Commons Sitting of 10 June 1805

MINUTES.
Lord J. Thynne brought in a bill for the better recovery of small debts in the city of Bath; which was read a first time.—Mr. Whitbread moved for an account of the date of the warrants of the treasury which were laid before his majesty on the 29th of May, 1800, respecting the deficiencies in the account of the late Adam Jellicoe, esq. as also the names of the persons to whom the said treasury warrants were issued. Ordered.—Mr. Whitbread also moved for an account of the balances in the hands of the receivers-general Of the Excise upon each quarter, from the 5th Of January, 1793, to the 5th of January in the present year; also the names of the persons in whose hands the said balances remained. The hon. member also moved for an account of the names of those persons in whose names navy, victualling, and transport bills had been funded in the years 1794, 1795, and 1796, for sums exceeding the value of 20,000l. Those several accounts were then ordered.—A person from the bank, pursuant to the order of the house, presented an account of the unclaimed dividends; which was received, and ordered to lie on the table.—The Expiring Laws bill, the Loyalty Loan bill, the Irish Militia Pay and Clothing bill, the Lottery bill, and the bill for regulating the
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Fees of Offices in Ireland, were severally read a second time, and ordered to be committed for to-morrow.—Lord A. Hamilton moved for, and obtained leave to bring in, a bill for the purpose of altering and amending the corn laws which were past in the course of last session. He considered the average prices therein stated to be much too high, and particularly such as related to Scotland.—An account was ordered of the quantity of Herrings cured in the Isle of Man, and sent from thence into this country for exportation from the year 1790 to the last year.—Upon the report of the committee to whom the petition of the London Docks Company was referred, leave was given to bring in a bill for granting the sum of 60,000l. to the said company for the completion of the said docks.—Colonel Craufurd moved for a weekly return of the men raised under the additional force act, from the 5th of April last, to the latest period. Ordered.—Mr. J. Fitzgerald moved for an account of the Irish Debt redeemed in England, to the 5th of February last. Ordered.—Sir W. Young moved, that the order of the day for the second reading of the Woollen Manufacturers' bill, should be postponed till Thursday next. Admiral Berkeley gave notice that he should on the same day move for continuing the bill for the suspension of penalties which passed in the last Session. Mr. Peter Moore stated, that this business had been three years under the consideration of the house, that it was a subject of the utmost importance, as it affected the livelihood of above 100,000 industrious men, who had served a 7-years apprenticeship, and whose exertion had in the mean time raised a contribution of above 20 millions sterling from the continent of Europe. They would lose the entire value of their long service, if persons were to be allowed to work who had not served a similar apprenticeship. After some farther conversation between sir Wm. Young, admiral Berkeley, and Mr. Moore, admiral Berkeley moved for, and obtained leave to bring in, bill of the nature he had stated.

DUKE OF ATHOLL'S CLAIM.
Mr. Creevey rose to remind the house, that he had, some time since, moved for an account of the balance in the hands of the collector of customs in the Isle of Man, and the reasons why the said balances were not paid into the treasury, as by law required. An order was then made, from a return to which it appeared that a balance

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had been accumulating in the hands of the collector for three or four years past, the amount of which, on the 7th of Feb. last, was near 20,000l. and the reason pleaded for not paying it in was a letter from the secretary of the treasury, directing the collector to hold over the balance. He therefore signified his intention to move for a copy of that order, with the name of the secretary who signed it.
Mr. Hiley Addington immediately rose, and said, he was glad that he happened accidentally to be in the house when the hon. gent. signified his wish; and as the order alluded to had been issued while he was secretary to the treasury, he would, to the best of his present recollection, explain the circumstance. In the autumn of 1801, shortly after the previous change of administration, the noble duke (of Atholl) presented a memorial to the lords of the treasury, upon the ground of his claims on the Isle of Man, which memorial had been referred to the Law officers of the crown; shortly afterwards the noble duke had called upon him, to request that the business of his memorial might be expedited, as much as possible, through the hands of those officers; and at the same time made a request, that an order might be sent to the collector of customs in the Isle of Man, to hold over the balances then in his hands, and which then amounted to no more than 4000l. In compliance with the request of the noble duke, and not apprehending any interference with the letter of an act of parliament, which directed the collectors to pay their balances, from time to time, into the treasury, he did write a letter to the collector to retain in his hands the balance he then had, until further orders. He hoped the house would acquit him of having written that letter with any wrong intention. It often happened, of necessity, that the secretary of the treasury did issue letters on several occasions, without waiting a regular order for that purpose, but he never could have supposed that the collector would use that letter as an authority for retaining in his hands the successive balances of four years, otherwise he would certainly have represented the matter to the lords of the treasury, who would doubtless have recalled that order.
Mr. Curwen said, it would be directly contrary to all he had known of the right hon. gentleman, to suppose for one moment that he could be voluntarily privy to any sinister transaction. The circum
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stance, however, was another strong proof of the necessity of enquiry into the affairs of that island with the utmost minuteness. He concluded by moving, "that the committee on the duke of Atholl's petition be revived, and that the said collector be ordered to attend the same." Ordered.—Adjourned.