Page images
PDF
EPUB

The queftion was then put upon the motion that the other Orders of the Day be now read :

Ayes
Noes

39

27

The Vote of Credit Bill went through a Committee. The Report ordered to be received on Monday.

Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.
MONDAY, April 13.

VICTORY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.

The First Lord of the Admiralty (Earl Spencer) gave notice, that he should the next day move that the thanks of the House be voted to Vice-Admirals Hotham, Sir Hyde Parker, and Goodall, and the Captains, officers, marines, and feamen, ferving under the command of Vice-Admiral Hotham, by means of whofe fkill and bravery the late victory was obtained over the French fleet in the Mediterranean.

The Earl of Lauderdale faid, he did not rife to fay any thing in objection to the intended motion, but merely to exprefs a hope, that the Noble Earl was prepared with facts to prove that a victory had lately been obtained in the Mediterranean: Perhaps it was merely owing to want of information, but he could not help entertaining fome doubt of the fact.

The First Lord of the Admiralty faid, he believed it was not ufual to debate a motion before it was made; he should therefore content himself with moving that the Lords be fummoned for the next day.-Ordered.

CONGRATULATION OF HIS MAJESTY ON THE MARRIAGE OF THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES.

The Earl of Mansfield, in a fhort, but dignified and eloquent fpeech, called their Lordships attention to a motion which he flattered himself would meet with the unanimous concurrence of every Noble Lord prefent, viz. to vote a congratulatory addrefs to his Majefty on the happy circumstance of the nuptials of his Royal Highnefs the Prince of Wales with the Princefs Caroline of Brunfwick-an event which, as it gave hopes of a continuance of the Royal line, afforded the nation the flattering profpect of additional fecurity for the prelongation of the many bleffings it had enjoyed under the government of the auguft Sovereign now upon the throne of thefe kingdoms. Marriage was a ftate which his Royal Highness

the

the Prince of Wales, after due confideration, had determined to enter into, from a confcioufnefs that though it certainly added to the duties, it much enlarged the comforts of life. His Royal Highness had well weighed the confequences of such a serious change of his condition, and viewing the bright example of connubial felicity which his Royal parents held up to all their subjects, had been equally led by reafon and choice to enable himself to imitate their conduct, under the affurance that a perfeverance in the fame steady courfe of mutual affection, and unceafing regard and attention to each other, would enfure to him and his illuftrious confort the fame continued feries, of the fame enviable enjoyments arifing out of that fubftantial blifs, domeftic happinefs. No reasonable man, the Earl faid, could contemplate the ftate of marriage without being convinced that it was a state in which all the amiable paffions were engaged and interested in the cause of virtue and truth; the best and most effential felicities of life derived their origin from that fource; it enhanced the joys, and divided the forrows to which human nature was unavoidably liable; it diffused the bleflings that refulted from it, univerfally, pervading the palace and the cottage alike, pouring the balm of confolation and comfort into the breaft wounded by affliction, whether caufed by fudden calamity and change of fortune, or the lefs avertible evils of perfonal pain or individual illness. Thoroughly perfuaded of the permanent, pure, and tranquil joys that flowed from it under every circumftance of life, he felt it to be a folid ground of congratulation to his Majesty in fo aufpicious an event as the marriage to which he had referred; and therefore, without any longer detaining their Lordfhips, he would come directly to his purpofe, and move that an humble addrefs be prefented to his Majefty to congratulate his Majesty on the nuptials of his Royal Highnefs the Prince of Wales, &c. &c. &c.

The motion was agreed to nemine contradicente, and a Committee was inftantly appointed to draw up the proper

addrefs.

The Lords named on the Committee withdrew, and in a few minutes returned with the addrefs, which was agreed to, and the Lords, with white staves, ordered to wait on his Majefty, and know his Majefty's pleafure, when he would be attended by that Houfe to prefent the fame.

The Earl of Mansfield then moved an addrefs of congratulation to her Majefty on the fame happy occafion, which was likewife agreed to nemine diffentiente.

[blocks in formation]

His Lordship next moved a congratulatory addrefs to their Royal Highneffes the Prince and Princefs of Wales on the fame joyful occafion.

Agreed to nemine difentiente.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MONDAY, April 13.

The Bill for widening the avenue to the city of London through Temple Bar was read a fecond time, and ordered to be committed before a felect Committee.

Mr. Byng prefented a petition on behalf of the gardeners, maltsters, brewers, diftillers, foap-boilers, chandlers, and other tradefmen, ftating, that if the Bill now pending for the obferv ance of the Lord's day be paffed into a law, they would be materially injured in their trades, and fome of them ruined.Referred to a Committee on the Bill.

The Southern Whale Fishery Bill was read a first time, as was alfo the Bill for indemnifying Governors, &c. of the Weft India islands, who have permitted the importation of goods in foreign bottoms.

The British Fishery Bill was ordered to be read a third time this day fe'nnight.

FRANKING.

