should be glad to have an explanation. The noble Earl said there was not any secret article which contravened the engagements of the public treaties; what he would ask was this-were there any secret articles which extended or gave greater force to those engagements? The Earl of Liverpool said, he had no hesitation in answering the noble lord in his own words-that there was no secret article to extend or give greater force to the engagements which would be found in the papers in the possession of the house. The conversation then dropped, and the house adjourned to the 10th of April next.

House of Commons, March 26.The Speaker was summoned to attend in the House of Lords, to hear the Royal assent given by commission to several private and other bills.

Petitions were presented against the Roman Catholic claims-the insolvent debtors' act--the representation of Sligo-the taxation of Dublin-the injury sustained by alterations in the currency-the Irish linen duties.

Mr. Dawson laid on the table the reports of the Royal Society relating to gas. Ordered to be printed.

Mr. S. Rice brought in a bill for the better regulation of charitable loan societies in Ireland.-Read a first, and to be read a second time on the 14th of April.

Mr. Croker postponed his motion relating to the British Museum.

Mr. Hume presented a petition from Mary Anne Carlile, praying for a remittance of her fine.-After a very long argument, in which the Attorney-General, Sir T. D. Acland, Mr. Peel, Sir F. Burdett, Mr. Willerforce, and Mr. Wynne took

part, the petition was ordered to be printed.

Mr. Canning rose to name the precise day on which he would lay before the house the course of policy which his Majesty's government had been pursuing with respect to foreign powers. The first open day after the recess would be, he believed, the 14th of April; and by that day he should probably have received the King's commands to lay the necessary documents upon the table of the house. Being upon his legs, the right hon. gentleman continued, he would just beg to confirm an answer which he had given on the sudden to a question the last evening. Upon an accurate examination of all the treaties by which the English government was bound, he found that his answer of the preceding evening, although given on the instant, had been perfectly correct;-there was no obligation existing between this country and France, or with respect to France, other than was to be found in the treaties laid upon the table of Parliament at the conclusion of the war-treaties which, of course, were open to the general inspection of honourable members. The obligations which did exist were contained in two stipulations-the one rather of a negative than of a positive character, to wit, "that the Allies should resist the occupation of the throne of France by any part of the Buonaparte family;" and the other, that" in case of any revolutionary movements taking place in France, the Allies should consult and concert with each other"what was to be the result of such consultation not being in any way stated.

Sir Robert Wilson begged to know whether

whether the first stipulation mentioned went distinctly to the exclusion of the whole Buonaparte family. He himself had only been able to find a stipulation against the occupation of Napoleon Buonaparte.

Mr. Canning said that the agreement, as he had stated it, would be found in the treaty of Paris of the year 1815.

Mr. Warre believed that he perfectly understood the statement of the right hon. gentleman (Mr. Canning); if so, it referred peculiarly to the treaty of Paris of the year 1815. Would the right hon. gent. then allow him to ask (in order that he might distinctly see the situation of the country) whether any thing had taken place at Aix-la-Chapelle in the year 1818 to alter the position or relations which had been established in 1815? He knew, generally, the nature of the transactions in 1818, the protocol, the declaration, and avowal of the sentiments of the English government, and of the Allies; but he wished to ask if any thing had taken place at Aix-la-Chapelle, in the way of agreement or stipulation on the part of this country, beyond a confirmation of the treaties of 1815?

Mr. Canning replied distinctly, that the country stood upon the treaties alluded to, of the year 1815. He had merely troubled the house upon the subject, because, having on the preceding evening answered from memory upon a very complicated question, he thought it right to say, that, upon examination, he found that he had answered correctly.

Lord A. Hamilton moved for leave to bring in a bill to abolish the inferior commissary courts in Scotland.-Leave given.

Lord A. Hamilton afterwards

moved "that there be laid before the house, a copy of any warrant, granted by the Crown, in the year 1822, authorizing any person or persons to elect magistrates in the borough of Inverness, in the room of those recently displaced by process of law."-The house divided, for the motion 31, against it 49.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer on his legs. He said, that by an order of the house made about two years ago, it was declared that no address to the Crown, having relation to any expenditure of public money, should be considered, except in a committee of the whole house. In conformity with this order, he should now therefore move, that the house resolve itself into a committee, for the purpose of considering of an address to his Majesty, praying him to give directions for the erection of two public monuments, to the memory of the late Earl St. Vincent and Lord Duncan.

The Speaker having left the chair, and the house being in committee,

The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved " that an humble address be presented to his Majesty, praying that he would be graciously pleased to give directions for erecting, in the cathedral church of St. Paul, a monument to the memory of John Earl St. Vincent, as a testimony of his distinguished eminence in the naval service of his country, and as a particular memorial of the important victory which he gained over the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent, on the 14th of February, 1797."

