foon as poffible, and it could be done as well before Christmas as after.

Sir John Blaquiere defired that the petition of the company of undertakers of the grand canal, and the reports of the committee to whom it was referred, might be read.- -Petition and reports read accordingly.

Sir John then obferved, that nothing came before the House more unfatisfactory than any application refpecting canals or navigation; he well knew the fhameful abufes that had been hitherto made in the expenditure of the grants for fuch works; no man reprobated fuch abufes more than he did: but the grand canal, faid he, has been conducted in fuch a manner, and is an object of fuch great utility, as intitles it to claim your attention. Much money has been already expended upon it ; it is every day becoming an object of fubftantial utility, and will in a fhort time become a real advanta e to the city of Dublin, and many parts of the kingdom; 50,000l. will complete this great work, but I perceive a prejudice againft it, a latent difguft that would wish to fcout it out of the houfe; it is not money the company wants, it is only the public credit and fupport of the nation that they require, and they have ample fecurity to give for the fum they want to raise. He then moved, that the petition of the company of undertakers of the grand canal should be referred to a committee of the whole Houle.

Mr. Fitzgibbon hoped the committee would be well attendedGreat fums, he faid, had been lavished in this undertaking, not lefs than 120,0col. of the public money, and 100,000l. of the company's own, for all which a very incomplete canal of 27 miles had been effected.

The company had firit employed a Mr. Trail, an engineer, with whom they afterwards thought proper to quarrel: they then employed a Mr. Tarrent, a cannoneer, trained in an artillery corps, and this gentleman immediately, upon his appointment, to fhew his fkill and pleafe his employers, proved Mr. Trail's locks as he would have done his own cannon, by over-charging I fpeak this from my knowledge of what paffed in a court where Mr. Trail brought his action.

If the company get a grant of 50,000l. this feffion, for there is no difference in this cafe between a loan and a grant, they will want 50,000l. more next feffion, and if any grant is made them, you will have an application for 10,000l. for completing the navigation from Lough Allen, and 10,000'. more for completing from Killaloe to Limerick; there will be no end to thofe applications.

Sir John Blaquiere replied, and pointed out many conveniencies that would arife, and fome that were already experienced from the grand canal.

The committee as defired-The petition referred.

Mr. Marcus Beresford faid, that he had mentioned, on a former night, his intention of fubmitting to the Houfe a queftionwhether a right hon. friend of his (Mr. Clements) might be at liberty again to ftand for the county for which his election had been by a committee declared void, but as that right honourable gentleman had fince been returned for another place, he would not proceed upon the enquiry, nor trouble the House for an opinion, as under the prefent circumstances his right honourable friend muft fit for the place that had returned him laft; for the law, as laid down by the learned Serjeant Glanville is, that the country has fuch an intereft in every man, and fuch a right to command his fervice, that he cannot decline the truft of becoming a reprefentative of the people, even though that trust should be conferred upon him contrary to his own inclination.

Mr. Molyneux remarked, that he understood fome refolutions had paffed the Houfe on Saturday night laft, after he had left the Houfe, which had done away the imputation of the money voted for feamen being applied to the raising of fencibles; but admitting this, could any man defend the measure of raising them at all, whereby the nation was put to an unneceffary expence? The volunteers, he faid, were amply fufficient for the defence of the country, yet government had entered into this fcheme, which coft the nation 36,000l. and caft an unmerited flight on the volunteers; he would therefore, he said, move a refolution to the following effect, which he hoped would meet with general con

currence:

Refolved, That the advisers and promoters of the scheme for raifing fencible regiments, fo univerially and juftly detefted, deferve the cenfure and difapprobation of this Houfe.

Sir Richard Mufgrave propofed an amendment, by adding these words, "and alfo the advifers and promoters of increafing the falary of the Lord Lieutenant." [This occafioned fome laughing.] After which it was withdrawn.

The queftion being put on Mr. Molyneux's motion, there appeared

Ayes for it,
Noes,

2

112

Tellers for the ayes, Mr. Molyneux and Sir Edward Newenham.

Tellers for the noes, Sir Richard Mufgrave and Mr. Lodge Morres.

The two ayes were the Honourable James and the Honourable Denis Browne.

Mr. Burgh (of Oldtown) reported Captain Brooke's loan bill. Mr. Fefter took notice, that the public prints, often from miftake and without any ill defign, mifreprefented the debates of

that Houfe; but on Saturday laft one of the papers had made a mifreprefentation of him which could not be accidental; it had afferted that he had laid a duty on iron of 50s. per hundred, and had called upon every farmer to obferve, that his ploughfhare was taxed; he therefore thought it incumbent on him thus publicly to contradict the calumny, as a fingle penny had not been laid upon iron.

Mr. Bolton, according to order, reported from the committee of the whole Houfe, to whom it was referred to confider further of ways and means for raifing the fupply granted to his Majefty, the refolutions which the committee had directed him to report to the Houfe, which he read in his place, and after delivered in at the table, where the fame were once read throughout, and then read a fecond time; and the queftion being feverally put thereupon, were agreed unto by the House, and are as follow:

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that a duty of 10s. be laid on every barrel of wheat, or malt made of wheat, and of 6. on every ftone of wheat meal, and of 94. on every ftone of flour of wheat or bifcuit which fhall be imported into this kingdom, whenever the price of wheat in the city of Dublin, to be afcertained as may be hereafter directed by parliament, shall be under 30s. the barrel.

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that a duty of 1os. be laid on every barrel of rye or meflin, and of 6d. on every ftone of rye or meflin meal which fhall be imported into this kingdom, whenever the price of rye in the city of Dublin, to be afcertained as aforefaid, fhall be under 225. the barrel.

