Star.
London, England, 1803-03-18 00:00:00

1310030°0

The Marine
nrciinary Service • 7c,000,0x)
Eisaoidivary Service 56,000.c0s
r 26,000,c 00

Tnc trreil Ay Negociations
la r-fcr►c

Total - 5 89j00,000

PARLMMENTAIir PRuCEEDINGS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, THURSDAY, MARCH 17.

Their Lordfhips fat for force time in a Committee of Privi•
leg-s, from which, as ufual, Strangers were excluded. The
Lihjedt of their Lord(hips' deliberations, we underftassdovas
the Irifh Peerage, and more efpecially the cafe of Vircount
Limerick, one of the Reprefentative Peers of Ireland, and
lately promoted to the dignity of an Earl of that Kingdom.—
The Report was ordered is be taken into confideration on
Monday.
The Earl of RADNOR and Lord RoLLI were fworn and
took their feats. _ _

The Bills before the Houk were forwarded in their refpec-
tive Rages.
The Loan CVA SCE'. Loa adelreffed thrir Lordffiips at confi-
dent& length, relative to the frith Appeal Caufe, Lloyds v.
Gaudy. After cnnfidering the fubjcet in various I.•ral points
of view, in which he difplayed his ufual ability and profound
erudition, hr moved that the farther confideration at the cafe
be poßponed till Monday next, which was ordered accordingly.
- On the quellion for the fecond reading of the
VII for the Relief of certain Infolvent Debtors,

The Marquis of SLIGO role, and made fome ob-
fervatic.ns on tLe Bill which few, we believe, of
thofe below the bar, were able to overhear. The
o►jeft of the obfervations of the Noble Marquis
we were, however, enabled to coiled from a claufe
which he wilhed to be introduced into the Bill.—
The effect of this claufe was to exclude from
the benefits of the Bill all perfons who are con-
fined for the non-payment of damages awarded
in cafes of the feduaion of a wife, a filler, or a
fervant.

The Lott:X[4.o4c ELLOR, as the 1710 ft EltififilaOry
explanation to the Noble Marquis, read a claufe
from the Bill as it now flood, %%loch fully anfwer.
ed every purpnfe which was in view. The noble
Lord thought it proper to allude to a eircumflance
si Lich applied to other Bills of the fame nature.
In the anticipation of a Bill of Indemnity many
perfons voluntarily fubmitred to imprifon.nent,
who under other circumflances might have been
in a (hate of enlargement. This was a fort of
fiatid which he sr as fore noble Lords would agree
eniyht to be cat chilly guarded againfl by the Le-
giflatitte. Ile thought it incumbent on him now
therefore to fay, th ,t when the time came for fix-
hag, the time to whiah the Biil was to extend, he
move that the pet when it fhould take
eff-ct Ihutild he fn fir hack as to defeat any drata-
gems of this nature.
Lord Ei.t. RGRnu,N o.lve notice that he flulirld
in a future flag: of the 'Bill take an opportunity
of ptopofing kvcral other claufes, exti.nding the
(cope of the exceri,rs. Ile explained gtt.erally,
that the tendt.tvy of there exceptions be to
Prevent all polons n.‘w in c,.nfinement for da-
mages in ddiet offences being excluded from the
benefit of the A.

Lord ALI-A.:try fta,c..! i: was ncccfrary for the
public to undo Rand, tli.it tlinAgh the MO had in
tar ads- arced that it was not a matter 4 neceffil
that it thould pars during the prefent fefron, the
13::1 W3S one Vi fq important a nature that it ought
to Fr) IA fore 11.-: Public m :is perfeet a 11:.0.e as poi-
At prefent many important arnzadments
wet e ncceierv.
Ti.e was then real a fecond time.
fcc,nd itading of 11. c hall Chalking ,A 0
ti,•:ng in
Al. AND rldt: to make a very lt.tr oh-
Ili V A Lions qn :Lc -.C..: (1:1 cut L cart to E...

