The Sun. — London, England, 1819-12-24 00:00:00

PA RLI 11ENT, HOUSE'OFItDS, DEC. 23. TaE 'ROYAL ASSENT Was declared, by Commission to the Indict ments Traverse Bill, and the Cotton Manufactories Am ndinent 14111 . The Lords Commissioners were, the LORD CJIANd - ei,i,ott,• - the bid of SHAFTESBURY, and Eat l BATH wins?. Their Lordship 4 then adjouroed for some time during ple4sure, and the Lout} CHA N CELLOR pro ceed.ed to Carlton (loose, in ()Nei ,to attend the Cooncil on the Recorder's Rrpott. lit about an hour otter his Lordship returned, and the Horne resumed. _ Se!titions Meetings Preventi►►n Bill ‘ll3 - returned from the Commons by Mr.linoGDEN an►l otbeig, wish the acquiescence of that (louse to aril . Lordships' Amendments rivet ein. NEW STAMP DUTIES BILL. This was brought up tion, the Commons by the same Members, Irtoi read the fits' time. .The Earl ,H SHAFTESBURY moved, that the Bill be printed, and reatl the spemul.time on Monday, ‘‘);ich was ordered Lccordingly: Adjonrned till to-morrow, when the Royal As sent %elll he declared by Commission to the Sedi sinus Meetings Prevention and the Itish Election Amendment Bills. linurcr rIP CONINTONC At two o'clock the SPEAKER, unattended by a 'hde nember of the Muse, attended the Lords, on a sninninns in the usual courts,. to hear the Assent by toormi•sion given to certain tills. On hi.= return, several Members had as sembled, and he slated !be proc,edings which had taken place.—(See Lords )—An adjournment till ball-past lour Was then agreed to. At that hour having re-as-embled, a.Retnrn of the Mink Notes issued by the Bank . ftom23d No vember to 23d December, wits presented by an .oilicer tram the Haok. Lord PALMERSTON presented the Military„Re tnr 118 %% luich had been ordered by theThruse.— Laisl on the table, and so he printed. The Order of the Day for receiving the Report on the Assessed Taxes Composition Bill being read, the same was - brought up, agreed to, and a Bill ordered to be, brought in, in pursuanee of the The Report on the Spirits Countervailing Duty Tax, was. also (nought up, the Resolutions agreed to, and a Bill ordered accordingly.: Mr. XV. WILLIAMS gave notice, that he would, on the 22d of February, move for leave to bring it; a Bill for imposing. an Pith as to local cinalifi cations on BM ongli Voter s. The Report of the Committee of Supply was brought up, and the Resolutions agreed to. • BAKERS' REGULATION BILL. „ , 0,) tbe motion of Mr. CaLyERT, the natters , , Re g ulation ( a temporary) Bill was read a second time, w e nt throu g h a Committee, was tuad,ithird time, and passed. It eves understood tliat an rytdd r Fyw 'he a” "". Mr. BROGHAk ptesented a petition from an in divinual, prayin g for compensation in consequence of loss suitained on the 13th of August, at Man ehester.--;-To lie on the tai4e, and to be printed. CONVE YA ING. Mr. LYTTLaTotst, pursuant to notice, rose to move for 'leave to in a Bill to prevent un skilful persons - from practisin g as Conveyancers. The [lon. GentLem4n shortly dwelt upon the great importance attached to the 'correct conveyance of lands from one party, to another, and on the cant ion necessary to be arse, vett in such cases, to render'the transfer of property secure., lie also described and animadverted upon the existing in conveniences in this branch of the legal rotes sion, and on the incompetency' of ni.irly of those who undertook to execute these deeds. In order to throuv - the business into proper hands, he should iiroppse that with some exceptions Conveyancing should be limited to /Ow IlleS and Solicit His exceptions would include a portion of licensed Conveyancers accordit;g to the present - system, and certain Agents. - The 13111 would not affect the ivanster of personal property or disposition by will ;. but simply the conveyance of real properly and without any retrospective operation. Nor would It in other respects at all alter the provi sinus of the 44th of the King. Mr. GRRKFELL, after paying a - compliment to the general body of Attornies, expressed his Ilion that they already possessed as much power and influence as they ought to hare over•tlie country ; if this Bill therefore tended to throw more into their hands, he should consider it to be