Sir A. Hamond, Mr. Kinnaird, sir A. Hamond, Mr. Kinnaird, Mr. Tierney, the chancellor of the exchequer, Mr Tierney, Naval administration of earl St. Vincent-Mr. Jeffery, the chan- Irish stamp duties-Mr. Foster, sir J. Newport, Mr. Foster Conduct of sir Home Popham-Mr. Kinnaird, sir H. Popham, Mr. Kinnaird, sir H. Popham, colonel Hutchinson, the chancellor of the exchequer, Mr. Fox, Mr. Jeffery, Mr. D. Scott, admiral Markham, sir H. Popham, Mr. W. Dickenson, jun. admiral Markham, Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Kinnaird, Mr. W. Dickenson, jun. the speaker, the chancellor of the exchequer, earl Temple 637 10. Naval administration of earl St. Vincent-Mr. Jeffery, the chan- . cellor of the exchequer, sir J. Sinclair, Mr. Jeffery, Mr. Tier- ney, the chancellor of the exchequer, Mr. Jeffery, Mr. Grey, Mr. Tierney, Mr. Wilberforce, Mr. Pytches, Mr. Wilberforce, Mr. Curwen, Mr. Bastard, Mr. R. Ward, admiral Markham, the chancellor of the exchequer, the speaker, admiral Markham, Mr. Jeffery, Mr. Dent, admiral Markham, Mr. Kinnaird Corn regulation bill-Lord A. Hamilton, colonel Stanley, the se- cretary at war, Mr. Coke, Mr. Western, sir R. Peele, the chan- cellor of the exchequer, Mr. Foster, Mr. Macdowall, Mr. 13. Roman catholic petition-Mr. Fox, Dr. Duigenan, Mr. Grattan, the attorney-general, Mr. Alexander, Mr. W. Smith, the chan- 14. Roman catholic petition (resumed debate)—Mr. W. Smith, Mr. Lee, sir W. Scott, Mr. Grattan, sir W. Scott, Mr. Grattan, Dr. Laurence, Mr. Foster, Mr. G. Ponsonby, the chancellor of the exchequer, Mr. Windham, sir J. Newport, Mr. M. Fitzgerald, Mr. Archdall, Mr. Dillon, Mr. Shaw, Mr. H. Addington, Mr. J. Latouche, sir J. C. Hippisley, lord De Blaquiere, colonel Speech of lord Redesdale in the house of lords, May the 10th, on lord Grenville's motion for a committee on the Roman catholic Copy of a letter from Lord Melville, to the Commissioners of Naval Enquiry, Copy of the answer of the Commissioners of Naval Enquiry to the above letter, Copy of a letter from sir A, S. Hamond, Comptroller of the Navy, to the Lords Declaration of sir Francis Burdett, not to defend his Election for Middlesex Papers relative to the Debt due to the Crown, from John Fordyce, esq. Resolutions of Censure against lord Melville, moved by Mr. Whitbread, on the 466 ELEVENTH REPORT of the Commissioners of Naval Enquiry; ordered to be printed April 26, 1805.-Issue of Navy Bills for the purpose of Raising Petition of the Master Printers of London and Westminster Petition from London, respecting the petition of the Roman catholics of Ireland 215 Petition from Oxfordshire, respecting the petition of the Roman catholics of Ire- Petition from Dublin, respecting the petition of the Roman catholics of Ireland Petition from the city of Oxford, respecting the petition of the Roman catholics Petitions relative to the Tenth Report of the Commissioners of Naval Enquiry; from the electors of Southwark, 376; from London, 377; from Salisbury, 378; from Middlesex, 593; from Westminster, 594; from Bedford, 619; from Norfolk, 620; from Southampton, 622; from Northumberland, 622; Petition from the Navy Board, respecting Mr. Tucker's petition List of the majority in the commons, on Mr. Whitbread's motion of censure List of the minority, on ditto - 322 324 THE Parliamentary Debates During the Third Session of the Second Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and of the Kingdom of Great Britain the Nineteenth, appointed to meet at Westminster, the Fifteenth Day of January, 1805, in the Forty-fifth Year of the Reign of King GEORGE the Third. [Sess. 1805. HOUSE OF LORDS. Wednesday, March 13, 1805. [MINUTES.]-Counsel were heard in continuation, and at great length, relative to the Scots' Appeal, the earl of Kinnoul and others v. the hon. Mr. Maule and others, viz. Mr. Alexander, as second counsel for the appellants, and Mr. Romilly as leading counsel on the part of the respondents.Mr. Alexander brought up from the Commons the Mutiny bill, the Additional Salt Duties bill, and the Additional Property Tax bill. The bills upon the table were forwarded in their respective stages. Among these, the Pleasure Horse Duty bill went through a Committee, and was reported and the bills brought up from the Commons were severally read a first time.-Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. sent parliament; and that the said election commenced on the 23d day of July 1804 at Brentford, in the said county, and that the poll taken at the said election continued open for 15 days; at which said election J. Shaw, esq. and sir W. Leighton, knt. were sheriffs and returning officer for the said county; and the petitioners further state, that the said sir F. Burdett, his agents, his behalf, with divers wicked and evil disfriends, managers, partizans, and others on posed persons, regardless of the laws against bribery and corruption in the election of pains and penalties of perjury, and subornamembers to serve in parliament, and of the tion of perjury, and in violation and defiance of the laws and statutes provided for the security of the franchises of the real electors in this kingdom, and intending and devising to defeat the rights of the real freeholders of the said county of Middlesex, and to defraud them of their privilege of electing a knight to serve in this present parliament for the said county, did combine and confederate together, by means of fictitious and pretended voters, to obtain an apparent and colourable majority on the poll in favour of the said sir F. B.; and by these and other corrupt and unlawful means, to procure the said sir F. B. to be returned