Mr. Fofter anfwered feveral objections made to the motion. In times of fcarcity, Great Britain would fupply us with corn. As to export bounty on foreign corn manufactured in this country, he wished to be able to devife a mode of inducing the whole world to fend corn hither to be ground. We then fhould have a valuable trade indeed.

Sir Henry Cavendish obferved, the Right Hon. Mover had fpoken in favour of the claufe, yet he believed it not his offspring.However Sir Henry made no doubt he'd joffer it.

General Cunningham, Sir Hercules Langrifbe, and several other gentlemen spoke against it, and Mr. Corry, and Mr. Hayes for the motion.

It was negatived by 70 to 33.

Mr. Fofter moved an amendment for granting a bounty on importation, when the price of barley fhould exceed 135. and that of oats 8.

Paffed in the affirmative.

Mr. Griffith gave notice of his intention to move a claufe for eftablishing corn factors in the different market towns.

After a long converfation relative to fettling the average prices, when it had been agreed on Mr. Fofter's motion, that all perfons who made falfe returns of the price of corn, fhould pay a fine of 20. the committee adjourned, the Speaker now took the chair, and the Houfe adjourned to Monday.

MONDAY, MARCH 8, 1784.

Mr. Annesley prefented a petition of Ezekiel Davis Wilson, Edward Brice Dobbs, James Taylor, junior, and others, electors for the county of the town of Carrickfergus, complaining of an undue election and return for the faid county of the town of Carrickfergus. Mr. Annesley then moved, that the petition be taken into confideration on the 23d of April next.

Mr. Waddel Cunningham (the fitting member for Carrickfergus) faid, that it would be extremely inconvenient to him to have the petition taken into confideration on that day, as the council he had engaged in this caufe would then be abfent on the circuit.― He obferved, that the petition conveyed a charge against the Conftitutional Club; but, he faid, they were a fet of honeft men, who had gone to Carric fergus, to give independent votes; there never was a more honeft fet of men- -and as to the charge of bribery, he doubted not to bring it home to his antagonist.

Mr. Jones faid-Perhaps, Mr. Speaker, what I am going to fay might as well be left unfaid; though I am a young member of this Houfe, I am old enough to stand a laugh; and I think it extremely indecent and unbecoming in the House to laugh at the

laft Hon. Gentleman who spoke. He has fhewn his talents in what he has delivered, and it is a fhame to laugh at him; he brings a fund of knowledge into this Houfe, of mercantile knowledge; he should be treated with indulgence, and should have time to prepare a defence against the petition which is trumped up against him; but I forbear, and will not fay any thing of this petition until it fhall be declared frivolous, groundless and vexatious.

Mr. Brownlow, in pointed terms, feverely cenfuted the conduct of feveral members of the Houfe, who betrayed a levity difgraceful to the dignity of their character; he faid, though his honourable Friend (Mr. Cunningham) might not difplay the perfuafive powers of oratory, he brought with him qualities more rare and valuable a volume of wisdom and a fund of unbiaffed inte grity.

A motion was made, and the queftion being put, that the said petition be taken into confideration on Monday the 2d day of May next, at two o'clock, it paffed in the negative.

Ordered, That the faid petition be taken into confideration on Monday the 26th day of April next, at two o'

o'clock.

Ordered, That Mr. Speaker do iffae his warrant or warrants for fuch perfons, papers and records, as fhall be thought neceffary by the feveral parties on the heating of the matter of the said petition.

Mr. Annesley alfo prefented a petition of the Honourable Jofeph Hewit, complaining of an undue election and return for the county of the town of Carrickfergus.

Ordered, That the faid petition be taken into confideration on the day and hour appointed for taking into confideration the petition of Ezekiel Davis Wilfon, Edward Brice Dobbs, James Taylor, junior, and others, complaining of an undue election and return for the faid county of the town of Carrickfergus.

Ordered, That Mr. Speaker do iffue his warrant or warrants for fuch perfons, papers and records, as fhall be thought neceffary by the feveral parties on hearing of the matter of the said petition.

General Luttrell rofe and acquainted the House that he had a motion to make, for the prevention of a robbery of the worst na ture, the robbery of life and limb, by a cruelty practifed here in the 16th century, that would have aftonifhed the barbarians of the 14th; it was the inhuman practice of houghing men for no reafon but their being foldiers, by the people of the trade and myftery of butchers, a reipectable body no doubt, whofe qualifications are a ftrong arm, a fharp knife, and a hard heart.

He faid, that fuch acts were fufficient to exafperate men against the civil authority; if the officers of the army had not been watch

ful to prevent any evil confequences.In the inftance of the Ifland-bridge riot the civil power vindicated its authority; that immediately after that event the whole garrifon of Dublin had been drawn up on the parade, (he was himself on duty by order of General Baugh) the offended inhabitants were encouraged to appear on the parade, to pitch on fuch of the foldiers, whofe perfons they could identify, and the offenders were in the prefence of the high fheriffs, both for city and county, given up to the civil power, and committed to Newgate.

He was the laft man in the House who would get up to excufe the foldiery in that inftance, and he mentioned the provocation in mitigation only of thofe proceedings, for he thought a reverence for the laws of civil fociety, and a peaceable demeanor towards their fellow fubjects, was the beft part of military discipline.

