Star.
London, England, 1801-04-25 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Tic for enabling the London Affuranee Company to
Witte Butz s and Small Craft employed in the Inland blaviga-
non was read a firft time, and ordered to be read a fecund time.
The Accounts moved for by Mr. Plies of the Chanel at-
tending the Collection of the Hair Powder and Armorial Bear-
ings Taxes were laid upon the Table, and cal the motion of Mr.
Jones ordered to be printed.
Mr. Owen, from the KA India-Houfe, brought up an ac-
count rd the Sales of the Ealt India Company.
IRISH COURTS or JUDICATURS.
Mr. Gaoaca PONSONST role, in purfuance of the
notice he had given, to move for leave to bring in
a Bill, the principle of which was, to put the Courts
of King's Bench and Common Pleas in Ireland,
upon the fame footing with refpett to perfonal ac-
tions, with the Court of Exchequer. There were
inconveniencies attending fuitors bringing aftions
in the Courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas,
which did not attend them in the Court of Exche-
quer. He then proceeded to hate the different
forms which afuitor had to go throughintheCourts
of King's Bench and Common Pleas, which he
(hewed; were much more tedious and expenfive
than thofe cf. the Court of Exchequer. The con.
fequence of this was, that of perfonal actions, not
above one out of fifteen or twenty were brought in
the Court of Common Pleas, the reit were all
brought in the Court of Exchequer. But the Court
of Exchequer was alfo a Court of Equity, and of
Revenue, the confequence of this was, that 'that
Court was fo crowded With bufinefs, it was really
impoflible to difpateh the butinefs of any one of its
jwifiliaions. The objea of this Bill was, to put
all the Courts upon an equal footing, and thereby
very much facilitating the dilcharge of public bufi-
nefs, and at the fame time relieving tht Court of'
Exchequer !logo the prelinre of bufindi which had:

