Star. — London, England, 1806-04-17 00:00:00

.~ [~ PAIRLMMENTARr PROCEEDINGS. it HOUSE OF I.ORIAI,'WfDNESDAY, APRIL 16. TRIAL OP •lICOUNT ISILVILLS. 10 borrow , 7001. on Mortgage, to be .f freth , Cd on an date in Kant ....Any Parton Pre' curing the fame win be prsfented with a Randrome gratuity for hit trouble.—Aildrefs, port p:..ld, to C. L. at Mr. Andcrfon's, Law Stationer. Southampton buildings, Chanetry.lane. Counfrl were heard at confiderable kngtb, ;cfpeeting the Ap peal Caufe, by Writ of Error, from the Court of Exchequer in irclind, Richard Griffiths, Efq. a. George Hatton, jun. and John Moore, Efqrs. and others, al:. Mr. Fonblanqac, M. P. for the Appellant ; and the Solicitor General and Sir Vicar, Gibbs, Knt for the Sterpondents. The further ►earing of the cafe was deferred tni tomorrow. *Melte of DARTMOUTH (Lord Chamberlain) acquainted the Hoele that Ma Majefty, purlieu to 'lair Lordikipe ad drd►, h‘d beta pkafed to give diraltlons for the fitting up a proper place ►n Wetteninfter Hall for the Trial of Lord Vifeount Mcl- PHIL Lord GRENVILLE mooed, • That a Mediae be font to the Commons, to acquaint that Hoare that his Adakity had been pleated to give dire hone for the fitting up a proper placate Weft 'Mater Hall, puris m to an Addrefs of their Lordtbips, for the Trial at Henry Lord Vifamot Wank ;" which was ordered ac• cordlngly. • - WANTED amply Peen curing the fame .t: t rouble.—A ildrefa, Stationer, Southall, PaIRLM HOUSE OF Counfel were h, peal Caufe, by W Irelind, Richard C Moore, Efqrs. am Appellant; and tit for the Refpondeni tai tomorrow. The Earl of DA the Houle that drefs, had been pk. place in W4lllllll • Lord OIitENVI Commons, to act 'leafed to give dire mlnfter Hall, purl Trial of Henry L cordingly. Earl SPENCE} of Military Papa the addreffes latel antoog thefe were Secretary of Stan moots of the Ifis Ad a so Aesseet AZ el Wakes artiste to is pets Earl SPENCE! fined la the COllll was ordered to lie Lord HOLLA 'won& In his p vent Debtors?' I words, to which I beCi e ted, to was moi printed. Lord HOLLA reeled to lay befi of Perform, eardi fans . • and alto, ii ordered accord* Ur. CALCR Treaturee• Bill. Lord TEMPI from the Comma was alto read a fi A few Privet Commons by Mi demi= The proper 01 ceedlngs In the E fare the marrisgi now wife,ace. wa time this day ft open. The Bills•opo Rages I as leg and thelllllit pi mime, sad was t Lord GRI Lordatips, g relative to tl Fox. By th were to atten the 351 b of •• is mind the • meat of whit the trial on t • when tl their Lordlli both proceed Lion to each, reafon he gm order be dik tendance oft on the rpth c The Marq lorry that at the bufinef. a when he coal voidable tau 1 ctmlidered th had to come, ing them long induced to al The quelli difcharged, a of the witnefl The Noble an additional dered accord Lord TEMPL • ' Agent far the Ills • Importation of St the Welt ladies a the preftnt war. pat i to bit hand it; but he beeped pledge hinifelf at II The Petition w • ing of the BM ; ar • (el, againit the fat Mr. MIT k OID, the Bar, an mem. Scotland, and the of all Malt cbarg were ordered to It Slr P. STEPHI , . Board of Lonsltiii the lioufe will, tc llaufe. to, te".r.t'Lot[ofitt..,:by him laid I Mr. VAN:A 11 Houk tp refolve Petitiurls of the di tc:red to it. MILITAILY DOCVIIIIITI. Earl SPENCER, by command of his Mikity, laid a number of Military Papers and Accounts before the Houle, purfuant to the addrelfes vetted by their Lordlhips on the 3111 of Taft month; astoog Stele were casks of the Circular Letters addreffal by the Secretary of State to the Lords Lieutenants of Counties; ascots of the Illembees of Mess railed under the Additional Force AQ s dlihteldils. dr gabbers procured by the Parini Officers, Jta ; r Amemitef the aminbers in the Yeomanry Corp., &c.— =don of the Noble Secretary of Sudemere eedeeed te k peimed ter the ufe of their Lordlhips. INSO LLLLL DEBTORS. Esti SPENCER pretested a Petition from certain Debtors con fined is the County Gaol of Northampton, praying relief, which vru ordered toile on the table. Lord HOLLAND, in purfuance of the notice be had given, brought in Ids prorated Bill For the Relief of certain Info!