The Sun.
London, England, 1819-12-24 00:00:00

ere'

Ii) S•

ti.•
40d

St
was Fmsici,eir ;1)44 thelOyll. inhabitants of
that ti(y had t•;',n ii arms to defe-d their homes
and all that !hey held dear.. • Tliey would not
Lave done thi, had there not been danger, and
after they had Mitts c"n)e forward, it was too
111 "01 for the 1-1,,n. and Irned Gentleman, who
~
-'ad been bete in Loud ,at a diitante of 400
Mille, from The spot, to :peak as be had 'IP" (it
their exerion4, to pronounce the alarm which
lad been telt an unfounded panic, and 10 Heat
wefitorous conduct of the Lord President
Iritb
Mr. J. Y. GHANTexpliined.

Mr. BIRCH briefly called the attention -of the
}louse to the conduct of the Editor of a Minis-
terial Nottingham Paper, who had accused hint
Birch) and his Noble Colleague (Lord Ran-
'vliffe) of gross ignorance, or of wilful suppression
°,f facts, connected with drilling and training in.
ticighbout hood, which the Eslitor pledged
io prove. In consequence of this, the
Town Clerk had been directed to write to him
su come forward as a loyal snbjeet, to prove what
he hail asserted-.. Instead of doing this, he ,raited
ith the 'fown Clerk, recanted all lie hail sail, and
Promised-to contradict it in his next Paper. Ile
lett the House to torm its judgment on conduct
!ike that which he had described.
The question that the Speaker should leave the
littir was then put and carried, and the House
I.solved itself into the Committee.

The pre))ll)He Of. the Bin WB3 pits! poled.
Sir J. Nlscisisrosu had originally itvended to
It?nye the attic:oho its that he had aonotioced on
the third reading of the Bill, butt in deference to
11'e ‘‘'ishes of Asa hers, he hid determined on briug-
!liX it forward this evening. The first amendment
Le would propose was so small, and he thnught
() reasomoble in its character, that there could
'le ill ohleetion made to it. He -wished, in that
Pin of the first clause which runs thus, " iu
""Y case. where justice shall be had against any
Persoo for composing, pristine, or publishing,"
'0 itorodoce the words " maliciously and advito,
before the won d eompoing,,' the ex.
Pressions he had mentioned having formed part
-W the :36th of the King, front ovtuich the greater
Part of the clause was minutely copied The next
ametoluteot hid) he should-propose, and. which
be thought of essential importance to the
%vent more particularly to describe the offence to
lie ptuoished under this Bill. At present it read
as fuIIOWS :—" lo every case in which any ver-
dict or lodgment by default shall be had against
oily p..cs„o for composing, printing, or publish-
ink any blasphemous Libel, or any seditious
Lobel, tending to bring into hatred or con-
tempt the person of iris MAjest his heirs
or successors, or the Rege:ir, or the Govern-
'nem and Constitution of the United Kingdom
sts by law established, or either House of
Parliament, or to excite his Majesty's subjects to
attempt the alteration of any matter in Chord] or
State as by law established, otherwise than by
means."—This was so loose and vague a
cescription of the oft-cues, that he was At a loss to
Understand it. He would move to omit the wotds
"s to excite his Majestya sulujects to totemot
alteration of any matter in Church or State by law
establi,livd, ()Otero ise than by lawful meatus," and
to supply in their place " or any libel tending to
subject to any act, which, it it were
done, would be treason or felony." "'lds he would
'lmre itt the fiist instance, but he would also add
theio: wortls,"or any libel its which it may [reaffirmed
maiotained that his Majssty,by and with thecon-
sent of thc Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the
Commons, has not, or ought not to have the right
of tasking laws that should he binding on his sub-
olttots in all cases whatever." lie then proceeded
to state the grounds on which he proposed these
amendments. It was his object to accomphs!s
that which was the expressed wish of almost every
GVnlitllPill in the House, to separate the respect-
tible part of the Press from that which had sent
forth those blasphemous publications, which it
Was pt ()posed to put down. He moved these
atuendments, to bring to the test the sincerity of
those who had held this language. The respectable
Part of the Press had never been more meritoriously
cooducted than it had been fur the last few years;
but a few execrable incendiaries had sent forth
Poblications of a novel character--of a cha-
racter so atrocious, that he thought they
ought to be regarded as belonging to the class
W libels punishable under the old law.—
What he wished was, that the operation of
the new laws should he confined to these, and that
the old laws should be left to deal ovith those
lthels which were similar to the libels of former
times. He showed that at present offences which
(triginated in feelings that did honour to the
wen e confounded with the most flagitious
etinJes under the general name of libel. This was
most nojnst, as 'thus confounding characters so
essential)), different, the tuffian was saved from
merited obloquy by tlse respectable writer, while
the respectable writer was confounded with the
ruffian. He showed that the revolutions of the
last thirty yews had brought men of education
and of first-rate talents to the periodical press, and
that the consequence of this was the gradual but
constant improvement of those vehicles of infor-
Mation. He descanted on the power possessed by
the Editors of Newspapers, and highly compliment-.
eta the Editor of He Chronicle, who had conducted
Paper for mote that, forty years, without ever
being convicted of a libel. He described that
tlividual to have conducted hnnselt in the most
cXemplaty insurer on all occasions, and pro-
ceeded to show the importance of- Cherishing tin!
'encouraging nil meritorious individuals connt coed
Uith the .ptess. If this were not done respectable
inen would be driven from it, and that mighty
tiachine uoidd get into the Jbands of desperate
'Then. Those connected with it might b exaspe-.
tated by ill treatment, but they could not be
matte impotent, and it was now for the House to
Attesmine which course it would pursue. 11,•,
ltnwever, strongly contended against the impo-
'lcy of eonfoondistg respectable to ri•ers with those
'quo end, aVOnt ed to ex cite the people to assassi-
nation and the most (strut:ions crimes. The last-
themiontsl class could not be punished under thu
as. it at present stood. He therefore con-
'tnded, that Ito: Amendment he proposed to make
woOlo re,d,o the Bill more s theient, ot bile it se-
-I:atated tiuc resrctaldc persouS -conuectcd with

