46 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



hy Mr. C. Brooke, Sir William 

 Yonnfj, General Tarleton, Mr. Mi- 

 ley Adilington, and Sir William 

 Pultcnty, and opposed with great 

 force and eloquence by Mr. Bar- 

 ham, Mr. Fov, Mr. Iluddiestone, 

 the chancellor of the exchequer, 

 Mr. Wjlberforce, anti carl Temple. 

 In reply to some assertions, made in 

 the course of tlie debate, that go- 

 vernment had contracted for the 

 purchase of 5 or 6000 slaves, in or- 

 der to employ them as soMiers, 



The Chancellor of the Exchequer 

 said, that he had heard of no such 

 contract, not did he believe there 

 could be such a one existing. It 

 ■was true that such an offer had been 

 made to government, and that the 

 proposition came from the West 

 Indies, but it was iniuicdiately re- 

 jected. Government, lie believed, 

 nevov entertained the idea of pur- 

 chasing slaves for their use : their 

 idea was \t'ry different : it was to 

 purchase the redemption from sla- 

 very of those who were meant to be 

 employed as soldiers. On a divi- 

 sion, the amendment was carried by 

 a majority of seven, tlic numbers 

 being, for it 77, and 70 against it. 



On the 1st of March, a petition 

 was presented from a great number 

 of callico printers in the different 

 counties, praying for the aid of par- 

 liament to enable them to settle, in 

 an amicable manner, the dispnies 

 subsisting between them and their 

 masters. 



Mr. Giles, after descanting on the 

 benefits the country was likely to 

 derive from the integrity, industry, 

 and meritorious exerlions of tiie 

 commissioners of naval inquiry, 

 moved for leave to bring in a bill 

 for continuing the act which ap- 

 pointed them. The principal grounds 

 of the motion were, that it would 

 1 



be evidently impossible for them to 

 accomplish all the objects of their 

 investigation, within the period to 

 which their powers were limited 

 (the end of the present session) and 

 that the crown, or rather his majes- 

 ty's ministers, had it in their power to 

 put an end to the important labours 

 of the commission, by proioguing 

 parliament even for a single day. He 

 said he had no confidence in the good 

 intentions of the present ministers, 

 wiio acted, as he thought, not very 

 respectfully to that house, by ap- 

 pointing, without any communica- 

 tion, under the great seal, a com- 

 iMissioh to consider what remedies 

 were to be adopted for the evils in 

 the nav il department, discovered by 

 the commissioners appointed by 

 parliament. 



The Chancellor of the Exche- 

 quer replied, that he was ready to 

 bear testimony to the benefits re- 

 suKing from the labours of the com- 

 missioners, and was willing to adi 

 mit, that their powers should be 

 continued till their enquiry was 

 closed : but he saw no reason to 

 conclude that they may not end 

 their investigations in the course of 

 the present session. Should it turn 

 out otherwise, it would be time 

 enough to entertain such a motion 

 at a more advanced period, but, at 

 present, he should oppose it, as be- 

 ing altogether unnecessary. He 

 therefore moved the reading of the 

 other orders of the day. 



Sir William Elford accused the 

 commission of having erected them- 

 selves into a criminal tribunal, hear- 

 ing and condemning on ex parie 

 evidence. In their eighth report 

 they brought a charge against a 

 grand jury of Devon, which was 

 levelled at a Mr. White, the high 

 sheriff, whom they accused of 



having 



