HOUSE OF COMMONS.

THURSDAY, MAY 30.

Mr. Shaw brought up a bill for amending the laws relating to bakers in Dublin; read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time.

Mr. Hawkins, Browne presented a second report of the committee on the Caledonian Canal. Ordered to be printed. The bill for amending the general turnpike act was read a third time, and passed.

The chairman of the committee appointed to consider of the propriety of allowing coals to be brought to London by the Paddington canal, reported that the pressure of time did not allow the committee to give the subject the full consideration which its importance required. The committee recommended that fifty thousand ton of coals should be allowed to be brought by the canal between this period and the 1st of June, 1806, paying the same duty as coals brought coastwise. It was also recommended that a committee should be appointed early in the next session for the full and complete investigation of the question. The report was ordered to be printed. Mr. Serjeant presented an account of the salaries of the commissioners of the treasury in Ireland.

Sir C. Price presented a bill for making compensation to persons injured by the erection of the London docks. Read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time.

On the motion of Mr. Huskisson, the house went into a committee on the acts relating to the loyalty loan. Two resolutions were proposed by Mr. Huskisson, which were agreed to, and the report ordered to be received next day.

Mr. Peter Moore presented a petition from certain freeholders of Middlesex, praying the house to interpose its authority to procure them compensation from the parties in the late controverted election for that county, for their loss of time in attending as witnesses before the committee appointed to try the merits of that election. The precedent of the Carlisle case being read, the petition was referred to a committee.

The bill for regulating the office of paymaster of the forces was read a third time and passed.

The bill for amending the act of last session, for the better prosecution of felons in the united kingdom, was read a second time, and ordered to be committed next day..

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Mr. Vansittart brought in a bill to provide for the more ef

fectual

fectual administration of the office of justice of the peace in Dublin; and a bill for amending the act allowing bounties for supplying certain places in the united kingdom with fish. The object of this bill is, to allow the lord lieutenant of Ireland to appropriate the sum allowed for bounties in that country, to the repair of harbours.

Both these bills were read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time next day.

Sir John Newport questioned whether the object proposed would be answered by the latter bill, and doubted the propriety of meddling with the general fishing act.

Mr. Vansittart allowed the importance of the consideration due to the general fishing act; but conceived this a beneficial application of the sums granted for bounties, of which only a very small part had been applied to that purpose. Time is to be allowed for the consideration of the bill before going into the committee.

A message from the lords declared their lordships' assent to the Irish spirit licence bill, and the Cork and Limerick road bill.

LORD MELVILLE, &c.

Mr. Whitbread stated, that as the papers on the subject of the tenth report were not likely to be printed before Saturday, he felt it necessary to put off the motion for the impeachment of Lord Melville, of which he had given notice for Thursday. His intention was at first to put it off till the Monday after, but understanding that that day would be inconvenient to the right hon. gentleman opposite (the Chancellor of the Exchequer), he would fix it for Tuesday.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer had not been in the house when the hont gentleman gave his notice. He understood it, however, to relate to two objects, one the impeachment of Lord Melville, and the other certain resolutions concerning him. He did suppose that if the papers could not be printed before Saturday, Thursday would be too soon to offer to the house a motion grounded on the whole matter of them. He did not know what may be the nature of the resolutions to be proposed against him, nor what may be precisely the parts of the report on which such resolutions may be founded; but he was anxious that any charge that was intended to be brought against him should be brought to a decision as speedily as pos sible. Those who composed the committee knew best what parts of the report such charges could have reference to, but

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after

after the notice that had been given, it was natural that he should wish the matter to come to a hearing as speedily as possible.

Mr. Whitbread was desirous that the matter should be brought before the house as speedily as possible, but it was necessary that the whole report should be a reasonable time in the hands of gentlemen before any motion could be instituted upon it, either with respect to Lord Melville or the right hon. gentleman. He should therefore be under the necessity of allowing the proper interval for consideration, and he should adhere to the order he had laid down' in his notice of moving the impeachment first. He would be prepared to bring forward the other motions as soon after as the house could sit.

Mr. Canning said, the matters which were to be made the grounds of charge against his right hon. friend (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) must be known, and any member of the committee was competent to say, whether what related to the conduct of his right hon. friend was capable of being considered first. He wished some other member of the committee besides the hon. gentleman (Mr. Whitbread), to say whether that part of the report could be separated from the general matter. If it could be separated, and if it could be clearly understood in this distinct form, he saw no reason why any member of the committee may not move that it be taken into consideration on Thursday.

