The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-07-14 00:00:00

'l' LI ESD A Y JULY 14, 18 7

PliihttlAL PARLIA.WENT.

IiaIUSE OF LOKOS-.11.11.4va1m, 13.
The F.nrl of Bristol and Lord Northeie took the
oaths and their seats.

The Flo/Isethus adjourned during pleasure; and
upon the re-entrance of th. Lead Chancellor,
Mr. Hobbou.i., Colonel Bastard, Mr. Dligdale,
and severAl other Memisers, brought up the Ihree
Milli n Exchequer Bills Bill, the Ont VliDion and
a Halt Exchequer Bilis Bill, the Pitrlsh Apprentices'
Bill, and a number of private Bill..—They were
respedivsly read a first time.

STATE OF OUR MILITARY DEFENCE.
Lord SILAtOUTH rose to put a question to his
Noble Friend (Hawkesbury), whom he then saw is
his place. On a previous ceenhig he had given
intimation of his present intention. lie wished hi
be ineorrami by his Noble- P fend, whether tlh•re
was in the contemplation ot iiis Majesty's Goverii.
tient, any measure cauneded with the military de-
famer-the kingdom and whether it was inter.!.: I
to extend our military estahlistuntut prophrtiooably
with the growing danger ? It was impassible for
him, or i:,jced tar any mail to look on inattsntire
to public measures, much less t those of naaoital
defenee, when he refilled upon the nature of the
intelligence which every day, nay, every bane., was
furnishing us with from the Coatinent ot fairope.
He was sure his Noble Friend would see, that he
put to him a question, in which he was join.d
both by the feelings ~f Parliament and the Country,
ami he had I:hereto% to hope, that the answer he
ehr.old reteivi• whuid be gratitying and explici!, as
well to ;le nature of the measure, as so the early
sad tired time at which it w. ui.t he submitted to
the consid.wation of the legislature.
Lord HitWl‘k;dtiliftr felt atsnred, that his
Noble Ft tend (&drnouth) wAs eittaared by the
sislimt and laudable aasiety which lit professed.
He had tea acquaint him and Clair Lhristiips, .bat
since the accession of His Majesty'; present .stulis•
ters to office, the whamy brawls sit our sets'-- t, and
the best mes is of augmenting the national 'etetice,
engrossed no .mate portion ot their lime and "ma..
tion. There were reasons which stringly prevented
him from eat rings at le present moment, on a
derail of the measures which finisters intended to
propose, or up,in the -.uses which prevented them
from making any previous corn:nun:cation to the
House. He bad, at present, only sit•Shberve, that
either a notice, connected with that question, had
bees alre44y, or woald, iii the course of the es' ~
hog, be made in another place. (Alluding to tine no
ties Riven by the Chancellor ot the Exclisquer in
the lines, of Commons.)
The Earl of StIFFOLX took the opportunity of re.
curnug to ensue ap.nions which he had mi Qua If
Nivea on the Detente of the Country. He had ta take
credit tar part ot that advice, its good effeels b. ing
acknowledged by most mhitary men, particularly
in the ereetiiin of Martel!o rowers He wished still
to owes* upon unit Leerriehipe &Le isemewity of
having seine internal depots, where the peril ,tion
could be speeady arai.a, ou the first minutia of
emergency
Mr. Mitford. from the customs, resewed an as.
count of the duties levied th the part ut London,
upon articles of American C.i171,71• roe. importei
American bottoms, sub erpwas to the Oider of
Council of the 27th ot May.

