The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1806-04-30 00:00:00

ff

I

IMPERIAL PA Ttl. TAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORU,—frasu+r, Mau 2f•

The I louse met this day, by special adjournment,
at ten o'clock. A very c 'nsiderable number of Peers
attended in their robes of state. The order for the
exclusion of strengers was most stri&ly enforced.
N.rt even those who had Peers orders were admitted
below the Isar ; the eldest Sons of Peers, and heirs-
apparent to Peerage•, Nero alone admissible. Pre-
vious to their Lordships biing marshalled, the Bills
upon the table, we understand, were forwarded in
their respeCtive stages. Asnong which, the Irish
Bank Notes Bill, the Exchequer Bills B;11, and the
Irish House Duty Repeal Bill, were read a third
time and passed ; and the Customs Duty, and the
snuff and Tobacco Duty Bills, were read a second

time.
Their Lordships were then marshalled by his
Grace the Duke of Norfolk, Earl Marshal, as-
sisted by Garter. Principal King. at Arms, and the
Principal o.ficers of the Heralds College, who at•
tended in their gala-official dresses ; they were mar-
shalled according to their different ranks and degrees
in the Peerage, the Junior Peer of each Order walk-
ing first ; and in this order, having adjourned the
1-I.;use till four o'clock, the Peers present proceeded
(the passages having been previously cleared, and
the doors leading thereto locked) to the High Court
of Parliament in Westminster-Hall, to preside at the
trial on the Impeachment of Lord Viscount Mel-
ville.
Before four o'clock, their Lordships returned to
their own House, whither they were followed by a
great lumber of Peeresses, and many Ladies of din.
minima. For some time, until the House got rather
cleared, and that degree of order, necessary to le-
gislative proceeding was obtained, the soder for
the exclusion of strangers, continued strictly en-
forced. A short time previous to the doers be-
ing opened, an order was made, that their Lord-
ships should proceed farther with the 'Friel of
• Lord Viscount Melville tomorrow, and that a Mes-
sage b: sent to acquaint the Commons Eke:en:tit.
wiThlT',SEs' LIABILITY E 11.1.•
On our admission to the House, their Lordships
wee 4 etgaged in a discussion. reopening the above-
mentioned Bill, in which the amendments mit ie by
the Commons had previously beet' moved to be
now taken into consideration.
A conversation of considerable length ensued, in
which Lords Eldon. Hawkesbury, Holland, tiler-
bowmen, and the Lord Chancellor; the Earls of
:'ll,ilk. Itosolyn, and Stanhope ; and the Deke of
t Norfolk. ;.,1 k.l past. S lof their Lordships,
' particularly Lords Eldon and llawkesbury, were
steal tiotes on their legs Little new is the way
of gnment or illustration, transpired ; many of
their former observations anal statepents on the
sulieei, were referred to ; we shall, therefore. not
attempt a recital of what took place.
t.nral HAW KESBURY moved, " That the
-i. fattier co- sideration of the amendments be cost-
pined All to-mar ow ;" in order that the attenlince
on a topic of inch importance should be fuller, and
to aleiri certain Peers, who, he bad reason to think,
lo'-4 to speak, au opportunity of delivering their
C Tents.
LoreF.I.DON *ought the Bill wanted some far-
tiles sthecation or amendmen:, not deeming it, in its
1 pres.e.t shape, a Bill declaratory of the Law, as de-
( cl trod by the Learned Judges, or the greater part of
t C•ena klor according to their conceptions of what
- the law really vists, as he had an opportunity of
knowing, from a personal communication with some
of them. ;Its tenor was different trom that of other
Declaratory Bills, fir it went to declare, not what
the Law was, but what the Ltw was not. He
tboneht, under what had been thrown out on the
' subject, they should pause, and not pass the Bill in
its oresent shape. !t involved legal consideratiors of
the greatest importance, and an a way likely to
! affiect many of their Lordships. for instance, those
who were great landed proprietors. The word
•• nolo" in the Bil', on which so much stress had
.6 ...to is.V, its rendering the declaration sufficiently
isiefinite, and as likely to prove a sufficient guide for
'..as Judi, es in the Courts below, he thought would
slot he so efficacious, and in the in;erval proposed,
heehaw-lot he should he able to dctetmine upon
i tome iurcber amendments, which would produce
the desirec: drat.
i Liord.!-;.toil a nil ,Stanhope, trod either Peers, defend-
ed the 1.1. under the circumstances of the case, as it
now 0tr.0.1, aid were adverse to any further delay to
i's passitv, which theycontended ought speedily to
take place ; it was also observed, that the Mil with
the Amendments had loin on the Table for several
i
Oars, and Noble Lords hind sufficient time to have
sailed the attention of the noon to the eubjeet.
The Lord Chancellor. Lords Ellenborough and
• Eldon, iti the course of their explanations, adverted
to what heal taken place with respect to the Bill ;
its original introdusioon, the alterations made in the
Bin at different Orrin, and the causes of those al-
terations. wbith have been repeatedly stated in
former diecriesions nn the sullen.
The LOIID CHANCELLOR. in particular,
spoke- se considerable length ; defended the Bill
in itsetwesent shape, upon the legal grounds he had
formerly adduced in support of it ; and coat nded,
the, !hi dole' atite,, as SO worded, would, by con-
fining it to the single species of demurrer, be a suffi-
cient rule for the Learned .lodges. The Bill, how-
ever, he observed, Wad hovr.psfty teen calk., b.:
Pill i though his was the hand that presented it to
t e e Irmieration o:. their Lordships, it was founded
upon the proposition I f a Noble a, d Learned LorA
then present ; in future, should he propose any thirg
in the shape of an An of Parliament to their Lord-
-41 ins' consideration, it should be patchy his own;
and then he should rightly have to stand or tall by
its mi-rats or Oe,r,erits.
Lord II A WKESBURY, in further explanat ice.
&moved, that though the Bill. with the Ameed-
mints, mieht have lain for several days upon the
table, yet it was incumbent upon those, in the
case of a legislative me astir, of such imp rtance,
urging the passing of the hill so emended, to give
some antic: of the time they proposed for the co: -
sideratioa of such amendments, and to have the
Lords outmanned thereupon.
After some further &scussion. the qiiestion was
put,aud the original motion fur raking the Amend-
ments into immediate co:iodination, WAS neg stn ed
lookout a division.

