Star.
London, England, 1808-05-25 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, MAY 14.
In the second Roxburgh Appeal," Ker,and Ker lanes," Mr.
HENRY ERMINZ was further heard on the part of the Appellant
Brigadier-General Ker. Further hearing to-morrow.
The Corks Duty Bill wu read a second time, and committed
for

IRISH CUSTOMS FEES REGULATION DILL.
Lord LAUDERDALE moved the rejection of a
Bill for abolishing Holidays, and regulating the hours
of attendance in the customs of Ireland, and for regu-
lating certain fees, on the ground that there being a
money clause for imposing a new duty, instead of the
old one on Flax-seed imported, namely 3d. instead of
6d. the Bill was contrary to the Standing Order made
against Bills of Supply, having matter in them dif-
ferent from and foreign to the Supply. His Lordship
therefore moved as an amendment, that instead cf the '
words " that this Bill be now read a second time," the
words " that this Bill be now rejected" be inserted.
Lord HAWKESBURY said that this was neither
a Bill of Aid and Supply, nor a Money Bill, but a Bill
for the abolition and regulation of certain offices of the
Customs, with a clause, granting certain allow-
ances to the officer, in lieu of his fees. It was, there-
fore, in his opinion, in perfect conformity with the
Standing Orders of the House.
Lord HOLLAND objected to the Bill, upon the
same principles as Lord Lauderdale.
The LORD CHANCELLOR observed, that the
Bill under discussion certainly connected itself with
other objects than the mere matter of regulation ; and
although, in his judgment, not contrary to the Stand-
ing Orders of the House, it was, however, for their
Lordships' consideration to say, whether they would
permit the same Bill to embrace both objects together.
Lord LAUDERDALE, in explanation, observed,
that some of their Lordships' orders were imperative,
a d others admonitory, but it appeared, that in the
pi twat case, the order was imperative.—The question
Was put upon Lord Lauderdale's amendment, which
.s negatived without a division. The Bill was then
?e ci a li-coati time, and ordered to be committed to-
rri ow..

- -
CATHOLIC PETITION.
Lord HOLLAND, in the absence of his Noble Friend (Lord
Crenxille) rose, and observed, that as his Noble Friend bad, on
a former occzsion, intimated to their Lordship that if he should
find it necessary he would give sufficient notice of the further post.
ponement of the qeestion respecting the Catholics, which was
fixed for Friday next ; lest some Noble Lords might imagine that
from such intimation, it was his Noble Friend's intention further
to uostpone that great and important question, he felt it his duty
in the absence of his Noble Friend, to assure their Lordships, that
he did not mean to porpone it beyond that day. •
TLe Duke of NOR FOLK moved, pursuant to notice, that there
be laid before the House Abstract or Account of the Residence
of the Clergy, /cc. in the yearsan 1804, 5,6, and 7.--Ordered.

ASSESSED TAXES.
Oa the Order of the Day for the second reading of the Assessed
Tares Bill, being read,
Lord IiOLLAND asked the Noble Secretary of State, whether
the rill contained any regulations respecting the Game Laws?
Lord HAWKESBURY answered is the affirmative, and
rated, that sash clauses were introduced for .the purpose of re-
gulating and better securing the collection of the revenues.
Lord HOLLAND hoped that the Bill would not puss through
any more of its stages without some previous notice, as it was
objectionable in many points ; and some Noble Lords, as well as
himself, wished an opportunity of declaring their sentiments
upon it.
After a few words from Lord Hewassisual and Lord DARN-
jar, it was understood that the Bill 4icaild be committed to-
morrow, and read a third time on Monday next, when the dis-
cussion upon it is expected to take place.
The Bill was then read 4 second tune, and ordered to be com-
mitted to-more ow.

