he to be a member of the Committee, he would wish to examine a number of merchants on the subject, and enter upon other inquiries, which would all take up a good deal of time. It would be proper for the House to know what was the state of the present distress, what had produced that state, and what was likely to be the duration of that state; and it would be foolish to give issues of Exchequer Bills at present, if at the end of a twelvemonth the evit should still continue. It was improper to afford assistance, without knowing the cause and the likelihood of duration.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, that he should certainly think the Committee were going beyond their duty, were they to enter upon so large a field of investigation as the honourable gentleman would force upon them. To what extent the House might think fit to go into the ultimate and proximate causes of the subject, was another consideration; but it was the Committee's duty to inquire into the nature of the present distress. The House will consider the degree and extent of the distress, and whether it be advisable to afford a remedy. Whether the House will take the subject of the duration of the evil, or the diminution of pressure, into consideration, will be af terwards decided.

Mr. Canning observed, that from the narrow description of the investigation proposed, he apprehended the qualities. for which his honourable friend had been stated to be particularly distinguished, were not necessary, especially if it was intended that the Report should be speedily laid on the table. The qualities alluded to would only have been of essential advantage, if the Committee were to inquire not only into the immediate, but into the remote causes of the present state of commercial credit. He therefore thought it would be better to leave the names as originally moved and any one, after the Report should be presented, would be at liberty, if he pleased, to propose a larger investigation. His honourable friend would not perhaps choose to state this ground exactly to the House; but it was not im probable that he might go into this Committee under con-siderable disadvantage. His principles with respect to pub lic credit had lately excited a great deal of attention; and it might be supposed that he would be too much inclined to. refer facts, as they came out, to these principles, which would deprive his authority of its due weight. As his ho

nourable friend therefore was rather averse to be one of the members of this Committee, he appealed to the custom of the House whether it was not contrary to its ordinary cour tesy to appoint him. His peculiar talents were not wanted here; otherwise his willingness to undertake, and his ability to execute his duties, were unquestionable.

- Mr. Horner expressed his surprise, that the right honourable gentleman should have spoken as if he (Mr. Horner) had fallen into some impropriety in naming the honourable gentleman near him (Huskisson) as a member of this Committee, and an impropriety which the Chancellor of the Exchequer had avoided. This was extraordinary, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer had immediately assented the moment the honourable gentleman had been named. He had never doubted but the honourable gentleman would have been willing to have given his services upon the Committee; services which, in his view of the case, would be of great utility. It appeared to him that this would be an operation of finance, founded on a commercial difficulty; and it was important, even with a view to the proximate causes of that difficulty, that some person, accustomed to the operations of finance, should be on the spot. Although he was sorry that the services of the hon. gentleman on this Committee should be lost, yet as he was averse to become one of the members, he certainly would not press his motion.

Mr. Canning did not mean to impate any impropriety to the last speaker.

Mr. Tierney moved an Amendment to the proposition, of the following purport: "That the Committee should examine into the state of the trade of the United King dom, and report upon the causes that produced the

same.

Mr. A. Baring thought that the inquiry into the general state of trade ought to be postponed. The object at present he understood to be, to ascertain whether commercial credit was not in a state requiring relief, if such relief could be administered. At a future period of the session, no doubt, it would be proper to go into the more general inquiry, and to expose completely the causes which had led to the lamentable situation in which commerce at present stood, that they might be aware in time to come. But it was better to defer the more extended consideration Whether the system of the Orders in Council, the plan of

licences, and other measures of Government, had not tended strongly to produce this sad effect, would be a question at another time. But the fact was clear, that commerce was in a deplorable state; and he owned the measures of the right honourable gentleman were a material cause of it. If a house was on fire, the first consideration was to put it out, and afterwards to inquire into the causes which had occasioned it. The questions were distinct, and there would be a disadvantage in involving them; and, besides, if they were to proceed upon the more enlarged view, the Report could not be presented in less than a month. The right honourable gentleman had said, that our relations with America had no connection with the present commercial distress. Whether or not we were right in our dispute with America, he would not now discuss; but when it was considered that America was a customer for twelve millions annually of our manufactures, it must appear a most extraordinary supposition that the stoppage of this trade would add nothing to our commercial distress. It was not to be doubted but this would add very considerably to the distress under which trade now laboured.

