Star.
London, England, 1816-05-23 00:00:00

HA3EAS-CORPU9 ACT AMENDMENT BILL

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE prefaced Vs
'motion for their Lordships going into a Committee
on this Bill with a short but comprehensive speech.
He described the object of the Bill to be to render
more efficacious and beneficial that salutary statute,
derived from the best principles of Magna Charm,
upon Which so much of the personal-libeity of the
subject depended, namely, the Habeas Corpus Act.
..The way in which the Bill went to effect this was
principally, first, by enabling the Judges to issue out
writs of Habeas Corpus in vacation time ; and, se-
, enndly, authorising them to inquire into the facts
alledged in the respective cases. The Roble Marquii
adverted to some cases, in which, from the want of
opinion of such a nature, the individuals concerned
were for a time, at least; deprived of the whole be.
ntfit of the Act: He trusted their Lordships would
assent to go into the Committee, in which stage the
',Bill could receive such amendments as were deemed
advisable, and concluded by moving accordingly. •
Lord ELLENBOROUGH would not 'oppose
.going into the COMmittee, but believed the object his
Noble Friend had in view might be attained by the
adoption of only a part of the Bill ; but •to render
the measure fit for the concurrence of their Lord-
ships, it Would require some very Material amend-.
meet'. With respect to she instances adverted to
by the Noble Marquis, and which teemed to render'
Legislative interposition necessary, he must say, that
in the whole course of the fourteen years he had the
case
to fill his present situation, but one solitary-
case had come to his knowledge.. - ' • •
The House then resolved into aCommittee cethe
Bill, when several 'amendments were pt*std. by
Lord ELLENBORoUOii, and which, after' con:
versation between his Lordship, the Noble Marquis,
the Lien Cuawcar.tott, and Lord HOLLAND, were
agreed to by the Committee,, and the House re-
suming, ordered the BM, et amended, to be in.
grossed.

•.
CORO/MRS' /111. L. •
The Marquis of BUCKINGHAM rose to move
the third reading of this Bit). and previous/ made
a few: obsertations on the subject. He descnbe4 the
nature and importance of the office of Goroner,whieb,
in point of rank, was next to the Sherif of the
County. The present scale of their anolasents
[having been rardated so long ago as thitly ba the

