the hon. gent. alluded to had spent seventeen or eighteen years in the island of Jamaica, and had only lately left it. It was scarcely probable, therefore, that a man in such circumstances should have left his affairs in such a situation, as not again to require his personal presence. The hon. gent. entered further into a minute discussion of the observations of the Attorney General on the preceding evening, and endeavoured to obviate that right hon. gentleman's objections. He stated, that it would be a very hard case, indeed, if gentlemen should be excluded from attendance on their own private and most interesting affairs; affairs in which their happiness and personal respectability were deeply impli cated, merely because they had been appointed on a committee, the business of which might be otherwise executed without injury to the public. He appealed to the feelings of the house. Was it a case to which any gent, present would wish to submit He alluded to a precedent, where nine out of fifteen had sat and transacted the busines of an election committee, whereas even in case of the hon. gentleman's absence, there would still, according to the Attorney General, be eleven on the Waterford committee.

The Attorney General rose. It was far, he said, from his intention to oppose the private interests of any member of that house, and in regard to the gentleman alluded to, he would be the last to throw any obstruction in his way. So much was this the case indeed, he said, that if the question were at this moment put, it would be more agreeable to find that the gentleman should

obtain leave of absence than that he should not. To be refused, indeed, in such cir cumstances, he thought would be a very hard case; and let it be brought home to the feelings of any gentleman here present, he was as sensible as the hon. gent. who spoke last, that no one could deny the force of his argument. The hon. gent. had stated that he had said the whole of the business. would be at a stand, should more of the members be absent than now were. This was not directly the idea he had expressed. He had meant to say, that if one, two, or three, were permitted to absent themselves upon business, others might claim the same privilege, and of course no reliance could be placed upon any committee ap* 0e 2 pointed

pointed by the house; and such really was the case in the present instance; three had already dropped from the committee in question, and this motion went to authorize the absence of a fourth. The right hon. gent. concluded by saying, that where the private interests of the individual and those of the public were put in competition, his own private feelings would be too ready to lead him to give a preference to the individual interest; but, at the same time, he could not conceal his anxiety, that the house should not be forward to establish precedents that were too likely to be followed, to the injury of the public service. With regard to precedents, he had taken much pains to search for them; and he could find no precedent, where a member for private business was indulged, but in a temporary absence; in which case, the committee was adjourned, till it could have the benefit of his attendance. Painful as it would be to him, he should, therefore, vote against the motion.

Mr. W. Dundas rose, and requested that the house would pause, before it should determine in a case of such importance, where they had nothing before them, but the general assertion of an individual, to direct their judgment. Suppose, he said, I wish to go to Scotland? If you establish a precedent of this kind, will it not be natural for me to plead business, and to direct your attention to this very precedent, which you are about to create ?

Mr. Bragge observed, that it must be in the recollection of the house, that there was no precedent in England that could apply to this motion, and as committees for the trial of Irish elections were now in this country, no arguments could be adduced on the present question, but those of expediency only. It therefore remained with the house to establish or not, as they should think proper, a precedent on the present occasion.

The Speaker, before he put the question, stated to the house, the number of precedents of absence, granted to members, from committees, to be eight; four of which, were for total absence, in consequence of the death of near relations. Of the other four, two were for private business, and but for two days; and the committees were in both cases adjourned, till the expiration of the two days. The remaining two were, first, the case of the Okehampton petition; Mr. Pelham, one of the members of the committee for trying which, was also water-bailiff to the court of sewers, and had obtained a total release from attendance on the committee, in consequence of his presence being essential to the discharge of his other duties.

The second, was the case of Shaftesbury, in which case, Sir Richard Worsley, who was also mayor and returning officer of another place, obtained a release from attendence on the committee, in consideration of the calls of duty in his corporation. The question being put by the Speaker, there was a call to divide the house, when there appeared for the motion 45, and against it 54. The motion, of course, was negatived by a majority of 9.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

Thursday, December 1.

Their lordships met at the usual hour. Certain accounts, relative to the bounties granted by Queen Anne, were laid on the table. The house then went into a committee of privileges. Strangers were or dered to withdraw, and soon after an adjournment took place.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Thursday, December 1.

