§ Mr. Dickinson, jun. Presented to the house, pursuant to their orders, copies of the reports which have been made to the navy board by the officers of the dock yards, on examining the Stetin timber, which was used on his majesty's ships some years since by way of experiment to ascertain its durability; and also, an account of sums paid for repairs of the ships therein-mentioned, shewing to whom such sums were paid, and the years in which paid, together with the price which each of the ships would have cost if built by contract at the respective periods; and also, an account shewing the price of timber in the king's yards on the 18th of February 1801, and the advances which have been since made thereon—the advantages given by the alteration in the mode of measurement and qualifications are shewn in money; and also, an account of the prices given for oak timber in a rough state, delivered at his majesty's dock yards; and also, an account of the qualifications and prices of sided timber. Together with a schedule of the said papers: and the said schedule was read. Ordered, that the said papers do lie upon the table.—Mr. Sturges Bourne brought up the report of the committees on the act relative to the duties on foreign crown and plate glass. Leave was given to bring in a bill for laying an additional duty of 2s. 6d. a foot on every foot, superficial measure, of all foreign rough plate glass, and ground or polished plate or crown glass imported into Great Britain; and also an additional duty of customs of one shilling on every foot superficial measure, of German sheet glass imported into Great Britain.—Mr. Sturges Bourne reported from the committee of the whole house, to whom it was referred to consider of so much of an act, made in the 43d year of his present majesty, as charges a duty on hops, the resolution which the committee had directed him to report to the house; which he read in his place, and afterwards delivered in 637 at the table, where the same was read, and agreed to by the house, and is as followeth, viz. Resolved, that one halfpenny of the duty of two-pence-halfpenny per pound weight avoirdupois, charged by the said act on hops the growth of Great Britain, do cease and determine. Ordered, that a bill he brought in upon the said resolution; and that Mr. Sturges Bourne, Mr. Huskisson, and Mr. Alexander, do prepare, and bring in, the same.—Mr. John Latouche reported from the committee, to whom the bill to repeal several acts, passed in the parliament of Ireland, for regulating the baking trade in the city and county of Dublin, and liberties thereof, and for better regulating the said trade; and for preventing frauds in the buying and selling of corn, was committed; that the committee had examined the allegations of the bill, and found the same to be true; and that the committee had gone through the bill, and made several amendments thereunto, which they had directed him to report to the house; and he read the report in his place, and afterwards delivered the bill, with the amendments, in at the table, where the amendments were read, and agreed to by the house. Ordered, that the bill, with the amendments, be ingrossed.—Mr. Blackburne, of Lancashire, according to order, reported from the committee of the whole house, to whom the bill to explain and amend an act, made in the last session of parliament, to regulate the importation and exportation of corn, and the bounties and duties payable thereon, was committed; the amendments which the committee had made to the bill, and which they had directed him to report to the house; and he read the report in his place, and afterwards delivered the bill, with the amendments, in at the table, where the report was read. After a long conversation, in which Mr. M'Dowal, Mr. Fergusson, Mr. Rose, Mr. Patteson, lord A. Hamilton, sir John Sinclair, and Mr. Giddy, took a part, an amendment was made on the suggestion of Mr. M'Dowal, in the clause relating to the mode of taking the average price for exportation and importation into Scotland, which is now to be taken in virtue of the clause so amended, front the average of the twelve maritime counties of England and Wales, instead of the sixteen maritime districts of Great Britain; the bill was ordered to be read a third time on Monday—Mr. Sheridan moved, that the order of the day, for the house to resolve itself into a committee of the whole a use, upon the bill for settling and securing 638 a certain annuity on John, now Duke of Atholl, and such person or persons as would for ever hereafter, for the time being, have been lord or lords of the Isle of Man, if the same had not been re-vested in his majesty, by an act passed in the fifth year of his reign, be now read. Mr. Curwen said, he could not consent to go into the committee. The house divided: for going into the committee, 50; against it, 22. The house then went into the committee. The proposed compensation was agreed to, and the report ordered to be received on Monday.—A petition of William Lingham, the younger, was presented to the house, and read; setting forth, that, by an order of the house, made on the second reading of the ingrossed bill from the lords, intituled, An act to dissolve the marriage of William Lingham, the younger, with Eliza Lingham, his now wife, and to enable him to marry again, and for other purposes therein mentioned, it was ordered, that it be an instruction to the said committee, that they do hear counsel, and examine witnesses, for the said bill; and also, that they do hear counsel, and examine witnesses, against the said bill, if the parties concerned think fit to be heard by counsel, or produce witnesses; and that the petitioner is informed, and verily believe that the said Eliza Lingham is now, and has been for upwards of two years back, in the dominions of France; and therefore praying, that the service of the said order, and delivering a copy of the said bill, to Mrs. Dixon, the mother of the said Eliza Lingham, and at whose house the said Eliza Lingham last resided in England, may be deemed as effectual notice to the said Eliza Lingham of the order of the house, and of the time of the commitment of the said bill, as if the same had been personally served on the said Eliza Lingham. Ordered, that the said petition do lie upon the table.