The National Register. — London, England, 1819-12-26 00:00:00

4CO 2superial Varitanunt. -OP^ HOUSE OF LORDS. MONDAY. bEC. COTTONFA.CTOKIES AMENDMENT DILL Earl tan tsVI., NOB rose, on the Order of the Bey fee going into a (20111111ittee on this 131iL lie observed, that it Meet in a great ITICILSUre to repeal the Act of last Ses ion for emulating the employment of children in cotton factories. and Lis opinion was, that the Lords would do widely. if they repealed the Bill altogether. The Noble Earl was persuaded that the parents, who had the interest of their children at heart, could not make improvident contracts for them, and be really felt that rarlimanit was taking too large a range when they interfered between the manufacturees and such persons. The Bishop of CHESTER said. it was his intention last Session, had not indisposition occurred. to move a clause to prevent children being employed late on Saturday nighte In tam no okosition was offered; he should more to introduce such • clause at the third reading of the Bill then under diectission.— lib reason for the introefiction was this--if children continued smirking to a late hour en Saturday night, they were either nimble or unwilling to attend divine service on Sunday, and parents had no opportunity to :mike them appear at church.— At a time when they were itiseing Bills for the supprtsdion of blasphemy and sedition. he conld not see how any of the Lords could be mine to • legislative provision which would hold out to thousands or manufacturers in his diocese the means of obsessing a decent and moral demeanour. After a few observations from Lord Holland and Karl Gror• tenor the Ileum went into A Committee on the Sill. The Clatows were then read, agreed w e and the llill ordered to be ormi w the 1.-use. FLUITIOUS MEETINGS BILL. On the motion of Lord Viscount liiiiniouth,the House went into a Coninii,ree on the Seditious Meetings B ill. Lord ELLENBOROUGH objected tb the punishment of t•velve months' imprisonment, to which person. were made liable who *hall be prtbent at any meet ng without being eligi. gibte to attend. There was an inconsistency in that provision, because iu another part of the Bill a person might be present, and if lie departed within a quarter of an hour alter die Sheriff er Magistrate made prochunation fur him to depart, lie ails liable to no punishment whatever. The LORIS CHANCELLOR said, the persgos last mentioned by the Noble Lord would, in case of riot, stall be subject to the summon law. The clause was agreed to. The li.atl of I.AU DER DALE proposed to add to the clause, dltecting the Mayor to convene it,eetings in oorporation towns, taw words " according to the custom of the place.' The kart of LIVERPOOL:aid. the Bill did not &Oct any merungs in bitiklings ur towns. and there was nothing in it to prevent incetinzs being called in parishes according to particular custom._ The clause was ordered to stand part of the Rill. The hlarquis of Lansdowne *scud to the clause which provides that no per..ons shall be entitled to attend parish meetings unless they are resident inhabitants, as proprietors et freeholds producing 301. per annum. The Noble Marquis urged the injustice and imptiliey of excluding from such meetings persons having small freeholds. and moved to insert the words •••forty shillings." instead of fifty pounds. The 1.0111) CHANCELLOR objected to the amendment. Ile observed, that many persons might be said to be inhabitants of a parish who did not reside there, but had property in it. The object of the clause was to exclude all.such persons, unless they had props ty of some value.. Lord HOLLAND deprecated the exclusion of persons having Knell estates in particular parishes. Nothing would add more t 3 the &said:goatee of the people than preventiug men of forty frembiut from intending parish .meting., where their i dere; to a proportionate extent would be as great as that of the loan who had Arty pounds freehold.. Lord Elfisit IN I: drew tho attention of the House to the anetity of tl:e law they were about to enact.. Supposing a