Mr. Alder met. own members, would not be anxious of fcrutinizing again into a subject of fo difagreeable and perfonal a nature. Mr. Alderman Hammet trufted that the bufinefs would not man Ham- be again deferred, understanding fince he had come down to the Houfe, that no fresh evidence could be adduced. If that was the cafe, he was perfuaded the honourable and learned gentleman on the other fide of the Houfe would not object to its being then difcuffed, as the fubject could not last five minutes. There was a degree of punishment attending the de lay; and as the honourable gentleman who was the subject of the charge was then in his place, he had no doubt but he would rife and declare to the House that he had no intention of giving offence. Mr. Mort lock. Mr. Drake Mr. Mortlack trufted that the House would perinit him to appeal to their candour. His feelings were much hurt at their fuppofing that he had infringed upon their privileges, and he hoped they would not accede to another adjournment. He trusted the queftion would now be difcuffed, and that the honourable gentlemen (Mr. Pitt and Mr. Steele) would wave their objections. Entertaining the highest respect and veneration for the rules of the Houfe, he declared he was concerned that his filence upon a former day had, in his abfence, been taken as contumacious. He folemnly affured the House, and the honourable gentleman who had remarked it, that there was not a member within those walls who entertained a higher opinion of the privileges of Parliament than himself, and in no inftance had he the most distant idea of intentionally offending. As he fhould feel the difpleasure of that Houfe to be important, fo he trusted they would permit him to ufe that importance as an inducement not to defer the confideration of the queftion. He added, that if any part of his conduct had been contrary to the rules or privileges of the Houfe, he was much concerned at it, and begged once more that the Houfe would not agree to a farther adjournment. Mr. Drake faid, he now declared, that from what the honourable gentleman had now obferved, he no longer entertained any fufpicion of his conduct being contumacious, but was perfeâly fatisfied with the honourable gentleman's private and public conduct all through the business. After what had paffed, he hoped his right honourable friend, with his characteristic magnanimity, and the Houfe, would not think it neceffary to proceed any farther in the business, but would agree to difcharge the order, and would come to fomet declaratory refolution that should ftand upon the journals, expreffing that it was a breach of the privileges of the House to alter any of the papers belonging to it in future. Mr. Mr. Chancellor Pitt remarked, that if it was the fenfe of Mr. Chan=" the House that the matter fhould go off without farther dif- elior Pitt. cuffion, he certainly would not be the man to prefs for any perfonal proceeding in the bufinefs. The Attorney General declared that he had no fort of ob- The Attor jection, if fuch were the fentiments of the Houfe, to con- ney Genefent to finish the bufinefs, by agreeing to a motion fer a difcharge of the order, provided a refolution was come to, at the fame time, declaring that every alteration of a paper, once delivered to the Houfe, and adopted by it, was a high breach of privilege. Although there was nothing like legal proof against the honourable gentleman, (Mr. Mortlock) yet they had good ground of fufpicion that he had (perhaps very innocently as to intention) made fome alterations in the lift. Sir Richard Hill faid a few words of a fimilar tendency, Sir Rich. and it was then agreed that the Attorney General should draw Hill. the motion; but in order to avoid any error which might arife from precipitately putting that into form, which was to be an order affecting and regulating the proceedings of the - House in all fuch cafes in future, Mr. Attorney propofed to have the order read for the prefent, and adjourn it till the next day, it being at the fame time on all hands underftood that it was then to be in effect difcharged by being adjourn ed to a long day, and that a refolution fhould be moved of the nature hinted at, which refolution Mr. Attorney faid he would in the mean time prepare with the affiftance of the noble Lord, who had originally propofed the letting the business clofe with fuch a termination. As a farther reafon for poftponing the moving the refolution till this day, Mr. Attorney ftated that it was neceffary fo to frame it, that it fhould not militate with the order formerly moved by Vifcount Beauchamp, or any wife weaken or call the extent of that order in question. The order was adjourned accordingly, and the House went into a Committee on the wine excite bill, when counfel and witneffes were called to the bar. Wednesday, 3ft May. ral. The Solicitor General prefented a petition from fome gen- The Solici tlemen, praying for leave to bring in a bill to incorporate tor Gene them, for the purpose of building fishing towns and villages on the coafts of Scotland. Laudable and liberal, he observed, was the purport of the parties concerned: one of the first things to be done in order to eftablish a fifhery with any profpect of fuccefs, was to collect together and aggregate thofe fisheries which were at prefent fpread over the country. N 2 n In Sir M. W. The Solici In order to effect this, a fet of gentlemen, who had figned the petition, (and his name was to it among others) had entered into a voluntary subscription, which already amounted to feven thousand pounds, and would doubtlefs previously to the paffing of the bill extend to a much larger sum. Sir Matthew White Ridley expreffed fome doubt as to the fecurity the Public would have for any fums that the fociety might run in debt, over and above their stated capital. The Solicitor General replied, that no corporate body was tor General answerable for more than their capital, but then it was to be confidered, that no perfons were obliged to give them credit. Their capital was known and afcertained, and it was the fault of those who gave them credit, if they rifqued more than the amount of the fociety's capital. Mr. Chan Mr. Chancellor Pitt clofed this flight debate by obferving, cellor Pitt. that fuch a converfation would carry with it more propriety when the bill