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Chair, that gentleman, after fundry efforts to fpeak, was obliged to defift, and foon after retired.

Shortly after, Sir Frederick Flood, who had gone at the request of the Houfe to bring back his kinfman (Mr. Henry Flood, who had withdrawn himself) returned and informed the House he could not find him, though he had been at his own house, and fome other places where he hoped to have met him.

The House then refumed the bufinefs of Sir Henry Cavendish's motion, when Mr. Monk Mafon affured the Right Honourable Baronet, that if he would defer the motion for the prefent, he would affift him in bringing it forward immediately after the committee of accounts fhould make their report,

The Recorder faid, he thought the Right Honourable Member would do right by poftponing it 'till the Houfe might receive information from the report of the committee of accounts.

Captain Burgh likewife requested it might be deferred till the committee reported; he faid the documents would then be more correct, as fome flight mistakes may have happened in the printing them, which had been hurried on and done in two days time.

The Provost likewife urged the deferring it 'till the committee of accounts made their reports. He faid he had converfed with many old members that had been in parliament before committees of accounts had been established, who had much lamented the wants of them, as the vouchers of all kinds of king's letters, &c. were now laid before them in a much clearer manner than they formerly were.

Mr. Parfons wifhed the gentlemen on the oppofite fide of the Houfe (Treafury Bench) would fuffer the queftion to be put at once, and let it go abroad to the world that it met with a negative from them, if that should be its fate.

After a few words by Mr. Mafon, the queftion of adjournment was called for, when the Speaker arofe to comply with the requeft, but was stopped by the Right Honourable Mr. Pelham, who faid, he muft oppofe it, upon which a divifion enfued, when there appeared

Against the adjournment,

For it,

Tellers for the Noes, Captain Burgh, Mr. Mason.

84

27

Tellers for the Ayes, Sir Henry Cavendish, and Sir Henry

Hart/longe.

After the divifion, Sir Henry Cavendish moved an amendment to his former motion, which was oppofed by the Provost as out of rule, and contrary to the ufage of parliament; it was likewise oppofed by Mr. Fitzgibbon, who also propofed an amendment to the amendment.

Mr. Beresford, jun. also spoke against it, and told the Right Honourable Baronet, he wondered the House would attend to his foolish amendments, &c. (which fet the House in a great fit of laughter) after which the amendment was put and negatived without a divifion.

At a eleven o'clock the queftion of adjournment was agreed to, when Mr. Foßer called the attention of the House, by informing the Speaker that he thought it would be proper for the prefervation of the peace, and to prevent any mifchief that might enfue from the unhappy difference that arofe between two members of that Houfe, as alfo for the dignity of the Houfe, that a mode should be ftruck out for taking them into cuftody, either by the Serjeant at Arms, the Sheriffs of the city, or fome other perfons appointed for that purpofe; which being fettled, (after the Provost, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Gardiner, the Recorder, and fome other members had fpoke to the bufinefs) the Speaker, attended by feveral members, moft patiently waited a full hour, when General Luttrel informed the Speaker, a magiftrate (Alderman Exfhaw) who had taken one of the members, (Mr. Flood) into cuftody, was then at the bar, and requested he would lay his commands on him to have the said Member forth coming in the morning, and to ufe his best endeavours for taking the other into cuftody. The Recorder likewise, by confent of the House, issued a warrant for that purpose, after which the House adjourned until to-morrow.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1783.

A letter was read by order, by the Clerk of the House from the Lord Chief Juftice of the King's Bench, to the Right Honourable the Speaker, acquainting him, that in confequence of information, he had granted a warrant against Mr. Grattan and Mr. Flood, to take them into cuftody, directed to the fheriffs, &c. of the kingdom; but from the refpect his lordship entertained for that Houfe, he had avoided iffuing the fame for execution till he had received the fentiments of the Houfe on that fubject.

The Speaker at the fame time obferved, that he did not think it neceflary, nor did he wish it should be entered on the journals, but if the matter was left to him, he would take the most neceifary fteps that could be properly adopted on the occafion.

The Honourable John Bourke made feveral motions, that the proper officers fhould lay before the Houfe, accounts of the premiums paid upon corn, grain, &c. brought into this city coaftways, by nland carriage, and imported, which were agreed to.

Ordered, that the Speaker do direct his warrant to the clerk of the crown, to iffue a new writ for the election of a member for the borough of Lanesborough,

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Right Honourable John Foster then arofe, and faid he wished to bring forward a matter of the utmoft confequence to Ireland; it was well known that the kingdom of Portugal had unjustly laid restrictions upon our trade: it was, therefore, high time that this country should take her conduct into confideration; and it would become us on this occafion to act with prudence and with spirit. With fpirit, becaufe if Portugal ftill refufed to give Ireland thofe commercial advantages, which, in juftice, we had a right to (as the products of that country imported hither could be amply fupplied to us from other places) he would be one who would tax the commodities which came from thence, in fuch a manner, as would amount to a prohibition. On the other hand, if the agreed to take our manufactures, prudence fhould dictate to us to give every encouragement to her trade; he thought, therefore, the beft mode of inveftigating this matter, would be by a committee, and therefore moved, that a committee be appointed to take into confideration the trade of this kingdom with Portugal.

