The National Register.
London, England, 1818-03-01 00:00:00

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66

imrna.u. PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

:%lonnair.
Lard Hot. t. A mnpre,entell a Petitition from theitioril Mayor,
Aldermen. and Coalmen Conned of :ttir City of Lewin.),
praying, that previous to the passing a 8111 of lode •ty, a
fall and !inlet investigation shoillii be made into the
condole of Ministers daring the Suspension of the Habeas
Corpus AFL—Orilereil to lie on the table.
• Lordea ERN presented n Petition from certain per.
sons inhabitants of Manchester mud its neighbour, 1, corn-
• plaining of the base aspersions which hail been cast en their
chtiraelers by Spies and Inforinets, and praying the House
avoid(' institute inquiry into •the troth of these allegations.
Ordered Wile ass the futile. The Noble Lordthen presentedPe-
titiens (rum 02den. Sellers. Akers, and Bray, complaining of
being arrested and imprisoned tinder the Suspension Act ;
after has ism been treated with great severity, being dis-
.ehargeil without trial, anti praying redress of the House.
-Ordered to lie on the table.

REPORT OP THE SECRET COMMITTEE.
The Duke of Morscaose brought up the Report of the Se.
-eret Committee, which, on the Motion of the 'Noble Mike, •
was read by the Clerk. The Report nommeneed by stating
the p'ts contained in the Reports of the Secret
Coo'l'ly[ beasioarrite xo the insurrections at
Derbyglhfm, !soot Huddersfield, and in the
West orissleire. It•then proceeded to detail the
•transactions during the trials at Derby ; and the Committee
• declared that the ciresinistanees which appeared upon those
tri kis, the fact of 19 of thepersons indicted there having with-
drawn their plea of Nat Guilty, and pleaded Guilty, fully es.
tablished in the minds of the Committee the credit of those
reports. The Committee, however, were happy to find, that
not wittistandioc the attempts made try tlw ill-disposed and
misgtiiiled, the great mass of the people had temaiued peace-
able and well disposed. The Committee still however consi.
tiered it was necessary Goiernment should remain active.
The Committee had also examined papers connected with the
arrests of persons coin 'lilted under the powers of the Sus.
pet Sinn Act, and found that not a single individual had been
•cominittted under the powers of the Suspension Act, ex-
•cept upon information on oath, and under circumstances
which fully justified their commitment. Thirty.seven of
!these persons thus arrested upon warrants for high treason
had
been discharged without trial. The Government it appeared
bad from time to time expected to bring some of those per-
sons to trial, but vire stances occui red, which induced
them, en grounds well warrauted, to give up those eapecta-
lions.
The Duke of Marcreoss, the Report having been tread,
moved that it should lie•on the table.
Lord ftirsosesmon said, it was not his intention now to
oppose the Report being laid on the table, or to enter into
Any dismission open*. He could not but observe, however,
:that the Report just read.contained.no information whatever
which was new. It was a mere transcript of what had ap-
speared on the trials at Verhy. Upon that evidence the
Learned Judges who presided scouted the idea of a plan
.of general insurrection. The present Report went no
further than the evidence at Derby did in establishing 'that
fact,
Lord Launean.s.de said, the present Report alluded par-
'Similarly to the facts mentioned in the two former Reports.
He, thought, therelbre, those Reports should be ,re-printed
for the use of their Lordships.
The Report was then read undlaid on the table.
BILL OF INDEMNITY.
lA. Liege POOL said, a Noble Friend of his, would °Wednes-
day, introduce a Bill founded on the Report which had been
just read to their Lordships. .It would be proposed to read the
Bill a first time on that night, and to fix the second reading
for Friday next.—Adjourned.
WUNADAY.
Lord HOLLAND presented to Petition from iseveral house-
holders of the city of Bath in favour of the Bill for regula-
ting chimney .sweepers, and praying that the same might be
.passed into a law.—Adjourned.
WZDNESDAV.
Earl AITIWILLIAN presented a Petitionfrom certain inha.
bitants of Loodon and Westminster against the chimney-
sweepers' RegnlationHill.
'Earl GROSVENOR said, hej had a Petition to present from '
Thomas Evans, late a prisoner.in Horsemonger-lane.gaol, one
•of r the persons who had very .properly-resisted tbc measures
taken to induce them to enter into recognizance.. The.Pe- '
stitioo, Which was read by the clerk, and laid en thetable,was
similiar to that presented •to the Common+ aroma the mote
:BILL 'OF INDEMNITY.
The'Duke of Mowroon: said it was hie ditty to present a
'Bill for indemnifying his Majesty's Ministers and persons em-
ployed in apprehending prisoners under the late Act of Par-
liateent. It was not necessary for him to say any thing in its,
support in this stage. He should merely propose,:that the
Bill be now read a first time.
The •Earl of •LAUDERDALE observed that from the title of
the Biil,ashe heard it stated by the Noble Duke, it appeared.
to bee Batiste indenuaifying his Majesty's Ministers for every
.act they had done •ender the tuspension of the Habeas Cor-
Tens Am. frhe BW however, for aught their Lordships knew.,
might extend still further. tow what wee the •situation in
which their Lordships were placed ? They knew by the.'
jonruahr of the Moose of 'Parliament that papers had been
also scent* that House, and referred to a Committee : that
Committee.liad not yet reported, and their Report might tee
such as to tender en, proteciling of the kind now proposed,
-reery improper to be adopted by their Lordships.
The . Earl. of Livcorood saw no possible ground for delay
'ln the objectiou-stated by the Noble Lord. Were itgood for
.any thew, it would he eqtsidly.good against a measure-which
,their Lordships had already aneetioned, namely, the appoint-
•lllest of a committee to inquire into the conduct of Ministers'
•as tie papers which had been -submitted to ',Weir, Consider.,
.Lord Hosuaton expected that thelloble Duke would hate
stated more at length what ',was the nature of•the.Bill he had!

