The Sun.
London, England, 1817-05-28 00:00:00

11.1BEAS COI:1'11S SUSPENSION BILL.

The History of this L.:o-untry will thew,
(Net- since vvhat have been termed '' Gocri
TIMES" there have been always disconten, HL:;(!
factious Reformet internal and external, htltt
and,Traitors. During the memorable year 171 L,
when the subversion of the Gov, rwnent %vas
threatened, and a Rebel Army advancing into the
heart of the Country, it %vas found that :heic
were domestic Malcontents actively at work to
assist in the overthrow of the House of liauss-
wick, which, if a Popish. Prince had obtained
the regal power, would have prepared the way for a
total destination of the PROTESTANT ASCENDANCY.
At that period, therefore, Government found it
to be absolutely necessary for the'preservation of
the Establishment in Church and State, to sus.
pend the HABEAS CORPUS Acr, as has been done
at present for the sante salutary purpose. The cry
of Faction was raised, and the entire abolition of
popular freedom was confidently predicted. But
all these terrific prognostications have been proved
to be mere Brutem fulmen. The Constitution was
preserved, and public liberty secured by that very
measure. The Suspension Was defended by AD,.
DISON in one of the numbers of his FRER-HOLGER,
and as the name, as well as the arguments, of that
great Man must give.a solid support to any cause
of which his pen was the advocate, we con-
ceive that we shall satisfy all reasonable people,
and confound the Disaffected, by the revival of a
work written by so great an ornament of British
Literature. It cannot be urged that ADDI3OI
was the slave of a Court. Let his Cate: and his
other imperishable works speak for him, and ;hew
that he was a determined friend to public free.
dom. lie who could exclaim,—
Liberty, thou goddess heavenly bright,
" Profuse of bliss and pregnant with delight,"
would not have been the servile instrument of
any set of men who might attempt to abridge the
rights of their fellow-subjects. We shall, there-
fore, by reviving the WISDOM of upwards of a
hundred years old, baffle the pretences, and thew
the futility of the predictions, of the' present race
of POLITICAL PROPIIETS.

THE FREE-HOLDER, Fn. IS, 1716.
(NLYMBEIt 16.)

" Itaque quod prerumque in atroci negotio solet, Senatua
decresit, darent Opersin Comics He quid Respublica
metal caperet. Ea Potestas per Senatuni More Romano Ma-
gistratui maxuma permittitnr, exercitum parare, helium.
gerere, coercere omnibus mains Socios atque rui-
litiocque Imperium atque Judicial') sunitnum habere. Aliter,
tine Populi jussu nulli mu:niter= consult Jos est."

SALMIS?.

" It being the design of these papers to recoil.
die men' to their own happiness, by removing
those Wrong notions and prejudices which hinder
them front seeing the advantage of themselves and
their posterity in the present establishment, I
cannot but take notice of every thing that by the
artifice of our enemies is made a matter of com.
plaint.
" OE this nature is the Suspension of the Ha.

bees Corpus Act, by which his Majesty has been
enabled, in these times of danger, to seize an 4
detain the persons of such, NV:10 he had reason to
believe were conspiring against his person and
GoVernment. The expediency and reasonable.
!less of such a temporary Suspension in the pre-
sent juncture may appear to every considerate
man, who will turn his thoughts impartially ion
this subject.
" I have chosen in points of this nature to
draw :my arguments from the fist principles of
Government, which, as they ore of no party, hilt
assented to by ever) reasonable man', carry the
greater weight with them, and are accommodated
to the notions of all my readers. -.Ever,' one
knows, who has considered the nature of Govern-
ment, that there must be in each particular form
of it an absolute and unlimited power ; and that
this power is lodged in the hands of those, who

ave the making of its laws, whether by. the na-

titre of the CODStittltioll it he in one or mow
persons, in a single order of men, of in a mixt
body of different ranks and degrees. It is an ab-
surdity to imagine that those, who have the au.
dimity of making laws,, cannot snspcnd any liar..
ticular law, when they think it expedient for,the
public. Withont suet► a -power all government
would be defective, and not armed with a •stiffi.
cient force for its own security. As self-preser-
vation by all honest methods is the first duty of
every community, as well as of every lis ivate per-
son, so the public safety is the general view of
,all laws. When, therefore, any law does not
conduce to tl►is 4reat e►nd, but. on the contrary,
bOnit. extraordinary awl unnatural junctures, the
very observation of it woold endanger, the com-
munity, that law ought to he laid asleep for sud►
it time, 4y the proper authority. Tints the very
intention of our Habeas Corpus Act, namely, the
preservation of the liberties:of the subject, abso-
lately rewires that Ait, to be DQW suspended,
since the Confinement of dangerous and suspected
persons, who might strengthen this rebellion,
and spread a civil war through all parts of this
kingdom, secures to us our Civil Rights,. and
every thing that can be valuable to a free people.
As every Government in its nature be
armed with such an authority, we may observe
that those Governments which have been the most
famous fur public spirit, and the most jealous of,
their liberty, have never failed to exert it upon
proper occasions. There cannot be a greater in-

