. of a lols without always offering 
a compeuiation. Mr. Fraxcis re- 
probated the extenfion of the cul- 
tivation of opium: poppies, he 
faid, were the mott noxious weeds 
that Brews had it been an exten- 
‘fion of the cultivation of grain, he 
- fhould have thought the fuggeftion 
- a laudable one. 
In anfwer to Mr. Francis, -Mr. 
Devaynes, the chairman of the com- 
pany, declared, that the company 
_ were in no need whatever of cre- 
dit ; it was not true that they were 
fending out their filver and other ex- 
ports upon credit; they had already 
paid for their ufual quantity of fil- 
ver, and were ready to pay to-mor- 
for the quantity now in treaty, 
fair price was agreed upon. 
Mr. Dundas declared his afto- 
_ nifhment, that any man could fo wil- 
fully have attempted to pervert eve- 
ry line he had quoted of the letters 
from Lord Cornwallis; and by fe- 
 leéting paflages partially, and de- 
» i aching them from the context, 
_ pervert their fenfe, mifapply their 
ihe - teference, and deftroy’ their mean- 
ing. He hoped gentlemen would 
_ carefully perufe thofe letters in their 
: clofets, and he was confident that 
ry candid man would be con- 
inced, that the honourable gentle- 
man’s aflertions were unfounded, 
The faéts-ftated by Mr. Dundas 
were then moved in the form of re- 
lutions, and agreed to by the: 
committee.” 
On the 15th of April, Sir John: 
iggs Miller informed the houle of 
the proceedings of the committee 
pee to take into confideration 
fubje&t of weights and meafures. 
~ His fpeech, upon this occafion, ton- 
a tained a full and accurate detail of 
the various means which had been 
fuggefted for obtaining a true and 
+ 
HISTORY OF EUROPE, 
[89 
fixed ftandard of meafure: but as,’ 
from the nature of the inveftigation, 
it does not admit of an abridgmeny, 
we conceive it will be more accept’ 
able to our readers to have it entire 
in our next volume, under the ar-~ 
ticle of Ujeful Projeds. 
During the courfe of the fefion, a 
great number of petitions from va- 
rious pates of Great-Britain, had 
been prefenteds- praying for the re-— 
peal of the act for fubjecting dealers 
in tobacco to the excife, which had’ 
pafled in the lat feffion of parlia- 
ment. Thefe petitions were, onthe 
motion of Mr. Sheridan, referred to’ 
a committee of the whole houfe;’ 
and the 16th of April was fixed for ’ 
taking them into confideration. On 
that day Mr. Sheridan begana long 
and eloquent fpeech, with an invec- 
tive againit the whole fyitem of the 
excife laws; im which he illuftrated ' 
and urged with great force all the’ 
ufual topics which have been em-_ 
ployed upon that popular thefis. He’ 
then adverted to the peculiar hard- 
fhips of the tobacco bill; and pie 3 
the objections which had been made 
laft year, by anumber of allegations 
taken from the petitions, which had- 
been prefented, and information he 
had received from the manufacturers 
themfelves. 
From the mafs of evidence which 
had been given on the fubject of this 
act, Mr. Sheridan drew the ‘follow- 
ing concluiions. Firft, that the ex- 
port trade to foreign countries muit 
be greatly injured, “if not totally de- 
ftroyed, by theatt. “The price paid 
for licences was proportioned to the’ 
quantity of tobacco manufactured, 
and, confequently, it ought to be 
confidered asa tax, which niuft ratfe 
the price ot the wrticle' im the fo- 
reign markets ‘Tins was contrary 
to every found principle of trade, 
which 