.presented.
The Duke of Moierctose said the Bill was Of the same
mature as the Bills of Indeinuity proprosed in similar'
cases, and he bay, no reason fur delaying its progress on the
psNsipiltty of Wale otber, proceeding biding instituted in the
Lord list.t:ANnprcposeb to reeve, ussnwinnenktine at; that
+the Bill he road a lust tune ten days hoe tit ; but a Mutsu() was'
finally made for tins day•n~iu fight.
The Earl of Liverpool automated a willinytcss to postpone
the second reading till Moodily.

`rut NATIONALt AILSTFR.

Lord Holland and Lord Lauderdale wished that Tuesday
should he the day.
After a few words from the Flail of Rosslyn and the Mar-
gals of Lansdowne,'who wished to delay the second reading
to Tuesday. the Amendment was negatived, and the DM
read a first time.—Adjourned to Friday.

FRIDAY.
CITY PF.TITION.
Lord HOLLAND prf!senled a Petition from the Lord Mayor,
two : ldenucn, and ten other persons, praying the House not
to pass the: Indemnity Bill.
The Lord CHANCELLon intimated that it could only be
received as -the Petition of the individuals whose names
were attached. The Petition was then w: tiered to lie on the
table.
Earl GROSVENOR presented a Petition from Samuel Bagtie-
ley, at' Manchester, complaining or hardships endured under
the Habeas Cocpus Suspension Aft, and .praying the Houle
not to pass a Bill of Imlenvnity.
Earl GROSVENoR also presented a Petition from F.lijah
Dkon, of Manchester, praying for Parliamentary Reform.
Both Petitions were ordered to lie on the table.

