The Sun.
London, England, 1818-02-26 00:00:00

BILL OF INDEMNITY.

The Duke of I\loNTßose presented a Bill, Which
Lis Grace denominated as commonly called a Bill
of Indemnity, founded urin the Report of the
Secret Committee. He iutimiteo that he should
now ThOVe that the Bill he read- a first time, and
printed ; and that it was intended to move the
second readilig on Friday, to which day he pro-
posed to postpone his observations upon the na-
ture cut tl.e measure.

The Larl nt LA‘:TDERDALE did not ‘risil to anti-
cipate the Debate upon this Bill, but there were
some considerations connected with it dust he felt
it his duty to press now upon the attention of
their I.,,rdships. This Bill was founded upon the
Report of the Secret Committee of their Lord-
ship,' House, and was evidently intended to in-
againSt the consequences of
their acts under the Suspension Acts, and thereby
to approve of Breit conduct. lint the same
acts Were wilso under the consideration of a
Secret Cystimittee of the House of Commons,
of Whose proceeilings they kiiew nothing,—
That Committee might snake a Itepoit altoge-
ther disapproving of the .conduet of Ministers ;
and if was possible that an Itipeaehmtint by
the House of the Nobie Secretary of State might
follow. In what light could the proceedines of
their Lordships be in that case viewed ? After
formisily expressing their appiobvtion of the con-
duct of :ilinisters, they might he called upon by
sin luipeachtnent from the House of Contmo,)s at
their Bar, to try the Noble Secretary of State in
theirjunitiaLcapaeity, and what reliance conlu the"
public then place upon their itupuitiality ? It was
surely therefore ill-'lined to It.ring its such a Bill at
the present monsent, when they were civil ely ig-
'mimic of what coutSe the COILIIIIMIS Ilzv4lll to
pursue.._

The Earl of Lti:F.nPoot, was of opinion, that it
the objection of the Noble Lord WAS Avorth any
thing, it equally applied to the appointment of the
secret Committee, tor that might be.said, upoo the
same ground, to be prejudging the case. Fife,
however, could not. allow that there was the
slightest force in the objection, their Lordships
had an undoubted right to institute what Legisla-
tive ptoreediog they thought most advisable. As
to the Commons dithering by possibility in opi-
nion, if that were the case, and their Lordships
sent down to them a B:llot Indemnity, they would,
Of course, evillee that difference of opinion by re-
jectiog the Bill. lie could not, therefore, this-
cover any force in the objection of the Noble
' Lord ; a Bill of this nature originating in the
House of Lords, was certainly not without prece-
dent, as in the case of Ireland a Bill of a similar
description was originated in the House of .Lords,
and was tilt imately passed into a law•
Lord IiaLLAND said, the Noble Earl bad an-
swered the obirc• ions of his Noble Friend by over-
stating them. His Noble Friend had not denied
the right of the House to legislate, but had ob-
je..:ted, on the grounds of propriety and•prndenee,
to their attempting to institute, under present
circumstances, any legislative measure. For any
thing their' Lordships knew to the contrary,-
at ticks of impeachment against the Noble Sect e-
tary of State might be now upon the Table of the
House of Commons, and it this 13.11 was sanction-
e I by the House, what- impression would he pro-
duced in the public mind, if their Lordships were
afterwards called upon to try such au impeach-
ment in their judicial capacity ?• It was in this
point of c iew his Noble Friend put the case,
and in this view he also concurred. He .did
not Mean to anticipate any discussion on the
Lin, of which, indeed, the House knew- nothing.
The Noble Duke wit() had introduced it bad not
explaintr.d its provisions, but had contented him-
self wiih stating, that it was commonly called a
Bill of Indemnity, though it was diflicult to con-
ceive in what way a Bill for the first time intro-
dured to —the House could be commonly called
Uy any title. The Nobl-.1. Earl, however, had re-
lented to a precedent—wind to what precedent ?
that of the House of Lord's in Ireland, in 1798 ;
anwhich had ,been publicly condemned by
the Bench, and which, by many persons, was

thought to have reflected the most indelible dis-
grace upon the Parliament of Ireland. Were they
then to understand that the provisions of that ob-
noxious /let were transferred to the present,
bill ?—he trusted that was not the case. lie
thonlbt, however, it was incumbent upon their
Lordships, before they signified any approbation
of this measure, at least to wait till they knew
%%liar coarse wra!, adopted by the house at Corn.-
r;ions uryni the Report of their Secret Committee.
The Duke of MONTR Qs': contended, that the
argument which hail been used against proceed-
ing in the present Bill would apply equally at all
times, and must neee,sarilv tend to &wive their
LortYlips of all their legislative functions. It
night he said, during ihe whole of the present
:hat they might to wait to see what steps
the Ilonse of Commons would take, and thei, the
next Session, the argot-neat tlould equally apply.
Their Lordships would thns he corapletely de-
prived of all the power of any legislative measure.
Ile therefore was of opinion, that the Bill ought
to be proceeded in, as originally proposed.

Lord flo.t.tAtin moved, that instead of the word
" now " for the first reading, the words " this
day se'nnight " he inserted.
The question was put, that the word " now "
stand !ot of the question, which was carried in
the asirmatire.•

Itte Bill was read a first time, and ordered to he
printed. '

The Earl flf favrnPoriL expressed his iyillingness
to postpone the, second reading till Montd•ay. •
-Toe,day was cAled for ►►n tile opposite side—
to which the Earl of Liverpool (;11i pet ed, on the
grmimi that it would delay the 13111 to too late a
period.

After ',some conversation respecting the day, it
was at length agreed that the second reAding should
stand, ;-;s otiginally l►rol►o~e(;, for Friday; the
Larl of Liverpool staling, that he had no' ohjee-
tioo to i,astpot►e the next stage of the Bill till
Tuesday.
The Bill was ordered to he read a second time
On Friday—the Lords to be summoned.—Ad-
jonrned till Friday.

'V For the Proreedirrgs in the House of Commons,

see the Last Page