The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-05-20 00:00:00

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.403elts:. •
„Aims shown, staring that no one was to have a pass.
port from our sntisters who bed not', previously Lobs
Mined a passport from his owu GOveropsent. Thee
t 'it appeared, that the emotion of this jaw depended,
in a gyeat measure, upon the will of ether States.—
,Jet be understood it was, not ueusnal for a
,foo
reigners,.. heron be epplied for a passport to,
.bis owe
, Government, to have applicatiop made hoe.; to
...know whether, if he came to this.cquntry,dle mould
be allowed to remain I—Bet be wotski ask Ministers,
whether, *hen they undertook.to decide sigma the
4 character of a foreigner to !kelp thie law waaappli.
. .
. cable, upon !that Around they ',looded ?—Whether.
upon information obtained in this Country or on tape
. other side ?—Whether from spiesbeywor there? Hi.
believed the Ambassador of that Power, of which
any foreigner was the subject, was the person prin-
. cwlly: if dot solely, consulted on such an occasion.
He should like to witness the ezansination of the
Buard of Inspectors on cases of this nature—awd
whether it sat at the Foreign or at the Home Office. If
. at the latter particularly, and that Lord Sidruouth were
a Member of that Board, there was qo security what.
'ever fns a correct decision ; for that Noble Lord was,
,be had 'no hesitation in saying, the greatest dupe that
had, ever belonged to any Administration —(•Here
there was a slight murmur of dirapprobation.)--
• Dope was, he prriuined, a Parliamentry Impression,
and the House, as well as the country, had amply
sufficient facts to justify the application. But if the
• friends of the Noble Lord were not satisfied to have
him coosidered‘a dupe, he should only say that that
Noble Lord must be called by a still harsher name.
For what was to be thought of this Noble Lord who,
in adverting to itch a person as .Oliver, gravely af.
firmed that he was " a much injured men ?"
(Hear, hear !)—Bot be should like to see the Board
of Inspectors in consultation upon the mention of
this Act, with, no doubt, some Foreign Ambassadors
beside them, engaged, toad.like, aciording to the
piCture of one of oar Peet!, is spitting the mom of
• legitimacy into the ears of oar Gavot, moot, and tnus
endeavou I Woo proven)* i s country from being sr.hat
_it was in better times—t asylum of persecuted
111
men. The Hon. Member ridieeled tbe idea that
any danger could arise to thin country from the'pr•-
seuce of a handful of fort•igners. The
,Date of the
country et present was so different train eke ef':l792,
when this law wis originally goaded, that,aech an
apprehension was quite chimerical, unless Gentle-
men imagined that a German or i Freechtnan, was
likely to join a meeting at Spe-fieidi, with agile, to
address. the met) in broken English. But the .feet
was, that no apprehension of any domestic doper
gave birth to this Bill. The real cum of its contialei
mace was a deigns to please foreign Govesoinente.—
For this purpose the character of our country was
reduced. It was notorious that the law *bleb this
Bill proposed to continue, was so thought of on the
Continent, that no Esiglisman could excuse it upon
any other ground than this, that it was only a war
measure, and yet it was now proposed to continue it
in peace, without any assignable reason. Here the
llon. Member took a review of the character of those
Continental States, which had ediaoced their own
character and interests, as well as benr;fited humanity,
by alfo'rding asylum to the persecuted advocates of
civil and religious liberty., He instanced Geneva.
which received Voltaire into its hospi le hle bosom, and 1
Helland, which gave shelter to such mien as Erasmus
, and Boyle. But England was, in good times, the
most distinguished nation in the world for that de-
scription of hospitality. Her character was now,
however, 'reduced from that high rank. She was
sunk to a level in the arbitrary Government.. 'fhar
Congress of mighty promise .end miserable perform.
once, at which the Noble Secretary for Foreign Af•
fairs played such a prominent part, had the effect of
placing the Police of England glider the Correc
tional Police of foreign Governments. He would
ask, whether the Ambassador of France or Spain
was not entitled to require the execution of this law
against any person disagreeable to the Government
of either, as part of an absolute compacc—illear,
hear!]—Such a compact .. as indeed admitted by a
sort of ieuteido in the speech of the Noble Lord
who brought forward this Bill, although its eeistence
was denied elsewhere. Under all ibe circumstances,
then he felt it his duty as an English Grandees° to
enter his pretest against this extraordinary measure
for the vindication of the character mf his wintry.
Colonel ELLISON spoke in favour of tie Bill;
and in praise of Lord Castlereagh, as well as Of all
his colleagues in-offite.
• n. ...
Mr. BA'f HURST thought, that after the speeches
of his Noble Friend who proposed this Bill, sod of.
his lion Friend behind him (Mr. Griot), It could
not be fairly said that no argument had been ad-
duced its support of a measure which he maintained
to be necessary, for the purpose of excleding.the
aelvocates for Revolution, but which was never in.
tended to prevent this country from becoming the
asylum of such persecuted men as had been alluded
to in a former debate, especially by the Noble Lord
end the Learned Gentleman on the other tide of the

