The Sun.
London, England, 1818-06-08 00:00:00

ALIEN DILL-BANK OF SCOTLAND.

After some interval a Message was brOtult ulp
from. the House of Commons by Lord Binning
and other Members, eleiring a•conferener with
the Lords on tile snbject matter of the Amend-
ment% made by their Lordships in the Alie'tt
The Commons having- withdraien, it was or-
dered, on the motion of Lord REDIISDALE, that
the c!lnlereact, be agreed to, and that it shonld
be, hdd pres.enCii in the Painted Chamber, of
Which the Aless:ngerit _from- the .Common, br-
ing called in, were infotmed by Lot'd Chan,
Hor.

d time afterwards Sir 'Thomas Tyr-
whitt, the Get.tleman Usher of. the 81-Ick
alnoanced xt the 114 r that the Commons were
waiting the coilt.rence in he I'ain►ed Chanthcr.

The Managers appointed by the Lords, naively,
the Marquis 'of% Lan,downe, the Earl Graham
(Duke of Montrose), the Earl of Livefpnol, the
Earl Minvers, the-Earl Grey, Lord Viscount
(Duke of) Li•instcr, and' Lord RedeOale, went
torth. On their return the M'ariHs•of Lansdowne
reported the conference, which had been 'managed
on the part of the Commons by-Lord Binning and
others, and that the Commons disagreed With
the Amendments of the Lords, tor the rea-
son that they were- inexpedient', .the Com-
mons declining at present to. state' any other
reasons.

- The Earl of-LIVERPOOL moved, that the Lords
do not insist upon their Amendments, as 'he
thought it not expedient, under the circuurstanees,
that they should 'be insisted upon.
The Earl GREY expressed his surprise'at- the'
light Manner iii which this question-• had been•
treated by the-Noble Eat I, he who, on a former,
evening, had'attached' so ninich importance to thisi
clause, for preventing persons from becoming na-'
turalized subjects by purchasing a certain-ariiount'
-of stock- in the Bank of Scotland, and still more
for depriving :of their rights those who had- al-- •
ready, on,the faith of Acts of Parliament, thus
becotne!,niituralized subjects, and who' had ctinsi7
tiered it not-only expedient but absolwely neces"-
sary to the effective operation of the-Bill. .•--How •
happened it that the Noble Earl should now Iltink
so lightly
.of this clause, which he-had so recently_
corisidered of such vast importance, and that he
should now move,app-arently as a matter of omrse,
that the rejection of it by the- House of COmmtins
shoulti be'• agreed to:. He (Lord Grey) undoubt-
edly thought that this clause ought nevet to have
been passed, and he was perfectly satisfied that
the Bill should go forth without, it, and 'dins he-
-come nugatory and unavailing, but something- was
tine to the dignity of that Houie as a branch of
the Legislature; and when the Majority of their
Lordships hid agreed to a clan-se of such import-
ance, it was surely most proper that time should
be given to consider of the expediency Of agreeing
to the rejection of it by the Commons. He was
sorry to say that the House was deeply humiliated
by the situation in which it was placed, in con-
sequence of the step taken by adding; 'this clause
to the Bill ; ,and it was sorely not fitting that
they should now trust themselves-to the same rash
and unadvised guidance which had brought them
into this state of humiliation. Some time ought
to be given for consideration as to'what measure
ought to be. adopted, though he by no means
meant to say that the clause ought ultimately to
be persisted in and, therefore, lie moved an
amendment after the word that ‘.‘ the Report of I
the Conference be taken' in«rconsideration on
Monday," intending to move that the Lords be I
summoned,

The Earl of Lutrearoot. defended the clause,
stating that he had not retracted any part of his
opinion upon the subject, and contending that it
was must improper and absurd :bat persrins
Should be enabled, by depositing 801. in the Bark
of Scotland, to become naturaliZed subjects of
Majesty, without• going ihrongh any of the
forms whicl► all Legislators had thought neces
sary upon such an occasion ; and that it 'was a
Mere trick'and device of law to set tip a claim
that persons would thus become naturalized sub-
jects, and that too under an Act of Patliament
which till lately had been unknown to almo3t-
every Man in the kingdom. The 'absuttlity'ivas
still more gross, when it was co►isidered that a
foreigner thus buying Stock in the Bank of Scot-
land might sell it the next day, still retaining
the rights WI-Of:II he hail' acquired a's a naturalized
stahject, and thn's a coittinaal succession of natu-,
ralized subjects might be made, defeating every.
enaetineidof the Legislature, to prevent the. itt-'
troduction of Aliens of improper character into
the society of this country. There was; there-
fore, no contradiction in his conduct, in moving
limo to agree in, the 'rejection, of tl►e clause by
the-House of Commons ; each branch of the Le-
gislature was entitled to have its opinions, and a
difference of opinion implied no stigma'ul►on ei-
timer. Elecould. see oo objection to the Bill pass-
ingwithok the clause, becanse I►e understood -
The reason alleged by the Commons as to the in-
e-spediency. of taking -this clause to -be merely•,
relative to its being so added to the Bill, and
to signify that it was intended 'to brink in
another Bill, in wlcjcb the pbject of tlie.clanse'
should, at least prospectively, be earricd into full
effect.,