hii duty to call the attention of the House to the ,subiect. LYTTLETON said, it would purge the profes sion so tar of rhe worst class both of Attornies an!) Conveyance's, and of course increase the practice o f the mote reppectable. Leave bras given .to bring in the Bill. The 13i11 was afterwards brought in and read a first time; the second leading on the II th Fe bruary; Htid to be printed. A Message from the L !rds siv,nified their Lord ships agreement to the Irish Election Poll It egu lmion Bill, • Mr. C. GRANT, brou l dit in a Bill for - the better administrationr of justice in the Itish Exchequer, Which ,was real a first time, acid the second read- - ing appointed for the 17th of February :. the Bill to be printed. 5ir.1.1.. PA RN ELL moved (or an Account of the Mite per cent. at which the lterenue.was collected in England, Ireland, and Scotland ; but, on being told by the Chancellor of the Exchequer that there was no office where it •could be made up, tvithdiew his motion. PIRGA Lord COMPTON enquired of the Noble. Secretary (Cas!lereagh)• whether, in the estimate of the 1,1;.c.cs of the Parguinoies, any allowance had been made for churches and public buildings ; and re 'erring, as we suppose, to individ ua l s from that place now in this .country,i.hoped the Noble Lord, in his treatment of them, would recollect that they had no country of their own to go to. He was protecaing to offt.r . some "rematlcs on *bat 'had been said last night, when The SPIZAJC6It interfered, and slid ) Ire was (rite persuadetYtfiat the llonse felt the grefit inconve nience which had arisen from the direel reference to discussions on preceding occasions ) which lied recently been carried to a considerable extent. — He had experienced much difficulty on'these oc casions, as the subjects under notice were often so intimately connected with what had previously passed, as ,to render it no easy Matter to draw the line which should separate ii regularity from an" observance of the rules of Parliament. But he was sure the House must have perceived the great in conveniency of this innovation, and he trusted the Noble Lord would not unnecessarily persevere in that course. Lord CoM rrON shortly apologized, and repeated his question. Lord C ASTI, F. R B At;Ei replied,. that it was very difficult for Ministers to get up in their places and answer ques'iuns on particular points, of the in trill ion to ,ask which they had no previous intima• riot,. and could not therefore be prepared on the subject. As tar as he recollected (row last yea., the public b.tildings and churches of Paro haft nut been included in the estimate ; but a liberal coinvensaiion had been 7 allowed for private pro. rcrty in the valuation. .The Court of Exchequer Bill went through a Commi tee, the report of which was received, and ordered to be taken into tut ther con sideration on .the 20th of February, and AO b e wintvd. FRES (1 - 1 PAY NI ENTS Mr. Hume referred . to the articles in the late treaties, by which the French Government %vas bound to pay certain sums .to England, of which 1,403,0001. was payable to nine monthly instal ments, coarmenciog with last January. Ile wish ed to ascertain if this stun had been paid, and what had come of it. lie also referred to a se- COlld • sum due upon the same Wades, and moved for an account of all sums payable by the French to the English Government, not applicable to the claims o 1 English creditors, with many particulars as to dates and application. The CHANCELLOR of the ExCHEQUER lammed the lion. Gentleman that these accoonts - could not he produced. The stock stood in the names of the Commissioners appointed for the liquida tion of the "claims of British subjects, and no part of it had been disposed of by ibis Government. With regard to the other summit referred to, it bad. been applied, agreemble to treaty, towards the.ereetion of the fortifications on the frontiers of the Netherlands. This had been authorized by Parliament, and the appiication had prevented' the diversion of an equivalent sum voted in the supplies for 1818. The surplus world be avail able for the. service of the present year. As it was founded on mistake, be recommended to the Hon. Gentleman to withdraw his motion. ‘Vitti this advice, alter two or three retuarks, Mr. Hume complied. DRURY-LANE TIIEATRE. . Mr. CALCBAFT brought sip the Report on IJI ury 7 Lane Theatre, and leave was given to bring in a Rill to alter the two former Acts relative to that House. ---.