Some additional claufes were brought up by Mr Pitt, enacting that the volunteers raised in any county fhould be deducted from the ftated number, &c.

Nov. 1. The Houfe refolved itself into a Committee to confider further the Militia Augmentation Bill, the refult of which was, that the Bill should be read a third time on the morrow, if then engroffed.

Mr Pitt, previous to the order of the day for receiving the Report of the Committee on the Provifional Cavalry Bill, fuggefted the propriety of dividing the Bill into two, and thereby diftinguishing between the infantry and cavalry; not with any intention, he said, of relinquishing either, but for the convenience of the House.

The Bill was ordered to be recommitted, and Mr Pitt moved, that it be an inftruction to the Committee to divide the Bill into two, if they think proper. Agreed to.

The Houfe then refolved itself into the Committee, and the claufes were difcuffed feparately, and a number of amendments were made, report received, and the Bill ordered to be engroffed.

2. The Militia Augmentation Bill paffed, after clauses introduced to except from the ballot a poor man having three children, and making an allowance of one fhilling per week to those who ferved for each of their children under ten years of age.

against the Bill, and Mr Nicholls, Mr Stewart, and others in favour of it; and the Houfe divided for receiving the report, Ayes 140, Noes 30.

Mr Pitt then brought up four new claufes, for permitting perfons refident at two places to make their election for which they would be balloted, to exempt officers in actual service, to exempt perfons not continuing to keep horses, and to direct the mode of purchafing a horfe, where none in the clafs were fit for fervice, which were all adopted. The Gamekeepers Bill was read a firft time, and the Houfe adjourned.

Nov. 3. The Houfe having refolved itfelf into a Committee of the whole Houfe on the Bill for prohibiting the export, and permitting the import of Corn,

Mr Ryder, in conformity to notice, propofed a claufe authorifing the diftillation of damaged wheat, or such as fhould be pronounced unfit for the food of man, after an infpection under the authority of the Commiffioners of Excife, or two or three corn factors who should be of the fame opinion. He next moved for the introduction of a claufe permitting the manufacture of ftarch, under certain restrictions, which were agreed to.

The Bill for rating a provifional force of Cavalry was read a third time, and previous to the queftion on its paffing.

Mr Pitt brought up feveral claufes, which were committed and agreed to.

Nov. 4. The orders for hearing the petitions against the elections for Tregony, Cirencefter, and Worcester, were difcharged, the petitioners not having entered into the neceffary recognizances.

The Cavalry Bill, after receiving fome amendments, was read a third time, and paffed.

Mr Fox declaimed in a moft vehement manner agamft the Bill, and on the ftate of Ireland. He ridiculed the idea of an invafion of England, but an attempt upon Ireland might be probable, the people of which country were treated in fuch a manner by the English Government as to be capable of any thing-the mafs of the people were treated like cattle, not like men-the The Navy and Army Augmentation country was infulted with a contempti- Bill alfo paffed, after fome obfervations ble monopoly under the name of a Par- of Mr Frafer on the inequality, accordliament with an image, but the moc-ing to their population, of the number kery of the Parliament of Great Britain. of men required from the feveral counMr Ryder reprobated in indignant ties in Scotland. terms the fpeech of the Right Hon. Gentleman. He lamented that any Mem. ber of the British Parliament should labour to excite Irishmen to infurrection, by telling them they were treated like oxen or fheep; or that his political paffions fhould carry any Englishman fo far from himself, as to utter in the Houfe of Commons a fpeech, which might have compofed the manifefto of a French general, after an invafion of Ireland.

7. In the Committee on a Bill for Funding the Navy Bills, Mr Rofe brought up a claufe providing, that when holders of Navy Bills bring them to the office to be registered, they fhall then make choice of the flock in which they may choose to fund them, and shall be bound by that choice.

Dec. 5. Mr Grey, preparatory to the difcuffion to take place on the subject of Finances on Wednesday, wifhed that some mode could be found of afcertaining the

amount

Houfe on the unexampled alacrity with which the loan was fubferibed, and on the low intereft, confidering the long ftate of warfare, at which he had been able to obtain it-viz. at 5l. 12s. 6d. per cent. He wished, however, this item was the only one which he had intereft to provide for; but it happened, that in our favourite fervice, the Navy debt had exceeded by 8,250,00cl. the fum at which he had calculated it, and the probable excefs of that debt for the prefent year might be 5,700,000l. To the inte reft of these fums alfo must be added 140,00cl. at which, in the Ways and Means of last year, the Collateral Succeffion Tax was calculated; but which, in confequence of its being too complicated, was obliged to be withdrawn.

140,000

doning of the collateral
fucceffion tax

But from this was to be de-
ducted the intereft upon
2,000,000, which, ow-
ing to the fpirited and
patriotic conduct of the
India Company, Go-
vernment will not be
required to pay

New Taxes.

II 2,000

2,110,000

To provide then for the payment of this intereft of two millions one hundred 2,500,000 and ten thousand pounds, he should 200,000 propole additional duties on Tea, Coffee, 410,000 Sugar, Spirits, Diftilleries (which had increased in Scotland to a degree alarm1,075,000 ing to the lives and morals of the peo18,000,000 ple) Bricks, Auctions, Stage Coaches, 5,500,000 Parcels by Coaches, &c. Poftage of Letters, Canals, and an increafe on the Af feffed Taxes.

