The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-07-19 00:00:00

Vloreethhist insanerin which
Viseetsist had *posed the subject. and
• harp.* whom • tegiie, hr should feel di*.
paseel i he much 'esuestaissed at who. in Instiller
sphrase,taigin he sidled the coal *nil easy emitter
in which he had treated it. The Nuble Visronart
hat euteidseed it e• the were ressesstel of ate tapir.
)t4• said- woe 4'1.. Wahl, was withiMe
ttaatt Anse tlrlieevieg 20 or 30.000 1111.111111 creatures
ifs -t .arbitrary pansasuesst Ist-Jas .Lorulabip: it
',swift the apse, of tee years retisseing them to a
elate of etspetete-stavery.• Ile Lod Wand the Noble
Lend (Liverpool) opposite and the Noble Vu.coulit
land in their praises ef the British constitution.;
`hot ibis Bill nests attire. a grass libel on the Con-
.titutiory: it was saying that the laws of the dant:
were not inirseittat for the petsteirtion of Engtish..
inert. See en vhst ,principles the-Bill puree. ..fed :
it talked of aliens as he had heard Roman Cativo.
talked of. and as if nothing could secure the
iprotssetion of life and property but the lee.ring of
thole occasional laws; it proceeded as if the Aro
irormlit coneartaihis country (not very like's. by the
ouy) so plot thedestreetion of the Government. it
...a• prat possible that such intentions might he enter-
tained; but what he would ask had become of all our
lowa as they existed in 1796? they were sufficient
-for 'Protection theta, and we wanted no more now.
:flows-ore iedignant any individual Area might be,
he thought en additional laws were reqiusite to
yeatrain'llim any more than additional laws would
lie riajuired In guard against a Thistle-n(1ml, or any
ether person-of atrocious designs. The little ar-
gionera which the Noble Votonnt had favoured
them with, might be divided into two heads :—titre,
power was a prerogative of the Crow.,;
out secondly. it had not been abused. On
tiie subject. of prerogative he would not long
fatigue their Lord-hips. If the prerogative were a
elsolemorie ono, he would he the last person ho ail-
Vlore any thing splint it. Notsvithataiiiltino all that
teir,lit have been said by ancient writers, miles§ the
prerogative was of service to the commuility,
there Could be no good reason for the Cruwu
plivossing it. From the time of Matins Charta
-down to Queen Elizabeth there had brew too
less than 25 or 27 Acts of Parliament remit it-
log aliens or ftneign merchants, but in inme of them
N,. there the slightest recognition of 'orb a met-a-
u:owe in the Crown bring in existence. O w of
he two precedents relied on on a former octt.
that as to resoling Scotsmen not of ill..
.oniitry, was enacted in the time of If eine VII.
on l Wig repealed in the -first year of the reign
: 3 ernes I. ; and this he (Lord Wilmot)
t onsidered was a proof that the prerogative di"
not exist. The truth was, as all re4(!crs cf ,he
I...eieurt writers on the subject must have dociivyr.
a .l, that there prevailed a great confusion ationigot
them on the 'object. even in able writers. The
as-vereign power of the State was that power which,
so to sty, there was no handy way of ex; reislog.
Lird Coke had said, " I know the Covereigii.y of
op rout of the King, hut not the Poter.io „I of
-power, because he dues not possess it." IViitrin4
liar conceived that as the Crown represents Slit
11r`reigli power of the state, that such sovereign
1: peer nec . ily resided in the Crown. Ile
• ,•d thus much as the Noble Viscount had thrown
errs the gauntlet no the subject. Whether iniotoi-e
I 0.1 be, oi done or tort lie rotsl.l not s v, but tl i. he
k. ew, that those objects of injustice, if they dial evi,t,
1: c 1 too means to claim redress. One iti.tance lie know,
w, try, with regard to a seizure of papers, it was
1.w:41 that when once out of the conatry the fir_
alters had no meatier to ascertain fait., two hi
I •.-s 4' 111 in question their legality. Notis
g i.is frietolship for the Noble Viscount he tato•t
• that he clod not give that rreoht which lo.• oi,er
• .t to his assertions. regarding the otalower in ov:och
u••,•se duties were fulfilled: his condi:et for the
ir sr !our or five years had materially coloriba,-11 to
t • a"ge his opinion. Butt it was tint do brood cot on
t Yoble Viscount's disposition—the power was
• `tears, and if he was irked, US n Meinlo•r of
f•tt [louse (though lie might from civility
r lobby that the Noble A'imet.o,,t had rot :0hn..11
it:. :or would say that it was a inioicip!e of
o aro that where arbitrary power exisie.t, it
vt luld lie abused. But the ithit,e iii. i± In
rNerc!sell by individuals; bolt exerteil hy ham-
s ,e;er it miyht, the effect, tl•e prr.tratii'!a of
rot: ti was the same in the victim ; he -knew ili•!atoets
at individual cruelty and oppiessien, eo.l Le 11,d
grown advantage taken by one indivoltial ever
oi-o!iter by tneatis of the terror excited by this Act.
T!ol• might he done even to the bold, the
-411s:tinals ; but to the poor 'fmri~ncr, fiord
e-nt ,i_rmoriiiit of the law, how 1111116 muse ral,y w:;•4
it oh C344.elltion ? Th.. law was o.oe of the In i!efol
'.<s of that chain which had beeo forged to
b•iiii down the Prometheus of di.e.•...ery—t,)
etieck stil quell the spirit of the That
Foreign 11Iiiitsters do interfere in s' h-r c-e••-
vies lie was certain. and possibly th-y nt4;ilo :to
this. Ile knell, one instance of u (letel-m ii, who
was etiurlgrli iu ti law-suet (he woiiht nvrici tLe
rre!'tion of name-), who hail been oidereil awn
sed transported to tins country. Feinted: a repre_
eertation would have been made to the Fiee•en
(*.aunt who had so acted towards on Englo;!o-
-roso;• but vow lie might be 2.toert by the
A hen Art, and asked, " What right have you to
cJclplitito when you claim the !Power of rue; c:,; tog
ai oiler authority to our subjects?" Oi.e word :is to
tine itiapolicy of the measure. It lir
to avoid sending away persons under this Art th it
were objamtions to foreign C 'arts. Ti', re was oliC
Court that he looked p:-!.colony e meant
~pain; he looked towar.t. it with hape, lane
experience had taught him to hunk wit:t n le,t
set ig&ne gate than be once did, aid to .1:-
Ip-rosin doubts as to the favourable repo': or
events. But he would suppose th in the
progress of the Revolutloll in that country,
events similar to the French Revolution were to
take place—suppose the victims to thoNe events
were to seek refuge in this country, and that
it was our ioterest and inc'.oloatioit to receive
ti•em. and we had no Alien Act, if we were
sailed," %Vbv do you foster our exile. ? why du Yen
shelter our litng ?" the answer would ire fruity;
41 we. have a Free Government as well as your-
selves, and we cannot interfere to present ditto of
which you complain." But we cutout say toot
that Act binds and fetters our discretion •• Aor
instance which had occurred in France would elce4-
pay the • sort of interference wh:ch th'n Aek
subjicted them to. Shortly after the ectmrtYp•ulf