The Earl of EGREMONT offered a •variety of
objections to the measure as it .hen pres:.nted isself to
their Lordships. He had. no ri,l) whatever to de-
prive the Coroners of a dile remuneration 'for that
services. He strongly objected to the consideration
.of:the Bill's having come up from the Cominons as ,
st prifate 13111, when nothing in 'his mind could be
cliarer than that it was a public Bill. • Neither *did
hi seem to think the office of Coroner one of that ins-
portauce which some appeared to think. In• Scotland
the practice had greatly fallen into disuse, and no
inconvenience seemed to result Arent it. Nor could
he. avoid observing, that in cases of suici4e, the ver.
diets of the Coroners'. Juries were almost invariably,
u of lunacy." The measure -was one which 'he
thought
.required flirther consideration, and to be
better known' and toptidered among the Magistratei
in'the County. His wish was, that. the present Bill
might be. rejected,' 'with an underitanding that the
subject S.vould be brought fofward early in the neat
Session of Parliament. The Noble Earl concluded
by moving,.that the Bill be read _a third time. that
day sir months.
44d. ELLENBOROUGH
,concurred in much
of what had fallen tronethe Noble Earl, and depie:-
cited the idea of a Bill which went to tit all thereat
properly in the kingdom, being for a moment re-
garded as a private Act. He disapproved of, certain
parts of the Bill, particularly as relative to certain
of the allowances pioposed to be made to Coroner',
and pointed out some parts of the Bill whicb he
deemed it would be advisable to omit.
The LORD CHANCELLOR was decidedly a(
opinion that the Bill was a public one.
The Marquis of BUCspoke at some
length, ih esplanation ; 'as did the Earl of t GR.II-
- briefly.
Earl STANHOPE made.a few remarks of a ten-
dency favourable to the B;11, and answered the lead-
ing objections of the Noble E4ll Egrcmott)
with respect to the idea he szetned to entertairt that
Coroners' Inquests rather encouraged than prevented
suicides. He. Observed that the 'objeCt of the' inqui-
sition was ,not to prevent suicide, but to ascertain'.
whether or not the party was not killed by some other '
person. The duties of Coroners he considered as of
beneßcial importance.
Lord HOLLAND approved of the system of the
Coroner's Inquisitions, as an ancient and salutary in-
stitution, and closely connected with.the popular part
of 'our Constitution. The Bill so sent up, on the
fact of its being ascertained a public orie, may justi..
fiably be
.amended in its progress through that
House ; and deeming that the measure was one
which required further and More deliberate consis;e-
ration, he,should vote for the Amendment.
The Earl of HARROWBY.thought the most de.
sirable way upon. the whole, would. be to discharge
tire order for the third reading of the Bill, and then,
refer it to a Comenittee of the whole House, treatiqg
'it therein in every sense as a public Bill.. The Noble
Earl then moved to that effect.
Earl FITZWILLIAM btlppnrted the Motion A.
his Ni.ble Friend fur the rejection of the present
The Eat' of LIVERPOOL approved of the idea,
suggested by Are Lind Presidem, and thought
.its
*Mild be very hard upon the parties concerned were
tbe.whole business put off to another Session.
Committee of the whole House, they could best con-
sider. wkat amelioration the pusent measure was Ca-
pable of.
The Earl of EGREMONT.spoke in farther:ex-
planation. After which a division took place on his
Lordship's Motion—
'Conteets, 1.9-Alet Contents; 22—Majority. against
potting off the pill foe six months, 9.
The Bill was then ordered to be ,referred to a,
Consniittet of the whole House, to sit on Monday.
• On the re-admission of strangers, we found
LOrd HOLLAND Addressing their tgrdships an,
the &object of. the Shop-lifting Bill, of which he had
'moved the second reading. The Noble Lord's re-
marks were a recapitulation of those which were of-
fered in support of the measure, when on former oc-
casions it was before the Holise.
The LORD CHANCELLOR and Lord &Lamm:mown.
strongly opposed it, chiefly on the ground of its
proposing an injurious alteration of a long established.
and necessary law.
After.a short explanation from Lord HOLLAND.
The.question was put, when the second reading
of the Bill was negatived without a division; and
afterwards a !notion of. the &ORO CHANCELLOR'S" ,
thit the. Bill be read 'a second time this day three
months, was aireed!o.—Adjourned.
HOUSE 'OF COMMONS;
Mr. MARRYAT presented a Petition from the Ship Owners , .
and Under Writers of she Port of London, in favour of the W..
terford Harbour El& Ordered to Ile on the Table.
• Mr. GRATTAN presented. a Petition from the Brewers ert
Dublin, prayisog relief. Ordered to lie on the Table. .
'General MATHEW presented a Petition from the Noblemen ,
sad *Gentry of Tipperary, in favour of the Waterford Harbour
Bill; as also one to the same effect from Carrick-911.SW*. Ore'
dared to Ile on the TAU.

.

-Aiiiititian was presented. from .tbs Tanners and Corriere 4
farritiodv, praying that the Resolutions now in tome may be cob.
dejog, ordered to be refeired to the COminittee on the Lea. ,
the Tea.
A pew Writ was ordered for the Borough et Monmouth, for
dusting a Daiwa to aerve In the present Parliament, te<ths
items of Lard WORCHTILI, Wbo since bus rearn bad accepted.
dieshaadon of one of the Comitissioiiem appointed to aseilli•
the case of Lord High Admiral of Ragland.
Os the third madlig of the Hightray Sitreyore Bill,
Mr.CALIWARIIIT apposed the MB, and moved as ilk

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