Star.
London, England, 1806-06-21 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY' PROCEBDIIVGS.

HOUSI OF LORDS, FRIDAY, JUNE 20.
The Royal Affent was given by Contrniffion to the Irifit Malt
Duty Bill, the Mutiny Bill, the Chelfea Allowance Bill,the Dub-
lin Pavlrg Bill, and twenty.two Private Bills.
The Conunifloners were the Lord Chancellor, Lord Wang-
barn, and lord Auckland.
In an Appeal from Scotland, " Martin v. Macnabb,“ the Lord
Advocate of Scotland was heard for the AppeUant.-....-Furtlise
hearing on Wedoefday next.
Mr. Habitant., Mr. Alexander, Mr. Feliowcs, Mr. Mainwa-
ring, and foetal other MU:tilers of the Houk of Commons,
brought up the Duke of Orafton's Agreement Bill, the kith Mine
Bill; the Additional Affeffed Taxes Bill, the Oihraltarand Malta
Portage Bill, the Pruflian Yarn Bill, and fomc Privateßills, which
were read a firft time.
The Welt India Auditor's Bill paled through a Committee and
was reported.
The Report of the Infolvent Debtor's Bill was, on the motion
of the Fan of Lauderdale, ordered to be taken into confideration
on Wednefday neat.

TORTOLA ilia PORT DILL.
Earl SPENCER moved the fecond reading of the
Tortola Free Port Alt.
The Duke of MONTROSE expreffed his regret
at the thin attendance of their Lordfhips on a quef-
lion which he conceived to be one of the greateft im.
portance. He was at a lofs to conceive the reafons
upon which the prefent meafure was founded. The
prefent B ,ard of Trade had ailed in this inflance dia-
metrically oppolite to the decifion of the Board of
Trade of tali year. He had hoped that upon this
quell; .n the Noble Lord at the Head of the Trea
fury would have attended, but underftanding that
Noble Lord was prevented from attending by a flight
indifpidition, he mull requeft his Noble Friend in the
Bine Ribband (Earl Spencer) to aft as Umpire upon
thi. queftion between the two Boards of Trade. The
principle upon which the Board of Trade of laft year
had afte3, was clearly thit, that in allowing the free
importation from Foreign Wands, into one of our
own Elands, of Sugar and Coffee, and thofe articles
which our own Iflands produced, it was impoffible
after wards to prevent the importation from thence into
this country, of filch foreign produce, upon the fame.
terms as the produce of our Hands, thereby mate.
tidily injuring the interelts of our own Weft India
Hands. This principle applied to the Ifland of Tor.
cola, from whence, if foreign fugar was to be allowed
to be imported thither, all the ingenuity of man could
not afterwards prevent the ingenuity of man from
finding means to import that fugar into tide country,
under the pretence of its being fugar of the growth
of our own !Nods. The eftablifhment of a free port,
according to the provifinns of this Bill, in the Mend
of Tortola, was therefore, in his opinion, a meaftwe
highly impolitic, and a meafure which be thought
the Noble Lord at the Head of the Board of Trade
could only have been induced to bring forward by
the reprefentations of the very ingenious agent of that
itland. He thought, therefore, that the confideration
of the Bill had better be poftponed for the pecan
Sefflon.
Lord AUCKLAND defended the Bill, which he
conlidered a meafure of found policy. The objea of
it was to render Tortola a carrying iftand, and to
take from St. Thomas's fome part of the carrying
trade in the Ofeffinn of that Ifland, in which a num•
ber of Britilb Chipping were employed. This was a
meafure which he conceived would therefore be be.
neficial to our commerce and our navigation, whilft
with refpett to our Weft India Trade, it would not,
be injured, nor did any of thefe perfnns concerned in
that trade, or co.inedled with Well India interefts,,
whom he was in the daily habit of feting, make the
lealt complaint, that any fuch injury was likely to
refoit from it. As to the dangers which the Noble
Duke apprehended, there was an expects provifton
in this Bill for the purpt fe of preventing the impor
tation into this country of Foreign fugar, as there was
a claufe by which no more fugar was to be import•
ed into this country from Torthla than the amount
of the average annual produce of that &Ind. This,
thetefore, negatived all thole evil confequenees ap-
prehended by the Noble Duke ; as it was not to be
toppled that officers employed in the Cuftoms of
Tortola, would giant falfe documents, when, at the
end of the year, on making up the accounts, the
fraud mull necelfarily be difcovered, and thofe guilty
of it life their offices.
Lord HAWK ESBURY fupported the arguments
urged by the Duke of Montrofe, and fuppoled that
this meat ore mull have come befcue the Board of
Trade in the abience of the Noble Lord (Auckland)
cppofite, wiude accurate knowledge upon the fubjea
forbade the auppofition that he had been prefent when
the meafure was difctiffed.
Earl SPENCER oblerved, that in hi. new office
of umpire, conferred upon him by the Noble Duke,
hehad little difficult: in deciding, as he foiled that
the prefent Boat d of Trade had, in this meal-ore,
only followed the example of the former Board of
Trade, by whom an At fimilar to the prefent, was
brought forward, Taft Salon, for efiablifhing a free
port at Nsffau, in the Bahamas. His Lordship like-
%rife fupported ft:e Bill, on grounds fimilar to thofe
urged by Lord Auckland.
The Duke of MONTROSE and Lord AUCK•
LAND ex; taioed.
The Bill was teed a fecund time, and committed
for Monday.—Adjourned till Monday.