When the House was defired to agree to the debt of the nation being as reported from the Committee, goool. were ftruck off on a motion of Mr. Flood, who informed the Houfe, that in the year 1745, a vote of credit paffed to permit the borrowing of 70,000l. and fome taxes were appointed to pay the intereft and principal. But that no more than 61000l. being borrowed on that vote, and the whole being paid off in the year 1753, the remaining 9000l. ought to be ftruck off from the alledged fum total of the national debt. This was agreed to.

Mr. Flood then moved, that the Houfe would not allow the fum of 53061. 13s. 2d. halfpenny, which had been paid in confequence of the King's letters, as a reimbursement to certain penfioners of the four fhillings in the pound, which were detained on their penfions, by authority of an act of parliament for taxing abfentees. This motion produced a warm debate; Mr. Solicitor General endeavoured to fhew that the meafure was both legal and expedient: that the Crown being willing to give to certain perfons, who had de ferved well of the government, the full fum which had been allotted to each, did, in that cafe, fuffer the law to take its course in withholding the tax, and then did order a reimbursement, by his letters, of the fums fo withheld; by these means both were fatisfied; the Crown by reciting the law in This letters, allowed it its full force; and thereby ordering a reimbursement, kept his Royal word with the penfioners, by giving them their full penfions.

Colonel Brown endeavoured to fhew the expediency of the measure from the merits of the perfons concerned. Prince Ferdinand had done fuch fervices that his reward ought not to be diminished; fo had alfo Admiral Hawke. That in regard to the Duke and Dutchefs of Athol, they certainly ought to have the full of their penfions, as it was part of the bargain for his allowing the Isle of Man, which was his legal property, to be annexed to the Crown; from which this country had derived many great advantages. The Colenel, indeed, was a little unfortunate, in regard to one of thefe reimbursed penfioners, George Charles, Efq; (the fictitious name under which Count Viri, ambaffador from Sardinia, holds one thousand a year,) fince no fervices could be, hinted at from that quarter.

Mr. Brownlow oppofed the above gentlemen, and fhewed that the giving back a tax levied by Authority of Parliament, and then making that money a part of the national debt, was an abfolute defeat of that act, and a railing of money

without.

without Authority of Parliament. That if the Crown had refolved to reimburse these penfioners, it might have been done without an infringement of an established law, by a new penfion of equal value.

Counsellor Hellen replied, that fuch reimbursement was not difpenfing with the law, fince it was allowed its full force; nor was it a repeal of it, as it operated upon all the other penfioners. That had the King granted a new penfion, that must have continued, and been provided for, for the time for which it was granted, whereas this reimbursement related only to time paft. And that the King's Letters reciting the act, was an acknowledgment of it.

Mr. Huffey very learnedly and eloquently thewed the futility of thefe arguments; he faid, the reciting the act in the King's Letters, was no more than an acknowledgement of its force, than his reciting the arguments of the gentlemen on the other fide of the way, was a proof of their validity, That in thefe recitals the Crown and he both acted alike; he recited the arguments only to confute them, and the Crown recited the act only to fhew that it would deftroy its effect, defeat its defign, and by an unwarrantable ftretch of prerogative, difpenfe with a law to which it had affented. That the Miniftry had advised the Crown to a fraudful meafure, take it in which light we would if the Crown defigned that thefe particular penfioners fhould be exempt from the law, it was a fraud on the parliament of Ireland, to affent to an act which he was determined fhould not have its due power on fuch perfons as he chofe to exempt: and if he defigned at affenting to this act, that it fhould equally bind every penfioner, it was a fraud on the Duke of Athol, &c, to whom the nation was engaged by way of bargain to have the full of the ftipulated price.

að

Mr. Charles O'Hara fpoke by way of reply, but was not attended to.

Sir William Mayne urged the illegality of this pretended power of difpenfing with an act, and the fatal confequence of eftablishing fuch a precedent. He faid, fome unexceptionable perfons were pitched upon in the Penfion Lift, to be reimburfed only to feel our pulfes, how fuch an arbitrary step would be relished. The Miniftry hoped the refpectable names would make the meafures go down; and then if it was once paffed over, it would be a flanding precedent for the Crown to difpenfe, if it pleased, with every Act of Parliament, and with the levying and appropriation of every

tax.

Pol. Reg. Vol. X.

H

This

This matter was debated till near ten o'clock; in which debate Mr. Flood, and Mr. Fitzgibbon on one fide, and Sir George Macartney, Mr. Attorney General, and Mr. Scot, on the other, were the principal speakers (except thofe abovementioned). At length the queftion being put, the House divided, and the numbers were, for not allowing the reimbursement, one hundred and fix, and on the contrary, one hundred and eighteen.

The Speaker then read the report from the Committee of the ftriking off the penfion of Jeremiah Dyfon. When the queftion was put, whether the Houfe fhould agree with that refolution, Counsellor Power re-echoed what had been faid in the Committee by the Provoft, in regard to the vaft merits. of Mr. Dyson, and wanted the House not to agree with the refolve. Mr. Connolly anfwered the Counsellor, and with much candour acknowledged, that being deceived by the machinations of ill-defigning men, he had brought in the augmentation bill, for the expence of which the four fhilling tax on abfentees was appropriated; but fince he had feen fuch perverfions of the liberality of Ireland, and fuch breaches of promifes, he afked pardon of the Houfe for what he had been cajoled into, and was refolved to put his negative on every additional expence to this kingdom. The Provoft spoke in favour of Mr. Dyfon, and obferved, that that Gentleman had the misfortune to have a name with which many people were difgufted; that his Jewish name was to many fo offenfive, that it clouded his merit, and might make him fing the Lamentations of Jeremiah Dyfon. Mr. Huffey, in the fame file of raillery, replied to the Provoft, that indeed it was very unhappy for any perfon to get an offenfive name, and that was the cafe here as well as in England; for he believed fome Gentlemen on the other fide of the House had names which were not quite fo pleafing to the public as they might wish.

