manner, the morals of the lower claffes of the people, the money were voted by Parliament. It certainly would prove a great hardship on the Public, and a flagrant exposure of mercenary and corrupt conduct; yet he fhould regard it, as it would be far the better and the wifer alternative.

Sir Benjamin Hamet denied that the Minifter had any fi- Sir Benjanifter views or private intereft for himself or his friends in min Haniet. the lottery. The tickets were in fact set up to auction, and expofed to the best bidder. He was rather obliged, than otherwife, to fuch as were willing to take them off his hands.

Mr. Drake avowed himself an enemy to lotteries in gene- Mr. Drake. ral, but juftified the prefent claufe, thinking that every man had a right to infure his property.

Sir James Erskine reprobated the whole bill as infufficient to Sir James reach its pretended object. If it had been endued with the Erkine. leaft efficacy before, it would prove totally annihilated by the claufe in queftion. This claufe authorised the establishment of midnight gambling houses, in which the ignorant, the idle, and, what was far worse, the induftrious poor were enticed and stripped of their little property. To think that gambling could, by any regulations, be put a stop to in thofe houses, while they were legally established, was abfurd, and contrary to all experience; for the prohibitory claufes inferted in all the former lottery acts, were a mere dead letter for the want of information. There were undoubtedly a number of informers in this metropolis; but no number of induftry of that defcription of men could, in fo many houses, established by law, check a practice to which there were fuch powerful inducements from roguery and avarice on the one hand, and the hopes of fudden opulence on the other.

Mr. Pitt objected to the amendment, and argued, that it Mr. Pitt, was not neceffary for every bill to be printed. It was not of fo complicated a nature, but that gentlemen might eafily carry it in their minds, and deliberate on its propriety or impropriety, without feeing it in print. Mr. Sheridan perfifting in his motion for the amendment, the Houfe divided, and there appeared for the amendment 63, against it 94.-Majority for the Minifter 31.

1

The third reading was then gone through; the bill paffed, and was ordered to be fent up to the Peers.

Mr. Pitt moved, "That the House do now refolve itself Mr. Pitt. "into a Committee of the whole Houfe, to confider farther "of fo much of His Majefty's moft gracious fpeech to both "Houfes of Parliament, upon the 23d day of January laft, as "relates to the treaty of navigation and commerce between "His Majefty and the Moft Chriftian King."

Mr. Pelham required fome previous explanations on certain Mr. Pelhama points, particularly relating to the convention, before the VOL. XXI.

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House

Mr. Fox.

Mr. Chan

House went into a Committee on the confideration of the feveral particulars of the treaty.

On the question being put that this claufe ftand part of the bill, the Committee divided, when there appeared, Ayes, 88; Noes, 57-Majority for the claufe, 31.

Mr. Fox objecting to the motion, faid, that as fo few members were prefent, as the two ballots had ended fo late, and as the importance of reducing the duties on French wines was fo vaft, he thought that the matter fhould be deferred until a more convenient opportunity. Befides, what operated materially against the prefent motion was, there being no pofitive order of the day for it, and therefore gentlemen did not come down, having not the flightest opinion of its being now resumed.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt contended, that it was an unquefcellor Pitt. tionable fact that he had given notice of his intention to re⚫fume the fubject upon the prefent day, and he therefore believed that there were not three perfons in the House unapprifed of his intention to make this motion. He even was convinced that the right honourable gentleman (Mr. Fox) was not one of the three; and until he heard from the right honourable gentleman himself, that he did not expect it would come on, he fhould certainly perfift in his motion.

Mr. Fox,

Sir Francis
Baffet.

Mr. Fox begged leave to affure the right honourable gentleman, that, for his own part, he did not expect that it ́ would be refumed, although he confeffed that he knew such was the right honourable gentleman's intentions; yet, as he knew that there were two ballots, each concluding fo extraordinarily late, he did expect, for that reafon, the prefent motion could not me made. On this occafion, he felt it neceffary to remind the House, that a right honourable gentleman (Mr. Flood) had in the former debate promised to give his fentiments, which he then deferred from the latenefs of the hour; and, as he was not prefent, he thought this an additional argument to defer the prefent motion. He trufted, therefore, that the majority of the Houfe would. agree with him in the neceffity and propriety of deferring the present bufinefs. In his opinion, it might be brought forward more properly on the morrow, when there would, in all probability, be an attendance, which was indifpenfable to discuss and confider fo important a fubject.

"

Sir Francis Baffet obferved, that he alfo could, with truth, affure the right honourable gentleman (Mr. Pitt) that he was very far from conceiving the leaft idea that he would have attempted to resume the fubject of the commercial treaty, after the House had been fo long engaged with the two ballots; nor did he think it was becoming in the House to hurry a bufinefs of this important nature through Parliament with

fo

fo much precipitation; and he fhould confequently move for the prefent motion to be deferred until the morrow; that his motion was therefore, that instead of now, the words tor morrow might be inferted in the queftion. The motion being read,

Mr. Drake obferved, that as the fubject was of fuch im- Mr. Drake. portance to the country as to require the greatest and most complete information which could be obtained, he certainly thought the motion now propofed was proper and expedient. Befides, the Houfe had lately been very much engaged on bufinefs of the firft confequence, their reft had been broken, and their minds greatly flurried. This was another additional reafon for giving now his vote for delaying the prefent bufinefs until the morrow, although it was contrary to thofe votes which he had already given against former motions, and which he confidered as only dilatory.

The question was then read for the amendment, when the Houfe divided, Against the amendment 45,--For it 59.Majority 86.

