was sentenced to lose both ears, and to lose his life if he returned to the island. After various other observations, he pressed on their Lordships' minds the importance of the subject. The rights of conscience were equal to all and it did not become them to judge for, and coerce others. They were now in their robes-soon they must be in their shrouds. They should think of the short space of time allotted to them here-of the small place they occupied in this world-of the insignificance of this world, and the whole solar system, compared with that universe around us, in which God reigns! They should reflect on what they owed to others as well as themselves, as part of the duty they owed to that great Being, besides whom there was no other Being worthy consideration. He washed his hands of all the ill consequences that might happen.

Lord Redesdale replied to Earl Stanhope, and said, the affairs of Trinidad had no application. There was sufficient security already by law for the desired purpose. The Legislature had already removed the disabilities from Catholics as far as to its wisdom seemed prudent. He believed the Catholics in general were satisfied on the points the noble Earl had spoken to, whose speeches on these subjects had a tendency to bring the established Church into odium and ridicule, and gave a preference to the character of Dis

senters.

Lord Holland very ably defended the principles of Earl Stanhope's Bill, and declared the right of conscience to be one, which no Church, State, or King had a right to take away.

The Earl of Carlisle spoke in favour of the Bill.

Earl Stanhope defended himself from the charge of casting imputations on the Church of England. He complained of the manner in which his clause and Bill had been treated by noble Lords, who put him in the situation of the butcher with the two thieves, one of whom stole the butcher's meat and gave it to the other. When the man wanted his own, he that took it had it not, and he that had it did not take it. (A laugh!) He concluded with a variety of argu.

ments.

On the motion of the Earl of Liverpool, the second reading was postponed till that day six months.-Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

TUESDAY, MARCH 26.

A member moved the second reading of the Spilsby Poor Bill on this day month.

Sir Samuel Romilly, after reprobating the Bill as introducing solitary confinement and flogging as ordinary punishments, and stating some instances of similar cruelty in other Poor Bills, moved, that the Bill be read a second time this day six months, which was carried without a division, and the Bill was lost.

CHARITABLE DONATIONS.

Mr. Lockhart rose for leave to bring in a Bill to secure the due appropriation of bequests for charitable purposes. The measure had been brought before the House in the last session by an honourable member (Mr. Wilberforce), and it was to be hoped that it had then been only delayed. The measure appeared to him (Mr. Lockhart) of great importance. There was on the journals a report of a Committee appointed to examine into the amount of those bequests. The Committee found that they amounted to above 40,0001. a year, and 250,0007. in the Bank. They observed, that a longer search would probably discover much more; that many bequests were lost, and many in danger of being lost, from lapse of time. The remedy proposed for this great evil was simply the registry of all bequests, by which they would come distinctly before the public eye. This publicity would raise the value of the leases and other property, by exposing that to the general competition of purchasers, which was now too often leased out to favourites and friends. The property, which in 1786 was 250,000l. was now probably half a million.

Mr. Wilberforce seconded the motion. The measure appeared to him of immense importance. Those bequests were the property of the lower orders; and it became the House to shew to them, that their property was an object of public care.

Sir S. Romilly had no intention of opposing the motion; but the registry would not cure the abuse. The cause was not want of publicity, but of an appropriate legal remedy. There was now actually no remedy at law. What was the

course for recovering one of those bequests? An information in Chancery must be filed in the Attorney-General's name; and to carry this process onward, some person must

volunteer the invidious and troublesome office of standing up as a champion for the rights of the poor, against the corporation or other parties. He must subject himself to the payment of costs, in case of failure; as in case of success, he could only look for his costs to the bequest: but here, by the necessary forms of Chancery, he might be retarded for years. No man would therefore be found to interfere with this perilous and expensive office; and until a remedy to the present course of law was found, no remedy could be found to the evil complained of. But let Parliament empower the Lord-Chancellor to proceed upon petition in the case, by virtue of his visitatorial capacity, and the remedy would be full, immediate, and effectual.

After a few words from Mr. W. Wynne, leave was given to bring in the Bill.

MILITIA ENLISTMENT.

Mr. Ryder moved that the Militia Enlistment Bill be committed. The House accordingly resolved into a Committee on the said Bill (Mr. R. Wharton in the Chair).

