The National Register. — London, England, 1817-03-31 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS. MOMDAY, MARCH 24. SEDITIOUS MEETINGS BILL. The farther consideration of the Seditious Assemblies Bill ViiS gone into. A satiety of verbal amendments, which had been previ ously agreed to, were made in the different clauses of the Bill, among which Lord Sitistortit proposed a clause for the pt event ion of Public Meetings in the neighbourhood of the 'two Houses of Put halm nt, acd the Courts of Law while ti:ttinir in Westminster Hall. The clause provided, that such Meet ings 'tumid not be held within one mile of that place, for any object of petitioning, &c. Lord ST. JOHN considered the clause very objectionable ; it would go in tact to prohibit any meeting w lawyer in the city of Westminster. The Earl of RostAN expressed great surprise that it R110111(1 be thought necessary to introduce such a clause, especialls to prescribe the r:i‘tance to be one mile. He thought the dis. -twice might be confined to Palace-) ard and Whitehall, and the immediate avenues to the Houses of Parliament. The Earl of LivEitooot observed, that the clause was ori ginally suggested by a Noble Earl opposite, hut hr considered it um;ht to be adopted on print iple,and some shorter distance perhaps miglit be fixed. The great restsnu for wishing it to be added to the Bill was on account of the gross indecorum which was used while the Courts of Jumbo e were sitting in Westminster Hall, so as to impede the business of those Courts. The Earl of LaunranaLE did not know where a public meeting could be held in the city of Westminster, if the dance passed. Lord GRENtiLLE conceived that the Howe felt equally alike on the subject of preserving decorum while the Collets were sitting. He thought, however. no 41lijection could arise to the clause it' it merely went to keep clear the avenues to Parliament. Lord ERSKINE admitted the observations of his Noble Friend to be correct. The clause was agreed to, and the MIl ordered to be read a third (line to•morruw.—,ldjourned. TUESDAY, _MARCII,2S. Lord SIDMOUTH moved III;;Order of the Day for the third reading of the Seditious Assemblies Bill. Lord ERSKINE reviewed the different clauses of the Bill. The clause enacting that any person propounding any sobjeet bringing the Goverinnent into contempt (awl to that part of the clause he did not object), or holding any discourse tend in4 to (hat object, was in itself of an alarming nature. For suppose any person should go to a Meeting for Reform, pr,iperly convened, and hold discourse to this effect, by stating he was one of the sev en persons convening the Meeting, and was to say—" We called this Meeting—the House of C Immons is not the real representation of the people—the Douse of Lords is more attached to the Crown th.o. people, &c." Now, if eight or ten Magistrates were present, an,l heard this discourse, and were to he of opinion that this langnage was tending to subvert the Constitution, and shooed order the person so speaking into custody, what Imhof could he have—what restraint was there on the Ma gistrutes ?—and yet for language of this sort, he would be 'Welled to suffer death without benefit of clergy; when in fact he vs4s, merely stating an opinion in the course of con versation. The Bill went the length of preventing the sub jects (1.1 , petitioning, auless it should phase the Magi-Crates to permit them so to do. The Noble Lord conteuded that rio free Ciornine as could stand on such a Bill. Lord ELDONv.ded for the measme, not far the purpose of destroyilia, but of preserving oar liberties, Which he 114)11(.4 to Gad, the people would enjoy as long as they lived. The country was in such a stale, that the laws wet c not sufficient for the preservation of the peace. Was the House at the present moment acting on a necessity or not? If they Were acting on a necessity, the Bill ought to pass. The Noble and Learned Lord had referred to the clauses of the Bill which applied to the public meetings, and the danger whirl' would arise by allowing any Magistrate to arrest any person hold ing language which the Noble and Learned Lord had said might be purely coustitutional. The Magistrate was not authorized to du more than merely charge the person with basing held such language. Lord ST. JOHN admitted the position of the Noble Lord to be true; but the teal question was one of necessity, and what necessity really existed? Were not the laws sufficient to meet the evil? The provisions of the Bill, he was of opinion, went beyond its necessity, and would have the efleut of pre -vc•nting its execution. The Noble Lord concluded with strongly opposing the motion for the third reading. The Earl of WESTMOKLAND supported the Bill, on the ground that it was necessary for the protection of the people, and the preservation of those liberties which his Noble Friend considered to be endangered. With respect