- rent Debtors." He accompanied the prefeotation with a few words, to which be again Rated his intention, after the Bill mould be prioted, to move a Own day for its fecund reading. The Bill was forthwith tad a brit time, and ordered to be printed. Lord HOLLAND moved, a That the proper Olken be di rated to lay before the Houfe an Account of the Number, Ste of Perrone, eoodned for Debt in the Fleet and King's Bench Pri fons • and silo, in Lis nfajclty's Gaol of Newgate i which was ordered accordlbgly. IdISCILLANIOVII. !At. CALCR AFT brought up from the Common the Ordnance Treafurer's Bill, which was forthwith read a firß time. Lord TEMPLE, attended by feveral Members, brought up from the Commons Sir J. T. Duckworth's Annuity Bill, which was alto read a firit time. A few Private and Return Bills were brought up from the Commons by Mr. BA LDWIN„ Mr. GRAHAM, and other Gen. damn. The proper 0111 ca having prefented an attefied Cary of the Pro. eeedings in the Heelefraftical Court, touching dam gde,• Bill to dif. lave the marriage between Sir John Gordon, Daft. and !yew, his now wife,Sce. was read a Brit time, and ordonal NM rand a fecund time this day fortnight. and their Logo llwnowned than. upon. The Billaupoo the table were foremast la their refpedlve Rages ; aseong thde. the /Mew Lan Dm was read a (mood time, and the bid& libasy Inewsugwoont NI went through a Cosa anittee, and was reported Mahan ataoinat. Mt. JUSTICS VOL Lord GRENVILLE called the attention of their Lordasips, generally, to the Rate of the proceedings relative to the pending charges againa Mr. Jullice Fox. By the prefent eating order, the witneffes were to attend at the Bar, in reference thereto, on the astb of this month. Their Lordfhips would bear in mind the very important bufinefs, the commence• meat of which was fixed for the 29th init. He meant the trial on the Impeachment of Lord Vileount Mel ville: when the nature of that bufinas was confidered, their Lordatips would feel it mat be Impoffible that both proceedings, paying the proper degree of atten tion to each, could go on at the fame time ; for this reafon he thould have to propofe, that the prefent order be difcharged, and an order made for the at tendance of the raid Witneffes at their Lordtbips' bar on the t9th of May. The Marquis of ALERCORN °Mitred, he was lorry that any delay fhould neceffarily take place in the bufinef, adverted to by the Noble Baron ; but, when he contidered its peculiar nature, and the una voidable caufe for the prefent poßponernent ; and confidered the length of way the witneffes in quefiion had to come, and the detrimental effe& which keep ing them long from their homes might have, he was induced to affent to the motion jut made. The quellion being put, the original order was difcharged, and a new one made for the attendance of the witneff:s on the 19th of May. The Noble Marquis moved for the attendance of an additional witnefs on the Paid day, which was or dered accordingly. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Lord TEMPLE brought up a Petition from Mr. Lyons, the Agent kw the Maud of Jamaica, spina the Bill to prevent the importation of Slaves into loth of our colonies and fettkinents in the Welt Indies as have brut furrendered to his hlsJefty, daring the preftnr war. lila Lorainp laid, twat the Petition had been put i to his hand, and be therefore thought it advifable to prefent it; but he begged it to be tin,lerftood, that in fo doing, he did not pledge Unfelt at all on the fubled twitter alt. The Petition was ordered to lie no the table till the feeond read. ins of the Bill ; and that the Petitioners fitculd be bend, by Conn. (el, againit the laid Bill, if they thought fit. Mr. MIT s oar), from the Exchequer in Scotland, prefented, at the Bar, an Account of Grants made out of forfeited Eftatet in Scotland, and the balances due out of the fame. Alto, an Account of all Malt chargeable with duty In Scotiand.