The Sun.
London, England, 1819-12-04 00:00:00

ry. lie was opposed to the idea of unliutite
confidence in all public officers. There were, he
believed, more than forty cases of prosecution
Mending, itt which oo noti prosequi had been
entered. In floe, the Noble Lord observed,
that unless the Bill should come front the Com-
mittee very considerably ameuded, he should feel
it hi• duty to say " Not Content" to its ulterior
pi ogress.
14ord LILFORD, after a short general view of
the causes which rendered the measure necessity,
Tiltide some observations in support of the Bill.
The question was then put, the Bill read the
second time, and ordered to be committed cm
'1 uesday next.
ARMS SEIZURE AND TRAINING BILLS.
The 1-louse having resolved itself into a Com-
mittee on the Arms Seizure Bill,
The Earl of DARNLRY complained of the unite-
cetsary inconvenience created by the clause, which
allowed Magistrates to break into any house et
night to search for arms, and moved that it be
omitted.
The Earl of BLESSINGTON had also some objec-
tions to the Bill. The House bad been told that
Ireland was in a state of profound tranquillity, and
yet it appeared that the measure was to extend to
that country. Was it then intended to disturb
that tranquillity, and by unnecessary severities to
scatter dismay and disorder among the Irish
people /
Lord SIDMOUTR assuked the Noble Earl that
Ireland was not even named in the Bill. Its
operation was confined to certain counties in
England, which were duly mentioned, though it
might certainly be extended to any part of the
United Kingdoms, on the requisition ot their
Magistrates. With respect to the Amendment
pi op used, he thought that it world tend to nul-
lify the whole measure, for any person hevine
toms might bear that intormation had been lodged
against him, and it the Magistrates were not au-
thorized to search his house at night, he would
employ that time in removing or concealing the
seeepons in his itossessiou, so as to defeat the oh-
ject ot the Bill. '
The Duke of Sussex thought, that in enacting
measures of severity like those proposed, an en-
deavour should at least be suede not to render
them unnecessarily repugnant to the feelings of
the people. He did not mean to encourage irri-
tai:on, but he could not help saying, that if his
house was broken into in the midst of the night,
in the manner which the Bill authorized, his first
impulse should certainly be to resist. 'flue slum-
bets of the poor and laborious should not he ex-
posed to smelt interruptions ; he therefore busted
that the clause would be withdrawn.
The Earl of BLeSZINGTON explained.
The Earl of Rossevta obieeted to the wording
of the clause, which directed the seizure of pikes,
pike-heads, dirks, pistols, &c.
Lord SIDMOUTH explained, that the finding of
pikes and plte-beads was made prima facie, a
presumptive case that they were kept for an ille-
gal use, and therefore subjected the individuals
holding them to the necessity of proving for what
purpose they had them. As dirks and pistols
might be in the possession of people without any
evil intention, the elanse required a declaration
on oath, on the part of the informer, that those
weapons were kept for illegal purposes, before an
order for search could be issued.
The Earl of Russevu explained.
Lord Li SKI N R understood the distinction, but
objected to the whole measure. The preamble
stated that a wide and dangerous conspiracy ex-
isted to subvert the order of the State. As he did
not believe in the existence of such a conspiracy.
be could not agree to such a preamble. He also
complained that the Bill only requited en informer
to swear to his belief, and nor to a fact. And on
such a ground as the belief of an informer, was a
man, who had gone to bed with his family—if any
-wan would ever go to bed after the passing of such
a measure—(laughter)—to be disturbed in the
violent manner in which the Bill described.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL called upon the House
to recollect that the present Bill was not one half
so severe as a measure which had passed four
years since for the same purpose„ If the House
did not believe the existence of wide and dan-
gerous conspiracy against the State, the Bill must
of course fall to the ground as unjustifiable ; but
could any one who had read, not all the mass of
papers produced, but only what related to the
meeting at Bentley, refuse to believe in the ex-
istence of such a conspiracy ? Pikes were the
arms ot the disaffected, forged and collected for
their use : their being found with any individual
was therefore made a just presumption that he
kept them for sotne illegal purpose. But as dirks
and pistols were ordinary weapons, and implied
no bad intention in their possessors, the Bill pro-
vided that the informer should swear, not merely
to his belief of their being kept, but of their being
kept for illegal purposes. He could therefore see
en objection to the clause, and as to refusing the
right of searching for arms by night, could the
convenience of individuals be put into competi-
tion with the important objects which the mea-
sure was intended to effect ?
After a few words from Lord HOLLAND, anti
the admission of the word " gnus" into the
clause on the motion of Lord SIDMOUTH, the
Amendment of Lord DARNLEY was put and nega-
tived without a division.
Several verbal Amendments were then intro-
Zueed, and the Report was ordered to be received
On Monday.
The [louse then went into a Committee on the
Training Bill, which also experienced 'some ver-
bal-Amendments, and after a few words front Lord-'
Hoemano and the Earl of LIVERPOOL, the Report
Was fixed for Monday.
ALARMING STATE OF THE COUNTRY.
The Earl hOf STRATH MORE having understood
that the accuracy of the statement which he had
rierie last night had been called into question
another place, took this 'opportunity of assuring
tie House, that in what be had said he had kept
rather within than without the mink. The dis-
•ricts to which he had alluded, he was sorry to
have it in his power to say, were in an even more •
disturbed state titan he had represented them to ,
he. He saw a Noble Friend of his, who was
Lord Lieutenant of one of the Northern Coen-
,.es, and who, be was sure, would conflict all that
Le had statcd. There was no onejn tfla Uous c ,