HOUSE OF COMMONS.

THURSDAY, JULY 9.

The Speaker informed the House, that the Royal Assent had been given by Commission to several Acts, and among others, to the Assessed Taxes Act, the Postage Act, the Leather Excise Act, the Exchequer Bills Act, the Exchequer in Aid Act, the Irish Treasury Bills Act, the Copper Duty Act, the Linen Bounty Act, the West-India Intercourse Act, the Charitable Donation Act, the Newfoundland Rum Act, and the Local Militia Act.

FINANCE.

Sir T. Turton said, that he had intended, pursuant to his notice, to move some Resolutions on the Finances this day; but understanding from the Chancellor of the Exchequer that he had some Resolutions on the same subject, he should postpone his own motion till the Chancellor of the Exchequer should bring forward his, that they might both be taken into consideration at the same time. He was actuated by no motive of personal hostility to the right hon. gentleman, for whom he felt great esteem; nor for his predecessor, whose memory he cherished with affectionate regard; but he thought it his duty to express his opinion on the state of the Finances of the country. His Resolutions would form a sort of analysis of the condition of our Finance. He then gave in his Resolutions, expressing in detail the state of the funded and unfunded debt, and other circumstances relating to Finance.

Mr. Vansittart intended to move some other Resolutions on this subject, as he did not think those of the hon. bart. sufficiently comprehensive.

The debate on this subject was ordered to be adjourned till Wednesday.-Adjourned.

The House resolved itself into a Committee on Mr. Palmer's Compensation Bill.

The title and the preamble having been postponed,

The Lord Chancellor stated his objections to the first clause, as arising out of considerations affecting that part of the Post-Office Revenue, which was the hereditary revenue of the Crown, and which therefore the Legislature had no power to make a charge upon, further than during the life of his Majesty, for whose life only the bargain bad been made with Parliament, by which that revenue was exchanged for a certain annual sum. His lordship also adverted to the statements in the preamble upon which the grant of the Bill was founded, contending that they were contradictory and unfounded, inasmuch as the warrant recited was only a grant to Mr. Palmer during pleasure, and the Bill stated, that Mr. Palmer was therefore entitled to 24 per cent. upon the Post-Office Revenue during his life. He therefore moved to omit the first clause, containing the grant to Mr. Palmer for life, of 24 per cent. upon the surplus of the PostOffice Revenue above 240,000l.

The Earl of Moira contended that technical objections ought not to be allowed to stand in the way of an agreement, which the country was bound in equity, justice and honour, to fulfil. As to the objection respecting the hereditary revenue of the Crown, did the noble and learned lord mean to contend that the various additions made to the PostOffice Revenue were all the hereditary revenue of the Crown? if not, the objection did not apply, as the hereditary revenue of the Crown, derivable from the Post-Office at the accession of his present Majesty, was much less than 150,000/ and the per centage granted by the Bill only attached upon the surplus of the Post-Office Revenue, above 240,000/.

Lord Holland thought the doctrine maintained by the noble and learned lord respecting the hereditary revenue of the Crown, struck at the constitutional power of Parliament; he (Lord Holland) having ever considered that the

557 hereditary revenue of the Crown was subject, like other revenue, to the controul of the Legislature.

The Earl of Lauderdale maintained, that Parliament, in taking the hereditary revenue under an express agreement with the Crown, could only take it, subject to all those limitations to which it was previously subject in the hands of the King. As to the statement of his noble friend, that the per centage could not affect the hereditary revenue of the Crown, how was it ascertained that that revenue had not increased in proportion to other branches of the revenue? With respect to technical objections, he contended that the objections of his noble and learned friend were not technical, but solid; and that the statements in the preamble were false, inasmuch as they alleged Mr. Palmer to be entitled for life to a per centage, which, on the face of the warrants recited as the ground of the claim, was only granted during pleasure.