--Both of which were ordered to lie on the table. Sir P. STEPHENS moveal, That the Ads relating to the Board of I.onaitude be read; which being done. he moved," That the Houfe will, to-morrow, refolve Welt into a Committee of the v.i.nle 'inure, to confidcr the faid Ada; and, that the accounts r .r e nt, 4 by him on a former day, relative to that fubjed, be re. ttutil to its: (aid Committer"—Ordered. COMMITT&I OF SUPPLY. Mr. VAN'I I TAR r moved the Order of the Day for the Houle tp reft.lve itfelf into a Committee of Supply, and that the Pentioris of the Sierra Leone, and the African Companies, be re. fared to it. The Houfe then went into a Committee of Supply. in which, Mr. VANSIT FART moved a long firing o: Refolutiooa far wapinua Sums foe the Mdeellaneuu. hertices of the prefent year; which were all agreed to, and the report ordtred to be received tomorrow. ./1114 j• DVCKWOITN'S ANNUITY BILL. _ . . . . . Ir J. Duelesrorth's Annuity Bill was read a third time and pact!. Mr. ALEXANDER brought up the upon of the Committee, on the Tea and Sugar duties. The Motu:ions wen teed, and ar.ccd slid, on the motion of Mr. Vahfutart, Bills ordered to ix brouglu in thereon. T a tta, V AP:SIT rAWT, in the Committee of Ways and Means, moved, th,a a du.) f ts. per cwt be bid upon all Eait India fu sers: Ulf tie Dime Allowance made by way of drawback which was agreed to, and the Report was ordered to be received t o. , The Three MlThans Exchequer Bills 811 l was read a tecoad and otekred to be cosaroatcd to mwtow • • BaL ; whirl, ou the motion to be recommitted to-morro the Attorney was wend I Mr. YORKE gave notice. that he would, to-morrow, move ' for Copies of all foch written opinion. as have been received by his IVlaJetty's Minitters, from Ocncrsl 011icus, refrains the enlilt lag for tam of years. INDIA Mr. FRANCIS, purfuant to his notice on a for. mer day, role to bring forward his motion for the produaion of papers refpeaing the debts of the Na bob of Arcot. But, before he proceeded to intro• duce his motion, he begged leave to put a querlicn to the Hon. Gentleman, now in his place (Mr. Hob houfe), who had brought forward the Bill now pen ding, in relation to the claims of loch debts. It %. as Rated by that Bill, that certain Commiffioners were appointed to inquire refpeting thole debts, and to report their opintons thereon. The quellion he walled then to afk cf the Hon. Gentleman was, who thole Commiffioners were ; by what authority they were appointed I and by whom they were to be paid ? He underftood the Hon. Gentleman himfelf to be one of them, and that it was not a duty he voluntarily aimed, but one which he had been induced by importunity to accept. Who the others were he was yet to learn, as well as the authority under which they sited. Mr. HOBHOUSE Paid, it war his defire that the Hon. Gentleman lhould be moft fully and fatisfaao• rily informed upon this fubjea. The Hon. Gentle man had not been prefent, when he had firft Rated his propofition, and moved for leave to bring in the Bill, or his prefent queftion would not have been neceffary. The Commillioners, he Paid, confifted of three perfons , namely, he (Mr. Hobhonfe), a Mr. Homer, who was nominated in confequence of another Gentleman, Mr. Ryder, having withdrawn himfelf from the Commiffion,and Mr.(Cockbum—the former of thole laft two was a Gentleman converfant is the law and the latter, an old fervant of the In dia Company, and much experienced in India affairs. With refpea to the authority for their appointment, it was made by the Direaors of the Eaft India Com pany, at the inftance of the Creditors. With regard to their remuneration; it was intended to be according to the habits of Parliamentary Commilfioners, namely of quantum rwrWs, when the Winds fhould be gone through. Hoping that this anfwer to the Honourable Gentleman's queftions would prove fatisfaaory, he had only to allure him, that if the papers for which he intended to move, were of the nature which he was taught to underftand, his motion lhould meet, on his part, no refiftance. Mr. FRANCIS thanked the Honourable Gentle. man for the very candid and fatisfaltory anfwer be had been pleated to give to Iris queftion. He had underftond, that a Mr. Fordyce was at the head of thofe Commitfioners but he found now, that he ailed at the inftance of the Creditors, and was to have five per cent. allowed him on the turn of the claims to be awarded. But with refpea to the fubjea itfelf, he thought it was urged forward with much more, precipitancy than it ought; for the Report upon which the Honourable Member's Bill was founded, was not printed in time to be delivered to Members before laft Monday, the very day on which the Honourable Member introduced his Bill, and before which