T .P 11 % ,; _ ITT .... - • : •.•• . • • si..••• • .• !! ,• • • • ; I 104119 • IPV 411alft taw TIS Livf.fla • be porgliss slug so , rzt fir 1)4 ationat - 41 k tot o ttr fit 11i1r4,06.411 F, T1');1 r. Our MN, Contititution any fl afoot. No. 478.—V0t. X. MONDAY, 3, 1817. PRICE POLITICAL DISQUISITION. •ON THE NEW AM) IMPORTANT BILLS INTRO DUCED THIS WEEK TN PARLIAMENT. fail to speak with a warning- :oice We have seen, from small beginniags, from edight changes, from os tensibly advantageous vonevals and alterations in some of the abutments of the social edifice, the whole fabric of the building fall to the ground, and crush in one in discriminate ruin a mighty empire. We have lived to see this day, and to a certain degree we have ourselves been implicated in the ruin of this building. We have, at an immense expence; alossied the broken materials, and - helped to re-build the prostrate edifice ; let us not, then, by our supineness and indifference, commit a po litical-suicide oa ourselves, and lend an helping hand to the destruction of our venerable Constitution ; let us guard and protect it by new and stronger abutments, if necessary ; and, above all, let every approach be guarded, by triple ramparts, against' tbe sacrilegious attacks of innovating assailants, the unprincipled demagogues of the present age. ..IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. (OUSE OF LORDS. at if ever there was a case the Habeas Corpas Act, he id confident of the necessity n Parliament to entreat Go- r power for a limited time. the measure now proposed the liberties of the people. !ction which existed in the distress, occasioned by the led on the Continent. He that as far as our troops vtal commander were eon- been glorious; but commis- rmy and its commander, bill Treaty which we bad made. to a review of the state of the 'the Noble Lord (Liverpool). the country which he was as to transmit to his children. 11, he did it from a conscious- d uncalled for in the present nded, that the nature of the aspirators were in custody; is trusted they would soon to to their punishment. if any , he thought they micht be le thought that no meeting .ing of Parliament, within a and be was also semi:: to say, been enacted to secure the adopted and applied to the WE lament the suspension of the Habeas Corpus in .a yonstitutional point of view ; if a necessary measure, we lament its necessity, but we should cease to be En. g litbinco, and to regard this bulwark of the people's liberties with the fond parental partiality with which we have hitherto regarded it, if we did not view its sus pension with a kind of jealousy and apprehension, and if we did not hail the period of its return with feelings of unfeigned pleasure and. gratulation. We rejoice, therefore, that the suspension is limited to the present Session of Parliament. The 36th of Geo. 3, fur the better protection of the King's person, is to be amended, so as to -apply to the 'Prince Regent, and to this we think no objection can be made ; we only wonder it was not done long ago, for it is but reasonable, that, under the circumstances of the King's illness, the heir and successor to his throne, in _ ~•./mlm MONDAY, FEE. 24. RETRENCHMENT. After an assurance from Lord ROLLE, in answer to a ques tion from Lord Dattsa.av, that the example of his Hopi' Highness the Prince Regent had been followed up by all his Ministers, who had voluatarily given np a truth of their in comes. vested with the Sovereign Authority, 'should be armed * Amid fenced with the legal and constitutional guards • which of right belong to it. This Act, we understand, is to be permanent MR. CLEARY'S- SECOND PETITION. Lord Gnusv anon. presented a Petition from the Bore:such 1 of Southwark, praying for Reform, and another from Mr. Cleary, differing from that. gentleman's former petition on some trilling points of form only. This petition occasioned n debate, in which Lords Harrowby, Grenville, Grey, Liver. pool, Holland, and Erskine took principal parts. On the (location being put for laying the petition on the table, Lord GReY, as an amendment, said, that it should be re ferred to a Committee, who should consider thereof, and re port to the House. This amendment was lost by a ►najority of 51. The petition was ordered to lie on the table. : The Act against seditious meetings, passed in the year 1795, and the S 9 Gco. 3, for preventing meetings of - the nature of the London Corresponding Society is to be revived ; and this Act is to be in force till the com •mencement of next Session. 'llse act against seducing soldiers and sailors, which expired in August last, is also to be renewed. Now whatever may be the degree of alarm excited in men's minds by the Reports of the Secret Committees, whether they believe in the actual existence of a traiterous conspiracy, with the organised ramifications said to belong to it, or whether they be- lieve only in a spirit of insubordination and discontent, excited and fomented by the pressure of the times, they eannnt in Lither Lax reasonably object to these measures of precaution. We speak not now of the Habeas Cor _ pus ; they ought not indeed to object, because these preventive Statutes can do no harm, and may be pro.