• Vide an admirable Periodical Work tinder this title,
which, by its plain good Jense, is adapted to the understand-
ing of all classes, und by its price (One Pefioy) will diffuse
cheap as Well as solid instruction to all tiniest

blame t.t. (hi', limn in tue c>iri Combionwcalth
iilittrfed tkeinseixes with

that their Government had in it a doe temper oi
the regal, noble, and popelar power, represented
, by the Consels, the Senators, and the Tribunes
The Regal part was, however, in several points
Timm ionslv defective, and parficehirly because the
Consuls had trot a negative in the passing of d
as the other two branches had. Nevertheless
in, this Government; when the Republic was threat-
ened with any grin t and imminent danger, they
thought it for the Common safety to appoint a
temporary dietatne, invested with the whole,
power or the three branches s who, when the
danger was over, retired,again into the comma-:
nity, and lett the Government in 'its mittiral si-
tnattialn, ilut what is more to our Ca5P, the con-
sular power itself, though infinitely Omit of. the
.1-teKai Vowel' in Great 1;, ;lain, %Vas intrusted with
the whole authority which 'the Legidattue has
put into the hands of his Majesty. • We have an
eminent instance of this in the motto of ivy paper,
which I shall translate for the beuefir of the Eng-
-lisll Reader, after hai'ing advertised' him, that rite
power there given to the Consul, was in the lime,
of a contipiraey. The Senate, therefore, made a'
decree as usual, when they have, matters before
them. of so horrid a nature, tlett the Consuls,
shouhl take care the Commonwealth did not suf.
-ler any prejtidice. I.ly vittne of this very great
power which' the Senate allows to the Magistrate,'
according to the ancient customs of Rome, he
may raise no army, veage war, make rise of all
kinds of methods to restrain the associates and
citizens of [tonic, and exe,teise the supreme Au-
thority both lo.rne and ahroad in matters Civil'
and Military ; whereas -otherwise the Consul
not invested with any of these powers without
the espt ess command of the people. --
" There now only remains to shew, that his Ma-
jesty is legally poshest of this power ; and that
the ni•cessity of the piesent affairs requires 'he
bhiuthl be so, lie is entrw.ted with it by the. Le-
f;i4l;atute of the nation; and in the very notion of
a Legislatnre is implied a power to change,
and sospeed what laws are in being,•as well
us to Mahe yV,lO.t, new laws they shall
,think fit for
the good cif the people. This is se) 011cotittoverted
tis-.l3ssite, that I believe never any body attempted
to refine it. Ott; Legislatime have hoWever had
that just regard for their fellow...subjects, as not
to' kiliCrtain, a thought of abrogating this law,
but only to hinder it from
,operating at a time
ndien it would endanger the Constitution. The
Kittgis empowered to act tint for 'a few months
by -virtue of this suseension ; and by that means
differs from a King of France, or any other, ty.
rannieal i't ince, who in tillieS of :teace and trao-
findlity, nuts tlpoti what occa,ion'he phases,, sends
any of Ws subjects out of the knowledge Of their
friends into such castles, dungeons, or imprison-
, meats as he thinks fit., Nor did the, ficgisleture
• do any thing iii this that was unprecedented. The
Habeas Corptis Act wits made:but about five and
thirty years ago,. and since that time has been
.suspended four times h.efore his present Majesty's
at evssimr to the Throne: twice under.the reign
Of King William and Queen 'Mary ; once eeder
the reign of' King; William ; and once tuitkr the
reign of Queen Anne.
" Ti,e necessity of this law at this time arose
from the prOspeet of Rh luViiiohowhich has sluice
broke out iota an actual rebellion.; arid from in-
formations of seere.t and dangerous practices
atnolig men of considerable fignre, who could not
have been prevented fronOloiog mischief to their
country' but by such a suspension of this Act of
Parliament.

" I cannot however but observe, that notwith4
standing the lawfulness and necessity •of such a
suspension, bad nut the rebellion bloke out atter
the passing of this Act of 'Parliament, I 'do'nut
know how those who had been - the most
mental in procuring it, could have escaped that
popular odium, which their malicious and artful
enemies have now itt vain endeavoured to stir up
sgainif them, Clad it been possible for the vigi-
lance and endeavours of a Ministry to have bin-
dered even the attempt of an invasion, their very
endeavours might have proved prejtulitial to thenr.
Their prudent and resolute precautions would
have turned to their disadvantage, had they not
been justified by those events, which thcy.did all
that w in their power to obviate. This natu-
rally brings to mind the reflection of Tully in the
like circumstances, that amidst the divisions -et
Rome a man was in an nuhappy'condition who
had a share in the administration, 'nay even in the
preservation of the Commonwealth. '0 Condi-
tionem miseram non modo administrandw, vermn
clam conservanda Peipubliate!
" Besides, every unprejudiced man will consi-
der how mildly and equitably this power has been
used. The persons Confined have been' treated
tviAt* all possible humanity; and abridged of no-
thing hut the liberty of hurting their country,
ow, vet y probably of ruining both themselves and
their families..., And as to the numbers of those
who are under thiS short restraint, it is vet y ob--
servable, that people do not seem so much cur-
prized at the confinement of sonic, as at the li-
berty bf many others.. But we tn.,ty from hence
conclude, What every, Englishman must observe
With great pleasure, that his Majesty does not in
this great point regulate himself by any pt ivate jea-
lousies or suspicions; but by those evidences and
informations which he has received.

I, We have already found the good consequences
of this suspension, in that it has .hindered the
tebelfion. Irmo gathering the strength it would
otherwise have gained ; not to mention those
numbers it has kept from engaging hi so despe-
rate an enterpriZt, with the ma nr lives it .has pre.
served, and the desolations it has prevented.
" For these and many other reasons the Ite-
presentalives of, Great Britain in Parliathent cOuld
siever loive atoyervd it to the People they.repre-
serif, who have found such great. benefits trout the
Suspension tit the. Habeas Corpus Act, and:- with-
out it must have telt such .fatal con Sequences, had,
they not itt a case 0(.6U-eh great necessity nu: tic
use Of this customary. legal, and reasonable
shod for securing Majesty Off-the Throne, and
their country tioiu misery or ruin."

Copenhgen a young
WOlll4ll 114 S beet) 1701114111-6(d 10 the 1)0111311111elit Of
truth tor baying beaten and maltreated ber father
and mother.