The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-30 00:00:00

not medrale with it—no, not so much as to give ad-
vide ; yet after you were pleased to declare that, you
have voted in your Lordships' Hollse. that it was
most necessary and fit that matters of supply should
have precedency of all otherbusiness ; and this being
done, your Lordships would freely join with them in
all things concerning matter of religion, propriety of
goods, and liberty of Parliament." On the same day
the Lords resolved by the major part of the votes thus
That, by their Lordships first voting (we are of
opinion tha t the matter of his Majesty's supply should
have precedency, and be resolved of, before any other
matter whatsoever), was no breach of the privileges
of the House of Commons." The address of Mr.
Pym is preserved in the journals, and will be found
in the appendix, and the same committee that had
been directed to prepare the address was, on the 2d
of May, ordered "to take into consideration the
privileges mentioned in the conference with the
Lords, and to view such records as might any way
concern the same, and to present the same to the
judgment of the House, to consider what course to
take for the preservation of the same privileges."
It does not appear from the journals of either
House that anything further was done in the mat-
ter, Parliament having been dissolved on the sth of
May.
VI. The practice which had been settled with re-
ference to the preamble in the year 1628 was con-
fit med at the Restoration. On that occasion the

Commons took the earliest opportunity of asserting
their privilege ; for on the 21st of July, 1660, when
Sir Heneage Finch, afterwards Lord Chancellor
Nottingham, reported a Bill for continuance of the
customs of tonnage and poundage, it was resolved
that the first clause in the Bill be thus amended—

namely, ""The Commons assembled do give and
grant to your Majesty the subsidies hereafter fol-
lowing, most humbly praying your Majesty that it
may be enacted," &c. This Bill, having been read
a third time, was carried to the Lords; and Mr. An-
nesley was directed " to desire the Lords that, it
being a Bill concerning money, it be sent back to
the House when the Lords have passed it." As
soon as it had passed the Lords' House it appears,
from their journals, that a message was sent to the
Commons " to deliver the Bill to them which their
Lordships had passed ;" and it further appears from
the same journals that the Commons by their Speaker
presented it to the King. From that time to this the
practice with regard to Bills of Supply has been in
conformity with this precedent. The Commons
alone are stated in the preamble to make the
grant. When the bill has passed their house the
Commons desire the concurrence of the Lords ;
when it has passed the Lords a message is, sent to
the Commons, stating that the Lards have agreed
to it. The bill is afterwards returned to the Com-
mons, and when the Commons are summoned to
attend the Queen or the Lords Commissioners, the
Speaker presents it for the Royal assent.
It is not unworthy to remark that the practice
with regard to Bills of Supply as thus established
is identical with the provisions of the Indemnity
Ordinance in 1407, as explained by the Attorney-
General in the precedent of 1671. " And as for the
case of 9 Henry 1V.," he therein says, " called the
indemnity of the Lords and Commons, these things
are evidently proved by it;—
"First, that it was a grievance to the Commons
and a breach of their liberties to demand a com-
mittee to confer with about aids.
"Secondly, that the Lords ought to consider by
themselves, and the Commons by themselves apart.
" Thirdly, that no report shall be made to the
King of what the Commons have granted and the
Lords assented to till the matter is perfected ; so
that a plain declaration is made, that the Commons
grant, and the Lords assent.
" And, fourthly, that the gift ought to be pre-
sented by the Speaker of the Commons."
BILLS OF SUPPLY, AND TAX BILLS.

