The Sun.
London, England, 1808-01-30 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARL jAMZiVT.

HOUSE OF PEERS,
?AWAY, JAN. 29.
Lord HAui.gS.UtlllY itatec.Vthitt owing to an omis-
sion of the Clerk, who ct►pied the Motions which he
Wade yesterday, the' name of Major-General Thoinas
Grosvertor was omitted in the Vote of Thanks.
every. one wholnew that g►►llant,Oificer knew also
but distinguished merit and the services he had ren-
dered his country. He therefore begged leave to
ratify Mistake, by moving to insert the name
of the aouve Officer in the Vote.—Ordered.
His Lordship also moved, that the acknowledg-
ment of the services of the. Seamen and Marines.
Should be communicated to them by the Captains of
the respetkive Ships.-.-Ordered.
Adjourned till to-morrow (this day), when their
Lordships go in procession to Westminster „4.hhey.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
EnDAY , , JO. 29.
The SPEAKER acquainted the House; that the
Recognizances on the Petitions complaining of un-
dee Electioos for Shrewsbury, New Mallon, and
.Liverpool, which had been entered,into during the
last Session, not having been renewed in the pre-
sent Sessiou, he had, in pursuance. of the AEt of
Parliament, certified that default to the Court of
Exchequer.
Mr. *MITFORD, from the Office of the Com-
inissioners of Customs for Scotland, presented an
Account of the number of Ships employed from
that Country in the'Whale-tishery, of the quantity
idol', 64c:- procured.---Ordered to lie on the table.
Sir C. l'ot:e gave notice, that on Wethresday
next be would move for leave to bring in a Bill. to
amend the A& of last Session, tor ereablint, his Ma-
jesty to grant certain houses and lands ut_t..4.'reenwich,
to the Naval- Asylum there. Henisolave notice,
that be would, on the-same day, move fore. Copy of
the Warrant, appointing Commissioners.to regulate
the said iostitution. • • .
°lithe Motion of Mr. -M. A. T:Vy not., the Order
for ,::king into consideration the. Double Return
from Poole, was postponed from the 2d of February
till the.,l Ith of Fehruary-
•TKADE LICENCES. •
. 1101fAriai declared, that he' did -not. mean
to take up Mita olthe time of the Heim, as he Mils
not aware that any opposition to his Motion wasin-
tended. lie did not mean, to anticipate the discus-
sions on the Orders of Council, but to tiring *forward
information which, previous to the promulgation of
those. Orders, he had thought it his duty to calf for;
neither was it hi 3 intention, that his motion should
refer to those Licences alluded to the other night, by
a Right Hon. Gentleman, which head been granted
by the Privy Council in tzonss-!iinetke of those
Ordem In order to avoid all such inclusiOn, he
meant to limit the period of his ,first Motion. The
'objeta he had in view was to ascertain
.to what ex-
tent the pratiice had beet) carried, miqUestionahly
within the law, and consonant to the legal exercise
of the prerogative of the Crown, which .went not
Only to impose ii restraint on foreign trade in. time of
war, but also to exempt from that restraint on appli-
cation to the Privy Council, provided the Prify
Council shoeld deem that anplication Warrantable.
From the earliest periods of the Monarchy, this pre-
regative had been enjoyed. Of late, however, the
pradice of granting exemptions had :considerably
Increased more especially since our naval resources
• bad fortunately enabled us to extend, to a greater
degree than in any former age, the blockade of our
Etierny's ports., It was origitrally his intention to call
for such ail iltiorrnetiou us. would enable the House
to judge how far this system of licensing -was more
intimately connected with the system of blockade
but on consideration, imperious public reasons had
induced hint to forego requiring such information,
lest it might injure the coMinercial Interests of the
Country, by an unnecessary and improperdiselobure.
He was desirous, therefore, of calliog,only for such
Papers ai would put the House iii posiession of the
Lumber at )..ices+ccs that had been granted during
the war., anoel the ,urns ecllected (rein the persons
by Whom thiise Licences had been Obtained. Under
this modern practice—he did not use the word'modet n
. invidiously—brit under this prattice had been sub.
stitutt'd tar "the ,ancient system of tereign trade, a
" system which, however wise, was so'griaraim imio.
vation, anti touched so, nearly the commercial policy
anti the 'constitutional law of the Cutiotry, that it was
Indisptaisible to procure everyltiud ut information
by W•hieh it could be 'elucidated.. The- prioelpies
of commercial policy had bceit injtired'by transfer-
lug to the Executive Government die controul of the
whole of the Foreign Trade of the Country; and by ,
submitting to the discretion of the Crown, what
should,, or what should not be, the commercial in-
terrourse of Great Britain with any other State in
kurope. But principles still more sacreti than these
lead been endangered; the principles of Constitu-
notiel Law, by which it was provided that no money
bbuuld be • exacted -from the. 'SdjeLt without the
previous knowledge; 'consent, and controul of Par-
liament, And more especially that no money should
be levied on Trade without that knowledge, cell-
sent, and cotoronl. He understood that: the yearly
amount of fees received at the Privy Council Office
for these Vcetices was very considerable. By What
rule, or at what rate, they were imposed, .be knew
not. He was not even aware of airy approximation
to their amounts; but it was sutlicieitt for the House
to know, that almost the whole, of the Foreign
Trade was carried on by these Licences, and that in
tbetu tees originated which were nuauthuriied by
Varliament, anti .4/11101 amounted to.a impost
and =aim on Fordo Commerce. He coneluded
by moving, for in litunhle Address to linklaila3,esty,
prAying tor an Account at the munber of Liceriu:s
granted l?y .his Majesty in Caeocil to private Mei.-
chants or when, permitting such persons to Trade
'in a manner not Otherwise legal, Irons-the cum-
meocemetit of lioctilities Its the present' time, dis-
• tiuguishing the number in each year, ke.
W.f.:, utter complitneuttog
.the Hon. Gen.
tiecuan on the way in, which he ha* niiitrOt forward
thi's moth,n, 4SpLiA.: his M'
lAiiisters to grant bun ail the, information.
their power, went: .00 to observe, that the Hors,
Gentlemen had stated tnis to
.be a mettern poi:nee.
It certainly was a modern practice, having cum-
roeueed in 1798. Had it WI been for this praeUce,