The National Register.
London, England, 1817-02-24 00:00:00

HOUSE OF LORDS.

MONDAY, FEB. 17.

The only business of public interest done this day was a
notice by the Earl of Lauderdale that lie would move to-mor-
row [Tuesday] for an official intimation, given by the Mini-
sters, on the subject of the French Loan. 'File Noble Earl
Droved that the Lords be summoned. Ordered.—Adjourned.
TUESDAY, FEB. 13.
Lord F.aseine presented a Petition from Birmingham,
playing fur Reform.—Laid on the Table.
REPORT OF THE SECRET COMMITTEE OF PEERS.
Lord HARROWay presented to the House the Report of
the Secret Committee of their Lordships, appoiuted to take
into coltishly; ation the Papers laid before the House by older
of the Prince Regent, respecting the existence of eertain
meetings. practices, and combinations, hi the metropolis, anal
in other parts (tithe country.
The Report commenced by stating that the Committee,
having examined the Papers referred to Ilwm, had mud front
the evidence contained therein, that there WA., no LI we that
ti easonable const•iracies had been formed in the we:, weilis
and elsewhere, which had for their object the total overthrow
of the laws and government as they ,at present exist, and the
indiscriminate plunder and division of property. 't hat as
early as the mouth of August last different meetings hail ;wen
held in the metropolis, with a view to promote the ob,er ls
above alluded to. Arms were purchased for that piir;.o‘e,
and other tneasnres of the like kind resorted to. At s lose-
quent consultations it was ra solved us the best mode of col-
lecting together a great number of people, to call 4 rielie
meeting in Spa Fields, which was fixed fur the 1.11, of No•
vernber. The Report next adverted to the inlia.nni iry •
hand bills and advertisements which preceded that inertial',
for the purpose of exciting the people t., outra...e and pt.'r,tier. •
After .olvertilig to the first meeting which took ;.I •ce ,ir • pa
Fields, and its adjonrinnent to the 2tl of December, it prise
eeeds to detail a variety of circumstances tending to pea ve
the atrocious intentions of the conspirators. Arming tinier
facts detailed, were those of their having prepared addresses
and circulate ,1 them in the ga rls, informing the p. aarnra x hat
they would shortly be set at liberty, and to hold tit ein.elveg
in readiness for that event, whet' they weall be armed ny the
Provisional Government. In these addresses they were also
desired to prepare themselves with trivioloured cockades,
emblematic of the approaelsiog revolution. Plans were ants
formed fur an attack upon We Tower—pikes were mannfac-
tured to arm the people—leaders were appointed to conduct
the assaults in different districts, and fire-arms were distri-
buted among those who were considered most woo thy of con-
fidence. While these arrangements were formed, the leaders
of the conspiracy wrre found night after night iii public
houses, working up the minds of the tiersons whom they might
meet there, so as to render them ready histitiments to exe-
, cute any project, however desperate. Exertions were also
made to win over the soldiers to their cause. Tri-colmored
flags were prepared, together with a banner on which was
inscribed the words, " The brave Sulditrs are our Friends,
treat them kindly;' and it ap.wareil down the eve of the 2r;
of December, they had the fullest confidence of success. It
further appeared, that communications regulaily took place
between the conspirators the metropolis, and persons Rem-
itted by feelings equally evil in other parts of the country ;
and that matters were so regulated, as that their efforts ehould
be devoted to the same purpose in different quarters at the
same time. For which purpose, it WAS agreed that they
should all hold meetings on the same day, anti thereby effect
a general rising at once ; and this was to be dune under the
pretence that they were to petition the Prince Regent, the
real object being to promote a spirit of insubordination—a
contempt of all laws, whether religious or otherwise—an equal
division of all property, and a restoration of wh at was termed
natural rights. The next point upon which the Report
touched was, the existence of societies in various parts of the
kingdom, tinier the titles of Hampden Clubs, Spencean Phi.
lanthropists, &c. the object of which was, tinder the guise of
constitutional proceedings, to extend the plans of ales astation
and destruction already described. It disclaimed a general
imputation of disloyalty against the numbers of some Of these
clubs ; but at the ',awe time remaiked on the pernicious use
which was made of such cloaks. A reference was then had
to the administration of secret oaths, anal to the extraordinary
measures which acre taken by the conspirators to prevent
discovery of their plots—plots which were found to bate
existence in almost all the great mamitiretni in: towns through.
out the country, Glasgow, Manchester. Birmieelistin. &c.
'the last topic alluded to was, the publication of inttanimatery
and seditious works at a cheap rate; the end and intention of
which was, to root out all feeling to religion anal morality, and
to errata a hatred and contempt for the existing s ate of
things. 'Else Committee, in liar, ittriloited the late attack
neon the Prince Regent to the etteet produced by those poll.
lications, and expressed it as their decided opinion, that the
Civil Power, as at present constituted, under all the circuits-
stasices stated, was insufficient for the preservation of the
public peace.
Lord Lis keroni, moved that this Report should be taken
into eousideration on Friday.
he Lou I of GROS*. I NOR said, it was unprecedt•nti d to ge
into such nut important discussion, unless all the information
were previonsly laid before the Howe, sr latch had been sub-
'nil oval to the consideration of the Committee. Whatever
disaffection existed the country er outrage had been corn.
'flitted, the laws Inad 11C1'111011111d Sll'lleil.lll to tun them (town ;
and fur himself lie would ensititaiii, that there uas mo greater
I II ony of his country than he who would take ads-antler or a
partial disaffection to drat oy the liberties of the people.
The Earl of 11 satßoss al said, the urpninini tit of a Se-
cret Cori eee it tee gas e to that Committee powers of great trust ;
and eouservieart; tt1e)...1i.1 not think lit to lay all their intur-

nation before the House, when such a disclosure might des-
troy ercry chance of effectually putting down such combina-
tions as those described id the report.
The report Win ordered to be taken into consideration on
:Friday fur wkirli the Lords wei e siunutotied.

