The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1806-07-12 00:00:00

dike COinitiktili of that .H..ato., 9l7ite was no re.st
wonder In the occurrence of such Mistakes es the
present:
Mr. VOBHOUSE explaintd, that he only offi-
ciated io the absence cf an Hon. Gentleman (,sit.
Alexandet), who was a Ipte employed in ireparing
fot a voyage to another country, and that v hen he
happened not to be present, another. lion. Member
( Mr. Hawthorne) WAS kind enough to undettake
the of6ce. But he sitsre,!ted that he himself had,
Elvin:o hurry, committed the mistake.
The 11:1060:1 was then agrrcd to.
GRAIN IN I'ENQoURSE 1:11.L.
Sir J. NEWPORT nv.ved the tattier of the day
(or the third reading of this Bill.
Mr. FOSTER considered the }l,ll as brought
forward in et crude and undigested manner; and stid,
that leave fur hrifixing it in was nOtainrd ia a veir
thin house, and by a vet y small majority. Fie did
not think it applicablr to the Irish minket, ; and
while he foresaw many of the injurious 'IL:4i it
may produce, he could conceive no pt ssible benefit
which could he derived tram it.

Sir JOHN NEWPORT replied, that he !bought
it unnecessary to detain the Mute by se-stating the
arearnehts he had aAvanced in favour of the lull, in
its former stages. While a free intercourse of grain
subsisted between Great Britain and lielend, it
proved advantaeeous to both countries ; an' he was
not aware of any passible mischief the Bill could
produce between this and the rim session of Parlia-
ment. The Bill. instead of being preeipitaTed, had
been before the House some weeks, and since that
time, he had received letters in its favour, from
Cork. Limerick, IVaterford, Belfast, and some other
places.
The Bill was then read a thind time and passed.
N tat,* uF K<COTS DEBTS.
On the third reading of this Bill—Mr. RYDF.r..
proposed an amendment to sine of toe clauses, th:
objet; of which Was, that the Commissioners for
the examination of the claims, should report Cie
;nisi-vets they might make in the execution of the
trust reposed in them, and also the grounds upon
which they had matte ally deci..iou.
Lord H. PE I' L Y said, that on re-consideration
he was not disposed to °Nee/ to the ..reendnient, if
it would not ge to invalidate the agreements made
by the Commissioners.

Mr. Vs'INDHAM did not think that House
should bind itself to any agreement made by the
Commissioners.

Mr. PERCIVAL ronsid:red the motion to he
liable to many o r butts. The Commissioners
stood esadly in the light of arbitrators between the
creditors and the East India Company, under a de-
cree of Parliament. That House may disagree
with the iddirment of the Commissioners, whether
the motives tor :heir decision should be right or
wrong. The claims for such 4 sum as five or six
millions muse be very nuatzrous, and it would be
extremely inconvenient fiir that Hance to examine
the whole of the evii:ence in all the cases. It may
indeed be right for them to make such a report, as
would chew that they did not sleep upon their dui*
nit by calling for the grounds at their decisions, he
was afraid the House would make itself a party to
them.

Mr. FRANCIS saw, that a Bill which WAS to
dispose of 5,600,0001. so far tram bemg a private
one, WAS of the greatest public interest. For him-
self, he would take no part in it at all, as he did
not think the Parliament should be a party to any
such agreemeots. He would oppose it i.r tole, and
would not consent that the House of Commons
should give its saation to claims, of which a highly
tespedtble Cnairtnau of the Court of Direetors„ had
declared, in his seat, time-fourths to be Ulm de-
mands, and that it would be estraordinaxy if even
that fourth should be estaidished.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said, the clause
alluded to did not proceed from any distrust of the
Commivioners, but was thought to be one which
most be desirable even to themselves. Though the
parties were the creditors, and the East India Com-
pany the debtuts, yet it was a public measure ; for
if it was of a private nature, why come to Parlia-
ment at all ? He thought, Also, that the different
debts may beclassed, sod he grounds of the deci-
sion laid before the House, without repeating the
whole of the evidence.

Mr. ROSF:th;;;It, that if the Commissioners
were, as he believed them to be, fit and competent
persons to inquire, the decision must ha safer in
their hands, than in thou of the:. assembly. Hf dis-
approved of the whole of the claim, as the House
could not possibly examine itself, and decide upon
ad of the cases, And should not, therefore, give its
sandion to the validity of any of the debts.
• Isle. 3HE AIDAN said, that it he approved of the
Rill at all, be should not obje:t to the Amendment.
It was not lit that the East India Company should
dispose of such a sum as five or six millions of RIO.
ney, without the concuirence of Parliament. If the
claims were Allowed, it may not be the Company,
but the public, that would have to pay them, as the
public was the great creditor of the Conyany, :4114
had a right, it possible, to secure itself. tie Anien.l.
tiscra was en improper one, unless the 1-I,usl was
disposed to revise and retry very many of the
cases ; for those whose claims had been iojened,
might come to that Hattie and complain of itius-
tice; and if so, he did not see, how, consistently
with this principle, they could refuse to hear them.
It the present Commissioners were unfit persons,
others should be appointed to teplace mem ; and,
nhoever they may be, he thought their skcisiini
should be final.
Vi-count CASTLEREAGH was also for leasing
t'.e /hole in the hands at the Commissioucrs. The
I louse should not give axy additional validity to
the clauns, nor make itself a Court of Appeal. If
it did, the cousequerice would be to have the table
01 the (louse clvered with amass Lit useless papers.
Mr. SHERIDAN again observed, that it the
'louse 'larded the Commissiniars to report the
gri.unds on which they decided, it must be either
tool the purpose of 'seising them, or to gratify an
idle cut iosit y.
Mr. GRANT said, there could be no uncertainty
in the business nt the Camtroc.i.)..ers, When suers all
men at nigb sham:ter and limmut, and were bound
to decide upon oath. 'Phis agreement Was not of a
novel SWUM' as it Was contiumable in the pradice
observed us the wnule set the Last Midis Goveiu-
ni.nt.

Atter a few 'nose observat:oas frum:Lottl Archi-