---- „......;.: t.,4, olace As . , !op the order of ig, which Mr. Irvine, tile tAtanceilOr of thie Ex chequer:null Mr J. Sundt, took part, but t h e matter was qiikre inaudible in the Gallery. _ __ BLASPHEMOUS LIBELS BILL. Lord CASTLERf3AOII moved flit! Order ot the Day for the Committee on the Bldspitemotts Libels On the !piestion that the Speaker do leave the Chair, Mr. BERNAL opposed it,_• . and once m or e pro tested against this measure•, especially against the clause imposing the punishment of banishment. This, he contended, bad not formed a part of our laws-for 200 years, and its sevival woulA involve us in great difficulties. Among. those which he put to the consideration of the Law Officers of the Crown, were the • following :—that banishment entailed npon the party all the effects of attain der; tl►nt it cotrupted the blood; that it was fir too severe for the offence ; and that, it for life, it . ousted the subject from his allegiance. Upon these, 'and other embarrassments,. he trusted the Learned Gentlemen would reflect, and also inform him it the children of a banished man were or were not in the situation of natives of the soil ? It was al•o an important inquiry how or ws•here a, poor m in, it banished, was to transport himself. • iVe 'might be, as we had, been, at War with the whole world, and if we were not, be mig6t have no conveyance to R distant country. The effect of the bat (Ishii) of this punishment would be, that Juries would ❑ot convict under the Act for a se cond lihrl, but commit a pious fraud to let the criminal escape. Mr. JAMES GOaDON, in a very low tone of woke, supported the measure. Ttre Gentlemen . opposite,- undcr the assumption, that they were advocating the rights of the people, were in fact supporting the pretensions of a licentious rabble. Many of those who wete loud for Reform in that House had better• begin by reforming their o►vu vicious habits, and attending diligently to the duties of their own stations. it they did so, the, clamour for change would have less food as well as fewer partisans. • Onilie question being put, do leave the Choir," " That the Speaker Mr. DENMAN said, before the Speaker left the Chair, he was deshons of offering - a few observ'a lions which had occurred to him on the details of this. Bill• lie hitherto abstained in what he had troubled the House with, from adverting to any thing bur the general principle of this aid all the other measures connecter) with it. He would not go into the question, of which be (nought too much had been said already, as to the propriety or impropriety of the • conduct of his Majesty's Attorney and Solicitor• General. Ike saw vt.ith pleasure the' mild exercise tibia, in their capacities, they made of the large powers intrusted to them. But if three years ago . any one bud told him that they would have allowed themselves to be made the instrument of bring ing sach , l3lll's as these into ParliAtnent, he would bave been ready to offer the last of insults to that person ; and have felt it his bounden duty, as a man of principle and honour himself, to have vin ;neared their character from so foul (as be should have conceived a charge.—(lleitr, hear, hear!) —He wo.old noroatigue the House with that com mon species of declamation on the Liberty of the Press, Which, however, ,he was tar from muler s sraheine. glie, great objection which had been tirgid7aagaioshlie Libel Oill sh watin co .. rtso l ti,e!ice of those ptiovisiots‘AriCh - went to vest in the hands of individual Magistrates the unlimited power of banishing the most respectable persons who should. !lappet) unwittingly to offend .. against the mere wording of the Act. In reply to what the Hon. Gentleman on the other side had said, " Do you . think-it likely nr possible that : the Jus tices of this land will ever make such use of their powers ?" He would say in answer to this, that lie did think so ; and, as a proof that he was cor rect in his supposition, • lie would cite an in stance in