The Sun.
London, England, 1803-04-26 00:00:00

STATF. OF THE NATiON',

Cql. PATEN said he had given notice of a
Motion for to-morrow, respeaing the-State of the
Tslation. He felt himself at present-disposed to put
it off for a short time, in the hope' that His Ma.
jesty's Ministers sttould be, enabled 10 make a coin.
munication to the House on the state of the Nego.
dation. He should be glad if Ministers could
state whether it was likely that any Cdnimuniea..
tion would be made before Friday ; at present,
bo.yever, he would give notice of Iris `Motion for
so,lllofrilW senoight.
• The CHANCELLOR of the EXCiJPQUER
said it was imposiible for him to say whether he
should be able to make any communication to the
House before Friday next or not : the House Might
be assured that- as a member of Administration, if
possessed of information necessary to be laid be.
fore the House, he should be anxious to lay it before
them. No time would be lost on the part of
Administration—but he wished this matter to be
tioderstood as it related to the intention of the
;he Member—Was he to understand that this
was o;':,1j:a provisional notice, and that if previous to
Tuesday ow, a Communication should be made, he
would not bring forward his Motion that day ? He
wished this to be understood,iot with a view to
his own convenience, but for the convenience of
others, whether the Motion of the Hon. 'Oeotlentati
was to be made on that day or not,
Coloild FATTEN said, he could not answer this
question at present,'LTause a Communication might
be made on the very day on which his Motion wits
to come on, and that might alter time case so mate.
rially, that he could sc4cely give an answer now,
what course he should then take.
CiMNCALLOR of the EXIIIiQUER
wished the Honourable Gentleman to state, dis.
tint'tly as he .was able, the coordit,ion on which the
Motion was or was not to be male.—He wished
to know what distance of time between the day of
titakiog the Motion and that of a Communication
ts.ould operate on the.Honourable Gentleman, so as
to induce hint to bring it forward or to decline it ?
Cannel FATTEN said, that the notice had origi.

nated with him, but a considerable delay had taken
place in consequence of what had been said by the
Right" Ilonourable Gentleman : be should wish to
excuse himself at present frorri entering into any
engagement, unless the House requited that". lie
sl.onld give some direct information.
' The CILIiyeE,L,LOR of • the' EX7 ILE QUE R
said, that he Understood the Hon. Member to state
to the douse, that even if no Coinmunicltion should
be mad,-, 'he- would hring forward his Motion ; but
that itir Communicatiooshould be made, that then
the fib.n2l4,4ember would consider whether -he- would
bfingltittivard l,ix Motion at all. or nor.
Geveral GISCOYNE wished to know, Whether
t; e Right Hon.-Gentleman (the CHANCELLOR of,
the EXcli twit: it ), would encontagt the House to -
h Ares - any thing 'in this case—whether he was led
from 6i-cum:minces to hope that he should be able to
troke as ComMunication ?
Mr. GREY wished to know in What state. we
Were,—.4le wished to know, whether in one event,
namely, that of a Comniunication not being made,
the Hon. Gentleman would think himself at liberty
again to postpone his MOtion.?,—Wlitir. he . wished
to. know was, if no CommUnication was made he.

twecn the present 'time, and -to-morrow se'nnight,
whethi:r he would bring forward his.Mntion
if no Communication was matte, the 'matter might
be as dpubtitd then as it was at this moment. lie
could not. help considering the delay that had al-
ready taken place, as the most extraordinary, and
nninrtunate ; a delay svhich never before occurred
ln any course of proceeding in which this Country.
was ever engaged; and it was observed, that with
respeet to the Public, it was attended with an igno-
nine tOtailkitMreCedell tea.
The SPE „IKE observed, that 'there was no
Queicioi; fire the fiouse.

F X said, that the predict of explaining a
N aice, was generitliy countenanced by the House;
for h any ,Member give Notice, it was desirable to
know that Notice, at least as much explanatiop
bh uld be given of it as that it might be seticiently
pilderbtoad.

Cotonel PATTEN signified, as we understood,
that lic.shouil briog on his Nigtion on Tuesday (to.
porrowsennight).

ThSfurther consideration of the Tinnatie estates
piii wll. post ruled to Friday next.
Mr. ,k:OX presented a Petition from the Mayor,
Aldermen and Common Council of Nottingham,
i)r.iyitig for leave "' be heard by COIIIIB4I 'ligainit
the Nottingham ‘Franchise'Bill.
The Petition Was brought up, and ottieret) to lie
t p the Table,