The 49th regiment had been ordered out of town, not because they had acted in fuch a manner, as to give a reafon for their being felected for that example, but becaufe having had more men belonging to that regiment houghed and ill treated than any other, it was thought prudent to remove them, and it became neceffary to facrifice the feelings of the foldier to the fafety of a citizen, in a free country that fhould ever be the cafe. Colonel Brown was one of the beft officers in the army, that he had diftinguished himfelf on fervice, and was remarkable for a fri&t obfervance of difcipline in the regiment, and an excellent corps of officers emulated his example.-But although difcipline might do much, it was impoflible for officers to be anfwerable for what a fudden impulfe. might hurry men to commit, goaded by a provocation so far beyond all further bearing as houghing was.

He therefore thought it wife in the legislature to endeavour, by every poffible means, to put a stop to fo horrid a practice; and furely a ftipend of 20!. a year to be levied on the parish and diftrict where the offence is committed, provided the offender is not taken and profecuted to conviction, would be neither an unjuft or unwife measure.

He was convinced the gentlemen of the knife were the performers, and had the whole merit of the art, for an art and mystery it was, and which required a very fharp and well adapted inftrument, judgment, firength, dexterity of wrift, and a hardness of heart, for which that fraternity were fo peculiarly diftinguished. The Ormond and Liberty boys commemorated their reconciliation and greafy embraces in the blood of the unoffending foldier; unoffending, because they houghed the foldier indifcriminately, merely because he wore the coat of his king and of his country. And fo far the butcher was worse than the Italian affaflin, who if, by mistake, he chanced to ftab a wrong perfon, always begged the gentleman's pardon.

He quoted the ftatute of the 5th of Edward IV. whereby perfons who were only fufpected of being guilty of offences lels horrid than the act of houghing, were liable to have their heads cut off by the parties aggrieved, and the vicinity muleted into the bargain. But he obferved, that the redrefs was as barbarous as the crime.

That individuals might be urged to retaliation he afferted, and as a proof, mentioned the ftory of the commanding officer of a regiment of dragoons, who declared to them aloud in terrorem, that if a man of them was houghed in Dublin, and they did not the next morning bring him a butcher's head, he would flog them all; but this was as an additional argument to prove, that the gratitude for protection ought to fuperfede the idea of revenge.

He then moved, that leave be given to bring in a bill to give better protection to foldiers and others against the barbarous practice of houghing.--Ordered, and that the Honourable General Luttrell and the Honourable Denis Browne do prepare and bring in the fame.

Mr. Browne faid, he was happy to fecond the motion, and promised the bill his utmoft fupport.

Mr. Corry took the opportunity of thanking the Right Hon. Member for the honourable manner in which he had mentioned the officer at the head of the 49th regiment, and also to bear teftimony to the conduct of the general, when fome of the men were given up to the civil power.

Sir John Parnel informed the Houfe, that the felect committee, appointed to try the merits of the petition of William Alexander English, Efq; complaining of an undue election for the borough of Enniscorthy, in the county of Wexford, have deter

mined

That Montifort Longfield, Efq; was duly elected a burgefs to ferve in this prefent parliament for the borough of Enniscorthy, in the county of Wexford.

Alfo, that Montifort Longfield, Efq; was duly returned a bur-gefs to ferve in this parliament for the borough of Ennifcorthy, in the county of Wexford.

Alfo, that Conway Heatly, Efq; was duly elected a burgefs to ferve in this prefent parliament for the borough of Enniscorthy, in the county of Wexford.

Alfo, that Conway Heatly, Efq; was duly returned a burgefs to ferve in this prefent parliament for the borough of Enniscorthy, in the county of Wexford.

Which determinations were ordered to be entered on the journals of the Houfe.

Sir John Parnel likewise reported from the faid committee, that they had come to the following refolutions:

Refolved, That the petition of Willi .m Alexander English, complaining of an undue election and return of Conway Heatly, Efq; was frivolous, vexatious and groundless.

Refolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, that the returning officer, Sir Vefey Colclough, Bart. was guilty of mifconduct previous to the late election, by having acted under the corrupt influence of the faid William Alexander English, and endeavouring to procure the election of the faid William Alexander English for the borough of Ennifcorthy, during the prefent parliament.

Sir John Panel likewife reported from the faid committee, that they had directed him to make a fpecial report of what appeared to the committee, which he accordingly did, and delivered in the fame at the table, together with the minutes of the evidence ; and the faid report was read at the table,

Ordered, That the faid report be taken into confideration on this day fevennight.

Ordered, That Sir Vefey Colclough, Bart. do attend in his place on this day fevennight.

Ordered, That William Alexander English, Efq; do attend this Houfe on this day fevennight.

Mr. George Ponsonby prefented to the Houfe, according to order, a bill for continuing and amending feveral laws relating to his Majefty's revenue, and for the more effectually preventing of frauds therein; which was received and read a first time, and ordered to be read a fecond time on Wednesday morning next, Ordered, that the fàid bill be printed.

The Houfe in a committee on the corn bill, and the average claufe being read,

Mr. after faid, the bill had been printed, that gentlemen might have an opportunity of forming their fentiments on it. The price of corn in every part of the kingdom, with the quantity on hand, is to be returned to Dublin, where the average is to be ftruck, and a regifiry kept of the prices in each part of Ireland.

The Provost objected to the mode of ftriking the average; and thought the mode by jury the moit conflitutional.

It was agreed that the average fhould be ftruck in Dublin. The claufe was now read, That all importers of corn fhould ledge the fame in warehoufes, and not fell or export but when at the limited prices mentioned in the act.

Mr.her-The merchant is to lodge in the warehouse, and a king's lock is to be put on it: by this means all corn imported, which may not be wanted for immediate confumption, will be ftored; that when the price is above 30. per barrel, it may be put out to fale; or when it is lower than 275. per barrel, the corn may be exported.- -The intention of this claufe is al