Star.
London, England, 1805-06-28 00:00:00

C^MMITTIt.

Lord gLE.IIIBERVIE reported from the Secret Committee on
certain parts of the Eleventh Report, That they had examined all
fuels Perkins as appeared to tbem to be molt capable of explaining
to them the natureuf the tranfattions alluded to its fuels parts of
the Eleventh Report ai had hem refetvedlo them; ecy had look-
ed Into all filch paperi or documents as appeared to them to be
beg Calculated to elucidate the fubjed • and upon the whdie they
think It is deafly evident that tIIC flan of zoo-pool mentioned' in
the Report which was referred to them for confideration, was ad-
valseed for pusleks perfeely naval ; thavit'etras foadvaneei with
the knewledge of the Firft Latti of the Admiralty ; that there
were at that timegOod and fufficient grounds exiling In public pow
Hey that the particulars of that tranfadlion Cupid not be then dif-
clofed .and that the fame Wakes Rill continue to exift.—.The
Re-
port was ordeied to be laid on the Table, • •
• • • •• • itepeaCuattivr•

Mr. WHITBREAD moved, That- Mr. Ser}eant Bell be added
to the ComMittce appointed to prepare Articles of Impeachment
againft Henry Lord Vikount
The Honourable Member then give notice, that he would to-
mafrovr move for !cave to bring in a Bill to indemnify Mr. Trot-
ter. in cutler to enable h;tn to give evidence in the courik of the
raid Impeachn.ent. ' •
••. • • •
"Itt.iTl4 corn:cuts BILL.
The Bill for retail/tug Minds beeves an full pay, notwith-
Randigg any reduttion which may take place In their Regiment.
refer re 1 to a Committee. .•

was . . .
Col. STANLEY brought up a chute, providing, that In cafe of
a Regiment beidg reduced from t 000 to See, and of the death or
refignation of the Major of fuch Regiment, the Second Limits:Met
Mail rank as Colonel, and Rail have the pay of Major. '
The elaufe was agreed to. The Mae refumed, and the Report
was ordered to be received tomorrow.
SMUGGLING BILL.

Counfel were then heard at the Bar, againli the
At to prevent Smuggling, on behalf of the Jfland
of Guernfey.
Mr. Punasa, the Counfel, addrefied the Houfe at
great length on this fubjed, in which the leading
principles of his argument were, that the Parliament
of the United Kingdom had no right to legiflate in-
ternally for the Iflands of Guernfey and Jetfey ; that
they were not parcel of the realm, but parcel of the
Crown, and de:cendible to the Crown, fo early as the
Conqueft, as appendages of the Dukedom of Nor-
mandy, and that the authority of the Crown in thole
iflands was executed by the King in Council, whofe
precepts were forwarded thither, and being regloltred
bf Ale Governor and Council in each ifland, thus be-
cume. the law, and hence this Parliament had no
more right to legiflate for Guernfey and jerky, than
for Hanover. Mr. Plomer fupported thole points
with great kbility' and elm:pence, and dwelt much
upon the powers eiropored by this Bill, for feizing the
pet fons of the feamen and inhabitants of thole Wands,
for crimes to be made by this law, committed within
the jurifdiaion of the local Government tinder which
they lived, and bringing them prifoners into this
country, to be ttied and ponithed by a Nal& tribu-
nal ;tall which he confidered as violatory to the prin-
ciples of the law of nations.
Counfel being withdrawn,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQWER
rofe, and faid,-"that he bad liaised very attentively
to the fpeech of-the Learned Counfel, and as many
of the points urged'by him wore an air of argument
and novelty that might appear to deferve foMe con-
fideration, he Amid have no objeftion, it' it was de-
finable to Members, to pollpone further proceedings
on the Bill till to-morrow. At the fame time, be
confidered that the-right of a Britifh Parliament to
legiflate for thofe iflands, was. ellablithed by long
ufags, and precedents in number, beyond all poll
ty of doitht. He therefore moved, that the third
reading of the Bill be poftponed till to-morrow.
Mrt WINDHAM role, he laid, with his mind
very ftrengly impreffrd by the very forcible sap-
ments which he had MI heard from the Learned
Counfel at the Bar, many of which, even in a confli-
tutiorral view required very ferious confideration,
and maav which, on the ground of policy, fuggelled
the neeeffity Of proceeding with cautions deliberation,
before 2 taw was adopted creating crimes fubjea to
very revere pundhments, and fuddenly operating too
upon k people to 'whcan it'wnuld be totally new, and
to whom, without fome more reafonable warning, it
would, no doubt, be produeive of many ferious and
vexations embarraments in the way of their trade.
Revenue was certainly a good thing for a Minifter
to look to; andlmuggling was a very great evil,
which required 'the greited vigilance and exertion
for its prevention; but in this cafe there were other
con fiderations alin to be looked to; and firlt, whether
this Bill could be fairly conlideted as a conftitittional
infringement ups the alledgett independence of thole

