their full extent. Mr. Wilberforce then adverted to the illiberal language that had been held with refpect to the Quakers, whom he believed to be actuated by fcruples fincerely confcientious; they had fully evinced their integrity by their conduct during the period of a hundred years, and had received proofs of the regard and protection of the legislature at the best period of our hiftory. Mr. Frafer reprobated the prefent Bill, as tending to throw odium upon the Eftablished Church. The Quakers were a body, who evinced the utmoft obftinacy and inveteracy in oppofition to the laws. They never went to law, but had a mode of deciding their own difputes without any application to Courts of Juftice. They were a body of men whom he confidered as in no refpect entitled to more privileges and immunities than any other clafs of the community. Mr. Burton maintained that there exifted no hardships under the present operation of the law; that the regulations of the Bill differed from thofe of the Statute of King William, and would be injurious to the rights of the Tythe-owners. The House divided.-- For the Question 33 33 The Speaker gave his cafting vote in favour of the Com mitment. The Clauses of the Bill were then gone through, and the Bill was recommitted for Tuesday the 28th inft. Mr. Mainwaring prefented a Petition from the Parishes of St. Giles and Mary, Whitechapel, praying for a more equal Affeffment of the Poor's Rates. The Petition was referred to a Committee. A Petition was prefented from the Parish of Iflington, against the Poor Bill, which was ordered to be laid on the Table. Mr. Aiderman Combe prefented a Petition on behalf of certain individuals in the City of London who were holders of certain written inftruments which had been determined in a Court of Law they could not recover the money upon, on account of their being on an improper ftamp, which circumstance arofe from inadvertency, praying relief of the Houfe, &c. which after a few obfervations from the Solicitor General, chiefly by way of caution, in cafe any propofition fhould be hereafter moved upon it, was brought up, read, and ordered to be laid on the Table. Mr. David Scott brought up a Petition from the East India Company, ftating that they had always given directions to their fervants not to receive rewards, &c. for any appointments to offices, &c. and praying leave to bring in a Bill to empower them them to adminifter certain oaths to certain perfons employed in their fervice, &c.---Referred to a Committee. Mr. Mainwairing prefented a Petition on behalf of the inhabitants of Covent-Garden, Ruffel-Court, and places adjacent, complaining of a certain burying ground in their neighbourhood as a nuifance, from which is apprehended peftilence.---Referred to a Committee.---Adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS. The Lord Chancellor read the following Meffage from the King: GEORGE R. His Majefty thinks it proper to communicate to the Houfe of Lords, without delay, the measure adopted to obviate the effects which might be occafioned by the unufual demand of Specie lately made from different parts of the country in the metropolis. The peculiar nature and exigency of the cafe appeared to require, in the first inftance, the measure contained in the Order of Council, which his Majefty has directed to be laid before the Houfe: In recommending this important fubject to the immediate and ferious attention of the Houfe of Lords, his Majefty relies with the utmoft confidence on the experienced wisdom and firmnefs of his Parliament for taking fuch measures as may be beft calculated to meet any temporary preffure, and to call forth, in the most effectual manner, the extenfive refources of his Kingdoms in fupport of their Public and Commercial Credit, and in defence of their dearest interests. G. R. Lord Grenville alfo (by his Majesty's command,) laid before the House, Copy of an Order in Council for the Directors of the Bank of England to forbear iffuing any Cafh in Payment until the fenfe of Parliament can be taken on that fubject, and the proper measures adopted thereupon, for maintaining the means of circulation, and fupporting the Public and Commercial Credit of the Kingdom at this important conjuncture. Lord Grenville faid, it was not then his intention to enter into a fubject of so much importance. He wifhed to give Noble Lords the fame time to confider of it as was ufual in such cases, and therefore moved, that this communication from his Majefty be taken into confideration the next day, and the Lords iummoned.---Ordered. The Duke of Norfolk moved, that the Order of Council be read, and it was read accordingly. His Grace then obferved, he was no friend to alarms, and thought that this was one of the most dangerous kind that had yet been circulated; the Bank were orNo. 18. * 4 K dered dered to refufe payment of their own Bills, in the poffeffion of individuals who had confidered them as property. The Order of Council appeared to him moft extraordinary, and had produced a ftrong impreffion on his mind, as it muft do on all their Lordships, and on the country at large. Although this was an Order of Council, he believed the Minifter was the mover, contriver, and organizer of all thofe neafures which had fo much difgraced the country, and was driving it to ruin. He faid, one great caufe of the evil complained of in that Order of Council had been totally omitted; and therefore he wished to ftate it to their Lordships. The great fcarcity of gold and filver which was at prefent experienced in this kingdom, arofe in a very great degree, from the vaft exportation of it, both in coin and bullion, to the Emperor of Germany, and our other Allies upon the Continent; and, therefore, the evil now complained of would be greatly remedied, if no more were to be exported. For that purpofe, his Grace moved, ." That an humble Address be pre"fented to his Majefty, that no farther exportation of gold or "filver coin, or of gold or filver bullion, fhould take place for "the ufe of the Emperor, or any other Foreign Power, until "the fenfe of Parliament be taken on that fubject, after a full "review of the causes of the prefent exigencies of the public, "and on which his Majefty has this day been obliged to ifue a "moft extraordinary and illegal Order of Council." Lord Grenville faid, that the Houfe having come to a refolution to take the important matter contained in his Majefty's Meflage into confideration on the next day, he could have no inclination to go widely