Mr. Hobart brought up the report of the Franking Bill. The amendments to the refolutions of the former Committees upon the Bill being read,

Mr. Dent faid, he had great fatisfaction to see Government attentive to the object of correcting abufes in the privilege of franking-abufes which had fubfifted to an alarming degree. He had no objection to this Bill, but he wanted to abolish other abuses, namely, those which arofe from the exercife of it by clerks in the different offices. He muft, however, obferve, that fome of the Members of that House had abused the privilege of franking to a degree that made it shameful. He understood, that fome Members had for their own.emolument franked letters to a vast amount. He would fuppofe it to be to the number of 300. If a Member of that House had got another to aflift him, who could write a better hand, and more expeditiously than himfelf; in that cafe fome further information fhould be had from the Poft-office. He would fuppofe another cafe, that a Member under the allegation of

his being too infirm in body to write for himself, although he might come to the Houfe in apparent good health, fhould appoint another to write for him a prodigious number of letters daily for a great length of time; he would then afk, whether fome further regulation than this Bill provided was not neceffary to check an evil on which the Public with some reason cried out fhame? There was a circumftance to which he could not help alluding, because it was fo applicable to the subject before the Houfe. He had lately read in a newspaper, that a Member of that Houfe had fold his privilege of franking for 300l. a year. If this were true, the Houfe ought to institute an inquiry into the fact. If it were falfe, the vengeance of that House ought to fall on the printer of so atrocious a libel. -This he faid in order to call the attention of the Houfe to the abufes that had fo long and fo fhamefully fubfifted in the privilege of franking; and although the Bill now before them went to prohibit the fending by any one Member, more than ten letters each day, and the receiving more than fifteen, yet if fome regulation was not adopted with regard to clerks in offices, he was fure the Public would be greatly defrauded.

The amendments were then read a fecond time, and agreed to.

Mr. Long brought up a claufe to continue the law as it now ftands, with regard to poftage on newspapers; which was agreed to.

He brought up another in favour of officers and men in actual fervice, and writing upon their own bufinefs only. The claufe contained various provifions as to the manner of directing fuch letters, &c.

General Smith applauded the liberality of Government in this inftance, and faid he hoped that the officers would take care that no improper ufe fhould be made of it.

The claufe was then agreed to.

Mr. I. H. Browne moved, that petitions fent to Members of Parliament might be included in this exemption.

Mr. Mainwaring objected to this; as fometimes, he faid, petitions came to Members, containing feveral hundred fig

natures.

Mr. I. H. Browne faid, he only meant fuch petitions as alluded to public or private Bills, which might not come immediately within the weight allowed, and yet not be a great deal over it.

This motion, not being feconded, fell to the ground.

Mr. Porter propofed a claufe which specified various regulations of abufes in the public offices in the franking of let

ters,

ters, and appointed an infpector, &c.-the purport of it was to the following effect:

"That no letters going to, or from, any clerk or other perfon belonging to any of the offices of Government should be free of pollage, except fuch as were really and bona fide on the public bufinefs of Government. That all fuch letters should be directed to, and fent by certain ftated perfons, fuch as the prefident and fecretary of the board in each office, and that infpectors fhould be appointed for the purpose to examine into the books in which all fuch letters fhould be entered, and the daily amount thereof. And that copies of fuch books, tranfcribed on oath, fhould be kept for the infpection of Members of the Houfe, whenever they might chufe, within certain reasonable hours, to look into and examine the fame."

Captain Berkeley doubted the utility of the claufe, and afked the Hon. Member who moved the claufe, whether he thought the expences attending the appointment of infpectors, &c. would not be greater than any benefit which might be derived from it might be worth.

Mr. Porter replied, that he believed it would be a faving to the Public of at least fifteen thousand a year, and he thought that the falaries of a few infpectors would be very trifling indeed, when compared to fuch a fum, even allowing them. very ample compenfation for their trouble.

The Secretary at War thought the law fufficient for the correction of the abufes which the claufe was intended to remedy, He obferved that there were various correfpondences which Government did not wifh to fupprefs, and which had the object of expediting public bufinefs, and yet would be chargeable to poftage by the claufe in queftion.

Mr. Courtenay faid, he was glad that minifters were determined to remedy abufes; but obferved, that the Hon, Member who had spoke last, had been so short a time in office that he had not been able to perceive any abufes in it, but long enough to fland up ftoutly against perfons in thofe offices being put to any inconvenience. It was fomewhat extraor dinary that on the ground of the privilege of franking having been abufed, and that only by one or two Members of that Houfe, it had been thought proper to lay a reftriction upon the privilege which applied to every Member of the Houfe, and confined them to the number of ten to fend, and fifteen to receive; yet after having impofed this reftriction on the grofs charge of abufe of privilege, it was thought neceffary, that this privilege fhould be taken from Members of Parliament, and fhould yet be endeavoured to be continued to clerks and

other

« PreviousContinue »