The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-02-19 00:00:00

• Never walk a pried ill which Viers were omit.
mod •leepers in the comitry. On the while, I
}•snot consent to pesipene oar deliteratiOns until
SIM' midst of som►ner-wlkw; as we ail knoW: after
the 4th June, the tstrtli-dry,.as it was called, we can
hoes no attrudarice 'for mature deliberation. I
think there is something Item from our *view, and I
protest against tlw course about to be takesi by his
Majesty's Ministers."'
Lord Cater.etteaoli begged to essilie tlie.Ritht
Hon. Gentlethan that he Intl no other repugnance
Seethe discossioss or public questionsi now, than a
Convection that they could not, us Pinliament was
placed, be adequately entered upon in the manner
they ought. It was perfectly natural that the new
King should open the public business, but really
he saw no prospect of this being done with effect
the present Parliament. With respect to the Civil
List, his Right Him. Friend (the Chancellor of the
Exchequer) had obviated the apprehension ente►-
tatned by the Right Hon. Gentleman opl►osite, by
assuring him that it was only intended to propose a
eontinnauce until the 25th April of the current sum
already stipulated for. so ■s to prevent any swear
•n that head. With respect to the revenues of the
Crown, which were strictly hereditary, he was satis fI
-
fied that Parliament would act with the propriety
and liberality they had uniformly manifested upon
that subject. He was sore, that had hilt Majesty's
Ministers taken the course recommended by the
Right Hon. Member, they would have been met
by his ObjreliJß, stating, that it did not follow, he.
cause Parliamettt hail formerly made a specific
stipulation, that therefore it was • wise one. With
respect to the ;initiation. that something was kept
bet I which Ministers did not wish to divulge. lie
assured the Right Hon. Gentleman that his con-
jecture wan unfounded. Ministers had nothing
in reservation which they would wish to withhold
from the present Parlimmrtit, if time admitted
them to give it mature consideration.
Mr. Ttean IT said a few words in reply.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said,
that on the demise of his Majesty the grants of the
Civil I.;st necessarily expired, end nothing remained
but the hereditary revenges of the Crown, which
did not •nutont to more than from five to six lut.
deed thoietaiiil;pounds • year. It was his intention,
then, to propose to the House on Monday next. to
provide for the payments of charges and salaries
affecting the Civil List, op to the sth of April. and
to provide fur one gumtree income from the Sth of
April to the sth of July, when the entire question
respecting the Civil List would he taken into consi-
deration, and finally settled. By this course much
obvious inconvestience would be avoided, whilst at
the same time the power of the Parliament over the
Civil List would be fully recognised. The subject
would necessarily require much examination and
detail. From the exasniteation he bid been able to
bestow on it he had .h setisfartion in stating his
belief, that on this account no additional burden
would be placed on the country, hut, OH the con-
trary, that • ♦ery considerable saving would be
made. The .Right Hon. Gentleman concluded by
*eying. that with respect to the military force, the
force now in existeuce fell short of what was autho-
rised by the Mutiny Bill. All that would be ne-
cessary on this bead would he a short Act, continu-
ing fur it specific time the Mutiny Bill io force.
Mr. Hume said, that an annuity of 35,000 L
a-year hail been provided for her Royal Highness
the Princess of Walt', now the Queen, and that oil
the demise of his late Majesty that provision had
expired. He wished to know from the Noble Lord
or the Right Ham. Gentleman. whether, in these
temporary arrangements, they intended to continue
thus provision ?
Lord CASTLEREAGH. is. • low tone, replied,
that ►teps would be taken to snake good an► ample
provision for that Illustrsous Personage.

