The Sun.
London, England, 1818-05-26 00:00:00

'ALIEN BILL.

Lord Viscount StbmouTn gave notice of his in-
tention to move the second reading of the Alien
Bill on Wednesday, for which day the Lords were
ordered !r) he summotied.
Lord tioLtAtib intimated his intention of op.
posing the Bill,
nEGENE:I+ AMENDMENT BILL.
The House resid itseft into a Committee
upon the Regency 21mendment Bill, the atti of
Ski A FTESBH RY Chair.
The [401i13 CHANCELLOR stated, thatit apear-
ing to be the opinion of their Lordships' that the:
additional Members of the Qacen's Council Amnia
he nominated by Parliament, as in the Regency
Act, he had piliared Amendments for the nth-
pose of framing the first Clause in that view,
giving, as in the
,liegency Act, the power to the
Queen of tilling up any vacancy that Might °cow
by an intrument under her Majesty's hand and
seal,—llis Lordship proposed that font. additional
Members of the Queen's Council should be thUs
appointed in the Bill, namely----
GeoacE, Earl of Macclesfichi,
WlLLtam, Lord Bishop of Loudon;
ALEYN, Lord St. Ifelvo's,
MotrrtiN, Lord Henley, of Ireland:

The insertion of thesd names was agreed to,
as also the different Amendments proposed by the.
Lord Chancellor in this Clause.—On the second
Clause,
Lord IloteAND observed, that the only reason
which had been alleged forthis Clause, namely,
the inconvenience that would result front the
operation of the provision of the Regency Act,
Was of that nature, that instead of shewittg thy-
necessity for this partial measure; it went to prose
the expethency of an entire recision of the Re-
gency Act. Upon the former occasions they
were called upon to legislate with a view th the
probable recovery of the Icing, in which view die
provisions of the Regency Act were worded. If
they were now to be called upon to alter those
provisions, which could only be updn the ground
of the probability of the King's recovery having
ceased, and there being only the possibility re-
maining, it was not, he contended, in any
respect satisfactory, that that alteration should,
he confined to the provision now in ques-
tion. It was clearly the intention of Par-
liament, in enacting that in the event of the
demise of the Queen the Parliament should im-
mediately assemble, that the care of the King's
person was a trust of that sacred and impotrarit
nature) that such an event called for the immediate
attention of the Legislature. If, however, that
trust had now become of a less important nature
from the less probability of the King's recovery,
and therefore it was thought by the framers of
this Bill that it would be inconvenient, tinder cer-
tain circomstanees, the attention of Parliament
should be called to it, at any rate this fact ought
to be ascertained by previous inquiry, and then
It might be a ground not for this partial measure,
but for a general revision of the Regency Act.
'!'he Windsor Establishment, for instance, it would
be of importance to revise. When this establish-
ment was proposed, it was urged by those who
supported ft, that it'was of the utmost importance
in every view of feeling towards the unhaepy
at ion of the king, that on his recovery his Ma-
jesty might see the same faces around kill) to
which he had been accustritned previous to his
malady. Noss', however, when by bringing for-
ward this measure it was acknowledged that no
probability of his Majesty's recovery reinained, it
was surely of the greatest Importance, coosidering.,
the distress of the country, and the burdens that
weighed upon the people, that some reduction
should take place in the enormous expence of thit
establishment. Considering) theretOre, that no
reason had been urged for this clause, which did
not operate still more forcibly for a more extenss
sive revision of the Regency Act, and that tot.
that purpose the requisite previwis inquiry had
not been Made, nor was any infortnatioti afforded
as to the :rental slate Of the King, he should there+
fore feel it his Miry to oppose the. clause.
'Tie Earl of Llvei;pooh denied that thrs Meas.
sure was bronght forward upon the ground 'of
their being no probability of the King's recovery :
on the contrary, he should regret to see any legis-
lation take place upon the ground of their being
no such probability, They, of course, Must le-
gislate with u view to 'the greater or less proba-
bility of recovery, and this was the case wiih re-
gard to the Act passed after the restrictions upon
the Regency had ceased, which went upon the
ground of the less proba bdity of his Majesty's
recovery. As to there being no information at...
forded respectiug the state of the King, the fact
was, that the Quarterly Reports front the Queen's
Council to the Privy Council gave every informa-
tion that could be required respecting his Majesty's
state of health. With regard to tire question ag
to the meeting of Parliament, in the event of the
demise of the Queen, every practical purpose would
he answered by a Clause, -which his Noble and
Learned Friend intended to propose, for the pun-,
pose of linilting the period within which Par-