which such an arbitrary exercise had aheatly been made of the discretiouary power of Magistrates. Two respect able London Booksellers, Messrs. Johnson and Cuthell, had been committed to gaol for a tertn of nine . months, for having been convicted, the one of piloting, and the other of poblishing, a book, %vhich, it was to be observed, it appearel that Mr. Cuthell, who published it, teas nut aware that it. was in his shop, till he !can't that five copies of it had been sold oat of twenty that were in the house. It was necessary to state that both these Gentlemen were unacquainted with the tendency of the. work in qoestion: which being ft production of Mr, NValsefield,--his reply to the Bishop of.Landaff,--bad been received as being entirely of a littoary nature, in common with the rest of his winks, which bad been print ed and published by them. Thus, therefore, from pure inadvertency on the part of these Gentle , men, had they been compelled materially to stiffer, in all probability in health and fortune, at all events in point of comfort ! No such powers should be entrusted to the discretion of any Court in Europe. Independently of this part of the 11111 ' being iitijnst, it was impolitic; for where would -bc the difficulty, particularly when smuggling was earlier! to such a height in the country, to have printed the most infamous libels on the Con ' tinetit, and send them over here to be published by persons whose necessities were such, that banishment or it were matter of in difference to them ? An instance of this he h a d met with in the Poem of a cat twin Noble Lord on the subject of some events which had taken place at Athens. This work, he was sure, no one would be able to hod a hinter or a Pob lisber for in this country ; but Galignani• at Paris had toitited it, mod it was now freely cir culated throughout the kingdom. Ile knew it might be said to this, that the Govertar-ot were in col respondence wit b all the Governments on the Coutipent, and they would take care that no persons in these realms should tamper• wirb our interests. It might, indeed, he consiiered an advantage by some, this to have a holy brother hood cemeuted in the bonds of amity against the liberty of the Press throughout the whole of Eu rope. Anroher pats of the Bill, to which he wished to call the attention of the !louse, was, the clause which permitted the search of private houses for the discovety of libels. The cirCiitio stance in this chose which excited the must Sur was given bY'ff-,1-fiii;t~lUe' ht of Search 01 publishers, but also of the .eomposers of these Li no l b o e 4 ll l . t trho his, b t i li c e i r l e o f i r . ! s r e e to i wast writ e e a t) t t libel in his closet, was to be allowed to do so under the pe nalty of having his house entered, and . his Most private papets ransacked. Could not any Ho nourable Member of that House be subjected to havi his papyri - iansacked in his absence, for the Court would be forced to .grant a 'search for the house of any person upop an affidavit. Any one could then he exposed to be placed in this situation through the malice of some servaint who wished to ruin him, or of some informer who 'might wish to curry frivotir with Gbvernnient. This Act, he added, would ,have the effect of opening a door to abuses, by putting iri operational! the bad pas sinus of onianjiature, as no Act had ever open ed before. Reference had beeti'matle to the 3Gth of Geo. I II;as being parallel 'to die present mea sures on the :Press. This Ace, it was to be re- membered, was passed at a time than treason was at an alarming height in the (niony, and set out with the ivords, " If any one shall maliciously sod advisedly write, publish, . or speak a treason able libel, tending to excite to immediate sedi• tion, &c." That act therefore was very different horn the present Acts, which affeet'e l qually those who by design or itiadveitance l commit the of fence ; and that Act was only, thought necessary to be put in force for three years. The Hon. - and Learned Gentleman concluded, liis observations by declaring, that lie would not have troubled the House •witb them if he had not felt them so strongly as he had done. Mr. Maurits' (of Galway) stated, that it had -been demonstrated that hauishmtot was far from a punishment new in'the Eriglifli law ; this prov e d it was wane of time to debate that question.