to be closed before the prorogation. It was accordingly agreed that the confideration of that charge fhould come on, on the enfuing Friday, and that Mr. Middleton and Major Williams fhould be examined on Wednesday.

Saturday, 20th June.

Upon the report of that article from the Committee of Supply being read a fecond time, which provides 9000l. as a compenfation for their trouble to the Commiffioners appointed to ftate, &c. the public accounts for the paft year,

Miller.

Sir John Miller faid, that he was forry to find that there Sir John did not appear to him to be any difpofition in the prefent administration, to continue the Commiffioners of public accounts for another year, as it had been heretofore cuftomary for the minifter to bring in a bill, for their farther continuance previous to the vote of their fallary for the past year. That the Commiffioners had greatly diftinguifhed themselves in his mind, by the integrity, affiduity, and efficacy of their Reports, which were equally beneficial to the nation, as they were honourable to themselves. [Mr. Chancellor Pitt begged pardon for interrupting the honourable baronet, which he faid he did only from its appearing to him, that he had mifconceived the intention of adminiftration, which was most certainly to continue the Commiffioners of public accounts for the following year. Sir John Miller declared himself happy to hear, that fuch was the intention of Government, to recommend which had been his only object in intruding himself upon the Houfe.]

Mr. Chancellor Pitt having moved the order of the day Mr. Chan for taking into confideration his Majefty's meflige relative cellor Pitt to the difpofal of the crown lands, and the fame having been read, ftated the great importance of the fubject, and how highly worthy it was of the attention of the Legiflature, whether it was confidered in its probable confequence of increafing the revenue, or contributing to improve and extend the ftate of agriculture and population. He fhould not, for the prefent, fuggeft any specific meafure for carrying this object into execution, whether by ftill holding them in the hands of the Crown, and applying regulations for their better administration, or by putting them up to fale. But which ever mode were ultimately to be adopted, it would neceffarily require confiderable time before it could be brought to perfection. In the former cafe, a part only could be at first taken into hand, and that for experiment, which might be found for fome time ineffectual, and be neceffarily altered and amended, and in the cafe of a fale, the whole could not be brought to market at once, becaufe that might not only be the means of defeating in a great meafure the intention of

the

Mr. Mainwaring.

the plan, but be alfo productive of much private inconvenience to individuals, and to property in general. Gentlemen then ought not to entertain any very fanguine hopes of immediate great advantages from any plan which might be adopted, yet ftill, in every point of view, it was certainly an object of very great importance-He did not mean to propose for the prefent, any specific measure for the final adjuftment of the bufinefs, but only a neceffary ftep towards fuch conclufive arrangement as might ultimately be approved of. Steps had already been taken to procure an exact account of the extent and value of the lands belonging to the Crown, but it was found that the powers of the executive government were not completely adequate to the end propofed, and therefore an application to Parliament became neceflary for fuch farther powers as fhould enable the Govern ment to appoint Commiffioners for that purpose. He accord. ingly moved,

That leave be given to bring in a bill for appointing Commiffioners to inquire into the state and condition of the woods, forefts and land revenues belonging to the Crown."

Mr. Mainwaring prefented a bill (after having previously moved for and obtained leave) to amend, explain, and render more effectual" An act for amending and carrying into execution, an act for licensing Lottery Offices." He faid, that during the drawing of every lottery, there were a great number of offices, which were called Lottery offices, though in fact they fold not any lottery tickets, but merely infured the numbers upon lottery tickets. Thefe offices were opened, and continued the practice of infurance, in defiance of an exprefs act of parliament, to the great injury of the public morals, and indeed to the ruin of numberlefs individuals. Every gentleman might not be aware of the extent of the evil, but, as it happened that he had greater opportunity of being acquainted with it than many others, he thought it his duty to propose a Bill founded on an endeavour to put a ftop to these pernicious practices, which the act of the prefent King had not been found powerful enough to prevent. Mr. Mainwaring declared, that he had watched the conduct and effect of these Infurance offices, and that during every lottery of late years, people of all ranks, degrees, and ages, the rich, the poor, mafters and miftreffes of families, and their lowest fervants, tradefmen, mechanicks, artificers, journeymen, apprentices and errand boys, all crowded promifcuously together to infure, many of them dedicating their last filling, and fome (and thofe he was forry to fay, not a few,) money not their own, to the hazardous rifque of this defperate fpecies of gambling. The act of George III. was read, and the motion agreed to,

Mr.

Mr. Dundas rofe to ftate that he wished to move for a Mr. DunBill, which he conceived to be fo important, that, late as it das. was in the feffion, if the House fat any time, he should wifh to get it paffed before the recefs; but if it fhould appear that Parliament was likely to rife foon, he would not push it, but would merely bring it in, and move to have it printed, fo that the Houfe might have it fully in their poffeffion. The object of the Bill was to prevent the numberless frauds conftantly practifed in refpect to the payment of feamen's wages, equally to the inconvenience of the Public, and the injury of their best fervants, the failors in His Majefty's navy. The remedies to thefe evils that he had as yet brought his mind to, he was free to confefs, did not in every refpect, some up to his own fatisfaction; in fome, he thought they would fully anfwer. One of the principal frauds was this: the wages due to the feamen of His Majefty's fhips were never paid till the fhip arrives at home and is paid off; is, therefore, a seaman in a fhip on fervice abroad, is there turned over from one fhip to another, and then again to a third, he cannot receive his wages due to him for his fervice in either, till he and the fhips he ferved in come home, and the latter are paid off. It therefore had frequently happened, that, when a feaman fo circunftanced, arrived in England, and went to receive the wages due to him, he found that fome other perfon had forged his will, or power of attorney, and received his money; and fo far was the clause in the act of Parliament, which had paffed with a view to prevent thefe frauds, and had been moft relied on, as a fecurity against them, proved to be no fecurity, that its effect had been chiefly the reverfe, infomuch that it had been the actual fource and caufe of most of the frauds lately practifed.

