The National Register.
London, England, 1817-06-09 00:00:00

MESSAGR FROM THE PRINCE REGENT.

Lord SIDMOUTH brought down a message from the Prince
4Regent, which stated. that his Royal Highness had ordered
to be laid before the House, papers containing information of
practices, meetings, and combinations.earried on in different
parts of thekingdom, t•.:oding to disturb the public peace
and tranquillity, and to endanger the Constitution of these
Icarian, and recommending to the House to take the same into
its immediate consideration.
The Message having been read.
Lord SID:ROUTH said, painful as it most be to make the
communication just read, it was imperiously called for, with
41 view to secure the •public pence, aud the tranquillity of the
State. What steps are to be taken, would he for the House
to determine. The•fiost step would be to address ince
Regent, and then to examine the papers, referring the pa-
yers to a Committee of Secrecy, to be composed of the same
limbers, with the exception of a Nohle,Dooke, alto desired
not to be upon that Committee. With respect to the infor-
mation, he should suppose no objection would be made to
Irefer the papers to the Cummitee. If they should be referred
then would be the time to examine and determine upon
what measures it would be necessary to adopt for the poor-
pose named in the message. this Noble Lord then moved
the Address of Thanks to the Prince Regent, are.
Earl GREY had no objection to a mere vote of thanks, but
solid nut pledge him..a:ll'lo may ulterior object founded un the
Message.
The Address was thenralried.
Lord SIDMOUTH was not aware that any precedent existed
-on the journals for moving to refer the papers to a Committee
on the same day on which the message was brought down.
The House would nut be rootled upon to declare any opinion ;
they were only required to male a decratation that the pa-
pers would be examined. He then moved that they be re-
ferred too Committee of Secree?.
Earl Guts/ observed, that it' any immediate necessity ex-
isted fur such a proceedl.ng, which went to affect the rights
and liberties of the people of England, then he should not
°Nett to the motion.; but as the ems lay with tee Noble Se-
eretary, and he had not shewn any rent ground of alarm, he
eboald object to refer' ing the papers sviolo..oit some distinct
explanation. The necessity fur enquirius into the real state
of theeountry was apfament, hot •with respect to thelufor-
!nation upon which Miuisters had proceeded, if' it should be
found that .a limner Committee had come to a conclusion
from the evidence of per+ons who were nut competent to
judge, or a irk. d enough to state .what was not true, lie felt
a dreadful reponsibiiity wow(' rest upon them.
'The Earl of lavenroan oil:sersed, thus the more 'usual

Course was, to bring dowo the Inem.ane without any previous
notice. In the present cat. be .(Lord 1...) hart apprized the
House, a week since, that a .of toLage w: :old he brooght down,
and therefore there was no surpr;ge m, rue idolise. s„,,,ta„.
tially, the House hail a longer notice than e.as neeessury, fur
the business was fixed for Friday hi,t ; ai,(;„ erom some unex-
pected eirciintstaiisu s. had been delayed until this day, there-
fore the Noble-Ear. had no reason to complain of being taken
by surprise. With respect to the trials ;amid to take place,
Abut was no ground tor delay Ministers had not brought
'down the message with any usher object than the preserva-
.tion of the tranquillity of the country.
Earl GROSVRIVon expressed his surprise, that such a mos-
goas•eirtoshi rc.reot down, wbcn the country wad in a aunt

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

ul'tranquif.ity, •nd he einild not mcrrv•e to deport (coon rte
re4Cot, when uo real ground of tievesAiy tor departing from
it lii.d been AheVlll.

Earl seeNCLO, conceived, the wiestion was not one of pre.
t ctlent. Thy Mosso uuY4l to pmceed with delicaey and
caution; as !vowels unktion II to the Constilotion, lllMlit 1/,
aieti proceedings be vested in the hands of 'Ministers. If a
necessity really t tie would not object to the motion.
11 iUt respect to the former l rmenittte of Secrecy, their re
noel, as tar as he could judge, dill lint
.01'14 the atloplion
those measures which were solortnote oily resoled to; and for
these reasors he should not be satisfictl with loose Orjuions or
cluestiotuttile facts ; tOr they would lead Mitre antiphon of a
incasorr •nhirli, daring the seeress of Parliament, was of a
de:%cririon milith this Hone not to inlet :won the
people of Eniztaiiii, and which might (lie did unt say A 006141)
t,c intfictml on them. _

Tae Mat (ink of Ituetcmun ins übw•rvcd, the tivestion was
not a new one. Thu Boues had nu fortner ore.wionek 4 prima
At; ett,e made out by the Report of the twitinittee aluttl-
ett to.

