House of Commons Journal Volume 11: 9 December 1693

Sabbati, 9 die Decembris;

5° Gulielmi et Mariæ.

Prayers.

Persons pardoned for Felony.

MR. Dolben, according to Order, presented to the House a Bill to repeal the Statute of the 10th Edward the IIId; whereby the Judges are obliged to take Security from Persons pardoned for Felony: And the same was received, and read the First time.

Resolved, That the Bill be read a Second time.

Frequent Parliaments.

A Message from the Lords, by the Lord Chief Justice Holt and Mr. Justice Rokeby:

Mr. Speaker,

The Lords have passed a Bill, intituled, An Act for the frequent Calling and Meeting of Parliaments: To which they desire the Concurrence of this House.

And then the Messengers withdrew.

Importing Thrown-Silk.

A Petition of the Governor and Company of Merchants of England, trading into the Levant Seas, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That, upon a Petition of the Weavers of London, and Canterbury, a Bill is now depending in this House, for the Importation of fine Italian, Sicilian, and Naples Thrown-Silk, which hath been read a Second time: That, as the Petitioners conceive, as the said Bill now stands, all Sorts of ThrownSilks may be imported; to the great Prejudice of the Petitioners, and all Persons trading in Raw-Silks; and especially to the utter Ruin of the Silk-Throwers, on whom a numerous Sort of poor People do entirely depend for their Subsistence: And praying to be heard, in order to propose a Means to prevent the Importation of those Silks, which are not desired by the Weavers.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the Bill for Importation of fine Sicilian, Italian, and Naples ThrownSilk is committed.

Ditto.

A Petition of the Company of Silk-Throwers, London, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That, since the making of the Act 2d of their Majesties, for discouraging the Importation of Thrown-Silk, the Petitioners, until the late Disappointment of the Turkey Fleet, met with very great Encouragement in their Trade; whereby many Thousands of poor People, generally the Wives, Widows, and Children of Seamen, were maintained: That there being a Bill now depending in the House, for the Importation of Italian, Sicilian, and Naples Thrown-Silk, during the present War with France, contrary to the true Intent of the said Act, the said Bill, in case it should pass, as now penned, would utterly ruin the Petitioners said Trade: And praying to be heard against the said Bill.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the Bill for Importation of fine Sicilian, Italian, and Naples Thrown-Silk, is committed.

Merchants-Insurers Creditors.

Ordered, That Leave be given to bring in a Bill to enable divers Merchants-Insurers, that have sustained great Losses by the present War with France, the better to satisfy their several Creditors.

Execution of Justice in Wales.

Ordered, That Leave be given to bring in a Bill for the better Execution of Justice within the Principality and Dominion of Wales: And that Mr. Price do prepare, and bring in, the same.

Dove-houses.

A Motion being made, and the Question being put, That Leave be given to bring in a Bill for restraining the Building, and Number, of Dove-houses and Dove-cotes;

It passed in the Negative.

Supply.

Sir Thomas Littleton reported from the Committee of the whole House, to whom it was referred to consider further of the Supply to be granted to their Majesties, for the Maintenance of the Fleet, and for raising the Money deficient upon the Million-Bill, and Bill for Review of the Quarterly Poll, the Resolutions of the said Committee: The which he read in his Place; and afterwards delivered in at the Clerk's Table: Where the same were read; and are as followeth; viz.

Resolved, That it is the Opinion of this Committee, That the Sum of One hundred Eighteen thousand Five hundred and Six Pounds, Five Shillings, and Ten-pence, be raised, for supplying the Deficiency of the Money granted by an Act, intituled, An Act for granting to their Majesties certain Rates and Duties of Excise upon Beer, Ale, and other Liquors, for securing certain Recompences and Advantages, in the said Act mentioned, to such Persons as shall voluntarily advance the Sum of Ten hundred Thousand Pounds, towards carrying on the War against France, by enlarging the Time for Persons to pay in the same.

