fpecific motion as a reafon for fummoning the Houfe. His Lordfhip had known feveral motions made, when not the leaft hint was given of the grounds on which they were founded; but he wifhed his Noble Friend to defift from making his motion, as he understood the fame bufinefs had been taken up by great and diftinguished perfons in another place, and might come before this Houfe in fuch a fhape as would render improper and unneceffary the motion which the Noble Lord propofed, and on which they were both agreed in fentiment.

Earl Stanhope had no difficulty in ftating the principal object of his motion. It related chiefly to the trial of Mr. Muir, who, in his opinion, had been illegally convicted; and he had no doubt but he thould be able to convince their Lordships, by the clearest arguments, that the fentence of tranfportation paffed on him ought not to be carried into execution. As that question would not in the leaft interfere with the general object, of which notice had been given elsewhere, he therefore prefented his motion for fummoning the Houfe on Friday, which was ordered.

Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Tuesday, Jan. 28.

AMERICAN INTERCOURSE.

The Houfe, in a Committee, paffed a Refolution on the Ame rican Intercourfe Bill, received the Report, and gave Leave to bring in a Bill for continuing the Law now in Force, for regulating the Trade between his Majesty's Subjects and the Inhabitants of the United States of America.

ARMY ESTIMATES.

The Army Estimates for the year 1794 were brought up by the Secretary at War, and ordered to lie on the Table.

The Ordnance Eftimates were alfo brought up, and ordered to lie on the Table.

The Secretary at War ftated, that the Accounts which were prefented to the Houfe did not contain the Estimates of the Expences of the Foreign Troops in His Majefty's pay, nor of the Six new raised Corps in Scotland; but he hoped to present these Eftimates the next Day

Mr. Grey faid, he believed that the Motion which he was about to fubmit to the Houfe was juftified by precedents, though the practice had varied. He meant to move to have the Army and Ordnance Eftimates printed. He added, that during the laft Years of the American War, they had always been printed.

The Secretary at War wifhed the Honourable Gentleman to defer his Motion till the next Day.

Mr. Grey confented.

SLAVE TRADE.

Mr. Wilberforce gave notice, that he fhould, on Friday, the 7th of February, move for leave to bring in a Bill for abolishing the Trade carried on from the Coaft of Africa to British Settlements in the West Indies.

Mr. Sheridan obferved alf, that his Motion, on the Papers which he intended to move for, fhould ftand for the fame Day. It was then understood that both Subjects should stand for difcuffion that day, and that the Motion on the Slave Trade fhould have the Priority.

HESSIAN TROOPS.

Lord Stopford reported His Majefty's Answer to the Address relative to the Heffians.

Mr. Grey exprefled his aftonifliment that Minifters had not cited a precedent for the difembarkation of mercenary troops in this country previous to their moving an Addrefs of Thanks to his Majefty for his gracious communication. It was a measure fo hoftile to the feelings of every Englishman, that nothing but the moft abfolute neceflity could reconcile them to it. He thought it a matter of confiderable moment to afcertain how far the Preroga tive of the Crown extended upon this point, and to examine whether there were any precedents for it. In the year 1784, when the Heffians were landed in England, a regular application was made to Parliament upon the fubject; and he wifhed to know why a fimilar conduct had not been followed in the prefent inftance. He further obferved, that the Heffian and Hanoverian troops that were then landed in this country, had been in the British fervice the greater part of the unhappy war with America; at the conclufion of it, they were conveyed in tranfports from that quarter of the globe, in order to be fent to Germany. On their arrival in the Downs, the weather was tempeftuous, and the river Weiffel was frozen, which rendered it extremely hazardous, if not impracti cable, to reach their place of deftination; they were accordingly landed, and remained in England, until they could conveniently profecute their voyage. In this infance the Houfe was told, that a corps of Heffians had been landed in the Isle of Wight; but Minifters had not condefcended to apprife it of their number, object, continuance, nor place of deftination. Mr. Grey therefore hoped, that as Minitters could not confiftently with their duty withhold any information on this fubject, the people would know why foreign troops were billetted upon them.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer fail, if the Honourable Gentleman had any specific Motion to make refpecting the debarkation of thefe troops in England, the more regular way would have been to have given notice of fuch Motion. With refpect to the circumftances alluded to by the Hon. Gentleman in 1784, it was a cafe extremely different from the prefent; becaufe that was a

period of profound peace, and the prefent one of hoftilities. The Heffians, on their return from America at the conclufion of the war, were, for the fake of convenience, landed in this country; but he was convinced the Houfe perceived a moft material diftinction between the introduction of foreign troops into this country in time of peace, and their being brought here in time of war, for the convenience of the military operations of the campaign.

At prefent, the feafon of the year, the ftate of the health of the troops on board, and local circumftances, had induced his Majefty to appoint the Isle of Wight as the most convenient place of rendezvous. Of the prerogative of landing troops in time of war he he had no doubt. How long they might remain there, it was impoffible for him to ftate with any degree of accuracy. With regard to their precife number, he hoped the Houfe would not infift on that. If he were to ftate from recollection of the number that was taken into British pay for a specific purpose, it would be no information, becaufe the whole complement had not yet arrived. Their ftay muft depend upon a variety of circumftances; but they fhould remain there with a view of being fent as speedily as poffible to their place of deftination.

Mr. Fox condemned the manner in which thofe troops had been introduced, and declared it to be a measure out of the common courfe of proceedings. He contended, that the Minifter must feel a confcioufnefs of wrong doing, by his avoiding to ftate facts, which ought to be notorious. It was incumbent, he faid, on the Houfe, to inftitute fome mode of afcertaining the number, object, and place of deftination of those troops that had difembarked in the Ifle of Wight.

