HOUSE OF LORDS. Wednesday, March 28. SWITZERLAND. The Order of the Day for fummoning their Lordships was moved; but previous to its being read, The Earl of Carlisle rofe, and apologized to their Lordíhips for taking that moment to remark upon a subject which was not before the House. Its great importance induced him to take the earliest opportunity of calling their Lordships' attention to it; and it had been, he obferved, very properly adverted to in the other House of Parliament. He alluded to the wanton, unprovoked, and moft unjustifiabie irruption made by the French into the territories of Switzerland. That country had done more in his opinion to ftop the deluge which feemed to menace all Europe, than any other quarter of the globe, England excepted. After making a few remarks upon the progrefs of the French arms, and the critical state to which the Swifs were reduced, he expreffed his hope, that, in fome mode or other, fomething might be done betore that free, and once independent people were entirely crushed. The applause of the Houfe, even the bare, empty applaufe, might afford fome fatisfaction to that brave people; and if nothing more was done, ftill the general approbation of this country might be to them fome confolation. If any mode could be fuggefted to enable them to do what the interests of the world feemed to require--if any affistance could be furnished them---if it were poffible to mark the perfidy and cruelty of the nation that was oppreffing them, it would be matter of the fincereft fatisfaction. would then forbear offering any specific propofition upon the fubject, but content himself with calling their Lordships' attention to the circumstance. He Lord Grenville obferved, that on fuch an occafion, and upon fo very important a subject, no fort of apology was neceflary on the part of the Noble Earl, for coming forward as he had done. His Lordship had exprefled himself as every man inhabiting a free country, and enjoying the bleffings of a free constitution, muft feel, at beholding the ftate to which the wanton and unprovoked aggreffion of the common enemy had reduced a free, peaceable, and unoffending people. The fubject, undoubtedly, was not in a regular manner before Parliament---but he hoped, that on a future day, and that at no very great distance, the opportunity would arrive, when the fubject could be regularly adverted to. He felt much fatisfaction in finding the fubject touched upon in both Houfes of Parliament, particularly, because independent of a reference to that actual affistance, it must be matter of much confolation and add to the exertions of that much much aggrieved and injured people, to find that in Great Britain, there exifted but one fentiment, and that decidedly in their favour. REGULATIONS RESPECTING DIVORCE BILLS. The Order of the Day for taking into confideration the regulations laid upon the table fome time ago by the Lord Chancellor refpecting Divorce Bills was read. The Lord Chancellor faid, that it would not be very neceffary to enter into a difcuffion of the regulations. If any thing was deemed improper in them, they would not of course be in a condition to receive the affent of the Houfe. They were regulations refpecting Divorce Bills. But he rofe to take notice of fome mifreprefentations upon the fubject which had, found their way into the public prints, which took upon themselves improperly to ftate the proceedings of that Houfe. The manner in which the fubject had been itated in thofe prints was, as if a cenfure had been conveyed against the conduct of the Ecclefiaftical Court. This ftatement he knew had given great concern to feveral perfons who acted in that Court. He therefore role to give it a moft decided contradiction. It was ftated to have been faid by two Noble Lords in the Houfe, that a particular cafe had proceeded as far as it did proceed in the Ecclefiaftical Court in an abrupt manner. What was faid was, that a knowledge of the whole circumftances of the cafe had been kept from the Court. Nothing, however, could be further from the tendency and effect of what paffed upon the occafion he alluded to, than a cenfure upon the Ecclefiaftical Courts. The proceedings produced at the Bar were merely to fhew that in one Court judgment had been given, and in another Court a verdict. Their Lordships, in future, by having all the evidence laid before them, would be enabled to obtain more complete information. Thus much he had thought it neceffary to fay, in order to do away the effect of the mifreprefentations which had gone forth. The Bishop of Rochefter faid, that after the juftification which had been made for him by the Noble Lord, it would have been unneceffary for him to have troubled their Lordships, were he not particularly anxious to exculpate himself from any idea or with of cafting any reflection upon the proceedings of the Ecclefiaftical Court. What fell from him did not in the fmalleft degree imply a cenfure, for he had merely faid, that what had come out in that particular cafe, at the Bar of the Houfe, had not been in evidence in the Ecclefiaftical Court. If the articles of feparation that exifted had been alledged there, a divorce could not have been granted the parties a menfa et thero. The Learned Prelate Prelate concluded by faying that he fhould vote for producing the proceedings of the Courts in Divorce Bills. The Earl of Radnor made fome obfervations upon the regula tions. He asked whether a perfon petitioning was to be forced in all cafes to attend? Some limitations feemed to him to be neeeffary in this point. There might be inftances where the parties petitioning were detained abroad in the fervice of their country. Their Lordships would be aware that it would be impoffible for them to attend. In other cafes, the perfons might be in the kingdom, and yet equally unable to attend from indif pofition. But, except in thefe two cafes, of indifpenfible abfence abroad, and of illness at home, he thought it right that perfons fhould attend. He thought there fhould be limitations to their being examined at the Bar, and that fome fuch words as thefe, "unlefs inevitably prevented," fhould be introduced. He did not mean, however, to fay, that thefe were the precife words. that ought to be ufed: he only fuggefted that expreffions to that effect fhould be adopted. Lord Viscount Sydney appeared to concur in the propriety of making fome effectual regulations refpecting the progress of Divorce Bills in that Houfe. He entertained doubts, however, as to the propriety of the mode propofed for examining petitioners at the Bar. Various objections to it ftruck him, and some forcibly it would be an afflicting circumftance to bring to the Bar a man full of distress and grief at his wife's conduct, and to examine him whether he had been guilty of fraud and collufion.