man having a small freehold in &parish, and not a ret-ident, obsti nately thought fit so attend the meeti••,:. without a correct knowledge of the Act of Parliament, would any Jury. if lie was indicted, find him guilty P Certakrly not. Such a man might go about blundering, and give the magistrate an opportunity to ureperse the uteeung ; and in that view the clause was ontectionable. The Ehrl of LI VERPO.H. esid, the q ue;tl ort for the eo n. sidemtion of the House wets. whether any , attempt should be made to get rid of these tumultuous meetings, because, if there was a necessity to suppress thenr,.the Bill must be made effective. Lrad I/contended for the right which, he said, every man had to.nieet atul petition the King and Parliament. Tao Bill would take away that right, although the Noble Lords said it was to regulate the privilege. In. • eof public ferment nothing could hr more injudicioris than to separite the poor from the rich. It was impohcy to interfere with parish meetings. making the distinction. which.hia Noble Friend haul deprecated. Ile observed the Noble Lords laugh.. lie knew the mottling of of it. They meant to sap there will be no parish meetings—we will suppress the whole. If it was so, and the clauses in the Dill were nugatoey, it was threatening the people with Minh. Lum Holrand gave his negative to the clause. The amendment was, then put, negatived,. and. the clause ordered to stand part of the Bill.. Lord ERSKINE objected to the power given to magistrates to decide what constituted an illegal meeting. On the clause providing that non resident persons, shall depart after proclamation within a quarter of an. hour, on pain of transportaton, Lord ERSKINE mo►ed to have our the word "transpor tation," and to insert " guilty of.a misdemeanour." Lord ELI.ENBOROIaiti. supported the amendment.— rules, the taw was .trong, no Jury (amid tind a verdict of guilty, and if they there mug naturally be is reluctance to bond the defendant to Botany Bay. Time i.t).tl) CtlA Ne i,1,0 lt emsidered the clause necessary as it stood toe the satity of the country. . Lord HOLLAND made no doubt, fmm what he had hearth, that the pem le were de►tined to bear the operation of the elati4e Ifs m lingered at a meeting af.e: proclamation to depart, he was to be treated as a felon. The ainecdaient waanegAtival, and the claw:a 6tood part of t'ae Bill. After considerable discumion the Dill passel through the Committee, and brat ottlrrt:4l to Li: renortttl. Adjoutncd. •rt:r•oEtv, rwc. 421 Mr. BroOen and other Me.drers from the Commons, brought up the Mi,demeanoun Bill with A ormultnt nts. On the mutton of the LORI) CHANCELLOR, the Amend ments Were taken into am,ulenttion, Lord HOl.l. \SD gave his assent to the Amendments. altich went to extend the prnr1,,,,,, of me BIN to Irel ind, at toe same time he admitted thgt the Bin woul I greatly improve the emitting I:,w. The Ainandmenti were agreed to. sF.Drrious 11F:ET1NG.i Lord LIVERPOOL on the third reriing of this 1121, moved several verbal mut nometua, which sere ;ign.w., to. Lord LIVERPOOL then adverted to two objections, taken by a Noble Baron. One related to the difficulty magistrates would Bed in endeavouring to arrest individuals who might .these to depart after peoclemation. In cam of obstruction the magistrate might *made& the meeting illegal, and proceed to. s THE NATIONAL REGISTER. - digit. in oiler totemove doubt with no* to what sadly wee obetration, the Noble Earl mpored to insert the word " forcible," which would signify an Intentional obstruction. Atter a few words from Lord Erskine, the Amendment was agreed to, Lord ELLENIOBOUGII moved a dame, to allow magi& trate. to permit meetings to be held las than six days slier notice glVfn of such meeting. The motion was negatived. Other Amendments being agreed to, the Bill was reed a third time. On the question—" Is it your Lordship's pleasure this Bill do pass Lord EIISK !NE, in a speech of considerable length. opposed the principle of the Bill, and deprecated the policy pursued by Ministers. He observed that they were so bound