The Sun.
London, England, 1818-06-02 00:00:00

tntional, he should only reply, that the measure
conferred no new power to the Crown , it only
gave effect to a prerogative which the Crown al-
ready possessed, and had possessed flout the time
of Magna Charta down_ to the present time. Ile
denied that the Alien Act had been abused ; only
four persons had been sent out of the country in
ttre .trio. years that it existed. The Noble Lord
opposite hAI conkplained of thik Bill, as one which
tonal preinent foreigners conritg.rat his country,
injure our character for hospitality, and prove
a restraint upon our own liberty. Now he had
no fears that the high character which we had
obtained in Europe for hospitality would be lost
by the adoption of this measure ; or that the
.cause of liberty in this country would be for-
warded by making it an asylum for persons edu-
cated in the school of the French 'Revolution, or
under the subsequent reign of Boonaparte. Now,
with respect to the necessity of Government pos-
sessing this power, he should only advert to one
circumstance which occurred in 1806, when indi-
viduals, the warmest ftiends of liberty, were at
the -head of the Government of this country • an
alien, who proposed a measure aimed at the life
of the then Ruler of France, was sent out of the
country, under the provisions of the Alien Bill ;
and he would now ask whether it was too Much
to ask, that the Government should now possess
the Sallie power of protecting our own lives and
cireets which it had formerly possessed, and ex-
ercised for the protection .st 4 Prince with whom
we were in a state of bitter hostility ?
The Ilfarquii of LANSDOWNE contended, that
the measure was wholly unnecessary in a time of
oroimoul peace like the present—it was; one
highly unconstitutional. The Noble Lord who
brought forward the measure had contended that
the dangerous state of politics on the Continent
rendered this measure necessary ; but he would
ask, had such a measure been considered, neces-
sary in the time of the Jesuits; at the-Reforma-
tion ; or after the rebellions in favour of the
House of Stuart ?—times when this country was
much less powerful than she was now, and her
enemies much more formidable, both at home
and abroad. The United States of America, front
their situation, were more liable to be affected by
the intrigues of the disaffected in politics, yet they
had not found any such measure es this necessary;
on the contrary, they had not been deterred from
giving protection to, the persecuted, who had been
obliged to fly horn Europe to the new world for
an asylum. He was a warm admirer of the
United States. It was a source of satisfaction to
him to see them flourish ; but there was one ad-
vantage which he could not avoid envying them,
and that was, that they alone shonld he the peo-
ple who had the power or the courage to afford
an asylum to the persecuted and oppressed of other
countries. With respect to the clause of which
the Noble Viscount had given notice, he certainly
should not, oppose it, if its operation was made
prospective ; but be could not consent to its be-
ing made retrospective, and thus to be guilty of a
breach of faith towards those persons who had
vested their property in our Funds under the sanc-
tion of an Act of Parliament.

Lord ilanllowtv supported the Bill, on the
grounds that it was necessary for the preservation
of tranquillity both at home and abroad. '['he
Noble Lord denied that this Bill would have the
effect of driving foreigners out of the country ; the
contrary was the fact: r..csept some
thousands more Aliens in the country than thcrc
year ago.
Their Lordships then divided on the question
for going into the Committee—

( onteiil
Not. Culitents

Majority
The House having resolved into the Committee
on the Bill—

viscount SIDMOUTET proposed, the adoption of
the clause which he had described in his speech,
as above stated---wl►ich was opposed principally
by the Earl of Lauderdale and Lord Holland,
and in the result agreed to by the Committee
without a d:vision.

After some fur hcr discussion, the LORD CIIAN
CELLOR moved a proviso, in the nature of an
amendment to the clause proposed by the Noble
Viscount, and which in effect went Ao exempt
those who bad become partners in the 'Bank of
Scotland before the 28th day of April last, being
that when notice Was given of the Bill.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved to amend
this proviso, by altring it to the period of the
passing of the Bill, instead of the 28th of April,
as proposed by the Noble and Learned Lord.
Some conversation then took place, in the course
of which, the clause, as moved by the Noble and
Learned Lord, was opposed by the Earls of Lau-
derdale and Rosslyn, and Lord Holland ; and sup-
ported by Lords Redeadale and Melville.
At length a discussion took place on the ques-
tion ; and there appeared,
For the Clause as originally proposer! 4O
For the Marquis of Lansdowne's Amendment 2O
.Majority —2o
.

Lord GAGE then proposed a_ clause, teriding to
allow foreigners to choose the port-to which they
should be sent, and to have a month's notice pre-
vious to their removal ; during which period they
should remain in custody.
The I-louse again divided—
Contents .. 20
Nut Contents

Majority against the Clause.... —22

On the motion of Lord SID MOUTH, a verbal al-
teration having been made in the title of the Bill,
the [louse resumed.

Viscount StnmouTu then moved, that the
Standing Order of the House be taken into con-
sideration to-morrow, With the view of permitting
the Report of the Committee to be received, and
the Bill itself read a third time the same
Agreed to, after some opposition from the Earl of
LAUDERDALE and Lord HOLLAND.

On the motion of the Marquis of LANSDOWNE,
a return was ordered to be laid before the House
of the. Persons %vim had put:chased Stock in the
Bank of Scotland since the 28th of April last.