Star.
London, England, 1815-03-01 00:00:00

PARLMMENTARr PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OP LORD 5, FEBRUARY 28.
The transaction of public business commenced at the uNualintae.
The Earl of SHAY I'ESI.URY cresenttd from the
Lord Mayor, Aldermen, &c. of the City at Le.;•lo-i, I o Come,tein
Hall aisernbled, praying that no thouniou may be made la the
("torn Laws.
—The-Petition being read ;
The !,O'LW CI lANCELLOR observed, that although it must
We the wish of the House to receive Petitions coming from that
quarter iAt all due respect, yet it could not consistently receive
the present as the. Petition it ptufessed
.to be, inasmuch as it ap
pearad to be signed only by ten or twelve Idividual,..
• One of, their Lordships suggested, the prerrltty of having the

'
.1:10 LORD ci 141NCEL.1.0R rtfcrred to the ca3e of a Peti •
dll:Lcently presented In, a similar way, acrd which was actually
aceividortertly 'as the Petition of the subscribing Individuals.
Earl S I'ANHO.PE saw no necessity for•withdrawing the Peti•
tion—lt was ou a.moit important subject, and a very good Peti
don; and thefefltre, were it only from the individuals sulhcri-
bbig, it was entitled to all the COMlderation it deserved.
TL•e Earl of SHAPIESBiIItir stared, the document was put
dot° his hods as the Petition of those persons from whom it
professed to come ; and szemed to doubt the propriety of his M-
. tnathwing it as the Petition of any others.
The Petition-was withdrawn for the present.
l'ho Bank Loan Bill was brought up from the Commons by

Mr. Brogilen.and others.
The London Wit Docks 818 was brought up by Mr. Man-
ning, the Helston Election Bill by Mr. Horner, and two or three
Private Bills, by Mr. Swan and other Members,all of which were
severally read a first time.
• ()n the oe.e4sion of the Heiston Election Bill, some conversa-
. tion took place, princirally between Lord GRENVILLIC and the
Earl of LAVDrIIDALE, which was in effect terminated by an ob-
'ovation from
The Earl of LIVERPOOL, who observed that no time could
be regularly appointed for the second reading of such a Bill, until
it wes printed; but be suggested that as the witnesses were to
come up a considerable way, it would be best to fix some early
slay for the investigation of the subject, after the Easter recess.
This proposition seemed to meet the sense of their Lordships,
and the Bill was ordered to be printed.
Earl BATHURST presented some official Papers, pursuant to
• a former Address of their Lordships.
Certain additional documents relative to the importation of
Corn were ordered to be laid before the House, on the motion of
the Earl of LAVOLADALS.
Ihe Civil List Accounts, and the Annual Indemnity Bills
passed through Committees of the whole House, and were or-
dered to be reports.d.
Lord GRIINVII.LE presented a Petition from the Freemen
and others of the City of Durham. against any alteration being
made in the Corn Laws.—Ordered to lie on the table.
SCOTS JURIES BILL.

The Order of the Day, upon which their Lord-
ships were summoned, being read, the Houie re-
solved itself into a Committee op the above Bill. .
Earl STANHOPE, in opening the discussion,
deprecated the idea of their Lordships considering
the measure before the Committee, as having the fa-
vourable opinion of the people of Scotland, without
r root that it was so. An attempt to induce the
• Members of the House to vote contrary in their own
opinions, was lil:e one to put chains about their necks.
• —They could not put one about his neck, nor, he
hoped, cn that of the Noble. and Le.srued Lords op-
posite. The Lawyers of Edinburgh certainly dif.
• fered in their opinions about the Bill, and in many
other parts of that country they Were !testi', to it.—
In, illustration of this, his Lordship refthed to some
communications he had received from Glasgow and
tier places, and he expressed his hope their Lord-
* ships would follow 414; own• excellent opinions with
retPect to the Bill, and not be dictated to by others.
Thu LORD CHANCELLOR 'was el opinion,
•
th 4 when a great
,and lagitimate object was in view,
and with respect to it, they were about to confer a
benefit, the prineipla of considering in what way it
would be most satisfactory was very allowable ; and
he thought that his Noble Friend, who was so averse
from wearing shackles upon his own neck, would not
-wish to place theM on those of others.
The first enacting clause being under consideration;
The LORD CHANCELLOR :roved, as an
l'imndrlnnt, that the words 4.4 in matters of fact,'"
be irft _ _ _

After a short expression of concurrence from Lord
GRENVILLE;
• • Earl STANHOPE rose, and as a friend to the
Trial by Jury, generally begged leave to thank the
' Noble and Learned Lord for his Amendment.
Lord GRENVILLE, alter some observations on
: the clause which went to vest an optional.* discre-
• tionary power the court; with respect to such cases
as should be tried by juries, proposed, as an amend-
talent, the ipecikation of certain cases, in which such
node of trial should take place, as personal injuries,
questions of &images, &c.
The LORD cHoicFLLort entered into an
elaborate and profoundly learned discussion of these
'voints, at some length, in the course of which he ad.
vested to the important difference of the Constitution
of the Court of Session in Scotland, and That of
most of the Courts in this Country, the it,trper being
invested both with an equit4depid legal jurisdiction,
'and to the discretionary power vested in the Courts
of Equity in this country, p oticularly that of Chan.
cery, for directing an issue to be tried, pointing out
the material difference between the trial of an issue
'and an action. Upon the whole, viewink the subject
' as he did, he would propose to his Noble Friend,
shat instead of moving his proposition as an Amend.
client to the clause before the Committee, he should
reserve it for a distinct and separate clause, and to
,postpone its discussion for the present.
Lord GRENVILLE, after a few remarks upon
some points which fell from his Noble and Learned
Friend, said he had no objection to write the discus-
sion. He delayed it until the Report, when their
Lordships might have their opinions mote matured
*As to the application of the principle.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE delivered his sen-
timents upon the points at some length : he alluded
to the provisions of former Bills upon the subject be-
fore the House, and observed, that the sense of the
Bar in Scotland was best to be collected from the
meetings in Edinburgh ; and seemed to think the Bill
would be preferable in its present form.
Lords ELLENnonoLett and REDESDALE spoke at
some length on this part of the subject ; and the LORD
CHANCELLOR and the 'Noble CHIEF hjwrlcig spoke re„
peatedly in explanation.
Lord REDESDALE also_ mussed his favour-
able opinion of the Bill as a 'tetia4,prary measure, and
as one calculated to prepare the till:ids Of the, Judges,
of the Bar, and of those who were 'more immediately
to be affected by it, (or a more extensive introduction
of tbs. Trial by Jury in Scotland. •
The Amendment of Lord GRENVILLE was then
seklideirti!.l jupd doe clause was agreed to their
• •
In ism of the subsequent clauses, certain emend.