Star.
London, England, 1820-07-11 00:00:00

THE EVENING STA R

TUESDAY,. JULY 11. 1 W2O.
?MOE Of STOCKS THIS DAY AT QI% O'CLCCK :
%ilk Stock 51811-3 per Cent. Reduee4694 11
S per Cent. Cons. 68) I ex. div.-4 per Ce.,t. es; 17
5 per Cent. 104) I I—Long Antis. 18 146—St:Hp T.re.
11 India I3onds ES 25 pre.—l.xcb. SS. 4s. ss. pre.
IChatnium I—Consolz for ()penult 701 11.

The time for the second reading of the B;11 forte
Divorce and Degradation of the QUEEN, or, in ntlxl
words, for the commencement of her MAJESTY'S tr:4,
has been at length definitively fixed fur the l7ih cf
August. The grounds on which Lord LivEnrern.
moved last night for this postponement, are such ns,
in our judgment, chew it to be both expedient a:-.d
necessary.

In the first place, the Constitutional usage requite
in all questions involving anything of a judicial na-
ture, the att--ndance of a majority. of the Judg2,l
and his Lordship stated, what there can be no &fall
of, that at present, when the Judges are on the eve of
going their Circuits, it would be materially injarioas
to the general interests of the country to demand their
attendance. His Lorckli ip added, and we believe en.ls
equal truth, that thel7th of August is the earliea
period at which they can be spared from their regular
duties. The advantage thus secured to her MAJESty
-is one not to be lightly prized; she will have he:
trial conducted in the presence of men who.e habits
of mind and practical acquaintance Kith the most
effectual means of eliciting truth, must prove a power-
ful barrier against the introduction of *false or cr.:.
' laminated testimonT.
The second reason for the delay is one of stl
greater importance to the interests of tubstantial i,,s.
tice. .It has been wisely resolved, on this occa•it,,n,
not only ,that the House shall depart from the prI;:.
lege which they have on all legislative quest;,
(and this is nothing more) of Noting by proxy, but
that every Member. of the House shall be obliged to
be personally present, from day to, Jay, during the
solemn investigation. The LORD CHANCELLOR is is
send a special summons to every Peer, and attend-
ance is to be enforced. Nothing could be fairer thais
this mode of proceeding, and it is one, of cows;
kir which time is required.
Earl GREY suggested, that in the. meantime her
MAJESTY should be furnished with a specificatiil,t ci
the charges against her, and a list of the witne:(.l
meant to be adduced in support of them. With(); t
these, his Lordship thought thatiter MAJESTY wou!d
not have fair play in preparing for her defence.
Lord LIVERPOOL replied, that this matter Irld
better be brought tinder the consideration of
House by a distiret niotion ; but, at the same tiate,
avowed his'opinion to be, that the specifieatien 'ci
charges and list of witnesses bight ;tor to be furnished
to her MAJESTY, and. in this opinion the LOLID Cis r.
CELLOR concurred. Lord ERSKINE, adopting t:.e
suggestion of Lord ,LivimpooL, afterwards nosed
that this particular branch of the proceeding should
be taken into considetatioh on Friday next, and to
this motion the House agreed.
In what way it can possibly militate against jr.s•
tice, to let her MAJESTY know what she is especially
charged with, and who are the witnesses against her,
we are for ouyselves utterly at a loss to perceive.—
It is confessed, that had theldinisters chosen to have
proceeded against her MAJESTY for High Treason, she
-would have been entitled to . know the names and
places of residence of the parties called to substant;ate
the charges. Surely then she ought not to be de an. d
from an equftable claim to the same indulgence,
cause her prosecutors have chosen to bring her to
trial by a novel'and ultra-legal mode of proceeding.
—As precedent has been totally departed I; om a
the part of the prosecution, so we humbly conceive
that it should be as little regarded in any instancy,
where a strict adherence to it might, even by posi-
bility, prove injurious to the cause of the Illustrioc;
Defendant. This is most assuredly a case in whih
both the parties aught to *scout the very idea of
taleing a verdict by sharp practice.
The course of proceeding which the House cf
Lords has resolved upon is to be communicated both
the Law Officers of the KING, and to those of the
()VEEN. The lc:mad. will, on the 17th of August,
be first hrard'in support of the Bill, after which the
evidence in support of it will be gone into.
Our Readers may 'be curious to know what is to be
done with the late importation of Italians till the trial
,eomeson. The Managers of the prosecution have &.•
posed of them very discreetly. They have re-es-
ported the whole of them to the Continent, to be oat
of harms-way till they are wanted. On Saturday they
were smuggled off to Harwich, and sailed thence as
Sunday, in two packets, bound for Holland.
Now that the accusers of the Quarts have taken
their first step, may it not be worth while to enquire
what. is to be the last ? Suppose the worst. Suppose
the House of Lords pass the Bill of Divorte and De-
gradation—suppose the House of Commons pass it
also—What then? The Lords and the Commons
are but two of the three estates in Parliament.—Who
is the third? The KING.—And who is the Kno?
The Party accuser ; the Party to be. relieved
—What constitutional mind can.look at such a result
without being shocked? And yet, it the matter goes
on in the shape it has begun, to this complexion it must
come 'at last. Suppose farther, that the Bill is passed by
King, Lords, sad Conunots-i-that the Kos were to marry wing
and that there were to he issue of such marriage,-who would of
course claim to exclude she present heirs presumptive to the
Throne. What would be said if these Heirs Presumptive were
to turn round ind my—the Act of Divorce, by which lit
.want to cx:.ll:de its from the succession, was an entire itulilif
—a
moral as well as legal imponihifity--eontrary is spirit sad
form to the principks and practice pf the British Constitution--
a sentence pronounced by the Sovereign in imam- of litimsdil
And in what a predicameht would the country be, were :b.
Legislature for the time to hold that an this was true?

The Paris Papers of Saturday arrived this for'.
noon. There is nothing of interest in their content •
The Chamber of Depaties continues occupied vial
the dry details of the Budget of Ways and Meanc--
Five per Cents. Friday, 79fr. 10c.
For N Intelligsoci, Sport*, Ice. see the list pite•_.

DIED.
Sunday, at Norwood Green Iliddiesex, in the prime of lirn
to the great grief of her family, Sophia, the %%.fe of Tit(w,
Brat:nail, E.q. dauslater of .11fr. John. Robins, of Warwickestte",
(;olden-agnare.,
"I
-
Ll) X 1:(*t . FrY•trd ard ttihiLhed Ly Laval
ha. ft Tseitiv-Ivr,