"That a drawback be allowed But of the duties payable on ftarch, of one penny halfpenny on every pound weight of starch used and confumed in preparing and finishing all manufactures from flax and cotton for fale, excepting fuch ftarch as fhall be confumed in finishing new linen in the piece for fale, fubject to certain regulations and restrictions. "That a drawback be allowed out of the duties payable on ftarch, of three-pence for every pound weight of starch used and confumed in finishing new linen in the peice for fale, fubject to certain regulations and restrictions.

"That a drawback be allowed of all duties payable on the importation of brimstone, and faltpetre ufed and confumed in making oil of vitriol, under certain regulations and reftrictions."

Thefe refolutions being put and carried, a bill in conformity to them was prepared and brought in by fir Henry Houghton, Mr. Stanley, Mr.Dempfter, and fir George Yonge. It was prefented accordingly to the houfe, and being agreed to, was carried to the peers, and received their concurrence. About the fame time, the royal affent was given to an "Act for punishing mu tiny and defertion, and for the better payment of the army and their quarters, within the realm of Great Britain."

The attention of the June 27. house of commons was now directed to the provincial corps. Lord North ftated, that feveral provincial battalions had been raifed in America; and that the of ficers of thefe having abandoned their poffeffions and rifked their lives in the fervice of Great Britain were proper objects of juftice. To allow them half pay was a measure of which the propriety could not be 1793.

doubted. Their merits as foldiers, and their fufferings as loyalists were claims which could not be refifted. To the houfe the propofition of his lordship appeared to be right and reasonable in the greatest degree; and it was carried without a divifion.

A meffage from the king was now prefented to the houfe by lord John Cavendish. It was read by the fpeaker, and was of the following import..

"George R.

"His majesty having taken into his royal confideration the many eminent and fignal fervices performed by George Bridges Rodney, lord Rodney, vice admiral of England, and one of the admirals of the white, his conduct in the Weft Indies in three feveral engagements in the months of April and May 1780, with a fuperior French fleet under the command of the Count de Guichen, and his great and glorious vic tories over the Spanish fleet on the 16th day of January, 1780, on his voyage to the relief of Gibraltar, and over the French in the West Indies on the 12th of April 17825 not only highly honourable to himfelf, but greatly beneficial to his majefty's kingdoms; and being defirous to bestow upon the faid George Bridges Rodney, lord Rodney, fome confiderable and lafting mark of his royal favour, as a teftimony of his majesty's approbation of the faid fervices, and for this purpose to give and grant unto the faid George Bridges Rodney, and to the two next fucceeding heirs male of the body of the faid George Bridges Rodney, lord Rodney, to whom the title of lord Rodney fhall defcend, for and during their lives, a nett annuity of two thousand pounds per annum; but his majesty not having

K

it in his power to grant an annuity to that amount, or to extend the effect of the faid grant beyond the term of his own life, recommends it to his faithful commons to confider of a proper method of enabling his majefty to grant the fame, and of extending, fecuring and fettling fuch annuity to the faid George Bridges Rodney, lord Rodney, and to the two next perfons on whom the title of lord Rodney fhall defcend, in fuch manner as fhall be thought most effectual for the benefit of the faid George Bridges Rodney, lord Rodney and his family.

G. R."

The approbation with which this meffage was received, was univerfal; but there being fome difficulty with regard to the period when the penfion fhould commence, there was a general cry, of "the twelfth of April! the glorious twelfth of April!' It was accordingly agreed to by the commons, "That the annual fum of two thoufand pounds be granted to his majesty out of the aggregate fund, to commence from the twelfth day of April, 1782, and be fettled in the most beneficial manner, upon the prefent lord Rodney, and the two next fucceeding heirs male of his lordflip, to whom the barony of Rodney fhall defcend."

