§ Mr. Charles Dundaspresented to the house a petition from the gentlemen and freeholders of the county of Berks, on the subject of the Additional Force bill, and praying its repeal. The petition, he said, was sighed by all the respectable clergy, gentlemen, and freeholders of the county, and had been unanimously agreed to at a most numerous meeting of the county, held for the purpose of considering the subject. It had been found by experience that the act was impracticable, and the petitioners of necessity felt themselves compelled to apply to the house for its repeal. They stated in their petition, that of the whole number which the county, under the act, was called on to raise, only eleven had been procured by parish officers; which had not arisen from any neglect on the part of the overseers, but from the impossibility of carrying the provisions of the act into execution. The petition also stated, that in consequence, a sum of 6,620l. had been imposed on the county for penalties, which operated as an oppressive and unjust burthen upon the landed interest, and was particularly severe upon the small farmers. The hon. member, after thus stating the substance of the petition, declared, that under such circumstances, he should have felt it his duty to submit a motion to the house for the repeal of the bill, if the subject had not been taken up by the hon. member (Mr. Sheridan), who had given a notice respecting it, and who was far better qualified for the task than he was. At the same time, however, that he felt satisfaction at seeing the business in such able hands, he could not let slip the present occasion of calling the attention of gentlemen opposite, and particularly of the noble lord who had last night spoken on the subject, and intimated an intention of his majesty's ministers to make some alterations in the bill, to the matter of this petition. He was convinced that the measure was impracticable, and that nine tenths of the landed interest of the country would not be satisfied without the total repeal of it. Experience had proved it totally insufficient to the object which it was designed to accomplish, and in its operation it had been found a grievous, unfair, and unjust imposition upon landed property, and very unequal in different parishes. He had but one observation more, to make, and that was, 27 that whatever a man's property in the public funds might be, he was not called on to find a single man; a circumstance that shewed how heavily the pressure must fall upon landed property. He hoped, therefore, that his majesty's ministers would re-consider the subject, before they formed any determination to continue such an act under any modifications.—The petition was then brought up, and ordered to lie on the table. It stated, 'that the petitioners, finding that, in pursuance of an act passed in the 44th year of his majesty's reign, intituled, "an act for establishing and maintaining a permanent additional force for the defence of the realm, and to provide for augmenting his majesty's regular forces, and for the gradual reduction of the militia of England," eleven men only have been raised in the said county by the overseers, and the enormous sum of 6,620l. has been imposed upon the county for penalties, beg to represent their opinion, that this failure in raising the men has not been owing to the neglect of the overseers, but to an impossibility of procuring them by men whose duties and occupations are inconsistent with such an employment; and they corceive that levying fines upon parishes, because the overseers fail in doing what is not in their power to do, is inconsistent with justice, operates as a partial and oppressive tax upon the occupiers of landed property, and increases the parish rates, which are already a burthen severely felt, particularly by small farmers, and inferior tradesmen; and therefore praying, that the said act may be repealed.'