Star.
London, England, 1810-02-01 00:00:00

P4RLI,IM.ENTARr P ROCEA'DINGS.

HOUSE OF LORI'S, JAN, si.

The House met at four o'c'ock, when bring informed that
Messengers from the Commons were in attendance, they were
opdered to be called in.
Lord POACH sTi:a appeared at the bar, and requested, on the
part of the House of Commons, the attendance ot George Baron
Gerelon (commtinly called the Marquis of , in the House
if Commnns on Frithr next, upon an inquiry to be entered into
by that Honourable House.
The LORD CHANCELLOR, after receiving the Message,
sated, that their Lordships would return their answer to the
Commons by their own Messengers.
The LORD CHANCELLOR (in the absence of the Earl of
Liverpool) aid several papers on the table, connected with the ex-
pedition to Walcheren. The rest ot the papers, his Lordship
said, were printing as fast as possible, and would, he trusted, be
ready for delivery to-morrow morning.
His Grace the Archbishop of CANTERBURY rose; and
moved the •Itianki of the House of Lords to the Right Reverend
the Bishop of Bristol, for his excellent sermon delivered on the
preceding day (January 20), in Westminster Abbey Church, on
the Anniversary of the Martyrdom of King Charles the First.—
Carried.
A person appeared at the bar, and presented the 9th Report of
the Commissioners for inquiry in Ireland.
The House adjourned to three o'clock

afternoon.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Lord PORCHESTER reported from tke bar, that he had
conveyed to the House of Lords the Message of that House, re-
questing dteir Lordships' permission for George Baron Gordon,
to rttend the Sitting of tht Committee of that House on Friday
next, and give evidence respecting the conduct of the expedition to
the Scheldt ; and that their Lordships had intitnated that they
would send an answer by a Messenger of their own.

MILITARY FORCE.
Mr. eALCRAFT moved for an account of the effective mili-
tary torte of this country, including the militia, on the 25th of
January, in the years 1807, 1808, and 1809, respectively, with
an account of the number of reeruitsto the 25th of Jaauary,lBlo,
so far as the same could be made up, distinguishing those who
had enlisted for limited SerAce.—Ordered.
Sir JOHN NE WPORT moved for an Account of the Incidents
of the Board of Customs in Ireland, for the years 1806, 7, and 8.
Ordered.
SirJOHN NEWPORT gave noticethat he should, on an early
day, move for leave to bring in a Bill for the abolition of fees in
that department.
Mr. M. A. TAYLOR gave hOtice that, unless the subject
shoukl be speedily taken up in the House of I.ords, or by some
Member of this House of more competent abilities than himself,
he should, at no distant day, fall the attention of the House to
the subject of Suits in Equity on Appeal to the House of Lords.
ORDNAIICiinFALCATION.
Mr. CALCRAFT observed, that as there were
certain confident rumours afloat, that a very consi-
derable defalcation had been discovered ill the ac-
counts of a public officer in the Ordnance Depart-
ment, he rose to enquire of the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer, whether those rumours were founded ; and,
if so, whether the discovery was accidental ;—and
whether the subject had been referred for further
.in-
vestigation to the Commissioners of Military Inquiry?
Tne CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
answered, that a discovery had been made, merely
by accident, that drafts had been issued to a consi-
derable and unusual amount upon the Bank of Eng-
land, by an officer in the Ordnance Department.—
The discovery was made on a Saturday ; and it was
thought i-ght to send, on the Monday morning, or-
ders to the Bank forbidding the payment of any
drafts drawn by that officer. The Board of Ordnance
immediately instituted an inquiry on the subject ;--
but no result had as yet taken place, which rendered
it necessary, in their opinion, to lay any statement
before the House. The officer in question, to say
the least of his conduct, had acted in violation of the
orders established for the regulation of his depart-
ment. He had since resigned his situation ; and it
was found, upon the inquiry which had already been
instituted, that the public were not likely to sustain
any m:iterial loss. The matter was at present under
minute investigation by the Board of Ordnance ;
and the subject would he ultimately referred, without
delay, to the Commissioners of Military Inquiry.
Mr. CA LC RA FT declared himself SP far satisfied
with this explanation.

PRIVATE BILL F.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in
pursuance of his notice on a former night, rose to
bring forward his motion for leave to bring in a Bill
for promoting accuracy in proceedings upon Private
Bills, in their progress through that House. It fre-
quently happened, that Bills. for private purposes
were introduced by Members, who were themselves
unacquainted with the whole of the clauses therein
contained ; and there was, in fact, no responsibility
whatever established for the contents of such Bills.— I
They were read the first time, appointed for the se- I
cond reading situ die, and afterwards committed,
without any specific day being known for the pro-
ceedings in Committee ; v;hereby the parties adverse
to such Bills had no opportunity of learning either
their contents, or when to attend the proceedings
thereon, but by coming, day after day, to watch their
progress. Many clauses of an improper nature were
sometimes introduced into such Bills, and not unfre-
quently escaped detection From the extensive in-
crease of private Bills within the last few years, a very
great additional onus was thus thrown. upon the
Chair, in examining the nature of those Bills, as well
as much inconvenience occasioned to the parties inte-
rested therein. To remove these inconveniences, he
would propose, that all such Bills, previously to their'
introduc!i;)n into that House, should be submitted to
the examination of some three or four of the long es-
tablished and experienced Clerks of the House, whose
duty it should be to certify to the House, that no ir-
rec,ilar clauses were inserted. The names of those
Clerks being known, reference might always be had
to them by the parties interested, for all information
tonchinq the nature and progress of such Bills ; and
it should' also be their duty to have notices served up-
on the adverse parties, of the days when to attend the
Committees upon such Bills. He concluded by mov-
ing for leave to bring in the Bill.
Mr. PARNELL thought that if the Bill should
eo materially to increase the expences upon Private
tills, it would he a very objectionable measure.
Mr. SUMNER was of the like opinion.
Mr. PETER MOORE said, the defects stated by
the Right Hon. mover were already provided against,
as those Bills were always revised, before they came
there, by Lord Walsingham.
The SPEAKER said, that the House could not
hear of any authority outside these doors, to controul '
its proceedings, of which the House itself was the
only competent judge. It was always his duty to
examine the breviat of all such Bills ; but a clause,
might sometimes be inserted of a very improper na-
ture, which was not announced in the breviat- This
had happened, to his knowlesige, in one Bill, where