• 1.4

Viands inhabited eerteinly by a people of a very al`•
dint fpirit, and who had loog,manifeßed their loyalty
and attachment to this realm, and to whom, perhaps,
at this particular crills„ it might not be altogether
wire to give any feafible caute of irritation, by the
palling a law which could not fail to operate vera-
vtehea pn eyOvpeler yornPeeithdoYrn it would
ate, and
thet i ou
motives
fel waswthoi
chha,
operate, bad pot fully or fairly before them ; and, fe-
fta thore
inands,m
condly, whether in grafping at money, we might
not rifk the lots of the itiands. He was not going-10
q
this moent the right of the counts to
ieugied
fliteil fora t
the right of the &ring over
the weak. It was to the prudence of the proceeding
at this particular crifis that his doubts were diiefterf,
He took Blame tb histfelf, that he had not attended
to the previous progsith of the Bill, but he thought
the objections to it %.-ere in no intonlideirble degree
increafed, by the propofed law being brought in as a
claufe io another Bill, intlead of being, as it ought, a
diainft meafure, and being brought forward at In
late a period in the Sefton. He was glad, however,
the Right Hon. Gentleman had agreed to poßpone
proceeding, but thought it *paid be to a more
diftant day.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER an-
(were& th'at with iefpeet to the right of a Britillt
Parliament to legifiate for thofe ifland•r, no doubt
whatever could exifl, as the right hid been eflablith.
ed tint; immemorial by ufage and precedent. He
did not feel it oeceffary to go quite fa far back, as the
Learned Connie' in tracing the queßion. ant it
would be found, on recurring to the Rolls of Parlia. •
mew, in the reign of Edward lII.' and-to the ft&
tutee of Qteen Anne, that 'the British Parlinment
bad paffenaws impofing duties on, and mimetic
kgiflating internally for thofe Ulan& That the as
of Habeas Corpus, in the reign of Charles 11. a-
tended its operations to thofe Mends by name, in the
fame manor-, as in this cenntry,• and that eis AA of
the sd of George IL impoted a fixpenny duty on
(hips in their ports, for the (import of Greenwich
Hofpital, to be colleaed by oacir; within that
,iflatids and here again was internal legiflation.-:
The Aft of Settlement alto annexed thole glands to
the Brig* dominions, and reqUired that ail civil and
military °liters within thofe Winds, flienikl take the
oaths of allegiance to the'Briti* Crown therefore
thequeftion of 'legit:leave righeirait put heyotid all
donbt. was aware of the Hon. atwitter,*
obferva. don, as to the ardent fpirit of the inhabitants
of thofe Mande ; that one was'mare jealous than the
othei of its ariflocratical dignity, on the grointd of
high defcent, and that the other might feel j,eafonfy
on the (core of4bat they called the rights of fair
trade; a very different confltoaion, however,fot that
fpecies of commerce, from whit it urually.bore in this
country. However, it would not be dented, that re
venne was a matter of moil materiel coufideration to
:this
country in the midft of a war ; end when it was
:remembered, that the lots of revenue ote• ationed-to
the country by the fmnggling trade, carried on
through the medititn of thole itiands, was not trivial,
but enormous, be trailed the Haute would feel the
neteftiy of adopting effenuai eltecks for reducing the
commerce of thofe Wands to the fame controul with
all the other branches of his Majefly's dominions.—
Tint the meafure had not been threaded (nosier was
trot hisfault : it was introthiced early in the &Mon,
and printed atioie a month ; there was a petition
againil it hefoie the Houfe for a confiderable time,
and the parties were at liberty to come forward by
their Counfel, if they had fo thought fit, in any former
Rage of the bill, without waiting to the very lea Rage.
Mr. GREY coincided in' the objections of Mr.
Windham, and laid, there was one point urged by
tire Cootie', which Rruck him as a circemilincefor
very mature tonfideration ; namely, that of bringing
perfons front within the jurifdi&pn of their own
Laws and Government for crimes created by this bill.
and trying them before a Britifit Court and jury.---:
He would admit that finuggling was there carried on
to a moil mirchievoul extent. He li-red OA a part of
the coaft where be had opportunities' of knowing the
fat; but he thought it *bald be wife to try if the evil
could not be cheesed by other meant; without retort-
ing to a meafure of this nature. Were it in time of
peace, the only effed would moll probably be IA
transfer the trade now carried on at thee ;Rands to
the French coaß ; but in'a peridd of war. and whet
thefe iflands were to this cotintry-fe'viluable as a
commercial medium, no ri*s esoold be run of a1.:4
infinitely greater than any benefit to be derived
through the operation of this bill. - •
Mr. FELLOWS alma reedit was a (tram 411; but
k was admitted by all who bell knew the extent of
the evil, that nothing but a thong meafure could
check it.
Mr. STURGES BOURNE thought it rather s
(*range argument to offer to a Brlligh Parliament; that
the independence of thofe Wands was lets injured by
being governed under the more arbitrary principle of
edies from the King in Council, than under the eon-
Ritutional proteftion of a Bridal Parliainent.' With
refpeB to the obfervation of the Honourable Member
who fpoke lan but one, namely, the bringing perfons
out of the jurifdietion of Guernfey and Jerky to be
tried in England for crimes committed within that
jorifdiaion, it was by no means intended by this Bill;
and if the claufe was thought to be worded fo as to
conirty that meaning, it would certainly be modified,
for it was meant that all crimes committed within
thole jurifdiEtions (hould be alto tried there.
• The third reading was deferred till tomorrow.
The Houfe went through a Committee on the
8,c00,0001. Exchequer Bulb Bill. Repert to.morrow.
In a committee on the 5,000,0001. Exchequer
Bills Bill. • •
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER ex-
plained; that by a miflake in the wording of the Bill
of gall year, the. Bank was not anthorifed to iffue the
money, except in the cafe of atual invation ; but, as
that evidently was not the intention of the AB, and
the mono lied beetsobtained ; he moved an ;party-
lino to • Committee, " That they fhould have
power to infest a chide of' indemnity for the Direr
sore of the Bank"—which being agreed to, the re-
port, as well as that an the I,ecso,oool. Exchequer
Bills' Bill, was ordered to be received tomorrow.
Mr. HUSKIISSON brought in a Bill for confoli-
dating the prOvifions of different 4Cts of 2arliament,
• relative in the appointment of Co: manners of
Taxes in Scotland alto; a Bill for appointing add'-
, tionalCommiffioners for auditing the public accounts.
Read a sir a time, and ordered to be read a fawn!
• time to-morrow.—Adjourned.