Star. — London, England, 1805-05-03 00:00:00

' authority ar.d vote of Parliament irfelfsto refill any 1 reform as at the preterit momerkt., 'lshii lifigini forms a moll formidable. body, and it is the duty of this Houfe to take care to prate& its Contmiffupers againft their united efforts, and to cenfore the condi* (Will thole who do not treat the Parliamentary ConimilGott; wish proper retped. If the Right Hon. Gentleman perfeveres in his opinion of the difquali6cation of . the, prelent Commilfioners, he mull Efate clearly wherein c it v have adedin an unbecoming manner. If he has cod:int; but minor grounds of accufation, he will probably reftrain them : but if they are material, let t h e Houfe hear them out. I will not,now detain the H on k an y longer on this fubjed. The whale world i s witnefs to our tranfadions: let us perfevere in our ate, mpts. Tt muff, I am confident, appear to be the duty of the Houfe to fay, that they will censure and challife all thole public officers, whn, receiving the public money, (hall dare to Rand in the way of pub lic enquiry, and thwart the efforts of the Commiifin ners."—Mr. Sheridan then read his. motion, which was to the following effeel : " That the Committee (fpecifying the Al by which they were appointed), had, as far as appeared, exerted themfelves with great diligence and adivity, and that their whole condo& entitled them to the warmest approbation and encou ragement of the Houfe." The Motion being put fi s s m the Chair— The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER rote, not to objet to the motion; but to .offer a few general obteroations on what had 'fallen from the Ho nourable Member in the tooth Of his fpeech. If the lenfe of the Houfe was, that the . CoMmitfioners Mould be thanked now for their pall Cervices, he fhould not oppofe the propofitiOn ; but he could not help thinking that there called no precedents for loch a mode of proceeding. The precedent of the Vote of Thanks given to the Commit:firmer. of Ac counts did not apply, becaufe thele Comtniffioners had not only given in a number of Reports, but the Reports had been fully canvaffed Ly a Committee of the Houle. That Comittittee had reported on the flatements which the Reports contained, and it was on this that the Vote of Thanks was grounded. In this cafe, however., only one Report had been minute ly confidered, and therefore he put it. inihe Hoof., whether the Voteof Thanks would not be much fuller, and much: more comprehenfive, if it were given after the Reports were frilly confidered and digested. This he put to the cnifideration of .Members, though, as he had already declared, he fhould not pre, for any divifion of the Houfe on the fttojed. As to the call which the Honourable Member lad made on him for a clear flatement of his objeCtions to certain parts of the conduit of the Cenundllocers, he felt it nev ceffary to make a tesit obfervations. • He fully ad mitted, that Cohiminioners appointed to examine in to great public abufes, ought to ethibit a proper degree of firmnefs, as well as zeal ; but there was a mode of exhibiting that, which was at all times to be attended to. The truth was to be got at by all poffible means, but the character, ofiludividuals 'Mold be as little as pofhble precluded,From .a fair opportunity of full ditcuffion, or fubfeOueritteinslica. tibt. In fcveral cafes a prejudice ' was .created againfi individuals, before the Report *as fairly be fore the Legiflature, and therefore, he thought, that any furruifes to the prejudice of individuals, which had tranfpired before the Reports were completed, were not to be jußifiede hie objeßad alto, that the Ittratirurvatre drawn up aniprefented, without al. loninglindleiduals accufed fel jellify their conduct, or abased fully to underhand in what light the Report would place their character. -The_Comroilfioneri had a right to ule every means tocome at "the truth, let then-it weseirely not incontdient...withylepaoA rigid enquiry: to calt'on individuals to eaplaia,.thea own evidenerkt a .. . - . - : oft appeared th a t thole Cortimian ' iiers refuted the orportunity of e :planation tp,feveral , perfons whole names were mentioned, whole charafters were affect ed by their Reports ;'and it was equally apparent,: • that had fear opportunity been afforded, the chorale, ters clinch men wouldoot have fuffered. 'This .was particularly the cafe of the Comptnalleg of theAkia. vay, wh,aocatchai'gfcl in.c.!*e.nt tb.,t• Ptf ~. #.10 . 70F table with having , c ontrar y t9 i hla tillatys,np . Ili, c, Po r i :key voted. fort iostssayy, to otti t er.ikopF, . 