Mr. Barry Barry and Counsellor Wood, Sir William Mayne, Mr. Malone, Counsellor Hellen, and the Attorney General, with fome others fpoke on this Question; and at eleven, it being put, there were ninety-three for difagreeing with the refolution, and one hundred and five for agreeing with it. So that Jeremy may now make his lamentation for the lofs of his penfion.

After agreeing to fome more refolutions, Mr. Malone moved, that the Houfe would the next day refolve itfelf into a committee of ways and means, which being agreed to, the Houfe adjourned.

Proceedings on Thursday, Nov. 28.

This day the committee of ways and means fat (Mr. Ma-, lone, chairman) to refolye in what manner the fupplies could be raised. They came to fundry refolutions, which,, when the Speaker affumed the chair, were ordered to be reported to the Houfe the next day.

In this committee there was no material debate, except on, a motion made by Sir Lucius O'Brien. He obferved to the Houfe, that in confequence of the vast importation of English and Scotch porter and ale, the Irifh brewery was greatly injured, that above forty thousand barrels of porter were imported yearly into Ireland; and thereby the confumption of our home manufacture was greatly decreased, lefs malt made, and confequently the tillage much injured. Lands which would turn to great advantage, if used for growing corn, are now either ufed only for pafture, or left uncultivated and unbroke up. That thefe forty thoufand barrels were fo ftrong, that they were equal to eighty thoufand barrels of Irish beer, and therefore he propofed," that an additional duty of two fhillings per barrel of 32 gallons, be laid upon all beer, or ale imported from any part of Great Britain into this kingdom."

This motion was violently oppofed. It was urged by the courtiers that the true way to make the Irifh brewery equal the British would be rather to encourage the firft, than to difcourage the laft. That Britain would certainly take umbrage at fuch a tax, and withhold the exportation of their hops, which, as no quantity grew in Ireland, would be difrefsful, and entirely ruin our brewery instead of doing it any service.

To this it was answered, that the English fold above the value of one hundred thousand pounds of hops yearly to Ireland; and that it was not to be thought, they would deprive themselves of fo valuable a branch of trade, merely because Ireland laid a fmall tax upon porter and ale.

It was then urged by the friends of adminiftration, that if they did not withhold their hops, the British Parliament might retaliate, by laying fome duties on the importation of Irith linens, which might be fatal to our chiefeft ftaple commodity that the brewery of Ireland was more hurt by the diftilling corn into whisky, than from any importation of porter; that the quantity drank was not very great, as it was not above a pint a man a day for eight and twenty thoufand men, which was a fmall part of the Inhabitants of. Ireland.

Proceedings on Friday, Nov. 29.

The Houfe being met, the report of the committee of ways and means was received, and read, and agreed to. For the current fervice of the year and parliamentary grants, many additional duties were to be laid on fundry importations. Six pounds per ton on all Spanish and French wines. Three pounds on all Portugal wines, and five pounds on all wines of other country growth.

To pay the national debt a loan was neceffary, and Mr: Flood moved that the loan might be of one hundred thousand pounds, and the reft might be made up from favings and repayments. He was fupported by Mr. Barry Barry, Mr. Ponfonby, Mr. Huffey, Sir Lucius O'Brien, Sir William Mayne, &c. but was oppofed by Sir George Macartney, Mr. Malone, Mr. Attorney General, Mr. Solicitor General, and Mr. Cle ments; the latter of whom declared, that there was but ten thousand fix hundred pounds remaining in the Treasury.

Though the debate continued till near ten o'clock, yet none of the speeches or arguments can be abridged, fo as to give either amusement or information to our readers; as they were all founded on calculations, fome of which were, admitted, and fome controverted backwards and forwards. At length, the question being put, whether the loan fhould be two hundred thousand pounds, or one hundred thousand pounds, it paffed for the former on a divifion: one hundred and twenty-fix being for the larger, and ninety-fix for the leffer fum.

A committee was then appointed to prepare the Money Bill, and the House adjourned to Monday.

Monday, Dec. 2.

This day the Houfe met, but did no bufinefs, being adjourned in less than an hour.

Proceedings on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Dr. Clement being returned for the city of Dublin, he took the oaths and his feat in the Houfe. The Houfe being refolved into a Committee, the heads of the money and loan bills were read and agreed to; and the Speaker having taken the chair, the Houfe received the report. The Marquis of Kildare prefented a petition against the erecting any new Bridge over the Liffey below Effex Bridge, &c. and the Houfe adjourned a little after five o'clock.

Proceedings on Wedzefday, Dec. 4.

The money and loan bills being gone through, the Houfe ordered Mr. Malone to carry them to the Cafle, to be laid before the Privy Council, in order to their being tranfmitted

to