At this time there was alfo prefented to the commons by lord John Cavendish, a meffage from the king to the advantage of governor Eliott. It was of the following import.

performed by him to his majesty and this country, by his brave and gallant defence of Gibraltar, and for that purpose to grant to the said fir George Auguftus Eliott, for the term of his life, and for the life of his fon Francis Auguftus Eliott, an an nuity of one thoufand five hundred pounds per annum; but it not being in his majefty's power to grant the fame, or to fettle the faid annuity beyond the term of his own life, his majefty recommends it to his faithful commons to confider of a proper method of enabling his majesty to grant the faid annuity, and of fettling and fecuring the fame in the most effectual manner, for the benefit of the faid fir George Auguftus Eliott. G. R."

This meffage was received like the former one, with great cordiality; and the commons refolved, "That the annual fum of one thousand five hundred pounds be granted to his majesty out of the aggregate fund to commence from the thirteenth day of September 1782; and be fettled in the moft beneficial manner upon the right honourable fir George Auguftus Eliott, during his life and the life of his fon Francis Augustus Eliott." The houfe of peers were not lefs refpectful than the commons to lord Rodney and governor Eliott; and the acts entitling them to their penfions were paffed unobjected to and unamended.

The affairs of the Eaft India company being now apJuly 1. pealed to by fir Henry Fletcher, its diftrefs was defcribed, and the expediency pointed out of entering into refolutions or its protection and advantage. Lord John Cavendish infifted on the intimate connexion which prevailed between the credit and fuccefs of this company, and

the

the general intereft of the public at large. The profperity of the one neceffarily involved that of the other. An immediate affiftance was requifite to fupport the credit of the company, and invigorate its operations. The claim of the govern ment upon the company was great; and it might be prudent not to ufe it for fome months. It was likewife a matter of policy to enable it to raife the fum of three hundred thousand pounds to recover from the difgrace that threatened it. In thefe measures there was nothing that was pleasant to government; but neceffity could not be refifted; and the with-holding this aid from the company might lead to a great national oppreffion.

The commons being fenfible of the propriety of extending their patronage to the Eaft-India company went into the fentiments of lord John Cavendish. A bill for this purpofe was accordingly brought into the houfe; and paffed finally into an act.

In the houfe of lords, the fubject of an infolvent bill was at this time agitated. The earl of Effingham urged the neceffity of the interference of the legiflature to refcue multitudes of unfortunate men from the wretchedness of poverty and pri. fons, and to restore them to fociety and their relations. It became the peers to enter ferioufly into a full and careful revifion of the laws between debtor and creditor; and to provide regulations, of which the efficacy and justice would be permanent. He moved, therefore, for an infolvent bill upon the plan of that which had been paffed in the year 1776.

The earl of Mansfield objected to a partial bill; and approved not of the plan of the bill which had paffed in the year 1776. It had errors;

and even thofe errors had been cor rected in fubfequent bills. It deferved not to be confidered as a mo del. Regularity, however, requir ed that the bill of the noble lord fhould be printed.

The earl of Effingham contended that every delay ought to be avoided in a manner where humanity was fo deeply concerned; and did not perceive, but that the ceremony of printing his bill might be difpenfed with; fince it was exactly fimilar to that brought forward in the year 1776.

It was carried, notwithstanding, that the bill of the earl of Effingham fhould be printed; and when it came to be read a fecond time, his lordflip moved to call for witnesses to fubftantiate before the peers the miferable condition of the unfortu nate men whom he wished to ferve. In this motion he was oppofed by lord Mansfield, who confidered the production of witnefles as unneceffary for that bills of the nature alluded to were rather matters of policy than of humanity.

:

Lord Walfingham wifhed that the motion might not be preffed. He had apprehenfions, however, from the multitude of prifoners who were crowded together in one place. Difcafes might break out among them, and fpread through the kingdom. He therefore thought that fome me thod fhould be fallen upon to prevent a danger of this fort.

Lord Thurlow enlarged upon the mifchiefs which refulted from bills in favour of infolvent debtors. Ex perience had fhewn that little advantage was to be derived from them; and it was obvious that they went to difpenfe with the laws of the land, and to declare that they were inadequate to the ends for which they had been framed.

The earl of Effingham was conKi vinced

1

vinced that the proving the existence of the distress pointed to, with a view to obtain its redr fs had nothing improper in it. He lamented that the laws were fo imperfect; and exclaimed against the cruelty of fhutting up individuals for life within the walls of a prison.