Lord 11OLLAND observed, that the Noble Earl
had argued, most strenuously in favour of the
claulae, and had concluded by-praying the House
to join with the Commons rejecting, it. The
contradiction in this triode of argument must
surely forcibly strike.. every one of their Lord,

ships 'arid the majOity Who were thus dragged
throngli the'tnire, must feel that they wire not
treated witlitinich courtesy or aqrcct. For what
was it they were now called upon to do ? Trey
had passed it clause upon the omma of its not
tieing merely expedient- but .abstilutely'ne'ceSsary
ro give-effect to the Bill, to deprive a nuitahe'r of
p:-rsons of vested rights, which' they had ac
derived upon the' faith of Acts of Parliament ;.--
for it was not merely the Act of the SciritishPar"7
liament, but that A& had been coufirMed by Acts,
of the British Parliament, and' particril'arly by
one in 1274, which confirmed in eVery'partieular
the Act of the Parliament of SCotland relating to
tire Bank of that kingdom, a %Orkir vested
rights were as sacred, avid stood uptin the same
groundy•as‘ tire rights of property; and of voting
in that. House, enjoyed by any, of their Lord-
ships and ;paw they were to be Called updh;
wi; bout rellqtffirty, to :reject the clause thus

'nought forward, and with au impatience which
admitted of no delay, but which 'it seeins
OOLV SO coated that the Noble &id could delibe-
rately move to join in rejecting it, though he was,
nOl willing to allow their Lordships any time to
re-conshlt r • their former tretermitiaiiod. He
could nor lint consider this; iii unison with his
Noble Friend, a deep htintiliation to flick Lord-
ships; and it was sorely, therefore, most .pt.oPer
tifitt they v. some little time.to consider
what step they shindil take bi the. situation in
which they had been placed 'by the rashness and
precipitancy of Noble Lords on the other side.
If they hail thiii been led into
,error, and if they
must in consequence An penance in a white sheet,
they surely ought, as far as •possible, to consult
dieir own dignity, and. not hastily and tidily
adopt the coarse proposed by those who had al-
ready led thym wrorie;•and-thrretore it was tlrat
he agreed with. his Noble Friend in his proposi-
tion for postp6ning' the Consideration of this
subject till llonilay; Ile certainly did not wish
the clause to be 'pet sisteit hi, but lie thought the
House ought to consult their oWndignity, iu tdk-
ing•some further time to deliberate.