711,t. e. knowiedsf qr. FjoUratskgrAe.4.4freiAltx: on this he Mt, it w4s,,gAw . Obvious A . Yer747.- in. deed a recent coggerialion in t . lite 1 . .ma4c it Co, that if *Jamie* pfAir Al, ~, g ti 7:4, Commitlioneroowbs a llowed , to, ex ,•n. had s been granted, the imprefOonmoulti r tle j er,horte gime shraad, I ripdting that office", ; which efA.ol,lo,rq • 1 4 , of the Commit :Goners had eye; ~l s was!tafn ri-l f k . . remarkable with reference to thispoint s ti t 40.0 Lord St. Vincent was applied to hra.the . uttuitton: tars for explanation refpeding * none cipctii tien, - which is now quite cleararras,fulliktionutO that No., ble, Lord, no opportuatitiCertgianatirA tt p l i f Oi s . ;r 4 ir e 9teti . tp.Sir A. Hainnamad a nottritlsAmdieg . hi s cial reqaell: , The t il 4alother parebtakfo- tid of thote ewes' oneirs , rather doubtful - • priety, if iffrlC•ecl„"iA cep &I. be at ailtaid to come ri q any 1200)1I of OS (Ili* Y. I . llama that in whiC4 to t e Eighth Report ,alluded - to the cOotli4 of A Otaiq ]try.., A perf i cia ras charged' with : gealint Calli:( at Ply moallhand U Of Le abtll of i ni i dm eltt 11* preferred;agailiA him. This bill was thrown Anil, the 'Grand:, JO ' and the Solicitor y4i ti : was employed•ta c - iniatitlh' , e alprofection„wrote.to . :the Vida • hi t ) t v that the Grand jury. was tamperid'wtib. Vou the authority of this letter thole CommilSonera t hemght proper to pahlillr fuch a nitement in tliCMglith ir e= pp r t. was it rfght ,tii throw cut 'fitehanintarZatiort as this in. the Rill?liC s . ,gld particularly upon fuel) giOnndil Was it difcreef; win itlair, to charge a t'ef enable htidy of meta with perjury? for the charge' trilled d i N to nothing lets. I bore Commitlioners wer e , ' ics citied o nf 7haviiii Iniprpperly alledgid that the high price of Liim es which ens complained of in the Wen Indief;Was owing to the negletrof the Navy Board to leiterttalt Rorei for the fervite of our fleets in that quay due time, according to their duty. Now it appaiked that the Navy Board hid not witted tri attend to their duty in this cafe. For.tbey bad fent out two (hips its time laden with.flarres, which (hips *elle loft, arid to' that lets was attributable the high pri44 cif aocm which was complained of.; This faa was i liCundecaiketd. communicated to the Corn • mifficesek, end lila it certainly ought wham been Ilathel: qf the fait were foe the Monk wouldjailge ,I‘heiber eat/ Chnrge:attached to the Navy Board, sod whetheillii - Coinnuirtnara ;said fairly.in attempt ing to impute it. • Wits_ ber upon the fact refpea-. in ithe price l st i Ityprs ol in Abe • WeR Itfcl r ms,. and. undeiiook to iferibethat evil to the Navy Board:. I thsii ought ceittifoli, in fairnefs, to hare annexed id' ihet Report any communications/ they 'had received 'Froth that &Mr& is dedication eoncitolt, parts/- , malady fuch a mitterial,communications, as that he rbadallucled to, • The Commilfioners Might fay that thy had noCreeeivetttliii coratifithieatttisat all. He could only Rite 'to did Hook What'll* bid been in formed. - It had been Ain told to him that one of the Commifinners 9( the' Navy, Mr. Gambier, was examined before the N ava l C ommil A miers, and Tome of his antwers were itaticcurately takeh down by thofe Commillloners. Thefe inaccuracies were printed 2nd correaed, and yet in the appendix to the Report,the inaccuracies remain without the correftions. The •faine complaint was made with ref - pea to the teßi minty of a principal clerk of the Navy Board. This clerk made a memorandum of all his anfwers--feve ral of them were found to be incorrectly noted by thole Commi ffionert—fisch incorreane fres, upon being pointed out by the clerk, were admitted and correa ed. Still the omiffion appears in the appendix. Now thofe corredions which are omitted are all Rated to be material td form a fair judgment of the conduit of the Navy Board, and, if fo, their °minion cannot induce a conclufion favourable to the charat9er of the Commiffioners to whom the motion before the Houfe referred. Indeed, if the fats were well founded, which he laid before the Houfe pretifely in the metal ner they were mentioned to him—if thefe Commit. Goners fuppreffed any documents with *which they were furnithed, and which were at all neceltary to enable Parliament and the Country to decide upon the charaaers of men whom their Reports affected, he would leave it to thellonfe to judge of the pro priety of adopting a vote of unqualified thanks to fuels a Commiffion. With fuch information before him, however, he hoped the Houfe would feel fatis fied that the. exceptions he had thought it his dutyto