might be advisable at another period, and that as he wished to have two ftrings to his bow, he probably would not be averse from entertaining it then. He wished the noble Lord to preferve the two ftiings to his bow; and he hoped the time would come, and come fhortly, when he would fupport the plan of his right hon. Friend in all its details, with all the zeal that he now oppofed it. The plan of his right hon. Friend was but the foundation whereon he propofed to erect a folid and permanent fyftem of defence; and that foundation the right hon. Gentleman and his col leagues were anxious, not barely to undermine, but totally to raze and sweep away. As to the army of relerve act, that was but a little part of the question, and he would not advert to it then, as many other occafions would arise for difcuffing the merits of it. It had been in an early part of the debate compared, with much felicity of humour and illuftration, both to a pump and an animal 'There was one animal it put him in mind of, the animal in the fable of the Boy and the goofe," which they had all read. The goofe daily produced a number of golden eggs, but the timpleton who owned it, withed to get poffeffion of all the gold at once, and fo he killed it. He would leave it to the Houfe to make the application. Mr. Baftard contended that the plan propofed by Mr. Pitt would be the most arbitrary and unconftitutional that could be conceived, and instead of its expofing men to be importuned, would, he feared, expose them to be dragooned into general fervice. He contended that the militia was a conftitutional force which ought to be carefully cherished, and without meaning any disrespect to the army, he was of opinion that the militia was a constitutional check on the army. As to the army of referve bill, he wished it was wholly repealed. It had been productive of much hardfhip and mifery, as he had witnessed, and he hoped it would never be renewed. The plan of the right hon. Gentleman feemed calculated to produce all the evils of the army of referve act without the plea of the neceffity. He contended that the country was in fuch a state of preparation and defence, that fo far from being afraid of invafion, they longed to meet the enemy. Mr. Hawkins Browne was anxious that the House should go into a Committee on the bill. The Attorney General faid, that the pain he felt in obtruding hinfelt on an unwilling audience (there was a great cry for the question), could only be equalled by the pain he fhould fhould feel, on leaving that Houfe, and laying down in his bed, if he did not refift the most uncharitable reprefentation that ever had been given by one man of the fentiments of another. If the right hon. Gentleman on the bench above him (Mr. Canning) preferved any recollection of his former habits, if he knew how to appreciate the idea of friendship, and had ever called the right hon. Gentleman near him (Mr. Addington) by the name of friend, how could he place fuch a conftruction on his words as he had done? He did not conceive that his right hon. Friend ever did fay, or meant to infer, that the plan of the right hon. Gentleman was calculated to introduce a fyftem of torture and tyranny. He knew it was fometimes objected to Minifters, that they fupported the fame measures on different grounds. Where they acted from an union of council, that certainly was a good argument against them; but he could difcover no good reafon when they objected to and oppofed a meafure, as in this inftance, that they fhould all do it on the fame grounds. As he underflood his right hon. Friend, he faid that the army of referve act had been originally a measure of neceffity, and that one great objection of his to the continuance of it was, that it expofed men to be importuned into engaging for other fervice. A right hon. Gentleman oppofite him (Mr. Windham) had fard, that the zeal of the country pronounced the condemnation of Minifters. If he, or the friend (Mr. Fox) he had juft quitted, fhould form part of the next Adminiftration, as he prefumed they looked forward to the poffibility of it, the country would acquit them of any fuch condemnation; for, he believed, inftead of being followed by the public zeal, they would be met by its fcorn. Could that right hon. Gentlemen say, that the prefent ftate of Europe, or even of this country, could be attributed to the meafures of Minifters? The hon. Gentleman had said, as an excuse for not difcuffing the propriety of fufpending this act, that he would not interrupt the agreeable variety of the proceedings of Minifters. He really thought there had been as much reeling to and fro, on the part of the right hon, Gentleman; and that if they were inconfiftent, nothing could be more inconfiftent than the hon. Gentleman, for he was fure to meet them at every turn. He would not, at that late hour, go into the queftion. The object of Minifters in paffing that act, was to get a large efficient force on the fpur of the occafion. It had anfwered the end, and the operation could at prefent only produce inconvenience. Mr. Mr. Canning would not wilfully misinterpret any Gentleman, but he did conceive, and ftill conceived, that the 1peech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer intended to caft that precife cenfure on his right hon. Friend. The Chancellor of the Exchequer-Sir, there was nothing I faid, there was nothing in my thoughts, to warrant the interpretation of the right hon. Gentleman. Sir John Wrottefiey appealed