128] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



Lord Holland said, that the 

 noble earl would find, if hp exa- 

 mined the subject, that this clause 

 in the Bank act did not creep in 

 by the Union unnoticed, but that 

 the framers of the Act of Settle- 

 ment had it distinctly in view ; 

 for they, in speaking of the Act 

 of Settlement on the question of 

 Naturalization, included those 

 already naturalized by any Scotch 

 law. After several other consi- 

 derations, the noble lord affirmed, 

 that notwithstanding the pretence 

 that had been set up about the ba- 

 lance of inconveniences, this was 

 the principle, if any, on which 

 their lordships ought to legislate. 

 Say what they would, if they re- 

 fused the prayer of these peti- 

 tioners, they would sanction a 

 great and flagrant injustice. 



The House divided on the 

 question, whether counsel should 

 be heard, or not ; when the num- 

 bers were — Contents, 12; Not 

 Contents, 22. 



On the same day, the Lord 

 Chancellor moved the introduc- 

 tion of a clause by which aliens 

 naturalized by the act of the 

 Scotch parliament, by the pur- 

 chase of a certain quantity of 

 stock in the Royal Bank of Scot- 

 land since the 28th of April, were 

 still to be considered as aliens, 

 subject to the provisions of the 

 act. The clause was admitted 

 with an amendment of lord Lau- 

 derdale's, that the individuals in 

 question should be considered as 

 aliens only during the time that 

 the provisions of the act should 

 remain in force. 



Lord Sidmot'th then moved the 

 suspension of tne standing orders 

 of the House, by which it is pro- 

 wded that no bill shall go through 



more than one stage in one day, 

 for the purpose that the alien bill 

 might be read a third time and 

 passed. The marquis of Lans- 

 downe and the earl of Rosslyn 

 both remonstrated against this 

 proceeding ; and the latter made 

 a motion for an adjournment. 



On a division there appeared 

 for the adjournment — Present, * 

 11 ; Proxies, 12 — 23 : Against it, 

 Present, 31; Proxies, 27—58: 

 Majority, 35. 



There were two other divisions 

 respecting the question for the 

 standing orders, in both of which 

 they were carried for the ministers ^ 

 by a maj ority of 3 1 . 



The bill was then read a third 

 time, and passed. 



The addition of the clause pro- 

 posed by the lord chancellor in 

 the House of Lords, was the oc- 

 casion of a difference between 

 that House and the House of 

 Commons, which we shall com- 

 prise in as few words as the case 

 will admit. 



Sir James Mackintosh, on June 

 5th, presented a petition from 

 certain individuals against the 

 clause introduced into the alien 

 bill, depriving them of the privi- 

 lege they had acquired as na- 

 turalized subjects by the purchase 

 of stock in the Bank of Scotland. 

 This brought into the field seve- 

 ral principal speakers on both 

 sides ; and at length the Speaker 

 of the House was applied to for 

 the purpose of giving his opinion 

 on the question. He said, that 

 as far as he could collect, aliens 

 on becoming subjects of this 

 country, were entitled to exemp- 

 tion from the duties imposed on 

 alien traders, and a remission of 

 the penalty in the way of for- 

 feiture. 



