GENERAL HISTORY. 



[117 



the warrants of two or more ma- 

 gistrates should be necessary in 

 both cases. The clause was de- 

 fended from the impossibility in 

 many instances of procuring the 

 concurrence of two magistrates in 

 time for an effectual search ; and 

 the clause was carried on a division 

 by 77 against 18. 



A second division took place on 

 the clause empowering magistrates 

 to lodge the arms so taken in a safe 

 depot, which passed by 75 against 

 16. When the third reading of the 

 bill was moved, July 20, the former 

 objections were renewed, particu- 

 larly with respect to the powers 

 granted of searching for arms ; and 

 it was asserted that the neces^sity of 

 such a measure no longer existed, 

 tranquillity having been restored in 

 the disturbed districts. Mr. Bath- 

 urst, however, declared, that on 

 this very morning information had 

 been received at the secretary of 

 state's office that eight new at- 

 tempts for seizing arms had been 

 made within these few days. Mr. 

 Tiern*y then proposed the follow- 

 ing amendment to be inserted by 

 way of rider : " Provided always 

 that it shall be lawful for his Ma- 

 jesty, by and with the advice of his 

 privy council, to declare such dis- 

 tricts as are now subject to the 

 operation of this act, to be no lon- 

 ger in a state of disturbance, and 

 that this act shall no longer be in 

 force in such districts." 



Lord Castlereagh approved of 

 the amendment. A division then 

 took place upon the question oT the 

 third reading of the bill ; aj es, 69 ; 

 noes, 15. The bill was then read 

 and passed. 



The report of the secret com- 

 mittee of the House of Lords was 



presented by the Earl of Harrowby 

 on July 14. It is much more co- 

 pious and minute than that of the 

 Commons, particularly with re- 

 spect to the military organization 

 of the rioters. See State Papers. 



The bill for the preservation of 

 the public peace being sent up 

 from the Commons, its second 

 reading was moved, July 2-3, by 

 Lord Sidmouth, who introduced it 

 with some observations on the ne- 

 cessity of such a measure, and 

 hoped that its enactment would 

 not be delayed a single day. A» 

 it was understood ^that there should 

 be only one discussion on the sub- 

 ject, a few general remarks only 

 were made by those who were 

 hostile to the principle of the bill, 

 and it was read, and committed for 

 the following day. 



On the third reading, before a 

 very thin house, Lord Holland 

 rose, and made objections to the 

 bill, similar to those which had 

 been urged in the House of Com- 

 mons. He contended that the 

 nature of the evidence brdught to 

 prove its necessity, was not such 

 as could justify the measure pro- 

 posed ; and he particularly objected 

 to the powers granted of searching 

 for and taking away arms from 

 private perlons by a single magis- 

 trate. He concluded with mov- 

 ing the amendments of inserting 

 two magistrates instead of one ; 

 and that the magistrate should 

 attend the search in person, and 

 not delegate his power to the con- 

 stable. 



Lord Stanhope said he disap- 

 proved of the bill on several 

 grounds, but principally because it 

 was inconsistent with the law of 

 the land, which provided that the 



officers 