Load Horrayin expßssed his rccret at the impatience of
the Noble Nlarquis, and very considerable surprise that hr
should wish to anspeori the llahras Corpus Att. It was true
I hat the Noble Secretary bad ei'VCII The flimsy ten days !M.'
tier. that this day Max to be one of ;dam : hut the dry simple
question was one of pre redent. The Noble Lord hail talked
lightly of precedent, ant he (Lord H.) did nut like that irre
gular and Pindaric mode of treating precedents. With e-
speet to the prima facie evidence. of which the Noble Marquis
talked, that was no ground for adopting the present propo-
sition for we might hare second prima facie Reports—(u
botch.) 11 the result of the measure was to deprive the
People of this ,rometry of their liberty for one hour, it ought
nut to be coactetl. _

The yeiesti6al .nas then mit fitr referring the papers to a
Ceminittee, and tarried.
Lord Sinmovnt obs-recd, that the difference between
the present and former caws %%35 this—that former Commit-
t, es were appointed by harlot, now it wit, proposed to name
the Cominiitee. He then pro;toseri on the Committee, the
Lot Coancellor, the Lord Pie.idc tit, Lord Grenville. Lord
Tationt, Lord St. fiernianet, Lord Redesdale, Lard Friz-
*Whim, end Lord Sidmoni h.

MASEAS CORPUS Slv9CEMileT4 ACT.

Lord HOLLAND ruse to bring forward his motion vespeet•
ing the Correspondence which had passed between the Se.
cretary of State and the Visiting Alagistrates of Berkshire,
on the subject of the Circular Letter of the Noble Viscount:
one of the opinions was strictly illegal. The Noble Lard went
over the whole of the questions, and the answers given by
the Noble Secretary: (lime was a harsh spirit which dictated
these answers, he observed, as referable to many of the
questions; the Act of the 31st of the King giving power to
the visiting Magistrates to visit the prisons, no exception
being made in the case of any prisoner. Now the fact was,
that two Magistrates applied to visit the prison, and were
refused permission, the orders of the Seen lacy of State to
the contrary being shewn theni. 'this conduct, the Noble
Loral contended, was an usurpation of the Bill of Nights, and
certainly an infringement of the statute law of the land, and
of the Constitution, and exercising an authority %%Inch be-
longed akme to the Legislature. lie concluded by moving
for the production of the Correspondence referred to.
Lord Stumm:Tß assured the House, that in the execution
of an arduous mike he had always endeavoured to do his
duty ; but if his conduct was liable to comment, he desired
not to shrink front :Any responsibility. He had always un-
derstood tit:Ware gaols of the kingdom were subject to the
exercise of the Royal Prerogative. With respect to the 31st
of the King, if the Royal Prerogative was to be excepted, a
special enactment ought to have been introduced for that
purpose. In the time of Lords Holt and Raymund, the per-
mission for a wife to see her husband (committed fur high
treason,) was denied. Similar re/itsals had been given in
other ewes of state prisoners. If the House intended to
throw blame upon him, they.coold agree to the motion. As
fir as his own vote went, he certainly shook] object to
Earl GRLY supported the motion, contending that it was
harsh to deny prisoners the use of paper or books.
The Earl of Livtareutit, opposed the motion, on the grounds
stated by his Noble Friend.
The Earl of ROSSLYNN supported the motion.
The Lord CHANCELLOR contended, that the gaols were
completely under the. prerogative the King.
Earl SPENCER suggested the propriety of adjourning the
debate, in consequence .of what had fallen from the Noble
and Learned Lord ; for it was awes ror to say, that the pre-
rogative was to supersede an Act of Parliament. lie there-
fore moved to adjourn the debate.
Lord HOLLAND replied. --The question ofadjouirnmrnt was
then negatived, as was the original question, after which the
House adjourned.

THURSDAY, JUNE G.
LORD COLCHESTER.

The Earl of LtvEnpoot. moved the •Order of the Day for
taking into consideration the Message of Ins Royal Highness
the Prince RegrMt, respecting the elevation of the Rigl
Hon. Charles Abbot to the Peerage, •under •the title of Lord
Colchester.
The Message was then read by the Clerk ;. after Which
The Earl of LIVERPOOL rose and said, that in proposing
an Address in answer to the Message of Ilia Royal Highness,
he should not take op much of their .Lordships' time, by
dwelling upon the merits of the individual who had hero
raised to the honour of the Peerage, in consequence of Lis
meritorious conduct in the Chair of the House of Como,ow„
His conduct was more immediaiely known to that House than
it could be elsewhere. He should move an Address, thaek-
ing his Royal Highness the Prince argent for his communi-
cation, and promising their concurrence in any measures that
ierght be nccessary.to•earry the object of it into.effect.
The Address was then read and agreed to.
The Earl oftatruEnciat.r. presented a pi tition from the
Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Livery of London, against the
renewal of the Habtas Corpus Suspension Act.—Adjouriwd.