AMEHICAN IKZA Y IPIDEIMITY MI..
Earl BA riURS I' rose Le move use seen .d read-
ing of the Bill, which went to endear:By ilis \lao
jecre Government for doing !hat, which, though
against law, was still neces •...y and urgent. rid
denied that any duties had h. en levied upon articles
of American C.nrerce, of .sty higher rate or rivire
extensive nature. than what rite dl ijesty was justi.
bed 'y the laws *Melt regulred our Commercial
Intercourse with 1' o. pan Powers. It was au error
to think, that in thus put. mg in farce the c'.auses of
the expired at. His Majesty's Ministers were gam-
ing to justify themselves oinks any pretence of pre.
mauve On the contrary. their claim to indult-.
oily arose from having been forced. from absolute
necessity, as well as a lendable feeling of public
duty. to do an aft upon their own respolio.
bility, and which, though literally illegal, they
were right in supposing the House would ultimately
approve. The Noble Lord took a retrospeCtive
view of the respettive treaties between this; country
and America, and appeared to rest the merits of
the present Bill upon the necro.ity to which Yliniso
ter; were reduced of *ding upon the declared
opinion of Parliament, although the statute had
expired ; and most particularly, as In the levying of
the imposts, the amount was less than the same
articles of American commerce should pay by the
other laws which have regulated our commercial
intercourse with foreign powers. He concluded
with moving the second reading of the Bill.
Lord GRENVILLE rose to enter his decided
protect against this proposed indem.otication of His
Majesty's present Ministers. His Noble Friend had
conceived, that if, he proved that no increase of
duties was levied under this violation of the law,
that therefore it followed, that no blame was im-
putable to tiose Ministers who acted upon their own
responsibility. To prove this inference, his Noble
Friend had contented himself by shelving, that the
Crown was entitled to levy, upon the articles of
American commerce, the same duties as the laws
of the country duelled in our intercourse with
other foreign States. Allowing the fullest scope to
this mode of arguing, it went, if true, only the
length of proving, that no money was raised by
the Kiog without the consent of Parhoment. h.v.
where did it fall short I It fell 'host in proving
that no dispe •sing power was assumed by the
Crown ; it faded inasmuch as thoup it otijeded
decidedly to theeneowstitiitianal levying of mono,.
yet it seeniea fully to admit, mat a positive power,
equally unconstitutionr,was assumed. of et spensing
• and violating the evshlished law of the land; For,
by the statement of his No:t!e F;ieud, it must be ri-

