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(who this day appeared for the first time as Attorney General) moved, that Auguftus Warren, Efq; the petitioner complaining of an undue election and return for the city of Cork, do attend at the bar. The Attorney General founded his motion on the report of the committee, which had declared that petition groundlefs, frivolous and vexatious; and therefore he thought it incumbent on the Houfe to affert its own dignity, by making an example, to deter others from fuch practices.

Sir Nicholas Larvlefs and Mr. Chatterton pleaded ftrongly in ex-tenuation of Mr. Warren's offence. That it was poffible he might not have known of the matters charged in his petition, which was drawn up by fome agent; that from their knowledge of the gentleman's integrity and honour, they were convinced he had not taken any improper means to fupport it; and that as the lenity of parliament had extended to Mr. Stewart, a gentleman under fimilar circumftances, they hoped that the Houfe would confider Mr. Warren's fituation, who if called to the bar, must fuffer fatal confequences.

Mr. Mafon.-No two things can poffibly be more diffimilar than the circumftances and conduct of the Right Hon. Mr. Stewart, alluded to, and the petitioner against the Cork return. The first gentleman, as foon as it was made known to him that improper charges had been introduced into his petition against the Noble Lord, the fitting Member, and against the Hon. High Sheriff, immediately waited upon them, and in the most honourable manner difavowed his knowledge of these charges; nor did he attempt in the least to support them. But what is the conduct of Mr. Warren? He not only introduces the most heinous charges into his petition, but he attempts to fupport them. by the evidence of a pack of perjured ruffians, who prevaricated fo fhamefully, that the Houfe is obliged to fend them to Newgate.

The Right Hon. Petitioner on the Down election, was intitled to much refpect, not only from his rank as a privy counsellor, but for his amiable conduct through life-He had fat many years in this House, and in all that time had merited the good opinion of its members, and he had offered to pay the coits which his petition had incurred; but what offer has the petitioner made in the prefent cafe, or in what point can his conduct be compared to that of Mr. Stewart?

Mr. Marcus Beresford.-As I oppofed the difcharging of the order for bringing Mr. Stewart to the bar, I think myself strongly called upon to fupport the prefent motion-I attended on the committee, and had there an opportunity of feeing the most fhameful charges, fupported by the moft villainous evidence; by perfons guilty of fuch open and barefaced perjuries, that I believe there has been no example of any thing fimilar, and I

hope that the juftice of this Houfe will prevent the like ever occurring again. It is faid that calling the petitioner to our bar, may be attended with fatal confequences to him-I grant it may, it may be fatal to his election, it may prevent him from difpenfing bribes, and from corrupting fuch venal wretches as appeared before the committee-but the Houfe will not, I truft, feel much compunction for producing fuch fatal effects.

The Provost complained of the charges that had been wantonly made againft him; how unfounded the committee's report, and the honourable opinion entertained of him for three and twenty years by the citizens of Cork, best demonstrated; thefe charges he thought the more cruel, as he being at the head of the Univerfity, was bound to fhew to the youth of the kingdom, an example of rectitude, from which, he trufted, he never had departed; and any impeachment of character must be more feverely felt by him, than by perfons not ftanding in fuch a confpicuous point of viewHe obferved that no equitable reftitution had been thought of or offered by the petitioner, whofe conduct was in every refpect the very reverse of Mr. Stewart's.

A long defultory converfation now took place, which ended in the friends of Mr. Warren propofing, that he fhould pay the cofts incurred by his petition; to which purpose the Attorney General moved a refolution that paffed unanimously.

Sir Edward Newenham obferved, that parliament was at the eve of a long recefs; that it had fat for near three months, granting large fupplies to the crown; it had paffed that most oppreffive-the ftamp act-which must be explained and amended-it was too oppreffive-yet no act was paffed for the improvement of our conftitution; he hoped gentlemen would return to that Houfe with minds determined to fupport the rights and accede to the wifhes of the nation, which expected an adequate reform of representation, a limitation of the influence of the crown, and protecting duties; without the latter, our boafted free trade will prove but an empty name: He moved, "that the Houfe be called over on Monday the 8th of February, and that the Speaker do write circular letters to the members, requiring their attendance, otherwife they would incur the cenfure of parliament."- -Sir Edward then gave notice, that as the names of the defaulters were called over, he would move, that fuch defaulter betrays the truft reposed in him, by neglecting his duty.

Mr. Chatterton begged the advice of the Houfe; he said he had been folicited to prefent a petition complaining of an undue election for Ennifcorthy; that he knew nothing of the parties,

or the merits of the petition, but requefted to be informed whether he was bound to prefent the petition or not.

The Speaker faid, that as every man who applied to the House was entitled to justice, and as their petitions could only be prefented by members, he thought Mr. Chatterton ought to bring forward the petition.

The petition of Alexander English, Efq; complaining of an undue election and return for the borough of Enniscorthy, was accordingly prefented by Mr. Chatterton,

And the Houfe adjourned to Monday the 26th day of January

next.

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 1784.

The Houfe met pursuant to adjournment.

Several members returned upon new writs, took the oaths and their feats accordingly.

Petitions were received from the linen manufacturers of the county of Tyrone, city of Londonderry, and town of Colerain, praying a reftriction on the exportation of linen yarn.- -Referred to the committee of trade,

A petition was prefented, complaining of an undue election for Baltinglafs.-Ordered to be confidered on Friday the 13th day of February next,

Mr. Alexander English was ordered to lodge the corporation books of the borough of Ennifcorthy, now in his poffeffion, with the Clerk of the House,

Writs were iffued for the feveral places, in the room of the late appointed judges.