'lie Amendments made by Ole Commons were
then formally taken into consideration ; —to which
Lord HAWKESBURY made some farther rib-
jeaiOns. He alluded to the peculiar importance,
and (Iva of declaratory Bills; and contended, that
their Lordships ought to be sure that what they were
declaring, was really the law, before th.y passel
the Bill in its present shape. He concluded by
moving, " that these Amendments be farther con-
sidered, on this day three months."
Lord HOLLAND argued shortly in defence of
the Bill
Lord ELDON made some strong remarks against
the Bill, in its present shape, which should induce
him, even did not any other Peer join him in that
respea, to signify ultimately his repugnance to it,
by a " dissentient—E/don "
The LORD CHANCELLOR repeated seme of
his former arguments, and contended, that the Bill
did declare the law, as delivered by a majority of
the Lekrned Judges.
'lle Duke of NORFOLK noticed an informality
in Lord Hawkesbury's Motion, because the House
had already decided, that the Amendments should
now be taken into consideration.
The proposition of Lord Hawkesbitry was nega-
tived, and the several Amendments made by the
Commons to the Bill, were confirmed by their Lord-
ships.

SUPPLY OF CORN, WHEAT, &r.

Earl STANHOPE called their Lordships' atten-
tion to a topic, which he deemed of the utmost im-
portance. He alluded to the supply of the country
with Corn, Wheat, &c. and with reference to a
possible scarcity of those necessary articles ; and, in
this view, he had one or two Motions to submit to
their Lordships.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH suggested the pro-
priety of the Noble Earl's deferring a Motion of
that importance, until there should be a fuller at-
tendance.
Earl STANHOPE said, he should bring for-
ward his intended motion without delay, as tending
to the first aaive step in an enquiry into the subje&
It was but a necessary preparation ; the cubjed was
one of the greatest importance, as would appear,
were it only from the cot,sid !ration, that in the
course of fifteen years, no less than 4.5 millions ster-
ling were sent out or the country for corn and grain;
the cis arms ante of the blockade of certain foreign
ports, and a great export of bitliCV, as he had heard,
to Ireland, rendered the topic still more interesting.
What he should now move was for " An Ac-
count of the quantity of corn, flour and grain, im-
ported into Great Britain since the Ist day of
nuary 1804, distinguishing the imvtts of each
year " Also, A similar Account of sfe quanti-
ties exported during the same period."
The Eirl of MOIRA had no ohjedion to the mo-
tion itself, but must seriously deprecate the manner
in which his Noble Friend had introduced it ; there
existed not the least necessity for his conneding it
even wish an idea of apprehended scarcity; as, either
with respeft to the stock in magazines throughout
the c usual, (17 in the prospcd of the ensuing harvest,
there was not the most remote ground for such a sus-
picion ; there was no necessity for commencing an
erviry into the general state of these things, by
onrlng such an alarm. He 'Poke, not from de-
tailed, but from general knowledge of the sullied ;
and he wished it to be distindly and publicly und2r-
stood, that not the smallest ground existed for such
an apprehension.
Lord AUCKLAND followed ; what his Noble
Trend had just advanced, hail taken a load off his
mind, and he was fully able to corroborate the truth
of h s assertions. He deprecated the idea of accom-
panying such a motion as the Noble Earl made,
with sounding the alarm of scarcity ; no ground
whatever for such a supposition existed. He would
deem himself criminal, did he silently hear such
language held. With respect to the information
desired, he believed the Noble Earl could derive it
from accounts already before the House. He wished
it to be understood that every thing which, in fa 1,
had recently taken place, militated against the
ground of such an alarm. Under the regulations
made by the Privy Council, immense quantities
of corn had arrived from tl:e Cultic ; the ports of
which had neither been, nor was it likely they winds'
be, shut against us!
The questions were then put, and the Accounts
ordered to be produced accordingly.
Mr. King (of the Treasury) brought up from
the House of Commons, the %'ine Permanent Du-
ties Bill, and the Appraisers' Tax Bill.
Mr. Fydell, Lord W. Russel, and other Members,
brought up some private Bills, which, with the fore-
going, being severally read a first time, the House
Adjourned till to-morrow ; when their Lordships
meet s t Ten o'clock, preps ra ory to their attending
the High Court of Parliament in Westminster Hall.