the press from tllose who degraded. it. ne then
I moved first Amendment.,
Mr. CANNING, fur !foist reniark, that the
apology with which the Hoe. and Learned Gentle-
man had concluded, w.ts to him always unneces-
sary ; for he never thought his speeches too long.
There was eel taluly no Mall in that House to
whom, whether he agreed with him or no', he
could listen with more pleasure and deference, and
twin whom, even when obliged to differ front the
toeclitsion to which he came, he Was more sure
of treriviog iliformetion, and of hearing much in
which he was disposed to concur, and much that
demanded his tiugiralified approbation. lf, on the
present occasion, lie had any compbsint to meke,
it was that his Hon. and Learned Friend had taken
too broad a basis for the motion which he had
thought it his duty to sehmit to the ilouse, and he
could assure him that he should have come to this
debate with a different; and he would say it, with a
more impat tial feeling, it the speech of the Hon. amid
Learned Gentleman had closed with his state-
ment of the circumstances whice he conceived
made his amendment necessary, without going
into that 'mire general appeal which, much as it
contributed to ornament his oration, and to the
delight of those who attended to the ability with
e. hieh his speech had been executed, had in his
mind nothing to its argument—had brought no
coovictiou to him, but which, lie must say, lead
excited something of alarm. The alarm which he
spoke of arose front the feeling that it imposed on
him a task of awful magnitude, unless he were
ptepersd to surrender his reason to what had been
jest heard from the Honourable and Learned
Gentlemen. It should seem that either they most
be exposed to the attacks of some mighty irre-
sistible Power, or they melt fall in with every
proposition that might be merle to carry the
offering of their homage to the daily Press. For
himself, whatever obloquy might fall on him
these or elsewhere, he would do his duty,
and if the alieroetive were propounded to him
to sacrifice himself, or to give up the defence
of what he-thought the best interests of the coen-
try, his choice was made, and whatever he might
yield to the argements of his Hon_ and Learned
Friend, to the intimation or warning; which he
had given, be would yield nothing. Now, when
they considered what that power was, to. which
they had had their attention directed, aster the
description given of the clouds and darkness which
enveloped it, and of the certainty with which its
bolt was sped to. strike its victim, it must be telt
that if that House made the slightest concession
to it on such grounds the freedom of Parliament
would be lost—sacrificed to establish net the free-
dont but the despotism of the press. There,exist-
ed many despotisms in the world, under none of
which he would willingly he a subject. He would
not be subject to them, because pervading
all society, their baneful influence was felt,
destroying liberty and crushing the powers
of the mind till the cowitinarice of human
life became hardly worth regarding. lie
was opposed to despotism whether it existed
under an oligarchy or a democrecy,—the one-de-
graded the Itioneu titled, the whet- led to the
establishmeet of uncootrelled mill any power,
but never was there any to ril Of subjugation so
terrifying to his mind, as that to be submitted to
miller the power which had beee
power which it shout.' seem it wkss hopeless to
resist—a In Which we-Tiled iiself op in the
secrecy of a Venetian tribunel, when it strnekeits '
victim with the certainty of the Holy.lucrosition.
—(Hear, hear !)—Should that House thee, hay
conciliation, seek to reconcile this power •to the
Constitution 0111 of which it grew, and ,by the
tolerance of which it flourished, was it for them
to try to con it over lest it should destroy the
parent hero which it sprung ? if it were pro-
posed that etibleissiou so abject should he made •
to any Moleirch or oligarchy 01 the ear,h, his ;
Hon. and Lear led Friend would he the first to
shrink from such a proposal ; and for himself, he
( slr. Canning) would say, that to all that had
been urged on this subject, he would not yield an
inch. He would not hollow his Hon. and Learned
Friend, by eivisig a character of the Daily Press.
For the most part he did pot differ twin hint on
this subject ; and, io some particular instances,
where he himself had been concerned, it came .
within his knowledge, that the iudieiduel men-
Owletl by his Honoereble and Learned Friend
deserved the character that had just been
given of him, lie was happy to state this,. to
show that the remarks whiCh he had previostsly
made did tiot sprite; either horn- private resent-
ment or from genet el hostility to the Daily Press,.
—But even :lie Daily Press hitch not been wholly
free- from, the faults imputed to minor publica-
tions, though he admitted that a general tone of
decency pieveiled them which was less common
formetly. The power which the Diurnal Press
bad &tied was well known. He wee (lot so
foolish as to regret this, nor so mad as to suppose
the course Of events could be arrested, but still
he was net prepared to serreudkr the tight of le-
gislation, and that too, not to public opinion, but
in the hope of conciliating the organ through
which it was to be expressed. He objected to
strike out the words which his Hoo. and Learned
Friend wished omitted, as it was a very different
thing to strike them out, and to feel that it would
have been as well that they should never have
appeared in it. His Hon. and Learned Friend
had objected to the length of the definition of the
crime to be repressed, as ie stood at present in the
Bill. Whatever else the amendment he had propos-
ed might be, it hail the superiotity in length—
take it by the word or by the syllable—by weight
or by tale, it would he touud iofieitely more vo-
luminous. He did not sly this eves conclusive
areurnent, he only said that it was an awkward
mode of supplying the remedy to a definition be-
fore too loog. He (Mr Conning) wished to keep
all the Bill as it ar present stood, and told to it
part of the atueodment suggested by his Hen. and
Learned Ft ieud But it the whole were adopt-
cd—it the words the Hon, and Learned Geode-
men wished to omit were struck out ;—if, from
a Manichean dread of overawing the power of the
Press, they serrendered their own power, he
supposed the Press, tout it* attachment to the
pelson of his Majesty, to his heirs and succes-
sors, anti hoes its -unboun:Jed attachment to the
present syst ein oit Government as by law est a-
bushed, ant;', for the two Houses of Parliament as at

