Mr. Pitt.

Mr. Fox.

pacity; for if he differed from the Council, it was only neceffary that he fhould record the grounds of his opinion, and act upon his own authority. Mr. Dundas faid that he had always entertained the opinion, that it was neceffary to intruft a Governor General with very high powers; and come the debate when it would, he should not certainly hesitate to declare his fentiments.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt faid, that under the laws now exifting, the Governor General of Bengal poffeffed a fuperintending power over the other Governments. In order that he might act upon his own authority in any cafe in which he should differ from the Council, it was only required of him that he should record his own opinion, and the neceffity of the public fervice, and then adopt that mode of conduct which appeared to himself moft proper. It was only propofed to grant to Lord Cornwallis the fame power whilst abfent; that he might be enabled to tranfrit orders to fervants, who were nearer himfelf, without employing the medium of the Council.

Mr. Fox remarked that the propofition, as explained by the right honourable gentleman, was very fimple; it amounted to nothing lefs than complete and abfolute power. The power which was given away in the prefent instance, had been treated lightly, as mere matter of ceremony; so likewife had the great power which had been granted on a former occafion. The Governor and Council were to act together; there could be no majority against the Governor, as the Council confifted only of four, except he chose to ftand fingle. He understood, that the Governor was to act feparately, only upon an extraordinary emergency. To veft complete and abfolute power in one man, was indeed the fimpleft and worst form of Government, which could in his opinion be devised for any people. By granting the Governor General equal power during his abfence, he was deprived of all the benefits of being made acquainted with the opinions of the Council, and freed from the laft check, the neceflity, when he acted for himfelf, of recording the grounds of his opinion. Mr. Fox faid, he indeed thought, that it was neceffary the offices of the Governor General and Commander in Chief fhould be feparate, in order that the duties of each might be properly difcharged. But it appeared that what had formerly been held out as a ferious check upon the power of the Governor General, was now fet afide only as matter of ceremony. It was a fubject, he faid, which demanded much difcuffion, and he trufted would meet with firm oppofition. He concluded by expreffing his difapprobation of all abfolute and unlimited power, even though

every human perfection could be fuppofed to refide in the breaft of the individual in whom it was vested.

Mr.

Mr. Francis faid, that by an act made in 1773 it had been provided, that during the abfence of the Governor General, Francis. the perfon who was next to him fhould affume the power. But now, in the abfence of the Governor General, there remained no Government. The neceflity which he was under of advifing with a Council, and of recording the grounds of his own fentiments, formed a real check upon his opinions and a&ions.

Mr. Dundas obferved that the prefent measure was a pro- Mr. vifion for an emergency in an extenfive war, and it was ne- Dundas. ceffry that the remedy thould be adapted to the exigencies of the cafe.

Some little converfation followed between Mr. Dundas and Mr. Francis; and General Smith's motion having been withdrawn, leave was given to bring in the bill, moved for by Mr. Dundas.

Mr. Hobart having brought up the report of the Quebec bill,

Mr. Fox faid, that after the difcuffion which the claufes Mr. Fox. had received, he did not again mean to trouble the House; there were only two points on which he intended to divide the Houfe, and they were thofe which related to hereditary nobility, and the number of the Affembly in Lower Ca

nada.

Mr.

Mr. Powys remarked that with regard to hereditary nobility he had only one objection; it was at prefent cuftomary in Powys. Canada, to give only one moiety of property to the eldest fon. This certainly would much tend to fcatter the property. But as we were now to make a conftitution not for the prefent moment, but for pofterity, he thought it defirable that there fhould be fomething fimilar to our House of Peers, and therefore he would vote with the right honourable gentleman who brought in the bill.

Colonel Simce fpoke in favour of the bill, and having Colonel pronounced a panegyric on the British conftitution, wifhed it Simcoe. to be adopted in the prefent inftance, as far as circumftances would admit.

Mr. Fox faid, that the hereditary nobility, as proposed to Mr. Fox. be established in Canada, could never be upon the footing of the British Houfe of Peers. By this bill, the power of the King was not limited in conferring hereditary nobility, or only nobility for life.

The Houfe then divided upon the amendment of leaving out the claufe of hereditary nobility.

Ayes, 39; Noes, 88. Majority, 49.
31

VOL. XXIX.

Сп

Mr.Burke

Lord

On the claufe fixing the number of the Affembly of Lower Canada at thirty, Mr. Chancellor Pitt propofed, as an amendment, that the word fifty fhould be fubftituted in the place of thirty; but afterwards withdrew it, to make room for the amendment of Mr. Fox, who propofed to enlarge the number to 100.

Divided upon the amendment of Mr. Fox.

Ayes, 40; Noes, 91. Majority, 51.

The amendment of the Chancellor of the Exchequer was then put, and carried.

Mr. Sheridan made fome objections to the power that af fumed after the Government had been divided into two feparate independent legiflatures, of regulating their commerce and internal intercourfe. He, at the fame time, intiinated his intention to bring the subject into confideration on a future ftage of the bill.

The bill was ordered to be engroffed, and read a third time on Wednesday.

The Houfe adjourned.

Tuesday, 17th May.

