THE SHEPHERD'S SONG TO MAY. With the bleating of the sheep. As I quit my rushy bed; While my little lambkins play; Hailing thee, fweet nymph, so gay. * A poor Weaver, at Oldham, near Manchefter. BRITISH PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF COMMONS. SLAVE TRADE. April 11. Mr Francis, having prayed the indulgence of the Houfe while he went into a detail of the bufinefs which he was about to lay before them, and having requested that they would not anticipate thofe conclufions which he meant to draw, as by thefe means they would be led into hafty deductions of their own, proceeded to give a general outline of the bufinefs; he lamented the abfence of an hon. gentleman, (Mr Wilberforce) whom he was fure the world would acquit of any negligence on his part, though he had failed in his benevolent intentions. He had even, he faid, reafon to expect the concurrence of thofe who oppofed the abolition, who could not be hostile to regulations for the bettering and improving their condition. If there was in that House no other advocate for this measure but himself, he would never defift, nor ever fuffer the fubiec to die. He would, he faid, not offend, but he meant to provoke a right hon. gentleman oppofite (Mr Pitt) who had told him in 1792, that this trade fhould be abolished in 1796. His doubts were, that Mr Pitt had not been fincere he Mr Francis then continued. He did not impute to him direct infincerity, but it would have been fortunate for the right hon. gentleman, in point of fame, if he had ended his political life after his fpeech on this fubject in 1792, but ever fince he had been continually temporifing. He proceeded then to give an outline of his plan, which was as follows, viz. That each negro flave fhould have a certain portion of land allotted him, which the mafter could not deprive him of; that certain laws and regulations fhould be framed for them; and that magiftrates, made independent in circumftances, fhould be appointed both in the Weft Indies, and on the coafts of Africa, to fee that thofe laws were properly enforced. His intention, therefore, was t to move for leave to bring in a bill this feffion, and that it fhould be printed, and lie over until next feffions of Parliament. He concluded by m ing for leave to bring in a bill “For the better regulation and improvement of the flaves in his Majefty's Weft India islands, and in the colonies in America." mov Mefirs Fox, M. Robinfon, and W. Smith fpoke for the motion; Mr Dundas, Mr Manning, &c. against it; after the which Mr Francis repeatived order. He queftion being pubsolvish Work out! in the fuppled Mr Fox withed to know whether the right right hon. gentleman (Mr Dundas) meant to propose, on any future day, any motion agreeably to his former declaration, of confining the traffic of flaves to thofe under a certain age. Mr Dundas replied, certainly not, during the continuance of the present war. DOG TAX BILL. 15. Mr Pitt faid, that he wished that there fhould be fome diftinction in laying on this tax that houses not fubject to the affeffed taxes, which kept a dog, fhould only pay one fhilling, which should be applied to the poor rates, and that is. out of the three, which he had propofed on a former day, fhould be applied to the fame purpofe. He thought befides, that he ought not to fuffer the bill to pafs into another ftage, without giving notice to the hon. gentleman who introduced the bill, that it was his inten. tion that part of it should be applied to the purpose of revenue: and it was his intention, that where there were more than one dog kept in any family, that all above one should be subject to a tax of 5s.; that the public had a claim on this tax, and it was his intention that 4s. out of the 55. fhould be appropriated to the use of the public. This tax, he was confident, would amount to 100,cool. Sterling. WAYS AND MEANS. In a committee of the whole Houfe, Mr Pitt rofe. He faid, that confidering the extent of public burthens, and the care that ought to be taken to make the preffure as little felt as poffible under the collateral circumftances of having lately received an account of the difpofition of thofe that exercise the powers of government in France; he was aware that the subject was a fubject of the greatest magnitude and importance that ever arrefted the attention of that Houfe, as it comprehended the ultimate destiny of this and all other countries of Europe. After having accurately examined the fubject on all fides, he approached the Houfe with that degree of confolation which every friend of this country muft feel, and which muft finally disappoint the ambitious views of our enemies. The fubject comprehended feveral objects: first, a substitute for a provifion for that tax which he thought proper to relinquifh on printed cottons; together with other new fervices, which must be provided for; and thirdly, a means of ad ditional facility to commercial