The Sun.
London, England, 1834-10-21 00:00:00

THE LATE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.

Some of the most important events that agitated this
country from a very early period occurred in the two
Houses of Parliament which were lately destroyed by
fire. The Earl of Macclesfield, in 1725, was tried in
the House of Lords for receiving sums of money from
the Masters in Chancery for their admission to office.
Ninety--three Lords were present on that memorable
occasion, when the Earl was found guilty ; and he was
fined a sum of 30,0001. In the year 1667 Lord
Chancellor Clarendon was impeached in the House of
Peers by some of his enemies at Court, who most un-
justly succeeded in bringing in a Bill for his banish-
ment. His very grave and solemn behaviour rendered
him disagreeable to the gay part of the Court of
Charles 11., for it is said he not only reproved his
equals when he thought they deserved it, but some-
times offered his advice to the King in such a manner
that the wits about the Court would frequently say to
his Majesty as the Chancellor passed by, " There
goes your schoolmaster." In the reign of Charles 1.,
Laud, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was tried before
the House of Lords upon a variety of charges, the
substance of which was that he had endeavoured to
subvert our religion and civil Government. He was
treated with the greatest harshness and indignity, and
one of the Noble Peers who sat in judgment upon him,
namely, the Earl of Pembroke, descended so low as to
call the greatest subject in England " Rascal and
villain." In the same reign the Earl of Strafford,
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and Lieutenant-General
of the Armies, was impeached by the House of Corn-
mons for high treason under pretence of endeavouring
to subvert the fundamental laws. A Bill of Attainder
was afterwards preferred against him, upon which he
was found guilty by the Peers, and executed on Tower
Hill. In the early part of the reign of Charles 1., a
curious trial look place against Sir John Elliott, and
several other Members of the House of Commons for
sedition, and assaulting the Speaker. An information
was exhibited against these Gentlemen by the Attor-
ney-General for making seditious speeches, for en-
deavouring to bring the King into contempt by resist-
ing the adjournment of the House, and for having as-
saulted the Speaker, and forcibly detained him in the
chair. The defendants contended that as the offences
were committed in Parliament they ought to be there
inquired into, and not elsewhere. They at the same
time doubted the King's authority to adjourn Parlia-
ment by a verbal message. As to the conspiracy to
lay violent hands on the Speaker, and keeping him in
the chair, the House were privileged to detain him in
the chair, and other Speakers had been so served. The
Judges, however, to whom the matter was referred,
fined the defendants ; but the-Commons treated the
conduct of the Judges as a breach of privilege, and
awarded satisfaction to the Members for the loss -they
had sustained. Lord Chancellor Verulam was, in the
19th James 1., brought before the House of Peers for
receiving sums of money from the suitors in his court,
upon which charge he was found guilty, and sentenced
to pay a fine of 40,0001., be imprisoned in the Tower
during his Majesty's pleasure, and be for ever inca-
pable of any office in the State ; that he should never
sit in Parliament, or come within the verge of the court.
In the same King's reign the Earl and Countess of
Somerset were charged before the House of Peers with

the murder of Sir Thomas 0 verbury by poison in the
Tower. Several other persons who had been concerned
in the murder were tried and executed, but the Earl
and Countess escaped. The celebrated trial of Dr.
Sacheverell took place in the House of Peers in the
reign of Queen Anne, for preaching a sermon at Derby,
and another at St. Paul s, reflecting on her Majesty
and the Government for not affording sufficient protec-
tion to the Church. He was found guilty, and the
sentence passed on him by the House was that he should
not preach during three years, and that the sermons com-
plained of should be burned before the Royal Exchange
by the common hangman. In the reign of William
111., the Earl of Warwick, Lord Mohun, and three
other Gentlemen, were tried before the House of
Lords for the murder of Capt. Richard Coote. These
Gentlemen were drinking together at the Greyhound
in the Strand ; at midnight they quarrelled, when they
proceeded to Leicester-fields, where they fought, three
of a side, in the dark, and they could scarce distin-
guish each other. Captain Coote was killed, it was
supposed by Lord Warwick, as his sword appeared
to be bloody up to the hilt afterwards. The House
found the Earl of Warwick guilty of manslaughter,
wherefore he claimed the benefit of his Peerage, and
was discharged. In 1678 the Eail of Pembroke was
tried in the House of Lords for the murder of a gen-
tleman named Corry. The deceased and a Mr. Gor-
riffg were standing at the bar of Long's Hotel, in the
Haymarket, drinking a bottle of wine, when the Earl of
Pembroke came out of a lower room. A dispute oc-
curred, when Corry was knocked down, and received so
much injury that he died. Upon the evidence the House
of Lords found the Earl guilty, whereupon he claimed
his privilege and was discharged. In the year 1720
the celebrated proceedings against the Directors of the
South Sea Company took place. Matthew Prior was
brought before the House of Commons in 1715 for
high treason in negotiating a peace with France. He
remained in prison some time, but was discharged with-
out any impeachment being carried up to the Lords
against him. A great many important proceedings
took place in Parliament in the reign of Henry the
Eighth, and some most interesting questions have been
discussed in modem times, including the impeachment
of Warren Hastings, and the memorable trial of Queen
Caroline.

Seventy-three Parliaments have been held since the
year 1509, in the reign of Henry the Eighth, and it
appears that only four have existed beyond seven years,
and that only nine have had a sexennial duration ; of
the rest only six Parliaments have lasted above five
years, only two Parliaments above four, and but two
above three. Of the remaining number only nine or
ten have existed above two years, and no less than 35
for a shorter period. One Parliament with another,
the duration of each since the reign of Henry the Se-
venth does not exceed the space of two years and about
nine months, even including the long Parliament in
the reign of King Charles the First, and the still longer
one which his son retained in existence for the enor-
mous period of about 17 years.
A Parliament was held at Coventry 6th of Henry
VI., wheicunto no lawyer nor person skilled in law
was to be called. A Parliament was held at Oxford,
41st Henry 111., where the Lords came with great re-
tinues of armed men, and many things were violently
transacted against the King's prerogative. A Parlia-
ment was held at Coventry 38th Henry VI., where
the Earl of March and others were attainted. At a
Parliament in Edward the Second's time the Barons
came armed against the two Spencers, with coloured
bands on their sleeves by way of distinction.