fortieth of his Majesty, intituled, An Act for making wet docks, basons, cuts, and other works, for the greater accom'modation and security of shipping, commerce, and revenue, 'within the port of London; and to make regulations relating to the said docks." The motion was, he said, one to which no honourable member, he trusted, would have any objection. On the contrary, he believed it would afford satisfaction to every one to learn that the London Docks, towards the opening of which he was about to propose certain regulations, were in so great a state of forwardness, that it was expected they would be ready for the reception and accommodation of shipping early in the month of September. The objects of the Bill which he proposed to bring in were three-fold: first, to afford additional facilities to the trade of the port of London; secondly, to provide Right Hon. William Dundas Secretary at War. Right Hon. George Canning ...... Right Hon. Lord Chas. Somerset } The Duke of Montrose Lord Charles Spencer .... } Treasurer of the Navy. Joint Paymaster of the Forces. Joint Postmaster General. William Huskisson, Esq.......Secretaries of the Treasury. William Sturges Bourne, Esq. Sir William Grant ...Master of the Rolls. Hon. Spencer Perceval ............ Attorney-General. Sir Thomas Manners Sutton ......Solicitor-General. for the greater security of that trade; and thirdly, to provide, at the same time, for the better security of the revenue arising out of it. The Bill would necessarily embrace a variety of detail, into which he would not now enter; but these constituted its principal objects. The regulations contained in it had been already concerted and planned by the Directors of the Company, and had met with the approbation of all those to whom they had been submitted. Leave was given to bring in the said Bill. It passed through the House without opposition, and received the royal assent on the 28th of July. The ceremony of the opening of the docks took place on the 30th of January following. THE BUDGET. March 28, 1806.* Lord Henry Petty, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, having this day brought forward the Budget, Mr. HUSKISSON took occasion to congratulate the House and the country on the pledge which the present government had given a pledge which, in his opinion, did them great honour-that they would adhere to the system of In consequence of the death of Mr. Pitt, which took place on the 23d of January, a new Administration was shortly after formed, consisting of the following members: Earl Fitzwilliam Cabinet Ministers. ...President of the Council. .... Lord Chancellor. ...........Lord Privy Seal. ...First Lord of the Treasury. First Lord of the Admiralty. ..Master-General of the Ordnance. 4 THE BUDGET. [1806. finance which had been adopted by his right honourable friend, who was now no more. The leading feature of that system was to raise the ways and means as much as possible, in such a way as to make them equal the supplies, and thereby to keep down the amount of the loans for which it might be necessary to contract. He was happy to have heard this pledge, because, from certain rumours which were current out of doors, the friends of that Earl Spencer..... Secretary of State for the Home Right Hon. Charles James Fox {Secretary of State for Foreign Right Hon. William Windham Lord Ellenborough Lord Henry Petty....... Lord Minto Earl of Derby Lord Auckland..... Not of the Cabinet. ....President of the Board of Control. { Chancellor of the Duchy of Lan caster. ..President of the Board of Trade. Right Hon. Richard Fitzpatrick Secretary at War. Right Hon. R. B. Sheridan.........Treasurer of the Navy. Earl Temple............. Lord John Townshend........ Joint Paymaster of the Forces. Joint Postmaster General. } Secretaries of the Treasury. Sir Samuel Romilly. ...........Master of the Rolls. .......................Attorney-General. Solicitor-General. Ministry of Ireland. Duke of Bedford................................................................Lord Lieutenant. Right Hon. Sir John Newport ...Chancellor of the Exchequer. system had felt a considerable degree of uneasiness. He then adverted to the deficiencies of the last year, and contended, that they arose on account of services for which no grants had been made by Parliament. This, he said, he did in order to shew that his lamented friend had not prepared his accounts with that negligence and want of foresight, which might possibly have been attributed to him, by those who had no opportunity of knowing anything of the matter, except from the statement of the noble lord. He complimented the noble lord on the vigour with which he had called forth the energies and resourses of the country, and congratulated the country on those resourses being such as to preclude every idea of compromising its honour, for the sake of a false and precarious security. MR. HUSKISSON'S PLAN FOR SIMPLIFYING AND RENDERING MORE DEFINITE THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS. July 14. Pursuant to the notice which he had given, Mr. HUSKISSON rose to bring forward his promised Resolutions, for the purpose of establishing a Plan for simplifying and rendering more definite the Accounts, annually laid before Parliament, of the receipts and issues of the Treasury for public purposes within the year. After expatiating upon the want of regularity, clearness, and precision, in the accounts annually laid before the House, in consequence of their not being brought up to one general date, the honourable gentleman said, the object of his proposition was, that the accounts should all be made out up to the 5th of January in each succeeding year, not of the receipts and issues for the year, but within the year, and that the surplus, if any be then remaining in the Treasury, should be carried to the account of the next year: also, that all floating debts due for the year, and not then brought forward, should be transferred in like manner to the next year's account; while the Lords of the Treasury should be enabled to issue out of the next year's revenue, payment for any bills so furnished after the 5th of January, for purposes ordered for the preceding year. There was also another proposition which he had to submit to the House, which would not only tend still further to simplify the public accounts, but effect a considerable saving to the public, by enabling the Lords of the Treasury to pay off quarterly a certain portion of outstanding Exchequer bills, and thereby to save to the public the interest that must grow thereon by longer outstanding, as was usual, while considerable balances were remaining in the treasury. This proposition was to perpetuate the taxes on malt, land, sugar, and pensions, which at present were voted annually, and estimated each year to produce about 2,750,000l. The produce of these taxes, instead of standing on a distinct account, he proposed should be carried to the Consolidated Fund; and that, in lieu thereof, three millions a year should be granted out of that fund to his Majesty, for the purposes to which those taxes were appropriated. He apologized to the House for bringing forward these propositions himself, being well aware that he wanted that weight and consideration, which could best give them autho rity; but he had submitted them to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and they had had the good fortune to meet with the noble lord's approbation. He thought it, besides, the duty of every member to suggest to his Majesty's ministers and to parliament, any project which he conceived likely |