present roust:fitted, w s to pet term their ti ties--
if, in an unaccountable spirit of propitiation this
were done, he had no doubt the press would take
up the cause with zeal. He was sure that it
would writ ability, but those things against which
.he had spoken were precious truths, and highly
as he thought of the Press, be was not disposed
to surrender to it those duties which fell to the
share of Pat!lament. He knew that those who
assembl6l in that House were imperfecthat
their powers wele known, that their faculties
might be measured. They were surrour:ded by
tin cloud, and he knew that in a few hours what
was then pissing there would he made known
to the would by those connected with the ptess,
and the little reputation which might rental') to
him would be at the mercy of those with whom
he would not condescend to propitiate. But
knowing all this, he would not surrender to the
lady press that precious trust which he had sworn
to maintain--,-which the Patliament was hound to
defend, and which, without forgetting their duty,
they could not abandon. He had no objectiort
add to the Bill the Amendment which provided
for the punishment of those who endeavoured to
excite the people to acts of assassination and
other crimes, and he should feel glad that his Ho-
nourahle and Learned niend had a share in a
measure which went to preserve the good feelings
and the morals of the people, and which, as he
knew no matt could be more anxions•to secure, so
he was sure no man could be more competeot to
contribute to the actomplishment of so desirable
an object.

Lord FoexusToNs agreed with the Right Hon.
Gentleman, that nothing .ought to be conceded
from tear of the daily press ; hut be denied 1-hat
any threat had been) thrown out on the subject by
his Hon. and Lcarped Friend, and therefore tire
declaration made by the Right Hon. Gentleman
was wholly uucalled for. He complained that
none of the Learned and lion. Gentlemen oppo-
site had given any explanation of the clause for
banishing men out of the country. He wished to
know whether a man so banished would be con-
sidered as still bound by his allegiance, and in
case he should be forced by some Conscription
La 1% of the kingdom where he had taken re-
fuge, to serve against his country, if he would
be liable to be Itanged..for high treason when
taken ? It was admitted that the press could
lead the public mind; was it not therefore Most
dangerous to offer a premium, as the present
Bill did, to Editois of Papers to write in favour
of those foreign Governments, under whose con-
trol)] they might one day find themselves forced to
seek an asylion ? lie contended, that the operations
of the clause would be unjust and unequal, as it
might be no punishment to a man of fortune to be
sent over to France, Mills/ to a poor man with a
family, who had pet haps exhauved all his resources
in defending the ac, ion, it might be destructive ;
the more so as the Bill did not provide him with
the means of removal. IVberever Ire retired, the
in flue tree of his own Government might so act.
upoo others, 4hint i to cause to_ be drive n from
count!): to country. The real7object of the Bill
appeased to be to restrain education, and to slint
the eyes which saw. He therefore regretted that
his Hon and Learned Friend should have lent his
aid, by his amendment, to make it effective.

