An Account, fhewing how the Moneys given for the Service of the Year 1735, have been difpofed of, diftinguished under the feveral Heads, until the 3d of February 1735, and the Parts thereof remaining unfatisfy'd, with the Deficiency thereupon. GRANT S. Sums paid. ני Remain unpaid. d. 1,680,914 9 7 Towards the Support of Greenwich Hospital, 10,000 O O 1,453,303 9 227,611 8 10 Ordnance. by Parliament, Forces. incurred, not provided for by Parliament, Forces and Marines, 1735, Christmas 1716, for the Year 1735, ces incurr❜d by augmenting the Forces, and 78,000 0 6 182,453 53 150,000 0 O 32,453 5 3 56,250 0 1,159,621 141,150,297 5 84 9323 15 5 On Friday the 23d of January, it. was ordered that the proper Officer fhould lay before that House an Account of the Number of Seamen employed in the Service of the Royal Navy, from 31 December, 1734, to 31st December, 1735, upon a Medium of each Month, diftinguishing what Number were borne, and what mustered in the faid Service. Accordingly, the faid Account was laid before the Houfe on the Thursday thereafter, and was as follows, viz. Navy-Office, 27th Jan. 1735. An ACCOUNT of the Number of Seamen employed in the Service of the Royal Navy, from the 31ft Dec. 1734, to 31st Dec. 1735, upon a Medium of each Month, diftinguishing what Number were borne, and when mufer'd in the faid Service, prepared pursuant to an Order of the Hon. House of Commons, dated 23d Infant, tleman, who was one of the fitting Members for Scuthwark, and against whom the Petition feemed to be chiefly aimed; yet he hoped Gentlemen would have fome Regard to the Honourable Gentleman in the Chair, to whom every Election heard at Bar avas a very great Fatigue. That befides, they ought to confider their own Time, and how much of it would be taken up in hearing the Petitions already appointed to be heard at the Bar, infomuch, that he was afraid it would be impoffible for them to go through the publick Bufinefs which muft neceffarily come before them, and which could not be put off till another Seffion, without doing a very great Prejudice to the Nation in general. That as there was a vast Number of Voters in the Borough of Southwark, there would of Course be a very great Number of Witnesses to be examined; and confequently a great many Points of Lawy would probably arife, which must be argued by Counfel, and many of them might perhaps afterwards be argued SIR, u PON the prefent Occafion, I cannot omit taking Notice of what happened when the Yorkshire Petition was prefented. In the County of York there are certainly five or fix times as many Voters as there are in the Borough of Southwark, and therefore, if the honourable Gentleman be of Opinion, that the Election of the Borough of Southwark will take up two or three Weeks of our Time, he must have been of Opinion, that the Election for York/bire would at least take up three or four Months; yet when that Petition was prefented, I remember the fame honourable Gentleman appeared very fond of having it heard at the Bar of this House; and I fhould be glad to know from whence proceeds that tender Regard which he is pleased to testify in the prefent Cafe for the honourable Gentleman in the Chair, fince he did not feem to fhew the leaft Regard for him in the former ? After him Mr. An Hte SIR, B for a long Time in the Houfe; fofpoke to this Effect, of the Nation in general, they would Yan Agreement between me and the honourable Gentleman who prefented the Petition, he promifed to move for its being heard at the Bar of the Houfe: He has accordingly done fo, and I have feconded that Motion; after which I amn not a little furprifed to hear any Gentleman attempt to have it fent to the Committee; for when the fitting Member, as well as the Petitioner, infifts upon having the Fetition heard at Bar, I believe there is no Example of fuch a Petition's being referred to the Committee. I have as great a Regard for the honourable Gentleman in the Chair, as any Member of this Houfe can pretend to; but I know he will grudge no Trouble or Fatigue in doing Service to the Publick, or in doing Justice to any Member who thinks himself injured; and in the prefent Cafe I infift with the more Freedom upon having the Petition heard at Bar, because I know the contefted Votes are but very few; so that the Hearing can laft but a very few Days; and I have fome Reafon to expect, that the Petition will be given up even before thofe Votes which are contefted are all examined into. Then W. Pl, Efq; ftood up, and spoke in Subftance as follows, viz. SIR, A S the Elections which are ap pointed to be heard at Bar are generally fooner determined than those which are referred to the Committee; and as it is always very much the Interest of the Petitioner, to have the Matter of his Petition foon heard, if he has any Confidence in it; therefore I have never observed the Hearing of any Petition at Bar refused, when it was defired and infifted on by the fitting Member: But there is fomething very extraordinary in the prefent Cafe, for not only the fitting Member defires and infifts upon the Petition's being appointed to be heard at Bar, but there But, Sir, I have another Reason for infifting upon its being heard at the Bar of this Houfe: The Petition which has been publickly read here, contains feveral grievous and heinous Allegations against me, therefore I think I have a Sort of Right to have the Truth of thefe Allegations examined into, in the fame Place in which they have been published; and I infift up-feems to be a Design in the Petitioner, on it, becaufe, when the Truth of them comes to be examined into, I think I have good Reason to believe, that the Petition will appear to be as vexations as any that was ever prefented to this Houfe. This, I fay, I have Reason to believe, and my Reafon for believing fo is founded not only upon a Consciousness of my own Innocence, but upon the Candour and Sincerity of the Petitioner's own Scrutineers; for during the whole Time of the Election, the returning Officer for that Borough acted fo equally, and fairly, that, after the Scrutiny was over, even the Scrutineers for the Petitioner returned him Thanks for his Juftice and Impartiality. For thefe Reafons, I hope, Sir, the House will not only order this Petition to be heard at the Bar, but will appoint a fhort Day for that Purpofe, confidering the Place is just in our Neighbourhood, fo that no Pretence can be made, that any of the Parties or Witneffes are at any great Distance. not to have his Petition heard at all, or at least not this Seffion; for otherwife he would certainly have prefented it among the Firfts as he might and ought to have done, whereas he has delayed prefenting it almost as long as he could; which to me is really a ftrong Prefumption, that he is fenfible of his Petition's being fuch as the fitting Member has reprefented it to be; and if it be fo, there can be no ftronger Reasons affigned, not only for its being heard at Bar, but for its being heard as foon as poffible. The Queftion was then put for hearing the Petition at the Bar of the Houfe; which upon a Division was carried in the Affirmative by 145 to 142. After which the Queftion was put for hearing it at Bar on the 10th of the enfuing Month, which was carried in the Affirmative without a Divifion. The fame Day the House resolved it felf into a Committee of the whole House, |