The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-03-22 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.
MONDAY, MARCH 21.
The Lord ADVOCATE finished his argument, and
Mr. MACCONICIME was heard in part, in behalf of
the Appellant, in the Cause of Appeal from the
Intes&ocutor Elizabeth Craufurd v. Thomas Coons,
Esq. after which the further hearing was adjourned
till to-morrow.

The business on the Table was regularly gone
through.
ARTIFICERS IN DOCK-YARDS.

The Order of the Day was then moved, when
The Earl of CARLISLE rose, and, according to
notice, after a very short preface, moved, " That
the proper officers do lay before this House, a regu-
lar Account of the Monthly Returns of the Number
of Artificers employed in his Majesty's Dock-yards,
from May, 1802, to the present time."
Lord HOBARC lamented, that his Noble Friend
at the head of the naval department should be pre-
vented from being present by indisposition, as he
understood that the drift of the Motion was meant
to convey some insinuation against, or refleCtion
upon the conduet of his Noble Friend. For his
own part, he was not in the least afraid of any en-
quiry into any part of the continet of Administra-
tion—of every aa of which the whole House had
sufficient grounds of judging. He did nor see whe-
ther the Noble Earl's Motion might not be a
harmless one, further than as it went to make an
undue impression on the public mind ; but he must
objeft to it, because some grounds ought to be laid
before the House, and something like specific
charges ought to be stated, before such a Motion
would appear to be fit to be received. He could
not be satisfied with indireet insinuations against
his Noble Friend, or the conduit of the Admiralty,
as he presumed there was not any thing in the con-
duet of either that called for enquiry, or made in-
vestigation necessary. Until, therefore, lie should
hear further reasons than those which had yet been
alledged, he shoald Lel it his duty to resist a Mo-
tion, for which no satisfaCtory, grounds had 'oeen
essigned.
. The Lag of CARLISLE said, the objeCt of his
motion WAS so plain and simple, that he did not
Mink it necessary to take up the time of the House
in going into any explanation at length. Called
upon as Parliament had been on a sudden to arm.
Parliament had a right to call for every degree of
information that could be attained, without danger
to the public interests, or embarrassment to Go-
vernment. With regard to the Noble Earl at the
head of the Admiralty, no man had a deeper sense
of the obligations the country had to that Nuble
Lord's professional exertions, than he felt. No man
valued his services—his great and eminent services,
higher than he did ; but as a Member of Parliament,
and standing up in his place as a public chatatter,
there was a duty paramount to all feedings of pri-
vate admiration, respe6t, and friendship. Upon that
ground it was, that lie thought it incumbent upon him
to look to the managementof the affairs that came di-
reEtly under the superintendance of the First Lord of
the Admiralty, and the conduCt of the Board over
which he presided ; since upon that depended our
being ready to meet the French off Brest, as soon as
occasion should require. He must, therefore, be
allowed to state, that doubts did very generally exist
in the public mind, in regard to the management of
the Admiralty; and when fads could le ascer-

tained, the public had a right to know them, and
thereby have their anxiety removed. When a ques-
tion of war was pending, Ty were entitled to
know haw tar what was dt/i143 at home WAS com-
mensurate to the danger that threatened the cowi-