ment of fees, is not only inhuman, but contrary to the law of the land; and whoever was guilty of fuch abuse, made himself liable to an heavy action. If fees of this kind were due of right to the clerks of the crown and others, they ought to proceed in the ufual mode of recovering common debts, and fhould by no means arrogate to themselves not only the judicial powers, but also the execution of the fentence. I have, not long fince, ferved the office of sheriff in a very great and refpectable county, and was fo convinced not only of the cruelty, but also of the illegality of detaining those who had been acquitted by the laws of their country, that I conftantly ordered them to be immediately discharged from priton. When the jailor and others began to murmur, I informed them, they had their option to take their actions either against the discharged or me, if they thought proper to make the experiment.

Mr. Monck Mafon-It is very extraordinary indeed that a gentleman who introduces a bill to discharge from prison every man in the kingdom confined for debt, though many of them are of very doubtful character, fhould oppofe a bill extending the fame advantage to another clafs of men, whofe innocence has been declared by their country; but the Honourable Gentleman, confcious that his oppofition never can be maintained on principles of juftice or humanity, declares, that he is only attentive to the intereft of certain perfons. I hope when he examines the bill, and finds that the interefts of thofe perfons are provided for, his oppofition will drop.

The question being put, that the faid bill be read a fecond time to-morrow morning.It was carried in the affirmative.

Ordered, That the faid bill be printed.

Mr. Hamilton, by order of his Grace the Lord Lieutenant purfuant to their addrefs to his Grace, prefented to the House,

The informations received by government relative to the high price of corn in different parts of the kingdom for the two years laft paft.

The titles whereof were read, and the faid informations ordered to lie on the table for the perufal of the members.

The order of the day, that the Houfe do refolve itfelf into a committee of the whole House, to take into further confideration a bill for regulating the corn trade, promoting agriculture, and providing a regular and steady supply of corn within this kingdom, being upon motion read,

Refolved, That this Houfe will, to-morrow at two of the clock, refolve itself into a committee of the whole Houfe, to take the faid bill into confideration; and that no other bufinets do intervene.

Ordered, That the faid committee be impowered to receive a clause to give power to the Lord Lieutenant or other Chief Governor or Governors, with the advice of the privy council, whenever it shall appear that a fcarcity of oats exifts, or is apprehended in the province of Ulfter, to authorize by proclamation, for a limited time, the importation of oats free from duty, except the duty of 2d. per barrel impofed by the faid bill, into the faid province of Ulfter, and prohibit the exportation of oats from

thence.

SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1784.

Mr. Griffith, after explaining the confequences that accrued to industry, from the farmer's lofing a very great proportion of that time, which might be fo much better employed in agriculture, by coming up to town to fell his corn, for fake of the bounty; and fhewing how much more advantageous it would be to have factors in the different market towns for that purpofe, moved, That the committee be impowered to receive a claufe to that purport.Mr. Griffith added, that this, at the fame time it encouraged people to make the carriage of corn their particular business, would ultimately center in the farmer, as the bounty would enable the factor to pay a higher price than he otherwife would.

Houfe in a committee.--Mr. Fofter, after entering large ly into the advantages of conciliating the good will of Great Britain, as the was our best market for corn, and declaring his opinion of its conduciveness to promote the agriculture of Ireland, if a bounty were granted on the exportation of foreign corn, manufactured into flour, meal or malt, moved, That a claufe be inferted in the bill for granting a bounty on flour, meal, and malt manufactured in this kingdom.

Right Honourable Luke Gardiner thought that at the fame time they guarded againft fcarcity, the House ought to confult the intereft of the farmer.

Mr. Kearney manifefted much information in his oppofition to the motion, and proved in a very fatisfactory manner, that the claufe would materially injure the agriculture of this kingdom.

Mr. Bube oppofed the introduction of the claufe.-He faid, England allowed a bounty on the corn exported into Ireland, and were Ireland to allow another on its re-exportation, such a decifive advantage would be thereby given to foreign corn, as would ruin our agriculture; he obferved, that as the benefits were exceflively fmail, and the danger great, of adopting this clause, it should have his hearty diffent.

The Right Honourable the Provet faid, he thought the motion ought to be oppofed.

E e

Mr. Foster answered feveral objections made to the motion. In times of fcarcity, Great Britain would fupply us with corn. As to export bounty on foreign corn manufactured in this country, he wished to be able to devife a mode of inducing the whole world to fend corn hither to be ground. We then fhould have a valuable trade indeed.

Sir Henry Cavendish chserved, the Right Hon. Mover had fpoken in favour of the claufe, yet he believed it not his offspring.However Sir Henry made no doubt he'd joffer it.

General Cunningham, Sir Hercules Langrifbe, and several other gentlemen fpoke againft it, and Mr. Corry, and Mr. Hayes for the

motion.

It was negatived by 70 to 33.

Mr. Fofter moved an amendment for granting a bounty on importation, when the price of barley fhould exceed 135. and that of oats 8s.

Passed in the affirmative.

Mr. Griffith gave notice of his intention to move a claufe for eftablishing corn factors in the different market towns.

After a long converfation relative to fettling the average prices, `when it had been agreed on Mr. Fofter's motion, that all perfons who made falfe returns of the price of corn, fhould pay a fine of 20l. the committee adjourned, the Speaker now took the chair, and the House adjourned to Monday.

MONDAY, MARCH 8, 1784.

