§ Mr. Serjeant Best gave notice that he should postpone his motion on the eleventh report of the commissioners of naval enquiry which stood for Monday, to Thursday.—Mr. Giles brought up the report of the committee on the Bank Forgery bill. The amendments were agreed to, and the bill ordered to be read a third time to-morrow.—The Leith Harbour bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed to-morrow.—Lord Glenbervie reported from the committee of secresy, to whom so much of the eleventh report of the commissioners of naval enquiry, as relates to the advance of one hundred thousand pounds for a secret naval service, was referred; and who were empowered to report their opinion and observations thereupon to the house; that the committee had considered the matter to them referred, and had come to a resolution thereupon, which they had directed him to report to the house; and he read the report in his place, and afterwards delivered it in at the table, where the same was read; 625 and the resolution of the committee is as followeth, Resolved, "That it is the opinion of this committee, that the said 100,000l. was advanced for an object to which the supplies granted for naval services were applicable; that the application thereof to that object was a measure in which the interests and honour of this country were concerned; that it was issued by the comptroller of the navy under orders from the lords of the treasury, with the knowledge and authority of the first lord of the admiralty, and in the fittest mode for answering the end proposed; that the clearing bill for 95,000l., part of the said sum of 100,000l., was granted on just and proper grounds; that the circumstances of the application of the money were of such a nature, that a .disclosure of them, either .at the period when they took place, or at any time since, would have been attended with public inconvenience; that it must be matter of regret, if any thing has occurred in the mean time which may have tended, in any degree, to such a disclosure; and that the reasons against such disclosure still continue, and render it the duty of the committee to abstain from entering into any farther particulars on the subject." Ordered, that the said report do lie upon the table, and be printed for the members of the house.—The British Museum bill for the purchase of the Townleian collection was committed, and the report was ordered to be received to-morrow.—Mr. sturges Bourne obtained leave to bring in a bill to enable the commissioners of his majesty's treasury to purchase certain grounds and premises adjoining the town ball of Westminster, for public purposes. The bill was afterwards brought in, read a first time, and the second reading ordered for to-morrow.—Lingham's Divorce bill was read a second time. Evidence being heard to prove that Mrs. Lingham was out of the kingdom, the service on her mother, Mrs. Dixon, was declared to be good service.—In pursuance of a message from their lordships, the speaker attended in the house of lords, and on his return informed the house, that the royal assent had been given by commission to the Lottery bill, the Additional Stamp Duty bill, the Spanish Red Wine Duty bill, the Loyalty Loan bill, the Post-horse Farming Duty bill, the Irish Malt Duty bill, the Irish Licence bill, the commissioners of Taxes bill, the Paymaster Generals Regulation bill, the Auditors Accounts bill, the West India Imports and Exports bill, the Irish Freehold bill, the British and 626 Irish Militia Pay bills, the Irish Compensation Commissioners bill, the Militia Subalterns bill, and a number of private bills.—On the motion of Mr. Huskisson, the house went into committees on the act relative to the drawbacks on sugar, and on the act relative to the duty on hops. The reports of these committees were ordered to be received to-morrow.—On the motion of Mr. Whitbread, Mr. Serjeant Best was ordered to be added to the committee, to whom Was entrusted the drawing up of the articles of impeachment against lord Melville.—Mr. Whitbread gave notice, that to-morrow he should move for leave to bring in a bill to indemnify Mr. Trotter from the penalties he had incurred by the acts detailed in the tenth report of the commissioners of naval enquiry.—On the motion of the secretary at war, the house went into a committee on the bill for enabling his majesty to keep in full pay the officers of the militia, notwithstanding the reduction.—Colonel Stanley introduced a clause, empowering his majesty, where the establishment of a militia regiment consisted of a colonel, two lieutenant-colonels, and two majors, in case of the death or resignation of one of the majors. to retain the junior lieutenant-colonel with his own rank, but with the pay of major alone. By this measure the hon. colonel contended, that his majesty would frequently be enabled to retain a valuable officer, who would wise be lost to the service. After a few words from the secretary at war and lord Temple, the clause was agreed to, and the house having resumed, the report was ordered to be received to-morrow.—On the motion of Mr. Rose, it was ordered that the house should, to-morrow, go into a committee on the act relating to the drawbacks on the exportation of linens from Great Britain.