[MINUTES.]-Mr. Smith informed the house, that his Majesty had been waited upon with the address of this house, and had ordered the proper officers to prepare and lay before the house, the several estimates accordingly.-Sir P. Stephens presented estimates of the expense of maintaining pri soners of war, sick and in health; also, an estimate of the expense of transport service, for the year 1804. These estimates were ordered to lie on the table; and Sir P. Stephens gave notice, that he should move them in the committee of supply to-morrow. Mr. Hobhouse brought up the report of the committee of supply. The resolutions were agreed to, nem. con.— -Lord Castlereagh brought in his bill, for regulating the interest on East-India bonds. The bill was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on Monday, and to be printed. - Mr. Vansittart brought in the bill for continuing the restriction, on payments in specie by the Bank of England. Read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time tomorrow. Mr. Hobhouse brought up the report of the committee of Expiring Laws. The resolutions were for the continuation of the act 39 Geo. III. for prohibiting the exportation, and encouraging the importation of corn; the act for regulating the trade with Malta; the act of last session, relating to the drawback on the exportation of sugar; and the act relating to the exportation of sugar to Ireland. The resolutions were post

poned, and referred to a committee of the whole house to sit to-morrow.-The house went into a committee on Mr. Jarvis's bill, for preventing the desertion and collusive arrests of seamen. Several verbal amendments were made, the blanks were filled up, and the report ordered to be received tomorrow. Mr. Vansittart moved, that tomorrow the house should resolve itself into a committee, to consider of ways and means, for raising the supply granted to his Majesty.-The Chancellor of the Exchequer gave notice, that to-morrow, in the committee of ways and ineans, he should move, that leave be given to bring in a bill to empower his majesty to raise five millions, by loan, on exchequer bills, for the service of the year 1804. The Chancellor of the Exchequer gave notice, that to-morrow, in the committee of ways and means, he should move the land and malt taxes, for the year 1804.The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that there be laid before the house an account of the outstanding exchequer bills, on the 1st December, 1802, and 1st December, 1803, respectively.

[STIPENDIARY CURATES BILL.]— Sir William Scott rose to move for leave to bring in a bill to encourage the residence of stipendiary curates. It would, he said, be in the recollection of gentlemen, that a bill had been brought forward on this subject last year, which had passed that house, but was rejected in another place, on account of a money provision, which had been annexed to it, of such a nature as to be conceived inconsistent with the forms of that place. He had the satisfaction to state, that it was not now necessary to annex to the bill any such provision, as intimation had been given, that it was intended to bring forward a separate measure, for the purpose of providing, in less objectionable way, for those of that deserving class of men, the stipendiary curates, who should be displaced, by the operation of the bill for enforcing the residence of the clergy. The bill, which he should propose, would, therefore, be the same with that which the house had passed in the last session, with the addition of a clause, which would facilitate its operation, and the omission of the clause, in consequence of which, the former bill had been rejected in the upper house. If leave should be given to bring in the bill, his intention was, that it should be read a first and second time, as soon as the forms would admit, and then printed and left some time for consideration.

Leave being given, the bill was accordingly brought in, and read a first time, and

ordered to be read a second time to-morrow. It is then to be committed, in order to fill up the blanks pro forma, when it is to be printed; and after a sufficient interval for consideration, to be recommitted for discus

sion.

[CURATES RELIEF BILL.]-The Chancellor of the Exchequer (who was not in the house when Sir William Scott made the above motion) said, he understood that a motion had just been made, and leave given, to bring in a bill similar to that of last session, to encourage the residence of stipendiary curates. It would be in the recollection of gentlemen, that in the progress of the former bill, a motion had been made, for the house to go into a committee, to consider of the propriety of making compensation to such curates as should be deprived of their cures by the bill for enforcing the residence of the clergy. The provision, which the committee thought it adviseable to make, had been incorporated with the bill, and the bill had been rejected in the other house as informal. It was now designed, to bring forward a plan, for the relief of these deserving men, in a separate bill. He should therefore move, "that the house should tomorrow, resolve itself into a committee of the whole house, to consider of the expediency of affording a temporary relief to such curates as have been or shall be displaced, in consequence of the act of last session, for enforcing the residence of the clergy." He was authorised to state, that the proposition had the consent of his Majesty.

