268 
-Mr. Johnfton, and Mr. Bragge. 
‘Fhe Attorney General allowed that the 
motive of the noble lord dcferved commen- 
dation, but his defign he could not poffibly 
approve. The converfation was then taken 
up by Mr. C. Dundas, Mr. Whitbread, 
After 
the fubje&ts of warrants of diftrefs and the 
power of overfeers had been very fully dif- 
cuffed by them, the houle divided, when 
(for the firft time thefe feveral years) it 
was found that the numbers were gqual on 
both fides, there being 37 ayes and 37 
noes. Is therefore devolved upon the 
Speaker to decide the queftion, andas he 
gave his cafting vote for the motion of 
Lord Wm. Ruffell, it was carried that the 
bill fhould be committed. 
Earl Temple arofe on the roth of March, 
and fpoke to the following effect. He 
arofe puriuant to the notice he had for- 
merly given to call the attention of the 
houle to the queftion of the eligibility or 
non-eligibility of Mr. Horne Tooke. He 
was not actuated by any perfonal hoftility 
to the reverend and honourable gentleman. 
‘The queftion was not concerning an indi- 
vidual, whether the Reverend Mr. Horne 
‘Tooke had a right to fit in the houfe—but 
whether they were to preferve the conftitu-- 
tion eftablifhed by their anceftors. If it 
was eftablifhed that no clergyman fhall fit 
in parliament, from what he had lately 
heard, he called confidently for the fup- 
port of the reverend and honourable gen- 
tleman. If this be an ancient cuftom, he 
called upon him to refit the attempt to 
break through it. Before he could move 
for a new writ for Old Sarum, he knew 
that it was incumbent on him to prove that 
the prefent member was ineligible. For 
this purpofe he muft requef%t the attention 
of the houfe to the witnefies who attended 
tobe examined. The witnefles were then 
examined, and proved that the Reverend 
John Horne officiated as prieft to the cha- 
pelry of New Brentford. A fcle&t com- 
mittee was then appointed by the houfe to 
examine the journals and records of par- 
diaments for precedents refpeting the eli- 
gibility of perfons in holy orders to Gt as 
members in that hou‘e; and to report the 
fame to the houfe. There were feveral 
members who partook in the debate, as 
Mr. Fox, Mr. Bragge, Mr. Horne Tooke, 
Mr. Erfkine, Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Hely Ad- 
dington, Mre Baker, and Mr. Martin of 
Galway. f 
Lord Cafilereagh, on the 12th of March, 
moved that martial law fhould be re-efta- 
blifhed in Ireland, and aiter a long and 
animated debate, leave was given to bring 
in the bill.- On the 20th of March, the 
2 
State of Public Affairs, in March, 18016 
~ [Aprir, 
houfe refolved itfelf into a committee on 
this bill, Mr. Bragge in the chair. Lord 
Caftlereagh adverted to what he had faid 
on a former night of the propriety, for the 
fecurity of the fubjeét of leaving certain 
powers in the hands cf the executive go- 
vernment, in preference to defining the 
precife limits of the bill; which might lead 
to inconvenience, and tend to embarrafs 
thofe who acted thereon. But as this 
feemed to meet {cme objeétion, he moved 
a claufe to affimilate the bill, as near as 
the circumftances” would admit, to the - 
mode by which courts-martial were con- | 
du&ted under the mutiny-a&t. In this 
claufe the loweft number empowered to fit 
on a courts martial were five; the claufe 
being agreed to, the blank in the bill for 
continuing in force was filled up with the 
words “© June 25,1801,” which was alfo 
agreed to. 
be reported. THe 
The royal affent has already been given 
by commiffion to the loan-bill of twenty- 
eight millions; as alfo to the Exchequer 
bill’s bill; and the Houfe of Commons is 
advancing in its confideration of the Mi- 
nifter*s propofed ways and means, in the 
courfe of which it is probable that fome 
alteration will be made with refpeét to the 
proprietors of newfpapers and hackney- 
coaches, who, as the bill at prefent ftands, 
and particularly the former, will be moft in- 
tolerably injured by the claufes that re- 
ferred to themfelves. On the queftion, that 
the houfe proceed on the further confider- 
ation of the report to relieve the poorer 
clailes of houiekeepers from the payment 
of poor-rates, Mr. Curwen moved, that 
the further confideration be poftponed till 
that day fix months. A divifion then took 
place, on which there. appeared for Mr. 
Curwen’s motion 78, againft it 3, confe- 
quently the bill was loft. 
On March the 20th, a meffage from the 
Jords informed the houfe that their lord=' 
fhips had agreed to the polt-office duty 
bill, and the paper and tea bill, without 
any amendment. : 
On the fame day in the Houfe of Lords, 
the bills on tae table were read in their 
refpective ftages. Their lordfhips then 
‘proceeded to the orders of the day, for fum- 
monivg the houfe to confider of a motion 
from Lord Darnley, refpecting the ftate of 
the nation. Lord Darniey arofé, and in a 
fpeech of great length commented upon 
the varicus and important topics connected 
with the above fubject. He touched prin- 
cipally upon the coudué& of the war finde 
the affair of the Duich Expedition, the 
maritime di{pute between this country and_ 
the 
The bill was then ordered to 
