THE HISTORY THE PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES O F THE HOUSE of COMMONS, In the THIRD SESSION of the Sixteenth Parliament of GREAT BRITAIN, Appointed to be holden at WESTMINSTER THE Wednesday, 29th March, 1786. HE Houfe proceeded to ballot for a Select Committee to try the merits of the petition of Mr. Campbell, complaining of an undue election for the fhire of Nairn, and the following members (their names remaining on the reduced lift) were called to the table to be worn: Nominees-Lord Viscount Maitland, and Mr. McDowall. Sir James Duff being called, was not to be found, and the Houfe became greatly embarraffed in confequence of his abTence, not knowing how to proceed in fo new a cafe, as that of a member, whofe name was in the lift of forty-nine members drawn out of the glass, retiring from the Houfe before he VOL. XX.. B could The right W. W. could be fure that he fhould not prove one of those whofe names might remain on the reduced lift. The right honourable IV. W. Grenville propofed an expehonourable dient to relieve the House from its prefent embarraffment, by Grenville, moving that the fwearing of the Committee might be adjourned for three hours: at the end of which time Sir James Duff would probably return. The law which restrained the House from proceeding to bufinefs, on ballot days, until a Committee fhould have been named, did not inake it neceffary to poftpone all bufinefs till after the fwearing of the Committee; and indeed the law would be fulfilled by a fufpenfion of all other business until the ballot fhould have been concluded. His motion therefore was not contrary to The Spea ker. Mr. Fox. The Mafter Sir James Luff. law. The Speaker obferved, that he forefaw great difficulties, even although the motion were carried; for if, at the expiration of the three hours, there should not be forty members prefent, it was his duty, enjoined him by the common law of the Houfe, to adjourn the Houfe; and fhould he become obliged to do that, he did not know how the bufinefs could be refumed again. Mr. Fox expreffed a fear that the precedent of fuch an adjourninent as was propofed in the motion would be attended with confequences which would overthrow Mr. Grenville's act; for if the Houfe could adjourn the fwearing of the Committee for three hours, it might adjourn it for as many days, or as many weeks. The Mafier of the Rolis coincided entirely with Mr. Fox; and thought the beft, if not the only, expedient to prevent fuch confequences, would be to obtain the confent of the parties interested in the election of which the merits were to be tried; and this would cure any irregularity, as, according to the old maxim-Confenfus tollet errorem. The Houfe was proceeding to debate upon this difficulty, when Sir James Duff, making his appearance, put an end to the bufinefs. The Committee were immediately fworn; and as foon as they had returned from their room, where they had inade choice of a chairman, Sir James Duff begged pardon of the Houfe for the delav which his abfence had occafioned, and declared, that he would by no means have withdrawn from his place, if he had not been affured by one of the parties concerned in the caufe to be tried by the Committee, that his name did not remain on the reduced lift. The Houle refted fatisfied with this apology. Mr. Chancellor Pitt delivered the following written meffage from His Majefty, which was read by the Speaker, the mela fein covered: " Cecro "George R. "It gives His Majesty great concern that it has not been "found poffible to confine the neceflary expences of his "civil government within the annual fum of eight hundred "and fifty thousand pounds now applicable thereto. A far"ther debt has been neceffarily incurred, an accompt of "which he has ordered to be laid before the Houfe. "His Majefty relies on the zeal and affection of his faith"ful Commons, that they will take the fame into their early "confideration, and make fuch provifion as the circumftances may appear to them to require. "G. R." Mr. Chancellor Pitt obferved, that he would lay upon the table on the morrow fome papers relative to the arrear alluded to in the King's meffage; intimating at the fame time that he intended to move on the enfuing Wednesday fome propofitions refpecting the fubject. The Houfe having refolved itself into a Committee of the whole Houfe, to confider of fo much of His Majetty's moft gracious fpeech to both Houses of Parliament, upon the 24th day of January lat, as recommends to this House the eftablishment of a fixed plan for the reduction of the national debt, and Mr. Gilbert having taken the chair, Mr. Chancellor Pitt rofe and faid: SIR, The object I have to refer to this Committee is, to confider of the means of decreafing the national debt. To attempt to recommend this purpose by any words would furely be very fuperfluous. The fituation of this country, loaded with an enormous debt, to pay the intereft of which every nerve has been ftretched, and every refource nearly drained, carries with it a ftronger recommendation than any arguments I could poffibly adduce. That fomething fhould be done to relieve the nation from the preffure of fo heavy a load is indeed acknowledged by all; and, I truft, that in this Houfe there is only one feeling upon the fubject. To you do the public turn their eye, justly expecting, that from the truft you hold you will think it your duty to make the moft ferious efforts, in order to afford them the longwifhed-for profpect of being relieved from an endlefs accumulation of taxes, under the burden of which they are ready to fink. Upon the deliberation of this day do they place all their hopes of a full return of profperity, and that public fecurity which will give confidence and vigour to thofe exertions in trade and commerce, upon which the flourishing B 2 ftate Mr. Chan cellor Pitt, |