INDICTNONT BILL.
Upon the order of the day being read for the House
going into a Committee upon the Indictment Bill,
Lord ERSKINE rose, and in a speech of impres-
sive argument and great eloquence, opposed their
going into a Committee upon this Bill. He thought
it the most proper time to offer his sentiments, when
he might have an opportunity of applying his objec-
tions to the whole of the Bill, and might observe ge-
nerally upon its scope and tendency. Since the second
reading, he had possessed time to reconsider the prin-
ciple of it, and calmly to reflect upon the impressions
which had at first been made upon his mind with
respect to its tendency, and he felt more strongly than
ever inclined to resist it as an innovation upon the
laws of our ancestors, and as dangerous toour liberties.
He considered the Constitution, as handed down to
us from antiquity, so sacred, that he never could
sanction an lit !ration in our laws, without its being
clearly made out that such alteration was absolutely
necessary. The framers and advocates of this Bill
bad not hitherto pointed out the necessity of such an
alteration, and until they did shew it necessary, he
must condemn in severe terms any change which
might be detrimental to our liberties.. The people of
this country had been extremely ready to bear with all
the taxes and heavy burdens, which had been imposed
upon them, and they most probably, in this conjunc-
ture of affairs, would be under the necessity of under-
going still greater difficulties, and suffering still more
carefulhow we entrenched upon their liberties, or de-
.prived them of those laws which had hitherto attrac-
ted their respect and admiration. They were satisfied
with those laws as thee now stood, and why make any
alteration, Snot necessary 1 The alteration affected
these laws, which had existed in the most ancient
times.; and thus they had continued, without change,
andivrith satisfaction to the people of England, down
to the year 1808, when they were to suffer an infringe-
,
plant, witho4illny reason being assigned for so great
a change. certainly would contend, as he had
done before, that there could not exist a greater dis-
tinction than between an information filed by the At.
torney General, and a presentment by the Grand
Jury. In the latter instance, a man could not be
charged but-before the Jury, who were not only sworn,
to the same
but were men liable to be exposed had made the charges
themselves. the me Meat tbey present-
ment. This would certainy have hs due wetight.upon
their minds, and incline them to avoid all opines,
siun ; but there was no evidence admissible, except
it was vivo voce, and they were to hear all the evi-
dence of the acc..use4. In respect to information by
the Attorney-General so much extended by the pre-
sent Bill, upon an affidavit made, without any further
examination befori. such .A.ttornev-General, the party

was liable to be impitsenea, and according to this before their Lordships, he had an inclination to see
Bill, in constructive cases, of-small offence, might what their Lordships would do in the Committee.
suffer great punishment. He would admit, that the He then submitted several alterations, and in thhe
mode of proceeding by information was very ancient, course of the proceeding referred to the statute in t e
but if we considered sll the alterations which had; reiFn of Charles I. and :hewed what attentiun•was
been made, down to the present times, the Legisla.l paid to the liberty of the subject, and the guarding
tore, whenever it did interfere, had interfered for the him from imprisonment
the Royal A. Whssen t den this statute was
purpose, not of extending, but of limiting, that ! passed, it received ifferen
power, and correcting its abuses. In respect to the any other Act of Parliament: The King said—
extension of power generally in that Bill, we were 1" Let right be done the people, as is by Parliament
not to misguide our judgment, by thinking of the demanded." His Lordship then proposed a particu-
purity and integrity of those who filled the offices lar alteration, and said, " My Lords, I implore your
mentioned. He honoured and venerated our Judges ; ! attention to this, as you value the blessing of GOD,
they had posseised, from the time of their being ren- and the existence of yo
ur
counttheryCommittee without
."
dered independent, that great character, which formed The Bill passed thgh
a part of our happiness as a nation ; and no man any amendment, and was reported.
could, from his personal acquaintance, admire that The second reading of the Irish Promissory Note
character more than he did. But it would be wrong 1 Bill was postponed till to-morrow.—Adjourned.
to argue concerning offices from the persons who
filled them. He highly esteemed his Majesty's pre.
sent Attorney-General, he had the highest opinion of
his upright conduct, but times might alter ; we had
a right to consider the case prospectively ; the King
might be deceived by those who advised him, and a
worthless Attorney-General be appointed, and then
what would be the result of such power being lodged
in his hands ? It was far from his wish to spread any
alarm ameugst the public, and make them displeased
with the administration of justice ; but at the same
time he was so fully convinced of the bad consequences
which might ensue front the passing of this Bill, that
he could not give his assent to going into a Commit-
tee. He pressed upon their Lordships' considera-
tion the effects produced by Lord Alvanley's Bill, in
respect to the Revenue Laws. In Cornwall, and re-
mote places on the coast, persons bad been -impri-
soned for constructive breaches of the peace, and been
detained for some months, without having any oppor-
tunity to evince their innocence ; and to such a de-
gree was this oppression felt, that it was necessary
to pass another statute, in the 37th of his present
Majesty, to relieve unfortunate men from its unjust
operation. He trusted that the laws of this country
would be, as they always had been, open to the poor
as well as to the rich ; but if this Bill passed into a
law, the poor mm might be greatly oppressed.—The
Noble and Learned Lord concluded in a very ani-
mated and eloquent speech, to which it is impossible
for us to do justice, by giving his decided opposition
to any further proceeding upon a Bill, for which there
was'no necessity, and winch altered the law of the
land, and infringed the liberties of the subject.
,Earl STANHOPE said, he had waited a little
while, that some Noble •and Learned Lord, or any
other, might have an opportunity of speaking, but he
was astonished at their silence. They perhaps thought
it more prudent to remain silent, when they could
give no reason if they spoke. If the Noble and
Learned Lord (Eldon) thought what was assigned in
the preamble a sufficient reason, he would produce
his own expressions, not in that House, while in de-
bate, but in an Act of Parliament of his own framing,
which would give the lie to the reason mentioned in
the preamble of this blasted Bill brought up from the
House of Commons. That House ought to be re-
probated for sending such a Bill ; it was as contemp-
tible in its formation as it was wicked in principle.—
His Lordship commented upon the similarity of the
title of this Bill, and of the 26th of the present King,
which was produced from the infamous Bill of Pepper
Arden. This Act of the 26th had not continued
many years, when the Noble and Learned Lord
thought proper to introduce another Bill, which also
passed into a statute, and in the preamble of that sta-
tute it was expressed, that great grievances to the sub-
ject and a loss of justice had been occasioned by the
-former one. Now the present Bill said that great
convenience and benefit had resulted from the former
as well as the latter. He considered it as an infringe-
ment of the liberty of the subject. and one which de-
served the utmost reprobation. He was surprised at
the indifference shewn by that House upon such an
important change being made in the fundamental laws
of this realm. When he looked round the House,
and saw, on all sides, the benches deserted upon such
an important occasion, he could not avoid making
one observation, that if any business had been trans-
acted there, which might excite some curiosity, about
the father of a bastard child ; or if it occasioned the
presence of a beautiful young Lady, their Lordship?
benches would have been as full as they could be
crammed. He did expect some answer would have
been given to the strong arguments of his Noble and
Learned Friend (Erskine),but he supposed they were
unanswL rable.
Upon the motion being again made by the LORD
CHANCELLOR,