A meffage was received from the Lords, that their Lordfhips would proceed farther in the trial of Warren Haftings, Efq. on Monday. The Houfe refolved to go, in a Committee of the whole Houfe, into Westminster Hall.

Mr. Burke faid, the conftitution was now confirmed, and, he trufted, would ever remain on a folid bafis; and concluded with moving the ufual orders for attending the trial.

The Houfe having refolved into a Committee to confider of the prices of the importation and exportation of foreign

corn,

Mr. Ryder spoke repeatedly on its various amend

ments.

Lord Sheffield introduced a long string of refolutions, by Sheffield. faying, that as the alterations he meant to propofe in regard to the prices at which the ports fhould be opened, were not confiderable, it would not be neceffary to fay much on the occafion. The prices, he faid, were very low, and fuch as he thought the greatest enemies to high prices could not object to. The ports would be open to corn from Ireland and the Colonies, at the fame price as formerly. Foreign corn, however, will not be admiffible, till wheat is at 50s. and oats at 175., and the agriculture of Great Britain, will derive great advantage from the duties propofed to be laid on the import of corn from all countries, untill wheat rifes to 52s. in respect to Ireland, and 54s. in refpect to foreign countries, and on other corn in proportion. He did not mean to fay these prices and duties were the most proper and the best

that could be propofed; he should have liked them better if
they had been much higher; but they were the best he could
obtain, and the bill being now effentially better than it was
in other refpects, he withed the Committee to be fatisfied
with the importation prices and duties now to be proposed.
He then moved feveral refolutions, the purport of which
was, that wheat fhould not be imported from foreign coun-
tries, under the low duties, untill the price was at 50s. oats
at 17s. and other corn in proportion, and that a duty of
2s. 6d. per quarter fhould be payable on wheat, 1s. 6d on
barley, and is. on oats, till the price of wheat was 54s. of
barley 27s. oats 18s. and then the low duties of 6d. 3d. and 2d.
were to take place.

Mr. Ryder then moved the fame refolutions refpecting
corn from Ireland, except that the ports are to be open for
wheat from thence when the price is 48s. oats at 16s. and
other corn in proportion; liable however to the above duties of
2s. 6d. Is. 6d. and 1s. till the prices are 52s. 26s. and 17s.
and then the above-mentioned lower duties are to take
place.

The duties on flour and meal are proportioned to the above prices.

These refolutions being then reported to the Committee on the corn bill, Mr. Ryder moved several new claufes, which paffed unanimously.

The Houfe adjourned.

Wednesday, 18th May.

The Quebec bill having been read a third time, Lord Sheffield prefented a petition against it from Mr. Limburner, agent for the province of Canada, ftating that the people there had been refused, upon application, a copy of that bill by which their Government was to be regulated, and praying that it might not pass.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt faid, that the principles of the bill had Mr. Pitt.
been fo long under confideration, and the impoffibility that
its regulations fhould meet the fentiments of all, was fo evi-
dent, that it was now the bufinefs of the Houfe to confider
whether the objections that had been ftated were fufficient
grounds for delaying the bill.

Mr. Alderman Watfon moved, "That the debate should
be adjourned till to-morrow."

The motion was negatived, and the bill paffed.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt then prefented the following Meffage from the King:

Mr. Pitt.

GEORGE R.

His Majefly finding that the additional charges incurred on account of the establishment of the younger branches of his Royal Family, cannot be defrayed out of the monies applicable to the purpoles of His Majefy's civil Government, is under the neceffity of defiring the affiflance of Parliament for this purpose; ont His Majefty relies on the affection of his faithful Commons, that they will make fuch provifion as the circumflances may appear to them

to require.

Ordered, That His Majefty's moft gracious meffage be referred to the Committee of Supply.

Mr. Pitt gave notice, that he fhould move that the mesfage be taken into confideration on Friday.

He then moved the order of the day, that the House refolve itfelf into a Committee of the whole House, to confider of ways and means for raifing the fupply granted to His Majefty.

Upon which. Mr. Rofe moved, "That the feveral ac"counts that had been prefented to the House, relative to "the Fublic Income and Expenditure, and likewife the Re"port from the Finance Committee, fhould be referred to "the faid Committee of the whole Houfe,"

Ordered.

The Houfe then went into the Committee, Mr. Hobart in the chair

Mr. Chancellor Pitt faid, he fhould have the honour of laying before the Committee, as fhortly and diftinctly as he was able, the articles of expenditure and of ways and means of the prefent year. He thought it would be proper, he faid, to feparate from them thofe articles which had been already provided for in the Armament budget, and which amounted to the fum of 3,133,0col. This fum had been feparately voted for the expence of the armament of last fummer, and for defraying the expences of 60 o extra seamen. The fum of 1,300,000l. had been charged on the confolidated fund of the next four quarters. The two fums charged on the confolidated fund were Soo,cool. and 500,000l. which made the fum of 1,300,000l. This fum, therefore, was to be diftinguifhed from the remaining part of the three millions which had already been provided for. The remaining 1,800,000l. had been provid d for by Exchequer bills, &c. He fhould therefore, he faid, leave out of his confideration the ways and means for this 3,133,0col. on the one hand, and the expence on the other, for the fake of confining the attention of the Committee to the other articles which he wifhed to lay before them.