enemy of their country. If, he repeated, those Gentlemen had attended, the Houfe would have had the advantage of their abilities. With refpect to the fituation of Sir Sidney Smith, it was almost beyond human endurance. He therefore heartily feconded the motion of the Honourable Gentleman, for he wished the whole fubject to be before the public, in order that Englishmen might feel as they ought to do upon it. Again he lamented the abfence of certain Members of the Houfe-what was the caufe of their abfence? Did it proceed from fhame and contrition-from fhame and contrition that might lead them to recant, and to confefs that their clients had failed them in every inftance from the commencement of the war? Mr. Wilberforce rofe to exprefs his fatisfaction at the motion that had been made, which he conceived, would bring the whole fubjc&t before the public, in order to do justice to the national character. He wished only to fay one word in confequence of what had dropt from the Gentleman who had fpoken laft. For his own part, he had been one who coincided with others in regretting the fate of M. de la Fayette; and it was for this reafon, that he had always thought it to be one of the happicft events that modern war was carried on by certain rules which tended to mitigate its feverity and diminish its horrors. Over thofe not immediately connected with warfare, the ftorm, it was agreed, fhould pafs harmlefs; and fince it was, he regretted that any example fhould be fet inimical to thofe maxims. No fuch example, however, had been given by this country to warrant the treatment of the gallant Gentleman alluded to, which every man muft lament as well as condemn. For his own part, he rejoiced at the motion that had been made yesterday. He was convinced it would appear that this country had not departed from the principles of humanity with refpect to the treatment of French prifoners, and that no provocation had been given on our part to produce that conduct on the part of the enemy, which was wholly unworthy any nation pretending to humanity. Colonel Stanley fpoke upon the fubject of the treatment of French prifoners at Plymouth. About 6000 were confined there; they lived as well as the English foldiers; they had the afliftance of their own furgeons, and ours whenever they required it. They had plenty of money, three billiard tables, and he muft fuppofe them to be in tolerable good fpirits, for they acted a play once a week. The motion was agreed to. Mr. Alderman Lufhington brought up a petition from the Mafter, Wardens, and Court of Affiftants of the Worshipful Company Company of Clock and Watch-makers of the city of London, praying to be relieved from the duties impofed upon these articles by an Act of the laft Seffion. It was read and referred to the Committee, with the other petitions on the fame fubject. Mr. Alderman Lufhington alfo brought up a petition from the mafters of fhips, ftating the very great refponfibility to which they find themselves liable by fome late decifions in the Court of King's Bench, and praying relief. It was referred to a Committee. Adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS. Four Bills were received from the Commons and read a first time. Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Mr. Newland prefented to the House an account of the money advanced by the Bank to Government and oustanding on the 31ft of December, 1797. An account from the Mint was prefented, of the quantity of gold and filver coined laft year. A petition was prefented from the Truftees of the British Mufeum, praying for Parliamentary aid, on account of the inadequacy of their prefent funds.-Ordered to be laid upon the Table. The Solicitor General, in purfuance of the notice he had given, rose to move for leave to bring in a Bill to prevent perfons, in this country, from advancing money upon effects or debts owing to the United Provinces, during the prefent war, without licence. It must be obvious to every perfon, that corfidering the changes that had taken place in Holland, it was probable attempts would be made to raife funds, by negotiation, in this country, and that thofe funds might be used against this country; he should therefore fimply move for leave to bring in a Bill, to prevent perfons refiding, or being in Great Britain, from advancing money or effects for purchases on the credit of debts owing to the Government of the United Provinces, or to any bodies politic or corporate, or to any perfons in the faid United Provinces, without licence for the fame. Leave was given to bring in the Bill. The Mutiny Bill was read a third time, and paffed. The Bill for repealing the duty on gold and filver plate, used in the manufacture of watch cafes, was reported. The Corporation Caufes Bill was read a third time, after No. 17. a few ** 4 H a few words from Mr. Wigley, Mr. Buxton, and Mr. D. P. Coke. A motion was made to exempt Poole from the operation of the Bill. The motion was negatived without a divifion. The Bill was then paffed, and ordered to the Lords. Adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS. Earl St. Vincent and Lord Duncan's Annuity Bills were read a third time, and paffed. Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. The Report of the Committee appointed to take into confideration the Expiring Laws, was brought up, and the Refolutions of the fame agreed to. Alderman Lufhington moved, that a Committee be appointed to confider the Acts of the, 13th and 14th of the prefent reign, fo far as the fame relate to the payment of tolls at weighing engines and turnpike gates, and to the numbers of horfes ufed in drawing waggons on turnpike roads. A converfation took place between feveral Members, after which it was agreed, that a Committee be appointed to confider the faid Acts generally, with power to report from time to time. The Bill for repealing the Duty on Gold and Silver Watch Cafes, was read a third time, paffed, and ordered to the Lords. Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. On the motion of Mr. Dundas, leave was given to bring in a Bill for improving and enlarging the harbour of Leith. Mr. Hobart brought in a Bill fimilar to the act paffed in the laft feffion of Parliament, for permitting the exportation of Wheat to the islands of Jerfey and Guernsey. Mr. Dundas brought up the report of the Salt importation ENI. A Bill was brought up for difallowing the bounty granted on the exportation of fail-cloth to Ireland. The Houfe, in a Committee of Supply, voted that a provifion be made for the pay and cloathing of the Militia for the year 1798. In the Committee of Ways and Means, it was refolved, that the laws for the encouragement of manufactures, now expiring, be continued. The The Houfe then refolved itself into a Committee upon the Election Treating Bill. Mr. Simeon rofe to oppofe the claufes of which he had given notice; the substance of which was, that no meat, drink, carriage, or money, shall be given or allowed to any voter, on any pretence whatever, by any candidate; that the election of any candidate fo offending fhall be null and void; that he be declared ineligible during the continuance of the Parliament in which the faid offence fhall be committed; and that every candidate fhall be at liberty to maintain at his own expence a Committee for managing his election, not exceeding twelve for a county, and fix for a borough; they alfo prefcribed a new. form of oath, to be adminiftered to the electors. The Master of the Rolls brought up a claufe, prohibiting any candidate from making any prefent of ribbands, or any other marks or badges of diftinction. Lord Belgrave brought up a claufe, that an unfuccefsful candidate, who may be afterwards returned for any other place, fhall be declared ineligible, if found to have offended against this law on his former canvas. These clauses were feverally put and agreed to; the report was then brought up, read, and ordered to be taken into further confideration, on Tuefday the 27th of March. A fufficient number of copies was alfo ordered to be printed with the amendments, for the ufe of the Members. Adjourned. HOUSE OE LORDS. The Bills upon the Table were read, after which the House HOUSE OF COMMONS. Mr. Grant brought up a Petition from the Agricultural Society of the country of Bamff, which complained of the very low price of corn in that country, and prayed that the importation of it might be prevented, and that no further duty be laid upon diftilleries. It was ordered to lie on the Table. Alderman Lufhington brought up the Report of the Com mittee, to which had been referred the Petitions of the Mafters and Captains of veffels, complaining of the very great refponfibility to which they were held liable, on which leave was given to bring in a Bill for their relief. The Exchequer Bills Bill was read a third time, paffed and ordered to the Lords. The Salt Importation Bill was read a third time. 4 H 2 HOUSE HOUSE OF LORDS. ESTEN'S DIVORCE BILL. Upon the Motion for the fecond reading of Eften's Divorce Bill, Lord Aukland rofe, to call the attention of their Lordships to the peculiar circumftances of the Bill in queftion. He thought it fuch a one as to render it incumbent upon the House to reject it. Having glanced flightly over the preamble of the Bill, (which fet forth the allegations of Mr. Eften, that, in confe- . quence of the embarrassed state of his circumftances, he executed a deed of feparation from his wife, in order to allow her full liberty to follow her theatrical profeffion, &c.) His Lordfhip feemed of opinion, that a very different conclufion thould be drawn from it-than thofe fet forth by Eften in his petition to the Houfe, and in the preamble of the Bill-the fimple fact, when ftripped of all that was faid to palliate or disguise it, would be found to be, that after running away from his creditors, he executed a deed of feparation from his wife, which left her at full liberty to follow her own inclinations, and placed in fuch a fituation as exhibiting on the public theatre of a metropolis. So they continued till Hilary Term, 1797, when the plaintiff took fteps to procure a divorce, after his wife had been living in a state of adultery for fix years. These facts, joined to the fubfequent conduct of the parties, fpoke most forcibly for themselves; it would be feen, that there existed strong grounds for fuppofing a great degree of collufion in the cafe. His Lordfhip reprobated the conduct of thofe, who, on fuch grounds, had come forward to the House for an Act; the cafe feemed bad enough, in his opinion, even for the jurifdiction of the municipality of Paris-fcarcely any thing worfe could be seen on the records of the French proceedings in fuch cafes. He thought it incumbent upon him to fuggeft the propriety of that Houfe adopting fuch measures as would tend to check the faci lity of obtaining acts of divorce, and that none but proper cafes fhould be entertained; and he was happy to understand, that in this opinion feveral of the bench of Rev. Prelates coincided-one or two particularly, who probably would come forward on the occafion. The acquiefcence in fuch a Bill as that in queftion, muft degrade the dignity of that Houfe, not to mention the very injurious tendency which fuch proceedings must have with refpect to the morals of the nation. He threw out these hints in the firft inftance, and earneftly hoped that fome meafures would be adopted in confequence of them. He did not at that time intend to offer any thing fpecific on those heads, nor indeed did he propofe directly to oppofe the hearing of counfel in fupport |