Star.
London, England, 1821-05-24 00:00:00

PARLMNENTAR Y PROCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS MAY sz.

Mr. Tavnto, from the Customs, laid h-fore the House an Ac-
anent of the quantity of Manufactured Silk exported from
Great Britain durlog the last twenty-our years; and also an Ac-
count of the 9,..autity of Wines exported ; these being the Re-
turns moved for on a former day by the • arquis of LANSDOWX.
Mr. MASON, from the India House, presented the Account of
Documents, Charges, and Payments of the East India Com-
pany for the last year.
A Report was brought up from the Committee on the High-
land Roads Bill, by the Earl of CALEDON, and agreed to.
The Attornies' and Solicitors Regulation Bill, and the Sale
of Bread Regulation 8111, were brought up from the Commons,
and read a first time.

ATles;age"--fro.m—tke Commons informed the Dottie that they
bad ;greed to the Amendments made by their Lordships in the
Court of Sessions and Court of Admiralty Bills.
The Timber Duties Bill was, on the motion of Earl BATROUT,
read a third time, and passed.
The &eam Engine Smoke Consumption Bill was reported.—
' Adjourned.
HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The House proceeded to ballot for a Committee to try the
right of Election In the Borough of Petersfield. The following
Members were elected;
Mr. J. Phillips, Mr. T. Wilson, Sir G. Cockburn, Mr. IL
Gainey, Mr. J. Wharton, J. R. Phillips, Mr. J. Bailey, Mr.
R. Claimer, Mr. W. A. Johnson, W. L. Hughes. Mr. W.
Holmes, Mr. G. Gipps, Mr. B. S. Cooper, Lord Folkston,
Mr. Charles Tennieon. _ _

Ms. D. BROWNE brikught in his Bill for regulating the In•
land Navigation in Ireland.—Read a first, and ordered to be

read a second time.

Mr. CHETWYNDR presented a Report from the Com-
mittee sitting on the Vagrant laws, and gave notice, that he
would to-morrow move for leave to bring in a Bill to amend
those Laws.

Dr. PHILLIMORE presented a Report from the Limerick
Commktee, appointed to inquire into the right of Election for
the City of Limerick. The Report stated, that the Committee
had determined that the right of Election was vested in the
Freemen and Freeholders of the said City and County ; and that
the sons of Freemen, persons marrying the daughters of Free-
men, and persone having served an apprenticeship of seven year.
to Freemen, were entitled to their freedom in the said City
and County.
Mr. DENMAN presented a Petition from the Farmers of
Nottinghamshire, praying an inquiry into the Adulteration of
Clover Seed; and another Petition, on the same subject, from
the Seed Merchants of the Town of Nottingham.—Laid on
the table.

Mr. F. BUXTON, on the part of Mr. Courtenay, postponed
to the 6th of June, his notice of Motion relative to the Amerl..

can Loyalists.
Mr. WILBERFORCE gave notice that he would, on the
31st instant, submit a Motion to the House, founded on certain
papers which had been some time on the table, on the subject
of the Slave Trade.

Mr. HUME gave notice, that he would, on the 7th of June,
submit a motion to the House on the subject of the present Go.
vernment of the lonian Isles; and on the 12th of June, be
would submit a motion for an humble Address to his Majesty,
on the subject of the present heavy Expenditure, and urging the
necessity of a considerable reduction in the Army.
Mr. HUTCHINSON postponed the notice of motion on
the subject of the present state of Europe, which stood for yes-
terday, to Friday.
Lord MILTON said, souse time agn an lion. Friend of his
submitted a mutton to the House, on the subject of the Agri-
cultural Horse Duty. He wished now to know if it was the
intention of any Hon. Member of the Agricultural Committee
to propose the repeal of that Tax ?
Mr. CUR WEN was sorry he did not see the Chairman of
the Agricultural Committee in his place. He now, however,
gave notice, that if the Chairman did not give notice of a mo-
tion on the subject, he would himself, on Monday, bring the
matter under the consideration of the House.
Sir J. MACKINTOSH presented a Petition from Binning.
ham, on the subject of the Criminal Laws ; and in doing se, re-
quested his Noble Friend to postpone a motion of his which stood
for to-day, on the subject of the Criminal Laws of Tobago.
Lord NUGENT was most reluctant to put his motion off,
but would do so, in hopes that by adopting that course, be
should enable his Hon. and Learned Friend to pass hit Dills
through the House.

