The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-05-22
HOUSE OF COMMONS APRIL 9.
EXPORT ar RyCE

LS-A< ONk or f(CE.
Mr.. llttieton not seeing the vice-Presi-
dent CT the Board of Trade in his place. beg
ged to ask of the Right Hon. Gentleman
(Mr PerCiva) whether he was correct in
certain information he had received that
there were at this moment ships in the riv-
CT, having cargoes or rIce on board, with Ii
cenccs TO proceed with the same to ports in
France!
No answer being given,
Mr.. NNhtbread said, though the Vice
President of tie Board of Trade was not
present, Still he thought, when the appear
anCe Of scarcity was so alarming as it was
at this moment, that it would be becoming
in the Right Hon. Gentleman to give some
answer to the question which had been put
to him by his Honorable Friend or, if he
was not prepared to do 50 now that the mat
ter should stand till tomorrow, and tina in
the mean time, the sailing of any vessels Ill
such circumstances should be suspended Till
farther inquiry.
Mr.. Percival said, he understood the cues
ton to be, whether there was not some YES
sells in the river, having licences 70 France,
with rice on board. He was not aware
whether there were or were not any YES
sells in this situation. There no doubt bad
been licences granted to export articles not
prohibited, and as the law stood there be =
ing nothing to prohibit the expectation of
rice, that article, of course, would be
included under the general licence. There
had recently, he believed, been a commu-
nlcation made on the subject of the scarcity
of this article, i'll consequence of which, i'm
licences Since granted, the world 'Rice"
had been excluded. How far it would have
been proper, as rice was not prohibited ar
ticle, to prevent the expectation of any cargo
already shipped under a licence pre- viousIy
granted, he thought was matter of serious
consideration. 1t seemed to be extremely
doubtful how far, i'll these circumstances, a
merchant ought to be deprived Of the best
market he could get; and it even seemed OF
serious consideration whether the know
ledge of such a regulation, might not pre-
vent the importation of the article, particu-
larly from America.
Mr.. Whitbread thought that the first
question was, what would be the best mode
of applying the rice now in this country,
whether to keep it to ourselves, or to export
it for the use of our enemies. As to what
had fallen from the Right Hon. Gentleman
in regard to America, ne confessed he was
surprised that the Right Hon. Gentleman
should have made any reference to that
country, when he considered in what situa-
ton he himself stood--who he was-and
what had been his conduct in regard to A.
merica. He really thought, in the situation
III which the Right Honorable Gentleman
stood, he needed not have applied any Of his
general principles to America.
April G.
A gentleman who has reached London
from Hamburger in the short space e il
days, having Quilted that city Oh the 21s'
March, states, that the universal opinion
there was, that ho8tiifies would immediate
" be commenced between Russia md
France. Our public journals from that
place, received by the last opportunity,
which are in regular series, maintain to-
.al silence on the subject of any movement.
# troops in the interior Of Germany, though
We hear Of them through every privat,
hanncl.
We stated in Saturdays paper, that ii is
expected a motion Will be made in the Com
non Hall Tomorrow for an address &c be
presented to the Princess Of Wales, pray