to bring in a bill for the better recovery of ministers' money in Ireland.

After a few words from Sir John Newport, leave was given to bring in the bill.

Mr. Brougham gave notice, on the part of his honourable friend the member for Calne (Mr. Abercromby), that he would on Tuesday next submit a motion to the house on the subject of the secret societies in Ireland, called Orange clubs.

Mr. M. Fitzgerald completely concurred in the propriety of the motion, and gave notice that he would on the same day move for certain papers relative to the constitution of those societies.

Mr. Whitmore rose to bring under the consideration of the house the laws respecting corn. He was of opinion the present system could not long continue, that it would eventually be the means of great scarcity, which it was already gradually producing.

Mr. Curwen approved of the law in its present state, as also Mr. Bennet, of Wiltshire, Mr. Wodehouse, and Mr. Huskisson.

Mr. Curwen and Mr. Bennet explained.

Mr. Ricardo supported the motion.

Mr. Atwood spoke against it. Mr. Monck declared his intention of voting in its favour.

Colonel Wood thought the measure likely to unsettle the mind of the country.

Mr. Hume, Sir T. Lethbridge, Mr. S. Wortley, and Mr. Leycester, spoke in favour of the motion.

were then disposed of, and the house adjourned.

House of Lords, Feb. 27.-The Speaker of the House of Commons, accompanied by several members, attended at half-past three o'clock at the bar, to hear the royal assent given by commission to the annual indemnity bill. The commissioners were, the Lord Chancellor, the Earl of Shaftesbury, and Lord Bathurst.

Earl Verulam presented a petition against the marriage-act.Ordered to lie on the table.

The temporary marriage-act was reported, and the amendments agreed to. The surrogates' licensing bill was read a third time. The West Indies and American colonies trade bill went through a committee. Adjourned till to

morrow.

House of Commons, Feb. 27.Petitions were presented upon the subject of agricultural distresspraying for parliamentary reformagainst the duties on foreign yarn, and the hop duty.

Mr. Curwen presented a petition from the merchants and traders concerned in the South Sea and Greenland whale fisheries, praying for some restriction upon the importation of foreign tallow.

Mr. Manning moved that a return should be laid upon the table, showing the yearly balances connected with the works of Ramsgate harbour, from the year 1791 to the year 1822, distinguishing the nature of the assets, and their disposal.

The annual duties bill, the exchequer bills bill, and the transfer of aids bill, severally went through their committees. Reports to

morrow.

The Scotch creditors' bill was read

and sisters of the free chapel of St. Catherine's, near the Tower of London, praying for the repeal of that part of the marriage act which related to peculiars.-Referred to the committee sitting on the laws relating to marriage.

The Earl of Darnley moved for the agreement made with Sir Wm. Bradley King, for supplying stationery since the 1st of July: also an account of the supplies, and an average of the prices for the last 10 years.

The motion was agreed to, and the house adjourned till to-morrow. House of Commons, March 3.– A great number of petitions were presented.

Sir G. Noel presented a petition from Olive, Princess of Cumberland, a prisoner in the rules of the King's Bench prison, complaining of her detention there.

Mr. Curteis presented a petition from Northiam in Sussex, praying for a repeal of the hop duty.

Mr. Alderman Wood recommended the taking off the duty on malt, by which he was of opinion that more beer would be consumed.

Mr. Littleton anticipated great advantage to the lower classes of the people from the relief of the beer duty.

Mr. G. Bennet recommended to take the tax off the beer, and lay it on the malt.

Mr. Curteis thought the petitioners were at least entitled to a committee for inquiry into their distress. The petition was then brought up and read.

Upon the motion of Sir J. Nichol, the marriage act amendinent bill was read a second time.

The house then went into a com

mittee on the Scotch creditors' bill, which was ordered to be reported to-morrow.

A conversation passed between Mr. G. Bennet, Mr. Peel, and Mr. Holford, upon the state of health in the Penitentiary at Milbank.

Mr. S. Rice presented a petition from the tanners of the city of Limerick, against the mode of collecting the leather-tax.-Laid on the table, and ordered to be printed.

After some conversation upon the subject of Mr. Abercromby's motion, it was fixed for Wednesday next.

Mr. Whitmore presented a petition from a number of merchants and traders, praying for an equalization of the duties of East and West India sugars : upon the grounds, that the reasons of levying the protecting duty had ceasedthat the advantage is unfair at the expense of East India—that keeping up the price of sugar prevents its consumption-that the use of sugar as a dead weight to ships returning from India is essentialthat the advantage to England of meeting the wants of 100 millions is so much greater than of 7 or 800,000. Laid on the table.

On the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the house resolved itself into a committee of supply, for the purpose of considering the resolutions for the reduction of the national debt.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer proposed a series of resolutions relative to the remodelling of the sinking fund. The resolutions were as follows. The right hon. gentleman concluded by moving the first of them.

"That it is the opinion of this committee, that the payment of

all

all sums of money which now are charged upon and issuable out of the consolidated fund of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to the commissioners for the reduction of the national debt, should, upon and after the 5th day of April, 1823, cease and determine.

"That it is the opinion of this committee, that all capital stock and annuities, for terms of years (save and except the capital stock arising from donations and bequests, towards reducing the national debt,) which on the 5th day of April, 1823, shall stand in the names of the commissioners for the reduction of the national debt, in the books of the governor and company of the Bank of England; or of the South Sea company; or of the Bank of Ireland, either on account of the sinking fund, or for the purchase of life annuities, should, from and after the 5th day of April, 1823, be cancelled in the books of the said banks, and South Sea company, respectively and the interest or dividends, which would have been payable on the said capital stock, upon or at any time after the said 5th day of April, shall cease to be issued, or to be charged upon the said consolidated fund.

"That it is the opinion of this committee, that upon the 5th day of April, 1823, or as soon after as the same can be prepared, an account shall be laid before parliament, showing the total amount of the unredeemed funded and outstanding unfunded debt in exchequer bills, unprovided for, of the United Kingdom, on the said 5th day of April; together with the annual charge attending the same. And there shall from

thenceforth be set apart and issued. at the receipt of the exchequers of Great Britain and Ireland, out of the said consolidated fund, to be placed to the account of the commissioners for the reduction of the national debt, the annual sum of 5,000,000l. to be applied by them towards the reduction of the national debt of the United Kingdom, and which said sum shall be charged upon the said consolidated fund, and be issued by equal quarterly payments; the first quarterly payment to be charged upon the said consolidated fund on the 5th day of April, 1823.

"That it is the opinion of this committee, that it is expedient that so much of the acts of the 53d and 56th years of his late majesty, relating to the redemption of the national debt, as require that whenever an amount of capital funded debt of Great Britain and Ireland respectively should have been transferred to the said commissioners, as should be equal to the whole capital, and should produce an interest or yearly dividend equal in amount to the whole annual charge in perpetual annuities of each loan contracted since 1786, that a certificate and declaration thereof should be made by the said commissioners of the amount of the public debt, to which such certificate and declaration should relate, should from time to time be deemed to be wholly satisfied and discharged, and an equal amount of capital stock, standing in the names of the said commissioners, should be considered to be redeemed, and should from time to time be cancelled, be repealed.

"That it is the opinion of this committee, that no capital stock, or annuities for terms of years, which

after