lers to use sugar or barley at their option. The scale might or might not be sufficient--that was another question; but the principle was to enable the distiller, from an equal amount of duty, to produce the same quality of spirits, whether barley or sugar should be used. He had been agreeably disappointed at the manner in which this measure had been met. When he expected to hear it argued that barley was 40, 41, or 42s. and that the effect of the measure would be to let in the sugar to a competition, the argument was, that barley was only 26s. The lower the price of barley, the stronger the argument in favour of his measure, because the distillery would afford it a market, and without any possibility of competition till the price should be 38s.-The same prophecies, that the measure would be ruinous to the barley growers, had been made when the first prohibitory measure was proposed, and yet, after three years, these prophecies are repeated, accompanied with a state ment that the country is now full of barley. The WestIndia gentlemen all disapproved of the measure as insufficient for their wants, and yet voted for it, as doing something for them; and the landed gentlemen all voted against it, though it was to give them the exclusive market of the distilleries, till barley should reach 38s. The right honourable gentleman then explained, what he had omitted to state on the first opening of this measure-the arrangement which had been made with the distillers, and the expiration of the Prohibition Act. Mr. Adam contended, that the proposition for allowing sugar a competition with barley, formed a new era of the greatest importance to the landed interest. All he wanted was, to go into an investigation before such a proposition should be sanctioned. He believed the right honourable gentleman had arranged his equivalents according to his notions of the justice of the case; but he should wish to know, whether he had taken into his consideration the comparative expence of distillation from sugar and barley. If he was rightly informed, the expence was less in distilling sugar than corn. He wished these facts to be ascertained before the measure should be agreed to. After some farther conversation between Mr. W. Smith, Mr. Rose, Mr. Biddulph, and Mr. Barham, the Resólytions were agreed to. MUTINY BILL. On the question that the Bill should be read a third time, Mr. W. Smith rose, to express his satisfaction at the amendment which the introduction of imprisonment, instead of corporal punishment had brought about. He thought the situation of the Army was much ameliorated by it. Mr. M'Cleod differed on the subject from the honourable gentleman who had just sat down. He had been fifteen years on the home service, and did not know what imprisonment meant as expressed in the new clause. He wished to know whether it was meant to confine the soldier in the guard-room, or where? Mr. Munners Sutton was sure, when the subject was known in the country, that a room would be set apart in the barracks for that purpose. After a few words from Sir T. Turton, the Bill was passed. Adjourned. HOUSE OF LORDS. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13. INSOLVENT DEBTORS. ARRESTS. The order of the day having been moved by Lord Redesdale, the House resolved itself into a Cotimittee on the Insolvent Debtors Bill. Earl Stanhope objected to the appointment of one Commissioner only to hold the Court, conceiving that there ought to be three, and that the Bankrupt business in Chancery might be transferred to this Court. His Lordship also objected to the delivery in the first instance of the schedule on oath, and to the term of three months imprisonment, before the prisoner could petition for his discharge. Lord Redesdale contended, that one Commissioner would be sufficient to do the business, and therefore that there was no necessity to burthen the public with the expence of three. Upon the point of the oath, he contended, that to allow the prisoner to give in a schedule merely upon his declaration, would open a door to fraud, give great additional trouble to the creditors, and delay the discharge of the debtor. Lord Holland agreed with Lord Redesdale as to the points of the oath, and the one Commissioner, but thought that the term of imprisonment, before the prisoner should be allowed to petition, might be shortened. He also ob jected to the severity of the provision respecting prisoners who had lost money, whilst in prison, by gaming. Lord Redesdale was not anxious about the three months, or the terms of the latter clause, which had, however, been copied from former Insolvent Acts. The Lord Chancellor contended for the necessity of the oath, and observed, with respect to the bankrupt business in Chancery, that a better provision respecting it would probably be brought before the House, than that suggested by the noble Earl. An amendment moved by Earl Stanhope, to substitute three Commissioners for one, was withdrawn; and, after some conversation it was agreed, that Lord Redesdale should propose his own amendments, and that the Bill should be printed as amended, and re-committed. Lord Redesdale stated the substance of these amendments, which were material, with respect