The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-02-25 00:00:00

•• -. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
• MOUSE 011" LORDS, FED. !4.•
The linnet set almost half-past fonr
from the Mint, preArnted Account. re•
.petting the Silver l•oioaue, the Prices of Gold anal
Sac. which trete ordered to be printed.
The Annual Indemnity Hill and the Election Polls
(irrlantl) Bill were road :t second time, the commitntetes
aeratived. and the Hills ordered to be read a third time
to-morrow.

The Kap:ring Laws Bill. the Local Jurisdictions Bill,
and the Mutiny ('entinnation Bill passed through Com-
mittees, and were reported without amendment.
Pea% !LEGS, Or Tili .U01:11C IRLSPECTINU GIANTS 01
scrims.
ihe Earl of LA IrDERIMLE rose, in pursuance of no-
tice. observing that the case he bad to state was so
plain eml clear that there was no necessity for taking up
math of their Lordships' time. It bad 'been the uni-
form practice of Parliament, for a great number of years.
• .14.tt all the Votes of Supply passed by the House of
Commons, during the Session, should be included in an
:Appropristion Bill, which came up to that House for
• its 'Twin in the usual war, and it was the ninioubted
tigbt of their Lordships thus to exerrise a legislative
. rower with regard to the supplies voted by the other
• louse. In the present instance that practice hail, with-
out any necessity, been departed from, and he thought
- it was incumbent upon their Lordships to assert their
hadoebted rights, and to pass some Resolution 'Nap-
- proviug of such a proceeding—a proceeding which was
c•rtalsilv contrary to the Constitution, and which was so
decided in 1784, when the House of Commons passed a
Resolution, declaring it a high crime and misdemeanour
fn any officer of tGe Crown, to apply money in any
branch of the public service without the authority of an
Art of Perliantent. But in this case there were not
only the votes of sums of money for the public service.
hot the Nouse of Commons had actually voted a sum of
to.,ney to par annuities ender the Civil List Act, which
enpireil on the demise of his Majesty ; and they had thus
Rimmed a power, of their own authority, to suspend the il
operation of the law, which declared that these annil-
ties should not be paid. This particularly applied to
tne case of the annual sum granted to the Princess of ,
Walie, about which, according to report, much hail been
said in the Commons House of Parliament. Were Ili-
riders attars to what extent these votes went ? Was it
nut the effect of them to coatinue to the King the in-
rouse graated to his Majesty as Prince of Wales, as well ,
as the amount of the Civil List, whilst a portion of the!
Iterrilitare rereettes also fell to the Crown? Respect-
:nu the latter there was no account, and Ministers them-
• eives did not seem to he aware of the extent to which
thi votes wait. It was in vain for the Noble Earl op-
posite to recur to the precedents of Citi-I and ISO 7 ; in
these case* Parliament was dissolved by the act of the
Crown, without any previous communication of its in-
t:ntinns, but in the present case there was a previous
I ommimication of the intention of the Crown to dissolve
t'.e Parliameat, which rendered the present case per-
te..tly unprecedented, and which undoubtedly rendered
it incumbent epee the Ministers of the Croon to tale
care that no essential forms were departed from. if the
House of Commons could then, in one instance, assume
the pstver of voting the public money without the coo-
-1 arrence of their Lordships, what was to prevent them
trots setting aside the privileges of their Lordships'
House? It surely was incumbent upon the Noble Lords
4.?posite to take- care that no such precedent was esta-
blished, for if the Cniversal Suffrage and Annual Par-
tirment men could unhappily gain the ascendancy, there
Limbd be no dmibt that the Ant slip of a Houseif GUI*.
mons so oonstituted would be to let aside tire legislative
privileges of that House, and here would be a precedent
established to assist them. It was not his wish to int-
prJo the public bilsiness, or now to embarrass the course
of proceeding which had been acted upon, but he thought
it indispensable that the House should come to some Re-
solution expressive of their opinion upon the subject, in
I, Met that they might at least f„r=against the power
thins assumed byte
a uneluded by moving the following Resolutions:—
" Resolved—That it appears from the Votes of the
House of Commons now on the table of this House, that
the Pommes House of Parliament have voted the ful-
l:, wi lig Resolutions :-
1 . "-That a Sum, not exceeding 2,000,000/., be granted
to his Majesty to pay off and discharge Irish Treasury
1 ills. charged upon the Aids or Supplies of 1820, out-
standinnd usprovided for."
k. ..That a Sam, not exceeding 50,000/, be granted
to his Majesty, upon account, to enable his Majesty to
provide for such expenses of a civil nature, as do not
torus a part of the ordinary charges of the Civil List fur
the year 1920."
3. " That there be granted to his Majesty the sum of
200.0001. towards satisfying such Annuities. Pensions, or
other Payments, as would bare been payable out of the
Consolhlated Fund of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, or out of the Civil List, in case the
itemise of his late Majesty had not taken place, before
• the sth day of April, 1820.
4. " That a Suns, upon account, net exceeding
"00,000/. net, be granted to his Majesty towards defray-
ing, the charge of the Army Services in Ireland for the
Year 1810."
5. " That a Sum, neon account, sot exceeding
6110,1100/., be granted to has Majesty towards defraying
the (+arse of Army Services at House and Abroad, ex-
rept in Ireland, for the year 1820."
" Resolved—That the Commons' House of Parlia-
ment, informed by his Majesty's Message of the intended
dissolution of Parliament, have, in these Resolutions,
attempted to appropriate mosey to be paid' for services
subsequent to the diseolation, which can only legally be
effected by an Act of Parliament appropriating the sup-
pike voted ; and that they have further, in a most an-
precadented manner, assumed the power of providing
tor, and authorising the Payment of certain. Pensions and
Annuities, subsequelst to the dissolution of Parliament,
wbieb by law are declared to he at an end.
" Resolved--That, under these eirciunstances, we feel
it our duty to declare. that though we regard these pro-
ceedings as derogatory to the privileges of this ihmae
and of Parliament, yet we are indeceir, by a sense of the
flats is which public business is now placed, to forbear
tram any immediate proceedings, and to declare, that we
will concur in indemnifying those who may pay money,
it otherwise act under these Resolutions, which we must
nevertheless deprecate, as threatening the subversion of
• ilie best and wisest principles of the Constitution of our
i mintry." .
The 'Earl of LIVERPOOL abserveid, that it had
kern Out invariable practice of Irarilament since the Re-
volntion, for. no.grant to be made, not any stun to be
levied tiftee thapeople, without the authority of an Asa
of ParilansentA•ind this was so strictly adhered to. that
in the case eraloan, though the bargain Was made be-
tween the Flip _Lori of this Tssomsry and the I:heneel-
'or of the E &pose sod the contractors, and the first
inc:ilment ac By paid, still it wearied into the Sask.
Am! fidt tout kir any one till authorised to be drawn
ant for the'pu e armee by an Act of Parliatwest. Bat
with respire fie itifies of supply, the practice bad bees
ditrensnqi itclkaffjeen the constant practice for the
!loose of beniiillara bieote vdelotes slims for different
buauviies of Ilse image service. ander 'the authority of
which vette ideal the ewe, had heen_eppliod. It was
true, that allA,lmpeorptio Fen)* iscladed la the Ap-