House. He would not condescend to enquire into
the various observations directed aghast a Noble
• Relative. All he should say on that point was, that
the Hon. Gentleman should himself be citations, lest
in listening too sedolossly to de idle whispers of
discontented and disaffected persons, be did not be.
'come their dupe. With respect to the powers
.of
the (sill, he assured the House they *ere never mt.-
civet) at the' dictation or suggestion of a6y Foreign
Mr. LYTTELTON adverted again io the case Of
'Reffirt, who, after a long remitlesen herd, and Wing
enßagEd in ho4n•sit, wis hurried mit of the country.
He (Mr. t. ) could am verify the abatement-of Before,:
and when it was contradicted by the declaration...l!
the Nnbt. Rin.man r7f* thirlUght Gera?.;
man, be wa, bound to give the la ter credit.
such proceeding% went to strengeketi the vicious cha-
racter of such etiactrontS. It now was evident from

).

thostieseatriseptier,
004 plebe neieht the 'esitetey Asti-owe
bat that the Bill Fie essential, ie their
lite singularly revolvionary, state la
even yet remained—tbet.Lineendiaries
cinintry the piaci iiAestre iffirY could
against the treequillity of foreign
udeed, no reams bad been given. ter 'its
the wish of manifesting the intolerant
hod determined to act upon, ,Bet,.
idently of its severity toAlieres, it was a meat.,
sere calculated to have a most alarniing effect on Our'
own liberties. It introduced a "system of disciptiite'
of a most arbitrary End despotic character; toisibich"
a. free People would never submit; and intosilie'
Inbuses if which there *listed no disposition in Oat,
House, even to enquire. His opinion of its
.oncon-,,
.kitutlooal and unjust character remained Unchanged,
'Convinced as he was, that whenever a crisis presented
itself when the public character of nations might he
influential, this measure 'would be found to prove
prejudicial to the interests of Greet Britain. .
Mr. BATHURST, in explanation, stated that
Before was not sent out of the country in conse-
quence of the document respecting the Catholics of
.Ireland and the Monks of La Trappe, but from'
unquestioned statements from other sinnees; •.*
Sir S. ROMILLY observed, that nothing had been
yet stated by the Ministers in supp.ire of this Bill,
and it was maoifest there esisted *determination on
their part not to speak on it. Whet need had
they of discussion ? They knew well that their
-strength consisted not in speaking, but in their nom.
bars.—[Hear, hear !]--.-Those, however, who depre.
cated this severe and unconstitutional etiaameat, bed
their dig/ to discharge. They felt the obligation
of speaking io behalf of those woo had no Repro-
-sentatives in that House, and who were exposed to
all the hardships of a rigorous ezerteon of 'Wive
powers. The House mostriie* the ihst the question
divided itself into two vary mistrial bra ncle.s—affect-
ing persons placed in diflereut circumstances, and to
whom reciprocally-the samo atseoents could out ap-
ply. It was a messure, directed not alone against
Aliens who might hereafter citme 'Willis country, but
,affected a large description of foreigners who had
been long domiciled here; and nil *Orme interests were
identified with their continued residence in this coon.
try. •It - there the Hon Gentlemen orposite deny
that to., powers of tins will be eserci.ed at the
seggestiou, of f .reign Powers, and yet when the
transaction was explained,. it ,Fats. apparent that
it was only tbrov‘h
.suggestions the Bill
could:: act at an. .. For elks( said the Noble
Lord (Castleroag ) who introduced it, es to its ob-
ject ? Did be not say it was •to guard 'against the
criminal designs of dange.rous men, who, driven nevi
of foreign States, might re.palo hire to carry on their
schemes? How then could Ministers guard against
,that early but by an implicit reliance on the tug-