—A petition of John Woodhouse, of Douglas, in the Isle of Man, in behalf of himself and other fish curers in the said island, was presented to the house, and read; setting forth that, encouraged by various acts of parliament, the petitioner, and other fish curers, in the Isle of Man, had invested a considerable sum in the purchase of vessels, and in the building of numerous and expensive houses necessary for the curing of herrings, within the said isle; and that an act was passed, in the 26th year of his present majesty, for the more effectual encouragement of the British fisheries, and, in the year 1787, the bounty granted by the said act 639 was paid in the Isle of Man on herrings cured, either red or white; but, by a subsequent, and, as is contended, an improper interpretation of the act, it has since that time been discontinued to the former, and is now only paid on herrings cured white, which make an object of comparatively small importance, the principal curing in the island being red; and that the payment of the shilling bounty on herrings cured red, according to the legal requisites, has regularly been made to the Liverpool and Yarmouth fisheries, as also to the petitioner, at Port Isle Martin, in Scotland; and that the intention of the legislature, that due and equal encouragement with that granted to his majesty's other British subjects should be given to the inhabitants of the Isle of Man employed in the said fisheries is clearly expressed in the said act; and that the petitioner observes, from the returns laid upon the table of the house, that very considerable balances of the revenue accruing on customs, are now in the hands of the receiver general, or others, subject to the disposition of parliament; and that the petitioner has also learned, that the Duke of Atholl, by his petition of the 26th of March last, seeks to obtain a further compensation out of the surplus revenue of the Isle of Man, on the grounds of alleged inadequacy of price, for the rights ceded by his family to the crown in 1765; and that the petitioner, on behalf of himself and others concerned in the herring fishery, and from whom such bounties as aforesaid have been with-held, begs leave to submit, that any such permanent appropriation of the surplus revenue, or grant of the present accumulated balance, might be subversive of the just claims of the petitioner and others, and would be highly injurious to the fisheries of the said isle; and therefore praying, that the case of the petitioner and his fellow sufferers may he taken into consideration, and that he may be heard, by his counsel, in support thereof, and against the measure of alienating any part of the revenue of the Isle of Man. Ordered, that the said petition do lie upon the table.—An ingrossed bill was received from the lords, intituled, "An act to vest the settled estates of John Hamilton Fitzmaurice, commonly called lord Kirkwall, in the counties of Denbigh and Flint, in trustees, in trust to be sold for the payment of debts affecting the same, and his other settled estates; and after payment thereof, for the investment of the residue of the monies to arise by such sale in 640 the purchase of other estates to be conveyed to the uses of the said settled estates, and for other purposes therein mentioned," was read a second time, and committed.—Mr. Giles presented to the house (according to order) a bill to alter and extend the provisions of the laws now in force for the punishment of the forgery of bank notes, bills of exchange, and other securities, to every part of the united kingdom; and the same was received, and read the first time, and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow.—An ingrossed bill for dividing and allotting lands in the parish of Snalewell, in the county of Cambridge, was read a third time and passed.—A message was received from the lords, stating, that the lords have agreed to the bill, intituled, "An act to indemnify all persons concerned in advancing 40,000 pounds to Messrs. Boyd, Benfield, and Company, in 1796, out of monies issued for naval services; without any amendment;" and also, that the lords have agreed to the bill, intituled, "An act to amend, and render more effectual, an act, passed in the 42d year of his present majesty's reign, for consolidating the provisions of the several acts passed for the redemption and sale of the land tax into one act;" without any amendment.—Mr. Whitbread, pursuant to his notice, moved for leave to bring in a bill to indemnify Mr. Trotter, and such other persons who had acted under lord Melville, when treasurer of the navy, as may be called upon to give evidence on the impeachment, from any penalties that may attach to them from any share they may have had in the transactions with respect to which they will be called upon to give testimony. Leave given.—On the motion of Mr. Rose, the house went into a committee on the southern whale fishery bill. Mr. Barham wished for a time to present a petition on behalf of certain Americans settled at Milford, hitherto permitted as an encouragement to pursue this fishery, to import the oil duty free. Mr. Rose and Sir C. Price contended that the privilege was abused, by importing the oil from America, and not deriving it from the fishery. After a few observations from Mr. Sheridan, in support of Mr. Barham's observations, the house went into a committee. Mr. Barham proposed in the committee a clause to continue the indulgence granted to those. Americans. The house divided, the claim was negatived, and the report was ordered to be received on Monday.