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repeated occafions, fecretly expreffed their wifh for the aggravation of those evils, which they every where endeavour to use as a pretext and engine for exciting popular difcontent: they appear to have derived their principal encouragement from the preffure arising from the fcarcity; from the hopes of affiftance from a foreign enemy upon the invafion of Great Britain or Ireland; and from the expiration of the laws before referred to, which, from the concurrent teftimony from different parts of the kingdom, they acknowledge and declare to have been the principal obftacle to their measures.

Within a few weeks paft, and to the latest period to which the information received by your Committee can apply, their activity has been great and increasing in the metropolis and in other parts of the kingdom; every effort is employed that can tend to disturb the public tranquillity; and recent intelligence has been received from different quarters, which juftifies your Committee in believing, that at this moment the immediate object of the difaffected is to endeavour, by a fudden explosion, to avail themselves of the interval which may ftill take place before thofe laws can be renewed. The dangerous fyftem of a fecret confederacy, under the obligation of an unlawful oath, which prevailed in Ireland, and afterwards extended itfelf to Great Britain, has been revived, with additional precautions, for the purpose of eluding detection, and of enfuring concert, fecrecy, and dispatch: and it appears to be in agitation, fuddenly, by these means, to call numerous meetings, in different parts of the country, at the fame day and hour,, to an extent, which, if not prevented, muft materially endanger the public peace; and that among the perfons moft forward in inftigating these criminal proceedings, are fome of those who had been detained under the fufpenfion of the Habeas Corpus Act, and who have been recently releafed from confinement.

Thefe confiderations your Committee have felt themfelves bound to fubmit, in the first inftance, to the wifdom of the Houfe, believing that any delay in fo doing would be attended with material danger to the country; and, for the fame reason, they feel it a duty incumbent on them, to take the first moment of stating to the House their ftrong and unanimous opinion, grounded on the information which they have received, that no time ought to be loft in renewing those measures of precaution which the wifdom of the Legiflature has before adopted; particularly the Act, for the Sufpenfion of the Provifions of the Habeas Corpus Act, and the Act to prevent feditions Meetings; which, while they remained in force, were attended with the happieft effects in preserving the public tranquillity, and which your Committee have the most confident hope would have the fame falutary operation, under the prefent circumftances.

[Mr. Pelham then moved, that the faid Report be taken into confideration to-morrow.

Upon this motion the Houfe divided.-Ayes 128.-Noes 31. -Majority for the motion 97.]

On Tuesday, April 14th, in the House of Commons, Mr. Pelham moved,

THAT the Report of the Secret Committee, upon the subject of certain feditious proceedings in Great Britain and Ireland, be now taken into confideration.

The motion being agreed to, Mr. Pelham then moved for leave to bring in a bill to revive the acts of the 28th of the King, for fufpending, for a time to be limited, the Habeas Corpus, and for preventing feditious and tumultuous Meetings.

After a long debate, the motion was carried without a divifion, and the bill brought in and read a first time.

On the question, that it be read a fecond time, a divifion took place.-Ayes 189.-Noes 42.

Upon the next queftion, that it be read a fecond time now, Mr. Curwen moved an amendment, by leaving out the word "now," and fubftituting a distant day.

Upon this motion the Houfe divided again.-Ayes, for the amendment, 34.-Noes 190.-The bill was then read a fecond and third time, paffed, and ordered to the Lords.

Upon Thursday, the 16th of April, in the Houfe of Lords, Earl St. Vincent moved the following Refolutions:

THAT the thanks of this House be given to Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, for his able and judicious difpofition of the force under his command, by which the Danish fleet and batteries, compofing the defence of the harbour of Copenhagen, were taken or destroyed, on the 2d of April 1801.

That the thanks of this House be given to Vice-admiral Lord Nelfon, to Rear-admiral Graves, and to Lieutenant-colonel Stewart, commanding the 49th regiment of foot, and to all the officers under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, for their bravery and gallant conduct on the glorious occafion of the triumph of the British force off the harbour of Copenhagen, on the 2d of April 1801; and that Admiral Sir Hyde Parker be requested to fignify the fame to them.

That this Houfe doth approve of, and acknowledge the service of the feamen, marines, and foldiers on board the fhips under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, in the late glorious victory over the line of defence and battery at the harbour of Copenhagen, and that the captains of the fhips refpectively do fignify to

the

the crews this acknowledgment, together with their thanks to them for their gallant conduct.

That the Speaker do fignify the above refolutions to Admiral Sir Hyde Parker.

That an humble address be presented to his Majesty, praying he will be graciously pleafed to give directions for a monument to be erected in St. Paul's cathedral, in London, to the memory of the late Captains Moffe and Riou, who fell in the late glorious engagement off the harbour of Copenhagen, and to affure his Majefty that this House will make good the expenfe attending the fame, &c.

[These refolutions were feverally put and agreed to nem. dif.}

Same Day, in the House of Commons,

SIMILAR refolutions were moved, by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and agreed to nem. con.

On Friday, the 17th April, in the House of Lords, THE Habeas Corpus suspension bill was read a third time, and paffed.

