lating the measure of Norwich ftuffs and druggets; and for electing proper officers, &c. to carry the fame into execution." This flight mistake, with five or fix more of a fimiTiar nature, had been pointed out, and feemed to have made (very improperly indeed) fome impreffion on the House; but fuch futile objections were inftantly obviated by the right honourable the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who obferved with his ufual fagacity and difcernment, that there was no room for triumph, by exhibiting proofs of ignorance, folly, and precipitation in the bill, where every caufe was pregnant with them; and that it was an eafy tafk for gentlemen who Rudied the ftatutes for the purpofe of cavilling and faction, to embarafs and perplex his learned friend, who had repeatedly acknowledged he had never read one of them. Mr. Courtenay threw out a variety of farcaftic and ludicrous remarks to the fame purpose, all of which were received by the Houfe with great relifh.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt and Mr. Adam alfo spoke. On a di vifion on Mr. Fox's motion the numbers were,

A debate took place on a claim of Meffis. Mac Knight, Parker, and Cormick, as American fufferers,

The notion was withdrawn.

Friday, Jaly 8.

Mr. Sheridan defired to know from Minifters, whether the Mr. Sheribill for preventing the exportation of manufactures and ma- dan. terials for the manufacture of iron beyond feas, extended to Ireland. And not receiving a fatisfactory answer, he moved that the bill be printed. After fome debate he withdrew to is motion.

Monday, July 1I.

Sir James Erskine moved that the Weftminster election Sir James bill be recommitted. This produced a defultary debate, Erskiné. The bill was recommitted, and received various amendments.

Wednesday, July 13.

The Houfe in Committee on the bill for the Commiffi

oners of Public Accounts.

Lord

Lord Beau champ.

Lord Beauchamp rose to move for a clause in the prefent bill; the object of which was to give a very brave and deferving officer (Sir Henry Clinton) an opportunity of vindicating his reputation, which he felt confiderably affected by the Reports of the Commiffioners of Public Accounts, The Reports he alluded to were the 4th and 7th. The principal cause of uneafinefs that thofe Reports occafioned proceeded from their stating, that although His Majesty's establishment in America was very much decreased, and continued to decrease after the end of General Sir William Howe's command, yet the expence of that establishment did increase confiderably. Lord Beauchamp explained how this circumftauce arofe. At the beginning of the war, a confiderable part of the provifions for the army were fent from Europe, and therefore did not affect the account of extraordinaries of America. Befides, that fuch provifions as were procured in America, were had at a much cheaper rate at the commencement than they could have been at the conclufion of the war. It also appeared from the Report, that the Expence of Lord Cornwallis's army was much less in proportion to the fize of each, than that of Sir Henry Clinton. This he pointed out to be a neceffary confequence of their different fituations; Lord Cornwallis being in the field, but Sir Henry Clinton cooped up in New York, and depending upon the Loyalifts for provifions for his army, who of courfe made their own terms with him. Another indirect cenfure was thrown upon Sir Henry, by a fuggestion that the hiring of waggons and horfes was a lefs œconomical way of doing the King's fervice, than the buying them would have been, as they might have been afterwards fold to advantage; but if any gentleman would confider the fituation of our affairs before our army quitted that country, or at the time when we evacuated it, they would be very well able to form a judgement, that it was no time for difpofing of useless stores of any kind; and that the waggons and cattle would by no means bring any thing like their value. Though all these circumstances fufficiently accounted for appearances, which, if unaccounted for, must leave a ftrong impreffion against Sir Henry Clinton, and though his established reputation and acknowledged integrity placed him far beyond any fufpicion of dishonourable dealings in his command, or any want of that economy which it was fo much his duty to practife, yet as those rea fons had not been inveftigated by the Commiffioners, they were of course omitted in the Report, and therefore the ground of a probable charge-the fact-appeared against him,

and

and would go down to pofterity without the vindication, by which means, at a future period, the defcendants of one of the first families in the kingdom would look back to one of their ancestors as a perfon guilty of public peculation or prodigality. Sir Henry had applied to the Commiffioners to revise their Report, and to add to it obfervations arifing from fuch materials as he fhould lay before them, by which his character would receive ample juftice, but they had refused to comply, alledging that it was not within their province to interfere in matter of private crimination or vindication. There was, therefore, no alternative to preferve the name of Sir Henry Clinton from difgrace, but to infert a clause in the prefent Bill, impowering and enjoining them to revise the report in question, and to hear fuch evidence as could be produced concerning the reafons that occafioned the facts ftated = in that Report. He then moved a clause to that effect. General Burgoyne feconded the motion.

Colonel Dundas objected to the motion, as giving the Com- Col. Danmiffioners new and extraordinary powers. Mr. Pitt objected das. to it for the fame reafons. On the question being put the motion was negatived without a divifion. [For a full account of this business, see the Narrative of Sir Henry Clinton, printed for J. Debrett.]

