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HOUSE OF LORDS.

MONDAY, April 20.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS BILL.

Lord Kenyon moved for leave to bring in a Bill to amend an Act paffed in the laft feffion of Parliament, for the relief of infolvent debtors of a certain defcription. The primary object of this Bill was to give perfons the benefit of the late Act, who were in equity entitled to it, and next, to make a few neceffary regulations in the laws, as far as they related to actions of debt.

The Earl of Moira expreffed his wifh,at all times, to fupport any measure that had a tendency to the public good; and still more cordially would he fupport one which went to the restoring of individuals to fociety, who were pining out a miserable exiftence within the walls of a prifon. His Lordship said he was apprehenfive that this Bill would not go far enough, as nothing fhort of a change of the prefent fyftem could eradicate the numerous abuses that had crept into it. The Prince of Wales, he understood, had received petitions from various perfons, praying that his Royal Highnefs would be pleased to use his influence in promoting an Act of Grace. To the prayer of these petitions he understood his Royal Highnefs lent a favourable ear. If this report was well founded, an act of grace would be much more extenfive in its operation, and would render the Bill nugatory, as far as it applied to the individuals who could not take the benefit of the late Act. At any rate he trusted this Bill would not be an obftacle to the humane interference of the Prince, if his Royal Highnefs fhould deign to become an advocate for the unfortunate. Leave was given, the Bill brought in, and read the first time.

HAIR-POWDER BILL.

The Bill for obliging perfons wearing hair-powder to take out a certificate for permiffion to do the fame, was read a fecond time, and on the queftion being put for its commitment,

The Duke of Norfolk faid, he obferved a claufe in the Bill, which, in his opinion, was fufficient to vitiate the whole, and to induce the Houfe either to expunge that claufe, or to reject the Bill in toto. He wifhed, therefore, to apprife their Lordships, that as he had not opposed the Bill in the ufual stage, and as he did not with to take the House by surprise, he should move for the rejection of the claufe fubjecting mafters of families. to a heavy penalty for omitting to make a return of the perfons under their roof wearing hair-powder without a licence. The Bill was ordered to be committed on Thursday next.

HOUSE

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MONDAY, April 20.

Received a meffage from the Lords, that they will proceed further in the trial of Warren Haftings, Efq. on Thursday next, in Westminster Hall; and that they had agreed to feveral Bills, and paffed feveral private Bills.

The Report of the Committee of Supply being brought up, a fhort converfation took place between the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Mr. Huffey, relative to the deficiency of grants which were mentioned on a former day; after which the refolutions were read and agreed to.

Mr. Huffy moved, that there be laid before the House an account of the amount of payments on the loan, together with discount thereon, the iffues and application thereof, &c.— Ordered.

Mr. Huffey then moved, that there be laid before the Houfe an account of the deficiency of the land and malt for the last year. The reafon which induced him to make this, he said, arofe from a circumftance which made him apply with more than usual affiduity to the manner of taxing the Public, Α gentleman applied to him refpecting the duty about to be impofed on tea. He took him down to the Houfe, and by the votes, he understood that the duty on that article was to take place at a future day. After this a fale of tea took place at the India Houfe. For the firft three days, the tea fold, paffed without the additional duty. All the other tea fold was subjec to that duty. He feared that fome perfons might be admitted into the fecret, and others kept out of it. This was benefiting private individuals at the expence of the Public.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, he did not fee any connexion between the motion of the Hon. Gentleman and his obfervations on tea. There was no fecret in the case, becaufe ali had accefs alike to the votes of the Houfe; and the Houfe could do no more than had been done in that cafe; for as the refolution of the Committee did not refpectively name a day, it must be a fubfequent one to the paffing of the Bill; and from the proceedings of the Lords and uncertainty of the day of giving the Royal Affent, that House could not ascertain the day on which the tax would operate.

Mr. Huffey faid, that from all that appeared in the proceedings of the House, the Public, from the confidence they had in the minifters, and without a certain portion of which it would be impoffible to tranfact business in that House, thought that the duty would only commence on the day of sale.

VOL. III.

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General

General Smith agreed with Mr. Huffey.

Mr. Fox thought that the Houfe did not do their duty in omitting to in orm the Public as to the time on, which the additional duty on tea fhould attach. This, the minifter could have informed them. It was not new to fix a particular day when the tax should operate before a Bill paffed. This was done in the tax on tea. With regard to the uncertainty of the time of giving the Royal Affent, it was known to be like the reft of the King's public acts, the effect of the advice of his

minifters.

The motion was then put and carried.

The Houfe in a Committee of the whole House paffed feveral refolutions by way of amendment to the Act of the prefent. feflion of Parliament, relative to Dutch property.

Report to be received next day.

The Bill for preventing delays in elections for Members to ferve in Parliament for Scotland, was read a fecond time, and ordered to be committed for Thursday.