make to thefe Commiffioners did not reit on light grounds—that there was nothing in it fo warm, in temperate and unjuß as Come Gentlemen Teem to imagine. At all errata, it could fcarcely be denied, that previous to a vote of indifcritninate approbation, each of the points he had Rated Should be diflinftly and minutely inquired into, and each of the Iteports before the Houle fully examined. Still, notwith. (landing this impreffion upon his mind, he would jeave it to the feelings. of the Houfe to take what. ever conrfe it might think proper, bathe would not himfelf prefs any particular motion. • Mr. FOX animadverted on the teretal charges which had been advanced by the Right Hon. Gentle man who (poke lall, againft the Conimiffioners of Naval Inquiry. As to the firfl, which regarded what thl Right Hon.• Gentleman yirofelfed to confider the premature publication of any of the fubjeas referred to itsthe feveral.Reports from this Commiffion—he could not d 6.0 it shy fair; ground of accofation againft the Cou.miffiosers ; for it did not appear that they had defigridlysiven publicity to the rumours referred to. &fides, indeed, whether inch things were kept fecret Or not in the way dtGred by the Right Hon.' Gentleman appeared to him to be a maeter fearcely• eronh notice. As to the cafe of the COmptiolier•of the Navy Boardand his aUedged mif- Oppropriktioquolthe money entrwfled to his care, the Right Hon.43entleman teemed to think that if .op srrtnnontirty for explanation had been afforded that oiler, ins well as to Lord St. Vincent, much confefiost would have been avoided, es appeared in a part of the Noble Lord's evidente in the Eleventh Report. Now, for hisisert, he kw no fuch conforion. ' Even withoulthe explanation recently offered to the Houre'ott'lhas pan t; • lie really thought that, n othing could be clearer frorn the context of the evidence, and from a tor.fonfideratioa of Lord St. Vincent's an- Ewers to' the two *te flon. which were lately the fob jett of ditenffion, than that the Noble Lord was igno rant of the . money, matters which formed the grava men of the Charge again a the Comptroller of the Niey. But the -Right Honourable Gentlenuti silted why was not thie Comptroller examined by the Commif fiolieciaouching this charge, as well as the Earl of St: Vincent ? He would ththit Right Hon. Gen tleman that the Comptroller of the Navy Will exa mined, and. at he defended histfelf from anfwer ing .queltioni tinder the sth clatate. After having done fo,. then he wouldisut l ifts the Right Hon. Oen xleman, whaler, it he hohtelf were one of chore Commiffigners, he would propoce. to examine again him or any man who to afiedf With refpedl to , ftatements of the Right Hon. Conitlemau,, as td the' 'condo& of this Com million in the fisit , Report i he mutt .obferve, that if thofe flame*. ,*ere well founded, the. Wavy 4p k r c i feemed Cif. hare' been very Patfire under the 4rlo4e.lmptl.t*ttons . uPdn. , oloq. , ;Th i y profelred to fctildesmfelvevvery unjultly ac ;ruled. The Report containing this Refutation hid Main on the table fad. %early tw6 years, once Juile ' 1803, and during that *slid the 'CommiffiOners 'of ' . the lialoyrßoaed acquiefer.d its tufferis,g the isnpreffion ' • againit them to circulate. No jealoufy es to their charaCter wailfelittcar*til`Withlii the& 'few days. 'No inquiry, tioathiiricate thell.time was peopoted or hiseedat. Snrely,theo could hare brought forward a motion had they felt fofortelpsi is now pretended. That there might be filniepettil of the condo& of thole Ctimirnir Tato to be fotind fault with, was ter y potable. But yet if•they Were culpable only in• a (mall degree, that was so nano to-be aUedg againft the rfidtforr.'? Ifi'however,; it appeared . that they dealt unfairly : by' the eharaders bf . Ma , that was a feriouaCharge I and although it 'might be pro per to continue the Comnsiffion, au* certainly the names. Should be cb*ngtd. For it dotibtlefs would be Atoll th'iOntitint thoft'in power whole condnatrad been heretofOre exceptionable. The exceptions that were made to the Commiffiuners furstifired, if well founded, a reafon for excluding them. - from offiCe ; and, if not, they could notte urged agniuft the tao tion before the Houle. But the Right Honourable Gentleman had coafefed with perfed candour that he could not vouch for any of the Ratements tharhe had matte to the Houfe; and tartly then latcould not aSk the Houle to rely on them as Objedions to the motion ? That thole Connaitgonera were ready to go to trial againa. airy or all of the charges that could be alledged againit them he had not the doubt. The