§ Mr. John Fanepresented a petition from the debtors confined in the gaol of the county of Oxford, praying relief.—Sir W. Geary presented a petition from the debtors confined in the gaol of Maidstone.—Admiral Berkeley presented a petition from the debtors confined in the gaol of the county of Gloucester; and admiral Hervey, one from those confined in the gaol of Chelmsford; which were ordered to lie on the table.—Mr. Ellison presented a petition from the maltsters of Boston, in Lincolnshire, praying certain regulations respecting the malt duty, which would be equally productive to the revenue, and relieve them from certain hardships to which they are at present subject. Ordered to lie on the table.— Mr. W. Dickenson, from the admiralty, presented the several papers moved for towards the close of last session by Mr. Jeffery, and admiral Markham, relating to ships of war, during the presidency of earl St. Vincent at the board of admiralty. Ordered to lie on the table, and to be printed.—Lord F. Spencer, from the committee appointed to prepare the address in reply to his majesty's most gracious speech to both houses of parliament, pre- 24 sented their report at the bar. The report was brought up, and the address read a first and second time, and agreed to. It was then ordered, on the motion of lord Castlereagh that it be presented by the whole house, and that such members of the house, as were of his majesty's privy council should wait on his majesty, to know when his majesty would be graciously pleased to be waited upon therewith.— Mr. Sheridan moved, that there be laid before the house, a return of the number of effective men that had been raised under the act of the 44th of his majesty, intitled an act for raising a permanent additional force, up to the period of the last return, together with an account of the number that have been recruited per week, distinguishing those that have been raised by parish officers. Also, the number of those that have volunteered from this force for general service. Ordered. Similar returns were also ordered, on the motion of Mr. Sheridan, for Scotland and Ireland.—Mr. H Thornton presented a petition from G. B. Mainwaring, and several Freeholders of the county of Middlesex, complaining of the return of sir Francis Burdett, bart. to serve in parliament for that county. The hon. member reminded the house of the circumstances under which the consideration of a similar petition had been deferred from the last to the present session, and stated, that this petition was only a renewal of the former one. A copy of the petition will be found in vol. iv. page 1. It was brought up, and ordered to be taken into consideration on Tuesday the 4th of February.—Mr. Williams, secretary to the commissioners of naval enquiry, presented at the bar the 12th report of that commission, and also some observations by way of supplement to the first report of the commissioners of naval enquiry, on a memorial presented to the house by the commissioners of the navy board. Ordered to lie on the table, and, on the motion of sir C. Pole, to be printed.—On the motion of Mr. Alexander, the committee on expiring laws, together with the other standing committees of privileges, trade, religion, courts of justice, &c. and the several standing orders of the house were voted.