The Margins of LAssnowNe said, that to a Bill
for preventitig•the flitsi!e i,perstion of Ore
allowing of the naturalization of foreigisers. by
Means of. purchasing stock in the Bmk of Sept-.
hod, beolsact no objection, hot ton retrospective
law lie was decidedly b6stile. The Nohie Earl
had Naked of the' tricks and deVices -of•law, but
what was the principle that they' applied to the
lowest and most wretched person in the country,
• that ignorance of the laW wag on excuse for the.
breach of it, and that. ts hatever 'might be their'
-want of knowledge upon the snbject; they were
' -answerable for every infracion Of the laW, acid'
yet by this clause they Would reverse that 'princi--'
pie, and because persbns had acquired vested
• rights by their knowledge of the law of the land,
-th&r Lordships,'inignorance of that kW opnn
this particular subject, would deprive those jut&
NidtsalS' of the•righti they had thus acquired upon
the faith of • Acts-of Parliament, and in perfect
conformity with 'the law of the -land. To so
_gross au act of injustice he would never consent.
-TrypreVent prospeetiiely such a right from being
aOlstired• he bad nti 'objection, but with regard to
the immediate question, Ire'conld not but think
with Isis Noble Friend (Lord Grey), that the si-
toat ion in which the House was placed;and whiCh
he'considered -as one of deep Istimiliation, re.
qnired further time for del,bration, and, there-
fore, • tte should vote for posiVoning the decision
of the question till Mond4y.
' The Earl of HaturowaY observed, that not
being aware of the' tinie at Which the Honse com-
menced business, be came its inrhe midst of the
speech of a Noble Lord (Holland), who be at
first-thought was arguing its ta'vour of the clause
which the Noble Lord' kad before ;condemned;
nor conk, he, after hearing what' 'had been said,
discover any reason for postponing the cOissidera-
tion 'ist this motion. An old Act of the Scottish
Parliament, -which was uoknown to every one in
the country,. but which some antiquary happened
to have discovered; .was Suddenly attempted to be
carried into effect for the pirifit-iii-of naturaliziog'
Foreigners ; and it was surely highly necessary
that the pernicious effects which might result front
this should be effectually _gursided.liagaitist.• The
tricks and devices of law, an expression used .by
Isis Noble Friend, was, he coot ended , perfeerly
fair, and the Meaning of it was strikingly exem-
plified by the conduct of sa Noble Lord (Holland)
on a former evening, its 'moving' Acts of Par:la=
meat, &c. to be read, which, though perfectly.
Consistent With the Orders Of the House, would
'still-only be considered as tricks anddeVices.
to the 'expression of the Commons, merely that
the Aineuilments of their Lordships Were inexpe-
dient; it Was the customary phrase for a (Ong time
past, adopted in order to prevent unpleasant
cessions upon questions of Privilege.
Lord HontAND,lin exPlanation, remarked upon
the unfortunate allusions mad.: by the Noble Earl
('liairowby), in consequente of coining in' in the
Midst of the discossion. ' Thus the Noble Earl
(Liverpool) bad interpreted the 'expression of in-
expeditor, used by the• Commons, to mean that
they Meant to bring in a Bill to pres;elit the future
operation of the Naturalizing 'Scots Law, 'whilst
the Noble Earl (Harrowhy) said that this eitin-e4-
sion was the mere ordinary and customary expres-
sion used upon •all 'occasjoos by the Conimons,
wino they disagreed on anv amendments made in
Bills by their Liati3bips.. .116 w 'Weie'these con-
tradictione to be reconciled ? • • I

The Earl of LAVDEHDALE commented upon the
ignorance of law displayed in passing this clause,
in siipposing that the naturalization of foreigLers,
by becoming proprietors of Stock of the Bank of
Scotland, depended merely upon aScots Act of
Parliament, when'the fact was, that it NTaS con-.
'firmed by no less than five English ACti of Par-.
liament, the dates of which his Lordshipjittoted„
and frOrn whence lie contended that the'elause Was
more peculiarlyobtfoxions front its' thus depriving
a number df persons of vested. rights Which they
had ilequiretr tinder the, provisions of Acts of- the
Legislature 'solemnly passed after'due and proper
deliberation, and 'respecting
,which ignorance
ought not to he pleaded in -that House as an ex-
cuse; because they were known to a number of
partienlarly to -the Governors of the
Bank of Scotland, and to all the eminent law).crs
of that part of-theUttited-Kingdom.

The rttiitiqu was put, -That the words proposed

ro lir tai pari of 'the question, on which
the "louse qivided—
Conteklfs p-i---7Nai-Contenrs 2.1-11akqity 1.1..
Ir was there.tor.e rettilve!ti that tltrit'lwr44lips'
AmeniftrielliS slioad not be lieriristed
Adjourned till Monday.

LIOUSE(4 COMMONS.
Mr. W. Sin itti
_said, he had, thrOugh the course
of the_preieut Session,
,allowed the Act tin tbc
subject of Extents In Aid to take its own course ;
only few complaints bad arisen, taut he had this
day had a stalenicut put into his hand of a case.
which he consolered
,One of peculiar hardship.
An application had this day beo) ibade to the'
.Court. of Exehrquer to set the proceedings in this
ease aside, but the Court had refused, on the
gi.ound of the application being ton•lite, • The
Court were certainly justified in this reflital ; but
Ise thought the'reasons.which.cauSed the poor wo-
man to brake the arivkation.should have lie en
tH6n into consider,ation ; her husband. %Val
lunatic, and
.the embarrasseti state of her affairs
had- prevewed her earlier application. If -he
should have the honour of a seat' in the•next Par-
liament, he would not fail to bring the Matter
before the House,