82] 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



On Jdnc ^3d, tlie order of the 

 day for the lirAt reading of the 

 bill for the suspension of the H abeas 

 Corpus being read in the House 

 of Commons, Lord Castlereugh 

 rose, and began by protesting a • 

 gainist the inference which had 

 been drawn, that a bill of this kind 

 was a libel on tlit whole country, 

 and preferring a bill of indictment 

 against the people of England. 

 The adoption of such a measure 

 might alarm those who know 

 themselves to be guilty of treason- 

 able designs ; but he believed the 

 loyal and peaceable part of the 

 cpmmunity would be grateful for 

 the passing of the bill, which they 

 would regard as a measure of 

 pi-otection. He then argued in 

 opposition to those who were of 

 opinion, that supposing treason- 

 able designs to exist, those by 

 whom they were entertained were 

 too insigniticant to merit the se- 

 rious attention of parliament. 

 T^ot only had additional conspira- 

 cies been discovered, but, in the 

 late inquiry, the former conspi- 

 raeifis had been confirmed. This 

 circumstance Jed him to consider 

 at some length the case of Oliver, 

 ■who was supposed to be the mov- 

 ing cause of all ; and he endea- 

 voured to shew that his exertions 

 had materially contributed te pre- 

 vent the intended explosion of 

 June 9th. He said, in fine, that 

 the measure now proposed to be 

 renewed had already rendered con- 

 siderable service. In the judge- 

 ment of nearly all the magistrates 

 it had t;hecked insurrection, and 

 had been more effective than any 

 of the other measures adopted by 

 parliament. 



Among the speakers on the op- 



posite side of the question, perhaps 

 the most forcible was Sir Samuel 

 Romilly. He said, that this was a 

 measure of much greater import- ■ 

 ance even than that which the 

 House had before adopted. They 

 were then called iipon to suspend 

 the Habeas Corpus only for four 

 months, while parliament was sit- 

 ting, and might watch in what 

 marmer the extraordinary powers 

 given to government were exer- 

 cised ; now they were required, 

 just before they separated, to com- 

 mit this arbitrary power into the 

 hands of ministers for an indefi- 

 nite period of time, the duration 

 of which was to depend entirely 

 upon the pleasure of the crown. 

 The aoble lord had talked of cir- 

 cumstances of augmented dangef ; 

 if such were the case, what did it 

 prove, except that not only was 

 the suspension bill inefficient, but 

 that it had increased the evil it 

 was intended to prevent. There 

 was another evil no loss grievous. 

 It was now for the first tiniea\owed 

 that spies were in the regidar pay 

 of ministers — spies who were the 

 promoters and the instigators of the 

 crimes which they afterwards de- 

 nounced. Surely here was enough 

 to excite discontent and disgust 

 through the House and the nation. 

 Speaking afterwards of the dan- 

 gerous power entrusted to mini.'i- 

 ters in the confidence that they 

 would not abuse it, he said, I care 

 not in whose hands that power 

 may be placed. It is one of the 

 melancholy signs of the times, that t 

 while, day after day, encroach- 

 ments are making on public liber- 

 ty, the answer to every complaint 

 is, that the power which was giv- 

 en would be placed in gentle 



hands 



S 



