The National Register.
London, England, 1819-05-17 00:00:00

TRUIISMY, MAY 13.

RIBBON TRADE.-Mr. P. 3100r.E, presented a Petition from
the Corporation of Coventry, compliantly, of the &mows to
which the It ibbon %Vetivers were teduc..l.l—ilibtrci,s that thteatene I
to involve the trade in one gencr.l ruin, and which had now ctn.-
tinned fur unne dual four ye. ~._Read, and on:ettil ti lie
tae talk.

.\ Ir. P. Nfoont: moved for leave to introduce a Bill to relieve
the ribbon weavers. They had, ntr.v for year-. sustained the
gieatest calamities; and the evil was, die went of thee regula-
tions which protected the weavers of Spitultiehin. He Walled on
the Legislature to enforce the keening of a,rttnwnts when they
were once made ; that would give the protection that was required.
\Without intefference the ribbon weavers must sturve--und one
fraction of u farthing would :.Hurd de-ired rind rescue
the City of Coventry front the severest burdens. When the rules
that exist'sl till ibt6 were broken through, diitra-s trisutd, :toll
the poor rates were deluged ; and it was .be opinion of the master
nuinutiicturers diet the resoiutions embodied in the proposed Bill
would afford the dtsired relief. He concluded with 'noting for
Lave to bring in a Bill to regulate the trade of bilk weavers in
Greet

Aft,/ au uninteresting debate the motion was wid,drawa.
• SINK' FUND.:--Mr. P. G REN FELL their brought forward
his /notion tor securing to the public the benefit of cite applieution
.f di.: Slaking Fund to Joy Loan that might be to the

MAY 17.