Resolved, That it is the Opinion of this Committee, That, towards the raising of Money for the Maintenance . . . the Fleet, any Persons be at Liberty to add a Second Life to the Life that is, or shall be, nominated upon the Act, intituled, An Act for granting to their Majesties certain Rates and Duties of Excise upon Beer, Ale, and other Liquors, for securing certain Recompences and Advantages, in the said Act mentioned, to such Persons as shall voluntarily advance the Sum of Ten hundred thousand Pounds, towards carrying on the War against France; upon paying the Sum of Five-and-thirty Pounds for every One hundred Pounds paid in, or to be paid in, upon the said Act; and for adding a Third Life, the Sum of Twenty Pounds for every the said One hundred Pounds, and so for any greater Proportion.

The First of the said Resolutions being read a Second time;

Resolved, That the House do agree with the Committee in the said Resolution, That the Sum of One hundred Eighteen thousand Five hundred and Six Pounds, Five Shillings, and Ten-pence, be raised, for supplying the Deficiency of the Money granted by an Act, intituled, An Act for granting to their Majesties certain Rates and Duties of Excise upon Beer, Ale, and other Liquors, for securing certain Recompences and Advantages, in the said Act mentioned, to such Persons as shall voluntarily advance the Sum of Ten hundred thousand Pounds, towards carrying on the War against France; by enlarging the Time for Persons to pay in the same.

The Second of the said Resolutions being read a Second time;

Resolved, That the Matter of the said Resolution be re-committed to the further Consideration of the said Committee of the whole House, to whom it is referred to consider further of Ways and Means for raising the Supply to be granted to their Majesties, for the Maintenance of the Fleet.

Receipts, &c. of Revenue.

Mr. Foley, from the Commissioners for taking the publick Accounts, presented to the House an Account of all Receipts, Issues, and Payments of the publick Revenue, from Michaelmas1692, to Michaelmas 1693.

Ordered, That the said Account do lie upon the Table.

Secret Service, &c.

Mr. Harley, from the Commissioners for taking the publick Accounts, presented to the House a Return from the said Commissioners, in Obedience to an Order of this House, of the 18th Day of November last, requiring an Account of Monies issued and paid for secret Service, and to Members of Parliament:

And the same was read; and is as followeth; viz.

In Obedience to an Order of the Honourable House of Commons, dated the 18th November 1693, requiring an Account of Monies issued and paid for secret Service, and to Members of Parliament,

The Commissioners for stating the publick Accounts do humbly certify, That they have, in every Year's general Account, delivered to this House the Sum issued for secret Service from the Exchequer, or elsewhere; and that they did return formerly an Account of Monies paid to Members of Parliament by William Jephson Esquire, deceased, as far as your Commissioners could have it discovered to them: They also desire Leave to put this House in mind, That they did, in their preceding Accounts, represent the great Endeavours they had used to obtain a full Account of those other Payments made by him to Members of Parliament; and did return, in Writing, the final Answer, which Mr. Robert Squibb (who hath Mr. Jephson's Accounts) was ordered, as he said, to deliver to your Commissioners.

Upon the Examination they have made of Persons to whom Money hath been issued for his Majesty's PrivyPurse, or for secret Service, the Commissioners find divers Sums of Money paid to Members of this House, in Repayment of Principal and Interest-money, and Freight of Transport-Ships, and also to return to Envoys abroad, or to Members deceased: Which, if the House command, shall be delivered to them in particular.

The other Payments, since this Government, as far as your Commissioners have hitherto discovered, are as followeth; viz.

A Person to attend.

Ordered, That Mr. Robert Squibb do attend this House upon Monday Morning next.

Supply.

The Order of the Day, for the House to resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, to consider of the Supply to be granted to their Majesties, for the Maintenance of the Land-Forces, was read. And

The Question being put, That Mr. Speaker leave the Chair;

It passed in the Negative.

Resolved, That this House will, upon Tuesday Morning next, at Ten a Clock, resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, to consider of the Supply to be granted to their Majesties, for Maintenance of the LandForces.

And then the House adjourned till Monday Morning, Nine a Clock.