40] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



incnt, from the danger which it is 

 supposed maj^ attend the disclo- 

 sure of their names and evidence. 

 As far as the bill related to the 

 first of these objects it had been 

 considered by several persons in 

 a very erroneous point of view. 

 For the exercise of the powers 

 given by parliament, the minis- 

 ters wanted no indemnity : the 

 act that gave the powers, indem- 

 nified them in their exercise. An 

 indemnity had been thought ne- 

 cessary when ministers, in times 

 of scarcity, had taken upon them- 

 selves to lay an embargo on the 

 shipping which there was no law 

 to authorize ; but when an act of 

 parliament had previously passed 

 to sanction such an embargo, who 

 ever heiird of an indemnity for 

 the ministers who had commanded 

 it ? If ministers are to be indem- 

 nified, it must be for conduct 

 which the Suspension act did not 

 aiSthorize ; not for detaining men 

 in custody under that law, but for 

 committing them to prison against 

 all law. It Iras been said, indeed, 

 that the ministers have not in a 

 single instance committed any 

 man but upon informations taken 

 upon oath. If this be so, what 

 occasion have they for an indem- 

 nity? The evidence upon which 

 magistrates are authorized to 

 commit men, is that evidence 

 upon which they are afterwards 

 to be brought to trial- It is to 

 answer that charge that they are 

 committed, and not upon the 

 chance that some other charge 

 may be brought against them. 



Ministers, it was said, had not 

 in any instance abused any of the 

 extraordinary powers they had 

 exercised. This might be so; 

 but the House had no reason to 



say tliat it was so ; they had no 

 information on the subject but 

 what ministers had themselves 

 thought proper to aftbrd. The 

 House had refused all examina- 

 tion ; it had rejected all proof ; 

 and it was now about peremptorily 

 to decide. It was about to declare 

 that there should be no investiga- 

 tion even in the ordinary course 

 of justice, and to exercise the 

 powers of the legislature by closing 

 up the avenues to our tribunals. 

 But there had been an inquiry, it 

 was pretended, by the committee, 

 —a committee named by the 

 ministers, and upon which they 

 had not blushed to nominate 

 themselves. It had been declared 

 by a right hon. gentleman (Mr. 

 Canning) that his majesty's mi- 

 nisters had taken no part in the 

 debate, because it was a subject 

 on which it became them rather 

 to submit to the opinion of others, 

 than to take any prominent part 

 tliemselves; and yet those minis- 

 ters, who pretended to be so modest 

 in public, had no objection to 

 name their own committee, to 

 become themselves the most 

 active members of it, to supply 

 all the evidence, to bring forward 

 and to keep back what they 

 thought proper, and thereupon to 

 draw up their exculpatory report. 

 It was alleged, indeed, that the 

 secret committee was of the 

 choice of the House, and not of 

 the nomination of ministers ; and 

 it had been gravely said, that a 

 nomination by ballot excluded 

 the influence of ministers, and 

 gave the fair result of the opinion 

 of the House. Such might be the 

 effect of a fair ballot, but not of a 

 ballot where the minister sent 

 round to liis adherents Hats of the 



persons 