A long and desultory conversation then took place on going through the several clauses, and many amendments were proposed and agreed to. The speakers were the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Col. Bastard, Mr. Giles, Mr. Ellison, Sir Peter Murray, Mr. Ryder, and Lord Castlereagh.

After the various clauses were gone through, the report was ordered to be received on Monday.

COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY.

The report of the Committee of Supply, containing several Resolutions respecting Irish grants, was brought

up.

Mr. Hutchinson said, that there was one Resolution. which he wished to have postponed for further consideration. The Resolution to which he alluded was that respecting the limited grant to Maynooth College, the only one in Ireland, for the education of the Clergy of four millions of the people of Ireland. If that was postponed, he did not mean to oppose going into the rest.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer observed, that in this stage the grant could neither be increased or decreased. If the honourable gentleman wished to alter the amount of the grant, he should rather propose a recommittal than oppose it on the report.

Mr. Hutchinson said, that in the Resolutions just read,

they had voted a sum little short of 200,000l. for Dublin charities, improvements, and other matters of local expenditure connected with Dublin merely, exclusive of one or two charities of a more general nature, as the Foundling, Hibernian, Marine, and Protestant Charter Schools; with the exception of these, the above sum was devoted to the local purposes of Dublin, while the sum of 2500l. was thought enough for similar objects in the city of Cork, the second city in Ireland, and, perhaps, the first naval station in the Empire, to say nothing of its great and extensive com. mercial interests. It would be far from him to attempt to oppose in any way the liberality of Parliament in aid of the charities or interests of Dublin-but he could not help thinking, that the disproportion between the grant of 200,000l. to the one place, and 2500l. to the other, was out of all rule, and by no means to be warranted by any corresponding difference between the respective claims of those two great cities? The Government had been annually expending vast sums upon the fortress of Spike Island, near Cork, whether judiciously or not remained yet to be proved. The object of this work, however, was avowedly public and general, not local, not to be considered as done for Cork only, or affecting it merely. He begged leave, however, to throw it out for the future consideration of Ministers, the propriety of applying some portion of those large grants to the opening the communication between that fortress and the city of Cork. This, he was prepared to state, could be effected by a few thousand pounds by a very small portion of the thousands wasted in obsolete Dublin Proclamationsand if this communication was opened, it would be not only of great and extensive public utility, but of signal local benefit to the city of Cork-a consideration which, he hoped, would ever have due weight with the Minister for Ireland.

Mr. Foster denied that the 200,000l. was granted to Dublin solely. The Foundling and other Institutions were of general, not local, or Dublin interest. Besides, if Cork wanted help, was she not able to help herself-if she wanted aid, she might come to Parliament and ask it.

Mr. Hutchinson replied, that he had not said that the whole sum was devoted to the mere local benefit of Dublin : so far from saying this, he had excepted the charities mentioned by the right honourable gentleman. He spoke generally. He repeated, that he thought much less money would be more advantageously expended in the instance he VOL. II-1811.

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had given. He expressed his hope that the right honourable gentleman would think it worthy some consideration hereafter, and would also agree to contribute more largely than Parliament had vet done to the Cork charities. He knew them to be excellent institutions, and earnestly trusted they would not be let to fall into decay for the want of that timely aid which he was sorry to say they stood much in need of. He hoped that the Irish Grants for the future would not in general be so much confined to the capital. Mr. Foster was rising, when

The Speaker interposed, and said the question now before the House was, that the other orders of the day be now read.

The resolutions respecting the several Ordinary and Barrack Estimates were then read and agreed to, and the report ordered to be received to-morrow.

The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the House adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27.

The Exchequer-bills Funding Bill, and the Militia Indemnity Bill, were read a second time, and committed for. to-morrow.-Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27.

BULLION COMMITTEE.

Mr. Abercromby, in the absence of an honourable friend, (Mr. Horner), gave notice that his honourable friend would, on the 5th of April next, move for referring the report of the Bullion Committee to a Committee of the whole House.

CASE OF MYLER.

Sir John Newport stated, that a Mr. Myler had deposited a certain quantity of wine in the Custom-house of Dublin, and paid 7507. of duty on part of it; but that he had not been able to get 57 pipes back. He had made many fruitless applications at the different offices in Dublin, without success, and when at last he had recourse to a Court of Law, he was met by the plea that all actions of the nature were limited to three months after the period when the injury was said to be sustained; although it so happened in this parti