House of Commons Journal Volume 12: 3 February 1698

Jovis, 3 die Februarii ;

Nono Gulielmi Tertii.

Prayers.

Ayre and Calder Navigation.

A PETITION of the Town of Skipton, in the WestRiding of the County of York, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the Towns of Leeds and Wakefield are the principal Markets for Cloth in the North of England; and it would be a great Advantage to Trade, if the Rivers Ayre and Calder were made navigable; whereby the Petitioners, and others, might convey their Goods by Water to the said Markets, which now they are forced to do by Land, to their great Charge and Trouble: And praying, That the Bill depending in the House, for making the River Ayre and Calder navigable, may pass.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table until the said Bill be read a Second time.

Ditto.

A Petition of the Justices of the Peace, and Grand Jury, at the General Quarter-Sessions of the Peace holden at Wetherby, in and for the West-Riding of the County of York, the 11th Day of January 1697, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That making the Rivers Ayre and Calder, in the West-Riding of the County of York, navigable, will not only be a great Advantage to Trade in the Towns of Wakefield and Leeds, but also to all other Towns concerned in the Northern Cloth-Trade: And praying, That a Bill may pass for making the said Rivers navigable.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table until the Bill for making the said Rivers navigable be read a Second time.

Ayre and Calder Navigation.

A Petition of the Inhabitants of the Town of Wakefield, in the West-Riding of the County of York, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That by the making the Rivers Ayre and Calder navigable, not only the Petitioners, but all others, trading in Northern Cloths, will be benefited thereby: And praying, That a Bill may pass for that Purpose.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table until the Bill for making the said Rivers navigable be read a Second time.

Ditto.

A Petition of the Town of Bradford, in the West Riding of the County of York, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioners carry their Goods above Sixteen Miles to the nearest Market by Land-carriage; which, by reason of the Badness of the Way, often receive Damage; and the Charge of Carriage is very great: All which Inconveniencies may be removed, by making the Rivers Ayre and Calder navigable: And praying, That a Bill may be brought in for that Purpose.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table until the Bill for making the said Rivers navigable be read a Second time.

Ditto;

A Petition of the Inhabitants of the Town of Dewsbury, in the West-Riding of the County of York, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth. That making the Rivers Ayre and Calder navigable will be a great Improvement to the Cloathing-Trade in all the Northern Towns: And praying, That a Bill may pass for making the said Rivers navigable.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table until the Bill for making the said Rivers navigable be read a Second time.

Ditto.

A Petition of the Inhabitants of the Town of Horbury, in the West-Riding of the County of York, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioners, who deal in the Northern Cloth-Trade, are forced to carry their Goods Forty, Thirty, and Sixteen Miles to the nearest Market by Land-carriage; which is very chargeable; and may be eased, if the Rivers Ayre and Calder were made navigable: And praying, That a Bill may pass for that Purpose.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table until the Bill for making the said Rivers navigable be read a Second time.

Ditto.

A Petition of the Mayor, Aldermen, and CommonCouncil, of the Borough of King's-Lyn in Norfolk, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the making the Rivers Ayre and Calder . . . . . will be a great Improvement of Trade to all the Northern Parts of England, by reason of a general Commerce thereby, which will render the Carriage of Goods much cheaper: That the Petitioners have considerable Dealings into those Parts; and are very sensible, the completing of that Work will be a general Good: And praying, That a Bill may pass for finishing so necessary a Work, as aforesaid.

Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table until the Bill depending in the House, for making the said Rivers navigable, be read a Second time.

Imprests to Burton and Knight.

Ordered, That an Account be laid before this House of what Money has been imprested to Mr. Burton and Mr. Knight, for Premiums and Rewards, for advancing Money, and other Services, since the 1st Day of May 1697.

False Indorsing Exchequer Bills.

Ordered, That Mr. Hern do attend this House with Mr. Powell's Letter, touching the false Indorsement of Exchequer-Bills.

Army Arrears.

