After some remarks from Mr. Bankes, Mr. Rose, Mr. Hume and Mr. Huskisson, the Amendment was withdrawn.

The Bill was then re-committed, and the Amendments agreed to.

NIGHTLY WATCH.

Mr. Whitbread presented a Petition from the parish of St. Luke, against the Nightly Watch Bill, which was ordered to lie on the table. He then observed, that he hoped this Bill would be postponed till the next session, inasmuch as it was altogether inadequate to its object, and would impose upon the parishes subjected to its operation an additional annual expence of 74,000l.

Sir S. Romilly remarked that the Bill gave new and extraordinary powers to the Police Magistrates; and that those who now petitioned against it were the inhabitants for the protection of whose interests the Bill was introduced.

Mr. W. Smith, Sir F. Burdett, and Mr. Abercrombie, concurred in reprobating all the provisions of the Bill.

Mr. Hume declared that he had left the Committee, on finding no attention paid to any of his suggestions.

Mr. Bragge Bathurst was of opinion that something useful might be found in it, and would therefore move to postpone it for further consideration till Monday next.

Mr. Byng said, all the parishes in the county of Middlesex were unanimous in their opposition to this Bill, which they considered as a direct tax, that would prove perfectly nugatory with respect to its avowed object.

Mr. Mellish, in the present advanced state of the session, wished the Bill to be deferred till next session.

Mr. Brougham could see only one means of improving the Bill, which was to omit every part of it. He strongly condemned the practice of legislating in the heat of the moment. The origin of the present Bill was nothing more than the atrocities committed by a single individual, and which atrocities were now almost forgotten. It was upon feelings of this kind that the House was now called upon to alter the whole system established in the local Acts, some of which had passed so late as the last ses

sion.

Mr. Brougham thought that acting constables, who were regular housekeepers, serving the office as such, were equally

entitled to the protection of the House with the Police Magistrates. There were eight Boards of these Magistrates, composed of poets, counsellors without practice, authors, translators, &c. They were not satisfied, like the treasury, with having one epic poet, but they must have one or more poets, politicians, authors, or translators, in each of these eight Boards; and to them was given, by a clause added to the Bill in the Committee, but not printed, the power of ap pointing superintending constables, who were to visit, inspect, and report to the different Boards as to the conduct of all the regular constables of the night, who might, if the Boards saw cause, be removed, and others appointed in their place. This clause he was certain could not be agreed to; and he begged to protest against hasty measures like the present, introduced in consequence of some temporary alarm.

The Petition was then ordered to lie on the table; and on the motion of Mr. Goulburn, the third reading of the Bill was postponed till Monday.

TOLERATION ACT.

Mr. Whitbread said, he had delayed bringing forward a motion on this subject, on the understanding that it was to be taken up by the right honourable gentleman opposite (the Chancellor of the Exchequer). He begged to know whether the right honourable gentleman still had it in contemplation to bring the matter before the House. Trusting that this would be the case, he was not prepared at this moment to submit any motion on the subject.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said he surely did intend to bring the matter before the House.

Mr. Whitbread said, in that expectation he should not renew his notice.

SECRET COMMITTEE.

Mr. Leicester brought up the Report of the Secret Committee appointed to examine the sealed packet of papers laid before the House by order of the Prince Regent.

The Report was then read at the table.

It stated that alarming disturbances, destructive to property, prevailed in the counties of Lancaster, York, &c. and had continued from the month of March down to the latest accounts on the 23d of June. That the rioters assembled in the night-time with their faces blackened, armed with the implements of their trades, and other offensive instruments,

