280 L O 'N 
particularly for pecuniary frauds and breaches of trad:, 
moved, “ Tnat Benjamin Walfh, eiq. a member of this 
houfe, • having been tried at the Old Bailey, in January 
laft, for felony, and convifted thereof, and having received 
a free pardon, by reafou of his offence not amounting to 
felony in the opinion of the judges; but grofs fraud and 
tiotorious breach of truft having been proved again ft him 
on the faid trial; is unworthy and unfit to continue a 
member in this houfe.” 
Sir Arthur Piggotr, in oppofition to the motion, ad¬ 
duced various arguments to prove the incompietenefs of 
the evidence before the houfe of Walfh’s guilt ; and to 
fhow, that, although he had difgraced himfelf in the eyes 
of fociety, his action was not of a nature of which the 
lioufe could take cognizance. 
Mr. Bathurft replied to his objections, by fhowing that 
there was furncient proof of moral turpitude, for which 
no circumftances of mitigation had been adduced ; that 
the houfe was not bound by technical rules ; and that 
every one nmft feel the grofs indecorum of fuch a perfon 
fitting in that place. 
Mr. Abercrottiby thought that the principle might be 
carried to a dangerous extent; and that it would be very 
difficult to draw the line, and determine what fort of 
breach of truft fliould render a member liable to expul- 
fion, and what not. 
The Attorney-General confeffed that the fubjeci was 
attended with a good deal of difficulty. Of the cafes of 
expulfion which had occurred at different times, that of 
the directors of the Charitable Corporation came the near- 
eft ; and, if the houfe had proceeded upon it, not as a 
mifhpplication of the public money, but as an aCt of grofs 
difhonefty, the aft committed by Mr. Walfh was at leaft 
equally difhoneft.—Several other members fpoke on the 
different fides of the queftion, which was difcuffed with 
much temper and impartiality. The general fenfe of the 
houfe was however clearly for the expulfion of one who 
had proved himfelf fo unworthy a member ; as vvas mani- 
f’efted by the divifion, on which Mr. Bankes’s motion was 
carried by ioi againft 16, though fome very refpectable 
names appeared in the minority. 
The gold-coin and bank-note bill, which had excited 
fo much difcuffion in the laft feffion of parliament, was 
again introduced to the notice of the houfe of commons, 
on March the 17th, by a motion from the Chancellor of 
the Exchequer, for its continuation, with certain amend¬ 
ments. After a few preliminary obfervations, he moved, 
“That leave be granted to bring in a bill to continue and 
amend an aCt of the laft feffion of parliament, for making 
more effeftual provifion for preventing the current gold 
coin of therealm from being paid or accepted fora greater 
value than the current value of fuch coin ; for prevent¬ 
ing any note or bill of the governor and company of the 
Bank of England from being received for any fmaller fum 
than the fum therein fpecified ; and for flaying proceed¬ 
ing upon a diftrefs by tender of fuch notes ; end to extend 
t/a: fame to Ireland .” 
Lord Folkeftone rofe in this early ftage of the bufinefs 
to obferve upon the confident manner in which the right 
honourable gentleman had introduced a motion, the ob¬ 
ject of which was neither more nor lefs than that of mak¬ 
ing bank-notes a legal tender; and he made fome obfer¬ 
vations on the extenfion of the bill to Ireland, though 
lord Cafflereagh had lalt year particularly objected to it, 
becaufe, bargains in the north of tha't country being made 
for payments in gold, it would have the effedt of defraud¬ 
ing the creditors. 
Lord Cafflereagh having made fome explanation rela¬ 
tive to his opinion as referred to by the noble lord ; Mr. 
Tierney fpoke with confiderable warmth againft the pro- 
pofed meafure, as likely to bring on a molt dangerous cri¬ 
ft s for the country.—The houfe divided upon the motion, 
which was carried by 73 againft 26 ; and leave was ac¬ 
cordingly given to bring in the bill. 
D O N. 