[FORTIFICATION OF LIVERPOOL.]-Mr. Dent moved for leave to bring up a petition from the merchants of Liverpool, praying for leave, to bring in a bill, to enable them to fortify their harbour and town at their own expense.-The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, the petition was recommended by his Majesty, so far as the crown was concerned. The petition was accordingly brought up and read. It stated, that the commander in chief, and other general officers of that district, had represented the harbour and town of Liverpool to be in a very inadequate state of defence. The mayor, bailiffs, and other officers of the corporation, having, on their part, offered to raise a great portion of the necessary fortifications at their own expense, the merchants wished to contribute to carry the plan into full effect, so that floating batteries may be stationed across the mouth of the harbour, and by erecting batteries on such points of the coast as were thought to require fortification. For this purpose voluntary donations had been sub

scribed, but the amount of them being insufficient, it was wished to raise the remainder of the necessary sum by loan, as a security for which the merchants were willing to pledge their ships, and other property. It was to enable them to raise this loan, that the aid of Parliament was required.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, that though some of the gentlemen near him had communicated to him the substance of the petition, he was not acquainted with the form of it, till he had heard it read. If he had been aware of the words, in which t was expressed, he would not have exercised in its favour, the discretion which his Majesty had vested in him, to give the approbation of the crown where he should think it called far. What were the avowed designs of the enemy, referred to in the petition; and what the zeal and spint of the merchants of Liverpool to resist these designs, which he had no doubt were as great as tho e of any other class of his majesty s subjects were matters, into the discussion of which, he was not now disposed to enter. There were, however, words in the petition, which, if the house should order a bill according to the petition, would render that bill objectionable. The petition alluded to works to be raised for the defence of the harbour and town of Liverpool; the house would not countenance the raising of any works without the express order of the King. He gave every credit to the zeal and public spirit, from which the petition originated. This remark, he was called upon to make, by his not being aware of the particulars of the petit on when he gave his Majesty's consent; a defect which the house itself would correct, and which it would allow him to supply. He recollected an instance of a similar petition in 1798. He had not then objected, for he could not make any objection; but his sentiments were such as he now stated, and he was glad to find they had the approbation of the chair. [The Speaker appeared by signs to coincide in the sentiment of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.] It would be for the house to decide, whether it would sanction the precedent then established.

Mr. Creevey thought it never had been conceived by the inhabitants of Liverpool, that their town and harbour were particularly in want of fortifications. During the last war, and all former wars, they looked upon themselves as perfectly secure; but now the commander in chief of their district (Prince William of Gloucester) found out that Liverpool was a very vulnerable place, and very much in danger of attack. If, contrary to his own judgment and that of many others,

such fortifications were necessary, let them be defrayed, as they ought to be, by the public; let them not be imposed as a partial and heavy burthen on Liverpool itself, but let them be erected, at the general expense of the nation. It was, besides, an error to conceive that the expense would fall on the majority of the inhabitants, if the money were to be raised in the manner proposed by the petition: it would fall on a very small part of these inhabitants.

Mr. Dent moved, that the petition be referred to a committee, to consider the matter thereof, and to report the same as it should appear to them to the house.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer begged to be understood, not to pledge himself to the measure, by giving his Majesty's consent, so far as his Majesty was concerned. He had given it thus qualified, in order not to debar the petition from coming before the house.

Mr. Dent said, the measure proposed in the petition, had certun'y the sanction of the majority of the most respectable merchants of Liverpool. The town had already raised a considerable sum by subscription. Twenty thousand pounds had been raised, but that was not sufficient; it was to supply the deficiency, that the measure stated in the petition was resorted to. If assistance was necessary, he was sure, though he had no pledge, that it would be afforded. It would have been highly indecent in the town, when informed by so high an authority as its commander in chief, and the general officers under him, not to shew the greatest alacrity to come forward in the most liberal manner.The petition was referred to a committee.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

Friday, December 2d.

[MINUTES.]-On the motion of the Duke of Norfolk, the Zouch peerage was ordered to be taken into further consideration on the first Tuesday in February-On the motion of Lord Walsingham, the Rous peerage was ordered to be taken into consideration on the third Tuesday in the same month.

[PAROCHIAL CLERGY ]-The Duke of Norfolk gave notice, that it was his intention to submit to the consideration of the house, a bill for preventing the arrest of parochial clergymen, while actually engaged in the duties of their respective cures a bill, for their relief, had been introduced in that house last session, but had not been entertained, on the idea that it was to be esteemed a money bill. Such a bill, however, was now pending in the other house, and he