Mr. Beoucit st rand, that he had been so well
assticipoted by hi. Right Elmo. Friend (Mr. Tierney)
as in leave blw little to say, at the same time that
he could not abstain (ruin snaking some obwrvition
oil the present extraordinary procerditig. Wish
to the subject touched on by an Honourable
Gentleman on the bench bel I him (Mr. flume)
he would nut trouble the House with one word about
it. This he believed was the first time that a cum-
onnuicrtion like the present was inside to the Home;
certainly it was the first time that such a comm..-
t.icution was made in precise and measured terms,
with a view to procure the approbation of the
Moth. on the subject of its own dioaralution.
The power of slihsoivisio the Parliament was the
sacred prerogative of the Crown, and as often as
any attempt had been made by the other brioches
of the Legi.leiure to broach this matter, the Minister
of the Crown uniformly made answer, that the
Parliament was not competent to entertain the sub-
ject of the termination of its own existence; that
that was to matter which the Crown had to decide
on in the exercise of its own discretion. Without
meaning to deny she legitimate control of Poulin-
niesit, this certainly was a doctrine of the Cosistitu-
tins, not to be disputed. They were placed at the
present moment iu a new and otrastgr position; they
were called we to entertain the question of the pro-
priety of the advice given toil tilts important occa-
sion by the Ministers to the Crown ; they were
called on to say, Unit the sudden mid speedy-disho-
list 1111 l of the Parliainesit was a well-advised nova.
sure ; they were invited to say this without mini-
derelicts'. With respect to himcelf, as his feelings
or hi. interests were personally concealed, he was
by too means aver*. to a speedy diosolutiote of the
Parliament ; but as a general 'topic be tuight b.
permitted to make Is remark or two upon it. The
144 coishilerionoso was, what would be the inctuive-
metier to the country in bringing nn a general elec.
Iwo in the middle of the Atouzes. It should be
coovidered that the Judges could not uow, as on a
limiter occasion. delay the Avdzes, because 111
cosssetpience of the *morose') of the Easier Term
they would have but three weeks to go the Circuit
mod return. The Judges had at the last election
altered the time of bolding the Circuit, to prevent
Ilse public Inconvenience, from having • general
election and a grows! assizes held in the same place
at the same ;low. This was certainly • subject of
muds interest ; he was bound to 11,11111111 e that the
Noble Lord had .gives) of all due consideration.
The next observations which naturally presented
lied( was the woeful state of the country, dia.
turbid mid owlet. d is it Inol been lately described;
and here be would not but cougratulate the Howe One
the admission of the tranquillity of the country.

-•.:•,_.

:,

ll_ Rik bet,lttoy ticetrol":". that great h.
seemed to have hemp =Led. nail made t.
foundation of measures deeply erecting the hoe
constitution of &limed.; it was but very lately
when they were itschlesaly called together, that it
no 4 been asserted, that on inll'eresit was the vice
of their system, so great the distarfience, so mon.
strous the de•affectioo,to Ouvernmentb as to resider
it necessary fur Parliament to overstep the ancient
boundaries of the cosimitution, and to adopt strong
measureb to restrain and to put down the imputed
turbulence of the people. They (ihr Opposition)
objected to those iireasUres—they questioned the
correctness of the itstemenii that had been made—
they opposed Measures which :rent to bridle the
people, to prevent politic meetings on public sod
momentous questions. The Bill, however poised
but that Bill must expire the day of the issuing of
the writ for calling a new Parliament, of course this
country would be exposed to ell the designs which
that measure was intruded to Meet, if those dan-
gers really exist ; hut from the conduct of Mmis.
tern, it was clear that they at least Were satisfied
that the necessity of the Bill bail ceased, oilier.
wise they would delay the dissolution or Par-
liament for four or five months snore, to *cc
how the measure might work. The pleasing in-
ference was, that the state of the country nu
longer required the necessity of the measure.
Upon soother topic the speech of his Hight
Hon. Friend was luminous and convincing. No
one could be at a loos to see the real motive in
postponing the duacussion of the Civil List ; he be.
lieved that every Gentleman would see at mice the
reason of dissolving the present Parliament. not-
withstanding the prolixity of the Noble Lord; it
was this, that it would be a much more handy thing
to bring forward the question of the Civil List, to be
mutinied and decided by a new Parliament, than
determined by a Parliament now on its death.
bed—a Parliament which must be dissolved in live
or six months, and which might be dissolved alter
it had given its sanction to that measure. He did
not quarrel with the edvisers• of the Crown for sim-
ply dirvolving the Parliament ; on the contrary.
lie looked upon it es refreshing to the constitution.
as at ouce pleasing and beueticial to the people to
have frequent Parliattiente, though not too frequent.
But he felt it his duty to make those observations
on the extraordinary nature of the proposition, and
the motive of it. He took it for granted that the
Noble Lord had considered the sitoetion of the
country before he advised the sudden dissolution of
the Parliament.