— Suppose it ; for argument, that it was now pro posed to he enacted for the first time, was forgery of Bills of Exchange-, or any promissory notes for money, felony or death, before comparatively re ct:ftt statues made them so ? What would it be said of tookiiig it a felony to cut the stnallesi tree in the night time, or to steal in a bleach glee!). Far, very far was he hour vindicating the sanction of these laws, for he strongly reprobated their se velity ; but tile principle of Parliamera w a s, ,r hsan such c rimes were elesersing of the pitni-lontOt directed by the st atutes making•such olfences . felony or death. Those then who vote for the lianishmenz case of the second olfi.nce of publishing a Seditious mud Blasphemous Lihel; having been convicted the . second rime, will vote upon the pt inciple he before stated,, namely, that the crime is worthy iif such punishment, anti could nor be prevented by any less severe coact went. Then, as to the Liberty of the Press, in his OpilliOn.filat Hill terrain perfectly undisturbed as it was before the passing any o ne nt . r.h o i e l aws , liberty of the press consisting in allowing a u thors the uorestricted permission to prim their opinions. on sidsjects unfettered by pieviotts censor Ship.• It cannot be matter ot , complaint that 111`blirsplre :per of his God, and the promoter of rebel:jolt against his King, should find some difficulty protitdog ti printer to publish his Voeliiositieic::. The setters of the type he considered as coenected with authors, at their instruments for circulating their opinions on Government, tradk, or politics. I, When those laws shall pass, *lll nollauthes nd ,i t persons readx - ao becon üblishers of t at' '4 ought toil rtiiitishei ?: \Vl‘k it li:rti triin t( y 'a P. n air?hdr; that a 'Hinter 'shall be obtig Itogive .. security in a penal soot not to publish that which. the law bad before forbid him to publish, undo' the penalty of fine and imprisonment ? Out of doubt, sonic few who now print and Cannot find security for 3001. may be excluded. Almost all. however, who have types and a press are worth 30W or can find friends who would so: far con"- . fide in their good conduct as to become security for. the penal sum 'required. Senile then have neither 3001. or can find persons to be bound for them. Those persons, then., ape situated as all persons are who tollo.v any trade, with the tarry ing on of which the Legislature may think fit (0 intermeddle. Why ate witnesses attending Courts of Justite ptivileged from arrests?. Is it to sub. stiact their persons from their et editors ? I an swer, they are protected, and the right of the , creditor to have the p( rson of his delvor must give .vay to the right Cat the party who fitids it neces- 1 s at yto h a ve his testimony. I am confident had II hiS measure been disrotied of party considerati o ns, I it would be hailed as a blessing to the country. The dreadful conse.quenees of. thiS crime extend., from the Throne to the humble cottage Suppose the Republican or the Black Dwatt should say. yesterday was the Settling Day at, the Stock En chance., and there were some defaulters, and one. , for 400,0001.; and lie •has nfl re d, we at e told;. but 3s. Gd. in the ponnil as_ composition. Now suppose such an iudividual to have the honour of being matriculated into the party of -Opposition. what climour shoold we hear ! and who of the' e' strenuous ooposeri of these laws would object to give to private character that protection which is now afforded to our God, and. to our King, arid to the Constitution of Great Britain. Novi', Sir, for a cre to win the vote ot'a Worthy A'-f dermal' in front (Alderman Wood), here w e go 0 (A laugh.)—Extract from the Black Dwart :-- f Children made into pies. —([louse convulso 1 with laughter.)—The police, last night, discover. , eel in Aldermau Birch's kitchen four flue fat iu tants, age of four years, rintouithed, and five o f six more cut up, and . in a state of pre pa rat Lot I to be inanufactored into Bistwinel .Yates, In in' „ mote tender than young . chickens."—(Roars o f laughter.)