till the present arrear of causes shall have been considerably reduced, and subsequently two days in the week at least, meeting at the same hour. That as the above regulation will unavoidably take up a large portion of the time of the Lord Chancellor, which would have been employed in other judidicial duties, as appears from the statement contained in the Appendix, of the periods during which the Lord Chancellor usually sits in the Court of Chancery, it is absolutely necessary that some relief should be afforded to him in the discharge of such other judicial duties.

"Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee, not only that the judicial business of the House of Lords hath so increased as to require, and to be likely to continue to require, a greater portion of the Lord Chancellor's time than was heretofore necessary for the execution thereof, and therefore to disable him from giving sufficient attendance in the Court of Chancery, but that it also appears from the statements in the Appendixes of the comparative quantity of business in the Court at different periods, its judicial establishments having continued the same, that there is a considerable increase thereof, taking together the whole of the different kinds of business transacted in the Court; and that it is therefore expedient, in order to secure at the same time a sufficient attendance upon the House of Lords by the Lord Chancellor, and sufficient means for carrying on the business in the Court of Chancery, that an additional Judge in the Court of Chancery should be appointed.

"Resolved, That it appears to this Committee to be expedient that such Judge should hold his office during good behaviour, and that he should be of a rank corcorrespondent with that of the Master of the Rolls.

"Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee, that it is expedient to revive the practice which formerly prevailed in the House of Lords of limiting the period in each session, after which Appeals shall not be received in that session.

Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee, that it is expedient to order all the parties in the Appeals and Writs of Error, which may be depending at the close of the present session in the House of Lords, to lay the prints' of their cases upon the table of the House, before the end of the first week in the next session of parliament, in order that the House may be enabled to forg some judgment of the nature of the cases which have been brought before them; and that it should be an order of the House that the prints in all cases of Appeals and' Writs of Error should be hereafter laid upon the table of the House, within a time to be limited after' such Appeals and Writs of Error have been presented."

The Earl of Liverpool, after an able and perspicuous commentary ́ on the necessity of adopting mea-" sures for the more expeditions transaction of the judicial bosiness of the House, and the beneficial tendency of adopting the Resolutions, recommended by the Committee, moved their lordships to agree to the first Resolution.

Earl

Earl Stanhope cordially agreed with the noble Secretary, that every thing which tended to dispatch in such cases was desirable; but with the Resolution as now proposed he could not agree. It proceeded on a principle that a number of cases should be left or kept untried. This, he thought was wrong, as they should proceed until the whole arrear should be wiped off, instead of "considerably reduced," as the Resolution had it; and he should move to amend it accordingly.

The Earl of Liverpool reminded the noble earl, that the Resolution referred only to Appeals and Writs of Error. The House had other judicial business to attend to, and which occupied a great portion of thir lordships' time, as the cases of the Berkeley and the Banbury peerages this session amply evinced. There must always, from the nature of the thing, be some cases remaining untried, and he thought it would be preferable to leave the Resolution as it stood, when the arrear should be considerably reduced, the House could decide on the most preferable mode of proceeding under the circumstances.

Earl Grey approved of the amendment. He thought they should proceed in the most expeditious way until the whole arrear was extinguished; and that it would be proper to introduce into that part of the Resolution, instead of the present words, the following: "Until the then existing arrear of causes shall be extinguished."

The Earl of Liverpool repeated his argument in favour of the Resolution as it now stood; and thought it would be better to leave the point to the subsequent discre

tion of the House, according to circumstances, as they were now guided in several other points of a nature nearly similar,

The question was then put on an amendment, as suggested by Earl Grey, which was negatived without a division.

The Earl of Liverpool then moved the adoption of the second resolution.

The Earl of Lauderdale recurred to his former argument, that the House had not sufficient information before them, as to the business of the court of Chancery, to warrant the adoption.

The Lord Chancellor briefly observed upon the vast increase of the number of appeals in that House since the periods adverted to by the noble Earl: it was tenfold.

The Earl of Lauderdale, in reply, contended, that the information required was essentially necessary, to enable the House to form a judgment of the merits of the question. When Lord Loughborough presided in that House, there was only one year of appeals in arrear, and yet they had no information as to the state of the Chancery business at that period. He meant not to speak either in praise or depreciation of the conduct of any noble Lord while in that situation. He only wished they should be informed as to the matter of fact.

Earl Grey, referring to the increase of balances in the hands of the accomptant-general, observed, that it was no proof of the increase of the general business of the court of Chancery.

Lord Redesdale entertained a contrary opinion. That increase, combined

combined with many other noto rious circumstances, demonstrated an increase of business in Chancery. It was increased also in consequence of the additional business thrown upon the court by the various acts of parliament.

The resolution was then agreed to; as were also the remaining resolutions.

Resolutions proposed by Mr. Horner in the Committee on the Report of the Bullion Committee.

RESOLUTIONS.

1. That the only money which can be legally tendered in Great Britain, for any sum above twelvepence in the whole, is made either of gold or silver, and that the weight, standard, and denomination, at which any such money is authorized to pass current, is fixed, under his Majesty's prerogative, according to law.

2. That since the 43d year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the indentures of his Majesty's Mint have uniformly directed, that all silver used for coin should consist of 11 oz. 2 dwts. of fine silver, and 18 dwts. of alloy in each pound troy, and that the said pound troy should be divided into 62 shillings, or into other coins in that proportion.

3. That since the 15th year of the reign of King Charles the Second, the indentures of his Majesty's Mint have uniformly directed, that all gold used for coin should consist of 11 oz. of pure gold, and 1 oz. of alloy in each pound troy; and that the said

pound troy should be divided and coined into 44 guineas and one half-guinea, or into other coins in that proportion.