present year for the public. service. It masktned tot extended
discnesion, end on a division there were Ayes 's9—Noes 117—
Majonty 78.
mEXT IN FOREIGN St:RVICF. BILL: The ATTAR.
Ntv-G P. N ERA r. wee, to 'nave for leave to bring in a bill to prohibit
enlistment! in foreign Fervice, and the equipment of vessels of
war without license. The law of our country on this subject,
founded en a statute of George I 1., male it an offence amount-
in. to a felony to eater into the service of a foreign state. The
words of that *Leone might, however, raise a doubt how far it
was intended to embrace those entering into the service of states
not acknowledged to be such. It would be a most aloud stmement
of the hoe, to say, Met those enlisting in the service of an ac-
knowledged prince or state, violated the law by doing so ; and
yet, that they were not prevented front entering into the service
of unacknowledged states. The object of his hill, in a cetutiu
degree, was to amend the statute, by introducing after " king,
prince. state, potentate," the word; " colony or dis'riet who do
obsolete the power: of a government." The intention of intro•
clueinee tlieee uonle was to make colieting in the service of unac-
knowledge! powers, the same es enlisting in the eer.ie,e of those
that were acknowledged. 'file law, as it stood, on toe statute.,
tiro oth and the enth of Geo. 11., annexed :11c limey penalty of
felony to the offence of enlisting in the service of a foreign state:
but although the law, as it formerly stool, and as it now mod,
was equally against entering the Nerviee of acknowledged pot'. ult.
rcknowledged spite;, yet it could not punish those who emend
the service of unacknowleleal powere If ano roomer countee
were at war with her Colonies, and the subjcces of this country
eelistod in the service of these colonies, the low could not punish
them: hut if they enlisted in the service of the mother country.
which was a legitimate power, they were liable to the penalties of
felony; fur to enlist in- the act-ice of as acknowletlged state cer-
tainly was a felony. as the law now stood. But to make the law
consistent, it was his object, by this bill, to reduce the penalty
from a felony to a ntiolemeanour, and to melee the kite etfuslly
applicable to neknowledged anal to to.acknowledgel powers. En.
listing in the service of those persons who had assumed to them-
selves the powers of a government, (whether they were justifiable
or not in assuming those powers he should not ingtfere, because
he wiehol tea avoid the political discussion of such a question)
wee a violation of that neutrality which this country profeeed to
observe. lii the second provision of the 1,111, two objects were in •
tended to he embraced—to prevent the fitting oat of armed eel-
tele, and Aso to prevent the fitting out or supplying other ships
with warlike stores in any of hit Majesty's ports. Not that such
vessels might not receive provisions in any port in the British
dominions ; but the object of the enactment was to prevent them
from shipping warlike stores, such as guns and other things ob.
viously and manifestly intended for no other purpose than war.
Thew were the objects of the bill ; and unless it appeOred to the
house thou they ought to distinguish between legitimate states
(perhar lie ought not to use the word " legitimate"—he meant
acknowledged states), arid throe self-coristittited states that were
tinacknowldsexi, he could not anticipate erre objection to the
bill. lie then niovec'-. iht leave to bring in a bill to prohibit en-
lit nivents in fareign service, mil the egeipment of vessels of war
without license. Before sitting down he begged to alt, What he
had forgot to mention when explaining the objects ut the bill,
that he proposed the penalty trl the first offence should be for a
misdemeanour, and on the ',mond fern felony.
Sir JAMES MACINTOSH said, that if he could consider the
present ineaetue of his lion. and learned friend, merely as the
introduction of a reform into our criminal legislation, he would
not, on the presets occasion, have made a singce remark; or if
he had. would merely have expressed his approbetion of the pro-
roved aniendrneni of the law. The repeal of the Y statutes of
the 9th and Ytrh Geo. 11. which constituted the entrarce into the
serviceof a foreign government a felony, he highly improved of;
and he might, it' they hal not now been l:ruught into diecuesion
by his hon. and learned friend (the Attorney-General), have felt
it his duty to have brought them soon under the notice of the
house. They were founded merely on temporary circumstance*
end enacted nettaltice which were revolting to humanity, and
which, therefore, now could never be inflicted. Hi, Hon. and
learned Priced had given to these statutes a general character, as
applying to all time; and circumstances; but it' he had looked
into history, lie would have seen that they were intended merely
for temporary purposes—namely, to prevent the formation of Ja-
cobite armies, organised in Spam and France, against the pence
of this country. Though his lionotintble and learned friend,
however, had eirdeavoured to dieguiee the subject, and to keep out
of view the immediate ohject which the treasure was intended to
serve, it was imporsible to mistake its general character, or to
avoid seeing its evident tendency. (Loud cries of hear, hear.)
It was indeed a measure ut tc:nporary policy, affecting deeply
the character anti eaterests of the country, and requiring the most
serious attention of the house before they proceeded one step in
the enactment. (Hear, hear.) The bill which his box. add
learned friend moved for leave to introduce mtglrt, however it
v as worded, and however cautiously its object was concealed, be
entitled, " a bill the preventing British subjects from lending
their assistance to the South American cause, or enlisting in the
South Allle/iCalt service." (hear.) The cautious abstiner.ee of
his honourable and learned friend from the political question
could not cover his political purpose. On the general subject of
the law, as now proposed to be amended, he (Sir James 'Merin.
tosii) would not nitiro: many observations. It was impossible to
dispute or to deity that the emereign power of every state could
interfere to prevent its subjects fnint engaging in the wars of other
states, by which its own peace might be endangered or its own
:wrests affected. .ilis Majesty could command his own subjecee
to abstain from sore by which the incisions of the state with
others might be disturbed, and could compel the observations of
ocaoct wits them. The question could not therefore 01111 upon
this : he was surprised indeed to hear that this principle could
be nnule a matter of diepute or doubt with his hon. and learned
triend. It was froth the assertion of it. ut the present moment,
that his (Sir Janes elacintoeb's) suspicions were awakened.
Why was toe house culled upon, at the pnoent time, to 'sent a
doctrine which no one doubted, unless it was meant to apply it to
temporary objects Y W., tire principle itself doubtful, or was
honest neutrality intended by the measure 11 (I leer, hear.) The
principles of neutrality only required us to maintain the laws m
being, as they might affect the character of the belligerent but
they could nut coamiand us to change any law. Lease O. all,
•,ulcl they regaire us to :her our laws for the evident advantage
of one of the parties. (Ilear, hear, front all sides of the
Ile was aoare that Iris honourable and learned friend had said,
that the enactments of ha Bill had placed both upon a level ; but
so fur as they exchanged the existing law, they were in favour of
one of the partici. A....cording to the two statutes which tan Bill
was intended tr. repeal. :.it evident advantage was enjoyed by one
of the belligerents ; and this Bili was intended theiefore to make
the condition of one of them better, and of the other INTIC, than
it was before. It was so far, therefore, departure from our
neutrality ; as it made a law to affect one party to Cie detriment of
another. !Lis honoatahle friend, therefbre, iaetead el intheluct ng
a measure to preserve the equal rights of the pieties, had intro-
ducer.' a measure in effect-mute the averse. It ought to be recol
leeted, emit those who rug iged in the service of insurgent states.
or state., diet have nix leaven acktrowledged among the family of
nations, howevee respectable in themselves, were in a much worse
aituatiou than those who assisted recognized governments, as
they could not bet reclaimed as pritoroes of war, and noght, as
ertgaoing in what was called rebellion, be treated as
therefore, might be one reoent why they were exempted