Sir J. MACKINTOSH, after paying a tribute of
praise to the: splendi( eloquence of his Right
Hon. Friend CMr. Canning), declared; that it had
been directed against an imaginary character of
his own raising. He complained that his Hight
lion. Pi iend had been pleased o pass over in si-
lence the whole of wliat he considere.l to be the
argtimentative part of his speech, and that silence
was more remarkable, as in the only allusion
which he made to those arguments, -he (Mr.ean-
ping) had admitted, that (Ley were such as al-
most to induce him to vote for the amendment,
The Hon. and Learned Member than stated his
arguments at considerable length. He defeuded
himself against tbecharge of being disposed to sur-
render the privileges cif the House, which he con-
sidered necessary to the libeeties of the
.people.
And why was he made the object of such a charge ?
Because he wished not to turn agiinst the honest
mod respectable branch of the Press, a measure
which he had shown woold be unjust and unne-
cessary if directed towards that quarter ! For this
he was represented as so great a traitor to the
dignity of Parliameot and the Constitution, that
he would religoish those feelings which he had
sucked in hi intancy, in order to TOW( the favour
of persons connected with the Press. lie had als
ways put himself forward to support the privileges
of the House, and should always be ready to ex-
pose himself to attacks and dangers in their de-
fence. He had not threatened the House with the
displeasure and hostility of the daily Press. Ile
had only done justice to that Press, by proving
that it was no party to the combination of the Se-
ditious, and such a line WdS necessary— to sup-
port his argument. lie contended, that it was
not re-coninsending a cowardly fear, but a wise po-
licy, to consider whether the tendency of a •mea-
sure was to attach a large and important body of
men to Government in perilous times, or, on the,
contrary, to repel them. There Were several kinds
of fear. 'rite one, wise and provident, guarded
against dangers ; the other, weak and degrading,
sunk under them. It was the former which lie
recommended, and in doing so he only appealed
to those principles of policy and wisdom by which
Empires became great.
ME. CANNING explained, that lie had paSsed
to the topics in his Honourable and Lerawed
Friend's speech which appeared to him
most calculated to produce an impression, anti
he trusted he had commented on them in lati-
goage which had not passed the bounds of II iend-
ship. lie had borrowed his very words from the
speech of his lion. and Learned Friend, and only
added ti-re name to the meaning, when he had
used the expiession Despot ; for lie appealed
to the House whether his Hon. and Leariied
Friend hail not described a littson, who for forty
years had exercised a power little less than des-
potic, distributing praise or blame as from the Iwo
urns by time side of Jove, without any one being
able to know whence it came. If he had not dis-
cussed the arguments of his Honourahlis and
Learned Friend, it was because he had conic to
the same point by a shorter cot, Ile. would ra-
ther have closed the debate without alluding to
persoll9 j but it was not persons that he at- j

