Sitting of 9 February 1804

MINUTES.—
The House met at half past three o'clock. On counting over the House at four, it appeared that 142 members were present, and they forthwith proceeded to a ballot for a Committee, to try the merits of the petitions complaining of an undue election and return for the borough of Windsor, The gentlemen composing the Committee are, Hon. J. Scott, Hon. H. Lascelles, J. Ferguson, Esq., Hon. E. Lascelles, J. Lubbock, Esq., G. Porter, Esq. J. Fane, Esq., Hon. R. Curzon, Hon. C. Norton, J. W, Willett, Esq., F. Burton, Esq., Sir H. W. Dashwood, Bart., W. Baldwin, Esq. Nominees, C. Dundas, Esq., W. S. Bourne, Esq.—Sir J. Anderson brought up the report of the Committee on the London port bill; the amendments were agreed to, and the bill ordered to be engrossed.—He also
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brought up the bill for enabling the West India dock company to raise a further sum of money for completion of their works. Read a first time.—Colonel Stanley Wrought up a petition from the town and corporation of Liverpool, praying leave to bring in a bill for the erection of a ferry-house. Referred to a Committee.—The Committee of the whole House on the mutiny bill was postponed to this day se-nnight.—The Per ugal seed corn exportation indemnity bill was passed through a Committee. Report ordered to be received to-morrow.

MIDDLESEX ELECTION COMMITTEE.—
Lord Marshamreported from The. Middlesex Committee, that it had not been able to proceed to business this day, in consequence of the absence of Benj Walsh, Esq. a member of said Committee, which had been occasioned by indisposition, and that a medical gentleman was ready to very the same upon oath at the bar. Dr. Armstrong stated, that he had been to visit Mr. Walsh about three o'clock, when he found him much better; that he was then informed that Mr. Walsh had been so violently affected with a cholera morbus in she morning, as to be unable to leave his house; but that he expected he I should be able to attend his duty to-morrow.—Mr. Walsh was then, on the motion of Lord Marsham, excused for his absence.

STIRLING PETITION.—
Mr. Creeveymade a motion that the order for taking the Stirling petition into consideration on the 1st of March should be discharged, to await the decision of the House of Lords on an appeal from an adjudication of the Court of Session in Scotland, relative to certain persons who voted at that election. The application he made on the part of Sir R. Abercromby, and as no inconvenience could ensue to any of the parties, he trusted the House would have no difficulty to accede to his motion.
The Chancellor of the Exchequerwas not aware of any objection to the motion of the hon. member, betas it was usual to precede such motions with notices, he thought the regular course of proceeding should not be departed from. It could not interfere with the object of the hon. member to fix his motion for a future day, and the House and the parties would thereby have an opportunity of considering whether it was or was not liable to objection.—After a few observations from Mr. Curwen and Mr. Wm, Dundas, Mr. Creevey noticed Ins motion for to morrow.

MOTION FOR PAPERS.—
Mr. Thomas Grenvillerose, for the purpose of offering

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to the House a motion, which, if he were to adhere to the usual forms of proceeding in such cases, it would be proper to submit, after a previous notice. It did not, however, appear to him necessary to conform, in the present instance, to the established usage of Parliament; and he was confident the House would concur with him in that opinion, when put in possession of the words of his motion. His object in making it was, to have certain papers aid upon their table to which members could regularly refer on all occasions, as official documents. The papers he alluded to were, Copies of the correspondence between his Majesty's Secretaries of Stale by letters called circular, and the Lords Lieutenants of the different counties of Great-Britain. Every one of these letters bad been primed and circulated, by order of his Majesty's government, for which reason, he could neither conceive any objection that could possibly be made to laying them on the table, nor did he suppose a notice of his motion necessary. The papers contained all the directions of his Majesty's ministers, for the regulation and establishment of the volunteer corps, as well as for the better training and disciplining the people under the general defence act, and would be found useful documents to which to refer in discussions concerning these subjects. He believed he; was correct in staling, that all these letters bad been printed. The House would, therefore, see, that if he departed in this instance from the usual practice, it was on an occasion which bore no resemblance to the ordinary cases in which motions are made for the production of papers. If he should underhand from such of his Majesty's ministers as were in the House, that his motion would not be resisted, it would not be necessary for him to occupy more of the time of the House than barely to move "That there be laid before the House, Copies of all the circular letters, written since the commencement of the present war, by any of his Majesty's Secretaries of State to the Lords Lieutenants of the different counties in Great-Britain, respecting the establishment and regulation of volunteer corps, and respecting oilier measures for the defence of the country, and for the better execution of the acts of the last session of Parliament,"—Ordered.