Mr. Gardiner-I rife, Sir, to fecond the motion of my Right Hon. Friend, and to fuggeft fome things of which I have received information. I hear, Sir, the conduct of the court of Spain towards this country, has been very different from that of the court of Portugal; formerly Spain laid very heavy duties upon Irish linen, much higher than were impofed on either the French or German; but of late, Sir, I am told, (I really do not know whether my information be just or not) they have very much diminished that duty, fo as even to put us on an equality with the Germans and the French, and that they have established manufactories for printing and ftaining linens, which they send over to their colonies; for this purpofe they have purchafed from the English merchants within this fhort time, no lefs than 8000 pieces, of Irish linen. Now, Sir, if this be the cafe, fee what the confequence is—the English merchant acts as our factor; he has one profit: we have another: whereas if a direct intercourfe was opened between Spain and us, we should be in poffeflion of both the profits. There is another matter which would render our direct trade to Spain, of infinite importance to this country, and that is with refpect to our woollen manufacture. All cloths made here, from thirteen to feventeen fhillings per yard, are compofed of a mixture of Irish and Spanish wool; and all cloths from feventeen fhillings per yard and upwards, confift wholly of Spanish wool---this wool we have hitherto been obliged to get from England; and that is a principal caufe why we have not been able to equal her in this branch of trade; for in this, too, the English merchant acts as a factor: and while Spain gets one profit, the factor gets another; fo that in England they pay but the first price, and confequently have the Spanish wool infinitely cheaper. There is alfo the article of dye-stuff, of

which we import a confiderable quantity from Spain, through the like medium of the English factor, and for which, therefore, we pay a double price; if then the information I have received is true, it must be apparent what advantages will accrue to us from a trade with Spain;-they would take our linens at an advanced price, from that which we are at prefent paid for them, and we thould have in return all neceffary articles from thence, at a much lower rate, than we are now able to procure them-if, therefore, the conduct of Portugal should make us lay prohibitory duties on the products of that country, and if we can receive so many material benefits from a commerce with Spain, I think it would be wife in us to leffen the duties on Spanish wines: I with, therefore, the Right Hon. Gentleman would add the words, "" and Spain," to his prefent motion. I thought to have taken up fomething of this kind in the committee of trade now fitting, but I fear we have fo much bufinefs already upon our hands, that to enlarge it would be impracticable.

Mr. Taler hoped the Right Honourable Gentleman who had just fpoken, would not infift upon having Spain included in the prefent motion; he confidered the bufinefs that was to come before the committee moved for, of much greater magnitude than merely matters of trade-it would be to inveftigate the nature of treaties, and he fhould be forry to see a fubject of fuch importance frittered away—it would be to confider how far Ireland was included in all treaties hitherto made by Great Britain, and to be deemed a contracting party: Ireland had a right to trade with Portugal by the law of nations; it was a right founded in juftice, and which the would not give up; it was therefore an affair of the greatest confequence to Ireland, and particularly at the prefent crifis, when a new treaty was to be ratified; from the refult of this committee, would be known what fteps ought to be taken in future. Perhaps an addrefs to his majefty might be deemed requifite, and therefore he hoped, when this committee fat, the Right Honourable Member who moved this motion, would not confine his enquiries to affairs of trade alone, but would enter minutely into the difcuffion of the true extent of all treaties between Great Britain and foreign ítates.

Mr. Foter wifhed his motion to be carried in the manner he had made it. He confeffed Mr. Garainer's information as to Spain, was perfectly well founded; but chofe first to enter upon the confideration of the tranfactions relative to Portugal, as from fuch confideration it could bett be difcovered how we ought to act relative to other powers; and when the committee fat, his Honouraable Friend (Mr. Toler) might certainly introduce whatever he thought would be proper.

Mr. Gardiner replied, if gentlemen had any objection to adding Spain to the motion, he would not urge it.

Mr. Corry rofe, and faid, he thought it would be highly proper for the committee to be acquainted with what steps had been taken by the British ministers, or how far they had interfered with the court, of Portugal on our behalf. He had the greatest reliance on the good intentions of his Majefty's prefent minifters in England towards this country; he had the beft opinion of the Irish minifter, from the ready and liberal attention he had the other evening paid to the information given him by a worthy Knight (Sir E. Newenham) who had always the best authority for what he communicated to that Houfe; but it was unfortunate for this country, on the eve of establishing a great woollen manufacture, with the beft inclination of the English minister, the interefts of the English nation militated against our fuccefs, it would therefore be right to have every information relative to what paffed between the courts of Great Britain and Portugal, refpecting the trade of Ireland, laid before this committee, otherwife England might fuffer us to get into a difpute, while fhe would be a gainer by the quarrel; he hoped, therefore, a Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Pelham) would be prepared to declare every thing which had paffed between the two kingdoms upon the fubject.

Mr. Secretary Pelham faid, every neceffary information should be readily communicated, and for this purpofe, all papers fought by the committee fhould immediately be produced-but ftationed as he was, he could not fit filent and hear an infinuation of an Hon. Member, that it is the intereft of his Majefty's English minifters to oppofe the profperity and growth of the Irish woollen manufacture.

Mr. Corry fofe to explain-he did not fay it was the interest of his Majefty's minifiers; fo far from it, he had expreffed the higheft confidence of their virtues and good intentions towards this kingdom; what he faid was, that it unfortunately happened, while this kingdom was on the eve of establishing a great woollen trade, it was the intereft of the English nation to fuffer us to get into a difpute, where the might leave us to ourselves, and benefit by the quarrel.

Mr. Pelham thanked the gentleman for fetting him right, but either way he understood the Hon. Member in the fame light; for his part, he avowed that he was in the fecrets of the British minifters, and being in their fecrets, though an Englifhman himself, he could not come over to this country to fecond what he was well fatisfied was their intention, if he fuffered any thing that was faid either within doors or without, to fway with him, or to make him confider, in the smallest degree, the interefts of this kingdom and Great Britain otherwife than as united.

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