The next resolution, worded in a similar manner to the foregoing, proposed," that his Majesty should give directions for the erection of a monument in St. Paul's, in commemoration

moration of the victory gained by Lord Duncan over the Dutch fleet, on the 11th of October, 1797."

Sir I. Coffin and Sir G. Cockburn expressed their perfect concurrence in the motion, and eulogized the character and talents of Earl St. Vincent.

The resolutions were then agreed to, and the house resumed.

The military and naval pensions bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed on the 10th of April.

Mr. Huskisson moved for leave to bring in a bill to consolidate the existing acts relative to the registration of shipping. He would not, at that late hour, enter into a statement of the alterations which he intended to propose; that he would do at a future stage of the measure. He would content himself with stating that his object was to obviate the difficulties which were attendant on the execution of the exist ing acts.

Dr. Lushington approved of the intention of the right honourable gentleman.

Sir G. Cockburn took the opportunity of informing the house, that government had on that day received information of the manner in which the pirates, who had been captured in Jamaica, had been disposed of. Three of them had been executed; two others had been condemned to death, one of whom was pardoned on account of the humanity he had displayed towards English prisoners, and the other was respited, in order to afford him an opportunity of proving an alibi.

Mr. Hume asked whether the men who had been executed had been punished for recent depredations.

1

Sir G. Cockburn replied that they

had not. There had been no recent depredations committed.

Leave was given to bring in the bill.-The house adjourned.

House of Commons, March 27.Mr. Curwen moved for a return of the number of gallons of spirit distilled in Ireland in the years 1821 and 1822, and down to the present period of 1823; and of the amount of duties paid upon the same.-Ordered.

Petitions were presented against the coal duties, and from the secretaries of the grand jury of Monaghan, Ireland, for an increase of salary.

Sir J. Newport brought up the report on the Irish county treasurers' bill. The farther conside ration of the report was fixed for the 14th of April, and the bill, as amended, was ordered to be printed.

Mr. Thomas Courtenay brought in a hill to amend the laws relative to the maintenance and support of the poor.-Read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on the 28th of April.

Mr. T. Courtenay moved for a variety of returns connected with oru trade to the East Indies and China: among others, for

"An account of the shipping, number of ships, and amount of tonnage cleared outwards and inwards, from Great Britain to the East Indies and China, and from China and the East Indies to Great Britain, for the three years last past, ending the 5th of January 1823."-Ordered.

"An account of the exports of all goods exported in such shipping to the East Indies and China, during the last three years, ending 5th of January, 1823, distinguishing the exports to China from

those

dered.

"An account of all British manufactured goods exported by the East India company, during the same period, to the East Indies, distinguishing those exported as merchandise for sale, from those exported as stores."-Ordered.

"An account of all goods, the produce of China or India, imported into England, during the three years ending 5th of January 1823, and afterwards, exported, distinguishing the produce of China from that of India," &c. &c. -Ordered.

On the motion of Mr. Sykes, a bill to amend the act of George III., respecting justices of the quorum, was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on the 14th of April.

Mr. Alderman Wood moved that there be laid before the house a copy of Mr. Trimmer's letter to the commissioners of woods and forests, respecting certain slatequarries in the possession ofDawkins, Esq.-Motion agreed to.

Mr. Masterton Ure (having adopted the recommendation of Mr. Hume to insert the words, "and the amount of bounty paid for the same," moved for the following return:-" An account of the quantities of herrings and other fish exported from Great Britain to the West Indies, during the last ten years, prior to the 1st of January 1823, distinguishing each species of fish, and the quantities, the ports from whence they were exported, the places to which they were so exported, and the amount of bounty paid for the same; also, a like account of the exports of fish from Ireland to the West India islands, and the amount

Mr. Birch moved for returns, containing an account of the customs' duty paid upon raw and thrown silk, from the 5th of January 1822 to the 5th of January 1823; also for an account of the amount of drawback allowed on the export, during the same period, of such goods.-Ordered.

Sir Robert Wilson presented a petition from Southwark against West India slavery, which the honourable member supported by an eloquent speech.

After a few words from Mr. Canning and Mr. W. Smith, the petition was ordered to be printed.

Mr. Canning moved that the house adjourn to this day fortnight.

Lord A. Hamilton rose to object to the motion: he thought, under the peculiar circumstances of the country, and of the Continent, the adjournment too long, and moved as an amendment that this house do adjourn till Monday se'nnight.

In this he was supported by Mr. James Macdonald and Mr. Warre.

The question was then put, and the amendment was negatived.

On the question that the landtax commissioners' bill be read a second time,

Mr. Hume said a few words, expressive of his wish that the treasury should immediately instruct the commissioners that none of their clerks should, in future, receive any of the undue, illegal, and improper fees hitherto taken. Both the commissioners and their clerks were liable to prosecution in every parish where the exaction was made.

After which the bill was read a second time.

On