Commons Sitting of 24 June 1805

MINUTES.
The Land Tax Redemption bill was read a third time and passed.—On the motion of Mr. Wellesley Pole, several accounts were ordered to be laid before the house of the number of officers, non-commisioned officers, and privates in the royal artillery, royal artificers, &c. stating the total number of those corps in Great Britain and Ireland on the 1st of June, 1805.—Lord

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Glenbervie brought up the report of the select committee on the eleventh report of the commissioners of naval enquiry; which was ordered to be printed.—Mr. Serjeant Best gave notice, that on Monday he would move certain resolutions founded on the above report, provided that it was printed time enough to allow the house to become sufficiently acquainted with its contents.—Sir J. Stewart brought up the second report of the committee on sir Home Popham's conduct; which was ordered to be printed.—The Irish Civil List bill was read a third time and passed.—The Irish Infirmary Regulation bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed to-morrow.—The house went into a committee on the report of the committee on the Pilchard Fishery bill, in which it was agreed that a certain additional bounty should be given on every barrel of pilchards.—Mr. Rose brought in a bill for granting certain premiums on the southern whale fishery; which was read a first time.—The Irish Loyalists' Compensation bill passed through a committee, and the report was ordered to be received tomorrow. The Coasting Seamens' bill was read a third time and passed.—Mr. Higham, from the commissioners for the reduction of the national debt, presented an account of the quantity of stock redeemed of the Irish debt. Ordered to lie on the table, and to be printed.—On the motion of lord Archibald Hamilton, the house went into a committee on the Corn bill. A long conversation arose on the manner of taking the average for exportation in Scotland, which was stated by lord A. Hamilton, Mr. M'Dougall, and other members for that part of the empire, to be very oppressive in its present form. Mr. pattison, Colonel Stanley, &c. were willing to give every relief to Scotland, but without making any alteration in the mode of taking the average for exportation in England. Mr. Foster wished to introduce an amendment putting corn exported from Ireland into Great Britain on the same footing as corn imported from foreign countries. On this, and amendments proposed by other members, the gallery was repeatedly cleared for a division. During the latter part of the discussion, strangers were excluded for a considerable time. On our re-admission into the gallery we found the speaker in the chair, and understood, that the different clauses of the bill having been gone through, the house resumed, and the report was received and read, after a division, in which the ayes were 40, the
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noes 9; majority 31.—On the motion of the chancellor of the exchequer, a select committee was ordered to be ballotted for to-morrow, on the secret part of the eleventh report of the commissioners of naval enquiry.—On the motion of the secretary at war, returns were ordered to be laid before the house of the total effective strength of the British army at home and abroad up to the latest returns; of the number of men wanting to complete the infantry and cavalry, distinguishing the foreign corps from the British, and the men enlisted for general and limited service; and of the number of men enlisted from the militia into the regular force, distinguishing those enlisted into the line, into the artillery, and into the marines. The secretary at war presented the last-mentioned returns, which were ordered to be printed. After a short conversation between the secretary at war and colonel Craufurd, it was ordered, on the motion of the latter, that there be laid before the house an account of the number of men volunteered from the militia included in the returns of the regular force up to the 1st of May.—On the motion of sir J. B. Warren, the house went into a committee on the report of the committee on the petition from the trustees of the naval asylum, when a resolution having been agreed to, that a sum not exceeding 20,000l. should be granted to his majesty, for the support of that institution, the house resumed, and the report was ordered to be received to-morrow.—Colonel Stanley brought up the report of the committee on the Duke of Atholl's petition. After a few words from Mr. Curwen, who declared his determination to oppose the measure in a future stage, and some observations from Mr. Creevey, Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Giddy, Mr. P. Carew, Mr. Rose, and Mr. Wilberforce, the resolutions were read and agreed to, and a bill ordered in pursuance thereto.—On the motion of the chancellor of the exchequer, the house went into a committee on the report relative to the improvement of Plymouth harbour, when a sum of 25,000l. was voted for that purpose.—Ordered, on the motion of Mr. Foster, that the house should to-morrow go into a committee, to consider of the duties on Spanish red wine.—Mr. Sturges Bourne obtained leave to bring in a bill to abolish the fees of certain officers of customs, and to ensure a more regular attendance in the discharge of the duties of their office.—Mr. Sturges Bourne brought up a bill for authorising the lords commis-

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sioners of the treasury to permit the warehousing of goods in certain ports upon security for payment of the duties; also, the inland coal importation bill; and Mr. Huskisson brought up the Cochineal Dust Duty bill; which were severally read a first time.

IMPEACHMENT OF LORD MELVILLE.
Mr. Leycester, adverting to the notice given by a right hon. friend of his (Mr. Bond) of a motion to-morrow, to exclude from the proceedings of the attorney-general against lord Melville the affair of Mr. Jellicoe, gave notice that he should at the same time move that an impeachment of lord Melville be substituted for the criminal prosecution.—Adjourned.