charges,' fuch as-they were, that the Right Honourable Gentleman had Rated, could not initnymais's mind be. &erased applicable in any Gaspe againfl this motion', ht 'orpothiog to which, indeed, nothing had - bee& offered. The .Right Ittmearable Gentientan had, not (aid s , nor Could.he, that this :!.14r4 %ion was unneceffary. It wasnecOary to faddy the general opinion of the oountip. It - wks called for by *Mille policy. The Merit of the Men and the Grati tuck of the People deniitsdeil ik Isitonfidering the Cervices iii hole Commiffiottets, the Rate in which chei and Lord Sr. Vincent were- placed. was to be. taken into account. Much as chat Noble Lord had deferved and obtained by the glorious bartlei he had fought abroad, he had learcely in any of them a more difficult talk to perform, than in originating thisCom miffion, which had to maintain Well us almoft -every Rage of its progrefs again“ the operation of power, influence, and authority. With a degree of fortitude and perfeverance that would be at any time laudable, but which, in their peculiar cireumftancei was extra ordinary, they purfued delinquency through all the obarudions of high office, and againa all the frowns of power s and they fucceeded in deteeing and ex poling the criminality of one of the principal Officers of the Crown. TheCHANCELLOR of theEXCHEQUER Dat ed, that the Navy Board had not tamely fulmitted to the imputations call upon their characters by the Firit Report, as the Hon. Gentleman imagined. For, accqrding to a Memorial prefented to the Houfe on the sth of April, on this fubjed, from the Comptroller of the Navy, it appeared, that immediately after the publication of the Report alluded to, the Hon. Baro net intimated his with to there Commiffioners that he fhould be examined afrelb, in order to do away, what he conceived, unfounded afperfirns on his character, but this the Commiflioners declined. The Hon. Ba ronet then drew up a Memorial to that lioufe, which he meant to prefent; but, deeming it his duty, he waited on Lord St. Vincent, to apprize him of his in tention, !nd to know his Lottfillip's pleafure. Loid St. Vincent difapproved of the intention, and Rated, that he fhould confider any fuch proceeding as a per. Tonal affront to himfelf. The Comptroller thought it his duty to conform to the Noble Lord's defire, and to that. was attributable the kind of acquiefcence the Hon." Gentleman who had jug fat down, alluded to. Mr. FOX obferved that, even fisppo fi ng all this IlateMerit to be corral, it did not account for the filence of the Comptroller of the Navy, fince Lord St. Vincent retired from Mae. Why not reek the removal of that obloquy, of which he complained, under the Lord of the Admiralty who fucceeded Lord St. Vincent ? He could not, however, help fay- Mg. that this Comptroller, in filtering from fuch a motive as the Right Hon. Gentleman had defcribed, fo deep a fiigma fo long to attach to his reputation, betrayed a very criminal complailince to Earl St. Vincent. Sir ANDREW HAMMOND confirmed the flatement of Mr. Pitt, as to the early difpofition and folicitude he had liewn to vindicate his character from the imputations thrown upon it by the Report alluded to. At the fuggeltion of a Right Honour able Friend of his (Mr. Rofe) he meant to have fol lowed the precedent of the toth of Qt2een Anne, where an iniptitation of a fimilar nature was thrown upon a Member of the Victualling Board, by the Re. port of the Cominittak of that Houle. .It war his in tention to move, that the Report under confideratiott fhould be referred to a Committee, and fame pro ceeding taken ref - peeing it, that fhould afford him an opportunity of vindicating his charades-. This courfe . he wail prefented from foll Owing by. Lord St. Vin. . cent, who told him upon an interview; that it was 1 for his Lordfhip, and no other perfon to recommend when the Reports of the Naval Commiflion fhould be taken into the confideration of Parliament, as that Commilfion bad been originally peoprifed by him.— The Honourable Baronet remonfirated 'with his Lardlhip on the obloquy to which his character mull be fubjed in the interintiand appealed tlrongly to his fenfe of juftice—but in vain;'Lord St. Vincent would not Content. His tight Honourable Friend (Mr. Role), alfo waited on his 'Lordfbip, but was equally unfuccefsful. Advifed,"however, by his Right Ho nourable Friend and others—and confidering his oWn. fituation in the navy, he declined entering into holli. lities with the Noble Lord. He waited in confidence of a full acquittal of his reputation, whenever thole Reports &mild be brought before Parliament. Since Lard St. Vincent'sTemement from the Admiralty Board,he was given to underttand that it was intend ed to eftablifb a Commiflion of reiifion, and before that Commiffion, he hoped to efiablilh the injullice of the charges propagated agninfi him. That there might be fome irregularities under a. department fa wide and extenfive,' as that over which the Navy Board prefided, he was prepared to,admit ; hut he could afro th e Houle that there was nothi n g . fur whith tiii *xis of that Board were more anxious fikkithin' I& fair examination of every part of theft taught* . 