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

FRIDAY, JULY 7, IF2O.

PARLIAMENT.

MOUSE OF COMNIONS, JULY 6.

ABERDEEN ELECTION PETITION.
The House was occupied until a quarter to Ave
in balloting tar a Committee to consider the me-
rits of the PetitiOn against the return (or the
Burgh of Aberdeen.—o-TI
tee are as follow
T. S. Rice
R. Price
Rid:ford
J. H. Tremayne
Lord C: Fitzroy
R. P. Scudamore
D. Carr
Earl Mount Charles
MANUMISSION OF SLAVES.
Sir J. MACINTOSH, adverting to the notice which he had
given on this subject yesterday, thought it necessary, in order
to guard against the passibility of being misunderstood, to
state a little more plainly what his object was. The Motion
then related to the existence of certain laws and regulations
in his Majesty's Colonies, with respect to the power of mas-
ters to manumit slaves—laws which were often in their ope-
ration cruel with respect to rho slaves—unjust to the owners
of them, as well as injurious to the peace and order of the
Colonies. His object was to inove an Address to his Ma-
jesty, praying that Its would be pleased to signify to the
Governors of the Colonies to recommend the gradual repeal
of those laws by the respective Legislatures. He should be
sorry, indeed, to be thought capable of entertaining a w.sh
for the sudden emancipation of slaves, for he thought it
a measure that would be the must injurious to the slaves
theniselvet-
Mr. BERN AL was sure that no one could 6411> for an in-
otant of impuliog to his Hon. aryl Learned Friend .a project
whiCh was riotbighly proper. • `•
•
Mr. W. PARNELL brought in a Bill for'emending the laws
with respect to the removal of the Irish Poor ftom England
to Ireland, which was read the first time.
PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.
Mr. HOBHOUSE presented a Petition from Major John
Cartwright, upon a, subject of the deepest importance—
namely, the Constitutional Reform of the Commons House
of Parliament. In that period of the Session, and in conse-
quence of the nature of the objects upon which the House
WAS engaged, he would not take up the time of the House
by any detailed statements, which would only be proper where
it was intended to follow them iy by more distinct measures.
The Petition referred to the unconstitutional interference of
the Peers of the Realm in the election of Members to serve
in Parliament. From the earliest times up to the present,
statutes had been made, among which was that of Westmin-
ster, guarding from such interference in the choice of their
Representatives by the people, and be would remind the
House, that a Resolution passed at the commencement of
every Session—" It is a high infringement of the liberties
and privileges of the Commons, for any Lord of Parliament,
or any Lord Lieutenant of any county, to concern themselves
in the election of Members of Parliament." 1'0793, a so-
ciety, consisting of sonic of the first characters in the coon-
..

e names of the Commit-

C. Phelps
W. L. Maberly
J. Irmo;
.7. H. Calcraft
J. S. Cox
D. H. Blair
J. P. Grant

try,' represented in a petition to that House, that too of the
Members were returned by means of the interference of
Peers, and this statement they were ready to verify upon
oath. They had shown, that out of 154 borough patrons,
71 were Peers. This number was subsequently increased
to 95, who returned directly ur indirectly Members to that
House.

'll►e petition was read, and ordered to he printed.
On the motion of Lord MOUNTCHARLES, Accounts
were ordered of all Timber imported intu Ireland for tine last
ten years.