to serve in this present parliament for thesaid county of Middlesex, in opposition to the votes of the majority of the real freeholders of the said county; and, in furtherance of the said unlawful purpose, did procure great numbers of wicked and evil disposed persons to represent themselves to be freeholders of the said county, and to assume the names and descriptions of real Wednesday, March 15. [MIDDLESEX ELECTION.] Mr. H. Thornton presented a petition from G. B. Mainwaring, esq. sir W. Gibbons, sir W. Curtis, H. Thornton, esq. W. Mellish, esq. and S. P. Cockerell, esq.; setting forth, "That the petitioners now are, and at the time of the last election of a member to to to serve in this present parliament for the county of Middlesex were, freeholders of the said county, and claim to have had a right to vote at the said election; that at the said election sir F. Burdett and the petitioner G. B. Mainwaring, esq. were candidates to represent the said county, as a knight of the shire for the same, in this preVOL. IV, B freeholders of the said county; and did, on every day during the said election, and more particularly on the latter days thereof, send, and procure to be sent, divers of the said pretended freeholders to Brentford, in order to vote for the said sir F. B.; and that, notwithstanding many of the said persons, so sent and procured to be sent as aforesaid, after they had entered their names and descriptions on the poll, but before they had completed their votes, were detected and exposed by the agents and inspectors of the petitioner G. B. Mainwaring, yet that the said sir F. B. his agents, friends, partizans, managers, and others on his behalf, by various means, arts, and devices, did cause and procure great numbers of such false, pretended, and fictitious freeholders to take, being duly required to take, the freeholder's oath, and the oath against bribery, and did cause and procure the same persons to be received on the poll, and their votes to be entered for the said sir F. B.; and, in furtherance of the said unlawful purpose, did cause and procure divers persons to personate real freeholders of the said county, and in their names to give their votes for the said sir F. B.; and did cause and procure divers other persons to vote for and in respect of freeholds, to which they had not any right or pretence of right; and did also cause and procure divers persons to vote more than once for the said sir F. B.; and by gifts and rewards, and by promises, agreements, and securities for gifts and rewards, did procure divers persons, as well those who were qualified to vote as also those who claimed or pretended to have a right to vote at the said election, and also others who had no pretence or colour to such right, to vote at the said election for the said sir F. B.; and, in furtherance of the said unlawful purpose, did prevail on the said sheriff to receive and put upon the poll, after 3 o'clock, on the 15th day of the said election, the votes of 10 persons for the said sir F. B. who had no right or title to vote at the said election; and that by these and other unlawful and corrupt practices, the said sir F. B. his agents, friends, partizans, managers and others, on his behalf, did procure a colourable and apparent majority of 1 vote for the said sir F. B. on the poll over the petitioner G. B. Mainwaring; and the petitioners further state, that the said sir F. B. his agents, friends, partizans, managers, and others on his behalf, did artfully and unlawfully cause and procure great numbers of persons to be admitted to vote at the said election for the said sir F. B. who had no right whatever to vote at the said election, and amongst them many persons who had not any colour or pretence of right to vote at the said election; and did also cause and procure divers persons to personate real freeholders of the said county, and in their names to give their votes for the said sir F. B.; and did cause and procure divers persons to vote more than once for the said sir F. B. at the said election, and to vote for freeholds to which they had no right, or pretence of right; and did also cause and procure many persons to be admitted to vote for the said sir F. B. who by gifts and rewards, and by promises,agreements, and securities for gifts and rewards, were bribed and corrupted to give their votes for the said sir F. B.; and that the said sheriff did permit to vote, and did receive on the poll, the votes of many persons in favour of the said sir F. B. who had no right to vote at the said election, and at said election did reject the votes of many persons having a right to vote, and who tendered their votes at the said election for the petitioner G.B.Mainwaring, and who ought to have been received and admitted to vote at the said election; and that by the aforesaid and other unlawful means the said sheriff did put and place upon the poll 2833 votes for the said sir F. B. including therein the votes of the before-mentioned 10 persons who had no right whatever to vote at the said election, and whose titles to vote were examined into, and to whom the freeholder's oath and the bribery oath were administered, and whose votes were placed upon and added to the poll after 3 o'clock on the 15th day of the said election; and that the said sheriff did admit on the poll for the petitioner 2832 votes, thereby giving to the said sir F. B. an apparent and colourable majority of one vote on the poll over the petitioner; by means whereof the said sir F. B. is now wrongfully returned to serve in this present parliament as a knight of the shire for the said county of Middlesex, whereas