108] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



result was, that no inconvenience 

 was likely to arise from it, equal 

 to that which might accrue from 

 the parliament's continuing to sit. 

 This was all that he conceived it 

 proper at present to say on the 

 subject. 



After a few remarks from other 

 members, which it is not material 

 to notice, the motion for adjourn- 

 ment was put and carried without 

 opposition. 



In the House of Commons, on 

 March 1st, after an unprecedented 

 number of private bills had been 

 read for the first time, upon a mo- 

 tion for a new writ for the bo- 

 rough of Eye in the room of Sir 

 W. Garrow, who had accepted the 

 office of Chief Justice of Chester, 

 Sir Satnuel Romilt/ rose, and ob- 

 served, that the gentleman in re- 

 spect of whom the motion had 

 been made, being his majesty's 

 Attorney General, had not re- 

 signed, nor did mean to resign, 

 that office on his acceptance of the 

 high judicial office described in the 

 motion. To him it appeared that 

 the two offices were incompatible. 

 The one being a lucrative office 

 held at the sole pleasure of the 

 crown, its tenure was inconsistent 

 with that independence of the 

 judges which it was so im^;oriant 

 to preserve inviolate. Besides, to 

 place as a judge over the subject an 

 attorney-general, whose duty it 

 was to maintain the rights of the 

 crown against the subject, was 

 not the way to insure the equal 

 administration of justice. These 

 two offices had indeed at former 

 .periods been held by the same per- 

 son, as in the inbtances of lord 

 Kenyon and lord Alvanley ; but it 

 was a misfortune that these cases 

 had been allowed to pass without 



comment. He trusted that he 

 should not be understood as mean- 

 ing any thing disrespectful to the 

 learned gentleman in question, 

 who had merely done as others had 

 done before him ; but he had felt 

 it his duty to throw out these ob- 

 servations, on which, however, he 

 did not mean to found any motion. 

 No other remarks were made on 

 the subject, and the motion for the 

 writ passed of course. 



The adjournment to March 2Ist, 

 was moved in this House by the 

 Chancellor of the Exchequer, in 

 the same manner as in the other, 

 by way of communication from 

 the Prince Regent, and as its being 

 " his pleasure." Mr. Whitbreudy 

 after observing that he had no he- 

 sitation in voting for an adjourn- 

 ment, and for an acquiescence in 

 the pleasure of his Royal High- 

 ness, owned that he entertained 

 some apprehensions, lest the pre- 

 sent proceedings should be drawn 

 to a pernicious precedent. He 

 wished therefore to have some 

 records on the Journals of the 

 house, of the grounds on which 

 parliament had been induced to 

 take such a step. In consequence, 

 he moved an amendment to the 

 right hon. gentleman's motion, 

 which, after expressing a cheerful 

 compliance witii the pleasure of 

 his Royal Highness, notwithstand- 

 ing the recent adjournment of the 

 House, at a season when so many 

 matters of the greatest importance 

 pressed themselves upon its consi- 

 deration, concluded with " trusting 

 thattheunexampled state of public 

 affairs upon the continent of Eu- 

 rope will afford a justification of 

 their conduct to their constituents, 

 and to posterity, prevent its being 

 drawn into pernicious precedent. 



1 



n 



