The Sun.
London, England, 1803-07-09 00:00:00

took place; his Lordship thewmoved that the Bill
be committed to:morrow. Ordered.
The Five Million Exchequer Loan Bin was
brought up fr,om the Commons, and read a first
time.—Adjourned till to.moirow.

HOUSE OF COMMONS,
TRIDAY, "JULY 8.
Tint Exchequer Bills Bill was read a third time
and passed.'
The Guernsey Corn Bill and the Wine Bonding
Bill were read a second time, and ordered to be com
mitted on Monday.
A Message received from the Lords stated, that
their Lordships had passed a -Bill to render Justices
of the Peace more safe in the execution of their
duty, to which they desired the concurrence of the
Commons.--The Bill was read a first time, and
ordered to be 'read a second time on tVlonday.
Sir WILLIAM SCOTT rose, pursuant to the
notice he had given, to move for leave to bring in
a Bill for making certain regulations with regard
to Prize Agents. It certainly would be admitted
by-every body, that our naval defenders were, en.
titled to every eocouragement and to every protec.
lion that, could be.afforded them. Their geneial
improvidence with regard to their own property
had lot% been known,andacknoWledged,,and it had
always been the pradice of the Legislature to eri-
deavour to protect their property for them. It was
true that many of the mischiefs of which they coin.
pl4ined, and many of the impositions which were,
pradised upon them, arose from their proVerbial
itiattention.and improvidence with regard 'to their
own concerns, and it would be found extremely
difficult to guard against those mischiefs, without
in some degree breaking in upon the 'right which
'every person pdssesSed of disposing of his own pro.
perty. All persons in the Navy had now the right
of appointing their Own Agents and Trustees, and•
of revoking that appointment whenever they pleased.
They had a 'power of transferring to any person, I
even in the' first week of a War, 'the whole of, their
cetaingent. in all the prizes which they. might take
during the Whole course of its continuance, and that,
• for any conSideration, 'however trilling or made.
quate. These powers were certainly not more than
what were necessarily incident with the rights cf
property. But it should be recolleCted, that the
species of property of which he was speaking pro.
ceeded entirely from the wise and gracious benevo_
hence of 'the Crown ; it was 'a property to,which
they had no antecedent right.. Any legislative
measure, therefore, which tended to and
protect that property, could not be considered as a
violation of their rights. 1h proposing some-regu.
lations upon this subjed, he should endeavour to do
. that which he thought it was wise to do in all le.
gislative MC.3BUtebj viz. to depart as little as it was
possible from present usage. It had been suggested
that it would be proper to appoint a public office,
with officers, appointed either by His Majesty or
by *Parliament, vested with sufficient powers to
conduct the whole business of Prizes upon one gene.
ral system. He would not take upon .himself to,
deny din such a system might not be attended with
great advantages, particularly in the later stages of
business relartve to Prizes, and after it quitted the
Courts who were to decide upon the questions ; but
in the earlier parts of the business, it would be,ett.
tended 'with'difficulties, and perhaps would not 'he
found very convenient ; and he was not sure that
the advantages which ,it was peoposed to derive
from this system might not be: obtained from a mo-
ditication,ot the present system. The plan which
he would propose would be • one which would leave
to the parties the nomination of those in when) they
were to confide their interest,' This would, in his
opioion, beenore acceptable to the Legislature, be.
cause: it would be more acceptable. :to the parties
concerned ; and this system further recommended
itself to hiS preference, because it paid a due regard
to the existing interests of those who were em-
•pfoyed as Agents. 'They were 'in general a most
meritorious body of men, and many.Of the corn.
',hams against, them arose from the unfounded:in.
patience of- those by whom they were employed.
He should propose, therefore, to leave to naval per.
sons the.appniottnent of their own Agents, but with
. some regulatioas which would guard against impro.'
per emitted on their part. Besides %their private
character as Agents, he wished to invest them with
a kind'of public charader, which would'make• them ,
more atm purpose,nable to the law ; for this he.
would propose to make them register their powers
of attorney in the court of Admiralty. The next
regulatidn he proposed was, toot after having, re.
gistered their powers of attorney, they give secu.
rity to a considerable amount for the due execution
of their trust. There was no security required at
present, and as seamen had the power of appointing
every person, however low in circumstances or de-
ficient in charade?, to be his Agent, it-was really
astonishing that; there was so little .cause of com.
plaint. This regulation would Confine the office of
Agent to persons of ,property or of credit. The
.next regulatioh he proposed was, that these letters
of attorney should not be .revoked during the pen.
dency of any business, without a complaint being
made to the COUrt. This was meant to obviate an
inconvenience which arose from sailors frequently
'changing their Agents upon the misrepresentation
of interested persons. 'This occasioned considerable
confusion; and , the property, by chanting hands,
often sustained considerable diminution. He would
also propose, that in cases of appeal, the property
Should be vested in the public securities, which
was not the case at present, and the! consequence
of 'which was, that it was the interest of the
,Agent to keep the matter pending as long as pos.
side,, and his interest was therefore at variance
with that of his -principal., Another regulation
was that after the time for an appeal had elapsed,
or after an appeal had beetidecided, that the Judge
of the Admiralty should have power-to:Cot-rpel a
'distributiOn of the property. This was net the
case at present, out every individual cOncerned had,
nor:nilel means 'of obtaining his property if it .was
withheld, except by an aditio at Common or
by filing a•Aill iii Chancery.-; The next it'Ttil..zion
was,to prevent any Seaman from making- those ge.
neral powers of Attorney, to which be had before
alluded, and by 'which they might for the most trifling
temporary gratification, shyest themselves of all the