up in the belie of the excellence of their measures,. that there was no thoroughfare for their understanding. Earl DARNLEY rose to express his opposition. not only to the Dill before the House, but the Libel Dill. He deprecated turbulent meetings and iiinerant demagogues going •bout to corrupt the minds oe starving manufacturers; but the rigourous measures of Government had driven the people to madness and despair. Meetings with arms were never thought of before the unfortunate transactions at Alanchester. _ Lord BLLENBOItOCGH reviewed with eloquence the pre sent state of the Country,. and recommended • Muciliatory spirit towards the people. LAWb would be no more than paper. if adverse to the wishes and interests of the community. lie supported the Bill, considering it tits beet 11101114 of protecting free Meetings and our Constitution. which had raised moo in this country higher than human nature bad ever been raised in any country under Heaven. Ent fiItOSVENOR wished to introduce a elanse foetid( d opus) a petition which he hail to submit ill the Minn from the iiihabilasits of the city of We•iiiiinster. ,The Solite Karl mated, that the Petitioners. ealcwloting mom solute expression in praise of their us drily meetings, dropped in that House by the Lord Pi esident, hail peti tioned to ilr c•elnpt from the operation of the BM. The Earl of IAVEstP(X)I. spoke to older, sod mini. mated, that the Noir EA I could noi, cunsi►t-nt %Oh Parliamentary feints, mote to jut educe any clause a fief the third reading of a Bill. He might mute to postpone the debate on the question then before the House ad infiullani, if their Lordships wound consent to such pest ponement, but could nut go further. Lord HOLLAND o►served, that the Noble Earl could certainly route to postpone the debate, to milord the House nu opportisoity of hearing the Petitiori. Earl G.::OSVENOIt then tooted to postpone the eon. sideration of the question for a time. The Earl of HAHROWBV opposed the motion, on the ground that the host., could not reed., a Petition founded tin any words uttered by a Peer in debate. At the same time he hail not the least recullectitor of having said one word tithes in praise or dispraise of Wistininster Meet ings. Earl GROiVE.NOR then stated that the Petition was genets! with respect to the Bill. The Petitioners were desirous of lepsesewing, that they hail reason to suppose the Dean and Chapter of Westminster would be under intim-nee, the effect of which would retard or prevent their sneetiogs. The Noble Earl s however, did not an ticipate arty success from his motten,.theteture connoted 10%011111'4w it. The Motion was-accordingly withdrawn. The Lint of BLENSINGI ON controlled, that the Bill ought not to extend to heianil. /1 . ner110114? fusilier discussion, the Bill prim,. THURSDAY, DEC. 23. The Roy tl ‘sient oa% peen Comouinlon to the %I meattuu, 11.11, tool the Cuitoo Alanwia..tuie. II Amendment Bat CMllllllblllOlll.ll were the Lord Chancellor, the Eat I of ihaftreltury, and Eart !fathom. Mr. lirowlevi mill , several Members from the Commons, hrou i tht np tic S. dation% Meetingt: Prevention Bill, with the amentlmento made ity the !Arch ugl eed to. The Irish Eleccona Bill woo rettd a third time and psvmed. Mr. lirogden hccitgloi tap the Newspaper Stamps Bull, sheds WIIP the first Bole. 'floe End of SI I AFT EA BURY moved in the absesice of a Noble Friend, that the Bail bv jointed, and send a second time on Monday. After afe oh•.•rvation' frttm Lord liolt ,nd, aho seemed de.iraus itrne.•eding to the •ecohd leading 1111 Fr.da). the Bill was ttr.lereil to he rend a second time us 111,mday, um, the Lords a..re •auuuoued tat that day.