to the Chair, and to the Houfe, whether the whole tenor of the right hon. Gentletleman's speech did not tend to throw every odium on the right hon. Gentleman above him.' The Speaker-Since I am appealed to, it is my duty to ftate, that it is the ufage of this Houfe, when a Member has explained his words, to accept that explanation. Sir John Wrottefley objected to the fufpenfion of the act, and faid that the right. hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer made the fame ufe of the measure as he did of the right hon. Gentleman behind him, that was, as a boat to carry him over the ferry, which he difcarded as foon as it anfwered his purpose. Lord De Blaquiere defended the plan propofed by Mr. Pitt. It was a measure which, in his opinion, would raise the force required by the fituation of the country, much fooner than that propofed by the Secretary at War. The noble Lord concluded with recommending the plan for raifing men only for a limited time. Sir R. Buxton defcribed the evils of the army of referve act in its operation, and fupported the motion. Mr. Jervis defended the conduct of Minifters, to whom he gave the credit of the fpontaneous zeal of the country, in a confiderable degree: they had fhewn fuch wifdom, moderation, and love of the conftitution, as to conciliate the affections of the country, which, he was confident, was in unifon with their feelings and intentions. Mr. Pitt reftated his plan, which was to mitigate the feverity of the army of referve act, by having different ballots, and instead of throwing the whole burthen on one, to equalize it by exacting a small fine from those who, after being drawn, did not ferve in perfon; and to allow bounty to thofe who chofe to ferve in perfon. Parishes would likewife be excufed by allowing them to pay a small fum towards the general fund for recruiting, if they did not find their number of men. To a queftion by Sir Robert Williams, whether the parithes would be relieved, Mr. Mr. Yorke faid they would, upon payment of the fums Specified by the bill. On the queftion being put, for the Speaker's leaving the chair, the numbers were, Ayes, 240-Noes, 203.-Majority 37. The House afterwards went into a Committee on the bill, and adjourned at two o'clock in the morning. HOUSE OF LORD S. THURSDAY, APRIL 26. The Earls of Aylesbury and Seaforth and Lord Clive took the oaths and their feats. The Irish linen manufacturers' bill was read a third time, paffed, and fent to the Commons. The other bills on the table were forwarded,-Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. THURSDAY, APRIL 26. The Houfe ballotted for a Select Committee to try the merits of the Liskeard election petitions. The following were the names on the reduced lift: Richard Gervas Ker, Efq. The right hon. W. Windham, Sir Robert Barclay, Bart. The hon. C. J. Fox Earl Loftus, Matthew Ruffel, Efq. NOMINEES. W. Sturges Bourne, Efq. Mr. Irving, from the office of the Inspector General of imports and exports, prefented the accounts which the Houfe had ordered to be furnished from that office. Mr. Owen, from the India Houfe, prefented an account of the dates of dispatches, &c. which had alfo been previously ordered, as far as they could be made out.-Ordered to be printed, and to lie on the table. On the report of the Committee to whom the petition of the the London clergy was referred, leave was given to bring in a bill purfuant to the prayer thereof." Sir J. Newport moved that a Committee fhould be ap pointed to inquire into the ftate of the poor laws as far as they extend to Ireland, to make a provifion for lunatics and idiots, and to report their obfervations and opinion to the Houfe. He did this with a view to fhew the people of Ireland that they were objects of the fincere care and regard of the Legislature. The Committee was appointed to confift of Sir J. Newport, Mr. Fofter, Mr. Corry, and all Members ferving for Ireland who may think proper to attend. On the motion of Lord W. Ruffell, the House went in to a Committee on the ftatute duty bilh When the Houfe refumed, the report was brought up, and the bill ordered to be read a third time the next day. The Houfe went into a Committee on the Newfoundland fhips bill. The claufes were agreed to without amendment; the report was received when the Houle refumed, and the bill was read a third time and paffed. The Houfe went into a Committee on the army of referve fufpenfion bill. Mr. Secretary Yorke confidered it fit that fome reasonable fine fhould be levied on the counties which were deficient in fupplying their quotas, according to the former act, The tribunal to which he thould propofe to refer the returns made under that act, was to confift of the Deputy Lieutenants and the magiftrates for the county, and their report fhould, of course, be fent up to the War Office. The right hon. Secretary explained the various other provifions of the bill. It was then read in the Committee, and feveral amendments were made. The House having refumed, the report was brought up, and ordered to be received the next day. The accounts of outstanding Exchequer bills at various periods from April 1798 to the prefent year, were presented and ordered to lie on the table. The eight million Exchequer bills bill, and the million. and a half Exchequer bills bill, the English and Irish militia pay bills, and the militia officers' bill, were reported, and ordered to be read a third time the next day.-Adjourned. VOL. II. 1803-4. 4 Q HOUSE |