Star.
London, England, 1807-02-03 00:00:00

WEYMOUTH COMMITTEE.

Mr. YORKE reported from the IVeymouth Committee that
the ii:tirg Members were duly eledtcd, and that the Petitions
were not his°luus or ♦cxatious.

MALDRN COMMITTER.

Sir GILBERT HEATHCOTE reported from the Maiden
Colllll`ittCC that he had received a letter from Mr. William Lewis
Hughes, (Laing that his father was dangerotifly 111 in the country,
and that be, coacquently, was unable to attend this day.
Sir ROBERT WILLIAMS (aid, that be had received a letter
from a med.:cal Gentleman on the fubjedi, and therefore declared
ou oath at the table that be believed the ftatement in Mr. Hughes's
letter to be coma.

Sir G. HEATHCOTE then moved, that Mr. Hutches be ex
cuftd from further attendance on the Cammittce.—Ordered.

Mr. PATTERSON prefented a Petid• n from the Tetmers of
Norwich, nail It the Oak Bark Bill.—Ordered to lie on the table.

Lord WILLIAM RUSSELL brought up a Bill for facilitating
the Recovery of Small Debt‘ in Brosn!ey, Lewitham, &c. &e.—
Read a hi It, and ordered to Ibe read a 1, cond time.

A perfoii I'o%l the African Company, prefinted an account Of
their exptccrs in t 805.-1 irdcred to lie on the table.

TRFASUKkK3HIP OF THd NAVY.

Mr. SHERIDAN rote, purfuant to notice, to
move fnr leave to bring in a Bill rm. further regulat
kg the Office of Treafurcr of the Navy. A train of
citcumflances, conneeted with the provilious already
made for the regulli:m of this Office, rendered it
unnecefrary for hint to enter upon a particular
ment of the grounds of his motion. After the deci-
fion of the Judgcs, there could only be one opinion
refpeCting the neccriity of Come amendment, in order
to carry into full effal the intentions of the Legitla-
cure. The ohjeCt and fpirit of the former At on this
fubjen was, that none fhorild be allowed to make are
of the politic money to their own private advantage,
and that the accounts, as far as the nature of the
thing would permit, lhould be kept at the Bank.—
But the opinion of the Judges had cart fume doubt
taxm that, and the ohjeCt now was to remove that
doubt. There might be come helitation as to the mode
of doing this to the propriety of doing it there
could be none. The belt ...ode would be, that which
wou:d give every fecurity to the public, and as little
trouble as puffible to the Bank. He would endea•
your to do that by calling to his affirtance the abili-
ties of thofe perfons who were molt converfant with
the fubjeCt. In the mean time, he would content
himfelf wi'h moving, that leave be given to bring in
a Bill for the further Regulation of the Office of
Treafurer of the Navy.
Leave was accordingly given, and Meas. Whit-
bread, Tierney, Canning, and Giles, the Attorney
and Solicitor General, &c. &c. were appointed to pre-
pare and brine in the fame.

IRISH FINANCE.

Sir JOHN NEWPORT role to move the com-
mitment of the high Treafury Bills Bill. In In doing
lie hoped he ()mid be allowed to fay a few words to
remove fume doubts refpeaing the Irifh Finances,
which might have been railed by what had paired
the other night in his ablence. In bringing in this
bill he hoped he would not be considered as claiming
an unwarrantable degree of confidence, when the
powers which had been given to the Irish Government
lalt year to raife half a million in this way had not
been ufed. With this ciicumflance in view he left it
for the Houle to confider whether the ?rills finances
were in fuck a deplorable (late as they were repre-
fented to be. He had befides been enabled to pay
276,0c01. to the Brizifh Treafury, which had been
advanced to the Ira Treafury for the payment of
Lottery prizes in IRO2. After this and other dif-'
burfements there Rill remained zoo,oool. belonging
to Government. He regretted much that he had not
been enabled to attend before, in order to hear the
bt illiant difplay of talents and eloquence (Hear, bear 1)
which had appeared in the developement of a Icheme
of finance, which did honour to thole by whom it
had been formed and explained, and which would
have rcfleFted credit upon any flaterman in this or
any other country. But though the finances of Ire-
land were not in a condition to admit of the applica-
tion of this fcherne to them ; though Ireland could
not, like this country, raise Cr great a portion of the
fupplies within toe year, yet he deprecated any af-
ler lion which might convey the imprefilon that it was
in a !late of national bankruptcy. behind might not
be in a condition fo flourithing as this country ; but
it could not be confidered as in a very dcpre(fed
situ-
ation while it was able to defray the charges agreed
upon by the AC of Union. This it was able to do.
Another error was, that the produce of the Ira re-
venue had been Rated too low Lilt night. It was in
flea 3,8c0,0001. the rum at which he had before
taken it.

