Star.
London, England, 1801-04-18 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, FRIDAY, APRIL 17.

The Houfe met at eleven in the forenoon, and

foon after twelve Mr. Bragge and others brought
up a MelTage, with two large bags of papers Peal-
ed, from the Houfe of Commons, which they
precasted at the Bar.—The purport of the Metraie
was, to defire that their Lordihips would, (rim
time to time, fend to them copies of fuch eat:nulls
from the Paid papers, or Poch Reports upon them
as they might think it necelfary to make.—A Mel.
Page was fint back to the Commons, to inform
them that their requeft ihould be complied with.
Lord HOIART moved, that the pavers be refer-
red to a Committee above Stairs. The Houfe
then adjourned till four o'clock.
As foon as they met again, the Mafters in Chan.
cery delivered the anfwer of the Houfe of Com.
mons to the Meftige of their Lordthips.
ADDISON S DIVORCI BILL.

The Order of the Day for the further proceed-
ing in Mrs. Addifon's Divorce Bill having been
read, Counfel was called to the Bar. Mr. Adam
then proceeded to examine three other witnelies,
who fo far llrengthened the Froof of the cafe, that
The Earl of CLARE Paid, if the learned Counfel
was proceeding to examine other witneffes, in con.
fequence of the obfervations that had fallen
from him on a former day, he thought it right to'
declare, that his mind was, after what lie had
heard that day, completely fatisfied.
Mr. Adam then only called two more witneffes
to flew that Mrs. A. was perfectly unconfcious of
the connation and intercourfe in queflion, till ap-
prifed of it by her father.—The further hearing
of Mr. Adam's argument was adjourned tni
Tuefday.
SUSPENSION OF THE HABEAS CORPUS ACT.
On our re-admiffion into the Houfe, the Clerk
was reading the Report of the Committee of Se-
crecy, in which it was Rated that the Committee
had proceeded to examine the Papers referred to
them, together with other evidence as to the con.%
dua of difaffeEled perfons in this country; that
the Committee had not time to examine the whole
of the fubjefts to which they meant to turn their
attention ; but they had fufficient proofs raid be-
fore them, to convince them of the necetlity of pal-
ling, with as much expedition as poftible, the Bill
for the Sufpenfion of the Habeas Corpus Aft.
Lord LOUGHBOROUGH then moved that this
Bill be read a fecond time.
Lord MOIRA laid, he did not mean to deny but
there might be circumftances of danger which
should not only jußify the adoption of a meafure
of this kind, but render it neceffary. Perhaps
fuch circumaances exited at this moment ; but
whether they did or &wt., the Report exhich hi. had
PR heard did not contain a tingle fait that could
juflify him in giving his vote for the Bill. The
Committee Rated nothing more than their bare
opinion, which, however highly he refpeEted the
' Noble Lords who compofed that Committee, he
did not confider, in a Parliamentary point of viola,
a fufficient ground for taking away fo effential a
part of the Britifh Conftituuon. He then fpoke
merely on a point of order, and maintained that
the Bill was brought forward contrary to the or-
ders and ufages of Parliament. There were two
grounds on which a miafure of this kind could
properly be brought before Parliament. The firlt
was in the cafe of a Meffage from the King, Rat-
ing tfpecific fags; the next was the difclufure of
fuch has to both Houfes, as fhould convince the
Members, that there would be lefs injury to the
Conftitution in adopting the meafure, than not
taking the necefrary precautions againft the exit-
ing danger. No attempt was ever made until this
time, to fufpend the Habeas Corpus Aft, without
one or the other of thofe previous Reps having
been taken. The reafon of the thing fpokc for it:
fell: for, if the rafts Rated in the Meffage from
his Majelly &mild afterwards turn out to be falfc,
the Miniftcr who advifed his Majefty to fend fuch
a mirage was reprehenfible. But an the prefent
cafe, the only evidence on which the Houfe had to
decide was the bare opinion of twenty-two Mem-
bers of the Houk of Commons and eleven Lords.
'fe would again declare, that he had the higheß
refpea for the opinion oethofe perfons, and he was
Cure they believed what they Rated to be true.—
But he fat in that' Hoare for the purport of dif-
charging a Wilk duty, from which no refpea for
the opinion of any man would Idler him to devi-
ate. If there were mifcreants in this country to
fuch an extent, and entertaining fuch wicked views
as fome perfons imagined, the bet way of defeat-
ing their projea; would be to let the fenfe of the
People at large aft aganift them. For his own
part, he had not heard the leall evidence whatever
to snake him believe that there was any danger-
ous confpiracy in the country which could make
it lICCdrAFT to take ..way the bell part of the Bri-
tifh
• Lord Bower: we raid he could fpeak from his
own knowledge that there were evil-minded per.
ions in the country who were endeavourirg to take
advantage of the recent diftreffes of the lower
clalfes of the people, to turn them to their own di.
abolical purpofes—they were neither idle nnr lazy,
but alive and vigilant in their exertions to over-
turn the Conflitution. That part of the Report id
their Lordfhips' Committee, which Rates that
oaths were adminiftered fimilar to that taken by
Mite(' !Whitten, was in his mind diffident to jut.-
tify the prefent meadire of precaution taken by his
Majefty's Minifters to preferve tranquillity in the
("wintry, and therefore flsould have his hearty
luppo rt.
Lord Homy vindicated the coodua of his
if 1-Ay's Minifters from the chargeof irregularity
in the method they took of dibmitting the mea.
ter •to the couf.derati,m of the Hutile. tie ad-