into detail on the Ithjea, but confidered it Ms;
duty to allude to the difference which the Bill
went to eflahlifh betwixt the criminal laws of the
two parts of the United Kingdom. A difference
of this kind was in every cafe to be de,precated,
but more efpecially when it regarded the criminal
laws of the country. Some delay, therefore, in
proceeding to the Committee on the Bill might be
defirable, to enable their Lord/ups to confider how
far it might be expedient to extend the provifions
of the Bill to this country.
The Archbilhop of Dont corprofeffed hisinability
to form an opinion how far the extenfion to which
the noble Lord alluded might he applicable to the
circumftances of this country ; but of its neceflity,
as far as Ireland was corn crned, no one acquainted
with the (late of that part of the United kingdom
could doubt for a moment. In this country the
' crime was of rare occurrence, and therefore it
might he a matter of doubt how far policy would
lugger the propriety of making a general enaa-
ment on the lubjea. No man, however, could
have lived twelve months in Irelandwithout being
' convinced that it was effential to the fafety of the
peaceable part of the community.
The LORD CHANCELLOR called the attention of
their Lordfhips to a point which was entitled to
particular attention. He had more than once had
occafion to advert to the mode in which Bills of
the moll important kind were introduced into that
Houle. The fecond reading was not preceded, as
it certainly ought to be, with refpeft to Bills whole
g!neral nature was not underftood, by a (hart
explanation of their objel, but as a mere matter
-of courfe. This obfervation, in the prefent in-
:fiance, was fuggefted by the title of the Bill. It
was irititled, a Bill for the more effeaual preven-
tion of Lhalking, a praftice, of the nature of which
he profeffed his ignorance, and he believed many
other noble Lords would acknowledge the fame
ignorance. It was certainly the duty of thole who
were employed in introducing the Bill, to have
given this explanation, and thereon he took this
opportunity of alluding to a general ground of
complaint. His Lordfirip agreed with the noble
Lord who began the difcuflion, that it was highly
defirable to have as little difcordance as pollible
betwixt the criminal laws of Ireland and this coun-
try, but gave no decided opinion how far the
extenfion might be neceffary.
Lord CARLETON gave a fhort (ketch of the cir-
cumftances which rendered the prefent Bill necef-
fury. The praCtice which it was defigned to pu-
nifh was one which, at the time when the Aft was
framed, had become highly alarming, and it was
to counteraa fo ferious an evil, that it.was origi-
nally fubmitted to the Trifh Parliament. About
two years ago it had expired, but at the prefent
moment it had again appeared neceffary to renew
it. He agreed with the Noble and Learned Lord
who (poke lail, that the title of the Bill was not
one very intelligible in this country, where the
praaice from which it was derived, was almoll un-
known. In Ireland, however, the praaice Was
unfortunately too well known, and the title was
one univerfally underftood. He profeffed himfelf
not in poffelfion of fuch a knowledge of the exifting
circuinfiances of the country, as to be able to judge
of the expediency of the extenfion.
Lord ELLINSOROVOH Caw very powerful rea-
fons for Tome improvement in the criminal law of
this country, fo far as affaults, with intent to corn.
mit murder, were concerned. He alluded parti-
cularly to the cafe of a trial at the Old Bailey (the
trial of two men for cutting and maiming a man
near Hammerfmith, tried at one of the late fel.
fions), where, under circumftances of the greateft
atrocity, the capital part of the indiament was
done away, becaufe the crime of the prifoners did
not come within the meaning of the Mt under
which they were tried. He was defirous, there-
fore, that their Lordfhips might have an oppor.
tunity of confidering how far the extenfion of the
Mt to this country might be defirable. flis Lord-
!hip adverted particularly to the manner in which
the Bill was framed. There was a great deal of
fupei fluity of expreftion, which might in the Com-
mittee be curtailed. His Lordllip, therefore,
withed, that Monday might be fixed for going into
a Committee on the Bill.

Lord AVIAN LI T corroborated the flatements of
the Noble Lord, and argued in very forcible terms
in favour of lome improvement in our criminal
code. As the law now flood, an affault with a
view to robbery was a felony, though not of a ca-
pital nature; whereas an Ml.:Ault with the view of
perpetrating the crime of murder was a Pimple
misdemeanour. He agreed entirely with his Noble
Friend in what he had Paid about the cafe to which
he had alluded, and he was lure all of their Lord.
(hips mud fee that there was a neceility for revif.
ing the law, when a grime, in all its circumflances
fo atrocious, had elcaped adequate punithment,
merely from want of evidence that the criminals
had lain in wait with the intention of perpetrating
the crime. His Lordfhip was very pointed on the
loofe and inaccurate manner in which the Bill was
couched. In this refpea it required very confi-
detable improvement. He alluded to fcveral
el tides in which the language was extremely inac-
curate. In one part of the Bill it was matted, that
no perfon being in Ireland lhould, without fob.
jetting himfelf to certain penalties, be guilty of the
crime fpecified in the Bill. There was, however,
A great want rut pi ecifion here, bec.tufe it might
be inferred from that, though a perfon could not,
without inbjecling himfelf to penalties, be guilty
f this crime in Ireland, he might with impunity
perpetrate it in England, in Scotland, or, in fhort,
in any other quarter. After dwelling on this topic,
his Lordfhip concluded by declaring his complete
approbation to:he propofcd delay.
The Bill w,as then read a Iccond time and com-
mitted fur tomorrow.—Adjourned.