HOUSE OF COMMONS. The Speaker informed the Houle, that he had received a letter from Sir Thomas Moftyn, ftating, that he did not intend to defend his return for the county of Flint against the allegations of a petition which had been presented, complaining of an undue return for the faid county. By the provifion of the Act of the 28th of his prefent Majefty it was neceffary that thirty days fhould elapf: between the notification of this letter in the Gazette, which would be on Saturday, and the day on which the queftion could come again before the Houfe, and the Order for hearing the petition discharged. The Mafter of the Rolls complained very much of the manner in which the Honourable Baronet had caufed this delay, when he must have known that the objections ftated in the petition were well founded. The letter being read, the order for hearing the petition was deferred to the firft of June next. SUPPLY. Mr. Douglas brought up the Report of the Committee of Supply. Mr. Fox afked the Minifter how he made up the fum of 1,284,000l. out of the taxes, as he had ftated their produce in round fums laft night? for it appeared by the notes of feveral Gentlemen, that the fums he had ftated fell fhort of that amount by a very confiderable fum. He apprehended, therefore, that the Right Honourable Gentleman muft have omitted to ftate fomething, or muft have made a mistake in his calculation, a thing which certainly might have eafily happened in the multiplicity of items which he had to bring forward. The Chancellor of the Exchequer reftated the items and the fums at which he estimated them. He ftated Bills of Exchange at 40,000l. and infurance from fire at 35,000l.---(Thefe he omitted to ftate by accident last night, but which, together with 10,000l. under ftated on the articles of copies of deeds, makes up the whole fum of 834,000l. exclufive of tolls, &c. The refolution for making an advance by way of Loan, of 200,000l. for the fervice of the Emperor being read a firft and fecond time, and the queftion put upon it, was carried without a divifion. Mr. Douglas then brought up the report of the Committee of Ways and Means. The refolutions were all read over. On the Motion being made that the refolutions be read a fecond time, Mr. Fox reftated the objections which he had started the preceding night against the financial statements of the Chan cellor cellor of the Exchequer, which were calculated to delude the country, by representing to the public that he had provided at greater fum of intereft than the taxes would produce. He infifted that there was 248,000l. of deficiency even for defraying the intereft of the funded debt, and that the intereft of three millions and a half of floating navy debt remained entirely unprovided for. He alfo contended, that the estimate fell far fhort of the expences which were likely to be incurred, reasoning from the expences of the several services in past years. The Chancellor of the Exchequer replied, that it was impoffible to be accurate in, forming eftimates of future fervices, but that they had been as accurate in the prefent as in any former war. There might be fome defalcations, and there might be a furplus; the question was, therefore, whether further imposts fhould be laid on the country in a cafe where it was matter of uncertainty whether or not they would be neceffary. He denied that a defalcation could exift to the amount ftated by Mr. Fox, and endeavoured to fupport his allegation by a statement of the produce of the taxes which had been already impofed. Mr. W. Smith contended that there would be a deficiency of one million after the Princess Royal's portion was paid, the advances were made to the failors, and a bonus was given to the fubfcribers to the Loyalty Loan. The refolutions were read a fecond time, agreed to, and bills ordered to be brought in pursuant thereto. Adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS. Friday, April 28. The Earl of Chatham brought up the Report of the Committee of Secrefy, which was laid on the Table, and ordered to be printed. Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. There being only 37 Members on the lift, instead of 40, they could not make a ballot for a Committee to try the merits of the Petition against the election for the County of Kent, which being the firft Order of the Day, the Speaker adjourned the Houfe, without doing any bufinefs. HOUSE OF COMMONS. The Chancellor of the Exchequer prefented the following Meffage from his Majesty : GEORGE "GEORGE R. "His Majesty recommends it to the House of Commons to confider of enabling his Majefty to make remittances from time to time, to be applied to his fervice in Ireland, in fuch manner as fhall be approved by the Parliament of that kingdom, to an amount not exceeding 1,500,000l. on provifion being made by the Parlia ment of Ireland for discharging the intereft and charges of a Loan to that amount. "And his Majefty recommends it to the Houfe to confider of guaranteeing a Loan on account of his Ally, the Emperor, to be applied in making good the advances to the amount of 1,600,000l. which have already been made to his Imperial Majefty, and to defray the charge of fuch further advances as his Majefty may, from time to time, direct to be made in the courfe of the prefent year, to an amount not exceeding 2,000,000l. "His Majefty trufts that he fhall experience the ready concurrence of his faithful Commons, at this important conjuncture, in a meafure calculated to enable the Emperor the more effectually to continue his exertions for the fupport of the common cause, and for the attainment of a general peace, on fecure and equitable terms. "And his Majefty relies on the zeal and affection of his faithful Commons to provide for enabling his Majefty to defray fuch other extraordinary expences as may be neceffary for the public fervice, and to take fuch measures as the exigences of affairs may require. "G. R." On the Meffage being read by the Speaker, the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that it be taken into confideration on Monday, May ift. The names