the petitioner had and hath on the said poll a large majority of legal votes of the real freeholders of the said county over the said sir F. B. and was therefore duly elected a knight of the shire to represent the said county of Middlesex in this present parliament, and ought to have been returned, and ought now to be declared duly elected instead of the said sir F. B. and the return of sir F. B. ordered to be accordingly amended and altered; and the peti of one vote over the petitioner, in manifest violation of the rights and privileges of the petitioners, and all other the real freeholders of the county of Middlesex, whereas the petitioners alledge, and humbly insist, that the said G. B. M. had a large majority of legal votes at the said election, and ought to have been returned accordingly; and therefore praying, that the house will take the premises into their consideration, and will grant to the petitioners such relief, and will take such other measures for vindicating the freedom of election, and the franchises of real freeholders, as to the house shall seem meet."-Ordered to be taken into consideration on the 9th of April. tioners further state, that the said sir F. B. by himself, his agents, friends, managers, partizans, and others on his behalf, previous to and at the said election, was guilty of gross and notorious bribery and corruption: and that at and during the said election, and previous thereto, the said sir F. B. by himself, his agents, friends, managers, partizans, and others on his behalf, by gifts and rewards, and promises, agreements, and securities for gifts and rewards, did corrupt and procure divers persons, as well those who were qualified to vote as those who claimed or pretended to have a right to vote at the said election, in their own names, or in the names of others, or for the freeholds of others, to give their votes for him the [IRISH BUDGET.-Mr. Foster moved the said sir F. B.; and did also by gifts and order of the day, for the house resolving itrewards, and promises, agreements, and self into a committee of Ways and Means, securities for gifts and rewards, corrupt and He also moved, that several acts relating to procure divers other persons, being quali- the revenue in Ireland should be referred fied to vote at the said election, to refuse to the said committee; and that it should be and forbear to give their votes at the same an instruction to the committee to consider for the petitioner, contrary to the law and of the said acts. The house having resolved custom of parliament, and the laws and sta- itself into the said committee, the right hon, tutes of the realm enacted for the preven- gent, rose and spoke as follows:-Sir, havtion of bribery and corruption; and the pe- ing detained the committee last year at contitioners further state, that the said sir F. B. siderable length on the subject of the situation by himself, his agents, friends, managers, of Ireland, I shall not now have occasion to go partizans, and others on his behalf and at so much into detail. I shall begin with a few his charge, after the teste of the writ for observations as to the state of the trade of the said election, and at and during the said Ireland, and I am happy in saying, that alelection, and before the election of the said though the trade has not so much advanced sir F. B. to serve in parliament for the said as I could have wished, yet it is in a far county of Middlesex, did give, present, and better situation than it was some time ago. allow to divers persons who had votes, or A very short statement will elucidate this claimed or pretended to have right to vote position. The imports were to the amount at such election, money, meat, drink, en- of 5,700,000l. last year. The imports for tertainment, and provision, and make pre- the 5 years preceding, were, on an average, sents, gifts, rewards, and entertainments, 5,711,000l. so that in fact, the imports for and make promises, agreements, obliga- the last year is rather less than the average tions, and engagements to give and allow of the former 5 years. The exports amountmoney, meat, drink, provision, presents, re-ed to 4,980,000l. last year, which is much wards, and entertainments, to and for such beyond what they have reached at any pepersons having or claiming or pretending to riod during the last 10 years; therefore, the have right to vote in the said election, and question stands thus: there has been no to and for the use, advantage, benefit, emo- alarming decrease in the imports last year, lument, profit, and preferment of such per- and the exports exceed the amount of the son and persons, in order to his the said sir preceding years. With regard to the exF. B.'s being elected, and that the said sir ports, there is something extremely consoF. B. might be elected to serve in this pre-latory to be remarked. The linen trade has sent parliament for the said county of Middlesex, in violation of the standing order and regulations of the house, and in defiance of the laws and statutes of the realm for preventing charge and expence in the election of members to serve in parliament; and that, by the aforesaid and other corrupt and unlawful means, the said sir F. B. obtained an apparent and colourable majority increased: during the three quarters of the last year ending in Oct. the exports were within 2 millions of yards of the exports of the whole of the preceding year; therefore we may conclude, that the exports of the whole of last year will have greatly exceeded the exports of former years. In the imports of last year, as compared with the preceding year, there is an excess of some |