tacked, but the crime. Wherever the crime was
to be toonde there let the .v'en geao ce i,f the law
fall ; he would not. cithsent to take out of the
a species of crime- Willett he, hoped to
. God would not tae commiltedebut it it were vont-
miffed, let the offenders take the consequences.
He should, however, •11,1Y•e no insufferable ohjec-
lion to introduce a more prominent description of
that crime which be considered the mast disgust-
ing and horrible, rerommended at taxis tine, if
means cold(' be found of doing -so. Bin let. it not
be.supposed ou Illis'accolisir, that be thought the
aothoi ity of Pill iiiitunt-had ever been more fierce-
ly and systematically attacked than at tee-present
period His Hon. -soul Learned Friend had said
truly that there were different kinds of fear. There
was a provident tear, that looked at danger to
prepare means for it, and it was writer
that tear he hoped the Home would legislate.
But there also was another fear, the tear of fasci-
nation, which led i s victims into the jaws of the
monster by which it was to be devout ed
(Hear, hear !)
Mr. Bitolic lima complimented the Right Hon.
Gentleman and his Hum. and Learned Friend oat
the manner in which they bad carried on their
differences, arid covered each other ,with Mani-
chwan praise. A mote good-humoured sand lov-
ing pair lie haul not seen for a long time.—
(Laughter.)—They completely reminded hint of
the quarrels of lovers.—(Laughter.)—He then
contended, that his Hon. and Learned Friend had
not alluded to two classes of persons, but of of-
fences. lie concurred in -the necessity of &up--
porting.. the Privileges of the House, and should
have been the first to resist any appeal made tot
iwimidAtiou priipit 'tat 1-1... t Li., 14...Jour-
able and Learned Friend had made no sti%ll ap-
peal lie agreed with the Right Honourable
Gentleman respecting the difficulty of defining
the uffeitee, but did not see why the House
should, not rest satisfied with the general defini-
tion of seditious and blasphemous libel. He con-
tended, that by their artemie at definition, the
authors of tire Bill bad defined their meaning out
of it. He then argued against the punishment
of banishment, especially at a time when the state
of Europe, and the understanding- that existed
amongst the fraternity of Kings, would enable
Government to give persons banished passports
for such countries only where they would be ill-
treated. There. was no reason why they might
not thus be sent to Siberia. Ile considered the
boon of Istanishment instead of transportation,
.a very doubtful advantage; as, in. the latter
case, individuals would incur. op expence. He
maintained, that it was highly .dangerous to
send political writers abroad to settle among
t hose who had seen our enemies, who were
now our allies, but might again become our
foes. They. might assist those rivals in peace, or
excite their hostility in war, %Vito had been our
greatest opponents (hiring the American contest ;
haul it not been the Irish Exiles ? Who had con-
ducied Newspapers in France, and commanded
corps for the invasion of this country; haul it not
also been the Exiles. banished during ihe lush Re-
bellion ? lie [bell complained that, as if by com-
mon consent, the House haul entirely lost sight of
that spoliation 'of private character, which had
never been carried to a greater height by tl.e
press. than some years since. But he consider-
ed the encouragers of slander fully as criminal
Has those who dealt in that base commodity.—
. And many of 'those who reprobated most vale-.
Htnently the political offences of the press, had
become themselves the greatest wrong-doers, .by
Weing the warmest patrons of its standeroui au-
