Martis, 24 die Januarii;
10° Gulielmi Tertii.
Prayers.
Distillation from Corn.
A PETITION of several Farmers and Maltsters,
in the Hundred of Harlow, Onger, Dunmow, and
Clavering, within the County of Essex, was presented to
the House, and read; setting forth, That, since an Act of
Parliament for encouraging the distilling Brandy, and Spirits, from Corn, the Petitioners have rented and sown
divers Acres of Land and Barley, with good Success;
but, since a later Act for laying a Duty of 6d. per Bushel
upon all malted Corn, they have met with great Discouragements; and, by the Wetness of the last Year,
great Part of their Crop of Barley is rendered unfit for
Brewing; yet, if Care be taken to prevent Exportation,
there is enough, and to spare, to serve the Expence of the
Nation, until another Crop come; but, if the Bill, depending in the House to prohibit the Distilling of Spirits, and
low Wines, from Corn, should pass into an Act, it will hinder the Petitioners from disposing of their said damnified
Corn, and so disable them to pay their Rents: And praying,
That they may be heard, by Counsel, against the said Bill.
Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table
until the said Bill be read the Third time.
Privilege— Petition relating to a Member.
A Petition of Jane Hungerford Spinster was presented
to the House: And the same relating to Sir John Williams, a Member of the House; who not being in the
House;
Ordered, That the said Petition do lie upon the Table,
until Sir John Williams do come into the House.
Ayre and Calder Navigation.
Ordered, That the Bill for making the Rivers Ayre
and Calder navigable be read a Second time upon this
Day Fortnight.
Claims for Prizes.
Mr. Parkhurst, from the Commissioners of Prizes,
presented to the House an Answer to the Petition of
Captain George Camock, formerly presented to the House;
and is as followeth; viz.
About May 1697, The Deer Garden loaded with
Wines at Bourdeux in France.
The latter End of June 1697, was seized by the Intelligence Brigantine.
2d July 1697, brought into Plymouth.
7 October 1697, The Ship, and 9½ Tuns of Wine, were
restored by Decree of the High Court of Admiralty, as
belonging and appertaining to Claes Whitemark, Oloffe
Hanson Jorne, and the Master, all Subjects of the most
Serene King of Sweden: Whereupon, so soon as the said
Decree was brought to the Prize-Office, an Order was
immediately issued out for their Restitution accordingly.
9th November 1697, Another Order was (fn. (a)) [signed,
and] sent, that Post, by the said Commissioners, to the
Sub-Commissioners at Plymouth, to cause all the Remainder of her Cargo to be unloaded, inventoried, and appraised, except the 9½ Tuns restored:
Whereupon, a Certificate was returned, That the Quantity of Casks landed out of her were but 663 Hogsheads
and 9 Half Hogsheads; which make but 167 Tuns:
Which Certificate was signed by the Sub-Commissioners,
and agreed to by the Custom-house Officers; for which
there was Freight paid, and no more.
28th January 1697/8. There was an Appraisement returned, upon Oath of Five Men (of which the Collector
of the Customs was One), That the said 167 Tuns made
out, when filled up, but 499 Hogsheads, and 4 Half
Hogsheads; which is but 125¼ Tuns; and then valued
them but at 8l. per Tun.
25 February 1697/8. The said Wines were put up for
Sale, by Inch of Candle (as the Act of Parliament for
Encouragement of Privateers directs), after due Notice
given, as well in London, as in Plymouth where the Wine
then lay, first at the Appraisement, as usual; to which
no Person offering any thing, the Commissioners lowered
them by Degrees, to 5£. per Tun; which not taking
Effect, they set them at 4£. per Tun, to advance 5s.
per Tun; and still the Merchants continued their Resolution of not bidding: Whereupon, they adjourned the
Sale; and, some time afterwards, having tried all manner of Ways to advance the Price, for the Interest of his
Majesty, as well as all others concerned therein, they again
gave publick Notice at the Exchange, for the Selling of
them; and then set the Price at 6£. per Tun, and offered
them publickly, to all the Merchants, at that Price;
which they, unanimously, refused to give: But, before
the Board rose, an Offer was made them, to take the
whole Quantity, and include all eager and decayed, at the
said Price of 6£. per Tun; which they accepted of, and
sold them accordingly.
29 June 1698. A Return was made of the Delivery
of the same, to the Buyer; which then made out but
485 Hogsheads, and Three Half Hogsheads, which is
121 Tuns 2½ Hogsheads; to which Return, both the
Custom-house Officers and Prize Officers agreed: And
the same Quantity is made good, in the Account given
in, at the Prices they were sold for, as aforesaid.