credit, whofe demands had lately increased. Thefe were the points on which it was his intention to dwell. In regard to the firft, viz. the duties on printed cottons, which was calculated to amount to 135,000l. as a substitute to this, he would propofe what a few days fince he had alluded to, viz. the tax on dogs, which would produce a fum amounting to 100,000l. the remaining fum he would make up by a new regulation in the duty on hats. This duty had been, he faid, declining this fome time past, as it had been evaded. The mode, then, which he propofed was, that inftead of being collected by a loofe ftamp, the lining of each hat fhould be ftamped, fo as to render it impoffible to be evaded. The amount before, when firft laid on, was ftated at 100,000l. the first year it had yielded 30,000l. and last year but 6oool. he could not fay to a certainty what it might yield under the new regulation, but would ftate it at 40,000l.; this, with the other, would amount to 140,000l. 5000l. above the supposed produce on cottons; befides, this, there had been fuch increased charges fince Chriftmas, not including the amount of fervices, and the mode of paying them, which was connected with the object of giving credit, by taking out of the market the unfunded debt. Since December laft, there had been incurred of extraordinaries 535,000l.; for the ordnance 200,000l.; and the expence of barracks 267,00ol. This laft fubject he propofed difcufling, if gentlemen thought proper, on another day; befides, there had been iffued out of the civil lift 100,000l. for foreign fervices; 25,000l. for the emigrated clergy of France; together with 127,000l. further iffued for the army extraordinaries, in addition to the vote' of credit, which amounted to 2,500,000l. which had been voted before Christmas. Another provifion was, for funding fuch part of the unfunded navy debt as had not been provided for, fo as to leave no burthen, the intereft of which would not at leaft be provided for. Allowing, then, that the whole unfunded navy debt, fince the 31st December 1791, to be 1,640,000l. a provifion was to be made for future navies, fuppofing the war to laft to the 31st of December 1796; the fum appropriated for that purpose would exceed the calculation by 1,500,000l. out of the 4,000,000l. of the navy debt 3 B2 to fing, that this, added to the reafons a to be provided for; he had already provided for 1,200,000l. and there was bove mentioned, had caufed a circulat2,000,000l. to be provided for over and ing medium. The evils arifing from this above the vote of credit. The only other had been great, but had, no doubt, been charge of diminishing the unfunded debt greatly exaggerated; for these he would would be to take out of the hands of the propofe certain measures of relief, and bank the 3,5000,000l. and for this pur- take the whole of the responsibility on pofe he would propose to the committee himfelf. He propofed an additional duto borrow a certain sum of money, and ty on wine. By the late duty laid on to give it to the bank. He here ftated wine, of 20l. per ton, it had produced. the different fums he had borrowed from the annual sum of 600,000l. there was, the bank, and their interefts, and that in each year, an importation, on an ain 1796, an intereft for 4,000,000 would verage, of 30,000 tons of wine, and the be to be provided for. There was, he last year, notwithstanding the duty, had faid, another charge for the year 1795 exceeded that average, and the confumpCertain Exchequer bills had been iffued, tion was nearly equal to the importa which had been provided for, and the tion-his intention was therefore to prointerest for 19,000,000l. instead of eigh- pofe an additional duty, which would teen, which would be provided for by be another advance of 6d. per bottle, the money now raifing for the bank. which would be 20l. additional per ton, Another charge had been made before and which would amount to 600,000l. Christmas of 1,000,000l. as bounties on more. He then laid before the committhe importation of corn, which had, he tee the terms of the loan, the total of faid, produced those advantages, which which, on an average, amounted to the he was proud to mention without regret. contractors only to 1ol. 195. 9d. per cent. The money to be applied to that pur fo that the increase over the fum given pofe would not amount to a fum great was but 11. 