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He alfo prefented a petition of the inhabitants of Belfaft, praying a reform in the prefent state of the reprefentation of the people in the parliament of this kingdom.

Mr. Brooke prefented a petition of the high fheriff and freeholders of the county of Donegal, praying a reform in the prefent ftate of the reprefentation of the people in the parliament of this kingdom.

Hon. Mr. Ward prefented a petition of the freeholders of the county of Down, convened by public notice, praying a reform in the present state of the reprefentation of the people in the parliament of this kingdom.

Sir Richard Johnston-By favour of the Honourable Gentleman who prefented this petition, I have been indulged with a view of it, and I perceive that in one place there are an hundred and fifty names figned by one hand, in another place forty, in another twenty, and fo on; by fuch means I do not think it would be very difficult to obtain a petition that would reach. from hence to Down. But this I aver, that the counter-petition which acknowledges the fecurity and freedom we enjoy, under our prefent happy conftitution, and prays for a continuance thereof, is figned by five-fixths of the proprietary of the county of Down. In the parish where I live, there are one hundred and fifty freeholders who have figned it; they all voted for the Hon. Gentleman. Yet now he returns their kindness, by bringing in a petition in oppofition to their fentiments.

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Mr. Ann ley prefented a memorial of the there underfigned freeholders of the county of Down, fetting forth that the petition prefented to the House, intitled a petition of the freeholders of the county of Down, convened by public notice," can and ought to be regarded as the petition of fuch freeholders only as were present at the meeting fo convened; and memorialists believe the contents of faid petition are not agreeable to the fenfe and opinion of the majority of the freeholders of the faid county, and that memorialifts hope our prefent happy conftitution, as fettled under the glorious revolution of 1688, will be tranfmitted entire and inviolate to lateft pofterity.

Mr. . T. Jones faid, he was inftructed to say, that the counter petition was not the fenfe of the freeholders of the county.There was a requeft made, he faid, to an Honourable Member of the House, when an officer of great power in the county of Down, to convene the freeholders, he had declined complying, and had very fairly given his reafons. But the freeholders had afterwards met, when they had full time to confider the fubject; they had not then declared the fentiments contained in the counter petition, and he was inftructed to fay, that the powerful influence of landlords had been exerted to obtain names to it.

Sir Richard Johnston.-The Hon. Gentleman speaks as he is inftructed-1 fpeak of my own knowledge, that the gentlemen who

have figned the counter petition poffefs five-fixths of the property of the county of Down.

Hon. Mr. Annesley.-As I have been alluded to in this conver sation, I think it but neceffary to say, that I did refuse to affemble the county, and that I would do the fame again; I gave my reafons for fo doing; and as not one of them has ever been controverted, I muft fuppofe they were conclufive. It is faid the counter petition is not the fenfe of the county.-Now I affert the contrary-I held an election of the county of Down-I know the voters, and I am convinced, with the Honourable Gentleman who fpoke laft, that five-fixths of the proprietary are contained in the counter petition. A very long lift of names has indeed been prefented to the Houfe as petitioners for a change in a parliamentary reprefentation; but if they were enough to reach to Lisburn to the conftitutional club, whofe attempts may throw difgrace on themfelves, though they can never affect me, it would not change my fentiments.

Mr. Jones replied.-He spoke highly in praife of the conftitutional fociety, as men who actuated by public fpirit, had exerted themselves to oppose a disgraceful ariftocracy, and give freedom to their country.

Mr. Leflie prefented a petition of the freeholders of the county of Monaghan, praying a reform in the prefent ftate of the reprefentation of the people in the parliament of this kingdom.

Maxwell and another bailiff called to the bar, for having arrested a gentleman when attending on a committee of the Houfe.-It having appeared, that this gentleman had not produced the order of the Houfe as a fupercedence of the arreft,

Alderman Warren faid, that if every man was to be fet at large who declared that he was attending a committee of the House, or who had even verbal orders from a member of any committee to attend, much inconvenience would enfue; for if a debtor was feen in cuftody, the fheriff became anfwerable for him; and nothing lefs than the written order of the House could justify him in difcharging a perfon once arrested.

Right Honourable Luke Gardiner reported from the committee appointed to enquire into the trade and manufactures of Ireland: He faid, he had not been permitted, as was his wish and intention, to arrange the evidence under different heads, but now presented it word for word as written down by the clerk. He begged the House would obferve, that two different fubjects had been objects of the committee's attention-firft, the expediency of laying duties on foreign manufactures when imported into Ireland; and fe.. cond, the laying of duties on linen and woollen yarn when exported to foreign markets. He intended to bring forward the first of thefe fubjects only this feffion, and thought it neceffary to declare

fo much, becaufe he knew there was an intention to confound both together, that the country might not receive the benefit of either. He therefore hoped gentlemen would have this in their minds, and keep thefe two objects as feparate and diftinct as poffible.

The Right Honourable Mr. Secretary of State presented to the Houte, according to order, a bill for the relief of prifoners charged with felony, or other crimes, who fhall be acquitted or difcharged by proclamation, refpecting their fees, and giving a recompence for fuch fees; which was received and read a first time.

Mr. Chatterton objected to the bill, as encroaching on the rights of a very refpectable fet of men, the clerks of the crown, whose interefts would be greatly injured by fuch a bill paffing into a

law.

The Secretary of State faid, the bill was warranted by the example of a neighbouring kingdom, by the laws of the land, and by every principle of humanity; but this he faid was not the time to debate it; when it came to be difcuffed, he trufted the Hon. Gentleman would alter his opinion.

