The National Register.
London, England, 1812-03-01 00:00:00

MARCH -

the aamage and the out:Agee- emer part we.s mei cly confurnee.
to other Acts of Parliament, previously framed \vith a view to similar
offences; The root of the evil appeered to be in the difficulty of detec-
tion, and that diffieulty rested cm the ildness V.: the law as it at
present stood, and Vlitch,e.videntiiy called fyr 1114 sort of rigour which
had often been effectual; by'etillsing terror, into the minds of the guilty
and the mischieroe.e; but such, rig Cur was only intended to have a
temporary operation, it .was obvious to review and yeconsbleration,
and by no means meant to add pernaneneyeo,the severity of the penal
code. His Lordship concluded
.with moving, that the Bill be
.read a
second,time. . •
Lord Maw; obseived, that .in9fiering his seatiments on the tub ect
before the House, he ,Inauleespeak time a personal knowledge of a good
deal of what related to it. Greet disolders had undoubtedly existed, 4nd
he had known of 40 frames being broken and destroyed by the active
perseverance of a body of.men, habitually, till that occasion, industrious
and honest. Large detachments of the military had been sent down, and
Officers of police had been sent doWn, and authorised to take up many
persons but these were measures which would much better have been
superseded by others of grave, wise, aid rational inquiry into the true
cause and origin of the disorders. That would be found in the misery
attendant on the decay of trade and manufactures, in the policy which
had, unhapily for the country, been too long pursued by his Majesty's
Ministers, whose, proceedings were marked throughout by weakness,
rashness,anditiconsistency; by marches and counterrn arc lies,termin ating
only in miscarriage, ushered forth With all the pride, pomp, and cir-
cumstance of glorious ware The harsh and cruel.measure proposed in
the Bill he could by no means approve of, and thought that even a mob
might be better reclaimed by conciliation and mildness than by rigour;
and When be recolleCted the benevolent eaerti,ms which in this coun-
try had taken place in behalf of the suff.Tine and distressed. Portuguese,
lie could not 'help contrasting that benevolence with the harshness set
forth in the present Bill. But the evils no the correction of which
their Lordships ought to look, were pht confined to Nottiegbarn ; at
Bristol and .its neighbourhood he had lately witnessed misery not less
striking and deplorable, ~To obviate such tlistreaste rigour was not the
hopeful means ; Martial Lew and decimation, were not to be applied
to a wheat country—in shortesenv:ticcd ..as he was, that to pass the
Bill without impity might produce the-Worst consequences, he iheuld
oppose the second reading.
Loud Hoeemae conceiving that he stood in a pectliar situatign re-
specting the Bill under consideration, ceeld not suffer it to proceed
without some observatiop. 'He had been the first in that House to call
the attention of their Loedships to the diseiders
sat Nottingham, but he
deprecated being supposed for a mOmeat to have been eensentine to
any thing so monstrous as :he Bill in question ; and howsoever he might
(Deplore the evils felt and complained'ofahe should piths the rejection
to the adoption of the Bill.
The LORD CDANCELL'OR should not detain the House !Ong. If tie:
Bill was such as'it had been described,iinwise, iniprovident, and foolish,;
it would well become their Lordships to reject it, but till that was
made out he tousf support the Bill. The eesorders in Nottingham were;
of a different description from those for whiclethe statete of die 28th'
of his Majesty was provided. They betrayed a systematic defiance of
all law. The object of the Bill was to facilitate the means of a &sec-.
den. For that purpose, both parts of the Bill should be taken in a com-
bined view. The suggestion of the Noble Baron (LOrd Holland),
respecting the rendering responsible the persons in whose houses frames
might he broke, was not practiczVe for they were generally mums
wit hone property.
Lord qassvizee could not suffer the Bill to be read a second time
without erpressitig his indignation at the principle of it. He did erpcet
-from the Noble Lords ()volute sonic show or semblance of argument,
in support of a meaiss-e that was to aa:l another Act to the black and
horrible catalogue which marks and stigmatizes our Statute &wk. But
while. he lived hi a 'country professing to be governed -by laws, he '
newer would consent to I.lve the lives of his fellow citiiens dependent
on the discretion of a Minister, or the mercy of a Judge.
The question was then put, when theee appeal-valor the second read-
ing, 38 ; against it, 17. 'lhp Bill was then ordered to be committed on
;t,londay.,Adjourned.

FRIDAY', TSB. 28.
•
• ORDERS IN COUNCIL. •
The Marquis of LANSDOWN E rose, for the.perpose of calling the at-
tention of their Lordships to a subject of great magnitude and deep it'll-
portance—the Orders in Connell issued by his Majesty's Govemmpnt ;
and operating with such baneful effects upon the commerce and prospe-
rity of the country. He was desirous to impi C6S, on the conskieratton
of the House, what had been the consequences of those measures on
the resources of the enemy ; what had resulted of advantage to our-
selves ; and .what had been their baneful effect upon-our interests, as
connected with Neutral States. To judge rightly of the Or.ers in
Council, it would be well for the House to consider what Was the con-
dition of our commerce, and the state of the ports on the Continent a;
tlu titer of issuing those Criers and now. in 18u7, all the. ports 4 the
enemy were in a state of blockade. In ico, the mischievous effects
Were manifest in their op,:ration up neutrals and it was incumbent on
!..se who recommended or devisecl•the measure, to state or show what
?his ad beta the effect of their policy upon the enemy, upon his power, or
roQ'.!r,.,t3. ;'Vi: re advantw., to ourselves hail most cc ntidently been