because the right honorable gentleman well knew, that when he felt himself on right grounds, this spirit was not apt to weigh much with him. He declared besides, that he should have answered with equal hostility, had not some time elapsed, and his feeling subsided. The point in contest between them was, whether they were likely to have a reduction of the expenditure next year, so as to provide for the surplus of a million ? In the whole of the right honorable gentleman's system, there did not seem the spirit of making a reduction likely to bring the expenditure within, or even nearly within the estimate of the committee of 1786. How was he to make it? Was the army to be reduced? Or the ordnance prodigality to be curbed? High sounding sentences of prosperity, were very pleasing to the ear; but in matter of figures and account, the subject must be more closely examined, and he should continue to repeat that our income was not equal to our expenditure, till it was proved to be equal. With regard to lotteries, he had, perhaps, had greater opportunity of knowing their bad consequences than most gentlemen. He was persuaded that if those consequences were as well understood by the committee in general, there could be but one opinion on the subject. Having brought in a plan for the regulation of the police of Westminster, which the right honorable gentleman would not reproach him with having abandoned (as it was abandoned by administration, and not by him) he had come at facts which proved that lotteries were most fatal in their consequences. Mr. Sheridan explained this declaration relative to the police of Westminster, by stating, that a plan for regulating that police, had been framed by a barrister, and brought forward from Lord Sydney's office; that he had cordially assisted in making it, and given every help in his power, though it was not to be known that he did so, nor was he to derive any credit from it that he necessarily had many conferen

ces with the Westminster justices, and they produced to him a pawnbroker, who said, that he never had such a number of things brought to him in the course of the whole year, as during the drawing of the lottery. That first, the men brought their tools, then the women their clothes, and one thing after another, till at length they brought even the light silver clasps out of their children's shoes, and at last such a picture of penury, distress, and despair was exhibited, as must make every man of the least feeling shudder. That picture justified him in asserting, that let the profit acquired from the lottery be ever so great, he should reject it, as the base gain derived from a vile and pernicious plan of playing upon the worst passions of the poor and laborious rank of people. Perhaps the right honorable gentleman and the committee might think him too warm; but he could not avail using the strongest language of reprobation, when he perceived that our prodigality equalled, and even exceeded our income, and that we were imprudently most serious in providing means of expense, when our enemies were sunk into a state of debility.

The resolution passed.

APRIL 21.

EXPENDITURE OF THE PUBLIC MONEY IN THE ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT.

Mr. Courtenay moved, "that a committee be appointed to examine into the expenditure of the public money, under the administration of the present Master-General, and Board of Ordnance, from the 1st of January, 1784.”

Mr. SHERIDAN expressed his concern, that he had not been present in the early part of the debate, and then proceeding, rested the question on three issues: first, that the noble duke had declared, that he would state the accounts yearly, and had not

done so for four years, till called upon to produce them; next, that he had put the public to an unnecessary expense; and, thirdly, that the estimate on the table was false and fallacious. When the corps of royal engineers was proposed to be reduced, the noble duke stated his motive for avoiding that reduction, and desired to use the men as military artificers. This the house granted, and the next year, the noble duke averred the men were totally unfit to act in that capacity; and he desired to have a new corps formed of artificers. The honorable gentleman had boasted, that when an account was called for, the Ordnance Board had presented one in a short time; but why was it not every year laid on the table, according to the noble duke's promise? After a variety of other observations, Mr. Sheridan next remarked, that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had commenced his speech with a panegyric on the order of that house. He was ready to admit that the Speaker was at all times attentive to the preservation of order; but he was not willing to go so far as to say, that under his auspices they might hope for a restoration of order, because he had some degree of respect for the memory of the Speaker's predecessors. As to his right honorable friend, whom the minister had, with a degree of illiberality, singled out as an individual instance of a member prone to go ab re ad personam, it was scarcely necessary to mention an acknowledged fact, and affirm that there was no person more free from personality in general.

The motion was negatived without a division.

ARPIL 23.

DUTIES ON POST-HORSES.

Mr. Rose brought in a bill for rendering perpetual the act for empowering the Commissioners of the Treasury to farm the duties payable on post-horses, which was read a first time.

Mr. SHERIDAN expressed his astonishment at seeing a bill, fraught with such danger, and introducing so new a principle, in the collection of the revenue of this country, brought in without the smallest previous notice. If such a bill were suffered to pass in silence, it might be considered as a very favorable precedent for extending the principle to other branches of the revenue; and, for that reason, he wished to call the attention of the house to the measure. What advantages the revenue might have derived from the new mode of collecting the post-horse tax, he was at a loss to guess; because those whose duty it was to bring such matters forward, at a proper time, had neglected to produce any account of its increase.

Mr. Pitt answered, that the alteration of the mode of collection had undoubtedly been of considerable advantage to the revenue, and therefore, he wished to render the act permanent. He did not mean to hurry it through the house; and if the honorable gentleman had any intention of opposing the principle, he would have an opportunity of doing so on the second reading. He had no objection to producing the account.

Mr. Sheridan expressed his satisfaction that the right honorable gentleman had so far acquiesced as to think an account necessary, though he could not help saying it would have come with more propriety before the bill was brought in. Mr. Sheridan then moved that the bill be printed, which was ordered, and the second reading was fixed for the ensuing Tuesday.

FEES AND PERQUISITES TO THE DISTILLING

OFFICE.

Mr. Whitbread having moved that an humble address be presented to His Majesty, that he would be graciously pleased to order the report of the commissioners, who had been appointed to examine into the fees and perquisites paid at the various public offices, to be laid before the house, so far as the same related to the Victualling Office, a conversation of some length took place.

Mr. Pitt opposed the motion, on the ground that no good reason had been given for the production of a partial report-and Mr. Rose, because it might tend to criminate certain gentlemen, who had taken an oath with regard to emolument of office.

Mr. Sheridan said if he had ever entertained a doubt of the propriety of having the report before the house, he was now convinced of the necessity of it. If any abuses existed, he thought it fully as expedient, that those who committed them should be responsible to the house of commons, as well as to His Majesty's ministers.

At length Mr. Hussey moved an amendment, which was agreed to-that the whole of the report of the commissioners, so far as they had proceeded, should be laid before the house.

EXCISE DUTIES ON TOBACCO.

The order of the day being moved for the second reading of the bill for explaining and amending the tobacco excise bill, passed in the last session of parliament.

Mr. Sheridan observed, though he had been obliged to abandon his arguments against the principle of the bill, from the decision of the house; the manufacturers of tobacco were so fully convinced of the injustice of the principle, that he had in his hand a petition from them, praying that the survey of the excise might not be applied to the manufacturer of tobacco.

The petition was brought up, and ordered to be referred to the committee of the whole house on the ensuing Tuesday.

SLAVE TRADE.

Mr. Wilberforce moved, that Captain Wilson do attend the committee on the slave trade, as an evidence.

Mr. Sheridan said, he should vote for the question of the right honorable gentleman (Mr. Wilberforce) though he was decidedly of opinion that it was the duty of that house to determine on the general question in the course of this session. It would be to the last degree impolitic, to leave it to the consideration of a new set of men, who might be ignorant of the information collected by the present parliament on this subject. He was convinced, however, sufficient evidence would be adduced in