IIISTOIIY OF EUROPE. 



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punisbnient so severe to have so 

 heavy a charge hanging over (he 

 head of any man, that he thought 

 the noble marquis ought, at least, 

 in the course of the session, to have 

 all the charges concluded in a pre- 

 cise form. 



A long desultory conversation 

 then took place, which ended by 

 the interference of the lord cliancel- 

 lor iu point of order. 



On the 5th of July, the marquis 

 of Abercorn brought up the articles 

 of accusation against Mr. justice 

 Fox, which were under four distinct 

 heads. The 1st was, that he had 

 urged the grand jury of the county 

 of Fermanagh, to address his ma- 

 jesty to remove the lord lieutenant 

 and government of Ireland, with the 

 intent of exciting discontent against 

 his majesty's governmeul. The 2d 

 was, for endeavouring to induce the 

 commanding olhcer of a corps of 

 yeomanry, to procure an address 

 from his corps to tiiat efVedt. The 

 3d related to his miscondurt on cir- 

 cuit, the high sheriff of a county 

 complaining of being fined 5001. by 

 him, in an arbitrary manner : and 

 the petty jurors, and Mr. Hart, of 

 being stigmatised by him as perjur- 

 ed persons. The last was for grossly 

 and wantonly insulting the marquis 

 of Abercorn. and publicly stating, 

 that he did so for the i)ujposc of 

 vexing and annoying him. These 

 articles were ordered to lie on the 

 table, and a copy of the same to be 

 furnished to Mr. justice Fox. 



Durirtg the remainder of the ses- 

 sion, the stamp-duty bill and the 

 India budget were the most impor- 

 tant matters that were brought for- 

 ward in parliament: as to the ques- 

 tion of the slave trade, it was so 

 late in the season before the bill 

 passed the commons, that it was 



found too late to intiodnce it into 

 the house of lords, where it was 

 probable that it would meet a strong 

 opposition, and that its opponents 

 would insist upon the examination 

 of. evidence. It v.as, therefore, 

 postponed to the next year. 



The corn trade regulation bill 

 was also, on account of some amend- 

 nients, in the lords, to which th« 

 commons could not agree, post- 

 poned till the next session. 



On the 9tli of July, the chancel- 

 lor of the exchequer moved, that the 

 stamp duties bill should be commit- 

 ted. This was the tax proposed by 

 the late minister, to cover the inte- 

 rest of the loan of the year. 



Mr. Sheridan wished the business 

 to be postponed for some time 

 longer, in order to give the house 

 time to understand the nature of a 

 regulation so extremely compli- 

 cated. 



]Mr. Fonblanque complained se- 

 verely of the bill, as it would ope- 

 rate upon the administration of jus- 

 tice, by increasing enormously th« 

 expence of legal proceedings. 



Dr. Lawrence instanced a case in 

 the court wherein he practised, in 

 which the stamps upon the plead- 

 ings amounted to 701. but if this bill 

 had previously past, they would 

 liave amounted to eleven or twelve 

 hundred pounds, at least. 



The chancellor of the exchequer 

 (Mr. Pitt) stated, that, in the com- 

 mittee, all those great defects w ould 

 be remedied. The lawyers w ere not 

 such a helpless class of people, as 

 not to be able to defend their own 

 interests: and he had such a respect 

 for their profession, that he did not 

 wish in the least to injure them. 



The bill was ordered to be com- 

 mitted. 



When the order of the day was 



moved 