-Might he not be examined in fome other way? Others might be in fituations to preclude attendance: in fact, he entertained ftrong doubts upon the point. The Bishop of Durham faid, that in fuch cafes as thofe alluded to the Houfe would have a difcretionary power. If a petitioning perfon was engaged abroad on indifpenfible fervice, the Houfe would have the power of difpenfing with his attendance. The regulations would effectually ftrike at the evil of divorces, and which, in a courfe of twenty-nine years of parliamentary expe rience, he found to be much wanted, namely, that the cafe fhould be thoroughly inveftigated, refpecting the great point of collufion. The morals of the country, and particularly thofe of the women, were deeply involved in the queftion. How could truth be got at but by examining at the Bar? For thefe regulations, therefore, he felt deeply obliged to the Noble Lord upon the Woolfack; they tended to remedy a dreadful evil, and as fuch he was a warm friend to them. He should have been glad that they had gone further, but he conceived that the Houfe had the power of adopting fuch regulations as they might deem to be moft proper. He hoped, therefore, that the Houfe would agree to to them, for it was his firmeft conviction that they would be productive of general good, and would prevent that multiplicity of Divorce Bills which hitherto had been paffed with fuch facility. The morals of the people were the great object to which every legislature ought to attend; for if any credit was to be given to the teftimony of hiftory, one of the most certain and fatal fymptoms of the decline of Empires was the corruption of public morals. The Lord Chancellor lamented the growing licentioufnefs of the times, and expreffed his apprehenfion that the facility with which divorces were procured had greatly contributed to in creafe their number. A divorce, at prefent, was confidered a mere matter of form---a thing of course, as much as the levying a fine, or fuffering a recovery in the Court of Common Pleas. In short, the fyftem was carried to fuch an extent, that a divorce was looked forward to as a profpective advantage: the cause was not confidered a misfortune; on the contrary, it was notorious that previous arrangments were made with a view to obtain it. The neceffity of the regulation muft, therefore, be obvious to every body. When fuch wholesome restraints were impofed, few would be likely to come forward but deferving and meritorious objects; at all events, they would make men more circum fpect in their conduct, and eventually reprefs that licentiousness which led to a deftined marriage. Lord Mulgrave obferved, that he entertained fome doubts of the propriety of the propofed regulations, and placed the obfervance of them in fome objectionable points of view. Such an order might deter men of nice or delicate feelings from coming forward, however hard their cafes, or well grounded their pretenfions. He thought the end would be effectually answered, were a private examination of the petitioner to be inftituted upon oath, and a breach of fuch oath severely punishable; or an affidavit might be made, as to any particulars, in a court of law. Regulations of this kind, he imagined, would fully anfwer the purpose. The Bishop of Rochefter faid, he felt that there might be many cafes where the regulation might prove a great and unneceffary severity to the petitioner, and therefore he wifhed it should be left entirely to the difcretion of the House to require or dispense with the attendance of the petitioner, as circumftances might arife. There might be cafes, no doubt, where the merits were fo plain, the regulation might be unneceffary; but where there exifted the flightest fufpicion of fraud, it behoved that Houfe to inftitute the most severe investigation. He entertained some doubt, however, upon the conftruction of the claufe; the order for attendance was abfolute, whereas the examination was dif cretionary; No. 20. ** 4 Y cretionary; at the fame time he was aware, that to ascertain before hand, in what cafes perfonal attendance might be dif penfed with, was an abfolute impoflibility. He was certain, that there were fome perfons in poffeffion of fuch feelings as to be entirely regardless of undergoing a public examination.—-However, when he reflected how much the morals of the women depended upon the fanctity of marriage, when he confidered the Jacobinical fyftem adopted in a neighbouring country, which made it neceffary to take fome strong meatures to refift its influence on the morals of this, he was fure, however painful the reftrictions might be in many cafes, that the Houfe would not be inclined to facrifice much to a little fentimental feeling; for which, as well as the reafons before given, he fhould fupport the regulation as originally propofed by the Noble and Learned Lord. Lord Mulgrave fpoke fhortly in explanation, and was followed by The Lord Chancellor, who explained, that the regulation propofed would reft entirely at the difcretion of the House, as in the cafe of certain existing orders relative to particular Bills. The reading of the propofitions was then finished, and they were feverally agreed to by their Lordships. Some accounts were prefented to the Houfe from the Commiffioners of Richmond Bridge.---Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Gloucester and Crickley-hill Roads, Medfted Inclofure, and Plate Glafs Manufactory Bilis were read a third time and paffed. The accounts moved for by Mr. Ryder yefterday, relative to the British Herring Fishery, were laid before the House. Mr. Ryder faid, that thefe accounts had been drawn up with a view to fhew the effect of the different plans which had been adopted for the encouragement of the British Herring Fishery. The examination he had given this fubject, had completely fatisfied his mind, that the best way poffible to encourage this Fishery, was to take off the reftrictions; but this was a fubject of great importance, and he should not take upon himself to make any propofitions upon the fubject, but should move for the appointment of a Committee, fuch as was appointed about thirteen years ago, to examine into this fubject. He accordingly moved that a Committee be appointed to inquire into the ftate of the Herring Fifhery, and to confider of the best means for improving the fame. The Motion was agreed to. DEFENCE |