4Wirticalarly that to which the Report of . the Weal COmmiffioners alluded—ali he anted for ;that Board was this, that until fuch full and fair exa. 'liiinititti Mould take place, the Houk and the Coun ' try would furpendtheir judgment upon the charges 'again(! them. •-Mt. ROSE corroborated that part of the fpeech of the - Hon. Baronet, who had jolt fat down, which re ferred to him. With refped to the motion before the Hoare, he pointed out fome parts of the conduit of the Naval Cominiffion, which did not in his opinion jultify the unqualified panegyric which the Honour. able Mover would have the Houle to pronounce upon diem. The condo& which' he deemed particularly exceptionable Was to be found in their third Report ! This Report almoft altogether, confined of a cenfure upon a molt refpedable man, a Mr. Taylor, who was one of his contlituents. It appeared th'at' Mr. Taylor was an eminent block manufainuter. He had fupplied the navy with blocks at Chatham and Pont mouth, fine the year 1762. Thofe Commilfioners thought proper to pronounce his' charges exceffive. In conlequence, a public advertifement was fent lot th for comrads to (apply thole yards. -And, would the Houle believe it,.. tbst Mr. Taylor, under this adver fitment, obtained the chatham contrail, at so per Cent. more than his former charge, of which the Commißioners Ur Naval Inquiry complai e I, and Mr. Dunfianville obtained the •contr ad for Plymouth, at s 'perCent. above Mr. Taylor's price; fuch then were the frauds detected, and the retrenchments produced by there Conimiflioners. But what mull hill more fur. prife the Houle, thole Commit:Goners were aware of thole fads before they madetheir Report, for they took place 'two Months before that Report was laid on the Table of that Houle. Yet no part of the cenfuie of Mr. Taylor, was abated. Every part of this lime meat, the Right Hon. Gentleman laid he . was ready I to Folic at the bar, if required. Thera was another ... . ' .. - circumflaisce with Yelped to this much abufrd ma* which he befied r menti.m. His blocks were Itatsal to be of as ityferiorsquality. •He had a rival, a Mr. Garnett. The blocks it tooth thole rivals were com pared by a Special e mmiffirm in r 79 r, and thole of Taylor were declared to be decidedly superior. Capt. Nichol', who failed in the Formidable, took Garnett's blooks on one ride of hilf (hip, and Taylor's on the other. But after he had returned, and was about to let out on another cruize, he gave orders to have his (hip furnifhed with no other blocks than thole of Taylor's. —As to the fraud refpedling 13,0001. worth of wood, which the Right Hon. Mover had alluded ,to, Taylor had nothing to do with it. Nor had thole Commiffioners any :twit in detecting it; for that merit belonged to the Navy Board, who had found out and were profecutirl this fraud before the Naval . Commillion milled. Ihe Right Hon. Gentleman took notice of the charge againft his Right Hon. Friend, relpeding the patronage of Contradors, and contended that it had been the peculiar °Ned of hit Right Hon. Friend's admMiftration, to prevent the fyltem of contrals altogether, and to leave loch things to the different Boards, contrary to the fyffem of his predeceffors, who generally diftributed con trado among Members of Parliament, or their rela tions. The Right Hon. Gentleman concluded with Rating, that although he felt his objettions to fome parts of the conduct of this CommifThm to be well founded, he would not oppo fe the motion, as the fenfe of the Houfe teemed to be in its favour. (Here there goat a partial cry of Aa I A° ) Admiral MARKHAM laid, the Honourable Comptroller of the Navy had faid a great deal refpec ting the Memorial of the Navy Board, and the jutli fication they would have let up, if not counteracted by Lord St. Vincent. He would a& the Honourable Gentleman if he would now deny the fubflanoe of the' Report ? The real fads, he would declare, were a thnufand times worfe than the ftatement ; and be wifhed the grofs negligence of the Honourable-Baro net's colleagues had