LON 
public, and produce a falfe fuppofition that an important 
laving might be made. He then went on to (how that 
this would not be the cafe, nor would the bill have any 
tendency to reduce the influence of the crown; and he 
afierted that this influence was much lefs now in the two 
houfes, and had been lefs fince his political career com¬ 
menced, than at a former period. 
Earl Grey was called up by this aflertion ; and began by 
obferving, that, though he did not attach much importance 
to the immediate operation of the meafure, yet he attached a 
great deal to the principle. He would with to fnow to the 
people of this country, fufFering under excelflve burdens, 
that parliament was anxious to relieve them ; and, when a 
queftion of reform was agitated, it was of great importance 
that it (hould be carried through. He knew three offices in 
reverfion, producing, he believed,an annual fum of 6o,oool. 
which, from being thus held, could not be regulated by 
parliament, as being looked upon in the light of a free¬ 
hold ; though without that circutnftance they would pro¬ 
bably have been abolifhed. The propofed meafure, if it 
did not go fo far as he could wifli, he approved of, as a 
kind of pledge of a ferious intention in the houfe to do 
away thofe abufes which it was in their power to remove. 
The earl of Liverpool faid, he did not mean to difcufs 
the principle of the bill, but would confine himfelf to 
fome obfervations on the amendment. This, he contended, 
went to deftroy altogether the principle of the bill. The 
queftion now was, not whether finecures and reverfions 
ihould be abolifhed, but whether, with reference to cer¬ 
tain inquiries pending in the other houfe, they would for 
a limited time fufpend fuch appointments till the refult 
of thefe inquiries was known? The propolition, there¬ 
fore, contained in the bill, the provilions of which would 
expire in two years, was reafonable ; but it would be a 
mockery to enaft a fufpenlion of twenty-fix years more. 
In conclnfion, he faid the bill Ihould have his fupport in 
the flate in which it came from the commons. 
After fome further debate, the amendment propofed by 
lord Grofvenor was negatived without a divifion ; and the 
bill afterwards palled into a law without further difculfion. 
The difturbances in the town and county of Notting¬ 
ham having continued during the winter, to the terror of 
all the peaceable inhabitants, and the deflruc'tion of much 
valuable property, and the praftice of frame-breaking hav¬ 
ing been organized into a regular fyftem, which the ex¬ 
ertions of dire magiltrates, with the aid of military force, 
were found unable to counteract; Mr. Secretary Ryder, 
on the rq.th of February, introduced to the houfe of com¬ 
mons two bills for the purpofe of adding new legal powers 
to thofe already fubfifting, for the fuppreflion of diforders 
now become fo ferious. He introduced the fubjeft by 
giving a fummary account of all that had hitherto been 
done by government in the matter, and by Hating the 
caufes which rendered the detection and apprehenfion of 
offenders fo difficult. He then faid, that, by an aft of the 
28th of the king, the breaking of frames was a minor fe¬ 
lony, punifhable with tranfportation for fourteen years ; 
but, this having proved completely inefficacious in deter¬ 
ring from the commiflion of the offence, it was his inten¬ 
tion to propofe that it {hould now be made capital. He 
was by no means a friend to the increale of capital pu- 
nifhments ; but the prefent fituation of the lcene of thofe 
illegal proceedings was exaffly fuch as came within the 
definition of the bell: ancient lawyers, when fpeaking of a 
ftate of things which called for fevere punifhment. This 
was his fir ft meafure. The fecond was to enable the lord- 
lieutenant of the county, the fheriff, or five jultices, when 
difturbances exilted, to call a meeting, and give imme¬ 
diate public notice that a fpecial meeting would be held 
for the purpofe of obtaining lifts of all the male inhabi¬ 
tants of the county above the age of twenty-one, in order 
to feledt from them fuch number of conltables as they 
think neceflary,and eflablifh watch and ward throughout 
the difturbed parts. He might be told that part of this 
plan was law already; but it was law which had fallen 
DON. <®7Q 
into difufe. Mr. Ryder concluded by moving, * That 
leave be given to bring in a bill for the more exemplary 
punilhment of perfons deftroyingor injuring any flocking 
or lace frames, or other machines or engines ufed in the 
frame-work knitted manufactory, or any articles or goods 
in fuch frames or machines.” 
