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HOUSE OF LORD S.

TUESDAY, APRIL 17.

On the motion of the Lord Chancellor, the decifion of the Scotch appeal, Fleming against Abercromby, was postponed till the next day.

The Irifh militia augmentation bill, and feveral private bills were brought up from the Commons, and read a first

tine.

The bill for the better enforcing the canons of the church, as to the ages at which priefts and deacons are to be admitted into holy orders, was read a third time and paffed.

Lord Hawkesbury stated it to be his intention to move for the fecond reading of the Irish militia transference fervice bill on Thurfday. It was alfo his wifh, that the other bill, now on their Lordfhips' table, for augmenting the militia force of Ireland, fhould be read a second time on the fame day. Should, however, the former of thefe bills produce any thing of a long difcuffion, fo as to induce any noble Lord to defire that the other should be poftponed, it was not his intention to urge the measure.

The fame noble Lord laid on the table a lift of the corps and companies of Irifh militia who had made an offer of extending their fervices to any part of Great Britain during

the war.

VOLUNTEER REGULATIONS BILL.

Lord Walfingham brought up the report of the volunteer bill-Several of the amendments were agreed to.

On the claufe relative to exemptions from ferving in the militia and other additional force,

Lord Grenville renewed his objections to that part of the claufe by which fuch exemptions were confined to the additional force raifed, or to be raised, by any act of the prefent feffion. Such reftriction, he maintained, was not confiftent with that good faith which Government ought to preferve towards the volunteers. He therefore moved, that the words fhould ftand, as they had done in former acts, "railed or to be raised by any acts of the prefent, or any future, feffion of Parliament."

Lord Hawksbury thought the amendment propofed not only unneceifary, but even objectionable. Left, however, it might go abroad, that by rejecting the noble Lord's amendment, Minifters were breaking faith with the volun

teers,

teers, he would rather agree to the amendment, unneceffary as he conceived it.

After a converfation between Lords Carnarvon, Darnley, Hawkesbury, the Duke of Montrofe, and the Lord Chancellor, the amendment was agreed to.

On an after part of the fame claufe, extending the exemption to all corps raifed or to be raised,

Lord Darnley objected to that extenfion of the clause, and moved that it thould be limited to fuch corps to be raised as fhould engage their fervices to the whole extent of the military district.

Lords Hawkesbury and Hobart oppofed the amendment, declaring, however, at the fame time, that it was hardly prefuniable his Majefty would accept of fuch limited offers of fervice. The motion was then negatived.

The Duke of Montrofe repeated his objections to the claufe, by which commanding officers are allowed to expend for their men the marching guinea, and moved, as an amendment, that the guinea be paid to the volunteer himfelf.

On this the House divided. For the original claufe

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On the clause relative to the billetting of the volunteers in cafe of actual fervice, there was a good deal of converfation.

Lord Grenville objected to it, as attended with material inconvenience.

The Chancellor, on the other hand, argued, that the inconvenience which would be felt was not greater than that arifing from the billeting of the regulars and militia.

The Houfe divided; the numbers were, for the original claufe 40-against it 11.

Lord Auckland propofed a claufe, purporting that no regulations of particular corps fhould be confidered as binding, unless reported to the Lord Lieutenants of counties, or Deputy Lieutenants. If an interval of twenty-eight days fhould take place after this report, the regulations were to be held valid.

A great deal of converfation took place on this amendment. It was at length agreed to; but Lord Grenville gave notice, that he fhould, on the third reading, move for its being expunged from the bill.

The bill was then ordered for the third reading the next day..

HOUSE

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

TUESDAY, APRIL 17.

The petition of the London clergy, prefented to the Houfe on the 22d of February laft, was referred to a Committee to report thereon.

A perfon from the Exchequer prefented accounts of the net produce of the permanent and war taxes from 5th April 1803, to 5th April 1804, which were ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. Mitford, from the commiffioners of the cuftoms of Scotland, prefented accounts of the quantity of malt exported from Scotland to Ireland, of the quantity of malt carried coaftwife in Scotland; and of the quantity of beer exported from Scotland to Ireland; which were ordered to lie on the table.

A petition was received from the corn growers of Yorkfhire, complaining of the low price of grain; which was ordered to lie on the table.

General Tarleton moved the order of the day for the fecond reading of the Liverpool docks bill; which was read accordingly and referred to a Committee. Referred alfo to the faid Committee, two petitions against certain claufes of the said bill.

