moufly in its favour. After fo long a space for deliberation and judgement, what was now demanded? The motion before the House contained an answer to that question; it required an additional week. The fact was, that this motion went to no proper object. If by it, oppontion wanted to gain time for information, they afked toe fhort a period for that purpose. If it was their intention to protract matters to that improper length, which had been stated, they furely asked too much. In no view, therefore, of the motion, either in itself, or in its fubfequent tendencies, was it a proper ground of argument or of oppofition. Allufion had been made to the Irish propofitions; their fate had been mentioned with fome degree of triumph. But gentlemen ought not to forget that this very circumftance had aroufed the attention of the country to every fubfequent commercial regulation which was like to come into parliamentary difcuffion, and, amongst others, to the treaty concluded with France. The nation had awakened from its former torpid ftate on these points, and having taken the French treaty into confideration, had given their hearty affent. He spoke with derifion at what had been thrown out as articles of material communication, relative to the fufpenfion or abolition of the Methuen treaty in certain events, and confidered them as rather difplaying the pomp, than containing the reality of information. A diftinction had been established between the commercial and political advantages which were likely to accrue from the treaty. It ought not, however, to be viewed in these feparate lights. If it was poffeffed of real commercial advantages, thefe advantages would foon become political, and it would as foon become the wisdom as well as the intereft of both the contracting parties to contribute to its fupport. On a review of all the arguments which had been stated, and a strict examination of the motion itself, he could really fee no fhadow of argument to induce the House to poftpone the difcuffion of the bufinefs; and he was the more convinced of the propriety of his decifion on this point, from a confideration that would always have the greatest weight with him-that his conftituents had, after mature deliberation, given the treaty their most fincere approbation. They were people converfant in matters of commerce; they knew the fyftem of trade better than he did; and this was one inftance out of many others, in which it became a member of Parliament to truft more to the judgement of his conftituents, than prefumptuously to rely upon his own opinion.

Mr. Burke answered, that the compliments which were Mr. Burke. fo undeservedly bestowed on him he would forbear to return, as their scope and meaning were fo ftrongly interwoven with

cenfure,

Mr. Chan

cenfure and difapprobation. However, as he wished to ftand well with the honourable gentleman and the Houfe, he would only appeal to their recollection, whether, in the numerous debates which he partook of in Parliament, he was ever known to have proceeded to any degree of personality? The other fide of the house might laugh if they thought proper; but he was too much accustomed to that species of infult, not to be able to bear it now with fome degree of patience; and, indeed, he addreffed himfelf to the member who preceded him in the debate, and not to the chorus which furrounded him.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt remarked, that having fo many occellor Pitt. oafions to obtrude himself on the attention, and claim the indulgence of the Houfe, he fhould not, in the present stage of the debate, detain them for a moment, if he had not been called upon exprefsly to anfwer a question which was preffed upon him, relative to our negociations with Portugal. As to the abufive torrent of invective which had been so illiberally thrown out, he would not condefcend to answer it, nor would he even now have deigned to advert to it, if he had not heard the flimfy juftification on which the right honourable gentleman that moment excufed himself. The manner in which it was delivered, there were few who wifhed to recollect; and the matter was the more unjustifiable, as whatever perfonality appeared before in the debate, did not by any means take its rife from him. In abuse and perfonality to contend with fuch an opponent, was very far beyond his powers, and much more beyond his withes: there were fome occafions, indeed, when he found himself warm in debate; and for the most natural of all reafonshaving fo many topics of difcuffion in which he was materially interested, and peculiarly agitated; but fuch intemperate, grofs, abufive, and outrageous language as was this day made ufe of, furpaffed, beyond comparifon, the moft violent and injurious expreffion which ever escaped the lips even of that right honourable gentlemen, and consequently of any other perfon who ever fpoke within thofe walls. For his own part he avoided, even in the most hafty moments, the introduction of perfonality, not fo much from an apprehenfion of the confequences, which might flow from it, and the no less fo, when the vengeance was to be taken by the perfon to whom he alluded. Whenever he met a man whofe conduct had produced an unfortunate change of character, and whofe ill-temper and fpleen were proportioned to the difappointments experienced, and the odium which furrounded him, however fuch a man may be inclined by abuse and malevolence to reduce other characters on a level with the wretchedness of his own-though such a situation may

lay

lay claim to his compaffion, that fentiment muft naturally be blended with a portion of difguft.

A call of Order! Order! prevailed, and Mr. Fox demanded an answer to his queftion, when

Pitt.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt affured the House, that fo far from a Mr. Chanfinal and peremptory refufal having been given to our negociator at the Court of Portugal, a commiffion was now actually made out, giving the British Ambaffador powers and inftructions to that purpose.

Mr. Fox obferved, that nothing could be more ridiculous Mr. Fox. than the indifference which was now expreffed to the representations of his right honourable friend (Mr. Burke); which, though delivered in a flow and folemn tone of voice, was couched in fuch phrafes, as may juftly come under the name of infolence; and from the great fhare it had in a fpeech, confifting only of two points, feemed fully to contradict the avowed purpose for which the right honourable gentleman rofe. He then faid, that anfwer given not being fufficiently fatisfactory, he would afk, "Whether it was not "declared by the Court of Portugal, that they would not engage in any treaty with Great Britain, unless the duty on "their wines was lowered, in proportion to the reduction "which this treaty would make on the import duty of wines " from France?"