Mr. Annesley prefented a petition of Ezekiel Davis Wilfon, Edward Brice Dobbs, James Taylor, junior, and others, electors for the county of the town of Carrickfergus, complaining of an undue election and return for the faid county of the town of Carrickfergus. Mr. Annesley then moved, that the petition be taken into confideration on the 23d of April next.

Mr. Waddel Cunningham (the fitting member for Carrickfergus) faid, that it would be extremely inconvenient to him to have the petition taken into confideration on that day, as the council he had engaged in this caufe would then be abfent on the circuit.— He obferved, that the petition conveyed a charge against the Conftitutional Club; but, he faid, they were a fet of honeft men, who had gone to Carric fergus, to give independent votes ; there never was a more honeft fet of men- and as to the charge of bribery, he doubted not to bring it home to his antagonist.

Mr. Jones faid-Perhaps, Mr. Speaker, what I am going to fay might as well be left unfaid; though I am a young member of this Houfe, I am old enough to stand a laugh; and I think it extremely indecent and unbecoming in the Houfe to laugh at the

laft Hon. Gentleman who fpoke. He has fhewn his talents in what he has delivered, and it is a fhame to laugh at him; he brings a fund of knowledge into this Houfe, of mercantile knowledge-he fhould be treated with indulgence, and fhould have time to prepare a defence against the petition which is trumped up against him; but I forbear, and will not fay any thing of this petition until it shall be declared frivolous, groundless and vexa

tious.

Mr. Brownlow, in pointed terms, feverely cenfured the conduct of feveral members of the Houfe, who betrayed a levity difgraceful to the dignity of their character; he faid, though his honourable Friend (Mr. Cunningham) might not difplay the perfuafive powers of oratory, he brought with him qualities more rare and valuable-a volume of wifdom and a fund of unbiaffed inte grity.

A motion was made, and the queftion being put, that the faid petition be taken into confideration on Monday the 2d day of May next, at two o'clock, it paffed in, the negative.

Ordered, That the faid petition be taken into confideration on Monday the 26th day of April next, at two o'clock.

Ordered, That Mr. Speaker do iffue his warrant or warrants for fuch perfons, papers and records, as fhall be thought neceffary by the feveral parties on the hearing of the matter of the faid peti

tion.

Mr. Annesley alfo prefented a petition of the Honourable Jofeph Hewit, complaining of an undue election and return for the county of the town of Carrickfergus.

Ordered, That the faid petition be taken into confideration on the day and hour appointed for taking into confideration the petition of Ezekiel Davis Wilfon, Edward Brice Dobbs, James Taylor, junior, and others, complaining of an undue election and return for the faid county of the town of Carrickfergus.

Ordered, That Mr. Speaker do iffue his warrant or warrants for fuch perfons, papers and records, as fhall be thought neceffary by the feveral parties on hearing of the matter of the said petition.

General Luttrell rofe and acquainted the House that he had a motion to make, for the prevention of a robbery of the worst nature, the robbery of life and limb, by a cruelty practifed here in the 18th century, that would have aftonished the barbarians of the 14th; it was the inhuman practice of houghing men for no reafon but their being foldiers, by the people of the trade and myftery of butchers, a refpectable body no doubt, whofe qualifications are a ftrong arm, a fharp knife, and a hard heart.

He said, that fuch acts were fufficient to exafperate men against the civil authority; if the officers of the army had not been watch

ful to prevent any evil confequences.In the inftance of the Iland-bridge riot the civil power vindicated its authority; that immediately after that event the whole garrifon of Dublin had been drawn up on the parade, (he was himself on duty by order of General Baugh) the offended inhabitants were encouraged to appear on the parade, to pitch on fuch of the foldiers, whofe perfons they could identify, and the offenders were in the presence of the high fheriffs, both for city and county, given up to the civil power, and committed to Newgate.

He was the laft man in the Houfe who would get up to excuse the foldiery in that inftance, and he mentioned the provocation in mitigation only of thofe proceedings, for he thought a reverence for the laws of civil fociety, and a peaceable demeanor towards their fellow fubjects, was the best part of military discipline.

The 49th regiment had been ordered out of town, not because they had acted in fuch a manner, as to give a reason for their being felected for that example, but because having had more men belonging to that regiment houghed and ill treated than any other, it was thought prudent to remove them, and it became neceffary to facrifice the feelings of the foldier to the fafety of a citizen, in a free country that should ever be the cafe. Colonel Brown was one of the beft officers in the army, that he had distinguished himfelf on fervice, and was remarkable for a ftrict obfervance of discipline in the regiment, and an excellent corps of officers emulated his example.-But although difcipline might do much, it was impoflible for officers to be anfwerable for what a fudden impulfe might hurry men to commit, goaded by a provocation fo far beyond all further bearing as houghing was.

He therefore thought it wife in the legislature to endeavour, by every poffible means, to put a stop to fo horrid a practice; and furely a ftipend of 20. a year to be levied on the parish and diftrict where the offence is committed, provided the offender is not taken and profecuted to conviction, would be neither an unjust or unwife meafure.

He was convinced the gentlemen of the knife were the performers, and had the whole merit of the art, for an art and mystery it was, and which required a very fharp and well adapted inftrument, judgment, firength, dexterity of wrift, and a hardness of heart, for which that fraternity were fo peculiarly distinguished. The Ormond and Liberty boys commemorated their reconciliation and greafy embraces in the blood of the unoffending foldier; unoffending, becaufe they houghed the foldier indifcriminately, merely because he wore the coat of his king and of his country. And fo far the butcher was worse than the Italian affaffin, who if, by mistake, he chanced to ftab a wrong perfon, always begged the gentleman's pardon.