The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-01-29 00:00:00

asserted by the Noble Lord, that the Aet wow about
"to be repealed had prod aced no rood effect. It
.siattrue, that the changes in the • condition of the
People so much for the better, bad greatly tended
to restore tranquillity and order. Bat be put it to
the condoler of any lean, whether the sell disposed
had not been intimidated, defeated, and wholly
unnerved by the operation of this Act I He allowed
the talent of the Noble Lords is Opposition, bat
their predictions when the Act wis passed, of whet
the state of the country should be at the period of
its expiration', proved, that with all -their talents. •
they had not the gift of prophecy.. He (Lord 8i)
would declare his conviction that the Act bad pro-
duced some, and many of the favourable changes that
bad taken place. It was this Act that gave confi-
dence to the good—alarmed and intimidated the ma.
levolent, and thes gradually aided the retorts of
tranquillity. He could prodoce the evidence a
its beneficial effects in the public declarations of re-
spectable Magistrates in various parts of the coestry►
—in Leicestershire, for...sample, the Magistrates of
which declare, that by the operation of this Act the
manufacturing population of that county was brought
back from a state bordering spots rebellion to 'Wye
airy, tranquillity, and good order. It, was the
knowledge of its existence and of the powers it vested '
in the Magistrates and Ministers of the Law that
bad this happy effect. Without this Act, what
might not hate been the condition of that county iss
which of 45 persons 10 had fled from justice, four
had been convicted, and 31 had confessed their guilt,
'and thrown themselves upon the mercy of the
Crown ? How much more formidable would the
convulsion have been if this Act had not afforded the
means of separating from the mass of the People the
ill-disposed few who by their machinations, their
publications, and their speeches, made the public
distress an instrument of sedition, by making the
People believe that it flowed from their Governs.
'lieut. These persons were not without talents--
particularly such talents as gave them an acoodelecr
o►er the lower orders. It was therefore of the most •
vital importance to separate them from the victims
of 'their criminal arts. The Noble Lord bad aso.
madverted upon some prosecutions that had rev
cent!), taken place; but the complaint moat gene-
ral was not that these publications had been pro-
secuted, but that the prosecution of thee had beets
delayed so long. The Government was celled
upon to come forward and protect the religion
of the country. It was from this feeling and
not from any base motive (foe hypocrisy would have
been a base motive of action) that Mete poblications •
were brought before public justice at that particular
time. If they had not been prosecuted before, it
was because they were dot so dangerous. It waa
under the peculiar circumstances and situation of the
country that they were then deemed lit objects of
prosecution. It was impossible not to see that the
disaffected in this country were pursuing the course
so fatslly successful in another country, to sap the
foundations •of religion, and faseiliarile men's minds
to impiety and crime, by the force of tidiest*. The
peculiar danger called for a ;mealier vigilance and
activity in the Government. Th. Noble Lord had
been liberal of panygeric upon the right of Habeas
Corpus, and had gone back to its historical coerce.
•—lle had only to say, that he did nut yield to the
Noble Lord in veneration for it, sod should offer in
proof the Bill which he then held in bis hand for re-
storing its exercise. The Act was to expire on the
lit of March. He would ask, was there a single.
record cre the bolls of Parliament of the expiration of
such an Ac•t being anticipated by a Bill of Repeal?
The matter stood thee—the Prince Regent's Minis-'
ters had proposed the Act, upon the ground of its ne-
cessity alone, and as soon as they thought that the
necessity no longer flatted, they felt it a dot,
they owed to the People to propose its repeal..
Not bet there were still in the metropolis and out
of it persons busily and actively employed in dis-
tu►hing the public tranquillity. But their peer of
doing mischief no longer went beyond the reach of
the ordinary laws of the country administered by
that sctive and veleable class, the Magistrates, whose
zeal and vigilance bed been del) appreciated in the
Speech from the Throne, and in whom the country
had justly so mach reliffinee. It was his intention to
lay on their Lordships' table papers containing in.
formation of what had passed since the last Repsrt.
Upon these papers their Lordships would decide the
coarse of proceeding to be followed. The informs.
lion to be given comprehended as to the manner in.
which the powers ender this Act bad been esercimsd.
As they rested chiefly upon him, he had only to say
that he deeply felt the duty imposed open him, and
bad exercised the powers with which he was vested,
eating op, as far as he saw, to the necesdty of the
base, under the best direction of his condom and
jodgment.—( Hear, hear !)
The Bill then meet through its several readings,
•as passed, and ordered to the House of Commons.
—Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
After woo business, not of a public description,
was goo* through, a conversation euvued respecter,*
the apace 6y Lord A. Hamilton as to the proceedings
with State Primmer. in Scotland.
The LORD ADVOCATE said, that he did not
Ilia, for any attention to his own personal sense-
nience ; but there were many professional ditties
which be had to discharge is Scotland, which might
itavueome effect io the partictilar time when a discos-
rsion might be proposed in the Hoeve on the toted,
*leaded to. His attendance would be particularly
Necessary on the lfith of March in the Eichequerg
bet he was, ready and ansiously desirous to meet
the glifiliall at the earliest possible day. ff it were
not coosidered soon, it wooed be loconvenieat net
to postpone it till sitars tho, Sittings .1 the Scots
Courts.
Lord ARCHIBALD HAMILTON observed,
that what liad,been said put his, in rather an awk-
ward pteditnivent ; but it was his wish to give every
possible accommodation. He was willing to postpone
his motion even for a month, or to agree to say earlier -
day.
The SPEAKER desired to suggest, that it was not
usual to make a motion at an earlier day the, that
which was at first and upon. A practice of thatk,iod
had newer been acquiesced in, for the parpostess.
tolerating a discession.

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