The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1806-04-26 00:00:00

HOUSE. OF COMMONS.

•
3.1. Jobe Yr•A rick b•io.glit in a Bit, for presc,iting
Is•ands, in the rte!iv..ry of Coals, its the Parishes situmid be-
(worm Putney aiid Rotheihnise, ist the County of bUttcy,
w Ilich was roe 1 a fir., time. •
S•r John Anderson brought in a 8.11 for allowing certain
Traders of the City of loadon to dispose of certain new hou.ea
neor Sr. Clements, in the Strand, and in Skinner's-street,
Anow.hill, by way of Lottery, or Chance, which WAS reed a
first, :awl oodereit hi be made second time.
Mr. Manning brorght up the Report of the Fin India Dock
Improvement Bill, which was agreed to, and the Bill mitered
Li be engrossed.
Mr K PANE moved (w Copies of all applications made from
the Cteditots of the Nabob of Dud., to the Coot' of Directort,
arid the decisions of the Council Dirzetess thereon, which was
agreed to.
The City Re neeibrancer presented an Account of the pro-
gress of tire Works going on its the tale of Dogs, which was
ordered to lie on the table, and In be prints el.
Mr WHITBREAD moved, "that a Lid be sent to the Lords
of Ilse 4nllowing farther Witnesses, to be eitatisieei on the
Trial of Henry Lord Viscount Melville, via Mr. li. Buckley,
Mr. T. Goldicot, and Mr. Stephen Chapman, with a request
that their Lordships would issue summonses to them, to attend
the trial on Tuesday neet."—sOrdered.
The Tohacen Duty Bill was reed a third time and pas .ed.
The Wine Permanent Doti. Bill went through a Committee,
aid was ordered to be reported on Monday.

ADDITIoNkI. FORCF. RILL.
Mr. Secretary FOX moved, " that the order for
the second reading of the Additional Force Repeal
Bill be discharged " He said, that at the time he
named Monday, for the second reading. it did not
occur to him that a business of the highest import-
ance, indeed, of importance superior even to most
of those which came from the executive govern-
ment (he meant the trial on the Impeachment of
Lord Melville), was to come on upon the day
following. If, therefore, the discussion should, as
was very ;Isolable, go into great length, and last
to a late hour, it would be very difficult for the
Members of that House, and particularly the Mana-
gers, to be prepared to enter upon the proceedings, at
so early an hour as half-pan ten o'clock, which he
understood would be the time appointed for their
commencement. As i: must be evident to every
man, that the charailer of the !louse much depended
on the manner in which this trial should be con-
-eluded, it was necessiry, for the purpose of accom-
modation, that the tccond reading should be 't
ferred to Wednesday next, which he mov... ac-
cordingly, but would be sati,fied to take any other
day in the week which might be thought more c‘..n-
!client.
Mr. CANNING observed, th t• as this Bill had
Andergone many postponements, he hoped, that if
a day were now appointed, th it appointment would
be considered as definitive. he Right Hon. Gen-
tleman talked of the peat importance of another.
proceeding ; but this was surely of great importance
also,as nothing Wll more desirable, than to quiet the
anxiety and agitaticn which was excited in the pub-
lic mind, by this measure, throughout the country.
He should therefore agree to the proposal of Wed-
nesday, as the most convenient ; and hoped that no
consideration of convenience or preference, would
have the effed of deferring it any longer. '
Mr. FOX replied, that when lie ptopmed to de-
fer the second reading from Thursday last, be did
it on a ground which the gight Hon. Gentlemen
himself must deem to be quite sufficient—namely,
the absence of his Right Hon. Friend (Mr. Wind-
ham); for surely no petson could think it right,
that the discussion should take place in his absence.
He proposed now to defer it again; but not on any
private groand, or one which he thought could be
liable to the smallest objectien.
The second reading was then fixed for Wednesday
next.
Lord CASTLEREAGH said, that as he under-
stood there would be no objedion to what he had
to propose, he thought it unnecessary to preface,
with any observation, his motion, for a list of the
number of men who had volunteered from the Bri-
tish Militia, into the line, for general service, in the
year 1805, and the effeetive force of the Militia at
the time.
The SECRETARY at WAR said, he did not
rise to oppose the motion, and only wished to ob-
serve, that when a number of mess were allowed to
volunteer from the Militia into the line, and did so
enter in the yearl799, they were enlisted for the term
of 5 years only, and at that time he beard no corn.
plaints of any injury having been thereby done to
the service, nor did he learn that there were any
complaints on that account since, though the num-
ber who so entered, was not less than 26,000 men.
Lord CASTLEREAGH said, that in the ensu-
ing discussion, it would be necessary that the House
should have before them a view of the two different
periods at which men were allowed to volunteer
from the Militia into the line. The first was in the
year 1799, when the men were enlisted, not for five
years only, as was to be inferred from what was said-
by the Right Hon. Gentleman ; but for five yeats,
or during the continuance of the war, and limited
to service in k.urope only. The other period was in
1905, when men were allowed to volunteer from
the militia for general service, and for life; and it
would be a way material ohjed of consideration,
il, on a comparison, the tenth should be, as he was
c..rivinced it would, that a greater number of men
had enlisted in the year I WS, than iii the year :7,49.
Tic Mutien was then agreed to.
lls rhea moved for an account of the number o'
men who bad volunteered for limited service in the
year l'7W; which was ordered.
Lord Garlic. :presented a Petition from se.
veral merchants of London, against Lie "..F.:ave 8.0 ;
which was ordered to lie on the tahle.
The report of Lord St. Vincent's .trinuity Bill
was agreed to, and the Bill ordered t i be read a
third time on Monday.
Lord H. PETTY said. that on account of sr me
informality, be was tinder the necessity of postp
ing, for a tew days, the motion of which he gave n
tor making a prpvisiop for the family of the
late Lena Viscount Nelson.