Mr. CANNING said, the Hon. and Learned Gen.
Benton had expressed a suspicion that something
lurked behind the curtain respecting the measure
which Ministers had taken. This he (Ur. Can.
sting) knew not how to answer in any other way than
by denying any such object. They wished to set-
tle the Civil List on a permanent basis, and to pro.
vide a sufficient maiutenance for the support and the
dignity of the Crown, and for this purpose to
utter into All examination and detail. when alone
there could he time fur discussion. The Hon. and
Lessor(' Gentleman had takes up the subject in a
constitutional point of view. He said thst no at:
tempt had been ever made to originate a discussion
as to the duration 'of Parliament in that House.
Did the Honourable and Learned Gentleman
forget that the House of Common. had slot only
entertained the subject, but had gone so far as
to address the Crown option a dissolution ? in
point of constitutional doctrine, lie had still to
learn where a fair objection could be made against
the measure. The dissolution of Parliament, on
the demise of the Sovereign, was the old establish.
et, practice by the common law of the country.
The common law, therefore, told the other way;
by the ancient common law, the death of the
King extended to the Parliament. In the reign
of King this ancient principle was de-
parted from, and the Parliament might re-
main in existence fur six months after the de.
misc. That Act was passed on a special ground—
on the ground of a disputed succession; whilst the
succession was disputed, it was justly held to be
inconvenient for the Parliament to separate inate•
dourly on the demise of the Crown. This 801 l
was made permanent it the reign of Quern Anise
ou the sante ground, that of the tears of a
hireign succession. It was a wise and natural
provision of the Legislature. and analogous to
the spirit of the Constitution, and not eopersesting
the spirit of the ancient law or its practice.
It was quite true that after the despise of Queen
Anne, and on the succession of George the First,
the Parliament remained sitting, as well as on the
succession of George the. Second and George the
Third ; but the present ciate could not he regulated
by those precedents, because it stood on grounds
very differeot from all others. When the House
looked to the circumstances of the preaeot cases they
found the Parliament in the midst of business which
required the utmost attention, night after night
—but whilst the country would be agitated by
preparations for a new election—whilst the atten-
tion of Members would be necessarily ditided and
distracted by arrangements for au election which,
by some means or other, the country was taught to
consider us at hand, could a full attendance of
Members he expected ? How the impression he
alluded to was made ou the country, he would not
stop to consider, but certainly the Hon. and Learn-
ed Gentleman was one of the first who sounded the
alarm ; and yet lie came forward to impeacri a
measure which he was the first to au((( and
which realised his most sanguine expectations.—
lastgh.)—Fle was the first who entered the list,
he was the lila to put himself in a stub of formal
preparation ; it was therefore somewhat ungrateful
of the Hon. and Learned Gentleman to blame a
measure which gratified his wishes, and might pros
mote his advantage. In the egitation of the coun-
try, so many interests and feelings were .lost,
that there could scarcely he expected that regular
aitendreice day and night fur the full completion
of the public busitiess—businew of so much im.
pottance. and which required so much attention.
With respect to the measure itself. no objection
could be urged against it. and the public &dui-
tuns of die intuition of Government Ind, he would
say. about it a degree of fairness and candour which
had been seldom shawls under any Administration.
Mr. liativowasa, iu explauation. said, that the
Right Hun. Gesitlenum, for the asks of a joke, had.
without meanie% ivy personal dionespeet, made a
deviation from the fact. The Right Haw. Gentle.
man imputed to is leagued wbieb 4 did am