—Ole•would ask the .eorthy Magistrat c opposite, whether he would not join io paisio laws' to piotect honest industry and fair fam t trout such attacks ? He t he n %you'd- ask hiS vot, r for the present Bill;, supper; teal on like.principles t hut applicable to.higher . interests,—the pteserva • tion or our cottony, Mr. BANKCS was decidedly` in favour of the pre I sent measures for the restriction of the Press. - 1 1 I was a very -proper provision that publication .t which had beet' decided. in ft Court of Lay. ? to be libellous,. should be seized upon atey; attempt to continue .o . r tepublish tee same • I It was well kuown what an AricreasAl s,il , :' works derived from chcomstances of liot'olri{ , .:.r of : this description tatending theUti, He tioeij 1 avow it as his opiniiin, that the people at Jaree were not dissatisfied with the measures of rite pre t . A .1...:"; clratinn If It %vete nos‘iirlc Co :a"' ! ih e opiuino of the Nation by conversing Kith it, !aim by man, it would be found that the large Ma ° • pnity thought that they'were b;und to Wank P.Jr` liarneut for the wise steps and precautions which/ it had adopted. Eh thought that the system of edecation had been carried to such a lit ight it' this country that it bad placed the people in ti , condition tonally different troth what had I.een an ticipated or intended by its original projectors -1- Tl.ey omitted to do what they 013011 to have (folic, viz. to have' put some restriction on the press, to prevent' the possibility of its arriving sc the state of abuse in which it at present Was.--' The class of Gentlemen in that House' calli;'K themselves Whigs, stoke of.the liberty of Oa press as being in a manner the vital air of a ire' State This was a neM notion which they t,a4 imbibed since the days of their boasted ancestors of the sime principles. As a_plo at of this,. Ito would remind these Gentlemen, that in the Bill of liighls,fr framedwhat I sho u ld ca ll 1 hero ic, amee in- he days of Wiriggisth, the Liberry of the Yr ess was entirely overlooked as arricle ; and reitriction 4 on the Press continued for six years after the He. volution. Mr. J. P. - GRANT wasnincli surprised- that the Hon. Member should think the diffusion of know- ledge an►ongst the lower orders of the . .peuple circumstance rather •to be repressed tl►arn enem►t - `. raged. %VW' such an opiniem he did rot xvondtr at his Voting for those Bills, %sitich, in opposidoo. to the Noble Lord (Castlereagh), ht (Mr. Grant) declared to be restraints npotrthe Liberty of 0;( 1 Press. lie would notesiter intil any eplogiatil the press ; he left that_ to those who were about to impose -hackles on it.—(Hrar 1)—No one, he' say betoCelland %vliat would be the con , equences of banishment. A L',ill of pains and penakies played (he a scer• rained sittihti..ll.' he conceived, was flit in a tit, stale to legislateperthotient ineistire 9 - The strite of ktlArth and rtgittiloo prevailed both within, anti withotit tVai Stith as t° prevent tho..4Jouse froili.l,ing, a deliberate view of the vase they were caller) to legislate tipoo ; the mote so, as the fears out of don: s• were Ina - gfli . tied to such a ititeit as .ten(!e red it jot possible (0` obtain Correet irtforinat iOts: As' an instam - e of this, We' I.Votiid refer iiirlfooe lo.the state of his own cbnotry. In Edintanrgirsnoh was the panic ch l t the ga l kW'. 01 the C,“lle r (1401SISting 01100 0 Vuonaihnry, had lately.,hpeo twitcher) to GlAsgow, and in their tibsener, the J.9.tri Prc,id e ut of the Court of Session, a tide utiniv4ilent with that of the Loi (I Chancellor in Itkici taken the CornIMIMI of the tot tress, -Alifi eVtl y•m-nroilig be". lore he went to the Court, iwirrhe - .1 to aotlfrorli the Castle, and treat throng!) the regular core' many of parading atid changing gu,rtl , of t h a !ICA/ of a troop t•t' Volunteer*. In sneh a disjointed' state of society, he repeated, nu cor rec t in:ormtv ion conid I) „brained. Lord BINNING proved, that• the spirit of d!", affection had been active in tire nest so much so that it had become iit'ccssary to wir l ' , l draw the troops from tl i e city of 'Ediubur&b, S t te i 0 tli re n 11 httg brui th o }►ar C4)11 Lit race riug Lo u Kati to►r liiit 4 1Ix' Woci 14Ara