hung upon it fo long, and to render that Court
more competent to difcharge its peculiar bufinefs.
Having Rated thus much, he hoped the Houfe
would fee the propriety of bringing in this Bill, and
indeed he was not aware of any real oblation that
could be made to it. It might, perhaps, he urged,
that the interefts of particular Officers of the diffe-
rent Courts would be affated, that Conic would be
injured while others would be greatly benefited. In
bringing in this Bill, he had no ohjea in view but
that of public advantage, he did not propofe it
either with a view to injure or to ii.rve any parti-
cular perfon. He had received no applications to
bring in this Bill by chore to whom it might prove
beneficial, nor had he been requefted not to bring
it forward by thofe to whofe interefts it might prove
injurious. He had not the honour of being known
to a Noble Member of that Houfe, who certainly
would be benefited by the Bill. He had but very
little acquaintance with a Noble Perron in another
Houle, who would alto derive advantage from it,
but he was acquainted with a perfon who held a
high fituation in the Exchequer, whore interefts
would undoubtedly be affeaed by it. He had it in
contemplation Tome time ago, when a Noble Lord
(Clonmell) held the fituation he alluded to. He
had made a motion in the Houfe of Commons,
againft that Noble Lord, for what appeared to him
to be an improper exercife of his authority, which
motion was related by a fmall majority. The con-
fequence of this was, that he did not think it right
to bring forward this motion while the Noble Lord
held the Office, left the motive by which he was
atuated fhould be fufpated. The Noble Lord
who now held that Office (Hobart), received it as
a reward for the fervices which he performed as
Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, but
though he did not think the Cervices of the. Noble
Lord quite Co meritorious as other perfons did, yet
as the Crown had bellowed that Office for life up-
on the Noble Lord, he certainly fhould not think
of bringing in this Bill, without at the fame time,
propoffiig a compenfation for that Noble Lord, be-
cattle he conceived that under thofe circwxiftances
he had a freehold in the Office. With rerjra to
other Officers who held their places at the afure
of the Crown, and thofe in judicial fituations, he
did not conceive that they were entitled to corn-
peufation. There were the objeas of the Bill which
he meant, with the permiffion of the Houle, to
bring in ; it was his with, at the fame time that he
was improving the Adminiftration of Jullice, to
make the meafure as agreeable as poffible to all the
perfons concerned. If leave was given to bring in
the Bill, he fhould fubmit it to the confideration of
the Law Officers of the Crown here, he &mild then
with to fend it to Ireland, in order that it might
be canvaired, becaufe he was Pure that the more
the Bill was inveftigated, the snore it would be ap-
proved
of. He then concluded with moving for
leave to bring in the Bill.
ThCCHANCELLOR of the Excl.! eopea raid, he
was not in the Houle when the Honourable Gen-
tleman rote, but he underftood that the objea of
the Bill was, in a certain degree, to facilitate the
Adminiftration of juftice. This was fo important
a fubjea, that it mull neceffarily befpeak the fa-
vour of the Houfe. The purpofe for which he
now role, was in confequence of fomething which
had fallen from him refpating a noble Friend of
his. The Honourable Gentleman had Rated, it
was his intention to propofe a compenfation for
that Noble Perfon,and he had alto Rated correaly
that the Noble Lord had a Freehold in his office.
He really had not heard of this Bill until a very
(hots time before he came into the Houk. He
had, however, had a communication with the
Noble Lord, and was authorifcd to Rate his Noble
Friend's earneß hope that no confideration refpec-
ting him might affectthe progrefs of a Bill that had
forits object a great public benefit. He was fore
that the difinterefted mind of his Noble Friend
would revolt at the idea of his intereft Rending in
the way of the public advantage. He should not,
however, do juttice to his noble Friend if he flop-
ped here, for the Public had already received a
confiderable benefit from the noble Lord's holding
that office, for immediately on- his being appoint-
ed to his prefent office, the noble Lord had given
up a great proportion of the profits attendant on the
latter,amounting to aoool. per annum. He thought
it right to Rate there fats, and if it was founded
upon the principles which had been Rated, he was
not aware of any oblation to which it was liable.
Mr. COIIIY raid, that the &nation he held in
the Exchequer of Ireland, being Chancellor of
that Court, made it neceffary for-him to Cay a few
words. From what had been Rated, it muff be
obvious that he was one of thole perfons whore
private interefis were interefted in this banters. He
was therefore anxious to take the firft opportuni-
ty of Rating, that no friend of his would give any
oppofition to the Bill ; and, for his own part, he
should forbear to take any, the ma minute, part
in the difctiftions upon the fabled. He was not
able to decide whether this Bill would or would
not Facilitate the adminiftration of public juftice ?
Having raid thus much, he hoped be might be
permitted to add, that there were other perfons
not (landing fo high in that Court as he did,
and not poiliffing many of the advantages which
he did, whole interefts would be moll materially
affeaed, and who were therefore entitled to the at-
tention and the juftice of Parliament. He thought
it hard that when perfons had pallid a great part
of their lives in qualifying themlaves for an office,
that they (hold at lalt be deprived of two thirds
of their means of fubfiftence. He therefore trolled,
that thole perfons would everience the liberality
of Parliament, and that the Hon. Gentleman him-
felf would take them under his proration.
Mr. Lztos faid, he conceived loch a Bill necef-
fary, from the great prelim.e of bufinefs in the
Court of Exchequer in Ireland.
Sir Jona P 4 KKKK L approved of the Bill ; he
thought that the perfons where interefts were at:
felled ought to be indemnified, and he hoped that
the Right Honourable Gentleman oppofite to him
(Mr. Corry) would allb receive a compenfation
for his lofs. He then proceeded to speak in very
high terms of tLe Cervices of the noble Lord (Ho-
bart), and faid that the fituation which he held in
Ireland was by no means too great a compenation
for the fervises he had rendered that Country.

The ATTORNEY GENERAL ttid that lionnura.
ble Gentleman had brought in this till in in can.
did and honourable a manner, that he had no
doubt but that it would pats in a nti:Tanoty
ner Undoubtedly any alteration in the mode 4,1*
adminiftering the Law was a mere delicate fulii
but the Honourable Gentleman had very candidly.
raid that he would not prefsthe bufinefs,but wr.uid
give full time for coufideration. With relpejt
to remuneration, thofe who held Patent Places
were undoubtedly entitleii to compenfation, aea
in his opinion, thofe who held other offices, even
judicial ones, quandiu fe bent &fn*, ought to
indemnified for their loftes.

Mr. G. Powsox sr laid, he did not go the len,,th
other Gentlemen did with refpen to comp,,;.„_
tion, but if that was the opinion of the Houh, Le
fhould not objea to it.
Leave was then given to bring ia a Bill, and
Mr. Ponfonby and Mr. O'Hara were ordered to
prepare it.