pocket-book, containing six 101. Bank notes. There were alleviating circumstances in the case. The master had held out an improper temptation to the boy, who had otherwise behaved in a most exemplary manner. In these circumstances, what could the Jury do? They found the boy guilty of stealing 39s.! A most serious and distressing situation in which to place a Jury, by which they must find little less than a judicial murder, or get the better of it by a judicial perjury. A cruel case, first to compel a Jury to call on God to witness their observance of the oath they have taken, and then to open that Statute Book containing this Act, and say, you must consign this boy to death or you must violate your oaths. This was a most cruel course in which to persevere. If he had some opinions against him, he had also opinions of great Judges, now no more, in his favour on this subject. He had the opinion of Judge Blackstone, whom, as he had then ceased to follow the profession of the law, his honourable friend (Mr. Frankland) would probably conceive to be only a sort of dilettanti lawyer. He esteemed the severity of our Criminal Code as deplorable, and lamented that it should not be revised, at least once in a century. Lord Bacon too had set about a revision of this code; and even Lord Coke, an enthusiast, and even a bigot where the established law was concerned, observed, that though our laws went to inflict punishment, they did not go to prevent crime, which could only be done by instructing the poor and ignorant. He (Lord Coke) looked to the period when the English nation should be employed in that work, and prayed blessings on the head of those who should promote it. These he (Sir S. Romilly) esteemed authorities at least equal to the Recorder and Common Serjeant of London.

The House then divided

For the Second reading
Against it

Majority in favour of the Bill

79

53

26

The Bill was then ordered to be committed for Tuesday, as were also the Bills to prevent privately stealing in Shops, and stealing from Bleaching Grounds in England and

Ireland..

KING'S ILLNESS.

Mr. Whitbread postponed his motion for providing against the recurrence of a calamity similar to that under which the King now labours, till after the holidays.

FOREIGN MINISTERS SALARIES BILL.

Mr. Leach moved the second reading of the Foreign Ministers Salary Bill.

Mr. Banks opposed the Bill, on the ground of its breaking in upon the line of financial reform already laid down. Sir J. Newport was hostile to the second reading of the Bill upon the same ground.

Mr. Brand also opposed the second reading. He was adverse to any step that could have the least tendency to raise a suspicion on the part of the people of the sincerity of the efforts making by that House in the financial reform already entered upon.

Mr. Perceval said, that amongst the objections he had heard urged against the Bill, there was none against its general provision. It was admitted that the persons in question ought not to suffer loss in consequence of their having held such situations; and that they ought to be provided for as far as it could be done consistently with the public service. The question then was, how far the present Bill was calculated to effect that?-He justified the conduct of the Duke of Portland's Administration, when it first came into power, in continuing to these Foreign Ministers the pensions given to them by the preceding Govern

ment.

Mr. Abercrombie said, it was then open to the King's discretion, whether he would continue to them their pensions

or not.

Mr. Canning said, that from the constant exercise of the discretionary right in the King to grant a pension to all those who had served abroad as Foreign Ministers, there seemed to have arisen on the part of those Ministers, a correspondent right to demand; so that the claims were so many, and were represented to be so similar, that the great difficulty was to know where to grant and where to with-hold; this, of course, led to difficulties which were justly obviated by the Bill of last session. This Bill provided certain rules, which were meant to regulate future claims, by putting aside all those which did not come within such regulations.

The first rule laid down was, that limiting the period of service within ten years from the date of his commission. The Bill further provided, that the person holding the Foreign Seals should certify that the claimant had not, within that space of time, refused any one mission to which the Government might have thought it fit to call him. This he thought to be a wise provision, and one that had been rendered the more necessary by a new custom, which was creeping in amongst those gentlemen, of exercising a sup posed right of refusing any mission, after they had served out their three years, insisting upon it, at the same time, that this refusal upon their part to discharge their duty to the public, did not invalidate their claims to the pensions they were receiving from the public, upon the ground of those services. At the same time he had no hesitation in saying, that if, when he had the honour of holding the Seals for the Foreign Department, any exemption had been proposed in favour of certain persons who were supposed (he knew not why) to be interested in the fate of the Bill, he would then have consented to it. The omission made in the Bill of last year, respecting this case, was merely an oversight; and it ought be recollected, that though this Bill should pass, the discretion on the part of his Majesty to grant or withhold such pension, would remain entire and uncontrolled.