Utters. So far from complaining Ma hilt owe amid
or the proposed dissolution of Psrliamesst, he said.
explicitly that he was the last man in the House
on his own account to quarrel with' the amt.
sure. So far for the first joke. A• to the Ad-
dress front that Ilurise, it was against a disso-
lution. Ile raked where wee there to be found
an Address for • dissolutioil, Of ally oilier pro-
eroding of Parlißuieot, fur such an object ?
Wheoever such a subject was mesitioned it was
frowned down—llse Minister or the Crown was
always ready to say. It is uo business of yours—
you shall not interfere."
Mr. MACDONALD said, the Parliament should
adhere to the precedents of former times-a•they
should not wantonly deviate from those precedents.
The Noble Lord had before his ryes uninterrupted
precedents ; nevertheless he departed froM all pre-
cedent, without assigning any reason of ally de-
scription sslistroever. The Right Honourable
Gristle's's') (Mr. Canning) redeseoured to et-
plsiii away the different precedents; hut he was.
in point of fact, obliged to admit the existence
of those precedents. 0.1 the demise of the
Crown, the first consideration was to provide for the
adequate splendour and dignity or the successor.
This had b-en done by every Nlinieter, and she
persole at the -ensuing election had ever ratified the
Conduct of their Representati'veir. Why, lie asked.
was it on this occesion thought necessary to depict
rr.au that course for she Bret nine ? Were Ministers
die a.istied with the Parliament ? that was not likely;
or was it that doubts were euiertaiued of the cur-
dial assent of she people to' those arrimgenienis
which the Crown should ask fut. or tht people
should grant ? Principles of economy were assert-
ed—but was it not probable that something *us in
view which would not bear the test of u general
election. He saw no ground fur this 'milieu
lotion of the Parliament; in point of tine no in.
convenience could arise to country gentlemen. Par-
lament had niet precisely et the period originally
arranged by Ministers themselves—,there they were
assembled, soil there they might sit longer thau
the period required for the public business.—
, He was her from disputing the prerogative of the
Crown to dissolve the Parliament, but at the same
time he would consider Ministers as reponsible for
the advice they might give in this instance. as in
any other. He could not but comphtio of the C 0...
duct of the Noble Lord in bringing forward this
proposition in a manner that rendered it imperative
on the House to give an opinion upon it. The
Right Hon. Gentleman (Ir. Canning) confounded
the Address, asking the Crown for leave to sit lon-
ger, with the Message of the Crown, saying, you
shall be dissolved. He was sorry to hear some re-
marks from that Right Hon. Gentleman, because
ne recollected him sitting in his place in that House.
to threaten Parliament, that if such and such inea-
sures were not adopted lie would advise an imme-
diate dissolution.—( Hear, hear.)—After the Hon.
Gentleman had sat down the Address was put. and
curried without a division, and was ordered to be
presented to leis Majesty by Members of his
Privy Council.
BOROUGHS OP GRAMPOUND, PE%RYN, use.
Lord JOHN Russat.t., in purstrutice of Isis pubis.,
moved for leave to bring in a Bill to prevent the
Mooing of any of writs for the boroughs of Grain-
pound, Penryn. Camelford, and Barnstaple. The
Noble Lord said, that in submitting this measure to
the consideration_ of the House, he felt that he stood
upon precedent and sound constitutional reasoning;
of the necessity of prosecuting to its final issue
the case of those boroughs, the House had al-
ready expressed their opinion. He founded the
measure on the precedent of the borough of Blisf-
tesbury—there the writ wise delayed from one pro-
rogation to another. He considered that delaying
it from one Parliament to another. was in point or
principle, the same. Mr. Fox had declared that a
dissolution in sin wise differed from a prompts
lino of Pediment, nave in this, that Parliament
being dead, the Members had snore time to
examine into and account for their own conduct.
111 cases of gross and profligate corruption, as little
delay ae possible should be allowed to take place.
The Noble Lord concluded by moving, that the
Bill be read a flirt time.

Lord CAIIMEREACH said, that he did not essen-
tially differ from the Noble Lord as to the main
point, but as to the present motion some difficulties
appeared to him. He believed that one of the
boroughs (Graniponsid) in question had Mins.
hers at present sitting in the House. Penryn
had one Member sitting in the House. This
case was different in one particular from the
case of the borough of Shaftesbury. There,
in the interval that the state of that borough
was under the consideration of Pediment, the
place was not filled from one Session to another,
but the motion siettre Noble Lord was to dr.
lay the writ from one Parliament to another. If
the Noble Lord brought in his Bill, a Mee-
sage whets that Bill should be sent up to the
Lords would come down from that House for
all information connected with it. The House
had proceeded in the cases of Grarnpound, Penryn,
and Cense'ford, and the evidence soul information
respecting them were complicated and exteostre.
It was not so in the single case of the borough of
Shaftesbury. The House of Lords were io the
habit of examining evidence with great strictuess—
they Would view the evidence here with peculiar
strictness, for the Bill of the Noble Lord went to
deny the right of representation to the borough of
Barnstaple. These were difficulties which sate-
' rally presented themselves, and he therefore stated
thesis ; but in case the Noble Lord should bring
in the Btll, Ministers would have time for consi-
deration on the second reading, when they would
have a nearer view of it. But whether the Bill
should be brought in or not, lie had no hesitation
in saying, that it was his decided opinion that the
power of Parliament over those boroughs should
stand precisely in the some situation es it does now.
Mr. WYNN said, he hoped the Noble Lord
would bring in his bill, and that the borough of
Barnstable ought to he included in it. The House
of Lords had been in the act of carrying ou an in-
quiry on the subject, when the inquiry was inter.
I opted by the exertion of the prerogative, and Par-
liament ceased to set. If the House of Lords
should differ from the House of Common% they
mightiloso—they might strike Barnstaple oat atilt
Bill7--bst why meow t bet the Homiest Lords would
differ its myaijges with that House? Looking to the
IMIle *HIM* tlbtir bowl that the silise;tost of the