198, 9d. Mr Pitt now ener than 300,00ol. which would be more tered into a calculation of the profperous than defrayed by our acquifitions in the ftate of our commerce in the years 1793, Eaft Indies, and there would confe- 1794, and 1795, the three years of the quently be this reduction of charges to war, to which no former period had the country. The whole additional been equal, What more then could we fum to be provided for amounted ta defire, if we were obliged to make great 7,000,000l. and 500,000l. of navy debt exertions, than to find that the credit of to be paid to the bank. By paying the country was high, and its resources. off the vote of credit of the last year, great, and to have a furplus unapplied, 2,500,000l. fooner than provided for, and for future and unforeseen fervices. Hav by paying it by the firft operation, the ing taken a view of the increased comrefult would be, that the bank would merce, wealth, population, &c. of this immediately receive this of the new loan, country, and having drawn a ftriking which otherwise it could not obtain un- picture of the decayed refources of the til the month of July next: befides, French nation, and of their last resource, granting these fums to the bank at pre- the iffuing of territorial mandats, which fent, it was neceffary that there fhould he maintained would eventually fail be cash to the amount of 5,700,000l. them, he concluded by declaring, that 2,000,000l. of which belonged to the ex- if we were not wanting to ourselves, and traordinaries of the army. How this fum if we only had refolution to perfevere, was to be provided for, he would fhew having fhewn to our enemies that our by and by. It was a fact generally known, refources were great, we would eventhat there was an inconvenience at pre- tually procure terms of peace, honourfent sustained from a scarcity of money, able and advantageous to ourselves, and on account of the expences of the war, to the reft of Europe. and from the very confiderable fums that had been drained from this country to the Continent; but all these expences, when compared with the ftate of our commerce, which, fince the year 1792, had been in a continual state of progref fion, was a matter of the higheft exulta tion; nor was it to be thought furpri Mr Grey rofe in reply to the speech of~ Mr Pitt, after which a defultory convers fation took place between Meffrs Pitt, Fox, Grey, General Smith, Sheridan, and Dundas. The Chairman then put the questiontre on the different refolutions, which being sloagreed R agreed to, he brought up the report, which was received, and ordered to be taken into further confideration on Wednefday next. 19. Mr Hobart, the chairman of the committee, brought up the report, which being read, and the question being put on them, Mr W. Smith could not, he faid, agree with the Houfe in these refolutions. It was freth in the recollection of the Houfe, that he had moved a resolution of a different import to that now put, namely, on the loan. In whatever point of view we confidered the terms of the loan of laft night, and the former loan, it became a matter of difficulty to reconcile them. Before, the terms of the loan had been half a million against the public, as he had argued on a former occafion, and that another gentleman would have taken it at three per cent. lefs in favour of the public. He went into a comparison of the terms on which both had been contracted for, and concluded by saying, that he could not conceive why, on the present occation, when the profpect of peace was banished, a better bargain could be made for the public; and on this head he wifhed for fome informa- tion. The Chancellor of the Exchequer entered · into a juftification of the terms of the former loan; he could not conceive why this could furnish the hon. gentleman with any argument, because the former loan was not fo good as the prefent. On the former loan there was a probable fall of stocks, and for that reafon he had given fuch a bonus as he thought that fall required. The refolutions were read and agreed to without a divifion, and the bills ordered to be brought in on the said refolutions. 20. Mr Fox moved the order of the day for the fecond reading of a bill to prevent purloining pewfer pots. Mr Dent oppofed it there was not any law, he said, to force publicans to bring out their pots against their inclination, befides it went to affect the revenues of the city of London, as there was a duty paid on the ftamps of pewter pots it went to affect the revenues of a certain great perfonage, (Prince of Wales,) as it would tend to leffen the confumption of tin and pewter, which were produced in the Duchy of Corn wallAsclaufe might be added to a HOUSE OF LORDS. LEGACY TAXIS On the third reading of this bill, Lard Lauderdale renewed the objections which he made upon a former occafion, urging, that if carried into effect, it would in process of time absorb all the capitals of the country, and injure its commerce moft effentially, by taking away those funds which, by their re-production, conftituted the wealth and profperity of the nation. The Bishop of Rochester defended the bill, and maintained, that fo far from answering the calculations of Lord Lauderdale, in absorbing by degrees the entire wealth of the country, it would require 220 years, paying the tax of 61. per cent. eleven times, to confume a capital of 100l. Lord Grenville referred to the arguments he made use of on a former dif cuffion, and