of the Members chofen by ballot to be a Committee to try the merits of the contefted election for the County of Kent, were as follows: Wm. Macdowall, Efq. CHAIRMAN. Lord Newburgh, Hon. Lionel Damer, NOMINEES. Lord Wm. Russell, Adjourned. Ald. Lushington, HOUSE OF COMMONS. Monday, May 1. Colonel Gafcoyne moved for leave to bring in a Bill for regu lating pilots in the port of Liverpool. Granted. And Colone Gascoyne and General Tarleton were directed to prepare it. A new writ was ordered for the County of Kinkardine, in the room of Robert Barclay, who has accepted an office under Government. Mr. Mr. Grey brought up a Petition from the Distillers of the Low Lands of Scotland, ftating the hardships under which they laboured, and praying relief, &c. which, after a few words from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who ftated fomething of the kind prayed for was in agitation already, and a few words from Mr. Grey, was brought up and ordered to be laid on the Table. Mr. St. John moved, "That there be laid before the House tr an account of all bills drawn fince the commencement of the "war on the Treasury from St. Domingo, to the latest period it "can be made up."--Ordered. KING'S MESSAGE. The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved the Order of the Day on the Meffage from his Majefty. The Meffage was then read, and referred to a Committee of Supply, as was also the Report of the Committee of Secresy. On the question being put that the Speaker fhould leave the Chair, Mr. Fox faid, he did not mean to oppose that motion, but he wifhed to have an answer to a queftion before the Houfe proceeded to the business now before it. When we were hearing every day of what had paffed at Portsmouth, it was neceffary to know fomething in that House officially upon that subject. The neceffary arrangements which will take place in confequence of the late events, muft create very confiderable expence, for which Parliament muft provide. That was an expence, in one point of view, of confiderable importance. But in another point of view the matter was of more importance than any confideration of the expence could be. It had in that view created more uneafiness in the mind of every thinking man in this country, than he chufed at this moment to exprefs. He had, therefore, on a former day afked, when it was probable that official information fhould come before the House; that question was then answered in a general way, by an intimation that a communication would be made to the House as foon as poffible: fince which a confiderable time had elapfed, and no communication has been made.--He was therefore under the neceffity of repeating his question. The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that in the course of a day or two a fum of money would be proposed to be voted by Parliament upon the subject alluded to by the Right Honourable Gentleman. COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY. The Speaker left the Chair, and the House refolved itself into a Committee of the whole House. The Chancellor of the Exchequer." One part of his Majesty's Meffage recommends it to this houfe to confider of enabling his Majesty Majefty to make remittances from time to time, to be applied to his fervice of Ireland. The other part is an application from his Majefty to this Houfe, to enable his Majefty to make advances to the Emperor from time to time in the prefent year, as well as to make provifion for the advances which have been already made to his Imperial Majefty. The former of thofe comes under the Vote of Credit. I will not trouble the Committee with any obfervations on that part which refpects the aid to Ireland, because I am apprehenfive that upon that part of the fubject there is no variety of opinion. But the other part of it is fuch, that I cannot, even in this conjuncture, hope that there is no difference of opinion. From what I have heard on a former day, when this fubject was incidentally mentioned, I cannot fay I am fanguine enough to trust that the Committee will be entirely unanimous. I am aware that the motion which I shall conclude with will be objected to; but until I hear the objections, I shall content myfelf with ftating very fhortly the nature of the question which is now before the Committee; which I fhall not detain by imagining to them arguments in favour of the general policy of our endeavouring, while the war continues, to avail ourselves of the affiftance and co-operation of the Emperor, and of the propriety of our granting to him a pecuniary fuccour in the performance of that service, to enable him to continue it. "There was a period, in the prefent Seffion, in which there was a general, and almoft univerfal concurrence in this point--That there would be nothing more defirable on our part than that of having the vigorous co-operation of his Imperial Majesty in the prosecution of the prefent 'conteft, in order to bring it to a conclufion as favourable to us as poffible, which we cannot rationally hope for unlefs we afford to his Imperial Majefty pecuniary aid. This is a topic which has already undergone fo much difcuffion, that it is hardly poffible for me to advance any thing new upon it. Indeed I can do no more than remind the Houfe of what it has exprelled already by its votes upon that fubject. It is admitted by thofe who were unfriendly to the fyftem of fubfidifing the Emperor, that in a general view of prudence and policy, it might be proper to afford pecuniary affiitance to the Emperor, as long as that affiftance would procure fuch a diverfion to the Armies of the Enemy on the continent, as would prevent their whole force from being concentrated in fuch a way as to threaten the fafety of this country; and of the prudence and policy of this there is hardly any difference of opinion. The only difference of opinion arife from confidering how far, under the circumstances of the cafe, any inconvenience which this country might feel, in confequence of remittances abraod, would counteract the advantage to be obtained by fuch remittances, No. 34. confidered. 7 T |