Colonel Eyre, member for Nottinghamfhire, feconded 
the motion, and confirmed the fecretary’s flatements re- 
fpecting the riots. 
Mr. J. Smith, member for Nottingham, fuggerted, as an¬ 
other caufe of the riots, befides the decay of trade, a cuf- 
tom adopted by fome manufacturers of paying their work¬ 
men in goods charged beyond their value, which he 
thought deferved inquiring into. He was lorry to fay, 
that lie never witnelfed fo much mifery as wdien he was 
laft at Nottingham. He allowed that the mifchief was 
dreadful, but felt very unwilling that the punifhment of 
death fliould be referred to. He bore ample teftimony to 
the zeal and abilities difplayed by the right honourable 
fecretary in the whole of this bufinefs; and gave great 
praife to the conduit of the magiltrates of Nottingham, 
who, he faid, in their provifion for keeping the peace, had 
gone beyond the meafure of the propofed bill. He further 
obferved, that the exiiting law againft frame-breaking ex¬ 
tended only to ftocking-frames, and not to lace-frames. 
Of the other fpeakers, fome recommended a committee 
of inquiry previoufly to air enactment which conftituted 
a new capital offence ; and thought the cafe was not of 
urgency lufficient to demand baity remedies, el'pecially as 
the mover had acknowledged that the diiturbances had 
been gradually diminifhing, and had now nearly fub- 
fided ; others declared themlelves convinced of the imme¬ 
diate neceflity of flrong meafures. A divifion upon the 
motion at length took place, in which it was carried by 
49 votes again A 11. 
Mr. Ryder then moved, “ That leave be given to bring in 
a bill for the more effectual prefervation of the peace with¬ 
in the county of Nottingham, and the town and county 
of the town of Nottingham.” Leave was accordingly 
granted ; and the two bills were brought in and read the 
firlt time.—The provilions of the fecond bill were, on the 
18th of February, ordered to extend to the neighbouring 
counties ; and, at length, on February 26th, to the whole 
kingdom. The bills then paffed. The operation of both 
of them was limited to March 1, 1814; but the latter 
bill, we believe, has never been ailed upon: the former 
has been (Dec. 20, 1813) renewed, (the punifhment of 
death omitted,) and declared a permanent law of the 
land. 
A private matter, which -was difculfed in the houfe of 
commons at the early part of thefeffion, is entitled to no¬ 
tice, on account of its involving a principle of parliamen¬ 
tary law, and becaufe the fait which gave life to it was 
of great notoriety in the metropolis; though othervvife it 
might have been palled over in tire public hiflory of the 
year.—Mr. Benjamin Walfh,a member of parliament,had 
been guilty of a very grofs breach of truft in his bulinets 
of a flock-broker, for which he had been tried at the Old 
Bailey, and conviited of felony. He had afterwards ob¬ 
tained the royal pardon for his crime, on the ground that 
it did not properly amount to felony ; but his remaining 
a member of the houfe could not but be regarded as de¬ 
rogatory to the dignity of that afl'embly. On the 25th of 
February, upon the motion of Mr. Bankes, copies of the 
papers relative to his trial and conviction were laid before 
the houfe ; and an order was made for his attendance on 
the 27th. O11 that day nothing more was done than tak¬ 
ing Jome fteps preliminary to further proceedings. Re¬ 
peated orders having been made for Mr. Walfh’s appear¬ 
ance, with which lie did not comply, but flated by, letter 
his defire that the proceedings of the houfe {hould not be 
delayed on that account; Mr. Bankes rofe on the 5th of 
March, and, after fetting forth the enormity of the offence 
of which the member in queftion had been convicted,and 
the practice of the houfe of expelling for notorious crimes, 
particularly 
