112] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



which he brought several argu- 

 ments against the justice and 

 utility of the punishment, and 

 quoted the opinion of Blackstone 

 against it ; and some observations 

 on each side by other members ; 

 a division took place, in which the 

 amendment was carried by 47 

 against 32. Mr. Yorke then pro- 

 posed two successive amendments, 

 " that the provisions of the bill 

 should not extend tohigh treason ;" 

 and " that petty treason should 

 also be exempted from its provi- 

 sions;" both wiiich were carried. 

 The bill thus amended afterwards 

 passed into a law. 



The House having on the same 

 day resolved itself into a com- 

 mittee on the bill to alter the 

 punishment of high treason, Mr. 

 Yorke moved, that after the words 

 " and there hanged," there be 

 added, " and then be beheaded ;" 

 arguing that if the form of punish- 

 ment were altered, it would be less 

 severe than it ought to be, and its 

 effect weaker in the prevention of 

 crime. A conversation ensued, in 

 which several members joined ; 

 but no attempt was made to di- 

 vide the committee on the pro- 

 posed addition, which therefore 

 passed by way of amendment. 

 This bill likewise, after some cor- 

 rections in the House of Lords, 

 passed into a law. 



Among the State Papers of the 

 last year will be found the Ad- 

 dress of the Speaker of the House 

 of Commons to the Prince Regent 

 on July 22nd, the last day of that 

 session of parliament. Together 

 with other topics, the Speaker had 

 touched upon the rejection, by the 

 Commons, of the bill for the fur- 

 ther relief of the Roman Catholics, 

 and assigned the reasons for it ac- 



cording to his own views of the 

 subject. This was felt by some of 

 the friends of the bill as convey- 

 ing a reflection upon those who 

 had supported ir, as well as pro- 

 nouncing a detiriitive judgment on 

 the case which did not belong to 

 the Speaker's office ; and Lord 

 Morpeth, at the beginning of the 

 autumn session, had given notice 

 of a motion on the subject, which . 

 he intended to bring on after the I 

 recess of parliament. This notice 

 had occasioned a motion from Mr, 

 Sumner, that the Speaker should 

 be desired to print his speech, 

 which was carried. 



On March 30th, iUr. Cartwright 

 desired to be informed by a friend 

 of the noble lord, Mr. Ponson- 

 by, what was the day fixed 

 upon for bringing on the motion ; 

 and the answer being, the 22nd of 

 April, Mr. C. moved, that the 

 House should be called over on that 

 day. A conversation followed, in k 

 which several members gave their ' 

 opinion, that the nature of the 

 motion ought to be stated pre- 

 viousl}', in order to give time for 

 the person who was its object, to 

 meet it, and the House to form an 

 idea of it. The Chancellor of the 

 Exchequer went so far as to say, 

 that " he apprehended this was 

 the first time, that a member had 

 been allowed to bring forward a 

 personal charge without such no- 

 tice." The word alloiced was taken 

 up with great warmth by some of 

 the opposition members ; and Mr. 

 Whitbread sa\d, that the right hon. 

 gentleman seemed to forget, that 

 it was the indisputed right of any 

 member even to bring forward an 

 impeachment, and lay it upon the 

 table, without notice. An expla*- 

 nation was then given of the often- 