THE KIL OF INDEMNITY.
The Duke of Mos Time rose. on the Order of the Day,
and said—'• In rising to move that this Bill be read a second
time, it appears to me to be proper that I should offer to your
Lordships some Observetions respecting the circumstances
which led in the introduction of the Bill. I must trouble
your Lordships to recollect in what situation the country was
at the beginninistit of last Session of Parliament. Your
Lordships will remember that in the counties of Nottinel 4111,
Derbyshire, and Leirecrorshire, much destriretion of names
and many murdereteok place, to the astonishment and terror •
of the country. By the confeesion of unfortunate men, who
stiffer, d with their lives outtlie oceasi 111 l ,it was acknowledged
that the breaking of these (frames, and the murder of indi_
viditals, was the effect of a ,concerted system, and that it was
so settled that the destruction of human life, as %villas the
destruction of frames and homes, swat a fisted arrangement.
It was acknowledged that it was their intention to murder
the Judge on his seat of Justice, and that money was received
to tire upon him during .his removal from one place to ano-
ther." The Noble bilke thenadvirtedste the establishment of
seditious clubs and ineetinngs, the Spa. fields meetings, the at-
tempt own' e Prince Regent, and the application to Parlia•
meet in consequence of which the Habeas Corpus Suspension
Bill passed. The Executive Government had enforced it with
moderation, and they might almost feel themselves entitled to
a Bill of Indemnity, but after the Report laid on their
table, it would be corollary to the Suspension Bill. lint the
fact was, the Government did not seek indemnity fer them_
selves. The Magistrates, to whom the country owed very
much, ought to .be protected. It would be most unwise and
unjust to makethein come forward to eontunicate the aonrces
.of that inforunatiou by which his Majesty's Government had
been able to do so much for public safety. Under these cir-
cumstances, the Noble Duke moved the Bill be read a second
time.
The Marquis of LANDODOWNE rose, not for the purpose
of code:lc/oaring to induce the House to refuse the Bill, bat
to call on their Lordships to give their cool attention to the
character-of the proceeding 'then before them—the effect it
would have on the rights and property of British subjects.—
The measure before them could not be separated from the
Bill of last year, called the Habeas Corpus Suspension Act.
But he could never admit the extraordinary proposition of
the Noble l)aise, namely, that it was to pass as a matter of
tonrse, and areorollary to.the Suspension Act. He examined
the ground on .which the Suspension .Bill passed, and con-
tended that insinstance of insurrection hadoecurred tooatroug
for the law. In the Metropolis, which had been desovibed
to be in a dangerous state, the Noble Viscount had-outy been
able to arrest two persons. dt might be true that there
still were persons who remained disposed to carry into effect
their projects of overturning the State, but lie thought the
confinement attach persons in Bedlam would have been in.
finitely better than •martiniug them is Coldbath.fields Prison.
The Noble Marquis would not allow that a Bill of Indemnity
would of necessity follow the Suspension of the Habeas Cor-
pus. He concluded by moving that the word in the Noble
Duke's motion, " now," be left oat, and the words " this day
fortnight" be .introduced. The object of the amendment
was to postpone the second-reading of the Bill for, a tortaight..
The Earl of Liveneont.-said, the question the House had
to consider -this night was, whether on the principle of the
BM it was a •13111 of Indemnity of the nature proposed.—
His Noble Friend only meant to say, that, looking at the Re-
port laid on the table, a Bill of Indemnity did appear as a
corollary. The power placed .by Parliament iu the hands of
the Esecutive Government had been not abused and on
that ground alone they were prepared to ask for.indemnity.
Lord BRUME supported the amendment.
Vbe Lord Ctiegext.Lua Apposed it.
iscount Slummy(' supported the Bill
Lord Hota.amD, at great length opposed the Bill as did Lords
Grosvenor andtCaernarvon
The question was then fondly called for, and the House
divided open the question that the Bill be read a second,
time. The number were :—Contents I.oo—Non Contents 33
—Majority 87.
• Adjourned at half past ten.

MOUSE OF COMMONS.

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