introduaion he was confident not five Mem bers in the Houfe had read the Report. Such pre cipitancy he thought umifual and indecorous, upon a fubjea of much greater interett than the Houle was aware, of claims to an enormous extent upon the India Company, which if they fhould ultimately be unable to pay, muff one day or other come home to that Hoare as a claim upon the purfe of the nation. One faa the Hoare did know, and this upon the au. thority of Lord Cornwallis, that all the Prefiden ties of the Company in India were diftrelFed and em. barraffed to loch a degree, that they were obliged to borrow money any where, and at any rate of intereft, in order to carry on the bufinefs of their refpeftive Governments. In what he 'had to fay upon this occalion, he begged leave to deprecate every idea that it had any concern with the affairs of Lord WeUelley. It was a mere money concern, and one which it behoved the Houle maturely and minutely to confider. He was lorry that there were not more of his Majefty's Minifters prefent at the difcuffion of the guidon ; and fill more forty that the few who were prefent, would not attend to him. [Mr. Windham was converting with a Member be hind him]. But he could allure them it was a tub. jea which would, 'ere long, force its way to attention; and fo far as he felt it hos duty as a Member of that Houle to prefs forward the fubjea of India Affairs, on behalf of the public,he would not be deterred from that duty either by inattention or defertion. Was the Houle, he would idle, aware of tne amount of thole debts claimed by the demandants againit the Nabob of Arcot ?—Was the Houle furprifed that it was no lets a fum than five or fix millions (telling ? This fum was charged upon the Revenues of the Carnatie, and, if not paid there, it mutt be paid here. Many Gentlemen who now heard him, mull remem ber at leaft the name of this Nabob, and the difeuf lions which took place refpeaing his debts Co far back as 1784. Upon this fubje a , he would beg leave rut refer Gentlemen to the fiatements of a former Hon. Member of that Houfe, now no more, but whole authority upon this fubjea would live for ever ; he alluded to the late Mr. Burke, and the ever-memora ble (patch which he made upon the fubjeft in 1784; to that fpeech he would refer Gentlemen, not only a document of authenticity, but as a fpecimen of eloquence unparalleled by any thing which remained to us of the pthduaions of anti q uity. In this fpeech, fuch circumftanees were fated by Mr. Burke, as furnifhed a body of evidence, not only that fuck enormous (urns of money had been diftributed by that Nabob to the Company's fervent., as exhaufted all his treafures and revenues, even to infolvency ; but that acknowledgment were extorted from him, that he was indebted to them in larger fums alto; which monies advanced, and debts acknowledged, there was die Orongelt grounds to fuppofe were not in confederation of any debt, kniiidt due by him fur any motley advanced, or fervices rendered by them. Surely, then, it was the duty of Parliament to invef tigaie claims of a nature that fo ftrongly challenged enquiry ; for upon that oecafion it was proved, not only that ten millions had been advanced by the Na. bob to the Company's fervent; but that he was in• diced to acknowledge a further debt of three or four millions more to them. He fincerely wilhed, that Gentlemen, before they came to the difeuflion of the lubjeft, which lioof for Wedoefday next, would, not reef e.ariersife the fpeech of Mr. Burke in the interim $ and wltieb, he was confident, they would read with delight, and feel with the Rrongeft con vidion. The foie nbjed of his motion this night was to bring fairly before the Houle the full amount of the claims againft the Nabob of Arcot, that tha Houfe might at once fee the extent to which it was called to pledge its fandion ; left, by only confi dering and aging upon a (mall portion at once, it might be unwarily led into proceedings, which might afterwards be called into precedentfor the juffification of much greater claims—left a fandion to the amount of half a million fhould only found pretences for cm:eel:Sons to the extent of fit millions, upon claims which limed to rife out of the earth, and no man knew where elfe. For his own part, he had