dacity. Lie blamed the Noble Lord opposite for
singling out for promotion and -patronage the
Editors of the Satirist and the Scourge. He bad
haul occasion to look into the former of these
wo, anti within flue memory of than fouler or
more fit: by slander had never been heaped up to-
gether as disgraced that iotamous publication.--
Yet the Noble Lord had sent its Editor to'reOre-
sew his Majesty as Consul to Oise of the -United
States ! lie theta defended the propriety- of
spreadiug education tar and wide, and stated that,
much as he was attached to liberty, he would ra-
ther sink into a-monarchy imposing narrower li-
mits to the rights of the people, than eiljuryrhat
liberty in a dark and savage state of society. But
freedom was the parent of our advance in civiliza-
tion, and it would be. roost' unnatural if the parent
could be preserved by the destructions of its moat
vavnableoffspring„
Lord CASTLEREAGH disapproved, as mttclr as
the Hon. and Leal tied Gentleman himself, of the
disposition of the Press -to invade the peace of
families, but the difference between the two kinds
of offences was .o great, as to leave no link be-
tween them. He did not suppose that it was in-
tended as a personal charge on himself, and yet
the Hon. and roamed Gentleman had applied
blame to him in tine selection of an individual to
be his Majesty's Consul in America. That indi.
vidual had been recommended to him (Lord C.)
as fit for the situation; he was a Barrister, and
at the time lie (Lord C.) had never heard that
lie was the Editor of the Satirist, or wrote for
that work, which he had never read.
Mr. BROUGHAM contended, that on hearing of
the appointment lie had called the attention of the
Noble Lord himselt'to the infamous nature of the
publics ion which that person wrote and edited,
and yet although the facts had been proved the
Noble Lord had confirmed his appointment.
Lord CASTLEREAGH was understood tosay, that
the question had been
~put to him after the asp.
point went had appeared iu the Gazette.
Mr. SC ARLETT stated, that the adoption of• the.
Amendment propoted. to etre Bill, would not ex-
clude any offence torn its j)ability to punishment,
but would leave that putio,hment to be measured
and inflicred by the.:exiSiing laws, which were
armed with sufficiene paw-er'for the purpose. lie
cmiterided,. that the Bill would make the simple
disciussiOn of the votes and measures of Parliament
an offence to be visited Withbanisliment.
Sir J. MACKINTOSH asked the Hon. and Learn-
ed Guaitleman eppo,ite, why lie had not followed
the 36th of the liing closely, and inserted the
words " maliciously and advisedly," which were
contained ill that Act ?

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL objected to the
Airmudinent proposed by hit, Hon. and Learned
Flivnd, on the ground that an incorrect view batl
been tatien of the clause. It Wet. uot a legis:a.

tire measure to punish a new offence., but o
Weil known to the law. He asked his Hon. and
Learned Friend, and the Hon. and Learned Gen
deman, whether any man could compose and
publish a libel without malice The Amend-
ment implied a doubt 'with respect to the law,
which did not appear to exist. If his Learned
lend had any doubt on the law, he might in-
trotince a new measure.
Aber some further conversation between Sir J.
Mackintosh, Mr. Scarlett, and Colonel Ellison,
the Amendment was negatived without a division.
in the clause which inflicts banishment for the
second offence, the Attorney General proposed to
insert after the word banishment, for such tern)
of years as the Court may adjudge. The pi in-
tilde of the Bill which recognized banishment for
lite in paricular cases, was not altered by the
Amendment.

