CONTRACTORS FROM PARLIAMENT.

After various debates on the iniquities practised by contractors, and
the badness of the provisions which they supplied, Sir Philip Jennings
Clarke introduced a bill for excluding contractors from parliament,
unless their contracts were publicly obtained by competition. In this
debate ministers were coupled with the offenders, and Lord George
Gordon, who afterwards rendered himself so notorious, declared that Lord
North was the worst of all contractors--he was, he said, a contractor
for men, a contractor for parliament, and a contractor for the
representatives of the people! Lord George advised the minister to save
his country and rescue his own life from popular vengeance by calling
away his butchers from America, by retiring with all the rest of his
majesty's evil advisers, and by turning away from his own wickedness.
The first and second reading of the bill was carried, but the motion for
committing the bill was negatived on the 5th of May, by a majority of
two, and it was consequently lost.

REVISION OF THE TRADE OF IRELAND.

During the month of April a committee of the house of commons was
formed for the revision of the trade laws which affected Ireland. In
consequence of the American war, a stop had been put to exportations
of manufactures, and a large body of the people deprived of employment.
Lord Nugent therefore proposed that Ireland should be permitted to
export all articles of Irish manufacture--woollen cloths and wool
excepted--on board British vessels to the coast of Africa and other
foreign settlements, and to import from the same all goods, except
indigo and tobacco. He also proposed that they should be allowed to
export Irish sailcloth, cotton-yarn, and cordage to England, free of
duty. Two bills founded upon these propositions were introduced, and
both sides of the house admitting the justice of the measures seemed to
agree in the propriety of adopting them. The great commercial body
of England, however, took the alarm, and during the Easter recess, a
formidable opposition was entered into by the merchants in all quarters.
Petitions flowed into parliament from every part of the country, and the
different members of parliament were instructed by their constituents to
oppose the measures. Many who had previously been disposed to give them
their support, in compliance with these instructions now opposed them;
but Mr. Burke, who was member for the great trading city of