fhewed, that even admitting the extreme and extravagant calculations of the Earl of Lauderdale, the refult which he drew from them would by no means follow. This affertion her pledged himself to prove, when the bill fhould be difcuffed, for extending this tax to real property. Lord Lauderdale, in reply, controverted the statements of the Bishop of Rochefter, and infifted that the principles of this bill were different from thofe which had been adopted in Holland, and that if fuch an act had paffed fome years fince, the whole of the fortune lofs / the Duke of Norfolk would have been confumed by it. dla men bodisful ba 26. The order of the day for the ofere cond reading of the debtor and creditor bill being read, idi mon by Lord Moira entered into an explana- 903tion of the bill, which he repeated, was founded on that which had been brought in by the learned Lord on the woolfack, bam during his abfence in 1794, but which flopped greatly short of what he thought an ne neceffary to be done. He hoped the Houfe would not think him guilty of pertinacity, by thus repeatedly preffing a fubject, which, he could affure them, was a very dry ftudy; yet the more' he informed himself on it, the more he was convinced of the propriety of its adop tion. The Lord Chancellor felt a particular objection to this bill, as not only tending to alter a fundamental law of the land, but one which the experience of ages had proved to be beneficial. Under the prefent laws commerce had continually increased, and confequently with it credit; but if they were once to take away the compulsory power over the debtor, which this bill went to do, he apprehended it would be a fatal blow to credit. We were not now, like Solon, Lycurgus, or Plato, confulting what law would be the beft to frame upon a certain fubject; for we had one of ages ftanding, and therefore ought not for theory to give up all our experience. It was true, there might be particular cafes on which the law, as it ftood, might prefs as a hardship; but, as far as his practice had gone, he had found it infinitely lefs cruel to creditors than unworthy debtors; and, befides knowing experimentally that it was attended with much good, he did not feel himself bold enough to pull down the old fabric for the advantage of a theoretical edifice. Objecting as he did to the principle, it was unneceffary to go into the clauses. Lord Thurlow fhortly disapproved of many parts of the bill; that which went to compel debtors to give up their effects he fhould have approved, if it had gone far enough. He thought imprisonment ought to be completely fo; namely, that they fhould have a goal attire, a goal allowance, and in every respect feel it as a punishment. The Houfe dividing on the bill's being ordered to a committee, Contents 2 Non-Contents 9. MONTHLY REGISTER. FRANCE. A COUNCIL OF FIVE HUNDRED. April 16. Treilhard made a report from the committee appointed to examine the meffage of the directory, inviting the council to pafs a penal law against fuch men as fhould urge the reeftablishment of royalty, and of the conftitution of 1793; and against such as, in the feditious affemblages of the people, should preach up the annihilation of the republic. 17. Camus made a report from the committee appointed to examine the crimes refulting from an abufe of the prefs. He declared it was impoffible to propofe a general law, applicable to all authors and printers, without invading the liberty of the prefs. The committee, however, were of opinion, that a law of police might be pafled, relative to journals, gazettes, periodical publications, and addreffes to the public; he therefore proposed fome refolutions, containing, among others, the following regulation: "No journals, gazettes, nor periodical publications, fhall be printed; no addreffes to the public diftributed; no bill printed nor fluck up; without the name of the author or authors, and the name and place of abode of the printer." 21. Bion read the following meffage from the executive directory, respecting the defeat of the Auftrians in Italy: "Citizens legiflators, we haften to announce to you, that the army of Italy has juft opened the campaign by a fignal victory. Two thousand Auftrians killed, two thousand, of whom fixty are officers, made prifoners, many flags taken, feveral important pofts captured, more efpecially that of Caro and the heights of Carcaro, where the head quarters of our army are now eftablished;-such are the confequences of that glorious day. It is the Auftrian army of Lombardy, commanded by General Beaulieu in perfon, that has been thus defeated. We have reafon to hope, that the Piedraontefe will not make much refiftance, and that we fhall foon have to announce to you new victories. The immediate one is due to the fkilful difpofitions of the commander in chief Buonaparte, wonderfully seconded by Generals Laharpe, Maffena, and Servoni." Goffuin-"The army of Italy has gier |