in which they wished the bufinefs to go to the Committee. They wished the right only to be confidered, being certain that in that refpect they must have a very decided fuperiority.

He

Mr. Wm. Dundas oppofed the motion from the inconve, niency of keeping the Houte empty by fuch meafures, and defeating the legal reprefentation of the country. would appeal to both parties if the schedule in question was not a paper which they could both with had never existed; but as he already perceived the inclinations of the House, he was unwilling to trefpafs on their time.

The queftion was then put and carried, that the order fhould be difcharged.

And on the motion of Mr. Sheridan, the faid petition was ordered to be taken into confideration on the 3d of May next, the day appointed for the confideration of Mr. T. Sheridan's petition.

Mr. Burroughs then moved, according to a standing order of the House, that the petition of Mr. Hufkiffon be heard first, as they were now both fixed for the fame day.

The Speaker begged leave to remind the hon. Gentleman that the standing order of the Houfe, to which he had alluded, applied only to the conduct of Committees in regard to the priority in queftion.

Mr. Cocks moved that the order for the confideration of the right be now read, in order that it might be poftponed to the fame day fixed for the petitions. His reafon was, that the parties who would be in confequence of this bufimefs brought up to London, might not be detained longer than was abfolutely neceffary.

The Secretary at War obferved, that, if the queftion of right was once afcertained, the other two questions would follow of courfe, and would therefore fave the trouble of any further attendance of witneffes.

Mr. Sheridan did not think that any witneffes that might be brought up would refufe their further attendance.

Mr. Cocks then stated that, on account of the thinness of the Houfe, he was willing to withdraw his motion, and gave notice that he would bring it forward again the next day.

Mr. Sheridan preferred another petition respecting the Liskeard election, which was ordered to be taken into confideration with the others formerly prefented on the 3d of May next. Adjourned.

HOUSE

HOUSE OF LORD S.

FRIDAY, APRIL 6.

The Conimittee upon the Irish priests' and deacons' bill, which food for this day, was, on the fuggeftion of the Bihop of St. Afaph, poftponed till Thurfday.

On the motion of Lord Auckland, certain accounts reTpecting the capital, &c. of the Scotch bank were ordered to be laid before the Houfe. These were moved for, his Lord-' fhip obferved, from no inclination on his part to oppose the meafure, but from the accounts moved for being neceffary, as he understood, for the due illuftration of the fubject.

The bankers' bill, and the Irith militia families provifion bill, were brought up from the Commons, and read a fift time. On the motion of the Bishop of St. Afaph, all the Lords prefent during this feffion were ordered to be Members of the Committee on the St. Pancras poor bill.

VOLUNTEER REGULATIONS BILLAG

The order of the day being read, the Houfe refolved into a Committee on this bill, Lord Walfingham in the chair. The difcuffion of the fourth claufe was refumed. By this it is enacted, that every perfon enrolled, or to be enrolled, or ferving as an effective member in any corps of yeomanry or volunteers in Great Britain, and who fhall be duly returned or certified as fuch, thall be exempted from being liable to ferve perfonally, or to provide a fubftitute in the militia of Great Britain, or in any additional force raised, or to be raised, for the defence of the realm, or the more vigorous profecution of the war, by any act paffed in this feffion, &c.

Earl Spencer having referred to this part of the claufe, moved to amend the fame by the addition of the words, "or any fubfequent feffion of Parliament."

This propofition gave rife to a difcuffion in which Lords Spencer, Grenville, the Lord Chancellor, Lords Ellenborough, Auckland, Carnarvon, and the Duke of Montrofe, took a part.

It was contended on the part of thofe peers who fupported the amendment, as Lords Grenville, Spencer, Carnarvon, &c. that the principle of exemption having been recognized in, and provided for by the bill, it fhould confiftently with parliamentary faith and honour, on which the yolunteer relied on tendering his fervices, be extended

in

in the way proposed by the amendment: the cafe was fimiJar to that of the public creditor, who relied on a continued and unaltered parliamentary fan&tion, as a fecurity for the intereft of his money; and it was preferable that the exemptions, fuch as contended for, fhould ftand on the flatutes and rolls of Parliament, as the beft fecurity to the volunteer, and not to fuffer thefe regulations to be dependent on the feelings or future opinions of individuals.

It was contended by Lord Hawkefbury, the Lord Chancellor, and the other Miniferial Peers, that under all the circumftances of the cafe, it was preferable to let the claufe remain as it flood: the claufe had a two-fold operation, and applied to corps, &c. to be raised hereafter' as well as to thofe now in existence. The amendment of the noble Earl would not therefore meet the object propofed; the impolicy of tying up the hands of the Legiflature in certain cafes was contended for: the honour and good faith of Parliament were, however, to be kept inviolate, and thefe were confiderations which must have their due effect on the Legislature, when confidering of acts hereafter on the fubject, should fuch proceedings be neceffary,

At length the amendment was pushed to a divifion, when there appeared

Contents 14-Non-contents 34.-Majority against the addition 20.