—Adjourned. rafiliv, Due. 21, The Royal A'vrnt was ei%en by rointniftion to the Sedi- Clout Meeting% IRCI, and the II i.h Llcrtiiiii. Hill. The roinmirsloilers neve, the Lord Chancellor, the Eno! of Ilarron by, RIO Cfr Lori of 4 .lotftcsloory. hArl Colcr oft took the n itio. an Ili:. scat. A person from the Treasury 'oriented an account of the Dry produce of the tuxes !'orr 1110 'ear 1818 and for lE+l9 to the 10th of ociidier or or far m the same t oul t be 1114110 imp. Sir Robert brought up from the Coalitions tae Rakers' Rego! ition Contain:aeon Bill, u !deli is lo d heat vat, Mr. Benzden from the Commuas returned the Libel Bill ogreedto um..tideneutv. The Loll of hil IIt'vSURY moved, first, that the hineilinent. mule by the COIIIIIIOII7 in the Libel Dill be vilified fur Slue use of their I.orilvlii;:s ; 211 y, I hat they be taken into ronvideration On Monday —Ordered. Adjourned to Mutfilit. HOUSE OF COMMONS. MOND.% Y, Off 20. 1100101:3.14:11.'s PLTITION: Mr. J. SMITH presented :r petition from Booksellers and Pub!Whets. ronipluining of 'be pros kiwis of the New:paper Stamp Art lit Bill, settio: forth, that they would mlert I ls .ir public:that* in nu nhers—publieutions in w hich upourils of onelnillion of capital nos embarked. ( hear.) If the Bat P ried, Dui oak nod suc h m i de b e ruined, lint the poor would not be able to set such works, a hid, acre exel.oively of a religious and mural tendetry. Petition out. led to be printed. %Ir. DUG 1)A pre,ented a petition from Printers and l'uldishera of against the Libel Bell. Ordered i.eto printe.l.___ OHI)NANCE ESTIMATES Itle. 11. WARD 11101 , 4 d 11141 lite II oUre co into lumuiltee of Supply to; the Otthittilte Mr. I. W A 1.13 t bra mot cd, that 250,0001. be granted uu arcuuat of the Oedwiher Servier. Mr. IIUME had expected that there would he tome reduction. e>pecially after the FllLtate Reports; bet instead of reduction there ww iocreube. AlfeCt: ete‘ ----- Mr. IL WAR') replied, that dila was not the fit .•ppo►- tuuity for discussion. W him the Ordausster Rstentutes rame regularly heroes. the (louse, thus he should be prepared to ao hod the questions at large.• Beau ut weeders. hl A N CIIFATER CORRESPON!M!/C F. Mr. CALCR AFT risked whether there would he any obi...lion to produce the Government mower to the Man chester Mneistrates letter rimed Jul) I. Lord CAS r LER Empi said he was not prepared to girt, sin) answer, but he would tu•ntorrow. ARMY EBl* IM ATEA _ The report of the Army Ettermttes won p mired. Alt. Olt ES FELL asked whethe► th re would be any saving Nettle ittlul Mildley College? Lord PA Lmi.its - roN bad Nut ,rt got the Entitte.r, • to ode op, l.or:he thought Hu re would be a ',vial of V,bol) Report agreed to. TIIE MEW Ml.ltt. Lord STA Nl.lVioreiwilted it prtilitmfrom Henry Tidier, ear►)lug oil bUillit lb Hi Liverpool and vn clout other citpietoint his alarm at the Hills before the Home, n, they were calculated to destro) his trade of ►heap 111301htle• liu. Read and ordered to hr printed. Mr. W. SMI 111 presence. . a petition frum the RntrkseHere of Briool, setting forth, thnt•lf the proposed Bills 'tattled, men of capital a n d character ruold out sou ltatr 111 Cit Wit Oldrrtd to he printed. Mr. HIHCH pri•seattd a t.soeilar pnfilioo from the nook. sellers so Livi ri I. Mr. BERN AI. i ire..nted • ihirprlition from re imra mid Publ i,lies of Vosadm. ii AIN swi4l.h.milmod. N l'A 1:1( l'A3lll O DUTIEN. Ou the motion, 11141 thy NeNfliiii.er Swoop Dotict be committed, Mr. 31AuDitg,U,D opposed the Bill, which gave nu. usual power., and foriber rounded the liberties of the 'Press. The existing laws had out been entureed I—but the powets to put down irreligion and sedition had been inefficient in use hands that 'low gentled thou. What had enabled this titulary to millet e. co 11111111, bat the public press 1 Andel the people's liberties were to be cotton. as a reward for the prlvAtluils they had utiles gone, would they not loathe those virt.niea which had aerninplislied to much ; after so much outlet ing and war In put down that man who had been raised to t minence liy their aggression•. that individual's defeat became a tinsmith, when noels daring iiirmsds a pre nernle upon the public I het ties of the ei 11111 l Tire Bill before them contained must Elm ing provisi o ns, 111/11Ir lastly that which required set:otitis* Inlore publiration. An Euglishenan was at liberty to publish what lie pleated, tem.:Ging, however, ans•eetable tor his publications. Hunt