1804.] 
been reduced to the laft extremity, before 
the troops which we know to have been 
fent out, or other fuccours from Madras, 
could arrive to their relief. 
The following ftatement of the prefent 
ftrenoth of the Britith navy, was~com- 
municated by one of his Majefty’s mi- 
nifters, upon a late occafion, in the Houfe 
of Commons. The fhips, frigates, and 
floops of war now in commiffion, are 411: 
the fmall craft employed on. the’ Britith 
coatt, are 602: the fma!] craft on the 
Irifh coat, 137: in addition to thefe, 
the Eaft India Company fupplies 20 
fhips, and the Trinity Houle, 10, for 
the defence of the Thames: 373 veffels 
are now in a progrefs of being armed and 
otherwife equipped for fea, with the ut- 
mott difpatcn. The number of the fea- 
men in actual fervice, is 77,002: the 
marines are 11,97. 
Several debates of no {mall keennefs 
and importance, arofe, during the month 
of March, in the two Houfes of Parliament. 
On the rf, the queflion for the Speak- 
er’s leaving the Chair, in the Houle of 
Commons, that the Houfe might go into 
a Committee, on the Bill to confolidate 
and amend the feveral laws relating to 
* Volunteers, was warmly and eloquently 
oppoted ; and a Jong cortention cx argu- 
ments enfued.. Mr. Francis, Colonel 
Crawford, Admiral Berkeley, Mr. Fox, 
Mr. Windham, and Mr. Pitt were the 
principal fpeakers in this debate. The 
farther progrefs of the bill was oppofed 
on the pretence, that its tendency was, 
to impofe new, unforefeen, and intoler- 
able reftraints upon the voluntcers ; and 
yet, that it woyld not tend to provide 
the country with an effective force the 
moft fuitable for its aétual defence againtt 
invafion. Captain Markham replied, 
wih great fpirit to fome cenfures of the 
Ynanner in which the naval defence of the 
country is managed; and endeavoured, 
with fome plaufibility, to evince, that it 
is even better adapted, than that of the 
late war, for the effectual bailing of all 
that is attempted or menaced by the 
enemy. ‘The queftion for*a Committee 
of the Houfe on the Bill, was carried. 
On the fame day, a debate on the Bill 
for the Rettrigtion of the Bank of Ire- 
land from making payments in coin, was 
opened in the Houle of Peers, by Lord 
King. His Lordfhip reprefented che mea- 
fure renewed in the Bull, as having ail- 
ready been pernicious to the trade of 
Ireland. To this fource alone, he ftrove 
to trace the origin of the prefent difad- 
vantage to which Ireland is fubject -in 
State of Public Affairs in March, 1804. 
283 
the Exchange of. money. with England 
and other countries—the decline of trade 
ard manufatures in that ifland—and the 
extenfive fubverfion of commercial credit 
both within Ireland, and in -the inter- 
courfe between Ivifh merchants and their 
foreign correfpondents. Lord Caernarvon 
and Lord Grenville adopted and enforced 
the fame opinion... It was ingenioufly 
oppofed by’ Lord Hawkefbury. and the 
Lord Chancelior, who endeavoured to 
fhew, that, under the reltriction, in for- 
mer years, the Bank of Ireland had iff 
fued its notes with the moft commend- 
able good faith and diicretion; and that 
no evils could refult from renewing the 
reftriction which would, in any de- 
gree, counterbalance its utility in the 
prefent general circumftances of the Em. 
pire. 
The fame fubject came under difcuf- 
fion in the Houfe of Commons, on the 
2d of March. The evils of the reftric- 
‘tion were eloquently flated by Mr. Fotter 
and Mr. George Ponfoiby: its neceflity 
was, on the other hand, well urged by 
Mr. Corry. if 
An enquiry from Mr. Grey refpe&ting 
his Majelty’s indifpofition was an{wered 
from the Minifterial Bench in language 
intimating his rapid convalefcence to a 
{tate of health, in which he would eafily 
difcnarge all the accuitomed fundtions of 
royalty. : 
The new fchedule of the duties pay- 
abie at the Cuftom-houles in the ports of 
Ireland were the fubje&t of confideration 
in the Houfe of Commons, on the 3d. 
Several alterations have been made,, acs 
commodating that feale of duties, fome- 
what better than in thie former fchedule, 
to the genera] interefts of the trade of 
the United Kingdom. 
On the 6th, Sir John Wrottefley, in 
the Houfe of Commons, moved for a 
Committee to enquire into the caufes of 
the Jate infurrection in Dublin. He ar- 
gued, that the Government had been, to 
a criminal degree, negligent of the mea- 
fures fit to. prevent that ddngerous out- 
breaking of rebellion; and ftated, in 
particular, among other things, thar, 
almoft at the critical moment, the Lord 
Lieutenant’s fecretary, Mr. Marfden, had 
made very light of the whole affair, 
Mr. Canning fup,orted the motion with 
great earneftnels. But, it was flrenuoufly 
‘oppofed by Lord Caftlereagh, and Mr. 
Secretary Yorke; and was, in the end, 
rejecied, 
On the reth, the enquiries from-minif 
ters, ref{pecting the ftate of his Majefty’s 
Pps heaith, 
