The Statesman.
London, England, 1821-07-11 00:00:00

tied to receive it. He6(3lr. Hume) objected to th)
manner in which this payment had been made, as it
appear' d not to the inventor of the plan, who, bad the
grant been muved in that home, might have hail
ao.opportnnity of making good his claim.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER diil not
object to the Petition being received ; bnt he appre-
hended nothing was easier than to defend the course
which had been taken. The Hon. Hewlett:an bad

Wept out of sight the material fact, that the grant to
Mt. M'Atlam had been recommended by a Committee
of that Home. In conseqnence of this, Government
bad inquired if the Post Office derived any material
benefit from the plan of Mr. M'Adam, anJ, upon the
&ewer given in is favour, they felt justified in giving
the sum recommended by the Committee.
Mr. RENNET said, if money might be thus advanced
without the sanction of that House, instead of 4,0001.
XO,OOOl. might be paid away in the same manner. On
this principle, Mr. Pa user might have received the
amount of h►s claim without the interference of this
House. If money might thus he paid away by Minis-
ters, why did the Right Hon. Gentleman conic to the
House at all ? He did not quarrel %%WI the remtinera-
titm given to Mr. M‘Adam, but. with the mannt r in which
it had been granted.
Mr. HUME thought, if any sum might thus be raid
away, the amount of the whole of the Estimates might
be taken in the same manner. Ou future occasions, he
hoped the Ihrise would guard against the exercise of
such a discretion on the ►art of Ministers. •
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER remark-
ed, if the Petitioner were ignorant of the proceedings
with respect to Mr. M'Adain, it is probable that he
would have been equally ignorant of any other proceed-
ing of that House, for he knew of nothing that had been
more talked ab-oit.
Mr. CA I,CR Ayr objected, not to the amount of the
rerneceration, hut to the manner in which it haul been
made. 'lke decision of a Committee of that House was
not final. This had hr n lately seen in the case of Urn.
Desfourneaux. Ile had !wen voted ...tO,OOO/. in a Com-
mittee, but in the Muse when this subject had been
brought forward, the Right lion. Gentleman had been
left in a minority.
The Petition was ordered to he printed.
Mr. BENNET, alluding to the :cram of 4,0001. to Sir
Wm. Adam, for his services in the Ophthalmic Institu-
tion by a Committee, !loped the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer would nut advance to that individual four thou.
nand pence before the next Ses.ion of Parliament, as he
thought the sehjeet ought ti, be bought under the rou-
sidrr►+inn of the House, and wholly dissented from the
Report.
COURT OF SF:FIION IN SCOTLAND.

Mr. Ill: ME rose to present a petition which bad
been in his possession for a considerable time past,
urti tv!sich he had intended to present before ; from
W. Jamieson, of the Clerks of his Majesty's Signet
in Scotland. praying for an inquiry into the acts of
Sederunt of the Court of Session in Scotland, and es-
perially into the act of Sederunt of 1%10. The Hon.
Metnber Take at some length on the powers exercised
at the Court of Session, tit declaring arts of Parlia-
ment to hare fallen into ilisre!tede ; thus in effect, al-
tering the law. He thought it necessary that some
inquiry rhonlil take place ; and tit it measures should
be adopted to ;nerd a1..-:liast the assumption of power
on the part of Judges which did not belong to theist.
From the conduct of some of them, it should seeno
that it was oily necessary now to put a nig on a
man's head, and a gown un his back, to authorise him
to lecture any one. He adverted to the conduct of a
L Officer in this coontry, who ohm about to pAS%
'Potent.e of death on a :mother of criminals, had
thought proper to imlnlge in a dLress,on, for the pur-
pose of praising the " Constitutional Association." For
Judges to act :4 part like that which he bad descrihtal,
was in his opinion to make an ill return for the h
pours they received, and the confidence reposed in
them. lie called on the Nohle Marquess opposite.
who had lectured Menthets over and over again for
sligreuing from the subject under debate—(though
any subject might fairy he brought before that Howe) '
—to endeavour to check conilit,l like that of which
he complained. Ile had now to st,tte that the Magis-
trates of Montrose having lately quarrelled attion4
themselves, an action was brought by one of the pr-
ties against the other. The Judges nnanimon-ly de-
cided on dismi.sing the snit with costs, and on
that occasion the Lord President Hope indulged in re-!
warkr not growing out of the care before him, which
be thought would justify them in bringing him to the
Bar of the House; hilt as the speech contained a
charge against 3linisters, Ire shottitl leave it to them
to take it up. lie then proceeded to contend that tits
Lord President, in the teeth of what haul hum stated
in that House three years ago by Ministers. said, that
the new Charter was quite unconstitutional. and the
Magistr des must be cautious how they acted under it,
Or criminal warrants titi-ht hr issued against then..
He went en to state that Ole Magistrates were in con-
s-queore paced in a t• ry awkward situation, and that
now if they were informed where a thief was con-
cealed they would be at a loss to know whether it
would be safe for them to issue a warrant for his Ail.
prehension. Ile hoped conduet like that of Sir J.
Sylvester and Lotd President Hope would be discou-
raged, and trusted that the latter would be brought to
the Bar of that lionse in the course of the next Sea-
t:on, and he (Mr. !'awe), in t!:at case, world be ready
to give tit.. Noble Lord every assistance in his power.
That whiCh lie recommended, if done. would teach the
Lords of Session a good lesson; wit at present,
:reused to think that when placed in that situation
there were no limits to their authority. If the Noble
Lord would only move for the appointment of a Con-
Committee, be (Mr. Hume) would pledge himself to
prove what he had advanced.—The petition was then
read.
Lord BINNING did not 4.bject to receising the pe-
tition,but he objected to the manner in which it had
been brought forward. lie understood the Honour-
able Gentlemau had said he had this Petition in his
possession for some time, and he thought it was too
much that be should withhold it till the very last day
of the Session, and then bring forward charges
against the most venerable part of the community—
the Judges of the Supreme Court of Justice, when
every one who might have given Information on the
subject, was known to he out of town. Ile (Lord
Blueing), knew nothing of the rase of Mr. Jamie.
sun, but he protested against all that had been said of
the Lords of Ses.ion, and against the character of the
Lord President—conduct of the Court—or the effect
of their Arts of Salerno* being taken from the state-
ment of the floooarallo 6entlensan. Not meaning to
way any thing of the Honourahlteentletnan's thotives,
be thought in the present fasten.* that lie had made
• very ill use of his discre:iou. He had little doubt