F805.) 
mcous recommendation and wifh of the 
Crown. The fecond part of the Bill is 
governed by that fyitem of general law on 
the fubjeé&t of prizes, which has grown 
from the practice, and is fanétioned by the 
univerfal confent of civilized nations.— 
The third contains thole regulations 
which are torefcue the feaman from the 
wrongs to which he has fo long been {ub- 
jected by a defective fyem and moft cor- 
rupt practices. Of thefe provifions, the 
following are the principal:—1. To com- 
pel agents to give five thoufand pounds 
fecurity for the faithful and legal difcharge 
of their duty.—2z. To inveft captors with 
the power of compelling agents to vett 
their prize-money in the hands of Govern- 
ment.-—3. To compel agents to produce 
their accounts to the captors whenever 
they are required fo to do.—4. Directing 
agents to keep their different offices open 
two days in every week for the tranfaét- 
ing of bufinefs.—5. To authorize and or- 
dain a more fummary mode of “proceeding 
in the Court of Admiralty, and at lefs ex- 
pence to fuitors.—And, laftly, to compel 
agents to tranfmit money without-delay to 
captors being at a diftance from the refi- 
dence of the agents. Sich 
On the motion of Sir John Newport, a 
Bill has been brought into the Houle, to 
authorize the eftablifhing of four alylums 
in Ireland, one in each province of that 
part of the United Kingdom, for the fup- 
port of indigent lunatics and ideots, The 
higheft falaries of the officers to be limit- 
ed to fixty pounds per annum, and the 
‘charge of the eftablifhment to be levied on 
the counties within each province by the 
Grand Juries. : 
Confiderable debates have arifen in the 
Houfe, on the proceedings againft Albion 
Cox, Efg. and Sir William Rawlins, Knr. 
Sheriffs of London during the election of 
Members to ferve in Parliament for Mid- 
dlefex in 1802, for their condué in the 
faid eleGtion. After Mr. Adam_ had 
been heard at the Bar, as Counfel for the 
Sheriffs, a refolution paffed, that thofe 
Gentlemen be committed to his, Majetty’s 
jail of Newgate, which was accordingly 
done. The Committee appointed to try 
the merits of the petition from the Mid- 
alefex electors, complaining of an undue 
return in the laft election for that county, 
have refolved—That George Boulton 
Mainwaring, Efq. was not duly return- 
ed, and that Sir Francis Burdett, Bart. 
ought to have been returned. The refo- 
Jution of the Committee was agreed 
to by the Houfe, and the Clerk of the 
Cxown amended the return accordingly. 
a - 
State of Public Affairs in March, 1805. 
271 
A petition has fince been prefented 
fram Mr. Boulton Mainwaring, Henry 
Yhornton, Sir William Curtis, William 
Mellith, and other freebolders of the 
county, charging Sir Francis Burdett and 
his agents with bribery, corruption, and 
fubornation of perjury, whereby Sir Fran. 
cis Burdett obtained a colourable majority: 
of one, and praying that the return of 
the faid Sir Francis Burdett be rendered 
null and void; and Tuefday the oth of 
April next was appointed for the taking 
this petition into confideration. 
The Tenth Report of the Commiffion- 
ers of Naval Inguiry has been laid before 
the Houfe, and has excited a molt vehe. 
ment fenfation in the public mind. It 
contains a ftatement of certain tranfac- 
tions of Lord Melville, when Trea(urer of 
the Navy, and of Mr. Alexander Trotter, 
the Paymatter of the Navy. 
bread has given notice of a motion he in- 
tends to ground upon this Repert. As 
this isa fubjeét of immenle magnitude, 
and of prodigious importance to the 
ceuntry, we fha'l give a faithtul account 
of the debate upon at whenever it takes 
place. 
to give ftatements from the Tenth Re- 
port, which, in that cafe, would be before 
our readers without the anfwer and de- 
fence of the perfons implicated. 
The proceedings againft the Hon, Mr. 
Juftice Fox have occafioned much diffe- 
rence of opinion in the Houle of. Lords. 
Thefe proceedings involve queftions of 
great delicacy relpeSting conititutional 
points of law ; and as they have not yet 
taken their final fhape, we potipone the 
account of them till we can make it more 
eoherent and conclufive than it would be 
at prefent. ! 
A Petirion was lately prefented to both 
Houles cf Parliament, from the Roman 
Catholics of Ireland, praying to bere. 
lieved from the dilabilicies which by law ‘ 
they now labour under. Inthe Lords, it 
was prefented by Lord Grenville, who 
gave notice that he meant to grounda 
motion on it, when due time fhould have 
been given to their Lordfhips to make 
themfelves fully acquainted with the mat. 
ter of the Petition. Lords Auckland and 
Hawkefbury announced their intention of 
oppoling the prayer of the Petition. It 
was prefented in the Commons by Mr. 
Fox, who took the fame courfe.as Lord 
Mr. Whit- - 
In the mean time, we forbear 
Grenville ; and Mr. Cartwright expreffed 
his difapprobation of it. Atprefent Mr. 
Fox’s notice ftands for the 9th of May 
next. The petition is of great length. 
It is exprefled in terms at once of figgnefs 
Mm 2 - and 