no other concern in coming forward upon this queffion than a fenfe of his duty to the public, to whom he was at lean an induarious, though, he was forty to add, not a fficcefiful fervent. It was his misfortune to ad almoll alone upon thole fubjeds hitherto. Neverthe left, he would Rill venture to hope for the aid of tome I gentlemen who, upon the former invenigationof India affairs, had acquired tome celebrity by their exertions on that occafion, and feveral of whom were Rill Mem bers of this Houfe. If it were orderly, he would now call on them by name t but he hoped, however, to defignate them fo, as without any violation of parlia mentary order, to arreft their attention, and induce, if poffible. their attention and aid in the difcuffion of Wednefday next. One of them was an Honourable Member for Norwich $ another was a Right Honour. able Friend of hi:, confpicuous for•the brilliancy of his eloquence on a former celebrated fubjeoft (the Treafurer of his Majeßy's Navy). In regretting the abfenoe of that Right Honourable Gentleman, be was eonfcions that he only expreffed the common feeling of that Houfe, which he had not of late illumined by the light of his countenance (a laugh). He hoped the Right Hon. Gentleman had not paired into infi nite (pace, never to return to that honfe again; for he had the higheft opinion of his charade', his fpirit, and integrity, and trufted he would be induced to accept this his earneß invitation, to attend once more in his place on Wednefday, and take part in a difeutlion which be was fo competent to elucidate by his kncwledge, and enliven by the vivid fplendour of his eloquence. Mr. Francis concluded by moving for an account of all the fume of money paid to the Creditors of the Nabob of the Csrnatic, fubfe qiient to the Ad of the 24th of the King; tl:e per fans to whom paid, and the nature of their claims refpedively ; diffingtilking principal from intereft. This he thought the more neceffary, as it appeared from the fpeech of the Noble Lord oppofite to him ( Lord Caßlereagh), which was afterwards publifhed by him, that r,f100,0001. of the intereft-money had been converted into principal. which was one priaci ple that could account for the great increafe of the debt, and alto, that out of the debt, when it flood at 4,200.0001. a fum of 600,0001. was for intereft. Mr. WHITSHED KEENE feconded the motion, and Paid, he believed be could be able to throw tome light on the caofes which led to involve the Nabob of the Carnatie in fuch embamffments and claims of debt from the Company's fervants. Having the ho nour of au early and long intimacy with Lord Ma• canine'', who was, at one time, fent out as Governor ro Madras, that Noble Lord, after his return to Europe, had told him, that he bad fcarcely reached Ithe feat of his Government twenty-four hours, when he received a meffage from the Nabob, requelling to fee him : the Noble Lord accordingly paid an imme diate ?jilt, and we; aftoniffied to find it was for the purport of being prefented by the Nabob with a fum of money adequate to ao,oool. with propor tionate tenders to the Officers of his fuite. Lord Macanney expreffed much aftoniffiment, and declin es. accepting the money. at the fame time wifhing to know the motiyes that induced fuch an offer—he was told by the Nabob, that it was quite a entlomary prefent to every new Governor; had never been before refuted; that there was no violation of pro perty whatever in accepting it; and the offer was re peated, with a puffing requell to take it, as it was con. fidered a proper compliment to the head of the Britifh Government, whom, ever fince the taking of Pondi- cherry. he confidered as his protector againft the French. Lord Mafartney, however, Rill ;witted in his refufal, of ning the Nabob, at the fame time, of his determination to render him every fervice and protedion in his power, as earneilly as if he had ac cepted his prefent. But what was the refult of this generous, upright, and exemplary integrity and in dependence of that Noble Lord to himfelf ? Why, that his conduct was every where reprobated and re viled by the fervants of the Company, and every pains taken to (lender, mifieprefenr, and vilify him, for venturing inch an innovation upon the (Om they had fo long eftabliffied ; and