Star. — 1825-05-27 (London, England)

FORFEITURE AND ATTAINT OF 111.00 b. Lord HOLLAND moved the Order of the Day for the second reading of the Attainder BILL On the motion of the. Noble Lord, the Act of 7th of Queen Elisabeth, sec. 10. chap. et ; that of the 17th Geo. IL and that of the lith Geo. 111. were read pro forma. Lord HOLLAND then said, that in submitting the motion to th it Lordships, although he was satisfied that it was founded on principles that were natural, that were just, that were those of sound policy and of good faith, he felt it neces'ary to make.some apology, lest he might be subjected to a charge of presumption,' in attempting to induce dreirLordships to do that which they had not been induced to do, although solicited by , some of the highest charActers this country had ever prcduced ; for in the attempt he now made, he remembered that Lord Somers, Lord Hardwick; Justice Blackstone, and Sir Samuel Romilly had failed; if then, he, who bad neither the weight nor the knowledge of thOse eminent men, came forward in the hope of doing thakwhich they had been unable to do, he feared he shouLl be accused of vanity: But he had been in eluted to make the attempt. because of malty little circumstances to which it was not material to revert, be.cause there was somedring in the nature ut the times encouraged him, ancl e b —CAUSE the. House bad been,l4 two.seahons occupied, at the suggestion of a N. b!e Lord (Melville) opposite, in improvieg the laws of that part ut the UliitedKingdom called Scotland.; and ot copied ale in removing itnne of those laws-which had prevented ti.e restoration of Noble Families to the rank to which they were entitled . by birth. At the present  time there was no competitor for the Crown, nor no fear of treasin among any part of his Majesty's subjects. He was induced therefore to hope that the pre ent time was a most auspicious one, and that unable as he was to do petite to so *portant a subject, the circumstances under which he brought it before the notice of their Lordships, might warrant him in the anticipation of its sacceisful result.— He should have been more pleased tf fie Noble Viscount (Wyille) had himself proposed it, but that Noble Lord was occupied with other subjects, and had that day brought in a Bill to remove some of those evil cone(pence: that flowed from laws which affected that part of the country to which the Noble Viscount was naturally attached. The object of the Bill, of which he Laid Holland) now moved the second reading, was not ill any degree to lessen the punishment for .high treason. It was merely to limit that punishment to the guilty, 4nd to shelter the innocent from its consequences: It was not to excite any morbid sensibility towards -those who had committed crime, beet to do justice towards those who had committed none, and who could not coma mit any. The object of the Bill was especialli to re- , store to Scotland its ancient law, the la to which it was attached; and totairy into effect lab the intentions of the British Legislatdre, which had been twice held out to that country. He well knew that in proposing any thing that appears to be approaching to any alteration in the criminal law, he should have to encounter the  bugbear innovation, but nothing of *hat was reasonable in the objection to innovation t ould. apPly to this Bill. With respect to one part of the country, his motion would not be for innovation but for restitution —it would be to plate the law of Scotland as it had been before the passing of an alien law to remove an anomaly which was contrary to the nature, and might produce dangets affecting tht prosperity of that country.— Could thst be called innovation which was sanction ed by the British Parliament of the lalt century ?, From the Noble Lord on the Woolsack he could not apprehend opposition, as that Noble Lord bad done away with the appeal of murder, though one of the most ancient of customs. Noble Lord had called for the repeal of that law, •as contrary to the Spirit of thetimes. Upon the same grounds, , the Bill before the Houle deserved the support of the Noble Lord. The law of corruption of blood was no part of the old Saxon law. It first was recognized as part of the law in the time of Henry