The Lord Chancellor, in explanation, stated, that he had never meant to say that the whole Post-Office Revenue was the hereditary revenue of the Crown; but his objection was, that the per centage was charged in the Bill upon the aggregate revenue, without making any exception, as to the hereditary revenue of the Crown.

Lord Erskine contended, that though the warrants_recited in the preambles were undoubtedly only grants to Mr. Palmer during pleasure, still that the words deriving a title to Mr. Palmer to the per centage for life under those warrants, ought to be construed according to their fair import, and that he maintained was, that the per centage was to be granted to Mr. Palmer in the same manner as he had enjoyed it under the grant during pleasure.

Lord Redesdale supported the argument of the Lord Chancellor respecting the hereditary revenue of the Crown, and contended against the justice of Mr. Palmer's claim, a great part of the increase of the Post-Office Revenue being attributable, not to Mr. Palmer's plan, but to other

causes.

Lord Grantley conceived that there was here an implied bargain obligatory on the public. Mr. Palmer had sacrificed his time and fortune in bringing his plan to perfection; the bargain had been ratified on the other side by accepting of it, and the only objection seemed to be, that the sum arising from the invention, to the public, infinitely exceeded expectation.

The Lord Chancellor begged the House to consider, that they were here called on to grant a sum of arrears to the amount of 78,000l. and a per centage to the amount of 9,8001. being more than had been granted to the great Duke of Marlborough. His lordship objected to the measure, either because the House of Commons had come to the adoption of it on some ground of which the House knew nothing; or, if they went on the meaning of the_warrant, then had they said that they would grant to Mr. Palmer an annuity for life, on words that granted that annuity to him only during pleasure. He still thought that every thing to which Mr. Palmer could be entitled would be granted him, by giving him an issue to try whether the bargain which be contended had originally taken place was an agreement? If so, was that agreement waved? If waved, were there any conditions annexed to the after-agreement? and were those conditions duly performed? If they, the jury, would find affirmatively for bim, on these points, then let him have his full demand. There was in the case, as he viewed it, sufficient evidence to satisfy him, that there was neither agreement, contract, nor understanding, such as was here contended for.

Lord Grantley explained.

After which the Committee divided:

For the clause

33

Against it

28

Majority

5

On the second clause, respecting the Arrears, the Committee again divided:

Contents

Non-Contents

Majority in favour of the clause

31

26

5

On a subsequent clause, the Committee again divided:

Contents

Non-Contents

Majority in favour of the clause

And on the final division, the numbers were,

For the Bill

29

24

5

25

21

The Report was received, and the Bill ordered to be read a third time on Tuesday.-Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

FRIDAY, JULY 10.

Mr. Bankes brought up the Thirteenth Report of the Committee of Finance.

On the motion of Mr. Long, it was ordered that the House at its rising should adjourn until Monday.

Lord Jocelyn informed the House, that, pursuant to its Addresses, the Prince Regent had ordered a Commission to be issued for the purpose of inquiring into the state of Lincoln Gaol; and had directed that further papers relating to the case of Walter Hall should be laid upon the table.

Mr. Giles entered into a short explanation, to prove that blame was not to be imputed to him that no measure had been introduced into Parliament, to prevent the manufacture of straw plait by French prisoners.

Mr. Eden presented a Report of the Evidence taken before the Committee on Transportation to Botany Bay.

THE KING'S HEALTH.

Mr. Whitbread moved that an Address be presented to the Prince Regent, praying his Royal Highness to direct that the several Quarterly Reports of the Physicians on the state of his Majesty's Health be laid before the House.Ordered.

AMERICA.

Lord Castlereagh was about to move the Order of the Day, for taking into further consideration the Report of the Secret Committee, on the disturbances in the interior, when

Mr. Brougham rose, and said it was not his intention to oppose the reading of the order of the day, but to put a question to the noble lord on a subject of the highest importance the intelligence obtained from the United States in the course of yesterday. From private information he had received, he did not doubt that the information had been greatly exaggerated-but if there were any foundation for the report that the House of Representatives had passed a resolution of a warlike nature, and that the Senate was deli