Lord Macartney refigned a Government which he felt untenable, con tinently with the feelings of a man of honour. Mr. Keene heartily approved the fyflem of inveßigation fa earnefUy recommended by the Hon. Gentleman, and obferved, that, though it might vifit with corn. pandious feeling' the bofoms and apprehenfions of tome men. who had, by a corrupt abufe of their mif (ion in India, amaffed rapidly enormous fortunes, thole who had made an honourable and upright ufe of their authority there, had no terrors to meet, no qualms to be excited by the molt fcrutinous inveffi gation. Let the galled jades wince ; but their withers were unwrung. Mr. HILEY ADDINGTON raid, he had not the flightelt difpofition to oppofe the motion of the Hon. Gentleman ; on the contrary, he wifhed to grant him the Papers he required. He was very glad to obferve, that the Hon. Gentleman, notwithftanding the decla ration he had a (hurt time fince made, that he would decline all farther interference with India' queftions, fcemed of late rather difpofed to promote inveffiga lions into India affairs. He rejoiced at the circum fiance ; 'wank, from the Hon. Gentleman's great knowledge and extenfive experience upon India tut:- jells, he was certainly competent to throw very im portant lights upon fuch fubjeffs, and bring them home with mote died to the attention of the Houfe and the public • which might have the good effect of rendering the fervants of the Company. in India lets lax in their duties. But his purpofe for riling now was, to let the Honourable Member right in his conception of the Bill, the true objects of which he teemed wholly to mifapprehend. His Hnn. Friend had not brought forward his Bill with the precipitancy , imputed to him, but had given fair notice of every *Nu profaning witn rapes to it; ins so sue versals , knowledge, the Report upon which the Bill was founded, was delivered to Members at their refidenee on the Friday before the Bill was introduced. The Bill was not a call on Parliament to fantlion the claims of the creditors of the Nabob of the Carnatic. ' nor to appoint any Cornmiffioners; thole Comeniffio nets had been already appointed between the parties at iffue, namely, the Direaors and the claiming Cre ditors ; and the Commiffioners, with an carnet view to the aria ends of juftiee, had been defirous of ex amining the parties brought before them on 'oath— which, however, it was found they were not legally au thorized to tender. It was fuggßed then, that the par tiesmight beexamined upon their voluntary oaths, but on confultation with eminent law authorities, it was found that this mode alio was objeaionable. The pre fent Bill, therefore, only called upon the aothonty of Parliament to invert the Commiffioners with power to adminifter oaths for the purpofe of their enquiry, and to render parties (wearing falfely liable to pu nifhment for perjury. It was not becanfe the Com pany withed any cattalo° from Parliament to the authority of the Commillioners to inquire, for to that 4 they were already legally authorised, but with a view to procure for them fuch authority as thould bell tend to obtain that jußice : not to evade the pay ment of debts jolly doe, bat to feparate jolt claims from fraudulent ones. 'The Hon. Gentleman had raid his Hon. Friend had not voluntarily undertakes this bufinefs, but had been induced by importunity to bring forward this Bill. It was certainly true, his Hon. - Friend had expreffed great sinwillingnefs to interfere in this bufinefs, left he Omold be deemed an interefted party; but his known talents, good fenfit, and integrity, made it extremely definable that a pafon of fuch a defcription thould take an altive part in the bnfinefs, and he was induced by same& entreaty to forego his fcrnpks, and *fume the part he had taken with fo much advantage to the °hie& In no hi lance had he betrayed the funnel inclination to precipitate the Bill ; on the contrary, he had fet out with declaring his will:, that every Member in the Houk have the (Wien informatian op the rub. jedt, *addle fulleft time that could be delved for con. fidering it ; and he was convinced, that if the Hon. Member now wined to pofipone the farther proceed. ing on this Bill to a more dillant day, his Hon. Friend - would concur with the lama