The Sun.
London, England, 1820-07-15 00:00:00

PARLIAMENT,

HOUSE OF LORDS, JULY 14.

BANK NOTES.
Lord HOLLAND presented a Petition from Mr:
James. Ferguson, Stereotype Printer, of New-
man-street, Oxford-street, setting forth his claims
to the consideration of Parliament in the way of
remuneration, on the ground of his having sub-
mitted to the _Wank Directors several years since,
a Plan for the Prevention of Note Forgery, the
leading principle of which he described and
termed as the Intersection Plan," which he al-
leged was to a certain extent adopted in the plan
which the Directors -eventually approved, and
are now acting upon ; and praying to be heard
by himself and his Counsel in support of his said
claims.---The petition vms referred to the Com-
mittee on the Bill.

PROTE'ATANT DNs ENT ERS.
Lord -II oL r..t N D then presented a Petition from
a number of Dissenting Congregations, asserting
their loyalty and unshaken, attachment to the
Constitutional Establishments' of the realm, and
complainingof the operation of those laws----(we
believe principally the Test Act.),which infringed
their just and natural rights, in consequence of
their worshipping the Deity according to - their
own consciences, &c., and praying relief.—The
petition was ordered to lie on the table.

_ .
PRISON RS IN RS GANCASTER..
• Earl GRO4VENOR .presented a Petition from a
number of Prisoners confined in the Castle Gaol
at Lancaster,. who were • committed for High
Treason in the first instance, and ifterwa:rds.cOn-
fined on charges- of Misdemeanours, ,complaining
of various alleged hardships and - grievances, of
being compelled to work in a way in which they
were not required by law ; of having the regular
gaol allowance withheld frorn.them.,, and other al--
leged procedures of hardship and oppression, and
praying relief. The petitism was ordered to lie
on the tabl.

CALICO PRINTF,R.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE presented petitions
from numerous Calico Printers in the Metropolis,
in favour of the Calico Manufr.cturers'-Bill.

Eikr INDIA vot.uNTEEtts.
The East India Volunteers' Bill passed through
a Committee, after a few words from the Earl
GROSN'ENOR, approving of that description of
force, and was reported without amendment.

ALIEN BILL.
The Alien Bill 'ivas, on the motion of Lord
Viscount SIDMOUTII, ordered to be read a se-
cond time on Tuesday, the Lords to be sum-
moned.

THE .QUEEN. .
REPORT OF THE COMNiiTTEE OF PRECEDENTS.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY presented the Re-
port of the Committee appointed to search for
precedents respecting. the communicating a list
of witnesses to persons -accused. The Report
was read by the Reading Clerk at_ the Table,.
stating that the Cominittee had carefully search-
ed back to a very early period, but found no in-
stance of a Bill of Attainder, a. Bill of Pains and
Penalties, or an Impeachment, in which a list of
witnesses was granted to the accused. 'The Re-
port proceeded to State, that they found only two
eases, (and those of impeachment) in any mate-
rial respect differimg from the rest ; and of those
the particulari were quoted, namely, the case of
Mr. John Bennet, Judge of the PrerogatiVe
Court of Canterbury, in 16c21 ; and that of the
Earl of Strafford, in .1640. In these cases, as
well as we could collect from the rapid reading of
the Report, the substance of the chaiges was
communicated to the accused, but not any list
of witnesses. The Report was ordered to lie
upon the table.
MOTION FOR A LIST *Of wrrNEssEs.
Lord EnstusE rose to bring forward his pro-
mised motion on this question. On a former
evening he observed, that from what fell froth the
Noble Earl opposite, in the course of some inci-
dental discussion of this important point, it ap-
peared to him that the Noble Earl had not
forrned. his mind into any distinct decision on the
question, which was an additional inducement
to him (Lord E.) to come for Ward. If a- list of
the witnesses were not to be given, the Illustri-
o'as Accused, in all probability, could not have a
proper opportunity to prepare for her arduous
defence. In stating the question, and considering
what the nature of the Bill itself was, he did not
mean to-contend that lists of witnesses were always
communicated ; but when its peculiar form and
tenor were duly considered, he 'Meant to Show
the abSolute necessity; in point of fairness and
justice, of their Lordships agreeing to his motion.
The charges set forth by the 13111 were certainly
of a criminal nature 4 or they were no charges at
all, upon-any principle of law and justice. The
Bill commenced with stating that her Majesty, SO
long ago. as 1814, being then 'absent froth this
country, and for several successive years, had
acted in a way unmindful of her own high cha-
racter and station—had conducted herself in ft
Way both in public and in private, highly unbe-
coming in various instances ; and it went on fur-,
ther to allege that she had carried on a disgrace-
ful and adulterous intercourse with one Bartolo-
Mo Bergami, and which continued for a long
period during the Royal residence abroad ; so
that this criminal intercourse was not stated as
occurring at any particular place or time, but at
periods within the interval of, six years, and at •
places of remote distances from each other. This
view of the Case would alone confer a peculiarity
Of • ,character upon it./ Their Lordships were
aware-that their tribunal, which was the source
of all the statute law, was not bounded by those
rules which were prescribed- to the inferior
Courts of Justice, and that it was within their
powerto impart a degree of indulgence to indi-
viduals brought before Its Tribunal, which it was
beyond the power of the Courts below to confer
or alloW. In this view, the whole proceeding
shoulik be carefully reviewed, and they had to
consider whether the Illustrious Accused was not
placed in a situation, under the admitted princi-
nie of the Bill which fairly entitled her to what