CONSTITUTIONAL ASSOCIATION'.
Mr. BROUGHAM said, that as a Petition was at
present before the House relating to the state of the
Criminal Laws, he should take the opportunity of
making a few observations upon what he considered
to be an unprecedented breach of the practice of
those laws. He alluded to what was called " The
Constitutional. Association," which, he contended, •
assumed a power which was a direct inroad upon the
offices of t7ie Attorney and Solicitor-General, without
retaining any of their responsibility, or being capable
of exercising any of that necessary discretion which
their knowledge of the laws of the land enabled those
Officers to call to their aid, in prosecuting offences
against the Chinch and State. He did not mean to .
assert that such an Association was decidedly illegal,
after the numerous Associations which had been
known to exist for the eafoicing of the laws in pard-
cular cases. But the practice of such Associations
had always hitherto been to confine themselves to
the prosecution of felons, and peculiar and odious
crimes, such as had come under, the cognizance of
the Society for the Suppression of Vice. Even that
Society encountered at first considerable opposition,
and there were many who dethted its propriety. lie
confessed he had been himself amongst the latter
number, upon principle, although be was now willing
to allow, that much good had been done in the prac-
tice of the Society, because their operations had been
confined to the prosecution of odious offences, such
as the exposure of obscene prints, and attacks upias
religion. But this new Association had commenced
by an endeavour to put down. political writings ;• and
that without having any responsibility for the pro-
ceedings which they thought proper to undertake.—
The persons who acted for them were obscure—en-
tirely unknown; covering themselves, however, with
the mass of names which appeared as the suppliers
' of the funds, but many of whom were, he was con-
vinced, wholly misinformed as to the objects to which
those funds were to be applied. There were some
personages appearing among the mass;•to whom he
begged to address the language of expostulation.—
They must have entered
_nu m.-Mach an Association
without knowing its real objects; thus lending the
sanction of their great names to what he was sure
they must eventually repent, because it would go to
the destruction of those sound Constitutional prin.
ciples which they openly professed. He would put
the following case:—Supposing a person was found
supporting such an Association as tht.., who sup.
I ported also what he believed to be high Constitutional
ptinciples,in other words, supposing that person-to

I

be what viNs called a conscientious Tory, he would
ask him only to look at the difficulties and restraints
' udder Which he would nt once lay all his own prin-
ciples and political operations? There might he cases,
and indeed he could very readily conceive such cases,
where a Government might not think, it politic to in-
dict the most gross libels, although they were plainly
indictable and sure of conviction. But who were to
exercise the discretion in such cases? A Bridge-
street Society ?—(llear,hear).—A feW Lawyers, un-
known to the Public, bent on taking care of the
funds of that Society, by turning them into parch-
ment, reckless of the wishes, the opinions, or the
principles of those wo had subscribed them?—
(Hear, hear).—Were A`ch men, or was the Attor-
ney-General to exercise that discretion, and to take,
that responsibility attached to political power, which
many had looked upon as being too heavy for any
individual whatever to bear? NOW, however, such
persons as these, under the shadow of a name-
-44 The Co:lstitutional Association"—but in reality
only deriving consequence from the names of some
of the subscribers, were to usurp this power with-
out affording any security or responsibility whatever.
He had said that some most worthy and respectable
persons were to be found amongst the number of
those who furnished the funds to this Society.—
He believed that every one of these had been drawn
in and deceived, under the idea that the prosecutions
mere to be directed against a particular class of of
principally those relating to religion. It
was very natural that they should feel anxious to
punish such offences; and he, for one, looked upon
them with disgust, as far as the contempt he felt
would allow him. But even upon the policy of such
prosecutions there was much to be said. He would
much rather see offences of that nature liable to
prosecutions by the Crown, than by such an associa-
tion as this. The distinctions in peculiar sects, and
the range allowed by the law to theological inquiry
and disputes, created difficulties which ought to be
subject to the experience and legal knowledge of the
law authorities. Among the subscribers, there ap-
peared the names of forty Peers of the realm, who
were the Judges in the last resort. There was no
case, and particularly in cases of libel, in which they
might not in the last resort, be called upon to exercise
the judicial character—(llear, hear). If the subject
had struck those Noble personages in this light, he was
sure their names never would have appeared in such
a place. He had thought it his duty to mention this
circumstance, hoping that the House and the Pifblic
would altogether discountenance the Society. He
did not think there was any remedy against it, ex-
cept putting it down. Counter-Associations to pro-
secute writers on the other side would only be a