readinefs. Lord CASTLEREAGH defcrilmd the purview of the Bill in the fame light precifely as the left Right Hon. Gentleman. He Lid that, with it very conti derable portion of jug claims in this cafe, there was blended an enormousportion of u nju ft, unfounded, and fraUdulent claims t and it was for the purpofe of ena bling the Commilßoners to diferiminate that the Bill was defired. Ths difcharge of the WI debts would be produdive of important advantages to the Com. parry, and it yeas, therefore, deferable to Oceania them, in order to a fpeedy fettlement ; and, with re fped to the apprehenflons expreffed by the on. Member, that thole debts might ultimately form claims upon Parliament, the idea was unfounded.— The debts were charged upon the revenues of the Carnatie ; whatever thole revenues annually pro duced over the intereft, would go to a finking fund towards clearing off the principal, and when that wad paid off, the whole revenues would revert to the Company. Mr. Serjeant BEST obferved, that the deed foe the fettlement of the claims under confideration, was In contrived as to hold out the profpelt of doing too little, if any thing, for thole who had equitable claims, and of doing too much for thole whole claims were fraudulent. Many ut the demands under coo fideration were, he contended, completely illegal, as they referred to fums leo' againft a pofitive Ad of Parliament. ' • Mr. HOBHOUSE denied that he was guilty of any precipitancy in the introduction' of the Bill al luded to, as the Report of the Committee which TO. commended it was printed and circulated on the Fri day preceding the day be brought this Bill forward. The debts now claimed, were, he °Versed, contraded before the At of 1797, to which the Learned Gen tleman who left (poke alluded, and therefore not within the proviGons of that law. After a few more remarks, by Mr. Serjeant Belt and Lord.Cafilereagh, the Motion was agreed to. Mr. FRANCIS then Paid, that in prefacin g his fecund motion he amid intrude but a few m inutes nn the patience of the Houle. In what he had faid, he had not entered into the merits of the Bill, good or bad. He had indeed Rated, that the Honourable Gentleman teemed to him to have carried op the meafure with precipitancy; but that, he now agreed, had been fufficiently accounted for. As to his hav ing infatuated that the Honourable Gentleman was himfelf interefted in the meafure, he begged it to be underilood that he had not infinuated, but had ex. prefsly Rated, that be did not think the fituation of Member of fuch a Committee and of a Member of this Houfe exactly compatible; and what had been Rated as to the fcruples entertained by the Honottrai. ble Gentleman himfelf, as to the propriety of the Bill originating with him, feemed to thew that he himfelf was nut exactly fatisfied that two loch cha. rafters ought to be united in the fame perfon. The Noble Lord oppnfite had admitted that many of the claims made againft the Nabub had no exigence in truth, of courfe that there were here enormous frauds to guard against. He was certain that all the perfons who at prefent form the Court of Diredors, were men of honour and probity, but he could not fay what they might be twenty years hence. It could not be Paid there was never an inftance of a man's facriicing the interelt of any Corporate body with which he might be connected to individual feelings. All.he contended for was, that the thing was potable. As to the validity of many of the debts, he had to Rate a Get, that a houfe of great eminence lately failed at Madras, among whole acts were found Paper, amounting to to lacks of pagodas, of the Nabob of Arcot's. The houfe had employed the money en trolled to them in buying up the paper of this Prince, which, from being a drug, worth next to nothing, and which in all probability did not colt more than twopence in the pound, would, if admitted without proper enquiry, produce a fortune to the holders. This, he thought, deferred ferious at , tension. He had ufed the freedom, in making his former motion, to call the particular attention of cer tain individual Members to the Wines. He now begged, in addition, to rcquetl to it the attention and A (finance of the Honourable Direlors, and particu. tarty of their relpeetable Chairman, whom he now