to notices to creditors, that they need only be served on creditors detaining the party in prison, and where they lived at a remote distance, the Court to have a discretionary power to order, instead of notice to be published in two newspapers; Court to have power to compel assignees of insolvents' effects to distribute them amongst the creditors. In cases of insane prisoners, provision to be made for their discharge; in cases of commissions of lunacy, their property to be subject to the disposal of the Court of Chancery; and where no commission, a summary proceeding to be substituted. The Bill was reported, and ordered to be printed as amended. The Arrest Bill also passed through a Committee in the same manner. Earl Stanhope said a few words respecting the provisions in the Bill, subjecting persons to arrest, who had given bills of exchange or promissory notes, although below 201. which Lord Redesdale said had been introduced at the suggestion of some of the learned Judges. The Bill was reported and ordered to be. printed as amended. Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13. INFORMATIONS EX OFFICIO. Lord Folkestone, observing that the Attorney-General was not in his place, moved that the consideration of his motion on this subject be postponed till to-morrow, and that the House do now adjourn. Mr. Percecal thought it sufficient that the noble Lord should postpone his own motion, without also moving that the House do adjourn. He (Mr. Perceval) had a motion standing for to-night, which he was anxious to bring forward, namely, that for funding a quantity of Exchequer bills. Mr. Abercromby was of opinion, that, under existing circumstances, the motion of the noble Lord was most correct. The absence of gentlemen interested in the business to be brought forward, till a late hour of the night, so that the person bringing it forward must either state it in the absence of those to whom it peculiarly applied, or allow other business to take the precedence of it, sufficiently proved the impropriety of the rule lately introduced by the right honourable gentleman. After some farther conversation, Lord Folkestone fixed his motion decidedly for to-morrow, [There was no House on the next day.] COMMERCIAL CREDIT. Mr. Hart Davis rose to call the attention of the House o a statement in the newspaper called "The Morning Post," where, purporting to give an account of the speech of the Treasurer of the Navy, in answer to that of another honourable member, (Mr. Huskisson), on the question as to the state of the commercial credit of the country, that paper represented the Treasurer of the Navy as saying, that instead of there being no failures of any of the great houses in the year 1793, in the town of Liverpool alone six banking-houses had failed. He had felt anxious on this subject, and, on inquiry, found it to be a misrepresentation of the speech of the right honourable gentleman. The Speaker asked, had the honourable gentleman any motion to make on this subject? Mr. Hart Davis said, he left it to the pleasure of the House. Mr. Perceval immediately moved that the House do now resolve into a Committee of Supply. FUNDING OF TWELVE MILLIONS EXCHEQUER BILLS. Mr. Perceval said, he should now state the amount of Exchequer-bills he proposed to fund into the five per cents. and the dates of the bills to be funded. Last year the sum proposed to be funded was eight millions; and there was a great pressure on the part of the applicants, who wished to avail themselves of this privilege. He proposed that this year the sum to be funded should be twelve millions, and he did not think it likely that the whole of this sum would be funded, at least that there would be any such pressure to be admitted to a participation in this benefit, as there was in the last year. He should propose that the bills to be funded should be those issued between the 10th of April last, and the 11th of the present month of March; and that for every 100%. the holder of such bill should be entitled to 1037. 14s. capital stock in the five per cents. When he, in the first instance, proposed this measure, the five per cents. were at 97 three-quarters. At present they had not experienced a greater depreciation than 10s. This was giving a bonus therefore of only 11. 5s. 1d. being much the same as was given last year. This would, he presumed, be a sufficient inducement to the holders of such bills to fund them, and, at the same time, would not be esteemed so advan tageous a bargain as to produce any pressure. He therefore proposed a Resolution to that effect, the annuities running from the 5th of January 1811, in the same way as the five per cents. now do. After a few words from Mr. Baring, and an answer from Mr. Perceval, both of which were conveyed in so low a tone, that it was impossible to collect the meaning of them, the Resolution was put and agreed to; as was another Resolution, declaring that the sum of Exchequer-bills so to be funded should not exceed twelve millions sterling. The report was ordered to be received to-morrow, and the Committee to sit again on Friday. Mr. Ryder obtained leave to bring in a Bill for indemnifying Magistrates for enrolling Militia men after the regular |