Mr. Whitbread expressed his reluctance in feeling himself obliged to vote against the Bill.

Mr. Stephen and Mr. Giddy were for the Bill.

After a few words from Mr. Peter Moore and Mr. Lamb, Mr. Leach replied; and the House divided,

Ayes
Noes

The Distillery Bill was postponed.-Adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

MONDAY, APRIL 1.

1

RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.

Lord Viscount Sidmouth adverted to the motion he had

made last session, for Returns of the Places of Worship

VOL. II.-1811.

ST

in parishes having a population of 1000 persons and upwards, with the number of persons such places of worship were capable of containing, and the accommodation provided, &c. observing that the greater part of the returns were on the table, and the rest, probably, would be soon; he therefore gave notice, that soon after the recess he should name a day for the cousideration of the subject, with a view to the Amendinent of the Acts of the first of William and Mary, and 19th of George III.

COMMERCIAL CREDIT.

On the motion of Earl Bathurst, the Commercial Credit Bill was read a third time.

The Earl of Lauderdale moved to leave out the clause empowering the Commissioners to advance Exchequer-bills on the security of Heritable Bonds in Scotland, observing that it was contrary to the principle of advancing money to merchants, and that, from the nature of the security, the money could not be forthcoming within the time limited by the Act.

Earl Bathurst observed, that the clause merely empowered the Commissioners to take heritable bonds as an additional security. The same clause was in the Bill of 1793, and no inconvenience resulted from it.

The Earl of Lauderdale, in reply, denied the necessity of the clause.

The question was put, that the clause stand part of the Bill, and agreed to.

The Earl of Lauderdale then moved to leave out the clause empowering the Commissioners to advance Exchequer-bills to the incorporated Banks of Scotland, upon the ground that there was no necessity for it, the Banks not standing in need of any such assistance.

After a few words from Earl Bathurst, who stated that this clause was also in the Bill of 1793, the question was put, that the clause stand part of the Bill, and agreed to.

The Earl of Lauderdale then adverted to the notice he had given on Friday, his object being to leave out the clause empowering the Bank of England to purchase Exchequer-bills issued under this Act, and to substitute another clause, prohibiting them from so purchasing them.His lordship observed, that the analysis of this measure, with this clause as it now stood, was, that the merchants having a quantity of goods for which there was no market,

the Bank could not accommodate them with discount; but by the interference of Government, advancing Exchequerbills to the merchants, the Bank would take the Exchequerbills as a security, and issue their notes for them to the merchants, thus increasing the issue of bank notes, which was already too great.

Earl Bathurst contended, that this would be by a side wind destroying the advantages of the Bill, as the Exchequer-bills which the Bank were prohibited from purchasing must necessarily be at a discount, whilst other Exchequerbills would be at par. Nor would it prevent the issue of bank notes, as those possessed of the Exchequer-bills must sell them in the market, and purchase others which the Bank could take, and for which of course bank notes would be issued. There was besides a constantly operative cause which produced a reflux of bank notes into the Bank, as it was found by experience that although the dividends were paid every quarter in bank notes, yet that, after a short period, the whole amount of bank notes in circulation was nearly the same as before.

The Earl of Ross again adverted to the question of the exchange becoming favourable to Ireland, contending that it was not the result of a diminished issue by the Bank of Ireland.

Lord King observed, that the issue of the Bank of Ireland, after the restriction on cash payments in 1797, was four or five times as great as before the issue previous to that period, having been about 600,000l. whilst in 1803 it amounted to 2,900,000l.

The Earl of Lauderdale, with respect to the exchange, contended, that the alteration in favour of Ireland was forced, in consequence of Mr. Foster having advertised from the Treasury, in 1805, that Bills would be drawn at 114, and subsequently at 10 per cent. thereby forcing the exchange to that point; but, of course, the difference between that, and the actual rate of exchange, being paid by the public, subsequently this was found too expensive an operation, and, in 1806, the exchange was left to its na tural course.

After some further conversation, the Bill was passed.~ Adjourned.