Mr. FOX soid, with the ooneurrence of theffouse;
he whited to roltpone the consideration of the
Woltinght Franoluse`Bill, which stands fa; Wed.
pcsdayl to the Monday following,

give his concurrence to the wish- of the Honourable
Gentleman : he thought the application rather
reasonable; the Bill was brought in last Wedoes,
day, therefOre there had been sufficient time for the
Aldermen and Magistrates of Nottingham
,to pre..
pare any Petition their wisdom might suggest as
serviceable to them. He, for one, could not see
the necessity for any further delay, and if a greater
length of time was given by the voice of the House,
he should move to postpone the motion for issuing
of a new Writ.—He, could not but express his sur.
prize, that such an ,appliCation should be made to
the House, when notice.of.the Bill in question was
given long before tligeFess,
Mr. FOX said, he,.wa's ready to allow that suf-
. ficient time had been given, but without giving the
House any further trouble on the business, he would
propose Friday, with the permission of the House,
instead of Monday, as particular business stands for
that day.
Mr. 11.1r/KINS BROWNE said, in order to
accommodate the Honourable Gentleman, he would
agree to Friday next. -
The-Petition was then ordered to be taken into
consideration on the day the Bill was read, which
will he on .Friday.
Mr: DICK INS postponed the further consideration
of the Coroners' Bill.
Sir H. MILDMAY rose, and observed that a
-Bill had passed that House, the objets of which
was, to inquire into certain abuses .in diffelent
dices in His Majesty's Royal Navy. Four months
had now elapsed since the passing of that Bill, and
no Report had been made, he therefore wished 1.4
know.whether there was any Motion at present, on
the subjta, if not, be took this opportunity to in.
form the House, that he should make a Motion to
that died on Thursday se'ennight.
Mr. PIERREPOINT moved for a new Writ to be
issued for Nottingham, in the room of Lord HENRY
WILLIAM CAVENDISH BENTINCK.—Ordered..
The Order of the :Day was read for taking into
consideration the minutes of the Report brought up
from the Committee appointed to try the merits
of the Great Grimsby EleEtion.
Sir M. W. RIDLEY then moved that John Simpson
be called to the Bar of the House.
On. John Simpson being put to the Bar,
The SPEAKER asked him whether he was prepar.
•rd with Counsel?
Time Prisoner said, he understood his Counsel,
Mr. PLora ER4 was in the Lobby.
On an inquiry being made„ the House found that
Mr. PLUMER was not to attend.
Sir M. W. RIULSY moved that the first Reno.
lotion of the Committee should be recd--which
was accordingly read as' follows;
Resolved, That it appears to this Committee, That
(Wm Simpson,. Esq. the MayOr and Returning Officer of
the Borough 'of Great Grimsby, did, no the day previous to
the said Election, hold a full Court of Mayor, Aldermen,
Common Councilmen, amid Burgesses of the s,nd Borough;
at which Court the said John Simpson did unlawfully,
and of his own authority, admit certain Persons to the Free-
dom of the said Borough, to whom objedions'were stated,
and did refuse to submit to the coosideration and judgment
of the Aldermen, CJIIIIIIOII Councilmen, and Burgesses of
the .said Borough, aSsernbled at the said full Court, the
right of such Persons to be admitted to their Freedom.
%%ditch, by the Constitution of the Borough, as dela.rmined
by a atesolution of a Committee of the }loos.: of CoMmons,
reported to this House on the t rth day of Apt 1793, he
ought to have doge; and that the said )01m Simpson did
also partially, unlawfully, and of his' own am:hut-Ay, refuse
to admit certain Persons, who claimed at the said lull Court
to be admitted Freemen .of the said borough, to their Free.
don therein, and did also refuse to submit to the Aldermen,
Common Councilmen, and Burgesses of the said Borough,
in the Said full Court as:.embled, the right of such Per-
sons to be admitted to their Freedom, and which by the
aforesaid Constitution he ought to have done.
That the said John Simpson, at and during the Eledion,
did ad partially in the execution of his Office as Returning
Officer, and ditl, at the Poll, partially and unlawfully re.
jet the Votes tendered by several Persons having a right to
vote at the said Elation, which Votes he the said John
Simpson ought to have .received ; and also did, at the said
Pot 1, partially and unla%vfolly receive and admit the Votes of
several Pet-twos who had no right to vote at the said Lledion,
which Vote.; he the said John Simpson ought as Returning
to have rejected.

Mr. Simpson being called upon for his defense,
said, that he was a poor man, that, he had a wife and
five children, that he retited small farm of Sol.
a year, hut he was to quilias,much as came to 401..
a year on the tzth May, that what he had done
proceeded from ignorance, .for, which he was very
sorry, that he - asked pardon of the House, arid
threw himself upon its mercy.
Sir M. IV. RIDL EY said, he did not,doubt but*the
..defence the Prisoner had mulct and the simplicity
of .his charader, would disarm the House from in,
flitting a severe punishment on him, though he
thought somekiud of punishment was necessary, to
deter others :from similar offences • he,
.however,
should not trespass any longer on'die time of the
House, but move that the second resolution he read,
which was accordingly read as follows,. that "tie.
Mayor and returning Officer of Great Grimsby. had
held a WI Court of the Mayor, Alderinen'aud C:om.
mon Council of the said Borough in whiCh hebad
aired illegally, and in contradiction to the resolution.
of that tiuse, and in violation of its privileges"
Sir M. :W. RIDLEY then moved, that the sout•jr•
Simpson be taken into the custody of the Seijeaht
at Arms, which the House agreed to.
The Report of the. Edinburgh Road, Bill ; was
taken into consideration. .
General MAITLAND rose, and in a speech of
considerable length, entered into the state of the
Roads in that Country, and reprobated many of the
clauses in the Bill, as being oppressiVe to the-Far-