temporary and ineffectual remedy, and the end would
be, if both were persisted in, to destroy political dis-
cussion altogether.—(Hear, hetri).
A Message came dcw•n from the Lords, stating that their
Lordship* had agrcud to the Timber Duties and other Bills.
RESCUE OF PRISOWERS.
Mr. BENNET I', pursuant to notice, moved for
leave to bring in a Bill fur the better preventing the
rescue cf pri,oners. By the common law of the land,

a person rescuing another was subject to undergo the
punishment attached to the crime of which the per-
son rescued was accused ; but then the rescuer was
entitled to his Clergy; and theiefore, however atro-
cious the crime of the accused, the rescuer was only
subject to be punished for misdemeanour. Now, he
should propose, to make all attempts at rescue, even
before commitment, a punishable offence. t was
possible that a Police Officer might be assaulted and
beaten in a dreadful degree, yet Lord Ellenborough's
Act would not tttach to him, unless he was wounded
with a sharp in,trittneat. Here was also a case in
which a Police Officer might be so beaten as to die
of his wounds, and yet the offender escape with a
attdict of Manslaughter; and, as the law now stood,
a Police (nicer might be so beaten as to bring him
to Oct verge of the grave, and yet the person who
thus assaulted him escape on an indictment for an
assault, with a punishment of a twelve months im-
prisonment at most. These cases, he considered,
sfiould be remedied ; and he would now ask leave to

bring in a Bill with that view, under the title of " A
Bill for the better preventing the Rescue of Prisoners."
The SOLICI'f Olt-GENER AL would not oppose
Ore Bill being brought in, though he considered the
Hon. Member wrong in the opinion lie bad formed,
that a man rescuing a felon would only be guilty of
a misdemeanour. Ile considered the law different.
Leave was given to bring in the Bill.
CRIMINAL LAWS.

Sir JAMES MACKINTOSH then moved the Or-
der of the Day for the House going into a Com-
mittee on the Forgery Punishment Mitigation Bill.
On the question for the SPEAKER leaving the Chair,
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said, it was with
reluctance he opposed the motion; but although he'
was alive to the feelings of humanity which had
introduced the present Bill, his public duty compel-
led him to resist it. It was, however, a satisfaction
to know that this question would be discussed upon
general principles, and totally unconnected with all
party feeling—Wear, hear). The only question here
was how we could best consult the feelings of huma-
nity as connected with the safety of the Public. This
Bill originated out of a Report of last Session on the
state of the Criminal Laws, and he could not, there-
fore, on this occasion, forbear to advert to that Re-
port ; and he must take the liberty of saying, that
nceone could possibly look at that Report and not see
that it was a partial one, founded principally on the
evidence of persons who were decidedly hostile to
capital punishment. The whole evidence taken be-
fore the Committee was of that complexion ; as per-
sons, feeling different sentiments were not ready to
give evidence, and would not voluntarily appear be-
fore the Committee to state their sentiments, unless
forced to do so. He had also to complain that the
Report was not drawn with proper care; for, after
having stated that a Bill had passed the House on
the subject of privately stealing, that was correct : it
then went on to state that two other Bills bad passed
the House for repealing the Statute for privately
stealing in a dwelling-house to the amount of forty
shillings. Now, no such Bill had passed the House,
nor did the law of England know of any such of-
fence as privately stealing in a dwelling-house to the
amount of lofty shillings. Again, it stated, that a
Bill had been passed regarding privately s;ealing on
board of ships in navigable rivers; no such Bill
could have been passed, because the law of England