The Sun.
London, England, 1824-06-19 00:00:00

PARLINMENT,

HOUSE OF LORDS, Juxg 18.
BANKRUPT LAWS.
On the third reading of the Bankrupt Laws Amendment
Bill, -
The LORD CHANCELLOR said that the measure had
been under his immediate consideration' and that of the Learned
Judges during three whole Sessions. They had experienced
in the fullness the difficulty of legislating on the subject ; and
the present Bill was the result of their labours.' They had
made it as perfect as they possibly could, but still in order that
whilst the principle was established there should' still be an
opportunity of amending its details, he did not wish that the
whole of the Bill should take effect immediately. •He should
therefore move a clause enacting that certain of its provisions
should not begin to operate till the Ist of May, 1825. He did
not extend this to all for the following reason :---As the law
now stood, if any one of a bankrupt's creditors chose to refuse
signing his certificate, the certificate could not granted. In
the present Bill there was a clause giving the Com,misSioners
the power in such cases, if they thought that the blinkruptey
had been the result of misfortune and not of dishonesty, of re-
commending to the Lord Chancellor to grant the certificate.
He thought this clause of so much use and importance that he
should leave it to take effect from the very passing of the Bill.
The Noble Lord and Learned Earl. then moved the additional
clause, which was agreed to, and the Bill was read a third time
and passed.

NEW BILLS.
➢lr. BROODEN and others brought. up from the Commons
the Supperannuation Allowance Bill, the Ecclesiastical. Be-
nefice Bill, and several Private Bills, which were read a first
time.

CONFERENCE.
The same Hon. Members returned the Scotch Estates Entail
Bill, assented to by the Commons, and deliveied a message,
stating that the Commons requested a conference with their
Lordships, on the subject of the Amendments made by their
Lordships to the Vagrant Laws Atpendment Bill.
The LORD CHANCELLOR, after having consulted the
House, covered himself,, and said, . .

" Gentlemen of the House of Commons—l have to acquaint
you, that their Lordships agree to a Conference, and that it
will be held forthwith in the Painted Chamber."

CATHOLICS.
Earl GREY presented a petition from the Roman Catholics
of the County and City of Waterford, praying in proper lan-
guage for the removal of the disabilities under which they la-
boured. Their 'petition had been attended with the expression
of a wish that he would originate some measure for'their relief
during the present Session. But though► he agreed with them
as. to the necessity of such a measure, and should be happy to
Introduce it, he thought that under present circumstances and
at that late period of the Session, his doing so would be pro-
ductive of no 'advantage. He should, therefore, not accede to
their wish, but should recommend their petition to the most se-
rious consideration of the House.

The petition was then read, and laid-on the table.
ERECTION OF CHURCHES. _

The Archbishop or AINTERBURY presented the Fourth
Report of the Commissioners for building Churches. Since the
last Session there had been eleven Churches built, which gave
accommodation to 15,000 persons; and out of that number
9,000 were free seats. The Right Rev. Prelate then moved that
the Report be printed.
After a few words from Lord E LAX InsonouGH and the
Archbishop of CANTERBURY, the motion was agreed to.
Lord SUFFIELD was understood to postpone the Commit-
tee on the Equitable Loan Company Bill till Monday.
Earl DA RNLEY presented a petition in favour of the Bill
from the Watchmakers of London and Westminster.

Earl GROSVENOR, presented a similar petition from
the Tinmen of London.—Both petitions were laid on the
table.

EARL MARSHAL.

Lord HOLLAND introduced a Bill for enabling the Earl
Marshal of England, and his Deputy, to discharge the duties
of that office, without previously taking the Oath of Supre-
macy. He owed an apology to the House for proposing such
a measure at so advanced a period of the Session, though the
apology would in some degree be found in the object of the Bill.
But before he said more on that. part of the subject he should
recapitulate- what had passed in the House relatively to it.
Their Loidships would recollect that the Bills presented to
them four or five weeks since by a Noble Relation of his (the
Marquis of Lansdown), had three objects in view.-Ist. To
allow English Roman Catholics to be Justices of the Peace.
2dly. To enable them to hold certain offices ; and 3dly. To en-
able the Earl Marshal of England to exercise the duties of his
situation. To the first of these points objections had been taken
on principle, which he should not discuss ; but no objection
whatever had been made to the two points. Indeed, that
which related to the holding of offices in the Revenue had. been
represented by the Noble Earl opposite (Liverpool) not only
as a proper, but as a necessary concession, and a Bill had
been introduced by that Noble Earl, and passed by the
House,to make it the law of the land. To the third point no
other bjection had been made, than that it ought to form a
separate Bill.
Were the Noble Lord was interrupted by a Messenger, who
informed their Lordships that the Commons were ready for a
conference in the Painted Chamber.]
VAGRANT LAWS.

