The National Register. — London, England, 1813-03-07 00:00:00

MARCH 7. ht r D. Gil:ar observed, that the greatest nosstbit good effects had !herto arisen from the Sinking Fund, and he conceived this plan a . likely to break them all down. Mr. FARING was of opinion that this riin shoal be laid before the Futile ; and they should have sut4cient time given them to cons.dei it ; that it should not be rushed into inconsiderately, or rejected with out consideration : it was not a plan, the discussion of which would produce any immediate shock on public credit ; hut it was one whi• h the 1-Luse, ai the guardians of public credit, were bound to consider in the fullest and most deliberate manner. Lord CASTLF.REAGJI and Sir 101111 N FAVPORT said a few wards, de• prccating any hasty vinclusioni b. ing drawn till the plan was calmly c;:its - deved. M r. TOORNTON was fearful such a rapil diminution of the Sinking Fund would li,tve r, mischievous effects on the funds generally ; he doubted also whether the proposed innovation on the Singing Futut was a measure which could be ream cited with pablic faith. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER answered, that the utmost Clinlitintion which the Sitdci; - g Fund could experience, would be '2,00 ,Otinl. even in the greate:,t year. Supposing the plan to be agreed to, the fund would diminish Foe a years,. till 1917 ; after which, as taxes would again he retorred to, it would be gradually augmenting. lie could .hew, that, by :he I.;an he now - , roposed, the debt contrac:tkd dining the war would be sooner Uquiclateci than by the law, as it now bt )od. After some fitrthTr conversation, the resolutions were ordered to be farther considered on Monday se'nr,;ght.—Adjourist.d. THURSISAY, MARCH I. Committees were balloted fort() try the merits of the Carmarmarthen and town of Penibi oke elections. THE PRINCESS OF WA I.F.S. On the SPEAK ER calling on Mr. Cochrane Johnstone, Mr. I. YGON said, he felt it to be a duty imperative on h:m to move the standing order, that strangers should withdraw. This notice called forth expressions of di:approbation from many Members ; but the Spe.iitcr, of course. telt it his duty to enforce the standing order of tile House, and the Gallery was cleared. Alter the gallery was elearcd. • Mr. BENNETT rose, and moved that the house should adjourn. Mr. Bennett': m-ttion was supported briefly by General Ma thew, and Mr. P. Methuen; and opposed by Lord Castlerealth, Al derman C. Smith, General Nlait (mid, and Mr. Poasonby. A division ensued, when the outfitters were,— Againq the ditjoutument, 21S ; For the adjsurnment 139—Majority against the adjournment, 109. ' The House acing ic:,urned, Mr. COCHR ANL jouNsloNE said, that as an Honourable Member opposite had thought proper to clear the gallery, he should not bring forwaid his motion that oight, but would reserve his right of renewing it at any future p , rind. Mr. I.VOON said, that whenever the Honourable Member renewed his motion, he should also renew his motion for the exclusion of all strangers. M r W. Wy NNE suggested the propriety of his Majesty's Ministers brieging forward some motion upon this subject. Lord CA ST ER ?AG it said, that the Princess of Wales having thrown herself upon the wiAlom and justice of Parliament, he did not feel it to be his duty to oriiiihate any motion whatever upon the subject. It was, liewever, pertCctly open to any Member of that House, who thc,ueht that the Princess of Wales had received any injustice of which Ler Royal Highness had a right to complain, to make such motion as he thought proper. Mr. WHITER LAD said he felt himself called upon to rise, and say a few words, after, what had fallen from the Noble Lord, at whose silence on a former night on this subject, he bad already expressed his surprise. %V hen lie (Mr. Whitbread) spoke on that occasion, he %vas i-norant who were the Members of the privy Council who had framed the Report in question. 'Since he entered the House, he had seen in an Evening rev shaper, what purported to be a copy of this saute Report, signed by 1!1 of his Majesty's Privy Council. He must presume that the letter of her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales related to that Report. The N ible Lord (Castlereagh) had already told the House, that when the motion of the Hon. Member (Mr. C. Johnstone) came nit, he should be ready to give certain details and ex plAnat :ons ; but t hose eetails and explanations he (Mr. W.) concevi ed would not convey all the information on this matter to which that House was entitled. In tact, the R , port itselfought to be laid on the faille. He ten:uttered it to he the duty of someof the Members of the Privy Council who had signed it, and more particularly of the roble Lord, who ,had also signed a report made m 1907, respecting the conduct of the Princess of 'Wales, and which was undeistood to eels e to !natters of the utmost importance, to take some step on the subject. Seme passages in this last Report appeared to him so ambigu ously worded, t hat !hey might be supposed to convey imputations of the highest cram oaity ; they were capable of being otherwise con strued. Wheeever the pr,:posed debate came on, he should fell it • his duty to express his s nti : ems freely ; but, in the mean time hr must observe, that having been neither an acquitter nor an accuser, and certaio; y non hoth together, of her Royal Highness, he was not yet in a sit;:htior, which he,ceuld, with propriety, enter into ti Fll4- THE NATIONAL REGISTER.' • • - cussion of the subject. He f. It it highly important that such docuo meats should be laid before Parliament to come to such resolutions n this case, as it nfeht