pees lie moved for, all that had yet been presented
not exceed.too hundred pages ; and was pro-
ccerlins;, when he was called to order, end
'clic SPEAKER put the question, that the pa-
pers should he on the table—which was weed to.
11r. PAUL then observed, that he had been tome
fieqo aoly called to order than any other Member
who spoe upon this soli -et.
The SPEAKER appea eJ to the House whether
he deserved the insinuation r. ore thrawn cut against
him ? which excited a et y of keen I hear ! and the
con v er satirm ceased.
The Bill for allowing the houses built by the City
of I. inilon, at the back of St. Clement's, and in
Skinner-street, Snow Hill, to he disposed of by Lot-
tery, was read a second time, end committed far to-
morrow.
Sir M. Bloxham presented a Petition from the
Debtors in Maidstone gaol, pi iqing for relief.—Or-
dered to lie on the Table.
Mr. W. Bootle presented a Petition from the Ma-
nufaeturers of Leather in Newcastle-under-Lint,
against the Leather Duty.—Ordered to lie ois the
Table.
The Bill for rendering the Wine Duty perma-
nent, and the Appraisement Duty Bill, were read a
third time and passed.
Lord TEMPLE moved the first reading of the Bill
from the Lords, for an indemnity to such persons
as had permitted importations into our West India
Islands, in neutral and friendly bottoms ; which lie
ohs d would not interfere with the measure
proposed by the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite to
him (Mr. Rose.)
The motion was agreed to, and the Bill ordered
to be read a second time to-morrow.
The House having resolved itself into a Commit-
tee on the Adl of last year, relative to the export-
ation of Irish Linens ;
Mr. FOSTER said, that as it wnuli be neces-
sary to encourage in as great a degree as possible,
that branch of the manufaCtures of Ireland, lie
thought it would be tight to continue the draw-
backs ; fur which purpose he nieved, " that from and
after the first day of August next, the allowances
of drawbacks be extended 'to exportations of Irish
linens to all the ports of the Russian and German
dominions."
The motion was agreed to, and the report order-
ed to be received to-morrow.
kLECTION TR E kTIN: BILL.
Mr. TIERNEY moved the tuoher consideration
of the report of this Bill, for the purpose of having
it recommitted, as the amendments made in the
former Committee did not meet the approbation of
A Right Honourable Gentleman ( Mr. Fox) not
then in his place. It was suggested to him, that
he should allow the voter to he conveyed at the
expence of the candidate to the place of eledtion,
b it he could not agree to allow him a sum of mo-
ney to defray his own expences The amendments
he proposed, when the bill should be recommitted,
stoup be for the most part verbal, and. therefore,
hot likely to provoke any iiiscussiou.
Sir tto:tT cuxToN expressed himself un-
friendly to the Bill.
NIT. I.INGS rON was of the same opinion, bitt
should not object to the Bill being rc-committed and
printed.
Caprain HERBERT objeeted to the Bill, as it
left the whole principle in doubt.
Lad ARCHIBALD HAMILTON objeCte 1 to ,
the principle of the Bill altogether, as it woula, in '
his opinion, tend to annihilate the eledlive franchise.
Mr. TIERNEY said he had no personal interest
whatever in the Bill; as, in the place he represented,
the law on that point was already settled, and he
only wished to extend the benefit of it to all parts of
the country. lie would rather give up the Bill al-
together, r.tati have any new doubts started on the
law. lie stated before, that he did not objedt to the
candidate providing carriages, but the giving of
