Sitting of 30 June 1806

MINUTES.
A new writ was ordered to be issued for the election of a member for the borough of Sligo, in the room of Owen Wynne, esq. who had accepted of the office of escheater of Munster.—Mr. Williams presented the 14th report of the commissioners of naval inquiry. Ordered to be printed.—Lord Howick said, that he was about to move for some papers, to the granting of which there could be no objection. It would be proper to state to the house the reason why he asked for them. Soon after he had come into office he had been informed on good authority that in consequence of the embankments at Catwater, near Plymouth, the Sound there might in a short time become unsafe for his Majesty's ships. Having this information from respectable authority, he had thought the matter of sufficient moment to require examination. He had accordingly ordered an inquiry to be made by engineers, whose reports, in some
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degree, confirmed what he had heard on this point. They, however, requested time to make a more minute and accurate report, and this, by some accident, did not come to his hands till the 18th of the present month. This he stated to account for the lateness of the period at which he submitted this affair to the house. After he should have obtained the papers, his design was to refer them to a committee, which should inquire whether any injury was likely to arise to Plymouth Sound from these embankments, or if no injury was likely to arise, whether any more works of that kind should be allowed to be carried on without authority from some competent public body, or a consent on the part of the crown, such as was required in a grant of public money. He concluded by moving, for a copy of the report of the 18th, made by Messrs. Rennie and Whitby on this subject, and an extract of the other report, with the plan of the Sound. The motion was agreed to, the papers presented, and referred to a committee as proposed.—A message from the lords desired a present conference with the commons in a matter that concerned the good correspondence between the two houses. On the motion of lord Howick, the house agreed to the conference: managers were appointed and went out. On their return, lord Howick stated that the lords had communicated to them that in consequence of the examination of lord Teignmouth before the commons, relative to a charge against marquis Wellesley, they had taken the matter into their most serious consideration; that they had searched for precedents, but could only find one, Which was that of lord Balcarras in 1779. On the motion of lord Howick this communication was ordered to be taken into consideration on Friday next.—On the motion of sir W. Young, lord Temples proposed motion relative to the Oude charge was postponed from Wednesday to Friday.—Mr. Kerr gave notice that early next session he would move for a committee to examine the acts relative to the Irish roads.—Lord Douglas moved, that the return to the order of the house of the 8th of May, for an account of the gratuities and pensions granted by the East India company since 1793, should be made forthwith. Ordered.—The Greenwich chest and Greenwich hospital bills were brought up, read a first time, and

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ordered to be read a second time, and to be printed.—On the motion of Mr. Windham, the training bill was committed, When a discussion took place on every clause; the whole, however, was at length got through, the house resumed, the report was received, and ordered to be taken into farther consideration the next day.—Mr. Yorke gave notice that he should on the third reading of the bill propose a clause, enabling his Majesty, if a sufficient number of volunteers to his satisfaction should offer, to suspend the operation of the bill.

BARRACKS.
The Secretary at Warsaid, that seeing an hon. Member in his place, who had moved for certain papers relative to the Barrack department he wished to know whether he meant to bring forward any motion on them?
Mr. Robsonanswered, that he made a motion for such papers, but that the business had been taken out of his hands by the chancellor of the exchequer, and if he did justice to the cause he had taken in hand, it would not be necessary for him to make any motion on the subject; but if the chancellor of the exchequer did not pursue it, he would make a motion on the subject in the course of the present week.
The Secretary at Warwished the hon. Member would name the day, as he had other papers to move for, which would throw more light on the subject.
Mr. Robsonreplied that he understood by what had passed that the chancellor of the exchequer had abandoned the business, and he therefore gave notice, that he would, on Friday, bring forward a motion on the subject.
The Secretary at Warsaid he had no authority from the chancellor of the exchequer, who was not then in his place, to say he had abandoned the business, nor did he say any such thing.

AFFAIRS OF INDIA—RECAL OF SIR G. BARLOW.
Lord Melvilleadverted to the intention he had intimated on Thursday, of asking a question this day, respecting the affairs of India. Seeing a noble lord (Minto) in his place, he wished to ask, whether there existed at present any government general of India in Bengal, and if there did, of whom it consisted?
Lord Mintosaid, he felt no difficulty in answering the questions of the noble viscount, to whom, as well as to every noble lord in the house, he wished to give every information in his power, whenever it could be given with propriety. He conceived that the same government general of India existed now in Bengal as there did when that event took place, which was so much deplored, the death of marquis Cornwallis. He had no hesitation in stating, that his majesty had been advised to issue orders for vacating the commission under which the functions of the government of India were exercised. This had been done according to the terms of the act of parliament. There was, however, a provision made in the orders sent out, that all the members of the present government should exercise their functions, until the publication of a new commission at Calcutta. There would not, therefore, be a moment's interval between the cessation of the functions of one government, and the assumption of those functions by another.
Lord Melvillefelt it necessary to trouble the noble lord with another question, which was, whether any intimation had been sent to sir G. Barlow, that he only held the government until the arrival of a successor?
Lord Mintosaid, that intimation had been sent to sir G. Barlow of the vacation of the commission of government. The vacation of the commission of course applied to all the members of the council, but only pro forma, it not being the intention of go ernment to make any change in the council. This, however, as The noble lord knew, rested with the court of directors: all he could say was, that it was not the intention of government to change any of the members of the council.
Lord Melvillemaintained, from what the noble lord had stated, that there was at present, virtually, no government general existing in India. From what had been stated by the noble lord, added to the dispatches in the gazette, which he had read within an hour of his coming to the house, he could not help feeling considerable anxiety with respect to the situation of affairs in India. His lordship gave notice of a motion respecting the government general of India for Friday, for which day the lords were ordered to be summoned