The order on the petition complaining of an undue election for the county of Clare, was difcharged on the motion of Mr.

Brownlow.

Leave was given that the Prime Serjeant, the Attorney General, the Solicitor General, Mr. Wolfe, Mr. Bennet, and Mr. Boyd, attend as council in the Lords on the appeal in the cafe of Hume and Loftus.

The order for going into the petition on the county Cavan election was discharged, but ordered to be confidered on the 10th day of February next.

Mr. Chatterton prefented a bill for the relief of infolvent perfons under certain defcriptions. He obferved, that it extended to the cafe of the unfortunate debtors, both in and out of the kingdom, who should petition the House, and be found worthy;

but to prevent frauds, none could be entitled but those to be named in a schedule. He mentioned that infolvent acts usually liberated only the perfon of the debtor, but this bill also difcharged his after-acquired property, upon this principle--that a man, giving up his all, ought to become a new man, otherwise there could be no room for future exertion in induftry. He then moved, "That all petitions of perfons praying relief fhould be prefented on or before the 1ft of March next, and no petition to be afterwards received. And for the purpofe of preventing fraud, and to give notice to the fair crediter, that an alphabetical lift of the names, places of abode, and occupations of the feveral petitioners, fhould immediately after the faid ift of March, be printed and fent to the fheriffs of the feveral counties and cities, and to the chief magiltrates of the feveral cities and towns corporate in this kingdom, to be by them made public within their refpective jurifdictions."-Ordered accordingly.

The Enniscorthy petition adjourned to the 18th of February

next.

The city of Clogher petition poftponed to the 20th of February. The Kilmallock petition poftponed to the 23d February.

Right Hon. Mr. Brownlow-Sir, an omillion of a very neceffary measure took place the last day we met here, that was, Mr. Speaker, to return you our thanks for the very able speech which you then delivered in prefenting the money bills at the bar of the Houfe of Lords, a fpeech which reflected the highest honour on yourfelf, and gave the utmost fatisfaction to the members of this Houfe, whom I fhall now move, to return you their thanks for your fpeech delivered at the bar of the Houfe of Lords.Whereupon the House

Refolved, nem con. That the thanks of this House be given to the Right Hon. Mr. Speaker, for the excellent fpeech made by him at the bar of the Houfe of Peers, on prefenting the money bills on Monday the 22d day of December, and that he be requested to print the fame.

Mr. Attorney General faid, that the fudden rife in the price of oats and barley had given very ferious caufe to apprehend a scarcity of thefe grains, particularly in the northern parts of the kingdoms, where the price was out of all proportion to the fouthern counties, as for inftance, in Wexford oat-meal was 9s. an hundred, which was a dear price for that county; but in Derry it was from 185. to 20s. Every fpecies of grain was dear in the North, but oats being that on which the inhabitants chiefly depended, a scarcity thereof would be moft felt, and that fcarcity was every day likely to encreafe, as the diftillers finding it impoffible to fupply themfelves with barley, were every day buying up and malting great quantities of oats, moreover by the ex

periment of last year, it had been demonftrated, that a fupply of foreign oats could not be obtained, even by a bounty, whereas a fupply of wheat was readily to be had. Upon thefe confiderations he thought it neceffary to move the House, that an humble addrefs be prefented to his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant, to defire that his Excellency will be pleased, with the advice of the privy council, to take fuch measures as may seem meet to prevent and to guard againft a fcarcity of oats and barley, of which, from the prefent high prices of fuch grain in many parts of the kingdom, there feem to be apprehenfions, and well founded, and to affure his Excellency that this Houfe will concur in fuch acts as may be thought neceffary to give efficacy or fanétion to the fame.

Mr. Toler-I do not mean to give any oppofition to the present motion, though I confefs that I am not by any means a friend to embargoes; but I rife to inform the Houfe, that any apprehenfion of fcarcity is ill founded, for I am well affured, that in the fouthern counties there is the greatest redundancy of grain, and that an ample fupply would be afforded from them to the north if the trade were free and open, but while mobs can affemble to regulate the corn trade by their own caprice, both the farmer of the fouth and the confumer of the north will fuffer. At Clonmell, a mob of two hundred perfons affembled by found of horn, and broke into the mills of fome quakers, as worthy men as any in the kingdom, who by their industry and integrity have greatly contributed to the public advantage; from thefe mills the mob took all the grain they could find, and, to prevent its being fent to the North, fold it for what they thought proper in the middle of the town, while, as I am well authorifed to fay, the mayor of Clonmell did not do what he ought to difcourage or prevent this outrage. But I trust that government will take the moft decided measures against thofe daring violators of the public peace, and all their abettors. I am the more anxious that the measure of an embargo fhould be well confidered before it is adopted, as I am convinced the frequency of it will annihilate the corn trade of Ireland; and as I am certain there is no occafion for it at prefent, for the very town of Clonmell, of which I have spoken, lying in the midst of a fertile country, could by means of the river Suir, fend affistance to the greater part of the north, if a fufficient force was ftationed there to preferve the freedom of trade and the public tranquility; and I think his Excellency deferves praife for his exertion in fending a body of troops thither for that purpose.

Mr. Attorney General explained that he had not the measure of an embargo in contemplation.

Secretary Hamilton affured the Houfe, that his Excellency had taken, and was determined to pursue the most vigorous measures

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