stem to requite. Lord CA ST 1.11 tACH said he WAS not shaken by what had fallen from the Hon. Gentleu.e. if there was ant itolvi , lual Member, who .felt what was already known, to he of sufficient importance to make it the foundation of a motion, he was quite ::t liberty to make it. For his own part, he must observe, that he should not make airy : he contrived that his duty anti obligations, as a Piiyy Counsellor, turbal ' such a proceeding from him. He had elven no ad tit;ce in this business which he should not be ready to justify eviienever ire might be called upon to do so by Parliamentary authority. The present I<eport was n-t a revival or a former investigation The question was net one of charge or no charge; but whether the intercourse between her Royal Highness the Princess ot Wales, and the Princess Charlotte of Wales, st mild or should riot be subject to regulations and restraints. Mr. Wnirsekoso roe again, and after a few observations, read the Report of the Privy Council, from a newspaper which had come into his hand that evening. He remarked. that the public, though they had now the Report, were yet unapprised of the circumstances which had ;minced the Privy Council to toter their Resolution. It appeared to him to be of material importance to the understanding of the subject. that time documents should be laid l•efore the House. He thought it was hard to throw a slur on the proceedings of the Princess of Wales. who came before that House a• a Petitioner ; and who had no Privy Council to advise her, and to frame Reports in her vindication. It was certainly the duty of the Noble Lord to move for the proouction cif this Report, which, if that Noble Lord, or sonic other Member dol not move ior. he (Mr W ) intended to do ; and indeed he should have t;nne it alre dv. had the motion of the Hon. Member (Mr. Cechrone Johnstone) been withdrawn. Lord CASTI„LREASH could not stiffer the House to separate on this business, with an imputation on the conduct of the Privy Coundi which did not attach to it. The crivainoiity of her R oyai Highness the P:incess of Wales was not the at before the Privy Council. In the case of the criminality of her Royal Highness, the intercourse butwean hef and the Princess Charlotte of Wales, woul.l nut have been an intercourse subjected to regulations and restraints ; but would have been prohibited altoeet her. Lord STA NI. SY wished to know, whether His Majesty's Ministers intended to take any other notice of the letter received by the Speaker from her Royal highness the Princess of Wales ? Load Cosrtiot e /sett said, lie should give the accustomed notice. whenever he should have any intention of submitting atilt motion upon the subject. Lord M r eraN said, that as the Hon. Mover of the original motion had abandoned, or more strictly speaking, had postponed his motion sine die, he was desirous of knowing whether the Noble Lord also in tended to postpotie all proceedings on the subject of the letter siee diet' , He considered the present as a very grave subject, and nit of that trivial importance whit 11 the Noble Loid affected to repiesent it, Mr. BEN N trr intimated his intention, whenever the Gatlery woe cleared, to persist in his motion of adjournmuut. He should repeat his motion, that '• the House do now adjourn." Mr. YORKE expressed his regret that the Hon. Memb r should per sist in his resolution, which would tend to impede the progress of the public business. He thought that the Utilise ought to mark their sense of such conduct. He had once been himself a marked man, and had been nearly in danger of having his house pulled down. for clearing the gallery,—ior doing his ditty. He would not hesitate to say, that unless the House maintained that ancient and indisputable right, Gen , tlemen had all better go home to their respective counties and places of residence. Sir JOHN Newroar trusted that the Hon. Member (Mr. Bennett) would exercise the power he held of moving an adjournment ; and that he would not be deterred by the threats of any man, however high in authority. He' begged to remind Gentlemen of a period when a late Right Honourable Friend of his (Mr. Fox) was exhausted by his application to his public duties, some of those Gentlemen, who on thus occasion exclaimed against the question of adjournment, had themselves repeated that question perhaps fourteen or fifteen times in the same evening. I f strangers were to be excluded frolll the gallery. the consequence would be, that the public would consider the House of Commons as a sort of Secret Tribunal, sheltering itself from pub lic opinion. Mr. YORK explained, that the reason assigned for the motion of Adjournment, and not the motion of Adjournment itself, was the foundation of his Col4lplaint. Mr. CANNING observed, that he had already shewn that he dicapa proved of the motion of adjournment, by voting against it ; which he should agnin do, whenever it should he pressed to a divis: :n. The motion for clearing the gallery, a:,d excluding straNcrs,—with what propriety now m:.de, he should not decide,--was founded on a privi lege, the exercise ot which most ever be maintained, without any qualification, or question upon it ; or it to•tild, in tact, lose its whole essence. The present motion of adjournment he considered highly impolitic under all the circumstances : though he h had himself again and again roved it, to the ni, of the progress of public business He had done si intention of marking his sense or the impropriety of , particular business of the Mouse, without due time would admit that iihsitest impediment io with the expre , i t I ►roceeding on th c 4e for deliberation . . 153 : 7 71 ~- ii.t l I 7 • .4a, p. 14'; t 1