into the queftions itated by the Noble Duke. He had no with to avoid the difcuffion when it came regularly before the Houfe on the next day, but he thought it neither neceffary nor confiftent with the dignity of the House to decide that this day, as the Noble Duke's motion went to do, by a fide wind, on what they had agreed to be the fubject of dif cuffion on the next; neither he nor the Houfe were prepared for it. With regard to the conduct of Minifters, he would only fay on the fubject of money fent out of the country, that when it had been done it was always attended by thofe confequences and effects which they would be ready to argue and to justify. The Duke of Grafton ftrenuously fupported the Motion of the Duke of Norfolk, and more particularly becaufe he thought it was the duty of the Noble Secretary of State to fay explicitly upon what grounds the prefent measure had been adopted'; whether he meant to build upon an high-toned Prerogative of the Crown, which did not in fact exift in this country, and which he hoped there was ftill jealoufy enough in Parliament to watch. He approved of the words extraordinary and illegal, and thought they they ought to command the attention of the Houfe. Of all things he withed the Noble Lord to give some affurance to the Houfe that there was no intention of doing that which the Noble Duke's Motion was intended to prevent, at the fame time he trufted that if he gave no aflurance of the kind the fenfe of the House might be taken. Lord Grenville thought, after the House had agreed to postpone the confideration of the whole of this fubject till the next day, that the Noble Duke had no right to call upon him for explanation; but as he was anxious and defirous to give the Noble Duke every fatisfaction, he had no objection to answer his question. His Lordship faid, the Bank were not obliged to obey the Order of Council, though he hoped to make it appear, that they acted wifely for themselves, as well as the public, in obeying it. It was competent to the Bank to act as they pleased. They were perfectly free, and the Order of Council was not compulsory on them. They might, if they pleased, have refused to obey it. The Earl of Guildford said, he certainly did not then intend to go into the bufinefs that flood for the next day; but he conceived the Motion of his Noble Friend did not at all interfere with it. It did not at all stand in the way of the measure intended to be difcuffed the next day, and in whatever way his Noble Friend's Motion might be difpofed of, it could not affect the future confideration of this fubject. He would not then argue the propriety or impropriety of fending the coin out of the kingdom; but certainly it was impoffible it could be a right measure at that moment, when his Majefty's Minifters were obliged to have recourse to fuch extraordinary measures. At the fame time his Lordship could not pretend to fay, that this meafure might not be beneficial. It was poffible his Majefty's Ministers might have reduced the country to such a state as even to render the measure, extraordinary and illegal as it was, indifpenfibly neceflary. He had long thought that the fears and alarms which prevailed in the country would produce evils fimilar to those that were now experienced; but it had never entered his imagination that they would have been carried to fuch an extent. He thought the Motion of his Noble Friend would be attended with the greatest benefit. Lord Romney faid, in that awful, critical, and momentous fituation of the country, he could not vote for the Motion of his Noble Friend. He did not like the words extraordinary and illegal. His Lordship thought them improper, before the fubject was difcuffed. He was alfo afraid that fuch expreffions going abroad might at that moment have an improper effect on the public mind. He at the fame time affured their Lordships, that if his Majesty's Minifters, or the proudeft Lord in that Houses [LORDS. wifhed to carry the Prerogative of the Crown beyond its proper bounds, he should be among the first to refift it. If this Motion came to a vote, he should find himself under the neceffity to vote against it. The Duke of Norfolk faid, he could have no objections to expunge the words extraordinary and illegal, provided the Houfe were about to agree to his Motion. But as they had fhewn no fuch difpofition, these words fhould ftand as part of the Motion. That the Order of Council was extraordinary he was fatisfied that no Noble Lord, that no man in the country, could deny. It feemed to be equally clear, that it was illegal; for it required the Bank not to pay money to those individuals who prefented their Notes, and upon the faith of which payment alone their Notes had obtained a circulation. It had been faid the order of the Privy Council was not binding upon the Bank. His Grace did not know what he ought to call the Privy Council, whether a Court of Juftice, or what was the nature and extent of its jurifdiction. But it was an high conftituted Authority, recognized by the Conftitution of this Country, and therefore all its orders muft produce a great effect on those to whom they were directed. He wished to afk the Noble Lord one queftion: Was it intended to fend any money to the Emperor of Germany? The Duke of Grafton faid, if the Noble Lord would answer that queftion, it would remove all difficulty; and an affurance that there was no fuch intention would be moft fatisfactory to the country. It would alfo be unneceffary to prefs his Noble Friend's Motion to a divifion. Lord Grenville replied, that he would not discuss that day a fubject which the Houfe had determined to take into confideration on the next; and the only motive for preffing that Motion was, as he had obferved before, by a fide wind to decide a part of the question. Earl Moira faid, that fince the queftion of fending the Money abroad had been started, it was neceffary fome fatisfaction fhould be given to the country. He had no idea that Ministers would fend away a great quantity of Specie between the time at which he spoke, and the time at which the Meffage was to be difcuffed. Indeed they could not fend away much. But as the matter had come before the Houfe, it was proper the Public fhould be affured that no money would be fent abroad. If Minifters would give that affurance, he would not vote for the Motion; but if they declined to do this, he certainly would give it his fupport. The House here divided, Non-Contents 34---Contents 5---Majority against the Motion 29. The |