to the operation of the Bill, would it have the effect of preventing the people of England from expressing their sentiments and insti acting their representatives? lle should contend it would not ; the only alteration that would lie made in that resprut was, that the meetings would he held under the purview of Magistrates. Noble Lords opposite might talk of their feelings and Imola nity, but he really felt more for the sufferings of Mr. Platt, than for the sufferines of ali the incendiaries and traitors who Init4lll suffer under the Bill. EHI liltoSVl.voll adve rted to a rumour, that it was the in tention of Ministers, before the session closed, to continue the sospemion of the Habeas Corpus Act ; and said, where er he should be, he would think it his duty to oppose any such intention. As the Bill now stood, it was not likely that any meetings would take place. lie would illustrate this by au aueedote of a year relation of th,t N Mile Viscount. A meeting took place snider the Bill of Miti, at Copenhagen House, to which spot Sir W. Addington, the Bow-street Ma gistrate, repaired. Just as he got to the platform. the wator espied him, and exclaimed, "W e shall now hear the esposi tion of this Act by' a Bow-street Magistrate." Sir William instantly . called out, " Pull down that tellow !" The Doke of ATHOL gave his sto urinous support to the measure, which he cou•ioered as called for by the eiremn stmices of the times. The Noble Mike, i.. supporting this measure, acted most conscientiously. He was of opinion it was wise to Rive up a part of out liberties far a time, in order to preserve the some. Lord AMMAN o declared, he did not consider the eaigen• vies of the times sot li as win ranted the adopting the measure lIHHT under consideration. Ministets had il.puttli the rise of the Funds to the passing of the Suspension Act. This re minded him of the story of a traveller, who, having arrived flte in the evening at a town, and slept there, enquired neat ue).oaug name of the place, and was told Stony Stratford THE NATIONAL REGIS' EIL —" I :tin not surprised, said he, for I never was more bitten with fleas in the whole rouse of my life." The application %vac tr , just in one ease as in the other.—( G,;-h.l TM: 3(arquiri of BUCKINGHAM Colltelille•ti that the danger of the Country had not been at all exageerated in the Report of the Committee. He defended the Bill, on the gionwl• that It deprived the people of cone of their constitutional rights, hot only prevented their doing that which was illegal. 'Elie real enemies of the rights of the people were those who assembled the people under pretence of petitioning ; but, has jog so assenilded them. made use of them to forwa d their own objects, and for the purpose• of sedition. He believed it could be proved, that the real object of the Spa-lields meeting was not to petition Parliament, but to throw the country into confusion. Under these circumstances, be gave the Bill his foil support. Lord DARNLEY opposed the Bill as wholly unneerssary. He considered that the existing laws were fogy aderptve to meet all the existing evils, though he was ready to allow tl;a: such meetings as those belt' in Spa•delds, and adjourned from time to time, ought not to be tolerated. Lord ABER In:EN Supported the Dill: he had endeavoured to Rieer!ain what the public opinion of the measure was, and found it to he in favour of it. The Duke of St ssvx bole all possible respect fur the Noblc lewd* opposite, yet his political feelings would not allow uf kisagreeing to the Kest lit million. Tilt . . Bill eas tlti•i) read a third time. Lord SIDMOUTII said, an amendment had yesterday been proposed, th.tt no meeting should be held within a mi;e of Westminster Hall. He had since understood that a part of Covent-garden was within that distance, and also that a part of the borough of Southwark was within the prescribed dis tance. He should tins, iht'O c Ure move an a nendment, ea minding those places trout the operation of the clause ill ques then, and to make this provision perpetual. After some objections to this clause, the House divided upon it—Contents, II l—Non-eontents, g3-lUajority,SB.. The clause was therefore adopted. Several other verbal amendments were made, the Bin wa: passed, and ordered bark to the Commons, that the onscud ment might be considered.—Adjourned. WEDNESDAY. M A f!CD i. The Exchequier Bill, and Nasal Stores Bills were read a third time and passed. The Exchequer Courts Bill went through a Committee. Tituitsu%%, MARCH 27. The Cochineal Bill and Naval Officers Pay Bill were read a tint tune. The Exchequer Court Proceedings Bill was read a third time and ita!,st.d. FRIDAY, bIIRCH es. In the Scotch appeal Fraser v. Jl•Aunell, judgment varied, and cause remitted. The Naval Officers' Pay Bill and Cochineal Bill was read a second time. The Irish Law Execution Bill and the Trish Arms Bill were brought up front the Couttnons t and read a first titne.