The Sun.
London, England, 1827-05-15 00:00:00

a difficult 'iula a critical situation, that such gentlemen
should have thought they could reconcile it to their own
honour and character to attack the Ministers in every pos-
sible way, and to suppose that no Ministers nor any men
could act together for the honour of their Sovereign, and
the good of their country, without at the same time being
base enough to part with their own honour and character
before they united for the purposes of the public service.—
( Hear. hear.)
The Earl of MALMESBURY explained.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY observed, in ex-
planation, that when he remembered a Noble Lord, who
was now on the other side of the House, had voted against
the Administration on a grant proposed for the support of
the splendour and dignity of the Crown, he must expect
that Noble Lord would vote in the same way upon all
similar questions; or if he did not, to what could that
change of opinion be attributed but to a change of place?
The Returns were then agreed to without a division.
The Report of the Postage Duties Bill was brought up,
and received, and the House then adjourned.

The giv. OF COMMONS, MONDAY, MAY 14.
four o'clock.
took the Chair this day precisely at
Mt. Alderman WOOD
p,the Report of the
Committee on the Thames Water Rates esn ..aeiets was
ordered to be taken into consideration on Wednesday text.
Mr. I4UME presented a petition from. certain workmen
of Glasgow, praying for a grant of money to enable them-
selves and families to emigrate to Canada.—Referred to the
Committee of Einigiation.
Mr. HUME presented a petition from a sect called the
Freethinking Christians, praying the House to amend the
Marriage Act, so as to render it no longer offensive to their
conscientious scruples. The Hon. entleman said, that
the petitioners wished not to be confounded with those
persons called Freethinkers, and in his opinion it was a
question of religious toleration that all sorts of Dissenters
should be put on ex:equality. The relief for which the peti-
tioners asked could he granted in the simplest manner. All
,that was required was to insert the words, " and all other
Dissenters," after the words Jews and Quakers in the Mar-
riage Act. The petitioners were willing to pay all mar-
riage fees, and he hoped the age was liberal enough to see
the propriety of granting the relief for which they prayed.
The Hon. Gentlemen also presented similar petitions from
the Freethinking Christians resident in Sussex, Tewkes-
bury, &e.—Ordered to lie on the table.
Mr. BALFOUR presented a petition from the Royal
Burghs of Scotland, in favour of the Salmon Fishery Bill.
Lord NUGENT withdrew his motion en the mode of
taking votes -at elections, and informed the House that he
would bring the subject before the House in a more ex-
tensive form next session.
Lois-1 ALTHORP presented a petition frets Mr. Charl-
ton, the petitioning party in the Ludlow election petition,
praying the House to give him the benefit of a technical
error in the report of the tiection Committee. The Noble
Lord said that he bad hot attended much to the proceedings
of Committees on election petitions, but he was quite satis-
fied that unless something was done for the petitioner he
wtsuld be very hardly used.
Colonel WOOD said that there had been four objections
to Lord Clive's return, none of which were considered
valid, and if any technical error had taken place, he (Col.
Wood) the less regretted it, because it could not do any
substantial injustice to the party complaining.
Mr. W. WYNN said that the petition complained
of the decision which the Election Committee had
made. Upon the motion for the House resolving itself
into a Committee of the whole House on the Supplies,
Mr. HUME rose to inquire whether care had been taken
to preserve the droits of the Admiralty, in making out the
Commission for the Duke of Clarence, as Lord High
Admiral.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL assured the Hon. Mem-
ber that as much care had been taken in preserving the
rights of the Crown on the present occasion, as on any oc-
casion within the last thirty years.
Me. HUME again ruse. The subject on which he DOly
obtruded himself on the House, was one of a 'very different
nature from the last. He was one, the least inclined to in-
terfere with the just Prerogatives of the Crown, but there
had, of late years, a practice arisen of creating great num-
bers of Peers. Now, if lie considered one thing of more
importance than others, it was the proper maintenance of
the station of that class of the community. The rank of
that class had, however, of late, been brought into such a
degree of disrespect, from the frequency of promotions to
the Peerage, that he thought some check ought to be put
in the way of the exercise of that Prerogative of the Crown.
His reason for desiring this was, that there was nothing
which required any Peer to have sufficient property to
prevent him becoming a pensioner on the Crown.--
There were many instances of Peers, who, after being
created, were deficient in property to maintain them
in that station, which it was intended by the Con-
stitution they should hold; they were not, in short, able,
as of old, to stand between the Crown and the people
—they became dependent on the former. A large pro-
portion of these Peers, With offspring, would, upon exa-
mination, be found to be supported out of the public purse.
He felt the whole delicacy of putting such a check upon
the Crown, but he thought it would he well, if the House
of Commons were, at no distant period, to address the
Crown, begging that means might be adopted to prevent
individuals from being created- Peers, who were too poor
to support their rank. It would he well, also, if some
law were to be passed, by which noblemen, who were no
longer able to maintain their dignity, should be deprived of
their titles and privileges.—(A titter which had been
going through the House during the greater part of this
speech, here burst into a loud laugh.) He bad, he would
assure them, considered what he bad said. Let them look
at the list of Peens, who, by their rank, were prevented
earning their own livelihood, and -were obliged to come on
the public purse, either indirectly as officers in the army,
navy, &c. or more directly as pensioners of the Crown.—
He did not know whether the House would go with him,
but he certainly had no hesitation in giving his opinion,
that some steps ought to he. taken to prevent Peers being
created, who, when made, must become a burthen on the
public. He felt strongly convinced of the necessity of
something king done, and he had no doubt the subject
would shortly force itself on their notice, if they did not
take timely measures to prevent it.
Mr. CANNING was utterly at a lose to conceive
on what suspicion or rumour the Honourable Gen-
tleman had founded his remarks. The question
of the prerogative of the Crown in the creation of
Peers was of great importance, and if brought before
the House, should he discussed with great gravity. At
present there was nothing which would induce him to strip
the Crown of one of its brightest prerogatives, and the
Commons of their most splendid privilege.—(Hear, hear !)
Mr. HUME assured the Right Hon. Gentleman that
his remarks were founded solely on an observation of the
pension list.

Mr. CANNING—I am obliged to the Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman for telling me that, for I did think
his remarks were founded on some of those wild and mis-
chievous reports which are circulated, as I well know, for the
purpose of deluding the public mind—( Hear, hear)—but
which I solemnly declare have no foundation in fact.—
.(Great cheers.)
The House resolved into a Committee.
IMPRESSMENT OF SEAMEN.
Sir F. BURDETT took that opportunity of saying that
he meant, at the earliest possible time, to bring the subject
of the Impressment of Seamen before the House, in order
to devise some means of getting rid of the practice altogether.