money for that purpose. This Bill was no more
than explanatory of the treating aa of William 111.
and he thought if it should be rejedlei, it would
be right, for the purpose of ending all doubts, to
declare, that the candidate should in fir ere pay
the conveyance, as well as the ezpence of travelling
Mr. FRANCIS said, that though he opposed the
Bill at first, the alterations since made had more re-
conciled him to it. However, k would not do, he
found, to convey merely the body of the eleftor,
whether dead or alive. The difficulty was, that if a
man should be conveyed two or three hundred
miles, without food, he might not be sufficiently
alive to give his vote ; and it hawere conveyed dead
drunk, the effedl might be nearly the same. II
Mr.BAKER approved of some parts of the Bill,
hut, upon the whole, thought it would be best to
leave the law on the same footing it was placed on
by the act of King William.
Mr. H LASCELLES spoke against the bill.
Mr. S. STAN HOPE said, that though he slid not
wish the law to remain as at present, because it was
as often violated, as the qualifications required for
subaltern officers of militia, yet he did not approve of
the Bill now proposed. He would rather have the
allowance given in money than in kind ; as the law
stood now, if a third candidate had open houses,
the consequence would be, that the other two must
do the same, and then, if the same third candidate
was the loser, he may, by a petition from the elec-
tors, cast the other two, a ithout any danger to him-
self, as he would not be a parts before the Com-
mittee. He did not wish, he said, to make laws
too pure for the people they were meant to °pet ate
on, but to follow the example of the sage Solon, who
gave the Athenians not the very best laws, but the
best that they were capable of receiving.
Mr. GRAHAM said, that though he supported
the Bill at first, los found it now so Altered, that he
must ohjedt to it. If the candidate found convey-
ance for the voters, he must of necessity supply
them with provisions on their journey ; and, to strew
the mischief of it, be stated that he was assured the
conveyance only of vorers at the last Middlesex
Eledtion, cost no less a sum than 50.0001..
Mr. ROSE thought the country was under great
obligations to Mr.•ll'serney, for bringing the matter
lot ward ; as it was necessary that the point
should be decided in one way or the other. He
wr rather indifferent in which way that decision
should be made; but he preferred the mode of ex-
empting the candidate, as it would be SapOss:ke
to equalize the ezpences; for 2s. a day may be as
objet to one elsClor, when 10s. a day would scarcely
be an Objea to auothu• The law at present was

-

extremely doubtful; for on twe emluent lawyer.
ing consalted oil this point, in a ..ase that ("c-
-orrect at the last general eleEtion, one of them cit..
cured, that Ire was convinced C e law wa...me
:Jut he was of opini,n, that the Committee would
decide the other W3V.
Mr. VA NS I t' F.A R r thought it wnela be pr„
per to fix the allowance, decisively, to each voter
at 55 a day.
Mr. CORNWALLIS said a few words Aly3;no:
the Bill ; after which, the House iliviJest or, the
Al-tron for the Speaker's 1, avi, g the Chan :
Ayes, ?A —Nue& li—Maj nil, 10.
the liaise, on our return to the gallery, was in'
the Committee, which wit merely pro. wino. • Cht y
then resnrned —the report was received, and ordered
to he tut her coosidered
Mr. P. Moore broug'tt tip a Petition from the
Tanner; of the C.ty of Coveotry against the Duty
ou Leatlier.—Ordcri..d t lie un the table.
A; turned.

THE BRITISH PRESS.

lA-441X)N,
WE:)NE•MAY. Arad. 29.