A Petition of Captain Christopher Billop was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That he was Captain of a Company in the First Regiment of Marines, whereof Mr. Richard Harnage was Agent, who received several Sums of Money upon Account of the said Regiment, and refuses to pay the Petitioner what is due to him thereout: And praying the Relief of the House in the Premises.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the Petition of the Soldiers of the Duke of Schonberg and Leinster's Regiment is referred: And that they do examine the Matter thereof; and report the same, with their Opinion therein, to the House.

Fitz-Harris Estate.

Ordered, That Mr. Fitton Gerrard, Mr. Lambton, Sir John Manwaring, Mr. Blofield, Sir Hen. Hobart, be added to the Committee, to whom the Petition of Sir Edward Fitz-Harris Baronet is referred.

Woollen Manufactures.

A Petition of the Clothiers of the County of Gloucester was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioners conceive the Decay of Trade, and Consumption of the Woollen Manufactures in foreign Parts, is occasioned by the slight making, and great Abuse in straining them; which has more and more increased since our Trade has fallen into the Hands of Foreigners, who beat down the Price upon the Maker, without regard to the Goodness of the Commodity: And praying Leave to bring in a Bill to regulate the making of Woollen Manufactures; and to establish the Company of Merchant-Adventurers of England, so as they may be most for the publick Interest; and for encouraging English Merchants to become the Exporters of our Woollen Manufactures; to recover our ancient Credit abroad.

Ordered, That Leave be given to bring in a Bill for the better Improvement of the Woollen Manufacture: And that Mr. Stevens, Sir George Hungerford, and Mr. Colt, do prepare, and bring in, the Bill.

Escapes of Debtors.

A Petition of Thomas Woodward was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioner charged one Thomas Young in Execution for 506 l. in the Fleet Prison; but he is set at Liberty, notwithstanding the late Act against Abuses in Prisons: And praying the Consideration of the House therein.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the Petition of John Woodward is referred: And that they do examine the Matter thereof; and report the same, with their Opinion therein, to the House.

Ditto.

A Petition of William Puryour Glazier, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioner obtained Judgment against Tho. Young for 82 l. and charged him in Execution thereon in the Fleet Prison; yet the Warden of the Fleet suffers him to go where he pleaseth, contrary to a late Act of Parliament for preventing the Escape of Prisoners: And praying Relief therein; and that the Laws in such Cases may be made more strict and certain.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the Petition of John Woodward is referred: And that they do examine the Matter thereof; and report the same, with their Opinion therein, to the House.

Repealing 39 Eliz. against making Malt.

A Petition of Michael Heathcote, Edward Bowne, Anthony Storer, Edmund Walker, John Barton, Richard Roase, Robert Gilchrist, and Thomas Grace, on behalf of themselves, and several others, using the Malting-Trade, in the Borough of Derby in the County of Derby, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That some Maltsters of the said Town, who intended to ingross that Trade to themselves, having great Quantities by them, have prevailed upon the Justices of Peace to make an Order of the 10th of January last, to restrain and suppress the Petitioners, from selling any Malt, or making any, for a Year; which tends to the lessening of his Majesty's Duty upon Malt, and the Petitioners Prejudice: And praying to be relieved against the said Order.

Ordered, That Leave be given to bring in a Bill to repeal an Act made in the 39th Year of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, intituled, An Act to restrain the excessive making of Malt; and to discharge and vacate all Orders made by the Justices of Peace for restraining of Maltsters from making of Malt since the late Duty of 6d. per Bushel was laid upon Malt: And that Mr. Brotherton do prepare, and bring in, the Bill.

Privilege of a Member in a Suit.

