The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-05-22 00:00:00

•
mittec ; if ollt.rwise it was hard that their claims
should be extiuguished by the very adjudication by
which they were intended to be protected. The
lion. Gentleman then moved--
" That a Select Committee be appointed to take lato eat.
siikrasion Ilk Ninnies of Messrs. chase, Cliarters, sad CO.
NMI,. Abbott wed Maitland, and air. Perry, of Nedra% sod
report their abstentious thereon to the Horse."
The apses ion having been put—
Mr.
,CAIIINIKO said, he would agree to the mo-
tion fair the Committee; not becilse he thought
the claims of the Petitioners well founded, but be-
cause the Cottimittee would come at the truth,
Ilia. in his filli11101), would defeat them. Ile lied
,a pesrect disbelief that a company of merchants,
established iu the country, for which the Act
.legislated, could go on for months after advent.-
' tog money without knowing that it had passed.
If the Act had never passed, the transactions
would Imre been contrary to the prescribed re-
;golati (((( s of the country, sod the fact was, that
the Act alluded to, instead of rendering them
more strict, had relaxed them. The point on.
dertakess to be proved was, that a sortfict know-
ledge of the Act existed ire Madras, with the es.
reption of that only part requiring the consent of
the authorities in writing. If a garbled state-
ment of the Act " published in a Aladras
Journal, who - that it had not b..en
of the

had been
could alma
garbled to se►ve the purpose speculators /
But as that fret was proposed to be established, he
thought he could not in justice dissent from the
motion. It was for them to she* in what other
ivaunerthe consent had been given, and how they
bud been at the same time aware of the necesrilr
of asking it, and
,ignorant that it should be in
writing.

Mr. GRANT observed, that the object of the Pe-
titioners was to induce Parliament to act contrary
to its oirn solemn decision, and to the rules ex-
pressly declared by the East India Company. if
they had conceived that the Commissioners ap-
pointed to regulate the claims on the Nabob of
the Canonic, hail not acted consietently with the
trust reposed in them, the Courts of Law, he
conceived, were opts' to redress the grievance, nor
.lid hr think the point of any importance, whe-
ther the Act of Parliament had been promulged
perfectly in India or not. If the House should in.
try fere in a case which was properly the result of a
',mite transaction, it would be attended with se-
rious injury to individurla. The East India Coin.
pony would certainly feel themselves aggrieved,
cud lie for one should vote against the appoint-
ment of a Committee.
Mr. MOSSY felt the necessity of instituting en
inquiry into this case. He could not believe that
Cie Petitioners were *ware of the provisions of the
Act of Parliainent, for it was nut likely that any
man in his senses, aware of the existence or such a
law, could ever think of lending Ins money in the
very teeth of it, thereby not wily endangering Isis
property, but subjecting hitnvelf to pains and
penalties. The Petitioners had stated that the law
had nut been published in India, and though in
this country ignorance of the low could nut be
pleaded iu extenuation, yet in a distant country a
very different principle might be admitted. In the
vase of the Louis, Sir William Scott, in pronotic-
is% judgment, had laid it down, that a person
could not be bound by a law that had not been
publi*hed.
Mr. Serjesnt ONSLCAV rose, not for the purpose
of objecting to the appointment of the Committee,
but to protest against the doctrine of law proinul-
gated by the Honourable Gentleman opposite.—
Ile u.ed the word promulgated, because he never
could believe that any Judge in England could as-
►ert that a subject of this country was not bound
by a penal law, with the existence of which lie
might eliance not to he acquainted.
Mr. Mutiny explained.
After u lew words by Mr. W. Smltti in favour of
the itiotion-
Nlr. Mahan shortly replied, and the motion was
tarried without a division.
The Witch and Ward Bill went through a Committee.--
lepurt to-morrow.
The Slinag Basks Bill was read the third time and passed.
l'arcbase of Game Bill was ordered to be read the
thirillunie w•esurrow.

he Irish Assessed Taxes Bill weut thruuih a Committee,
in alucb the blauks were filled up, and the Report was or.
skied to be received tu-morrow.
The Duke of Aiimatty Bill went through a Com-
suiller.—Keporl to-morrow
The Lottery Bill was read a second lime, and ordered 10
be cominilled tu-nweruw.
The Iri.h Bauk Itestriciion Bill was read a second time.
The other Drams of the Day were then dummied of, and
The House adjourned at Half past Ekveo u'Cluck.