An At ticle, dated V it2llloi April 9th, in the Pa-
pers brought Ly the last Ilantburgh Mail, says ;
" It is asserted, that yesterday there was signed
between the Conas of N'ienna and France, a Con.
vention, in virtue of whidt the former concedes to
the latter a free passage for its troops by La Pontelia
and Trieste, for Istria and Venetian Dalmatia ; thy
number of these troops is varionsly stated ; snipe
carrying it as high as 45,C-C 3, others to only 30,0(A).
This last point is a matter of indifference; the pas-
sage being once gtar.tud, there probably would not
be any difficulty as to the number. Although from
the maner in which this demand was made, no one
doubted of its success, the news of the conclusion
has nevertheless caused a great sens.ttion among
the public, and the corps diplerasiique." The article
then proceeds to state." that Russia having foreseen
, this condescension, the Commander in Chief of her
fleet in the Adriatic, had ordered the blockade of
all the Ports on both sides of that sea ;" as stated in
OUT Paper yesterday. Ragusa itself is included in
the blockading ports.

The ship Mane, CaptAin KEYSER, is arrived at
Liver;sool, from Bar balms, which place she left on
the ‘23.1 of March. By her we lean, that accounts
had been received there, that a French squadron,
.consisting of six sail of the line, two fri ales, and a
brig, se.lito at anchor at Cape Maize (Island of Cuba),
on the R Ith of February, supposed to be that which
Adrithal ilso tsvitr A sailed from Jamaica in pur-
suit of. Cape Maize is a fine open bay, on the
, Eastern eril 01 Cuba.

Earl S o verioet last night called the atren ion of
the linuAs of Lords to the subjett of Corn. and
moved for some accounts respeCting it.
. mmihmseit=e2ror
Lieutenant-Colonel Los° of the 15th, or King's
Light Dragoons, has contradited, in the mot po-
sitive and pointed terms, t paragraph, which -lately
appeared in a Morning Paper, stating, that symp-
toms of mutiny have appeared in that regim, :Ir.
Orderosrhearvsct
for
r beenret resultsugr returns
vs
ae
;nos
be
tzel
pi
si
rio.
fled.ut
de e cor
fll ipste.insonnost
it; 04 .
1
molest any Dutch fishing vessels on their way with
fish to the London market.
'I he following notice was fixed at the Post-Office,
Oil MAIdAy :
" Tie Bremen portmanteau, eontai hit the bags from
Italy, Germany, and Tankry, ',hi h ahould have come wan
the llamburgh Mail, is not arrived at this (thee."
List Wednesday and Thursday the East Devon
Militia, commanded byCol. BAST a so, marched into
Lewes Barracks from Portsmouth and Portsea.
Monday morning the first division of the Derby-
shire Militia marched from Horsham.
Sir E. Pi t.t.zw has formed a new arrangement (or
the blockade tit the Isle of France. hots which the
mast
The favourableorders
ble to serve under the Ler, en Masse AB, are for
the present suspended.
A detachment t f the Third West York Militia,
lately quartered in York, arrived at Hull, on Ftid.y
morning, to join the lest of the Resiment.
Yesterday the Loan MA Toe, on examining the
Mealweighere Returns, . rdered the Pr ce of Bread
i to be continued at is. lid. the Quattern Loaf
1 ‘74'heaten, and If id. lion.eliold.
His Lordship will hold a Court of Common
Council at Guildhall on Friday next.
The Chemise, French lugger privateer, of fcrr
guns, and 17 men, arrived at Christiansand, on 1: C
29th ult.
The Alarzeref and dire arrived in the Clyde fro,;
Jamaica, sailed from therce on the 223, with STSTTA.
other vessels, under convoy of the Ha ter sloop ,!
war, and parted from them on the 13d of Mardi.
in the Cult ; the Liberty, TEAL', for London,war
in the fleet.
Capt. Haut ITT, is alpo;fiteli to the Gear,. 21
Portsmouth ; Captain h. Caxishnv, to the God .
at Jamaica: Lieutenant NIIICIILLL, son of the I. •
Sir AMMILW MITCIIIIIIII., is promoted to be a Cot:

sander.
The 7h ale, with a A-et under convoy, boned
Labrador, sailed from Guernsey on the 223 lust
The rig dant, ,of 74 guns, an ordinary at Pori
mouth, which sunk in that harbour in January I.•
was raised on Tuesday and put into dock ; her
tons appears perteCtly souni, and her siok,np
not arise from any leek. but. it is supposed, theter, at various times, funs in at the scuppes, a
from inattention ot some persons nes board he!,
was negleeed to be cncasionally isumpeds - h
ertions used by the men employed to pump h`
were astenishiur ; she wis completely purril':'
is less thin ten hours.