27,695,000 In adverting to the neceffity of immediately providing intereft for the money borrowed, Mr Pitt congratulated the

He fhould likewise propose a regulation in the Receipt Duties-viz. that the perfon receiving the money should be

compelled

compelled to find a receipt. This he calculated would produce an addition of 30,000l. per annum; but he should not include it in the following

Additional and New Duties.
Tea-10 per cent. addi-
tional on all Tea above
2s per lb.

Spirits 8d. per gallon on
Rum'

Iod. do. on Brandy
Id. do. on Wash
Scotch Diftilleries-541.
per gallon per ftill
Sugar-2s. 6d. per cwt.on
Sugar imported
Bricks.-3s. 6d. per 1000 on
those imported

Is. ditto on home

290,000

£1,132,000

Mr Pitt, before he fat down, took the opportunity to obferve, that our expenditure laft year had been confidera bly augmented by the affiftance which Minifters had deemed it their duty to give a valuable, a faithful, and an honourable ally. They had found it necef

:

had given a great part of it during the fitting of the Houfe of Commons, who were the fole guardians of the public purfe, and the only power that could di

lufive flatements that had been made to them by the Minifter, whofe fyftem tended to the abolition of the privileges of the House of Commons, and the creation of a dictator in the perfon of himfelf-rect the iffues of it. He then obferved, who, during the war, was to expend and levy at discretion. When he confeffed he had fent twelve hundred thousand pounds to the Emperor without the confent of Parliament, would he fay that any thing lefs was meant by this than that he was better entitled to judge what the people of England fhould give to the Emperor than the Houfe of Commons, in whom the conftitution had repofed that truft? If this was the fyftem of the day, the Conftitution was neither worthy to be fought for or cared for. As to Domeftic expences, it might be true, though lamentable, that accuracy was impoffible but then the principles of thefe expences were known; in the prefent inftance, Parliament had neither known the expence, nor been confulted as to the principle, and the Minifter deferved to be impeached for having fhewn a defign to difpofe of money without the authority of the legal guardians of the public purfe. Mr Fox drew a parallel between the King's Minifters of Hanover and his Minifters of Britain, in their respective conduct towards France, not much in favour of the latter; and he faid, the Chancellor of the Exchequer was now, after fpending one hundred millions of money, and innumerable lives, foliciting a negociation which he (Mr F.) had recommended, and which would have been effected with ease, four years ago but at the propofal of which, the haughty Minifter then frowned indignant.

Mr Fox referving for a future day his remarks on the nature of the taxes, the refolutions moved by Mr Pitt paffed, and the House adjourned.

Advances to the Emperor.

Dec. 8. On receiving the report of the Ways and Means, and on the motion, that the refolutions of yesterday be read a fecond time,

Mr Fox rofe, and faid, that after he had reached home laft night, he had felt himfelf uneafy in giving a filent .ffent to the granting of a fhilling more to an Ad miniftration who had applied an immenfe fum of the public money to effect their particular views, without the consent of Parliament-who had not only given in a moft unconftitutional manner hundreds of thousands to a foreign potentate, but

that the firft of this money had been paid during the Seffion of the late Parliament, when Minifters were preffed on his fide of the Houfe to know if they meant to grant further fubfidy to the Emperor, and gave equivocal anfwers-and the major part of it had been advanced after the prefent Legiflature had been elected, yet Adminiftration had the criminality to conceal the bufinefs, and did not, until the laft moment, upon opening the Budget, when they were compelled to afk for the Supply, deigu to mention the fubject to the Commons of Great Britain. This was fo glaring an infringement of the Conftitution, fuch an ufurpation of the Executive over the Legiflative Power, that if admitted, without punishing the authors of the measure, there was an end to our once boafted frame of Government, the Crown had completely fuperfeded the office of Parliament. For his part, he deemed the Minifter guilty of a high crime and mifdemeanor. If, however, the House should think otherwife, many with me will think, faid Mr Fox, our long-famed Conftitution a deteftable one. Even after all the attacks which have been made upon it, and all the wounds which it has received, we would ftill have fhed our blood in its defence; but, if this new defalcation is to be added to what we were formerly robbed of, I would wish to know what there is left to intereft our feelings, or to excite our exertions? This will, indeed, be an incalculable addition to all the woes, and calamities which the war has induced; and if, after what we have loft in money, in reputation, and in blood, we are alfo to fubmit to this op preffion, the House of Con.mons is no longer to be confidered as a branch of the Conftitution; and there will be little in our Government to diftinguish it from that of abfolute monarchies.

Mr Pitt faid, that those who were ig norant of the Right Hon. Gentleman's command of inflammatory language, and who had never heard him deliver his opinions before, would, from the fpecimen they had juft now heard, have conceived that he had on this occafion, for the firft time in his life, discovered the Conftitution to be really in danger, and from the earneftnefs of his tone, and vehemence of manner, would have thought that he

was