The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-06-03 00:00:00

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NINWIL‘
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imieot, that the doctrine of antmal fiarrannentsLa
not a novel one, or in any.deree sisherriave of tile
constitution of the Cottittex. With rive-et to the
extwdirit4 of sdopting, pt this time, a measure
which hart heen pra.tised by nor itlieetrorm, with
most beneficial results both to the Crown and to
the people, that certainly was a question open to
investig mon and alts44,mssion. Mat, that it should
be contended that the principle ass a visionary
one—that the do was wild anti untenable
1014 to him most extraorthitary. To such assertions
tberr was a complete bar—anti he trusted the friends
of annual Parliaturitts would heir tot moor on the
subject. Ile nos came to the great princiiiir —that
principle which was of use utmost importance In
jest view of this question—namely, who were the
persons that formerly eletted Members of Pittlia-
ment ?—itow fur did the privilege of giving suffrages
at parliamentary election. rx cud ? Now, though
he admitted, that any measure to be adopted ou tins
suhjrct ought to be taken with reference to the
present state of the cottotry, and was a fair matter
fur I'VIISOSOoK ahtl difICII.AIOII-61111 he nitia say,
that, if a principle had h'erai long acted on—if
claims had formerly been made to rights of this dr-
scriptiou—if no ill eirects had resulted front the
extrciee of those rights—and if, on the contrary,
great Mischiefs arose flint, their having been in-
fringed and trampled did seem to him, that
such circumstances greatly streng.hened the claims
the people now preferrcal to the rights that were
withheld from them. At the saute time, he must
observe, that limir claims appeared to him more
capable of cis fetter sin the ground of reason and ex.:
pedirticy, than even Oil 1113 i, strong as it Was. of
ancient and undoubted practice. Pel•htips no bet-
ter inside existed for discovering th'e system on
which the people of this country anciently acted,
than by examintistr the principles of tlw cont-
inuo law, roundest' on sound reason and c-its-
mon sense—end which, therefore, could not tilt-
dmeirsgi
initeirtpyrowtfattlitootsie, or
to which ia ,:tisi/I;rhcht.yi
Placed on
toifi:ls7-
lute-brook were always li Ode, Now., the princi-
ple " that no man should he taxed with cal his con-
was as 01,1 a, the days of Lord Chaim Hoe
Forseecue. That principle was meted on in the
best periods of the county—in the r• igtos of the
Edwards. Ilere, indeed, he except the
reign of Edward 11., who, although lie eilat.ted giant
laws, and, amongst others, one providing carat Par-
liaments should be annually elect if, yet, by a
breach of those laws, drew on him the hiss of his
Crown, and finally of his life. S all, they tied iitily
to • -in.ider the. etiticiments of that period, anal they
would at olive perceive the pure princples on whelp
the laws were fouttiled. Art n,cis mitre prosneitins
than that of Edward Irigii more rentatkable
for the pure admitustration of justice—a alga tome
ennobled by the wise I.lws which weir then pained—
was not to be found in the annals of English
tory. lit the time iii Charles I.—Chit unhappy
period, when the Moilarch ti as»plell oo the rights
and liberties of the people, which lie supposed lay
in a very mall compass—securely to prison and to
property—the greatest inroads were mane ou popti
tar freedom. 'Flue propositions. folaildall Mt time
common law, that tau matt should be arre.te4l with-
out cause, or punished but lay.mlue tour-e of
luw—
aud that the fruits of his industry should not he
taken firms lion but by his awn coi,sent re then
disregarded. That a inn i's person shout ibe secure
whale he wits protected by innocence, sod thin his
property should not be taken from him, exce it
with Ilia consent, were protei,itioni •1011
so rational, that it was impossible to advent e elltV
solid objections Agniiist them, But Chu. la is acted
upon opposite principles— he pro: rrdrd tai a clue!
and wicked manner. The lawyers fit itLys
sanctioned the most scandalous breaches of the Vim-.
stitution, and individuals suffered, fora long uu ,
in their persons and their propertie% h% the writ:
will of the Executive Government, Parlialitelit tint
being convected at all. It naturally wiett
a Parliament did meet, that (hove great pitot.t.lett,
which the *Words of their aucestoili toad estaltlisited„
should, at that time, be reerilitheareil. Bun, nut-
fortunately, in his oriiirott, instead of punishing
those iinlividnals who had violated the sharers of
the land and the principles of the the
Parliantent, meting under a sort of manta for legisla-
tion, proceeded to eyart new laws, when it was o ily
necesseiy that the old ones shinald its put in love.
They embodied, in the Petition of !NEIN all t
was continued itt Nava Charm, in the cot firm m-
tiinms of the diffeient eiturier,, and in various oilier
laws. They re-asserted old 1 lass, *Hid declared the
illegelity of many tarn ,Pour by the unfortunate
Monarch. 'Ulna was rutin( not to protect th• sub-
ject. The King prevar.catud With Its word. He
treated Acts of Parlinitient as pieces 4.1 viable parch-
nteitt —and then their ancestor* had one way
left of doing themselves justice at • eltictirmerl
by the common law of the counir)—the right' tf
resistance ilgtilleit tyranny and eipplesionn. Their
resistance ended, utif alum*, ly, its Intoging their
Sovereigicto the block—but, fortunatt ly, iu vise i-
citing the tight* of the atahji ct. Whete • olein
was once resorted to, it was impossthle to calculate
where it would stop—end, until the resit ration of
Chides 11. little attention was J' rid to the ',betties
of the p4.43141e. 'flint Monarch, in the et niteient....'
meta of his reign, shewed a rlPPostinni k.roaraitle
to poptilyr rights; but, at a suloseijite4it p. rivals by
acii,:g PI a mt tferein glimmer, lee prepc•ed the way
for the hiss of the Crown to his suce.ssor., Doting
its reign, hoarser, sump graved laws were a aweltit,
and, itioutagst the rest, the Fishes.. Corpus AOs
which they had latterly 'welt sit-pewter' wheliever the
Crown pleased. It had indeed been take?, assay so
often, that no depettslegice could he placed ten those
sham securities, its 11w shape of Acts of Parlianteist,
while a pawn extstrii in this- S'ate, sin math? whe-
ther in the Crown or rlsewhere,Avlin,is
prive the people of their himeritrs, aheinever it was
deemed ex!lediriil. Ile now came to the time when
the of this coummil were
laid Bonn by the Bill of Rights —ammd its a hid,
their undeniable.sud vital enable tights,
were stated. But the declaration which kite;
agreed to before lie came to this country,
w• lit much further. In that declaration, a fair,
unbiassed, and perfect orprreentatiyil of the people
iii Parliament wow totasted mt. But, like other
matters, that part of the derldratioo was forgotten
to be enacted. Inn pamphlet; a Lich Air. Fait kes
Trude upon this ani.j. hr found the • iollowitag
Shrewd übserstitinit—ts At the Itiesolutiolt we were
served with a very line Lail of fate—but unfor•