Mr. JOHNSTONE regretted not having been in
the Houle when the Honourable Baronet had begun
his fpeech, but he teemed to intimate that he (Mr.
Joiwitone) bad taken advantage of his abfence. tic

withed the Hon. Baronet had been there to have
heard him. He did not fay that Ireland was in a
bankrupt Rate, nor bad attempted to convey any
Inch impreffion. His argument was, that as the Irifh
revenue was only equal to the payment of the inte-
tell of the debt, and to the defraying of civil charges,
it followed that fhe mutt raife by way of
Lo4n. He did not take the revenue too low, for he
to ,k it at 3.1300,0001. as the Hon. Baronet had limed
it, though if he had taken it lower, (peaking from
the documents before him, he could not have been

•
properly chargeable with error. If the Hon. Baronet
therefore made a fpeech in order to combat a charge
of bankruptcy, he fpoke with regard to a charge that
exifted only in imagination. He had not raid that
I Ireland was in a Rate of bankruptcy—he had only
laid, that as fhe could not raife the greater part of
the Supplies within the year, (he mull have recourfe
to loans here, and that this would interfere with the
Noble Lord's plan.
Sir JOHN NEWPORT did not know exaltly what
the Hon. Gentleman meant by civil charges. Ireland
had no leparate civil charges, except the interefl of
its debt, and its Sinking Fund. All others were joint
charges. Therefore 3,800,0001. defrayed theft fepa-
rate chat ges, and left a furplus of 700,0001.
Mr. JOHNSTONE obferved, that what the Hon.
Baronet had faid was a confirmation of his argument.
—The furplus, he (aid, was 700,0001. ; now the
charge on the joint account was 5,300,0001. There-
fore the loan mull be 4,600,0001.
The Bill was then committed. Report to morrow.

Lord HO WICK moved the Thanks of the Hoafe to the Rev •
Mr. Barnes, for his Sermon before them, on Friday, in St. Mar-
garet's Church. He alto Moved that the Sermon lhould be printed.
Ordered.

Lord FOLKSTONE gave notice, that he would move for
leave to bring in a Bill to amend the Adt of the 28th of the
King, for the better Trial of Controverted Flations. The °Ned
which he bad in view refpeded the notices to be given to the
parties.
Mr. ROSE gave notice, that on Wednefday he would move fOr
certain accounts which made him doubt whether the Houle
could agree to the Noble Lord's (Lord H. Petty) firft Refolution
on the fubjed of the Finances.
The CHANCELLO►t of the EXCHEQUER wilhed to know
the nature of the accounts to which the Right Hou. !Gentleman
alluded.

Mr. ROSE Rated, that they were accounts connected with the
redoetion of the Duties on E.xcife, and other articles, at a certain
period. He was not as yet perfeetly fati,ficd that thefe might be
Incompatible with the refolutlon ; hut he h: d ftrong doubts on the
fubjes3, and this;Aire he tbouzht it neceffary to call for them.

MR. DAVII.OII.

Lord ARCHIBALD HAMILTON rote, and
obferved, that Vince he had given notice of a motion
refpeding Mr. Alexander Davifon, founded on the
tranfations which had been detailed in the Third
Military Report, he had heard that proceedings
were pending againft him at the inftance of the Go-
vernment. Under there circus:glances, and after a
communication with his Noble Friend (Lord Henry
Petty) on the oppofite fide, he doubted whether this
motion might not be an unneceffary trefpafs on the
time cf the Houfe, and whether it might not inter-
fere with and embarrafs the meafures that had been
already adoptei. But the great importance of the
fubjea, and the intereft which it was calculated uni-
verfally to excite, would, he trolled, fufficiently juf-
tify him in claiming the indulgence of the Houle
while he read to them the motion which he intended
to have fubmitted to their attention. This motion
was, 44 That the Attorney General be inftruded to
afcertain what are the bed means to be adopted for
teeming fuch rums of money as appear to be due to
the Public, in confequence of the Third Report of
the Commi(linners of Military Inquiry."
Now, if it fhould appear that he bad been too
flatly in this brifinefs, and had preffed the matter for-
ward with rather too much esgernefr, he hoped that
the fraudulent and iniquitous nature of the tranfac-
dun would be his excufe, if not his jollification. In-
deed, if the feelings that mull naturally be excited
in the bread of every honourable man by a review of
this tranfadion were duly appreciated, he doubted
whether this was not a charge againft which he could
fcarce with for a defence (Hear, hear !) Now he
conceived that many Gentlemen in the Honfe might
have wifhed to exprefs their fentiments on this fubjed;
and this was one ftrong reafon for bringing forward
his motion ; and he felt it due to himfelf to declare,
that he thought from the nature of the cafe, and the
univerfal attention which it had attraded, that the
Report ought not to have remained long on the ta-
ble of the Houfe without notice of fume Inch motion
as he once intended to have propofed. Betides this,
he had conceived that it 'would have been much
more advifable that the proccfs should have been car-
ried on by the diretion and under the fandion of this
Honk, rather than at the inftance of the Trelfury.
Indeed, he had not yet wholly relinquifhed that opi-
nion, though certainly by his communication with
his Noble Friend, it had been very much weakened.
The enormity of the offence was fo great, and fo ge-
neral and extenfive in its operation, that it called for
the molt public and exemplary punithment. Nothing
could be fo clearance to a Government as thole
agents, who while they were well paid for the duties
they performed, yet made ufe of the confidence re-
puted in them to plunder the public—
The SPEAKER here interrupted the Noble Lord
and faid, that if he did not mean to propofe any mo-
tion it would be inconvenient and improper to enter
upon the particulars in a cafeof this nature.
Lord A. HAMILTON again rote, and laid, that
he was lorry to trefpafs on the attention of the Houfe,
but that all that he had Paid or meant to have Paid,
was intended merely to account for the line of con-
dud which he had purfued in this hulloes.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
felt that any difcufli•m or particular details, under the
prefent circumaances, were not &idly regular ; but
as the tranfadions to which his Noble Friend had ad-
verted had excited fuch general attention, he was
difpofed to avail himfelf of this opportunity to ftate
what the meafures were which Minillers had thought
it right to adopt. He was not furprifed that there
tranfadions had attraded the attention of his Noble