Sir William Williams attending in his Place, according to Order;

The Petition of Henry Vaughan Esquire, relating to him, was read; setting forth, That Thomas Vaughan Esquire, the Petitioner's Brother, was seised of a real Estate of 600 l. per Annum, and a personal Estate of above 5,000 l.; and having Issue only John, and Infant, made his Will the 30th of June 1685, and devised his real Estate to his Son John, and his Heirs; and, for want thereof, to the Petitioner, for want of Heirs of Thomas; making Sir Wm. Williams, and Three others who are dead, Trustees: That Sir William was the only acting Trustee, and possessed the said Will, not yet proved, and Deeds of the Estate of Thomas, and received the Rents for about Eight Years; and about June 1696, John Vaughan died without Issue, or any Account had; and the Petitioner hath taken Administration to him, and Thomas, with the Will annexed; and was by the Delegates ordered to enter into Bond of 3,500 l. Penalty to pay John's Debts; which he hath paid some hundred of Pounds beyond Assets received by him: That Sir William Williams is answerable to the Petitioner above 5,000 l. for the said Estates; which he refuseth to pay, or deliver up the Deeds and Writings, insisting on his Privilege: And praying Liberty to prosecute Sir William Williams, as he shall be advised, for Recovery of his said Right.

Whereupon the said Sir William Williams declared, That he had not, nor will insist upon any Privilege.

Supply Bill; Malt Duties.

Sir John Bolles, according to Order, presented to the House a Bill to appropriate the Monies arising by the Act for granting to his Majesty several Duties upon Malt, Mum, Sweets, Cyder, and Perry, to discharge the Monies borrowed thereupon, and the Lottery Tickets mentioned in the said Act; And the same was received.

The Bill was read the First time.

Resolved, That the Bill be read a Second time.

Army Arrears.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the Petition of the Soldiers of Colonel Rosse's Regiment, which lies upon the Table, be referred to the Committee, to whom the Petition of the Soldiers of the Duke of Schonberg's and Lienster's is referred: And that they do examine the Matter thereof; and report the same, with their Opinion therein, to the House.

False indorsing Exchequer Bills.

Mr. Bartholomew Burton being, according to Order, brought to the House.

He was called in to the Bar: Where he being acquainted, That the House understood he had something to offer to them; he offered to them, and read a Paper; which, he said, was his Case.

And then he withdrew.

And then the said Paper was read; and is as followeth; viz.

To the Honourable the Commons of England, in Parliament assembled.

The Case of Bartholomew Burton.

Most humbly theweth,

That since his coming into the Receipt of Excise, which was the 8th Day of May last, he has duly applied all the Money arising in that Revenue, according to the Appropriations thereof; and that in the full Value of several Species in which it was received.

That, as to an Error alleged against him on one particular of Exchequer Bills, he prays he may make it appear, That his Majesty's Service has not suffered thereby, he having paid more Money in Specie for the Service of the Office, than he has received by that Revenue.

To make good this, he refers himself to the following Account; which he is able to justify by the Oaths and Certificates of the Persons concerned; viz.

By which it doth appear, he has paid 2,967 l. 4s. 11d. more in new Money than he received by the Revenue; and therefore hopes his repaying himself 1,700 l. in Exchequer-Bills by that Revenue, in Part of the 2,967 l. 4s. 11d. which he advanced in Specie, and supplied the Office with, for Payment of Interest, Salaries, and Incidents, at such times when there was no Specie Money in the Office, will not be looked upon as a Crime, there being still 1,267 l. 4s. 11d. more paid by him in Specie, for the Service of the Office, than the Office has made good to him; for the reimbursing of which, he only, had their Non-specie Bills.

That, for the Encouragement of the Subscriptions to the circulating the Exchequer-Bills, the said Burton engaged all the Friends he could, and undertook to manage the Subscriptions of some of them; viz.

Upon their depositing with him one-half of their Money subscribed in Specie.

This he presumed to take upon himself, solely for his Majesty's Service; being encouraged thereto by his Interest and Acquaintance with the Receivers of the Subsidy Act, and 12d. Aid, who had promised, and did exchange several Sums for him.

All the others he was concerned for, he undertook to take the Trouble off of them, in discounting their Bills, and paying the Money to the Trustees, they being at the Loss of the Discount; some of which have paid him, and the rest will, upon his balancing of Accounts with them.

That he, being obliged to attend his Majesty's Service at the Excise, was forced to make use of another Hand at the Exchequer, viz. Marryott, to transact his Affairs for him, That being the only Place where Receivers first lodged their Money; by whose Mismanagement, this Undertaking has fallen so heavy upon him.