Practice of the Commons where the Lords Amend.
VII. In the 17th century there are a few in-
stances where the Lords have amended Bills of
Supply, and the Commons have agreed to such
amendments. It is impossible in all cases to ascer-
tain at this distance of time the exact nature of
such amendments. In some the amendments were
made for the purpose of preserving to the Peers the
ancient custom of assessing themselves by com-
missioners of their own ; in others, the amend-
ments were made fig the correction of clerical
errors, sr in furtherance of the intent and object of
the Bill; and in one or two eases the Commons
agreed on special grounds, such as " the present
necessity cast upon them by the shortness of the
session. With these exceptions, it appears from
the jourials that this Mouse has reserved to itself
the exclusive power over such Bills by not:allowing
any alterations of a substantial character to be
made in them. Thus, in the great precedent of the
13th of April, 1671, where the reasons drawn up
by theAttorney-General, and adopted by the House,
are stated so clearly that we have inserted them at
length in the Appendix,—amendments and clauses
were sent from the Lords in a Bill for an imposi-
tion on fpreign commodities. On that Bill being
sent back to the Commons, this House resolved,
nemine eontradieente," That in all aids given to the
King by the Commons, the rate or tax ought not
to be altered by the Lords ;' " and on the third
conference with the Lords, held and reported to the
House, it was resolved—
" That the Lords' reasons, and the answer of this
House, be entered in the Journal of this House,
which are as followeth, viz.:—
" Thursday, April 20.
"This conference was desired by their Lordships,
upon the subiect-matter of the last conference, con-
cerning the Bill for Impositions on Merchandise,
&c., wherein the Commons communicated to the
Lords, as their resolution, that there is a funda-
mental right in that House alone, in Bills of Rates
and Impositions on Merchandise, as.to the matter,
the measure, and the time.
" And, though their Lordships had neither rea-
son nor precedent offered by the Commons to back
that resolution ; but were told that this was a right
so fundamentally settled in the Commons, that they
could not give reasons for it, for that would be a
weakening of the Commons Right of Privilege ;
" Yet the Lords, in Parliament, upon full consi-
deration thereof, and of that whole conference, are
come to this resolution, nemine contradicente;
" That the power exercised by the House of
Peers, in making the Amendments and Abatements
in the Bill, intituled An Act for an additional
Imposition on several Foreign Commodities, and
for Encouragement of several Commodities and
Manufactures of this Kingdom, both as to thd
Matter, Measure, and Time, concerning the Rates
and Impositions on Merchandise,' is a fundamental
inherent, and undoubted right of the House of
Peers, from which they cannot depart."
Then follow the Lords' reasons, with the Com-
mons' answer 'which deserve special consideration.
On the 22d of April it was unanimously resolved
" That the thanks of the House be returned to
Mr. Attorney-General for his great pains and care
in preparing and drawing up the reasons delivered
to the Lords, in answer to their reasons, which was
by him performed to the great satisfaction of this
House, in vindication of their privilege and just
and undoubted right of the Commons of England.
"And Mr. Speaker did accordingly deliver the
thanks of the House to Mr. Attorney-General."
Parliament was prorogued on the same day till
the 16th of April, 1672.
VIII. Even where the amendment is for the
abatement of a duty, or merely a change in the mode
of collecting it, the Commons have still insisted on
• their privilege.
Thus, on the 24th of July, 1689, the Lords sent
down amendments to a Bill for collecting the
duty upon coffee, tea, and chocolate. In those
amendments certain drawbacks appear to have been
allowed upon the exportation of these commodities.
This House disagreed to them nemine contra-
dieente ; and they gave as part of their reasons
that "they had always taken it as their un-
doubted privilege (of which they have ever been
jealous and tender) that in all aids given
to the King by the Commons, the rate or tax
ought not to be in any way altered by the Lords."
And they add, " As to the proviso which your lord-
ships have sent to the Commons, the Commons do
disagree to it, and for that do refer to their first
reason ; the proviso being an alteration and lessen-
ing of the grant made by the Commons." To this
the Lords reply that they "are much surprised at
the assertion of the Commons, that, in all aids given
to the King by the Commons, that rate or tax ought
not to be in any way altered by the Lords, since
they conceive it hath always been their undoubted
right, in case of any aid given to the King, to les-
son the rate or tax granted by the Commons. In
the result, the Commons adhered to their former
opinion, and negatived the amendments nemine
eontradieente. The same rule has been also appliedteed,
d
not only where the charge is in any way altered,
but also where the Lords have endeavoured to
change the mode of collecting
it.
;
amended Land-taxehacttohres Peersto b
e
Bill, by providing that the ratesi t orr which
on the 17thi
of July, 1692, when the Lords
oi
were liable should be received by
their reasons that
nominated by themselves, the Commons disagreed
the right "of granting supplies to the Crown is in
the Commons alone as an essential part of their
constitution ; and the limitation of all, such grants,
as to the matter, manner, measure,
an,,, time, is only
in them, which is so well known to be fundamen-
tally settled in them that to give reasons for it has
been esteemed by our ancestors to be a weakening
of that right. And the clause sent down by you-t.
Lordships is a manifest invasion thereof."
the Lords reply, " They conceive that the making
of of amendments and abatement of rates in Bills of
Supply sent up from the House of Commons is a
fundamental,,inherent, and undoubted right of the
House of Peers, from which their Lordships can