gestio ts of foreign Ministers ? In what other man.
,wee icouid they cbtain i-nfortnat• as to the conduit
"of those men ?-Ifiear, hear!]—So that every per-
Matted and unhappy man who might endeavour to
find refuge here, whether he fled from the inquisi-
tion of Spain, or the tyranny of Sardinia, were to he
'driven from our shores at the soggeslitio of the Mi-
nisters of those Governmerits•-:Guveroneenis, it
would be remembered, that Me had ourselves ests•
Wished on the subversion df the Repitolics of Hole.
pendent States. An How Member not in his piece
(Mr. C. Grant) said, *list this Bill was levelled at
those who *ere at ono time the vagaries of the God-
dess, of Reason and afterwarderthe adherers of NI.
poledn. Why,
.if this was the cease, the necessity for
its continuance was likely to last as long as the live,
of those he addressed. For he believed some of this
description Were likely to survive /hem el!. It had
also been asserted, Olathe recent periods for the last
'25 years, the hospltitlitY. Or this country towards (o.
re.goris had been such its to the shied'. any for-
mer reception. That was a false statement of history.
—The hapitality of latter time, WAS the hospitality
to a party. The men who incurred the odium of be-
ing friends to the popular causes hefore•it had de-
generated from its oscesse-. were repudiated and
driven across the Atlantic to seek an asylum. The
refugees who fled in the reign of Charles 11. from the
persecutions of Louis XI V. did not look to a King
.shoes they knew I be the peo.ioner of their perse-
cutor, and who it he hail been invested with the
powers of the present Bill would have expelled them
from their asylum for protection. It was on the
Constitution of this country then relied for protec-
tion as well against the King of England as the King
of Fratice.--(Hear, hear !)—I low was our cha-
racter now changed, when we presented ourselves to'
the world as the ready agents and willing slaves of
arbitrary despots.—(Hear, hear !)—But adverting
to the large number of foreigners long domiciled he
this couotry, had he not a right to ask, of what crime
they had been convicted, that they were to be put.
out of the pale of the law ? Did any thing afford
grounds for such a severity ? The only answer to
all this was—that the powers were not abased, and
that soalideocit ought to be placed in the'character of
the Noble Lord whoseofficiat duty it was to gorier-
intend its exercise. When men sought arbitrary
eower oystraticallyl4 hen every step indicated the
oNicipflestrgying all the constitutional securities
et freedom, they would be idiots to excite the alarms
of the Country by a premature abuse of their powers.
And as to the. character of -the Noble Lord (Sid-
egoeth)2 b 2 beivevir. excellent it was in private life,
*ken of 4s in obtaining the Suspension of the
Has Corpse Act—the manner he had used those
powers, and his Circular to the Magistreles„ as to
the Law of Litiei, were recollected, he sits the
,very
last inn to whom he (Sir Samuel) would entrust an,
tenthority._ how could those, who said
Inoue *woos . were not abused, know the truth
Had not every proposition to enquire into themorits 1
of individual cases Wen. uniformly refused ?—Wer-;
we not kept wholly in the dark ?—And yet there
Fere men who were willing to vote assay these strong
powers witboat any necessity being shown, or .an argue
went stated. The effect of such a coot se mast be, that,
with our owe liberties ultimately destroyed, weshail
not even deserve the compassion of foreign nations;si
being so regardbils of the happen'ss add well-being of 1
611,61.
' Mr. Serjeant COPLEY considered that the power
of restraining an influx of a member of persons, who
bad been exiled from France; of atrotious'prinriples'
and character, into this country, was highly neces-