He obferved, that confiderable difficulty and embarrassment would be thrown in the way of the business in that House, if, when any Member called for an explanation of any particular thing, he was called upon to give specific notice of a specific motion; and then, when a specific motion fhould be made, he was to be told that fuch a motion was unneceffary, for that if he had only asked for an explanation, he might have had it without a motion. Such a practice was growing too much into ufe, and it was a very improper one; not very refpectful for the dignity of the Houfe, nor very conducive to the convenience of it. With refpect to the prefent business, fome might think that the King might bring into this country a foreign force, without the previous and exprefs confent of Parliament, to any number, and that it was neceffary only for his Majefty to fend a fubfequent meflage to the Houfe. He owned, for himself, that he wanted information upon that subject. He very much doubted the existence of any fuch prerogative. Indeed, he thought, from the nature of the Meffage yesterday, there was fomething like a doubt entertained of that power, and

his Majefty's Minifters informed the Houfe in confequence of that doubt. If fo, the Houfe ought to examine a little more clofely into the fubject; for there was nothing that would justify alarm more than the extenfive exercife of fuch a prerogative as this. That this was a time of war did not fet afide the neceffity of an explanation in fuch a cafe as the prefent.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, he had thought it neceffary for his MAJESTY to announce to Parliament the landing of the foreign troops in England; for, in fo doing, he had complied with a variety of precedents which exifted upon this fubject. Whether, therefore, the measure was right or wrong, he should not now contend; at prefent it was enough, if what had been done was to be found in former proceedings. At the commencement of the war before the laft, HIS MAJESTY, by a Meffage to the Houfe of Commons, announced to them that a body of foreign forces had been landed here; and this Meflage was followed up by an Addrefs of Thanks from the Houfe. It was then confidered as a matter perfectly regular. He was aware that afterwards (though at a confiderable diftance of time) a Bill was brought into Parliament, for the purpose of regulating the mode of quartering them, &c. but as there was no intention of quartering them at prefent, fuch a meafure was wholly unneceffary.

ACCOUNTS OF SALARIES, &c.

Mr. Sheridan rofe, he faid, in purfuance of a notice he gave yesterday, and in compliance with the impatience which the Chancellor of the Exchequer manifefted, or feemed to manifeft, to make his motion; upon which he apprehended there could be no difcuffion, fince, from the temper of the Right Honourable Gentleman, as it appeared when the notice was given, he could not help agreeing to what would be moved to-day. For, as it was the first duty of that Houfe to inquire into the application of the public money, fo it was the intereft of every Minifter, fuppofing him to be fair in his conduct, and clear in his accounts, to, permit the enquiry; and at no time in the hiftory of this country was enquiry more neceffary than at prefent. We had heard in the Speech of the Sovereign, information of the moft important nature to the people of this country. Very foon the Chancellor of the Exchequer would have to bring forward his budget: that would be an awful and a trying day he feared it would then appear that the furplus of revenue which had been so much boasted of, and the application of it for the reduction of our debt, whatever be the merit of the plan, would all at once be fwept away, and with it would vanifh that pleafing profpect of alleviating the hardfhips of the people by a reduction of the taxes. All that cheering hope, too, of reducing our peace eftablishment, as well as the reduction of our debt, and the alleviation of our burthens, which

N°. 3.

which had year after year been held out to us, and which, year after year, we had waited for in vain, would vanish: for if peace was concluded to-morrow, a vast number of years must pass away, before we could even hope to be in the fame fituation as that at the commencement of the war. Then, he must fay, it was the firft duty of that Houfe to take care that not one fix-pence fhould be idly fquandered by the Minifter, nor any thing done that would diminish by one morfel, the meal of the labourer and diftreffed family; or that any thing fhould happen, that tended to wrong from the poor any part of their pittance. Yesterday he made ufe of the word job as applicable to fome part of the Minifter's conduct, with refpect to appointments to certain offices under Government fince the commencement of the war: the Minifter, in his fimplicity and innocence, feemed not to comprehend what a job was. It was certainly not a very elegant, but it was a very intelligible word; but if the Right Honourable Gentleman wanted an explanation of it, he fhould give one-Whenever any emolument, profit, falary, honour, or favour, of any kind whatcver, was conferred on any perfon, be he who he may, or his character what it may, unfefs he has gone through a public fervice, or neceflary public duty, adequate to what he receives, that is a job. If from any private friendship, perfonal attachment, or any other view than the intereft of the public, any perfon is appointed to any office in the public fervice, when any other perfon is known to be fitter for the employment, that is a job; and that, among other things, made him prefent this motion to the Houfe. They fhould not altogether refer him to the army extraordinaries; for although there was a good deal of information to be had from them, yet there was not enough. He declared he felt not the leaft animofity against the Gentlemen whofe names he fhould be under the neceffity of mentioning upon this occafion; on the con trary, for fome of them he had the higheft regard: but when he faw a fum of 1500l. fet down for an equipage for Sir Gilbert Elliott, one of his Majefty's Commiffioners for managing the Civil Affairs in France, a fum of 1300l. to Mr. Erskine, &c. he could not think thefe fums were at all neceffary for the public fervice; and therefore it was that he fhould call upon Minifters to fatisfy the Houfe of the rectitude of their conduct. Perhaps the Chancellor of the Exchequer would be able to prove that all this was well earned, and that the public ought to pay it, but that was matter of difcuffion on a future day. He concluded with moving, that there be laid before the Houfe the Amount of the Expences incurred by the Board of Controul for Counfel, together with the Amount of the Salary annexed to the Office, lately created, of Counsel to the Board of Controul, to which Mr. John Anftruther had been appointed.

Mr.