Star.
London, England, 1802-04-16 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The CHANCELLOR of the Excite-use's Refoln-
tions, on Wednefday, refpeaing the National Debt,
are as follow :
Melnd, That it is the opinion of this Committee, that the
(um applicable under the 16th and Sad of the King, ow the Elk
of February, stk.*, to the mini:lion of the National Debt, to-
gether with 2oo,ocroL pa annum, would, without the annuities
which will expire, extinguifh the whole in 45 years, being a
Sorter dme than the two funds, if kept reparate, upon their
prefent eftablithcd footing, would do, together with zoo,ocol.
per annum, and one per cent. upon the 97,000p0cL funded
this Seffion of Parliament.

Realved, That It is the opinion of this Committee, that the
fum of soo,cool. to be paid annually under the 26th of the King
to the Commiffloners for the extinCtion of the National Debt,

from the sth of April, xBO3, be vetted in CommilLoners, to be
governed by other regulations.
Refoire& That it is the opinion of this Committee, that the
funds under the 26th and 32d of the King should be eonfolidat-
ed, and be continually laid out at compound interrft, till the
whole National Debt is extinguifhed.
Refoired, That it is the opinion of this Committee that the
annuities which (ball expire, Mali be applicable to the public
ferrite, in fuck MUM as Parliament dull provide.

APRIL 15.
The Houfe went to the Houfe of Peers, to bear his Mafeity's
Commiffion read for the Royal Affent to feveral Public Bills.
The. Malt and Beer Duties Bill was read a third time and
paffed.
The Carriage and Horfe Duties Bill was read a third time
and paffed.
The Houfe went into a Committee on the Bill for the better
prefervation of the Health and Morals of Apprentices in the
Cotton Trade. The Report to was received and the Bill or-
dered to be read a third time on Monday the third of May.
The CU•NCELLOR of the EICUKUIR prefented feveral
Papers relative to the Bland of Trinidada, containing an account
of the Rate of the cultivation and population of that Bland.—
Ordered to lie upon the table.
Lord &LORAINE moved the third reading of the Eledtion
Treating Bell, when, after a few obfervadons from Mr. SIII
ILIDAN and Sir W. PUL TTTTT it was deferred till this day
fortnight.

The Port of London Improvement Bill was read a faxed
time and committed.

TREATY OF ►FACE.

Upon the queftion that the Houfe fbould at its
riling adjourn till Wednefday next,
Mr. WILLIAM Et.Licor claimed the attention of
the Houfe. He could not, he raid, permit the
Houle to part without availing himfelf of the op-
portunity of ;silting his Majefty's Minifters, whe-
ther they could Rate the time when they expelled
the ratification of the Definitive Treaty with France
would take place, and alfo what interval would
elapfe before the fenfe of the Houle was taken as
to its merits ? He admitted it was not aridly re-
gular to refer to what was not a Parliamentary
Document, but there were copies of the Treaty in
circulation, which no doubt contained the rub-
dance of it ; he therefore felt himfelf juftified in
referring to the fubjell. He fhould not deal with
that candour to his Majefty's Minifters and to the
Houle he had on all occafions obferved towards
them, if he did not Rate openly and fairly his opi-
nion, that there were circumftances couneeed with
the Treaty, the confideration of which would re-
quire a longer interval than was ufually allowed
to tranfaLions of a fimilar nature. In all former
Treaties it had been the prallice to renew former
exilling Treaties between—
Mr. Caccaarr rote to order. He defired to
know if it was the intention of the Hon. Gentle-
man to follow up his obfervations with any fpeci-
fic motion ? if it was not he was certainly out of
order.

Mr. SPEAKER obfcrved, as there was a motion
before the Houfe, it would be better for the Hon.
Gentleman to confine himfelf to it.

Mr. WILLIAM ELLIOT faid, if he was not regu
lar in referring to the Definitive Treaty, becaufe
it was not before Parliament, he would refer to
the Preliminary one. He was Hating, when the
Hon. Gentleman interrupted him, that in all for-
mer Treaties it had been ufual to renew former
Conventions, which had exifted between the nego-
tiant powers antecedent to the war. Upon refer-
ring to the corrcfpondence during the negotiation.
at Lille, he found that Lord Malmetbury infifted
on the revival of former treaties, becaufe it was im-
portant to this country, and to all Europe, they
Ihould be revived; and on the other hand it was
infifted, on the part of France, that they thould not
be revived, but be rendered null and void, becaufe
their operation was injurious to France. It was
therefore extremely neceffary, in explanation of
this treaty, that we fhould—
Mr. Exalts was forry to interrupt the Honour-
able Gentleman, but he muff call upon the Speaker
to fay, whether the train of argument he was put--
riting (bear ! hear! faid malty of the Honked) could
pollibly apply ? The only queftien was—Whether
the Houfe Ihould adjourn till Monday ?
Mr. Spama faid, as far as he could form a
judgment of his own, certainly the Hon. Geode-
man's arguments did not apply ; but he uniComaly
conceived himfelf bound to take the 4-prance of
the Hon. Gentleman, that before he fat flown he
would fatisfy the Houfe he was addrefling himfelf
to the fpecific quellion.
Mr. WILLIAM ELLIOT infifted his obfervations
would apply in this way, namely—if he was not
fatisfied with the anfwer of his Majefty's