In order, therefore, to guard them against this impofition, he proposed that no power of attorney fhould be valid, which was not executed in the prefence of their fuperior. He meant the commanding officer of the fhip to which they belonged; and if any feaman to whom wages were due, lived in the country, and wifhed to make out a power of attorney, that power of attorney fhould be witneffed by the clergyman of the place, the churchwardens or elders. Mr. Dundas now moved for leave to bring in his Bill, which was immediately granted.

The House having refolved itself into a Committee of the whole House, to confider of the duties now payable upon Coals carried Coaftways, in that part of Great Britain called Scotland, and the report of the Committee having been brought up and read, Mr. Beaufoy fpoke to the following purport.

Mr. Beaufoy.

Sir Henry Hoghton, I rife forthe purpose of moving a re folution of fuch clear and obvious utility, as muft, I am perfuaded, engage the approbation, and obtain the fupport of every friend to the internal improvement of Great Britain. Those who are acquainted with the ftate of population in the different kingdoms in Europe, perfectly well know that in thefe northern climates a country is numerously inhabited in proportion to the excellence of its fuel, and to the eafe with which it may be obtained-How great then is their aftonishment to find, that in Britain a tax is impofed upon fuel, and fo impofed as exceedingly to increase the dearnefs of coal where it is naturally fcarce, and to operate as a total prohibition in thofe diftricts of the island in which the climate is the moft fevere, and the want of fuel is con; fequently the moft afflictive; what is the fituation of those Highlanders in Scotland, who are difpofed to labour profitably for themselves and advantageoufly for the ftate? shall they engage in agriculture, and endeavour to obtain a livelihood by the produce of the foil? An infuperable difficulty compels them to relinquish the defign.-The coal that is neceffary to convert to manure the limeftone and chalk, which their hills abundantly afford, is denied them by the Legiflature.

Have they a wish to establish manufactures, to many of which they have fituations admirably fuited.-'Tis a fruitless hope. The tax upon coal brought to them by fea, is an ef fectual bar to every fuch defign; or do they imagine that the myriads of fish which annually frequent their coafts, would furnish again full occupation? Certain is is that the common opinion that the fea is productive in proportion, as the land is barren, was never more completely verified than on the northern coafts of Scotland; for the herrings which annually arrive at the Shetland Ifles, are fuppofed to occupy as large a space in the ocean, as that which the whole island of Great Britain fills. The frozen fea, itself inacceffible, fends them this fupply. But equally vain as their other hopes are the expectations which this fource of maintenance. and wealth excites; for on the one hand the want of coal difables the manufactories which the fisheries require, and on the other a confiderable part of the fishing feafon is exhaufted in procuring fuch a quantity of peat, the only fuel they are able to obtain, as is requifite for the common purpofes of life. What then is the ftarving Highlander's refource? he has but one, which is that of endeavouring to obtain in a foreign land the fubfiftence which the Legislature denies him in his own. From the year 1763, to. 1775, more than 30,000 perfons are fuppofed to have emigrated to America from the Highlands alone; and at the time at which 1

am now speaking at this very hour, no less than 600 perfons are preparing to embark in one fingle veffel. It is thus that the agriculture, the manufactures, and the fisheries of Scotland are depreffed, and that population itfelf finks under the burden of the law. I hear it faid that the evils are of too valt a magnitude to follow from the caufe affigned. They who fuggeft the doubt, have little knowledge of the interefts of fociety, and of the circumstances that operate to its advencement or decline; they would otherwife have learned, that fire is fo powerful and neceffary an engine in fupplying the wants of men, that where there is no fuel, fociety, in thefe climates at leaft, fcarcely can exift.-I have alfo heard (for fuch was the argument when the object of the resolution was mentioned a few days fince in the Houfe) that the meafure recommended would be an exemption unjustly granted to one part of the Ifland at the expence of the other-a groundlefs and illiberal fufpicion; for the object propofed is a commutation of duty, not an exemption from duty; the only indulgence fuggefted is that of permitting the people of Scotland to raife, by a fmall, and no ways injurious affellment on their houses and lands, the fame annual fum of fix thoufand pounds, which at prefent is raifed at the expence of their husbandry, their, manufactures, their fifheries, and their population; ftill however it will be urged that the privilege is partial to the interefts of Scotland; confident I am that the Committee who propofed the measure are of a very different opinion. They indeed acknowledge themfelves very ignorant of the interefts of Scotland, and of the interefts of England, if thofe interefts are to be confidered as diftinct; but they think they have fome knowledge of the interefts of Great Britain; and indeed, Sir, every principle of policy leads them to conclude, that after fo many millions of the trading capital of this kingdom have been expended, in converting into arable and pafture the wilds of a diftant continent, the Legislature will not refufe to encourage, fo far as wife and provident laws constitute encouragement, the cultivation of our own lands, and the improvement of our own coafts.

Sir Jofeph Mawhey oppofed the refolution on the principle Sir Jofeph of its being partial, and therefore unjuft. There were Mawbey. many parts of this kingdom where the inhabitants were obliged to burn turf, from being wholly debarred of coal. He particulurly mentioned a part of Surrey and Wales. The remiffion therefore ought to be extended to those parts as well as to Scotland. There had been a cloth manufactory established some years fince at Guildford, which, had the daty on coal been remitted, as the price of fuel was the VOL. XX.

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