House Of Commons.

Mr . Bastard spoke at some length against the clause , and reprobated the idea of the Merchants of London applying to Ministers for the purpose of obtaining discount from the Bank . ' O ye mighty , ' said the Hon . Gentleman , ' how are ye fallen 1 ' He advised the merchants , as well as the Bank , to look to their own concerns themselves , and not depend upon the assistance of any government to bolster them up . Their application , if they wanted any assistance , ought to have been made to that House ; he knew of no other legal authority to apply to , nor would he ever consent that the authority of the House should be superseded by

the Ministers of Government . Mr . Dundas contended for the propriety of indemnifying the Bank , from the period when the Order of Council first issued , and not from the time of passing the Act . The Committee having reported upon the necessity of confirming the Order of Council , if the House did not indemnify them back to the time when the Order of Council issued , it would be departing from the spirit of the report . Mr . Whitbrea-d considered that the main question , with regard to indemnifying the Bank in obeying the Order of Council was , whether their conduct was right or wrong in so doing ? Till he had an opportunity of forming a judgment on the propriety of the Bank , he should not vote for indetnnifvin ? them .

Mr . Sheridan thought there was the same propriety in indemnifying the members of the Council as the Bank , and that the latter had no more right than the former to indemnification . He did not see why bankers were not equally entitled to an indemnity against persons abroad insisting on having money . Were merchants and bankers to be left in a situation of either committing an Act of Insolvency , or ' of procuring specie at all risques , in order to answer the demands of their creditors ? With regard to the discount of the Bank , he thought it should be liberal , and he wished they were repaid the debt due from the Public , in order to enable

them to be more so . The Attorney General declared , that of all the measures he had ever been concerned in , he was free to confess the present was the most momentous , and he hoped both sides of the House would determine to treat it with all that temper , coolness , and candour , which its importance deserved . He begged seriously to recommend the House to lay aside all party motives and political differences , or the consequences might be fatal to the interest of the country at large . Mr . W . SmithMr . Pollenand Lord George Cavendish opposed the

Indem-, , nity Clause ; Lord Hawkesbury and the Solicitor-General defended it . The question , on the first clause , was then put , and the same was carried without a division . On the clause , for the Repeal of the Bill during the present Session , beingread from the Chair ,

Sir W . Pulteuey thought the precise time for the repeal of the Bill ought to he fixed . He had no idea of the continuance of the Bill for any length of time . He by no means despaired of the resources of the country ; he knew they were actually great ; and thought that energy alone was wanting to draw them forth with effect . He had no doubt but something effectual might be done in a month , to remove us from our present alarming situation . Mr . Pitt said , that as several Gentlemen had expressed a desire of bringing forward clausesand as they could not conveniently be discussed at that late hourhe

, , thought the most agreeable course of proceeding would be for the Committee toreport progress , and ask leave to s ' t again on Friday ; which was accordingly done . Thursday , 23 . Colonel Stanley moved for leave to bring in a Bill to increase the allowance of debtors in confinement from . id . to 6 d . a day , which was granted . Mr . Fox made his promised motion respecting the state of Ireland . The speech with which he prefaced his motion , was to the following effect : ' The businessSirwhich I am about to bring before the House is onenot only of

, , . , great importance in its nature , but of great urgency in point of time . Sir , in the year 17 S 2 , very great discontents existed in Ireland , and it appeared to me to be indispensably necessary to recognize the complete independence of Ireland . It is not now of importance to consider whether that recognition was a boon or a right . It is not necessary for me to discuss whether it was a right demanded by justice , er a boon required by policy . [ TO BE COSTISUliD nEGL'LARLY . J