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authority over the navy. Something, therefore, muft immediately be done, and he knew of no better measure than that which was propofed by his Honourable Friend, The Right Honourable Gentleman feemed to be alarmed, because it was propofed that the Committee fhould have power to go to the fpot where the great complaint is; now he fhould have no difficulty in affenting to the giving to them that, and much more power, and even to the paffing an Act of Parliament for that purpose. If there was a doubt about the best mode that could be adopted in this critical time, there was none about the worft; the worst was to continue the prefent Minifters, and to confide in them; Minifters whofe incapacity had brought on our prefent evils; Minifters who had run the risk of ruining the nation at a lingle blow; who had deceived the House of Commons; who had deceived the public; who had even deceiv ed themselves upon every fubject, upon every occafion that had been presented to them; to be partial to fuch men (partial indeed!) who had betrayed us in our only hope, was infanity

itself.

Mr. Sheridan faid, he had given notice that he fhould move for a Committee. The Minifter had chosen to misunderstand his meaning, for he had faid that he fhould propofe that they fhould have power to fend for perfons and papers, and to adjourn from time to time, and from place to place, and to go to the spot. Did the Minifter mean to fay, that it would be improper for fuch a Committee to correspond with the failors? Had not Executive Government correfponded with them already? Were not the failors, to fay no worfe, in a state of infubordination at this moment?---Would he fay there was danger in inquiring into our fituation? He knew not what the Minifter would fay; he regretted to learn that the Minister was to oppose his motion, but he fhould at all events make it.

Mr. Baker faid, that when he called to order he regretted that the words complained of had not been taken down. Two propofitions had been ftated, both of them in his opinion extraordinary, perhaps neceffary. He gave no opinion upon either. The Gentleman who brought them forward would, he had no doubt, abandon them for the prefent. The prefent fituation of the country required that the Houfe fhould proceed with great energy, but he thought that judgment was better than warmth for that purpose. He regretted extremely the warmth to which he had been witnefs. He obferved that the queftion feemed to him to be begged. No one had declared what were the grounds of the complaints of the discontented feamen. It had been stated grounds exifted, but he had heard nothing to warrant fuch a conclufion.

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The Speaker fuggefted, as the Motion that had been made required a speedy decifion, the propriety of coming to an immediate vote.

The Motion was accordingly agreed to; and Mr. Pybus was ordered to carry up the requeft to the House of Lords.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that the Refolution of the Committee of Supply of yesterday be read. He then moved for leave to bring in a Bill pursuant to the faid Refolution.

Mr. Sheridan agreed that the utmost speed should be used in paffing the Bill. But he wifhed to notice what an Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Baker) had faid, who contended that the opponents of the Minifters proceeded on a queftion which they had begged. What reafon had the Gentleman for this belief? Was it because they had taken an authority which had been fo often proved to be fo bad; namely, the authority of the Chancellor of the Exchequer? But all that had been faid by that Honourable Member, was an additional reafon for agreeing to the Motion which he had fuggefted, and if it was true that the effect had been produced by other caufes than those which were generally fuppofed, then it could not be denied that there were fresh motives for inquiry and investigation.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, he had diftinctly stated, that if any misconception could have been fuppofed, it was to be lamented that extraordinary speed had not been reforted to. The Bill which he meant to bring in, contained an additional provifion for making a full allowance to wounded Seamen, and for empowering Seamen to remit part of their additional allowance to their wives, children, or mothers.

Mr. Whitbread, in answer to Mr. Baker, stated, that he did not confider abandoning and poftponing a measure to be fynonymous. He had only poftponed his Motion on the fuggeftion of a friend, that it would be better not to bring it forward at fo fhort a notice.

Leave was given to bring in the Bill, and it was ordered to be an inftruction to the perfons appointed to bring it in, that they fhould make provifion in it for granting a full allowance to wounded Seamen, and to empower Seamen to remit part of their additional allowance for the fupport of their wives, children, or mothers.

Mr. Pybus acquainted the Houfe, that the House of Lords had acceded to the request of the Commons.

The Bill was now brought in, read a first and second time, committed, reported, and engroffed, read a third time, and fent to the Lords.

The

The House continued fitting till the Bill had paffed the Lords.

The Deputy Black Rod then informed the Houfe, that their attendance was defired in the Houfe of Peers, in order to hear his Majefty's Commiffion read.

The Speaker attended by fome Members, accordingly went up to the Houfe of Peers, and upon his return, acquainted the House, that the Royal Affent had been given by Commiffion to the above-mentioned Bill.---Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
Wednesday, May 10.

MALMSBURY ELECTION.

The Chairman of the Committee appointed to try the merits of the Malmsbury Election reported to the House, that the Committce had determined the fitting Member to be duly elected, and that the petition against the return was not frivolous or vexatious.

VOTE OF CENSURE.

Mr. Yorke rofe to conjure Mr. Whitbread to poftpone the Motion of which he had given notice on the preceding day. He conjured him by the love which he bore for his country, which could not fuffer by the delay of the Motion for two or three days, but which might fuffer if it were brought forward at the prefent moment. Let the House, he faid, while the country was in danger, fave it; (a cry of hear! hear!) let them defer all difcuffion upon the prefent fubject, which could produce no good, but which might produce harm. In the fhort space of two or three days, the Motion might be brought forward, without that mifchief which it might be attended with at prefent.