he Amid oppofe the motion of adjournment for
fuch a length of time. He was of opinion, Parlia-
ment Should no: confine its inquiries to the parti-
cular treaty kilt concluded, but ought to extend
them with a view to afeertain to what degree the
country Am.: I be alfeCted by the non-adutillion of
former treaties. That the country would be ma-
terially affected no man could entertain a doubt
In proof of this he fnould nbferve, that it was well
known our poffeflioni in the Eaft, with the excep-
Sion of Calcutta, were derived from the Great Mo-
gul.
and therefore France clairaed a participation
of all the advantages we pale:Fed. It was for that
reafon this country had endeavoured to fectire, by
treaties with France, the exclufive right to thole
pofleirions. It was fo in the years 1763 and
1783. He was not (peaking of what pretenfions
France might bring forward, but what the actually
had advanced, for it was owing to die circum-
fiance of a French corvette having been fent up
the Ganges, that the Convention, at which Lord
Auckland Allied, was entered into for the purpofe
of arranging the queftion.
Mr. ALEXANDER laid he felt it his duty to call
the Hon. Gentleman to order. He would fubmit
it to the Houle, Whether any Gentleman had a
right to enter into a long difcutfion relative to a
fubjeet upon which no queftion could be put to
enable the Houk to give an opinion It was ir-
regular lie Should be allowed to make a fpeeck
when there was no pollibility of a reply.
Mr. SPEAKER Paid he was not fatisfied that any
thing the Hon. Gentleman had as yet Paid applied
to the queftion. It was not his province to govern
the Houle, but he thought the Hon. Member ought
not to be fuffered to proceed.
Mr. Wss. ELLIOT again maintained what he
laid did apply, for if he did not meet with an ex-
planation, he Should oppofe the adjournment, and
it would' then be necetfary for the Houle to con-
tinuc fitting till papers upon the fubjed were laid
before Parliament. It was the pratice adopted
with refped to the loft Treaty, to have Papers
laid before the Houle. He was perfuaded he was
lin order, but he Should not proceed if it was con-
trary to the pleafurc of the Houfe.
The CHANCELLOR Of the EXCHEQUER obferved,
that as it fcemed to be the general opinion of the
Houle, the queflions put to him by the Hon.
Gentleman were irregular, he was at a lois to
know how to give any anfwer to them, at the fame
time he was defirous of communicating to him
and to the Houle all the information in his power;
he therefore hoped he Should hare the indulgence
of the Houfe while lic fla that he had reafon to
fiippofe the period was not diftant when the De-
finitive Treaty, ratified by the High Contracting
Parties, would be laid before Parliament, but it
was impoilible for him to Rate the precife time—
(Hear, hear!) _lt did not depend on his Majefly's
Government. As to the fecond queftion, with re-
gard to the interval which would elapfe previous
to the Treaty being laid before the Houfe and
taken into confideration, that would depend more
on the Hon. Gentleman and his Friends than on his
Majeny's Minilters. It was not ufual for his Ma-
jelly's to call upon the Houfe to appoint
any time for the difct:flion of a Definitive Treaty.
The comments of the Hon. Gentleman rendered
it extremely unfit for him to refer to any of the
concluding parts of his ohfervations. His corn-
ments were improper, as the document to which
they related was not before the Houfe. He could
only afire the Houfe his Majefty's Government
would be prepared to enter into a jtiftification of
their conduct at a proper time, but they would not
enter into any juftification or into any Statement of
what the Treaty did or did not contain, or Should
or thould not have contained, till the proper day
had arrived, and till at least the Definitive Treaty
was in the polleftion the Houfe.

The (tteition was then put and carried.
PRINCE OF WALES.

Mr. TYRWI4 ITT laid it was not the with of his
Royal Highnels the Prince of Wales unneceiratily
to trouble the Houfe: his Royal Highnefs had judged
it the moll proper proceeding to take the opinion of
his principal Legal Officer with refpefl to his Pe-
tition of Right, but that Gentleman was at pre-
fent difabled by dines from giving any opinion.
He therefore no:w role to give notice, that early
after the Reed's, he thould lay before the Houfe
the ulterior &yids upon the fubjeet as the ground
of fuch Motion as he lhould think it his duty to
bring forward.