The Sun.
London, England, 1819-06-16 00:00:00

[PRICE SEvENANcF.

ARLI A E. T.

HOUSE OF I.oliljS, JUNE 15.

The We k Ce.sh Fieyments' Bill; and the Scotch
Burghe' Bid; were brought up from the House of
Commune, tool read a first time.
IRISH .SPIRITUdUS LIQUORS.
The Lail of Daerreey stud, he wished to call
the aft eminn of the 1-louse iii a subject which he
conceived to be one of considerable ireportance:...
He did not, liontVer, do so in the hope that what
lie had to say would produce any immediate effect,
but with a view to induce others, better acquaint-
ed than himself with the affairs of Ireland, to
make some proposition that should tend to the
benefit of that country. It appealed by several
resolutions lately pasted in the other floese of
Pailiament, that it was intended to lay additionel
duties on malt and spirits. One of the greatest
grievances which Iteland laboured under, was that
of the pit e of malt liquor 'bring too high ; for
that circumstance obliged the lower orders to have
recourse to the use of spirits ; and gave rise to
most of those cahemities and distorters that e-
veiled *amongst them. He, therefore, conceived
that it would benecessary to cause such a retitle-
tion of the taxes on malt in It eland, and such an
addition of duties on spirits, to take place, as
shouhl obviate this great evil.
The Eatl.of LIVERPoOL said, that it was his in-
tention to move, that the Batik Cash Payment
Bill be read a second time on Friday next.
The Marquess of LANSM:WNEt said, he should
.present a Bill to the House to indemnify those
witnesses who were to give evidence at the Bar
respecting the proceedings which took place at
the late election for Berestaple, so that they _
should not be responsible for any statements they
might make for the part they had taken therein.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE said, ie this case it
weithl be necessary to suspend the 'proceedings it
the Bill then before the'llouse.
On the motion of the Earl of CARNARVON, the
order for the attendatiee•of the witnesses on the
day lixi.4l for that purpose, was discharged.
The Earl of StiiqTI;:SKURY presented a riitiOlk
'from the City of London against the Bill for the
regulation Mad-houses_ —Laid on the table.
GOLD AND SIMR.COINAGE.
The Earl of LtUDHRDALS rose to bring forward
the motion of which he had given notice for the
attendance of the Judges to answer certain gees.
aions relative to the currency of the country. lie
said it haat been ascertained that between the years
1774 and 1797, the silver coin of the comory was
at a depreciation of 124 per cent. as compared tta
the value of gold ; and vet it had not the effect
of expelling the gold from the country. That sil-
ver coinage-, at the same time, woes held to be ex
'legal tender to a certain. extent.—What be now
contended was, that when the silver was so de-
predated, it could not .he considered a legal ten-
der; and he wished that a question 16 that effect
might be put to the Judges. He wished to know
wetther that coin was circulated by sufferance or
by law, for that made a material difference ? for
certain pieces of coin,' of little inttiesie
might be circulated merely as counters, and takers
en en.assurance that gold might be obtained its
exchange for them, at any time, according to their
nominal value ; but if such an exchange cisuld not
be made, this Isaac coin would immediately
drive the gold out of the country. He wished,
then, to ask the Judges whether the depreciated
silver to which he alluded was or was not a legal
tender for any sum under 201. between the years
1774 and 1797. The second question he meant
to put was, whether, under the Act of the biota
of the King, the silver was equalized in value to
that of the gold coin, or whether the value of the
gold eras brought down to be on a level with that
of the silver ? tie coucluded with moving that the
Judges be required to attend the House for the
purposes which Ise stated.
_The Eeri of Ltveurtoote observed, that one of
the most ituportmo privilJges of that House was,
the power of calling upon the sages of the law
to give such opinions on law questions as should
guide the House in its proceedings. But when it
was considered that these learned persons had
multiplicity of business to attend to, which occu-
pied the :elde of their time, the obligation of aid
tending there ought not to be thrown upon them,
except in cases of peculiar necessity. Before suck
an order could be made, it was incumbent on the
Noble Lord to make out such a case as to show
its necessity. Ile bad made out no such case ;
for any answers which the Learned Judges rntghc
give to the Noble Lord's questions could not fa-
cilitate tlie proceedings of the Hoese on the Bill
then before it. No person could doubt that gold
teas, to oil intents and purposes, the real standard
coin of the realm. With regard to the law oe the
ease, his ()pinion was, that it was illegal to ilimi-
eish the value 'of the coin ; b.it that uo
dicninu-
tion to value, arising limn wear tied tear, could
prevent the coin from being a legal tender. On that
point, thetetore, there was no occasion to put any
question to the Judges. Nor .was ;here ally
occasion to put the second question to the
Judaes. The 3:mutant coin of the country
was gold, and the silver coin could be
considered as nothing more than es counters, of
which a certain number eitswitred to a given por-
tion of gold coin ; arid this. coin was a legal ten-
der to the amooet of 40 shillings. Here the

Noble Eat! alluded to the p,mphirt of Loud Lau-
derdale ,;u the cause 1,1 K..kL bring drietn ow of
the coontty, And contended that his reasoning was
erroneous, because, since the 'line the p,,uipl.iet
yeas published, the geld had fallen in the

. .
slid r had not eitvett the gold stray. 'l hr fart:
%vas, that the favourable opera!iwt of ihe ex-
changes bad produced this effect j for whew vet'
c.xcl.tanges were sgaiust us, ILc vtcytous Itletis