¢ 
- ing Bill. 
1801. ] 
EAST INDIES. : 
Letters have been received from Bom- 
bay, dated the :8th of January, which 
ftate, that thedetachment trom the Indian 
army, deftined to co-operate with-the expe- 
dition againft Egypt, had failed from that 
place, on board of Admiral Blankett’s 
fyuadron, onthe 28th of December. Go- 
vernment had taken up. all the country 
veffels fit for the fervice which could be 
procured, 
GREAT BRITAIN. 
The principal bvfinefs of the Imperial 
Parliament, fincé the publication of our 
Jaft Number, has been as follows: 
The Houfe having refolved itfelf into 
a committee of fupply, on the 24th of 
April, the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
rofe, and faid, the eftimates now on the 
table were for the remainder of the current 
year; for the firft part of which, provifion 
had been made in the fhort feflion of par- 
jiament which preceded the prefent. ‘The 
only difference, or new point, compared 
with the preceding year, to which he 
thought it neceffary to call the attention 
of the committee, was the head of fecret 
fervice-money, for which, in the laft year, 
the fun of 40,0001. had been voted ; but, 
owing toa change of circumftances, it was 
eftimated that 50,0001. would be fufficient 
for the prefent year, of which 3'5,000l. 
had been already voted in the late fhort 
feffion, and only 15,000]. remained to be 
voted now. He then proceeded to move 
from the {chedule the ufual fums, which 
were agreed to, 
The order of the day on the 28th of 
April being read in the Houfe of Lords, 
for the third reading of the Seditious Meet- 
The queftion being put by the 
Lord Chancellor, that this bill do pafs, the 
Duke of Bedford rofe, and on conftitu- 
tional principles oppofed the bill, dwelling, 
in energetic language, on its violation of 
the Britith Conititution, and of the an- 
cient rights of Englifhmen,. as _. efta- 
blifhed at the Revolution; on the to- 
tal want of proof to warrant its adop- 
tidn ; on the incompetence of the report 
to convince him of its neceflity, whatever 
might be the motives of noble lords who 
formed the report; for his part, he would 
hever confent to ftrengthen the hands of 
his Majefty’s prefent minuters, who were 
feduloufly treading the fteps of their pre- 
curiors in effice, by the revival of a bill of 
an uncenftitutional tendency, when he had 
no opportunity of judging how far the 
charagter and credibility of the witnefles 
might bear nim out in afienting to a bill 
which paffcd tie houfe a fhort time; toa 
Monrux.y Maa, No. 73) 
/ 
State of Public Affairs in May, :80t. 
445 
bill of fuch a mifchievous nature, placing 
in the difcretionary difpoial uf a magiftrate 
the rights of Englifhmen to meet and dif- 
cufs fubjeéts that involved the fafety of 
their conftitution. | He concluded with 
contending that the authors of fuch bills 
effected more mifchief, and were more dan- 
gerous confpirators, againft the ftate, than 
the moft inflamed fpeaker in any meeting 
againft which this bill was direfted. He 
would therefore give it his moft decided 
diflent. Lord- Weftmoreland fupported . 
the bill, and contended that it did not 
trench upon the juft conftitutional princi- 
ples eftablifhed at the Revolution. The 
queftion was then put, pafled in the affim- - 
ative, the bill read a third time, and 
pafled. 
Mr. T. Jones on the 1f of May, pur- 
fuant to notice, rofe to move for certain 
papers relative to the Convention/of El- 
Arich. He prefaced his ‘Motion with 
ftating, thar had the quettion involved the 
conduét of our officers, and the brave men 
under their commanc, without any re- 
ference to the condu& of Minifters, he 
fhould, in the event of the news now in 
circulation being confirmed, be amongst © 
the foremoft to anticipate what was the 
duty of his Majefty’s Minifters, and to 
move for a Vote of Thanks to the Army 
for their eminent fervices. Butas the cafe 
at prefent ftood, the lofs of fo many brave 
men only rendered Minifters more culpa. 
ble. With refpect to the tranfaction to” 
which he alluded, it was not his intentioa 
to tre{pafs on the time of the Houfe. - He 
fhould, therefore, move, ** Thatan hum- 
ble Addrefs be prefented to His Majefty, 
praying, that he would be gracioufly 
pleafed to order that there be laid before 
the Houfe a Copy of the Infiruciions fent 
to Lord Elgin, relative to the Convention 
for the Evacuation of Egypt. As like- 
wife a Copy of all the Letters that paffed 
between Lord Elgin, Sir Sidney Smith, 
and Mr. Spencer Smith, relative to that 
tranfaction. And, laftly, a Copy of the 
laf. Treaty concluded between Great Bri- 
tain and the Ottoman Porte.’? Lord 
Hawkefbury oppofed the Motion, on the 
principle that no ground had been ftated 
why the Papers fhould be produced. Mr. 
Nicholls fupported the Motion of Mrs 
Jones. The queftion being loudly called 
for, the Motions of Mr. Jones were fe- 
verally negatived without a divifion. 
Lord Temple moved, on the 4th of 
May, the Order of the Day for the Houfe 
to take into confideration the Report of 
the Committee on the eligibility of Mc. 
Tooke to fit in Parliament,- The Order ~ 
3 M being - 