On the motion for the fecond reading of this bill, 
March 26, a debate arofe, in which feveral members on 
both fides partook. The arguments againft the meafure 
were chiefly recapitulations of thofe before employed to 
fhow the danger of making, in effeeft, bank-notes a legal 
tender, and multiplying paper-credit beyond all flint and 
limit. With thefe were joined the injultice of extending 
the law to Ireland, in fome parts of which leafes and con¬ 
tracts of long ltanding exifted for the payment of gold, 
and the depreciation of paper was advanced to 25 per 
cent. On the other hand it was contended, that greater 
evils would arife from leaving tenants at the mercy of ra¬ 
pacious landlords. On the whole it was evident, from 
the views given of the fubjedt, that difficulties preiled 
upon it on all fides, and that nothing remained but a 
choice of evils. The minifters, however, were fupported 
by a large majority; the divifion on the motion giving 
ayes 61, noes 16; majority 45. 
On the 20th of April, upon the bringing up of the report, 
lord A. Hamilton propofed a claufe to confine the divi¬ 
dend of profits to the proprietors of the Bank of England 
to iol. per cent, during the operation of the bill ; his ob¬ 
ject being to give the bank an i n t e re ft in the recommence¬ 
ment of payments in fpecie : it was negatived without a 
divifion.—Mr. Taylor propofed a claufe to compel the 
bank to employ the furplus of profit above 10!. per cent, 
in the purchafe of bullion, which was alfo negatived; and 
the fame fortune attended Mr. Johnftone’s propofed claule 
to limit the blue of bank-notes. 
The Chancellor of the Exchequer propofed the amend¬ 
ment of taking away from the landlord the right of ejeift- 
ment after a tender of bank-notes in payment of rent by 
the tenant. This was warmly oppofed by Meffls. Horner, 
Brougham, and others, as depriving the landlord of his 
only remaining remedy, and making bank-notes, to all in¬ 
tents and purpofes, a legal tender. It was defended oa 
the other fide, as containing nothing new in principle ; 
and paffed without a ;J divifion. The bill was ordered for 
a third reading, and met with no further oppofition in the 
houfe of commons. 
On the order for the fecond reading of this bill in the 
houfe of lords, April 28, a difeuftion took place, in which 
the.arguments againft a compulfory paper-currency were 
recapitulated by the eppofers, and were replied to by mi¬ 
nifters and their fupporters, who contended for the necef- 
fity of the propofed meafure. No divifion occurred in 
its paffage through the houfe ; but a ftrong proteft againft 
the third reading, figned by lords Lauderdale and Rolfi- 
lyn, was entered on the journals. 
It is unneceffary to obferve more on this bill, than that 
by its amendments it in effect accomplifhed that purpofe 
of rendering Bank-of-England notes legal tender, to which 
the bill of the preceding year had made fuch an approxi¬ 
mation ; and that, by diiallowing any limitation of that 
company in the iflue of its notes, and unreftriCred power 
of coining filver tokens of lefs than their nominal value, 
the whole circulating medium of the country is placed in 
its hands. If in the prefent ftate of things fuch a mea¬ 
fure was the wifeft policy, it muil be acknowledged that 
Inch a ftate has never before occurred in Engiifli hiftory. 
Among the parliamentary difeuffions of this feflion, 
one of the moft remarkable related to the different at¬ 
tempts under the regency, now- freed from its reftriftions, 
to form a new or a ftrengthened adminiftration. There 
had been made public in the month of February a letter 
from the prince-regent to his brother the duke of York, 
exprefling a wifli, that at this “new sera” his government 
might be ftrengthened by the acceflion of fome of thofe 
perfons with whom the early habits of his public life had 
been formed, and defiling that this wifh might be com¬ 
municated to lords Grey and Grenville; and alfo the let¬ 
ter of reply from thofe lords, in which they ftate the im- 
poflibility of their uniting with the prefent adminiftration, 
on account of differences of opinion concerning the moft 
5 important 
