Star.
London, England, 1810-05-11 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Mr. WHITBREAD gave notice of a motion for Monday next,
for the production of a Copy of the Corrocpondence between the
Treasury and the Stamp Office, relative to the new arrargements
at that Office.

Mr. DUNDAS gave notice of a motion for some fatther'papers
with regard to the Government of Madras, to which an Honour-
able Gentleman (Mr. Creevey), whom he did not then see in his
place, had thought proper to call the attention of the House.—
This motion we understood the Right Hunourahle Gentleman to
say he would bring forward on an early day.
General LOFT poStponed his motion relative to the subjecting
of certain offices to the payment of the Income Tax, in conse-
quence of the thinness of the House.
The Report of the Committee of Supply of Wednesday was
brought up and agreed to.
The House then went into a Committee on the Embezzlement
Bill, when a clause introduced by Mr. Rose; instr.ad of the first
clause in the Bill, for the purpose of affortliox greater security to
those who might become bound for the Collectors, &cc. of the
Public Revenue, was agreed to.
Report to be received today.
Mr. WHARTON brought up a Bill to Prevent Frauds in the
transporting of Malt from one part of the Kingdom to another.
Also a 13i11 for discontinuing the Bounties on Brimstone and Oil
of Vitriol. Read a firs: anti ordered to be read a second time.

The Order for the attendance of Mr. Hunt was postponed till
this day se'nnight.
The Scotch Decrees Abridgement Bill went through a Com-
mittee.

The LORD ADVOCATE for SCOTLAND gave notice, that
he should this day move for leave to bring in a Bill for Repairing
Highways and Bridges in the Highlands of Scotland; also a Bill
for continuing the Act of the last Session, for rendering the pay-
nient of Creditors more equal and expeditious, in that part of
Great Britain called Scotland.

• HEADING PETITION.
Mr. SIMEON said, that he had great pleasure in
offering to the House a Petition from the Borough
• be bad the honour to represent, which formed a strik-
. big contrast with some, which, on account of the
language in which they had been conveyed, had been
rejected. The language of this, thongh firm, as it
ought to be, was respectful, and exhibited a good il-
lustration both of the freedom of the constituent and
the true character of the Representative Brady, which
as its power was derived from the people, could never
be better exercised than in relieving its grievances,
and receiving with open doors its complaints, when
properly and respectfully conveyed. The Petition
(which prayed the release of' John Gale Jones and
Sir Francis Burdett) admitted the right of theliouse
to commit, not only its own members but also any
stranger, for any bleach of privilege, where necessity
required it; but that'such necessity was confined to
the ease of obstruction merely. The same necessity,
in the opinion of the Petitioners, did not exist in the
case of libel upon the House and its. members ; and
therefore, in their opinion, libel ought.nnt .to. he pu-
nished by the House ; but eonsidering that freedom
of person and fieedotn of the press were so essential
to political freedom, such complaints ought to be
prosecuted at common law, and brought before a
Jury. Mr. Simeon said, he had the misfortune to
differ with the Petitioners in this distinction ; ufter
the maturest consideration, and looking into the Re-
cords of the House, and after hearing those able ar-
guments which had employed et) much of its time.-
- The House having no public legal organ of its own
by which it amid prosecute, must depend upon the
Crown for ite permission to its Attorney-General to
prosecute. Pending prosecution, if commenced, the
Attorney-General might stop the prosecution by nolli
posequi at any time, which made the popular branch
of the legislature depend2nt upon the Crown, and
might be attended sometimes with the danger of com-
promising part of the liberties of the people, or of the
privileges of the House (which was the same thing)
as a price of prosecution, or endanger a feeble and
inefficacious prosecution by the Ceown,. if it had any
interest which was in opposition to the privilege con.
tended for, as might frequently happen. Now sup-
posing the Crown to lend its aid, and to do its duty
effectually to the prosecution, the wholp must tui-n
upon the construction of the libel by the Jury, which
might be contrary to that of the House; in which
case, the third branch of the Legislature, consisting
of 658 persons, comprehending as 4 body the great
bulk of the property, talent, and education of the
nation, and exercising practically and in effect the
largest share of legislation, would be subjected to the
judgment of twelve Jurymen, whose opinions upon
the construction of a written paper might leave the
House of Commons under such contamination of cha-
racter as to expose them to the contempt of the na:
don, and to the triumphs of the Crhwio No man
had a more ardent love ler the trial by Jury than he
had': considering it as the palladium and shield of the
public liberty, and that the freedom of the press was
equally essential The only objeCtion could bea fear
of trusting the
‘House of Commons with diiepower,
lirhich, however, it had exercised for hear- tWo cen-
turies at least ; but considering the trust reposed in
the Crown, in the exercise of its prerogative, and the
trust reposed in the other House of Parliament, which
was the ultimate and final Court of Judicature, bind-
ing finally by its decisions the property, the liberties,
and lives of the subject; he could not think that 'tlie
cool and judicious part of the nation would be afraid
of trusting to their own elected Representatives a
power to commit for libel, which, es tending to vilify
the Commons! branch of the LegiAature, undermined'
. the true freedom of the public, and opened the way
to all the bloodshed and miseries of anarchy and con-
fusion. He concluded with moving that the petition
do lie on the table.

Mr. SHAW LEFEVRE seconded tlie motion at 1
his Honourable Colleague, and said, he felt great
satisfaction that the Petition was so pure and the ,
language so respectful, as to defy even' the most fas-
tidious to raise any objection on that head. If there
was any thing exceptionable in the prayer of the Pe-
tition, another opportunity would occur for its discus-
si'rn. For the present, he would only say, the Meeting
at which this Petition was signed was called by the'
May.): ; it was most numerously and respectably at-)
terdA ; and the dt cision was unanimous.
The motion passed, and the Petition was received
lition to the opinion it express-

and read ; and, in adili