Star.
London, England, 1818-03-05 00:00:00

►he course adopted by the Chancellor of the Exche- I
quer in opposing the Motion. An inquiry was all
that was wanted. If there was any portion of the
papers which, consistently with the public service,
ought not to be destroyed, they need not be touched.
But the Right Honourable Gentleman acted in a way
very incons►stent with his usual candour with respect
to this Motion, and he could not help imputing the
opposition which he now gave to it as originating in
a m►stake in some other quarter. The Right lion.
Gentleman sent the Secretary of the Treasury to him
(Mr. Brougham) to ask what was to be the nature of
his motion? Upon which he put into that Honour-
able Gentleman's hands a copy of the Motion itself,
which very copy was carried across the House, and
put into the hands of the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, who, he was told, said that he did not object
to a Committee. When he was informed of this, he
told many of his friends that the sense of the House
could not be taken on the Motion, as it was to be
agreed to. As those Honourable Members were in
consequence not now present, and as he knew they
would wish to testify their opinions upon the subject
by their vote, he felt it his duty to adjourn the de-
bate upon this Motion till Tuesday next.
Mr. LAMBTON bore testimony to the truth of the'
.statement of his Honourable Friend (Mr. Brougham)'
respecting the communication of a copy of his motion.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
he had no objection to the postponing of the present
motion. It was very true, as stated by the Honour-
able and Learned Gentleman (Mr. Brougham), that
he had communicated a copy of his motion to him.
But what he said on that occasion was, that a Motion
for a Committee would be less objectionable than if
it were in another form ; and that he did not oppose
the motion if it were put off till a Committee was
amicably appointed. To this the Honourable and
Learned Gentleman refused to accede ; then of course
he (Mr. Vansittart) conceived the negociation to be
entirely broken off.
Mr. BROUGHAM certainly' understood that it was
not intended to oppose the motion.
Mr. LAMBTON wished the House to observe, that
the Chancellor of the Exchequer did not oppose the
Motion for a Committee, until he understood it was
to be composed of a majority against himself—(Loud
laughterfrona the. Ministerial Benches.)
The debatessiai thed adjourned till Tuesday.

" meet 110 NS,. •
L;eedl
Alderman WOOD Presentedra Petition from
in Yorkshire, against a Bill of Indemnity, and pray-
ing for the impeachment of Ministers. It Trued
likewise for Parliamentary Reform, and staked, that
without a radical reform in their " then would-be
honourable House," the Petitioners would not have
it in their power to pay taxes.—Ordered to be laid on
the table: He then presented a Petition from the
Town of Birmingham, as the petition of 20,000 in-
dividuals, and signed, in their name, by George Ed-
Monds, their chairman. The petition prayed for Re
form, complained of the conduct of spies and in-
former?, who, like Satan, went about seeking whom
they Might devour, and entreated the House to stand
between a despotic Ministry and an enslaved people.
Ordered to be laid on the table, and to be printed.
Sir M. W. RIDLEY presented a Petition from
twenty persons, inhabitants of Newcastle, praying
for Reform in Parliament, and that no Bill of In-
demnity to Ministers might be passed this Session.-
-Read, and ordered to lie on the table,