The Sun.
London, England, 1815-07-08 00:00:00

HOUSE O 1 I-,ORDS; yranAv,, luty 7.

The. Agent General's Regulation Bill, the Consolidated Pond
Bill, the Irish Militia Pay Bill,Abt Local Militia Amendnient.
Bill, the Bill to prevent fra,odi'in the mannfacture of Skins,
the Seaman's enconragement Bill, the captured Slaves Pro
vi,ion Bill, And the Copybold Estates Bill, were. read a third
time and passed.
The Bill to regulate the sale. ot growing Crops taken in exe-
cntion was committed, and after some conversation between
Lords Eldon, Elie:thorough, Morton, ltedesdale, and Lauder-
dale, some amendments proposed by the -latter were adopted.
The Bill was ordered to be printed, and to stand over for far-
Hier considefation until the next Ses.sion.

h e Vote of Credit Bill, the Willa Letters Bill, the Irish
„BLyal Canal Bill, and the Seeds import duty Bill, with others,
*i-ere read a second time, mot ordered to, he committed.

N P.M'S PAPER STAMPS.

On the committal of the Bill for imposing an additional
duty upon Newspapers and Advertisements, -
Lord STANHOPE observed, that. the tendeneyof this mea-
sure would, he• such as he presumed the Minister could not
desire, namely, to increase the public•burthens, and to dimi-
nish the revenne. This .aiglit'appear paradoxical, but he re-
membered a similar ease.sonie years a' go when an additional
duty was imposed upon spirits, he (LordStanliope) ventured
to foretell that the effect of the neat duty would be to mance
the rio en ne-opon spipits generally, and what was the result ?
Why that tliis revenue fell liff,to the amount of betweetri and
300,1,001. in consequence of which reduction,'Mr. I'itt had the
adcHional duty repealed; althougb he (Lord Stanhope) Was,
in the first instance, laughed at for his predictions. He
had no doubt that, in predicting the • consequence of 'the
Bill under consideration, he should be found equally ac-
curate as in the case - alluded to, whatever_ attention
might he paid Whim at preSent. But independently of
any considerations of revenue, he should ever disapprove
of any measure calculated to itapedit the freedom-, or dis-
courage the industry of the press. For he had always be. ua
friend to the propagation of tight, convinced that such pro-
pagation was best calculated to promote the interest and hap-
piness of mankind. 'Of course then he must be adverse to any
proceeding likely to interfere with that great principle; and
on this ground lie opposed the :present Bill, which was not
only objectionable 'in its character, but absurd in its con-
struction.. Such a Bill was indeed one among the most prb-
minent specimens of. that slovenliness with which Bills had
been of late sent up to that House from the Commons., For-
instance, this-Bill proposed a tax -upon pamphlets, botilis, or
papers, commonly so tolled, 'Containing only one sheet, and
not exceeding eight sheets. But it was curious to see how pam-
phlets Were defined.
.In one clause:all papers were described
as paMphlets which amountellto one sheet, and yet in an-
other clause of this blessed schedule, those only were defined
to be pamphlets wbich exceeded one sheet. But 'this was on-
ly one among the many air-sin-tidies which belonged to -this
extraordinary Bill. The Noble Lord concluded with mfiving
as an amendnient the omission of these words--" or inserted
in any other newspapers."
The amendment was negatived.
- Earl STANHOEthen.foreibly animadverted upon the ge-
neral character of the Bill, and upon. the 'thinne,s of -the
Haose on a subject of sorb importance, which involved 'alike
the interests of trade and revenue, as those of liberty and-
learning.
The several clauses were agreed to. the House resumed,
and the Report was ordered to be brought up to-morrow.
The Law Deeds StaMp Duty Bill was committed.
Lord STANHOPE urged the propriety of having a Bill of
this nature brought. before the House at an earlier period, in
order-to aflord tame for its ample consideration, referring to
a decision of the Court 6f King's Bench, that if a receipt
were drawn upon a higher stamp than was prescribed by law
such receipt was invalid r therefore, it Si-as tight to have such
a measure as the present duly promulgated, for the safety of
the public,
.before it was finally enacted, and on this ground
he disapprored of the manner in which the Bill was pressed,
among a crowd of other Bills brought front the other House
at this late.period of. the Session.
....
The clauses were adopted, the House .resurned,and thcßill
was ordered to be tad a third time to-mni row.
The Irish Grand Jury Bill went through a Committee. .
The Hackney Coach Bill teas read a second time, and or-
dered tobe.cornmitted to-morrow.
The other Orders of the Day were disposed of, and the.
House adjourned,