—Ad jourued. —•qar-• HOUSE OF COMMONS. lIONDA , MARCH 21. 'rlie Metropolis Paving kill was, on the motion of Mr. M. A. Taylor, ordered to be read a second tinic on Monday niAt. The Committee on the Saving Banks Protection Bill was, on the motion of Mr. Roc°, find for the 22d of April. Mr. Ca'craft pot (Atli.' motion, on the subject of the Third Secretary of State, which stood for to-morrow, till the _9th or April. He also postponed his motion on the Salt Bill till to-morrow week. The Land Revenue Bill went through a Committer. The Report was received, and ordered to be taken into fin ther consideration on Wednesday nest. Mr. Brougham gave notice, that he should on an early day submit a motion to the House, on the subject oldie interrnp don which had taken place in our commercial commne:l -ti"ns with the Continent, owing to the liberties taken with English letters on the Continent--liberties wholly confined, as lie understood, to English letters.—Adjourned. TUESDAY, MARCH 25. No business of general interest. WEDNESDAY, tumult 26. The business of this day not generally interesting. TDURSDAY, MARCH 27. Petitions from Kul% inning Stevenston, Salcoates in Ayr, and Smith Diteensferry, for deform; from the Solicitors and Anomie% of PI) mouth and PI) mouth Dock for a repeal of the Arts of the 4111 r arid 36th of the King; from the Itibband W easels of Coventry for the protection of the House; and from 69 or 70 publicans in the parish of Wigan, for a rely al attic additional duty on Licences, were severally read and ordered to lie on the table. A petition from the Coffee-house Keepers in the cities of London and Westminster, for the protection of the Howe, as read and rtferred to the Committee ou Police Laws, A petition front Iti!ston in Statfordshh e, fur relief under the Poor Laws, was read and referred to the Committee on the Poor Laws. A Bill to amend snch part of the Bankrupt Laws as re lated to granting the Bankrupt's Certificate; and a Bill to empower ecclesiastical aml other pythons to grant Leases or Tithes, were read It first time. . , The Land Revenue Bill, the Irish Arms Registry Bill, the Irish Peace Prescnatihn Bill, end the Navy Officers Pay Bill, were severally read a third time and passed. .1 , 1111)AV, MAI:C*II2h. The business of the grM;t'estinteiet,t Which this day oceu pied the attocion of the House ' was that which related to the amendments proposed by the Lords in the SEDITIOUS ASSEMBLY BILL. The Somerron-CEs ER AI, MOVed the order Of the day fur the consideration of the Lords' amendments to the Seditious Assembly Bill, Lord FOLKESTONE inquired whether this bill, containing pecuniary penalties, was lint so far a money bill, as to e elude the Commons fium allowing any alterutiou in it by the Lord,. 'l•he SPEAKER gave it as his opinion, that, in the serve the House, this was not a money bill of that dcsciiption. An alteration, however, had heen made in one dim e, which con tained a pecuniary penalty, on which, alien called on, lie should give his opinion. 'lke clerk having then read the first amentlitivnt, The SPEAKER felt it his duty to say, that, hy the first elsoke of the bill, as it passed that house, any person neglecting to give certain notices to a ,justice of peace was to hiene a p, natty of 501. By the Lords' amendment this penalty tended not only to those alto omitted w give notice to a nsi MARCH 51 rice of the peter, tint also to the mayor or head officer of the county, city, town, or place respectively. According to his sense of the matter, this was such AO amendment, in a peen. Mary enactincer, as the lemma could Sal, consistent with its privileges, ewer to. The Clicker Lens of the EXCTIRQUER then moved, that the Home should disagree to this amendment. The 'notics was put, and carried. The clerk having read several amendments, Mr. BROLGO en did not welt to tiger any unnecessary inn. pediment; but he hoped that as the amendments were reed his Majesty's !Ministers would explain to the house when the alteration was substantial, and not merely verbal. Mr. 13. BAlnunsT admitted, that his elejesty's Ministers were certainly bound to give explanations of this nature, and he had himself intended to do so. He had looked over the amendments carefully ; and, with the exception of the Asst, which the house bad alreadyeejected, they were alter:nines which tended only to resider the cepressioes in the bill inure effectual and precise. Mr. BROUGRAM observed, that the bill was very incorrect, as it stood, when sent up to the Lords ; their Lordships. amendments bad rendered it more so; and farther 'literates's% would only add tionseese to nonsense. led not this show the necessity of inquiring into the bill altocether ' and of not al lowing it to go forth wholly Unintelligible. At present the blenders and inaccuracies were shameful; and if so many bud already beets discovetsel, how could it be said