Star.
London, England, 1805-03-06 00:00:00

IMLAY. MS TINS tinusit OF COMMONS.

Mr. C. W. WYNNE refer and obferved that a cer•
taio hour was appointed for the commencement of
public bufinefs, but that notwithfianding thib unbufinefs
WAS proceeded generally upon until much later This
delay was fo extremely inconvenient to feveral Mem.
bees that he Would feel it his duty to move the
reading of the Orders of the Day on thin as well
as on every other occafion when filch delay Would
occur.

Mr. FULLER juflified the 'obfervation of the
Honourable Gentleman, and dated that, in conk-
quence of the irregularity complained of, he was
feldr.m able to get a dinner more than once a week
—(a laugh.)
Mr. HUSK ISSON oVerved, that no time was loft
in the dilatory of bufinef, today. The little panic
which had occurred Arnie from the remelting at the
Bar for force papers he meant to prefent to the Hofe.
Mr. C. W. WYNNE laid, that, although, according
to Order, public Winer thauld commence at four
o'clock, yet it WAS now become the eutiom to pott-
pone it generally until half after tive. This was the
more tube complained of, as it was known that no
Houle could be made at four o'clock totters forty
Members were prefect; and if thole Members amid
attend, they would have to wait for above an hour
before any Imficers was proceeded on.
Mr. JAMES MAK FIN conceived this to be a
•ery fit and proper fubjea of complains. He 1,,,d
long noticed the wane or time that had taken place
jn c, oreoucnce of the &ay, alluded to, and was much
alloniflted that no Member had before called rho at-
tention of the Houle to it. Such delay appeared to
him to be ditrelpeeful to the Hottfe in general, ;..:d
pa: c,.ularly to mac Chair.

The SECRETARY at WAR hid that it had ay.
r-r been in hi, reeollettion the pratiice to proceed
upon paLlic bufinefs until five o'clock. He denied
that there bad been any ground of complaint to-day
whatever might have taken place on a former day,
when the attention of the Houfe was called to this
fubjett. Any paufe in the progrefs of bufinefs to.
day, *role entirely from the interruption given by
this converfation to his Honourable Friend, who was
jult about to prefent fame papers to the Houfe.

CORN HILL.

Petitions were Relented by Lord Aactiman Ha-
wisros from Lanark, Ruthcrglen, and other place's
in Scotland, praying the Itcpe4l of the Corn At of
laft SelSon.

The SECRETARY at WAR took oceafion to
call the attention of the•Houfe to the fubjeB of thole
Petitions. It appeared to him that the Petitioners
complained of the evils of the Bill, which, in point
of fad, had not yet come into action. This Bill was
not to operate until Corn was at a certain price; and
as no fuch cafe had yet occurred, he rather thosight
the people were deluded, and perfnaded to feel a
grievance of which they had yet had no experience.
Lord ARCHIBALD HAMILTON vindicated
the right of the people to petition even where the
evil of which they complained was but likely to arife.
In this cafe, however, the evil was adually experi-
enced. The very paffing of the Ad had done cod-
fiderable mifchief. It had created an alarm that had
not yet fub&ded. It had raifed the price of Cora.
But, even fuppofing that it had not produced that
effeet, if the object of the Bill were exceptionable,
it was of couife Inch as the people were entitled to
deprecate, and again& which it was their right, in-
tereft, and duty to petition.
Sir WM. ELFORD Hated the oble& of the 48
to which the Petitions referred to be, to promote
agriculture by encouraging the farmers. Bat as the
Ad had not yet been in operation, he maintained
that the price of Corn was not fairly attributable to it,
and that Corn would have been, from various cir-
cemliances, at its prefent rate, if that Alt had never
exited. This he thought it neceffary to mention, as
a great deluaon had gone forth among the people,
that the exigence of this Ad had produced an en-
hancement in the price of Corn.
The Petitions were ordered to lie on the Table.
5.010 SIILVILLI.

Mr. HUSKISSON moved the discharge of the
Orders refpating the Lordllsips of Fife ancl Stra-
thern, with a view to move for the prods Lion of do-
coments more accurately dercriptive of the objeEt to
which the Honourable Gentleman referred, upon
whore motion tbofe Orders were made.

Mr. GREY raid, he underflood that the motions
inferted in the Orders alluded to were not fufficient-
ly accurate.
The Orders being difcharged,
Mr. HUSKISSON moved for a Copy of any
Leafe granted to the Hon. John Hope, in Trull for
Jane Vifcountefs Melville, of the Lordfhips of Fife
and Strathern. Alfo an account of the Intromifflon
of John Crawford; the Rents and Arrears due upon
the faid Lordihip ; the Charges and Difcharges re-
fpeaing the fame, &c.—Ordered; and thole accounts
were afterwards prefented by Mr. Hnflcilron, and
ordered to lie on the Table, and to be printed.

MUTINY BILL.