Mr. Whitbread." In proportion as the crifis is awful beyond example, and the calamities with which the country is threatened, are alarming to an unheard-of extent, it is impoff ble for me not to feel, on the prefent occafion, an uncommon degree of pain and embarraffment. Before the folemn appeal and adjuration which the Honourable Gentleman, for whom perfonally I have a great refpect, addreffed to this fide of the Houfe, and in particular to me, I experienced these fenfations, and they must now be confiderably increased, when I find it abfolutely impoffible, confiftently with the duty I owe to my country, not to proceed in bringing on the Motion of which I have given notice, in deference to him or any clafs of men. with whom I may differ in opinion. It is delay and procraftination which has brought us into the dreadful and calamitous fituation in which we are now unfortunately placed, and there is nothing that I regret more than not having moved a Vote of Cenfure

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Cenfure upon the Minifter on that day on which the Estimates were taken into confideration, for his extreme and culpable negligence, in not having carried the meatures proposed into effect with greater celerity. I regret, I fay, that on that day a Vote of Cenfure was not paffed upon his conduct, which might have accompanied the other Vote to Portsmouth, for the purpose of convincing the Seamen, that the Houfe of Commons had not been a party in that delay to which all the fubfequent calamities are to be attributed. That they have arifen folely from that caufe is a propofition which I have no doubt I fhall be able to fubftantiate from authentic documents, and if I am able to make good this propofition, if the House of Commons do not pass a Vote of Cenfure upon the author of that delay, we shall as groffly neglect our duty as he has neglected his. I know there are thofe, perhaps a majority of this House, who differ with me refpecting the origin of the recent infubordination of the fleet, and who will be ready to attribute any future mifchief which may enfue, which God avert! to the difcuffion which I am now bringing before the Houfe; but however much I may wish to ftand high in thefe Gentlemen's opinions, I have a still stronger defire to ftand high in my own. From what my duty therefore calls me to encounter, I fhall not be deterred by the fear of any animadverfion which may be paffed upon my conduct.

"Having faid thus much by way of preface and apology, I proceed to a fummary inveftigation of the ground of debate, in which I think I fhall have no difficulty in being able to prove, to the fatisfaction of the House, that the first Minister of the Country has been highly criminal in fuffering the delay which took place between the conceffions which were made by the Lords of the Admiralty to the Seamen, and the ratification of thefe conceffions by Parliament; and in this view of the subject the House will naturally perceive that the Motion which I have to propofe to them, is nothing less than a direct cenfure upon that Right Honourable Gentleman. If I am afked, upon what grounds I afcribe the mifchiefs which have arifen from this delay, I refer the Houfe to the fpeech of the Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Pitt) in which, unfatisfactory as it was, he admitted that the delay had been an unfortunate circumftance, and that, had he forefeen the events which have happened, he might have acted with greater dispatch and expedition.

"But fuppofing even that the effects, which we all deplore, had not been produced, ftill, I fay, he would be grofly blameable; for was it not of the effence of the compact entered into with the failors, to ratify it with the utmoft difpatch? Was it not promifed by the Lords of the Admiralty, that the affair fhould be recommended to Parliament? When I read the paper in

which that promife was conveyed, I expected that we fhould have had an immediate Meffage. No fuch Meffage, however, was brought. From the documents in the public papers, which I confider to be authentic, I understood that the ratification of Parliament was demanded by the failors, and that without it they did not mean to go to fea. Was the Right Honourable Gentleman then to take it for granted that the feamen would be contented with his promife? Ought he not in a few hours, if poffible, to have brought down a Meflage? Was any Meffage fent? No. Nor has there been one to this day. This would have been the natural mode, one would have thought, that Minifters would have adopted to carry the measures for which they were pledged into effect. But let us fee how they actually did proceed. From the public papers, which of courfe are authentic, I find that the ratification of the articles of their ftipulation with the Lords of the Admiralty by Parliament was required by the feamen before they were ordered to go to fea. This ftipulation was concluded on the 23d of April. On the 26th it was laid before the Privy Council, and was not ratified by his Majefty till the 3d of May. And not even then a mes fage was brought down to Parliament, the estimate being delayed to be laid before them till Thursday laft. It was not indeed. laid before them even then, but there being no House on Thursday, he gave him credit for having them ready on that day if the Houfe had tranfacted business. If this then was the cafe, was it not the least thing which that Minifter could do, that Minifter, who, by his unaccountable and criminal negligence, had brought thofe numerous and aggravated calamities upon the country which every man fo much deplored, and which might be attended with confequences ftill more fatal than any one was aware ought he not to acknowledge his error, and to beg pardon of the House and of the country; and ought not the House of Commons, whose business it was to watch over the conduct of Ministers, and to provide for the fafety of the empire, to impole a cenfure upon him, who by his grofs incapacity had brought the ftate into this ftrange and unprecedented dilemma? The Minifter has excufed the delay, by urging the neceffary forms preparatory to the eftimate: yet he fays, that indeed if he could have thought difpatch to have been requifite, he would have ufed it. He poftpones even the estimate till the late period of Thursday. If the Right Honourable Gentleman was one of thofe plodding statesmen, who in all cafes adhere to the regular routine of office, and the forms of the conftitution, there might be fome apology for fo dull a man in not departing from the beaten track; but for the Minister to plead forms, he who has trampled on all the forms of this Houfe, and all the principles of

the

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