COMMITTEE OF StiPPLY.
ADDITITIONAL PkY TO 111 E NAVY.

The House having t esolved itself into a C O.M init!Ce
of Supply, to which were referred the .N.,vv Ett;..
mates. presented yegerday, respecting the allowaee,
of additional pay to the ptEcersAusimmArgit of the
navy—
Lord HOW K thin spoke to the folloveinr,
eTeet—tt 1 rise, Sir, pursuant to the notice 1 itiiv;
yesterday, for the pu ;,ose of sol,rnitting tr. the
I louse a proposition 1.. s. Stich I Cannot .cancefee
there will be any obj..dic.a. It most be e9tr.:ll,
wish of every Gentlemao present, to contribute,
much as possible, to the comforts of a gallant set ni
men, who justly rirod so high in the estimation
their country, and whose valour, exploits, a.a.: me-
rite:ions services, every way entitle them to the gr.:.
titu.le and support of every individual in m—
ile only douLt or difference that. can possible
arise upon the subje.), is in resped to the expedi-
ency of granting any additional allnwances to cer
fain classes of the Navy; but atter I submit. what

I have to offer to the House upon that stibjeft, I arta-
-
sure they will give me credit for beingigit ity of na
rashness, in adding too much to the public burthens,
upon that account. I was but a very short tiate
office, when several statements were sent me; of ap.
plications made for additional allowances to tb.
Navy ; and amongst others was communicated a
Petition, which was left for signatures at the different
ports, which it was intended that I should after-
wards offer to this House. This Petition was cer-
tainly crotched in the most moderate and respeet!u!
language; but though I could not but discountenance
such a mode of application, I proceeded wi h care,
attention, and assiduity, to prosecute my erquiries
into the nature and justice of these applications.
I had, however, proceeded but a very little waa,
tvhen I was fully convinced, that much was wanting
to be done for the inferior, and had not gene much
farther, before I was also convinced, that some ad-
dition was equally required for some superior, offi-
cers. The result of my enquiry was, that it would
be absolutely necessary, in whatever arrangement
should be made, to proceed upon a scale of
tion, to prevent those discontents, which would
probably ensue from the adoption of any other
method. The Lieutenants had, indeed, before
submitted their case, by Petition. which pro-
duced some discussion in this House, but did
not prove effe2tul. To slew. however, how rea-
sonable and necessary it must be to make settle
alteration, I believe I need only remind the Hotta,
that the pay of the superior officers of the navy had
received no addition daring the last century.
There was, indeed, one excepticn, when in the iast
year a considerable addition was made tea the per
of the masters and surgeons, but that addition hal
ore bad effea, inasmirch as it destrayed the
due pinportion between their pay and that of tine
superior officets. Another effen it very naturally,
and indeed almost unavoidably, produced, was that
of fetish:zing the lietenapts more eager in the pro-
secution of what they considered due to them, and
gave rise to that Petition which I before allude,: to.
Hut 'whatever right the claim • of one class may be
thought to have over another, I thought, for .the
reason I aletady hinted at, that it would not be ju-
dicious to make any partial seknion an °etyma
