Commons Sitting of 26 June 1805

MINUTES.
The secretary at war presented an account of the effective strength of the regular army on the 1st of June, 1805. Ordered to lie on the table, and to be printed.—M. W. Dickenson presented certain accounts relative to naval stores in the dock-yards, pursuant to the order of the house. Ordered to lie on the table, and to be printed.—Mr. Rose brought up the report of the Thames Cartage and Ballastage bill. The amendments were agreed to, and the bill ordered to be read a third time.—A message from the lords informed the house, that their lordships had agreed to the Seamen's Encouragement bill, and the Bark Stealing Prevention bill, without any amendments.—Mr. Johnson, from the office of chief secretary for Ireland, presented an account of the manner in which the sum of 500,000l. granted by the parliament of Ireland to the directors general of inland navi-

617
gation in Ireland had been disposed of. Ordered to lie on the table, and to be printed.—The Sheffield Road bill, and the Poor ,Clergy bill, were read a third time and passed.—Mr. R. Dundas brought up the bill for the improvement of Leith Harbour, which was read a first time.—The Irish Loyalist Compensation bill was read a third time and passed. Mr. Vansittart took that opportunity of stating, that with respect to another commission to which allusion had been made on a former day, he had the assurance of the Irish government, that, as soon as the claims now before them should be disposed of, the commission would be put an end to, which would probably take place before the term fixed by the bill for the duration of the commission to which it referred.—Mr. S. Bourne moved, that an humble address be presented to his majesty, that he would be graciously pleased to direct that a further account be made out of all sums issued by his majesty, pursuant to addresses of the house, which had not been made good by parliament. Ordered, and that the address be presented by such members of the house as are of his majesty's privy council. —Foster brought up a bill for regulating the collection of the customs in Ireland, which was read a first time.—The Irish Infirmary, and the Bank Forgery bills, passed through committees, and were ordered to be reported to-morrow.—Mr. Foster brought up the Howth Harbour Improvement bill, which was read a first time.—The chancellor of the exchequer, pursuant to notice, moved for, and obtained leave, to bring in a bill to enable his majesty to appoint additional commissioners for the better examining and auditing certain accounts of Great-Britain.—The house, on the motion of the chancellor, of the exchequer, went into a committee of supply, to which the estimates presented on Tuesday, the petition respecting the Sierra Leone establishment, and the report of the committee respecting the naval asylum, were referred. In the committee were voted the sum of 14,000l for the Sierra Leone company; 5000l. for prosecuting discoveries in the interior of Africa; 20,000l. for erecting a naval asylum; and 9176l. 3s. 3d. Irish currency, as a provision for non-conforming ministers in Ireland, from the 5th January, 1805, to the 5th January, 1806. The house was then resumed, and the report ordered to be received to-morrow.—On the motion of Mr. Vansittart an account was ordered of the amount of the net produce of the permanent taxes laid on be-
618
fore the year 1803. Also an Account of the amount of duties of customs and excise charged as outstanding on the 5th of April, 1804, and the 5th of April, 1805, respectively, distinguishing the permanent from the temporary duties.—The house went into a committee of ways and means, on the motion of Mr. Vansittart, and resolved, that an additional duty should be laid on Spanish red wine imported into Ireland, in proportion to the additional duty laid on the same wine on its importation into Great Britain. The report was ordered to be received tomorrow.—In a committee of the whole house it was afterwards resolved, that it was expedient that such additional duty should be charged on such wine imported into Ireland. To be reported to-morrow. The Paddington Canal Coal bill, the Warehousing bill, the 1,500,000l. Exchequer Bills bill, the 8,000,000l. Exchequer Bills bill, the 2,500,000l. Exchequer Bills bill, the Custom House Officers' Fees Abolition bill, the English and Scotch Spirit Exportation bill, and the Cochineal Dust Duty were read a second time, and ordered to be committed to-morrow.

IMPEACHMENT OF LORD MELVILLE.
Mr. Whitbread, pursuant to the decision of the house last night, went up to the bar of the lords attended by a great number of members, to acquaint their lordship, that, he had been commanded by the commons of the united kingdom in parliament assembled, to impeach Henry lord viscount Melville of high crimes and misdemeanors. On his return, he acquainted the house, from the bar, that pursuant to the order of the speaker, he had gone to the bar of the house of lords, and impeached Henry lord viscount Melville, of high crimes and misdemeanors; and had also acquainted their lordships, that this house would, in due time, exhibit particular articles of impeachment against his lordship, and make good the same. Mr. Whitbread then moved, that a committee be appointed to prepare articles of impeachment against Henry lord viscount Melville, which was ordered—On the Motion of lord Temple, Mr. Whitbread was appointed one of the members of the committee; and on the motion of Mr. Whitbread, the following members were also appointed to the committee: viz. Mr. Fox, Mr. Grey, Mr. Sheridan, Lord Henry Petty, Lord Marsham, Mr. Giles, Lord, Folkestone, Mr. Raine, Dr. Laurence; Mr. Creevey, Mr. Holland, Mr. Calcraft, Mr. Kinnaird, Lord Porchester, Lord Archibald

619
Hamilton, Mr. C. Wynne, Mr. Jekyll, Mr. Morris, and Lord Temple.—Mr. Whitbread then moved, that the tenth report of the commissioners of naval enquiry, and the report of the select committee on said report, be refered to said committee, which was ordered. It was also ordered on the motion of Mr. Whitbread, that five of the committee be a quorum; that the committee do meet at 10 o'clock to-morrow in the speaker's chamber; that they have power to send for persons, papers, and records; that they have power to adjourn from time to time, and from place to place, and report from time to time, as it shall appear to them, to the house; and that they shall have power to sit during the sitting of parliament, notwithstanding any adjournment of the house.

WOOLLEN MANUFACTURER;S BILL.
Admiral Berkeley moved the order of the day for the third reading of the Woollen Manufacturer's bill, on which
Mr. P. Moore moved that counsel should be called in and heard against the bill, but the speaker suggesting that the third reading of the bill, according to the order of proceeding, should first be agreed to, and then previous to that reading the hon. member might introduce his motion. This form being therefore complied with, and it being ascertained by the serjeant at arms that counsel were waiting to be heard, the question was put for their admission. This question Admiral Berkeley and Mr. Dickenson opposed on the ground of creating delay. It was a bill for the suspension of penalties that, by former acts of parliament, were liable to be imposed on the manufacturers for practices which the interest of the trade required. The act passed for this purpose last session expired in the course of ten days, and were this not passed before that period, an opportunity would be given to such as might be so disposed, to molest and persecute the manufacturers.
Mr. P. Moore spoke in favour of the petitioning party. They were by no means anxious for delay, but on the contrary wished the business to be settled. The bill had been before the house two years, and was intended to prevent the due execution of arts that ought, in the opinion of the petitioners, to be enforced, and were necessary to the preservation and prosperity of the trade.
Mr. Wilberforce was friendly to the bill, but at the same time thought it fair that the petitioners should have an opportunity of stating their wishes on the subject, and
620
therefore would give his vote for the admission of counsel. The question however was negatived without a division, and the bill read a third time and passed.—Adjourned.