li:iment shnnid in that event be -cunitunile(t to

I I

The F,arl GREY said, he might perhaps he ac-
cuaeil of pertinacity, hut he naist state that he
1-rti..ined of Iht. Same Opi tirit nn necessity
‘whatever livid been shewn for the enactment of
this (+first,. The Noble Eatl opposite had
widerstood the arguments of his Noble Friend, in
sepia/sing that his Noble Friend wished- to le Zi"
l,tte upon the principle of there being no probabi-
lity of the King's recovery. 'Pic argument of his
Noble Friend was, that as by bringing in this
Bill it was acknowledged by the framers of it-
there was a much less probability of the King's-
teenvery, that therefore that ought to be proved,
4ind if proved, that it ought to extend to a gene-
al revision of the Regency Act, particularly with
-regard to the Windsor establishment, which, he
most stilt contend, required considerableereduc-
Got. In answer to the argument of there being
Ito information as to the probability of the King's
recovery, the Noble Earl referred them to the
Bulletins of the-Physicians, but surely it was not
meant to be contended, that this afforded any in-
toimation.as to that probability; the Bulletins
•merely e.nuouticing the state of his Majesty, with-
out stating any thing as to there being any, and
what, probability of his recovery. There was
cite point, tvith regard to a possible contingency,
respecting tie meeting of Parliarneot after a dis-•
'solution, to which he wished to allude. In the
event of the demise of the Crown, after the dis-
solution of Parliament, and before the assembling
of the new one, then, of course, by the act of
the demise, the *King's writs ceased to be opera-
tive, and the old Parliament most re-assemble ;
but, itt the case of the demise of the Prince Re-
gent during such an interval, the writs for the
new Elections being issued in the Ti ng's name,
a doubt might arise, though the t..:1 Parliament
watt directed to te-assetuble immediately, how lar
the King's writs were vacated, and to ptevent
these disputes which might take place, from Can-
didates insisting upon Sheriffs' ptocteding with
the new Elections, it would be advisable to in-
troduce some proviso to enact, that, in such an
event,, the King's writs for the new Elections
should ceise to be operative.
The Lotto CHANCLLoa, with regard to the
Reports respecting the state of the King's health,
observed, that the Noble Earl who hail just sat
clown was mistaken in supposing that notleng
but the Bulletins of the Physicians were referred
to, as the Queen's Council, before tuaking their
Quarterly Reports, not only examined tlie Phy-
sicians as to the actual state of tke King, but
with regard to any probability of his recovery.
These Reports were regularly made to the Privy
Council, as directed by the Regency Act, and
might be called for by Patliament whenever it
was deemed adviseable. His Lordship then pro-
posed Clauses, with a view to the possible event
of the demise of the Queen, alter the lay appoint-
ed for the meeting of a new Parliament, previous
to the day of the meeting, and on the- day of the
dissolution ; their Object was, as was utiderstood,
that the new writs should be operative, and that
the Parliament should be summoned to meet
within sixty clays. Ws Lordship • added, that he
intended to propose a clause to obeiate the diffi-
culty stated by the Noble Earl (Grey) wiilt re-.
Bard to the possible event of the demise of the
Prince Regent, his opinion being. that the King's
writ would not in that case be vacated.
'clue original clause respecting the nieeting of
rarlimnent WilA agreed to, and the 1 otuer amend-
ments being made, the House resumed, the Re-
port- was received, and ordered to be taken into
further consideration to-morrow, and the Bill to
be printed as amended.
Lord SinmovTit gave notice, that be won't,
00 Wednesday next, move the second reading of
the Alien Bill.
Lord 1-10eLAND intimated his intention of op-
pusing the Bill.