That, for his Justification herein, he refers to the following Account;

He protests, He was no ways concerned, or privy to, any of Mr. Knight's Transactions in this Affair, nor with Marryott; further than that he left the Bills in his Hands to be exchanged with the Receivers, and not to be made any other Use of, at the same time acquainting him, There was a great Trust reposed in him; for those Bills might be made Specie by his signing them; but desired he would never do it; for if at any time he wanted Money on those Bills, before the Receivers did exchange them, he would discount them.

Ever since Marriott's first Detection, he has had frequent Solicitations, both from him and Mr. Knight, to meet about this Affair; all which he was very averse to, and most of them he absolutely refused: The whole Discourse which happened in them was of Marriott's Losses, which he alleged to be 600 l. per Annum; how to make them good, in which he promised Marriott should be no Loser by what he suffered on his Account. The last Meeting he had with them, was to procure the Signing of that 2,000 l. Note, to which he was very industriously solicited.

He humbly prays Leave to protest to this Honourable House, That this is the whole Truth of his Transactions in this Affair; and to avow, That no other Person is anyway with him concerned therein.

And most humbly submits his Case to the Mercy of this Honourable House, begging Pardon for any irregular Transactions in this Affair, he having in this, and all other his Actings in his Majesty's Service, denied his own apparent Interest for the Service of the Government; by which he now stands Loser, by the Alteration of the Coin, as by the following Account, the Sum of 14,225 l.; in which, if not relieved, must inevitably prove his Ruin; viz.

Ordered, That the said Paper do lie upon the Table, to be perused by the Members of the House.

Then Mr. Burton was again called in; and examined.

And then he withdrew.

Then Mr. William Huddleston was called in; and examined, touching the false Indorsement of Exchequer-Bills.

And then he withdrew.

Then Mr. Hern and Mr. Powell were called in together; and examined, as Witnesses.

And then they withdrew.

Then Mr. Hern was called in again; and examined.

And then he withdrew.

Ordered, That Mr. Bartholomew Burton be remanded to the Prison of Newgate.

Ordered, That Mr. Andrew Huddleston be remanded to the Gatehouse.

Ordered, That Mr. Bateman, Mr. Dorrington, Mr. Abbott, Mr. Herne, and Mr. Powell, do attend this House upon Saturday Morning next, as Witnesses.

Ordered, That Mr. Darby be brought to this House upon Saturday Morning next.

Exceedings of War Charges.

Ordered, That the Report from the select Committee, to whom the States, Estimates, and Accounts, presented to the House, were referred, touching the extraordinary Charge of the War, and the State of the Irish Debt, be made To-morrow Morning.

Privilege of a Member in a Suit.

Sir Thomas Travell attending in his Place, according to Order;

The Petition of Katherine Hodgson, relating to him, was read; setting forth, That Edward Hodgson Esquire, her late Husband, deceased, settled Lands in Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire on the Petitioner, for her Jointure; which he also confirmed to her by his last Will; and died, being the only Son and Heir of his Father Sir Thomas Hodgson, who also had Three Daughters; one of which Sir Tho. Travell has lately married; and has since obtained from the Trustees of Sir Tho. Hodgson a Conveyance of his whole Estate; and has gotten Possession thereof, and will not suffer the Petitioner to enjoy the Premises so settled on, and bequeathed to her, insisting on his Privilege: And praying Leave to proceed at Law, or in Equity, against Sir Tho. Travell, to recover her just Right.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee of Privileges and Elections: And that they do examine the Matter; and report the same, with their Opinion therein, to the House.

Privilege of a Member in a Suit.

Sir Edward Hungerford, attending in his Place, according to Order;

Ordered, That he do attend again upon this Day Sevennight: And that the Petition relating to him be then read.

Preventing Corruption of Juries.

Resolved, That this House will, upon Saturday Morning next, resolve itself into a Committee of the whole House, to consider of the Bill to prevent the Corrupting of Juries.

And then the House adjourned till To-morrow Morning, Nine a Clock.