The SECRETARY at WAR proceeded to move
the third Reading of the Mutiny Bill. In making
this motion he was afraid that he fhould difappoint
the expeaatien of the Honourable Officer on the
other fide (General Fitzpatrick), as he was not pre-
pared to admit the propofitions which that Honour.
able Officer recommended on a former day. For
hirnfelf he was ready to confzfs, that thofe propofi-
tions appeared to be perfealy reafonable. They
were, according to his recelleCtion. that the Mem
bcrs of Regimental Courts Martial fhould be fworn,
that they fhould be anthorifed to adminifter oaths to
witnelles, &c. and that no Prefident of fuch a Conic
Martial fhould be under a t years of age. However,
although they were unexceptionable in his opinion,
there were many officers of confiderable experience
and high rank, who entertained doubts of the pro-
p iety of introducing fuch innovations into the old
eitablifhed fyfiem of the army. To the doubts of
fuch perfons be thought it proper to defer, although
he was free to own, that in the objeaions they ad-
vanced he faw no force. Yet it was due to them to
allow time for fuller deliberation on the fubjet, and
with a view to that he would propofe a flight altera-
tion in this Bill, which could not be conveniently de-
layed in its progrefs, to this effeft, a that it might
be altered or amended within the Seffion." This al-
teration would, he hoped, meet the eoncerrence of
the Hon. Officer, as it would afford an opportunity
of introducing the amendments he fuggefted.
General FITZPATRICK laid, -that in confe-
quence of the copference he had had with the Right
Honourable Gentleman, and the obvious Office and
neceffity of the propofitions he fuggefted, which met
that Right Hon. Gentleman's entire concurrence, he
had thought it unnecefrary to trefpafs on the atten-
tion of the Houle, by Rating the grounds upon which
he was urged to fulnnit thoie propofitions. Thofe
grounds were filch as he had very little doubt would
convince tlie majority of the Houle of the propriety
of adopting the amendments he propofed. He had,
indeed, never heard any feridusobjeition urged againa
them. It therefore !truck him as rather extraordi-
nary, after the declared coincidence of the Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman, to be told that Tome military
officers entertained doubts upon the fubjea. No
doubt was expreffed by any lerfon of that Houle;
not a fentence of objeftion was heard from any Mem-
ber ; and yet thofe falutary improvements; for the
adoption of which policy, humauity and juftice
equally called. were to be rejefted or delayed, be-
cattle thole military officers doubted. How, he would
elk, were the objeaions of loch military perfons to
be brought before the Houfe in a parliamentary
form ? and the mere flatement of their ob4eeions,
unaccompanied by any reafon for tech objeaions,
was not, he contended, a parliamentary ground for
the delay or the promotion of any meafure. The
time required in the opinion of the Right Hon. Gen-
tle/nab, to deliberate upon the propofitions he had
felt it his duty to recommend, was attainable in his
judgment without propofing the alteration the
Right Honourable Gentleman alluded to. There
was no neceffity to hurry the Bill through the Houfe.
This was only the fifth of the month, and aide was
yet time enough to pats it, even ghouls! the Right
Hon. Galatia/11i% cordon to poitpone the thiiil icad-

lag %MB fame day neat week. For himfelf, he waft
fay, that he felt he was at prident rather awkwardly
cireamnaneed. He had declined to prepare the
Chafes he withed to introduce into the Bill, relying
that the Right Honourable Gentleman would bring
them forward. The Right Hon. Gentleman would,
howeve►, he ?Tufted, agree to poftpone his motion—
particularly as no inconvenience could refult from
fuch poftponement. He alfo trufted that the Right
Honourable Gentleman would not withhold his af-
Nance from him in drawing up the necefary claufes
—further, that the Right Honourable Gentleman
would manfully maintain bis declared opinion, and
fecond his endeavours to promote the adoption of
thole Claufes.

Colonel STUART thought the principle of the
prnpoitions recommended by the Honourable Offi-
cer ought to be carried further, and that the degrees
of ptusithment to be inflicted by Regimental Ccurts
Martial ought to he limited. The number of Mem-
bers on inch Courts Martial ought, in his opinion, to
be in no csfe lets than liven, unlefs where a Field Of-
ficer prefided, and In inch cafe not let than five. This
was a regulation which appeared to him highly ne-
neffary, but he particularly enforced the propriety of
prohibiting the fentences of Regimental Courts Mar-
tial front infliaing beyond a certain degree of punifii-
men!, not more than a or Soo lithe:.
The SECRETARY at WAR. erpreffed his rea-
dinefs to affift the Honourable Officer in drawing up
the claufes with refpea to the propofitions•he men-
tioned, and in which he
for
concurred. He al.
fo affented to his with for poftponing the motion,
and'lliould therefore move the third reading on Mon-
day next.
Sir EYRE COOTE cordially approved the pro-
pokions of the Honourable Officer, and thought
that no officer fhould be admitted' a dember of any
Court Martial who was under twenty-one years of
age. This alteration would, be was perfuaded, be
very grateful to the feelings and conducive to the in-
terefts of the army.
The order for the third reading Of the Bill was
poftponed till Monday.