The National Register.
London, England, 1818-02-08 00:00:00

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IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

SATURDAY, JAN. 31.
The Royal Assent Mr:ls given, by Commivgion, to the Bill
for the repeal of the Act of last Fre.,sion, enritlrd an Act for
the repeal nf the Habeas Corp: Act. The c emmikNloners
were, the Lord Chancellor, the Earl of Sitar tAJury, and Lord
Melv

MoNtray, Fen. 2.
CLERK OF PARLIAMENT.
Earl GROSVENOtt. referring to the office of Clerk of Perna-
meta, observed that nothing more strikingly showed the im-
propriety of granting offices in reversion than what had oc-
curred in this case. He was persuaded, that the gentleman
who lately held the other, of Clerk of Parliament would never
hate asked the reversion for his son, could he'have foreseen
that that son would leave tilled the situation of Ambassador to
at Foreign Court at the time that the duties of his office as
Clerk of Parliament required his presence inthat House. It
was his intention to propose the abolition of the practice of
granting places in reversion, and that the abolition should be
extenilea not only to grants from the CrOVin, butt to those
made by Judge:, and junked to grants in reversion of every
description connected with the public service or the institu-
tions of the coot y. In the mean time he moved an Address
to the l'rinec Regent, prating that he would order to be laid
'before.. the House an diet!Olini a all grants in rever-ion of
office's held immediately from the Cu own, awl also grants
in reversion of other public efliees.
'flit. Earl ut 1.1-Vi:ItPOOL objected to the general ',attire of
the motion. If the Noble Earl confined it to those offices
held under the Crown, he should be ready agree to it.
'l'lw Lord CitANCeLLOIL illonght the Noble Earl might di-
vide his mullion, it he continued of opinion that lee ought to
call for information as to both species of offices. Fur his own
part he should be very we'll pleased to see a statement of all
grants in reversion laid before their Lordships, and probably
shonld himself shape a motion calculated to attain that ob-
ject. His opinion with regard to offices granted by the
Judges as lie had already intimated, remained unaltered.—
Many offices to bestowed by the Chancellor were now
In the gift of the Crown ; hitt with regard to the Judges in the '
Hiller Courts, the power of giving those offices was necessary,
as a part of their emoluments arose from those gifts. Were it
tcot for this, the incomes of the Judges would be totally in-
adequate to the laborious and important duties they lead to
periorm. When the subject was last before the House, he
Lad convineed their Lordships of the utility ut the oreices in
the gift ut the Judges, as well as or others Or a similar nature.' -
and he had no doubt lie should be equally successful when the
question came again before them. He tool, however, no ob-
jection to an account of all grouts in revcr.ioi by the Crown
being laid berme their Lordships; and when it was pro- •
duced, he should perhaps third.. it right to call for au account
trf all lauded property, held in virtue of grants from the Cross n,
previously to the act passed respecting the grants.
Earl blitosvENOß said, that all that hadoccurred since the
subject was last discussed had only tendkri to fortify hint in
Lis upiuiou, that nothing coed', lee more hOurious tee the in-
ttrests of the public than granting ottices.in •reversion.
sayitig this he by no means meant to suggest, that he thought
the Noble and Learned Lord, or any of the, Judges, were.
overpaid for their services. What he objected to was not
the amount of their emolstments, but the mode in which they
were obtained. With regard to thernotion, we understood
the Noble Earl to intimate his readiness to divide it, and to
press, for the present only, the first part relative to grants
'from the Crown.
The motion thus altered, was put end.agreed•to.
PAPERS ON THE STATE OF 'THE COUNTRY.
Lord SinnouTii in compliance with the co 11111 l ands of die
Prince Regent, laid before their Lordships certain .papers
welativcAo•the state of the country.—Adjourned.

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FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS.

The Earl of I...t:nt•:naal.E-MoVed for various accounts -re-
lative to the National Debt.
CASH PAYMENTS AT THE BANK.
Lord KING had heard lately, that the supposed intention of
Ate Bank, to defer their payments in specie, was attempted
'to be justified or defended by arguments which he could by
ato means comprehend. What was he to think, or what was
any man to understand, by the plea set tip that a negociated
loan iu a foreign country, in -France, was a sufficient cause
for suspending the promised payments in cash by the Bank
'of England e Public credit, and commercial as well asaational
.prosperity, must languish, as long as the natural and substan-
tial currency was obstructed or suspended, and there could
be no security lir stability in the country while any suspicion
semained•tbatliovernment was unable to pay its debts.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL said, it was his clear upiniou that
Labe Bank ought to resume its payments in cash as soon after
the return of _peace as possible but at the Caine time he had
felt, that from the peculiar nature of the case, the moment
.toned net be precisely ascertained. There might be circum-
stances in other countries which night operate to-occasion a
;temporary anspension of that deem event; but there was
u.othing on the part of Government, or on the part of the Bank
itself, toidefer the resumption of payments iu cash.
'1 he Earl of LAUDERDALE observed that tke plain English
of all this was, that this most important question relating to
the interest and prosperity of Ohs country, depended not on
the Parliament of England, but out the Parliament of France.
July next had been talked of as a probable time for the re.
appearance of cash currency, but was the Noble Earl sure
that some other loan, a loan for Russia, for instance, might
not intervene as effectually as the loan fur France, to defeat
or protract the common wish of Government and of the
Bank ?
'STATE OF THE COUNTRY.
The Order of the Day being read for entering on that con-
-siduation of the Papers relative to the Auternal State of the
Uounti y, ultich had last night been delivered, sealed up by
the Secretary of State. for the Home Department, to the
Clerk,
hard 3rnrtouas moved that they be referred to a Commit-
tee of Secret y.
The M.aquts of LNNSIDIWNE believed it was customary on
oreusirt-: irkr tLe present, that -a motion like that of the
• 1•4..,1,.e Sees etary of Stole should be introduced by au express
'Message front the Clown.
Viscoota SIDSIOUTH that the Noble Marquis would

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find, that Committom of secrecy were appointed not only in
consequence ut Nlessagea fruits the Crown, but the House of
'Coalmen& 'l' he practice of their Lurdolups' Hume required
•ao Allot form than that of a Difehaage from the .Throne, re..
coakplathas the talcias of a mcasurs of mature:law their