Mr. H. Lascelles stated, that the general matter of the report related to Lord Melville and Trotter. The part which related to the right hon. gentleman (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) was distinct. There were only three points that may be made the ground of resolutions against that right hon. gentleman; the application of the forty thousand pounds, the conversation with Mr. Raikes, and the affair of Jellicoe. These points were plain and distinct, and required no delay for the consideration of them, at the same time that it was most important that the sense of the house upon them should be speedily pronounced. If no other member of the committee thought there was reason for delay, he thought the matter ought to be proceeded on without delay and if no other was disposed to move that the points he had referred to be taken into consideration at the earliest period, he should.

Mr. Whitbread said, if the hon. gentleman did what he proposed, he would do that which he believed was wholly without precedent. When one member gave a notice, it would be very extraordinary indeed that another should take

the

the business out of his hands, merely because he might wish it to be decided upon a day or two sooner. It would be for the house to consider whether any thing resulting from the papers could be judged of before the papers were fully considered, and whether the papers could be fully considered on any time short of that he proposed. Unquestionably the members of the committee had the means of forming distinct opinions without this delay; and it was as a member of the committee, he had the means of forming the opinion on which he had given his notice. But that was not a reason for calling on the house to pronounce without consideration on what the mem bers of the committee were already perfectly acquainted with, The committee, as a body, had not agreed to propose any proceedings on the report. If the committee had been of opinion to institute such proceedings, the chairman would have been instructed accordingly. He had asked the chairman, whether he meant to make any motion to the house, and it was on being informed that the chairman had no such intention, that he formed the determination of bringing forward the measures of which he had given notice. He again represented the extraordinary proceeding of the hon. gentleman taking the matter out of his hands, merely because he wished the business to be considered a day or two earlier. The papers would not be ready before Saturday evening. Many gentlemen would have left town before that day for the holidays, and would not, of course, have the papers in their hands before Wednesday. He thought the day he mentioned sufficiently early, and he adhered to the order he had laid down. Mr. Lascelles said, he should not wish to do any thing irregular.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer asked, whether the hon. gentleman meant to bring forward both motions on the same day? He thought the hon. gentleman could hardly expect the house to decide so summarily.

Mr. Whitbread had meant merely that there would be no delay on his part. He would be ready to submit his second propositions as soon as the house could meet after the discussion of the first part.

Mr. Fox saw no reason why any gentleman who did not think the day fixed for the discussion of any part of the matter sufficiently early, should not be competent to move the house to come to a decision earlier.

Sir John Stuart, as chairman of the committee on the repairs of the Romney, &c. reported, that the lords had, in

answer

answer to the request of the house to permit the Earls of Buckinghamshire and St. Vincent, and Lord Sidmouth, to come and be examined before the committee, as to the proceedings with respect to Sir Home Popham, desired to be informed of the grounds of the request, and the particular objects of the examination.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer thought the matter of this report worthy of consideration, and moved that it should be taken into consideration the next day.

Mr. Foster brought in a bill for regulating the collection of the hearth duty in Ireland. Read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time next day.

On the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the order for the production of accounts of monies invested in the funds in the name of the accountant general of the court of chancery, and the deputy remembrancer of the exchequer, for the account of suitors in these courts, was discharged, and the accounts were ordered in the amended form of accounts of unclaimed dividends, and that part of such dividends as stood in the names of these officers.

On the motion of Mr. Jeffery, after a few observations from Admiral Markham, a number of accounts relating to the sup-: ply of foreign timber to the navy, were ordered, with a discretion of omitting the names of the places and persons whence the timber was to be obtained, when the disclosure would be inconvenient to the public service. The form of this limitation was suggested by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Several accounts relative to the stores of British oak timber, and the building and repairs of ships, were also ordered on the motion of Mr. Jeffery.

CALICO PRINTERS.

Mr. P. Moore rose, pursuant to notice, to move the appointment of a committe to examine the petition he had the ho nour to present to the house in the month of March last, from the journeymen calico printers; and also to move that the evidence taken before a committee in the course of the last session upon this subject, should be referred to the consideration of the said committee, in order to make a report thereon. In bringing forward this business, the hon. member was glad to-see the right hon. gentleman (Mr. Pitt) in his place, as he was led to believe that that right hon. gentleman was not unfriendly to the object of the petitioners; but, on the contrary, rather disposed to accelerate their relief, and to render them

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