that inaay others might not exist ? He contenili it, that for the sake of their own consistency, and for the dignity of their proceed ings, hail any respect to themselves, to the other house, and to the people, they would, before further discsission, print the whole in one centintions form, so that they might sec whether the clauses proposed were sense or nut. With this vice he should move, that t h e farther eonsidcratiuu of the bill shall be adjourned to Monday next. A division took place on the anicedment —Noes 77—Ayes 31—elajority tit. Some other amendments were agreed to. A conversation took Once on several verbal amendments, in whieh Mr. It. Ilatherst,Mr. Brougham, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer took part. The ameudineuts were agreed to. Elton the clause prohibiting all meetings in Palace-yard during the sitting of Parliament, or of the counts of justice, Mr. CURVIER rose to object to its adoption. Ile professed that he was compelled, though with regret, to give his must strenuous opposition to this clause. This chose, prohibiting the people of Westminster from meeting in their usual place to petition, was proposed by the other House of Perlimeent, and ought to be viewed with jealotev. You, Sir, said the Hon. lieut. (addressing himself to the Speaker) have re, peatedly, and nu a Isle occasion, maintained the privileges of this house against any intended or suspected encroachment on the part of the Lords. On the present occasion, the house ought again to assert its rights, and the rights of the verges. The stnelleA attempts to infringe oil the right of ;minima:: slimed be met web the most decided opposition by the House of Cuminons, as aimed against itself. 'I he present clause appeated to hint to be 811 Unjust end uncalled .ter invasion of a right hitherto remised by the inhabitants of Westminster ; and, with this view, lie should tee tainly take the sense of the 11 use upon it. The Hun. Mr. WARD could not agree in the seeming im portance attached to this amendment from the other house ; the object of which was, simply to remedy an inconvenience ; and the eflcct of which, at the inmost, would only be to pre. emit the delivery of a few useless and probably eery eel/ speeches. But it was evident that the opera eon of thi• cheers would peeesee no snob effect, tier abridge a single expeii meet upon the patience of that house in enduring insult. Tee debate was continued to a great length, but without any additional light being thrown upon the subject, and the cries of qnestion being very tome strangers wet e ordered to ithilraw. During our absence, the house divided on the preposition of Mr. Lv tiletou, that the daration of the clause should be limited to July, 11:318 :—Ayes 34—Noes 113.. - - second dis•i•ion then took place upon the clause itself— For it 113—Against it 30. A conference was then appointed with the Lords to.mor. row, to procure their usscut to the alteration wade to the . umendmertA. Mr. PoN•otinv then said, it would be convenient for gen tlemen to know when the Chancellor of the Exchequer would move the adjournment. Mr. 11. BATIII , n% r (in the absence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer) said. that the house would meet on Monday. The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the house adjourned. PARLIAMENTARY PAPER. OFFICES IN COURTS OF LAW.—ENGLAND. RETURN TO AN ADDRESS ON THE HONOURAHLE llorsE OF COMMONS, TO HIS ROYAL HIGIINLSS 'I HE PRINCE HI, GENT, REQUIRING A Return of the Names of all such subordinate Officers in the several Courts (g . Law and Equity of Eng land, as are held in trust fur the several Chic' . or other Judges of such Courts, or of which the Pro fits are, in the whole or in part, applied to their . use; SpeciOing the amount of such Pronts, and to whom and for whose use they arc applied. 1. THE LORD CHANCELLOR. It appears from a Report of the Committee of the. lion. the House of Commons, made to that House in the year 1811, that among other emoluments of the Great Seal, the persons holding the situations of Secre tary of Bankrupts and Purse-Bearer, receive, for the use of the person holding the Great Seal, sums for which they account, and which, it is believed, have been always the same till the present Chancellor di rected certain payments to be made cut of what was accounted tbr to his predecessors, as is stated in the Re ' port of the Commissioners fin- inquiring into the Fees of the Courts of Justice ; a copy o f w hi c h R eport , La returned into Chancery has, in obedience to an order of the Hons.!, been laid before it. Soon after the Re port of the Committee of the House of Commons in 1811, was made, the emoluments of the Great Seal were charged by Act of Pa::iamtnt, with 2,5001. a year, to he paid to the Suitor's Fund, to reimburc that , fu:id one-half of the Vice-Chancellors salary. The LiCf:;oll4 hohling these situations have, through a long