On Monday, the 20th April, in the Houfe of Commons, THE bill to prevent feditious meetings was read a third time. Upon a divifion there appeared for the third reading-Ayes 152.-Noes 35.-Majority 117.

On Wednesday, the 22d of April, in the House of Commons, Mr. Tierney moved,

THAT an humble addrefs be prefented to his Majefty, praying he would be gracioufly pleafed to give directions, that there might be laid before this Houfe a copy of a letter from his Royal Highness the Duke of York, commander in chief of his Majesty's forces, to the Right Hon. Mr. Secretary Dundas, dated February

28, 1800.

A debate enfued, after which the motion was negatived, upon a divifion-Ayes 45.-Noes 151.-Majority 106.]

On Wednesday, the 28th April, in the House of Lords,

THE bill to prevent feditious meetings was read a third time, and paffed.

VOL. XI.

3 T

On

On Friday, the 1st of May, in the House of Commons, Mr. T. Jones moved,

THAT an humble address be presented to his Majesty, praying that he would be graciously pleased to direct that there fhould be laid before the Houfe a copy of the inftructions to Lord Elgin, relative to the convention for the evacuation of Egypt; alfo, that there fhould be laid before the Houfe extracts of all letters which had paffed between Lord Elgin, Sir Sidney Smith, and Mr. Spencer Smith, relative to the fame convention, and also a copy of the last treaty between this country and the Ottoman Porte.

[The motion was put on the feveral papers, and negatived without a divifion.]

On Thursday, the 14th May, in the House of Commons, Lord Hawkesbury brought down the following Meffage from his Majefty: GEORGE R.

HIS Majefty, taking into his most serious confideration the imminent danger with which the kingdom of Portugal,. the ancient and natural ally of his crown, is threatened by the powers now at war with his Majefty, as well as the importance of the commercial relations fubfifting between the two kingdoms, and relying on the known zeal and affection of his faithful Commons, recommends it to them to confider of empowering his Majesty to afford, by way of fubfidy to the Queen of Portugal, fuch affistance as may enable her Moft Faithful Majefty to take fuch measures for the defence of her dominions against her enemies, as the exigencies of affairs may appear to require.

Ordered to be referred to a committee of fupply.

On Friday, the 15th, in the House of Lords,

G. R.

THE Duke of Portland prefented a meffage from his Majesty, fimilar to that delivered by Lord Hawkesbury in the House of Commons, on the 14th, refpecting fubfidies to Portugal.

Ordered to be taken into confideration on Monday the 18th.

On Monday, the 18th May, in the House of Lords, Lord Hobart moved the following Refolutions:

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THAT the thanks of this House be given to Major-general the Honourable Hely Hutchinfon, fecond in command, Generals Eyre Coote, Ludlow, John Moore, Earl Cavan, Hope, Doyle, Oakes, Finch, and the feveral officers who ferved under Sir Ralph Abercromby, for their fplendid and heroic exertions, when, in fpite of local difficulties, and the defperate attacks of a powerful

and

and well-prepared army, on the 21ft of March 1801, the British arms obtained a brilliant victory, &c.-Carried nem. con.

That this Houfe doth highly approve of and acknowledge the diftinguished regularity, difcipline, coolnefs, and valour displayed by the non-commiffioned officers and privates under the command of Sir R. Abercromby, on the memorable and brilliant operations of the British army in Egypt, and that the fame be fignified to them by the commanders of their feveral corps, who are defired to thank them for their exemplary conduct.-Carried nem. con.

That the Speaker do communicate the faid refolution to the commander in chief of the army of Egypt, and that he be required to fignify the fame to the general and other officers.-Carried nem,

con.

That the thanks of this Houfe be given to Admiral Lord Keith, for the diftinguished zeal and ability with which he made his difpofition for landing the troops on the coaft of Egypt, in fpite of all the obftacles which he had to encounter, and the activity and exertion with which he aided and fupported them in effecting the defcent, and carrying on operations against the enemy, &c.Carried nem. con.

That the thanks of this Houfe be given to Rear-admiral Sir R. Bickerton, Bart. and the feveral captains and officers under his command, for their cordial and effectual co-operation in landing and effecting their defcent, and carrying on operations against the enemy on the coaft of Egypt.-Carried nem. con.

That this Houfe doth highly approve of and acknowledge the fervice, of the feamen and marines under Lord Keith, &c. &c. -Carried nem.con.

That the Speaker do communicate the fame to Admiral Lord Keith, and that he be requested to fignify the fame to the several captains and other officers under his command.-Carried nem. con.

That the above addrefs be prefented to his Majesty, by fuch members of this Houfe as are of his Majefty's most honourable privy council.-Ordered.

THE Duke of Clarence then moved a particular vote of thanks to Sir Sidney Smith, for his various fervices in Egypt, and alfo to Captain Cochrane; but it was oppofed on the ground of delicacy to the other officers, and his Royal Highnefs confented to withdraw

his motion.

Same Day, in the House of Commons, the Chancellor of the Exchequer moved,

THAT an humble addrefs be prefented to his Majefty, most humbly defiring that his Majefty will be graciously pleased to give directions that a monument be erected in the cathedral of St.

3T2

Paul's,

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