the Hi

117",.•

-.-.~•~
..., .

, 41:77: • !pt.

!my. This measure tide not only necessary for ore own
domestic policy, but also to teke care that this-coon-
; try should not become the theatre of plots ageism
surrounding Governments, which, through them,
disturb our peace. and injure our interests. He de-
, . ,
emu that this measure was contrary to the Comfits-
'lion of England, or that the King had no power to
seed Aliens oat of this country by the Cot stitetitto;
lowan contrary, the King had a power of apprehend.-
; itti Aliens, and giving them op to their own Govern-
ments. He stated several cases in the reign of Eli.
leabeth, hi which the Sovereign sent Aliens out of
the country. This Bill was only introduced in or-
'der to do away with certain difficulties, and enabling
the Crown to exercise this power in a mole conve-
nient manner than by indictment, as was formerly
the ease. He considered the Alien Bill, therefore, es
a mere measure of regeiation, and that it is necessary
ter our repose and security, under existiug circus-
'motes.
Sir J. MACINTOSH, although pleased by the
manner, and interested by the display of talents so
promising on the part of the Hon. and Leurned
Gentleman, still found it necessary to enter his pro-
test against the doctrines and principles promulgated
bi that Hon. and Learned Member this evening. That
Learned Member had endeavoured to establish the
preemptive, by taking etceptioes against the ergo..
melsrs used 11 those ohe denied the existng."' of
suers legal prerogative, forgetting that it became those
who lisped for the exercise of the prerogative to
prose previously its esistence—otherwise those who
objected to it were entitled to be silent on the sob.
ject. The lion. and Learned Gentleman bad argued
as if it were a most undoubted fact that the prerogs-
titre existed, and quoted in its support the fact of an
espolsion from this country of an alien 400 Yeats
ago—forgetting that there existed arthat period a
system of villainage, the writ de heretic° combu-
rend°, &c. In fact, he might as well have said
there existed at this period a power in the Crown to
agile and expel a natoril.born subject, for so, in
point of fact, there did. —[Hear !] —The case of
the Scoicli, who had been expelled, proved nothing,
"secause the Scotch then supported the pretensions
of another heir (Queen Mary, then in Confinement)
iss the Throne. lie could not help thinking that the
advocates of the principles he espoused possessed et
least as much consistency as the lion. and Learned
Gentleman had lately displayed.—[Hear, hear!]—
lie most admit that there was, little reason to com-
pliment those with whom he bad voted on a former
occasion, upon the success of their .predictions;
but he should, he hoped, never feel tiny thing like
shame from the reflection, that he had then support-
ed the old priuciples of sound English policy and
English hospitality. The objects of our ancestors
were 'solely to afford an asylum to the vanquished
party in all cases of pollt;ral dissensions in foreign
'countries, whilst they uniformly supported the prin-
ciple of rendering up all those who had committed
any grievous civil crime against society.---(Heeel)
--lie was sorry to see the indifferent ease and gaiety
with which-the fate of a certain class of men, now
deprived ref all countenance and protection, owing
to the circumstance of political changes in their
own countries, were likely to he treated io that
House. It was au indifference unworthy of the li.
berel sentiment wird generous solicituee of English.
mini.—(hear, hear!)—The fact was, this alas a Bill
to prevent the entrance into this errantry of !tires
Newspapers, amongst others the Yellow Dwarf—
(A laugh)—sod of 38 individuals 11roscnibed by
an arbitrary act of the French Goveruinent. The
• of asylum, of humanity, and h• siitality,
ought not to be exercised on the part of this nation
• sec ()Ming to the c.ilumni sus representations of the
Government, to whose acts they were hostile, to
our Government. Would not the result be, that the
reception and fate of those illustrious individuals be.
longing to the original Cortes of Spain, who now
langershed in the dungeons of Spain an4'its Islands,
depend on the rept orsentation of their own Govern-
ment, should they, as they naturally would, resort
Co. an as) lum to this country, as the protector of the
oppressed, the asylum of those who had sacrificed
'heir property and liberty in the great cause of liber-
ty Remarkable it was, that these parties would
most probably, in, the stste of things at present, re-
sort for an asylum to the protection of Muscovy,
rather than to that of England. This was not one
of the least evils inflicted upon the sensibilities of
Englishmen, that whilst Muscovy, once the most ty.
rairnical Government in Europe, boated more of li-
berality and national hospitality than any other
European nation, England adopting new principles,
placed •itself ambitiously at the head of every prin-
ciple that was illiberal and connected with political
persecution throughout the globe.—(The lion. and
Learned Gentleman sat down amidst the loud cheers
of the Opposition.) .
The ATTOR N EY-GENERAL contended for the
existence of the Royal Prerogative to banish Aiieos.
The permission in Magna Churns to Alien Merchants
to come to this country " unless prohibited," proved
this, for it was clear, that by the King alone they
could be prohibited. The only object of the Bill was
to enable the King.to exercise that prerogative with•
oat delay,—As to the Alien Bill of 1703, every
body, he believed, was now pretty well satisfied that
it was one of the wisest Acts that ever proceeded
from the Legislature. lie verily believed that to the
effects of that measure the country was indebted for
its escape from those horrors with which France hod
been overwhelmed. He supported the present Bill be-
cause he conceived that a strong necessity for it still
existed.
The House then divided—
For going into tie Committee 99
Ageless in - 39
Majority • —C.
The House thin resolved itself into the Committee.
On the Motion for flying up the blank respectieg
the duration of the Hill with the words " two
years," „
Mr. ;3 Akii A M moved, as an amendment, to fill it
op with the words "'one
.year."
The Committee drvided— •
Fes' tie Aiserrefteat
Ardha is •• ....... Sto
, Majority
Y OtiiN
• ,r
T proposed a douse, giving the
power to an Alieu, who was ordered to leave the
wintry, to specify within h Vett the ironic/ *hitt
wished to go, and to be transported thither in any

•
•
•
,
La's ' I,' 'I
lodisposed,cB) Agr'rany lirgun.set4 en support. nO thit • thoitatemest of
esirsordiftau Bit. That ailencp !ma theintote tat. t that it was 004
grids iit as Ministers had,, in : ffp,, 'Awed atethistir ,apprehended; be
is support of the Pi, hot a domeneat wbich view, from, the
they Ironid baie the House conclude, that they .44 whICIt iterefie ea
sot Ahmed the powers crested by the law which thie might make this
Bill proposed to continue, becaoa
e there were, truly, ' plats their 'plats
era or sag persons whoto4they hadloesent out of the Slates. Indeed,
csistry., although they had the power of-so doityge adoption, bet th
,But it wlts,known, that at the- time of the distorll system that ee 11
'nom at Cadiz, some years ago, an authentic .pope independently of