Note, The Loss in Quantity proceeds from their so
long lying on board; whereby the Hoops were
rotted, and, some of them flying, occasioned great
Leakage; so that great Part of them came out but
a Quarter, others One Third, full; and, in general,
every one of them wanting considerably of being
full; so that it took up 42 Tuns, or thereabouts, to
fill up the rest; for which, the Commissioners were
obliged to pay Freight, it being always the Custom of
Merchants so to do.
The Loss between Filling-up and Delivery, is but 3½
Tuns; which is but small Leakage, considering they
had lain near Six Months in the Cellars, after their
First Filling, and the Waste in Tasting, in order to
Sale, &c.
Note, further, From her first coming in, till she was
delivered, there was always Waiters on board, as
well for the Custom-house, as the Prize-Office, and
Locks kept on the Cellar-doors, by both Sets of
Officers, until the Delivery to the Buyer, which was
in Presence of them all; whereof they have returned
Certificates accordingly.
There was Direction always given, That the Captains,
or their Agents, might put a Waiter or Waiters on board;
join One or Two Appraisers in the Appraisement; and put
Locks on the Cellar-doors, until Delivery; if they were
so pleased.
It may be further observed, That the 6£. per Tun, with
the Customs, makes near 34£. per Tun; and that, for
the Wines lying at Plymouth, which is, at least, 10£. per
Tun Difference from the Markets in London; which, if
considered, is a great Price for such Wines, that had lain
so long in a perishing Condition; which rendered some of
them eager, and the rest palled and decayed, for want of
being filled up.
| |
Edw. Ayscoghe,
John Paschal, | John Parkhurst,
Mich. Cole. |
Ordered, That the said Answer do lie upon the Table
to be perused by the Members of the House.
Earl of Darwentwater's Estate.
An ingrossed Bill, from the Lords, intituled, An Act
for the more easy and certain Payment of the Debts of
Edward Earl of Darwentwater, by Sale of Woods and
Timber; and for enabling him to raise Money, for Discharge of Incumbrances, upon Part of his Estate; was
read the Third time.
Resolved, That the Bill do pass.
Ordered, That Mr. Ogle do carry the Bill to the Lords,
and acquaint them, That this House hath agreed to the
same, without any Amendment.
Privilege— Resusal of Sheriff to arrest a Member.
The House being informed, on the behalf of Mr.
Smith, Under-Sheriff of Middlesex, That the Persons who
amerced and prosecuted the Sheriff, for not detaining the
Lord William Pawlet, on the Arrest, within the time
of Privilege of Parliament, had discharged the Amerciament, and given the Sheriff a Release; and that
therefore the said Mr. Smith desires Leave to withdraw
his Petition;
Ordered, That the said Mr. Smith have Leave to withdraw his Petition accordingly.
Hearing Election Petitions.
Sir Rowland Gwyn acquainted the House, from the
Committee of Privileges and Elections, That, by hearing
the Complaint of a Matter of Privilege, and by reason
the Hearing the Merits of the Election for the Borough of
Ailesbury hath lasted several Days, and the Adjournment
of Committees, Causes depending before the said Committee had been postponed many Days from the Time
they were first appointed; and that the Committee had
directed him to pray the Direction of the House, what
was fit to be done in that Case, for the Ease of the Persons
concerned.
Ordered, That the Committee of Privileges and Elections be impowered, from time to time, to alter, in
Course, the Days for hearing the said Causes, as they
shall happen to be postponed.
Woollen Manufactures.
A Petition of the Governors of the Dutch Bay-hall in
Colchester; and also of the Bay-makers, Perpetuanamakers, and Say-makers, of the said Town; was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the
Woollen Manufacture is so considerable Trade in the
said Town, that the Poor thereof, and for 12 Miles
about it, have their Dependence thereon; but the said
Trades are so discouraged, by the Scarcity of Wool, that
great Numbers of the Tradesmen of the said Town have
set up the said Manufactures in Ireland; and those Trades
here are likely to come to decay, to the utter Ruin of the
Petitioners, and the Poor: And praying, That the Bill,
now depending in the House, to encourage the Woollen
Manufacture in England; and to restrain the Exportation of Woollen Manufactures from Ireland into any foreign Parts; and for the better preventing the Exportation of Wool from England and Ireland; may pass into
an Act; they conceiving it to be very effectual to relieve
them in the Premises.
Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be
referred to the Committee of the whole House, to whom
the said Bill is committed.
State of the Navy.
Resolved, That this House will, upon Saturday Morning next, resolve itself into a Committee of the whole
House, to consider further of the State of the Navy.
Victualing Fleet in the Straits.
Ordered, That Brook Bridges Esquire, Auditor of the
Imprest, do lay before this House his Exceptions, Notes,
and Observations, upon the Account brought him for the
victualing the Fleet in the Straits.
Committees.
Ordered, That all Committees be revived.
And then the House adjourned till To-morrow
Morning, Eight a Clock.