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Mr. Holmes-I cannot express my aftonishment at the oppofition given by the Honourable Member to this bill-If ever there was fubject that called more loudly than any other, upon the humanity of gentlemen, it is this; England has fet us the example, and there are at this moment numbers languishing in confinement that we ought to relieve. What can be more horrible than to detain in a dreary dungeon a man whofe innocence has been declared by his country! To fhut him up without even bread and water; for the miferable allowance which is dealt out in fcanty portion to the prisoner who has not yet been tried, is with-holden from the innocent man the moment he is acquitted by his country, and has proved that he fhould not have been a prifoner at all. But, Sir, if this bill be combated, every principle of humanity must be combated; which makes it impoilible to reconcile this oppofition with that tenderness of heart and benevolence of difpofition which induced the Honourable Gentleman to introduce a bill, and take uncommon pains to get it paffed, in order to relieve from prifon perfons not fo miferable as the objects of the bill now before

us.

Mr. Attorney General-I am aftonished any gentleman who has the leat refpect to the fuffering of his fellow-creatures, can oppofe the prefent bill. If the unhappy fituation of thofe confined for debt, has been fufficient to call forth the humane interpofition of this Houfe, furely thofe deferve that interpofition more, who ought not to have been confined at all. Ifhall, Sir, make no fcruple of delivering my decided opinion, as a lawyer, that detaining a man acquitted by his country, in execution for non-pay

ment of fees, is not only inhuman, but contrary to the law of the land; and whoever was guilty of fuch abuse, made himself liable to an heavy action. If fees of this kind were due of right to the clerks of the crown and others, they ought to proceed in the ufual mode of recovering common debts, and should by no means arrogate to themselves not only the judicial powers, but also the execution of the fentence. I have, not long fince, ferved the office of theriff in a very great and refpectable county, and was fo convinced not only of the cruelty, but alfo of the illegality of detaining those who had been acquitted by the laws of their country, that I conftantly ordered them to be immediately discharged from prifon. When the jailor and others began to murmur, I informed them, they had their option to take their actions either against the discharged or me, if they thought proper to make the experiment.

Mr. Monck Mafon-It is very extraordinary indeed that a gentleman who introduces a bill to discharge from prifon every man in the kingdom confined for debt, though many of them are of very doubtful character, fhould oppofe a bill extending the fame advantage to another class of men, whofe innocence has been declared by their country; but the Honourable Gentleman, confcious that his oppofition never can be maintained on principles of juftice or humanity, declares, that he is only attentive to the intereft of certain perfons. I hope when he examines the bill, and finds that the interefts of thofe perfons are provided for, his oppofition will drop.

The queftion being put, that the faid bill be read a fecond time to-morrow morning.- -It was carried in the affirmative.

Ordered, That the faid bill be printed.

Mr. Hamilton, by order of his Grace the Lord Lieutenant purfuant to their addrefs to his Grace, prefented to the Houfe,

The informations received by government relative to the high price of corn in different parts of the kingdom for the two years laft paft.

The titles whereof were read, and the faid informations ordered to lie on the table for the perufal of the members.

The order of the day, that the Houfe do refolve itself into a committee of the whole Houfe, to take into further confideration a bill for regulating the corn, trade, promoting agriculture, and providing a regular and fleady fupply of corn within this kingdom, being upon motion read,

Refolved, That this House will, to-morrow at two of the clock, refolve itfelf into a committee of the whole House, to take the faid bill into confideration; and that no other bufinefs do intervene.

Ordered, That the faid committee be impowered to receive a claufe to give power to the Lord Lieutenant or other Chief Governor or Governors, with the advice of the privy council, whenever it shall appear that a fcarcity of oats exifts, or is apprehended in the province of Ulfter, to authorize by proclamation, for a limited time, the importation of oats free from duty, except the duty of 2d. per barrel impofed by the faid bill, into the faid province of Ulfter, and prohibit the exportation of oats from thence.

SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1784.

Mr. Griffith, after explaining the confequences that accrued to induftry, from the farmer's lofing a very great proportion of that time, which might be fo much better employed in agriculture, by coming up to town to fell his corn, for fake of the bounty; and fhewing how much more advantageous it would be to have factors in the different market towns for that purpose, moved, That the committee be impowered to receive a clause to that purport.Mr. Griffith added, that this, at the fame time it encouraged people to make the carriage of corn their particular business, would ultimately center in the farmer, as the bounty would enable the factor to pay a higher price than he otherwife would.

House in a committee.--Mr. Fofter, after entering large ly into the advantages of conciliating the good will of Great Britain, as the was our beft market for corn, and declaring his opinion of its conducivenefs to promote the agriculture of Ireland, if a bounty were granted on the exportation of foreign corn, manufactured into flour, meal or malt, moved, That a claufe be inferted in the bill for granting a bounty on flour, meal, and malt manufactured in this kingdoin.

Right Honourable Luke Gardiner thought that at the fame time they guarded againft fcarcity, the Houfe ought to confult the intereft of the farmer.

Mr. Kearney manifefted much information in his oppofition to the motion, and proved in a very fatisfactory manner, that the claufe would materially injure the agriculture of this kingdom.

Mr. Bujbe oppofed the introduction of the claufe.—He said, England allowed a bounty on the corn exported into Ireland, and were Ireland to allow another on its re-exportation, such a decifive advantage would be thereby given to foreign corn, as would ruin our agriculture; he obferved, that as the benefits were excellively finall, and the danger great, of adopting this claufe, it fhould have his hearty diffent.

The Right Honourable the Provost said, he thought the motion ought to be opposed.

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