An account of the ftock of wine in the poffeffion of dealers, on the ift of September, 1786, and alfo of wine imported and confumed between the 5th of July and 31st of August, 1786. Dealers ftock the 1st September, Imported between 5th July and gift Confumed between 5th July and Dealers Stock, the 1ft September, Imported between 5th July and 31ft Paid cuftoms only Paid excife and customs FRENCH. Excife-Office, London, 6th February, 1787. 90,148 164,326 323,188 Tons. Gal 1232 121 2579 149 A. LUCAS, ST. BROOKSBANK, M. WHISH, H. REVELEY. An account of the value of all goods, wares and merchandize, exported from and imported into Great Britain, during the year 1785. Account of the Commiffioners for the Reduction of the National Debt for the two first quarters, viz. from 2d of. Auguft, 1786, to ft January, 1787. Bank of England Debtor. To cash iffued from Exchequer from Au gust 20, 1786, to 31ft January, 1787 500,000 0 Six months intereft on 37,0col. red. con, due 10th October, 1786 Cafh in hand, and for quarters, October 1, February and ift May, 1787 The House adjourned. Tuesday, 13th February. £. 254,100 o o As the attendance of an hundred members could not be procured, for the purpose of proceeding to a ballot, the House, of course, adjourned, until Wednesday, 14th February. When fimilar circumftances occafioned their adjourn ment to Thursday, 15th February. Mr. Dempster begged leave, for a moment, to fix the at- Mr. Demp tention of the Houfe to the petition which he had the ho- ft. nour to present fome days before, from the civil and military fervants of the Eaft-India Company, praying relief from the acts, of which they were fo particularly and detrimentally the objects. The acts being read, he moved, "that "the Houfe do on Tuesday next refolve itself into a Com"mittee of the whole House to confider of the said acts." This motion, he remarked, was not without precedents on the Journals; fome precedents indeed were against it, yet much stronger in his favour, than any which he could fhow upon his fide; and of this nature was the petition complaining of the act relative to Maffachufets Bay, which the Houfe had refused to hear; a moft unfortunate denial, and, in his opinion, one dreadful fource of those irretrievable calamities of war which followed in America. Mr. Dundas objected against the irregularity of the pre- Mr. Dundas fent motion, though he had no defire to avoid a debate on the fubject. On the contrary, he gloried in being inftrumental in paffing (and this with the confent of the Company, who, doubtlefs, were intitled to prefcribe conditions to their fervants) the act, of which many individuals of the civil and military line in the East Indies fo vehemently complained. Mr. Dempfler averred, that the Company had no right to Mr. Dempbarter away the rights and privileges of their fervants, which fter. they enjoyed in common with their fellow-fubjects. On this point he was ready, at any time, to meet the learned and right honourable gentleman. He was willing, however, to withdraw his motion for the prefent; but on Tuesday next he would move, "That the agents for the petitioners "be heard at the bar by themselves or their counsel." Mr. Dempfter then withdrew his motion. Mr. Mr. Chan Mr. Chancellor Pitt moved for leave to bring in a bill for sellor Pitt. the more effectual fuppreffion of unlawful lotteries. Mr. Fox. Mr. Chan He faid it was precisely the fame with the bill formerly paffed, except that it included the amendments of the Lords. The bill was accordingly brought in, and being read a first and fecond time, it was committed. On the clause being read for making it lawful to insure whole tickets, Mr. Fox remarked, that although allowing that it was somewhat lefs reprehenfible than before, he fhould object to the clause in toto. It was very remarkable, that not one reafon had ever been affigned for the introduction of the clause at all, and most undoubtedly it would give a pretence for keeping an infurance-office under the colour of law. For his part, he discovered no argument against infuring fhares, which did not apply to whole tickets, except that the evil was not fo extenfive. He would therefore take the fenfe of the House upon the fubject: and the rather, because as the bill now stood, it might be abufed, there being nothing in it to prevent a number of perfons buying one ticket and infuring it as often as they chofe; for, who was to inform against them, fince it was the intereft of the officekeeper to connive at the abufe? Mr. Chancellor Pitt answered, that he could not imaginę cellor Pitt. how, by this claufe, indifcriminate infurance could be authorised or encouraged, as it was exprefsly provided by it, that every ticket insured fhould be infured for the whole drawing of the lottery from the day of fuch insurance, and fhould be depofited in fome place appointed, or to be appointed, by the Commiffioners of the lottery for that purpose. Mr. Ald. Mr. Alderman Townsend wifhed to put a stop to infuring altogether. It was a fact, well known to every magistrate both in town and country, that many of the felonies tried before them were perpetrated in confequence of difappointments and loffes incurred by adventuring in lotteries. Such was the common cafe with infatuated wretches who meant honestly to return what they purloined, if their good luck had but enabled them to exhibit fuch a ftriking example of integrity! It was alfo well understood, that lotteries were intended merely as jobs or douceurs for the friends of the Mir nifter. He well knew there were fuch officers as Commiffioners, a Secretary, &c. but he had rather vote them the money for their falaries than vote a lottery. He loved to speak out, and perhaps the true reafon for continuing lotte ries was, that Minifters night hold their influence by diftributing lottery tickets to the loan fubfcribers. So extremely therefore was he anxious, that rather than debauch in this manner |