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that a duty of 10. be laid on every barrel of barley, bere or big, and of 7. on every ftone of barley, bere or big meal, and of 10 on every ftone of malt made of barley, bere or big, which fhall be imported into this kingdom, whenever the price of barley in the city of Dublin, to be afcertained as aforefaid, fhall be under 135. the

barrel.

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that a duty of 5. be laid on every barrel of oats and on every hundred weight of oat-meal, which fhall be imported into this kingdom, whenever the price of oats in the city of Dublin, to be afcertained as aforefaid, fhall be under 10. 37. the barrel.

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that a duty of 10s. be laid on every barrel of peas or beans, and of 64. on every ftone of peas or bean meal, which thall be imported into this kingdom, when the price of peas or beans refpectively in the city of Dublin, to be afcertained as aforefaid, thall be under 185. 3d. the barrel.

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that the faid feveral duties be paid in lieu and full fatisfaction of all duties,

cuftoms and impofitions whatever payable by any law or laws heretofore made in this kingdom on the import of the faid articles refpectively, except fuch duties as are payable on flour of wheat imported.

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that if the importer of any wheat, rye, barley, bere, big, oats, peas, beans, malt, meal or flour, fhall pay down in part of the aforefaid duties the fum of 2d. for each barrel of grain, and a like fum of 2d. for each hundred weight of malt, meal or flour, the remaining part of the aforefaid duties may be bonded by every fuch importer upon his warehoufing the fame in the manner practifed as to tobaccoes imported, and that for fo much of the faid articles fo warehoufed as fhall be exported, or as fhall be fold within this kingdom at a time when fuch articles refpectively are prohibited to be exported from the port where the fame are warehoused, an allowance fhall be made upon fuch bonds for the duties fecured for the fame.

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that whenever the price of any of the foregoing forts of grain in the city of Dublin, to be ascertained as aforefaid, fhall be at or above the foregoing prices refpectively, a duty of 2d. and no more be paid for every barrel of fuch grain, and of 2d. and no more for every hundred weight of fuch malt, meal or flour, which shall be imported, any law to the contrary notwithstanding.

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that whenever the price of wheat in the city of Dublin, to be afcertained as aforefaid, fhall be under 30s. and not lefs than 27s. the barrel, or of rye in like manner fhall be under 22s. and not less than 19. 44. the barrel, or of barley in like manner fhall be under 135. and not less than 125. the barrel, or of oats in like manner fhall be under 10s. 3d. and not lefs than 9s. the barrel, or of peas and beans in like manner shall be under 18s. 34. and not less than 16. 3. the barrel, all wheat, rye, barley, bere, big, oats, peas and beans, malt, meal or flour thereof, being of British growth and imported from Great Britain, fhall be exempted from the payment of any higher duties upon being imported thence than 24. for every barrel of fuch grain, and 2d. for every hundred weight of fuch malt, meal or flour, the faid exemption to commence fo foon and to continue fo long as the fimilar articles of Irish growth thall by fome aft or acts of parliament, to be made in Great Britain, be allowed to be imported from hence into Great Britain upon the like or lower duties, at all times when the prices of grain there, according to the meafures made ufe of in that kingdom, fhall refpectively correfpond with thofe afore

mentioned.

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that whenever the price of wheat, taken at an average of the three market days next immediately preceding, in the market in or nearest to

any port in this kingdom, shall be at or above 30s, or of rye in like manner at or above 225. or of barley in like manner at or above 135. or of oats in like manner at or above 10s. 3d. or of peas and beans in like manner at or above 18s. 3d. the barrel, the export of all fuch grain, and any meal, malt, flour or biscuit, made therefrom, from fuch port, fhould be prohibited refpectively, fo long as the prices fo taken fhall continue at or above fuch fums refpectively.

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that in lieu of the bounties at prefent payable on the export of corn, grain, meal, malt and flour, the following bounties, and no other be paid on the export thereof, after the paffing of this act; that is to fay, 3s. 4d. for each barrel of wheat; 1s. 4d. for each hundred weight of wheat meal, or malt made of wheat; 15. 11d. for each hundred weight of flour of wheat, or wheaten bread or bifcuit, when the price of wheat, taken at the average of the three market days next immediately preceding, in the market in or nearest to the port from whence the fame fhall be exported, shall be under 275. the barrel; s. 7d. for each barrel of barley, bere or big, and of 25. for each barrel of malt made thereof, and Is. for each hundred weight of flour or meal made thereof, when the price of barley, taken as aforefaid, fhall be under 125. the barrel; 2s. 2d. for each barrel of rye, and 10d. for each hundred weight of rye, meal or flour, when the price of rye, taken as aforefaid, fhall be under 195. 4d: the barrel; s. 5d. for each barrel of oats or hundred weight of oat-meal, when the price thereof, taken as aforefaid, fhall be under 9. the barrel; 25. for each barrel of peas or beans, when the price thereof, taken as aforefaid, fhall be at or under 16s. 3d. the barrel.

Ordered, That leave be given to bring in a bill, pursuant to the faid refolutions; and that Mr. Bolton and the Right Honourable John Fofter do prepare and bring in the fame.

A bill for regulating the High Court of Admiralty in this kingdom, according to order, was read a fecond time and committed.

Refolved, That this Houfe will, to-morrow morning, refolve itfelf into a committee of the whole Houfe, to take the said bill into confideration.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1783.

The following bills were brought in and prefented by Lord Delvin: To prevent bribery and corruption at elections-To punish mutiny and defertion-For allowing further time to qualify-For the relief of infolvent debtors.