of this kind. As to the propriety of granting an
addition to the warrant and petty officers, there
could not be the smallest dount in the mina of .iny
man who paid attention to the subjeCl. With se.
speal to the expediency of an increased allowance to
the seamen, there was some degree of doubt pre-
vailing iu the minds of those prof, ssional officers
whom I thought it my duty to consult; but I col
assure the House, that the generality ot them
were in favour of it ; and I very readily coincid-
ed in their.opinion ; for if an addition were made
to the pay of the petty officers, the able-bodied sea-
then, of course, ought not to be negleCted. It is
true, that a considerably encressed allowance was
• given to the seaman in the year 1797 ; but it is no
more than fair to consider the sleet rise Which has
since taken place in all the necessaries ot life, had
the encreased advantages of pay which were to be
obtained in the nterchant service. I would nor, by
any means, be understood to mean, that the pay of
seamen should be proportioned to the price of pro-
visions, or the necessaries of life, for that was a
thing altogether impracticable, and what never had,
nor ever can be done. But, Sir. when we cnnsider
the nature of the service in which they are engage%
their claims become irresistible. When we call to
mind, that these brave met, who hive been takeu,
many of them by force, Irons a service id consi-
derable emolument,- and deprived cf all the
means they might othetwise have of promotion.
and advancing themselves into lucrative situa-
tions in mercantile pursuits. When we refit& that
deprived all these advantages, they have brawn
every danger, many ofthemttrough,a brag wish
succeeded by as interval of discus se.; and unset-
tled peace, during which we were termed to ahem:
all the embarrassments and expences of war, srith-
out being enabled to make any considerable reduc-
tion of our naval force; when we add to this, that
the same men have the recolleCtion of past enjaya
ments embittered and aggravated by their present
toln hew many of them have been incesaantl) serve
ing their country for twelve or fourteen year ;
that
they are exposed to the severest hardships and duties
Mail seasons and climates, where they have not e%4311
the animating hopes of a contest as excite them;
that they are, at this mament, ;informing ti.e most
laborious and harrassiag duties, i i the very sieht of
that enemy. whom they are hopeless of brining to
a comber, which our brave men are making ill:
most strenuous end ineffectual elf iris to provoke I
who is the man who would not be ansioos to give
them the means of cheering consolation in the lung
and tedious hours of their midnight watch, is OA
hardest seasons and most unfriendly climates. It
w.a. upon these considerations that I a triaged Ho
Majesty to grant a more general increase of
than probably was in the contemplation of stone 0,
these who now hear me ; and I shall now mact"!
in the different gradations, to state the deara "
these allowances which I have :o rapes, to the
House. In the first plateaus the LiTlaislnel of e.it
feet, I propose no additional pay whatever: gher
are persons who have not Wen toiced
fin' i
, mare advantageous situation:. but who entered rot
, luntarily into the service in which they are Mtn •
and they have befit* them every in.:it:meet. •
merit, by their g iol hahattlour, the saase advaire`ii.*