Lord Mansfield affirmed, that the more he reflected on the measure of calling witneffes to the bar of the houfe of peers on the business before them, he was the more convinced of its impropriety. It was against all the rules by which they were ufually directed. A bill ought to speak for itfelf; and to carry its meaning on the face of it. If witneffes were to prove the pro priety of a bill, the fenfe of the house ought previously to be taken, whe

ther or not it fhould be brought before them. Upon this principle, the prefent bill ought to be rejected, for it would tend to establish an informality.

Infolvent acts too had become fo frequent, that they were expected with confidence; and it was a matter of fpeculation and care to the fraudulent debtor to take a full advantage of them. Jails communicated with jails; and an alarming difhonefty was encouraged and foltered throughout the kingdom.

No inclination being difcovered among the peers to divide with the earl of Effingham, his bill was rejected; and he protested against what he conceived to be an improper conduct of the house.

IN

July 10. N conformity to the order of the commons, lord John Cavendish fubmitted to their obfervation, a book or volume which contained, "A lift of the public accountants, who have received public money by way of impreft and upon account, and who have not yet accounted for the fame, and of thofe perfons from whom balances of declared accounts are ftill duc."

This book being laid upon the table, Mr. Pitt rofe to make a motion with regard to it. He stated that the book before them was an evidence that upwards of forty four millions of the public money was unaccount

ed for. This was an extraordinary circumftance. He meant not, however, to say, that this immenfe fum was due to the public, and might be recovered. Much of it, no doubt, had been fubitantially paid. But with regard to what had been paid, it appeared not that it had been accounted for formally, according to the rules of the Exchequer. At the time of its inftitution, the Exchequer was adapted more particularly to the regulation and controul of expenditure for domestic ufes. With this limitation in its aim and pur pofc, it was not therefore a matter of furprize, that in the progress of

time, it should become inadequate to the controul of the growing expences of the country. It was not to be wondered at, that it was unable to check the extenfive expences to which the nation had of late years been compelled to fubmit. At the termination, therefore of a moft unhappy and ruinous war, it confifted with policy, that they fhould turn their fcrutiny to a matter which evidently required improvement and regulation.

If it was, indeed, a truth, that the Exchequer was unequal to the controul of extenfive expenditure, it was a matter of great neceffity to find out the means to make it ade quate and applicable. The abufes following from its want of efficacy and energy, were abundant and palpable; and they might be carried to an extremity that would endanger the existence of the country. A check immediate and powerful ought to prevail, and exert its vigour over every fpecies of public expenditure from the largest fum to the lowest which was iffued. It was with a view to this check, that he had thought of the motion which he was about to offer to the confideration of the house.

and others to the principal accountants. But as the forms of the Exchequer required that their accounts fhould have paffed the auditor of the impreft before they were finally difcharged, they ftill remained as fub-accountants chargeable with balances unaccounted for. With regard to individuals who had accounted fubftantially but not formally, the inquiry was as neceffary as with refpect to others who were actually in debt to the public It would ferve to clear their characters, and give thein an early quictus.

It was likewife fit that an inquiry fhould be made after those who itood indebted for fums long due, and not likely to be recovered. If fuch perfons were living, their characters fhould be fcrutinized, and if dead, thofe of their reprefentatives. Methods fhould be taken to find out what of fuch debts were good, and what bad. There were likewife accountants who had never accounted at all; and from whom the public might derive fome benefit. For that the public fhould lofe as little as poffible, was a maxim that could not be controverted

Upon thefe grounds he moved, "That an humble addrefs be prefented to his majefty, that it appears that large fums of money which have at different times, and many of them very long fince been paid for public fervices to fub-accountants, amounting in the whole to above forty-four millions, have not yet been accounted for before the audi tors of the impreft; and that though many of them may have been other. wife accounted for in the course of office, yet others to a very large amount have not been accounted for at all.

"That it appears to the houfe to be of the utmost importance, that all public accounts fhould be brought K3

for