The National Register.
London, England, 1820-07-30 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MONDAY, JULY 2i.
The House was SOMMOIIed to the House of Peers, to
hear the Royal Assent given by Commission tuseveral
Pidolic and Private Bills.
ADJOURNIELET Or THE House.--Lord CASTLE
REAGH gave notice, that he should to-morrow move the
adjournment of the House to the 21st of August.
Tile QUEEN.—Mr. WETHERALL rose to call the at-
tention of the House to the substence of a paragraph in
a country newspaper, reflecting, in the most insulting
manner upon the character of the to item The paper
in question was, he believed, called Flyudatt's iffastern
Lwnistary. The paragraph to which he alluded insiunated
that her Majesty was devoted to Bacchus and Venus. No-
thing could exceed his horror at reading statements of so
atrocious a description. It was generally known that the
proceedings were going forward nativist her Majesty in
the House of Lords, and to what extent the measures
were intended to be carried. If insinuations of this kind
were vented against the meanest individual in the coun-
try, charged with a criminal offence, nothing could be
more calculated to operate to the injury of justice. It
could not then be denied, that the attempt to prejudice
the case of the first subject in the realm, was an offence
that should be overlooked.—(Hear, hear !). The publi-
cation of the paragraph was a gross bleach of the privi-
leges of Pediment, and an emleavour to pervert the
course of justice. Under these circumstances, lie gave
notice that he should, on the first day of the meeting of
the House after the adjournment, move that the Attor-
ney-General be instructed to proceed against the Printer
and Publisher of Flyulall's Western Luniiiiary.--(Hear,
hear!)
Mr.TIEttNEY wished to k•iow why the Hononrable
and Learned Gentleman could nut give notice fur to-

morrow.
Mr. WETHERALL then said he was not prepared,
as he haul not yet procured a copy of the paper.
Dr. LUSIIINGTON said a copy of the paper might

be promised today or to-morrow.
Mr. WETHERALL then said he should brim; the sub-
ject under the consideration of the House to.inurrow.
A Hew writ was issued fur Maidstone, in the room of
Colonel A'Court, who has accepted the Chiltern Hun-
dreds.
The House went into a Committee upon the Irish Stills
Regulation Bill. The Report was received, and ordered
to he taken into consideration this day three months.
The Licensed Still Bill was committed, and the Report
ordered to be taken into consideration this day Once
months.
DUBLIN ELECTION.—Lord DUNCANNON presented
a Petition from several Freemen of the City of
complaining of the conduct of the Shelllf and Magis-
trates and police of that city at the late election. It
stated, that at the election of a Member of Parliament fur
Dublin, the horse police attacked the electors
who attended to vote for Mr. Grattan without the
slightest provocation, at the Sessions House, and
wounded two men in a dangerous manlier; that the
military and police (bagged a mau named Williams, who
was not acting in breach of the pemze to prison, and that
I other electors were also abused and insulted by
Sheriff and Magistrates, and that those of the at-
tending persons were in the interest of Master Ellice, and
had acted in violation of the pi inciples of liberty. rue
Petition concluded with expressing a hope that the House
would be pleased to enquire into those proceedings.
Lord DUNCANNON moved, that the Petition should
lie upon Ills table.
Mr. BENNETT wished the Petition to be priote.
that the House might look ioto its UltfiN to.iiiorrow•
Tart retie/011 V 146 ordered to lie on the table.
Tile other Orders of tee Day being disposed of, the
House adjourned.

♦• • .

OK
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TuusDAY, JULY 25.