Thursday, July 14.

Mr. Fox brought up a petition against the Westminster Mr. Fox, bill, and moved that they might be heard by Counfel, which

on a divifion was lost.

Ayes
Noes

18

55

On the queftion that the bill do pafs, the numbers were,

Ayes

Noes

Friday, July 15.

46

23

The Attorney General (Mr. Arden) proposed forne regulations in the Bill for taxing Attornies, to serve as a recompence to that body for the burden, which were refused.

Tuesday, July 19.

Conference with the Lords on the Irish Propofitions, wherein it appeared by a paper which the Lords delivered to the Commons, that they (the Lords) had made fome altera

tions.

VOL. XVIII.

4 A

When

Mr. Pitt.

Mr. Chan

When the umons returned, Mr. Eden mentioned these alterations which had been made by the Lords, and his doubts as to the right and power of their Lordships to make them. Mr. Pitt faid this cafe differed from the cafe of a money bill it was a regulation only, and that not binding unti paffed in the form of a bill.

Friday, July 22.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt stated that in confequence of the very cellor Pitt. fevere drought which had prevailed both in Great Britain and the Continent, immenfe quantities of hay had been exported, and we were threatened with the exportation of ftill greater quantities. He moved for a Bill to prevent this evil.

Leave was given; and the fame day the Bill was rea through all its ftages and paffed.

The next order of the day was for agreeing to the amendments made by the Lords in the Irish Propofitions. A debate of fome length took place, in which the arguments of the feveral Speakers for and againft, the propofed Commercial Regulations with Ireland were the fame as before. The iffue was, the Commons agreed to the amendments made by the Lords, and added fome farther amendments of their Own. After which there was another conference, when the Lords agreed to the laft amendments made by the Commons. The following is an authentic copy of the Propofitions now agreed to, and in the proper form of refolutions.

"Refolved, I. That it is highly important to the ge "neral intereft of the British empire that the intercourfe and "commerce between Great Britain and Ireland fhould be "finally regulated on permanent and equitable principles, "for the mutual benefit of both countries.

"I That it is confiftent with the effential interefts "of the manufactures, revenues, commerce, and navi "gation of Great Britain, that a full participation of com"mercial advantages fhould be permanently fecured to Ire"land, whenever a provifion, equally permanent and fecure, "fhall be made by the Parliament of that Kingdom towards "defraying, in proportion to its growing profperity, the ne"ceffary expences, in time of peace, of protecting the trade "and general interefts of the empire.

"III. That, towards carrying into full effect so defirable a fettlement, it is fit and proper that all articles "not the growth or manufacture of Great Britain or Ireland. "except thofe of the growth, produce, or manufacture & any of the countries beyond the Cape of Good Hope,

"the Streights of Magellan, fhould be imported, into each "kingdom from the other reciprocally, under the fame re"gulations, and at the fame duties (if fubject to duties) to "which they would be liable, when imported directly from "the country or place from whence the fame may have "been imported into Great Britain or Ireland refpectively, "as the cafe may be; and that all duties originally paid on "importation into either country refpectively, except on ar"rack and foreign brandy, and on rum, and all forts of ftrong waters not imported from the British Colonies in "the Weft Indies, thall be fully drawn back, within a time "to be fixed, on exportation to the other; but, nevertheless, "that the duties fhall continue to be protected and guarded, "as at prefent, by withholding the drawback until a certi"ficate from the proper officers of the revenue in the king"dom to which the export may be made, fhall be returned "and compared with the entry outwards.

66

"IV. That it is highly import int to the general in"terefts of the British empire, that the laws for regulating "trade and navigation fhould be the fame in Great Britain "and Ireland; and therefore that it is effential, towards car"rying into effect the prefent fettlement, that all laws which "have been made, or fhall be made, in Great Britain, for "fecuring exclufive privileges to the fhips and mariners of "Great Britain, Ireland and the British Colonies and plan"tations, and for regulating and reftraining the trade of the "British Colonies and plantations (fuch laws impofing the "fame restraints, and conferring the fame benefits on the "fubjects of both kingdoms) fhould be in force in Ireland, "by laws to be paffed in the Parliament of that kingdom, "for the fame time, and in the fame manner, as in Great "Britain.

"V. That it is farther effential to this fettlement, that "all goods and commodities of the growth, produce, or "manufacture of British or foreign Colonies in America, "or the Weft Indies, and the British or foreign fettlements on the coaft of Africa, imported into Ireland, fhould, on "importation, be fubject to the fame duties and regulations "as the like goods are, or from time to time fhall be fubject "to, upon importation into Great Britain; or if prohibited "to be imported into Great Britain, fhall be prohibited in "like manner from being imported into Ireland.

VI. That, in order to prevent illicit practices in"jurious to the revenue and commerce of both kingdoms, "it is expedient, that all goods, whether of the growth, 4 A 2 "produce