A bill was brought
in for this purpose by the excellent Henry Thornton, and it passed
through both houses without opposition.

CATHOLIC RELIEF BILL, ETC.

During this session Mr. Mitford moved for a committee of the whole
house, to enable him to bring in "a bill to relieve, upon conditions,
and under restrictions, persons called Protestant Catholic Dissenters,
from certain penalties, to which Papists are by law subject." A reform
in the penal statutes was at this time peculiarly called for, since
a large body of Catholic Dissenters had recently formally protested
against the temporal power of the pope, and his right to excommunicate
princes, or to absolve subjects from their oath of allegiance; and had
likewise disavowed the lawfulness of breaking faith with heretics,
and the power claimed by their priests, of exempting men from moral
obligations. The principles of the bill were generally approved, and it
passed both houses without opposition: the bishops themselves expressing
sentiments in its favour. Encouraged by this liberality of parliament,
the church of Scotland transmitted from the general assembly a petition
praying for the relief of the Test Act, as far as it applied to that
country; and subsequently Sir Gilbert Elliot made a motion on the
subject, but it was rejected by a large majority.

BILL TO AMEND THE LAW ON LIBELS.

On the 20th of May, Fox brought in a bill for empowering juries to try
the question of law as well as fact, in prosecutions for libel. This
subject was debated as a constitutional right, and not as a party
question, and having obtained the support of Pitt, it passed the commons
with very little opposition. In the lords, however, it was objected to
as an innovation on the laws of the kingdom, and though warmly supported
by Lords Camden, Grenville, and Loughborough, the motion for the second
reading was negatived.

FINANCIAL MEASURES.

Previous to the introduction of his financial measures, Pitt proposed
the appointment of a committee to inquire what had been the amount of
the income and expenditure during the last five years, and what they
might be expected to be in future; and also what alterations had
occurred in the amount of the national debt since the 5th of January,
1786. This committee made its report on the 10th of May, when
it appeared that the annual income had been L16,030,285, and the
expenditure, including L1,000,000 for liquidating the national
debt, L