TILE QUEEN.—Mr. WEL'I!ERALL rose to bring for.
%VA: (I his Intended lion opal the subject of tile stintl4l,4l,
libd upon her Majesty. A per,on against wil,nn pro.
ceeilings in Parliament, iii the Atape of Pains and Penal.
ties were peuding, should be secured from all libellous
atiaek.:, and it was a criminal offence to violate this prin-
t tote. Therg was no case in the records of Parliament iii
winch ;wilding proceedings of a judicial nature lived and
sinular plutection was not afforded by Parliament to the
individual construed, to the protection alto by the
Civil Law. It was eatural for him to view with disgust
the paragraph in Fvidall's IV:stens Lumhary, and after
much reflection he deemed it a breach of the privileges
I the House. Tile House wad remember that they
addressed the Cloven in the most respectful manlier; iu
fact, iu such a manner as to mailer it impossible to slip.
pose that they conceived her Majesty capable of conduct
of a culpable nature. The Hon. Gentleman then eon tit d
into a history of the proceedings with resrect to the Quit
in both Ifuuscs of Parliament, and staled, that on the
table of the Lords there was an Imptiry which would
probably be by and by before the public. It was the
. -
duty of this House, then, to extend its protection to Am
individual who was the unfortunate subject of that In-
quiry. Would they permit the Queen, who was thus 141..
fore Parliament, to be rail down? No ; it would be a
repudiation of the proceedings of the House atilt a grits%
ac. of injustice. Indeed the case of the Marquis tit Staf-
ford was in 'Mint, and skewed the necessity of preserving
the dignity of the House ; for public clamour at that period
influenced Members to vote against their feelings. 'the
Him. Gentleman then stated, that it was not necessary to
prove die fact of mischief from publications of this kind ;
it was the speculation, the intention, and the potentiality
that constituted the evil in C4SCft tit this kind. 'flue House
should bold botot e ti,at individual the shield of the Con-
slittitioa. If it wire staled that it W Maid be improper foi.
this House to interfere—if the attack were not treated as
a breach of privileges, he would say that it was a violation
of the COIIIIIIOII law of England. Lord Elleilborough had
held in one case, tliat to call a person criminal betore trial
was a must gross offenee.—But Flyndall said more, and iu
language which anticipated guilt without the possibility
of doubt. the course otlaw was nut left to decide upon
guilt but the writer convicted. This case more loudly
called for reprobation limn any other, fur it involved t
breach a eves y feeling or Christianity. Criminality and
punishment wore settled by the wilier, and in terms of the
most repulsive description ; and that writer must be dealt
with according to law.—lle (Mr. Wetherall) should On ow
it upon the House to act for itself in a case where the
Queen was recouunentleil to be whipped ; and the House
could not refuse to the highest subject in the State what,
from every principle of justice, hail been granted to one
of the lowest. He then moved that the Attorney-General
be instructed to proceed against the printer of Elipulate
Western I.uminary fur a breach of privilege.
After an observation from the Speaker, Mr. Weatherall
then mead the words, stating that the Queen was devoted
to Veneta and Bacchus, and said that the sentence was the
breach of privilege of which he complained.
The Clerk having read the whole article, which was
stupid as well as malignant, Mr. Wetherell altered the
terms of his motion, and moved a Resolution that the
Paper, under such circumstances, was a breach of the
privileges of the House.
Lord CASTLEREAGH agreed in lamenting the ex.
ceases of the press, which operated in raising the vilest
and most angry passions. Nobody more strongly con-
demned than lie did such practices.—He felt no hesitation
in saying, that lie acquiesced in the sentiments delivered
by the Hon. Gentleman who had spoken. The only ques-
tion was, as to the manner of proceeding. Now he be.
Ileved that the article iu question had come under the
notice of the Attorney-General befote it was mentioned
iu the Ifouse.—(Hear.)—There were means of punishing
publications of this kind iu another manner than by call-
ing the attention of Parliament to them, and those should
be resorted to. But it would have been at least just in
the Hon. Gentleman to consider those libels on the other
side, which were oldie most disgusting nature, and which
would not have been tolerated in any other civilized
country. There were, in fact, libels of a worse and more
dangerous nature. His Lordship then said, lie held in
his hand the last number of the Examiner, and read seve-
ral sentences; in one of which the writer taxed the greater
number of Members in that House with being criminals.
Hu (Lord Castlereagh) should have no objecti to tle&
prosecution oldie publication alheled to, but he should
certainly miler a prosecution of those ;tape's he had n rad,
aid sweeping proceedings should be 141,1:toted.
Doctor LUSHINGFON said, he had nut thought it ie.
eimiltent upon him to submit any motion with respect to
the paper, 'WWI considering that it had but a slight and
obscure eticalation, and the notice of it would probably
be unworthy' the dignity of the Queen. On a former
occasion the ilutubig Post and the Cuarire were sulfured,
under the nose of Govt.' maul, to libel the Queen in the
most vile atelier, and very little attention was paid to
the complaint. Those papers were permitted to pass,
and lie thought it beat to let this obscure publication die
in its own übseurit). flow was tier Majesty treated?
blioistets had already, without investigatioa, without
calliug the accused tot wand, fixed a slam upon her. They
had already inflamed the public that her Majesty was
guilty, by temoving her name from the Liturgy. 'the
Learned Gentleman then declared that he looked upon
any restriction upon the public press as st mischievous.
lie deprecated the excesses of the int ss, at the state time
that lie thought
ins Majesty's Attorney-General. The Queen Mated
it better to leave the choice of eases to
much to complain of from the efforts of those writers who
were in the interests of Government. He assured the
House that the Queen would not read one publication
pending the proceedings.—Cases of this kind might not
to be entered upon without being very strong indeed,
and then the Government would be sure tit nut being
exposed to a verdict opposite to their expectations.—
(Hear, hear.)
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said, that no infoima-
tion could be filed against publishers of libels until next.
Term. He had given his attention to the inntinielable,
cases of libel which had been presented to his view in ti
course of the present Session, and should (upon the prol,L►
occasion prove that he was sincere in what lie stated. In
mot instance in which he had instituted prusecutit»; ,
verdicts were gained, and he should be guided by l tut
role, never to prosecute except -.you the cow/lemur: ta.s.
./ 4.e1t1 obtain a .'erdier, al least (ns' 7i!ifnl!dl des
it. The Ltarrovi Gentleman (I)m. Litstungton) acted itr
faitly, for be Nas raraisingi the HOWE; An