—The Custom House Fees bill, and the Warehouse bill, went through committees, and the reports were ordered to be received to-morrow.—Mr. Rose brought in a bill for imposing additional duties on straw bonnets, &c. imported into Great Britain; and Mr. D. Giddy a bill for encouraging the Pilchard fishery, which were read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow.—Mr. Paull gave notice, that to-morrow he should move for papers relative to the appointment in India of the hon. Henry Wellesley.—Mr. S. Bourne brought in a bill for purchasing ground in Old Palace-yard, &c. which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow.—The house went into a committee 627 on the Irish Loan act, the report of which was ordered to be received to-morrow.—Colonel Craufurd, adverting to the returns of the effective strength of the regular army that had been laid on the table yesterday, observed that in the last return the recruits at the foreign depot in Great Britain for the regiments on foreign service were stated as part of the effective strength of those regiments, while in the early returns they were not included, so that the house would be unable to judge accurately of the comparative strength of our regular army at different periods; he therefore moved, that there be laid before the house a return of the number of recruits for regiments on foreign service at the foreign depôt on the 1st of January, 1804, 1st of January, 1805, and 1st of June, 1806; observing that as these returns could with ease be made by to-morrow, he should not be obliged to delay his motion on account of them.—The secretary at war said, that in the returns of the two first periods in the hon. colonel's motions, those recruits (amounting then to 1000 men) had not been included in the return of the last period, (to the amount of 2000 men) they had been included. Colonel Craufurd's motion was then agreed to.—The Dublin Harbour Improvement bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed to-morrow.—On the motion of Mr. Foster, it was ordered that the house should to-morrow go into a committee on that part of a certain act which related to military surveys in Ireland.—Mr. Orinsby brought up the report of the committee of supply, the resolutions of which were read and agreed to, and bills ordered accordingly.—The Exchequer Bills bill went through a committee, in which a clause was introduced on the motion of the chancellor of the exchequer, to indemnify the bank for advancing money on the exchequer bills of the year 1803. The occasion of this clause was, that among the occasions of the vote of credit for that year, stated in the preamble of the bill, the invasion then apprehended was mentioned as the first. In engrossing the bill, by an inadvertance of which this was not the only instance, all the other Occasions but the invasion were left Out. As there could be no doubt that the objects of parliament in passing the vote of credit were not restricted to the event of the invasion the money had been advanced; and it was not till lately, perhaps from the effect of events that had recently happened, that it Occurred to them to desire this indemnity, 628 which there could be no doubt the house would grant for their satisfaction. The clause was agreed to. The reports were ordered to be received to-morrow.—Mr. Lamb from the South-Sea company presented to the house, pursuant to orders, an account of the amount of all unclaimed dividends on the public funds, which were receivable before 10th of October 1780, remained unpaid on 30th September and 31st December in the same year, and have since been paid at the South-Sea House; and also, an account of the amount of all unclaimed dividends on the several annuities payable at the South-Sea House, which were receivable before the 10th of October 1802, and remained unpaid on 30th September and 31st December in the same year; and also, an account of all stocks standing at the South-Sea House in the name of the accountant general of the court of chancery or the deputy remembrancer of the court of exchequer, in trust for the suitors of those courts respectively; made up to the 1st of October 1804. Ordered that the said accounts do lie upon the table.—Mr. Bulle from the exchequer presented to the house, pursuant to their address to his majesty, an account of all monies which had been issued by his Majesty's orders, pursuant to the addresses of the house of commons, and which have not been made good by parliament; with a duplicate. Ordered, that the said account do lie upon the table.—Mr. Huskisson presented to the house, pursuant to their orders, return of the number of men raised for the new levies between the 1st January and 1st May 1805, which are included in the adjutant general's return of recruits raised during that period, by the ordinary mode of recruiting; and also, return of the number of men who had volunteered from the militia into the regular army under the act of the 10th April 1805, who are included in the adjutant general's return of the effective strength of the army on the 1st of May 1805. Ordered, that the said returns do lie upon the table; and be printed for the members of the house.