Previous to the motion being made for the Speaker leaving the chair,

Captain Minchin begged leave to remind the House that Capt. Minfome papers were requifite for the information of members chin. on the fubject of this commercial treaty. These he wifhed to have before he was called upon to give his vote; for, without the information which they contained, he confeffed himfelf incompetent to decide upon the fubject. For this reafon, he hoped the Houfe would not think of refolving itself into a Committee, until they had thefe papers laid before them. Mr. Chancellor Pitt declared that he was aftonished to find Mr. Chancellor Pitt, gentlemen fo unbecomingly defirous to prevent the Honfe from going into a Committee on pretence of certain papers being wanting. If they were, they could be moyed for as well in the Committee as at the prefent moment, the next to which would introduce a refolution of the House into a Committee.

Mr. Sheridan remarked, that though the Committee fhould Mr. Sheriproceed without the papers, he did not perceive that any in- dar convenience could arife, but what might, in other stages of the paffing of this act, be remedied. Whatever vote they then gave, it could not prove fo decifive as not to admit of being retracted or corrected before the clofe of the whole bufinefs. The bill, after its commitment, must be reported; amendments might be then propofed; this might cause a recommitment, and again a report: it must be then read a third time, and afterwards paffed. In all these ftages gentlemen would certainly have an opportunity of propofing any objections which might occur, or alterations which they might

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wifhi

Mr. Pelham

Mr. Chan

cellor Pitt,

Mr. Chan

callor Pitt.

wifh to adopt, from any additional intelligence they might receive from papers they had to expect. With this conviction he did not entertain the leaft diflike against going into the Committee; but he certainly had a very great objection to the bufinefs being fo precipitately hurried through the House. On this occafion, he trufted that he fhould be allowed to exprefs his anxious hopes that the confideration of the commercial treaty would not induce the Houfe to forget the reinainder of the charges against Mr. Haftings. If the treaty were to be gone through entirely before they entered on the difcuffion of any other bufinefs, the affairs of Mr. Haftings might be referred, fo far as he could judge, ad cahendas græcas; for he understood that there were now above three thousand different refolutions preparing for the House to digeft; and he fuppofed that, during the progrefs of the business, the Minister would just bring in about half a dozen bills each day, and have them read a third time, for the fake of expediting a matter, which he held to be of fuch importance. He must remind him, however, that he could not, from past experience, flatter himself with the hopes of paffing the bill over fo glibly, as in every stage it was liable to meet with oppofition.

Mr. Pelham obferved, that he knew not whether it was in the recollection of gentlemen, that his right honourable friend (Mr. Burke) had given notice that he fhould take an opportunity of moving for the attendance of Nathaniel Middleton, Efq. and Sir Elijah Impey, at the bar of the House, upon the immediately enfuing day. As his right honourable friend was abfent, he should now beg leave to introduce a motion fimilar in its nature.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt answered, that he must object to the motion, fhould it interfere with the bufinefs before the Committee. If they did not pafs the refolution, for which he meant to move during the evening, but adjourned their dif cuffion, he could not agree to any bufinefs being proposed which might impede the determination of what he fhould have the honour of propofing for their confideration. But if the faid refolutions did pafs before the Committee fhould adjourn, he then fhould not have the leaft objection to the

motion.

Mr. Pelham's motion was deferred.

The queftion was then put for the Speaker's leaving the Chair, which being agreed, the Houfe immediately refolved itfelf into a Committee on the commercial treaty.

Mr. Beaufoy having taken the chair,

Mr. Chancellor Pitt remarked, that as he had faid fo much on a former day on the general principle of the bill, he did not conceive it neceffary that he fhould trouble the Com

mittee with any further obfervations. He had, therefore, fimply to move, That it be the opinion of the Committee that they fhould lower the duties on French wines, to what was now paid on the importation of Portugal wines. This motion being seconded,

Mr. Flood now rofe and faid, that when he confidered how Mr. Flood, great a portion of the day had been confumed in the difcuffion of various points, he felt himfelf in fome degree impelled to wave at prefent, the intrufion of his fentiments upon the patient hearing of the Committee; yet, under the conviction that the fubject which the right honourable gentleman (Mr. Pitt) had juft offered to their investigation was a of nature infinitely too important not to challenge their most serious attention, he fhould beg leave to avail himself of their indulgence, whilst he delivered his own fentiments, in the fulleft difpofition. to pay all proper deference to thofe of others. He would endeavour to ftate his reafons againft the policy and principle of the treaty, in as brief a manner as the nature of the fubject would admit.-His firft and chief objection to the treaty was, its being contrary to every principle of policy which former ages had adopted, which the prefent fhould preferve, and which he had trusted, the future would always require. He fhould confider it as an indifpenfably leading principle that England and France are naturally and invariably rivals. This principle must continue to operate fo long as Britain maintains the character which he has hitherto fupported, of guardian of the liberties of Europe. When fhe is content to refign this glorious diftinction, the may enter into as close bonds of amity with France as the thinks proper; and he feared that the relinquifhing of Portugal was a fymptom which prognofticated the facrifice of that diftinction. In fupport of this he would adduce an argument which was and would be always great with this country, and fhould be omnipotent with the right honourable member (Mr. Pitt.) He meant an argument of the moft refpectable authority; that which most men revered; that used by his great father (the Earl of Chatham) the illuftrious minifter of this country, when he refufed agreeing to the establishment of the family compact in the year 1762, and refigned in confequence of the rest of His Majefty's Council approving of the measure. His words were, That he had a rooted jealousy, a fixed antipathy, and an unalterable alienation of mind towards France, and that France and England were not merely rivals in commerce, but rival potentates. Now added Mr. Flood, if they are already rivals, how muft that rivalship be increased by a mutual emulation in commerce!-for nothing excites more jealoufy among nations than commercial advantage.