iti the spirit of ultra Toryism, they were relerred to the Roman Ktiguerois anti the J wti. nlall Code for a defitittion of public lioerly. He would never agree to such regulations ; the much rrepuliterous species of censorship was that of money. It wag the measure of one, much of whose lib had been passed in imposing restraisits Noun the suture, ; butt till lie heard It flout the individual's own month, he wool(' not believe that it had the approbation of a Hight Hon. Member so eminent for his literary talents ',Mr. ) Tin y. had , heard of the " Republic of Letters." Were those empty words? No. They loath substantial meaning, all 'totem: had the freedom of poblication--puor as well as ricli—but pats this Bill, and (lira there would be an ari•toesatie mil.:tion establi►hed. 'flip rich might publish, the fn.'n with filled pockets; hut !he poor man would he dein ived of the opportunity of dissipating the mists heist might cloud life bitch. Could the Manse intend to make such laws, sack inroads upon the Cunslittuien ? The new gull • was still more server, eapecinHy the Banishing which would expose an individual to be limited through Europe, without being able to find all 11%)IIIM tiny alit re. The laws were sufficiently strong, and Jttrit. never *voided giving just vet diets; they sometimes step between pro•El•letlirll and prosacitted, when they saw Go vernment and I.sw °Meets going too tar. Tbongli the low mud giutelling ;tuitions of the pit as have disgtat•tll themselves, he conjured the House to renumber what the press had done fot the ecology, anti 111 ;maid its libel lit s wills scrupithitis mid religions Ire. (Hear, bear.) Mr. Serjeant ONSLOK' denied that the Act wnii!il ap ply to aitilloss —it was to cheek tioptiotipled print cis and publisheis. As to flue second conviction, it was to apply to a second offence committed atter the sentence niu the first charge. Mr. GRAHAM called on the Halite to pause before the Bill was assented to, aliiteling as it did their 'lrate,' tights. He loathed the obnoxious publications as much as any 111411 could, fur lie could-not tinge, that the abuse 01 light nfitirited pretexts for the lovers of at biliary power. fleet he could not forget that chili ucr was , mot a n d kat it woe nowise to support these ;immanent di times of the law of the laud. It these measures Mete Cairn ii, he lie lueeed they a onld be fatal to all the liberties of the pie-s. —(Hear, hear.) After on extended discussion, in which Mr. Marrtxt, %fr. Genumin, 1I r. Ihnikes, Mr. Aberermith%, Mr. f% Mr. Alderman ‘f nit Minim stud Hr. Pliiilinotre took putt ; tae flume divided on the question whether the Hill shotuiti be eolith The Gaiety wns-rleared fur a division nt ekven o'clock, bud the number nt re—A . eh 'ettt 15 v Nl.jurii) The llou.e then went into a I....ummitive ou the Bill; in wLicit iLr several CLAIN'S wean di•eu.s.d, and Lumeriiiii awrndnu i.t• prup,ne•d, to hull Writ all of them ueotiveili The Ilunx I mimed, and the report aorta-it'd to be brouglo up,.. morruu. 1 he 'Hasid. mou•aml Sedii juin. Libel Bill ttn•• ottli risil . lo be rend a ercuud I enw tu•nea new. Tic Mialealeanour Bill nus read a third time and paned. Adjourned al one o'dm k. TIitNDAV, DFC. 41. The Nortetr 6.1. I light Bill was read a seeonil time. M A lIIILRILY gave notice, that n 1.1110111% he !Mould mute for Remelts of the pi °dare of the tteveene, ru lee January last, tier moonlit ut Es Imetlmer Bills it— teiveil for IterMIIIIP, lilt' 601411( . 1's 111 the 111ABBEHLY then gave mince, that after time hod dins be should more for Ira se to bring iu a Bill io coo iimie the Illomitit s un 'Alien, the Act granting them expiriog 'text. Mr. LYTTLETON mere notice. that to-toto row be al I I uu skiltill parsons It ono practising As Coos u)ettet ts. He tools the ',Non !unit) of Clog, t h at he sisuold too it. css the set mid eit•litig till after the s. . . LusiliNt.aos plesetsted Aceconis of the un load( d Duhis, a,:r.— Of cmteti to be The CHANCELLOR of the EXCI I I QUER moved for leave to lariat; itt a Bihi for the Lott( r secw log of the