Star.
London, England, 1819-12-13 00:00:00

"AIRY PJ

r&

HOUSE OF LORDS, DECEMBER 11.
The Royal Assent was given by Commission to die Troia:
ing to Arms Prevention NIL The Commissioates were :—the
LINO Catiseattos, Lord 11111.10T/WIERT, and Lord DIULVILLIL
• HOUSE OF COMMON&
Ths Henn met at three o'clock, but were not summoned by
the Black Rod tIU wetly bor. - Oa inquiring the reuse of the
delay, it appeared that the Lords coohl not proceed to open tits
Commission, inasmuch as no HAG, was In attendanse to read
*rayon. At length one was found by their Lordships' Mown-
get. The prayers being over, the Hack Rod appeared at the
Bar a the Commons, and the fiIitAILICIt attended by several
Members, went to the House of Peers. Oa their return, the
&Lanza informed the House the Royal Assent had bent give.
by Cemmissin to the Training to Arms BBL
- •
PROTESTS IN tHE HOUSE OF LORDS, ONIPHUES.
DAY LAST.
SZDITIOUS LIBEL BILL.

Tt was moved to insert, after the word's' sedition' libels," the
following words with intent to excite his Majesty's subjects
to subvert by violence the Government by law established.'
It was resolved in the negasive.
Disonsiesse-.lst, Becausodbe crime of publishing unlawful
Libels has, nosed* to the pramiet of &ilia Law, embraced
various offences, differing in their nature, as well iu la their de-
grees of criminality, from the wilful sad predetermined guilt of
the actual writer and publisher, to the negligence, and sometimes
even to the inevitable ignorance, of the party wise has been
deemed guilty by coastruednabiniespect of Oh pecuniary inte-
rest in the Publication, or his mere civil relation to the actual
Publisher; and it therefore seems just aed necessary, that when
• discretionary punishment of increased severity is to be enacted,
it should be confined to that species et label which, both in its
natural teaducy and in the motive of the Publisher, exhibit' the
highest degree of malignity. .

Idly, Because the mosteffeetnal, if not the only mode of ac-
complishing this object Is, to introduce !loathe Statute, and con-
sequently into the Indictments or Informations proceeding upon
it, a precise de6Otion of the crime which it is intended to pre-
vent, by the extene/os sAll alteration of the punishment. By
such means alone can Juries, in the brat instance, be apprised of
the particular character of the offence imputed 10 the defendant,
or can the Judge have a certain rule to distinguish the cases in
which his discretionary power is to be exercised.
sdiy, Because, without such exact definition as has been re-
jected, it is possible that Judges, as well as Juries may, upon
different occasions, differ vert widely as to the meaning of the
word " seditious," and thereby introduce into the administration
of a Penal Law an uncertainty, which is at all times act evil,
but which is particularly mischievous when the law is very e
(Signed) VASSALL HOLLAND COWPER
ERSE I NE ROSSLYN
LANSDOWN MINTO •
CA RNARVON LAUDERDALE,
KING AUCKLAND
BEDFORD GROSVENOR
JERSEY THA NET.
It was afterwards moved to omit the word " banishment."
• It was resolved in the negative.
Dissentient-Ist, Because the introduction of banishment in
the present Bill seems to us a wanton and dangerous experiment.
That punishment has been hitherto unknown to the Law of Eng.
land; and, on the present occasion, there has been no proof
*hewn of its necessity, nor due examination bad of its conse-
quences. So material an innovation on a system of usages, Sta-
tues, and maxims, established without reference to any such
punishment, mays by analogies and inferences of law, affect the
rights of the exiles and their descendants, In a manner not fore-
seen by the authors of the Bill, nor In the contemplation of the
Legislature that enacts It.

idly, Because banishment, from its very nature a punishment
of unequal severity, in different cases, may be rendered doubly
so by t►e favour or enmity of the Sovereigns to w►ose dominions
the exiles would most naturally
We doubt the justice of subjecting an Englishman, even when
convicted of a political offence against the Rulers of his own
Country, to the capricious will and arbitrary laws of a foreign
Government; and we question the policy of teaching men of
active spirits and turbulent designs to look to foreign favour fir
the mitigation of their lot, on the miscarriage of their enterprises
at home. Observation of what is going on around as, reflection
on what has taken place in put times, strengthen these conside-
rations. The present situation of Europe affords us no assurance
that the power of one Sovereign nsay not be rendered subser-
vient to the vengeance of another; and the history of free States,
modern as well as ancient, admonishes us, that 'whiles has a
more direct tendency to introduce foreign influence and foreign
interference in the internal affairs of a country, than the banis►-
ment of State delinquents. (Signed)
VASSALL HOLLAND ROSSLYN

ERSKINE
ICING
BEDFORD
JERSEY

COWPER -
LAUDERDALE
THANET
GROSVENOR.