The National Register.
London, England, 1819-06-21 00:00:00

v•e7z-4,

[PnicE 9itt.

I We extract the following observations from she
London Courier of Wednesday:— ,
" The proceedings in the House of Commons
during the last two erasing* with respect to its pri.
'lieges, furnish matter for de meditation. 4kl-
riuredly we shall not be suspected of say disposition
to countenance a damprous or impeoper infringe-
meet upon those privikga; ; we shall not be rank.
ed among the number of those who would seek to
degrade the House in the estimation of the country
by holding up tts proceedings in any way that may
tend to give them an air of ridicule, or to lower
them to the familiarity of the rabble. But when we
say thus much, we must add, that none of these ef-
fects are likely to flow from ;undid, free, and intre-
pid strictures upon what tresses within its walls. If
the publicity of its debates be, as it is ,floured to be,
a great national good, the liberty of examining
these debates is ahnostintleparable from the perfect
and entire enjoyment of that good. There itt at
Jesuit as much talent, as much general information,
much erudition out of Parliament as in it, and by
collision of the intellect of the country with-the
intellect of the legislature, the path of sound prac.
;11
OW wisdom has frequently been discovered, and
the march of mischievous error resisted. The puL-
lk press of England, taken as a whole, is the most
enlightened of any in the world. It reckons among
its contributors and supporters, men whose (Onions
could derive only an accidental importance film
station, if they were delivered from the floor of either
House of l'arliament. And *by, we would ask,
with all possible deference, why is this repugnance
to admit its controul, now displayed with so m'tch
vehemence ? Why is it directed exclusively against
that portion of the press least obnoxious to it in fair-
ness ? .18 it from the comments of the daily rapers
upon what passes in Parliament that such danger is
apprehended ; froia the sentiments of inAlvirluele
whose condition in society, whose education, and
principles, must always be a security against base
and malevolent aspersions? We do hope, with the
utmost sincerity, that no attcmrs will be made to
enforce the threats which have been :elatinated. We
do hope, the House of Commons will feel, the: as
the great and solemn council of the nation, the na-
tion has a vital interest in all is proceedings, and
that interest, when excited in tae leeasts of tree
me-, cannot be expected to hide itself in the silence
and timidity of slaves. If the comments of the
Englith 'Press, upon the delibsratier.s of the Ettelish
Parliament, arc to be watcliA with a feverish jet-
'lousy, it were better that Parliament should ileiibe.
rate with rimed doors ; for it would be a mockery to
say.to the itation, you shall know what ;re do, but
you shall not shire to arraign it while it is doing;
you shall not dare to expostulate with honest. but
decorous freedom ; you shall not dare to question
our wisiiom, nor hint at our fallibility. These,
surely, are not the terms upon which we ought to
hold and exercise the right of a free people, to tr.,
cuss the conduct of our representatives. They are
not the terms, we will add, by which those reere-
sentatives would lime; continue to be the ergs's' of
a free people."

Etttraet of a le,tcr from the agent to Lloyd's at
Gibraltar, dated f.sth May :—" Intelligence bus
b en received here from Tarifa of the loss of a Pa-
' triot herineplinidite privateer, on Saturday the 221
in,tart, on a reef of sunken rocks near that place, is
bearing down under a press of sail to cut off a Spa-
nish brig dim. had anchored close to Tarifa, called
Los Tres, or Quatra Hermanos, which she had
chased front off Santi Petri. Some of her crew were
drowned, the remainder took to their boat, and.
rowed off towards the Barbary shore; but boats
being imwediately manned with soldier•, and sent
in pucsidt, succeeded in capturing. them. 72 in num-
ls.r, including the Captain, named Brown. One of
the officers in resiN:ing was ~hot.—The PA:nch agent
tliL place has received a Ictter fro,n Mar-cias,
dated the ith lust., ctouttnuoicAting Oha ottpkasaat
intelligence of a Swedish vessel, called the t outinit-
alien, having arrived there on the 30;11 alt , frna
Siiza and Innis, I•rr.nt which latter place she sailed
on the vOth ult., wilt the plague on board, of widen
some of the crew an I pass-,mgers hail died, and others
were then infected. The infected persons were
lauded at the Lazaretto, and the vessel put under a
strict quarantine guard. All other necessary :Igor-
(ins measures were enforced to prevent any bad cos.
sequence! resultin;."