nut been what it was. He mug • complain of the unfair proceeding of Gentlemen in arguing upon the authority of papers fcarcely lair before the Houfe, and without notice. With refpea to the lecture on blocks, delivered by a Gentleman oppofite to him, he would fay a word or two, When a contract is entered into, the party contracting to (mini an article is bound by the stipulated price, whe ther the article riles or not ; and he maintained, that an application to raife the price of blocks, which was the cafe, annulled the contra& That Taylor was thout h to have a good bargain of his contract was plain, becaufe Dunftanville at Plymouth gave him ten per cent. for permiffim to have the article at the price of his contract. The contra& for blocks fill go on, to the great lofs of the public money, although the machines at Portfmouth arc fufficient to fupply the demand of the whole nation. When the war broke out, contracts were made for a thort time; but that was for want of lignum vine. And they were .cot then intended to be continued. .4 Mr. 'ROSE faid, In explanation. that Duatianville got to per cent. above the price given to Mr. Taylor. Sir A. HAMMOND nbferved that, when the Re port came to 'be fully conlidered, it would be fully anfwered. The machine made blocks of an inferior .ftze, of ten inches ; but as to •the making of large clocks, it had made no progrefs. I Mi. JEFFERY, of Poore, did not with to interrupt thofe viho chore to praife the late Lord of the Adam. ralty,bot he (poke the fenfe of the enlightened part of the country; and force of the firs characters in the fervice, when he faid, that dining the late Admini• (ration of the Admiralty, under Lord St. Vincant, the Navy was ill conducted. He was Pure the Navy was never worfe concluded. He (poke it with the boldnefs and firmnefs which belonged to truth, that not only the navy fervice, bin every part of our eons mercial intereft, dependant on the navy, was. never worfe concluded than under the Adminiftration of Earl St. Vincent.—(Order Order / Chair Chair! Chair ! refounded.) The SPEAKER raid, it did not appear to him that the Hon. Gentleman (poke to the Tuition. Mr. WILBERFORCE faid, he objefted to the unqualified praife of the motion to the whole of the condo& of the Commiffioners, in fpeaking of eleven long Reportr. He was willing to join in thanking them for their great fervices in deteftinggrofs abufes ; but he was afraid the motion, a. it flood at prefent, appeared as if it would draw fome perfons into incon fiftency, or compel them to give unqualified praife in proceedings of fuch prodigious compafs. He therefore moved that the words " the whole of" be left out. Lord HENNIKER Laid, although he approved of the condua of the Commiflioners, it was too far to approve of it in all its detail, as if they aged by di vine authority, and could not err. ..: - Mr. KOSE thought the original motion would be rendered much leis exceptionable by the propofed amendment, but Paid it would be Hill more eli. gible, if 'the words fo far as yet appears," were omitted—fince the whole of their Reports, fare only the loth, had not yet undergone any examination. Mr. WILBERFORCE thought the- laft propofed alteration wholly unneceffary. • The 'ATM itNEY GENERAL approved the amendment propofed by Mr. Wilberforce, but fhould think it (till better, with - th 4 addition of that propofed• by Mr. Rofe. The Houle had, in fad, as yet, con. , fidered no More than the Tenth Report ; there wete Tcn others of confiderable length, and involving much of imputation upon the condo& of men of highly refpedable charaaer. The amendment of his Hon. Friend did not go ro pledge the Houfe to a po fitiiie approbation of the whole, when it had only cab. mined a very (mall part. Mr. FOX- (aid, certainly, the original motion of his Hon.' Friend near him, ( Mr. Sheridan) meant to approve the whole conduit of the Comrniffioners.—. He could not agree to the amendment, becaufe, be ing entered On the journali, it would imply an opi. nion, that the whole of the Commit:Goners condte& was not entitled to thanks. He thought that any ex prefflon of general approbation of their condud mutt mean the whole, and, therefore, he liked Use motion neither the better nor the work for the omia.n of that word. If the Houle did not mean to esprefs full approbation of the condnet of the Commiffioners, s,sr to lay this - was not the time, let them tejed the mo tion altogether; but' he could *flint to no amend ment that could be deemed an abatement to the oh jea of the original motion. Many of the Reports Of the Committee had been above a year.before the .4 1 1