fhould be before the Houfe and under difcuffion. Mr. Burke. The Attor ral. Mr. Chancellor Pitt begged leave to remind a right ho nourable gentleman (Mr. Burke) that he had promifed to favour the House with a sketch of his intended motion on the charge refpecting the Rohilla war, previous to his making it in form. Mr. Burke replied, that he had not the smallest objectionHe then produced his motion, containing a fummary of all the criminal facts alledged in the charge, condenfed and put into legal form. The Attorney General, in conformity to the agreement enney Gene- tered into the preceding day, moved, to discharge the order for the referring the Report of the Committee above "ftairs, concerning a breach of privilege, to the cofideration "of a Coininittee of the whole House." This being agreed to, Mr. Attorney moved, That it appears by the Report, that feveral material al"terations were made in the lift of Commiffioners of the land-tax act delivered in by General Adeane, one of "the meinbers of the town of Cambridge, after the faid lift had been delivered in by the faid member, and "that the faid alterations were made without his confent or "privity. "That any alteration made in any lift of Commiffioners "of the land-tax act, whereby the perfons whose names were "included in fuch lift might be prevented from acting in the "execution of fuch act, is highly criminal, and a breach of "the privilege of this House. "That for the future, every lift of Commiffioners of the "land-tax act, should be delivered in, figned by the mem ber ❝ber delivering in the fame; and that the faid lift fhall be "carefully kept by the officer to whom the fame fhall be "intrufted: and that no perfon whatsoever do prefume to make any alteration in fuch lift without the order of this "House, or of a Committee thereof. "That every member delivering in fuch lift fhall, at the "time of the delivery thereof, fign and deliver a dupli"cate thereof, which fhall be kept on a file, open to the in"fpection of any member of this Houfe." Sir William Dolben wished to give a power to the Judges of Sir William affize, to authorise perfons to act as land-tax commiffioners, Dolben. whose names were accidentally mifpelt in the act, upon certificate of their identity being exhibited by the clerk of the peace. Sir William was informed by the Attorney General, that what he recommended could not be done by a refolution, but might in the course of the enfuing year be introduced as a - clause in the land-tax act. The report of the Committee on the occafional-voters bill being brought up and read a first time, Mr. Fox obferved, that much conversation had taken place Mr. Fox. upon the fubject in a Committee, in which he had recently fat above ftairs (the Carlisle Committee) and much argument had been refted on the conftruction of the act, commonly called the Durham act, which was the only act in being which regulated the occafionality of voters. Many of the gentlemen had contended, that the twelvemonths were the rule to go by in judging; and that, he owned, he confidently believed, was the right way to decide. He mentioned the Treating act, which forbade treating after the return of the teft of the writ; the fair interpretation of which was not only, that treating before the return of the teft, was allowable, but that no inquiry could be made into it. The prefent bill fixed the occafionality at fix months inhabitancy, which was a new period, and as it was ufual to go by the last act which paffed, if this bill paffed, it would virtually do away the effect of the Durham act, and by defining the occafionalty, take away all difcretion from that House, or a Committee of that House, whenever the queftion fhould come before them as to what peculiarly confituted an occafional voter. Mr. Nicholls replied, that if what the right honourable gentlemaan had stated was an objection to his bill, he for his part fhould not attempt to explain it away. The Attorney General contended, that there was great want The Atorof fome bill to regulate the occafionality of votes. He men- ney General tioned an inftance of an election for the borough of Hertford, where, for want of a legal regulation, great numbers of occafional voters were polled, who had never in their lives feen Hert Mr. Fox. Mr. Chan cellor Pitt. Mr. Huffey Mr. Chan Hertford till two days previous to the election, but came then and had places patched up for them; and it being impof fible for the Mayor to know whether they meant to stay in Hertford or not, they were fuffered to vote. Mr. Fox obferved, that if the bill was at all neceffary, it was for fuch a place as Hertford; but there were but two fuch boroughs in the kingdom, Hertford and Preston. The order of the day having been read, for the House to refolve itself into a Committee of ways and means, the Speaker left the chair, and Mr. Gilbert took his feat at the table. Mr. Chancellor Pitt moved a refolution, for raising the fum of 688,750l. by way of Lottery; to confist of fifty thousand tickets. He ftated, that the amount of the prizes would be 500,000l. and confequently that the Public would gain 188,750l. The times for paying in the fubfcription money were, 2d June 8 8 00000500+ 1212 2 2 2 2 15 £.13 15 6 Mr. Huffey remarked that the mifchief, by encouraging vice and diffipation, greatly overbalanced the advantages the Public derived from the profit they afforded. In the present inftance, the fum to be gained by the propofed lottery was from 150,000l. to 180,000l. which was a very paltry confi deration, fet against the pernicious confequences of fuch a mode of raifing money. He therefore, upon a principle of confiftency, and from a thorough conviction that the condition of the country did not warrant the reforting to a lottery, fhould give his negative to the refolution. The queftion was put and carried, with the fingle negative of Mr Huffey. Two other refolutions were moved and agreed to, and or dered to be reported. Upon the order for refuming the Committee on this bill, Mr. Chancellor Pitt expreffed a wifh that he might be percellor Pitt. mitted to get the bill through the Committee, and after the blanks were all filled up, and the bill made complete, it should be reprinted, and gentlemen would then be the better able to judge of it, and to speak to it if they faw ground of objection. Mr, |