—A petition of several persons interested in British ships and vessels frequenting and trading to the port of London, was presented to the house, and read; taking notice of the bill to repeal two acts, passed in the 6th and 32d years of his late majesty, for the regulation of lastage and ballastage in the river Thames, and to make more effectual regulations relating thereto; and setting forth,that the same contains several clauses and provisions which, if passed into a law, would be very injurious to the petitioners; and therefore praying, that they may be heard, by counsel, against so much of the said bill as affects them, and that the same may not pass into a law as it now stands. Ordered, that the said petition be referred to the consideration of the committee to whom the said bill is committed; and 844 that the petitioners be heard, by their counsel, before the said committee, upon their petition, if they think fit. Ordered, that it be an instruction to the said committee, that they do admit counsel to be heard, at the same time, in favour of the said bill against the said petition.—On the motion of Mr. Rose, the house, in a committee, went through the bill for regulating the office of paymaster of the forces. The report was brought up and ordered to be taken into consideration on Monday.—Mr. Western proposed that all gentlemen upon the corn committee should have votes, which was agreed to.—Admiral Markham gave notice, that on Wednesday he should move for the naval papers, of which he had given a previous intimation,—Ordered, that the order of the day, for the house to resolve itself into a committee of the whole house, to consider of the report which was made from the committee to whom the petition of the master, wardens, freemen and commonalty, of the mystery of vintners of the city of London, under their common seal, was referred, be now read: and the same being read; it was resolved, that this house will, to-morrow, resolve itself into the said committee.—Ordered, that the order of the day, for the house to resolve itself into a committee of the whole house, upon the bill for repealing so much of an act, made in the 34th year of his present majesty, as, exempts slate, the value whereof shall not exceed twenty shillings per ton, brought coastwise within Great Britain, from the duty thereby granted, be now read: and the same being read; the house resolved itself into the said committee; and, after some time spent therein, Mr. Speaker resumed the chair; and Mr. Alexander reported from the committee, that they had gone through the bill, and made several amendments thereunto, which they had directed him to report, when the house will please to receive the same. Orderer, that the,report be received to-marrow.—The order of the day being read, for the house to resolve itself into a committee of the whole house, upon the bill for making more effectual provision for the supplying of cities and market towns in Ireland with water; resolved, that this house will,to-marrow, resolve itself into the said committee.—Ordered, that the order of the day, for the second reading of the bill for granting to his majesty certain additional stamp duties, for amending the laws relating to the stamp duties, and for indemnifying persons who have acted as notaries public, without being duly licensed in Ireland, be now read: and the 845 same being read; the said bill was read as a second time, and committed to a committee of the whole house, for to-morrow,—a petition of Sir T. S. M. Stanley, bart. was presented to the house, and read; taking notice of the bill for improving the passage between the town of Liverpool and the county of Chester, at the Rock Ferry, on the river Mersey, and for levying tolls on vessels using the same; and setting forth, that the petitioner and his ancestors have for time immemorial been seised of an ancient and very valuable ferry on the Cheshire side of the said river Mersey, called Eastham Ferry; and in case the piers, slips, and quays, in the said bill mentioned, are made and extended in the manner thereby proposed, the petitioner may be greatly prejudiced, and the profits of the said ferry considerably diminished; and therefore praying, that he may be heard, by his counsel, or agents, against the said bill, and that the same may not pass into a law. Ordered, that the said petition do lie upon the table, until the report be received from the committee to whom the said bill is committed; and that the petitioner be then heard, by his counsel, or agents, against the said bill, upon his petition, if he thinks fit.
[PETITION FROM CORNWALL RESPECTING THE TENTH NAVAL REPORT.—A petition of the gentlemen, clergy, freeholders, and inhabitants, of the county of Cornwall, was presented to the house, and read; setting forth, "that the abuses in the expenditure of the public money, which have been lately brought to light by the commissioners of naval enquiry, have filled the minds of the petitioners with alarm and indignation, and they call upon the house for the speedy remedy of such abuses, and for the exemplary punishment of the offenders; and that abuses in the expenditure of the public money (at all times matter of grievance) are peculiarly felt at this time, when so great a weight Of taxation fills upon all ranks of people; and; that a defence has been attempted of the guilt of the offenders, by the assertion that no actual mischief has been sustained by these gross breaches of trust and offences against law as if the direct violation of a statute were not a high crime and mis-demeanour without the aggravation, that the violation of which the petitioners complain was systematic, and committed by a confidential servant of the crown, himself the framer of the act which he has broken, and enjoying and increased salary under that very act, in full satisfaction of all wages and fees, and other profits and emoluments theretofore enjoyed by former treasurers; and that such 846 a defence naturally increases the fear that peculation in the expenditure of the public money is not confined to the naval department; and that the petitioners have long submitted to severe privations, in the persuasion that they were necessary to the welfare and safety of the country, and they claim, as their right, that the money which is liberally granted shall be legally applied; and that the petitioners look with a confident hope to the house, after their votes of the 8th and 10th days of April last, that, as constitutional guardians of their liberty and property, they will neither be deterred nor diverted from a full and impartial enquiry into all abuses, in whatever department they may exist; and that the enquiry now begun will not cease, until all abuses in every public board be remedied, since so only will the minds of the petitioners be satisfied, the credit of the government be upheld, and that free constitution be preserved inviolate, which is the sacred birthright of Englishmen; and that lord viscount Melville, having been declared guilty of a high misdemeanour, by the vote of the house of the 8th of April last, a civil action is inadequate to the end proposed, and in itself incapable of satisfying the demands of public justice." Ordered to lie upon the table.