Mr. Perceval had not said that the stoppage of so considerable a trade as that with America, had no connection. with the depressed state of commerce. What he had stated was this, that it was not connected with it through any fault of the Government.

Mr. H. Thornton took it for granted, that the object was to inquire into the state of trade only so far as this was .connected with the means of giving relief.-To answer this purpose, the original motion was sufficiently well expressed. The amendment proposed would lead into too large a field.

The first part of the Amendment-that the Committee should inquire into the state of the trade of the United Kingdom, was then put and negatived. The question being upon the latter part, that the Committee should report on the causes that produced the same,

Mr. Perceval observed, that the right honourable gentleman had surely fallen into some mistake. Was it meant that there should be an inquiry into the causes that produced. commercial credit?

Mr. Tierney.-No; into the causes of the present state of commercial credit.

Mr. Perceval.-Even in that sense it was too large, and

would carry the duties of the Committee much beyond what any one appeared to have in view.

Mr. Wilberforce concurred with the last speaker, that the words of the amendment were too large, and that the inquiry ought to be confined to the state of trade, so far as this was connected with the means of relief.

The latter part of the amendment was also negatived; and the motion, as originally worded, agreed to without a division.

Upon the reading of the names of the Members for the Committee,

Mr. Whitbread rose and stated, that in his opinion there were too many commercial men proposed, thirteen out of the twenty-one being of that description, and thereby constituting a majority of the whole. The remaining names, too, were chiefly those connected with the right honourable gentleman in office. The right honourable gentleman seemed to hold out, that he had at first rather turned a deaf ear to the representations on this subject; and whether he was a convert to the opinions contained in these representations, or had brought forward the subject on account of the number of applications, and the respectablility of the quarters from whence they came, he had not mentioned. But if the commerce of the country was in an embarrassed state, and it was clear that it was, this Committee was improperly constituted. That there ought to be some commercial men was certain-but that they must have a strong bias to recommend the granting of relief, even though it might be doubtful to others whether such a measure would be proper, he thought self-evident, and therefore they ought not to constitute a majority. He was surprised that the name of Mr. Huskisson had not been originally proposed, and surprised that there should be any objection on his part when he was at last mentioned. He hoped some other names would be proposed. The commercial majority was objectionable in the first place, and almost the whole of the rest would be under a vote for any measure of relief which the Chancellor of the Exchequer might have already suggested.

Mr. Percecal stated, that he had taken the principal merchants from both sides of the House-persons best acquainted with the subject, and at the same time not likely to be so much affected as less eminent traders, by the present depressed state of commerce. He had no objection, however,

to some more names, though it was desirable that the Com-mittee should not be too numerous.

Sir John Newport objected to the constitution of the Committee, on the same grounds as Mr. Whitbread.

Mr. A. Baring stated, that every commercial man who had expressed a doubt as to the expediency of giving relief, had been named for the Committee.

Sir John Newport disclaimed any other objection to a majority of commercial men than this, that they would be, from the nature of the case, acting under an undue bias.

Mr. G. Johnstone proposed that Mr. D. Giddy be added to the Committee; but nobody seconded the motion.

The Committee was therefore appointed as originally constituted, with the usual powers.

THE PRESS IN INDIA,

Lord A Hamilton postponed the motion for orders relative to the press in India, but we could not ascertain to what day.

Mr. R. Dundas inquired with what view these orders were to be moved for?

Lord A. Hamilton answered, that in his opinion, a very, undue power with respect to the press had been exercised in India, and that he wished to call the attention of the House to that circumstance.

IRISH AFFAIRS.

Mr. Ward understanding that Mr. Pole had arrived in town, wished to know whether he had brought any information relative to the proceeding with regard to the Catholics in Ireland, which the right honourable gentleman opposite intended to communicate to the House?

Mr. Perceval answered, that the matter was now in such a state that it was unnecessary, he apprehended, to agitate the subject any farther.

BULLION.

Mr. Vansittart moved for a return of the prices paid for bullion by the Bank, in each year, from February 1797 to the latest period at which the account could be made up. Ordered.

Sir John Newport moved for an account of the produce