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The House had to ballot to-day for a Committee, to try the
merits of the Petition complaining of an undue return for die
Borough. of Sandwich ; but there being cooly 22, out of 117 Mem-
bers present. who were liable to serve, while die Act requires 49,
the House of course adjourned.

THE EVENING STAR.

LONDON.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23. •
PRICE OP STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CI ACK :
Consols Oil SO—for Jilly Sal—Reduced 671.
Each. BM. 4s. to 6a. pre —lndia Bonds, Ss. to 4s. prem.
PRICE OF IiTOCKS YESTERDAY.
Imp. Ann,7 9-moths
India Sr.vd 177
'lndia Bends 3s. 2s. Ss. prem.
Excheq Bills, 6s. Ss. pre.
English Tickets 201. 19s.
Cons. for acc. 691 69

Bank Stork
3 per Ceut. Red. 61
:3 per Cent. Cons. 671 68 671
4 per Cent. 8411
5 per Cent. Navy, 941
hag. 3 per C..nt. 66i

The TOWNSHEND packet has arrived at Falmouth, !
with mails from Malta and Gibraltar. The intelli-
gence from Gibraltar is of considerable importance.
BONAPARTE, in pursuance of his plan of effecting the
entire subjugation of Spain, gave directions to his
troops to strip all the Spanish arsenals, and to send
the arms and stores to France, and to disarm all the
inhabitants. It appears that the French troops, in the
.execution of those orders, have met Uith the most
determined resistance. In Madrid all the French
troops that were quartered in the city, to the amount
of 10,000 men, are said to have been massacred ; but
MURAT having advanced with 20,00 men that were
encamped in the vicinity a that capital, forced his
way into the city, and a most dreadful scene of car-
nage ensued.
in Cadiz, the most violent ferment prevailed, and
the animosity of the inhabitants against the French
was so great that vast numbers of the latter were com-
pelled to take refuge on board the ships of war lying
in the harbour. BONOPARTE had prevailed upon the
Duke DE MEDINA Cut, and about fourteen of the
principal nobility, and several Archbishops, to go to'
Bayonne, where, we have no doubt, they will be de.
tained as hostages.
One of the letters received yesterday states that the
Spanish Commander of St. Sebastian has been ordered
by CHARLES IV. his master, to admit a French force
into that garrison. In this manner BONAPARTE will,
it may be feared, become possessed of all the ford-
-1 fled places in Spain. •