Friend, of the Houle, and of t►e Country. The
Treafury had taken fuch lleps as the nature of the
cafe appeared to them to require, and the only ob-
jeetion to the'Noble Lord's plan, of having the pro-
ceedings carried on by the order, and under the
dileCtion of the Houle, was, that this might feem`to
imply that his Majelty's Minillers had not done what
they ought to ha.e done in the buftr.efr.
In the early part of lad autumn they had a corn•
munication with the Commillionets, and it appeared
defirable to the Lords of {ire Treafury that Mr. Da-
Tilos lhonld produce his calk account with general

De Laney, and the Comeniffioners appointed r r
mining the Barrack Accounts, received initruEtion,
accordingly. Sn inftrufted, they tent two letters is
Mr. Davifon, intimating the with of the Lords of
the 'l'reafury, and deliring him to produce the ae-
count fpecified. To thefe letters they received two
anfwer, and confequently gave notice of this to the
Lords of the Treafut y, and they fent a peremptory
order to Mr. Davifon to comply with the requifition
of the Commiffioners. To this, at length, he re.
turned an anfwer, and afligned fome domeflic tnif
fot tune (the death of his fon) as the reafon why he
had not before attended to the letters fent by the
Commitlioners, but at the fame time Rated, that
from the mode in which his accounts were kept, it
would be impollible to feparate his cant account with
the Barrack Mailer General from his other accounts.
This was referred to the Comenillioners, and they did
not think the ground of refufal fitfficient. They could
not, hi never, get the account. and about a fortnight
ago, upon notice of this, Mr. Davifon was aga;r
called upon. This was the lituation of things. The
Report on the Table, together with the whole of the
correfpondence. had been laid before the Attorney
and S•tlicitor Generals, to confider what Reps ought
be taken to force Mr. Davifon to produce his Cain
account, and refuted the money of which the public
had been unjuttly deprived. They had reported their
opinion, from which it appeared that as amore fpeedy
method of attaining the objet in view, than a privea
in the Exchequer, it was deferable that a Bill timid
be palled, if Parliament would allow it, to enable
the Commitlioners to force the p octuttion of Ac.
counts, and he believed his Learned Friend was al.
ready prepared to give a notice to that effeet. They
alfo were of opinion that there were not fufficient
grounds for a criminal proceeding at prefent, though
there might be further evidence which would autho.
rize even this. It was needlefs, on this occafion, to
enter upon an examination of the cafe, or to (late his
own opinion. But meafures were taken to elucidate
thefe tranfaCtions; and to difcover what might have
been concealed. Mr. Davifon had lately intimated
that he would produce an account in his own de-
fence, which would prove fatisfatiory. But unlefs he
produced his oath account, he did not fee how it could
be fatisfaCtory. The Commitlioners, however, had
called fur the cafh account by the direetion of Mini.
fters, and diretaions had been given for the recovery of
the Corns due ; every Rep, therefore, that could po(.
libly be taken had been reforted to, and therefore he
flattered himfelf that his Noble Friend would not re-
pent the fair and candid manner in which he had COM
tented to.withdraw his Motion.—Adjourned.