with which they destroyed the property of those who were obnoxious to them. That they had in many instances written threatening letters-had proceeded the length of setting fire to the houses of individuals, and even that atrocious murder had been committed on a person of the name of Horsefall, by four persons who there was every reason to believe were accomplices in these disturbances. That great dread and alarm was occasioned in consequence of these proceedings; and that in some instances sums of money were demanded and extorted. The Committee, without entering into details, thought it necessary to state, that the first object of these rioters seemed to be the breaking of machi nery; but they had in many instances resorted to measures infinitely more alarming, namely, the demanding of arms; and had even carried them off, in many instances where they allowed every other species of property to remain untouched. These seemed not to be the effect of any sudden impulse, but of an organized system of lawless violence. Sometimes the rioters were under the controul of leaders, and were distinguished not by names but by numbers; were known to each other by signs and countersigns; and carried on all with the utmost caution. They also took an oath, that while they existed under the canopy of heaven, they would not reveal any thing connected with the present disturbances, under the penalty of being put out of existence the first brother whom they should meet, &c. It did not ap pear to the Committee that any sums of money were distributed among the rioters. It was extremely difficult to discover them. It was held out to them that they might expect to be joined by other discontented persons from London, and that there were persons in the higher ranks who would also lend them support; but of these insinuations the Committee were able to find no evidence. Whatever was their object, however, and whoever were the secret movers of these disturbances, yet the secrecy with which they were carried on, the attempts at assassination that had been made, the oaths that had been administered, and the system of terror that prevailed, had not failed to impress the Committee deeply. On the motion that the Report do lie on the table,

Mr. Ponsonby wished to know if the right hon. gentleman opposite intended to move that the Report be printed and taken into consideration?.

Mr. Vansittart said, he should move that the Report be printed, and taken into consideration on Friday or Monday,

it being his intention to move for leave to bring in a Bill or Bills, founded on the facts detailed in the Report.

Mr. Ponsonby begged to know what would be the nature of the Bill or Bills the right hon. gentleman purposed introducing?

Mr. Vansittart thought it better to reserve himself on that point till the Report came to be taken into consideration.

Mr. Whitbread, as one of the Members who had attended the Secret Committee, could not but express his surprise that the Chancellor of the Exchequer was not prepared to state what his object was, as the Report of the Committee was founded entirely on the evidence which had previously been before Government, and all other evidence had been excluded. He had been twice in a minority of the Committee on this very question of examining witnesses for the purpose of ascertaining what was the actual state of matters down to the latest moment. He himself had, on one octasion, submitted a motion in the Committee to this effect; and on another occasion an hon. friend of his had submitted a similar motion, both of which had been negatived. He agreed with the Report in part, and there was part of it from which he disagreed. He could not agree that any measure should be brought forward, founded on the Report; but asserted that the law as it stood, if properly and vigorously exerted, was amply sufficient for every good purpose.

Mr. Bathurst thought that any observations on the subject had better be postponed till the time when the Report was to be taken into consideration.

The Report was ordered to be printed, and to be taken into consideration on Friday; and the Papers presented to the House by the command of the Prince Regent, were ordered to be re-delivered.

SUPPLY.

In the Committee of Supply, a vote of 270l. to a Mr. Cort, who claimed a compensation for an experiment made by him, in which he had been in part successful, for turning cast iron into malieable iron, was supported by Mr. D. Giddy; but being objected to by Mr. Abercrombie and Mr. Tierney, was withdrawn.

On the motion for a grant of 15,593l. for additional works about the New Mint, Mr. H. Martin objected to it. After some conversation between Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Tierney, Mr. Wharton, and Mr. Rose, the Resolution was VOL. 111.-1812. 4 B

agreed to, and the House being resumed, the Report was ordered to be received to-morrow.

ARMY UNCLAIMED PRIZE MONEY.

The House went into a Committee on the Army Unclaimed Prize Money Bill.

Sir F. Burdett proposed a clause, by which it was provided, that every soldier serving abroad, who had occasion to send small sums of money to his family or friends, should not be charged more than one penny as postage, notwithstanding the letter might be double.

Mr. Long expressed his regret at being compelled to oppose the clause, since, on inquiry at the Post-Office, he found that so many frauds were practised, that it was impossible further to extend the privileges granted to soldiers abroad, without subjecting the revenue to great injury.

Sir F. Burdett replied, that the revenue would not be injured by his clause more than it suffered at present, for he only wished that the soldiers might be allowed to inclose money in the same letters which they now were allowed to send, without being sujected to a greater expence.

A short conversation ensued between Mr. Tierney, Mr. Long, Sir F. Burdett, and Mr. M. Sutton, on the subject; the latter gentleman declared the extreme anxiety of Government, if possible, to accomplish the object of the hon.

mover.

The clause was then negatived, the Report was brought up, and ordered to be received to-morrow. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

THURSDAY, JULY 9.

The Earl of Harrowby presented the Report of the Secret Committee appointed to investigate the information communicated by the Prince Regent, relative to the riots in the northern counties.-Ordered to be laid on the table, and to be printed.-Adjourned.