out of the House, by accusing Ministers of acting towards
the Queen with feelings ut hostility. He defended Mi.
ulsters against the charge of having timed improperly in
removing the Queen's name front the Liturgy. Animas
of this kind should be gnarded against in this House. In
his conscience he believed, that all the attempts of the
press, professing to be in favour of the Queen, were di-
rected to the accomplishment of a Revolution. Day after
day a:tempts were made to prejudge the case, not against
her Majesty, but against those who were conducting the
case. He believed that the arm of the law was too weak
for the licentiousness of the press—that licentiousness was
greater titan ever it was before known to be, but he should
not sleep upon his post. Many of the publications that
met the eye were certainly deserving of legal inquiry, but
the House was not to suppose, that because a Republican
paper, an Examiner paper, and a Flyndall's Western Lumi-
nary, were as yet unproseented, proceedings would not, at
a proper time, be instituted.
Lord A. HAMILTON denied that what Dr. Lushington
had said was intended to inflame those within or without
doors. It was what Ministers had done that raised the nngry
feelings of the people, and Ministers had to blame them-
selves for the consequences of the recapituktion of a hat
they had themselves dose. Those writers, whose publica-
tions were likely to inflame, had the very hest assistance
f the ethnic of Ministers. The odious libel to which the
attention of the House had been called was disgraceful only
to the writer, and reflected no dishonour upon her Majesty.
Mr. WETHERALL rejoiced that the A ttorney-Gemmet di
intended to prosecute time libel complained of, and consi-
dered that he was fully entitled to bring forward ihe
subject. He accused Lord Castlereagh of unfairness in
accusing him of not having brought before the House
other libels. He (Mr. Wetherall) was not a runner of the
Noble Lord, and he thought it the business of the Noble
Lord's Attorney-General to bring forward those libels.—
He then withdrew his motion.
ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE. —Lord CASTLE-
REAGH gave notice, that he should to-morrow move the
adjournment of the House to the 21st day of August.—
Adjournde.

IVEDIRSDAY, JULY 28..
The House was summoned to the House of Peers to bear the
Royal Assent given by Commission to the Insolvent Debtors'
Relief Bill.
COLCHESTER ELECTION.—MT. INNIS presented a Petition
from three Burgesses of Colchester against the late return of H.
Baring, Esq. as Member for that borough.
The Petition was laid on the table, and ordered to be taken
into consideration on the 27th of August.
PREVENTIVE SERvICE.—On the Motion Of MT. HUME
the accounts laid before the House, stating the number of per-
sons employed in the Smuggling Preventive Service, and the
expences attached to that breath of the public service, were
ordered to be printed.
ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE.—Mr. LUSHINGTON
moved, that the House at its rising should adjourn till Monday,
the 21st of August.
Brag Foaariattles.—Mr. HUME rose, not to oppose the
motion of Adjournment, but to submit a question which he
regretted he had to introduce in the absence of any of his Ma-
jesty's Ministers. He understood the Ral Assent had been
given to the Bill for repealing the law which inflicted the punish-
ment of death for (forging Bank-notes.—(Cry of no.)—He was
then misinformed. Under the impression that the statement
made to him was correct, he wished to have asked a question of
Ministers respecting an application that had berms made to the
Secretary of State for the Home Department.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL begged leave to inform the
Honourable Gentleman. that the Bill for altering the capital
pturi.hment in cases of forgery of Bank-notes, stood over for dis-
cussion after the adjournment.
Mr. HUME said, that being the case, his application was quite
useless. It bud been his intention to enquire, conceiving the
Bill to have passed, whether it was intended, in three cases of
conviction for forgery. that the sentence on the ufortunate per-
sons would be put is execution tomorrow. The ground on
which his application was to have been put being erroneous, he
should of course desist from asking the question.
GIBRALTAIL—Mr. HUME lamented the delay inputting
certain papers on the subject of Gibraltar upon the table, as it
was his intention to call the attention of the House to it soon alter
the adjournment.
Mr. LUSH INGTON said he should, with all possible dis-
patch, have the papers laid before the House.
Adjourned to tha 21st August.