Sir J. MACKINTOSH objected to the Amend-
went, observing that banishment for a number of
yea's, as for instance, fifty years, was as severe as
banishment for life.

Lord CASTLEREAGH intimated, that banishment
for life was indispensable in aggravated offencts.
If such a person as Mr. Carlile had repeated his
offence during the existence of a law similar to the
provisions of the Bill, would it have been right to
let him return from his baniahment to circulate
more libels

After a few words from Mr. W. SMITH and Mr.
GEORGE LANs, the House divided.

For the Clause as Amended
Against the Amendment JO
Majority for the Amendment -79
The whole of tbe Clatibes baying been dis-
ensiztd,

a~tr, Oa&Ns proposed to add a Chime extend-
ink: the 13i11 to Scotland, on the ground that the
laws for the punishment of blasphemy in Scot-
land, etc such as could not be acted on.

• .‘ir(ir:ottcs CLEctiK observed. (bat the subject
allun,d to by tfie Hun. Alentner ought to be in-
troduced to the House in a separate Bill.
Mr. kV. Ssirrn ex-pressed a similar opinion.
Mr. GRANT finally consented to matte it the
subject of a separate measure.
The Report was then read, and the Amend-
ments agreed to.

Mr. Alderman HEYGATE rose immediately
after. and moved a clause to limit the duration of
the Bill to three years. lie considered the cir-
cumstances which rendered the Bill necessary of
a temporary description, and expressed an opi-
nion that the wish of the public was to have the
measure temporary.
Mr. Di NM N seconded the motion.

Lw d CAsTI.ERBAfifi assured the IVorthy Alder-
man that he should he happy to meet the wishes
of the Hou. AI, ether, but he was assured that
the public debire was to have the toeastire perms.
neut. Lideed the object of the Bid wutild be lost
it the AmendmeOt was agrted to.
The Clause was then negatived without a divi-
sion ; and the Bill was theo of tiered to be read -a
third time to-morrow.

The other Orde►s of the Day were potteoned,
and the House Adjourned at Halt past Two
o'Clock.

51111' NEWS.

DARTMOUTH, Disc. 22. =Arrived the :Lady
Pelham packet with a mail from Jamaica, in two
months, with loss of rudder, having overshot at
Falmouth.- The passengers and baggage are now
landing, and the mail is forwarded from hence
this afternoon.

PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 23.—Sailed his Majcaty's
ship Leven for Chatham.

PLYMOUTH, DEC. 22.—Arrived the Isabella,
Burley, from Quebec.

FALMOUTH, DEC. 21.—Arrived the Brilliant,
Wilson, from Prince Edward's Island for Charls-

ton, put in by severe weather.

WEYMOUTH, Dec. 23.—The Hero, of Shore-
ham, was last night struck by a sea, off Portland,
and shortly after sunk ; crew saved.

PENZANCE, DEC. 2l.—Arrived the Sally, Carr,
from St.-John's, N. 8., in distress, having lost
her fore-mast, bowsprit, &c. on the 15th inst.--
A pilot-boat spoke off this place two vessels, and
after leaving them in a heavy sea swamped the
boat, by which accident three pilots were unfor-
tunately tlrowned.

KILRUSH, Dao. 18.—Arrived the Hope, Nor-
ris, from St. John's, N. 8., leaky ; on the 14th
inst., in lat. 50. 57. N. long. 11. W. spoke the
James and Henry, of London, from South Ame-
rica ; the latter on the 9th inst. saw a ship wa-
ter-logged, with her fore and mizen-masts gone,
and without any person on board—" Ann, of Li-
verpool," was painted on her stern.