PETI fIONS FOR REFORM.
Lord HOLLAND presented a petition from the Lord Mayor,
Aldermen, and Livery of the city of London, proving fur re-
form and retrenchment. He thought, not willisianding the
report of the Secret Committee, that the House should ie.
ceive every expressioti of the people, as to their distresses,.
ave.& if they prayed for allntia I parliaments and universal suf-
frage as a relief from their distresses. Notwithstanding the
extravagance of some individuals, the people at large had
!hewn that they looked to parliament as their only resource,
and en long as they did so, the ernraitution was safe. lie de-
stied that imit er,tl suffrage was a nature!, or annual Parlia-
ments A legal right of the people; and it was. iu his opinion•
necessary to remove such falla •ics from the public mind. He
was, however, far from being of opinion that some rentrm in
the duration of Parliament would not be beneficial. But for
the present, he was of opinion that Pas liamtlitary Reform
was unattainable. Still be thought something might he done
to diminish the corruption now existing.. At the same time
he did not think that reform itself would remove all our dis-
tresses—that it would feed the hungry, or clothe the
naked,.

The petition was then read, and laid on the table.
Lord HOLLAND presented similar petition% from Aldgatc
Ward, and the Borough of Rutherglen.—Laid on the table.
Earl Gator said, he also had a petition, prayin,, fur reform,
from the Lord Alayor, Aldermen, and Common Council of the
city of London. Toe petitioners prayed for rigid economy
In the disbnrsements of the state ; the abolition of the useless
and unineiited places and pensions; and for a reform in Par-
liament. But the petitioners disclaimed the wild and imprac-
ticable schemes of universal suffrage and annual Parliaments,
which he (Lord Grey) asserted was never the law ()tithe land
or the right of the people. If such a reform were effected,
Instead of the beneficial results expected from it, he believed
it would absolutely destroy the constitution of our country.
lie was anxious to disclaim this error; and to defend the
people from its delusions who, no &Mit, when they peti-
tioned for it, very little considered the subject, but believed
It to be the only means of correcting those evils and abuses
which, from the time of Mr. Locke downwards, had been
found to exist in our constitution. This opinion was not now
so s:rong on the subject of reform as formerly • and whenever
a change took place in his opinions, he trusted lie should al-
ways have the manliness and honesty to avow it.
The petition was then mid.
The Earl of Glum: Extra conceived the opinion of the pe-
titioners, seeing no reduction in out expenditure, to be
that Reform in the Representation was ohmic likely to
etlect it.
LOAN To FRANCE.

The Earl of LAUDERDALE said, he had on a former occa-
sion put a question to a Noble Lord opposite, wheelie/ Go-
vernment had agreed to guarantee a loan to France. The
answer he received was such as he had expected in the pre.
sent state of the country. He bad, however, found it his
duty to move fur papers on this subject, with a view to
bring the conduct of Government before the House, not to
arraign the conduct of any man who embarked his property
in any speculation advantageous to himself'. But it was ano-
ther question, if Goverument held out any inducement to
individuals to embark their property in any particular plan.
He wished to know if the Noble Lords had done any thirst to
take away the inducements held out by the treaty of Paris of
1614 to persons to remove their capital out of this country ? If
this loan was negociated, what security would there be af-
forded to those who embarked their property in it ? For he
bad understood from the late treaty that our government
could not refuse to indemnity any man who shooed vest his
mon, y in the French Funds, if the French government
should WI in its engagements. Now this government was
more involved in finane►al distress than at any former period
yet the government had dune nothing to discourage the em-
ployment of British capital in foreign loans.
Lord LIVERPOOL bald a short answer to the Noble Lord's
motion. Government had not, nor could they have, any
eommonications to lay before Parliament. He would now
repeat what he had said on a former occasion ; namely, that
the government had not interfered either to encourage or
discourage this advnnce of money to the French government
by British individuals. The individuals concerned, how.
ver, were well aware that government would give no gua-
rantee for the repayment of the money thus advanced by
them. The Noble Lord had alluded to an article in the
treaty of Paris, which he said gave an artificial credit and
support to the French funds at the expense of this country,
and had said this article would term a precedent for future
treaties. This he (Lord Liverpool) denied; the circum-
stances attending that treaty were such as he hoped would
never occur again ; but they were such as called for extraor-
dinary circumstances to be adopted with which to meet them,
and he trusted would justify the adoption of the article iii
the treaty to which the Noble Lord had alluded.
Lord Howivu thought one circumstance would occur
out of-the late treaty; which was, that this country hail brought
four millions and a half out of the pockets of individuals in
France, at an expense of seven mill' out of the public
purse of Great Britain.; and farther, he would contend that
the British Capitalists who hail advanced their money to the
French government, were not indemnified by that Goveru-
Silent, but by the sacrifice of British e.ipit al.
Lord LAUDERDALE replied, and contended that Mr. Pitt',
Sinking Fluid did not dither in principle from thriller Sinking
Funds. The Noble Lord thou withdrew his inotion.—Ad-
joorncd.