The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-02-22 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

t woahinot be made a measure iu the hands of any faction, but
wouldhe honestlynsed to restore peace and security to the people.
The Duke of WELLFNGTON said, that it was now a matter of
'ittle cemparatire importance by what means the disturbances
Set Ireland 'had been enganderesl or to what individuals blame
might be attached as having been instrumental in causing
them. It was sufficient now to know that the evil existed, and
that the state of things in Ireland at present called for prompt
and efficient remedies. (Cheers.) The house should therefore
not hesitate tati4Laptony.meanstitat wowld enforce the authority
of the laws in that country, and whatever measures were neces-
sary for that purpose the government should have his hearty
support in forwarding. (Cheers.) lie had witl un a former
night that he thought some parts of the bill would be difficult
of execution, and he had some time been -considering those
points, and some amendments had suggested themselves to his
mind, which he had written down, and which he would put into
the hands .of the Itoble earl (Grey) _apposite, for his consider -
fig's before going into -committee on the bill. (The noble duke
here handed the paper on which •he had drawn out his amend-
ment across the table to Earl -Grey.) One of his 'amendments
had particular reference to entuts inPlials that Cerg be 4,#^
tablished by the bill. The King at present had the power un-
der the. Mutiny Act of ordering courts martial, and it would be
well to consider that subject attentively in the committee, Which
tie hoped would he appointed for an early day. He should now
say nothing further beyond an expression of his opinion that
the present measure was calculated to effect great good, and he
hoped it would be forwarded in a proper spirit through their
lordships' house. (Cheers.)
Earl -Gear said, that be had to return his best thanks to the
noble duke who had duet sat down, for 'the Taper he had
the confidence of pia eingin his hands. It was his (Earl Grey's)
most anxious wish to improve the measure be 'had proposed to
:the house, :awl snake it as :perfect as possiLle. The twirl° -duke.
had very properly •vaptl Ins support of the bill upon the neees-.
sity that oceasioned)it,„nd on no other grounds could such a
measure for the suspension of the constitution be defended.
He (Lord Grey):hopea that the house 'would adopt the advice
of the noble duke and pass the measure in a proper spirit ; that
party heat would fur this
.reason he -laid aside, and that the so-
ber, steady, and patriotic -feelings.e,fthe house would be brought
to bear en -so importaut a subject in their disuussion ; that they
would deem it as a measure of painfttlAceessitiy,and sanction ,ft
only after a full and calm AtiliberAtion. It was a measure un-
dertalenhy the goveininent for the sole purpose of re-establish-
ing _the auttiatity. nff the low., without ivluch there was .11D .safety
for either goverammut or people; for there was no greater ene-
my to the people's liberties than the unlawful abuse of them.
IFe'had-merelyrisen to express 'his thanks -to 'the noble auks
opposite for the comaliating tone andnianner in which he had
spoken of-the government and•for the -document he had so can-
didly put into Ihis 'Grey's) funids.' 'Ever,y 'consideration
shottla be given 'to the Ineature, toltnike it as effectual as pos-
sible, and its duration.as.sinitt as•the ..nature of the evils it was
intended to remedy-would admit O.

'Ain IBM was thou 'read t secciiril time, and 'ordered to be
,cominittedloamorsow (Otis-Atty..)
-Lord -Fg.nEt,‘nottouGti 4vi 4hetl 'to know ,from the nOble.earl
opposite if it was the intention of 'the ffovernment to
.renew the
'.1)111 otlast Teat, 4o eomt►elxhe payment ,o f tithes ;in Iroland.
unit it Was 4heintnntion,ofthe government
to have the bill in question renewed.
After a )few •words,from Lord fift7mt,otto and 4he Earl of
ELDON, which were quite inauAitile an ithelaldery,iiheZunacy
Bill was read a•thirditime, and-passed.
11.11.1EgID AY.

•Prerrrioris were -presented-.—•for -the -regulation of -the hours of
labour of Children employed in 'FActories, from Idle, in the West
of Yorkshire, by the garl of I,toppi ;—by the same noble lord,
from 'N orth Preston;for Yhe'immetliate'abolitidivdf -Negro 'Slavery ;
against trading on the Sabbath, from the Parish of Chelsea, from a
place in Yorkshire, from a parish in Leicestershire, and from the
borough of Leicester, by the Bishop of LONDON.

the amendment which related to ringing. of bells. Ile believed,
however, there were but few instances in whicii chapels were
furnished with bells.
The Earl of WrextoW,--1 said that the practice inas not
general.
Earl Ganv observed, that with respect to that part of the
clause which referred to the lighting of bonfires, there was al-
ready a statute in existence, for the prevention of smuggling,
the provisions of which relative to the lighting of signal fires
Welt hereafter be intrcikced.
Lord BERESFORD was of opinion that this amendment was of
considerable importance. lire-signals made in the county of
Wicklow could be observed all over the neighbouring county of
Wexford. Large assemblies of riotous and ill-disposed persons
were by such means collected together in a few hours.
A noble Lean thought that a provision should be introduced
to interdict the blowing of horns for the purpose of calling the
pepple tosether for mischievous purposes.
Earl GREY read au extract from the statute, which forbade
the making of fire-signals to vessel; and observed, that this
subject should tie considered before the bringing up of the
report.
After a few words from the Earl of HARROWBY—

earl GREY ORid, that if the noble lord would withdraw his
amendment, a clause embodying his suggestions should be in-
troduced on the bringing up of the report.
Amendment withdrawn.
On the clause being read relative to the formation of courts
martial—