A Deputation of lieven Noble Peers, consisting of Earls
HARROWBY,
_ROSSLYN, COURTOWN, the Marquis of
HUNTLY, the Bishop of EXETER, and Lords TORRING-
TON -and BE),ELEY,
,Was then appointed to confer with the
Commons.

At the end of about twenty minutes their Lordships returned
and reported that the Commons had agreed to the first amend-
ments made by their Lordships, but disagreed to those contain-
ed in pages 35 and 36, and that they prayed that their lord-
ships would not insist on those amendments, in order that so
necessary a Bill should not be lost.
The bad of SHAFTESBURY then moved that their Lord-
ships do not insist on the said amendments.
Lord ELLEBOROUGH considered them of such import-
ance that he should wish to preserve them even at the risk of
losing the Bill. If that were the consequence, in order that
the country should not be without vagrant laws, he should
have no objection to suspend the Standing Orders, and to pass
a Bill to renew the Vagrant Act of last year.
Earl GROSVENOR suggested the propriety of having an-
other conference with the Commons, and asking them not to
persist in their objections.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH expressed his intention of divid-
ing the House.
The question was then put, whether their Lordships persist-
ed in their amendments.
Contents 13
Non-contents . - 25
Majority against the Amendments - 12
EARL MARSHAL.
Lord HOLLAND then resumed his Speech, and stated, that
the Bill which he was submitting to their Lordships, was formed
precisely on the model of that which had received the sanction
of the Legislature, and which enabled persons to hold Revenue
Offices without- previously taking certain oaths. It would
leave the Earl Marshal in exactly the same situation as the
Officers of his Majesty's Army and Navy. It involved no
principle which should afterwards induce their Lordships to
go one step further in concession, and he had the declaration of
some of the most jealous Peers on that point, that no danger
could possibly arise from the Earl Marshal being enabled to
exercise his functions. In fact, could it be supposed that the
Stick of Earl Marshal should be more dangerous in the hands
of a Catholic, than the sword or cannon in those of Catholics in
the army or navy ? or that there should be more peril in a Ca-
tholic regulating their Lordships' heraldic bearings, that in his
taking money out of their pockets? The eminent individual
to whom the Bill related did not stand now in the same situa-
tion as he did before he knew that it was the unanimous, sense
of the House that he should exercise the duties of his office. He
had been suddenly deprived by a stroke of Providence of that
person, whom, from tics of blood and affection, he must have
seen with less reluctance fulfilling the functions which he was
not allowed personally to discharge. At this moment, there-
fore, if there was in the House a disposition to grant him a
boon, it might be granted with most grace, feeling, and gene.
rosity. Their Lordships would recollect that it was the
duty of, the Earl Marshal, at the close of a Session to regulate
the ceremonies which attended its termination. Now from the
loss which he had suffered there was no one to do it and was it
at such a time that he should be called upon to acknowledge his
own incapacity, and, without leisure, to make a choice, to ap-
point a Deputy to discharge duties which he saw Parliament
was he should execute ? It was at such a time, on the

contrary, that their Lordships' boon would be most welcome
and most acceptable. He (Lord 11.) was not partial to the sus-
pension of the standing orders of the House ; but in a case like
this, in which there was no difference of opinicin, he trusted that
their Lordships would not refuse to suspend them. The place
of Earl Marshal conferred no political power, and his proposal
would giVe their Lordships an opportunity of doing an act of
grace in the most kind and feeling manner, and at the most
acceptable moment. The Bill consisted of only two clatises.—
The first enabled the Earl Marshal or his Peptity to discharge
the duties of the office without taking the oath of supremacy,
and on taking no other oaths than those of allegiance and of
office. The, second clause was merely for making the acts of
the Earl Marshal valid, though he had not taken.the oath of
supremacy. The Noble Earl then moved the first reading of
the Bill.

The LORD CHANCELLOR should not object to the first
reading of the Bill, neither did he think he should object to the
measure on any other stage, but at that moment he could not
give his consent to the proposal for suspending the Standing
Orders.

The Bill having been feud a first time,
Lord HOLLAND moved that the Standing Orders, No. 24
and 26, be taken into consideration to-morrow; with a view to
their being suspended.
The Earl of LIVEII.I3OOI. did not think it would be fair
to suspend the Standing Orders on a subject on which many
shades of opinion existed. It ought only to be done in a
case of absolute necessity, or when there were reasons to' think
that no difference. of opinion prevailed. If the object of the
Noble Lord were merely to have the Bill read a second time,
in order to ascertain the sense of the House, and to postpone
it then till the next Session, lie (Lord L.) should most heartily
say Content to the motion.
Lord HOLLAND said, that if the Noble Lord had the
least 'scruple about the suspension of the Standing Orders
to-morrow, he should not press it; but that it was neces.
sary he shciuld give notieo that he intended to move that they
be taken into consideration, in order to leave' the matter
open. - The Noble Lord then moved, that-the Bill be printed.
—Ordered.