The Stock Exchange yesterday received an intima-
tion, that they might expect a Message this day re-
specting the Loan. The proposed Candidates will
probably go up to the Minister on Friday next, to
learn the exact amount of the Loan, and to settle the
Preliminaries. The bidding to take place on Monday.
No alteration was occasioned in the Funds, by this
notice ; and nothing transpired as to the intentions of
the CHANey.w.ia. of the ExcnEcturit respecting the
sum to be advanced to the East India Company—
whether it is to he included in the Loan, or raised by
Exchequer Bills.
The Bidders, we lindsrstand, will be—
BARNF!, STVF RS, And RICARDO
Messrs. GOLDSSIID and Co.
Messrs. WALSH, NESBIT and Co.
'Messrs. BARING and Co.
Messrs. ROD ARTS and Co.
Lord Cor.usk;woon was still off Sicily on the 16th
April, when the Rochefort and Toulon squadrons

Lord HOLLAND rose, and expressed the utmost pot, ----
astonishment that no answer should be given to what were in
Toulon, and ththeearthagena squadron in Port
had been stated by his Noble Friends. It was un-
ma i
paralleled in the history of this country, that so great. 1 It was yesterday reported upon 'Mange, that a free
a change should be made in the law of the land, and ' communication by post has been re-established between
without any necessity or reasons but those stated in the Russia and Sweden, but we could not trace the re-
preamble. His Lordship here, with great eloquence, port to any authentic source of information.
urged, as he had done on a former occasion, the clan-1 The Petitioners on the Wexford County Election
eer of altering our laws, generally, for the purpose oft closed their case before the Commissioners in that
b
obtaining the convenience of extraordinary laws Made i town, on Saturday, the 14th instant. Their report is
for the Revenue. There were objections made by i expected over, to be laid before the Committee, in the
him and his Noble Friends which had not been an- course of the present week.
swered, and in such an important change of those] Monday her Royal Highness the Priniess ELl7A-
laws which had been handed down to us from our ! saris entered her 39th year, and in the evening the
ancestors, and which attracted the admiration of man- ; tradesmen belonging to the Royal Family evinced
kind, it was requisite, he thought, that some necessity their loyalty and attachment by illuminating their
for such a change ought to be shewn by those who
houses.
defended it. On his part, he considered it his duty I The Countess of CRATE; was introduced into the
to give a most decided opposition to such an innova- ' private circles of fashion for the first time, by the
tion. He saw no necessity fur the measure; and he Marchioness of SALIM:AY, on Sunday night.
thought there could be considerable difficulty in' con- Lady BonniNoton is the second daughter of the
vincing him there would he necessity for this clan- Earl of WirrIgUILLAND by Miss CHILD. Her Lady-
gerous alteration. If the Bill did not alter the law, ship is about 9'2 years of age, and was married in
, but enacted what was already enacted, it was ab- 1804.—Lord BURGH/MN, the Earl of Weersion-
surd ; and if the altc ration was made, h should never
.... t allo's eldest son, was born in 1784, and his eldest
assent to it, unless he was persuaded there was sum- daughter, SARAH SOPHIA, who in 1804 married the
cient necessity for that alteration. Earl of JUJU, in 1785.
A division took place on the 'Lord Chancellor's
motion—C: nu nts 16—Non-contents 6—Majority 10. As Viscount MILTON was riding in Hyde-Park, on
Thursday, he observed something floating on the Ser-
The House then went into a Committee upon the pentine River, which finding on a nearer view to be
same Bid.. a boy, his Lordship leaped into the water, and rescued
Upon the srst clause being read— him from death. On bringing him on shore, he ap-
, Eatl STANHOPE said, that although he much
peered lifeless; but Lord thou had • the pleasure,
commended the conduct of his Noble Friends who before he departed, of seeing him nearly restored.
had left that House because they would not be pre-
sent when such a. pernicious Bill passed through the .Gll ey and Crib, of pugili tc notoriety, paid a visit
coremittw yet he had staid himself; for, after the ens Morning to the Corn Exchange, and were invited
unjustifiable maim= in which this Bill had [paned iof Mark- to partake of
.a cold collation by name of stack friends
lane