Commons Sitting of 13 March 1811

INFORMATIONS EX OFFICIO FOR LIBEL.
Lord Folkestonesaid, that as the time was arrived when the notices should come on, and the members most particularly concerned in his intended motion upon the subject of Ex Officio Informations, were not in their places, he should move that the House do now adjourn, at the same time giving notice that he would bring forward the same motion on Thursday, (to-morrow.)
Mr. Bankeswas of opinion that a considerable degree of inconvenience would result from agreeing to the motion of adjournment, as there was some public business standing for this day, which ought not to be impeded in its progress through the House.
Lord Folkestonesaid, that the ground upon which he made the motion was the nature of the new arrangement. He had given regular notice that on this day he should bring the subject of Ex Officio Informations by the Attorney and Solicitors General under the consideration of the House. This was the day when, according to the new arrangement, notices took place of orders, and yet though it was now fire o'clock, the gentlemen were not
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come down, and several notices were gone through.
The Chancellor of the Exchequersaid, he was sure that the House would not agree to an adjournment in the present instance, as he had himself given notice of a motion upon Exchequer Bills. If the noble lord thought proper, he might postpone his motion to a future clay.
Mr. Abercrombiethought, that no member should omit an opportunity of exposing the inconvenience resulting from the late arrangement introduced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It was generally understood that Wednesday was not a day of business, and the absence of the Attorney and Solicitors-General had placed the noble lord in an extraordinary situation, for he must now postpone his motion until after the orders of the day were disposed of, or bring it on in the absence of those gentlemen who were principally interested in the discussion.
Lord Folkestoneagreed to withdraw the motion of adjournment, and said, that in the course of the evening he would name a day for the motion he had noticed for this night.—The noble lord afterwards gave notice, that it was his intention to persist in his motion to-morrow.
The Attorney Generalsaid, he, was sorry that in courtesy to him the motion of the noble lord had been postponed; he was unavoidably detained to that moment, and it was the first time that such a thing had happened to him.

FUNDED EXCHEQUER BILLS
The House having resolved itself into a Committee o Supply,
The Chancellor of the Exchequersaid, that it was not his intention to enter into any lengthened discussion at the present moment; if it should be thought necessary that such discussion should take place, an opportunity would occur in some future stage. He should now state the sum to be funded in Exchequer Bills, the day in which tenders should be received, and the amount to be paid in stock. He was desirous of trying this year, whether the funding in the five percents might not be carried to a greater extent that it was last year. The amount was then 8,000,000, which he should change in the present year to 12,000,000. He should propose that all bills issued from the 1st day of April 1810, to the 16th day of March, 1811, and carried to the Exchequer between the 21st and 27th of this month,

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should be entitled, for every 100 l. sterling, to 103 l. 14 s. 7d. out of the 5 per cents. At the period of the last loan the 5 per cents. were in the morning of that day at 97, since then there was no great change. This day they were 97¼. Calculating the sum at 101 l 7s. 4d. and the interest at 7s. the person would have a bonus of 14 s. This he trusted would be considered sufficient encouragement. He concluded with moving two Resolutions, the first providing, That every person who brought bills issued from the 1st of April 1810, the 16th of March 1811, and carried the same to the Exchequer between the 21st and 27th of this month, should be entitled to receive for every 100 l. 103 l. 14 s. 7d. the interest commencing in January last, to be paid out of the consolidated fund. The second Resolution provided that the issue of Exchequer Bills should not exceed 12 millions.
After a few words from Mr. Baring, the House resumed, and the Report was ordered to be received to-morrow.