The Sun.
London, England, 1812-03-24 00:00:00

vrstiggitt, aiiz objcaed tti the Itiatitidr in Which at-6
Right Hon. Gentleman (the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer) was catechised ; he thought it unvatlia-
mentary; indelicate; and highly improper. The in-
terference of the House in - such a case, was; like
all interference between man and wife, ill-judged.
-Sir- .1. NEWPORT 'protested against the doctrine
that the -House was not justified in catechising the
Minister, especially on all money grants. There
was something mysterious in the transaction, as it
appeared .before the Public, and the questions be
thought therefore proper. As to the book, he wish-
ed to know whether- the Minter's name was to it,
or vvliethef, as had been reported, it was printed' in
the Right Hon. Gentleman's own House ?
The • Resolution was then agreed -to, and the
House having been resumed, the Report was order-
ed to be received to-morrow.

Mr. WV N F. gave notice that he would to-morrow
move for a copy of the instrument by which Colonel
M'Mahon had been appointed Private Secretary to
his Royal Highness the. Prince Regont.
_ _ _ _

Mr. WHITBREAD w:shed to know whether Co-
lonel Taylor (his Majesty's Private Secretary), was
yet in office; and, if so, from what fund his salary
was paid ?

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied in
a low tone of voice ; but we understood the Right
Hon. Gentleman to say, that Colonel Taylor's sa-
lary was paid out of the fund voted by Parliament
for her Majesty's establishment.
The Members' Oaths B•li went through a Can-'•
mittee—Ordered to be read a third time to-morrow.
BANKRUPT MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT-.

Mr. THOMPSON moved the seconA reading 'of, the
Bill for preventing Members of Parliament be6Om-
ing Bankrupt from retaining their seats in the House
of Commons.

Mr. WROTTESLEY thought that it wou'd be
hard case, in times like the present, for any man,
who, by accident, might .become a bankrupt, to be
compelled to vacate his seat,
Mr: H. SMITH could not see why persons who
had suffered so severe an execution as an aa of
bankruptcy, should be more hardly punished than
those who suffered a less severe execution, but who
were equally unable to pay their debts. The Law
ought to apply generally, or not at all. In the pre-
sent situation of the country, the mere circumstance
of becoming a bankrupt did not, in .his opinion,
render a man unworthy of a seat in that House.
He trusted some consideration would be had for those
whose bankruptcies were attribatable to misfortune
alone; and 'he declared that he bad knoWn more in-
stances than one of bankrupts who had evinced by
their conca& the highest sentiments of honour.
Mr.Locxn A 11T thought great credit wa due to the
Honourable Gentleman who introduced this B:11
into 'the House: So far were the proviiions of it
from imposing a particular hardship that the various
existing Statutes, if they were strictly interpreted,
would in his opinion-disqualify a bankrupt from re-
taining .his seat, and would authorise a motion for
a new writ in the case of a bankruptcy. Now the
proposed measure did not go
,to an immediate re-
moval ; hut 'left the possibility of ultimately retain-
ing the seat. He did not doubt that many bank-
rupts entertained sentiments of high honour ; but
such an argument as that, op that account alone, they
should not vacate their 'seats, went against all, qua-
lificationi whatever. •

Mr. W. SMITH contended, that the Legislature
had wisely declared, that a Member of the House
of Commons should have .a certain qualification,
that he might be independent of any corrupt mo-
tives. A bankrupt necessarily declared himself not
worth a shilling, and were that the sole ground of
objeaion to a bankrUpt'S retaining his seat in Par-
liament, he should think it amply sufficient.
Mr. WYNNE argued in favour of the 1311,
Mr. LAMBE observed, that the Qualification Aa
provided, that a Member should have a certaihqua-
lification when he took his seat, but further it-did
not go. He could not give his consent to a Bill
which appeared to him to trench upon one of the
first rights of the "subjea, namely, an illegibility to
sit in that ,House.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEOLVER allowed
that the existing law was anomalous; for Irish
Members becoming becoming bankrupts, vacated
their teats, while English did not ; but the Hon.
Gentleman, who brought is the Bill, had introduced
provisions from the Irish AO, whiehlwere not appli-
cable to the English law of bankrupts. To equalise
the situation of the Members of both countries in
this respea, the law must be embarrassed with
many provisions of a different nature. At present,
the Bill appeared to him to be extremely defective.
An interval of six months was allowed by it after
the bankruptcy, before the exclusion of the bank-
rupt from the House. In the course of that time,
either by gift, bequest, or his own exertions, the
bankrupt might become better qualified than when
he .originally entered Parliament. On the,,, whole,
he thought it better to reject the Bill than to admit
it with all the embarrassing provisions with which it
must necessarily be attended.
Air. THOMPSON declared, that his objea was to
Preserve, as much as possible, the independence of
Parliament, and to prevent persons who possessed
no qualification, from sitting it, that House, and
making laws for the community. No doubt there
were honourable bankrupts, but nine cases of bank-
ruptcy out of ten, were attributable to folly and im-
prudence. A Conntry Magistrate would look shyly
at a .Justice, who presumed to sit on the bench and
adrsiinister the law, after having paid his creditors a
shilling or half-a-crown in the pound ; nor did he
think such a person much more fit for a Legislator.
Mr. D. GIDDY supported the Bill, on the princi-
ple that power and property ought never to be dis-
sociated; and therefore, that all Members of that
House ought to be duly qualified by the possession
of certain property. Nothing had tended more to
injure that House in the public opinion, than that
• bankrupts and. insolvent persons bad been allowed
to sit among them ; and be was anxious to remove
this stain from their chara&er.

The House then divided,
For the 2(.1 reading . . • 2z
Against it . . . . 19
Milj9rity . . —3
The Bill was read a second time, and ordered to
be committed on, the cif of
Mr. LUSHINGTO.N brought up the Report of the
Penitentiary House Bill.