Mr. Halbed gave notice that he should on a future day have feveral motions to make relative to Mr. Brothers. The first with respect to the warrant of his commitment and examination before the Privy Council. Secondly, the proceedings before the jury. And if they fhould be fuccefsful, a motion for a Committee of that Houfe to inquire into the exifting cause of his prefent confinement.

Mr. Henniker Major poftponed his motion relative to costs of fuit on misdemeanours, &c. to that day fe'nnight.

Mr. Rofe moved for leave to amend the Friendly Society Act; which was agreed to.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

TUESDAY, April 21.

Their Lordships having gone through the different Bills on the table, adjourned to next day.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

TUESDAY, April 21.

Mr. Grenville moved, that Mr. Fox be appointed one of the Managers, to make good the articles of Impeachment against Warren Haftings, Efq.

The question was unanimously agreed to.

Mr.

L

Mr. Fox then faid, that his duty compelled him in this ftage of the bufinefs to fay, that although he would accept with pleasure the honour of the commands of the House, he could not help obferving that there was fomething fingular in the proceedings upon this fubject. There was a difference of mode in this cafe, from any that were to be found recorded. From the proceedings in the House of Lords, there were some things which appeared to him to be of fo extraordinary a nature in the course of this Impeachment, that he fhould be justly ac cufable of offence to the House, if he did not state what he underftood to be the mode of conduct adopted in the House of Lords. He knew that one House of Parliament could not, with out irregularity, affume a knowledge of what paffed in the other; but he wished to know, if the Commons had any means of arriving at accurate knowledge upon that fubject, without an inspection of the Journals of the Lords. He understood that their Lordships had agreed to a fet of questions to be put to the Lords in Westminster Hall, and caufed them to be printed. Whether fuch a proceeding was or was not neceffary upon this cafe, he did not mean to difcufs; but when many of those who f an intereft in this fubject, came to examine the queftions fettled by the Lords, he believed they would be fur prised at fome of them. Many different parts of fome of the charges, Mr. Fox faid, ought to have been taken separately, to render the whole more intelligible. This was the cafe in the fourth and fixth article particularly; and those who had attended with regard to the fixth, would acknowledge the neceffity of dividing it under different heads. With regard to the fixth, they had omitted stating the question on some of the most important points in the article. He meant the points of the bonds and prefents. With refpect to the second and third articles they had acted totally different. They had ftated in the lump the charges on the Benares and the Begums, and it was well known that they confifted of a great variety of charges; he was not faying whether the charges they contained were well grounded or ill grounded, but they confifted of a variety of charges, as well as the fourth and the fixth articles. Thofe who were acquainted with the Benares charge, knew it was divided into different heads. The Lords had, neverthelefs, lumped them all together, as alfo the Begums, and by the manner they were now to be determined on, their Lordships would have no opportunity of giving judgment diftinctly. On the feventh and the fourteenth articles, which he had the honour to state to their Lordships, it did not appear that any queftion was to be put on them unless in a fweeping way. Mr. Fox faid, he thought it neceflary to state thefe circumstances

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to the House, standing as he did, in the fituation of a Manager. He did not wish to take any step on his own part for the infpection of the Journals of the Lords. But he felt it incumbent on him to mention these things, because they might have confequences in this country of a very ferious nature. He therefore thought fit to ftate the circumftances under which the Managers were bound to enter upon this fubje& in the prefent stage of it. The mode of proceeding adopted by the Lords upon this, was different from any other Impeachment * that ever was carried by the Houfe of Commons. The novelty of the proceeding made him ftate it to the Houfe; and a queftion might arife whether that point might not be worthy of confideration in that House, or whether it should be fuffered to pass entirely unnoticed. The House of Commons was the guardian of the conftitution of this country. Its duty, amongst other things, was to watch over the proceedings of all courts of justice in this kingdom, and the proceedings of the House of Lords were not fuperior in that point of view to the force of that function in the House of Commons. He had on his own account nothing to move upon this subject; but in whatever way this affair fhould end, he was proud to say it would not appear, that the Managers had been inattentive to their duty in the profecution of it, or in defending and maintaining what appeared to them to be the honour of the House of Commons.

The question, that Mr. Fox be a Manager, was then put and carried; as were also the motions that Mr. Sheridan and other Managers be appointed, and that the standing orders of the House, made on the 6th of February 1788, be obferved.

The Bill for the more effectually executing the Act of Parliament for determining controverted elections, was read a fecond time, and ordered to be committed on Friday.

MANNING THE NAVY.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved the Order of the Day, which was for the fecond reading of the Bill for augmenting the Corps of Artillery, and for transferring to the navy thofe of the militia who are feafaring men; which was, after a few words from Mr. Taylor and Colonel Sloane, agreed to.

Mr. Hobart brought up the report of the Committee on the Dutch Property Bill. The refolutions were read and agreed

to.

*This Impeachment certainly has been an anomalous proceeding; and therefore it is fomewhat fingular, that a man of Mr. Fox's known quicknefs of understanding should talk of other proceedings under Impeach

ments.

Mr.

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