- . ductive of incalculable &flea ; no man who dons not shut his eyes against the light can be insensible to the rnichievous acts lately practised to mislea4 and seduce the lower orders—to sour their tempers—to inflame their passions—to inspire them -with a love of change under the specious title of Retbrm. We doubt not, that many wise and good men, with the sincerest and best intentions, have from time to time contemplated a.' reform in the Constitution of the House of Commons : but to these have been joined men of visionary projects and shallow understandings, who now advocate the senscies and unconstitutional doctrines of universal suf frage and annual parliaments. These Utopian theories •of amendment ;Id' perfeetion have been made the occa sion of organizing and affiliating societies of iiitferent views and pretensions. some more, some less hostile to the &brick of social order and regular Government; till at last we come to the Spcnceans, who throw off the mask of concealment, and openly profess the most abo minable tenets, breathing nothing; less than robbery, con fiscation, and murder. Is it not time, when such doc trine:, arc avowed, that men in their self-defence should unite to put down such dangerous systems ? To say no thing of loyal sentiments and right principles, the pre servation of life and property, the mist s aivabie earthly possession,; we enjoy, imperiously demands some counter ass:).•iation against the industry and malignity of ill-dis posed and abandoned men ; nor let it lie objected, that the number of such persons issmall, their means slender, and dui, rank in life contemptible. Their power of caking proselytes is great ; they address themselves to the basest passions of the multitude ; they do this in times of severe penury and distress, vh n the mind of man, goaded to desperation, is most ripe for change, and prone to mischief ; they lend themselves to the tailor of the seu.sons—to the temporary dearth of employmen, —to the stagnation of trade and manufacture—in short, to the general languor end despondency which have taken possession of the body physical and the body po litic. No let the example of a neigkbeuring c9untry MR. HUNT'S PETITION When strangers were re-admitted, we fonnd the Clerk reading a Petition from Mr. Huai, jostifying himself and the Spatield4 Meeting against the representations in the Report of the Secret Committee. Ordered to lie on the table. HABEAS CORPUS SUSPENSION BILL. The Order of the Day fur the second reading of the Habeas Corpus Suspension Act was then read. Lard Sip:not:an theu rose, and observed, soveval Noble Lords had complained that the Committee appointed to exa • the papers communicated N the House, by order of the Prince Regent, bad not laid fuller itiformation before the itouse. A moment's reflection would convince their Lord ships that this could nut have be done without exit( mu iluoger to those persons who hadlgiven information. The Committee had reported, that a combiaation, having for its object to overturn the Government, existedin the metropolis; that it was not confined to the metropohs., but extended also into the manufactining districts. tpon this information their Lordships would have to proceed,. it-could not be unknown to their Lordships, that for years past there had been a ma lignant s: , irit alive amongst the peoph of this comnry, which had delighted in maiprifying the victories of the enemy, and representing his defeats us triumphs. Seditious publications were widely disseminated, and eldirii wttee established in vs rions parts of the country, whielh hid the same object in view. Meetings had been held, and adjourned from time to time : •listurbancca had taken place on the 'Zit December. He was nma of the last men who would introduce the military power where the civil power could act offectuallY , but on this occa sion it bail been deemed absolute!) necessary to employ the miiitery in aid of the civil power. The result Witt known. Some persons had been appreheuded and eonnnitteti for trial. One thing he must say, that lie was decidedly alpinist insti tuting trials for high treason, except where a clear case was made out. —Pear, hear.—The Report then went on to state an oninion that treasouable practices w ere still going on, and recommended the adoption of some measeire on the occa sion. It would be recollected that an attack was made on his Majesty when going to the Hine of Parlimueut, the circum stances attending which were similar to the atrocious attack made recently on the Prince Regent. Oa that occasion a measure was adopted for the better protection of hisMaiesty's person. He was persuaded the House would now think it tight to extend the same protection to the Prince Regent. —Hear, Itear.—A ttenopts had been made to seduce our soldiers and sailors, and sedition had been widely disseminated by cloths and Meetings. At the time he had ahead) , Itthasied to, t Bill hail been passed to prevent seditious MI clings. It Was proposed to renew that BM ; but this alone, he was convinced would not be sufficient to meet the. evil; he grieved that he lived in times when such ineasnres thus trenching on the liberty of the subject Were necessary ; bat the time 01 that necessity had suited. He asked for the Suspensian of the Ha neasCorptis Act, for their Lordships own protection; lie asked it for the protection of the other House of Pat liament ; he asked tor it even in the spirit of the Habeas Corpus .