Lord Grenville then propofed, that the words excepting from the exemptions under the act fuch corps as in their offers of fervice had waved that privilege, fhould be omitted.

The Duke of Montrofe, Lords Grenville, Carnarvon, King, Bolton, &c. fupported the amendment, and contended that there was the groffeft injuftice and absurdity in allowing exemptions, as the act did, to new corps to be accepted of, and yet denying them to thofe who had honourably stepped forward without any motive but patriotifim. Exemptions were to be allowed to fuch additional corps as his Majefty might accept of. He might refufe their offer of fervice, but, if he did accept of them, he muft grant them the exemptions.

The Lord Chancellor, Lords Hawkesbury and Hobart, argued in favour of the original claufe. They maintained that by the introduction of a word or two, excepting not only the corps who had already waved their exemptions, but thofe who might offer under that condition, one half of the objection would be done away. The other half they

thought

thought might eafily be got the better of in confequence of that understanding which must be fuppofed to prevail between his Majefty and the corps already enrolled under the condition of waving their exemptions. They might, if they thought proper, fignify their difinclination to continue their fervices under their former offers; and his Majesty would naturally fee the propriety of re-embodying them without any fuch reftriction.

On this amendment the House divided,

For the original claufe, Contents 34-Non-contents 14– Majority against the amendment 20.

Lord Grenville then moved an amendment on the next clause, the spirit of which was, that fuch volunteers as fhould hereafter be accepted, in addition to the prefent establishment, fhould not be entitled to any of the exemptions. In fupporting the amendment, his Lordthip profeffed himself hoftile to the extenfion of exemptions, and at the fame time against carrying the volunteer fyftem beyond its prefent cftablishment.

Lord Hobart could not help thinking, that fuch amendments could have no other tendency than to lose the time of the Houfe, as fhould they even be carried, they would effect no material alteration in the fyftem. He regretted the lofs of the fupport of the noble Lord, which muft certainly be an acquifition to any Adminiftration; but the only anfwer that could be made to every thing that might be faid in oppofition to the bill was, the efficient force actually exifting, that had been raifed by the measures adopted by his Majefty's Government. In this refpect, he would truft for approbation to the candour of the majority of the House.

Lord King was of opinion that, whatever truft his Majefty's Minifters might repofe in the candour of the majority of the Houle, they did not poffefs the confidence of the country. Nothing, he thought, would give greater pleasure to the country at large than their difmiffion. The moft brilliant victory could not be more welcome at the prefent crifis than fuch news; while nothing, he was certain, could be more feverely felt by the enemies of the country, who received additional ftrength in proportion to their weakness.

Lord Hawkesbury replied with confiderable warmth. It was the duty of the Houfe, if they thought Miniers, illqualified for their fituation, to prefent an addrefs to his Majefty for their difmiffion; but fo long as they were thought

worthy

worthy to continue in office, it was the duty of the House to fupport them, and to allow them that degree of confidence which was abfolutely neceffary to carry into effect meafures for the public fafety. He adverted pretty largely to the former Administration. They in general had fupported their meatures by pleading that the times were new, and the exigencies of the country imperiously urgent: but the present times were certainly not lefs new, nor the prefent exigencies of the country lefs urgent. The measures relating to the volunteer fyftem, had been brought forward originally from the fpur of the moment, and, like other hurried measures, could not be expected to be all at once perfect. But all things confidered, the Government certainly deferved credit for what they had done, and was entitled to the approbation of the country for having done fo much.

The Duke of Montrofe complained, that fo far as he was officially concerned in regard to the volunteers, he had been puzzled and perplexed with the different measures that Government had adopted, and had found it repeatedly neceffary, even to a troublefome degree, to apply by letter to the Secretary at War for advice and information, while he was no less distressed by writing letters in a fimilar manner for the information of others. The noble Duke was for the amendment, and thought many alterations neceffary to amend the fyftem.

Lord Harrowby fupported the amendment, and dwelt particularly on the incongruities of the fyftem.

Lord Carnarvon contended for the amendment, and made feveral reflections on the incapacity of Minifters, who did not poffefs, he thought, the confidence of the country.

The Lord Chancellor thought no noble Lord, whatever he might ftate as his own opinion, had a right to announce in that Houfe the fuppofed fentiments of the country. The noble Lord who had juft fat down, or any other noble Lord, might withdraw his confidence from his Majefty's Government; but it was certainly not parliamentary in any noble Lord to conftitute himself the organ of the public, and to declare as a fact, what he might only conceive to be the opinion of the country. Allegations of this nature were unconstitutional. The noble Lord deprecated the language held that night, in regard to the incapacity of his Majesty's Minifters, and which was too common, both in that Houfe, and out of doors. For his own part he was willing to leave his place, should the Houfe point out any fet of men who would