4. That by a proclamation of the 4th year of the reign of King George the First, it was ordered and directed, that guineas, and the several other gold coins therein named, should be current at the rates and values then set upon them, viz. the guinea at the rate of 21s. and other gold coins in the same proportion; thereby establishing, that the gold and silver coins of the realm should be a legal tender in all money payments, and a standard measure for ascertaining the value of all contracts for the payment of money, in the relative proportion of 15646 pounds weight of sterling silver to one pound of sterling gold.

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5. That by a statute of the 14th' year of the reign of his present Majesty, subsequently revived and made perpetual by a statute of the 39th year of his reign, it is enacted, That no tender in payment of money made in the silver coin of this realm, of any sum exceeding the sum of 251. at any one time, shall be reputed in law, or allowed to be legal tender, within Great Britain or Ireland, for more than according to its value by weight, after the rate of 5s. 2d. for each ounce of silver.

6. That by a proclamation of the 16th year of the reign of his Majesty, confirmed by several sub. sequent proclamations, it was or dered and directed, that if the weight of any guinea shall be less than 5 dwts. 8grs. such guinea shall cease to be a legal tender for the payment of any money within Great Britain or Ireland, and so in

the

the same proportion for any other gold coin.

7. That under these laws (which constitute the established policy of this realm, in regard to money), no contract or undertaking for the payment of money, stipulated to be paid in pounds sterling, or in good and lawful money of Great Britain, can be legally satisfied and discharged in gold coin, unJess the coin tendered shall weigh in the proportion of parts of 5 dwts. 8 grs. of standard gold for each pound sterling, specified in the said contract; nor in silver coin for a sum exceeding 251.; unless such coin shall weigh in the proportion of 3 of a pound. troy of standard silver for each pound sterling, specified in the contract.

8. That the promissory notes of the Bank of England are stipulations to pay, on demand, the sum in pounds sterling, respectively specified in each of the said notes. 9 That when it was enacted by the authority of parliament, that the payment of the promissory notes of the Bank of England in cash should for a time be suspended, it was not the intention of parliament that any alteration whatsoever should take place in the value of such promissory notes.

10. That it appears that the actual value of the promissory notes of the Bank of England (measuring such value by weight of standard gold and silver as aforesaid). has been for a considerable period of time, and still is, considerably less than what is established by the laws of the realm to be the legal tender in payment of any money contract or stipulation.

11. That the fall which has thus

taken place in the value of the promissory notes of the Bank of England, and in that of the country bank paper which is exchangeable for it, has been occasioned by a too abundant issue of paper currency, both by the Bank of England and by the country banks; and that this excess has originated from the want of that check and controul on the issues of the Bank of England, which existed before the suspension cf cash payments.

12. That it appears that the exchanges with foreign parts have,` for a considerable period of time, been unfavourable to this country in an extraordinary degree.

13. That although the adverse circumstances of our trade, together with the large amount of our military expenditure abroad, may have contributed to render our exchanges with the continent of Europe unfavourable, yet the extraordinary degree in which the exchanges have been depressed for so long a period, has been in a great measure occasioned by the depreciation which has taken place in the relative value of the currency of this country, as compared with the money of foreign countries.

14. That during the continuance of the suspension of cash payments, it is the duty of the Directors of the Bank of England to advert to the state of the foreign exchanges, as well as to the price of bullion, with a view to regulate the amount of their issues.

15. That the only certain and adequate security to be provided against an excess of paper currency, and for maintaining the relative value of the circulating medium of the realm, is the legal convertibility

Convertibility upon demand, of all paper currency into lawful coin of the realm.

16. That in order to revert gradually to this security, and to en-, force meanwhile a due limitation of the paper of the Bank of Eng land, as well as of all the other bank paper of the country, it is expedient to amend the act, which suspends the cash payments of the Bank, by altering the time, till which the suspension shall continue, from six months after the ratification of a definitive treaty of peace, to that of two years from the present time.

Copy of the Gold Coin and Bank Note Bill, commonly called Lord Stanhope's Bill.

"An Act for making more effectual provision for preventing the current Gold Coin of the Realm from being paid or accepted for a greater value than the current value of such coin; for preventing any Note or Bill of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England from being received for any smaller sum than the sum therein specified; and for staying proceedings upon any distress by tender of such notes.

Whereas it is expedient to enact as is hereinafter provided: be it enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords spiritual and temporal, and Commons, in this present parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That, from and after the passing of this act, no person shall receive or pay for

any gold coin lawfully current within the realm, any more in value, benefit, profit, or advantage, than the true lawful value of such coin, whether such value, benefit, profit or advantage, be paid, made or taken in lawful money, or in any note or notes, bill or bills of the governor and company of the bank of England, or in any silver token. or tokens issued by the said governor and company, or by any or all of the said means wholly or partly, or by any other means, device, shift, or contrivance whatsoever; and every person who shall offend herein shall be deemed and adjudged guilty of a misde

meanor.

II. "And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That no person shall by any means, device, shift or contrivance whatsoever, receive or pay any note or notes, bill or bills of the governor and company of the bank of England, for less than the amount of lawful money expressed therein, and to be thereby made payable, except only lawful discount on such note or bill as shall not be expressed to be payable on demand, and every person who shall offend herein shall be deemed and adjudged guilty of a misdemeanor.

III." And be it enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That in case any person shall proceed by distress or poinding to recover from any tenant or other person liable to such distress or poinding, any rent or sum of money due from such tenant or other person, it shall be lawful for such tenant or other person, in every such case to tender notes of the governor and company of the bank of England, expressed to be payable on

demaud,