On the motion of Mr. Creevey, that another petition against the principle of the bill be referred alfo to the faid Committee,

The Speaker ftated, that as that petition purported to be against the whole of the bill, it could not, according to the forms of the Houfe, be tranfmitted to the Committee, but muft lie on the table till the report of the Committee be received, which was ordered accordingly.

Mr. Secretary Yorke brought up a lift of the farther regiments and companies of the militia in Ireland that had volunteered their fervices to the united kingdom, which was ordered to be printed.

Mr. Secretary Yorke moved the order of the day for the fecond reading of the militia officers completion bill.

On the queftion being put,

Lord Folkeflone objected to the measure on the ground. that it was the revival of a former act from which no benefit had been experienced. If it could be fhewn that more officers had been raifed for the militia by the operation of

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that act in fufpending the qualifications conftitutionally required of officers entering than previoufly to that act, he fhould have no objection to its renewal; but if otherwife, he thought it very improper upon flight grounds to depart from the conftitutional principles of the militia fyftem. He objected alfo to the bill as it contained no claufe to indemnity those who have received commiffions in the militia under the operation of the former act, and who being unqualified, are liable to fines fince the 25th of March last, when the act expired.

The bill was then read a fecond time, and ordered to be committed on Thursday.

Mr. Vanfittart moved that there be laid before the House the accounts of the charges on the confolidated fund; which were accordingly ordered.

Lord W. Ruffell moved that the report of the ftatute duty bill be taken into further confideration.He afterwards moved that it be recommitted on Thurfday fe'nnight, which was accordingly ordered.

A perfon from the office of the Chief Secretary of Ireland prefented an account of the Treasury bills outstanding for Ireland, on the 1ft of January 1804.

As alfo an account of the returns to the Treafury of the different fums affeffed by the grand juries of Ireland.

Mr. Orifby brought up the report of the Dublin police bill, which was orderred to be engroffed.

The Secretary at War brought up the army estimates, which were ordered to lie on the table.

A meffage was received from the Lords, intimating their Concurrence with the Irish priests and deacons orders bill. On the motion of Mr. Corry, the Irish linen manufactory bill was read a third time and paffed.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer gave notice, that he would move in the Committee of Supply, for an iffue of nine millious and a half of Exchequer bills, to cover the eleven millions iffued for the fervice of last year.

HOUSE OF LORD S.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18.

Counfel was heard in the appeal from the Court of Seffion in Scotland, John Hunter, Efq. against the Earl of Kinnoul. Poftponed till Monday.

On the motion of the Lord Chancellor, the judgment of

the

the Court of Seffion in the caufe Fleming against Abercromby, was affirmed.

On the third reading of the

VOLUNTEER REGULATIONS BILL,

Lord Grenville apologized to their Lordships for the neceffity that he felt himself under of trefpaffing on their time, while he adverted to the claufe which had been propofed by a noble Baron (Lord Auckland) on an oppofite bench, and which had been adopted by the Houle, and incorporated with the bill then before them. He meant to allude to that claufe which enacts, that in future all rules and regulations for volunteer corps fhould be tranfinitted by the commanding officer to the Lord Lieutenant of the county, and by him, if he thould approve of the fame, to the Secretary of State, for his Majefty's approbation. It was his intention to move, that that claufe be expunged from the bill, not because he wholly difapproved of it, but becaufe it did not, to his mind, fufficiently meet the evil it was intended to check and counteract. It must be in the recollection of noble Lords, that fo far back as November laft, that Houfe had been unanimous, he believed, in condemning the practice of committees in volunteer corps, and of repelling that dangerous and monftrous propofition, that men with arms in their hands fhould ever be converted into deliberative bodies. It was unneceffary for him to enter anew into the feelings or reafons which induced that Houfe to a general disapprobation of that principle, which, if once tolerated, there was an end to the confitution. That worst of all fpecies of government, a military one, was the natural and inevitable refult of fuch a principle, and military government, fooner or later, as it was well proved by hiftorical fact, invariably terminated in defpotifm. To guard against the poffibility of the establishment of a principle fo anomalous to the practice of our free conftitution, and pregnant with fo much danger to it, was a duty moft imperiously demanded; and he challenged the Houfe, he individually challenged every noble Lord who agreed with him in reprobating that principle on a former occafion, to declare now, in a pofitive, decided, and manly way, that the Legiflature of this kingdom would not tolerate, in the falleft degree, the practice of deliberation by armed bodies of men. With refpect to the claufe before the Houfe, his principal objection to it was, that it was not retrofpective in its effects. It provided, in fome meafure, but not, in his judgment, as fully as it fhould have done, VOL. II. 1803-4.

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