Canning, Lord Castlereagh, Mr. Abercromby, the
Speaker, and Mr. Tierney severally took part, the
Noble Lord (Castlereagh) consented to give up
the priority of motion to Sir Ronald Fergusson.
Sir Hos/Ards FERGUsSoII then rose. It was with
the most sincere and deep• regret that lie felt
obliged, from a sense of public ditty, to bring on
this motion. This regret was increased, groin a
consciousness of his inadequacy to fulfil his duty
in a discussion of thi'Most delicate and serious
question, fraught as it Was with the most impor-
tant results to the Cottutry.—(Hear .1.)--With res-
pect to the necessity of the discussion itself, he
could only say that if his Majesty's Ministers had
pursued a different course froth what they had
done, in the whole of the proceedings with which
it was connected, the numerous discussions which
had taken place would never have been beard
within the walls of that House. If they had only
left her Majesty's name in' the Liturgy, all these
painful contests would have been hushed for ever,
Of that act no one within those walls had e'er
presumed to approve, with the exception of the
Right Hon. President of the Board of Controol,
who designated it as part of a general system
which was to be adopted with regard to her Ma-
jesty. It was remarkable, however, that the
Noble Lord (Castlereagh) had made a different
statement on this subject, declaring that if her
Majesty had not returned to England no pro-
ceeding was intended to be instituted against
her. By this, then, it appeared that the only
crime her Mirpsty had committed, was in placing
herself upon English ground.--(Hear !)—The
moment this crime was committed, no time was
lost in bringing down the Green Bag; of the con-
tents of which, thank God, exclaimed the Gal-
lant Member, that House. knew nothing. To
use the n,bie Lord's own phrase, he had turned
his back upon himself in this respect, having
voted that the inquiry to which be had pledged
them, would he " derogatory to the dignity of
the Crown, and injurions to the best interests of
the Nation." He %vas unaccustomed to address
the House, and he hoped if he tell into any unin-
tentional faults he should be excused.—(Hear
—Altbongh they knew not what were the actual
contents of this bag, he thought they had a right
to know where they came from. In the mean
time, in this state of uncertainty, they could only
listen to rumour, and upon that all that lie had
to say would be founded, leaving it to those who
were acquainted with the real facts of the case
to contradict hint if he made any erroneous state-
ments. Indeed he should be glad to be contradicted
nn some points which he should repeat as having
received front common report, because they in-
volved the character of a person which bad hi-
therto stood high in the estimation of the world,
but was now deeply implicated its these transac-
tion,. It was matter of notoriety that the charges
against the Queen contained in the papers on
the table were said to have been collected from
certain persons sent to Milan for that pur-
pose. In truth he did not believe that Ministers
were the inventors of this plan. That merit
was given to another quarter—to a person hold-
ing a high law situation. To be plain, he meant
to say that the Vice Chancellor was pointed
at. If be was wrong, he would he glad to be set
tight. It was said that that individual took great
pains, or rather was at the hea-d of the Milan
Commission. He also recommended another per-
son to be employed in that business, on looking
at whose qualifications it appeared that he was
ignorant of every living language except his own,
so that be was obliged to have an interpreter.
There was, it was reported, another person also
employed. He knew nothing of these persons
generally, nor had he any wish to be better ac-
quainted with them. He could not state the pre-
cise time at which the Learned Judge went out to
Milan, but be believed he was correct in stating
that he left it about the 19th of December, 1818

The expense of this Commissio►► had been very
great. lie cared not by what name it was called,
whether a Secret Court of Judicature, a Secret
Committee, or as it had been denominated in the
oilier House, A thing,' called "lhe Milan Com-
mission ;' it was evident that Ministers must have
known that men were employed upon this service.
Such an inquiry could not have been carried on at
Milan without the authskrity or permission of the
Austrian Government ; and as our Ambassador
was in close correspondence with that Govern-
ment, it was impossible but the existence of this
Commission, or set of Gentkinen, must have been

known to Ministers. One of the principal fea-
tures in thin case, too, was, that they must h3ve
had the informstion contained in the pap'ers on
the table a year ago, and yet had done nothing
upon them.- He could assure Gentlemen on the

otl►et• side, that the leeling against theircondact

was not confined to that House alone, but was
spread through the whole kingdom. The (ies-

don wag not whether the Queen was to be

treated as was due to the highest subject of
the realm, but whether she should have that jus-
tice done to her wi,ich the lowest individual in

the country was entitled to. He would s-+y that
a gross injustice seas done to her in the cir-
cumstance connected widt the Liturgy; and this
Aldan Commission was another piece ot injustice.
He now came to the expences of this Expedition.

It was said that th-e expended in carrying it
on was no less than 33,0001..; and that in ihe
space of the first five months upwards of 11,0001.
were drawn by the Con►u►issioners. lie would tit.

. .
glad to be set right on that point, if he were
wrong. Gentlemen, perhaps, were not aware of

the la value of this sum ot money when expend
ed in Italy—why, for one half of that sum, he
would engage to blast the character of every wo-
man in the conntry,(Flear, hear !)---And it was
opt the bought affidavits of this rascally peOple
th;t, a Quern'! character 171414 to he blasted I In