To this no answer being given,

Mr. Burke expreffed a very high fenfe of obligation for Mr. Burke.. the liberality which he experienced from the Minifter. The contempt, indeed, which he made him a present of, did not claim fo great a fhare of gratitude, as it was an article in which the right honourable gentleman fo copiously abounded; but as the ftock of his compaffion was undoubtedly but fmall, any donation whatever from a fund fo trifling, and of which there was fo little to fpare, as it had the greater merit, fhould be the more thankfully received.

The queftion being put on the original motion, a divifion took place, in which the numbers were,

For the motion, 213-Against it, 89.

Lord George Cavendifh's amendment was then put, and rejected.

After the divifion, Sir Francis Baffet moved, "that this "House be called over on to-morrow fortnight."

Mr. Chancellor Pitt faid, that from the beginning he con- Mr. Chanceived the motion for a call, as intended to answer no other Pitt. purpose, but that of delay. This object, however, being now defeated, he was at a lofs to conceive what good end would be produced by the prefent motion, and was himself indifferent either way, but would leave it to the honourable

member

member to convince the Houfe either of its expediency, or neceffity.

Sir Francis Baffet thought, as the objection of delay was removed, it became them to ufe every probable means of fecuring a full attendance.

The question being put, Sir Francis's motion was loft without a division.

The Houfe afterwards fat on the examination of Sir Elijah Impey.

And afterwards adjourned.

Wednesday, 7th February.

Mr. Dempfier obferved, that notwithstanding that the prefent day had been appointed for investigating the nature and deciding the merits of the petitions from India, yet as there was other business of great concern, and meriting the moft ferious attention, to come before the Houfe, he would move for poftponing the confideration of these petitions, until the enfuing week. He was then fully determined to take the opinion of the House relative to a subject of fuch importance. A motion, therefore, being made, for the difmiffion of this affair, until a future day, it paffed accordingly.

The motion having been made for the third reading of the lottery regulation bill,

Mr. Fox remarked, that he felt himself obliged to withhold his approbation from the defign to legalize the infurance. on whole lottery tickets, which, he understood, had given great alarm without doors, and was likely to open a road to infinite abufe by inciting and keeping alive that spirit of gambling among the lower orders of people, which it was their duty as much as poffible to check, and, if poffible, to prevent. He declared, that he did not wish to debate the bill over again, or to take up much of the time of the House, but the more he confidered the matter, the more he was convinced of the neceffity of actually prohibiting all forts of infurance upon tickets. He muft, befides, obferve, that paffing fuch a bill as the prefent, just on the eve of the drawing of a lottery, had a very unfeemly appearance, and. gave rife to a good deal of fufpicion. It ought, if fuch a bill were neceffary, to have been brought in during the course. of the preceding feffion, when it could not have been liable to the furmifes which naturally arofe upon the fingular period of time in which the prefent bill had been brought forward. At prefent there was every reason to imagine that infuring would increase with a fhameful rapidity if the bill paffed. He learned, from the obfervations of his conftituents, that the price of tickets had already been confidera

bly

bly affected by what had hitherto paffed upon the fubject; new lottery offices were taking, and there was every symptom and appearance, that the practice of infurance would grow inordinately. Under the apprehenfion of these approaching circumftances, he was refolved to take the fenfe of the Houfe, and oppofe the whole bill, unless that part were given up, which legalized infurances.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt anfwered, that it was the profeffed Mr. Chanobject of the bill to put an end to that practice of infurance cellor Pitt. of all forts, which, in defiance of various acts of parliament, was carried on with the moft undeniable notoriety. Such kinds of insurance were productive of the most mischievous effect to the community, without affording any one advan tage to the Public; that, on the contrary, the allowing the infurance on a whole ticket, would produce the folid advantage of making the Public gainers by the lottery, to the amount of many thoufand pounds, without producing any of the mischievous effects, which would follow, were general and unrestrained infurances permitted. With regard to the argument, that the bill ought to have been brought in during the course of laft feffion, the fact was, that a bill, profeffing for its object the fuppreffion of the practice of lottery-ticket infurance, had been then brought in, had paffed that Houfe, and was rejected in the Houfe of Lords; and, therefore, according to a parliamentary form, another bill, of a funilar nature, could not be introduced in the prefent feffion.

Mr. Fox contended, that were the bill to pafs, the Public Mr. Fox. would derive no pecuniary advantage what foever from the prefent lottery, because they had long fince made their bargain, and received all which they could gain. Hereafter, when another lottery fhould arife, they might gain fome thousands more by the original price of tickets, but at prefent they could not gain more.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt repeated his determination to perfift Mr. Chanin oppofing the motion intended to be made, as he confidered Pitt. the whole of the bill to be pregnant with advantage to the Public.

Mr. Alderman Townsend begged leave to bring back to Mr. Ald. the recollection of the Houfe, that the bill introduced, du- Townsend. ring the courfe of the preceding feffion, for the laudable púrpofe of fuppreffing the infurance on lottery numbers had been fhewn to Government, and was, in fact, their bill, though introduced and conducted through that House by an honourable gentleman and himfelf. It was a fevere, but a found remedy for the evil; and the honourable gentleman, who introduced it, was ready with him to face all the reproaches which could be raifed upon the bill, and all the VOL, XXI. L

odium