Earl GREY observed, that he had paid due attention to the
suggestions which had been offered by the noble duke on the
preceding night. One of these was, that the sentences of
courts martial should not be carried into effect until they met
the appr.aval of the Lent-Lieutenant or of the lords justices of
Ireland. The second was, that an officer of a certain rank
should preside over such courts-martini. He had no serious
objection to either proposition ; he only feared, with respect
to the first, that iu some cases an inconvenient delay would
be caused in waiting for the approval of a sentence. it might
be observed, that naval courts-martial in general
.pronounced
sentence, and immediately proceeded to execute them, whilst
the sentences of military courts-martial were delayed until
they were approved and confirmed by the competent authority.
Now, he had never beard that any inconvenience had resulted
from the practice pursued in the former case. The object of
those who framed the bill was, as the clause expressed it, to
secure " the speedy. and effectual punishment of the several
offences mentioned in this act."

The Duke of WELLINGTON said that the object he had in
view was to confine, as nearly as possible, the duties that
officers in the army were, under the provisions of this measure,
called upon to perform, to those Which they might be called
'upon to discharge at military courts-martial for the trials of
officers and soldiers; iu short, that they should try none but
uuder'She orders of the lord-lieutenant, and should cause the
execution of no sentence 'they might pronounce, until its con-
firmation by the lord-lieutenant should be first had and obtained.
(Hear.) It was true that in the cases of naval courts-martial
it 'was' not necessary that the same ceremony of review and
confirmation should be gone through, but the practice and
course was otherwise in the army; and, referring their lordships
to the terms of the act of Parliament under which courts-mar-
tial assemble at all, he must say, that the greatest care should
be exercised before these extraordinary powers were granted.
,It was under these circumstances that he had suggested the
amendment in thii respect to the noble earl opposite, and he
trusted he would acquiesce in the propriety of its adoption. He
felt it not only important that officers should distinctly know
their duty, but -that there should he kept such a check upon
them as would ensure its efficient discharge, and therefore it
was that he suggested the propriety of the lord-lieutenant's
reading and confirming the finding. and sentence of the courts-
martial to be held under the provisions of this measure.
The Earl of Wicklow regretted one effect which would re-
sult from the adoption of the amendment proposed by the noble
duke, because the result would be to retard the execution of
the sentence of the court-martial. This was the more to be re-
gretted, inasmuch as nothing (it was well known) had contri-
buted more to restore peace and tranquillity, when similar cir-
cumstances had called for similar measures to be enforced in
Ireland, than the promptitude and celerity with which pri-
soners convicted were sent off from the courts-martial to the
ships destined to bear them to confinement.
The Logo CHANCELLOR agreed with the noble earl who spoke
last, that it would greatly decrease the efficacy of the present
measure if the execution of the sentence din not follow as soon
as possible its announcement. But the operation of the pro-
posed measure would be this—that the party charged would be
'brought to trial, and the trial for a time closed, though not
Closed in reality, but closed only by a cessation of the proceed-
ings for a day or two, and though the trial had concluded, it
'would only be as if an adjournment had taken place, and the
real conclusion of the proceedings would be when the confirm-
ation of the sentence by the Lord-Lieutenant was received, and
then the.party would be broughtup, and the sentence so con-
firmed pronounced, and would then be immediately carried into
effect.

The clause, as amended, was then put, and ordered to stand
part of the bill.
The,elaventh clause regulating the constitution, powers, and
.authority of the courts-martial for the trial and punishment of
all offences described in the,act,,and committed m counties in
Ireland which might be proclaimed to be in a .state of iusubor-
dinatioo, having beenput,
Earl eruYproposed,an amendment, as suggested by the no-
ble duke opposite, to the effect•that no officer should be compe-
tent to bold the office of president of any court-martial who held
JL.commission below the rank of a field officer.

After some observations front Lords ELLENBoaoupp, and.
WYNFORD, and the Duke of WELLINGTON, the clause was re-
luodelled for the purpose of enacting that " the proceedings to
be had under this act shall be conducted in the same way as
those of Courts-blartial held under the, provisions of the mutiny
act.

The clause so amended was agreed to, and ordered to stand
part of the bill.

Some other amendments were made in several of the subse-
quent clauses, which we deem it unnecessary to particularise
until we can lay the whole bill in its amended state before our
readers.

The house then resumed, And the report was ordered to be
received on Thursday.

In answer to a question from the Duke of Cumberland,
Earl GREY said, that the bill, as amended, would be printed
and be,ready for delivery to noble lords to-morrow.
Adj ourned to Thursday.