GENERAL HISTORY. 



[35 



influence had greatly increased. 

 This last, under the present cir- 

 cumstances, could not be dimi- 

 nished : the other, he conceived 

 that the proposed measure would 

 tend to lessen ; and if it did not go 

 so far as he could wish, he ap- 

 proved of it as a kind of pledge of 

 a serious intention in the house 

 to do away those abuses which it 

 was ill their power to remove. 



The Earl of Liverpool said he 

 did not mean to discuss the princi- 

 ple of the bill, but would confine 

 himself to some observations on 

 the amendment. This, he con- 

 tended, went to destroy altogether 

 the principle of the bill. The 

 question now was, not whether 

 sinecures and reversions should be 

 abolished, but whether, with re- 

 ference to certain inquiries pend- 

 ing in the other house, they would 

 for a limited time suspend such 

 appointments till the result of 

 these inquiries was known ? The 

 proposition, therefore, contained in 

 the bill, the provisions of which 

 would expire in two years, was 

 reasonable ; but it would be a 

 mockery to enact a suspension of 

 twenty-six years more. He then 

 proceeded to make some remarks 

 on the influence of the crown, and 

 asserted that it had not increased 

 Ivith the increasing establishments 

 of the country in the manner stat- 

 ed by the noble earl. In conclu- 

 sion, he said the bill should h^ve 

 his support in the state in which it 

 came from the Commons. 



Earl Morton called upon their 

 lordships to consider what would 

 be the effect of the amendment 

 with a view to the prerogatives of 

 the ci-own, one of which would be 

 Suspended by its operation during 

 twenty-eight years; and he inti- 



mated that tlie Regent, by giving 

 his assent to such a bill, would be- 

 come an unfaithful guardian of the 

 trust committed to him. 



Lord Hoi laud spoke to order, and 

 asked if the noble earl meant to 

 assert that the Prince Regent was 

 not vested in all tlie prerogatives 

 (if the crown, or had not a will of 

 his own .'' 



Earl Morton explained ; and af- 

 ter some further debate the amend- 

 ment proposed by Lord Grosvenor 

 was negatived without a division, 

 and the report on the bill was or- 

 dered to be received. It after- 

 wards passed into a law without 

 further discussion. 



The disturbances in the town 

 and county of Nottingham having 

 continued during the winter, to the 

 terror of all peaceable inhabitants, 

 and the destruction of much valu- 

 able property, and the practice of 

 frame-breaking having been organ- 

 ized into a regular system, which 

 the exertions of the magistrates, 

 with the aid of military force, were 

 found unable to counteract, Mr. 

 Secretary Ryder, on Feb. 14, in- 

 troduced to the House of Com- 

 mons two bills for the purpose of 

 adding new legal powers to those 

 already subsisting, for the suppres- 

 sion of disorders now become so 

 serious. He introduced the sub- 

 ject by giving a summary account 

 of all that had hitherto been done 

 by government in the matter, and 

 by stating the causes which ren- 

 dered the detection and appre- 

 hension of offenders so difficult. 

 He then said, that by an act of the 

 28th of tlie King, the breaking of 

 frames was a minor felony, punish- 

 able witli transportation for four- 

 teen years ; but this having proved 

 completely inefficacious in deter- 



[D 2] ring 