‘et itself—for the protection of the liberty of the sobji rt. The Noble Lord observed, Inc had great pleasure in stating that it would not be necessary to extend measure to ireland ; its operation would be confined to great Britain. The Mai quit of NVEI.t. est.t.v agreed that some measures necessaly ; and as tar as the hall went to prevent ut•etings and adjournmants of those mectins, it had his sitp pus, as wo . ll as any nsea:ure tufting to the pre.rnationikod safety of his Royal Highness the Prince Regent; but he could not go the length of agreeing to the suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act. He felt himself bound in his conscience to say, that he had not at present had such evidence laid before him, as would jnstify his going that length. Lord LIVERPOOL observed, that which justified the suspension of th believed the present case did ; and of the measure, be now called on 1 vernment with this extraordinary pi Lord GREY contended, that the was an unnecessary attack upon the . He contended, that the disaffection country, was the offspring of distress, peace which had been concluded or agreed with the Noble Lord, that and their illustrious and immortal • cerned, the peace had indeed been surate with the glory of our army been the disgrace attending the T The Noble Lord then entered into a country, and of the arguments of th He observed, he bad a stake in the country desirous as any man could be to transmit therefore, if lie opposed this Bill, he ' l ' ' ness that it was unnecessary, and state of the country. He contended, s. conspiracy was known, the conspirators and the existing laws, to which he delivered over, were fully equal new regulations were adopted. comprised in a small space. lie should be held, during the sitting certain distance of the House • and that all the laws which ha d been safety of the King, should be Prince Regent. 'ie Dole of SUSSEX said, he was able to speak to some of the circumstances attending the coaspiracy iu Spa fields. The subscription raised for defraying the expences of printing. /Lc. on that occasion amounted to the enormous sum of 101. ; the sum of 51. 10s. was to have hero paid for the waggon; a that sum 31. was paid ; 10s. remained unpaid till this day. The ammunition which was put on board that waggun amounts ed to about 50 balls, and a pound of powder not one of the balls fitted the pistols which were stowed in the waggons ; and this was the whole provi•ion made by the conspirator' for this notable conspiracy. His Rival Highness observed, 'he had every possible respect for the Noble Lords opposite; hut he owed a paramount duty to his fellow ' , objects ; and'he could not, upon the case he had nem d made out, consent to place the liberties of the people in their hands. Lord Geess ILIA defended the Report, and contended that the situation of the country was such as folly to justify the proposed measure s The Doke of Gloucester was in favour of the memsu re. Lord Ilut.t.Asustrongly condemned the measure, fur which he could see no necessity. The House then dish - ha—For the second reading, 150-- Against it, 3;—Majority in favour of the U.ll, II:). The Bill was then committed, reported, read a third time, and passed.—Adjourned at Half past Two. wEuriesus AND THURSDAY. No business of importance. FRIDAY, rEn. 28. A petition against the Habeas Corpus snspension bill was presented from London, by Earl Grosvenor, laid on the table. LANCASTER pErtnosi AGAINS V SEDITIOUS lEETINGS. The Earl of Many presented a petition to this effect, stating that seditious meetings had been held in that neigh- Ironrhood, from which the most dangerous consequences were to be apprehended, and leaving it to the wisdom and jimmy. filmic of the House to adopt the proper measures. It was signed by very respectable gentlemen. lurid on the table.' A debate on the Offices Contribution EU took piste, chietly between Lord REUESDALE t,ho opposed it, and Lord Lts csePorn. who supported it. The former proposed some amendments which were negatived, and the original bill sem reported. REFORM. Lord HOLL %ND presented petitions from London, Perth in Ayrshire, and the Horeb of Montrose in Foeforshire. 'Aid ou the table.— Adjourned. -war lIOLTSE OF COMMONS. Nin4vo - 68. Mr. )1. A. TAvt.ott obtained leave to bring in a Bill to int prove the pa% eiuent of ate sletropolis. Lord Coen it.tm: presented iv Petition front 31r. Hilo, in which lie denied 10111 e of the statensents iu the report of t::. Set teteounuittee. The Petition was ordered to lit• on th, table. THE SECRET CO. .INIITTF.E'S REPORT. On the order of the I)sy being read fur considering die report of the Seeret Committee. Lord CACCLFIIiiACH rose, an( teion of tits Rouse the principal wore, Jed. The Noble Lot , folly the Csiuniiittee in Imes! in the state, and the ree, htive ineasiires ; nor could his he charged, at the bar of the I forte stranger meacn s than du Tilt insurrectionists had grrat elan:, and Imp. J t.r attach to however, would not go the len;;; of their lives. There had liven deeper cnieipirary existed f':11) since the resolution. No swept in Ireland i ..titi it Laid not marked the zreasotl tid brought under the consider• i.ll farts upon which the repast rd obsi•rved, that the report it stating. that illtie•yr neatly ex- eaniineasdatoni of s Legis_ i Nlajcst)'s Government justly country, with wishing to eli- te cal ai a . of the case hopes of succet•ling in ;heir their vicara iud•vtduah glut, Oh they desired, at the hazard en proof of the fact, that a 144 any that had been hatched ice of a similar , uue had ari sen , . a character of trea,on a hit It former times. Thia ) 1 4' , -15 411 16 4 pp. • f •