`erred, either that the duties von American 00m-
mere.- were raised under the provisions of the ex-
pired Aft, and of course withoutl.gislative consent;
pr if raised under the Ads which r- ;Wee.: our inter-
'cnurse with foreign powers, the' was a ceir.phte
infra:lion of the positive eneftments of our great
navigation code, and censeque .tly an assumed an-
constitutior.al power of dispensing with the law. of
the country. But what wts the fad t From the
paper Lid upon the Table ul Hous • but a few
minutes before his Noble Friend (E .ti Bathe
rose, h would be found, that in conseq .eace of the
order of the Privy Council, the cissties w. • in-
creased, end that by a eiererence to I. at aCCoatitt,
' their Lords!iips would ... that then was a small
increase of the duties upon the irticles of bark and
fl-ur, and a very cruederah: • • o the 4 indigo.
Mere then was An end • • the sits- • cis N sMe
Friend, that no pox.): as.. • .y Ministers
of levying tax-s w;thout the cons "it .of
men•.- Upon whet groundi could this claim toe
iedemn•ty then rest 3 Was it erns firm w pre-. se
dents, up'aos eiers where Parliament have thhught
highly proper to indemnity those of whose conchal,
thecisei Mega'. the House ceull not but apetove
It we; true, Ministers might defend themselves up-
on this principle, if the lionse could be titisfied
with such 4 defence, that, because other Adminis-
tiAtiens bed broken the law, arsd were bid min 1.
then- tore it appeared adviembile to h. o to btuak
tee law, and ilitri• ge unon die Conv,prrln, w;•}1
th-• tma hope and expedAtlan of i elentiory But
it set!!: duty of the House to go snra- steps fee-,
• ther, and to extend .. ?limn in, ..sure it acqui-
esced in the ince, position Jroch was senght. It
had to convince. it slf, whether the breech of the
law Since, not fro.a any view of policy, not frem
any suggestion of convenience, but from an abso-
lute, uworeseen, and pressing ne-etsiry 1 In order.
chefs:fon, to justify Patti iment to grant, or fti
Alejesty'e Gave/aroma to claim, this indent
tiou, a necessity must be proved even for a suspen-
mien of the law, for a remission of ditties direded
by the Legislature to be levied, but, above all, for
en augmentation of resenne. Relieving, as he did,
that the Dies lutien of Parliament, which led to
this breach of the law, was not to be defended; in-
deed, that the a vice which recernmencled it was
reprehensible ana criminal, he would conceive it
wrong in him not to declare that opinion. Is had
hem er leevoured to defend the late Dissolutien,
upon •he precedent of that in the year 1784. *n
the first ple-e, it was On .-ossible to compare fleeter.
tenses si • iding neon _acts different ground. • s•
we. in argument to assert, that tteCattlle the efeda
w-ie the same, therefore the causes were shelter.
But he would go farther, and contend, that the
P-elogatixe of the Crown was most ennoiteneeelly
exerted, in &is-roving a Parliament, between the two
douses 4 tette h 'here was as open, manifest, and
increA-;eg reference of opinion ; own was the case
in 1784. We- titre any such circumgence ►o joie
sty rite .te Disselntien f N Th 4 more it sees '
coMetered .c iseedligie...ahe more it was tont, m-
owed, bath se to its Teal ohjed and Rfrteteci int• n-
don. coupled *rut the triunes-a...neve whirls p-e•
Ceded it, and the pseuds upon whi- it was toss .Se
ed, never, in the *hole Nisc,,,y .f this country,
calla there be round a more ii.eonvenitnts mere
imp ivident, a more eAegerreas, or emote desperate
expedient. (iliac! bow! !war It was reef. • meet
his disposition and feral habits to draw any es.
aggerAt ei ei:t ere of the tiAtorel danger, in to dwell
toe elaonstisv uoon those calamities with whits the
em..o • might ae threatened. • The coeirary line of
condi:ft hid been, in a great degree, his objed ; and
that be calms, in the Anew. y and laudable apprehen-
skin for she ',esti of the comity, be sew the feeli ig
of the liousei was inclined to preuare for the danger.
The vs .w which he was ever ready to take was such
es tended to instil the principles of hope, resolution,
and firmness. It w therefore with difficuliy, in•
deed with strong sen,ations of remetance, that hr
was ever ehliged in raw the Auntie-. of the Km e
to the discussion 01 partial considerations ; but there
wee no person who heard he Noble Viscount (Sid-
metal upon the military defence of this country,
that eid not Billy admit the propriety of the
questions he put, and concurred in the strong ne-
cessity of !tenoning lorth all the resources of the
umpire. ei meet its increased danger ; a denger so
alarming. that no nun could be sure on-, even the
utmost vigour of out IttallOWO-a CoUla Or propor-
tionate torn set it. But t; •-e situ this sine consider-
ation which pressed toe: • ,5..41 ear view ' • there was
this great measure of national defence and security,
which called to us with the Londe,' voice, whose ha.
pert me is almost -upersedecl all the ordinary mesas of
precaution, and whose snpetiority silenced all partials
temporary, and delusive expedients of short-lived '
sew y. It was this principle, so manifest and so ins-
prtant ; the conviction tint 4 wise Government
ought to apply itself with an anxiety the most urgent,
and an energy she most unesasing. to unite in the
common cause of their e.neitry, all deseripions of
its people, (.fear 1f and to strengthen and per.
petuete that union, by granting to those who
were ready to defend that country. and support its
rights, an equal participation of equel laws. (!fear !
Neer F) He msrht be told that in entering npon
such a ofseusstorete was going out of the writs of
the present question. Hts answer was, that on tak-
ing a view of the situation of the empire, the state
of Ireland. and of its Catholic popelatii n, forced it-
self upon their consideration. It was a sule.;ed liven
which, until the measure of Catholic relief was
granted, there never could be, stanch:lt said,
teuld i' be wrong to impress its importance
upon that How*. The motion ef his Noble Friend
Veal BAteursti arose out of the policy of resorting
to the measu eof Parliamentary I.lissolution. In
discussing, therefore, this alleged policy, he was al-
most obliged to revert to the trAnsa upon
which that policy rested, and to declare to the House
the different seotienen•s which adna•ed a id governed
his decision. Convinced as be was that Catholic
iniul;encs was the serer method of securing the